LilDads LilGrow ~ 2023

[LilDad]

They’re popping their heads up! This is the Presidential and the Skunk. Put a light on them a little bit this morning to help dry the soil out. No white spots on stems, so they seem to be healthy!

I popped one more POG and Afghan seeds in water yesterday since each of those original seeds looks like they’re stalled.

 

[LilDad]

Hardening off has begun!

I had to use tweezers to help the membrane from the seed cap pop off, but they’re so happy now (Presidential OG and Skunk)! They were getting leggy from the puny seedling light (not a proper grow light) was on them, so I buried the stems a little bit and gave a good watering to help the moisture get down to the roots.

For hardening them off: tomorrow morning will be a little chilly. I’m thinking about putting them under the puny light then putting them out at around 1, when it gets up to 75. What do y’all think? That is when the suns most intense, so I kind of want to just throw them to the wild in the morning, but the morning will be at around 50, which is a bummer. What do y’all think?

In general, if they’ve only been indoors for 3 days, do you even need to harden off?

 

[LilDad]

I had to bin the NL and Afghan seeds since nothing was happening there and it didn’t look great.

I did germ another Presidential OG and Afghan and they took beautifully! They’re in pots now and squirreled away in the office to make moves.

 

[user 60570]

congratulations!

 

[LilDad]

Is this a problem? I had them out for the morning and put an umbrella on them from 12:30 to now. Only on the Skunk plant, the Presidential OG seems to be doing fine.

I moved them back inside without light on them and I’ll put them back out for evening light. Maybe the light was a little too intense?

 

[SubmarineGirl]

Is the temperature about the same for them inside and out? They are just babies and still getting use to their new world and how to respond to it. If things are changing constantly they may be confused… just my idea... but I’m not a plant

 

[LilDad]

Is the temperature about the same for them inside and out? They are just babies and still getting use to their new world and how to respond to it. If things are changing constantly they may be confused… just my idea... but I’m not a plant

The temp inside the office is 72, and outside it’s at about 82. That’s a pretty big swing. I figure they’re just a little confused, like we all are.

I’m not going to sweat it. If more leaves grow in looking weird, I’ll recalibrate. It’s a long grow cycle and mistakes will be made!

 

[oldfogey8]

When I ‘harden off’ my houseplants and garden veggies, I start by putting them out in a shaded area, usually in the morning, for a half an hour and build up over a couple of weeks time, in about 15 minute increments. An umbrella probably doesn’t block UV from the sun so I use the shade of my house but still build up. I wouldn’t be concerned though. The seedling doesn’t look too stressed to me.

 

[SubmarineGirl]

I harden off like Fogey by putting them in the shade first. Maybe you can leave them outside and move them around in the shaded areas till they get a little bigger. How cold does it get at night there.

 

[LilDad]

I harden off like Fogey by putting them in the shade first. Maybe you can leave them outside and move them around in the shaded areas till they get a little bigger. How cold does it get at night there.

I would say mid 50s at night.

Would it be better at this point to leave them out at night or keep bringing them in until they get a little bigger?

I figure tomorrow I’ll keep them under an umbrella all day since I have to go into the office that day and I don’t want my wife fussing over the children+cat+dog+her husbands weed.

 

[SubmarineGirl]

I would say mid 50s at night.

I would at least bring them in at dark and take them out at sunrise for a few days until they get a couple more leaves. And when they go out maybe filtered sunlight is best till they get use to it. They need to be babied for a bit longer imo

 

[LilDad]

I hate the seedling stage. So fiddly.

 

[Lesso]

That’s a pretty big swing. I figure they’re just a little confused, like we all are.

 

[LilDad]

The Presidential OG was looking like it was ready to drop to its knees in prayer, so tied it up and I’m leaving it outside under the umbrella (queue Rihanna) today.

I feel like it could be due to overwatering (noob move), so I figured that giving the soil the chance to dry out would be better than leaving it inside to fester under a fluorescent light. We’ll see how it looks when I get home from work.

If it dies, it dies. I’d be bummed, but I still feel like it’s early in the season, so it’s all good!

One of the Afghans I am germing popped its lil head out this morning! Gave the germing seeds a spray of water and will update later!

 

[LilDad]

Everyone pulled through beautifully!

 

[LilDad]

FINALLY! Everyone is outside.

The Afghan and second Presidential OG are showing some green, so they’re under the umbrella to start hardening off. It’s going to be a 60-80 degree temp day with overcast, so they’re under the umbrella and the training wheels are off the first POG and Skunk.

The Afghan was stretching its butt off in the office yesterday, so it’s very eager for some sun. I buried the stretched stem and gave a heavier watering so the water can get down to the roots.

Tomorrow the two little babes will only have the umbrella for the hotter part of the day. I’ll be “reading the plants” to see how they’re responding to the great outdoors.

Per usual, I’ll be bringing them in at night. It’s getting into the 50’s at night and that seems a little too cool for now. I figure that they’ll all be staying outside all the way around in May. They should also be hardened off all the way by then too.

In general, I’m pushing them a little hard with hardening off because I have two days in the office a week and while I’d “love” to pamper my plants in this stage, they aren’t even close to the priority when it comes to our dependents.

 

[LilDad]

Almost two weeks in!

Possible problem:
The stems for two plants seem pinched off and have been wanting to fall over. I buried them up higher to hold them up, is this damping off? Can I treat it or do I need to bin them?

As a note: I don’t see any white spots in the stems, and no rotting evident.

Perhaps they’re just stretchy and pinching because of the soil?

I definitely will wait them out, but updates will come as I go.

 

[LilDad]

@Carty were a little beyond two weeks for these two, you typically recommend a light first feeding around this time. Do they seem right yet?

If I were to feed, I’d do a 1/4 to 1/2 feeding of CalMag to help the stems along since they’ve been stretched a bit from noobiness. In particular, the skunk has a bit of a stretch and has been recovering well. The soil is Growers Select Coast of Maine, which is already pretty rich (WAY less so than ocean forest, which I regrettably used last year).

For context, I’m letting the soil dry all the way out from a heavy watering on Tuesday. Today will be a warm one (88 high), but I’m going to push them since we’re doing a day trip to the river with family.

Tomorrow, when I perhaps would feed, it’s going to rain from noon till dusk, so they’ll likely need to be brought inside (no lights) for that day. Thoughts?

 

[user 60570]

Almost two weeks in!

Possible problem:
The stems for two plants seem pinched off and have been wanting to fall over. I buried them up higher to hold them up, is this damping off? Can I treat it or do I need to bin them?

As a note: I don’t see any white spots in the stems, and no rotting evident.

Perhaps they’re just stretchy and pinching because of the soil?

I definitely will wait them out, but updates will come as I go.

sounds like damping off and if so bin them….

otherwise try and add more soil to support stem

 

[LilDad]

sounds like damping off and if so bin them….

otherwise try and add more soil to support stem

I’ve added more soil and they’re progressing, so I don’t think they’ve damped off, but I’ll give it a few more days and if I’ve got to send em packing, then off they go!