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I did this during my sick day off and kind of confused perlite for coconut coir...*facepalm* So used perlite INSTEAD of coco coir. Hope this isn't a huge issue.
Was following the ratios which Royal Queen Seeds website blog suggested. I'd like to stick with organic homemade worm tea and castings as much as possible. Will test the NPK and pH as I go.
Now waiting for my little sprout to show up before adding coir (not sure if necessary but may need more weight/water retention)....
Everything seems to be going well/as hoped. A little leggy on the come-up but likely due to my lamp being too far away... I brought it down to 20cm away but reduced the 600W lamp to 20%.... Hopefully not too weak and not too strong. It's a learning process but if anyone has advice and actually reads this, please let me know!!
So far worm castings in soil should provide enough nutrients to her to week 3 - this is when I plan to feed fresh organic worm tea. Waiting for soil testing kit in the next 2 weeks so I can see the NPK and pH values. Also investing in a little grow tent to help control future stank/humidity/airflow.
Seems to be growing well. Not seeing any issues with lighting distance and strength and thankfully leaves look healthy so far.
Soil remains on the low end of moist.
Ok she's bushing out a little more now.
Was concerned about living soil and not giving any nutes yet... But I tested recently and am missing phosphorus... Is it important at this early stage?..
Not sure how to introduce it to the living soil - bone meal? Will do more research this week and update.
Can't believe how it's doubled in size over a week!
Leaves have also become a nice dark green instead of the yellow-green of earlier weeks.
- Increased light intensity to 50% (300w).
- Made a custom worm tea (24 hours of aerated homemade worm castings in a large jar of water and molases).
- Bought some bat guano powder since my phosphorus levels are non existent and I think it may be required even if it's still vegetative state. Just waiting for 48 hours now until the bat guano tea is ready then will feed this week and see how happy it grows.
- Contemplating another worm tea feed this week since it's living soil and most sources tell me it's impossible to overdo the nutrients this way since they're for the soil microbes and not absorbed directly by the plant itself... Fingers crossed!
Unsure if I topped properly or FIMmed it (watched and followed this great video: https://youtu.be/FsqUjI9V_kk).
Used one of many IKEA hex keys for the LST portion - I'm regretting week 1 when I buried the plant a little deeper in the pot now because she really shouldn't be trapped under the edges of the pot... Learning for next time!
Made a Bat Guano solution/tea this week which steeped for 48 hours - brought some desperately needed phosphorus into the soil and I think it's well received.
This coming week will do another worm tea and hopefully she'll be tall enough to add ScrOG net which I made... According to Royal Queen Seeds website, the net should sit 20cm above the soil. She's still a bit too short thanks to my genius on week one *face palm*.
This was a bad week. Tried more LST and snapped the main (strongest) branch right off. No chance of recovery.
She's bounced back but it's a much smaller tree than before. Hoping for some serious stretching this week so I can finally apply the ScrOG net I made and use that to increase airflow/light distribution.
Used worm castings and tea and bat guano this week. Trying to keep it budget friendly (energy prices still high) and compact (microgrow).
It was getting crowded so I defoliated again... Quite a bit. She seems to have taken it like a champ with no visible distress. Continuing with basically making sure the living soil is happy and health, and so far it seems to reflect on the plant's health. Light has been increased to 80%-100%.
Assuming it'll all be ready for drying in 3-5 more weeks (according to autoflower timing)
Very happy with the harvest, made most of it into edible products and saved a few grams for smoker friends. So far reviews are very good. Seems to hit faster than normal edibles but last longer than a joint! And here I was worrying that I harvested rok early (not enough amber trichomes)
@KINGT88, no just one for now. As soon as I start topping for ScrOg, I plan to clone the little tops.
If all goes well, these extra seeds can be given to friends. Let's see....
Best of luck on your grows! Gonna be watching this one, curious how she's gonna finish up..
I was curious what brand of worm castings your using for the tea u make ? I'd like to apply it to my next grow to boost things alil better. And feel safer buying a brand someone else uses lol. I know my home depot carries some just not sure of its brand off hand. But gotta order some stuff from Amazon I'll tag worm castings on there.
Again best of luck and HAPPY NEW YEAR !!
Thanks so much, @Grow4Releaf!! I'm kind of winging it as I go and reading lots from others here and on Reddit (r/microgrowery and r/autoflowers).
To be honest I have my own 30x30cm worm farm in my kitchen. Feed them regularly with food scraps (banana peels, fruit veg offcuts) and tea leaves/coffee beans. Super simple, barely takes up space and they need little care(doesn't stink or anything). This way I know what went into it and can ensure it's fresh and full of microbes when I make my own tea.
https://www.redwormcomposting.com/fun-stuff/my-new-wooden-flow-through-bin/ this one is similar to what I got if you're interested in getting into it. But you can find lots on Etsy online from others who have their own systems at home. I usually give castings to friends too - maybe approach someone locally who's a bit more eco-minded and push them into vermiculture! :)
Good luck and a very happy New Year to you!!
Cannalith
