First Grow Journal - Bubbleponics/custom Cabinet/450W Led/nirvana Seeds

Hey everyone.  I recently completed the build of my custom grow cabinet, which you can check the build out here:  http://forum.grasscity.com/grow-room-designsetup/1316897-new-stealth-led-grow-cabinetcloset-build-wheels.html
 
After a heavy month of researching, acquiring components, building, and several adjustments, I've finally started on my very first grow!  I'm new here to GC and have gotten a lot of useful information here.  I welcome all comments, concerns, and most importantly - HELP with this grow as I know it'll be a learning process each step of the way.  Now onto the show!
 
Seeds

• Supplier:  Nirvana
• Strains:  <ul><li>White Widow Feminized (2)
• Blackberry Feminized (2)

</li></ul>Growing Method/Medium

• Bubbleponics<ul><li>Custom 10 Gallon Sterilite Container 4 Plant (w/ 1 Access Hole) Kit
• Rockwool Cubes/Hydroton Grow Rocks Combination

</li></ul>Grow Area

• Custom Cabinet<ul><li>Custom Built 36x18x72 (Inches) Grow Cabinet

</li></ul>Nutrients

• Technaflora<ul><li>Recipe For Success Kits

</li></ul> 

Day 1 (July 20th)​

I began germinating all 4 seeds in the afternoon using the paper towel & disposable plate dome method.
 

Day 2 (July 21st)​

No germination when I checked on them in the evening, so I took them out and placed them in cups using room temperature pH'd water to help speed up the process.
 

Day 3 (July 22nd)​

1 of each seeds taproots were emergine when I checked on them early in the morning.  I continued to let all 4 seeds soak in their cups w/ water until that evening.  After checking on them that evening, all 4 seeds were showing signs of a taproot so I transported them into pH'd (5.8) soaked rockwoll cubes and into their new permanent homes in my cabinet.

• I have the air pump running continuously, connected to (2) 4" large air stones (1 on each side) and the water pump is on for 3 minutes every 2 hours on a digital timer.  I haven't really found a definitive answer as to how long to leave the water pump on, etc., so if someone can offer me some insight, please let me know. 
• I have the light cycle on 18/6 so it shuts off at 11pm and back on at 5pm
• The exhaust fan is running on high (100%) all the time as well, and I haven't found any need yet to slow it down.

Day 4 (July 23rd)​

I checked the humidity and temperature of the cabinet this morning and it was at 35% humidity, and 84 degrees F.  During the night (6 hours lights off cycle), it went down to 75 degrees F and 50% humidity.  The pH was up at 7.1 so I added a little bit of pH DOWN and brought it to 5.9.  The PPM reading was at 142ppm.

• No sprouting or any growth as of yet.

 
 

Day 5 (July 24th)​

Temperature firm at 84 degrees F and humidity at 35% when I checked after work.  No sprouting from the rockwool cubes yet.  I've got a towel hanging from one of the pressure fit mini curtain rods and the other end soaking in a cup of water.  I'm hoping this will help raise the humidity up a bit until I figure something else out.  I'm looking into swamp coolers/evaporators, but they're too big to fit anywhere (within' reason) in the cabinet.

• I went to Lowe's to get weatherstripping for finishing up light proofing the cabinet, and I happened to see some cool mist humidifiers.  I bought the HealthSmart Cool Mist XP one (pear shaped) for $40 and figured I'd give it a shot.<ul><li>I put cold filtered water in as well as a handful of ice cubes.  Within' 2-3 hours of having it on, the humidity had risen from 35% to 55% and the temperature dropped to 78-80 degrees.  I'm extremely happy with the results I'm getting from this little guy!  I've got it set up on the right side (see pictures) and with the circulation fan directed towards it, it seems to be getting even distribution without any direct contact to future plant growth.

</li></ul>

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 ​

I will continue to update this at least every other day with updates/pictures/etc.  I would love any feedback, help, etc. to help me along on my first grow.  I'm super excited!  Thanks GC forum.  =)
 

 

Day 6 (July 25th)​

[SIZE=10.5pt]Temperature in the morning was around 81 degrees F and 39% humidity.  Reason being is that I forgot to fill up the reservoir for the humidifier as I have it on the same schedule as my light, and wasn't thinking about it coming on automatically before I was awake.[/SIZE]

• [SIZE=10.5pt]I came home from work and noticed the first baby Blackberry seedling just starting to emerge, that made me smile. [/SIZE]
• [SIZE=10.5pt]<span style="font-family:arial, sans-serif;"><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;"><span style="font-family:arial, sans-serif;"><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;"><span style="font-family:arial, sans-serif;"><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;"><span style="font-family:arial, sans-serif;"><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;"><span style="font-family:arial, sans-serif;"><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);">Temperature throughout the afternoon/evening was 77-79 degrees and 49-57% humidity.  pH is just about 5.7 or so.  Now just a waiting game for more sprouting and a root structure before I flush the water and start off with my nutes! [/SIZE]</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>

 

[SIZE=10pt]Day 7 (July 26^th 2014):[/SIZE]​

• [SIZE=10pt]Temperature when I got up was at 79 degrees and humidity was around 51%.  The one Blackberry seedling (Pic #2) has risen up a little bit and I can see tiny beginning signs of the first serrated leaves.  [/SIZE]
• [SIZE=10pt]Still no sprouting of the other 3 seeds, but should hopefully be starting by the end of this weekend.[/SIZE]
• [SIZE=10pt]I checked back later on in the evening and noticed the second Blackberry (Pic #3) had sprouted.  He looks better than the other Blackberry, but I've read that just sprouted seeds can look iffy for the first several days, is that correct?[/SIZE]
• [SIZE=10pt]Humidity was at 42% when the lights are off/humidifier is off, and temperature is around 74 degrees F.[/SIZE]

 

[SIZE=10pt]Day 8 (Week 2) (July 27^th 2014):[/SIZE]​

• [SIZE=10pt]Temperature was at 81 degrees and humidity was at 44% when I got up.  I also noticed that one of the White Widows (Pic #1) sprouted as well!  So 3 out of 4 as of now, and hoping the other will sprout by tonight.[/SIZE]

 

[SIZE=10pt]Questions:[/SIZE]​

• [SIZE=10pt]Is there anything else I should be doing at this point besides just checking on them?[/SIZE]
• [SIZE=10pt]Do all the sproutings/baby seedlings look okay?[/SIZE]
• [SIZE=10pt]When should I begin adding nutrients?[/SIZE]<ul><li>[SIZE=10pt]I was thinking at least 1 more week of just water, then after the second flush, introducing ¼ strength ones.[/SIZE]

</li>[*][SIZE=10pt]Does that one Blackberry (Pic #2) look okay?[/SIZE]</ul>

 

[SIZE=10pt]Day 9 (Week 2) (July 28^th 2014):[/SIZE]​

• [SIZE=10pt]Temperature has been between 77-79 degrees and 55-59% humidity.  All 3 seedlings look good and I've noticed them a hair bit bigger as well.  The round leaves of the 1^st sprouted Blackberry are still curled under, but the little serrated leaves look fine, so I'm hoping it'll be alright.[/SIZE]
• [SIZE=10pt]pH was at 6.4 so I'm leaving that alone for now since there are no nutrients as of yet.  The 1^st Blackberry also seems very slightly leaning, so not sure if this is a sign of looking for light, or a normal thing at this stage.[/SIZE]

 ​

[SIZE=10pt]Questions:[/SIZE]​

• [SIZE=10pt]Should I leave the light at that height?[/SIZE]<ul><li>[SIZE=10pt]When should I start lowering it a little?[/SIZE]

</li></ul>

 

@[member="medijoe"] Thanks for the info man.  Yeah the damn purple of the full cycle LED is intense, haha.  I'll try to get pictures of them in the dark period with the room lights on instead as it won't mess anything up since it's not in flowering.
 
30-40g per plant out of your setup is awesome!  I'd be completely happy with only 2oz dry out of my first grow.  Ideally I'd like 3-4x that, but we'll see.  I'm keeping my expectations super low so that if I manage to get way more, it's just a bonus!
 
I've done tons of research, but only so much reading can do until you actually start.  =P

 

[SIZE=10pt]Day 10 (Week 2) (July 29^th 2014):[/SIZE]​

• [SIZE=10pt]Temperature has been between 77-79 still and 50-52% humidity this morning.  [/SIZE]
• [SIZE=10pt]I changed out the reservoir water this afternoon with pH'd tap water (5.8-6.0) and added 20ml of Aquashield for beneficial bacteria.  No nutrients yet, I'll do that next flush/water change.[/SIZE]
• [SIZE=10pt]I also lowered the lights about 2” too, so I'll keep an eye on them tomorrow morning and see how they're looking.[/SIZE]
• [SIZE=10pt]I've attached several new pictures with the LED lights off and just the room lights on.  Hopefully you guys can get a better idea of what the seedlings look like.[/SIZE]

 

[SIZE=10pt]Day 11 (Week 2) (July 30^th 2014):[/SIZE]​

• [SIZE=10pt]Temperature went up a bit after lowering the light.  It's about 82 degrees in there now.  Humidity is still around 50% or so.  The seedlings are looking good too.  [/SIZE]
• [SIZE=10pt]I checked the pH and it was up at 6.7 so I lowered it to about 6.1 or so.  [/SIZE]

 
[SIZE=10pt]Questions[/SIZE][SIZE=10pt]:[/SIZE]

• [SIZE=10pt]How come the pH goes up 12-24 hours after flushing the water?[/SIZE]<ul><li>[SIZE=10pt]Is this normal, and should I just remember to readjust it the next morning?[/SIZE]
• [SIZE=10pt]Is this because I'm using tap water, and would filtered/R.O. be any better?[/SIZE]

</li></ul>

 

[SIZE=10pt]Day 12 (Week 2) (July 31^st 2014):[/SIZE]​

• [SIZE=10pt]Temperature still at 82-84 degrees and humidity around 48-54%.  pH is steady around 6.3 but I'll probably lower it to around 6.0 tonight. [/SIZE]
• [SIZE=10pt]The 1 White Widow seed never sprouted so I decided to just take her out.  Now I've got the 1 White Widow and 2 Blackberry seedlings.  I'll rearrange their placement when I flush this weekend and add ¼ strength nutrients.[/SIZE]
• [SIZE=10pt]Lowered the pH to 6.1 before bed.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10pt]Day 13 (Week 2) (August 1^st 2014):[/SIZE]​

• [SIZE=10pt]Temperature gets pretty high before I wake up (around 88 degrees F), but my digital thermometer is directly below the light on top of the reservoir, so I'm not sure if this is the best place for the most accurate reading or not.[/SIZE]
• [SIZE=10pt]Temperature averages around 84 degrees during the day and 50% humidity with the cool mist humidifier on 50%.[/SIZE]
• [SIZE=10pt]I rearranged their setup, so now the 1 white widow is in the back left spot, 1 blackberry is in the middle, and the other blackberry is in the back right spot.  Now this leaves my front 2 spots open for maintenance and reservoir changes.[/SIZE]<ul><li>[SIZE=10pt]On another note – I got the Terapump TRHA01 (2 AA batteries) for draining/filling the reservoir and it RULES.  I'm getting about 2-3 gallons a minute out of it, and for $15, it's worth that 10x over.[/SIZE]

</li></ul>

 

[SIZE=10pt]Day 14 (Week 2) (August 2^nd 2014):[/SIZE]​

• [SIZE=10pt]Not too much new.  The plants don't seem to be getting much growth, so I'm going to start on ¼ strength nutrients tomorrow and see how they do.  Temperatures in the low 80's and humidity between 55-60%.[/SIZE]
• [SIZE=10pt]Filled up 2 5 gallon buckets w/ 3 gallons each of tap water and will let them sit until tomorrow for my reservoir change.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10pt]Day 15 (Week 3) (August 3^rd 2014):[/SIZE]​

• [SIZE=10pt]Checked the pH & ppm of the buckets I filled up with tap water and pH is around 7.2 and ppm around 170.  [/SIZE]
• [SIZE=10pt]Added ¼ strength nutrients of my Technaflora Recipe For Success Kit as well as 6 teaspoons (30ml) of Aquashield.  pH was then at around 6.7 and ppm at 570, so after I take away the 170ppm of my tap water, that leaves me at 300ppm for the plants which is a great starting point I think for the tiny seedlings.[/SIZE]
• [SIZE=10pt]I then pH'd the water down to 5.7-5.8.  [/SIZE]
• [SIZE=10pt]I decided now would be a good time to set up my 3 in 1 PPM/pH/Temp meter while I was draining/flushing the reservoir.  [/SIZE]
• [SIZE=10pt]After about 1 hour of letting the nutrient water settle in the reservoir, the pH was up to about 6.4, so I lowered it down to 6.0.  I'll check it again tonight and readjust if needed, then it should be good to go for the most part.[/SIZE]
• [SIZE=10pt]Air temp is around 81 degrees and humidity at 61%.[/SIZE]
• [SIZE=10pt]I lowered the light about 4” or so too, hoping that will help with growth.[/SIZE]

 

[SIZE=10pt]Day 16 (Week 3) (August 4^th 2014):[/SIZE]​

• [SIZE=10pt]The humidity has been averaging around 65% during the mornings, and 55% early afternoons.  Air temperature around 84 degrees.  Reservoir temperature around 74-76 degrees.[/SIZE]
• [SIZE=10pt]I checked the pH this morning and it was around 6.1 or so, came home from work and it was around 6.2, so I lowered it down to 6.0.  This is reading from my new meter which the probe stays in the reservoir the entire time so this is WITH the airstones on.  I believe this will affect my reading, but can someone please clarify?[/SIZE]
• [SIZE=10pt]PPM's are steady around 670-690.[/SIZE]
• [SIZE=10pt]The good news is that the seedlings seem to be liking the nutrients as I've seen a noticeable increase in size (not HUGE, but visually bigger than yesterday).  The 1^st serrated leaves of the middle plant (Blackberry) still are yellow, but the new growth looks green and very healthy from what I can tell.[/SIZE]

 
[SIZE=10pt] Questions:[/SIZE]

• [SIZE=10pt]Will the pH read differently with the airstones on or off?[/SIZE]<ul><li>[SIZE=10pt]Should I check them with them on or off?[/SIZE]

</li>[*][SIZE=10pt]Will the pH read differently if I take a cup of the reservoir water/solution and pH it outside of the 6 gallons it's in?[/SIZE]</ul> 

• [SIZE=10pt]Reason being – I checked the pH in a small cup outside of the reservoir and it read 5.8 from my pH pen, while inside the reservoir with the airstones running it read 6.2 (both the pH pen as well as my permanent 3-in-1 reader).[/SIZE]

 

[SIZE=10pt]Day 17 (Week 3) (August 5^th 2014):[/SIZE]​

• [SIZE=10pt]Humidity was at 70% this morning, air temperature around 82 degrees, and reservoir temperature around 74 degrees.  [/SIZE]
• [SIZE=10pt]pH is staying around 5.8-6.0 and PPM's at 670-690ppm.[/SIZE]
• [SIZE=10pt]The plants are seeing very noticeable growth now!  I'm very relieved; as I was nervous they weren't looking so great before the nutrients.  I'll try going up to ½ strength next flush and see how they like that.[/SIZE]
• [SIZE=10pt]I got a second 4” circulation fan, and will be putting that in sometime this week for extra air circulation from a different angle/area.[/SIZE]
• [SIZE=10pt]The first 3 pictures are from yesterday, and second 3 are from today, notice the difference in growth!  =)[/SIZE]

 

[SIZE=10pt]Day 18 (Week 3) (August 6^th 2014):[/SIZE]​

• [SIZE=10pt]The grow is looking great and the plants are really starting to fill out, while still being small.  Not much height, but they're def. growing outwards, which I can't really complain about.[/SIZE]
• [SIZE=10pt]My only real concern is gonna be trying to top/train them as they aren't getting much height.  I lowered the light another inch or so and will do ½ strength nutes on the next flush (Sunday) so I'm hoping they take off even more then.  [/SIZE]
• [SIZE=10pt]pH is steady around the 5.8-6.0 mark and same w/ the PPM's around 690ppm.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10pt]Day 19 (Week 3) (August 7^th 2014):[/SIZE]​

• [SIZE=10pt]Nothing new really.  The middle Blackberry seedling is growing the best, while the other blackberry (on the right) and only White Widow (on the left) are struggling behind.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10pt]Day 20 (Week 3) (August 8^th 2014):[/SIZE]​

• [SIZE=10pt]Temperature in the box is averaging around 86-88 degrees during the day, but the plants seem to be doing fine with it.  I've done everything else I can to eliminate it short of adding an air conditioner to the actual room (I've got central air) and in the old house, it's not really feasible.[/SIZE]
• [SIZE=10pt]Humidity goes between 55-70% depending on how high I have the humidifier on.[/SIZE]
• [SIZE=10pt]I added a second 4” circulation fan to blow air “up” from the bottom a couple inches above the reservoir so I'm hoping this helps with everything as well.[/SIZE]
• [SIZE=10pt]I'll be changing out the water/nutes on Sunday and will up them to ½ strength vs. the ¼ I did last time around.[/SIZE]

 

^{Day 21-23 (Week 4) (August 9^th – August 11^th 2014):}​

• ^{Running into some issues that I'm not quite sure what to do.  The temperature in the cabinet stays around 88-90 degrees.  The thermostat in the house shows 74, but I'm  not sure it's very accurate as the house is 100 years old.}<ul><li>^{I've raised the lights about 6” and that isn't helping.  Even when I put ice in the humidifier and an outside fan blowing above the air conditioning vent towards the cabinet, it's still not doing anything.}
• ^{Not sure what else to do, but it doesn't look like the plants are suffering from any heat or temperature related stress.}

</li>[*]^{I switched out the water in the reservoir yesterday and went to ½ strength nutes.  The pH is around 6.1 and the PPM's are around 800.  Reservoir temperature averages 73 degrees as I change out a frozen water bottle in it every several hours or so.}[*]^{My other issue is that my 2 smaller plants aren't really getting any bigger, and if they are, it seems awfully slow compared to nearly everyone else I'm reading that's using hydroponics in a cabinet.}

• <li>^{It's looking like signs of nutrient burn, mainly on the smaller blackberry in the back right (see pictures), but only on the lower leaves.  All the new growth looks healthy and green.  I'm not sure if it's nute burn though as it only started that after I left one of the net pots in front out all 11 hours one day while I was gone and the light was on the entire time.  Plus like I said, all the new growth looks green and healthy.}<ul><li>^{***PLEASE HELP WITH THIS THOUGH***  As I'm unsure what to do being my first grow and all.}

</li></ul></li>[*]^{I'm gonna read up more on topping to see if I'm able to start mainlining them yet, or if they're still too small.  They're not really growing much vertically; so again I'm not sure if that's because of a nutrient issue, temperature issue, or because I have raised my light up higher.}[*]^{Any help at all would be greatly appreciated!!!}</ul>