Hello everyone! I've been prowling around this site for months now. Its finally time. I've started my first grow! I thought I'd keep a journal, since they've been so helpful to me in my research. Here's the rundown: Lowryder 2 3 plants goal 5 seeds CFL: 180 watts of 65k (4 45 watt bulbs) 220 watts of 27k (4 42 watts on top, 2 26 watt on sides) Soil grow, Fox Farms Ocean Floor. Big 3 F.F. nutes PH kit Digital thermometer/hygrometer 3 gallon buckets 4" booster fan 3, 2" intakes diy carbon filter 2 computer fans I made as stealth cabinet from an armoire and it is sweet! Check it out (In the pics the carbon filter has been sitting out for years, I'll break out a fresh one when the time comes. -Cheers! Just an unassuming cabinet in a basement. That is, until its opened...
I'm going to germinate 5 of my 10 seeds. I'm a little concerned because they are a few years old. Its a long story, but I know they were kept in a closed coffee can at least. I'm hoping for 3 females and 1 male to collect pollen to makes some fresh seeds on a few designated buds. I put them in the paper damp paper towel in a tupperware last night.
Last night when I got home from work my concerns about using old seeds subsided, 3 out of 5 cracked after 48 hours! There are 2 fat seeds, 2 medium, and 1 small. One fat and two medium cracked, the second fat one looks like its about to pop, the small not so much. The taproot was protruding a tiny bit on two, and still inside on one, I decided to put them in cups, and let the other two sit some more. I washed my hands and filled three 18oz party cups (nine drain hole each) with a 25/75 perlite soil mix over the top. Added room temp spring water until there was runoff and let them sit for fifteen minutes. Then poked a half inch hole in the center of each. I popped the three cracked seeds in taproot down (though they look like the may uncoil some more putting the root on top, probably happens all the time in nature) Now they're bagged and sitting a few inches below 90w of 65k, and 42w of 27k on 24/7. Cant wait to see those sprouts! I have to check around to see if I've got too much light for seedlings (advise!) If all 5 pop I won't have enough room so I'll have to do 2 in 2 quart pitchers.
Work is taking forever today. I'm anxious to get home and see of my two remaining seeds have popped. It'll be 96 hours at that point. I don't really care that much as I don't have the room for them. I was hoping to hedge my bets and choose the three strongest to go in the 3 gallon buckets. Its also pretty important to get one male, to be self sustaining. I'm going to do a bullshit setup in a closet with left over supplies for that scum-bag. It'd be nice to see some cotyledons in the party cups too. 2 more hours blah, oh yeah and my cool-as-shit sober girlfriend got me a vaporizer that I can't get enough of which also makes work take longer, I think she likes living vicariously through me.
Vaping is a different world. I'm still trying to find the sweet spot on the temp knob. All the trial and error is hard work haha. How's the footprint on your smart pots? I'm curious if I can squeeze 4 of them in my cab next time.
So here I am Day 4! Still no sprouts, the wait is agonizing. I'm worried I pre-soaked the soil too much. So to keep myself busy I put together an aeration rig for my water. As I understand it running this sweet baby for 24 hours prior to watering will: max out the O2 Maintain a balanced Ph for a few days after adjusting Promote overall root health Allow for optimum nutrient absortion AND make for bigger yields Check it out:
I was editing them for a bit. The sizing was wacky. I'll check image shack. Thanks. Trying to make this journal detailed.
@joey, that thing is slick man! I may have to get something portable at some point, my girl is cool, but out of courtesy I don't blaze up in any of our main rooms. How do you like it?
In other news. I realized my thermometer was showing me the lowest historical temp not the current, took 4 days to realize it was odd that I was maintaining 76 degrees perfectly. Turns out is more like 88-90 with full power lights yikes! I don't want to spend any more money or re-do all my ventilation. I have a 4" in line duct fan which may be too weak, but the exhaust flow seems pretty good. Tonight I'll try to rig one of my computer fans to vent my light hood via flexible duct to the carbon filter. Hope it works. Will post pics later. Any input would be much appreciated. Also I'm thinking about germing my last five seeds, I'll give it a few more days to see some sprouts.
Try your best to lower those temps. I try to keep my grow tent 68 - 74 though usually 70-74. Anything above 80 I wouldn't do...can bring molds, heat stress, stunted growth and other stuff you really don't want. You could do 80-85 with a good CO2 set up pumping out 1500 ppm, but other than that...lower temps. My last grow I had temps up in the 80-82 range and the buds came out a bit fluffy, not too bad but not perfectly dense.
@rkm Thanks for checking it out. I hope so, if I can get some sprouts so I stop getting stoned obsessing and tweaking every little detail on the cab in preparation haha. @omdogg thanks for the parameters. 68 is probably impossible for the size. Keeping my fingers crossed that reorganizing will save me from buying a pricier fan. Do you think a 4th intake would do anything? I'm already at 7" of passive intake for a 4" exhaust.
