Hello! Though I've been reading non stop since before germination, I have not posted until now.
To this point (2-ish weeks before flowering), I have been able to self-diagnose and solve problems with the assistance of this site and it's search function. However, as my plant continues to grow, it has also increased in complexity. That said, I find it quite difficult now to diagnose things based on posts and pictures from others because my plant is now on a larger scale (obviously) and is dually granted a higher probability of unique characteristics (by that I do not mean the problems have not occurred elsewhere, as they quite certainly have, instead I simply insinuate that it is now hard for me to compare my plant to another.)
Here is the current setting, environment, and inputs:
-4 plants (grown from bag-seed despite warnings because I simply wanted to test my abilities before overly investing)
-Aprox. 3-7 sq. feet in the grow section (just a guess)
-Plants ordered in a square formation approximately 26 inches under the light (It puts of a lot of heat)
-400w metal halide with eco-wing reflector
-White walls
-Closet with folding doors
-Doors are kept mostly open on the opposite side of the closet (about 4 feet away) to provide ventilation. Doors are kept closed with slight fan breeze and complete darkness during lights-out.
-Aprox. 74-85 degree throughout the day
-18/6 schedule
-26 days old (plus 2-3 days of germination)
-Humidity is unknown (I live in a state with a typical humidity of 10%)
-Because of low humidity I have set up this (http://www.hunterfanhq.com/tools/sales/hunter/preseason/images/owners/41553.pdf) humidifier and set it on its second highest (of three) settings
-Constant air flow from fans on the highest and second highest settings (lowest, and indirect set up, setting during dark hours). Also making sure it is not hitting the plants hard directly so they are tilted slightly upwards towards the heat source.
-Happy frog soil
-Watered two-three times weekly depending on manual check of soil aprox. 3 in. from top
-Watered every, or every other time, with ph 6.8(ish) Reverse Osmosis water mixed with botanicare sweet grape
-Transplanted from ground soil (very bad, I know, it's replaced now[also bad, I know]). Was also situated in 4, seperate, red, plastic dixie cups. Grown in window-sill for first 1.5-2 weeks on aprox. 12/12 schedule.
-When transplanted I used zho rhizosphere root inoculant. Treatment was followed up 1.5-2 weeks later as instructed. Plants appeared to be dormant for .5-3 days (depending on plant) before returning to full health.
-When transplanted they were moved to 3-5 gallon black plastic grow bags with numerous drainage holes (they do appear to drain well- or at least until now, but more info on that to come)
-Possible ants in grow room (doesn't appear to be in the soil, nor does it appear to be a severe problem as it is just 1 ant spotted weekly)
-Possible insect infestation to come (recently spotted a light blue or gray, nearly transparent body it seemed but it flew away before I could capture and inspect it, with wings dissimilar to white flies, possible resemblance to gnat, but uncertain as there is a color difference. This will be preemptively treated tomorrow, ASAP.)
-First fertilization thus far occurred during my last watering, which was 2-3 days ago. I used Buddha grow (.5-2-1.5) organic fertilizer.
-The plants have had no rearranging in terms of their grow location since transplanted
-Most plants are on their 7th or 8th node and beginning to smell and develop the additional leave sprouts upon the node
-3 of 4 plants are stem supported by plastic straw and zip tie (extremely loose). However, the one plant that was never supported appears to have the strongest stem- the others are flimsy (but they are definitely strengthening in comparison to their initial state- I believe initial weakness was due to the window sill growth and their quick vertical growth)
-Because of the previous stated vertical growth, when I transplanted, I buried the plant up to its seedling leafs. I then allowed the plants to grow for 1-3 days under the window sill (due to possible over watering) before moving them to the new light. They did great in their (15 foot) location move, I'm only mentioning this to provide background.
I think that's everything in regards to the set up- but if you have a question, PLEASE don't hesitate!
So with that said, I'll unleash my first question (with many more to follow, I'm sure) :
Upon my 2 most recent waterings I have noticed a difference in the soils of some compared to the others. Two of my plants (kept closest to the fan, but the distance is minuscule- maybe 12 inches between stems of the closest and of the furthest) have been drying their soil 1-4 days before the other two. What is the reason for this?
The reason I ask is I am afraid there might be mold beginning to grow (though it could just be nutrient salts from my first fertilization days ago). The soil texture has changed in comparison (mostly due to the withheld water). The soil of the ones retaining moisture longer have a content that is slightly harder and compact (almost VERY WEAK clay feel to it). Dually, the two plants appear to have a white film upon the top of the soil. This film, however, is very intermittent upon the top and does not appear too threatening yet.
So-
Any advice?
I'd post pictures, but to be honest I'm looking more for advice on how to keep the soils of the four plants at a constant and similar texture.
Given that- I'll post pictures if needed.
To this point (2-ish weeks before flowering), I have been able to self-diagnose and solve problems with the assistance of this site and it's search function. However, as my plant continues to grow, it has also increased in complexity. That said, I find it quite difficult now to diagnose things based on posts and pictures from others because my plant is now on a larger scale (obviously) and is dually granted a higher probability of unique characteristics (by that I do not mean the problems have not occurred elsewhere, as they quite certainly have, instead I simply insinuate that it is now hard for me to compare my plant to another.)
Here is the current setting, environment, and inputs:
-4 plants (grown from bag-seed despite warnings because I simply wanted to test my abilities before overly investing)
-Aprox. 3-7 sq. feet in the grow section (just a guess)
-Plants ordered in a square formation approximately 26 inches under the light (It puts of a lot of heat)
-400w metal halide with eco-wing reflector
-White walls
-Closet with folding doors
-Doors are kept mostly open on the opposite side of the closet (about 4 feet away) to provide ventilation. Doors are kept closed with slight fan breeze and complete darkness during lights-out.
-Aprox. 74-85 degree throughout the day
-18/6 schedule
-26 days old (plus 2-3 days of germination)
-Humidity is unknown (I live in a state with a typical humidity of 10%)
-Because of low humidity I have set up this (http://www.hunterfanhq.com/tools/sales/hunter/preseason/images/owners/41553.pdf) humidifier and set it on its second highest (of three) settings
-Constant air flow from fans on the highest and second highest settings (lowest, and indirect set up, setting during dark hours). Also making sure it is not hitting the plants hard directly so they are tilted slightly upwards towards the heat source.
-Happy frog soil
-Watered two-three times weekly depending on manual check of soil aprox. 3 in. from top
-Watered every, or every other time, with ph 6.8(ish) Reverse Osmosis water mixed with botanicare sweet grape
-Transplanted from ground soil (very bad, I know, it's replaced now[also bad, I know]). Was also situated in 4, seperate, red, plastic dixie cups. Grown in window-sill for first 1.5-2 weeks on aprox. 12/12 schedule.
-When transplanted I used zho rhizosphere root inoculant. Treatment was followed up 1.5-2 weeks later as instructed. Plants appeared to be dormant for .5-3 days (depending on plant) before returning to full health.
-When transplanted they were moved to 3-5 gallon black plastic grow bags with numerous drainage holes (they do appear to drain well- or at least until now, but more info on that to come)
-Possible ants in grow room (doesn't appear to be in the soil, nor does it appear to be a severe problem as it is just 1 ant spotted weekly)
-Possible insect infestation to come (recently spotted a light blue or gray, nearly transparent body it seemed but it flew away before I could capture and inspect it, with wings dissimilar to white flies, possible resemblance to gnat, but uncertain as there is a color difference. This will be preemptively treated tomorrow, ASAP.)
-First fertilization thus far occurred during my last watering, which was 2-3 days ago. I used Buddha grow (.5-2-1.5) organic fertilizer.
-The plants have had no rearranging in terms of their grow location since transplanted
-Most plants are on their 7th or 8th node and beginning to smell and develop the additional leave sprouts upon the node
-3 of 4 plants are stem supported by plastic straw and zip tie (extremely loose). However, the one plant that was never supported appears to have the strongest stem- the others are flimsy (but they are definitely strengthening in comparison to their initial state- I believe initial weakness was due to the window sill growth and their quick vertical growth)
-Because of the previous stated vertical growth, when I transplanted, I buried the plant up to its seedling leafs. I then allowed the plants to grow for 1-3 days under the window sill (due to possible over watering) before moving them to the new light. They did great in their (15 foot) location move, I'm only mentioning this to provide background.
I think that's everything in regards to the set up- but if you have a question, PLEASE don't hesitate!
So with that said, I'll unleash my first question (with many more to follow, I'm sure) :
Upon my 2 most recent waterings I have noticed a difference in the soils of some compared to the others. Two of my plants (kept closest to the fan, but the distance is minuscule- maybe 12 inches between stems of the closest and of the furthest) have been drying their soil 1-4 days before the other two. What is the reason for this?
The reason I ask is I am afraid there might be mold beginning to grow (though it could just be nutrient salts from my first fertilization days ago). The soil texture has changed in comparison (mostly due to the withheld water). The soil of the ones retaining moisture longer have a content that is slightly harder and compact (almost VERY WEAK clay feel to it). Dually, the two plants appear to have a white film upon the top of the soil. This film, however, is very intermittent upon the top and does not appear too threatening yet.
So-
Any advice?
I'd post pictures, but to be honest I'm looking more for advice on how to keep the soils of the four plants at a constant and similar texture.
Given that- I'll post pictures if needed.
