Oni's 2nd grow. Lessons learned

[anon86068642]

I thought I’d take a few night pics to show color better.

6000k color correction

And a standard flash on pro with all settings on auto

And lastly a hdr pic with flash on.

Leaf growth likes the humidity or root growth just got large enough to power through my “soil” I’m admitting it now. It’s around 50% wood chips and has a high clay content. If it wasn’t an auto I’d transplant it in the new mix after it comes in. I guess I’ll have it as a control grow vs my same soil with Perlite once I get the largest chunks out only. The small pot is showing promise without them as is. Very fluffy soil when drying so far. Can’t live without learning

[Meesh]

I transplanted my autos once. Started them in little 8" pots until they rooted out then to their final homes cuz I use starter seed soil. One quick transplant won’t hurt them, after that stop fucking with them! lol

[Meesh]

Meant to reply to @cogitech, but don’t want to clog up your thread with “other stuff” Quickly though I’ve had one orchid for over 10 years in a south facing window too. Outgrew it’s pot a zillion years ago. I always forgot about it. The sucker usually had like 2 leaves on it for YEARS, but bloomed like clockwork. Recently, I’ve been throwing my leftover African Violet fertilizer on it and it freaked out and has like 5 leaves now!! hahaha! Come April I’m wondering if it’s gonna throw me extra spikes. They are really cool with LITFA, but damn do they respond with even the slightest love. lol

[anon86068642]

No worries. When they get transplanted I will just leave them alone. So far I just wait and water when they seem to need it. After the transplant I’ll check the soil composition to see what’s been going on and if it matches my suspicion. I’m still screwed for now. Good soil costs as much as the supplies I’ll be ordering😅 I’ll get some better soil eventually. I’d rather have better quality, but at least it’s not filled with chemicals?

[Meesh]

Well, I had given you a link to MOTR’s triangle. Simple soil test that just requires a jar and some dish soap. You even get to do math! That will give you the exact type of soil you are working with… You are striving for loamy. It will tell you if your soil is too sandy or to much clay. You should try it out. Then you know what to amend your new pot of soil with before you plant so you will get the golden loam. OCD out on that, your plants will thank you and you won’t have to mess with the seedling. Just a thought

[anon86068642]

Thanks for reminding me about the chart. It’s late now, but come morning I’ll be bored AF
I don’t have any non foaming soap ATM. I might have some borax I can get access to tomorrow morning. 24 hours test LoL, but it’s worth it for a simple test.

[anon86068642]

I just checked on the pants and I’m seeing 60% Rh finally I’ll let it climb to 65% and turn it on low and see how it stabilizes the humidity. I’m currently at 75f as well for any who are keeping track.

[anon86068642]

I’m trying to add on another 10 to get same day shipping. Does anyone have any suggestions? I’m on Amazon BTW. I have a 5 pack ofb3 gallon fabric pots and 8 quarts Perlite ATM. At a loss. I stayed up all night for whatever reason.
I might not grab the bti after all for now and work on my watering technique instead. I can grab a digital hygrometer to fill the minimum needed. Or I could grab plant ties and trellis netting for the same🤔.

I have limited options rn to be around 40 max and taxes on the 35 will be too close to get anything else with a wiggle room of $2.

[cannabissequoia]

Look here youngster…

Get a f’n plastic bag(clear) or some saran/plastic-wrap and make a mini-temporary-greenhouse. The temps & RH will skyrocket & you can play with ventilation with holes.

sheesh.

[anon86068642]

It’s probably going to annoy you, but I don’t own any and don’t use any plastic wrap. Holdover habit from my teens when they talked about cling wrap being carcinogenic. It doesn’t apply to all plastic wrap, but the lack of trust in that product was established long ago.

I’m at 50% humidity now. It seems to be the constant. The air is extremely dry in my house this year and tbh I stopped diy fixes like that in here long ago. They always backfire and I regret it every time. I fix one thing and 2 more break. It’s like I make broken hydras😅

Also I’ll need at least 2 rolls to cover the area needed to even cover the area. I have 4 separate fans going in there now as the air keeps getting stale by the plants specifically even though the rest of the room I can feel airflow comfortably. Not strong, but it feels comfortable on my skin. Around 72-74f is what it feels like in there. The hygrometer says 75🤔

[anon86068642]

@cannabissequoia
Sorry about the panic attack earlier. I feel the need to respond when I have one and I should just not post until I’m calm. I can possibly borrow some plastic wrap. How much would I need? I’m seeing the seedlings stretch internodal distance finally. The 2nd set looks closer to 2 leaf now and the 3rd set is noticably bigger now. The cilantro jiggles with the airflow I have in there now and the soil feels airflow, but it’s so mild I’ll get my hand damp before I feel for airflow current next.

I do have a small fan that will circulate air in 100sqft area the size of a softball. I could fit the humidifier in the area too. I’m assuming I should cover the area with the lights too? The humidity is going to rise, so I’ll have to find a way to seal it in.

Actually better question is does plastic wrap block light I would need for the plants? ATM the 50% humidity is low for my taste, but it’s steady at least occasionally dropping to 45 before going back up to 50 again short after.

I didn’t remember to add it to my report, but I’ve been turning my heat down to 68f from 75f at night and by the time they wake up the heat is only around 72-75 in there still, but I’m trying at least. I’ll have to turn down the heat ahead of time to match a daily cooling and heating for a night and day cycle to have it be cooler at night.

The color seems to be improving in the 2nd set. Possibly from it’s thumb evening out the chlorophyll? The new growth seems like green though.

I could probably find enough boards around the house to make a poorly sealed box for the plants. For now the 12" wide box I could make has enough space to fit everything while they grow out. It won’t be nailed together or anything that frame is not stable as anyone who knows structural integrity in shapes or really anyone with even mild spacial awareness can see. I’ll be adding another shelf in the middle of the frame and then I’ll find the best combination of boards to box them in. I’ll stick the mini diffuser I’m using as a fan and the humidifier in there too. When it’s just that diffuser alone in this room I feel a breeze that at times has been uncomfortably cold when it catches you just right. Mixed with warm steam. I never thought cold steam would be a thing as a kid lol. 40-60% is what the humidifier says it most easily can regulate or it’s specifying about allergies at high humidity.

It shouldn’t promote anaerobic bacteria since it won’t be airtight sealed. Honestly at this point I’m going to procrastinate getting the plywood to make the box until I actually make a rough draft at least, but it’s usually after v1 when the faults in the design show.

[anon86068642]

Now for some pics
Close-up

I see 3 fingers now and not 2 on the 2nd set. New growth is a little light looking to me

Overhead

I double checked the distance and it’s just shy of 2 feet at 22-23" from the soil. The CFL there I’ve heard is useless past 6", so unless I should move it up also I’ll leave it alone.

And now the new setup until it’s improved
Prototype rough draft as it’s just a imagination thing rn​:sweat_smile:

I know the boards are small, but I have to work on switching out the larger ones. I’ll have to put one in the middle of the frame to stabilize it more with less wedging it in place.

And my hygrometer pic

I know wasted light and all that, but at this point I think I might be giving them more light with the white shelf box I’m makeshifting here instead of broadcasting it across the whole 8x10x10 room with a closet adding an extra 6x2x4 space in there. The crawlspace is boarded up and sealed. This time of year I don’t want to go in there. It a easy access point for pests. Though I haven’t had them last winter I got them in spring damn wharf rats infesting the city after they demoed a building on a Marsh just to make the same building, but newer with updated and very bad architecture. It’s almost all glass. It’s a middle school I forsee problems.

[anon86068642]

I almost forgot, but @ModicumGenes once I get my soil fixed I’ll be growing some of those blue zkittlez seeds. Gotta learn them lessons first lol.
From what I see on this grow I need to amend my soil. I’m ordering the Perlite today. I’ll get it tomorrow. They decided it was noon at 11:20 and the countdown timer was going 4x fast. At 11:38 it was already at 23 hours left on the new timer. I just love technology sometimes

[99PerCent]

Things are bumping along I see.

@OniTenshu

It’s seemingly drying faster than usual today. Once I got the humidity to 50% the topsoil looks more dry

White stuff… Don’t worry.

Mycelium

Keep the soil at 6.7-6.8. It will want to rise above this eventually.

Try to not over-water and add a little LITFA again.

PS

Oh yeah, increase air flow.

[anon86068642]

I added de to the topsoil actually. I do see regular growth of mycelium. No more mushrooms popping up. The garlic is probably helping there. Actually with the garlic I’m a little surprised a fungus is growing so well

Either way it’s a bonus. I can also use it as a visual for dryness on top, a way to reflect some extra light, and a extra defense against pests trying to nest in there. I can only hope the spiders I let do their thing around the house help out keeping pests away if any decide to hop on and visit. I found a huntsman in the room as I was grabbing shelving, so one made a home in the grow room too.

Also correct me if I’m wrong, but don’t some insects make use of the nitrogen in the air in some way? I can’t remember my elementary science lessons well anymore. I want to say it’s a metabolism thing or something to do with the exoskeleton. He’ll maybe it’s just as simple as they don’t produce their own nitrogen well and take it from the air like clovers do to a better extent.

Also as far as bothering the plants I’m working on finding enough boards to make a small rudiments grow box with. I can “upgrade” it with plywood and sealing later, but now it’s time to plan the rough draft. It won’t be fully reflected, but it’ll be better than letting the light leak everywhere in the house. It’s as bright as noon in there. About 5500k-6000k looking. I think my 6000k corncobs are swallowing the light around them. When I can afford one I’ll grab a par meter.

Otherwise I’m just trying to get them to a ideal humidity range I can just be comfortable LITFA with. I’m spending the day so far just maintaining their environment as the day is cold today outside. Frosty in fact. My humidifier is working hard today.

[cannabissequoia]

Amazon.com: Blissun 4 Tier Mini Greenhouse, 27" L x 19" W x 62" H (green) :...

or

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Homz-66-Quart-Clear-Latching-Container-with-Blue-Latches-Set-of-2/40977735

What I’m trying to convey is that your home needs not be a “greenhouse”. It’s easy to keep plants happier if they’re isolated like this or in a grow-tent or even a closet. I’m pretty sure you understand “greenhouse effect”…i.e. light goes in, heat & moisture are trapped… Think about aquariums or reptile terrariums… it’s necessary to keep them happy & way easier than converting your home or bedroom into an underwater paradise or steamy jungle or arid desert.

AND, you aren’t using LITFA at all yet. Think “set it and forget it”. They’ll be happier with stability than with constant changes.

They don’t need more than a bulb at this point so put it IN the greenhouse up high and the fan down low pushing cool air up. Ventilate manually as needed.

I’m only hammering this into you because I have made the same or similar mistakes a LOT & still do occaisonally. Save you some time & energy.

[anon86068642]

Maybe I’m not understanding what LITFA means as I’m adjusting the room to be what they want rather than giving them airid conditions knowing better. I have to go in regardless as my humidifier runs out occasionally. I don’t mess with the plants other than taking pics of them and watching the soil as I would like to make sure they aren’t in too hot of a room either.

Mostly I’m working on setting the room up to be able to just leave and come back later with no disturbance to their room. I just got the humidifier, so I’m learning how to fuss with it to give the plants the humidity they want at this stage.

Unless you mean to tell me to let them stay in compacted soil, 30% and below humidity, improper airflow, cold temperature, and not have the lights a good distance at this stage? Wouldn’t that kill them? That sounds like a recipe for a dead plant when it wants the opposite of all of those conditions. Maybe I’m not following what you mean then.

I’ve been micromanaging and figuring out my options with what I have. That room has a literal hole in the wall for the AC unit. It’s not fitted and so there’s a air gap you can see out of. I’m sure it has some part to play with the temp in that room for sure. That and the fact that it only has 1 heating vent in there. The other vent is a passive vent to pass airflow from my living room to my grow room.

I’m not trying to be annoying, but I just don’t understand why fine tuning a room fo rthe plants is a bad thing? At the humidity they want to be at I do too. Dry air makes it hard to breathe for my asthma and allergies. I’m allergic to Birch, maple, oak, pine, anything with fir needles, magnolias, and weeping plants of any kind for whatever reason. They used to think it was only weeping willow trees, but weeping cherry trees and even a weeping pussywillow do it too. I had to quit one job as I couldn’t deal with the constant runny nose and postnasal combo with itchy watery eyes and difficulty breathing.

Upside is I escaped the allergy to poison ivy, poison oak, and poison sumac.

Downside is I’m always itchy like a crack addict from constant histamine release and the sensory input issues I have from my autism a make it a living hell here for me TBH.

If I stay in new England my whole life I’ll be moving to a area free of everything used as a decorative plant over here. It’s almost always a fir bush or something

[anon86068642]

I did a soil check and saw the humidity is finally where I’d like it even with this pretty crappy excuse for a box I have going on here.

It’s only damp feeling all the way down to my 2nd knuckle.

I’m seeing what looks like heat stress or light stress if it’s not a magnesium deficiency

Now that my area there is dialed in at least I have the ability to relax and leave them alone. Coming in to check on the water level of the humidifier and the temp/Rh in there. Overall I’m just waiting now.

Also reason I tilled that soil was because it was like clay mixed with bits of paper for consistency. I should have taken a picture, but I am 100% positive I did the right thing letting the soil not choke out the plants sealing in water on top. It was a entire inch or so of what felt like contaminated clay not suitable for arts and crafts. After I mixed in the de it’s been behaving much better letting the pot dry.

Most of this is because I planted a seed on a whim and I didn’t add aeration to the soil. The rest is because of inexperience. I make mistakes a d I learn from them. Also I’m nearly a month from sprout. I’m not really expecting this auto to yield anything more than 7g at best TBH. I’m still going to keep growing it as I can always add more plants to the op, but I can’t waste good weed even if it’s a low yeilder. I’ll just give her a viking funeral and send her out with in a big ass cone.

I’m making mistakes and learning lessons. I never learn unless I can understand and that sometimes takes me forcing myself to learn the hard way, so as not to repeat it in the future. It’s actually the main reason I only planted 1 seed. I also noticed the taproots last growonly got about 8" tops in length.they weren’t really at the bottom at all. Just about halfway down.

But yes I am a odd person and I enjoy high humidity in the winter. Especially if it’s steam as I can breathe deeper. The airflow in my apartment is made to rush air out as apparently my house has negative pressure. If I open my back door and from the door both it’s like a wind tunnel sometimes. It works better than a whole house fan. It’s free and does the same thing drying out my house and exchanging the air all at once

[Meesh]

I think what @cannabissequoia meant was if you just put plastic wrap up to seal the holes and plant in, it will humidify quickly and easily on it’s own without being disturbed by going in and out or other things by creating a greenhouse effect.

[anon86068642]

Oh. Well I’m not sure it’s feasible unless plastic doesn’t block light. IDK, but either way growth is noticable through the day. The 3rd set of leaves popping out have started to form the serrated edges now. Unless they cup up worse I’m just chocking the appearance down to the leaves moving out of the way of the new growth.