Pushing the limit on underwatering during flowering and ... I f#cked up.

[Apostatize]

Problem is, I don't have much room for error. Started bloom with lights less than 10" from top of heavily LST'd plants. I can easily add space from lights if I have to. I don't want to, the other 8 plants are fine. And I'm deliberately not overwatering. Just so happens, with this much light, I can't be 2 hours late for watering. Stopped using irrigation timers/pumps, went back to manual watering. Much better watering control. But when the lights came on, I was busy online working my "day job" and, only 90 minutes later, 2 plants were nearly fried. Not burnt, but extremely thirsty -- slightly crispy on a few tips. Overall, limp.

When I first noticed it -- the other 8 are fine -- I immediately sprayed and watered the 2 dry plants heavily. And sprayed with seedling nutes just to get the leaves wet. Normally (i.e., the few times I've grown), I don't spray during flowering. Adding more fans ... so, between additional fans, close lights -- ballast is separate from light, very low heat LED (Fluence 66" Rays) ... I'm going to need to water 2 or 3 times a day.

But am I right to take the sad wilting plants out of the light for the last few hours of their day (when I noticed they're dehydrated) and possibly, for a few days, give them light for less than 12 hrs? Do you have to rehab them (i.e., slowly ease them back into intense 12-hour light)? I'd hate to lose either of them. It's a Gorilla Cookie from seed (elev8 seeds) and I'm pretty sure this Gelato/Larry Bird is a clone (gotta check roots) (Grower's Choice, supplementing with King Crop's genetics; but don't want to lose this one 2 weeks into flowering).

 

[.Smoke]

Why not just give them the water they need?

It sounds like you chose to go back to hand watering as an "experiment". Sometimes trying something different just for the sake of trying it isn't worth it. Just ask the scientists @ Chernobyl...

Go back to watering regularly.

 

[Apostatize]

Maybe I just haven't taken the time to figure out pumps. I had multiple pumps ... timer's minimum time I could set if for drowned some plants and starved others. At the time, I'd been working 70 hrs/wk for 3+ years at my day job. Ended up tweaking irrigation more often than focusing on trellising/other things. Became a pain in the ass.

My best harvest was hand-fed. There are even large operations that choose to hand-feed for the same reason I do it. Like I said, I brought the lights in really close because I'm progressing so much with LST. So, I just have to be there on time or water like 30-60 mins. before the lights come on. I work from home and burn trees all day now, so....

And part of it is ... I try to predict the # of gallons of each boom phase in General Hydroponics' 8-phase system ... two tents ... comes down to about 6 days/phase if flowering takes 7-9 weeks. So, perhaps I was pinching pennies there at the expense of the plants. But I don't like pouring so much water it immediately drains through the Grodan block. I think I may just need to adjust feeding to compensate for the added light intensity/increased wind.

 

[a mongo frog]

I'd been working 70 hrs/wk for 3+ years at my day job.

What type of work?

 

[Detroitwill]

No need to take anything out. Just water them on time. If you have to change the time you can slowly adjust it and they will be fine. N back the light up if you need to... may not be needed. Feed em n they will be fine.

 

[Apostatize]

What type of work?

I'd rather not say. Involves reading/analysis/clicking. But OT positioned me to pay off a small portion of my student loans ... when I turned over the $20k (not even 1/10th of the full debt), it didn't feel good at all. Why not invest in something you have some control of, that will grow money to repay monster student loans ... otherwise, I'll work until I'm 80+, pay my tab and check out. F that.

 

[Detroitwill]

Also... under watering is for the end. Not anytime or during the flower stage. It’s a way to force your plant to put on a last ditch effort at resin n thc production. So unless your on your last week I would water n feed at a normal rate.

 

[Apostatize]

When do you pronounce a dry plant dead and/or replace it?

Before I lowered the lights, I'd have 12-24 hrs to water before flowering plants would show signs of stress. Now that lights are a lot closer, I have to feed them as soon as the lights turn on. Within 90 minutes, 2 showed significant stress.

Usually, plants bounce back within an hour or a couple days. I took the dehydrated plants out of the lights overnight (though that's likely unnecessary), and I lowered the 2 dehydrated plants ~6" without lowering the other plants (simple racks). But it's on day 3 and I'm not seeing any improvement. Still green, I trimmed most of the crispy parts.... Just look so lifeless. Assuming I fed all 10 the same, even if these 2 come back, it's going in their permanent pheno record that they're thirstier than the others. They're losing points, lol.

Only 2 weeks into veg, not toooo late to replace them; and another full tent's on Day 1; losing 2 plants won't go unnoticed....

 

[Hydrahail]

Sips super effective at giving you longer water intervals

 

[Apostatize]

Sips super effective at giving you longer water intervals

Time management ... additional time inputs of setup adjustments while harvesting the last one and working ... didn't prioritize water as highly as I should've.... I just want to know if I should replace them or whether they'll come back in time to contribute to yield.

Filled another tent ... but I've got a few backups that are slightly juvenile in comparison ... they'd do something, though.

All plants in that tent flower in 7-9 wks, yesterday all showed initial flowers except these two ... very happy with setup, really bummed out 90 mins. might ruin my total....

 

[Autofire]

If you want to water less often and save money on nutes grow in a slow release soil.

 

[Apostatize]

Oh well ... 2 weeks in, guess I'll cram 2 backups in there ... knowing I'm delaying a flip 2 weeks (or, like now, I'll have to free up a veg station to let the stragglers finish so I can start the next round...). If the stressed out plants come back, I might find a spot for them in the bigger tent once the smaller one stretches/gets crowded. Larger tent has 3 shelves (center, 2 sides) and a large recess well of sorts -- currently have 4 on each shelf and 4 in the well (2 on each side of the middle shelf, between the outer shelf and center shelf). Adding the 2 future-revived plants to the well might crowd the well, but that's the available space. Alternatively, 2 new additions to the smaller tent could finish in the larger tent's well (or my backup, backup space in the larger of 2 veg stations with nearly sufficient lighting).... Shouldn't be a problem going forward. Every time I make a major adjustment, there's collateral damage to offset my gains.... Adding silica and excluding rigid/fragile strains has significantly reduced branch breaking ... relationship between water/wind/light intensity is my next focus.

 

[Detroitwill]

When do you pronounce a dry plant dead and/or replace it?

Before I lowered the lights, I'd have 12-24 hrs to water before flowering plants would show signs of stress. Now that lights are a lot closer, I have to feed them as soon as the lights turn on. Within 90 minutes, 2 showed significant stress.

Usually, plants bounce back within an hour or a couple days. I took the dehydrated plants out of the lights overnight (though that's likely unnecessary), and I lowered the 2 dehydrated plants ~6" without lowering the other plants (simple racks). But it's on day 3 and I'm not seeing any improvement. Still green, I trimmed most of the crispy parts.... Just look so lifeless. Assuming I fed all 10 the same, even if these 2 come back, it's going in their permanent pheno record that they're thirstier than the others. They're losing points, lol.

Only 2 weeks into veg, not toooo late to replace them; and another full tent's on Day 1; losing 2 plants won't go unnoticed....

Thirsty is good not bad. Consider that if they drink a lot they must be doing a lot. It sucks that their makin you work more. But I bet they do really well if you keep up.

 

[waterproof808]

Stopped using irrigation timers/pumps, went back to manual watering. Much better watering control. But when the lights came on, I was busy online working my "day job" and, only 90 minutes later, 2 plants were nearly fried.

lol, doesn't sound like you had bettering watering control after all. Hand watering is never better than automating irrigation. "Automate or you're already late"

 

[Apostatize]

lol, doesn't sound like you had bettering watering control after all. Hand watering is never better than automating irrigation. "Automate or you're already late"

it happened, i replaced the plants and moved on. irrigation unevenly watered plants -- over and under. wasn't a fan, wasn't going to compromise, i'll likely revisit down the road when I can get it how I want it without eating up a lot of my time setting it up/adjusting. i refuse to grow autoflower or in autopots.