Dr.J's 2K14 Adventure: The Age of Induction

Dr.J20

Well-Known Member
Nice. A little droopy though. Healthy despite that
Thanks hyroot, took the picture right before watering and I was definitely still working the learning curve on those airpots. they certainly do dry out quickly, but man is that root system sweet!

Here's some pics of the girls right the day before the switch to 12/12.
IMG_1710 (1).jpg<<Power Flower
IMG_1709 (1).jpg<<Strawberry Sour Diesel
IMG_1708 (1).jpg<<Kerala x Skunk 1

Growth has been plagued by cooler than average temperatures. Things are looking healthy, but growth just hasn't been as vigorous as I'd like to see. I have a sinking feeling this winter is going to mean warmer than average temps for this summer, but we'll worry about that if it comes.

I'll try to throw updates more frequently now that we're flowering!
be easy,
:peace: :weed: :peace:
 

KineBoisin420

Well-Known Member
Those air pots look interesting. Think I'll pick up a few next time I visit the hydro shop. Do you think they make that much of a difference?
 

Dr.J20

Well-Known Member
Those air pots look interesting. Think I'll pick up a few next time I visit the hydro shop. Do you think they make that much of a difference?
Well, yes i think they make a difference when compared with traditional plastic pots. right now i'm flowering in some 5 gal smart pots and next run will be 5 gal air pots that i recently picked up. Then i will be able to give a preliminary assessment/comparison of the two, but my gut is that they'll be about the same, since they function on the same principle. I will say that I was seriously impressed with the root structure that was developed by vegging for 3-4 weeks in the 1gal air pot. I will also say that there is a sharp learning curve with airpots, as the holes do tend to allow the medium to dry out faster than normal (you'll notice the drooping in my 3rd update). With organics this is kind of an important point, but if you keep your eye on things, just pay attention to how you're water, then you can dial it in with some good success.
thanks for stopping in, and I hope you'll continue to watch the grow!
be easy,
:leaf: :peace: :leaf:

EDIT: I will also add that a big reason i'm interested in the air pots is because they're very easy to reuse, while I don't know about the reuse cycling of the smarties. Usually i have girls vegging just waiting to get into the flower room, so the sooner i get my flowering containers cleaned and ready, the sooner those girls can start flowering. I feel like, with the smarties, I'll have to manually knock out as much as possible, wash them at a laundromat or something, give 'em an extra rinse. I guess you can plant into wet smarties, so i wouldn't have to wait for them to dry, but theres also the headache of whether the machine washing gets out the roots matted into the fabric--which, itself, is probably more of a cosmetic concern than anything else, but i dont know, i feel like patches of roots could harbor mold if not properly cleaned. Also, again, the root structure i saw with brief vegging in the 1gal airpots was seriously impressive. got the rootbuilder II model from rootmaker, not the terranova superoots.
 

Dr.J20

Well-Known Member
Update for day 10 of flower.
cool temps have been fucking with my shit, but the girls are trucking through. had some wild swings (20+ degrees), though, which will indubitably stunt growth and limit yield.

the new site is rejecting all my pics uploads so I guess i can't show anything right now.

Day 10 was last wednesday (4/4); as of day 14 (yesterday) my Kerala x Skunk 1 was exhibiting some stress; some newer growth is showing dark spots, leaf tip and margin curling (upwards), crispiness, and perhaps the earliest stages of chlorosis. About 5-7 fan leaves have exhibited this overall, and, again, its newer growth, but only one leaf from the newest growth exhibits anything like this.
I have raised my lights a bit, but I'm thinking its more likely some moisture stress. I'm still trying to get my watering technique dialed in for these 5 gallon smarties and the KxS1 is definitely a hungry girl. Temp swings probably were adding insult to injury here.
Again, since I can't put up images, I can't very well get input or advice, but i'll keep trying.
be easy,
Dr.J
 

Dr.J20

Well-Known Member
Still no pics/ability to post them...if its fixed later i'll try to post up some pics of the stress.
be easy,
Dr.J
:leaf: :joint: :leaf:
 

Dr.J20

Well-Known Member
I'll show KxS1's problems when I get a good pic of them. going to topdress with EWC and give water with a little citric acid. 3/4 tsp/gal of the citric. I'll probably also give a tbsp/gal of molasses.
be easy,
Dr.J
 

SpaaaceCowboy

Well-Known Member
Hey drj...just found your thread...im also having problems with me kerala krush.....I will be uploading some pics in my thread when I get a chance....
I'm subbed to your thread as well
 

Dr.J20

Well-Known Member
Hey drj...just found your thread...im also having problems with me kerala krush.....I will be uploading some pics in my thread when I get a chance....
I'm subbed to your thread as well
Cool Space, I'll confer with you to see if we can't help each other out. I'll stop in later today to see whats what with your gal! thanks for popping in!
Be easy,
 

Dr.J20

Well-Known Member
Issues with Kerala x Skunk 1

As has been stated in my first post, temperature and temp swings have been something I've dealt with this grow (started all my plants too early this year). So I noticed some leaf tip upward curling and margin curling along with some dry crispiness and lime-green coloration of some leaves on the tallest tops of my KxS1.
Hoping that it was largely due to light intensity--especially since this is my first run with the IG induction lamp--i just raised the IG and and made sure air was circulating around the tops. That was two days ago.

Since then I've had some necrotic spots develop along the edges of some leaves in the middle of the KxS1, and general "crispiness" of affected leaves, with worsening of the dark spots, and more dramatic upward curling.
So my first thought was moisture stress causing some Potassium Phosphorous (and)or Magnesium issues, but it could also be that there is a ton of calcium in the mix locking out Magnesium creating a magnesium deficiency.
But, all that being said, since it is possible for potassium to be modulated by soil temps, and the signs (see pics) really do look more like potassium deficiency, I may be attempting to reverse that as my first route.

Also, the new growth, particularly from the two dominant colas, seems particularly skinny/thin.
My plan was to topdress with EWC, a little kelp meal, and plain dechlorinated water, then give 1/3-1/4 strength foliar of epsom salt water. The only problem with doing all of this is that it treats multiple potential issues meaning i won't know what it was. SO, my new plan is to do the ewc and kelp meal, then wait 3 days or so and see what happens. if its getting worse along the lines of magnesium, then i'll foliar with the epsom.

would love to hear thoughts!

PICS (all from day 17 of flower)
IMG_1727 (1).JPG IMG_1728 (1).JPG IMG_1730 (1).JPG IMG_1731 (1).JPG IMG_1732 (1).JPG

Be easy,
:leaf: :peace: :leaf:
Dr.J
 

Dr.J20

Well-Known Member
I'll show KxS1's problems when I get a good pic of them. going to topdress with EWC and give water with a little citric acid. 3/4 tsp/gal of the citric. I'll probably also give a tbsp/gal of molasses.
be easy,
Dr.J
the soil was too moist to accept a watering, so i held off on it. probably a good thing i did. i think i may buy a soil moisture meter to easily check the soil moisture with these air-pruning pots. I could have been overdrying (particularly when they were in the 1gal airpots) for most of this run, but the soil seems to pull away from the container when it's completely soaked so that becomes a null-set for indicating soil dryness. anywho, are we going to get likes and editing capacities back over here? and whats up with the IP location broadcasting? I understand the upgrading and whatnot, and am more than happy to be patient with that jive, but if the location shit isn't fixed, i'm going to find it hard to continue posting here :/
be easy, friends
Dr.J
 

SpaaaceCowboy

Well-Known Member
hey drj....you r problems seem similar to mine...how long were you waiting between waterings ? I was waiting until they were just about bone dry which is a no-no with organic soils...you need to keep the medium moist for the micro-ogasms....

In terms of skinnier main colas.....I read somewhere that they really don't fatten up until the last week or two of flowering....
 

Dr.J20

Well-Known Member
hey drj....you r problems seem similar to mine...how long were you waiting between waterings ? I was waiting until they were just about bone dry which is a no-no with organic soils...you need to keep the medium moist for the micro-ogasms....

In terms of skinnier main colas.....I read somewhere that they really don't fatten up until the last week or two of flowering....
2-4 days, depending on soil moisture. and the thinning i referred to was of the foliage of the new tops, not the colas themselves. i.e. the fan leaves coming out of the new growth.

my problem isn't really a problem anymore though. I got so caught up when i saw the foliage i didn't even look closely at the KxS1--she's a he. balls fully popping out today when lights came on so i chopped him down and have just the ssd and pf. BUT, i started Hawaiian skunk haze x2 and another kerala x skunk 1. I will also give my last delicious cotton candy a go right now since there is space free'd up and the last cotton candy was a dud. free but dud. I may also start up a strawberry blue in a couple weeks once i've sexed the HSH and new KxS1 (which i will be doing in about a week or two).
Be easy,
Dr.J
:peace: :leaf: :peace:
 

Dr.J20

Well-Known Member
Hey Ben, hope all is well in Philly. Thanks for popping in!

Space, I'm on it...I'll be sexing the seedlings starting this weekend so i'll know whether / how many new starts i'll need in a couple weeks. I'm thinking of splurging on a set of 6 3 gal airpots and doing a semi-sog of Strawberry sour diesel. decisions decisions. dealing with mag deficiency in my ssd right now but full update tomorrow.
be easy,
Dr.J
 

Dr.J20

Well-Known Member
Drj...not sure if you saw this site or not, but this is where I got my air-pots from....they are pretty cheap....they also list pots diameter here so it can help you with your pot layout :peace:

http://www.roguehydro.com/superoots-air-pots/
Thanks for the link space,
I was looking at rogue via their ebay store. I'm interested in that screen/mesh bottom on the superoots version of the air-pot; mine have solid bases that have ridges to create runoff channels. The prices rogue are selling for are too good to resist; i may just have to pull the trigger on that.
be easy,
:peace:
 

Dr.J20

Well-Known Member
too tired to update now. will do tomorrow. mag def. appearing in both PF and SSD now; overwatering and cool soil stress may be exacerbating but excessive calcium could also be a major contributor. epsom salt at 1tsp/half gal foliar with aloe juice at 1 tbsp/half gal seems to be working. Will give another foliar before lights out and then will be giving AACT during following watering. recipe as follows:
4.25 gal dechlor H2O
2 C EWC
5tbsp BSM
1tbsp hydrated kelp meal
12mL fish hydrolysate
bubble for 42.0 hrs. :weed:
if all else fails, i have EJ's microblast on hand and can give it to them if necessary. I know bone dry is bad for organics, but I'm definitely having trouble dialing in my watering technique for these smart pots. i'm also switching to air-pots almost entirely so the motivation to really focus on the watering tek is hard to summon at times.
in other news hawiian skunk haze x2 and the other kerala x skunk1 have been transplanted to their 1 gal airpots. I'll give them a week in there and then take some cuttings to sex. if i've got any boys, i'll start up some mataro blue and my last delicious cotton candy, depending on the space i've got available.
be easy,
Dr.J
:peace: :joint: :peace:
 
Top