My First Grow and Room Build

I'm going to go through my evoluation as a new grower and my learning process and mistakes.  I've had a lot of help setting up my room so far and it's coming along great. 
 
I started in my attached garage, that I still need to use for storage and storing my motorcycle stuff like that.  I had my friend help me frame out a 10x13 foot section, dividing into two rooms.  A 5x10 veg room and a 8x10 flower room.  We pulled power from the power box and ran two circuits throughout the room, on a double 60 breaker.  The first circuit goes into a mechanical timer that the lights will be plugged into.  I painted it all flat white and coated my garage floor with some cheap ass (do it right next time) garage floor paint.  I got a cool tube from my buddy, and a T5 panel to Veg under.  I built a little shelf for the veg side in hopes of saving room. 
 
 
 

 

 

 

 
About this time I was still in the planning process.  I was gonna start with 6 in each room, maybe have mothers and clones.  Decided to go in soil, and my buddy gave me some air pots to try out.  Although I had no clue what they were at the time.  Just as I was getting it set up my friend decided to go in on it with me, which was good because I spent substantially more than I was thinking, big surprise I know.  So that doubled what was intended to 12 and 12.  He bought a light and a ballast, a t5 panel and in a couple weeks we had our first 12 girls in the veg side.  We went with fox farm happy frog, with fox farm nutes in 5 gallon buckets.  
 

 
 

 

So we transplanted and watered into our new pots.  We ended up getting 6 shiatsu kush from my aunt, and going to the clone shop I got a little carried away.  I got 1 maui wowie, 2 g13 haze, 1 snow leopard, 1 hawaiian sour deisel, and 1 cantalope kush.  Entirely too many kinds, I'm going to narrow it down to 2 here after the first crop hopefully. 
 
Things were looking smoothly, except I didn't have my res set up yet.  I was using distilled water.  What I didn't realize is the minerals, especially magneseium and calcium wouldn't be available in distilled water.  I didn't supplement, and as a result my babies got about 3 waterings and devoloped a cal/mag def.  It took me a while to actually figure this out.  
 

 

 

 
Things were going good here.  I order my last major items.  8" carbon filter, 8" exhaust fan and 6" intake fan.  I have a titan controller set up on my heater in my veg keeping it a pretty steady 75-80.  The only problem is because I haven't set up my fans yet the humidity and condonsation was getting really bad.  I started opening my door and airing it out but it freaked me out.  I'm thinking now I'm going to have to put a small intake into my veg from my garage and a small exhaust from my veg room into my flower room.  I have my buddy coming over hopefully on the 22nd to help me install my fans and carbon filter for the flower room.  Then we gotta get a door of some sort.
 
Today I watered again with 5ml/gal cal/mag supplement.  My last watering I gave nutes so this was no nutes but I really wanted to give the cal/mag since I've been starving them of that for about two weeks.  I was gonna wait until tomorrow to water but they showed some drooping and it was 5 days since my last water.  I'm gonna be gone for two days of christmas so my next watering should be the 26th if I stay on this schedule.  That'll be a nute watering, which I'm also gonna give some cal/mag supplements. 
 
They are currently up to 19" tall for the tallest one, the cantalope kush.  She's looking so good.  The snow leapord is also looking especially sexy.  We gonna flip them into the other room around the 15th of Jan.  Giving us about 45 day veg time.  I'm running close on room in my shelf area, so I'm hoping it's gonna work out.  This was taken right after watering today.
 

 

 

 
 
 
Here's the outside where I smoke, research think and watch the hawks play.  Keeping track of it all on the calender.  I've been Ph'ing my water at 6.6 and today I checked the run off it was 6.4 to 6.3.  Does that seem pretty standard?  I've learned so much and continue to do so.  
 

 

 

So three days after watering last I nothced some wilting. They are certainly drinking a lot more. I wasn't happy with the look of any really. Small twisted growth my ph then mag issues. So I flushed them good yesterday. They are already looking much improved. Had my buddy help me install my exhaust and intake. Ultimately I opted to draw air from the garage instead of outside mostly because of the cold temps. I can change that later if I need to.

2 more weeks of veg maybe 3 if I have the room somehow. The only thing is keeping mothers is gonna be tight and if I clone when I flip them the new 12 will be too close behind. Not sure what to do about this any advice would be great. Very happy today.




 
 

 
 
 


 

 

Watered today with 16 gallons of water and fox farms nutrients 1/3rd of what the 3rd week feeding chart said.  Plus 5ml/gal cal mag supplement.  It's dropped my ph to 5.9 and it took quite a bit of ph up to bring it up to 6.6.  After watering I took a trip to lowes and picked up some chain another surge protector extention cord, some smaller eye hook and s hooks to try to maximize the area of my lower shelf. 
 
Got home, removed all the plants from the veg shelfs and got to work.  It was a pain in the ass, but after flopping the lights I was able to mount that bottom light pretty much even with the shelf.  It gives me 30" from the pot to the light.  I don't want to go any higher than that before putting them in the flower room.  I also got some 2" pvc pipe with 2 elbows.  I'm going to cut a whole from the veg into the flower so exhaust hot air over and out of the garage completly.  I did notice some light going out but with a little ducting work I managed to stop it.  Maybe I'll look in to a light trap of some sort for the "night" of the flowering girls.   I also moved my res to the outside of the room giving me a spot to keep a couple mothers. 

My friend is coming over tomorrow and we will install the last door and cut those last vent holes.  I had the lights on for 4 hours last night and it was a nice 75 in there.   After the door is in, I'll need to get a few more fans and then sometime the week of the 12th I plan on putting them into flower.  My ballasts dial back so I was thinking like 600 watt or so the first week before turning them to 1k.  I've been thinking about cloning and figure when I flip them I will pick out the two kinds I want to keep for now and clone 2 of each to ultimate make 1 of each my mothers.  Taking clones from them again when I'm ready to start vegging again.   I figure I'll have to wait 3 weeks or maybe a month after my flowering room gets going to want to have my clones coming up so the timing is right.   I'm super happy with how it's come along and I'm getting so close to actually getting some buds. 


 
 
 

 

Watered today with 16 gallons of tap ph'd at 6.6.  Each pot gets 2 1/2 pints of water.  Gonna up it to 3 pints my next watering.  What the fuck was that!?!?!
 
 
Welp, that big loud boom was one of the 2x4's support my self partially failed.  Nothing fell on my plants thankfully.  Nothing broken.  Yikes.  I secured it with some more screws I saw how it failed and I doubt it'll fail again.  At least I hope not.  That was scary. 
 
Anyways, done dealing with that now.  Done until my friend comes over to help me with this door and last little venting.  I'm gonna get a 32 gal garbage can and 20 gal garbage can for my res's today.  I had no idea how much water I'd be going through lol.  

I also topped for the second time today, just the Maui wowie, Cannolope kush, Hawaiian Sour D.  They were vastly over taking my struggling but improving G13 and snow leopard.  So I'm hoping the rest catch up to those I topped today in the 2 weeks before I plan on putting them into flower.  Even the G13 are improving which is good, they all look their healthiest right now.  My humidity in the veg side is hovering around 40% or so.  It was as high as 70% until I installed my ventalation.  I guess I'll have to wait for the rest of the winter to see what the humidity is actually like.  Hopefully after this afternoon I'll be "done" with the room.  Luckily for me my wife is cool, I've told her I've been "done" no less than 5 times now.  It just kept adding up, I need this or that.  I know I'll never be "done" but I am at the finish line of actual construction on the room so that's a great accomplishment for me.  So bumped, gonna be flowering them soon!

 

Things are going good now.  Got a 32 gallon trash can for a res.  I used 18 gallons last time I watered, giving each plant 3 - 2pint pitchers of water or 1 1/2 gallons.  I'm watering every 3rd day now.  I mixed my nutes this time at 1/3rd recommended dosag with fox farm nutes plus 3ml/gal cal mag.  It's taking a hole lot of my PH up to bring my ph back up after adding nutes.  No nutes is fine, I gotta lower a little but I'm really surprised how much it takes to bring it up.  I PH'd again at 6.6.  I noticed since I moved my res outside of my veg room my water temp was only 56.  Gonna get a little heater for the res to get it up to 65 or 70 before my next watering on Saturday. 
 
The most exciting thing is I have finished my room.  Installed the door, and vent hole from the veg into the flower room.  Got a controller and another heater.  I'll need some more fans, but essentially I'm done till Summer hopefully.  Ran my lights the last 3 nights and I'm holding steady temp around 75 with the lights on, and down to 62 with the lights off today right before they came on.  I'm glad, becuase I'm venting my hot veg room air into the flower room.  Temps are holding good though humidity around 50% with the lights off in the 30% area with them on so I'm hoping I won't even need a dehumidifier but who knows.  I know my wife is more than irriated with the amount of money I've spent.  Hopefully it starts paying off soon, I can't wait to smoke my own medicine.  I even built me a little light trap for outside, it works but it's ugly as fuck.  I may build me a better one once I get bored, but I'm happy with it.  It's very dark inside the room with lights out.  I gotta weather strip the door and it might get it all. 

I'm damn near maxed out on my head room in veg.  I was hoping to make it till the 17th, but I might put them into flower before then.  I'm gonna be taking my clones then.  Just gonna do all 12 at once then make mothers after that I think.  I'm happy with how they look considering the mistakes I've made, I can't wait to see some buds!
 

 

 

 

 



 

 

Thanks guys! 
 
Got a heater for my resevoir today to get the temp around 70 or so.  Got a lot colder moving it out of the veg room.  Noticed today some discoloration happing again, starting with the new growth.  Taco-ing of the leaves, twisted new growth.  I looked at my calander and I was using 5ml/gal cal mag but the last two times I watered I stepped it back to 1ml/gal which was obviously too far.  I'm gonna raise that back up to 5ml/gal next watering.  Other than that shit's going good. 
 
Hawks game tomorrow btw, fucking stoked to be going. 

 

Wow what game last night.  I had so much damn fun. 
 
Watered this morning with 24 gallons Ph'd at 6.6.  71 degrees this time.  Added the rest of the cal mag I had which was under the dose I would have gave it. Going to have to get more cal mag before my next watering.   Each plant got 3 pitchers or 1 1/2 gallons.  I went 4 days again, but the Shiatsu Kush was drooping.  The Air pots are different than the others so watering timing is kinda weird.  That's why I went to so much water, to try to get to a good 3 or 4 days between waterings.  I also tied down the hawaiian sour d to help it bush out and slow it down some.   Gonna experiment with that a lot more in the future.  Still unsure about my flip, but it's coming.  Getting a dehumidifier is on the top on my list now.  Hopefully the last thing I need until April with warmer temps.  Hopefully.  

Go hawks. 

 

Another update.  Watered again yesterday with about 24 gallons this time.  I'm giving each plant 1 1/2 gallons but I'm having quite a bit of run off which makes it a pain.  I'm watered this time every other day, I'm wondering if I stepped back the water to maybe 1 gallon each I'd have less run off and save on water and nutrients.  Any advice in this area would be greatly appreciated. 
 
We cut our clones yesterday and put the girls into the flower room.   We took 4 clones of each kind and only 3 of the G13 haze.  No idea which 2 I'm gonna keep so we shall see.  I'll leave you with some pictures of them under the lights last night, at 600w for the moment.  Maybe step it up to 1k after a week. 
 
 
 

 

 

 

A little update today, 1 week into flowering.  I've already moved the lights 3 times, they are really stretching.  Looking really good other than the messed up G13.   It was root bound when I got it and never really recovered.   I dunno it just looks stunted, not healthy.  Clones are looking good.  2 days ago started showing signs of rooting and today most have roots.  I cloned 4 of each kind, just to be able to decide what I'm going to do next.  I'm going to have to get a dehumidifier soon.  It's around 60% right now with the lights off and in the 50% range with the lights on.  Not too bad, but I just don't want to have any problems.  Been keeping temps in good range and lots of air movement.  Just waiting on some actual buds.  Stepped up to 2/3rd strenght on the fox farm nutes last watering and they all look good.  Just turned up my two lights to 1000w each after being at 600 for the first week. 

 

Things still going nicely. I'm hurting from my hawks loss Sunday. The girls are looking good though, 17 days into flower Im watering every other day. Transplanted from the cloner into solo cups Saturday. Roots were busting out. Gonna keep them in the cups for two weeks the 12 will go into their 5 gallon pots. Buds are developing nicely I'm super excited to see these girls progress. Gonna have to get some bamboo for support here shortly.

 

Day 30 of flowering. Looking amazing. Kept the hawiian sour d, cantaloupe kush and Maui wowie.

 

Check out whats going on in my grow room. I had a crazy busy summer. I'm going to be doing a video blog of my grow via youtube.

 

another update. This lockout is really getting to me. I hope these turn out okay.








Veg Side looking good though. Some LST training.

 

Week 6


Jack Herer







Cannalope Kush

 

Just after topping them all for the second time.


They are doing really good. Just started the 4th week of Veg, going to be starting out with nutrients here shortly. 6 Jack Herer, 4 Blue Dream. Going to start off light with the fox farm nutes and watch out that I don't get lockout again. It was my fault completely. These are in FFOFand I'm using Grow Big, Big Bloom, and Tiger Bloom. Along with
Cal-mag, silica, and recharge. I also did my weekly azamax foilar spray today. Still going to be adding some other things into the foilar mix and I have to get an enzyme to use. After this run I'm thinking I'm going to be switching to Coco and giving that a try.



I will top these ones once more I'm thinking. They are bushing out nice, way better than my last run when I was on summer auto pilot busy with a lot of stuff. I cannot wait until I put these into flower. Still thinking about scrog netting for my flower room. Any thoughts? My planis to put them into the flower room under 18/6 for 1 week before flipping using the stretch to fill out my net. Still not 100% sure if I'm going to though. I'd love some opinions.