Whattup GC! Just started my first grow using a Superbox, got 8 BlackJack Auto seeds by Sweet Seeds germinating in a sealed tupperware container. They're germinating in rock wool that was soaked in pH 6ish water mixed with a little bit of B-2 Thrive Alive B-1 Red by Technaflora (the solution was about 180 ppm). Once they sprout I have my res filled with pHd water mixed with trace amounts of Root 66 & Sugar Daddy by Technaflora, to encourage the roots to seek more nutrients early(PPM at 82). Anyways, I would appreciate any and all tips on what to expect for my first grow/microgrow, and hope to get some feedback along the way from all the smart people here at GC. Thanks for stopping by, and happy growing!
If I were you, I would be reading up on hydro growing as much as possible while I waited for the seeds to sprout. The fact that you're growing an auto strain and starting a hydro grow too should prove to be interesting. Hydro lives and dies by pH so I would recommend that you get a good instrument to check it by. Don't stake your plants on one of those cheap $12 pH meters from Ebay. I just know that hydro is pretty technical and that auto strains don't progress the way a normal plant does so I'm not sure I would combine the two to start off with, but it's your grow and I hope it goes smooth as silk for you. I know I wouldn't be that lucky. LOL But you need to really know your stuff and understand the process and the plant when you're doing hydro. Prepare yourself as much as possible. TWW
Yeah I've spent just about all my free time in the past month or so reading about growing with hydros. I am using the liquid pH tester that comes with a standard pH up/down kit that was sent with me., although I'm thinking a meter would save me a lot of time. I also have a TDS meter, cool/warm bulbs, twine to Scrog with, nutrient kit, and most anything else I would need. As far as dealing with its accelerated progression, I figure I should give them 20-25% strength of their veg nutes about 5-7 days after sprouting. I know its only gonna veg for a few weeks, so 'll be watching it closely. I plan on learning as much about LST and how to properly set up my SCROG when the time comes. Also gonna read more of the sick plant threads to learn which deficiencies look like what, how they can be fixed, ect.
A late Day 2 update. Seeds have been under light for a full day, nothing has sprouted. Box is at 75f 45% humidity. Rockwool was still damp, but I spritzed some water on each to moisten them up a bit. There is very visible condensation in the container. Will update tomorrow.
I hate to be the one to burst your bubble but you're not going to be able to grow 8 autos in your superbox. I would do two at max to be comfortable in your grow space. As you should know, Autos are a race to the finish so if you mess anything up you don't have the extra veg time to fix your mistakes.
Day 7 5 of my ladies popped within 3 days, and have just been taken out of my "germination dome" and transplanted into my hydro system. 2 of them have roots visible through the bottom of the rockwool. I am happy to say that one of my girls looks very strong and healthy, standing straight up, leaves fully open, and green as can be. I had them about 9" away from the light, and they seemed to look like they might have suffered a tad bit of heat stress, with some leaf curling/brown spots. I sprayed the 5 that sprouted with some pH'd water solution, mixed with trace amount of Thirve-Alive Green. I have the other 3 rock wool cubes in the dome, under a heating pad. I peeked inside, and all 3 of them have developed a tap root, but they seem to be slow to progress any further(or they're dead lol). Might start another thread about it tomorrow night. Anyways, any and all feedback would be appreciated, and I'll be updating a lot more now that the ball is rolling. Stay cool.
Yeah I'm almost certain this thing can't handle 8 plants, but seeing as this was my first try I wanted to really see what it was capable of (I'd love to prove us wrong lol). I am hoping I can grow more than 2 at a time however, maybe it can support 4 or 5 if I stay on top of everything. Only 5 of them have successfully germed at this point anyway, so I may never get the chance to try 8 lol. Appreciate the heads up, by the way. No need to worry about bursting any bubbles lol.
Day 26, how time flies lol. I will admit I have been very busy and somewhat neglectful of my plants, but I am back on track now. I have just fed them their first dose of veg nutes @ 20% strength, since they are looking a tad frail I thought to go a little lower than the recommended 25%. Ph levels are perfect and PPM are just under 450. Hopefully any damage I've done can be fixed, they don't look so bad. I will be checking PPM daily to adjust nutes accordingly, as well as the water level in my res. I am noticing some yellowing on the leaves, probably because they've been starving. I also misjudged how much my ladies have been drinking(about a gallon every 3 days!!!!) and they did dry out a bit without me noticing but they are plenty hydrated now, and I have the top feed system going, so a drop in the res level shouldn't be as harmful as it was before. I am very curious as to why my three of my four plants seem to be doing relatively well, but I have one little runty plant that's been like this since she sprouted. Anyone experience this before, and/or know why it happened in the first place? I really hope the nutes don't end up killing her. Oh, and happy belated 4/20 fellow GC growers!
Day 27, box is at 83F and ppm rose from 450 to just over 500. I added enough PHd water to drop them back down to upper 440s. The one with the terribly yellow leaves looks a bit healthier to me, but I could be wrong lol. The runt is still alive after day one of nutes, and looks a lot more lively, so that's great too. Sent from my iPhone using Grasscity Forum mobile app
Day 28, temps at 83F humidity at 43%. Ppm rose from 450 to just over 460, which I will leave as is for the night. The one with damaged leaves seems to be sprouting newer, healthier looking leaves, and the runt looks more lively yet again, but for how long? Only time will tell lol. I may or may not start LSTing the two taller plants tomorrow night. Sent from my iPhone using Grasscity Forum mobile app
Day 29, temps at 83F humidity at 33%. Ppm rose from 450 to 500 this morning, and I added PHd water to bring them back down to the 450 range. That was about 16 hours ago, and they're holding constant at 450 for now. The one in the back is really shooting up, and the runt looks better as the days go on. And the one with the dried up/yellowing leaves is making a great comeback, her roots were looking dingy/yellowing before being fed, now they're extending and looking a lot healthier. Not starting LST tonight, but I'm definitely starting before the end of this week. Sent from my iPhone using Grasscity Forum mobile app
Day 30. Temp was at 84 when I popped the cabinet open, humidity at 34%. Ppm is up to about 465, which I will leave be until i add water to my res tomorrow. Seeing some yellowing in the newest sets of leaves, but overall they are looking good imo. Oddly enough, the runt is showing no signs of yellowing or any other damage yet so far, other than the obvious stunted growth lol. The one in the back on the right hand sign looks like she's gonna be huge. Sent from my iPhone using Grasscity Forum mobile app
Day 32. I have come to realize the GC app for iPhone is not so great lol, and will end up making my thread cumbersome, only updates from my laptop from now on. PPMS rose by about 25 over the pat two days. I did my first res change and introduced a fresh dose of veg nutes, PPM is now at 530. Hopefully they'll begin to eat more. I have also come to realize that all my plants seem to be extremely small for their age being that they're autos, so i've accepted that fact I'm taking an L on this grow for sure lol. However, I'm really interested in how the runt turns out when/if it flowers, its more than a month old but probably less than an inch in height. I plan on getting the necessary supplied to start LSTing the two bigger plants tomorrow. Looking forward to starting my next grow and doing this right lol. But i'm gonna see this one through, nonetheless. Peace