There is some swearing in this journal, so you've been warned. Please don't take offence as this is all in fun. I am trying to take a comical approach to this because Ive had what seems to me like nothing but learning curves. Learn from mistakes and improve from there. The comments I added in this journal are pretty much my thoughts as they happened. Are you other first time growers having as much fun as me? So I'm sitting here at work and I'm thinking this is the perfect time to document history in the making. Medicinal user way up in Canada eh. Since being prescribed I found my interest peaked in the production side of things. I've grown outdoor soil vegetable gardens in the past with success so I figured, can't be too different right? Haha yeah right. After planting some watermelons and pumpkins for an early harvest and buying and returning a million and a half times I finally found the suitable lights for my indoor grow. 2-48" Sunblaster T5HO fluorescent's running 54w 6400k bulbs. I thought to myself, this is kind of fun. I think I might try growing a Mary plant. That moment right there is when all the fun really began. 2017-03-12 The next day I went to a headshop in the city here, talked to the guy for a few minutes, super chill dude, and he recommended I either go feminized or auto flower. I replied, "ummmmmmmm". He explains it in short detail and then I look at the seed stash and there it is. Beam of light glowing on it. No just kidding but I picked 5 Purple Kush Feminized from Crop King. I said to myself, "f*ck yeah! I'm gonna grow some purrrrrp". Cha-Ching! So I get home, shaking from excitement and I follow the instructions and place them in tap water. The package says they should sink. Omfg why TF aren't they sinking?! Fast forward 18 hours and they've all miraculously sunk to the bottom. Yay. Now it's time to make this sick ass hydroponic setup! Get all the supplies; an 18 gallon tote with lid, some netpots, some hydroton, some pH liquid test and an airstone. Already have some clear tubing and an air pump, should be good. Cha-ching. Get home, plug it all in. TF, why won't this pump push air out of the airstone below more than a few inches of water? Must be a weak ass air pump. Aight! Its cool. Run to the store, grab an air pump, we are golden. Finally make it back home, set up the new pump annnnnnd drum roll please...... will not pump past a couple inches of water depth. Okay seriously, WTF. Go back to the store, tell them Yep this thing is junk. Explain it all and they are happy to exchange it for a new one. However, I came up with the idea, lets test it here, to see if it will pump. Set it up, plug it in, put an airstone on some fresh black tubing and plunk er in a fish tank. Much bigger than 18 gallons I might add. What do you know it looks like a god-damn geyser there is so much air. Alright, the only logical conclusion now is that the clear tubing is junk. Make it home, fresh tubing, same new air pump, plug it in and wha-la! we have air. Cruzin. Little more research, little more research, leads me to believe that you will get best results by maximum water movement in the reservoir. Okay, no problem. Run to the store, grab a 50 gallon recirc pump. Cha-ching. Get home set it up, thing works like a charm. Things are starting to come together now; reservoir is all set up, air stone is pumping away, lights are hung on adjustable cords, went and bought a little 6" desk fan. Aw yea baby life is good. 2017-03-14 Alright it's been about 20 hours, time to get these b*tches on some MOIST paper towel. Haha moist. Set them on a paper plate and placed them on the floor in my closet. Go to work, come back, shit I think the paper towel is too wet. Sooo starting over, get the towel wet, squeeze it out, fold it ever so nicely and then make 5 nice little indents into the paper towel where the lil seed babies will be ever so happy. Fast forward another day and I can see the seeds trying to split! Having done a little more research the previous night, I set out on an adventure to find rockwool cubes. Success, cha-ching!. Once again, super amped up, impossible to be any more excited, I race home, dunk the fresh cubes in water (that's all a plant needs Am I Right?) and plunk their pretty little butts into their new homes. After doing a little more research I learned you need to condition your rockwool. pH you say.. Alright well these seeds aren't going to sprout because I didn't pre-treat the rockwool. Great. Quick search of the web gives me the perfect home remedy to lower pH; lemon juice. Run up stairs, check the fridge, Hell yes! we are in business. Quick pH adjustment to some tap water, thank you come again, and we are back on track baby. Rip 5 fresh rockwool cubes off, saturate with tap water. Saturate with tap water again. Place in pH'd solution for 20 minutes, place the newly rooting, yes, newly rooting! seedlings? into the proper care facility. Today is 2017-03-17 and I see a little seedling trying to push through the rockwool! OMG this is working. Fast forward another day and they are all sprouting! But wait, Oh no! the seed seems to be stuck to the first seedling. Quick trip to the operating room and she is back in operating condition. Ah yes. Today is 2017-03-18 and all 5 babies are sporting their cotyledons and the first seedling that sprouted is showing a, is that a, it looks like a jagged leaf coming out of the center!! [Day 1] Today is 2017-03-19 and I can see a tap root poking out of the bottom of the rockwool on a seedling. Time to take her to her new home. Might as well take some hydroton out of the other bucket and place the remaining seedlings just above the water line to help root. Later in the day some more roots on another seedling and that one goes into soil. Today seems like a good day to head to the local hydroponic store. Wow I want it all. The lovely lady there gets me set up with Jake's Fertilizer 3 part liquid nutrients, some vb-1 (wow expensive shit), some Grotech pH down, panda poly, a buttload of information and a private cell number for emergency help. Is that not awesome? Also, I will call this Day # 1 [Day 3] Today is 2017-03-21 not much going on plant wise, but a little more hydroton in the net pots, grow box cleaned up and sealed with panda poly, as well as a 50 CFM passive exhaust system installed. [Day 4] Today is 2017-03-22 and the second seedling is showing roots out of the rockwool and is ready to go into its own pot. Remaining 2 seedlings are transplanted to soil. All is well. [Day 6] Today is 2017-03-24 you can really see the new growth, isn't it amazing? [Day 7 or 1 Week] Today is 2017-03-25 Looking gorgeous! It was around this time that I decided to save myself a lot of nutrient money and switch to 2-5 gallon DWC reservoirs cutting down 8 gallons worth of nutes/week. Picked up the buckets, net pots, another air stone and black tubing and got it all rolling. This is also the time when I noticed slight discoloration on one of the plants in hydro. Read on to find out more!
[Day 9] Today is 2017-03-27 I just love you so much! [Day 11] Today is 2017-03-29 Rapid onset of brown spots on oldest "true" leaves. My guess; calcium lockout due to incorrect pH. Other seedling in hydro doing quite well. The ones in soil are surviving. The culprit? Improper pH readings from liquid tests. Quick trip to the store and we now have some pH litmus strips as well as pH UP for when needed. The roots are from the very first seedling, put into hydro. Did a quick root check to ensure root growth. [Day 13] Today is 2017-03-31 Appears to be recovering from pH lockout. [Day 14 or 2 Weeks] Today is 2017-04-01 Sickly seedling recovering! Rockwool and roots raised to final resting place and covered with hydroton. Quick half hour Micro nutes treatment in fresh water to help clear up that light green color and back into their homes. Healthy seedling doing well! Soiled seedlings are experiencing issues. Over watering, deficiencies. I know I know I should have done my research on soil growing. P.s. Both plants in hydro now have roots submerged in the reservoir. [Day 15] Today is 2017-04-02 and today is a very depressing day. My soiled seedlings are not happy at all . Transplant to bigger pot+Soil pH water flush+6 hours outside+transplant again into dry soil. Now all I can do is wait. The severely wilted plant had root rot when I transplanted into the bigger pot. The main tap root was completely dead and dry; stringy. However the seedling is attempting to grow new roots higher up on the stem. We will see. When I woke up: After transplant and pH soil flush: