Organic indoor Blue Dream feminized (ILGM)

Discussion in 'Organic Grow Journals' started by Cthulhu23, Jun 3, 2020.

  1. #1 Cthulhu23, Jun 3, 2020
    Last edited: Jun 9, 2020
    This is my first journal! I've grown a little here and there, but this is my first go-round with documenting the process. My main purpose in doing so is to give background to any folks who might assist with future problems! The second purpose is to show off my little grow! I'm growing primarily for personal use (and to throw a few freebies at friends).

    I'd like to give a shout out to the folks who have given me sage advice: @Soil2Coco, @Taoist Farmer, @Sc00byD00bie, and @Organic sinse.

    Setup:
    4'x4'x8' tent ("Coolgrows")
    AC Infinity Cloudline 6" fan
    4 HLG QB 96 Elite V2's powered by
    2 Meanwell HLG 320H-54A drivers

    For a full rundown of the entire build process you can go here https://www.shroomery.org/forums/showflat.php/Number/26309502

    Growing in 20 gallon fabric pots, in what amounts to a living soil; my goal will ultimately be to do no till but I want to make sure I have a few things right before I commit to that. I ended up using a "super soil" recipe I found prior to coming upon GCF so if anything that will be my biggest variable. Soil mix looks something like this:

    3 cu ft Roots Organic original mix
    16 lbs EWC (Wiggle Worms is the only brand I could find, sadface).
    1 cup blood meal
    1 cup neem meal
    1 cup alfalfa meal
    1 cup kelp meal
    1 cup Happy Frog Cavern Culture
    1 cup fish bone meal
    1/2 cup rock phosphate
    1/2 cup langbienite
    1 cup Neptunes Harvest crab shell
    1/4 cup dolomite lime
    2.5 gallons activated bio char
    2 tbsp azomite rock dust

    I added 1 tsp of "Great White" to some water, and got the mix wet. Let it cook for about 3 months.

    During my last grow (SCROG) I had a tough time getting to the backs of the plants as there really wasn't much space left in my tent for maneuvering! So, this grow I chose to build a 3.5 foot diameter dolly that I can really easily rotate (see pic below). Originally I had planned on doing another SCROG with the screen attached to the dolly so the whole bit rotates.

    I started 1 feminized seed of Blue Dream, from ILGM, on 5/7/20 and it popped 2 days later. Planted in a dixie cup with some bagged organic soil I had laying around. After 3-4 days under some CFLs I put her into the tent with a few other plants I had started at that time (see the red dixie cup and seedling center-right), along with the 20 gal pot of soil and some cover crops (a fun mix of clovers, vetches, cowpeas, buckwheat, fenugreek, and a few other things) that I had planted recently as well:
    [​IMG]

    As you can see in the image, I'm using straw (wheat, specifically) as my mulch. I topdressed the full pot of soil with some locally sourced compost (Which I didn't have available at the time I made my mix), then added the mulch on top of that.

    After the 1st true set of leaves popped, I checked to see how my plants roots were doing - I have the seedling in a dixie cup that had the sides and part of the bottom cut out so I could watch root development. Noticed the tap root had pushed all the way through the soil, and was hanging out the bottom of the cup, so I opted to plant her. I probably got impatient...

    During my last grow, my first with these lights, I had them turned up too high / placed too close to my girls. They didn't get burns, but ended up acting weird throughout the grow (slow, stunted growth, weird nutrient deficiency signs). So on this grow I made sure to start them off at the lowest possible setting (essentially ~60 watts per light).

    Still, I think that I put the seedling too close to the lights as after 1 day with the lights at ~18 inches above the plant the first set of true leaves were burned on the edges. I raised the lights by about another foot, just to be safe. She liked that and recovered almost immediately, pushing out new growth the next day.
    Thought I had taken some pics of her at that time, but it appears that if I did I deleted them (I do not live in a legal state, and I'm divorced with kids so I would prefer the ex not find any pics I take that could incriminate me!)

    I top dressed once with what amounted to probably 1/2 cup of MBP.

    A few weeks later, and my girl is looking pretty darned happy. Frankly, I'm not only pleased with how she looks but also the cover crop is just so fun! I have been watering with just tap water (my water is hard, and my tap water is softened...not sure if that'll cause problems with salt buildup or not; I can bypass the soft water if needed, but that brings up possible issues with high calcium and magnesium from the muni water). I have twice added chopped-up aloe plant. I turned wattage up on 2 lights to ~ 75 each, leaving the other two ~60 just to be on the safe side. I have a light meter coming in the mail soon so I can get a better sense of what my actual PPFD is.

    The below pic was from 6/1/20
    [​IMG]


    More to come!
     
    • Like Like x 6
  2. very interesting one with the companion plants i think? is the wood at the bottom necessary, i'm not an expert but i would avoid in case of any swelling/mold etc
     
  3. The wood is the rotating platform I built so I can rotate the plant. It's really hard to squeeze myself into a 6" space behind a fully grown plant! Definitely will need to worry about the wood warping or swelling if it gets too wet - that's what the black garbage bag is for, though. My plan is to, after this grow, paint it with some water-proof paint and then put something more permanent on top of that (like a tarp).

    Not sure what you meant by companion plants - were you asking about them or just saying they're interesting?
     
    • Like Like x 1
  4. Yeah i typo'd, I was curious wheter or not those are the beneficial/companion plants that organic garden could use.
     
  5. Yep, they're nitrogen fixing cover-crop plants!


    I've seen some debate about whether they fix a sufficient amount of nitrogen to really make a difference in such a small grow, but I'm also interested in the added biodiversity and - at some point - they're gonna be chopped down and added as mulch anyway!
     
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  6. Some stuff I forgot to include in the initial thread:

    IPM involves me spraying with neem oil (dilluted in 1 gallon of water w/ a little dish soap) once a week.

    I have lights running 24/7, but turn them off for ~1-2 hrs when I spray.

    Wondering what folks think about light schedules in veg? I see some people doing 20/4, or 18/6, and have always wondered if there's a real (i.e., backed up by data) benefit to 24/7 vs. a different light schedule?
     
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  7. #7 Cthulhu23, Jun 7, 2020
    Last edited: Jun 7, 2020
    Day 25 veg (27 days since seed popped)

    Turned up the 2nd set of lights to ~70 watts each a few days ago and she seemed to be OK with that (I think I'm accurate on that - if I'm splitting 140W from the driver, the wattage is applied evenly, no?). I'm really happy with how she is looking so far. Certainly much happier than the plants in my last grow were at this stage!

    I've decided to try out mainline as a training technique. Last grow I did, I scrogged 2 plants ended up with 32 colas. Felt like it was a messy process, and I had a ton of larf (though I ended up with some decent smoke all the same), and wanted to try a different training method to get some juicy, chunky, long nugs. *fingers crossed*

    So, since she was looking nice and healthy and had 6 growth nodes, I topped her at the 3rd and cut out the remainder. Followed up with a top-dress of MBP, and ~1 gallon of water with a diced up aloe.

    Before topping.
    [​IMG]

    After topping.
    Top view
    [​IMG]

    Side View
    [​IMG]

    Hoping that she bounces back in a few days! I'm gonna wait to start training the new two tops until they've grown out just a bit more.
     
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  8. Day 28

    [​IMG]

    Welp, I done fucked up. Was trying to tie down the two growth tips using some heavy gauge wire I had. While I was pushing down on the wire, the damn thing slipped and I ended up breaking off one of the growth tips. So frustrated cuz this girl was looking good (based on previous grows anyway!). I tried taping it back on, but there just wasn't enough area for me to get the tape to stick to on the part that was still attached to the plant so...I guess I'm back to square 1 - grow this out, top again. Adding another bit of time, but I think I'll just let it roll.

    [​IMG]
    In other news, I got a new toy! Not sure if my conversion is correct, as I'm seeing several different conversion factors out there. Using HLG's own website (Converting Lux to PPFD & Measuring Lux with Smartphone) 30K lux is 451.58 ppfd. I tried also using the conversion factor of 0.017 based on Or_Gro and Soil2Coco's no BS thread which would give me 510 ppfd, but I think that was based at the full wattage of the driver so I'm not sure if that's accurate at my wattage (90w per light at this point). Either way, I'm in the zone for veg, I think.

    Noticing that my cover crop is starting to get blotchy and bleached in a few areas. Chalking this up to them being older and growing quickly - thinking that some are hitting the end of their growth - and my turning the lights up and possibly burning some of them a little. Thoughts from anyone?

    I've been thinking a lot about my soil as well. Not sure how I feel about the mix I'm using for this pot, given how many amendments I've added, etc. Thinking very seriously about mixing up a new batch of Coots, amending more based on the no-till thread....but also considering I have a good 2 cu ft of this soil still left and wondering if I shouldn't just let it ride, maybe add some compost, basalt rock dust, and lava rock? Any suggestions welcome!!!
     
  9. Day 34

    Well, this grow is just not going my way!!

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    This is 1 day immediately after watering with 3/4 gallon water and aloe. With such a new plant showing such weird signs, the only conclusion I come to is that I'm over-watering. Had been watering every 2-3 days with 1 gallon or less. I kinda figured that she'd need it given the number of cover crops in the same pot pulling water.

    Despite the pin-points, there's no pests. Nothing seen under the leaves with or without a scope.

    I've read more and more on here, and I think I'm going to have to start picking up the pot to feel for weight, rather than the "finger" method. I had similar problems with my last grow...you'd have thought I'd have figured it out by now. :| As an old hydro grower, soil seems much more complicated! However, I know this is just a matter of my learning and not trying to do too much.

    I also keep coming back to the soil mix, in my mind. I'm really tempted to scrap this mix, and start over with the full-on Coots mix. The mix I have now has perlite in it, but no other additional aeration other than biochar. I have pretty much everything I need (including some decent compost I sourced locally!), except for pumice and biochar. I have some worm castings that are being made currently - not sure if they're far enough along to use; and I have toyed around with the idea of just using some lump charcoal and adding that to my mix knowing that it'll "charge" over time. Guess I should get on cooking it if I want to actually go that route.
     
  10. Day 40

    Well, she's pushing through the rough times but slowly. I'm really hoping I wake up and check on her one of these days to see the growth just exploding. I know it'll come, but I still hate seeing struggling/damaged plants.

    [​IMG]

    I've dialed back watering to just 1/4 gallon every 2-3 days - just enough to keep the top moist while not bogging down the bottom of the pot. I tore down and rebuilt the tent, making sure to put wires in better places and re-did the ventilation to my liking. Had to lift the pot to do so, and while it's heavy I could tell that the bottom of the pot was definitely more moist than the top - so I am even more certain I was over-watering. Got both drivers for the lights at 150W each - a total of 300W - and I'll bump this up when I see her doing better. But I'm also hitting higher temps (81-82) with the lights at this and at ~18 inches from the top of the plant. Turned the fan up a notch today and I'll see if that helps with the temps.

    I'm still iffy on the soil mix I'm using, and have decided to cook a new batch using the coots mix. Gonna go with pumice for my aeration, find some bark from some downed trees to add to the mix, and try again. Hoping this girl recovers and I can try to flower her out - but if not I'll just pop another bean in a few months (and hope my current stash lasts long enough!!)

    I'm learning a lot (namely: don't over water!), and taking notes for my next grow. Having been an old hydro grower, soil feels frustrating. It's definitely more of an art than hydro was - hydro was easy: add these things to the water in this ratio and boom. Still, based on the taste and smell of my last grow, I'm set on soil.
     
  11. Day 44

    [​IMG]

    She's doing much better - growth was looking (mostly) good especially on the new growth tips so I went ahead and topped her. I also secured the new growth down for training. This image is 1 day after topping and training and she's bounced back pretty well. Feel like I'm headed in the right direction again.

    Got impatient, went ahead and decided to start another BD seed as I wasn't 100% sure this gal would make it. So, I have another bean waiting to pop. I'm going to give this 2nd plant a MUCH longer time in the solo cup to get a nice root mass going (based mostly on what I'm reading folks like ElRanchoDelux and others do with their soil grows). I'll go ahead and use up the rest of the soil mix I made, and my next batch of soil will be a proper Coots mix with things like pumice, better compost, and my own worm castings (once they're finished).
     
  12. In my experience it's better to size up in pots. I have not read the rest of the journal yet but I like to go 2-3 pot sizes but I start off small like a square 5.5 inch until roots are developed then into 3 gallon for final pot. This allows better control over watering and I won't be watering to much dead space while the roots grow in. I'll keep reading. Appreciate you checking out my thread.
     
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  13. Thanks for the info, Whisperer. This grow didn't turn out - I ended up stopping this plant due to the issues it was having. I've got a new grow going - same strain, different soil. I should update...
     
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  14. Oh I guess that was it. How did it turn out? I grow a few ILGM seeds. I got a really good Bruce Banner pheno from them. Great flavor and high. Tested at 23% while the other phenos tested at 19.
     
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  15. Thought I'd give an update to anyone who is actually reading this. I ended up ending the grow I started this journal with. Too many problems, no clear solutions. I started a new grow with three plants: two Blue Dreams (ILGM Fem) and one Gold Leaf (ILGM Fem). One BD and the GL were started in a new mix, basically the Coots mix to a T but with some random bagged "local" compost, and some local worm castings. The 2nd BD I made up a mix using high quality compost and worm castings, with a few amendments not listed in the coots mix (fishbone meal, alfalfa)

    First, a picture
    [​IMG]

    Despite the new mix, I was still having some nutrient deficiency problems as you can see in two of the plants. The 3rd bushy beast is the mix I made with good quality ingredients. But still had this issue with stunted plants, nutrient deficiencies (all micro), and also what looked like nutrient burn. I'd been watering exclusively with water from my rain barrel outside, as my tap water is softened and I didn't want to worry about long-term salt buildup.

    A few days ago I figured out a major part of my problems. Despite re-mixing new soil, and having an entirely new grow, I'd still been having problems with similar symptoms: short, stunted growth with nutrient deficiencies evident. Soil pH tests I did were spoiled, as I didn't use distilled water, but were still informative: using rainbarrel water, my soil pH on two plants I have going (pics to be posted, I promise) was very alkaline.

    I got myself a digital pH and TDS meter, and tested both soil (using distilled water), and my tap and rain water.

    Soil pH for two plants was around 7.3; for another it was right at 7 (the "good" soil mix; the other two were mediocre).

    Water pH was the big issue. My tap water pH is 9.0. My rain barrel water is 9.3 (due to sitting in the sun for months and algae blooming).

    I watered my plants with distilled water 2 nights ago and they LOVED it. However, I had thought I put them on a 12/12 light cycle 2 weeks ago but must have been high when I set the timer as I was only giving them 2 hours of nighttime! So I have an additional 2 weeks of veg time added - which scares me given how big one of these blue dreams has gotten!!!

    I've been training the biggest plant as I can, but having left it alone mostly from the beginning the basic shape is 'untrained bush' :D Just hoping that my plants don't get TOO big given the space I have. I'm tempted to take them all off the dolly/platform I made just to give a few more inches of space. Since I'm not scrogging this time around, rotating on a dolly isn't as much of a necessity.
     
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  16. One week from flipping to 12/12 light cycle is complete!

    [​IMG]

    Front: Bergman's Gold Leaf
    Back left: Blue Dream in mediocre soil mix
    Back right: Blue Dream in a good soil mix

    I have been watering with distilled water (and one rain water feeding - but the rain water was fresh so pH was good!). I also hit these gals with a folar feeding of TM-7. They have really perked up to the new water and the TM-7. Most of the signs of nutrient deficiency have dissipated. I'm still seeing a few yellowed tips, but nowhere near as bad as it had been. They're all stretching! Compared to just 1 week ago's pic, they really have come a ways.

    Other projects that I have completed in preparation for my next grow which will be all autos from MG:
    New worm bin completed, including a new mix for them to chow on (based on OS's mix)
    Compost bins completed, and I have sourced some materials for a new batch of compost. I should be mixing up the new batch later this week.
     
  17. Looking good, glad to see you aren’t having issues like the last run :)
     
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  18. Or at least figured out my issues! I have a feeling the last run's problems were the same problems I encountered early with this run: the water I was using is alkaline. I had assumed my water was fine, and that it was the soil mix I was using.

    Learning is good :D
     
  19. PH is usually the culprit for most issues so I’m glad you took care of it.
    I use RO simply because I don’t like breaking buffers. Saves me headache not worrying about PH related problems :)
     
    • Agree Agree x 1
  20. I just sent in a sample of my water to be tested to see what the underlying problem is. I suspect a RO filter is in my future as well! Do you have any recommendations on what type of system to get?
     

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