Any Tips For My Babys?

Discussion in 'Advanced Growing Techniques' started by LobsterKush, Jul 29, 2016.

  1. Hey guys! Just started a half indoor, half outdoor grow! I have my seedlings in cups right now, about a inch long. They are on the outside of my window in between the window and a screen. They are growing like crazy! Each one is an experiment.
    This picture is my weirder one! I have layers; soil, shredded paper towels, soil, shredded paper towels, ect... For some reason, the plant loves it! It's way bigger than the others, and for being 3 days young, look at all the tricomes.
    Anyway! Question being, I don't have alot of money to buy these foxfarm nutrients, and I can't control the PH level of my feeding process. I am just using tap water and nature sun. Let's make this a huge open discussion, what can I use for nutrients from my kitchen? Food, ect.. what are the cheapest but best light bulbs for 4 plants, or at least one(incase I loose a couple), and finally, what should I do on a day to day basis? I give them a good mist when hot! And I also don't water until its light and dry a inch under the soil.
    Thank You guys so much for taking the time to help me out! Hope to hear from you soon!
    [​IMG]

    Sent from my SM-N920V using Grasscity Forum mobile app
     
    • Like Like x 1
  2. #2 MultiTech, Jul 30, 2016
    Last edited: Jul 30, 2016
    She looks great and super healthy! Just watch out with misting during hot times if in contact with the sunlight as those water droplets can magnify the Suns rays and burn your babies.
    With your paper towel shreddings, that is cool just as long as they are not designs that are inked on or have scents.
    You can ask the city what the ph is and analysis of your water. They will do it for free. After knowing that it will be much more easy to help you with the ph issues which may or may not arise in your situation.
    When it comes to home items you can use to nourish your babes, think organic and think tea. With a little research you can find some amazing teas you can produce from your leftover foods or just good extra components.
    Good example for your calcium needs should your local water not have sufficient calcium is a good ol' egg shell brew. Amazing. Also veggies, fruits, grains, other plants, natural sugars (honey, blackstrap molasses). All work great for your gals.
    When eventually transplanting into your final pot which they will flower in, maybe think about burying some dried banana peels in the bottom 1/3 of the pot. They will love that extra boost of potassium and phosphorus when the roots hit that spot during flowering.
    Other great things you can amend into your soils before transplant are shells (oysters, crab, lobster, clams, egg). These all work great for drainage as well as supplying beneficial nutrients throughout your chicks cycles.
    If your tap water turns out to be alkaline 7.1+ you can use white or apple cider vinegar to easily lower the ph to a suitable level. Just a few drops will do ya. Also if it turns out your ph is between 6.5-7.0 through your tap (after city analysis) then you are just fine with the water as is.
    I do recommend buying a pool ph kit. Costs around 2-3 bucks. It will test the ph and chlorine/bromine levels of your water with a couple drops and it is color coded. Very simple to use.
    A quick hint towards using tap water when it is city treated. Think in advance and fill up a 5 gallon bucket should you choose and let the water sit out open for 24-48 hours as treated water has chlorine which will dissipate over the 24-48 hours making it much more safe for your gals.
    How do you plan to set up your indoor space? I will be able to give more solid advice in reference to lighting if I know your specs and budget.
    I can recommend very economical ways to utilize your lighting for best results but we will get to that once we nail a couple more thugs as we go along.

    I look forward to this journey into the unknown with you. And no worries, if it gets dark, I will flip on a switch for ya.

    Saludos!


    Full training, indoor hydro.
     
    • Like Like x 1
  3. Thank you so much! I did do some research on teas and I do have a box they say will work, all organic!
    My plan for the box was to find the biggest box I could and line it with tinfoil or an emergency blanket I have. I do have a good fan and will be able to have good circulation. I really want to try out that co2 idea you told sesh.... not so much thought. I am thinking about training the canopies as well so they won't get to tall, I'm open for opinions.
    For budget, I just started a new job so need to get my first paycheck to see where I sit, but honestly if you can help me go cheap I'm willing to buy. But lighting, I have to stick with bulbs and splitters.

    ?s what type of bulbs? How many for 1 plant, isn't it 50w per plant(at least)

    Sent from my SM-N920V using Grasscity Forum mobile app
     
    • Like Like x 1
  4. So many questions, but also main one is how long should I keep them going outside? Should I put them in at night? Should I cover them? Temps have been getting to 102(such as today)

    Sent from my SM-N920V using Grasscity Forum mobile app
     
  5. On a day to day basis read how to grow . No reason to pH anything in soil growing as the soil buffers automatically .No pH kit needed , let water sit a day if you have city water . If you have well water ,right from the tap , or let it warm up .
    You could buy Tomato Fertilizer .its cheap . Only give nutrients when needed to avoid over feeding. DO NOT OVER WATER . Lift your planter to tell if watering is needed . Cannabis likes a wet / dry cycle Your water most likely has enough calcium .. Besides by the time the egg shells break down into usable Calcium your grow will be over The more different junk you add the more things to go wrong , and then try to figure out what additive was responsible . "With your paper towel shreddings, that is cool just as long as they are not designs that are inked " If the paper towel is safe for me , it will be safe for plants .. The inks are soy based as are newspapers. .Co2 is a poor idea . For growers using lower powered grow lights (like CFLs or fluorescents), there's often more than enough CO2 in regular fresh air for your plants to be able to process all the light they're being given. If your plant doesn't need more CO2, it won't help very much to add more because they've already got more CO2 than they can use. If you want to add better drainage I suggest a bag of Perlite to mix with your soil . Add 25 % Perlite . For lighting I suggest you look on ebay at LED lights , (not LED bulbs which are useless) .. A good light is needed to have good results, I suggest about a 300 watt full spectrum LED . By the time you buy sockets and CFL bulbs for grow cycle and different bulbs for flower cycle and make a big ass contraption that will be a fire hazzard , CFLs are only effective within a couple inches of the plant . CFLs are most effective in small micro grows ,computer cases , and small grow boxes . Molasses can be great soil additive as it feeds the micro heard ..But learn how to use it correctly .. Your plants need 18 hours of light . If your plants are outside and you bring them in you are also bringing in pests in your soil and on your plants . For a beginner use the KISS approach Keep It Simple Stupid .
     
    • Like Like x 2
  6. That is some great info Dickie! Al though there are a few things I would like to address.

    -Soil will only buffer the pH to a point. Many city water treatment centers have a high alkalinity when the water leaves your tap. Smaller the pot smaller the buffering capabilities as well.
    -egg shell tea is great and the process allows the nutrients to be broken down more quickly and thus more readily available.
    -CFLs are fantastic when used correctly. 32w 6500k with a few 2700k mixed in works wonders, of course that is only my experience in around 250 grows using them in different applications from single plant to multi-scrog / sog applications. Tubes are great also and I highly recommend them especially if you can mount a couple for the sides of your gal or under the canopy. I use t8 but many people believe that t5's are more efficient. Which for the most part the are although producing more heat than their cousin the t8. LEDs are fine if you want to dish out more money for something that is not as efficient when it comes to Lm (Lumen) per watt. There is no way you can compare the LED with Fluorescents, HPS, MH or even MV on a watt for watt comparison.
    -CO2 is great in any growing situation wether mall box, closet, or larger cash crop warehouses. The best PPM for CO2 levels are between 1200-1500 PPM. The air we breath contains roughly 400 PPM so anything you give your babes up to the 1500 PPM level (depending on strain) is great for her. They take in CO2 and release O2. Also another key note on CO2 is the impact it has on the plants ability to withstand higher temperatures than normal. Upwards of 35-38c . But that is only through my many applications of regulated and unregulated CO2 from tanks to 1lt. Bottles with a CO2 yeast producing live environment.
    -Perlite is a great addition to soil and helps with moisture absorption and allows oxygen to reach the roots more efficiently, that I totally agree with you on and a great point!
    -Tomato ferts I would never recommend to any grower looking to learn about their babies and really see the different transitions she has. But that is just my opinion as is everything I said.

    *Asking for help for an economical grow that will turn turn into a success*

    -Saludos




    Full training, indoor hydro.
     
  7. Disadvantages of Adding Extra CO2
    • Not As Effective If You Don't Have Bright Grow Lights - As far as light intensity is concerned, you probably need either MH/HPS or strong LED grow lights to produce bright enough light for your plant to be able to use the extra CO2. CFLs and T5s probably aren't bright enough to get great results with CO2.

    • May Need to Seal the Grow Area - Although adding just a little CO2 doesn't require a sealed room, when trying to maintain very high levels of CO2 (like 1200-1500 PPM) you probably need to seal up grow area so it’s airtight in order to prevent CO2 from leaking out.
    • Cost of Adding Extra CO2 - It can be expensive to get started if you want to inject a whole lot of CO2 into your grow area, for example in big grow operations. The cheapest ways to add CO2 are actually not very good at providing a lot of CO2 over time, but can be a great way to "dip your feet" and try CO2 out. The best CO2 setups in the long run are a bit more pricey to get started with, though they become a lot cheaper once you've got your initial supplies. CO2 supplementation works best when everything else in the grow space has already been optimized, and for most growers, a little optimization may result in even bigger returns on yields than adding CO2!
      *Asking for help for an economical grow that will turn turn into a success*
    • Respect
     
  8. Just keep in mind that when switching to flower, 12/12 (light/dark), your chicks are going to stretch out 2-3 times their size in a matter of 2-4 weeks so be prepared for this and plan accordingly with your lighting setup, air circulation and exhaust as well as easy access to you gal once she fills in.

    Saludos!


    Full training, indoor hydro.
     
  9. Once again, great info but I think you are missing the point of lobsters question. He or she is asking about an economical grow and i do not not see where fully injecting CO2 into a room or the costs of that are prudent in this application. A small 2lt bottle can produce enough CO2 for a small area of 1 or 2 plants while not being inclosed.

    Here ya go, you can see the black tubes around these gals. Hooked up to a two liter bottle with a yeast, water, honey mixture which produces a great deal of CO2 when used properly. This is with 6 32w t8 6500k fluorescents which produce 2700Lm each. Without the added CO2 the growth of these chicks would not have been so significant. This is a two week growth transition:

    [​IMG][​IMG][​IMG][​IMG][​IMG][​IMG][​IMG]

    I do like hearing others thoughts and opinions and really do enjoy learning others methods and techniques but are you speaking from your experiences in this trade or from reading and others?

    Let's set people up for success and not frustration and failed grows.

    Of course this is all just my opinion and I do respect yours as well Dickie.

    Saludos and looking forward to the next battle of the green!


    Full training, indoor hydro.
     
  10. [​IMG] this is the one in the first picture earlier today. Is it still looking healthy? I gave them their first feed with just water.
    When should I be feeding them nutrients? I can't get anything for another two weeks (payday). Any advice for now?
    Is the white color okay towards the top of the plant?
    Thank you both so much for the advice and help, would love for everyone to follow me on my journey
    And also, any options to kinda speed things up? How much should my plant yeild(for the way I'm doing this)?
    [​IMG]

    *Success is my goal!

    Sent from my SM-N920V using Grasscity Forum mobile app
     
    • Like Like x 1
  11. Don't know if you got what I said today or if I have to tag you to see^^^^^^

    Sent from my SM-N920V using Grasscity Forum mobile app
     
  12. Hi lobster!
    Your babes look great. You should be fine with just water for the next week or two if your babe is taking it easy and depending on your soil mix.
    When you do start feeding them, start out with a solution around 250-400 PPM with a bit higher N (nitrogen) content. Maybe a 2-1-1 formula will work for ya. Watch the leaf tips. If they start to brown, turn yellow or really look like claws, back off the nutes.
    After the first week or two of 250-400 you can try boosting your nutes up closer to 450-550 depending on how your gals are doing. Once in full veg, roughly 2-3 weeks of growth, you can give them something around 600-900 depending once again on how they are doing and strains.
    Only give nutes maybe once every 12-14 days if not using a fully amended soil for your grow. Many times use half of the recommended dosage for nutrients until your chicks are in tune to them. Then you can gradually build up to full strength over a short period.

    As far as yield goes, it is impossible to give you an accurate number as your experience is not very high. A good number to shoot for as a first the grower would be an ounce (28g) of dry quality flowers per plant. If you get more on your first run, that is great!
    More times than not, a first timer will not have a high quality end product do to various reasons, plant stress, lack of sufficient lighting and/or lumens (Lm), bad soil mix, wrong nutrients, lack of knowledge in growth phases and flowering phases, drying, curing etc.
    Do not be disappointed if your first run buds taste and smell like hay. It is just a matter of getting the knowledge, putting it to use, finding what works best for you within your budget, location and local laws or lack there of.
    We'll give you the knowledge to get there but it is up to you to harness the knowledge and do your research.
    :)

    Saludos!


    Full training, indoor hydro.
     
    • Like Like x 1

Share This Page