erster Grow am Fenster

aL8_v Not much has really happened this week. I keep catching myself spending too much time with the two of them instead of just leaving them alone. Luckily, my pots are very big, but I still need to rein in my enthusiasm when it comes to watering. The Northern Lights is about 8cm tall, and you can already see the second pair of leaves forming; the Hindu Kush is around 7cm tall, and for her, you can still only see the primary leaves. The weather is still not very summery; this morning we had direct sunlight for the first time this week, otherwise, it's been mostly cloudy, if not gloomy. Accordingly, I turn on the regular 13W daylight LED bulb. I lined the inner rim of the pot for the Hindu Kush with paper towels and white cardboard, hoping that more light gets through without the risk of direct sunlight being too concentrated. The temperatures are similarly lackluster, around 20-22° during the day, and at night 18° or even 16° (I always keep the window open at night for myself). As I said, I’ll leave the plastic cups on for a few more days. I take them off for 1 to 4 hours in between so that when I let my tower fan blow through the plant shelf, the two of them get a bit of wind already. I think all the circumstances are just not ideal; I don't know if this is already leggy growth or if everything is still within the range. I plan to lower my grow lights (or at least part of them) one level down in the coming days so that more light reaches the two of them. (I finally managed to measure how many watts each one actually produces.) And when the plastic cups are gone, I might pile a bit more substrate around the stems, but maybe not, since I want to apply LST. We'll see; I'll keep you posted. I hope the two of them catch up in growth next week; I would like to fertilize for the first time soon and start training.

aL8_v It's just too cold. It's August, and the temperatures have barely hit the 20° mark in the last few days, if at all. The two are still growing, but obviously, everything is taking a bit longer. At the beginning of the week, I brought two of my grow lights closer to the seedlings (one says 50W but only delivers 9W, the other has no label and delivers 14W), I think that helps at least a little. I've been better at controlling my watering; I manage it with my other plants, so I should be able to with these two cannabis seedlings too, but they're just new and exciting. But I also don't want to smother them with attention and literally drown them in water. I add a little splash of vinegar to my watering to lower the soil pH a bit for easier nutrient uptake. I was able to remove the plastic cups on day 17 because it was getting too tight underneath. Two days later, I tied the plants down for the first time; before that, I just kept shaking the stem and gently pressing it. I had wanted to wait until the second set of leaves fully emerged before starting LST, but I’ve honestly been impatient. I think now that the newbie excitement is calming down a bit, I can let them do their thing without wanting to interfere too much all the time. During the last watering, I added mycorrhiza, and depending on how the plants look in the middle of next week for the next watering, I might add some nutrients. But I can imagine that what's already in the soil from the start is still sufficient. Let's just see how the growth goes and how the leaves look. Better to give less water and nutrients than to overwater and burn them. I'm finding it easier to not compare myself to other grows; I'm getting better at keeping my expectations low. It would be nice if I could at least get to 10g dry weight in the end, but even if it’s only 3, I’ll have gained countless experiences for the next season.

aL8_v Hooray, summer is back! From 18° room temperature, it has warmed up to between 22-26° during the day at the window; finally. This not only shows in my mood, but the plants are benefiting too. It's warm and bright, and except for extending the twilight early in the morning and in the evening, I can leave my grow lights off during the day. I actually don’t find soil life anything bad or gross for houseplants; it just depends on what’s crawling around... I have a lot of pesky little flies in the two cannabis pots, but none in the dozens of other plants, not even the ones right next to them. They don’t bite, and I believe they don’t harm the plants; they’re just there. If they become a nuisance, I’ll reluctantly set up a few yellow traps. What worries me more are the little white things that could be spider mites, but I’m not sure. The plants are leaving them alone (so far). I’ve started spraying the soil with neem oil solution and also the plants in direct proximity. Better to be preventive than to have those pesky critters in the house again later. Anyway, back to the topic: the two Mary Janes. I’ve developed a pretty good routine for watering, and I’m looking forward to observing the increase in water needs in the coming weeks. Last, I was watering every 2 to 3 days and have gone from 1/2L for both plants together to one and a half liters for both (it also evaporates noticeably more at the higher temperatures). The Northern Lights is still a little longer at ~15cm compared to the Hindu Kush at ~14cm, but the latter already has more leaves than the former. To my great surprise, the two have started to give off a slight scent in the last few days; you can smell it only when you’re close, but you don’t have to stick your nose in the pot for that. I didn’t expect this until the first signs of pre-flowering appeared, but now that I think about it, other plants also have a pretty characteristic smell quite early (like tomatoes, kitchen herbs, etc.). There’s not much else to update. I think the two are still lagging in growth, but considering their circumstances, they look good. Thank you so much for the warm comments; I didn’t expect anyone to read this at all, let alone follow along with excitement!