First Hydro Grow

[sneakers]

I figured with that fan going, all of the air in the closet stays pretty well mixed up anyway. I normally leave the door open when the lights are on. I'm not real sure if the CO2 actually does any good anyway. I know it wont hurt.

[sneakers]

I have been noticing on just a couple of the bigger, older leaves that the tips were turning dark, almost blackish. It seems to be appearing a little more now. It isn't serious at this point and is only occuring in 1 plant. It seems I read somewhere that this is a magnesium deficiency.

Is this caused by a magnesium deficiancy?

Can it be corrected by raising the PH in the reservoir just a little?

Tomorrow I change the reservoir. With everything clean and a good high dosage of bloom nutes, I normally add maybe a 1/2 teaspoon of epsom salt to a gallon of water. Should I add more to help the plant absorb more nutrients?

I have read about the preflower stretch. Never an explanation to what it is, only that it is happening to someones plants. I am guessing that the nodes get farther apart and the plant gets taller kinda fast right before flowering begins. I am noticing my plant starting to stretch some here about a week into 12/12. I still don't know the sex.

How long does this preflower stretch go on and am I right about what it is?

My PH has pretty much remained constant and only after changing the light schedule and adjusting the nutrients differently has it moved any at all. It barely even moved. My guess is that the plant is doing some different things now, using different nutrients and minerals and such leaving the PH changed in the reservoir. Maybe the plant is even wanting a PH that is a little lower during the flowering cycle. This is all interesting and I'm really learning a lot.

[sneakers]

Day 42 and Day 9 of 12/12

Still no sign of sex. All of the nutes were changed, the inside of the buckets cleaned etc. Nice white roots. Nutes are now at 1200 PPM and about 2 teaspoons of epsom salt in 5 gallons of water (epsom salt added after the 1200 PPM nutrients. The leaf tips darkening have seemed to have cleared up now. I adjusted the PH just a little and that seems to have corrected it. Apparently this Flora Bloom isn't quite as neutral as the other Flora nutes. It seemed hard to raise it about .5 to be sure the magnesium was getting in ok.

Here are the update pics.





I need to find out how to upload a picture so I won't need to keep a copy posted on my website. I think there is a way to do that, does anyone know?

The top pic, everything is looking good. Those big leaf tips are a nice green now.

In the next pic, the plant is starting to stretch. It isn't because I pulled the lights farther away because I didnt. They stay within an inch or 2 of the plants. The backup plant is stretching nicely too.

I'm thinking of maybe going with organic nutes when I get the Hashberry seeds in. Any recomendations?

I'm also thinking of using the lucas formula.

[Mr.GoodStuff]

Wow those plants look really healthy and green! Brokencage is having great results with the Lucas formula too- very lush and green. I have been using a bunch of additives and I have purple stems on some of my leaves I'm also interested because the PH doesn't have to be adjusted nearly as much if at all from what I've heard!

Doing a great job though for your first time. That one larger plant looks very healthy and happy.

[sneakers]

Originally Posted by Mr.GoodStuff

That one larger plant looks very healthy and happy.

Which larger plant?

That partial plant to the left is the same size. It is just the angle of the camera making it look larger.

[Mr.GoodStuff]

I should have remembered that they were the same size... I'm sorry, I was talking about that first picture in your last post. It looks so damn green!

[linedrivr]

the top one (pic) looks nice and bushy!

I have been keeping my ppm's between 500-600 under the cfl's. I'm using the Lucas formula flora micro and bloom. I'll get the ppm's up higher once I hook up the 1000w on them.

[sneakers]

Originally Posted by linedrivr

the top one (pic) looks nice and bushy!

I have been keeping my ppm's between 500-600 under the cfl's. I'm using the Lucas formula flora micro and bloom. I'll get the ppm's up higher once I hook up the 1000w on them.

Those are both the same plant. One pic from the top and one of the side. My plants have been doing fine with the higher PPM under CFLs. I thought they needed the same strength regardless of the light but under 1000w lights it would need more of it. The strength of the nutes is determined by the age and size of the plant isn't it?

[linedrivr]

I believe you are correct based on what i've read. Yours look healthy so I wouldn't sweat it. I'm still a noob so I am learning as I go. My plants are 4 weeks old from seed this weekend so they are still young. I will step them up this weekend to at least 900ppm and then full strength next week some time.

[sneakers]

Originally Posted by linedrivr

I believe you are correct based on what i've read. Yours look healthy so I wouldn't sweat it. I'm still a noob so I am learning as I go. My plants are 4 weeks old from seed this weekend so they are still young. I will step them up this weekend to at least 900ppm and then full strength next week some time.

I'm learning too as this is my first grow. This plant is 6 weeks old today from seed so I guess I have about 2 weeks more experience than you. That started to be a LOL but thinking about how much it has grown in the last 2 weeks kinda put it into perspective, especially this firat time and not knowing exactly what to expect.

For grins, here are a couple of comparison pics from 2 weeks ago. You will get an idea of what the next 2 weeks will do to your plants.

This is a side view from July 2 (17 days ago) and one from today. Just a little over 2 weeks apart.



This is the top view on those same 2 days



Looks to about have doubled in size. The side view pic from 7-2 is at an angle and closer to the plant making it appear much bigger than it was. I know that those who have a few grows under their belt, this isn't so amazing but to a noob like me, I find it very interesting. I just hope I have a female.

I thought that with this grow I increased the nute strength too slow. If you are supposed to veg for just 4 weeks then it seems like maximum strength would be needed by about week 3 for vigorous growth the last week of veg. I just got to 1200 PPM today for the first time. 2 weeks ago I think I was at about 900.

I'm already looking forward to my next grow. Need to go check the mail in a few and see if my package came.

[sneakers]

I had just gotten to sleep good last night when the power went out. It woke me up kinda and I was able to call the light company on my cellphone half asleep. They told me someone had hit a light pole and it might be hours before it was restored. Not good for a hydro grow.

I knew the roots reach down into the solution but without electricity, the air pump wasn't working so no nutes were being pumped over the roots. I knew it would be ok for awhile but hours, I wasn't so sure.

So I got up out of bed, got something to drink and a flashlight while I figured out what I needed to do. I better get some of the nutes from the reservoir and use a cup and pour nutes over the roots every 30 minutes or so. I better smoke a joint and contemplate this some more.

Before I was finished smoking, the lights were restored and I was wide awake.

[linedrivr]

that sux ass! Never thought about losing power all together. I guess it would screw a hydro grow pretty good if it were out for any length of time.

that's one advantage for the soil grower.

i'll take my chances with the hydro....

[sneakers]

Originally Posted by linedrivr

that sux ass! Never thought about losing power all together. I guess it would screw a hydro grow pretty good if it were out for any length of time.

that's one advantage for the soil grower.

i'll take my chances with the hydro....

I will too. It made me think though maybe I need to get a 100' extension cord and an inverter for my truck. The air pump wouldn't hardly draw any current. It would work for awhile anyway. The big problem would be if it happened and I wasn't here or didn't wake up. I still haven't figured out how the power going off woke me up.

Any idea how long it takes a plant to die or stress bad when the waterfarm turns off?

[dirtyfnj]

My sprouts spent about 10 hours at 85+F followed by a 8 hour dry spell when the tubing broke. The plants were very stressed, and one died. One has still yet to recover.. (It happened about 2 days ago). If it was much longer I think all of them would have died!

Awesome grow so far!

Do you have any close up pictures of the dripper/emitter?

[sneakers]

Originally Posted by dirtyfnj

My sprouts spent about 10 hours at 85+F followed by a 8 hour dry spell when the tubing broke. The plants were very stressed, and one died. One has still yet to recover.. (It happened about 2 days ago). If it was much longer I think all of them would have died!

Awesome grow so far!

Do you have any close up pictures of the dripper/emitter?

Thanks

I use the GH Waterfarm with a drip ring. It is hard to see now with the plant being so full. Some of the earlier pictures show it. I messed up by using the drip ring to tie my LST to. Now it is pulled up on one side and with this preflower stretch, it looks like the plant is trying to pull the whole thing out of the hydroton. If it gets much worse I will be undoing all of the LST tied to the drip ring.