Jesus' first grow, guerilla. Water into wine and seeds into bud.

Discussion in 'Outdoor Grow Journals' started by JesusGreen, May 20, 2011.

  1. #1 JesusGreen, May 20, 2011
    Last edited by a moderator: May 27, 2011
    Hey all and welcome to my 2011 Guerilla grow journal. This is not my first attempt at growing, but, I'd like to think of it that way. My only previous attempt was a single feminised seed which was killed before it's starter leaves could even show, due to me planting it straight outside and heavy rain getting to it.

    Since then I've taken some time to research growing a little more, though, I am still a rather uneducated grower, with no experience to go on. So, this'll be a learning experience for me, but I thought that'd be perfect for a grow journal, as if all goes well, it'll encourage others who've never grown before that it's worth a shot - especially people on a tight budget like me :)

    So a couple of weeks ago I ordered my seeds from pickandmixseeds.co.uk (shameless plug), I went for the cheapest nice seeds I could get, since I still feel nervous after my last attempt, and want to spend as little as possible on this grow just in case things go bad.

    I ordered:
    8x Walkabout - A variety of different strains suited for outdoor growing
    2x Kaya Gold - Sativa dominant outdoor strain
    2x Shortrider - Indica/Ruderalis autoflowering strain

    All my seeds are regular, so that means potentially a handful or less of females, but I figured I'm learning to grow so I may as well learn to deal with males etc too.

    My ghetto budget supplies:
    12 seeds
    7 Small pots + 5 plastic tubs with holes poked in the bottom for drainage
    2 Large pots
    Generic Potting Soil
    5-3-7 Fertiliser

    I also have 3x 20W 2700K CFLs for my 2 Shortriders which I plan to grow indoors, and once I get some E40 fittings for them I'll probably put my seedlings under them for their first couple of weeks.

    Current stats:
    6/12 seeds planted
    3/6 seeds sprouted
    3/3 sprouts alive

    -----------

    Day 1: Friday 13th May

    Approx 11pm, placed 3 of my Walkabout seeds in a mug of lukewarm water, covered by a saucer, first germination attempt. Only placing 3 in just in case something goes wrong with the germination/planting, never put all your eggs in one basket, right?

    Day 2:

    Approx midday, checked on the seeds. All still floating. Tapped all 3 and they sank to the bottom instantly, suggesting they are viable seeds. So far so good.

    Day 3:

    Filled 5 plastic tubs with some generic potting soil, added a couple of holes for drainage on the bottom of the tubs. Impatience got the better of me, and though the tap roots were not yet showing, I planted all 3 seeds in 3 of the tubs. These tubs are sitting under a window in my garage, unfortunately the light is not completely direct, and it is frosted glass, so they'll probably stretch for light a bit. I'll find a way to deal with this though.

    Days 4-6:

    No sign of any seeds sprouting. Starting to worry that something might be wrong.

    Day 7:

    Two tubs still showing no signs of anything sprouting, but the middle of the three tubs now has a 2 inch high stem, looks like there's some seed casing stuck on the leaves still, but I'll leave it for now. Also, looks like it might be stretching for light a little as expected. Bought 3 cheap 20W (2700K, but they'll do) CFLs today to start my 10 outdoor plants under, and to finish my 2 indoor (Shortriders) under, but don't have any E40 fittings for them yet.

    Day 8 - Today:

    [​IMG]
    Looks like it is stretching quite a bit, so I decided until I get some lights on it I'd move it to somewhere with more light. Moved it over to the second garage window now, seems to get better direct sunlight, and the tub is angled towards the window now so that should help too.
     
  2. Looking good so far. :D Subb'd and best of luck with your grow :)
     
  3. Update:

    Day 9:

    I was out and about the night of day 8, got drunk out in the city so didn't get back until early morning the next day. Ended up sleeping most of the day so didn't check on my plant/s.

    Day 10 - Today:

    Went to check on the tubs and the sprouted seedling today. Seedling was stretching for light, so much so that it seems she moved her tub closer to the window - now that one baffles me :laughing: Might have been because the frame it's sitting on is angled, so probably just slid down over time.

    Unfortunately the other two tubs are still showing no signs of any plants :(

    This girl (At least, I hope it's a she) is really stretching, hope I can get some E40 fittings soon and shove her under some lights, but until then, this'll have to do. I can see the start of her first set of fan leaves popping up between her seedling leaves, and her leaves are no longer curled away and hidden. The stretching stem is kind of scaring me though, especially since I have no way of getting a fan on her to help strengthen it :(

    Pics are horrible quality, taken from my phone, and I have trouble keeping a steady hand, that and the plant was shaking when I lifted it up since it's stem is so flimsy.

    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]

    I'll try and get some better pictures next time.

    Thanks man :)

    Anyway, question time.

    1) Going by what I've read and know, I'm thinking of starting my plant/s on the 5-3-7 ferts in about 2 weeks time, that sound right?

    2) Should I give up on the other two tubs and empty them out to make room for more seeds? Or is 8+ days after planting still not too late for plants to show if I didn't wait for a tap root when I attempted to germinate them?

    3) Anything I can do about the flimsy stem if more light/more airflow aren't options until I move the plants to their final spots?
     
  4. 1) Usually you don't want to fertilize seeds for the first month then hit them with light nutrients.

    2) I wouldn't give up on the seeds just yet, but you can always start the other seeds now too.

    3) The flimsy stems means they aren't getting enough light, and are shooting up fast to try and "reach" it. Put a small CFL bulb, extremely cheap and low heat next to them.
     
  5. Update:

    Day 10:

    Shortly after my last update I poured a cup of water ready to germinate my next 3 seeds, this time I waited a few hours for chlorine to evaporate since once again it was just tap water. Eventually in the night I placed all 3 seeds in the cup and covered it.

    Day 11:

    Seeds left to germinate, checked them in the night and one of them was showing a tap root, the other two weren't. Decided I'd wait until the morning to plant them. Didn't check on my plant today as I need to learn a little patience so I don't end up going to my guerilla plots every day and blowing my cover.

    Day 12:

    I checked on my seeds and 2 of the 3 were now showing tap roots, and the other had split open a little so one was about to come out, I decided this would be a good time to plant them. I went to my garage, checked on my tubs, still no sign of the other 2 seeds sprouting, maybe it's time to give up? I had 1 tub with soil ready for planting since I hadn't planted anything in there, and 2 small seedling pots I found the other day, I filled those up with soil, planted all 3 seeds, and then decided to check on my seedling.

    It looked slightly bigger than in my last pics, a tiny bit taller, stretching more, and the leaves had grown a little. Upon picking it up to take a picture the stem fell over completely under it's own weight, that's how flimsy it is, so, I decided to improvise. I added about an inch or so of soil to the pot, covered the base of the stem with it and packed it together a little, then I added a small stick and tied it there with some string, very loosely so the string wasn't stressing the stem, but simply acted as an "arm rest" for it.

    Here are the results. Sorry for the horrible quality pictures again, was in a hurry as in a moment I'm leaving to do some food shopping and to look for some E40 fittings :)

    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]

    Not sure I'm going to promise better pictures next time though, not until I get my new android phone anyway, the auto-focus on this camera is horrible and my hands shake too much.

    Alright thanks. Still haven't given up on the other seeds, but I'm assuming in a day or two if they still haven't sprouted they most likely aren't going to. As for the CFL bulb suggestion, if you read through a bit more that's kind of my plan hopefully, as long as I can find some E40 fittings. If not I just hope they'll survive until I move them outdoors.
     
  6. Lookin' good... keep at it, man.
     
  7. If youre going to start them in the window like that, you need something to check the upward growth. Transplant them up to the leaves, then put an oscillating fan on them. The wind will force the plant to grow a stronger stalk, rather than just shooting strait for the sky unchecked. Other than your soil and seeds, An oscillating fan is the most important part of seed starting.
     
  8. What dank said. But my solution would be...

    Start over. There's no way you will turn that seed into bud, what happened to those CFL's you had? Get them two inches away and get a fan on your new seedlings.

    It looks like you have been growing this seed is strait shade for the past week.
     
  9. #9 JesusGreen, May 26, 2011
    Last edited by a moderator: May 26, 2011
    Update:

    Day 13:

    Left my seeds for today so I wouldn't be so impatient, and so I wouldn't overwater since I suspect another reason for the stem (or rather the bottom of the stem) being so thin was overwatering.

    Day 14:

    Checked on my 6 pots, the 2 that never sprouted originally still haven't popped, 2 or 3 more days then I'm giving up on them and planting some others in their tubs. 1 of the 3 I planted back on day 12 has sprouted and is sitting just above soil still trying to break free from its shell. Moved it to the brighter window with the other seedling.

    Checked the soil on my other seedling and as I suspected it's still quite moist, I think I was overwatering. Didn't water any of them today. Also, "Stretch" as I'm naming her, looks a bit healthier today. Still very stunted due to the low light and lack of airflow, but looks like the stick did her some good, the stem's a little thicker and greener, the leaves have grown a bit, and although she's still stretching, she hasn't stretched that much since I tied her to that stick.

    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]

    And my new seedling:
    [​IMG]

    It's growing by a frosted glass window as I said in my first post. It's just the most practical way for me to start my seedlings off. Also, as I said in my other posts, I don't have the E40 fittings I need yet.

    I don't know why you'd say to start over, each plant is going outdoors after 2 weeks by that shitty window - it's just to get them big enough so slugs won't tear them to pieces. They'll get plenty of airflow and light once they're out there. I know they're stunted now and this'll impact the final yield etc, but saying that they'll never turn to bud just because they started off stunted is a bit premature, I know I'm not exactly doing things by the book but I've seen far worse techniques, like people starting plants under 40w halogens - seeing small (but still existent) yields :p

    Thanks dank for the advice regarding the fan, not an option though since this is the only window I can have them by, can't start my lights yet as I said, and there's no power socket anywhere in sight. Would it be worth opening that window from time to time? Or would that airflow not make a difference? Also yeah when I move them outside I'm planning to replant just under the 1st set of leaves, sound good?
     
  10. Ok, but if you don't bury the stem its going to flop over on itself. Why not just try starting one outdoors? If there is enough sun to grow it like that indoors I'm sure it could do a lil better outdoors.

    And sorry but I stand by what I said about starting over. Think about your root system compared to whats above ground. You probably have more root above ground then below. MAYBE if you transplant asap and bury the stem up to the first leaves then it could grow. But if you just stick that fucker outdoors its going to flop.
     
  11. Starting outdoors carries the risk of slugs etc. At least this way despite them being stunted and not exactly the strongest plants, they'll be a bit bigger when they go out so slugs shouldn't bother them.

    I'm thinking though I might get that one out to one of my spots in a couple days, a little earlier than planned, but I could try the beer trick to deal with slugs, and hope the ants don't bother it.
     
  12. Good luck...if ever makes it to budding, PM me a pic of it PLEASE. If I don't get one...I'll assume the worst :D

    Haha, or now that I've subscribed I'll just follow your thread. Good luck.
     
  13. try obtaining some kopper strip and protect ur plants with that like dis

    [​IMG]

    hhehe little punk aint getting up there
     
  14. Cheers guys, and yeah I was thinking of that, though for stealth reasons I think beer might be better. Maybe I'm being a little -too- paranoid but I'd be worried about light shining off the copper and attracting attention or something :laughing:

    Also, tomorrow I might move my second seedling to another window that isn't frosted glass. It's not ideal for stealth reasons due to nosy neighbours etc, but I'll compare growth and might move the other there too.
     
  15. Check out slug shields. I tried them last season they are worth their weight in gold (certainly copper).
     
  16. #16 JesusGreen, May 29, 2011
    Last edited by a moderator: May 29, 2011
    Update:

    Days 15 + 16:

    Didn't check on my plants as I suspect I would have gotten impatient and watered them again, suspect I'm overwatering so decided to wait a couple of days before next checking on them to avoid the temptation to water again.

    Day 17:

    Today I went and checked on them, noticed I had a 4th sprout. That's 4 of the 6 seeds I planted now, the two that never sprouted at the beginning still haven't, and so I'm 99% sure the waterlogged tubs are to blame and I killed the seeds with rot - all is not lost though as the last 3 I planted all sprouted successfully with no problems, and my first seedling is still continuing to grow.

    One of the seedlings which sprouted several days ago wasn't looking too good, I could see the rootball out of the soil, so I obviously hadn't placed it deep enough, also the seed-casing was still covering the leaves, even though it was open and ready to fall off. I added some soil, buried it a bit deeper, then removed the casing manually, it looks fine now.

    Not much in the way of pictures today, just the 3, and two of them are horrible quality, but I'm happy with how things are going so far considering I'm practically on 0 budget, with no experience, low light levels, etc.

    My biggest seedling, or "Stretch" as I'm calling her, has grown a bit, and it's hard to see in the pictures but her first set of leaves have actually pushed up above her starter seedling leaves (What's the official name for those little round things anyway?), and I can actually just about see a little chute coming from the top which'll be her second set of leaves soon :)

    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]

    I'm not sure if you guys can tell by comparing the images, but it looks to me like she hasn't actually stretched in the last 3 days, though her leaves have grown a fair amount. I take it this is a good sign? And potentially it was the overwatering causing more problems than the light levels?

    Also, just to add, something I almost forgot to mention. I've lightly bent her stem today, as I did 3 days ago - I've heard that when there's a lack of airflow this is essentially the second best way to force the stem to strengthen a little. I do it gently though and I'm not sure if it'll have any effect.
     
  17. They need more light. And alot of other stuff.
     
  18. So you effectively super-cropped your seedling that is barely 2 weeks old? Super-cropping doesn't thicken the entire stem is just creates a knot/kink in your stem where it is thicker.

    People use this technique to increase airflow, and light to their plant. It allows the inside branches to bud and fill out. You must be getting pretty desperate if you are resorting to that. Like I said before, start over. It is stunted, and will stop growing sooner or later.
     
  19. Update:

    Day 18:

    Didn't check on my plants today.

    Day 19:

    Went down, checked on my plants. The 3 newest seedlings have all grown (and stretched) a bit. Can see the first set of leaves appearing on them all. Interestingly enough one of the 3 is stretching much less than the others, seems like the stem is a lot thicker too - even though they all have the same light levels - any idea why? (Oddly enough it's the oldest of them too so it should have stretched more than them too rather than less)

    The first seedling, who I appropriately named "Stretch" doesn't seem to have stretched more than a few millimetres in the last 2 days, and the stem seems a bit thicker - slow improvement, but improvement nonetheless. Also the chute for the next set of leaves has grown a little, as have the leaves themselves, though growth is slow and clearly stunted by lack of light. Should be getting this one outdoors in the next few days though.

    Only the one picture today, today's going to be a busy day so didn't want to sit there for ages trying to take pictures that weren't so blurry you couldn't see a thing other than a couple of coloured smudges. Admittedly the one picture isn't much better than that.

    [​IMG]

    I'm not talking about the kind of bending used in super-cropping techniques. All I'm doing is - each time I check on my plant/s, I lightly bend the stem in each direction a couple of times, gently move the tub from side to side so the stem has to shake a little. I'm not sure if it will have any effect whatsoever, but given the lack of airflow I figured it's worth a shot.

    As I said, these plants are going outside very soon. So the growth won't be stunted then. Yes, a couple of cfls, or a non-frosted window would have given much better initial results, but this is my best option at the moment - honestly, I would just start them outside but this way it makes it a -little- harder on ants/slugs/etc.
     
  20. im gonna be honest. id start over as well.

    no offense meant. id suggest u starting them outside as opposed to ur current lighting situation.
     

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