jimbonorman
Well-Known Member
True this strategy might be better suited to Auto grows than up-potting photos.
Does Silica help waterlogged or overwatered roots?
- Thread starter jimbonorman
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calvin.m16
Well-Known Member
When you transplant into a new pot, give a good watering where a tiny runs out the bottom, do not water again until the pot feels lightweight and looks visibly dry on the surface, repeat until harvest. Dryback is crucial for a few reasons. If you keep a stagnant pot of medium fully saturated at all times less oxygen (fresh water) is going to be present in the rootzone, then you get rot and just plain stress out the plant. Drybacks took me a long time to learn because when I first started in coco LOTS of people recommended keeping coco fully saturated at all times. Big mistake when trying to grow big ass roots.
I go from Rooting Plug (2-3 weeks) > 1 gal (3 weeks) > 5 gal (3 weeks) > Harvest. Works great and never get root issues.
I go from Rooting Plug (2-3 weeks) > 1 gal (3 weeks) > 5 gal (3 weeks) > Harvest. Works great and never get root issues.
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Tvanmunhen
Well-Known Member
My personal experience with coco was that my plants were healthier when fed a fresh low ppm pH solution daily. In my opinion this helps keep the pH within the optimal range for nutrition. It also introduces fresh oxygen to the plants.
I was careful with watering newborn seedlings. Once the seedlings are old enough to receive feed and start drinking I watered more. Unfortunately anytime I've allowed coco to fully dry i had a whole host of issues.
I don't grow in coco often and I am definitely not an expert. Currently Im using Pro mix potting soil with dry amendments. I do utilize dry backs in that process.
Tvanmunhen
Well-Known Member
Is this soil? Or coco?
Satsuma1989
Member
How far is your light away and what light are you using? I had similar to this I fixed it by making sure the ph was correct and the temp was correct I use canna coco in veg 1ml per 1 litre and same 1 ml per 1 litre cal mag untill few nodes up then slightly increase feed looks like a deficiency to me and overwatered especially if you haven’t fed in 16 days
ooof-da
Well-Known Member
I agree with your approach to repot and like others said: use a nice drainable soil. To me, and I am not as experienced as some, it looks like the roots may be starving for air. I have had this same look from impacted soil. Overwatering is also easier to slip into but yours do not appear to be overwatered in the traditional sense/look. (To me anyways).
Please let us know the outcome?
GL
jimbonorman
Well-Known Member
I’m in soil. Gave up on this plant (and two others that had the same issue since January). The older ones kept cycling small new growth that would brown and dry out starting at the tips. This more recent one just stopped new growth altogether so after a week I said fuck it. Learning lessons here. Much harder to recover from overwatering than under watering so I’m trying to rewire my brain with that strategy. Got a few newer plants that are doing well with this approach so hey
jimbonorman
Well-Known Member
Thanks for sharing! Love to see other growers timelines like this. I’ve been wondering if I’m spending too long in the rooter (roughly 2 weeks) so good to see someone else doing the same
jimbonorman
Well-Known Member
Can’t remember now since I trashed the poor plant, but all the levels were being monitored and within proper ranges. It’s not my first run so I was just doing what I’ve done before…I think I got used to using fabric pots and didn’t realize plastic pots would retain so much moisture…so I honestly probably gave her a few drenches before she has a chance to dry out and grow enough roots to handle that much water. I know it looks like a PH thing, and it could very well have had PH issues too, but overwatering was def the main culprit. Been watering the newer plants more sparingly and everything is going just fine.
jimbonorman
Well-Known Member
You also bring up the notion of growing big ass roots. I feel like no one talks about this and I never hear anything about a ‘root-growing strategy’. it feels like such a critical thing to me - equally (if not more) important as paying attention to what’s going on above the dirt.
Beeswings
Well-Known Member
I feel like since we are spoon feeding these plants in pots, root mass being crazy high isn't really necessary. Now if you're growing outdoors more naturally and can't even make it our to the plant to feed and or water, you need those giant roots!
calvin.m16
Well-Known Member
That should be common sense for anyone to focus on root mass. We learn from seed that the root popping out is the most important thing for the plant to start growing. I practice pretty strong drawbacks to allow plants to stack lateral roots through the pot. I noticed before when I just kept coco wet I'd get a bunch of vertical root growth that just swirled in the bottom of the pot. Yeah I'd get some lateral growth but most everything was vertical.
What you see above the ground has a very close correlation to what is beneath the ground. If you have small roots or damaged/sick roots you will have a small, sickly plant that doesn't produce anything. Bigger roots bigger fruits is a fact. It's possible to grow plants in tiny little pots but it is not ideal and it actually ends up getting to a point where it's counterproductive.
This is a 1 gallon grow bag 10 days after I transplanted a root riot into it. The method I use is I very gently water until a tiny comes out of the bottom of the container/bag/pot then I leave it the fuck alone until it's almost dry feeling, then repeat that process until harvest. I don't let my pots dry back quite as much as in flower, I want to keep the plant in a regenerative growth status. Some guys recommend not doing drybacks in veg but I have noticed its extremely advantageous when running a high turnover perpetual garden.
jimbonorman
Well-Known Member
Very cool. I assume the plant was in just the root riot for 3 weeks or so before you transplanted?
Would you recommend Root Riots over peat pellets?
calvin.m16
Well-Known Member
I use Q-Plugs they are the same thing as root riots basically. I would recommend whatever gets you healthy roots within 20 days honestly. I've seen guys root in cut up foam cubes. I prefer the Q-Plugs because Root Riots moisture is always wonky and the holes on the root riots suck really bad.
Peat plugs work fine, the coco/peat plugs are manufactured by many brands. Not all are alike by any means, the quality of some is better than others. I've used Root Riots, Rapid Rooters, Q-Plugs and a few other options. I've also used water cloners and just fuckin hated them. Personal preferences.
Pure peat can be a problem because it can be too wet and cause compaction/root failure. Coco plugs can be overwet and still will have enough oxygen and also not compact like peat plugs can.
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Satsuma1989
Member
I use riot cubes I’ve had 100 % success rate up to yet took about 20 plus cuts never failed me yet
DMChiz
Well-Known Member
Best advice I ever got was “as above, so below” What’s happening above the soil is directly related to what’s happening in the soil. I always try to remember, I’m not feeding the plant, I’m feeding what she feeds from.