Hi all, What's up? I found a seed in my bag and I decided to germinate just for the hell of it. I didn't think it was possible, but now I have a plant! I've only been smoking regularly for two years, and I certainly wasn't thinking about growing anytime soon, so I'm going to try to keep this grow really casual (i.e., no pH meter and other fancy gear). It's Day 4 and it's already been a lot of fun. Here's some pics: Day 1 (the day after I put the seed in the soil): So as you can see, there was some shell casing (I think) stuck to her head. I read up on it and decided to go at it with the tweezers. Surgery was successful. Day 2: Then I realized that I shouldn't have planted in any old soil I found in my house. So I transplanted into a mix of vermiculite, soil, and coffee grounds. Day 3: After more reading, I realized that I shouldn't have planted in a clear container, so I covered up with newspaper. Day 4 (today!): Let me know what you think!
pH is a killer, but if you want to try to dodge the whole issue, go get some distilled water. It costs about a buck a gallon here in a place where everything is very expensive, you can get it at the supermarket, and it is pH neutral. Seedlings need frequent watering, but it doesn't add up to much. Good luck with your baby.
thanks for your input everyone! setup is definitely nothing too fancy. right now i only have two cfls at 1700 lumens each. i'm gonna see if i can get some more lights, but for now she seems to be doing well. i don't have a permanent place for her yet, but i'm planning on "renovating" my closet a bit. i've been using distilled water with as few dissolved minerals in it as possible. i'm just going to monitor for signs of high pH. not sure what i'm going to do about nutes yet. if it gets bad, i will buy invest in a pH meter.
latest pics (taken earlier today): i like this one, good shot of the under-leaf: looks like the next pair of leaves are just sprouting, if i'm not mistaken!
Looking good man. No pH meter, shouldnt do it. Actually I dont have one either but I do use the drop test kit for my run-off and such. Go for it man, nice and simple, I like it. If your not trying to grow crazy buds, why not? Ill watch fo sho .
Looks great, but be careful adding non-composted stuff like coffee grounds to your soil, can throw off ph levels pretty easily. A couple cfl's, some mild ferts and organic potting soil is all you need to grow some decent smoke!
yup, i only added a bit of coffee grounds, just cause i read that they are an okay fertilizer, but mostly because they will lower the pH. didn't really have anything else sitting around my house to make it more acidic, so i made do. i was at my parents' house today and i was able to find another lamp hiding in the basement, so that brings my total up to 3 cfls, two 26W and one 13W. as you can probably tell, i don't have much money, but i'm doing my best! here are the pics from day 6. man do they grow fast. she'd probably be growing even faster if i had some better lighting. thanks for stopping by everyone!
Looking good man. Coffee grounds huh, Ill have to check that one out. I always use white distilled vinegar to raise my pH. Works really good. I use it to adjust my water pH before I give it. Keep it up man and keep looking for more lights, I would just buy a few for like $15 from Home Depot.
wow veeners, distilled vinegar sounds perfect. can i get it at my grocery store? and yeah, i am definitely in love. it's weird, i don't even think about why i'm actually raising the plant. most of the fun comes from just seeing it grow what light cycles do you guys use at this stage? i've read anywhere from 16-8 to 24-0... i'm thinking that 20-4 sounds the best. not just because it is 4-20 backwards.
day 7 (nov 16) here's a pic of my setup. i have quite a collection of lamps going. i read that foil could magnify heat to intense levels. true? went to the store and got two more lamps for her today. she has two 26W soft whites, two 26W daylights, and one 13W mystery bulb. i'm using the back of a laminated map to reflect light. i could just be overanalyzing, but does she look yellow in the middle? is that normal?
Looks like you have plenty of light now, rule of thumb is at least 100watts/plant. That yellow is normal to my knowledge, just new growth and it will darken up as time goes. Looking good man, dont stop. Im going to guess indica dominant strain.
indica dominant eh? don't know anything about strains the cfls have done wonders. she's growing a lot faster now. latest pics from day 8 can anyone advise me on when she'll be ready to transplant? oh, and you can't really tell from the pics, but she seems to be turning purple in the middle now!
Some people wait a while to transplant, I try to wait only long enough for it to develop enough roots to hold the soil together to transplant. I use an transparent cup, inside of an opaque one. That way I can spy on the roots easily. If you can get some Superthrive, do it. It nearly eliminates any transplant shock. A small bottle of it will last forever. A couple drops in a gallon of water is all you need. The young plants look healthy and stout so far, good luck! I personally think if you use the clamp reflector sockets (The cheap Homedepot/Walmart type ones), it makes aiming the cfl's right where you want them a bit easier. I also use mylar/flat white paint, and don't bother with reflectors too much. I think the cfl's put off more lumens horizontally, rather than vertically. Or the plants absorb more of the available light if they are horizontal, some shit like that.
Looking good! The yellow new growth is perfectly normal with a lot of strains. One thing about the perlite/vermiculite mix is that once that seedling decides to take off, it will grow like crazy. The roots have plenty of maneuverability to spread so the top will follow suit quickly. Exciting stuff. I have some seedlings around the same age as yours, I'll get some updated pics up tonight if you want to check them out (grow link in my sig). BTW - your Brac profile picture is a riot!