New Grower Zombiedeath's first grow

[BigJohnny]

Hey ZD, I had the same problem as you. I had seedlings ready to go under the lights, but my ballast was fucked so the seedlings stretched and they were falling over. I used a cocktail stick/toothpick placed gently into the earth about 1/4 inch and used one of the plastic ties that mums use to do up bread bags to support the plant. You need to be careful with the roots because any damage to them with slow down growth as the roots recover. I also used a bio silicon supplement, which helps strengthens plants' stems and leaves.

Have a look at this pic, it'll show you what I did... Look at the top left and bottom right plant... 12 days later they look amazing. HTH.

 

[Muddy]

I agree with what bgrt said, get a fan blowing gently on them and remove the stake. In a week or so they will be standing up fine on their own.

 

[zombiedeath]

Fan added

Thanks for the suggestions. I have bought a small fan (7 inch diamater) and plugged it in. I will give the little ladies a day to get used to the breeze and then carefully remove the stakes.

 

[zombiedeath]

I have gently removed the stakes - one is standing proud. She has a little bit of leaf damage from touching the stake but looks healthy bearing in mind the tortuous beginning. The other one fell over like a drunk bitch and I have given her a cardboard prop, a drink of water and stuck her in the corner where the breeze will be softer. Hopefully she will respond to the tlc.

 

[Muddy]

Looking good. Are you planning on transplanting them to bigger pots? If so, what soil will you be using. I don't see any perlite in that starter mix and MJ likes a mix with lots of perlite for good drainage and oxygen for the roots.

 

[zombiedeath]

I am going to see how it goes - this is a learner grow and I am not sure how tall these babies will grow [bearing in mind the size of my grow box]. If I repot I will use Canna Terra Professional Plus+ Soil Mix unless the shop recommends some thing else.

I expect to need advice about adapting my outlet to accommodate a carbon filter in due course as there is only a volvo pollen filter in place at the moment (these are very good filters as far asI am aware but are not normally used for this purpose). I have still to decide what to do. As it is getting close to mid summer I expect to repot and leave outdoors to finish flowering instead of adapting the box. The next box will be better designed.

 

[zombiedeath]

Week 2 - an update

The breeze from the fan has worked and both plants are now standing up. One is nearly over her traumatic start to life but the other is still a bit of a runt - at least she has got up from her knees! The fan has also evened out the heat.

I have time over the weekend to make changes so your thoughts will be appreciated - my thoughts are to keep hydrated and raise them closer to the bulb and, think about replanting [pots / soil] and nutrients which I expect to need to add if they are not repotted into adult soil.

 

[bgrt]

argos fans to the rescue! (i think..).
looking alot better now, i would say the runt might stay smaller but will thicken up and get going soon enough.
get some perlite if you are repotting, i think youre in uk you can get it cheap in B&Q or similar other than that i cant help much with a soil mix because i have messed up mine. try get a digital ph meter if you dont have one, good for checking the soil you are putting htem into beforehand(one of the problems i had this time) also i would go with unnuted or lightly nuted soil as you have no control over it compared to adding your own liquid nutes at feedings etc, if the soil is too strong you are stuck with it and the damage it causes.

 

[zombiedeath]

3 weeks since sprouting and the difficult birth - todays pics

This is how they the 2 auto assassins are going so far. They were started in seedling soil and placed under a dual frequency CFL bulb after they got leggy - no nutrients have been added yet. They have been on a 18 6 light cycle since put in the box and have drunk more than I had expected.

I am going to keep monitoring them and expect that I might need to repot next weekend with a light perlight soil mix. Feeding will begin only when they show nutrient problems. All thoughts appreciated.

 

[zombiedeath]

1 month into the grow - flowering and feeding has started.

It is about 1 month into the grow and flowering has started. Tiny buds have started on the stronger plant and pistils are beginning to show on the runt. I have started feeding with a flowering additive and will continue watering every 2 days with some feed for the next 2 or 3 weeks depending on how things progress.

The CFL bulb is about 8cms from the top of the plants and they are drinking about 1 litre per day. The girls seem to be doing ok bearing in mind their hard start to life!