Kelp meal is what I use for potassium (K) along with potassium silicate (AGSIL16H).
5 Likes
Two, maybe three are showing potassium deficiency; its clearer now that it is Potassium and not Nitrogen. Four of them where transplanted into 3 gal pots; each with one fresh banana peel.
Better pictures to come.
The remaining four were put out of the tent and left under 2 T8s. I left them in their one gallon pots to encourage them to stay contained. I will put the four in 3 gallon pots into flower as soon as I can sort out a second timer. I’m considering going straight into 12/12 or spending a few weeks in 14/10. Any thoughts there?
6 Likes
Some better shots of the first group. The taller one with a yellow marker is one of “those ones”, the other three are Poison Mimosa. I counted 7 nodes each; about 18” tall.
I probably should, or certainly should have, top them; or is it fimming at this point? They have about 3’ of distance from the glass of the light hood. I plan to put them into flower there, in a few weeks when they bounce back from the potassium deficiency.
Outside of the tent I didn’t get any pictures; but the four I left out last night are doing well. It’s interesting to look at the nearly one month older plant that is with the others; the inter-nodal spacing is much shorter and there is a lot more foliage.
I’ve been reading a lot on purple streaks coming with nutrient deficiencies and cold temps… it’s also just a totally normal genetic thing right? All of my plants, especially the mimosas, have had purple streaks as long as I remember.
4 Likes
Thanks to the idea from @nube I now have all four soon to flower plants tied down with rubber bands.
I hope I’ve done this right; but honestly after doing it once and seeing the results this morning I quickly picked up on the fact the the plant is very flexible still. The slow pull of the rubber pulled them overnight where I would’ve pulled them in minutes. I adjusted them all down a bit today, they quickly took to the training. I’m focusing on mostly pulling the tops gently down to keep them out of the light later on, is there any other thing to consider when LST or MST? I figure my tops may still be a bit high above my bend, but I can always pull it down more later.
Humidity is being a bitch; so I added again a cool mist humidifier and gained 10% RH. I need to seal my tent up tight; that’s on me. Been putting it if until I got filters but doesn’t seem like that’s soon. How long into flower do you suppose I can get away with no filter? All is legal, but I’d rather not broadcast it. Single family home in the suburbs, so houses are close together but we have some space.
5 Likes
Merry Christmas! 
I’m really sorry man, I may not have described what I meant very well. You want to get the hormones (auxins) that control apical meristem dominance redistributed. In other words, the topmost shoot on your plant makes these hormones (auxins) that keep it the dominant shoot, basically meaning it gets priority for all the nutes and other growth hormones. That prevents a lot of lateral branch growth in some cultivars.
To spread the auxins around and cause other shoots/branches to grow out, you have to either force the current dominant top to be physically lower than the other tops you want to grow out, or remove the dominant top via topping/fimming/cutting a clone from the top. It’s hard to tell from the pics, but it looks like you’re pulling the stalks over to one side, but I was talking about pulling the tops down.
I guess what you can do now is get another longer setup (safety pin + long string or twist ties + rubber band) to pull the actually top down in the opposite direction so you’re making a C shape or something. Stalk goes in one direction, top in the other. Just be gentle with the top. If it’s unclear, I can try to get a pic of what I mean.
4 Likes
I got you now, and that where I was heading, except I was going to just try to keep the central kola as low as the rest. I tried 3 or 4 nodes from the top and it looked so scary I settled for halfway.
Although, pulling them stem one way and then pulling the top the other way sound just as gentle as my plan to just move farther up the stem with my mounting points. But I see what you mean now, I need to stress the top a bit so it’s redistributes a bit… C shape worries me a bit though. Would the upper part not sag onto the top? I could maybe get it to spiral, just working the top around the edge daily… you know I was almost going to ask you for pictures yesterday, lol. I have good ideas- I just don’t listen to them. That said… I’m not unhappy with the results. I won’t continue this way; but only because I believe doing it the right way will be better. If I move the bands up a bit, maybe lengthen them, I should be able to correct it. Shit, glad I tagged you lmao.
2 Likes
No worries man. This is a form of low stress training. Key is to redistribute those auxins; how you go about it is up to you. I think you get the idea though. 
Just don’t snap the tops, so put the rubber band up top about 3-4 nodes from the newest growth.
I don’t have pics and I don’t have any plants that need it right now, but soon. I have some clones in veg that are growing up into the veg light and need to be spread out soon. They need a transplant first, though. I was hoping to wait until I could pick keepers, but that ain’t gonna happen. 
When I get there, maybe this weekend, I’ll snap pics. Please remind me if I don’t!
2 Likes
This should be more accurate to what you described. Even with the pre-bend I did today they ended up bending at a tight angle. No snappy sounds, no wounds (well, the plants anyways). I’m fairly happy. Off to do the other three.
Curiously, I’ve just been facing them into the corner as to not crowd the center. Is there any particular direction? I mean, seems like I can pretty much just make them go where I want, just needs patience.
I did ask if we could bring one to Grandma’s since she was missing having a Christmas tree this year… for some reason no one else thought it was a good plan.
Update
For those struggling to keep track which plant is which with my awful photography; the bottom left is SK1 x Black Pearl x Pineapple Thai, the other three are Poison Mimosa. All are doing well, and I think as soon as I can manage to lightproof the tent, as there are other plants on 18/6 right outside the tent. I have really not found an affordable solution, so in the end the four outside might have to find somewhere else to live.
Also… my pots are not drying nearly as fast as they did in the tent. Humidity is quite a bit lower, actually around 35% RH. Temp is a touch lower, 65* instead of 68*. Only thing I figure is airflow- they have lots of air, the whole basement, but no idea if the air around the plants is circulating. So would a fan help? A heater? I’m really not sure what’s up with them. I watered them a few days ago and they are still quite damp. The only explanation I can reason is that since they went from 300w of HPS light to 80w of fluorescent, they maybe are growing a hell of a lot less. Just using less water. Does that theory… hold any water? rimshot
5 Likes
Some updates I either didn’t notice yesterday or appeared just today.
This one is showing yellowing in the veins, as well as another.
Apologies once more for the light, I used my flash to hopefully balance the color a bit better; they are big enough now it’s a bit difficult for me to get them out without battering them. So normal lighting is hard.
All of these older plants are losing their leaves down at the bottom of the trunk. I know this is somewhat normal, they are only losing these bottom leaves, that do not have 5 fingers. Just wanting to confirm.
The little ones outside the tent are… odd. They are cupping and clawing; whirling too? I’m not sure at all, what I am sure of is the soil is still are rather damp. The very top layer has dried, but is moist and kind of compact. I fear I did something negative in the submersion watering I tried and compacted the soil some. I could transplant them into 3gal pots but I do not have the resources to really take care of these other four. My tent is full for flower; I can’t afford really anything for them to improve their conditions. Hoping it’s just part of hardening to the new environment.
8 Likes
You definitely just drowned them is all IMO. Let them get a lot drier than they are now and they should recover. They look great 
4 Likes
I suspected. I just love to overwater, you know? Lol.
4 Likes
You area is airtight? My idea is perforated tubes underground and inlet/outlet above.
Circulation air and draining condensate water in groundwater as it is or with sensor. It can drop down humidity in normal limit i think. but temperture can drop down too. Need a thermos.
And why you just not placed your bags in basins, it water stock.
1 Like
you can water from below when the plant has reached the bottom and less mud.
Surprisingly cleanly in your cabinet.
You can take tare with flat walls and Sometime in future connect all in one line using fittngs ,
1 Like
Sorry friend, I am struggling to understand quite what you saying, so forgive me if I misunderstand. My space is sealed; but well vented to the room around it. The light is connected with an inline fan and air cooled hood, with a straight air path through, sealed off from the rest of the space. The light and tent exhaust/intake from the same room but this does not need to stay this way. I plan to put up some black and white plastic around the area to better control humidity and warm up a bit at night with a heater. The light can be connected to take air from outside the new grow room since it needs to heating or humidifying.
I do not quite understand what you mean with the perforated tube. As to bags in basins… I have them in saucers? I am not sure on that either. Bottom watering is my current method. I have a tendency, as you can see throughout my log, to overwater. So I try to water very sparingly. But as they show sometimes I still over due it.
I’m not at all sure on this, my apologies.
2 Likes
Oh man… they look like shit today. I don’t know what has happened, they haven’t been watered in days, the soil is still wet. I’m considering repotting them at this point or something, holy shit. One straight up just fell over at the base of the stem.
I did LST them yesterday and I ended the light cycle 2 hours early to switch to 16/8 now; but when I checked on them last night they were as pictured before. The plants in my tent like to droop during the day, but always spring up overnight.
To my now mildly educated eyes, it does look like overwatering… but uh, shouldn’t they be getting better? Or will they just suffer a bit first? Anything I can do to help them? I can blow some warm air over them, and at the pots. The humidity is around 35-40% I figured they should dry out fast… it’s been 7 days since they’ve seen more water.
Except for one of them. This one plant seems to be content. No discernible difference in care or environment.
For what it’s worth, the catnip you can see behind it has been growing happily and wanting water every day or two.
In the tent things are pretty happy, @nube the rubber bands worked a charm. I’m seeing new growth similar to the top all along the stem. I always cringes at the idea of straight bending it flat near the bottom but I can see now how that would be even more effective than my bend around the middle. Great advice from everyone there. Potassium may be better, unsure after a week. Need to research these spots that are forming. In this instance, this plant is a different strain than the others in the tent and it received one dose of my compost tea a month ago. It was one of my healthiest plants, the tallest when I started training them, but it started with yellowing in the veins and now dark spots; will have to report back after some research.
1 Like
What’s in the soil mix and is it all organic? Could be too heavy? Just spitballin.
Also, in the tent do you have them sitting directly on the plastic floor or do you have something separating them from the cold concrete beneath? It’s hard to tell, but it looks like nothing between pot and concrete floor but water tray and bottom of tent… That could be the issue.
2 Likes
The soil is an organic potting mix; I think I listed the ingredients somewhere; but it was very similar to the recipes I was recommended and nothing harmful, so I went with it for a start. Other than that the only thing that has gone in is water… but admittedly, unsoftened tap water. I leave it sit for a few days- but I do this in closed bottles. I’ve long wondered if I’ve been killing something with chlorine but I don’t know. The soil it the pots is very heavy; in the sense that it’s compact and dense, and quite wet. That’s why I considered a repot- just to aerate the soil. Essentially for 1-2” all around the pot it’s dry as I would expect. Penetrate that layer on the top or the side, you feel soil maybe about the dampness of watered earlier that day.
Under the pots I have plastic saucers- they have ridges that lift it up a bit but I think the pot sagged now. I did notice yesterday the soil was a bit on the cool side, more than usually anyways. I had thought the saucers were enough, I will put something under them when I get a chance. If I’m lucky I might have a XPS panel around… otherwise I assume a 1” nom. board is fine, I would say it’s working well for my vegging plants but yeah…
From what I’ve read, spots likely from K deficiency, which the banana peels should correct. I have some banana tea to use on the leave tonight if it seem necessary. But the yellowing of the veins… this is weird? Right? I couldn’t hardly find info on it aside from other sick plant threads on THC farmer.
I have learned to be patient with these plants, I frequently do nothing but look them over. Only nutrients ever added were one dose of compost tea as a test, and then the banana peels in the larger pots. I think what got them was the watering I did. I literally drowned them in a bucket. That said… I did it to them all. About a week or two before transplant. When I transplanted and removed the smaller ones from the tent I misted them a bit, and that was the last water they saw. I just don’t understand why they would thrive for a week or two first then just drop?
2 Likes
Make a little table of particle board on top of 2x4s or something, supported in the middle so it doesn’t sag. You could even put your tent on a palett if you had one sturdy and stable enough.
Soil mix might be wet and heavy, so perhaps 2x as much perlite could help and repotting them, too. Who knows. Try getting them off the ground and warming up temps in there first imho. Repotting them is a lot of stress if your plants are already unhappy.
Before diagnosing and helicopter parenting your plants with all sorts of home remedies (where did the banana suggestion come from?!?), I’d suggest getting your environment factors squared away. With the yellow color of your pics, it’s hard to diagnose anything. Temps at root level are the most important thing when growing in a basement, second is fresh air exchange since basements are moldy and musty, third is air movement. And any assumed issues could be caused by bad temps or PM or something that’s also environment-related.
4 Likes
Nube is right, cold roots will slow growth dramatically. Get them off the cold floor.
If you are having trouble with your pots not drying out, place the pots on an old shop towel overnight. The towel will help wicknout the moisture. 
5 Likes
Priory one for sure. Air circulation in the tent is excellent, to the point I need to heat the tent at night. I have my fan on the lowest speed, and still see low 60s at night. Plus they are on the floor.
This was the source of the IDEA; along with some research I did independently on potassium amendment. Now that research may have lead me wrongly in potting the peels with the plants; was certainly not from here so.
But more to a point; yes. I agree less focus on treatment and keep putting work into environmental factors. Although with the environment I can only do so much right now, budget concerns… that said I have no excuse to not build a platform, I will this afternoon. I have the lumber and screws… honestly not sure why I haven’t done it yet, thank you for the push. I think I may have two choices where to go after that. I can leave the smaller plants out exposed to the cold, dry basement, or I can put them back in the tent… neither is ideal as has been discussed here a bit, I think I would much rather sacrifice yield and grow 8 plants in the space than let half die outside of it, but I want opinions from some people more knowledgeable than me.
I definitely can believe it’s cold roots… again not exactly sure why I haven’t lifted them off the floor. Repotting was pretty much a last resort, I should note, of course, I don’t really do much to the plants without running it through OG. But of course not everything warrants a post, so it gets neglected or dealt with inappropriately. So to all; just let me know. I haven’t done anything to the plants today, and do not plan to until I understand the issue. I had thought I understood the potassium deficiency and acted appropriately- but again I know next to nothing about plants in general. (Unless you count Highschool biology).
And @ReikoX nice tip on the towel… I’m going to make the environmental changes I can over a few days here while I figure it out, if they somehow still are wet I’ll try that. But yeah… the tent hits 60-61* at night. Add wind and water… Yeah I see it. Fixing it I’m not entirely sure on but we’ll get there.
3 Likes