Grow Room JD's Coco Micro SoG.

[Jimmy McGill]

Howdy guys, you're of course welcome here.

nhdtjq, with a 40x40 (I assume cm, right?) I would go as far as putting 16 plants in 10x10 pots. Imho, 4 plants in 20x20 pots wouldn't really be a SoG as your plants would have pots big enough to encourage them growing laterally. A small pot (2l or less) that is narrow and deep will encourage almost any plant to grow one main cola. Now, if your plants insist on growing lateral branches, you'll have to pinch or even cut them to make the plant put it's whole energy in the main apex. You might have to tuck or even pluck fan leaves to maximize light penetration to lower floral growth. I'm quite positive that, under ideal conditions, 16 smaller plants with just one cola will produce more than 4 bigger plants with multiple branches. Nevertheless, you could make one bud plants in 20x20 pots, but it would require more work on your part to keep them under control especially if you grow multiple varieties or not stabilized strains.

HK, SoGs are great but you gotta be available to water your plants often once they ask for it. Scrogs are wonderful too but they require quite a lot of work to maintain optimal grow. They are both very rewarding growing styles for sure.

Cheers.

 

[nhdtjq]

Howdy guys, you're of course welcome here.

nhdtjq, with a 40x40 (I assume cm, right?) I would go as far as putting 16 plants in 10x10 pots. Imho, 4 plants in 20x20 pots wouldn't really be a SoG as your plants would have pots big enough to encourage them growing laterally. A small pot (2l or less) that is narrow and deep will encourage almost any plant to grow one main cola. Now, if your plants insist on growing lateral branches, you'll have to pinch or even cut them to make the plant put it's whole energy in the main apex. You might have to tuck or even pluck fan leaves to maximize light penetration to lower floral growth. I'm quite positive that, under ideal conditions, 16 smaller plants with just one cola will produce more than 4 bigger plants with multiple branches. Nevertheless, you could make one bud plants in 20x20 pots, but it would require more work on your part to keep them under control especially if you grow multiple varieties or not stabilized strains.

Interesting! I look forward to watching it happen

 

[Jimmy McGill]

Hey guys. Well, I'll start by saying that growing in such small containers is a steep learning curve. Yesterday I noted that a few of my plants are overwatered and some are showing calcium deficiency signs. Being used to somewhat lager fabric containers (0.5gl to 1gl) I realized that I must adapt my ways more than I bargained for. The jiffy plugs are somewhat of a problem as they retain a lot of water, hence the overwatering and even though I am using the 30mm diameter ones, they still take a good deal of the soil surface which makes it impossible to water around them like I was doing in lager pots.
No big deal, I opened this journal precisely for keeping track of my progress and record the good and bad decisions I will make inevitably.

So, to fix my overwatering problem, I skipped yesterday's feeding to let the substrate dry and will water later today. After that, I'll water every other day until I see that the plants ask for daily waterings.
For the calcium deficiency, I will use non filtered dechlorinated tap water (higher ph than the brita filtered) and will bump the ec to 0.8 as my plants seem to ask for it.
Other than that, the plants look pretty good except for the fact that they do not grow as fast as they should. I will fix these problems and they should come back on track pretty quick.

Pictures:

The Kush van Stitch are showing clear signs of overwatering with their curved leaves.

The guillotine also shows some signs of overwatering but less than the KvS. I don't like her much as she tends to grow quite a lot taller than the rest of the plants which might become a problem in a couple of weeks. The SS#1 are little warriors with no visible signs of deficiency or overwatering and stay pretty short overall, I like them even if I'd like to see them as large as the KvS and the STB.

A Sin Tra Bajo showing clear signs of calcium deficiency. Other than that, she's a sturdy good looking plant.

The guillotine clearly does her own, I'm not even sure she will autoflower as this strain seems to be quite unstable still. We'll see, if she doesn't comply, she'll leave her space for better behaving plants.

JD out.

 

[nhdtjq]

Get yourself a "mechanical" humidity meter like this one for $4.29:

Cheap and effective - set a benchmark, measure it, adjust watering cycle. Also does pretty accurate soil pH.

I have a couple of these - and a $200 one thats annoying to maintain so i almost never use it day to day - and they work great. Not that same brand but the same principle.

Also regarding the watering. You have a tight fitting tray there - you could use it the same way a tray is used in root watering systems or in clone trays. Once the plants are rooted, take them out of the pots, add a layer of vermiculite mixed with large ceramsite (a couple of cm) to the bottom and then put the plants back in.

You can then water the tray rather than the plants themselves. Drill a hole in the tray for runoff.

 

[Jimmy McGill]

Hey nhdtjq. I have a moisture sensor that I used to rely on when I was growing in bigger pots. I can't use it in such small pots (0.5l grow bags filled to about 0.4l), it'd break the roots, big time. Plus, the weight of the pots, in itself, is a good enough indicator of the level of moisture. I this specific case, I am quite sure that the real problem are the jiffy plugs in which I started the seeds. The peat in them holds tones of moisture.
I have an electronic pH meter coming to me soon, I'll use it to dial in my water, until then, I rely on GH pH drops that do a good enough job for my needs. The calcium deficiency is probably not even linked to my pH, but to the fact that I am using filtered water that removes the calcium and the very low ec of my feedings plus my slight overwatering problem. I've discovered it early enough to fix it easily (hopefully).

I agree with you that I should use the crates that hold the bags for watering my plants. I intend to do so once my plants start flowering. I can't find vermiculite where I am, but I have easy access to small clay pebbles that, I think, would do a pretty similar job.
Thanks for pitching in, mate.

 

[nhdtjq]

Hey nhdtjq. I have a moisture sensor that I used to rely on when I was growing in bigger pots. I can't use it in such small pots (0.5l grow bags filled to about 0.4l), it'd break the roots, big time. Plus, the weight of the pots, in itself, is a good enough indicator of the level of moisture. I this specific case, I am quite sure that the real problem are the jiffy plugs in which I started the seeds. The peat in them holds tones of moisture.
I have an electronic pH meter coming to me soon, I'll use it to dial in my water, until then, I rely on GH pH drops that do a good enough job for my needs. The calcium deficiency is probably not even linked to my pH, but to the fact that I am using filtered water that removes the calcium and the very low ec of my feedings plus my slight overwatering problem. I've discovered it early enough to fix it easily (hopefully).

I agree with you that I should use the crates that hold the bags for watering my plants. I intend to do so once my plants start flowering. I can't find vermiculite where I am, but I have easy access to small clay pebbles that, I think, would do a pretty similar job.
Thanks for pitching in, mate.

Im no expert but i do use vermiculite a lot - when you need something that stores water and has a high surface area, best thing for that is vermiculite. Check this out, it applies to seedlings but it works so well precisely because of the water retention and capillary action:



Make sure you watch the second video (part 2) as he takes a look at the root system in some seedlings similarly arranged. Great stuff the vermiculite. Look online, shipping will prolly cost you more than a bag of the stuff but its worth it!

If you use ceramsite (clay pebbles) only i would crush 1/3 of them into smaller bits to increase surface area.

From my experience ceramsite and clay pebbles are better for air than they are for moisture. A lot of people use it as drainage for the root system and on top of the pot to keep moisture in and light out, but if you check out potting mixes you see they add clay pebbles and/or perlite for airation, not drainage.

To use a humidity meter you just need to maintain two holes in one of the pots. Use some of those wooden stirrers from the coffee shop - after youre done measuring, insert them in there. Will keep the root systen from using the space...

Just my cents there mate. In the UK are you?

 

[Jimmy McGill]

Hey, mate. Well, I'm not in the UK, I'm in eastern Europe. Trust me, it is very hard to find anything that comes out of the ordinary (plant growing wise) around here. Anyway, I get what you are saying, but I think I would prefer to make some sort of hybrid hempy so I would need something that does not retain water but rather retains oxygen like perlite or ceramic balls. I'm still unsure about it, I guess I'll take a decision later after I see how conditions change in my box with the new lights I will install in (probably) a couple of weeks.
Thanks for the support, highly appreciated.

 

[Jimmy McGill]

Quick update. I think I understand where my troubles were coming from and managed to turn it around. I realized that I did not properly prep my coco before planting. I washed it thoroughly but I did not buffer it (as I usually do), hence the deficiency problems as my plants were fighting against the coco for calcium that is partly absorbed by the coco every time I feed. Add to that the very low Ec of my feedings and we got a recipe for deficiency.
I watered yesterday with an Ec of 0.8 (0.3 unfiltered tap water plus 0.5 A + B) and plants started growing before my eyes again. Ya gotta love how reactive coco is. I will water with runoff from now on in order to monitorize nutes intake and adapt my feedings accordingly.
I am quite certain that my overwatering problems are caused, at least partially, by the jiffy pellets and I think I will try to germinate directly in coco from now on. The jiffy are great for starting seeds and are not a factor in bigger pots, but in such small containers, they are too much of a sponge and are messing with waterings and probably even with the pH of the medium. It's too late to change anything this time around, I'll just have to cope with it.

Few pics.

Growing vigorously again.

KVS and STB were the most affected by the problems. New leaves look good, stalk are getting thicker, overall vigor is ok.

The guillotine is clearly showing her sativa genetics, I hope she will not go crazy on me during stretch. The SS#1 are tiny little warriors, unscathed by the problems that afflicted the other strains.

JD, out.

 

[nhdtjq]

Hey, mate. Well, I'm not in the UK, I'm in eastern Europe. Trust me, it is very hard to find anything that comes out of the ordinary (plant growing wise) around here. Anyway, I get what you are saying, but I think I would prefer to make some sort of hybrid hempy so I would need something that does not retain water but rather retains oxygen like perlite or ceramic balls. I'm still unsure about it, I guess I'll take a decision later after I see how conditions change in my box with the new lights I will install in (probably) a couple of weeks.
Thanks for the support, highly appreciated.

Ha im around there too, in moscow. Can get vermiculite here at any garden store... get pretty much anything agro really.

I merely propose you use it at the bottom of the pots, mixed with your drainage. If you were to water the tray i mean.

Nm

Back to the matter at hand

 

[Jimmy McGill]

You're lucky, mate, where I'm at, it's a pain finding anything uncommon. Anyway, I just spent the last of my grow budget on some calmag supplement as I really need it. I also changed, a little, the parameters in the box so I don't need additional substrate anymore. Cue the update.