Fruity Freak #2

Another two successful germinations! Fruity Freak A’s radicle (root) emerged after two days on the damp paper towel, and Fruity Freak E’s radicle emerged after five days. Fruity Freak A’s stem and cotyledon (first) leaves emerged yesterday and look excellent! Medium: (Pro-Mix BX + 15% perlite) I am using Pro-Mix BX potting mix for this grow (because I could find BX cheaper than HP around here). The only difference I can see on the MSDS is that the HP (high porosity) mix has more perlite (about 15% more). I have perlite on hand, so I mixed a little extra in otherwise, I would have just bought the HP. I haven’t used this exact mix before, but many cannabis growers do, as well as Robert Pavlis (and I am using his materials as my reference guide for this grow). Here is his take on seed starting mixes (he just uses Pro-Mix HP): https://www.gardenmyths.com/best-seed-starting-mix-including-diy/ Containers: (paint pale liner) I am using clear plastic paint pale liners from Home Depot with holes drilled in the bottom for drainage because they are cheap, I have them on hand, and I like clear plastic so that I can peak at the roots whenever I want. I taped a second one on top to create a humidity dome until the seedling emerged from the soil. Additionally, I taped a brown paper bag with the bottom cut off to the outside sides (not the bottom, as I don’t want it to interfere with drainage) of the container to shield the soil mix from getting baked in the sun. Nutrients: (3-1-2 synthetic liquid fertilizer) I added a little less than ⅛ tsp of Garndenwise 3-1-2 liquid fertilizer to a cup of water, then mixed it and poured it over the freshly planted seedling. This is a ¼ dose of the recommended 2 tbsp per gallon. My fertilizer bottle says it’s for snake grass, but all of Garden Wise’s 3-1-2 fertilizers have the same ingredients, lol. This fertilizer uses a mixture of nitrogen sources, including nitrate, ammonia, and urea, which is supposed to be superior to urea-only fertilizers (like Miracle Grow), which is why I chose it. I also chose this liquid fertilizer instead of a water-soluble powder as I thought it might be easier to give small doses. Many growers hesitate to add fertilizer this early (including myself previously), but there is evidence to support that it can help initial growth: https://www.gardenmyths.com/when-fertilize-seedlings/ I chose a 3-1-2 fertilizer because it is the fertilizer that corresponds well with just about any plant’s growth needs, particularly those in soil mixes (that provide little to no nutrients): https://www.gardenmyths.com/best-fertilizer-indoor-plants-containers/ Additionally, a 3-1-2 falls within the ratio of nutrient needs in several controlled studies, including this one: https://israelagri.com/advances-in-science-based-fertilization-technologies-for-medical-cannabis/#:~:text=optimal%20nitrogen%20level%20at%20the,concentration%20of%20cannabinoids%20and%20terpenoids. Light: (120 PPFD from HLG rspec 100) I have the containers for Fruity Freak A and E set near my already-started grows. I am using the Photone app on my phone to measure light intensity in PPFD with a piece of printer paper wrapped over the camera (to function as a diffuser) per their instructions. Currently, Fruity Freak A is receiving about 120 PPFD, which is within their recommended guidelines of 100-300 PPFD for the seedling stage: https://growlightmeter.com/lighting-requirements-of-cannabis-over-the-full-grow-cycle/ My grow is set up near south and west-facing windows, but I have Fruity Freak A and E containers set out of the path of direct sunlight for now. Water: (untreated tap) I am using tap water as mine has a 6.8 pH (within the recommended range of 6-7). It is also easy and provides many micronutrients that rainwater (also more acidic) and distilled water do not provide. I’m excited to watch these ladies grow!

It is incredible watching these plants emerge and start growing, so beautiful! Both plants look healthy and, so far, almost identical development to my other Fruity Freak grow. It will be interesting in the coming weeks to see if there are significant differences as this grow is using synthetic fertilizer immediately and has a much more porous potting mix. But, for the time being, they look so fragile and small as compared to their older sisters. This week, on Tuesday, I mixed a ¼ tsp Gardenwise 3-1-2 liquid fertilizer with a cup of tap water per plant. This is approximately a half dose of the recommended 2 tbsp per gallon. I added a second light to the grow area (mostly to support the older plants), but now the PPFD is 200 (measured with the Photone App) for these two plants. As their first true leaves have emerged, I will continue to increase this number by moving them closer to the light.

I want to give an extra thank you to the generous people who answered my questions about silicon. I had found this article and became more curious about the topic: https://www.gardenmyths.com/do-your-plants-need-more-silicon/ In my previous grows, I noticed that plants grown in native soil or native soil mixes seemed to have increased disease, drought, and pest resistance compared to plants grown in potting mix only. I had assumed this difference resulted from soil bacteria and/or fungi, which may be the case–however, the absence of silicon in (most) potting mixes may also provide a full or partial explanation. I will move these plants outside in April/May, but one or both will likely remain in pots with potting mix. With strong winds, slugs, powdery mildew, septoria, etc., waiting outside, I want to strengthen these plants as quickly as possible. I ordered Si-Tech mono-silic acid as it should be extremely plant-available and does not provide additional potassium (which I didn’t want). It will arrive tomorrow, and that will be watering day anyway, so I will go ahead and add some then (I will start with a half dose of the label recommendation to be safe). In the past week, I also raised the height of the containers by placing a box underneath them–this increased the light intensity to 350 PPFD, and I am now allowing the plants to get direct sunlight from a south-facing window.

The plants tolerated the ½ dose of the silicon well and continued to thrive. Fruity Freak A is 3.75”, and Fruity Freak E is 2.5”. There is already a noticeable size difference (these plants are larger) between this grow and my other Fruity Freak grow when comparing the same week! Yesterday, I mixed ½ tsp of Gardenwise 3-1-2 liquid fertilizer in a cup of water (the full dose of this fertilizer) and split it between the two containers. Light intensity is now 625 PPFD (measured with Photone app). I’m loving how smooth this grow is going and how beautiful and healthy the plants look!