FIRST GROW + PICTURES, auto white widow fem

Hey all,

This is my first post ever as a long-time browser of these forums and relatively new member. 10 days ago I started my first grow, using autoflowering feminized white widow seeds in a 2 ft. tall indoor hydroponic grow box (pictured below).


I am making sure to do everything according to a grow-guide I wrote for use with this particular type of grow box and plants after doing extensive research (I will publish that guide on here later if details are requested). I planted five plants, and accidentally overdoes them all on nutrients in the early stages of vegetation. 2 out of the five are thriving, they are pictured. In the next pictures I will show all plants, I am about to plant a sixth.

Plant progress so far:

DAY 4:


DAY 10:


DAY 12:

DAY 16


So what do you think my yield will be? What are your questions/comments/suggestions? All are appreciated wish me luck

P.S. Just for the hell of it, here's a picture of a nug of some really good lemon kush I got the other day, beside a funny little clay figurine.


please comment! I will keep this up to date

 

I haven't been trying to balance pH, I don't have a pH tester:/ what is the best way to balance pH in your opinion. And yeah I know seedlings don't want nutes, I have stopped adding them as of now, and the basin is filled with natural well water. I will start adding nutes in moderation after another inch or so of growth. Why can't I shut the door? I am using three CFL, yes, I have three for the veg stage and three for flowering, I also have growing and flowering nutes seperate.

I am considering building a larger flowering box/buying a flowering tent, and moving them into it when they start flowering... thoughts?

 

The water is being aerated (that's what the tube in the first picture does). I'll get a meter (cheap one, I'm on a budget), but why calibration packets? will I need to keep getting them? why?

 

Okay will do. how should I balance the pH though?

 

thanks for stopping by Phyto. I'm posting a new picture shortly, the two plants are doing very well. heisenbud, I still have to buy the pH meter/calibrator/adjuster, but I plan on it. It's just a matter of finances, as currently I am saving up to buy the parts to build a second box for flowering, which would be 4ft tall rather than 2ft. I have already bought the reflective interior I plan on using, which is the 96% reflective highly-insulating Reflectix, pictured in the grow box I am currently using (Products | Double Reflective Insulation). Hopefully I'll have it built by the time this plant flowers, but it's an autoflower. What do you think?

 

I will be updating pictures through the original post by editing it. By the way, here's the guide I am following if you're interested:

Materials
Grow Box:
2 Fan Screens
2 Hinges
2 Latches
3 Daylight/Blue (6500k) CFL Bulbs
3 Soft White/Red (2700k) CFL Bulbs
3-Socket Fixture
6 Net Pots
Air Pump
Carbon Filter
Foil Tape
Gorilla Tape
Intake and Exhaust Fans
Knob
Plywood
Reflectix/Mylar
Reservoir
Rockwool
Timer

Equipment:
96% Rubbing Alcohol
Mason Jars
pH Calibrator/Up/Down
pH Meter
Rooting Gel
Seeds
Single-Edge Razor Blades
Spray Bottle
Surgical Gloves
Trichome 30x Magnifying Glass
Trimming/Harvesting Scissors
Vegetative & Flowering Nutrients
Water (pH 5.8-6.0)

Preparation
When purchasing seeds and equipment pay in cash only when in store, and with prepaid and anonymous American Express or MasterCard gift cards online—these come in denominations up to $200 (in retail stores like Wal-Mart) and can be used like regular credit cards, as you can register a name and address to them using your card number and their website.
Do not register your name and address to the card—have your seeds and equipment delivered to a close friend or relative’s house, not yours. Do not tell them what is being delivered; simply tell them that you are having something delivered there. Never use a fake name or a vacant address—the postman knows if and who lives at the locations on his route.
When ordering online, use secure, private (history unrecorded) browsing on a computer whose IP address is not registered to you. This could be a public university, library, or business computer, or a computer which you bought used and on the “informal economy” (no information of yours was recorded for tax/legal purposes).

For reference:
Vegetative Bulbs - Daylight/Blue (6500k) CFL Bulbs
Flowering Bulbs - Soft White/Red (2700k) CFL Bulbs

Germination
Make sure your location is contaminant free and sterile, as are you. Take the contents out of the box, so that the hydroponic system is on the bottom and plug in the pump. Let the Rockwool discs rest in water for 15 minutes, and then insert them into the net pots, they will moisten and expand. Insert your seeds and fill with water to the bottom of the net pots. After 24-36 hours of complete darkness, plug in the box and begin the light schedule using a timer. In your autoflowering plants, use a 24/0 and 18/6 schedule for the veg and flower phases respectively. Keep sponges wet with a spray bottle the first week of growth.

Vegetation
After the plants have grown to about 3-4 inches, begin adding nutrient enriched water. Mix in 1 teaspoon of vegetative nutrients per gallon of water. You will do the same with the flowering nutrients when the time has come. Every 4-5 days (or every few inches of growth), pour ⅛ - ¼ of a cup of this nutrient mixture into the basin (you can pour it directly on the cubes). Remember - less is better than more. They will grow no matter what, so do not overdose them especially in the earliest vegetative stages. If the plants show discoloration on the edges of the leaves, discontinue nutrient use for a couple days. Dump the reservoir water every 3 weeks. The water level should be at the bottom of the net pots throughout the grow, and the pH should be kept between 5.8-6.0. The roots will grow into the basin, and they will strive to get there so there is no need to overfill basin to keep cubes wet. Allow the plants to have about 3-4 leaf branches and to be at least 10 inches tall before switching to your flowering lights and nutrients.

Cloning
Cloning should be done before the signs of flowering emerge, and before the lights and nutrients are changed for the flowering stage in autoflowering plants. This will allow the clones to be in the vegetative stage to begin with, so that they don’t have to revert from the flowering stage—greatly reducing the clone recovery time.
It is important when preparing to clone your plant that everything be sterile. This includes you. If you don't use surgical gloves, then wash your hands and tools well with rubbing alcohol. Remove some rooting gel from its container using your razor blade or knife. This protects the gel from any contamination. Work hard not to contaminate your jar. Take a small amount off the cover with our razor blade and then seal our rooting gel and put it away. You will find it can last until you finish it (with proper care and minimal waste). Once you remove some gel from the container, do not put any remainder back in the jar: use as much as you can and dispose of the balance.
Now take your clean razor and head over to your Mother Plant chose a sprout to cut near the bottom of the plant. Make a nice clean cut at diagonal angle, not a straight cut. Be gentle with your clone leaves and do not touch the new cut end of the sprout. Slice off the larger leaves that are close to the bottom of our clone sprout - this promotes root growth. Take your rooting gel and generously apply it to the root tip and all the way up to the other cuts.
Once the clone is prepared, simply place it in the sixth net pot. Use the regular vegetative lighting schedule. Besides watering your new clone, be sure and spray it for a couple of days. It likes the moisture while it tries to re-root. Only use water at this point in the process (no nutrients), let the root gel do the rest. Once roots have been established, nutrient mixture may be used as directed.

Flowering
This part is simple. Just change the light bulbs and your nutrient mix, keep the pH of the reservoir between 5.8-6.0, and watch your plants begin flowering. Make sure to keep them in a low stress environment, set the timer to allow 6 hours of darkness each day beginning and ending at the same time to mimic the natural environment (switch from 24/0 to 18/6, even though this is not required in autoflowering plants).
In terms of trimming/pruning the plants, many recommend trimming off the lower down fan leaves, as it will concentrate growth on the buds (flowers). However this adds stress to the plant and should be done sparingly or not at all, especially in a grow box featuring a highly reflective interior in which light can usually reach all parts of the plant.
In this stage, it is especially important to keep toxins and contaminants away from your plants. NEVER use industrial insecticides on your plants, it is toxic to both the plant and to you once you are consuming it. Never smoke cigarettes near your plants and do not handle your plants if you do smoke cigarettes—nicotine is poisonous to cannabis, and it coats a smoker’s hands. Remember to stop feeding your plants nutrient mix within two weeks of harvesting.

Harvesting & Curing
At the first signs of milkiness in the trichomes, start watering the plants with pure water (no nutrients), so that the final product burns well and tastes good. When the trichomes have turned milky white (versus translucent), but have not yet begun to oxidize (turn amber), and the small hairs have begun to turn orange, brown or reddish in color, it is time to harvest. You have a window of 5-7 days for peak harvest and potency. The more amber the trichomes become, the higher the CBN (cannabidiol) level in the buds; making the resulting high more fatigue-inducing. Harvest the buds day by day and plant by plant to ensure that you have buds from all the stages of maturation, and because different plants may mature at different speeds.
Once you have harvested the buds (flowers), begin trimming off the leaves immediately, as this is when they are most dense and pliable. Remove all the large leaves right to the stem and trim off the leaf tips that are all around the buds themselves. Hang the buds in a well-ventilated, dry (not humid) room kept between 68-72 degrees Fahrenheit, free of contaminants, mold, and insects. After 1-2 weeks, seal the buds in mason jars with small holes in the lids to cure them; they can be left there for storage.
For speed drying, which is never the best option, the ideal method is with a food dehydrator over a period of about 1-2 hours. Ovens and heat-intensive lights will ruin the taste and texture of the buds while also vaporizing some of the THC. The best method of storage is in glass mason jars or dark paper bags sealed within plastic sealable bags. Plastic is static, and will actually attract the trichomes, breaking them off and lowering the potency of the bud, so storage directly in plastic bags in not recommended. NEVER freeze your bud—it is a myth that this a good means of storage. The trichomes will freeze and break off, again lowering the potency of the bud. However a cool, dry, unmoving location is ideal.

 

**UPDATE: If anyone is still interested in this grow, here is an update on the progress of the two ladies:

 

Thanks for taking a look, Weedmasta! Interesting not on the subject of pH/water. I use only well water, problem is, I don't know the pH or mineral content of the water I'm using. I still haven't gotten around to getting a pH meter... gotta wait for that next paycheck. Any stores you know of that sell them so I don't have to get it online?

 

Thanks stealth! I'm hoping it turns out nice, I am new to growing, and while I thought I had done all the research necessary there's always room to fuck shit up, so we'll see.

I'm guessing I'll have to get one online, unfortunately. Aint shit around here, I'd have to drive an hour to find a hydro store. I might try walmart just for the hell of it. So by flush, you are referring to the period ≈two weeks before harvest? Do you really think it would take all of 10 gallons, and is using distilled water in the stage necessary (rephrase: how would not using it affect the plants?) Thanks for the input!

 

yeah man but my grow is soiless... it's hydroponic