My First grow Hydrologically

Update 8/7/10; Plant #1 is a BOY w/pics, Still waiting on #2. HD closeups Hello and welcome to the first of many post about my first grow. I chose to grow hydro for my first time ever because I wanted my first time to be a hit. I have very little moving parts in my setup so very little can go wrong mechanically. My journal is updated everyday or so as to prevent my not so good memory from forgetting critical information on my plants. And will be transcribed on the forum for your viewing pleasure. To make myself more clear this is my first grow attempt ever. I have used information gathered from the internet, marijuana horticulture books, and common sense See you soon

 

Equipment being used is as follows but not limited to

2- 225 LED Quad Band lights +2 more for flowering
1- Grow Tent 48x24x60 lined with mylar
1- 3.5 Gallon Passive Hydro Garden w/ 6 pots 6.5x6.5x6.5 & electric air pump
1- 8 slot power strip w/ surge protection
1- TDS w/ temp indicator
1- Bottle of calibration liquid for TDS
1- 10 inch cyclone fan (my choice wanted to use it for myself also)
1- 15lbs of Hydroton (thought it was a little too much but was just enough) 20 lbs will do for 4-6 plants.
7- Gallons of distilled water only (why use tap when you can buy a gallon for 75 cents and not worry about PH balance or other additives)
1 box- latex gloves for handling (unless you are allergic to latex then get latex free gloves of course)
1 set- Flora series nutrients
1- Bottle of Flora nectar for that sweet taste and smell (also helps plants absorb nitrogen too)
1ea- PH up, PH down (must have)
1- 30x magnifying glass
1- Hygrometer ($8)
2- PH testing liquid (I use this in conjunction with the TDS for more accurate readings)
A bag of random seeds I had and a few purple haze seeds and a lucky sour diesel seed I came across.

I know random seeds are a pain in the @ss and aren't guaranteed to grow correctly or at all because of the difference in genetics, environment, and so on. What works for one may not be working very well for the others. To counter this I will germinate 4 times as many seeds, weed out the weaklings, and hopefully have similar plants growing together. Thats my master plan for this grow. Being that it is my first, I will be learning better and more efficient ways of growing. I will be adding my journal entries after this. So far all I can say about LEDs is that they work fine for the veg stage. The more light the better. As of 6/28/10

PS. A helpful tip is to premix your nutrients in the water before hand as to help yourself speed up the process (less stress for the plants) and remain focused on the task. Be prepared to adjust PH.

 

Day 0
The method I used to germinate my seeds was a little water in a cup. In a book I read it said not to leave the seeds in the water for more than 24 hours because it may drown the seeds. I found out by experience that most seeds that I had germinated between 10-28 hours after I had introduced them to the water in a cup.
I had dropped 21 seeds into the cup to give myself a sense of security as far as having them germinated to be planted into my stonewool medium. I selected the seeds that had cracked and began to germinate out of the cup as soon as I saw the white tips poking out. I had then moved them very gently onto a damp paper towel as to help them continue to germinate some more without the risk of having them drown in the cup. If using the damp paper towel method make sure to have them leaning on something like a few books or a phone book. To help the root tips get oriented correctly using gravity. The least amount of energy they have to use the better.
Out of the 21 seeds I have been able to germinate 10 and insert them into the holes in the stonewool white tip pointing down. I then added enough distilled water over the tops of the medium to keep the seeds moist in their new home. Official time 7:00pm EST
End Day 0

 

Day 1

The water level dropped thanks to the Hydroton clay medium. I had filled the pots half way with the Hydroton then placed the stonewool on top. After I had added more Hydroton till it was even with the top of the stonewool. I had checked the PH and got a reading between 6.0-6.5 @ 7:30am. I then added 3 more cups of water to compensate for the clay.
The lights were on for 16 hours today. No visible change
End of Day 1

Day 2

The water level is now nominal for my setup. I chose to add nutrients today. I used 1/4 of the recommended amount to help the seedlings get used to it little by little. Please be sure to read the back of your nutrients because there is an order in which to add the nutrients to avoid a nutrient lockout. Read up on it. 60 hours after germination I now see the little guys continuing to germinate. Some are slower than others already. PH check 6.0 Time waited between nutrients was 45min. The lights were on for 16 hours.
End of Day 2

 

I have a 3.5 gallon I had used .5 ml of each just for shts n giggles. I'm on day 27 at the moment. Just trying to play catch up as far as this journal online goes But its true they get soooo sad when they are hungry and sooooo happy when you feed them right.

 

Day 3

Water level had dropped added another 3 cups of water. The seedlings are now little sprouts with the first pair of leaves. 3/10 plants are showing the growth of the "true leaves". At this point the weaker ones are beginning to become more defined. On this day I chose to put 2 down as to give the stronger ones a better chance. I only have 6 spaces and I had doubled up so I could weed out the weak. It hurt my feelings to do it actually. But quality over quantity is what I'm after. Don't forget to check the water temp. A very high or low temp can influence nutrient intake as well as slow down growth and kill them!! 16 hours of light today.
End of Day 3

Day 4

Today I decided to add some aluminum foil strips between the pots in my setup to reflect that light that was being lost by the dark plastic container. Being that I am using LED lights, I don't have to worry about heat as far as the lights are concerned. PH is 5.0 I can thank the clay for that since I didn't rinse them off or anything before hand. Thus adding the clay particles to the water. It was okay all that I did was add a little PH up and back to normal. I have read that a low PH can make seedlings lean more towards the male sex. That was one of many other theories also thought to influence sex. If someone would like I can add the others to my post. I will be adding pictures soon! 16 hours of light today.
End of Day 4

 

Day 5
This morning I had used the TDS to check ppm and water temp. 660ppm/ 81*F. Plants are on a 16 day/ 8 night.

Day 6
@ 10:30 the PH was checked and showed a PH of 5.0. I added 1ml of PH Up, five minutes later the PH was between 6.0-6.5.

Day 7
2 plants where showing signs of distress by having curled the leaves upwards. I will continue to monitor.
Day 8
No change with the other 2 plant's leaves. I feel as though I need to change the water since it has been 8 days now and the debris from the medium is just sitting on the bottom of the tank.

 

Day 9 Water Change
My first water change. Now mind you this is my first time and well it was not as smooth as I had hoped for.
@6:50pm Readings were 660ppm for the first gallon,350, 170,then 110ppm for the remaining 1/4 gallon. It was advised to flush out the system with lets say 1/2 or even 1/4 the nutrients rather than just use plain water before refilling. Took me 35 minutes to drain and refill the tank. Difficult to do alone for a beginner. The best advice I can give is plan ahead the best you can. Example. A roll of paper towels for spills. Something that simple can save valuable time. Valuable time = less stress for you and plant(s).
PH check showed 5.0-5.5 @ 7:30pm. Between 7:30pm and 10:30pm I was fighting a very low PH of 4.5 at its lowest. I was freaked out, but kept my coo and added PH Up 2ml at a time until it leveled out at 6.0-6.5. 79*F water temp.
End Day 9

 

Like I have stated earlier on I am weeks ahead of my journal at the moment. So here is what I have as of this day. Enjoy . Disregard the date on the middle pic I didn't feel like messing with the camera.

 

Day 10
The day after...... Well plants #3 and 4 have elongated to the point where I need to add some kind of support. I have opted to use a plastic tube. Sort of like a straw but cut down the length so that its easy to remove after. The lights have been changed from 16/8 to 18/6. Just to give you a description of my set up, plants 1 and 2 from the top left to right then 3 and 4 bottom row. (Note to self) Also I thought it be relevant to add that plants 3 and 4 are closer to the opening of the tent and are often the ones to be exposed to the "elements" so to speak.
End of Day 10

 

Day 11
18/6 light cycle. No change

Day 12
Same as above

Day 13
On this day I have finished the weeding out process as far as the weaklings go. I started with double digits and now only have 4 to deal with. Hopefully this will give me at least a 25% chance of having a female.
Or maybe its more like 6- 12.5% chance You can never really be sure unless you know what you have before hand. And even still you may still get a hermaphrodite lol.
I also lowered the lights an inch closer because of the elongation from the first 2 plants. Hope it helps.

 

Day 14-17
No change. 18/6 day cycle

Day 18
@ 8:30am PH check indicated a lowered 5.0-5.5. Water temp 80*F
Added 2 ml of PH Up and also 3 cups of room temperature water.
@ 9:20am PH was between 6.0-6.5 water temp was 78*-79*F.
End of Day 18

Day 19
No change. 18/6 day cycle

 

Day 20
A week after lowering the lights so that the plants don't have to reach as far has paid off. All 4 are now growing more steadily and can now have the lights raised an inch higher. So easy fix for elongation, lower the lights!!! Unless thats what you are aiming for.
The plant's leaves are curling upwards today. So I figure I'd add some nutrients into the mix. 1ml of Micro, Bloom, and Grow added 1 hour apart. Then I decided to add some sweetener because I want my plants to be juiced up.
Ppm was only 500 and the water temp was 78*-79*F after all the nutrients were added. PH taken @ 11:30pm was between 6.0-6.5. Nice

 

Day 21 Week 3
My number 4 plant has now begun to have its leaves curl upwards. A little issue I have neglected to add was that plants 3 and 4 look crazy as heck. Like they grew out from a cracked sidewalk in the city lol. I have the pics to show. I decided to leave them be since none of my plants are showing any sex, its my first grow and its hard to part with potential smoking trees, and for all I know these can be the ones I end up smoking in the end. Twist of fate type. Here are the pics enjoy and please comment if you have seen anything like it or anything really. I'm still learning and I know they were stressed the f*ck out at some point so.... PS. My camera sucks sorry

 

Day 22
Today I have raised the lights due to growth. A good thing.

Day 23
No change. 18/6 light cycle.

Day 24
@ 5:45pm PH was 5.0-5.5. Added 2ml of PH Up. PH check was 6.0-6.5

Day 25
Good news. The plants are all perky and reaching for the light source. Ppm check was 478 water temp. 78*F. Was so happy about what I seen, I decided to add some more nutrients. (was it a bad idea lets find out) 1ml of grow, bloom, micro not in that order, an hour apart as I let it dissolve in the water before adding the next nutrient. I even added 3ml of sweetener. (The most ever to date at one time I'll keep my fingers crossed). Enjoy the pics and again as always welcome all comments. Thanks

 

Day 26
The plants took the increase in nutrients very well.

Day 27-31
Plants #1 & 2 are doing the best overall. 18/6 cycle