Slow growth on Hindu Kush plant due to low RH-will they hermie?

ILGM.Support · July 19, 2021, 1:38pm

From a fellow grower: Today it’s been 38 days since I germinated 2 seeds of Hindu Kush (and 35 days they came out of the ground). My pots are 10L and my soil is 50% Sphagnum peat and 50% pearlite. My lighting is 200W Citizen 3500K, Remo nutes and temperature between 24 and 26ºC. Their growth has always been very slow, today with 35 days of life they have a size that would be equivalent to 20 days or less and I never understood why. But today I think I discovered the problem. My RH humidity has always been very low, around 20% to 25% and I believe this may have greatly decreased metabolism and photosynthesis due to stomata closure and very suboptimal VPD values. In other words, they are under this continuous stress due to low RH since they germinated and it has only been two days since I managed to correct the RH and they have already shown positive signs of growth. Their growth has always been very slow, today with 35 days of life they have a size that would be equivalent to 20 days or less and I never understood why.
But today I think I discovered the problem. My RH humidity has always been very low, around 20% to 25% and I believe this may have greatly decreased metabolism and photosynthesis due to stomata closure and very suboptimal VPD values.

In other words, they are under this continuous stress due to low RH since they germinated and it has only been two days since I managed to correct the RH and they have already shown positive signs of growth.

However, my main question is: Could it be that, due to the stress that they went through during these 5 weeks, could it cause hermaphroditism? I am very afraid of this as I have read in several articles about the influence of stress caused by low RH to originate hermaphrodite plants, and I prefer to start a new crop with the remaining seeds rather than losing another two months to have hermies.

I believe you are the best people to guide me as in addition to being the producers of these strains, you also have a lot of cultivation experience.

What’s best in the end? Do I continue cultivation or start a new one? I don’t want hermies."

oldmarine · July 19, 2021, 2:40pm

ILGM.Support · July 20, 2021, 4:07pm

@Oldguy Can you advise this grower? They are really concerned that the plants will turn hermie due to low RH.

Budz · July 20, 2021, 4:14pm

Chances are it won’t Hermie since it’s not in flowering cycle yet. Plants hermie as a defense mechanism in flower when they feel they don’t have time to wait for a male so they attempt to pollinate themselves. This is the main reason I grow photoperiods instead of autos. You can keep a photoperiod in veg till they recover if something happens and flip a healthy plant. Healthy happy plants don’t herm, unless there’s an issue with genetics.

Oldguy · July 20, 2021, 10:05pm

In the end I can’t tell you to grow or throw out those plants. That has to be your decision based on your experience.
That said. I’ve seen the lower humidity cause slower growth too but I can’t pinpoint any hermie’s directly related to that.

I’ve only had a few nanners on one grow one plant. And I attributed that to an interrupted sleep cycle with the home made clone / seedling area I had.

Personally I would run them.
They look healthy. Nice and green.
Look to be about 4 or 5 nodes.
Should make nice plants with enough light through flower.

Good luck with your decision and please do join the forum. There’s a whole lot more experienced growers around than myself with a wealth of knowledge to freely share.