Second grow, how goes it?

unclefester · Apr 28, 2016

Heya GC,

So I'm not sure I should be out of the beginner section yet, but thought I'd post some pics of my (hopefully) ladies at week 3 veg and the new equipment.

First grow was under a 250 CFL - airy buds, bagseed... spider mites, PH issues, too much nutes, you name it, I fucked it up.

Stats for the second grow as follows:

Strain: Southern Star 'Anna Lee' (50% indica/sativa)
Soil: Canna Terra Professional
Nutes: GH Trio
Timer: Growlush timer box 2 (timer + contactors)
Ballast: Nanonlux digital 400 OG series
Bulb: Currently 400 MH growlush, moving to HPS for flower
Hood: 6" cooltube
Water: Tap
Fan: 6" axial - Growlush & small clip fan
Pot size: 13 litres or so
Ph: 6.5
Temp: about 25c give or take, I don't use a thermometer as I have no control over temps
Tent: Grocell .9 x.9 x 1.6m
Training: Topped once at the 4th node
Germ method: 120mm pots, straight into the soil - 4 days later I had leaves,transplanted at 1.5 weeks.
Light Schedule: 24/0

Currently at about 3 weeks from the seeds popping, pretty impressed with the veg growth so far. Thinking about getting them into flower in a couple of days - what do you guys think? Must say, super impressed with using proper soil and genetics, my last grow they took forever to get some size and the standard potting mix is full of bark and shit - this stuff is solid yet airy, and has nutes but not too much for seedlings. Really happy with the tight node spacing and 24/0 seems to be working wonders.

Obviously none of what I have said is scientific in the least, not sure if soil, genetics or lighting gave me so much better growth, but none could have hurt it.

anyway.... enough rambling, time for some pics...

unclefester · Apr 28, 2016

other pics...

The Widow White · Apr 28, 2016

You've really got things looking good and right!! You'll never regret buying good lighting and creating a good setup. It took us a couple of years to be able to get everything together the way we wanted it, but once everything was in place, it was all worth the wait. Lighting is the key to big dense buds and large healthy plants. It actually takes very little work, if you're using good soil like you now are, on the part of the grower during veg if you follow good transplant habits...start them in small containers, pot them up a size when they are larger than the container they're in (wider/taller) into fresh nutrient loaded soil. Don't get carried away with the nutes. They are meant to be given once the plant has had a chance to use up what came in the soil naturally. And, once it actually becomes time to start to feed, don't be swayed by the doses they nute makers suggest. I generally use about 1/4 of what they recommend on my plants throughout the entire life cycle of the plants. If your soil is good, it feeds your plants longer and better and your plants don't need nutes constantly poured in them. Because of the way we pot as our plants come up from clones, we don't have to start nutes until the last couple of weeks before veg. We generally veg ours for about 2 1/2 months...being topped several times during that period of time and repotted several times during the process...the soil supports our plants nicely for the most part. But like most of us, that first run is a learning experience if nothing else. If you don't over crowd the lighting you have, you should produce some really good dense buds and some much healthier and larger plants overall. Lighting is the ticket...in both veg and flower. The more better lighting you got, the faster you can make it all happen and the happier you'll be with the result at harvest. You can't beat metal halide for vegging. A friend of mine has a light similar to yours....mh for veg, hps for bloom, and I have never seen a root system like his plants had developed at time for repotting. It had to be the lighting. I veg with T5's and my root development for that same strain was nowhere near his...so I know it's some killer good veg lighting. You're doing great so far. Keep up the good work. You might want to read up about how their nutritional needs change a little bit during flower and they need more of some nutrients than they do others. But if you're using a good veg/bloom combo nute system, it ought to be covered. Just be careful not to mix your feeds up too strong...especially in the beginning. Happy growing!! TWW

unclefester · Apr 28, 2016

The Widow White said:

You've really got things looking good and right!! You'll never regret buying good lighting and creating a good setup. It took us a couple of years to be able to get everything together the way we wanted it, but once everything was in place, it was all worth the wait. Lighting is the key to big dense buds and large healthy plants. It actually takes very little work, if you're using good soil like you now are, on the part of the grower during veg if you follow good transplant habits...start them in small containers, pot them up a size when they are larger than the container they're in (wider/taller) into fresh nutrient loaded soil. Don't get carried away with the nutes. They are meant to be given once the plant has had a chance to use up what came in the soil naturally. And, once it actually becomes time to start to feed, don't be swayed by the doses they nute makers suggest. I generally use about 1/4 of what they recommend on my plants throughout the entire life cycle of the plants. If your soil is good, it feeds your plants longer and better and your plants don't need nutes constantly poured in them. Because of the way we pot as our plants come up from clones, we don't have to start nutes until the last couple of weeks before veg. We generally veg ours for about 2 1/2 months...being topped several times during that period of time and repotted several times during the process...the soil supports our plants nicely for the most part. But like most of us, that first run is a learning experience if nothing else. If you don't over crowd the lighting you have, you should produce some really good dense buds and some much healthier and larger plants overall. Lighting is the ticket...in both veg and flower. The more better lighting you got, the faster you can make it all happen and the happier you'll be with the result at harvest. You can't beat metal halide for vegging. A friend of mine has a light similar to yours....mh for veg, hps for bloom, and I have never seen a root system like his plants had developed at time for repotting. It had to be the lighting. I veg with T5's and my root development for that same strain was nowhere near his...so I know it's some killer good veg lighting. You're doing great so far. Keep up the good work. You might want to read up about how their nutritional needs change a little bit during flower and they need more of some nutrients than they do others. But if you're using a good veg/bloom combo nute system, it ought to be covered. Just be careful not to mix your feeds up too strong...especially in the beginning. Happy growing!! TWW
Click to expand...

unclefester · Apr 28, 2016

TWW, thank you for the words of encouragement and such an excellent, detailed response, I really appreciate it.

I have noticed that the soil I'm using has plenty of nutes, fed twice at half strength and I'm seeing some slight burn on the leaf tips. I'll back off to 1/4 now as suggested.

To avoid unnecessary veg time, do you think I'd be OK to flower now? I learned on my last run that lights really don't penetrate far and that the lower buds are just a waste of time, however, this is my first shot with HID, and first time growing this strain. I imagine that if they were to double in size to 12 inches that would be as far as a 400 hps could penetrate.

Really keen to hear your thoughts.

Thank you again.

caregiverme · Apr 28, 2016

Realistically if your lights not penetrating through the dense canopy cut what is not growing good. Like for example cut the first 2 or 3 nodes by the main stock and maybe the first 2 or 3 branches close to your soil. That way your not drowning the first set of branches. Your leafs are looking more or less really hot though I would say from the light and that's why the tips are rolling upright. Only if it's brown and crusty is it nute burn. They look good other than that. O and if you flip them to flower nor you might not get what it cost for electric back. So kinda paying for it twice if you ask me. But to each his own. Also i might so a little lost since they are so bushy. Looking good!!!!

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unclefester · Apr 28, 2016

Thanks caregiverme,

That leaf cupping is really strange because even the second set of true leaves showed it and at that stage I just had them in a propagation tent under a 2 x 55 pll. It's really not hot in the tent and I feel like I could drop the light even closer. Back of the hand test feels like room temp... The problem is worst on the back left plant. Hopefully it's not some kind of illness... Is is possible it's just genetics?

I'll keep in mind doing some pruning, might give them some more veg time and let them do the flowering stetch first. You can't see in the pics but there are 4 huge knuckles at the first nodes where the branches have come out, the 4 main branches are super thick and sprouting multiple branches off themselves. I'll see if I can get some pics next time I'm in the tent.

I appreciate your reply and advice.

unclefester · May 2, 2016

Hi Ladies and Gentlemen,

Thought I'd give everyone a look at how the grow is going. I switched to HPS and 12/12 a couple of days ago. Just fed the (hopefully) girls a 3/4 dose of GH trio. Equal parts micro, grow, bloom. Pretty pleased so far. Too bad the HPS makes photos look terrible!

kym · May 2, 2016

Hi love. Agree wi all posts above especially TWW. Again try and veg out more . I leaf mine at least 6weeks or longer if time permits. Better stronger plants for flower then. But not going repeat as all been said love. Ohh jyst one thing.... yr first grow ya ad spider mite... did ya sterilize ya pots tent trays etc etc... keep an eye out as the little fucks can easily survive in a un bleached tent. Maybe add some repelant or wat ever its call to ya feed as a procaution. I think though ya wood av seen em be now. Anyway brilliant job.. u av done brilliant especually as only second grow. So good luck live.. happy growing xx

unclefester · May 2, 2016

Hi Kym,

I decided to flower as my tent is not huge and I vegged way too long last time which resulted in heaps of useless popcorn due to no light penetration, although that was with CFL, not HPS...

I'm not sure how this will go in flower with stretch, it's a bit of an experiment. When sex shows I'm going to attempt taking some clones and putting them under my pll lights, I figure that way by the time I'm done flowering I should have some vegged plants ready for another flower cycle.

I'm also a little impatient and can't wait to see how decent genetics smoke and flower! So far the difference has been huge in veg. If I can get 3 or 4 zips I'll be happy as I don't smoke very much and it will last me a long time.

I pulled the whole tent down after the last run and sprayed every surface with insecticide and wiped it all down, washed tray with hot as fuck water and got rid of the old pot. No sign of the little buggers yet and I'm being much more stringent with hygiene. Fingers crossed.

Thanks for your comments.

unclefester · May 5, 2016

Just a little photo update of how they are doing - growth is explosive compared to my last grow, very pleased.

Plants seem healthy but the leaf edges are still curling in some places and there are a couple of rust spots, not really concerned as they look pretty healthy at the moment. Just gave them plain tap water with a half dose of cal/mag. New growth looks ok.

I'm going to trim away the lower leaves in the next day or two (when I get a spare moment). No sign of sex yet, but i'll be happy if the front plant is female - it's been growing the best from the start, tightest nodes, fastest growth, first seed to pop. Back left is a little leggy but growing well. The back right plant is tight, but not as fast as the other two... Looking forward to sexing so I can take some clones for my home made bubble cloner...

Hope you Ladies and Gents enjoy...

unclefester · May 9, 2016

Shit, looks like I didn't post pics last time... oh well, here they are at lights on today.

I think I gave a little too much N, gonna back that off considerably now. Confirmed the two largest plants are female, still waiting on the little one to show sex. Hopefully another girl... took some clones of the tallest and the widest plant when I saw they were female.

The pictures really don't do the plants justice, the room is turning in to a jungle... very difficult to move around and water the plants, remove trays etc... it's a good problem to have

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