FIRST GROW + PICTURES, auto white widow fem

Hey all,

This is my first post ever as a long-time browser of these forums and relatively new member. 10 days ago I started my first grow, using autoflowering feminized white widow seeds in a 2 ft. tall indoor hydroponic grow box (pictured below).


I am making sure to do everything according to a grow-guide I wrote for use with this particular type of grow box and plants after doing extensive research (I will publish that guide on here later if details are requested). I planted five plants, and accidentally overdoes them all on nutrients in the early stages of vegetation. 2 out of the five are thriving, they are pictured. In the next pictures I will show all plants, I am about to plant a sixth.

Plant progress so far:

DAY 4:


DAY 10:


DAY 12:


DAY 16


So what do you think my yield will be? What are your questions/comments/suggestions? All are appreciated:D wish me luck

P.S. Just for the hell of it, here's a picture of a nug of some really good lemon kush I got the other day, beside a funny little clay figurine.


please comment! I will keep this up to date

Edited by Jah Bud, 08 January 2012 - 09:41 AM.

Tip, seedlings don't want/need nutrient. Usually it hurts them, Best to leave on tap water, which is full of nutrients, until the leafs tint yellow then add nuts slowly day to day. Are you balancing your ph? I'm assuming by the pic that your using a few cfl? About the yield question i'd just try not to think about that and focus on your problems, mainly your box isn't gonna get you more than 10g a plant with that limited space and light. you might as well keep them somewhere else because you can't shut the door as it is, which solves the space issue and the light issue is only a matter of cost.

Take a look at my grow tent, still working out kinks and trying to figure out why my leaves are acting as they are... blah... anyway were all learning together.. heres a link
http://forum.grassci...15#post13322315

I haven't been trying to balance pH, I don't have a pH tester:/ what is the best way to balance pH in your opinion. And yeah I know seedlings don't want nutes, I have stopped adding them as of now, and the basin is filled with natural well water. I will start adding nutes in moderation after another inch or so of growth. Why can't I shut the door? I am using three CFL, yes, I have three for the veg stage and three for flowering, I also have growing and flowering nutes seperate.

I am considering building a larger flowering box/buying a flowering tent, and moving them into it when they start flowering... thoughts?

Forgot to ask do you have any aeration in the water? you'll go no where i'm afraid with no PH balancing, gotta keep it around 5.8 with hydro. the best way is always expensive a 40$ meter will not be reliable for long, look at spend up wards of 100-150 for a good one and plan on spending shit tons of Calibration packets. get a meter, if you can't then take the plants and get them in fox farms soil put it in a smart pot and give up on hydro until your better prepared.




Soil and Pot both over priced compared to a good hydro store

[ame=http://www.amazon.com/Happy-Frog-Organic-Potting-Soil/dp/B0032JPA2E/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1325579031&sr=8-2]Amazon.com: Happy Frog Organic Potting Soil 2cf: Patio, Lawn & Garden[/ame]

[ame=http://www.amazon.com/Smart-Pot-Gallon-Container-Handles/dp/B0055E7KR2]Amazon.com: Smart Pot 5 Gallon Plant Container with Handles - Dirt Bag Reusable Planting Pot: Patio, Lawn & Garden[/ame]

Edited by heisenbud, 03 January 2012 - 08:29 AM.

The water is being aerated (that's what the tube in the first picture does). I'll get a meter (cheap one, I'm on a budget), but why calibration packets? will I need to keep getting them? why?

Again a cheap Ph meter will not serve you well, plants thrive with very very steady ph, if you must get a cheap one go for Hannah, the reason you have to have lots of packets is because the meter, even expinsive ones wonders away from calibration as you use them and as they sit. Don't know why, They just do. If the calibration is off then your waters Ph is off. The reason Ph is so important is it controls what levels of each nutrient can be used by the plant. When it drops to low or raises to high the plant suffers trama visable or other wise and for the time the Ph is off the plant won't be able to get the nutrients it needs. They range you're looking for is 5.5 to 5.8 use only hydroponics Ph up and down.

Okay will do. how should I balance the pH though?

You take something called Ph down, since your water is around 7 slowly add ph down maybe even 1ml at a time. Stir and let meter test for about 30 seconds before reading it and adding more if that's what you need. It's very easy to go past your 5.8 mark. Ph always goes up, gets more basic, as time passes and your plants eat. So as hours go by you have to keep checking that water and adjusting, its easy to get under your mark by adding to much so I would advise getting a bottle of Ph up also. Each you can find on amazon or any hydro store. Good luck.

subscribed. I'm interested in seeing where your grow goes, especially since it looks like you put together a really nice hydro grow box for cheap. Good luck, I don't have much input for hydro, but I'll help when/where I can.

thanks for stopping by Phyto. I'm posting a new picture shortly, the two plants are doing very well. heisenbud, I still have to buy the pH meter/calibrator/adjuster, but I plan on it. It's just a matter of finances, as currently I am saving up to buy the parts to build a second box for flowering, which would be 4ft tall rather than 2ft. I have already bought the reflective interior I plan on using, which is the 96% reflective highly-insulating Reflectix, pictured in the grow box I am currently using (Products | Double Reflective Insulation). Hopefully I'll have it built by the time this plant flowers, but it's an autoflower. What do you think?

I will be updating pictures through the original post by editing it. By the way, here's the guide I am following if you're interested:

Materials
Grow Box:
2 Fan Screens
2 Hinges
2 Latches
3 Daylight/Blue (6500k) CFL Bulbs
3 Soft White/Red (2700k) CFL Bulbs
3-Socket Fixture
6 Net Pots
Air Pump
Carbon Filter
Foil Tape
Gorilla Tape
Intake and Exhaust Fans
Knob
Plywood
Reflectix/Mylar
Reservoir
Rockwool
Timer

Equipment:
96% Rubbing Alcohol
Mason Jars
pH Calibrator/Up/Down
pH Meter
Rooting Gel
Seeds
Single-Edge Razor Blades
Spray Bottle
Surgical Gloves
Trichome 30x Magnifying Glass
Trimming/Harvesting Scissors
Vegetative & Flowering Nutrients
Water (pH 5.8-6.0)

Preparation
When purchasing seeds and equipment pay in cash only when in store, and with prepaid and anonymous American Express or MasterCard gift cards online—these come in denominations up to $200 (in retail stores like Wal-Mart) and can be used like regular credit cards, as you can register a name and address to them using your card number and their website.
Do not register your name and address to the card—have your seeds and equipment delivered to a close friend or relative’s house, not yours. Do not tell them what is being delivered; simply tell them that you are having something delivered there. Never use a fake name or a vacant address—the postman knows if and who lives at the locations on his route.
When ordering online, use secure, private (history unrecorded) browsing on a computer whose IP address is not registered to you. This could be a public university, library, or business computer, or a computer which you bought used and on the “informal economy” (no information of yours was recorded for tax/legal purposes).

For reference:
Vegetative Bulbs - Daylight/Blue (6500k) CFL Bulbs
Flowering Bulbs - Soft White/Red (2700k) CFL Bulbs

Germination
Make sure your location is contaminant free and sterile, as are you. Take the contents out of the box, so that the hydroponic system is on the bottom and plug in the pump. Let the Rockwool discs rest in water for 15 minutes, and then insert them into the net pots, they will moisten and expand. Insert your seeds and fill with water to the bottom of the net pots. After 24-36 hours of complete darkness, plug in the box and begin the light schedule using a timer. In your autoflowering plants, use a 24/0 and 18/6 schedule for the veg and flower phases respectively. Keep sponges wet with a spray bottle the first week of growth.

Vegetation
After the plants have grown to about 3-4 inches, begin adding nutrient enriched water. Mix in 1 teaspoon of vegetative nutrients per gallon of water. You will do the same with the flowering nutrients when the time has come. Every 4-5 days (or every few inches of growth), pour ⅛ - ¼ of a cup of this nutrient mixture into the basin (you can pour it directly on the cubes). Remember - less is better than more. They will grow no matter what, so do not overdose them especially in the earliest vegetative stages. If the plants show discoloration on the edges of the leaves, discontinue nutrient use for a couple days. Dump the reservoir water every 3 weeks. The water level should be at the bottom of the net pots throughout the grow, and the pH should be kept between 5.8-6.0. The roots will grow into the basin, and they will strive to get there so there is no need to overfill basin to keep cubes wet. Allow the plants to have about 3-4 leaf branches and to be at least 10 inches tall before switching to your flowering lights and nutrients.

Cloning
Cloning should be done before the signs of flowering emerge, and before the lights and nutrients are changed for the flowering stage in autoflowering plants. This will allow the clones to be in the vegetative stage to begin with, so that they don’t have to revert from the flowering stage—greatly reducing the clone recovery time.
It is important when preparing to clone your plant that everything be sterile. This includes you. If you don't use surgical gloves, then wash your hands and tools well with rubbing alcohol. Remove some rooting gel from its container using your razor blade or knife. This protects the gel from any contamination. Work hard not to contaminate your jar. Take a small amount off the cover with our razor blade and then seal our rooting gel and put it away. You will find it can last until you finish it (with proper care and minimal waste). Once you remove some gel from the container, do not put any remainder back in the jar: use as much as you can and dispose of the balance.
Now take your clean razor and head over to your Mother Plant chose a sprout to cut near the bottom of the plant. Make a nice clean cut at diagonal angle, not a straight cut. Be gentle with your clone leaves and do not touch the new cut end of the sprout. Slice off the larger leaves that are close to the bottom of our clone sprout - this promotes root growth. Take your rooting gel and generously apply it to the root tip and all the way up to the other cuts.
Once the clone is prepared, simply place it in the sixth net pot. Use the regular vegetative lighting schedule. Besides watering your new clone, be sure and spray it for a couple of days. It likes the moisture while it tries to re-root. Only use water at this point in the process (no nutrients), let the root gel do the rest. Once roots have been established, nutrient mixture may be used as directed.

Flowering
This part is simple. Just change the light bulbs and your nutrient mix, keep the pH of the reservoir between 5.8-6.0, and watch your plants begin flowering. Make sure to keep them in a low stress environment, set the timer to allow 6 hours of darkness each day beginning and ending at the same time to mimic the natural environment (switch from 24/0 to 18/6, even though this is not required in autoflowering plants).
In terms of trimming/pruning the plants, many recommend trimming off the lower down fan leaves, as it will concentrate growth on the buds (flowers). However this adds stress to the plant and should be done sparingly or not at all, especially in a grow box featuring a highly reflective interior in which light can usually reach all parts of the plant.
In this stage, it is especially important to keep toxins and contaminants away from your plants. NEVER use industrial insecticides on your plants, it is toxic to both the plant and to you once you are consuming it. Never smoke cigarettes near your plants and do not handle your plants if you do smoke cigarettes—nicotine is poisonous to cannabis, and it coats a smoker’s hands. Remember to stop feeding your plants nutrient mix within two weeks of harvesting.

Harvesting & Curing
At the first signs of milkiness in the trichomes, start watering the plants with pure water (no nutrients), so that the final product burns well and tastes good. When the trichomes have turned milky white (versus translucent), but have not yet begun to oxidize (turn amber), and the small hairs have begun to turn orange, brown or reddish in color, it is time to harvest. You have a window of 5-7 days for peak harvest and potency. The more amber the trichomes become, the higher the CBN (cannabidiol) level in the buds; making the resulting high more fatigue-inducing. Harvest the buds day by day and plant by plant to ensure that you have buds from all the stages of maturation, and because different plants may mature at different speeds.
Once you have harvested the buds (flowers), begin trimming off the leaves immediately, as this is when they are most dense and pliable. Remove all the large leaves right to the stem and trim off the leaf tips that are all around the buds themselves. Hang the buds in a well-ventilated, dry (not humid) room kept between 68-72 degrees Fahrenheit, free of contaminants, mold, and insects. After 1-2 weeks, seal the buds in mason jars with small holes in the lids to cure them; they can be left there for storage.
For speed drying, which is never the best option, the ideal method is with a food dehydrator over a period of about 1-2 hours. Ovens and heat-intensive lights will ruin the taste and texture of the buds while also vaporizing some of the THC. The best method of storage is in glass mason jars or dark paper bags sealed within plastic sealable bags. Plastic is static, and will actually attract the trichomes, breaking them off and lowering the potency of the bud, so storage directly in plastic bags in not recommended. NEVER freeze your bud—it is a myth that this a good means of storage. The trichomes will freeze and break off, again lowering the potency of the bud. However a cool, dry, unmoving location is ideal.

**UPDATE: If anyone is still interested in this grow, here is an update on the progress of the two ladies:

Llooks like a good grow, speaking on ph, as long as your water is low in salts and florides (which a our filter or brita will remove) ph balancing from 7 is a waste, the Nutes u use will drop your ph and if really feel the need and 1 tap of lemon juice per gallon of water. Most of all just try to have fun and dontcha forget to questions

Happy growing

Thanks for taking a look, Weedmasta! Interesting not on the subject of pH/water. I use only well water, problem is, I don't know the pH or mineral content of the water I'm using. I still haven't gotten around to getting a pH meter... gotta wait for that next paycheck. Any stores you know of that sell them so I don't have to get it online?

Your grow is looking good. I'm going to stick around for this one and watch. I was thinking about making the switch to hydro next year. I won't have time for anymore indoor this year after I finish what I have going. Be nice to watch how this grows. Good luck!

Thanks for taking a look, Weedmasta! Interesting not on the subject of pH/water. I use only well water, problem is, I don't know the pH or mineral content of the water I'm using. I still haven't gotten around to getting a pH meter... gotta wait for that next paycheck. Any stores you know of that sell them so I don't have to get it online?

I only do bussiness with one hydro shop, Garden Depot, but they are in Lodi CA, so that wont help you much
Outside of an actual hydro store, you could get one at a pool supply store if you have one in your area, and maybe in the pool section of a local walmart. If your running well water then i would worry about your mineral content plants love well water at least in my experience they do just have like 10 gallons of Distilled water on hand (pick it up at any grocer) to flush with when your about done.

Your grow is looking good. I'm going to stick around for this one and watch. I was thinking about making the switch to hydro next year. I won't have time for anymore indoor this year after I finish what I have going. Be nice to watch how this grows. Good luck!

Thanks stealth! I'm hoping it turns out nice, I am new to growing, and while I thought I had done all the research necessary there's always room to fuck shit up, so we'll see.

I only do bussiness with one hydro shop, Garden Depot, but they are in Lodi CA, so that wont help you much
Outside of an actual hydro store, you could get one at a pool supply store if you have one in your area, and maybe in the pool section of a local walmart. If your running well water then i would worry about your mineral content plants love well water at least in my experience they do just have like 10 gallons of Distilled water on hand (pick it up at any grocer) to flush with when your about done.

I'm guessing I'll have to get one online, unfortunately. Aint shit around here, I'd have to drive an hour to find a hydro store. I might try walmart just for the hell of it. So by flush, you are referring to the period ≈two weeks before harvest? Do you really think it would take all of 10 gallons, and is using distilled water in the stage necessary (rephrase: how would not using it affect the plants?) Thanks for the input!

I'm guessing I'll have to get one online, unfortunately. Aint shit around here, I'd have to drive an hour to find a hydro store. I might try walmart just for the hell of it. So by flush, you are referring to the period ≈two weeks before harvest? Do you really think it would take all of 10 gallons, and is using distilled water in the stage necessary (rephrase: how would not using it affect the plants?) Thanks for the input!

The final Flush yes is the last to weeks, you might need an interem flush as well if salts build up in your soil to much. I will try to explain it all as best I can,
Feeding: for feeding waterings give your plants 1/2 their pot size in food/water, so if you have 3 gallon pots then each plant gets 1.5 gallons of food slowly added, should take about a full minute to add your water.
Watering: While myself I overdrive my plants and after about 3 weeks old they never get pure water again (unless its a flush) when starting out you should alternate feeding and watering, on your watering you should water VERY slowly, some times taking short breaks during so you can see if water is passing through, the moment water comes out the bottom STOP, when watering you want very little run off, to much run off with pure water can lower your nute levels meaning you will have to feed in stronger doses which is a waste.
Flushing: this should be done every month at the max and at minimum every 3 months, Each plant will get 2 gallons of water per gallon of pot size, so 3 gallon pots 6 gallons of water, again go slow, make sure to fully saturate the soil and pull all salts out.
Final Flush: the final flush is different, you will go 1-1 on this so again 3 gallon pot to 3 gallons of water, for best results go SUPER slow, and flush in 1 gallon of water every 5 mins, do this 2 to 3 times in a row for best results, what you are doing is completely removing left over ANYTHING in the soil so the plant will finish up the grow on only the nutes it has stored up, when your plant is ready to harvest it will look a mess all the leaves will be wilted and yellow and most should fall off on there own if not just by touching them, that is the sweet spot, if you dont do this you bud will have a chem taste from your nutes, high nitro will leave a coin like taste in your mouth, mag left behind will spark and pop when you smoke it.

(warning: for EXPERIENCED growers only, if you dont know what your doing you will wreck your crop)
Now you can forgo a final flush in favor of a water cure, in my experience they accomplish the same thing although people that do it swear they get more bud and it taste way better.

to water cure, but your bud down para normal, but insted of hanging it up, cut it into its smallest buds and submerge in ICE cold RO water, leave in a dark place, every 12 hours completely change out the water, do this for 5-6 days, then pull out the bud and dry para normal, the RO water will seek to equalize with the water in the bud thus removing the trace elements, repeating this step will reduce them to levels some times lower than flushed bud and if you are careful it wont affect its potency. be warned, if you dry room does not have adequate ventilation then you bud will mold and then its garbage, and if you do this to long the plant matter will begin to rot in the water so if you dont know what your doing DO NOT DO IT.

yeah man but my grow is soiless... it's hydroponic

ah well, I know you need to flush hydro, but you will have to ask a hydro user about how to go about that, I know some people run H2O2 in there system for a bit to clean salts out of the system. I ask a few buddies of mine