Growing in less than desireable soil

[Invisible Wardog]

Plenty of plants grow on my property, but there is a good amount of clay in the soil around these parts making it hard for seedlings to survive. The method currently being used is a 5 inch tall, 5 inch diameter pot with holes in the bottom, sitting in a tray. I read the grow faq when it was first being started and remembered that such growing containers can cause many nutrients to drain to the bottom.

My solution to that problem is only watering the tray, not the top soil. Even in direct sunlight it appears to dry within the hour, however if you dig less than a quarter inch down you find that the soil is darker and moist. Since the water absorbs upward, I would imagine I'm minimizing any nutrient loss.

Small pebbles in the soil help it to breathe well, as long as you don't water too much. I use a spray bottle to moisten the top soil when it dries to prevent cracks.

I got started late in the season (unanticipated plant), so as of now I have a healthy 4 inch sprout gowing in soil I dug up from my lawn. I've lost plants growing in better conditions, however this one is doing fine.

I have no questions, this is just for the sake of public information. Soil with clay in it suffocates roots given less water than others. Any soil specific comments or suggestions are welcome, though.

[Invisible Wardog]

Good things to keep in mind.

The tray I'm using is just one designed for the pot itself. If the puddle stays in the bottom for more than a half hour or so I empty it. I had Al foil positioned to reflect more light to it. It began to bend away from the foil within the half hour so I assumed the heat was too much for it.

I'm only growing it in the pot to ensure it survives childhood. Once I determine the sex and it's big enough to live on it's own I'll move it. It seems to be doing much better than previous attempts, and I assume it's because of conservative watering and constant attention. I check on it every half hour or so when it's in sunlight to make sure nothing went wrong, and to fix it quickly when it does.

My property is level in some places, hills in others, and I know the flow of water in the soil. I have several options for conitions to grow:

-Flat ground lower than surrounding areas

-Flat ground higher than surrounding areas

-Sloped ground with average water runoff

-Sloped ground that diverts water (not a stream or body of water, but when the snow melts in the spring it makes what looks like a stream)

I have all of those conditions with different plantlife, some parts are my lawn, others are bushes and weeds, others are woods. The place I selected is the higher flat ground where there are ditches that are designed to take water down the hill. (We planted almost every tree on the property minus the woods, the ditches were designed to flow rainwater different paths of this area and spread out before hitting the lawn...makeshift irrigation).

My father is quite good with plants, unfortunately his job requires his to carry a gun and a badge

He doesn't care that I consume the plant, he just doesn't want to hear about it.

[Invisible Wardog]

Pics. (The leaves may look lighter green than they are because of light behind them through the window)

[Dandaweedman]

Nice shots

[Invisible Wardog]

As soon as i know the sex, it's going outside.

[Thepizzaguy]

Most MJ grown indoors is already grown in less than desirable soil. You might be able to pick up vauable minerals and such by stealing some soil from the forest. Should be better than any potting soild you can buy.

I'll most my post to a more correct thread. It's not really worth a thread of it's own.....

[Invisible Wardog]

I know I like to see how everyone's grow progresses, so here it is:

[Invisible Wardog]

My plant wasn't getting enough airflow or light indoors, so I moved it outside. Hopefully no animals chow down on it.