Hi everybody! I gotta say, this site is really amazing. I'm starting a grow journal here in the hopes that a little bit of the grow magic around here rubs off. So first and foremost I want any and all advice any of yall would be kind enough to offer. Now to the details: I germinated two seeds (strain: ICE [feminized], vendor: NIRVANA) in a folded sponge which I sprayed periodically with tap water (and let it sit out to get rid of the chlorine) and kept in a desk drawer. Now I've got each seed planted in a solo cup with miracle grow "seed starting" potting mix. Soil was soaked before planting and I've given a light spray once a day. They've been in the soil for approx. a day now. I'm using four 23w CFL bulbs (6500 K) for the seedlings and veg stage, and I'm going to switch to the 400w HPS light for flowering. Below is a photo of my current set up. One of the CFLs is out of the picture (moved it to see the cups). I've got the rig in a small (approx. 2.5' x 3.5' x 7') closet, which was conveniently already painted white. I painted the cardboard box white to reflect light and am using metal reflectors on the four CFLs to direct more light to the plants. I also have a small oscillating fan set up on one side of the box with an opening (not air-tight) for ventiliation. I guess that's pretty much it, again I would really appreciate any feedback, especially on lighting, ventiliation and fertilizers (later in the game I guess...). Anyways, if you made it this far thanks for reading and stay green
Hey man I'm growing the same strain/ w T5 and 400w hps. Can't wait to see how they turn out. Goodluck bro. I'm subbed
Forgot to add, see if you can get some better soil for your seedlings, mine were sensitive to nutes, I'm using ffof soil right now with general hydroponic flora series nutes, and they seem to be loving that.
The CFL's will do better without the reflectors and being placed perpendicular to the soil level. CFL bulbs output the most light from the sides. I think you'll get better light coverage that way.
@bones - hey man, good luck with your grow as well! and thanks for the suggestion. I actually had originally intended on getting ffof soil but i couldn't find it anywhere around my town :/ i'll probably just end up ordering online, it seems to be what a lot of people use. @MM - that's a good idea i'll work on rigging the lights better. Also another question, since you seem to know about CFLs, do you think the four bulbs I have right now will be sufficient through the entire veg stage? Or would a few more make a big difference? Thanks!
92 Watts is ok, I'd say. More wattage would ensure a shorter veg time. Maybe get a T12 shop light type fixture. (they are quite cheap) T5's would be a better choice, but the cost is more. I wouldn't rush out to get more lighting right away. Seedlings will be fine with what you have, wait a couple weeks and if they aren't really taking off, more lighting may be recommended. Hope that helps.
Thanks again MM, I'll be looking into a T12 or T5 for later down the road. In the meantime I've got good news, my first plant (it's technically about 24 hrs ahead of the second plant) just sprouted!! Stay tuned for more...
I've got a quick question for anyone out there. My first seedling still has the shell of the seed over two of its leaves, but the two leaves that have unfurled are looking very healthy and are growing very fast. Would it be better to leave the seed shell on the plant until it naturally shakes it off? Or can i take it off so as to provide more light to the actual leaves?? Thanks!
Ah...a shellhead. I say let it be, unless it's still hanging around tomorrow. If it's still around then, you can CAREFULLY use something to pry it off.
you're a lifesaver MM thanks again *bows down* O and btw I was just checking out your "first soil grow," and nice job! I hope my grow goes as well as yours did
Update! Four days later and ice #1 is looking good (I think lol). Ice #2 however, which is only about a day behind #1, is not looking too hot. I've been scouring the net for problems associated with seedlings but I'm really not sure why it's growing so much slower than #1. Anybody have any advice given the pic below? I'm on a 24 hour light schedule with four 26 watt CFLs (6500 K) and a small oscillating fan for ventilation. The soil is Miracle Gro seed starting potting mix and I'm watering with tap water (left out 24hr to get rid of chlorine) very sparingly (I check the soil surface and use my finger to check a few inches down for dryness). Thanks alot for checking out my grow journal and stay greeeeeen!
P.S. - sorry that the pictures are huge (and rotated? not sure how that happened - damn image hosting site...) but I feel like that'll help to see the plants better.
Ay bro any update on the Ice! I just threw mine into flowering after it showed pre flowers. It's about 13" I heard these get up to 36". But well see. How long do you plan on vegging?
Hey man! Thanks for posting, I almost forgot about this (been busy looking for jobs). It's about three weeks since sprouting and the ice is looking good! About 5.5 in tall and the leaves have really nice color and are not droopy or burned or anything. I'm not actually sure how long I'm going to keep it in veg, any suggestions on that front? Also I'll get a nice pic or two up soon. She's looking worlds better than the last update!
My closet is around 7-8 ft. tall, and I'm just trying to get a good yield. If taller equals better then I'll go as tall as the plant can haha. Bones did you do anything to keep your plant at 13" or is that likely where I'll see the plant's sex as well? Also check the pics below: the plant the top view close up of a nice looking new leaf the whole set up Does the plant look healthy and happy for the most part? I know that some of the lower leaves look sorta bad but I think that was from transplanting and getting shocked by new nutrients (in the soil). Thanks again for checkin my journal out everybody
i think the reason your plant looks a little different could be cause you have your lights so close, i think it makes your plant bushier, which isnt a bad thing. but they might be different phenotypes, ive seen a purple one in another grow. anyways yeah man that shit looks healthy. I didn't really do anything really, my lights were about 5-7 in. above my plants, from day 1 it grew super quick, i was surprised to see the female pre-flowers, they showed up outta the blue but it couldve been cause it was pot bound for about a week. Does yours stink? mine smelled like dank all threw veg. especially if you rubbed the stem. good luck bro
That makes sense, about the lighting and height of plant. I think I'm gonna raise my cfls up a little bit to get some more vertical growth goin. I also just got back from lowes and picked up a 65 watt 2700K sprial CFL (it looks ridiculously huge haha) that fits in a normal fixture. My hope is that a big ass 2700k light mixed with the four 23w 6500k lights will give the plant a good balance on the light spectrum. A pic of the new light set up is below, what you think? Also, yea this plant has been stanky as hell for the last week or so, but you won't hear me complaining
Wats up GC, just a quick update. It's crazy how fast this plant has been growing, and I think in another week or so I'm gonna switch the lights to 12/12 with the 400 hps I have. Does this sound about right given its 27 days from seed today?(see pics below) O and I also just got the fox farms trio of ferts (big bloom, grow big and tiger bloom) and I'm planning on starting these on my modified version of the the foxfarms nutes schedule. 3-4 weeks in sounds good to start ferts right? Anyways, enjoy the fotos Thanks for stoppin in and feel free to give advice where necessary!
Hey man looking good, how tall is it? i would start giving it grow nutes now until you start flowering and continue them for like a week into flowering, then switch to bloom.