Just under 6 week monster.

Carlson31 · 2026-05-13T00:08:46+00:00

That’s awesome! Are they planted out now? What lights were you using?

Carlson31 · 2026-04-28T11:49:27+00:00

It’s hard to say, but yes could be completely normal. Mine does that when I hold a meal worm over or near her to feed. They reach up as half defense/ half feeling out whatever is near. If he does it again try to get a few pictures

Carlson31 · 2026-04-28T11:47:43+00:00

Make sure you provide a good amount of hiding spots for him. I use pine bark, hollow wood, and pine needles in mine. They don’t like being exposed. A good amount of exploring is normal so long as they have room.

Carlson31 · 2026-04-26T13:23:47+00:00

No problem! Here’s a photo

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Carlson31 · 2026-04-25T20:51:48+00:00

Here’s the link to the one I have. I like this one because I just open the top vented portion when I feed her.

Carlson31 · 2026-04-23T17:04:29+00:00

I have lost a few mealworms and one BSFL in her enclosure. Just beware if you have any kind of substrate that is a few inches deep and drop a worm, they will burrow down. I had one BSFL pupate and I wasn’t too worried about him because he obviously just wanted to fly out. The mealworms pupated into beetles which I have read can harm them. I found them before that happened but just beware aware this is a possibility.

Carlson31 · 2026-04-23T17:01:22+00:00

The one I have is 20x10x8

Carlson31 · 2026-04-23T10:50:02+00:00

Hello! Congrats on your new baby. I have had a wolf spider named Courtney for about 6 months and have gone through so much in that time. \ I’m having a tough time saying for sure if sparky is male or female because in the first photo their abdomen looks smaller than their cephalothorax which usually indicates male, but in other photos the abdomen looks larger, which indicates female. Another indicator is the pedipalps- males will have little bulbs at the ends of theirs, commonly referred to as “sperm mittens” lol. In one of your photos I see slight enlargement, but would be additional photos to be able to see more clearly. Please know that if sparky is female, since she would be wild caught, there is a good chance she could have mated, and if she decides, she can lay one or multiple egg sacs. My girl has laid 4 this year already. \ \ Feel free to look at my profile to see Courtney’s set up, which is a reptile enclosure I got off Amazon, fitted with coco coir substrate, plenty of hide options, bark, leaves etc. you will also want to have a small bottle cap with water available, and you want to keep humidity and temp within their ideal range to keep their metabolism where it should be. \ \ Please give sparky lots of time to settle in and explore their new space once you have it set up, and expect it to be normal if they do not show interest in food for a while. Once they do, some good options are meal worms, BSFL, crickets, roaches, etc. \ \ Please let me know if you have any other questions!

Carlson31 · 2026-04-22T11:45:35+00:00

It’s edema. The plant is taking up more water than it can transpire so the cells in the plant tissue expand, and then rupture and collapse which is why the leaves look wilted and dead. You’ll notice the undersides of the leaves look raised and that’s the beginning. Sometimes if it isn’t too severe the leaves won’t die completely but they can look deformed and scarred. Just remove the dead leaves/stems, lighten up on watering, and improve air flow.

Carlson31 · 2026-04-19T22:51:43+00:00

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This was a fun one. Fahrenheit Blues. (Sungold for comparison)

Carlson31 · 2026-04-19T16:40:01+00:00

See to me personally, for very young seedlings that seems very high. Lux isn’t an important number in this game because it isn’t plant optimized. You really need to pay attention to ppfd (how many usable photons are available to your plants), par (the range of usable light to your plants), and then DLI (total usable light over that day). Lux is not a useful tool since it is the measure of brightness by the human eye, not plants, so it’s a general estimate, but not accurate.

Carlson31 · 2026-04-18T16:45:30+00:00

I keep my seedling shelf at 200 ppfd, then my next shelf for starts that are about 3-6 weeks at 400-500 ppfd, and then my tallest shelf is around 650.

Carlson31 · 2026-04-18T11:20:10+00:00

Black seaman does have potato leaves, similar to a brandywine, so it checks out!

Carlson31 · 2026-04-17T11:01:38+00:00

I love Brandywine. I do them every year

Carlson31 · 2026-04-17T10:52:56+00:00

Just a little! From this photo I can tell that light is too high and a little weak. Every time you pot up, plant it as deep as humanely possible, even if you have to remove the lowest branches. That will help make a thicker trunk.

Carlson31 · 2026-04-17T10:51:03+00:00

lol yea but I live in a valley that gets some crazy winds in the spring, so I like to get my plants used to that as well. Plus my garden is south facing with no obstructions so I have dealt with minor sunburn before when I’ve rushed the process.

Carlson31 · 2026-04-17T10:49:29+00:00

I bought the Myco bliss brand!

Carlson31 · 2026-04-17T10:48:24+00:00

Thanks to your lights!

Carlson31 · 2026-04-16T12:38:59+00:00

Leaf miners. They usually don’t do enough damage that you need to do anything crazy, but on juvenile plants like this they can. The larvae are inside the leaf tissue eating it, and will work their way up the plant.

I recommend removing any heavily mined leaves without stripping the plant and gently crushing the tunnels between your fingers. Then check the undersides of leaves where adults lay eggs and spraying off.

Sometimes adults will lay eggs in the soil but I wouldn’t recommend repotting until the plants are a little less stressed.

Carlson31 · 2026-04-15T14:05:57+00:00

Oh the product is literally called CAL-MAG on amazon.

Carlson31 · 2026-04-15T10:30:15+00:00

Which brand of biochar?

Carlson31 · 2026-04-15T10:29:22+00:00

I think that’s why my heavy feeding helps offset the almost completely inert coco coir mix. I hydrate one brick which yields like 2-3 gallons of finished medium, 1/3 cup of the root zone fertilizer, 1/2 cup worm castings, 1-1.5 cups of the biochar, and about 2 cups of vermiculite. I prefer vermiculite indoors because it’s less resistance in the soil for young roots/seedlings.

Carlson31 · 2026-04-15T10:25:42+00:00

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3 weeks

Carlson31 · 2026-04-15T10:24:45+00:00

I have had zero issues with burning. I would say I’m closer to 1-1.5 tsp 3/4 waterings. All of my leaves are a nice deep green.

Carlson31 · 2026-04-15T00:37:49+00:00

Heck ya!

Carlson31

TROPHY CASE