Ash Flash and Fallingleaves first grow adventures

First off let me preface everything with holy shit this place is something a lot of people are searching for. Great group of people. I have already had a lot of questions answered and am meeting more helpful people everyday. I have learned to not take anyone's opinion as fact but rather research everything and experiment myself first. Thank you everyone who has helped me to this point and those who help me somewhere along the road.


Ash and I met on his post about 400w grows and we decided to Co-Journal so we can help others and each other and not have to bounce through a dozen threads to do so.



So we are both doing indoor 400w HPS grows. I will post my info and Ash will hop in and do the same. Others feel free to join in as well we are hoping to share what we learn and have learned and meet more good people along the way!


I am using a 4x4x8 Apollo Tent I was about to blow 280 on the Gorilla and decided I would rather utilize the extra money the first go round for other needs as my gear department was empty at the onset of grow fever. I started reading about organic and no till grow a few months ago and am waiting till Dec Jan to get my super soil going as I will be doing an outdoor journal at that time as well. For now back to the meat and potatoes or titties and beer if you're a Zappa fan.

Light 400w HPS
Digital Dimmable ballast

Hortilux Eye 400w HPS bulb
Yieldmaster II - 6" Supreme



Soil mix is a combination of Ocean Forest, Happy Frog, EWC, small amount of UniGro Potting Soil, Perlite, lava rock, dolomite lime and a couple other things I am forgetting... I will update when I recollect them. And a whole other Journal when I try the super soil mix later on this year.


Water Kroger Water from the grocer store I buy this cause I want the 1g containers for obvious reasons and it clearly states on the label if you get the correct kind " Made using REVERSE OSMOSIS " I also love the fact it is so damn cheap. This is not cost effective throughout your grow however they have vending machines outside some grocery stores that also dispense R/O Water for even cheaper all you need is the containers to fill.


At this point while I am still in my baby containers I will be using just a spray bottle to rain lightly every 4-5 hours or less for the smallest containers. I haven't been using a full soaking as I made the Murphy law move and had to over water at the start otherwise I would end up doing it later. Now I strictly monitor the soil by lightly dipping in to feel how moist the surface vs about an inch down. I also try not to spray directly on the seedlings or the stem too much as I don't want it to drown the roots. Also logic tells me that if I am just outside the leaf range I am prob close enough the roots will get the water slowly and in small amounts allowing the plant to feel the need to reach out farther with it's roots. Mind you all of my experimenting is just that based on all the stuff I learn and the desire to just do it. Once I got past the initial over watering and the shock of first transplant (Took almost a day to snap back) they began to take off again.





Ventilation
6" Ventech Carbon FIlter / Fan / Variable speed combo was like $150 works great just sounds like a stand up fan when it is running and keeps my light hood cool to the touch the only heat in my tent is from the light itself hitting the glass and the light beam's heat itself. The fan is set up in the negative flow position It is drawing air from the tent which is using a ducting that runs from the intake on the bottom of my tent on one side through the light out the other side then into the fan and out the other side through more ducting and out a window. The vent on top of the tent is open with an AC vent's flow going in but not using ducting this prevents blasting air inside it instead it allows from what I feel with my hand about 50-70% into the room and 30% or so into the tent at an angle so it hits the wall before entering the plant area. I also allow vents to be open on the bottom just 2 and this allows air to be sucked in for the plants without using the slightly harder flow of the fan that is pulling the heat off the light. Wow what a mouthful sorry.


Nutes
None atm anything I use is gonna be organic and either a tea or top dressing.
Only additives are Great White in light watering when transplanted each time. This is for the roots and the bacteria and fungi that inhabit them. As I have Happy Frog soil mixed in and fresh good EWC I like to make sure I only add things that will benefit the Rhizosphere and not harm any beneficials in the soil. This can also be used as directed obviously I believe 3oz of solution per 1gallon of container every 3 weeks ) Again I may be off so don't go oh that's the recipe and then write it down. Final note on Great White when you look it up online there is a 13 dollar small bottle ignore the huge ones until you are using it enough to warrant the purchase. I do this with anything I can cause starting small is easier and allows experimentation.



IPM
Sadly none at this time I have a neem oil spray ready to go and I am going to gather some other stuff to help maybe some dr bronners. Not sure but I am sure of the fact I will need something I don't believe for a moment I will be getting away without an attack. Karanja/Neem meal in the soil next go round or when we move to final containers.


Humidity / Temperature


Gauge comes in tomorrow so this will be more descriptive then but at the moment I have a small thermostat set on the base of the small platform the plants are on so I get a reading of the heat there I also will periodically place this on the level of the plants soil so I can determine the temp there. Usually though it is only the smallest bit warmer then the base of the containers. ( I say normally as the evening temperature dip causes the base of the tent to cool more and cool drafts can hit the plants) I counter this with close up a bit tighter at night and letting up off the fan a little bit so the heat stays in the tent more.



RAPID ROOTERS How to both F them up and how they work for me and hopefully you too.



Ok so here is an issue I came across as a soil seed starter I decided to make the jump to rapid rooters after much research. As I am interested in no till organic grows I didn't want to use something that was not organic to start my seeds in. However apparently from what I have read (unless I am mistaken) the Rapid Rooters were developed by someone at NASA and is made from plant matter and bonded with plant matter as well. The material used has micro nutrients added. Originally I had found out what these were but at the time knew far less and don't remember atm. (Another thing I will update later) Essentially you moisten NOT WET them.
This is crucial as I learned the hard way.


Now coming from soil roots pun intended I thought I had to wet the rooters which I did then as with soil for the first few days I figured I should leave the dome on and throw a heating mat under it......... If you're not new you are laughing at me about now. So after drowning my seeds both above and below the soil for a few days and not seeing growth ( new people are probably like it may take longer wtf are you doing? However I have germinated seeds often and Cannabis as well ) as the Rooters were supposed to grow faster I knew I had made an error on the way somewhere. After looking at dozens of articles online I found some that made it clear the Rooters can't be soaking wet it is the combination of moisture and air that allows them to do their job. If at any point you get them too wet they will not be able to breathe. The dome was causing an issue as well it was making the air so heavy with water the seeds weren't able to breathe enough to initiate growth. Removing the dome wetting the tray with a sprayer instead of filling the reservoir thinly seems to help quite a bit as well. So I gently squeezed each rooter removing the excess water. And emptied the reservoir out. Each hour or two I would check on the tray and spray some water lightly around the rooters but not on them. Within a day I had seedlings popping up. Lesson learned and I now am a loyal fan for the rooters.


Ok gonna apologize for the 100 page essay you just read and wait around for Ash to get in here and follow suit! I will toss my pics in here while I am waiting so you can all see what I am starting with.

 

Here's some shots of the road so far.

 

Waking the kids up dimmed at 275w and rained on them a little.

 

Nice man!! Did you post close up pic of the stem issue? I ordered hps glasses but not sure when they'll arrive. I had some heat and moisture issues but with my humidifier and barometer temp additions I think we are jamming again. I also rerouted my ducting now the main exhaust is the ceiling which comes back in through other side of ceiling and into light then out side and to fan. Sounds like a lot but is actually short and sweet. The result is far better exhaust and intake. I have all 3 vents on the floor open and a small fan will be added inside asap. Again I am still collecting for the initial grow harvest. Experimenting with my microclimate both in the tent and the room it sits in the relationship between them and the most effective way to set things up to achieve homeostasis. Advice as always is more than just welcome it is appreciated.

Ash you're moving along nice!! Get me clear pics of leaf or stem issues and I will find us some diagrams / charts and such explaining the potential causes. Then we can trouble shoot together!

 

Around the kids the atmosphere is about 72-76 with 49-60% humidity on average. I believe the air flow is preventing further retention of moisture. I am adding a small fan when I find one this should help with the air not just moving up and out constantly. Granted it isn't a wind tunnel I am still sure I lost a lot of humidity this way.
Oh and light is at 275 still

 

Ash what did you germinate under and when did you kick the plants light to 400? Or has it been set to 400 the whole time? Here's some pics of the clone chamber and it's dedicated shelf. And some pics of the kids I gave em a check up last night pulled em out and snapped pics with flash above and below to examine the leaves. All good so far. I still have a special kid too its leaves started off very warped almost pulled it but it fought through it and while looking very off the new growth is normal so let's see what happens lol. Your plants are looking happy man right on. so hard to just leave these things alone. I just try to get temp and humidity in range keep it there and only watering when they appear to be drying out feel lighter and first inch is dry or almost.

 

Should I pull this one or let it go over to the sun god and just keep it under enough light to prevent flower and see if it lives? I feel like it is fighting so I am hesitant to yank it but I don't feel it is gonna be a healthy plant even if it is a strong one lol.






NOV 4th Update* This had occurred on 2 plants and once each were relocated they improved immediately. This is 100% heat mutation on early leaf production. Not enough leaf surface to transpire enough to cool the leaf. Essentially I had to isolate the hotspots in the room. Then move the plants out of them. I will go pick up a small fan today for inside the tent I just haven't grabbed one yet.


Hotspots are no joke locating them with your gauge is a huge help. They will change as you raise and lower your light also so remember that. The leaves began growing in 100% normal as soon as the small plants were moved away from the spot and closer to the humidifier. This initial plant had been removed and turned into a windowsill friend. However it's recovery is in full swing and after underdose of micronutes it is jamming outside now. Inside same deal under dose of micronutes this morning and we're off.

 

These spider mites or just little light burns from water on them?