Indoor Lowryder #2 - Keeping it simple.

[ukdave]

I have five Lowryder 2 plants on the grow, plus one seriously stunted effort (to be removed), was a tiny seed. They are 23 days from seed grown in an 80 x 80 x 160cm tent. Light is a Mars Hydro 300w (125w actual) LED at 18 inches. Light schedule 24/0. Seeds germinated after 2 days in a warm airing cupboard and were planted directly into finishing compost. I'm using J Arther Bower's multi purpose compost from Homebase and am delighted so far. Apparently it feeds for up to 6 weeks. Plants are dark green, wide leaved and flawlessly healthy looking, atm. Soil temperature is averaging 22 to 25c, tent is in an unheated room but is getting some rising heat from downstairs and from the light. Potted in 8 litre grow bags, foliar sprayed once per week with Triacontanol plant growth regulator (PGR) at 24ppm from day 14. To be fed farmyard manure tea only, first feed today at ratio 10:1 except smallest plant. I've used tap and rain water at different times so far, will use PH'd water when test strips arrive. The most I can expect to yield using this light is 4.4oz @ 1 gram per watt. LR2's have a potential 1oz per plant so not sure its worth investing in a second light with just five low yielding plants. Light spread may be a yield issue as the Mars Hydro 300w is only designed to cover 1.5 to 2 square ft, so daily rotation should help.

I've not grown any plants for a few years but decided to get back into it for some personal. I wanted a reputable, quick and easy to grow strain that I have grown before that I know is a good smoke and will most likely recover if I mess up. I've grown this strain before under a 400w HPS in a 90x90cm tent (without Triacontanol), but decided its overkill for my needs so went for a smaller tent and a more economical light this time. If yield is too low and I decide to grow this strain again I'll buy a second Mars hydro 300w and increase to 9 plants next time.

I've not used Triacontanol PGR before but found out it is likely to be the primary ingredient in Canna Boost (which is highly reputable but very expensive), so I decided to buy and prepare some for foliar application myself. I don't have a control plant so can't really say if it is making a difference but suspect it is because the plant leaves look darker and wider than those in images and videos available on the internet of other three week old LR2's.

Comments welcome.

 

[MickJ]

They are looking good. I'm in.

Sent from my comfy chair. Link to my grows. [emoji16][emoji41] [emoji43][emoji848]
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[AutoWonders]

Early grow looks to be in great shape. We hope for a good yield.

 

[ukdave]

Day 28 - I left it too late to start feeding these LR2's, on day 24 I noticed some serious nutrient deficiency developing in the new growth, it spread really fast. I did wonder if it was PH related but doubted it because the smallest plant remained unaffected so assumed it hadn't consumed all of the nutrients within the compost. So much for having enough food in it to last four to six weeks. In future I would use compost tea at about 10:1 diluted with rain water from week two. I appear to have resolved the issue by topping up pots with fresh compost and feeding with manure tea diluted at 5:1 with rain water. I also foliar fed twice over two days. I removed all affected leaves by topping, and also removed any large fan leaves covering bud sites. The dwarf plant not yet topped, it shows of over feeding with a couple of fan leaves looking a bit dried out and over dark. it is definitely more sensitive than the others. Rainwater here is somewhere between 6 and 6.5, hard to be precise with these paper PH strips, should be fine for autoflowers. Plants are now generally looking healthy again but i did have an accident while defoliating causing the loss of a complete branch and some foliage. (plant at the back on left), see how baron it looks. This opened it up the stem to light and have just noticed two new shoots at the very base, not sure if there is time left to develop fully formed branches there, will see. Must be the triacontanol hormone helping to fire out new shoots. Leaves are wet in this picture.

 

[ukdave]

Day 31 - Plenty of growth last few days, tied down some of the branches to open up bud sites to the light. Some mild yellowing on new leaf tips. Some leaves too dark, becoming shiny, probably excess nitrogen so water only for a few days then back to 10:1 ratio rain water/manure tea. Manure tea is more potent than compost tea, it will burn your plants if you don't dilute it enough. They suggest the colour of a mild tea, which is about 5:1, but even that seems too potent a brew for these LR2's at this stage of growth.

 

[ukdave]

Day 35 - Growing nicely, been on a rain water diet past few days, all seem healthy enough, will start feeding again tomorrow with manure tea diluted 10:1 to start. The stunted plant I was going to bin is now worth keeping (middle front).

 

[ukdave]

Day 42 - Six weeks from seed, buds developing nicely. There was some signs of phosphorous deficiency on a few lower leaves a few days ago so I removed them. It can be seen on a leaf in the last photo taken at day 35, so its origin is prior to that. Upped manure tea ratio to 5:1, which previously burned it but did add a couple of inches of compost same time. Seems to be handling it okay this time, also topped each pot with a handful of composted farmyard manure. Surprisingly the plant that started out half size is now the tallest and still growing but bud formation is about a week behind.

 

[bad dragon bzzz]

looking good,budding and frosting up nicely.

 

[MickJ]

Nice green carpet

Sent from my comfy chair.
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[ukdave]

I read somewhere that Lowryder 2 can be smoked at six weeks from seed if you are desperate enough, and as I don't have anything else available decided to see if it is true. I made single skin roll up neat, shared between two people and we were both pleasantly surprised at how potent it already is. A waste of bud I know, it shrinks to nothing drying it in the microwave, but there you go it got me stoned. I'll probably end up wasting an ounce through impatience now.