Have to ask?

[widairyfarms]

Alright, I know I just got my stuff going but I started from seed. And have about three left of ten started( out of respect to those in my home I reduced the number of plants). They all are different, one that is clearly the best grower with the densest foliage. Then the next is very close to the first but not as full in the center. The best has the most acidic soil at 6.8. The other two are in 7.0 soil I've tried to acidify the soil slowly but it stays at seven. All running 24/7 mh 250w 18" up so the plants would upwards growth. The third one I think wasn't big enough yet cause it stagnated. Do I want to do anything else to help them along or just give em time? Then best two are sprouting their eighth nodes. No alternate node growth yet though. So I want to start topping yet or wait. My best has decent middle foliage and is about eight to nine " tall.

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[Locked]

Are you using a ph soil meter? If so I would ditch it because they absolutely suck.
Most of us don't check the soil ph anyway. We do however check the ph of anything that goes into the soil, as in the water and nutrients. I ph everything to 6.5. You need a good ph meter. I got all of my meters here>>>http://www.eseasongear.com/phtesting.html

 

[widairyfarms]

I use the tried and true litmus strip.

 

[The Hemp Goddess]

Regardless, we really do not test the pH of the soil. The litmus paper really is not accurate enough for growing. It may be okay for a pool or spa, but with growing there is a lot of difference between say 6.3 and 6.5, but bery little difference in the color of the strip. Did you put lime in your soil?

I think that you could top of fim any time. You want your intermodal spacing as close as you can. I would not be for encouraging stretch--that will happen on its own when you put them into 12/12. Keep the MH as close as you can without heat stress to the plants. The pic you posted looks good, have patience.

 

[widairyfarms]

The others were doing better until I lowered the plants from 12" to 18" I stopped running the fan all the time and while the biggest is filling in nicely the rest are fading fast. So you would raise the plants and turn the fan back on? The gnats are basically gone. I have those under the 250mh would an additional cfl help or not? It seems not to be helping the inner foliage growth. What you think?

 

[MR1]

How bought a group shot under normal lighting, whole plant shot maybe.

 

[widairyfarms]

What was the difference between fim and topping? I haven't gotten to alternating nodes yet. Since I moved the plants back up they are moving again. We will see how much I can make em move and bush out. Are there any nutes that would be suggested?

 

[The Hemp Goddess]

Your fan should be on all the time the lights are on. What are your temps? A 250W MH is a fairly small lamp. You should be able to get the light a lot closer than 18". I can keep my 1000W HPS that close to my plants without problems.

 

[orangesunshine]

pretty nice of u to respect the housemates by reducing the plant count---in the future u might consider doing that again AFTER you have sexed ur plants---looks like u are off to a great start with the remaining 3---toppin now will give u future bushes---green mojo for what you kept all turn out to be girls

 

[widairyfarms]

Thanks guys. The fan is running around the clock. And the big one is moving again. The center foliage is really filling out now that the fan is on that area most of time. The early nodes are being outgrown by the secondary branches that makes me happy now that I know where all of the major nutes are going. I wish I could have kept all going but you have to be considerate of others that would be affected by things going south. The seeds came from goood stuff but it was around a male or went hamaph which then makes it moot to hope o. One or the others.

 

[The Hemp Goddess]

If the seeds came from a bag, they are probably from hermy stock. Once you get into flowering, you are going to have to keep a good eye out for nanners...especially if you get all girls. If it was pollinated the old fashioned way, it could have been pollinated by ditch weed. Next go around, I am going to encourage you to get some seeds from a reputable breeder. You can get strains with the characteristics you want and the growing traits you desire. There is a distinct advantage to knowing what you are growing and its individual characteristics.

It is very considerate of you to keep things smaller. Keep your light close to encourage close intermodal spacing which results in more bud sites. Since you have lowered your plant count, you are going to want these to be as fruitful as possible. Remember that more plants does not always mean more yield. Yield will have more to do with the strain, how long you let them veg, and your lighting. Three plants can usually be made to yield as much as 6 smaller ones.

 

[widairyfarms]

So if I'm growing my best plant in a 5 gal plastic pot 2/3 full of soil should it be full of soil? will it help the plant or just stress it from transplanting with new soil? FYI next year smart pots are going to be my go to.

 

[The Hemp Goddess]

I would certainly be for keeping any that turn out female. Trust me, you are not going to get into any more trouble for 3 plants than 1 if you are popped. And you have made some real concessions to your roommates--I hope they are good with you keeping 3 plants.

I would fill the container with dirt. There is no reason that you cannot do your final transplant into smart pots.

 

[pcduck]

I run my 3 gallon smart pots at 4/5th full of my soil then fill the rest with mulch.

 

[widairyfarms]

Maybe a dumb question but I can't use a smart pot this grow but should I put the new soil in top or lift the plant and put it on the bottom of the planter?
Okay I just took my biggest plant and transplanted into my biggest pot 7 gal. I had the same soil mix that the plant was growing in in the first place so there shouldn't be too much of a shock to the plant. I made sure there wasn't any hard pack soil or other undesirables in the soil. Most went under the plant so the plant was not shaded out by sitting too low. When I got the plant to let loose from the old pot it had filled the whole thing roots. I'm glad that it has more space and filled a little on top with my fresh special mix that I have been making in a covered container with coffee grounds light manure egg shells and red wigglers. Those worms are haappppyy!!! They love it in there! I hope this boosts my growth rate as I'm pretty sure it had reached much of its potential in the smaller pot. I just worry about the root, I hope they can keep moving and growing as I know that human contact can harm the good stuff that helps the plant uptake nutes. We shall see and I have HIGH hopes!

 

[The Hemp Goddess]

Did you give all that stuff time to cook? You cannot just thrown non-composted food waste into your containers. And the worms are of no benefit used like that. If you want to do that, get a worm bin. And please, please, get a space set up! Your plant's are not happy if they are as small as they are at 2 months....