HALP!...?

[cheeba]

So, this friend of mine has been growing outdoors.

Ha, they're not really ready to throw up too many pics at the moment, they don't look great/big, just after their first bit of a growth spurt.

There's 4 all up.

One generic crap, one from a REALLY nice lot they were lucky enough to find some seeds in, and 2 imported....or something like that, can't recall the exact specifics.

So this person would like to know a few things.

 

To give some information, as I understand it they were ?germinated? in cottonwool and transferred over to a mixture of store bought fert/dirt, and some soaked peatmoss, also had some of those water saver gel beads mixed in.

They were last replanted into medium/large pots, like, the type you might grow a bunch of flowers in? Watered daily about a glass a day each.

 

So yes, not a lot going on that isn't "plant it, water it"...etc.

 

Bugs have not made a move yet, but pyrethrin spray is on standby.

 

So, general questions first.

 

*should they be pyrethrined now?

*at what age (from planting) is it possible to sex them?

*the whole sunlight distribution thing...they get pretty much just over 2/3 of the days sun where they are. Enough?

*A fine white "powder" has appeared on the leaves of just ONE of these - problem or strain thing?

 

So I'm going to attach a few pics...just want some advice to pass on here.

Warning, the following pics are TERRIBLE mobile-taken pics...there's some blur...

 

*The first pic is just of my "favourite", chunkier, thicker leaves than the rest, general pic.

 

*The second is one of the other ones...slightly bigger but thinner leaves.

 

*The next few are close ups, for identification purposes, I have no knowledge really on how to identify the sex but I have an idea that the bits that have been indicated in the pic may be a clue...

 

*The last few are of a couple of leaf problems...some of the leaves towards the bottom of these plants (I guess what would have been their first "layer") have kind of wilted a bit in some cases, turned kinda yellow in others, the pics will give some idea. - does this necessarily mean problems?

Should I pull them off or leave them on?

Any advice on what the solution would be if it WAS a problem?

 

Of course...at a careless time they weren't watered for 2-3 days recently, this could be the reason, hm?

Also, if these are females or males, how do I pick the alternative sex?

Can the males be kept if anything other than leaves is cut off? Like...wouldn't mind growing the leaves for butter.

 

I pretty much think they're going fine but hey...nothing too impressive at this point in time.

Thanks in advance for any info.

[Wrangler556]

*should they be pyrethrined now?

 

I wouldn't think so, pyrethrine is one of the less harsher pesticides, but it can still burn and damage foliage, I would't use it unless you found numerous bugs on the plant.

 

 

*at what age (from planting) is it possible to sex them?

 

Apparently from about the 4th week onwards of vegatative growth, that is 4 weeks of growth after its seedling stage, ie: rapid above ground growth starts (or when you actually notice its growing more leaves and growing upwards)

 

 

 

*the whole sunlight distribution thing...they get pretty much just over 2/3 of the days sun where they are. Enough?

 

Probably, but the more sun it gets, the better it will grow. If you can't find a spot that gets sun all day, you can chase the sun by moving the pots around...extra work though...

 

 

 

*A fine white "powder" has appeared on the leaves of just ONE of these - problem or strain thing?

 

Is it powder, or more crystal like... it could be early production of resin......or, it could be the dreaded powdery mildew, would definetely need better pictures to determine what it is. You might want to move that particular plant away from the others until you find out what it is...

 

 

 

*The last few are of a couple of leaf problems...some of the leaves towards the bottom of these plants (I guess what would have been their first "layer") have kind of wilted a bit in some cases, turned kinda yellow in others, the pics will give some idea. - does this necessarily mean problems?

 

Usually the first set of leaves down the bottom die off naturally. If the problem continues, could possibly mean a nitrogen deficiency or overwatering/underwatering... id leave em on until they are pretty much falling off, the plant uses them for food while they are there.

 

In regards to watering, they look like pretty big pots, might be better off watering the entire pot thoroughly until water starts to leak out the bottom, then leaving it to dry out a bit, which could be anywhere from 2-5days, possibly even longer depending on conditions. A cup of water a day doesn't sound it would be enough to wet the entire pot, which would lead to dry pockets, which the roots wont grow in...

 

Spotting pre-flowers can be tough.. Those things in the photo's are stipules I believe, and are on both female and male plants. The spot you want to look is kinda between that and the main stem(branch internode)

 

Females- got a picture here, basically your looking for 2 white pistils coming out of a little bulb type flower.

 

Male- often described as little club like flower, which grow balls basically.

 

 

Thats everything I think, hopefully some ganja veterans will chirp in for better advice, or correct me if im wrong on anything

 

Wrangler.

Edited October 16, 2008 by Wrangler556

[cheeba]

Is it powder, or more crystal like... it

 

It doesn't seem to have much solidity at all, in fact I don't even think "powder" is the correct term...it's more like just spotty whiteness on the plant - like I said it didn't originate from just one area and it hasn't been gradual...the plant looks otherwise perfectly fine and healthy...I've seen some pics of powdery mildew...they seem pretty bad, a lot worse than this thing...although my lemon thyme may have it a little, then again, it could just be the essence...it smells more'n the ordinary thyme, which had no white surface...

 

However if it's something bad, I'd rather deal with it in advance - if it IS this powdery mildew (not assuming it is, but...) is that treatable in a natural way? suggestions?

 

Fair enough call on the pyrethrin - I would usually only use it very diluted, at night, then water the plants in the morning.

just wanted to know if maybe it was as much a deterrant as a solution.

 

In terms of the sunning, I'm quite happy to just let them get the natural light over the day, there are other herbs growing out there, and all doing just fine, same deal yeah?

 

Good to hear about the bottom leaves...yeah, as I recall it happened to my last ones too...just wanted to check.

 

The spot you want to look is kinda between that and the main stem(branch internode)

Yup, that's where I'm looking - the bit in between (and on top)_where the stem becomes the branch, yes? they grow upwards out of that spot...they are not the new browth either, as thats much more green...these are like, white coloured strings?

 

Definately no signs of the male stuff yet...do they show at the same time or after, because all 4 were planted at the same time, the smallest has nothing really....

[WantDaChronic]

since you have a habit of disapearing from the chat room and losing the pc to your mrs, here is the third and final time im going to answer these questions

*should they be pyrethrined now?

*at what age (from planting) is it possible to sex them?

*the whole sunlight distribution thing...they get pretty much just over 2/3 of the days sun where they are. Enough?

*A fine white "powder" has appeared on the leaves of just ONE of these - problem or strain thing?

1) no, wait for bugs

2) you can sprout seeds under 12/12 and have them sex as they grow up. generally speaking though it doesnt matter what age the plants are, once they are given 2-3 weeks of 12/12 they'll show their sex...

3) the more direct sunlight the better, just make sure it doesnt go under 5-6 hours a day otherwise you'll lose heaps of yield

4) if its a powder its probably mildew, if it is the leaf itself its either a nutrient or pH problem.

 

as for males, they generally show sex before the females, but they can be tricky bastards and appear half way into flowering so you need to keep an eye out for them. worst of all when growing from seed, when you give up looking for males you need to keep an eye out for hermies

 

that wasnt as detailed as my previous attempts, but im sure if i have left anything out someone else will fill in the gaps

[cheeba]

Thanks for that.

Yeah, it seems to be the leaf itself, not right through it but only on the surface, and won't wipe off.

 

Why would this one have that as a problem and not the others though?

 

How to find out exactly what's wrong, and what to use for it? a gardener?

 

Also, on the topic of that dusty mildew - my LEMON thyme might have that, unless it's just how the lemon variety grows.

Same supplier, same soil/mixture, same pots, same location, both watered equally, very near to eachother to the point of touching...would you say this is just something to do with the variety of plant?

 

One more then, while I know off topic.

If say this lemon thyme plant has the mildew stuff, are there solutions for that too?

[Wrangler556]

Baking Soda is a more common way to get rid of the mildew, if it is mildew...

 

You can either dust the powder onto affected areas with a brush, or mix with water and spray it on. Works by changing the PH of the foliage surface, so that the mildew can't grow. Just be aware the baking soda actually dries to a fine white powder on the leaf also, so might be difficult to tell the difference.. you should be able to wash it off with plain water after a couple of days though to see if it has any effect.

 

Mildew is mostly caused in cool, damp, humid and poorly lit areas, as well as fluctuating temperatures and humidity. Can be worse when roots are dry, but foliage is damp.. be it from humidity, or spraying the leaves alot.

 

Apparently to try and avoid it : Increase air circulation, space plants well, make sure light intensity is high, make sure plant foliage is not moist or wet at night. Keep humidity below 50% if possible...

 

 

Also -"Why would this one have that as a problem and not the others though?"

 

Some plants are just weaker and more prone to certain diseases/mold/fungus's, kind of like how some humans have lower immune systems and catch more cold's and the like..

 

Wrangler.

 

Edit: Thought id throw the description of powdery mildew in to just to help identify it..

 

*First Indication of infection is small spots on the tops of leaves. At this point the disease has already been inside the plant a week or more. Spots progress to a fine, pale, grey-white powdery coating on growing shoots, leaves and stems. Powdery Mildew is not always limited to the upper surface of foliage. Growth slows, leaves yellow and plants die as the disease advances. Occasionally fatal indoors, this disease is at its worst when roots are dry, and foliage is moist. Plants are often affected for weeks before they show the first symptoms.*

Edited October 16, 2008 by Wrangler556

[cheeba]

Ok...this seems to be a bit of a mystery.

 

Baking soda in a water solution, eh? I can give that a go - would prepared SODA water do the same thing?

 

Yeah, this is the funny thing - during the day, under the sun, the stuff seems to disappear.

Just like on the lemon thyme, which seems to have more of it.

It seems that this stuff is liquid under hotter temps, and like "solidifies" when it's colder, or at night?

Sounds strange, but could this be some kind've oils?