First Grow/Journal W/Pics Pros Please Critique

[NastyTodd]

4 plants all bag seed

all 4 sprouted

in peat pots w/ potting soil

under 2 40w daylight deluxe 6500lumens each

plan on buying some 5gal buckets drilling holes etc and maybe buying another light...

next friday (payday) im gonna get some wood for a proper grow box...

pic#1 and #2 is the first and oldest plant
pic # 3 is the second to sprout
pic#4 is the third to sprout
pic#5 is the fourth

all started germinating last monday

my stems are red for some reason...is that normal?
is my bending right? or am i doing it wrong?

sorry if some pics are blurry, im still trying to figure out this digital camera.....

Thanks in advance

*removing large pictures*

*scroll down for update pictures*

[SmknVTEC]

Well, I am not a pro but, I can tell you this; your plant looks fine. At this stage I would say that your purple stem is probably a strain characteristic. As for your tying down I think that looks fine too but, that is not my area of expertise.

[NastyTodd]

from what ive read, they all look like sativa strains...

guess i should research exactly what type....

[SmknVTEC]

I think they are too young to be identified just yet. Check this out, I just wrote it to another member:

Indicas- these plants are fairly short, usually less than 5 feet tall. They are bushy with compact branching and short internodes. They range in shape from a rounded bush to a pine-like shape with a wide base. The leaves are short, very wide and a darker shade of green than most equatorial Sativas because they contain larger amounts of chlorophyll. Sometimes there is webbing between the leaflets. Indica buds are dense and tight. Indicas usually have shorter flowering times. The high is heavy body-oriented and lethargic.

Sativas- grow into 5-15 feet tall and are symmetrical pine-shaped plants. The internodes are longer than Indicas. This makes the plant look taller. The lowest branches are the widest spreading 1 1/2 to 3 feet. The leaves are long, slender and finger like. Plants are light green since they contain less chlorophyll. Sativa buds are not as dense. Some varieties grow buds along the entire branch. Sativas generally have longer flower times. High is described as soaring, psychedelic, thoughtful and spacey.

Indica Sativa- leans more towards indica characteristics

Sativa Indica- leans more towards Sativa.

[NeXXuS]

My stems where all pruple when they came up. it' normal and usually dont' mean anything.

They look good, As far as the wire training goes, i would hold off on it for a bit, till plant gets two or three nodes.

Looking good, Thanks for the info Vtec

[CanaBliZZ]

How often do you water, that soil looks a little wet dont let it stay that wet or else you will run into some problems later on ( root rot ). I would let those pots dry out for about 4 days

[comedykills]

looks good but wait for training like NeXXus suggested....... tying your plants down now will only cause stretching.......

p.s. please resize your pictures next time..... thank you

[NastyTodd]

your right they are a bit stretched......i experimented with bending on 2 of the older plants..the two younger i will leave alone.....

my soil gets so dry so soon..i guess i'll just listen and not water for a while...

sorry about the pics i will get my act together...

maybe ill post and update today.

[NastyTodd]

took off the hooks.....gonna wait for bend

[Woodsmantoker]

Seedlings look wonderfully healthy.

Stressing early is a common controversial subject. Stressing early can create a vigerous growth spurt, unwanted or wanted streaching, hermaphrodism, you name it.

I wait until the plant is showing sexual maturity (uneven nodes). I create healthy stress with fans during early growth. (oscillating)

My advise to you, is to become knowledgeable on this method (LST) and form your own opinions.

Good luck.

[Woodsmantoker]

OH - and...

I disagree with alowing seedlings to dry for days at a time. By the looks of your soil, if you are not using a light that drys the soil surface quickly, I would water. You can even water with a spray bottle at this age.

This is coming not from a pro MJ grower but a biologist / MJ grower.

[Toke-ologist]

In my first grow I also used incandescent lights. May i suggest putting them on a timer, there are several options, and several theories about the prime lighting schedule. I prefer 18hrs light/6 dark, maybe WOODSman can correct me, but i feel the dark gives the plant... more time to promote growth versus spending energy on photosynthesis 24hrs a day.

~On another point, and for future grower reference~ Be smart, dont waltz into your local garden store, buy all the necessaries for 'Manufacturing MJ' with your credit card, and then go home and put a spike in your electric bill for the next 4 months. Because thats what the warrant to search your place will read AFTER the cops kick in your door, "'Manufacturing of MJ". Ill stop ranting there...

Also the size of your grow area may give you a good opportunity to balance out the amount of water evaporating from the soil. By having a fan gently(for sprouts)/ mild (for plants) blowing air, you can be very creative in gaining this air flow, you 1) simulate outdoor conditions; which will strengthen your stems, allowing your plants' to support those heavier buds 2) slowly dry out your soil. By using a hygrometer {@ radioshack} you can measure the humidity and temp where ever you place it, (preferably on the soil).
Correct me if im wrong WOODS, but the humidity reading will spike before the soil begins to need more water. A water spray-bottle is always handy, but to counter act your soil drying out rapidly, dont leave the fan on for long hours, maybe just when you are in the room. *Socket timer if you can't on the plants near daily*

One more note, i like the LST method. Contrary to Woods, i believe in training it early, 7inches is just my personal preference. MY actual first grow ended up being a short lived demo of LST. http://community.webshots.com/myphotos?action=showPhoto&albumID=169007392&photoI D=2791432940049105103&security=uZpQuZ", Here After 2 days you can see the new growth on the lower nodes.
LST is neat because you can basically turn your plant into a bush or just a few big branches.
Feel free to ask questions, we're all here to help ya
.

[designatedtoker]

yea dont buy obvious MJ growing shit with a credit card, every one should know that, but its kinda hard to look suspicuos unless your buying like hydro stuff, in my opinion...

[NastyTodd]

i have an ocilating fan that i put on, today i kept it on for about 5 hours with the window open to get fresh air. its still winter where i live and pretty cold outside still so i have a little space heater i keep on while the fan and window are open (i keep it away from the plants but use it so the room isnt frozen). the lights i have do not get hot at all but my soil drys out very very quickly. i have a spray bottle and everyday i have been spritsing the plant and top soil. i use poland spring water.

should i lift the lights a bit? they are practically touching the plants....

i definately need another fixture with two more bulbs...

[Toke-ologist]

yea, i would back em off mb 5 inches.

Also, since its cold, no need to open the window, your plants will get enough co2 from u breathing in your house. Plus, 5 hours is kinda long for the fan, you will notice after time, that it really does dry it quickly. If you wanna leave it on for that long, saturate the soil first, as to even out H2O loss.