Melonade Runtz Outdoor

LaechelndeAugen After a week, I started to feel guilty about the soil, so I decided to repot early into an 11-liter fabric pot. There were already 4-5 long roots reaching the bottom of the pot, but unfortunately, one broke off when I dropped it. I used 90% rose soil and 10% perlite in the new pot, pressed it down a bit, put the plant in, and then watered it thoroughly. Finally, I added a layer of cinnamon on top to combat fungus gnats (not visible in the pictures yet). No idea if that will help, but the plants already smell good 😁 The weather has been dry and sunny all week, and under the pergola, it even got up to 27/28 degrees. In the evenings/nights/mornings, the plant still stays inside because you never know if there might be a dip into freezing temperatures.

LaechelndeAugen After the leaf tips turned yellow and both plants stopped growing, it seemed to me that the potting soil was a bit too strong. So I took the plant out again, removed the soil, added seedling soil and perlite, and that was that. Unfortunately, during the process, most of the roots got torn off, but it seems to be recovering.

LaechelndeAugen A bit of heat stress, slow growth. After repositioning into partial shade, things improved a bit. Also, it seems to me that root regeneration is currently a priority, after the roots suffered so much during repotting.

LaechelndeAugen Still a bit of heat stress, but growth is continuing to improve. Mixed 30 grams of horn shavings with some seedling soil and spread it around the plant. Unfortunately, the leaves are still a bit small.

LaechelndeAugen Despite initial concerns, I have now topped the plant. It still seems a bit weakened, the new shoots are coming out somewhat deformed, possibly slight pest infestation. I've already started a neem oil treatment. The little pests are so small that you can hardly see them with the naked eye. The cut piece can try its luck as a cutting, even though it is very small. But well, it can't get any worse than being dead.

LaechelndeAugen Some growth, but still slow. The weather was unfortunately so-so. Next time it should be better. Leaves are drooping due to dryness and the time of day (late evening). Watering again tomorrow morning.

LaechelndeAugen Also a very bushy little plant. 2nd topping today. The branches are hardly bending down. Slight discoloration of the leaf tips. Let's see what might be lacking or too much. Otherwise, there's neem oil every 2-5 days, as a preventive measure. There are always some aphids etc. on the plants.

LaechelndeAugen Steady growth, still. It's hot, you can tell. And I've repotted it too. Yeah, I would be growing slowly as well :D The seedling is doing really well though.

LaechelndeAugen I answered the question "How can you accidentally break a shoot?" a day after the last update, without anyone asking me 😑 It looks a bit ragged right now after I cut off the sun sails that were covering the new shoots. Unfortunately, the intense heat didn't treat them as well as the Dos Di Dos. On the bright side, the seedling is doing quite well and it handled the topping like a champ.

LaechelndeAugen No real news. Just growing 😁 Not as massive and bushy as the Dos Si Dos, but steady. The cutting is doing quite well too. No major pests to see, but I'm also spraying/watering prophylactically with neem oil.

LaechelndeAugen Grows and thrives, no diseases, no pests, nothing. Good weather on top of that, what more could you want? Slight defoliation in the lower area. The cutting is also developing well. Watering is mixed with neem oil.

LaechelndeAugen Unfortunately, there isn't much to report. It's growing... Occasionally, a leaf or a shoot in the shade is removed. Minimal thrips feeding damage. The weather is good, sunny but not too hot. The seedling continues to grow well and will soon be as big as the mother plant.

LaechelndeAugen It's slowly moving into pre-flowering. That's why there was a bit more extensive defoliation action in the middle of the week. I'm curious how much stretch there will be now. The seedling is growing surprisingly well and in a rich green. No neem oil since this week, and pest infestation is practically non-existent.

LaechelndeAugen It's crazy how massive the plants are getting. Now it's almost daily watering. The first hairs are visible and the stretch is in full swing. Watering with 50/50 bloom nutrient/growth nutrient every 2-3 times. Negligible pest traces. Occasionally, I remove a leaf or a shoot from the inside to keep it airy.

LaechelndeAugen This week I didn't do anything except water and fertilize, no LST, nothing trimmed. Strong growth in all directions and the smell is getting more intense. Even the Dos Si Dos 33 has caught up with them. The side branches are getting very long, so the question arises whether to support them or trim them.

LaechelndeAugen So, I've decided that the flowering has now started. Even though the plant is still growing like crazy. Especially in width, long side shoots are popping up all around. I'm slowly running out of terrace space. The weather for growing has been fantastic these last few weeks. I'm watering daily with rain barrel water, and giving flowering nutrients every 2-3 waterings. Last week I was still using half/half nutrients, now just the Flores. I've been removing leaves here and there, but now I've cut off a few more leaves and small shoots to make the plant a bit airier. I know it doesn't look like it, but in the end, I had a good pile of cuttings on the ground. The seedling often droops its leaves because the small pot can't hold much water. But it doesn't seem to be stopping it from growing :)

LaechelndeAugen So, from a total of 4 plants, it has now become a hedge that takes up most of the terrace. I keep defoliating, but somehow I soon notice nothing of it anymore. First flower threads are appearing. The smell is noticeably increasing. In anticipation of heavy flowers, I have woven nets into the big plant. The small plant has bamboo stakes and also got a net. Watering and nutrient rhythm is the same as last week, still hardly any pests.

LaechelndeAugen Everything as usual. There are some cicadas, but they are quickly taken care of. The flowers are looking nice, I can hardly wait until the harvest :) Let's hope the good weather lasts until October.

LaechelndeAugen Everything is still going smoothly. 3-4 leaves on the big one are turning yellow at the edges, but for now, it's nothing serious. The buds are slowly starting to glisten, and the anticipation is growing. At the same time, I'm also worried about powdery mildew or something similar. That's why I'm defoliating and removing shoots every day to keep the plant airy. I'm still watering alternately with and without nutrients.

LaechelndeAugen There was another thorough defoliation action; the magnolia tree and the hedge next to the plants had a strong fungal infestation and had to be radically cut back. I also sprayed a milk/water mixture on them. To be absolutely sure, I cut off leaves and shoots from the Melonade Runtz that I thought were obstructing air circulation. Unfortunately, a bit late in the flowering phase, but it will be done earlier in a potential next grow. Occasionally, you find a cicada. Yesterday I saw a buffalo cicada, which I hadn't known before. Interesting creatures, although not particularly welcome. Trichome production is noticeably increasing, the buds are already nicely frosted. Unfortunately, the sun isn't cooperating much anymore :( As you can see in the pictures, the plant is showing signs of problems. On some large fan leaves, the edges are turning yellow and brown-black spots are appearing. However, since I switched back from rainwater to tap water, it seems to be getting better. This would indicate a CalMag deficiency.

LaechelndeAugen I've now decided to only water with rainwater using the Terra fertilizer and Atami CalMag to get a handle on the nutrient issues with the Melonades. Our tap water doesn't have a good CalMag ratio, so I have full control over the nutrients. Some leaves are turning autumnal, and the buds are gaining volume. At night, it gets really cold, down to 3 degrees on the thermometer. Maybe a bit more under the pergola, but just to be safe, the plants come inside on cold nights. Not optimal, but still better than a total loss. Unfortunately, there's not much sun during the day. Next week, it should go back up to 27 degrees. Let's hope for it. It will still take about 3-4 weeks.