Oni's 2nd grow. Lessons learned

Indoor Growing
#61

Very impressive ability to sense the PH. Chalky could be something with carbonate adjustment (sodium/calcium carbonate).

For sanity, the best way to verify a probe’s readings is to obtain a reference solution. Via amazon, for instance. e.g. https://www.amazon.com/General-Hydroponics-4-01-Calibration-Solution/dp/B017H73794

Usually, those solutions are also used to perform a two point calibration. But, this probe apparently using a different technique.

Since that is second hand probe and you’ll need to decide if it’ll be worth the effort since there “could” be other issues with the probe itself. Age, calibration slope, etc.

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#62

The probe is a multi step calibration as a option if I read the manual right. It was a graph with 3 different pH powder solution ratios mentioned on it.
The talk water at the end once it dechlorinated tasted closer to 7.5 pH. Much less chalky and closer to that flavorless spit in my mouth taste 7 gives me.

I have a overdeveloped sense of taste and smell even with cigs lol. I wish it was dulled TBH almost always. It ruins some food for me when I can taste each preservative and filler used in food. It’s also probably in part from the autism making anything that touches me very intense for tactile sensation. Certain clothes are a no go.

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#63

For example idk the exact pH of this, but it has enough acetic acid and tartaric acid in it that it’s exactly as acidic as a good apple is at about 4 pH.

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It doesn’t seemingly cause any erosion like coffee does, so I’m unsure if it’s really that low on pH, but it hits those acid notes easily

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#64

In some circles, that would be a super-power. But, yes, I understand where you are coming from.

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#65

I’m sorta freaked out by my natural pH meter in my mouth LoL

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I did a chemical test too just to see and it’s slightly darker than a 4 pH, but almost exactly the shade of orange red of 3.5-4 pH. Not red enough for 3

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#66

Now my question of the day: what should I do to water today? I can water with straight tap water or add the Epsom salts to it for the magnesium and sulfur it adds while making the other nutrients easier to absorb, but Epsom salts don’t contain any calcium at all. It’s 100% pure magnesium sulfate.

@99PerCent did you mean to have me add a calcium nute to the water on top of the Epsom salts?

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#67

I added the straight tap water to the soil and the readings are at 6.3-6.5 pH. The pen sees 6.35-37 pH and the chemical test agrees. Now the question is should I taste test that runoff too. If it’s not toxic I wouldn’t mind washing my mouth out after to help the plants

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What’s the steps from here? I still have soil from the last grow I could try mixing in and see if it helps bring the pH back or not

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#68

In soil, no I would not do that. Just the Epsom Salt.

Testing the runoff is interesting but not as meaningful as readings from the soil and being certain of the pH of the water being added. Continue to water at 6.8 and add Epsom Salt for the first watering, maybe the second. Watch and wait.

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#69

First run was a rinse to get the soil back up, so since I’ve already drenched the soil I’ll add some Epsom salt to the next batch I add in a bit once it’s finished draining out

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#70

I’m done messing with it today. Just flushing it in general lowers pH. I added water at 6.7 pH as the Epsom salts with the water were at 6.3 pH and with a cup of soil added it brought the pH back towards 6.8. I think I might be stuck with a soil tea for my waterings maybe if I can’t get anything else to pH up my water.

I saw 6.2 pH on the pen test. When I tasted the runoff before it tasted like a 6-6.5 pH. I’ll let the microbes do their thing now before I kill the plants

#71

I squeezed some soil for a pH test and it’s matching the runoff exactly. I got a good reading and I’m seeing it at 6.10 pH.

I’m not messing with it anymore until someone with more experience can tell me how to fix this shit of a situation

For reference I added 35g of Epsom salts to 1 gallon of water and 1 cup of soil and flushed the soil with that letting it fully drain. It’s still dripping a bit now. I was seeing mild tip burn on the lot of them, but it’s most likely from the pH being thrown off so much

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#72

I probably wound up killing them and I’m just waiting to see it happen. I’m putting a reminder in there that if I can’t solve a certain math problem I’m not watering on my own without help. I’m not experienced enough to have a feel for it yet when I’m potato brain

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#73

You would probably take the gold medal in my “Blind pH Taste Testing” growlympics challenge… :thumbsup:

:smile: :alembic:

:evergreen_tree:

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#74

It’s only good for a party trick really ime. It helps in this instance, but I can’t put everything in my mouth LoL

The worst part is I don’t have to wash my mouth out to be accurate. It’s all about how it feels vs what I felt before the taste and I just know the difference I guess

#75

Can someone give me advice on what I need to make a cob build? My buddy has been asking me about lights for awhile and won’t join here to ask himself.
IDK if I have all I need listed, but feel free to add to my list. I’m making one for myself and then after he’ll make his, but he wants to see it first before he makes one for himself and puts any money in.

I have this site here to follow how to build one. Is it accurate or missing anything?

#76

I decided I’m not going to worry if they pull through or not. I switched the light cycle to 20/4 from constantly on with no night cycle. The other plants need the sleep anyways. I’m rooting for it, but I got a good dab that put me in a calm Zen like state. I’m not allowing anxiety to control me for as long as this will allow. I’ll use the time to calmly analyze my options and what I did wrong without obsessing on one thing.

Other reason I went to a 20/4 cycle is the auto looks stunted to me. The 2nd set of true leaves have been taking a long time this show up. My fuckup aside after the Epsom salt and soil mix the 2nd set looks to be growing. Seeing as it’s not a true Rudy it’s safe to assume that the sleep functions in the genes could still be active even if mildly compared to a photo.

2 more hours of sleep and the first day of the new cycle starts.

As far as aeration in the soil I’ve noticed when squeezed it’s clay like, but crumbles to dust when scratched at. I can easily dig down in the soil to the bottom if I were to not be concerned about the roots. I checked the spot with no plants in it and the soil almost moves around my hand and feels about 2x as moist as the top half of the pot. At least the soil is drying even 6 inches down before it retains more water. As far as water retention of the soil I’ve noticed I get it stuck to my hands if I squeezed it heavily and I need to use soap or it won’t come off my hands, but if I just dig around my hand comes out fairly clean and a quick rinse under water alone gets it all off. As for the ratio of pearlite I’d say it might be around 10% as a handful of soil gives a good amount of peat chips, pearlite, and corn husks from mosquito bits. About 65% soil and compost to 10% pearlite, 20% peat moss of various kinds chips included(I had to check one to be safe and it’s not wood with rings of any kind or a woodchip consistency), and 5% leftover bits. At least that’s the feel in my hands and what I remember from mixing the soil anyways.

I can’t think of anything else to add, so I’ll cut the long ass post short here.

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#77

You can always foliar feed epsoms. Just a FYI

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#78

Good to know. They’re looking to be growing again. Another new cilantro popped out of the soil. I’m positive more seedlings than I planted are popping up now, so that’s a thing.

The little oregano seedling is doing bad though. It’s so dark and almost red/purple with a deep green in color. I noticed in the last grow too the oregano just stayed that small for over a month before I gave up on it and yanked it.

My next goal for myself is learning small scale ratios of water for the plants.

After the 4 hours of sleep last night I noticed the tip burn I saw receded, so I’m thinking I had too much light intensity for the seedlings. I raised the lights from 6 inches to 2.5 feet above the plants. Hopefully that will also promote some mild stretch as they don’t appear to want to grow much taller.
Even the other plants I’m more familiar with seem stunted. They grow rapidly out of the soil and crawl bigger over a week to a size they should be after a few days.

I believe it’s too late to amend the soil, so I’ll get pearlite before this grow finishes and amend my next grow to make things go smoother

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#79

I had the same thing happen to my brussel sprout seedlings. They popped up like gang busters in purple and just stopped growing after a month. They are still outside but withering away. It’s probably just too chilly for them or something even though our chilly here doesn’t hold a candle to yours. I’m gonna try again in spring. I have also had an artichoke plant for months that has done absolutely nothing and supposedly it’s supposed to be a cool weather plant. If it lives until spring I’ll plant it in the ground. On the other hand, I have over a dozen spring bulbs that have popped up. Curious if they are just confused thinking it’s the beginning of spring and will just sprout leaves and die back again before they flower. Of course this is all outside.

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#80

I raised the heat to 70 in there after I turned up the heat and added my CFL to the mix. I got the humidity up to 40%
I might have to get a humidifier

It’s been stuck at 20% humidity for the last week, so I say that’s a improvement LoL

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