Hey, update on the plants. I did get the Brinks timer and it's working great. The plants have grown quite a bit since I decreased watering, re-potted, and switched the light schedule. Thanks for all the help guys and I'll post some pictures soon!
They look good OP ^ Keep with the light watering like that. Do you have your timer set to 18/6 now? When your plants are in the dark, are they in a light proof area?
I do have them on the 18/6 schedule now. They are in a light proof area. I have the windows in the bathroom covered. The timer is set for the off time to be 10 PM to 4 AM so it is also dark outside. My dad bitched me out for my huge pots! He told me to just lightly water directly over the plant so the water is directly placed over the roots and not saturating the full area. That watering system seems to be working well. I do that every AM around 8.
Hm I haven't heard of watering just over the plant. I understand having a small plant in too big of a pot can create issues. You don't want to drown your roots, and you want oxygen available. At the same time you want to encourage your root system to search for some water, making it grow larger and healthier. I vote for some water across the entire pot, even if it's not every time you water.
What is the best way to cure the harvest once that time comes around? I was reading about the paper bag method and quick-dry methods. What do you guys find most effective?
Boil some water. Dip roots in the water. Hang plant upside down in closet. Grab a fan put it in your closet. Once dry trim the buds up and put them in airtight jars. Open jars once a day for 1-2 months. The longer you cure in the jars the stronger it gets. Make sure they are dry. Or they will mold in the jars
I have done hanging to dry, paper bags, as well as cardboard (both boxes or just flat out flat cardboard). I like hanging them to dry the best. I shoot for around 50% humidity and temperatures from 65-75. I make sure there is circulation from a fan, but not blowing directly on the buds. I do it that way to TRY and make the drying take 4-7 days, nothing too fast. Too fast and I find it more harsh, too slow and mold/mildew creep into my thoughts (paranoia, should be ok with right temps/humidity). From there I put them into mason jars and burp them daily. Boveda humidity packs are cheap enough that they are on my list for the next time I jar up some bud. For drying and curing I like to keep the bud in the dark as much as possible. No reason to rush this or try anything too crazy. You will spend months tending for your little ladies, might as well spend a few weeks drying and curing to get the best smoke possible.
Overwatering is probably the largest killer of mj plants by a newer grower. I would encourage you to read the stickies in ABSOLUTE BEGINNERS and the other forums. A sticky is a page deemed very helpful by GrassCity's people and admin. Stickies stay at the top of forums always. The following is taken from a sticky - http://forum.grasscity.com/marijuana-growing-guides/382585-beginners-guide-get-you-started-growing-cannabis.html and I thought I would share it with you: 10. Watering: When to water your plants. When they are new sprouts I keep the medium moist at all times for the 1st week or two. After the plant/s are established, water when the top 2-3" of soil is dry, by sticking your finger in the soil. Another way is to do the Pot/Container weight test; this is done by "feeling" how heavy or light the pot/container is. To do this, water your plants till you get 30% runoff, then "feel" how heavy the pot/container is, then as days pass & you notice that it might be time to water, "feel" how light the pot/container is, if it is as light as when you 1st planted & filled pot/container its time to water. In general youll need to water about every 3-4 days, but this also depends on the medium, & growing environment, & other factors. You can buy a soil moisture meter from HomeDepot, Lowes, etc for around 5-10$. Always water till you get a 30% runoff, this will help prevent salt build-ups in the soil, & will insure all the soil gets wet. You also need to collect this 30% runoff water to test its Ph, which will tell you your soils Ph. Be careful who you listen to. A few people that have been guiding you have made some very ignorant statements. A new grower can be capable of a professional harvest IF THEY LISTEN TO THE RIGHT PEOPLE, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, DO PROPER RESEARCH FROM TRUSTED SOURCES. The most important thing is to learn... but don't learn stupidity... PLEASE PROMISE TO NOT LEARN STUPIDITY?
Today I purchased a 400 w hps to replace the 250 w. Also got a soil moisture tester so I don't kill my ladies with love. How far should the 400 w be from the plants? They are 22 days old and about 4 in. Tall now. Sent from my LG-LS840 using Grasscity Forum mobile app
Start at 18-20" distance from the light to the tops of the plants. Good for you on the upgrade, it's worth it.
Alright, we're on day 23. Attached are the updated pics. I have the 400 w HPS 18.5 in from the plant tops. And the two 100w CFLs at the same distance angling toward the plants to catch any shaded areas. I re-did the grow area setup a bit so I could move the lights around easier and also so the plants got better coverage. Let me know what you think. Question: For the soil moisture meter, After I water the plants the arrow is at 5 (in the middle). Is this where I want the moisture level to be? Or is this too high / too low?
Where is a good spot for the moisture level in the pots? I'm using the rapitest moisture meter. Currently I'm going with 4 - 5 as a good moisture level. But I'm not sure...
The finger test works pretty darn good, bud. Not sure what the rapitest moisture meter number range is even based upon. I would say that you should get used to doing both the finger test and the probe test whenever you water. The meter may or may not give unreliable readings, so it would be good to feel the soil as well. I have found that it is good to "sense" what your plants are telling you, AND THEN back it up with technology. I think more is learned this way, and you will make less mistakes by mis-interpreting what a device is telling you. I donno, just a thought... take it or leave it.
We're on Day 26. The three older plants are currently developing their fifth set of leaves. The younger plant is working on her third set of leaves. The plants all look healthy. I did a little reading on the rapitest moisture meter - the guides I read said to water the plants until the meter read at 10 (or very wet), and then not water again until the meter reads at 1-2 (dry, very dry). So I'm trying that out to see how that goes. My guess is I'll be watering every 3-4 days, which was recommended anyway. So, note to self, don't waste money on a moisture meter
It's not necessarily a waste. It can be helpful for reference sake. That's great you are reading into things. You will find their are MANY different views out there. Reading ALOT, and then choosing what to take and what to leave is a fun thing with growing. Just as a thought, you should research ScrOG. The term means Screen of Green. Search the tem on grasscity and also watch some youtube videos. It will definitely increase the amount you harvest. Your dad seems old school, so he may or may not like the thought of a ScrOG. Check into it.
By the way, those aren't 100 watt cfls. They are 26 watt. They are marketed as being 100 watt equivalents. This means they are as bright as a traditional 100 watt bulb but only use 26 actual watts. Just something I noticed scanning threw your journal. Also, in case you wanted to, you could save some money by not using all the lights right now. It adds up on the electricity bill, and really the plants only need the cfls right now. At this stage, their aren't many leaves taking in the light. Not too much photo-synthesis. It won't hurt by using 452 watts, but it won't hurt using less either. If you do decide to only use the cfls, you are able to drop them to within 6 inches of the plants. If you used them at 18 inches, your plants would stretch too much.
I vote for continuing with the 400 watt HPS. I don't remember the electricity costs of your area (if you even mentioned) but it should only be about $20 more a month to keep that light on 18 hours a day.