Hey blades, this is my first grow and I have already started a few threads for some of the early problems i faced but still decided to post a journal. The setup: 3by3 tent, 2by2 and clone tent. 5 plants in 3 gallon smart pots Medium: Canna coco Nutrients: full Canna Coco line Plants: 5 (i know, i know...way too many) Strains: industrial plant, bubba 76, holy grail kush x2, og kush Training: topped after 4th node, scrog at 10" or so above base of plant Plants are currently 26 days from seed. LED: went all out with sort of an impulsive buy after seeing this journal **ULTIMATE LED TEST** *GLH Spectra 290* VS *Blackstar 500* VS *Hydro Grow LED 336X* I have read dozens of nasty things about the company, and I may have been ripped off, but my excitement and newbism propelled me around logic to try the Hydro Grow LED 336xpro. I wanted to give Cammie a chance to prove her claims. The 336x pro uses a 6 band spectrum and 3w LEDs. I tested the power consumption using a kill-a-watt and it was roughly 490 watts. I plan to keep the light 20-24" above the canopy. This light is heavy! It is not the 28 lbs they say it is, scale puts it closer to 40. The included straps couldn't hold the light so i purchased a few heavy duty ratchet straps from home depot to securely rig the light. HEAT: because these lights are not air cooled directly with your ventilation system they produce considerably MORE HEAT, something I had not spent enough time properly cinsidering. The rooms temps are ac to 70 but the tent has reached 95. This is with 2 circulation fans and ventilation control exchanging the air in the tent 1 or 2 times every minute. Not looking forward to me electric bill. I need to find a way to lower the temps before the girls die. Any ideas?
So it has been exactly 1 month since the seeds were dropped in a shot glass of water and things are really coming along. This is about 10 days out, in solo cups in 100% coco. Had early nute burn.
After taking theWatcher's advice i was able to dial things in more. I then brought the nutes to about 1 ec and things started to improve. They were topped at the 4th node
I transplanted them into their 3 gallon smart pots but temps were really high getting into the low 90s. I adjusted the ventilation and was able to bring the temps down after 5 days of tinkering.
Today I decided to put the screen on. I might end up rising it some more but i have it set up to be adjustable so that shouldnt be a problem. These are all from seed so some may end up being male and need to be yanked. Almost hope so with how crowded they are. I wasnt expecting 100% germination and feminization so I had overcompensated figuring one or two wouldnt make it this far. So, 5 girls now 7 days in flower exploding in growth under the LED! This pic is when I switched to flower.
[quote name='"TheWatcher"']Lookin solid mate. Really nice. What's the feeding program at the minute dude?[/quote] Thanks bud! My feeding regimen since 12/12 has been: Tap/ro until I get to .4ec, usually 50% tap, 50% ro. I add about 2ml/gal of protekt for silica Coco A and B until I hit about 1.2 EC Then, referencing Canna's grow guide I add about 75 % of the light feeding recommendation of Cannazym and Boost. Since the roots are already shooting out the smart pots I only use about 50% of the recommended Rhizotonic. PH down to 5.8 Feed every 2 days. One of the things I think has been helpful is having my nute temps dialed in. Try to keep the feed going in at 69-71 F
They ended up all being female. Had a family emergency and my girl's sister has temporarily moved in and I dont trust her so I have gone black ops. Been feeding midnight with my green led strapped to my head. The plants are really overcrowded and the mini dehumidifier is not keeping up. RH has been in the 70s. They have also stretched too far so Im not quite sure the LED provides the optimum spectrum. Avg internode spacing is 3 inches or more. I am bending over the tops as I was supposed to keep the light at 18" minimum and they are about 10" away. All learning experiences. Will be doing only 2 girls in my 3x3 next go. They sure do look pretty though. I flushed all the girls yesterday with PHd tap and protekt. Let them sit for a day to evaporate some and some of the girls showed slight yellowing at the bottom leaves so dont even know if it was worth it. I know Watcher doesnt think it is necessary but last time I checked the runoff ppm it was around 2 EC so thought they could use a break. Maybe SCMC 's suggested alternated half/full strength solution would be better for keeping medium salts in check. This is my flowering formula 2 weeks into 12/12, feeding every 2-3 days. The LED doesnt make the water evaporate as fast as with a HID. In 4 gallons of half tap/ half RO I add: 5 ml Cal Mag Plus 10 ml DynaGro Protekt 30 ml each of Coco A, Coco B and Cannazym 7 ml of Rhizotonic 30 ml of Boost 10 ml of Maguey Sap (alternative to molasses) Solution is between 1.4 and 1.5 EC PH down with 5 ml of fulvic acid and fine tune with phosphoric acid. I water/feed with a pressurized sprayer that has an extendable wand and although it takes a while it gives me lots of time with the girls.
Were they healthy before the flush? Even though the run off ec was 2.0? Did they yellow after the flush? Even though the run off ec was 2.0? Then it goes a long way to proving what I've said all along. Take note of that and remember it, because it's results like that which you have just had which debunk the theory as it's put forward by the wannabe scientists out there. There's no need to feed half strength just like there's no need to flush. If you're feeding the right amount of nutrients, just keep feeding it. It's that simple. Don't complicate something which is time tested by so many growers dude. People are looking for a reason to flush their plants based on something which isn't happening or isn't going to happen. Keep the nutes regular and at the right strength and the plant will stay happy. Simple.