Hi Everybody,
Normally I don’t run a grow through the Holidays, travel and whatnot interfering with my growing practice.
A couple things I’ve learned in my short time here at OG have me rethinking that custom.
First and foremost, Auto’s!
Short run times, 24 – 0 lighting, indoor sized plants w/o extreme root constriction and lst, tested by top posters … what’s not to like?
My last two grows were sativa dominants and they OverGrowed their way to the top of my tents during my inevitable absences.
Second, which is something I’ve suspected could be considered “purist” is planting the sprouted seed into a single, terminal pot.
My normal seed propagation tech is to start the seed in a baggie or petri dish and plant/transplant through a series of larger and larger pots until they go outdoors as in my veg garden or a final pot.
Small pots, many small pots require a lot of attention I’ve found, and complicates my often unscheduled travels. I’ve done several types of self watering planters successfully but each requires an initial setup and can fail regardless of precautions.
Plus while some plants, like p. somniferum, can’t tolerate transplanting, mj isn’t like that. On the other hand, I’ve noticed that plants need transplanting often at inconvenient times.
What the idea of planting direct into a terminal pot offered to me and my circumstance is a carefree Fukuoka-san like freedom from all that. Less frequent watering, fertilizing, iow’s TIME spent means this may become a new Holiday custom.
So here we go:
Dec 1 2019
Dropped 2 Purple Heart Auto Fems and 2 Loco-Mota Auto Fems into petris.(My small concession to accuracy and efficiency)
Thanks @Sebring and @ReikoX!
All four seeds sprouted within 4 days, even the runt seed in the Purple Heart dish.
Before that happened, I resolved to use a new method and type of potting that has been cogitating in my dark grey.
I used a 8 quart black dishpan as a prototype, drilled 4 holes on 2 sides covered with screen …
… and filled it thus:
Topped up with my version TLO mix.
I used three, 2 quart containers for both Loco’s and the runt Purp Heart, with the exact same setup.
This tech is a simplified version of what I’ve learned from self watering containers.
Fast forward to Dec 20.
Big gal Purple Heart in the 8 quart
Oak leaves have been boiled and applied as a mulch, to cut evaporation.
The other 3,
More tomorrow about what I found out when I returned from an eleven day absence.