1st Legit Grow, Mossy's Gem Autos Under CFL

So I've done a few grow attempts in the past, a lil plant in the window sill, popping a few bag seeds; but now I'm going legit! Got some Mossy's Jem, and a couple freebies, Gonzo #2 and Blue Satellite 2.2.

Space - My set up is pretty compact, just a utility shelving unit I modified with some rigid foam insulation painted flat white for reflection. The total space is about 3'x1'4"x3'. I know it's small, but this is personal only so it should be sufficient.

Lights - I'll be using CFLs 4 42w, 2x27k 2x65k, and 4 30w all 27k for a total 288w. It's a little under powered compared to the 600w the HPS guys run, but I'm hoping it will work. I've started plants on 2 42w before, so I'm confident the 6 additional bulbs will do the trick. If anyone out there has experience with CFLs I'd appreciate any advice on this point.

Medium - I'll be using soil, most likely MG Organic Choice. I have perlite, but might also shell out for worm castings and dolomite lime. Then again, I might also look into some nurseries for a soil. Not that far in the game plan yet. For pots I've got some square 7"x7" 1.6gal that are 9" deep. I figure those will be fine for the autos, but I'm a little worried about the other two.

The Plan - My plan, which may be a bit ambitious, is to cram 4 of these suckers into my space at once. Overcrowding?? Scrog bitches! I hope that'll work. I've been burned in the past with unwanted males, so I figure the more I pop the better my chances of success.
What I was thinking is run 2 autos and 1 of each from the other strains and letting those veg on 16/8 while the autos grow. Then, once the autos are harvested, flower the two remaining plants.

So that's the plan. If there are any experienced growers out there who see a major flaw in my plan, I'd appreciate it if you let me know and save me the headache. I expect to start in a couple of weeks.

 

Thanks The scrog net I have is pretty ghetto, just some chicken wire that will spread out over the entire space. You have a point about males being tangled....I was reading up on these strains and had seen some posts about some of them coming up male somewhat frequently.

If it happens, I should be able to catch them early enough to where it won't be a problem. If it's the autos, they won't be very big. If it's the other two, it's only two plants so it shouldn't be that difficult.

Damn, this might be a stupid question, but how're you embedding your pics???

 

Yeah I use the insert button, but it posts full size images. I ended up just using the insert image, using the thumbnail url, then creaking a link in that img to the full size. There's gotta be a simpler way!

 

You may be right about that space problem......I'll have a better idea of what it'll look like once I get the pots(waiting on shipping right now)

Also testing embedding

 

I think I got it, used the 'manage attachments' button below the text field.

 

Yep I got it

 

A bit of an update:

I've got my soil and pots. Using Pro-Mix ultimate organic. I also had to rethink my lighting due to space restrictions and am using 4 42w cfls, 2x27k and 2x65k.

Attempted to germ 2 seeds using wet paper towel in a Ziploc bag, but placed them on a heat pad cause the weather has been unseasonably cold (fkn climate change)

That turned out to be a terrible idea. Shit got moldy and seeds never popped. Did two more at room temp and they're doing fine. One's in the soil now waiting on it to sprout up and the other needs a bit longer to germ.

Sent from Galaxy S3 using Grasscity Forum App

 

Had a few set backs, but things are working now. I germed 2 seeds in Sept.
 
Had one male but the other is a beautiful girl. ^_^ Coming up on week 7, I starting feeding her a quarter dose of TNT tomato booster last week.

 

Halfway through week 8 After starting a half dose feeding of TNT tomato booster in week 7, I started to notice some discoloration on the leaves. It's bright yellow on the edges with dark blotches. I'm hoping this is the plant's natural colors coming in and not some sign of stress.   I stopped using the TNT Tomato Booster just to be safe. Switched over to 1 tbs of Grandma's Molasses after giving it a good flush. Following this guide I plan to continue using the molasses for another week and flushing at wk 10. There's a thin layer of trichomes coming in on the buds and sweet leaf. It's encouraging, but I've seen other grows where the buds are completely frosted. I understand I'm working with weak lights, but I hope these buds fill in.   Things seem to be coming down to the wire, and I'm kinda nervous. I'm not sure when I should harvest, or even how to harvest. Sure, I've read guides, but there's a difference between reading about a process and actually doing it. I hope I don't fuck it up

 

Week 10 | Day 71
 
Things are coming along good as far as I can tell. Stopped watering with molasses and now I'm just flushing her out before harvest day. Some of the pistils are starting to turn orange, but trichs still look clear to cloudy. I plan to just keep an eye on it everyday until I see some amber and then chop her down.
 
If anyone has advice on when to harvest I'd appreciate it. So far I've just read to watch the trichs and also to watch the pistils go up inside the calyx.
 

 

Week 11 | Day 78
 
Yesterday I watered her for what I expect will be the last time. Trichs are starting to turn milky, but still no amber(I plan to chop at the first sign of amber).

 
I have all my gear ready for harvest, trim and cure, but I'm not sure what I should do with the trim. I don't really feel like doing anything as complicated as QWISO. I was thinking about making butter, or even being super lazy and making firecrackers. Does it need to be heat activated first tho?

 

Week 12 | Day 84
 
Trichs are starting to get milky with a few ambers here and there, but there is also a significant amount of clear trichs aswell. I've read one grow journal on this strain that went to 100 days, so I'm going to let go some more.
 

 
I'm inexperienced, but I don't think she'll yield more than 14g.
 
Next time I want to use larger containers and more light. I was looking into a 400w HID set up, but I've read that I could get a more efficient set up using more CFLs. I plan to invest in 6-8 26w bulbs to use in addition to the 4 42w currently running.

 

Day 86
 
I was planning to chop this week, but look at these new pistils coming in. I think I may take her all the way to 100.

 

Let there be more light! Added 3 26w and 1 20w 2700k bulbsSent from my SPH-L710 using Grasscity Forum mobile app