Need Advice Growing Ak-47 Clone Indoors

Discussion in 'Growing Marijuana Indoors' started by Sir Thornberry, Oct 8, 2008.

  1. I am a first time grower working on growing and harvesting my first plant that I am growing in soil in my closet. However, I am fairly new to the process of indoor growing and was looking for any advice and/or feedback that could help in the growth and care-taking of this plant. I picked up the clone from a Dispensary yesterday and it is currently day 2 in my closet grow-house. Here's my current set-up and pictures will be posted:

    The Plant:
    An AK-47 clone that is currently ~3ft tall (from the top of the soil to the top of the plant). The date on the ID tag for the plant says 7/19 so I'm assuming it was first planted ~11 weeks ago.

    The Location:
    The plant is currently in a section of my closet that is 18" deep, 54" tall, and 60" across and is inclosed on three sides by walls lined with white foam board to reflect light. The 4th side is open but there is a black sheet that covers it completely during the dark cycle. The problem with the location is that the closet stays pretty hot (~85 F during the day and ~75 F at night), however it is not very humid. There is only a small window on the opposite side of the closet that doesn't provide very much ventilation, however I do have a fan sitting in the window to bring in cooler air and there is also a tower oscillating fan pointed towards the plant. I am looking for any ideas on how to cool down the closet because I've heard optimal growing temperatures are ~75 F during the day and ~65 F at night.

    The Lighting:
    New Wave 42: T5 High Output Fluorescent Fixture (47" long x 6" wide x 3.5" deep) with two 46" 54W (total of 108W) Philips Alto Silhouette High Output Lamps. The fixture hangs ~7 inches above the very top of the plant. I got the plant around 6pm yesterday and was told to put it into the 12 light/12 dark cycle so I placed it in a completely dark room until 6am and then turned the HO lamps on all day. However, I was doing research and found that the 12/12 cycle is mainly for flowering and I was thinking of trying to keep it in its vegetative state so it can grow larger before flowering. To do this I have currently left the lights on for 16 hours (the first complete light cycle) and am now going to keep the plant in the 16 light/8 dark cycle. Is this a good idea or is my plant large enough to let it go into its flowering stage. The plant is female and has visible white pistons, forming the characteristic V-shape, at many locations over the plant.

    The Soil/The Fertilizer:
    Unfortunately we do not know the composition of the soil but the plant is in a 3 gallon pot. Today (day 2) I bought, and used for the first time, liquid plant food that is 8-14-9 and labeled as African Violet Plus food. At the dispensary I was given a packet of roots organics by aurora, Oregonism XL which contains 5% kelp, 25% yucca extract, 3% humic acid and some bacteria. Should I use this instead?

    Watering:
    I didn't water it at all yesterday (Day 1) as I did not have my set-up completed yet, but today I've watered it twice (about 4 hours apart) with distilled water. The first time I watered it I used 1 quart on the soil and then misted the plant with more distilled water. The second time I watered it I again used 1 quart of distilled water with 7 drops (as directed) of the 8-14-9 plant food. I had been misting the plant intermediately to keep it cool since the closet is so hot.

    Complications:
    During its first light cycle in its new grow area today (Day 2) several of stems of the more mature leaves turned red colored (I believe indicating a N-P-K deficiency), and also several of the tips (and even some of the edges) of the more mature leaves have turned brown and appear dead. This is occurring from the top to the bottom of the plant. However, the younger leaves are a bright green color and appear healthy. What is going on, and how can it be fixed?

    It has been ~28 hours since I've had the plant (12 hours dark followed by 16 hours light) and it has just started its 6 hour dark cycle. I am not completely sure at what point in its life cycle it is at, but I believe its in either pre-flowering or the very early stages. Pictures should be posted and any feedback and advice that you can offer would be greatly appreciated.
     

    Attached Files:

  2. didn't feel like reading your novel. so i'm only gonna comment based on your pics. it looks fine except you're misting with the lights on and that's causing those spots. and you're misting way too much as well.

    condense it down into a couple questions and i'm certain someone will address those.
     
  3. Ok here's the condensed version:

    I have a 3 ft. Ak-47 clone growing in soil in my closet should I let it go into flowering (12/12) or should i try to keep it in vegetative (18/6) for a while longer?

    What are recommended fertilizers to use for vegetative and flowering growth? Currently am using some that is 8-14-9.

    Are my lights ok for growing in my closet?
    They are 108 W 4ft high output fluorescent lights ~7 inches above the plant.

    Its really hot in my closet ~80-90 F how can I cool it down/how much do I need to cool it down?

    Because it is so hot in the closet do I need to mist the leaves frequently to prevent them from losing too much water through their stomata? Also, how often should i water the plant if it is consistently warm in the closet?

    How often should I fertilize the plant? Is it bad to foliar feed the plant with liquid plant food mixed with water?

    If the tips of the leaves (mostly on the mature leaves) are brown, as well as some of the edges. What does this mean/how do i fix it? (i assumed it was a nutrient deficiency)

    Any feedback would be helpful, thanks.
     
  4. keep it in veg at least until you get it's nutrient and ventilation problems sorted out.

    for one plant, 108 watts of fluorescent will do just fine.

    in order to control the temperature you need to invest in some kind of ventilation. some centrifugal fans and oscillating fans. you need ventilation to provide it with plenty of co2 anyway.

    you should be watering whenever the soil get's dry. stick your finger in the soil, if it comes out moist and/or with dirt stuck to it, then it's fine. otherwise give it some water.

    don't worry about misting the plant, it's more likely causing more harm then good.

    as for nutrients, find a nursery and pick up some good organic nutrients with high nitrogen content for veg.
     
  5. My dad told me this he grew for 10 years, when you mist the plant dont mist the top of the leafs. Go under neath and mist them from the bottom because this keeps the water to go into the plant and not evap from the light.

    also i would invest in a heat lamp, but your closet seems to be pretty warm so im sure youll do fine.

    use a 20 20 20 watering solution during veg, when it comes time to flour go get some 10 40 10 im pretty sure, all my powerders are outside so i cant check. but thats all the advice i have for you! also what i mention in this paragraph is powder which you mix with the water

    happy growing!
     

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