Root ball size

[JonathonStrange]

I had been purchaseing what I was told was sour diesel. We had purchesed around 5oz never a seed. In one batch I found 10 God awful seeds. They were tiny white as a ghost and in no way appeared viable. Threw them in a pill bottle and put in a drawer. I had forgotten about them till I was tying to find a match to a sock when I rediscovered them. They had matured to a degree so i said lets givem a shot. Out of the 10 seeds one took hold.
Let me be clear I did next to nothing right. I put her in a window and supplemented it with about 300 watts of grow flood lights. These lights ran hotter than all get out. ( it also fell out of the window twice lol)
I grew her out using miricle gro ( don't yell I know). She grew with no latteral stems and I did not feel excprienced enough to try to prune or shape her.
In flowering I did swithch to dynagrow flower wich she liked.
I got a to of small buds on the sides and a reltively small cola (pardon spelling$) with some snow on the leaves by the bud.
She never deloped a strong order but when handled left a nice citrus smell.
I took her down yesterday and out of curiosity pulled the stem. The root ball I found was I would think was realy small. The plant when done was about 15 inches. She was a very slow to develop during the hole process compared to what "average" plants grow pattern should be.
My question is was it just poor genetics or any factors that I can control. The soil she was in was found outside in a bag someone left out.
Don't get me wrong it should probley have never grown. I just want to do better when I set up my real space. Please see garden desighn form "advice on setting up a closet grow for how I plan to set up my space. All advice on that would be a tremendus help if you have time to check it out.

Thank you for reading this and I would love to hear your thought J.S.

All input greatly appreciated.

 

[OctoberDee]

So much could be said, I guess, but really get some better soil (worm castings and guano are good)and stop with the miracle gro. Get a more efficient light source (a better light) and find a better spot(where it won't fall so easily). Even crappy seeds once sprouted have a good chance to grow into a beast they just need a stable environment with all the right elements, and love.

 

[JonathonStrange]

Trust me I have been reaserching like crazey. I will also now have the room to actualy. Do it right. Was gonna use fox farm soil. Get a real light and every thing I can to give my plants all the advantages to succsed. Unfortuatly my space is 2x3x6. Some one on another thread of mine recimended a 250 digital baldy and 6 inch hood. I know ventilation will be a problem should I go with a 250 cfl and bat wing hood. Also I am tossed up between dynagro line and fox farms full line of nutes. Any thoughts.

 

[JonathonStrange]

I am very new so all advice is realy appreciated.

 

[smokinrav]

Root ball size is not determined by genetics but by how healthy a medium you give the seed. Even non potent ditch weed will grow to a ridiculous size if given proper conditions.

Jonathon, first rule of newbie growing is....



Don't love your plants to death.

 

[JonathonStrange]

I'm pretty sure loveing it to much was one of the multitude of mistakes I made. ESP when it came to water. I watered it two to three times per day. I had read marijuana was a water loving plant not a soggy lovng plant lol. I only relized this well into my my grow. I figured it's better to screw up on a found seed than a bought ones.

 

[TreFarmer]

Root ball size is not determined by genetics but by how healthy a medium you give the seed. Even non potent ditch weed will grow to a ridiculous size if given proper conditions.

Jonathon, first rule of newbie growing is....



Don't love your plants to death.

Hey smokin', I don't find this comment about rootball size to be acurite. I just transplanted 6 G-13. 2 different phenos. One pheno was bound and the others fell apart in my hands. All six are extremely healthy and roughly the same size. Same with 13Dawgz, one pheno produces far less rootball. The Katsu bubba will "lock up" and quit growing earlier than any strain I have. Its roots will fully engulf the pot in half the time of the others transplanted at same time same soil. I believe root size to be genetic as well as the efficiency some strains use nutes. My GDP runs mad roots burns easy but also uses up N and yellows quickly. The G-13 required no nutes and is presently larger and healthier than all its counterparts with no nutes added since may. And they only got that cause I didn't realize she didn't need it, use it yes, but need it? Nope.

 

[TreFarmer]

Root ball size is not determined by genetics but by how healthy a medium you give the seed. Even non potent ditch weed will grow to a ridiculous size if given proper conditions.

Jonathon, first rule of newbie growing is....



Don't love your plants to death.

Hey smokin', I don't find this comment about rootball size to be acurite. I just transplanted 6 G-13. 2 different phenos. One pheno was bound and the others fell apart in my hands. All six are extremely healthy and roughly the same size. Same with 13Dawgz, one pheno produces far less rootball. The Katsu bubba will "lock up" and quit growing earlier than any strain I have. Its roots will fully engulf the pot in half the time of the others transplanted at same time same soil. I believe root size to be genetic as well as the efficiency some strains use nutes. My GDP runs mad roots burns easy but also uses up N and yellows quickly. The G-13 required no nutes and is presently larger and healthier than all its counterparts with no nutes added since may. And they only got that cause I didn't realize she didn't need it, use it yes, but need it? Nope.

 

[smokinrav]

Hey smokin', I don't find this comment about rootball size to be acurite.

You aparrently missed the post right above yours then.

I'm pretty sure loveing it to much was one of the multitude of mistakes I made. ESP when it came to water. I watered it two to three times per day.

Jonathon this totally explains your small root issue. Roots expand from the soil drieing out between waterings. Soil dries, roots expand, you add water, roots stop growing until the soil dries again. A controlled wet/dry cycle is critical for a healthy root system and a healthy plant.

And yeah, I did the same thing when I started grow 15 years ago. You'll get better at this, I can tell, because you're damn curious, and I like to see that in ya.

Good luck

 

[TreFarmer]

Root ball size is not determined by genetics but by how healthy a medium you give the seed. Even non potent ditch weed will grow to a ridiculous size if given proper conditions.

Jonathon, first rule of newbie growing is....



Don't love your plants to death.

Maybe I misunderstood, do you mean with proper conditions that any plant can maximize IT'S rooting potential? Or do you mean any [marijuana] plant can develop a massive rootball depending on medium. Cause I don't care how big and awesome the soil is, the G-13 pheno I have wont use it. Even MPB it keeps a small "rootprint". I could be confused about the symmantex (sp?) I'm sorry to pick at it but it doesn't seem accurite the way I read it. :bow

 

[smokinrav]

We can only relate our experiences as we know them. If you have different experiences, it's good to hear them. I relate information that I know to be true from my experience growing tens of thousands of plants out (the VAST majority of them vegetables) over the last 25 years (including a couple dozen strains of cannabis in the last 15 years). But please, don't say my information isn't accurate because you can point to one obscure strain of cannabis that did something somewhat different one time.

 

[JonathonStrange]

Thanks so much for the kind words smokein.
So since I was overwatering basicly I was creating a barrier for root exspamsion. With a small root ball would lead to stunted growth along with the let's just call it less than optimal above gound including I was fotunate to get what I did.
Would a good scedual be water/nuet,dry,dry water incorporating it with the feed schedual?

 

[JonathonStrange]

From everthing I've read (wich is watever I can lay my hands on) the concensus is succsess starts from the roots up. That's why I am trying to learn as much as I can.

Thanks to all J.S.

 

[OctoberDee]

A plant root size is not as important as the top portion growing out. As long as you can tell from the top that things are good then the bottom is probably fine. Just some added advice, K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple Stoner) =) You might be good with the fox farm stuff but you may not need to go that route. You're better off just using a generic organic soil and buying some liquid stuff that you just add to water for fert and balancing the PH. It's easy to grow a plant but it's easier if you try not to put to much on fertilizers and nutrients. Maybe focus for now on a space and go from there, if the space works out then you'll have a better chance to grow better weed in the future and you'll gain experience in the meantime. Otherwise, just caring for the space (keeping it clean and exclusive) and babies you put in them should get you on your way. Good Luck!

 

[JonathonStrange]

Makes a lot of sence. It is so hard when u see all those pretty pictures and well worded adds.
Looks like dynogrow. Would u add a product promotes esential oil production like snow storm ultra

 

[steelyeyes]

So much could be said, I guess, but really get some better soil (worm castings and guano are good)and stop with the miracle gro. Get a more efficient light source (a better light) and find a better spot(where it won't fall so easily). Even crappy seeds once sprouted have a good chance to grow into a beast they just need a stable environment with all the right elements, and love.

I have a plant now that's in week 6 of flower. When I started this run it was the weakling. Small, yellowish leaves, looked like it was on it's last leg. I almost pulled it and tossed it on the compost pile. It not only caught up with it's sisters it ended up being the tallest plant in the room and the yield looks to be the heaviest. I have every one of her main branches tied up because the weight of the buds starting at week 4 were drooping them.

Moral to the story is that with proper conditions even plants that look like they're near death will rally and surprise you.