Medusa F1 #2: Direct in Final Fabric Pot

drakkon Not much to report with the Medusa this week. She appears healthy, but slightly slow-growing. Small branches are emerging from nodes 1 and 2. I've been watering a little at a time (2-3 oz / 60-90 ml) in widening circles, and I hope roots are spreading out to fill the container. A moisture meter reading indicated some dry pockets near the bottom, so I bottom-watered once with ~400 ml (~13 oz) and it soaked it up rather quickly. I'll keep my eye on the weight of the container to inform future watering. As of day 15, this Medusa is behind my previous Medusa (diary: Single Medusa F1) in size and stature. Upon noticing that, it occurs to me that out of the 16-20 autoflowers I've ever grown (with or without diaries), the 6 or 7 that germinated in a 1-liter air pot propagation cell were all bigger and healthier than any of the others around days 15-22. Whether those others sprouted in their final pot, a cup, a peat pellet or whatever, not one of them was bigger around days 15-22 than the ones sprouted in a 1-liter air pot. However, the final result of each plant doesn't necessarily follow suit, since some that started in 1-liter air pots later suffered transplant shock and didn't turn out as well in the end. But for sure, the little air pots do get them off to a good start in my experience. I just noticed in the other diary, day 15 is logged in Veg 2 (week Germ/Veg1/Veg2 = days 1/8/15), whereas here I logged day 15 in Veg 1 (week Germ/Veg1 = days 1-8/9-15). I suppose I should adopt a standard for the growdiaries "weeks", but I do include days from sprout in the photo captions for those who like knowing the exact day.

drakkon As of day 22, the Medusa F1 appears relatively healthy. It gained a little height since last week, and its side branches are lengthening day by day. It's not exactly huge for day 22, but I've seen quite a few articles and comments suggesting that autoflowers started in their final containers can lag behind those started in smaller containers like 1-liter air pots or solo cups, at least regarding above-ground growth. I'm hoping this Medusa's roots are spreading profusely, and that its above-ground growth will speed up in the coming weeks. I gave the plant its first taste of dilute nutrients with one watering this past week, mostly around the edges of the container.

drakkon As of day 29, the Medusa F1 is doing fine. I wish it were a little bigger at this point, but it's growing faster every day and still has a chance of putting on some size before beginning to flower. A few pre-flower pistils and stigmas have appeared, and the main growing tip appears to have a few tiny stigmas, too, but it's not yet clear enough to say it's flowering. The plant is drinking more water as it picks up size, and I slightly increased the concentration of nutrients it receives. I won't be topping this Medusa F1, but I did apply significant LST by pulling its main tip down below the height of its lower branches using a soft plant tie (see photos). I also pruned off the tiny branches sprouting from its first node. The branches sprouting from nodes #2 and #3 are thickening rapidly and look like they'll become their own tops. I will train them to fan out in the opposite direction of the main tip in the coming days. At this point, it's hard to tell if the branches from node #4 will become their own full branches with colas, or if they'll end up comprising part of the main cola (assuming all goes well for the rest of the grow). Since I'm perpetually growing autoflowers under a desk in my office, and don't use separate tents or rooms, adjacent plants are often at different flowering stages. This means that sometimes I have to maintain temperatures and humidities for one over the other(s). Right now, I would prefer a humidity higher than 46% for this Medusa plant, but don't want to increase it because a nearby plant is well into flower.