Alright. I've finally decided to do this for all to see. I'm no great shake, but I've been studying gardening, both indoors and outdoors, since I was 6 years old. I began with indoor and outdoor gardening books from the fifties, and have progressed bit by bit, year by year, until such a time as I've been deemed a 'green thumb' by a number of my acquaintances. This is the culmination of all of my studies and gardening experience. Feel free to grant me the honors of your wisdom and experiences, throughout my journal! I do ask that there be no trolling or fighting in the thread. Note that this grow is for my personal use only. I mostly use cannabis as a medicine at this point, and that is what this entire thing is for. I wish to know what is going into my cannabis, as getting it from a 'connect' is too much drama, trouble, and risk. The Setup: - CABINET A: __ The Vegetation Chamber +- Dimensions: 24" wide, 20" deep, 28" tall +- Parts: - 2x 23 watt 6500k Compact Fluorescent Bulbs - 1x Honeywell brand desk fan ( Circulation Fan ) - 1x 4" generic desk fan ( Exhaust ) - CABINET B: __ Flowering Chamber +- Dimensions: 30" wide, 24" deep, 30" tall +- Parts: - 2x 40 watt 2700k Compact Fluorescent Bulbs - 2x 23 watt 2700k Compact Fluorescent Bulbs - 2x 23 watt 6500k Compact Fluorescent Bulbs - 1x 4" PC Fan Exhaust - 1x 3" PC Fan Exhaust - 1x Desk fan for circulation - 1x 60watt ceramic heat emitter bulb - 1x Home-made carbon filter fitted for both exhaust fans - 1x Thermometer & Hygrometer The Strains: None. This is a bagseed journal! :3 Currently, I have 3 seedlings. All three are stunted from damage due to my other half freezing the seeds in a moist container without either of us realizing that for whatever reason it'd totally kill my germination ratio. 2 appear to have sativa tendencies, whereas 1 appears to be indica. However, leaf-hoppers got the indica pretty badly early on. I don't know how they even got into the box. I removed all of my vegetable and fruit seedlings immediately due to this, then insecticidal soaped the interior, closing it off for the day. The leaf-hoppers appear to be gone now. I am also starting 4 seeds from a bag of dank. I expect hermaphrodites, but who knows? Maybe I'll be lucky! I do not have current photographs. However, I have photos of stuff from the last run through. The same seeds that I've got started. It all came from bricked up grass that was on the cheap. I literally traded a tray of tomato plants per gram of it. That's like $2.50/g. I realize that most of these pictures indicate an excess of nitrogen. I have diluted my soil a tad so that maybe it will be remedied. The soil consists of Pro Mix seed starter, ewc, chicken manure, rabbit manure, fish emulsion, land plaster, and Jobe's Organic veggie fertilizer. I originally had the soil at near toxic levels, but added an additional 50% worth of Pro Mix, hoping that the soil will be a little more enjoyable for the plants. I let the soil cook for 3 weeks before this run to allow for more fertility. Pictures:
I have decided to experiment a tad. I have removed my 2700k bulbs from the flower chamber, replacing them with the other 2 6500k bulbs. Set my timers to "Outlet ON" position, to prevent execution of a premature 12/12 lighting switch. That's a total of 4 23w 6500k bulbs with which to facilitate my plants' vegetative growths. I imagine this increase in wattage from 46 watts to 92 watts will provide a massive boost in the growth rate of the plants. All lights have been applied along the sides of the seedlings, which have 1-3 true leaf nodes. I am hoping that this will provide tighter, bushier nodes. I will be vegetating them under these lights until halfway through September or until such a time as I'm satisfied with the number of nodes that the plants produce. I would already have plants in flowering mode, if I hadn't had nosy company. I had to pull a total of 6 LSTed sativa-dominant hybrids that were in 4 inch cups and were almost ready for a gender test, followed by gallon pot transplants. That company issue has been eliminated entirely, though. Method of training will be Low-Stress Training coupled with Topping or FIMming. Hopefully I can produce an ounce and a half of buds. I will use the vegetation chamber for storage until I get around to fully furnishing it or taking clones. Cooling is adequate in both boxes in spite of the lack of air conditioning in the house. Temperatures are not currently being monitored. I worked on the boxes all summer with them on to make this happen. During the day I keep the box open. After the house cools down during the night ( No AC... ), I close the box off. I've placed the bulbs within 1-2 inches of each plant as well, attempting to make use of the maximum amount of light for the plants as per my usual method. I will eventually be using cans and electric fence wire to create adjustable reflectors for each light set. I need to make them sturdy, because the last set decided to fall off of the setup just because of my air circulation. Plant status... Still a little grim. Seedlings appear weak but will be given another few days to attempt to recover from the damages that the freezer caused to them as seeds. The PH in the seed starter was optimal, but leaves were still rather crinkly. No nutrients were applied until second sets of true leaves appeared. They were administered via direct transplant to my fertilized soil mixtures in a 4" pot per seedling. I feel that this early on I can have them recover without loss of yield. If not, the backup seeds that're starting have not been through the same rough treatment. Once the soil dries out just a little, I will be feeding the microorganisms that reside within. Seedlings will remain in the 4" pots until such a time as they completely recover from their problems. Once recovered, my planned route is to transplant them into individual 1 gallon Smart Pots with the same mixture of soil and apply fish emulsion mixed with water as needed. However, that should not be necessary more than once or twice. Pictures soon, just waiting to see if the first set of seedlings intends to recover. If not, the pictures will be started on the second set.
Just gonna post a little update right here. These are the poor, straggling seedlings. They were started in a cup of Pro Mix seed starter, which is just sphagnum peat, vermiculite, perlite, and wetting agent. Maybe I should just throw some lime in the soil I have..? Though, these things started out VERY weak and still appear to be, compared to previous runs which I started in Pro Mix as well.. Also, box shot! Still a WIP, because I am remodelling as I go. Next project will be sending the cords for the lights through the top. Each 2 cords are on surge protectors + timers, each surge protector is on a different circuit in the building. The ones not in operation currently are unplugged. No extra fire risk is appropriate to take. Opinions?
Update: Seedlings appear to have gotten more vigorous about their growth. I am guessing that the stress from starting in that condition is mostly gone. Seed leaves have yellowed on the one where the middle growth was eaten. It's begun to grow as though topped. Meanwhile I have 3 other seeds which've sprouted. Just waiting on them to bust open the seed shell. Due to the weather, I've been able to keep my cabs closed all week. It's not gone over about 80 degrees in there. Once it warms back up, I'll go back to open during the day, closed at night.
Another daily update! I keep very close track of seedlings because anything can happen, and that is EXACTLY what happened. I don't know HOW it happened, but I went into the box this morning and one of the newer seedlings had lost most of the seed leaves due to a grasshopper. I fed that bastard to my chickens with much rage. HOWEVER, it survived, showing off adorable little true leaves. The first set of seedlings is now doing great, the second set is doing fine. 2/3 seedlings in the second set are already showing their first set of leaves. Not fully, but it is the confirmation I needed that they are growing. Fast, too. More pictures will be shown when everything has a node or two on it. So.. A few days?
The first three plants are all looking quite healthy, now. They just needed some time to recover from their ordeal in the freezer as seeds. I have 2 additional plants, which came from some rather decent bud that only had a few seeds here and there. I have a feeling it's going to be hermie plants. However, I am hoping not. Can't hurt to hope! The node growth for my first plant is astonishing. Every node has branches even though the plant is only a couple of inches tall. LST will be starting sometime this week.
Checking on my girls(?), figured I'd drop a few pictures in here. So far the new seedlings are doing fine, though they were having trouble early on. I ended up with 2/3 of them being viable. The 3rd rotted. The three previous plants I had started are finally starting to get some growth on them. The first to sprout has turned into a miniature bush already, before I had even started training it. Now that LST has begun, she's getting pretty. The one whose top was eaten by an insect has turned into a 2-topped, dark green indica. She's a little crinkly though. Finally, there's another with little node growth as of yet. However, everything appears to have grown quite tight, node-wise. When I get a micro sd card that works, I'll use a better quality camera. Till then! First one to sprout. Second shot is to show the branching. Other 2 plants: Seedlings: Feel free to contribute. Conversation, opinions, don't care as long as you're not trying to be a boosh. :3
Ill pull up a chair Plants are lookin good. Whats up with those twisted leaves on that one though? Man, i just smoked some of my confidential cheese, first time i ever smoked it. Two hits and i feel it slowly coming on. Creepin!
That sounds like some good stuff. I got a hand on some really nice, skunky indica last night. It didn't hit hard at first, either... Till about the third hit, then I was like "Well, I'm fucked." LOL... I assume you mean the plant with the Y shaped stem? That is.. The broad-leafed indica? If so, I have no idea. Everything is healthy so far. I think it may just be genetics. Sometimes crinkly leaves like that are just a genetic thing. Unless somebody else might now how to fix that.
The twisty, crinkly-leaved indica dominant plant has begun to untwist and look better. I just figured I'd post that up here. I'm very thoroughly pleased with my soil so far, but it's definitely nowhere near time to start counting on a harvest. Don't count chickens till they hatch and such.
Tonight I will be performing a transplant on several plants, as they are in need of a much bigger pot. I don't have room to train them in 3" pots. I will be transplanting the three larger plants into 1 gallon containers.
Looks good man. I will stick around and see the outcome. I should have all my stuff soon so that I can start growing again. Just trying to refresh my memory now see if I can find any new tricks
I don't have many, if any real tricks, but I do have a means of getting from start to finish, which is a good starting point. Instead of my gallon buckets, I transplanted into 1.25 qt containers... I will transplant into gallon buckets when the plants get a tad bigger. If you need help, feel free to ask. I'm sure if I can't answer it, somebody else on these forums is able to.
Picture update! I do have a question if anybody is listening, though... Umm.. Is it normal for a plant to be SO bushy that you cannot see the stem for all the leaves? Seedlings! These are the two little ones that were from the 'dank' grass I got. Here is the really bushy one. I have no idea how to respond to this. Is it good? Bad? DAFUQ PLANT!? This is the plant that had the top node eaten off by a bug. Pretty! Finally, the third of the eldest plants! I realize there's a little bit of burn on the bottom leaves. That was from where I transplanted it from sterilized seed starter, into my mixture. It's the only plant that had a burn from it.
It's got plenty of water. I make sure to check every twelve hours. When the soil gets light in weight, I will water them. I will probably water them all a little bit in about 8-10 hours, just to be sure. Tonight has some fun for the soil. It will be getting a bit of molasses, as the microbes will surely want to eat.
Ohh,I just saw the leafs kinda looking down so I thought it was lack of water.But they are looking great
Thanks! They are pointing down because I had to pull them downward a bit just to get the tops a bit of light. There's just so much leaf matter there that I don't know what to do, haha. I promised myself that there'd be no defoliation this time around, nor topping.. But geez!
Ohh that explains it lol,top em,it would be a much better yield.But they will grow bigger and will occupy a lot os space. Ps:Im not a expert but I know a thing or two 8)
Well last grow I did LST, followed by topping. I also got very impatient and started early sampling. This time I am going to wait the full period. I just wanted to learn with my first run, fine tune everything, that sort of thing. Now.. I am still fine-tuning my soil, but so far everything appears happy and healthy. I may actually have no choice but to top the bigger, bushier plant. The nodes are like.. 1/4 inch apart.