Leaflock's First Grow - DNA Lemon Skunk

Discussion in 'Indoor Grow Journals' started by Leaflock, Mar 31, 2012.

  1. #1 Leaflock, Mar 31, 2012
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 31, 2012
    Hello GC!

    I've recently moved and decided to grow my own personal bud.

    For my first attempt I'm growing DNA's Lemon Skunk in a DR-90 Secret Jardin with a 400w HPS Sunmaster Dual Spectrum Bulb.

    Any advice would be greatly appreciated as I am going solely on information found online and the occasional word of wisdom from the fine gentlemen down at my local hydroponics store.

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  2. 03/29/12 - 06:30 pm - Supply Purchase

    Purchased supplies at local hydroponic shop. Light kit(bulb, ballast, reflector), DR-90 secret jardin tent, vent kit, light rollers, plug and grow timer and DNA Lemon Skunk seeds(6).

    Expenses:
    •\tTent - 105.00
    •\tLighting – 89.99
    •\tVent Kit – 70.00
    •\tEasy Roll Light holders – 6.99
    •\tTimer – 15.99
    •\tDNA Lemon Skunk Seeds(6) – 45.00

    Total – 332.97 GBP
    Subtotal – 310.00 GBP
    Savings – 22.97 GBP
     
  3. #3 Leaflock, Mar 31, 2012
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 31, 2012
    03/29/12 - 11:30 pm - Germination

    Put water through Britta filter and warmed in microwave for 45 seconds. Dampened 2 paper towels and ringed out for bottom layer. Placed on small plate. Placed 3 Lemon Skunk seeds evenly spaced. Placed additional layer of wet paper towel on top. Covered with bowl. Placed in kitchen cabinet @ 23c.

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    Action Items
    •\tCheck paper towel dampness at ~11:30 am
    •\tPurchase grow medium
    •\tPurchase nutrients
     
  4. #4 Leaflock, Mar 31, 2012
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 31, 2012
    03/30/12 - 07:30 am - Watering

    Warmed up water in the microwave, 45 seconds and redampened paper towel.

    03/30/12 - 08:30 pm - Watering

    Warmed up water in the microwave, 45 seconds and redampened paper towel. Water was likely too hot.

    03/30/12 - 11:30 pm - Watering

    Checked the paper towel and it was dry again. Moved seeds from plate/bowl to Tupperware. Rewet the paper towel and replaced above water heater.

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  5. #5 Leaflock, Mar 31, 2012
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 31, 2012
    03/31/12 - 08:00 am - Roottap

    Tupperware worked much better at keeping the moisture in. Paper towel didn’t need additional water. Roottap broke through the shell.

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    03/31/12 - 12:00 pm - Supply Purchase, Visit 2

    Went in to the Hydroponics shop and spoke to the owner again. Incredibly nice guy. Purchased 50L of batmix, rootboost and he threw in some free jiffys and half an aqua valve system!

    Shop owner said that with the jiffys I should see the seedling in 3 days and root tips in 7. Once I see roots I’ll transfer them into the small pots.

    Expenses:
    •\tBatmix(50L) – 13
    •\tCanna Rhyzotonic(.25L) – 10
    •\tJiffy(4) – Free!
    •\tAqua Valve parts – Free!

    03/31/12 - 12:30 pm - Propagation

    Finished setting up my filter system, had to install the wiring on the in-line vent myself.

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    Planted my seeds into the jiffys. Soaked the jiffy in luke warm britta water for 10 mintues. Transferred the seeds with tweezers and covered them lightly with soil. Placed in propagation unit and put under light.

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    Light is sitting about 1 1/2 feet above the propagation cover. Going to leave the light on 24/7 until they break the soil.

    I've also planted some chilies and cilantro!

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    Action Items
    •\tPurchase digital thermometer
     
  6. 04/01/12 - 07:00 am - Spot Check

    Went in to check on the Jiffys this morning when I woke up. Nothing popping out yet(to be expected). Jiffys are still nice and moist.
     
  7. Subbed in bro!
     
  8. Thanks for subbing!

    I have to fly out for my brother's wedding on May 25th. This is obviously too short a time to get a full cycle in so what I'm thinking of doing is running a CFL with the free autopot bits while I'm gone(about 10 days).

    The CFL will make the missus happy as she's concerned about the KWH that the HPS has been using(about triple our normal usage yesterday, though we were home all day).

    Option 1:
    I'll veg until June 5th when we get back then put these guys into bloom.

    Option 2:
    Alternatively I could do ~a week of veg and a 6 week bloom and accept that I'm going to get a tiny harvest.

    I'm not too concerned about the quantity, it's more the quality that worries me with this option. I've read that THC levels don't really increase to proper levels until ~week 6 of bloom.

    Option 3:
    There are fields behind my house that I could stash the plants in the middle of until I get back, though I would risk someone walking their dog stumbling across them.

    Thoughts?
     
  9. well the best idea for your plans would be to put it out in your garden. It will cost you less in the long run and make it nice for the misses because after today if you plan on putting it outside would be the electric, You know... But if you Don't trust your dogs or people around were you live then cfl is the best you can do for the time being... Btw This is not what you should do, I am just voicing my opinion..Take it or not Later
     
  10. #10 Leaflock, Apr 17, 2012
    Last edited by a moderator: Apr 22, 2012
    Hey GC, exciting update to share(for me at least!).

    So round 1 was a bust, due to the heat issues(see below). I started round 2 with my remaining seeds(3) on Saturday:


    04/14/12 - 07:10 pm
    Germination – Round 2
    Propagating the second batch of seeds. The first failed due to the Jiffy’s drying out and temperatures exceeding 103f. The excessive heat in the grow room was due to the 400w HPS bulb and poor ventilation. I have ran tests with ventilation in other rooms in our residence and found no solution with the HPS system that could keep the ambient temperature below 89f at the base of the tent.
    I purchased a kettle lead from Homebase(4.99) and will be picking up a 125w ECO Light CFL bulb from the hydroponics shop on Monday.

    04/16/12 - 07:00 am
    Day 0
    Good sized taproots sticking out of the seeds. Planting directly into 5" pots with Batmix potting soil. Mixed 1 ML of Canna Rhizotonic into 1 pint(568ML) water and presoaked the potting soil with it. Planted the seeds 1/2 inch down and covered with cling wrap.

    Left the covered pots in the water heater closet overnight at 78 f.

    04/17/12 - 07:00 am
    Day 1
    In the morning I moved the pots over to the grow tent. Ambient temperature was 75 f in the tent when I left for work. CFL was left on with the light ~8 inches above the plants.

    04/17/12 - 06:30 pm
    Day 1 - Seedlings!
    The seedlings poked their heads above the soil! I've taken the cling wrap off the pots, temperature when I arrived home was 88 f.
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    Lighting in the tent. CFL is ~8 inches from the top of the pots
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    04/17/12 - 10:40 pm
    Day 1
    Even as I sit down to write this update, the two seedlings that were just cresting the soil have already shed their seed casings and are starting to stand tall. The temperature has started to drop a bit, but I'm confident that it should stay above 75 f throughout the night.
     
  11. mmmmm looking good man :D
     
  12. #12 Leaflock, Apr 18, 2012
    Last edited by a moderator: Apr 22, 2012
    Thanks Tyscho! I very much appreciate the support.

    04/18/12 - 07:30 pm
    Day 2 - Seedlings
    Not too much to discuss today. Temperature fluctuated a little throughout the day(Digital Thermometer says 73-83 f). Seems to be dipping down in the middle of the day as we've had a bit of a cold spell the past week or so. Hopefully this will even out once it's not 48 f outside!

    The wife took the day off so I had her give them a spritz from a water bottle at noon to help adjust to the new environment now that they're no longer covered in cling film. I also gave them a spritz when I left for work and when I got home(just a single mist over each plant).
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    The lady on the far left doesn't look super happy, but the other two seem to be right as rain. They've all got their first set of leaves coming in and they're standing up tall.

    Should I mix a bit of Canna Rhyzotonic in with my spray bottle that I'm using to mist with? I would likely do 1/2 strength, but I'm not sure if I would be doing more harm than good with nutrients at this stage.
     
  13. #13 Leaflock, Apr 21, 2012
    Last edited by a moderator: Apr 22, 2012
    04/21/12 - 01:10 pm
    Day 5 - Veg
    Afternoon GC! My seedlings are coming along wonderfully and the first set of leaves are looking great. I am going to count today as the first day of my veg cycle.

    My first AutoPot expansion kit came in today, going to order another from Amazon unless I can get it cheaper from my local shop. Looking forward to transplanting to the bigger pots, how long should I wait?

    Looking around the net it seems 2-3 weeks is a good time frame, and I should expect about a week of slow growth as they adjust to the new pots?

    Unfortunately I only have 3 plants, so I'm likely going to fill the 4th slot in my AutoPot system with my wife's Jalapeno peppers, or just get a single expansion unit. Again, any thoughts on this being a good idea or bad idea? I'm not sure if I can run the dual Autopot with just one plant.

    I've got a few pictures to share. As today is the start of Veg I thought it was only fitting to make it the name-day for my ladies(Bowser, Lavos and Gannon).
    **EDIT**
    Forgot to mention, the top of the soil was a bit dry so I gave them their first feeding last night(maybe ~50 ml each). I know that over-watering is a huge noob mistake, so I'm going to hold off for a few days until I feel it dry two inches deep in the pots.
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  14. Good looking seedling you got there dude :D
     

  15. Always nice to see you stopping in Tyscho, when do you plan on starting your own journal so I can check in on you? :)
     
  16. 04/22/12 - 09:45 am
    Day 6 - Veg
    Pots feel a bit dry(though to be honest, I forgot to check how heavy they felt when I first soaked them!). The top of the soil looks dry-ish, but I think I'm going to give them at least the rest of the day before I feed them again.

    Second set of leaves are coming in. Only thing that caught my attention was a odd look to some of the soil. It almost looks like it has a white powder on it(as opposed to the strong while of the perlite). A few other threads I've found indicated this is likely salt build up? I live in a hard water area but I've been using a Britta to filter my water before use, perhaps it's calcium?

    Any thoughts would be appreciated.
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  17. I took a picture of my soil problem, it's actually much easier to see in my Spring Onion pot(sitting right next to the ladies and getting the same water). Also included a picture of one of the ladies.

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  18. Quick update - seems likely the white powdery looking stuff is salt build up(though it seems rather quick to be the culprit!). I am going to give the ladies a good watering tonight and hope it doesn't return.
     
  19. just a heads up i learned with my first grow and its pretty cheap and saves alot of a headach i go to walmart and buy gallons of distilled water alays has a ph of 6.8-7.0
    so i never have to check my ph it could be from your tap water is what im trying to get at but its lookin good so far man keep it up
     
  20. Distilled water may be tough for me to source, I'll look around to see if I can find any on the cheap. Thanks for the advice!
     

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