Bayrat's 1st Salvia Grow

[Sea Mac]

Happy looking plants!

You say you've only had them 5 Weeks?!? They can grow fast, can't they?

From the way that one is growing I'd say it's getting an awful lot of light ... every node is branching!

[Bayrat]

Here are week 6 pics.  You can see the new growth from last week, getting crowded again!  It is starting to like more and more light.

[Sea Mac]

Poor baby!

Too much light! She's being overstimulated and her jungle instincts are to branch towards the brightest light source. But there is enough light level at EVERY node to trigger a branch!

I don't know how long that plant will stay healthy putting out branches at every node ... perhaps you could move the lamps a little further away? She will grow into them shortly otherwise!

That's some phenomenal wild growth going on ... You'll have a pound of dried leaves to extract in no time!

(My Plants are getting too much light but I've got no way to put a dimmer on the sun ... They've got a full on 12' by 24' tarp over them and it's too bright anyways. Branches pop out of just born branches!)



Cut me back: I dare you! You cut this branch off and made a plant out of it: I grew 2 more branches in a Y just below the cut end. You cut those 2 branches off and made plants out of them: I grew 2 more branches at 45 degrees to THOSE stumps - Ha-Ha! And EVERY node on those 3rd set of branches is sprouting branches right now! Cut me back again: I dare you!

(You meatbags never learn, do you? Come at me with a straight razor, baby! {Sucker!} )

TOO Much Light!

[Bayrat]

Too much is my middle name  . 

[spindrifter]

Great pics. I like. By George, I think you have the right idea, lighting from the sides like that. Makes for a real compact plant, ideal if, unlike SeaMac, you have to grow indoors. Genius +

[Daggster]

Yes, really beautiful, I want also a plant like that! Have to pinch even more..

[Bayrat]

Almost 2 months now.  I really wish I never pinched it.  I can't get it to grow much taller, I thin out the side branches and many more just grow in their place.  My cuttings are so full of leaves and nodes I have to strip them like crazy just to get 1" of stem to place in water.  I think I will move the lights much higher for a while to try and stretch everything out? 

Too many cuttings to know what to do with.  I'm experimenting with rooting cuttings without water, just for the hell of it to try and get some big aerial roots.  Also growing leaves in a plastic bag, they've already grown a bit--should be interesting.

[Bayrat]

It's been a while so here is an update.  11 week old Momma is in her new grow space with the latest cuttings.  The ones I put outside are growing slowly but getting too much light/rain/something.  I think I should have grown them bigger indoors first. 

I have these under a folding table with white tablecloths to reflect the light back in and raise humidity with the central a/c on.  I just had to put blocks under the table legs because she was growing into the bulbs.  I like the 3 bulb bathroom fixtures because I can adjust the amount of light by adding and removing bulbs.  If I want more light I can just put a two way socket wherever I want it.  The momma likes light but the cuttings have to slowly get used to it.  I just switched to distilled water to try and solve the cupping and browning on some leaf tips that a lot of us are experiencing.  It doesn't hurt the growth but I want a good looking plant that I can stick in the garden.  The leaves in the baggie on the bottom tray are the same as they were a month ago, no roots, growth etc. but are still alive and green.

[k2ybugger]

wow man that is nice!! i wish i had that much room to dedicate to my sallys, my mom would never allow it, i have to grow them outside. they are little babies right now and we just had a huge down pour and they were already completely flooded by the time i could get out there and put a big Rubbermaid over them.

yea too bad it has to stay that short, i can wait to see how you little ones turn out, i know your gonna let them get a little taller, and if you can get the same bushiness, thats GREAT.

[k2ybugger]

what is your lighting cycle? do you go 24 hours a day?

[MstryShovel]

I would like to know your lightcycle aswell, great looking plants

[Bayrat]

18/6 guys.  Think I might go to 16/8 soon though.

[skagardener]

truly amazing. one of the most dense, compact salvia plants ive ever seen.
is it fully used to your environment, or do you mist it regularly?

[Bayrat]

Thanks ska.  I rarely mist it anymore.  That room stays about 78 degrees with 55% humidity.  I've cut the lights back lately because it is outgrowing the space and pot size.  I have to prune 80% of the leaves once a month.  I think it will go in the ground outside soon, if I don't sell it first- moving to an illegal state.

[JustAnotherRegularGuy]

The leaves in the baggie on the bottom tray are the same as they were a month ago, no roots, growth etc. but are still alive and green.

It's been another month since we last saw a picture or heard an update on how that leaf in the zipock bag is doing... Is it still alive? Did it ever show signs of roots?

JARG