JD1stTimer's grow log.

[lonelydrunk69]

I would think that replying to your own log to update would be better since we would all see the progress after various suggestions from people are implemented.

Way to go, man. She looks happy again! And to think you were about to call the coroner on her !

[Theelementja]

I like to keep mine in one post, but I don't think it really matters.

[Arcygenical]

I would pinch her immediately. It will stop her from growing up, and force her to grow out, and to grow her roots to support this lateral surge.

And you can call me Arcy

[JD1stTimer]

Thanks Arcy, and should I take the two large leaves on the lowest node also? (The first contribution to my stash! Tee-hee!) lonelydrunk: I actually wasn't ready to call the coroner, it's just that the last time I mail-ordered a live plant it developed a stem rot and the cuttings I tried to make rotted, and every part of it was brown goo within three weeks, and I definitely did not overwater it, so naturally I was nervous when I hadn't seen the roots yet.  Frequent updates will follow.  It may seem overboard, but I think it is valuable for every cultivator to keep detailed information in case others have the exact same situations.   Plus when I want to give cuttings up for adoption the new owners might want an idea of what kind of care they have received.  I'm especially looking forward to comparing the different cutting methods I know of, the water method, horizontal soil method, vertical soil method, and bent stem method, with and without rooting hormone.  I know it will be a while before I can do eight cuttings at once, but I think it will be an awesome experiment, and if everyone does the same type of work we could probably map out the most productive strategies for each individual growing environment.  The fact that most plants are clones is also pretty sweet, because differences in leaf production and potency are definitely environmental within a strain.  Doesn't someone on these boards have access to gc/ms equipment? Maybe we could all send samples to be analyzed.   It could be the first serious horticultural research to be conducted on a popular basis instead of just confined to land-grant universities.

[JD1stTimer]

Okay, I got just the two tiny uppermost leaves but I didn't cut the growing tip between them.  Is that the right way?  I also untied the stem from the stake to see how she was doing water-wise, and she's standing on her own. 

[Arcygenical]

You did good! You only want to remove the very top leaves.

Take a look at my guide here, just to make sure

http://www.salviasource.org/forum/advanced-techniques/pinching-and-pruning-for-branching-and-biomass-output/0/

And yes, I believe Para's got access to a LCMS machine.

[JD1stTimer]

Success!!! Thanks Arcy, MstryShovel, theelementja, and everyone else for your help! I couldn't have done it without you guys!  I took Sally's tent off for two hours today and she is still standing without support!!! Here's the pic!

Remember, our freedoms are constantly being eroded bit by bit, and every successful cultivator is a fort in Liberty's defense!

[JD1stTimer]

Oh the humanity!!!  As I was leaving to meet up with some friends, a travesty happened!  I had put the pot Sally's in on top of this to get her closer to the light:

I turned and looked at Sally, and while I was looking at her, I saw the flowerpot buckle and Sally tumbled to the floor!!! 

There was potting soil on the chair.

And here's Sally, trapped under the rubble!!!! Oh noes!

I dug her out and got a look at how puny her roots actually are.  One of her top leaves was almost broken off, so I cut that, scooped up as much soil as I could, and repotted her:


Has anyone else had something like this happen?  Did I do everything right?  Are there any extra precautions I should take to reduce the stress as much as possible?  Should I just air out the tent briefly every day and not try to acclimate her for a few days?  Will she die? WAAAAAAHAHAH!

[MstryShovel]

how sad
I would tent her 24/7 for at least a week, sally hates having her roots dug up oh boy, and she will be super stressd out after this
good luck man

[JD1stTimer]

Eeek... oddly, she has straightened her stem now.  It was always gently curved as you can see in all my pictures, but now she's straight as an arrow:

Is this a sign of anything at all?

[MstryShovel]

id say it is a good sign keep your fingers crossed, one less stress of having to deal with humidity will be good for her

[Theelementja]

wow man that sucks! I hope she comes out stronger from this. Never know, maybe this was a good thing since she straightened out some.

[lonelydrunk69]

I have repotted one of mine 3 times already within 5 days, initially from the cup to the pot, and then twice again because I was worried about the mix not having enough perlite and stuff, and then i was tripping about how he wasn't centered in the middle of the pot so i did it again.

I think re-potting only slows down growth. She could be slightly pissed that she fell a few feet and was buried (that's probably why she is stiffer).
XD

She's fine. Just put on some good music for Sally to listen to and walk away.

[Arcygenical]

Honestly, I would doubt it affected her at all. I've had a few clones take a tumble, even when I wasn't there, and still right themselves, even if the stem is laying horizontally :p.

[JD1stTimer]

Well, as of this moment she's still straight as an arrow.   Her little side branchlets and the baby leaves are the same size apparently as when she arrived.  I guess she's just gonna take care of nothing but roots until they're about equal to to the leaves... roots and surface material have to be about 50/50 right?  I have never given her fertilizer, should I hold up on that until I see some growth?  It's cool that you mentioned music.  They did an experiment on Mythbusters about that, and beans at least really like hard rock with heavy throbbing bass.  I wonder what salvia's favorite music is?  Maybe central American tribal music?