Alright guys, so the time has finally come and my grow has officially begun. I've made a couple of posts over the last few days to get some info, and now I feel is the time to get started on the grow journal. This is going to be my first ever grow and I tried to not be ABSOLUTELY cheap with everything, just so I could feel confident that if I fail, it won't be because I couldnt afford some semi-decent equipment. Anyway, lets run down the setup: Lighting: Lights will be on a 6-socket vanity fixture that is hanging from adjustable straps, and extra lighting will be provided by some extra bulbs on power strips I plan on putting in the corners of the tent to provide lighting further down the plant. 9x 42w CFLs (6500K) 5x 26w CFLs (2700K) 2x 40w CFLs (2700K) Medium/Nutrients: ReadyGro Moisture formula (coco/perlite mix) - 5-gallon pots. Canna Coco A+B Canna Rhizotonic CalMag Grow Space: I will be growing 3 plants in 5-gallon pots in a Lighthouse Hydro 4x2x6 tent. There is no inline fan as of yet, but I do have a rotating table fan in the tent in case it is every necessary (though I doubt it with the CFLs). \nStrains: 1x Advanced Seeds AUTOFLOWER Jack Herer (Fem)\t 1x DinaFem AUTOFLOWER White Widow (Fem)\t 1x Ministry of Cannabis Northern Lights (Fem) Alright, so about 48-hours ago I soaked the two autos in papertowels for 4 hours and then moved the seeds straight into their final 5-gallon pots of coco/perlite. I moistened the medium before planting, adding a very dilute A+B/CalMag solution. Then 24 hours ago I let the Northern Lights seed soak in a papertowl overnight, then put them in a shot of water, where they immediately sank to the bottom. I left it in the water for another hour and then planted it into its final 5-gallon pot, as well. All three pots have been covered with seran wrap to seal in moisture and I have be (im)patiently waiting to see some sprouting, though I know better than to expect anything yet. Well, thats all I can think of writing for now. I'll update this again once they sprout. Glad to finally join this community and I'm stoked to get to know you guys and learn a bunch Only two of the pots were in when I took these pictures, so just add one more in your head
Nice to find a grow journal that is about the same place and pace as my grow. I'm excited to see what kind of yields we get. http://forum.grasscity.com/index.php?/topic/1340042-JHo%27s-Shiatsu-Massage
Nice man! It'll be cool to get a good comparison of what to expect with a different setup in a way. Best of luck to both of us! Sent from my iPhone using Grasscity Forum
Alright well last night one of them finally came out of the dirt! So, quick side note: when I was transferring the two auto seeds from water to paper towels I got them mixed up, so j actually don't know which is the White Widow and which is the Jack Herer just yet. But one of them sprouted (48 hours) and I couldn't be happier! I'm at work right now so I'm hoping the other may be above dirt by the time I get home in a few hours Sent from my iPhone using Grasscity Forum
UPDATE: Day 4 (Sprouting) Well, the plant that sprouted yesterday definitely grew while I was away at work Its gained a couple of centimeters and the leaves are looking a bit bigger as well. If you can't tell, I'm pretty much giddy right now. First grow, go easy on me haha. As for the other auto, I can just barely see some green sitting right under the layer of coco, so I think it should break the surface by tomorrow morning. Super excited these two are doing well, just a few days after going straight into the coco. I had worried I was overwatering, and I also was afraid I may have planted the seeds a bit too deep, but it is a huge relief to know they're okay Pictures of this other Auto coming soon.
DAY 5: THREE FOR THREE! All three seeds have sprouted now and my excitement is barely containable (I've waited years to do this lol). I have removed the seran wrap now that the leaves are out and have moved all three pots closer to the lights. With my current setup, is it possible for me to give them too much light at this stage? It may be overkill but I also want to make sure j give the auto flowers the best conditions possible ASAP since they'll have such a short life. Any ideas? And here are the pictures in their glory. First pic is the auto that came up today, second is the one that sprouted yesterday, and then finally the baby NL. [
Best of luck on your first grow! I am a couple weeks from finishing my first also! I am growing in a light house hydro 3x2x5 tent with almost 300 watts of cfl and led. I will say you will likely need a decent fan to blow out hot air from your lights. In the beginning I just used a small bathroom vent fan from home depot (50cfm) to blow out air but it was nowhere near enough. They are only $15 and I bought a second one thinking it would help keep temps down. I was still at 86 degrees with both fans going. Finally I bought a 6"inline fan and speed controller(up to 440 cfm) and it did the trick. I run the fan around half power and get consistent temps around 80degrees. I live in cali near oakland and temps have been in the mid 70's outside most days. My tent now runs 5-6degrees over room temp. Hope this helps! What kind of temps u getting now?
Thanks a lot of the advice man! Seems like you predicted my problem perfectly, I just had my best plant get super heat stressed overnight when I moved to the side of the tent opposite my fan. It was pretty bad. I rearranged some stuff and flushed all plants, got the fan rotating and the temps seems to be okay now. Definitely convinced me to invest in an inline asap. Here's the plant that got burned. It was the first to sprout and was furthest along. Very heartbreaking but I hope it pulls through.
Anyone have any experience with those Hurricane inlines? Prices seem very reasonable but anyone get to try these out firsthand? They have one that moves about 400 CFM for about $115
The plant that got heat stressed also has some white stuff on the stems. This plant is only a week old, and I can't say this stuff is fuzzy or powdery, but I'm wondering if it's possibly mold? I was hoping coco would help me eliminate this kind or problem. Or could they just be root sites that's are on the stem cuz maybe the seeds weren't deep enough? Please help, considering the plants been through so much with all the heat, I don't want to try to save it if it's just gonna die from mold. Here's the best picture I could get of what I'm talking about
Day 10 of germination update pics. Gave up on that burnt plant, so now it's the just the Northern Lights and what I believe to be the White Widow.
Both of these plants had also been affected by the heat problem that burnt the other plant. The NL began cupping upwards and the very tip of the first leaves are brown. The bigger, broader leafed plant, the White Widow, also suffered some heat stress and what I believe to a slight Mg deficiency. Both plants have improved since October 31, when I discovered the heat issues and resolved them. Plants were flushed with pHed water, a little CalMag, and some Rhizotonic. PH went in at around 5.8 and runoff was 6.0.
Alright guys, I watered both plants with some Rhizotonic and CalMag last light and they're doing well, looks like they're bouncing back. Here are some pictures. If anyone sees anything I'm missing, maybe the plants not looking right, please feel free to chime in.
x2 on the ventech 6". can barely hear it with a fan controller when cut to 50%. I have a few comments: The white spots on the stem are just from excessive humidity where if they were covered in medium, roots would grow from them. Canna A B should be the complete solution and you shouldnt need cal mag with tap water(according to my hydro store). But, what I'm learning (keep in mind, this is my first grow too with very similar setup) is dont just do shit because you read that it might be a good idea or because youre just trying to prevent something. Plants look fine (one on right looks like its cupping from heat stress) . Just watch your PH and I think you'll be golden. AB seems to creep really low and runnoff will be 5.0 in a matter of days. I just watered mine and runnoff was like 5.5 after I put in 7.0 PH's water. I mix 5 gal at a time and everytime I put 25 ml of A and then 25 ml of B they get burned. I wouldnt go any higher than 15 of each until they're much older. This is what I've learned thus far about the whole canna/coco thing. Please flame me if I'm totally incorrect about something because I'm learning too. I just know that until you have about 100 posts, some of the growing superheroes wont give you a second look around here and I want to see you succeed with what little I know. I think your first questions should be 1. whats my temp like? 2. where is my ph? --if too low they'll yellow out. (my only real problem with coco) Good job so far... i'm rooting for you buddy!
Wow man, that's a a lot for the awesome advice and I think I'm catching on to what you're saying. Honestly, these plants seem to be doing better and have picked up their growth rate, so I'm happy. And yeah, I eventually started thinking my problems were coming from my heating issues. At one point I checked pH of runoff and it wS really low, but last time I flushed and then checked pH at next feeding, it barely dropped. I've gotten the temps to between 75-85 (best I can do for now without the inline). I'm leaving a slightly moist towel inside to aid in moisture. Besides that they're looking better. Also, switched them over to 20/4, and next week I'll switch to 18/6.