First Grow, First Grow thread
First Grow, First Grow thread -
Hello all, this is being moved from a blogger.com page over here because my cat feels that the info is better shared here, and it's a lot more likely to get any help it need here from others who have shared the same experience. Also, as a note, before anyone asks. This is taking place in a location where it is perfectly legal.
If anyone has any questions I'll be happy pass them on to my cat.
My cat apologizes, as the formatting may be a bit off from taking it from Blogger. He’ll clean it up as much as he can as he has free time.
If anyone has any questions I'll be happy pass them on to my cat.
My cat apologizes, as the formatting may be a bit off from taking it from Blogger. He’ll clean it up as much as he can as he has free time.
Last edited by ComoSally on Thu Nov 05, 2009 3:47 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: My cat
Reason: My cat
June -
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Planting
My cat's salvia came in the mail, ordered from an online source, on 6/21/09. It was expensive 45$, but it was a started plant, not just a cutting. He received it 6/24. The plant was wilted, but that was to be exptected after being shoved in a dark box and banged around while shipping for two days.
My cat read their instructions and disregarded them. he transplanted the plant into a 12 inch pot from home depot.
The pot makes the plant seem small but he hopes it will grow to fill the space.
In the bottom of the pot, above the Perlite and an inch or so of miracle grow, is a piece of poly/nylon rope circling around the bottom and then out through one of the drainage holes and down into the tray, which he keeps filled with water, the idea is that the rope will soak up water and keep the soil very moist, he dosen't know if it will work. The idea came from https://yetanothervendorlink.com
he filled the pot with 2 inches of Perlite for drainage and then filled about 10" of miracle grow. He watered in the whole thing before he planted the salvia.
he added four 2ft pieces of PVC pipe to the outside of the pot with wire to and covered it with left over clear plastic left over from window coverings during the winter. It doesn’t look very fancy but it allows a lot of the humidity to stay with the plant.
He transplanted the salvia into the new pot, then misted with about 16oz of water from a spray bottle. a picture of the freshly transplanted sally is Above, sorry the lighting sucks, it was dark by the time he finished planting it so the picture is taken with a light turned on just next to the moisture tent.

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Thursday, June 25, 2009
Day 1

First day, the cat woke up, misted the plant, took a picture a few hours later. Misted again, then came back that night, picture one is early in the day,
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Friday, June 26, 2009
Day 3

The cat misted the plant lightly at lunch.trying to give it as much light as he can. The pot is too big to sit on his window sill so it's sitting on a shelf.
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Saturday, June 27, 2009
Day 4

Misted heavily, possibly too much, water now draining into tray
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Monday, June 29, 2009
Day 6

The cat is watering the Salvia less, trying to see how much moisture it needs. No negative effects so far but the soil is still VERY moist and approx 1 inch of water is still in the tray of the pot.
Planting
My cat's salvia came in the mail, ordered from an online source, on 6/21/09. It was expensive 45$, but it was a started plant, not just a cutting. He received it 6/24. The plant was wilted, but that was to be exptected after being shoved in a dark box and banged around while shipping for two days.
My cat read their instructions and disregarded them. he transplanted the plant into a 12 inch pot from home depot.
The pot makes the plant seem small but he hopes it will grow to fill the space.
In the bottom of the pot, above the Perlite and an inch or so of miracle grow, is a piece of poly/nylon rope circling around the bottom and then out through one of the drainage holes and down into the tray, which he keeps filled with water, the idea is that the rope will soak up water and keep the soil very moist, he dosen't know if it will work. The idea came from https://yetanothervendorlink.com
he filled the pot with 2 inches of Perlite for drainage and then filled about 10" of miracle grow. He watered in the whole thing before he planted the salvia.
he added four 2ft pieces of PVC pipe to the outside of the pot with wire to and covered it with left over clear plastic left over from window coverings during the winter. It doesn’t look very fancy but it allows a lot of the humidity to stay with the plant.
He transplanted the salvia into the new pot, then misted with about 16oz of water from a spray bottle. a picture of the freshly transplanted sally is Above, sorry the lighting sucks, it was dark by the time he finished planting it so the picture is taken with a light turned on just next to the moisture tent.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Day 1

First day, the cat woke up, misted the plant, took a picture a few hours later. Misted again, then came back that night, picture one is early in the day,
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Friday, June 26, 2009
Day 3

The cat misted the plant lightly at lunch.trying to give it as much light as he can. The pot is too big to sit on his window sill so it's sitting on a shelf.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Day 4

Misted heavily, possibly too much, water now draining into tray
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Monday, June 29, 2009
Day 6

The cat is watering the Salvia less, trying to see how much moisture it needs. No negative effects so far but the soil is still VERY moist and approx 1 inch of water is still in the tray of the pot.
Last edited by ComoSally on Thu Nov 05, 2009 3:51 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: Reformated to remove vendor reference, Also my cat.
Reason: Reformated to remove vendor reference, Also my cat.
July pt 1 -
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Friday, July 3, 2009
Day 10


Day 10, his plants seem to be growing noticeably, however some of the leaves have brown tips. could be too much water or sunburn, will trim the brown portions off to prevent issue from possibly spreading. He says he will leave moisture tent open and curtain closed to attempt to prevent issue from happening again.
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Sunday, July 5, 2009
Day 11
My cat spoke to a feline friend who is a botanist, she believes the browning was caused by too much salt in the potting soil(Miracle Grow). Filled up the pot with 2" of water above soil line and allowed to drain overnight. This should have allowed some of the salt to filter out. The water that came out was bright yellow in color, and smelled similar to vinegar and sea water. My cat's friend also advised him to remove the leaves that were resting on the ground to prevent infection with fungus and to allow roots to grow from the nodes where the leaves were(just below soil level). He took the removed leaves and will try to root them in perlite and rooting hormone.
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Monday, July 6, 2009
Day 12

Plant is in an eastern exposure window. The cat will leave the curtain in front of it in the mornings and open the curtains for the afternoon sun. Currently leaving the moisture tent open full time.
The soil is still very moist from the rinse a few days ago but the perlite in the bottom of the pot prevents the plant from sitting in water. He do not think I will water until the soil has dried significantly
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Day 13

The cat misted the plant very lightly, very small leaves are beginning to grow from the nodes when the lower leaves connect to the stem. He says the soil seems heavily packed after the rinse and is just beginning to dry on top.
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Thursday, July 9, 2009
Day 14

The cat is giving the plant full morning sun, soil is beginning to dry on top. Stem of plant below first node is beginning to gray, may be becoming more woody. Botanist friend of the cat says that cuttings have the same maturity of the parent plant so it would seem that if the parent plant was an older woody salvia the cutting would become woody relatively quickly. It seems to be adapting to the low humidity of the cat's region very well. no wilting or noticeable damage, plant is BRIGHT green, leaves are slightly bumpy and very firm.
The cat was advised that the plant would adapt, and the worst thing he could do to it would be fuss with it too much. He says "Although it seems like the right idea to make everything absolutely perfect for the plant, DONT! Make an environment that you can easily maintain and then just leave it alone. The plant will adapt to the new environment and you wont need to spend hours attempting to maintain some incredibly complicated setup."
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Friday, July 10, 2009
Day 15

The cat is still allowing the soil to dry. he rotated the pot 90 degrees to counteract the plant growing towards the window and growing crooked.
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Day 17

The cat watered the plant heavily(around a gallon) and allowed it to drain for a few hours. He says the water that drained was still very yellow and smelled lightly of sea water and vinegar.
Monday, July 13, 2009
Day 18, Adapt or Die!

To quote a post on a forum(the first post my cat read edot): "Adapt or die!"
He removed the moisture tent from the plant.
He misted the plant to help the plant adapt. The moisture tent has been open for a week or so, so the removal should not shock the plant too badly. The main change the removal of the tent will do is that the plant will now receive direct sunlight for about 4 hours a day. Before the light had to filter through 2-3 layers of plastic. He says he'll see how the plant likes the increased sunlight. The weather has been nice enough he may start moving the plant outside during the day.
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Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Day 19

Plant seems to be surviving. The brown patches on the leaves seem to be drying out, cracking and falling off. The moisture inside the tent could have been causing damage to the plant.
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Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Day 20

the cat poured some water into the tray beneath the pot. Should allow the salvia to stay slightly more moist, next time he grow one he says he'd like a clear pot so he can see the water level as well as root growth.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Friday, July 3, 2009
Day 10


Day 10, his plants seem to be growing noticeably, however some of the leaves have brown tips. could be too much water or sunburn, will trim the brown portions off to prevent issue from possibly spreading. He says he will leave moisture tent open and curtain closed to attempt to prevent issue from happening again.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Day 11
My cat spoke to a feline friend who is a botanist, she believes the browning was caused by too much salt in the potting soil(Miracle Grow). Filled up the pot with 2" of water above soil line and allowed to drain overnight. This should have allowed some of the salt to filter out. The water that came out was bright yellow in color, and smelled similar to vinegar and sea water. My cat's friend also advised him to remove the leaves that were resting on the ground to prevent infection with fungus and to allow roots to grow from the nodes where the leaves were(just below soil level). He took the removed leaves and will try to root them in perlite and rooting hormone.
--------------------------------------------------------
Monday, July 6, 2009
Day 12

Plant is in an eastern exposure window. The cat will leave the curtain in front of it in the mornings and open the curtains for the afternoon sun. Currently leaving the moisture tent open full time.
The soil is still very moist from the rinse a few days ago but the perlite in the bottom of the pot prevents the plant from sitting in water. He do not think I will water until the soil has dried significantly
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Day 13

The cat misted the plant very lightly, very small leaves are beginning to grow from the nodes when the lower leaves connect to the stem. He says the soil seems heavily packed after the rinse and is just beginning to dry on top.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Day 14

The cat is giving the plant full morning sun, soil is beginning to dry on top. Stem of plant below first node is beginning to gray, may be becoming more woody. Botanist friend of the cat says that cuttings have the same maturity of the parent plant so it would seem that if the parent plant was an older woody salvia the cutting would become woody relatively quickly. It seems to be adapting to the low humidity of the cat's region very well. no wilting or noticeable damage, plant is BRIGHT green, leaves are slightly bumpy and very firm.
The cat was advised that the plant would adapt, and the worst thing he could do to it would be fuss with it too much. He says "Although it seems like the right idea to make everything absolutely perfect for the plant, DONT! Make an environment that you can easily maintain and then just leave it alone. The plant will adapt to the new environment and you wont need to spend hours attempting to maintain some incredibly complicated setup."
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Friday, July 10, 2009
Day 15

The cat is still allowing the soil to dry. he rotated the pot 90 degrees to counteract the plant growing towards the window and growing crooked.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Day 17

The cat watered the plant heavily(around a gallon) and allowed it to drain for a few hours. He says the water that drained was still very yellow and smelled lightly of sea water and vinegar.
Monday, July 13, 2009
Day 18, Adapt or Die!

To quote a post on a forum(the first post my cat read edot): "Adapt or die!"
He removed the moisture tent from the plant.
He misted the plant to help the plant adapt. The moisture tent has been open for a week or so, so the removal should not shock the plant too badly. The main change the removal of the tent will do is that the plant will now receive direct sunlight for about 4 hours a day. Before the light had to filter through 2-3 layers of plastic. He says he'll see how the plant likes the increased sunlight. The weather has been nice enough he may start moving the plant outside during the day.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Day 19

Plant seems to be surviving. The brown patches on the leaves seem to be drying out, cracking and falling off. The moisture inside the tent could have been causing damage to the plant.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Day 20

the cat poured some water into the tray beneath the pot. Should allow the salvia to stay slightly more moist, next time he grow one he says he'd like a clear pot so he can see the water level as well as root growth.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Last edited by ComoSally on Thu Nov 05, 2009 3:56 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: my cat
Reason: my cat
July pt 2 -
Day 21

Soil has absorbed all water from the tray. He placed the plant on the porch for a few hours in the afternoon to allow it to get some air.
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Friday, July 17, 2009
Day 22

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Friday, July 24, 2009
Day 29

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Saturday, July 25, 2009
Day 30

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Sunday, July 26, 2009

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Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Thursday, July 30, 2009


Soil has absorbed all water from the tray. He placed the plant on the porch for a few hours in the afternoon to allow it to get some air.
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Friday, July 17, 2009
Day 22

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Friday, July 24, 2009
Day 29

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Saturday, July 25, 2009
Day 30

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Sunday, July 26, 2009

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Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Thursday, July 30, 2009

Last edited by ComoSally on Thu Nov 05, 2009 3:57 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: my cat
Reason: my cat
August -
Tuesday, August 11, 2009

My cat says it's looking better after being outside for a few days. new growth has appeared at the top of the stem. average temp has been 70-80 and sunny during the day down to 50s at night
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Thursday, August 20, 2009

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Monday, August 24, 2009

The cat says a few weeks outside have done it an amzing amount of good. 4 new sets of leaves
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Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Day 60(give or take)

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Monday, August 31, 2009


My cat says it's looking better after being outside for a few days. new growth has appeared at the top of the stem. average temp has been 70-80 and sunny during the day down to 50s at night
---------------------------------------------------
Thursday, August 20, 2009

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Monday, August 24, 2009

The cat says a few weeks outside have done it an amzing amount of good. 4 new sets of leaves
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Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Day 60(give or take)

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Monday, August 31, 2009

Last edited by ComoSally on Thu Nov 05, 2009 3:58 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: my cat
Reason: my cat
September -
Friday, September 4, 2009

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Tuesday, September 8, 2009

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Tuesday, September 15, 2009

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Monday, September 28, 2009

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Tuesday, September 8, 2009

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Tuesday, September 15, 2009

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Monday, September 28, 2009

October -
The posts get more infrequent as time goes on. As the year progressed farther My cat had more and more on his plate.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009

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Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Cuttings

The cat cut the top 6 inches off the plant and says he is attempting to root them in water as 2 seperate 3 inch peices. He says the plant has been moved inside for the winter
Tuesday, October 6, 2009

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Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Cuttings

The cat cut the top 6 inches off the plant and says he is attempting to root them in water as 2 seperate 3 inch peices. He says the plant has been moved inside for the winter
Last edited by ComoSally on Thu Nov 05, 2009 3:59 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: my cat
Reason: my cat
November pt 1 -
The cat hasn't had time to take any more pictures or to update since the last post so he gave me a brief description to pass on. he also says he'll post pictures when he gets a chance.
He says:
Of the two cuttings, one did quite well. The roots got to around 2" long in the water and he just planted it in compost from his garden in a 6"ish pot. The other cutting has very little leaf material and does not appear to be growing roots, but it has been in the water for around two weeks and shows no sign of rotting. He figure he'll leave it in until rots or roots.
He says:
Of the two cuttings, one did quite well. The roots got to around 2" long in the water and he just planted it in compost from his garden in a 6"ish pot. The other cutting has very little leaf material and does not appear to be growing roots, but it has been in the water for around two weeks and shows no sign of rotting. He figure he'll leave it in until rots or roots.
Last edited by ComoSally on Thu Nov 05, 2009 4:04 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: my cat
Reason: my cat
Re: First Grow, First Grow thread -
The edges of those leaves look serrated. It doesn't look like the same strain my friend has. Do you know what strain it is?
Last edited by salviasofthead on Thu Nov 05, 2009 9:32 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: blah blah rules stuff
Reason: blah blah rules stuff
Re: First Grow, First Grow thread -
Nice growlog! I very much agree with the adapt or die philosophy.
Kedabra, I can't remember what the strain is called, but that looks suspiciously like the plant I have knowledge of. I'll see if I can dig up the info if Como doesn't know.
Kedabra, I can't remember what the strain is called, but that looks suspiciously like the plant I have knowledge of. I'll see if I can dig up the info if Como doesn't know.
Last edited by salviasofthead on Thu Nov 05, 2009 9:33 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: as above
Reason: as above

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