Struggling first time grower - please help!

I think OP is getting quite good advice here. Off the top, Ron simplifies to drive the points home, and I think gets at the patience element required so that we actually learn. The epistemology of gardening is about the experience, but the pressures of a high-value crop, a constantly available internet that has rationalized every choice and process into seeming flow-chart logic flows, can lead to some pretty tough feelings if expectations are high and initially unmet. Having the patience to let your plant go dry before feeding on the service appears to be a clunky solution to a crucial problem, certainly there must be a better way? For many, possibly most, likely not. Every day that passes waiting keens your senses to the plants’ behaviour, the environment’s changes, and provides time for reflection. Yes, speed is very important for many growers and profits are on the line. Been there, doin that, it’s a drag, and I get it. That’s just farming. But for a first-time grow, first-time new medium, first-time new strain, there’s no reason be, and probably no excuse for being, in a rush. I have always found it much more likely that a plant will die from my next mistake and not my last one. Compounding error really is the biggest one any gardener can make - at least, in my experience!

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Update: I dialed the light way back on 12/25 and with the exceptions of some microbes today, have been feeding water only since. Within hours of raising and turning down the light, a few things happened. First, the leaves quit canoeing/curling. Second, the leaves changed texture. I don’t think I mentioned it before, but the leaves were very rough, almost paper-like. They immediately softened to what seems healthy. Third - not wishing hours, but a couple of days - most leaf tips greened up. And lastly, they immediately started praying and seem to have much better turgor. So big thank you to all.

I’m left with piece that will take longer. the “nubs” as I called them on all of the new growth need to grow out before it will be clear as to whether I’m now seeing normal growth. I think this wait time is exasperated by being in flower since less energy is going towards growing leaves. Including new pics - you can see that the deformed parts extend a few nodes deep on any particular branch, although I think most of t happened all at once. These were just the parts that were newly forming at the time they deformed…hopefully. On the oldest affected leaves, it does appear that the lower/newest portion of those leaves is more healthy than the top, so hopefully that theme continues. As @ReservoirDog points out, tis is definitely an exercise in patience. I’m in no particular hurry, but I definitely want to look into the garden and see thriving plants.

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Glad they are back on track for you man :+1:

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Looking good! I’m glad that worked out for ya!

You should be able to inch back in, maybe half inch, literally :yum:, at some point. I wouldn’t be in a huge rush to do that though.

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Your plants look nice.

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Looks better than my first grow. Good luck!!

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Way to go on sorting that out. I know that someone waxing philosophical when you have made the effort to be very specific is annoying AF - I appreciated your diplomacy! I really loved seeing all the pics you took and surprised myself with just how much of a cheering section I became when you sorted it all out. Nature has always brought out the wide-eyed best in me but sometimes experiencing it through other people adds… flavour. Hope you have a productive, fruitful 2022. Looking forward to getting a little Overgrown myself.

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Hi all - happy weekend! For anyone hot by the winter storms this week, hopefully you’re seeing some sunshine by now. Wondering if I could pick your brains some more…

Two weeks into flower now and seeing some notable areas of what I think is a deficiency, primarily on the lower branches. I’m removing many of the most problematic branches anyway because they aren’t and won’t get much light, but don’t want this to make it’s way up the plants. There is some mild yellowing on the newest part of the leaves on the main tops - not sure if this is normal or a muted version of what’s happening at the bottom. Two days ago I top dressed with BuildASoil buildaflower and yesterday I watered with with buildabloom - no change yet, but it’s early. See pics - what do you guys think?

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Give it time. Organics in soil take a while to show results. There are deficiencies there. Are you giving them anything else?

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I haven’t been giving them anything else lately while I sorted out the light issue except for microbes and fungus via Recharge and Rootwise. Historically, I have top dressed with straight worm castings and/or BAS Craft Blend and Kashi. Something I’ve noticed with these plants, probably from a misstep early on, is I’ve never seen any feeder roots and the mulch layer doesn’t break down much. This has always Makes me wonder about how much they are taking in from top dressings. It also has me second guessing whether I keep the soil for next run as planned or start fresh with known good.

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Usually for me, I do my first flower top dress 2 weeks before I flip them. Normally in organic soil things are 2 weeks behind. I top dress them again, around week 4 or 5, after the stretch.

Have you been giving them any cal / mag? What did you amend your soil with?

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By what you are saying I think your bacteria are over abundant and producing more nutrients than the plant can handle, Your N is still very high judging by the leaf claw and colour.

No CalMag explicitly, but I think my bases are supposed to be covered with Craft Blend. BuildASoil Craft Blend - Nutrient Pack

Interesting - I didn’t realize that was even a possibility. Shouldn’t see more active mulch decomposition in this case?

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I ended up buying a soil moisture probe (it checks soil pH as well) from Amazon. It was less than $20 and worked great until I got the hang of when to water.

BTW you have some great people to help get you lined out!
Some of the best IMHO.

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Yes but not that quickly, if you have worms in the pot’s and depending on how many then it may be quicker. From macro to micro nutrients takes a while but you are using a super soil that has already gone from macro to micro and is holding the micro nutrients ready for use by the bacteria.

If you over populate the bacteria they are going to eat and break down those nutruents faster and make them more abundant.

Soil temp will also have an impact on microbial action, the warmer it is the more active they are.

If I add organic malted barley as a top dressing, too much or too often then the bacteria will get out of hand and the plants will burn, less if my RH is high, more if my RH is low, as they uptake more fluids to keep themselves cooler by repirating, when temps are not in balance with the RH.

Everything needs to be in balance which is hard to do when you’re new to growing and dialing in a grow room. Less and or slower is sometimes more benificial depending on tour local ambient temperature and RH and how you can control it as well as light strength and the plant pheno type as all prefer slightly different equations of these things.

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before Christmas, you were hitting em hard with light, now you’re hitting em hard with the ferts. those are relatively small plants in plenty-big-enough pots of some hot stuff. your main job is to keep them watered and to stay out of your own way!

pretty classic thinking/doing too much. use a light touch and be patient!

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I would also add with the EWC, that is going to increase your microbial content and add more available nutrients to the system quite quickly.

Is build a bloom a liquidl nutrient?

Here is an anology that might make it easier to understand.

Normal back yard soil is like going to the supermarket buying your food going home, cooking and eating it with maybe some of the recipe ingredients missing it takes time to use it up before you can go get some more.

Purchased super soil in a bag, is like going to a Chinese all you can eat restaurant and eating until they close for the night.

When you start adding more to that super soil to boost it, and adding extra microbes as well, it makes it even easier to eat.

It’s like a waiter at the all you can eat buffet, blending the food up, and pouring it down your throat, force feeding you until you choke to death.

Plants are the same as humans except their stomachs are on the outside and they grow in it.

I would say we have all been there and done it as new growers. I was impatient and wanted faster better growth but too much of everything or 1 thing does not help, it messes up the balance and things start to go wrong.

Until you know exactly what the problem is you will keep chasing that problem making it worse by adding other things into the equation that the plant may not need, in the hope of correcting it.

Sometimes a good flush and let them adjust and see what happens is the best treatment, or as we say on OG, LITFA is probably your best friend at times like this, until your sure what the problem is.

Don’t feel bad or depressed, its all a learning thing, until you develop your procedures and knowledge by understanding more about your plants and why you need to do something, rather than just doing it because you see someone else do it with good result’s, you’re going to get new lessons to learn. It’s all just experience and experience takes time and comes from making mistakes :wink:

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Thanks. My (mis) understanding with organics is that the plant, for the most part, will take what it needs from the buffet and leave the rest for later. I do have some worms, but am actually planning on adding more given the mulch not breaking down too much.

Re; buildabloom, it’s a water soluble dry amendment

So, for now, it sounds like the recommendation is water only (with no added microbes this time.) And in general, like the next run, don’t push too hard.

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Perfect! LOL!

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