Hey all. Long time listener, first time caller. Decided this year to give growing a shot. Didn’t want to get too involved via time or money so I’ve tried to keep it minimalistic. I have 5 outdoor plants of varying levels of success, and I’m flowering one plant indoors early.
Had to purchase an optic xl since the weather was so crummy this spring. Had too much stretch going on early. Had them in the garage and decided to build a very small very cheap shed to use as a starter room and maybe occasional winter grow.
Got the seeds from illvegrowingmarijuana.com Was very unsure how that would go but pretty easy. Decided on Durban poison because I wanted something uplifting, easy to grow, and wanted to try outdoors. The site kinda walked me through it.
Looking good mate, although i would get more perlite in those pots for root oxygenation/development and drainage. I assume you will be changing that light for flower.... (what light is it)? Also, you will need an oscillating fan in there mate for air circulation - Is there an intake/extraction in your set up?
I had some issues with clawing early on. Bought a ph tester consisting of a vial and some drops. Decided it may be excess N, and PH issues. Flushed with water, drilled waaaay more holes in bottom of bucket, and added some ashes from the wood stove to correct PH and it seemed to help.
Didn’t want to spend too much money on nutrients so I tried to start with cheap, but still ok soil. Used perlite, peat, natural soil, and MG. My backyard is pretty boggy, so I wanted to see how rich the soil was for this growing applications. I also wanted to see how the plants would grow near or in the swamp. It dries up halfway through summer.
So far I’ve used only half a bottle of fox farms big bloom and some good old fashioned urine. I’ve really experimented with different soils in each container and I’ve learned a bit. Haven’t used anything crazy like bone meal or kelp or anything. Just soils from different areas of the yard.
I’ve decided that with the insect population in the swamp it is not a good idea to have the plants in there. Seeing lots of damage, but the plants seems strong enough to not be decimated. I’ve moved them closer to the deck, drowned them with water and seeing more growth and renewed health.
And again as you can see, a pretty ugly lst because I started so late. Wasn’t sure if I was gonna train at all but after seeing it start to bloom I think it was a mistake to not train all the plants. Overall it’s been a fun learning experience, especially watching all you guys. Anyone have any tips or tricks to share I’d love to hear from you. That includes any criticism as well. It’s been a great hobby and I’d love to keep getting better at it.
Thanks for the info! I’ve got pebble rock in the bottom with some perlite mixed in. All pots are varied a little to see what works best. But it was still not good enough. That’s when I decided to drill many many holes in the bottom of the buckets. The light is an optic 1 xl and it says it’s good for both veg and bloom. Any thoughts on it? As far as the fan I keep the door open during the day and I have that cheap box fan in there. Think that will work or would small oscillator mounted up top and pointing down be better, or both? Ventilation may be the weak point right now. There is an opening at the top where the light is mounted (does not allow light leaks) and it works as an exhaust port. Behind the fan are half inch holes with pvc tubes painted black to allow air intake without light leaks. Also right now the fan is on the same timer as the fan. Should I have the fan on 24/7 or is 12/12 ok with the light?
Pleasure bro - The holes will certainly help the drainage (probably why they clawed early on) - Perlite is key though for growth. I would certainly upgrade the light for bloom mate - Do you know the lumen output? (I use a 600w HPS dual spectrum, which puts out around 90,000 lumen) You want to be around that output ideally for best results. I would get a fan in there mate - Mounted is fine! Having a door open wont have the same benefits mate.(the fan also strengthens the stem/plant)...I keep my fan/and extraction on 24/7!!!! Doesn't cost much more on electric mate.
Hmm, that’s a good question. I don’t know that the manufacturer gives that spec. It is listed as 3500k spectrum, 100 watt draw COB LED. It says that it will flower a 2x2 area and lists a yield of up to 200 grams. Ive tried to keep the spread of the plant to match that 2x2 area. Maybe someone here has some more knowledge on the COB LED’s? I was attracted to this model since it was cheap ($200), had a 10 year warranty with no new bulbs required, and that it would mainly work as an incubator light, but could flower as closet grow as well. I have not seen to many of these lights on the forums here so I am a little curious as to what people think about them.
Cob(chip on board) is good too,, ive seen reviews and grows on utube and they grow good looking bud if ur in a 2x2 i say go for it and smash it man. Sent from my SM-J727P using Tapatalk
That light is good for 2x2 foot space yeah. 100w actual power draw. That's a well known manufacturer aswell so should last. Hope it all goes well for you!
You could do DIY cobs too to save money. COBs arent as efficient as the highest end leds but are a really good value. Heatsinks are easy to find COBs you can get name brand through distribution and risk it and buy from china. You can find optics too. Found a blowout on 10w channel power supplies if you did a bunch of 10W COBs. Lot of 26 Honeywell 20W LED Driver HLD-2 (10W x 2 ) | eBay Have no use but thought maybe someone could use em. Or you could buy meanwell supplies pretty easily
The girls are coming along nicely. The outdoor ladies are pretty much bullet proof. Sprayed with need a few times and moved them on the deck to keep the hoppers away. The indoor girl has been struggling with some hot soil. The liquid ph tester is for sure not gonna cut it. Lots of yellowing leaves and a slight touch of cal/mag def. was gonna panic but I’ve seen here from you guys that it’s normal to start dropping some leaves as the buds start to fatten up. Decided to thin her out and got rid of some of the lower tiny growths. Threw them in the dehydrator overnight and smoked. Good buzz but man it tasted like shit. Guessing the whole curing process is gonna be a must. Sent from my iPad using Grasscity Forum