Hi everyone. I thought I would get in the game here and journal my first grow using multiple PC cases. Being in IT, I have accumulated much equipment throughout my career and and found a 2nd life for these PC's before they hit the landfill. As of now I will be using 2 converted cases to growbox, hence the mini-LAN . My goal to to produce a personal amount of bud to hold me between grows. I am fed up paying black market prices for regs. I consume an average of 1 ounce per month. But due to other important finances, I am usually left to buy on such low quantity, about 1.5grams at $40 a clip. That's madness, and honestly, it's just not right. Time to make a stand. So gutting away I went. Found a small Dell case I had and emptied it out. Stealth was not exactly that critical, but still had to blend in with other surroundings. Amazing what a smoke session can produce. Before I knew it, I was well on my way. After about 1 week, I completed it and was surprised with the results. More about my 2nd Case later (that will be for veg/flower). Ive attached some photos showing some construction. I never completed taking photos towards the end, but Ill have some better ones up as we go along.
I've been through the same thing. I'm surprised it took me this long to start growing my own stash. Dealing with drug dealers is ridiculous! Good luck on your grow, dude! You've got a long wait ahead of you but it'll be worth it. With two boxes chugging along you should be able to harvest enough to keep you stocked up.
Best of luck to you man. I'm in the same boat but I smoke a little more. I normally buy by the ounce but the variety, potency, and quality haven't been the same lately. Also my dealer isn't reliable and prices can drastically go up here and there if he has to pull from a different source.
Day 1 So for my first grow, I will be going with 2 Dinafem Haze Autos. I started both seeds off in a cup of warm water kept overnight in a kitchen cabinet. I then moved them to moist paper towels, where they cracked within a few hours. After just 1 day, here is new life. I am using party cups with 5 holes in the bottom for drainage. My medium for this grow will be Fox Farms Ocean Forest. I used some spring water to moisten the soil. Next, I used a drinking straw to move the sprouts from paper towel to cups. A little sprinkle of soil to cover and a gentile misting of the top. For the next 2 weeks, I will keep my lights on for 24 hours. My hope is to be able to move my girls into the veg/flower case then, where I will reduce to 18/6. The bulbs I will be using in the seedling box will be 2x23W Daylight CFL bulbs. As on now, my Temp is 75F, Humidity 16%.
Cool man, I'm sub'd. Dinafem seems to have some really good genetics. I wonder how well they managed to autoflower a sativa...
maybe I'm just being impatient here, but I'm not seeing any sprouts yet. Top of dirt is a little dry. Should I spray mist the soil, or just leave it alone for another day?
If your humidity is at 16% the soil will probably dry much faster than usual. Slight misting might be a good thing. The RH should be roughly 50-75% during veg, 30-50% in flower. The seedling is obviously very delicate so don't over do it. Nice setup, btw. Forgot to mention that before.
Digital humidity meters tend to go off-scale at 16%; I know mine does. So if you live in a dry climate, you may actually be at less than that.
Thank you. My other box IMO is better. A lot of options to grow in it. I spray misted the cups and even put a cup of water in there as well. Temp was at 70 and humidity was 25. I have this in my basement, so it is warm and dry down there. I'm also wondering if I really need the intake fan on at this stage. I'll follow up in a few hours and post my findings. Just want a sprout to appear to ease my mind.
I don't think Im having any luck with this. Im having the same problem I had during my bagseed test run. My plants will sprout, but the shell never comes off and the stem turns purple. This will probably die in a day or two. Only difference is I used quality seed and ocean forest. I would mist the cups, but they always go dry. What am I doing wrong?
I'd bet it is the humidity. Way too dry. 50-75% is what you need to be close to for veg. Perhaps try keeping the pot covered with plastic wrap to contain the soil's moisture. Hold the wrap on with a rubber band. Cut a slit for the plant to poke through. Maybe put a couple wet hand towels in there once a day. Don't give up. I killed tons of seedlings before I got conditions right. Seedling Slayers up in here!
good advice BongAttack. hey Nuglar I used a PC case to veg and when starting my seeds, I would keep the dixie cup covered with a ziplok held with a rubberband. I cut a few slits in the bag. once the seedling broke through the surface, I took off the bag and was good to go. but some seeds take longer to break thru, i had one that took 4 days good luck, i'm in IT too so I had a few cases laying around
I forgot about the ziploc bag method. I like that idea MUCH better than the plastic wrap. I only used plastic wrap for a couple days in my grow b/c it makes watering very annoying. A bag would be easier to take off and would also contain the entire plant (essentially a tiny greenhouse). Damn good idea. I forgot all about it!
75% would be too high for veg. 60% should be about tops, IMO. I have found that weed is happiest when the RH stays in the 35% to 60% range.
Thanks for the tips guys. It absolutely helped. Just a few hours after putting the bag on, the shell looks more spread open. I will post a picture later to compare from yesterday.
Looking good (I think for 5 days). Well better at least. The baggie makes all the difference in the world.
sweet! glad that trick worked for ya...once they have 4 leaves and have fully broken outta of that shell, then you can take off the bag. should only take a few days for that to happen
Can't tell you how effective the bag has been for me enough. I have renewed faith in this little girl. The shell was gently helped off, though some membrane is still in tact. I anticipate that to be cleared up tomorrow.
Bro, you gotta keep the soil moist at all times until you see it sprout. When you allow the soil the dry out, it kills the young taproots immediately. But that is just for future reference because it looks like your babies are bouncing back!!! This magical plant can be amazing with just a teensy weensy bit of TLC.
One Week has passed. Today is Day 7. Temp is 70F, 30 Humidity,(outside the cup). What do you think? I can use a good ebay suggestion for a pH meter. I'm sure that will need to be addressed in a few weeks, as I believe FFOF soil is good for about 3 weeks.I have the nute trio on the way as well.