7D60p's First Grow - NL#5

Discussion in 'Indoor Grow Journals' started by 7D60p, Sep 14, 2010.

  1. #1 7D60p, Sep 14, 2010
    Last edited by a moderator: Oct 12, 2010
    Hi everyone! Let me start by saying thank you for all the great knowledge this forum has provided in terms of growing marijuana. It really has been invaluable!

    This is my first grow of NL#5. There are a lot of advanced techniques out there but I decided that for my first grow, I was going to keep it simple and basic to use it as a learning experience for future grows.

    Here's my setup:

    Soil - Miracle Gro Organic Potting Soil
    Veg Nutes - Bonnie Plants Plant Food (8-4-4)
    Flower Nutes - Schultz African Violet (8-14-9)
    Lighting - 4, 26watt CFLs at 6500k
    Ventilation - 2 Outtake PC fans, 1 intake
    Grow Box - Cardboard box lined with Aluminum foil. (18"W, 16"L, 22"H)

    Future Expansion - Once I have established the plant, I intend to move it to a Secret Jardin grow tent with a proper ventilation setup and carbon filtration.

    Day 1 of Noticeable Growth
    [​IMG]

    Day 3 - Looking good!
    [​IMG]

    Day 6 - Serious growth!
    [​IMG]

    Day 9
    [​IMG]

    Day 13 - Sick Growth!
    [​IMG]

    Day 21 - 3.5" High and 5" Leaf Span
    [​IMG]

    Day 23
    [​IMG]

    Day 28 - 5.5" tall
    [​IMG]
     

    Attached Files:

  2. great start man. but a couple things... aluminum foil will just burn the plant, you want either mylar or an emergency blanket you can get at walmart. and if your going to use MG soil, you will definetly want some perlite to make the soil more airey and loose.
    good luck :wave:
     
  3. Thanks. I've read that about aluminum foil but I've also read that it's not even true. Regardless, I'm keeping this grow super simple so I'm not really worried. The MG soil is actually very light and loose. It's not compacted at all!
     
  4. Looking good so far, is that NL5 from Highgrade Seeds or another company?
     
  5. Thanks. It's actually Green House NL#5 Mist Haze which, I believe, is an Indica/Sativa blend.
     
  6. Personally I'm not sold on the whole idea of aluminum foil burning plants. I tend to believe some folks have burnt their plants by using it in conjunction with powerful HID systems and having their plants grow right up to it. Aluminum foil will indeed get hot enough to burn something given enough time under 1000 watts (not much of a concern on a small grow I don't believe).

    Regarding the MG soil and perlite, I would still recommend adding perlite due to its water retention abilities. Even "fluffy" soil will compact given enough time - having that perlite in there will help.

    Besides, perlite is cheap man! I use half perlite in my soiless mix (coco coir) - its awesome stuff :)
     
  7. Thanks for commenting. When the plant gets bigger and I transplant it to a larger pot, I'll mix some perlite in the soil.
     
  8. Day three photo up.

    [​IMG]

    The plant is growing very nicely. She's about 3/4" tall right now. I need to start thinking of a name for her! Any suggestions?
    I also added a 2700k bulb for a better coverage of the visible light spectrum (hence the weird white balance). I'm growing her under 65watts right now. When do you think should I pump up the power?
     
  9. No name suggestions (I have 8 plants myself without names!). Keep the lighting minimal until she gets stronger.

    Remember, the first couple weeks are the most critical, keep it simple. Make sure shes comfortable and soon shell be strong enough to kick into second gear.

    If you should be concerned with anything at this point, its that you dont overwater her, and hope those little roots can push through!
     
  10. Thanks for the comment. I've been pretty meticulous in making sure she only gets a small amount of water each day so that her soil stays moist, not wet.
     
  11. Updated with day 6 photos.

    [​IMG]

    This is a totally unscientific observation but it seems that after I installed the 2700k bulb, growth rate increased dramatically. She's now just over 1" high with a leaf span of 1.5". A new set of leaves has also appeared overnight.

    [​IMG]

    I have noticed some browning on the tips of her largest leaves. I noticed this days earlier but it's becoming more obvious as she has grown. Is this natural? I tested the PH level of the soil and we're still slightly acidic and I'm certainly not over watering her. Temps inside the grow box are stable and it doesn't get hot enough for any burning, even right next to the bulbs.

    .
     
  12. How close are your lights? I experienced something similar when my plants were around the same age.

    It pretty much stunted 4 of my plants (just a bit), but they all recovered.

    Also, those burnt leaves turned white/crusty soon after - heres a pic of what I had:

    [​IMG]

    Looks like the same thing right?
     
  13. Hmm... it doesn't look quite the same but it probably is. I pulled back the plant another 2 inches so hopefully that will solve the problem. Thanks a lot for following my journal and giving me advice.
     
  14. So it's NL5xHaze?
     
  15. Updated with day 9 photo. I'm amazed at how fast she's growing.

    [​IMG]
     
  16. [quote name='7D60p']Updated with day 9 photo. I'm amazed at how fast she's growing.

    Nice, love the high quality pics (can definitely tell your shooting with a DSLR).

    Noticing much change on that burnt tips issue? In the above shot it doesn't really look like what I was experiencing. I would suspect nute burn (but not even sure on that since I've never experienced that)

    Regardless, as long as shes growing and the issue isnt, you'll be fine.

    Finally - thats a female right?
     
  17. #18 7D60p, Sep 23, 2010
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 23, 2010
    Thanks. I don't think it's nute burn because I'm not giving her nutes right now. It's bizarre. The browning isn't really getting any larger but it's also not going away. Plus, none of the other leaves have it.
    The seed is feminized so I hope it's a female!
     
  18. #19 7D60p, Sep 26, 2010
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 26, 2010
    Day 13 - I was very busy the last few days and was really impressed with her growth when I finally had a chance to look her over. I lowered the plant from the lights and turned on two more 24watt CFLs. PH tested and we're still slightly acidic. I intend to move her over to a larger pot in the next day or so with some perlite mixed soil. The leaves with the browning tips appear to be dying. There is now yellowing on the rest of the leaves and I figure it's only a matter of time before they shrivel up.

    [​IMG]
     
  19. Day 21

    I haven't posted in a while and there have been some big changes. The plant is doing great. The dying leaves that I was worried about turned out to be totally natural. Once the leaves had died enough, new leaves began to grow in the same place (Pictured Below). I decided to give the plant a little help and trimmed the dying leaves. I also transplanted her into a much larger pot with perlite mixed soil. Currently she stands 3.5" tall with a 5" leaf span.

    I'm contemplating doing some low stress training to hopefully get a much larger yield. What do you think?

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
     

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