lets discuss stunted growth aka "lookin at the plant everday syndrome"

W

where da weed

Member
this is for the n00bs like me mostly but for pros too if you had the same experience

ive been checkin my plant everyday. im growing it on the window sill in London so weather hasnt been amazing. and i seriously thought my plant had stopped growing. everyday i was checkin it constantly and it just didnt seem to be getting bigger.

i researched this shit and was filled with horror stories of potent ph levels, starved roots and the plant was a goner, the plant was too cold and was beyond saving etc etc etc

then i saw this post saying one of the biggest causes of this is that people watch their plants too much and stop noticing how much growth there is each 24 hours. so i last checked on sunday and i checked today at the advice of what i read and ill be damned.

the difference is amazing lol

all im saying is, if your a noob like me and think your plant has stopped growing dont panic, your probably doing it all correctly just ease up on the progess checks. trust me its a weight off your shoulders lol


PS: heres my lil girl, its vanilla kush from barneys farm.

 
FuckJeffGoldbloom

FuckJeffGoldbloom

Well-Known Member
Growing on the window sill is going to grow much slower than anything else so you have to expect that.

But either way it looks very good and healthy!
 
tekdc911

tekdc911

Well-Known Member
i use references to check growth
a small action figure stuck in the canopy or just look at one node close to a spot where i lst
my plants dont stop growing and i check them multiple times a day :roll:
 
Adjorr

Adjorr

Well-Known Member
my plants only grow if I stare at them constantly, they need to be constantly reassured and told there beautiful because there female. true story
 
tekdc911

tekdc911

Well-Known Member
Adjorr said:
my plants only grow if I stare at them constantly, they need to be constantly reassured and told there beautiful because there female. true story
Click to expand...
what he said

but i have to add i brush their hair constantly
>.< tuck leaves
 
ExileOnMainStreet

ExileOnMainStreet

Well-Known Member
The other side of that is that the veg growth you see is a reflection of the root system. As the roots are growing, veg will slow down. She's still growing, it's just that it's below the soil where you can't see it. Once the root network has built up, the rest will follow: it's all part of the process.

But yeah...it's really tough to just sit back and enjoy the process, especially when it's all new. I've got everything dialed in so I only 'need' to check on the girls every week or so, but it's become part of my 'coffee ritual' every morning. Even if I'm just sweeping up an already-clean floor, it doesn't matter.

Just a thought here, but a clamp-on light fixture with a 6500K CFL in it might give your plant a bit of a boost as far as light goes. You could switch it on when you get up and switch it off when you go to bed. I have a couple of my tomatoes in a window and that's what I do for them. I'm at the same latitude as you and it seems to help, especially now when the days are getting shorter.
 
W

where da weed

Member
Adjorr said:
my plants only grow if I stare at them constantly, they need to be constantly reassured and told there beautiful because there female. true story
Click to expand...
tekdc911 said:
what he said

but i have to add i brush their hair constantly
>.< tuck leaves
Click to expand...
haha, luckily my littleun is well behaved, albeit a bit slow but daddy is gonna turn her into a special women as she grows up.


ExileOnMainStreet said:
The other side of that is that the veg growth you see is a reflection of the root system. As the roots are growing, veg will slow down. She's still growing, it's just that it's below the soil where you can't see it. Once the root network has built up, the rest will follow: it's all part of the process.

But yeah...it's really tough to just sit back and enjoy the process, especially when it's all new. I've got everything dialed in so I only 'need' to check on the girls every week or so, but it's become part of my 'coffee ritual' every morning. Even if I'm just sweeping up an already-clean floor, it doesn't matter.

Just a thought here, but a clamp-on light fixture with a 6500K CFL in it might give your plant a bit of a boost as far as light goes. You could switch it on when you get up and switch it off when you go to bed. I have a couple of my tomatoes in a window and that's what I do for them. I'm at the same latitude as you and it seems to help, especially now when the days are getting shorter.
Click to expand...
this is my first grow lol, i only planted her on august 25th way late im just seeing how late i can plant something and get a nice little return from a small plant with minimal growing equipment. i think ive already made a first mistake though.

i germinated her in a plastic cup filled with bonsai soil. since bonsais are small plants i figured it would be a good soft soil for small seedling roots to grow but when i watered it the soil really held the water and clumped together almost solid.

when i transplanted her i wasnt too impressed with the roots if im honest so i can see your right. the new soil is much more loose and spongey and she looks a lot healthier. plus shes only growing on the window sill with less than adequate sunshine so all those factors together probably making her grow slow too

shes soldiering on though. i love the determination of these plants. next summer im going to put some plants in my garden. we have a nice south facing wall which is hit by the sun all day. so hopefully next year ill have spme awesome plants to share.
 
ExileOnMainStreet

ExileOnMainStreet

Well-Known Member
daddy is gonna turn her into a special women as she grows up
Click to expand...
Rofl - in any other context that would be so, so wrong......

For sure you'll speed up the growth by adding some more light, but there's another benefit. After the autumn equinox (~Sept21) the nights start getting longer than the days and the sun is at a lower height in the sky, causing the light to shift toward red. That equinox is the trigger for the plant to enter its flowering stage and the root growth slows down. That's why you have red light on 12/12 in a flowering room: you are putting the plant into a perpetual equinox.

One of the symptoms of that stage is that the plant is putting all of its energy into flowering - root growth stops and the sun leaves begin to yellow and die off. Once your seedling reaches sexual maturity, it will try and do that as well. Unfortunately, the season may be too far along by then to provide enough light to keep her happy. Adding some supplemental light will help to turn the clock back a few months to midsummer (solstice = max veg growth).

Your plan for the summer sounds cool - I'd love to be able to have some girls out in the garden with the veggies. I hear you on the determination of these plants - they want to grow and if we don't screw with them too much, they'll adjust to all sorts of conditions and forgive a lot of mistakes. I have way more problem keeping my tomatoes happy and healthy than the girls.
I'm looking forward to seeing how you make out.
 
W

where da weed

Member
ExileOnMainStreet said:
Rofl - in any other context that would be so, so wrong......

For sure you'll speed up the growth by adding some more light, but there's another benefit. After the autumn equinox (~Sept21) the nights start getting longer than the days and the sun is at a lower height in the sky, causing the light to shift toward red. That equinox is the trigger for the plant to enter its flowering stage and the root growth slows down. That's why you have red light on 12/12 in a flowering room: you are putting the plant into a perpetual equinox.

One of the symptoms of that stage is that the plant is putting all of its energy into flowering - root growth stops and the sun leaves begin to yellow and die off. Once your seedling reaches sexual maturity, it will try and do that as well. Unfortunately, the season may be too far along by then to provide enough light to keep her happy. Adding some supplemental light will help to turn the clock back a few months to midsummer (solstice = max veg growth).

Your plan for the summer sounds cool - I'd love to be able to have some girls out in the garden with the veggies. I hear you on the determination of these plants - they want to grow and if we don't screw with them too much, they'll adjust to all sorts of conditions and forgive a lot of mistakes. I have way more problem keeping my tomatoes happy and healthy than the girls.
I'm looking forward to seeing how you make out.
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i never knew that. i love learning stuff like this from people who know what they are talking about. i didnt go into this plant expecting much but ill be happy with 8-10 grams by xmas lol

once the sun stops shining on her i put her on top of my wardrobe under the light in the bedroom. shes gettin around 15-16 hours of light per day. the light in my room isnt very strong either, i was thinking of getting a desk lamp with a more powerful bulb to put her under. would that speed up the vegging a little more?
 
ExileOnMainStreet

ExileOnMainStreet

Well-Known Member
Yeah, absolutely...any more light you can add will help. It has to be the right color for its growth stage, though - look for 5000 degrees Kelvin or higher to simulate daylight for vegging. Less than about 3000K (more red) is for flowering. CFL bulbs are common in 6500K which is great for veg, and 2700K for flowering. They fit a standard lamp socket. Whatever you do, do it consistently and the plant will adjust to it.

Don't expect to get the tall, thick colas like you see in all the pics - you'll get smaller 'popcorn' buds...but the smoke is just as sweet, especially since it's from a plant you grew yourself.
:weed:bongsmilie

Learning about how plants grow naturally and trying to replicate that indoors is the fun part for me...but don't confuse me with an expert, lol. I'm just trying to give back some of the help I got when I was starting out. There are tons of things you could do, but I think you're on the right track by keeping the first one simple and watching it grow. Good luck and enjoy the process !
 
W

where da weed

Member
ExileOnMainStreet said:
Yeah, absolutely...any more light you can add will help. It has to be the right color for its growth stage, though - look for 5000 degrees Kelvin or higher to simulate daylight for vegging. Less than about 3000K (more red) is for flowering. CFL bulbs are common in 6500K which is great for veg, and 2700K for flowering. They fit a standard lamp socket. Whatever you do, do it consistently and the plant will adjust to it.

Don't expect to get the tall, thick colas like you see in all the pics - you'll get smaller 'popcorn' buds...but the smoke is just as sweet, especially since it's from a plant you grew yourself.
:weed:bongsmilie

Learning about how plants grow naturally and trying to replicate that indoors is the fun part for me...but don't confuse me with an expert, lol. I'm just trying to give back some of the help I got when I was starting out. There are tons of things you could do, but I think you're on the right track by keeping the first one simple and watching it grow. Good luck and enjoy the process !
Click to expand...
im definately gonna get another light lol it wont be anything too major i actually am actively trying to keep this plant small and discreet, and with as less smell as possible. i know a bigger plant with more bud will simply wreak the whole house out. i am being consistent with my times. i wake up at 6:30am everyday and the light goes on and she goes by the window sill too. then when i get home and the sun is down she goes up under the light thats been on all day in the background. i know its not strong but its enough to keep her growing and from flowering.

and yup, i knew i wouldnt be getting colas with this and just popcorn buds lol, but i know they will taste nice and smoke good. and like you said, because i grew it myself it will be even sweeter lol if it comes out nice itll be nothing but a confidence booster and ill be more determined to start growing seriously lol

im definately enjoying the whole growing experience too. she has literally become my 'baby' lol

ill keep this place updated as time goes by thanks for the time youve given and the love!
 
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