Runtz Auto

11/19 Update on nutrient deficiency: The problem that had been happening seems to have resolved itself. I trimmed the worst affected leaves, and I left the ones that only had a few spots on them. The Earthbox reservoir ran dry, so it was time to water again. Instead of filling the Earthbox (2.5-3 gallons), I only put in a gallon. Since I trimmed, there haven't really been any new necrotic spots on the leaves. It seems to have found whatever it was lacking. My best guess is that it was over watering due to my inexperience with the Earthbox. Anyway, one plant is doing swell. The buds are getting thick. The other plant seems stuck in adolescence. The buds are at least two weeks behind the other plant. Next time I will definitely not try to grow two plants in one Earthbox. I wanted the plants to turn out small since I'm growing in a very small space, but they are WAY too small and have a lot of room in there to expand. I'm probably looking at 1.5 oz off of the big plant and a big zero off of the runt Runtz. 11/20 Weekly roundup: So far, I'm not loving the Earthboxes. These plants are totally screwed. I'm going to continue the grow because it looks like a few decent buds are developing, but the plants are really stunted and this has turned out to be pretty embarrassing overall. I'll keep uploading pics every Sunday, but I'm going to keep the comments to a minimum from here on out. I defoliated a little and I also LST'ed the main cola so it bent away from the light. Lessons learned: First, don't grow two plants in one Earthbox. Second, there is way more technique to using an Earthbox than "just add water." Balancing pH and making sure not to over or under water in an Earthbox is more difficult than in a cloth pot. You have to water more often with a cloth pot, but in the Earthbox you can't make any mistakes. Once the water is in there, it's in there for good. The pH in the reservoir fluctuates, and what are you supposed to do about that? You can't pH adjust the water in the reservoir because you can't get a good reading. I'm sure that after you use the Earthbox a few times you get used to it. I don't see the advantage though, especially after seeing how much more the Earthbox promotes fungus gnat reproduction. I would rather water every day than get gnats in my mouth. I'd also like to be able to dry out the plant and pH adjust quicker, as you can with a cloth pot (or anything else). I have never had a plant fail in either hydro or soil. This is the worst grow I've ever had. I also tried to grow basil in an Earthbox Jr. and it died too. I am about to abandon the Earthboxes.