Hey, guys. I decided to start up a grow journal finally. I am growing under a 400w HPS, currently feeding the plants with an all-purpose plant fertilizer equaling 24-8-16 NPK, and foliar feeding a diluted epsom salt (magnesium sulphate) solution with a misting bottle. All plants are from various bag seed, except for one nirvana pure power plant, which I am hoping turns out to be a female. If it ends up being male I plan on using it to manually pollinate a few small buds to cross some decent genetics into the unknown bag seed strains to have some "home-made" seeds for a future grow. I will be buying quality seeds then as well of course, but the idea of crossing a few strains and seeing the results next grow sounds fun to me. All plants were started at different times, and there are currently 18 total -- 6 larger plants, and 12 seedlings, with even more on the way in the coming days. Why so many, you ask? Well, I'm planning on a simultaneous indoor and outdoor grow. Some of the newer seedlings will be making a trip to an outdoor plot in 2 to 3 weeks when I feel they are big enough to take on the wild. I am planning on flowering 3 to 4 girls inside under the HPS, and estimating my outdoor plants will be ready for harvest roughly 2 months after the indoor plants. I will be covering both grows in this thread. I would also like to take clones in a few weeks, so I may begin to LST some of the larger plants soon to promote branching, but I haven't decided yet, so we'll see. A few months ago I started a small grow, but problems arose and I had to get rid of my plants before flowering. So, I have a little experience growing, but this will end up being my first harvest. Over the past few months I have done a LOT of reading and learning, and recently I've spent a lot of time and money on this project. I am confident in my future results. Now it's time to put all of that knowledge and effort to work and gain some experience! (and hopefully some nice buds too) I will be sure to put up plenty of pictures to make the thread more interesting while the grow progresses. Thanks for taking a look. Picture 1: An overview of the grow space. Picture 2: A view from the side under the HPS. Picture 3: The largest plant at the moment, at its 7th node and beginning to push out branches below. Picture 4: A fat indica baby seedling. This one varies from the others so far, appearing to be a pure or mostly indica, while the others all appear to be hybrids balanced or slightly leaning towards the sativa side. Picture 5: Check this out. I have never seen a seedling do this. I know that the picture is blurry and I apologize, but look closely. There are two mysterious white points sticking out by the sides of the first true leaves. They look just like tiny pistils. I know that this isn't the case, but I found it interesting, as it is something I've never seen before. Any ideas?
Hmm. Well, I'll see how it develops. Jeez 26 views and only one reply. C'mon, guys. Here, I'll add some more pictures I took. These are not related to the grow -- just for fun. 1: Close up of a flowering cactus in my yard... I don't know what kind of cactus it is or anything, but I thought it looked pretty. Haha. 2: Close up of a rose, from a bush that has now died off... just a rose bush that sits in the yard that dies off and comes back to life over and over through out the seasons without any attention care given to it. 3: Close up of my marijuana giant. Hah, just kidding... I wish! It's a 30+ ft tall giant bush of bamboo in the corner of my yard. My pops planted that a long time ago... maybe 7 years ago? I'm not sure. It was only around 3 feet tall when it was first planted. Now, it is huge! 4: Another picture of the bamboo from farther away to show how big it really is. I should go chop one of those thick stalks and make a home-made bamboo bong. 5: My cat chillin' on one of my guitar amps. Hope you guys like the pictures. I liked the way some of them turned out, so I wanted to share. The camera is only a crappy 2.2 megapixel digital, but I got some really nice close ups with it with some experimenting. Anyways, I'll be adding more pictures of the grow in maybe a week when it actually looks different. How was everyone's weekend? Any plans for memorial day (here in USA) tomorrow?
Thanks, girl. :] Oh, and my cat is amazing. "Kitty" is her actual name. Haha, never got around to naming her... hah. Small update on the grow: I just took a look at the plants while misting them as they woke up, and a couple of them are starting to form preflowers around the 4th and 5th nodes. I think a few of you might jump at me saying it's too early to tell sex, but if you look up some more info there have been experts who commented saying a lot of plants begin to show preflowers at the 4th or 5th node when the plant is around the 7th or 8th node. This seems to be exactly the case for me. Keep in mind I can't yet see the actual preflowers, but the little flap of foliage that comes out covering them is clearly visible. I spotted two on my largest plant and one on a plant about one node behind. I didn't check all of the plants yet, because I didn't feel like reaching back deep in the closet. However, the little preflowers are still covered up by that flap of foliage and still too small for me to easily pull back and examine the preflower for sex. I may be able to tell in about a week or so. Cross your fingers for me. Hoping for females.
Well, the forum was down for a while. That was weird. Anyways, that seedling that had the two white points sticking out of it is definitely a mutant. It SPROUTED with two nodes already... and the bottom node leaves are mutated strangely... they are almost rectangular and webbed looking. The second pair of leaves looks normal though. That indica seedling I showed a picture of is progressing quickly... It's a lot wider and fatter than any other plants I've seen growing. I' m guessing it is 100% indica. I started LST on two of the plants lastnight. I already can see a little bit of growth on the branches. My goal here is not to create huge bushes... I'm just hurrying the branches growth along. I'd rather have about 6-10 fat colas per plant than 20+ small ones, so, I'm going to release them when the branches will be almost equal to the height of the main stem. If I like the results, I'll probably start training the other plants too. The PPP was started about 10 days after the last of the other 5 larger plants. It's now on its 5th node and growing nicely. Seems like it is growing a bit faster than the others did, but that's probably because the others had some heat stress when they were young that I had to take care of. Hoping this is a nice pheno of the PPP. I'll take more pictures in a few days. edit: oh, P.S. - There is already a faint musty, skunky smell in there... It's not really strong yet, but I can definitely tell it's there when I walk into the closet, and they haven't even started flowering yet... I think some of these are going to be pretty smelly. Haha. I'll have to get some of you guys to help me with ideas of things to set up for odor control soon.
Well, hardly anyone is really paying attention to this thread, but if any of you read this I need some help. One of my plants is starting to get a little nute burn and I'm definitely not going to feed it again for a while. Next time I go to water them (probably tomorrow) I am going to try to flush a lot of the nutes out, but I was wondering if there is anything else I can do other than flushing to help fix the over-fert problem. It's not too bad now, but I'm just playing it safe. Anything else to do besides flushing?
Alright, well I just finished flushing the 3 of them that had a little nute burn and let them drain before putting them back in the grow room. The others are just fine, no sign of problems. Hopefully the burned plants will not get any worse than they are now and just keep growing. I also released the two that I had in LST, because I've decided I'm going to wait until I know which plants are female before I start taking all the time to tie down the plants. I really like how LST was working, so I will definitely go back to it as soon as I know I'm only left with females, but for now I'll just let them grow vertically. I may need to go pick up a lens to see the preflowers clearly. Maybe I'll go to radioshack and pick up that 60x-100x illuminated microscope if they still have it. I saw somebody saying that they are going to discontinue it. I'll have to go check. I could use that to check out the trichomes later on too, so it would be pretty useful. EDIT: I just checked online and apparently my local radioshack still has it in stock, so I think I'm going to pick that up later today, along with an xacto knife and a CFL to plug in a desk lamp later for taking clones, some more soil, and a light timer for the 12/12 in the near future. Lots of errands to run today. Updated pictures in a few days. Also, I've got another question for anyone that can answer (I wish more people would look). I may end up deciding to veg a mother plant or two for a while inside so I can get a decent amount of clones. I don't have a second area to grow inside, but I have places to take plants outside. I was wondering if there is anything I can do to allow myself to bring plants that are outside back inside later without having to deal with bug problems. I've heard it's not a good idea to bring plants in the house from outside because of spider mites and other bugs, but if there's anything I can do to allow me to do this it may be able to help me soon with space. So, let me know if you've got an answer.
[quote name='TheFxckingHero']Thanks, girl. :] Oh, and my cat is amazing. "Kitty" is her actual name. Haha, never got around to naming her... hah. Thats awesome! Cats are great, have 2 of my own. Wish I could help as far as advice and such, its just not my department, no worries Im sure that you will get the answers you need. cant wait to see more pics. cheers!
Looks like your doing a good job... Solvin your own probs and everything.... The question about takin them outside... Youll just have to take the chance and see what happens... You dont have a greenhouse so there aint to much you can do becides sprays... Make sure there used for foods.... But i wouldnt worry about it to much... I would take them outside for w/e reason you said you had and then bring them inside when you do..... I didnt read everything so i dont know the hole grow... If you need anything ulse just type it up.... There might be someone ulse that has a better way of doing the plants inside then outside then back inside thing....
Alright, I just got back home. I spent about $35, and here's what I got: + Utility knife with razors -- for taking clones. + 3% Hydrogen Peroxide -- diluted to 30ml per gallon of water to prevent root rot, kill bacteria, and supply the roots with some extra oxygen + Appliance timer -- to turn the 400w hps on and off regularly on 18/6 and 12/12, so I don't have to do it manually + Pack of three 26w (100w incandescent equivalent) CFL's for rooting clones. *** Question *** Are these CFL's okay? I have never used them before, because I just use the HPS, but the HPS will be too strong for clones so I decided to get some flourescent bulbs. Lowes had the same bulb, but made by Sylvania, for $7 for ONE of these bulbs. I got the 3 pack from walmart for $7, but these are the brand Soft White. I wasn't sure if these will work or not, but I got them because they're 3 for the same price, and I figured I would just ask here if they are okay to use. If they aren't, I'll take them back and get something else. So, yes/no on these CFL's? (pictures below). Okay continuing with list: + Illuminated Mini Microscope 60x-100x magnification & AAA batteries -- for checking for preflowers and later looking at trichomes during flowering (and just playing with, because the thing is pretty cool... haha) + 80 more pounds of potting soil mainly for putting in holes for the plants that will be planted outside. Here, I'll upload pics of the stuff while I eat my strawberry poptarts
Adding another question now. For the first time I just went and measured my largest plant... it's on its 8th node and only 5 inches tall. I know that tight node spacing is a good thing, but is this far too short for being on its 8th node? Still need the question about the CFL's answered too. I couldn't find their color spectrum anywhere on the box, but each bulb produces 1700 lumens. Will one or two of these in desk lamps overhead of a cloning chamber be enough light for clones to use but still stay in stasis and root?
Hey there mister fucking hero Looks like you've got a great grow in the makings You seem to be all set with the equipment, and you certainly seem to know what you're doing. I'll keep an eye on this grow, and I'm especially interested in the H202 you're adding. Has anyone else tried this before? I've seen it suggested on a few grow guides but I don't think I've actually seen anyone using it before Anyway, I would just add a note of caution towards adding extras (epson salts, peroxide etc) when they're so small. They're quite delicate as seedlings, but the bigger plants you have I'm sure are large enough to handle the good stuff. To answer a couple of your questions: The flourescents should be ideal. They emit mainly in the blue end of the spectrum, which is exactly what you want for early seedlings and for clones (I use 4 18W flourescent bulbs like those for my seedlings in the first week). They're also great because the heat they give off is so distributed, meaning you can get your clones right up to within an inch or two of the blubs. With some kind of reflector (desk lamp should be fine) and the clones fairly close to the bulbs I'm sure there will be plenty enough light to root. As for worrying about your plant being too bushy - don't I actually worried about the same thing during veg in our famous loft grow, but they turned out to be monsters so don't let it put you off! I find that with enough light plants don't seem to put in a vertical growth spurt until they're a good couple of weeks old. They'll come along fine, you'll see. edit - nice cat too I'm looking after lazy stoner's cat at the moment - it's called 'mogsy' (which is basically the same thing as naming your cat 'kitty' round these parts)
alright, thanks arse. well, I wasn't going to try the H2O2 at first, but I had to flush 3 of the plants due to a little bit of nute burn, and that required me pouring a LOT of water in there. They have big drainage holes but I was still worried about the soil becoming too waterlogged, and I read up today about adding hydrogen peroxide about 30ml per gallon of water is supposed to help the roots out a lot. It kills any bacteria forming and keeps root rot from setting in, and the h2o2 breaks down into water and a single oxygen molecule. the single oxygen molecules have a charge because they are by themselves and they get "excited" (learned this in high school chemistry a few years back lol) and bounce around, and some of them will bond with the other loose oxygen molecules... combining to make up the regular oxygen molecular structure, so the roots take it up just like normal air. I tried it more for attempting to prevent root rot than stimulating growth, but if I see good results with it I might use it more often. google some info about it if you want. I read a number of experts who had good things to say about it. there's actually a hydroponic solution called OxyPlus or something similar that is almost the exact same thing as hydrogen peroxide. so, that kinda gives it away. as for the epsom salts and such, I didn't use them on the baby seedlings, just on the larger plants. I'm not going to do it anymore, but I read that foliar feeding with it will boost the magnesium and sulphur the plant is getting and allows it to better use the other NPK nutes. unfortunately for me, I over-fertilized 3 of the plants a little bit. haha. well, I'll let you guys know what happens when I see some changes. I'm going to go finish watching the detroit pistons vs miami heat game 5 now. edit: mogsy, eh? hah, never heard that one
Yo buddy. I rarely get over to this Grow Journals section but, since you gave the link and suggestion on your signature, I thought I would come by and check it out. The 3rd and 4th picture of your back yard shows a tree that totally looks like a gigantic marijuana plant. Anyway, can you take some pictures of your plants for me so I can see the over-fertilizing? The trouble with taking indoor plants outside and then bringing them back in is that you can and do bring in the bugs from the outside. You also had problems with grasshoppers didn't you? Therefore, the CFL, will be fine for rooting clones. I just root my clones in the periphery (4-5 feet) of my 400 watt HPS and it works fine. In light of the apparent over-fertilizing, I would stop all foliar feeding. It really isn't necessary and can cause big troubles. As for the H2O2 let me know how it works because I have never tried it. I do know that it is good to use when hydro grown plants get root rot. Maybe you can set up a side by side experiment with one plant grown with H2O2 and one without? I would be interested in seeing something like this. All right man. I think we answered all your questions. I am now subscribed to the thread so if you have any more, I will see them.
alright, I'll try to take some pictures tomorrow of the nute burn. I am not all that happy with the foliage growth rate. I think maybe I shouldn't have been a cheap ass by not getting the metal halide conversion bulb. I think that probably would have helped out a lot. Oh well, as long as the plants are alive and not in any serious trouble I've gotta keep on going. I wish I knew which of the 6 older ones were female and male, so I could clear some space out. You see, my plants are somewhat small for their age, because the first 5 had bad heat problems when I first started. The first 5 are 31 days old... one month. The 6th is about 10 days behind and has grown much faster and almost caught up with the slower of the 5, because it was put in there after I solved the heat issues. They're all between 6 and 8 nodes. I also need to repot atleast 2 of the biggest plants into larger pots right now, but I'm holding off because I'd like to get the new seedlings off to a good start, and I'm pretty much maxed out on space right now. I'm not sure how I would squeeze in the seedlings with bigger pots taking up more space. Maybe I'll set up some kind of box container for them and take them to an outdoor area... possibly an elevated spot so they are away from ground-level bugs and animals.
I rearranged all the plants and seedlings and added two of those 26w CFL's just to get some of the blue spectrum in there to help out. So, now there's a total of 452watts of light. Of the three plants that got nute burned, one has recovered nicely and is looking good, another looks so-so, and the other is still not doing so well. That fat indica seedling I showed before is developing really quickly and needs to be transplanted into a pot or the ground outside as soon as possible. The rest of the seedlings are doing okay I guess... nothing special there. I may move them somewhere else after another week, but for now they're still packed in there with the bigger plants. Here's some new pictures. Picture 1: All the plants under the HPS and showing the CFL's set up. Sorry for the picture coming out a little dark. Pictures 2: All the plants in normal lighting with CFL's pushed aside to show plants. The 2 on the upper right and the 1 on the bottom left were the 3 nute burned plants. The 3 in the top left didn't seem to suffer from any burning. Picture 3: Closer picture of the majority of the seedlings. There's a few out of the picture, but that's most of them. Picture 4: This is one of the ones that didn't have any nute burn and, I think, looks to be very healthy. It was coming along a bit slowly before, but now it looks nice. Picture 5: These are the other two that "weren't nute burned," although I can see a bit of yellowing on the edges of the plant on the right, so maybe that one had some slight problems. Ok, about to make another post with more pictures.