400W MH/HPS Organic

Discussion in 'Organic Grow Journals' started by Chesser43, May 16, 2015.

  1. #1 Chesser43, May 16, 2015
    Last edited by a moderator: May 16, 2015
    Hey guys, still kinda new here but figured I'd start a real grow journal since I want documentation anyway. This is my second grow officially, first produced two males. Disappointing, but still valuable experience as I learned what kinds of lights, soil, water, etc to use and how go manage a stable environment. I'm hoping this grow will be much smoother and the plants will be much healthier.

    The Soil:
    1/3 EWC
    1/3 perlite
    1/3 Peat moss

    The Amendments:
    (Per cubic foot)
    1 cup kelp meal
    1 1/2 Epsoma Tomato Tone
    1 cup epsoma garden lime
    2 cups Azomite
    I also will be brewing nettle tea from local "bull nettle" and experimenting with it.

    They will be grown from bag seeds, which are germing via paper towels tonight. Hoping for 6+ plants from about 12 viablish looking seeds.

    The Lights:
    400W Apollo MH/HPS lights with generic bulb.
    Plants will be started under a few 6400W CFLs to avoid stretch.

    Temps in closet run from 75-84, humidity at 50-70% (should I be concerned about this?)

    Since its only bag seed, and all the same strain, ill be doing a lot of experiments with training at different stages, and using tea and molasses at different stages. If I can find other variables to introduce, ill probably do that as well. I'm basically just looking to find good methods and doing a side by side comparison.

    Happy Gardening!
     
  2. #2 Chesser43, May 16, 2015
    Last edited by a moderator: May 17, 2015
    Ok guys, don't be too quick to judge. Most of my equipment has been Jerry rigged and is covered in tape, but hey, it works.

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  3. Hi Chesser! I'm down to follow along! Looks like fun!

    Humidity is ok depending on temperature. The hotter it is, the more humidity you want. For bloom, you should keep it lower, if course depending in temp. Look into vapor pressure deficit.

    The less variables will make it easier to know if what you're doing is actually working or was it that other thing you did? Too many inputs and you won't know what is doing what. :)

    Just my two cents of advice.
     
  4. You didn't mention any fans. Hi.
     
  5. I've got a small Honeywell fan set on my cfls right now, and a Stanley blower rigged as a sub for an inline fan. By variables I mean teas and stressing, and I'll only introduce one per plant with a control left to be natural. Or I may just scratch that just lst them all, I'm not sure yet. Will update my reserved section shortly.
     
  6. #6 Chesser43, May 17, 2015
    Last edited by a moderator: May 17, 2015
    If anyone has any info on how to upload better quality pics, input is greatly appreciated. And thanks for participating guys! And vapor pressure deficit? That's a new term, ill have to do some research.

    Anyway, as far as the grow goes, three seeds germed and have been planted already. I see another two starting to pop. Three seeds in soil, hoping to have at least three more in by tomorrow afternoon. Will update as soon as they break. My thermometer has run out of batteries, but I can't see these cfls running any hotter than 78 with my air conditioner down to 72.
     
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    Vapor pressure deficit is the ideal range for optimum growth. if you stay in the orange during veg, you should have healthy leaves and great growth. too dry or too humid will effect transpiration. during flower it's best to have it around 50-55%.
     
  8. Huh? You dont want 55% percent RH during flower. You want it low. Like 20-30%.
     
  9. That hinders photosynthesis and makes you have taco leaves. Taco leaves don't process the light like flat healthy not dry feeling leaves. The light drives everything in the plant. I want my plants eating the light up and not stressed out trying to stay moist in it's tissue. What part of dry taco leaves days healthy? It wouldn't be ok in veg so why is it ok in flower?
     
  10. #10 ladyluckybean, May 17, 2015
    Last edited: May 17, 2015
    ImageUploadedByGrasscity Forum1431886019.166955.jpg

    This is the ladder to full photosynthesis. The better your leaves can process the light, the healthy your plant becomes and resistant to mold and bugs.
     
  11. Well, I don't have any way to actually "control" the humidity in my grow area. I can adjust temps to the degree pretty much, but humidity as a whole is a foe I have yet to conquer. I'm not necessarily concerned about keeping them in the ideal range, but in a healthy range. Since this will be my first wholly organic run, pests and fungicide scare the shit out of me and a mouldy female would break my heart.
     
  12. #12 Chesser43, May 18, 2015
    Last edited by a moderator: May 18, 2015
    Update: 12/15 seeds germinated, all in one gal pots under 12 23 Watt Cfls, will post pics when they sprout.

    I've been reading about some plants grown in 12/12 from seed, yielding around an ounce. Since I was gonna have to keep em smallish anyway, I'm considering giving this a go. What do you guys think?
     
  13. I dont have taco leaves. The reason is mold.
     
  14. maybe Two
     
  15. I don't really have the resources to do only two that way. They either are all on a 18/6 cycle or a 12/12 cycle. I don't have two lights, but perhaps more importantly I don't have a second ventilated and cool grow area I can house another set of plants in... Well yet anyway.
     
  16. sorry I meant maybe two ounces
     
  17. Ah my Bad. I was, well you know haha. And damn, 2 ozs starting in 12/12? If that really is realistic, why dont more people just grow a handful of plants this way instead of a couple larger ones with veg time? In my opinion, the energy I save with lights is worth an extra 6 or 7 seeds. Even if they are $10 a pop.
     
  18. some people do. I have started a few myself. Didn't take em all the way. But I have heard people do it the whole time to keep stealth. Haven't seen any grows on here I dont think. But maybe there are some.
     
  19. Well maybe it's high time someone did a well documented 12/12 from seed, no? I've got 4 sprouted so far. Hoping to have at least 10 successfully break soil.
     
  20. #20 Chesser43, May 20, 2015
    Last edited by a moderator: May 20, 2015
    11/12 broken soil so far. The last one got stuck, I dug it out but it doesn't look like it'll survive. 90%+ germination and sprout rate isn't bad I think. I'm thinking I'll give them three more days under the cfls, then throw them into 12/12 under my HID. The question is, do I run HPS all the way or give em a month under the MH?

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    "Day One Sprouts"
     

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