My first grow

Jerry Garcia · #1 03-02-2009, 11:57 AM

Welcome to my first attempt at growing marijuana. Here's a brief run down of what I'm working with.

Space: 17"W x 30"L x 30"H. Removable shelf expands space to almost 60"H. Lined with bubble-wrap insulation coated in reflective material (I think this retains too much heat...1mm mylar on the way).

Lights:
1) 12 26w 6500k cfls
2) 2 2' T5 HO 24w 6500k
3) 1 Exo-Terra 26w 10.0 UVB cfl (used only for short bursts of 30-45 minutes, once or twice per day)

Not currently equipped but will be for flower: 1 150hps, 12 23w 2700k cfls, 2 2' T5 HO 2700k replacement bulbs, 2 65w 2700k cfls.

Soil: Fox Farm Ocean Forest. Added extra perlite. Began seedling growth in Miracle Grow Organic Potting Soil, but retained too much moisture imo.

Pots: 7 5.5" square black pots, 2 7" circular pots. Also 6 7" square pots for final upcan.

Ventilation: 2 CPU fans of unknown cfm as exhaust, 1 3" personal fan attached to duct as exhaust (for now), 1 4" personal fan as intake, 1 12" oscillating fan outside the space but blowing toward the plants.

Heat: 78-85 daytime (though 90 not uncommon), 60-65 night.

Humidity: 20-30% daytime (too low, I know...), over 30% at night.

CO2: Using the yeast/sugarwater mix in an old orange juice bottle with a hole in the top--I give it a good shake every now and then and try to shut off the fans for a few minutes, though it can get awful warm without them.

Seeds: Bag seeds collected from some quality bags.

About 3 weeks ago...

I germinated these seeds, using a moist paper towel on a plate covered with a bowl. Highly effective. Only 2 failed to sprout at all (leaving me with more than anticipated).

Once germinated, they went into 16oz clear plastic cups with 4 drainage slits cut into each one. After about a week and a half in these, they were upcanned to the 5.5" square pots.

During this time, they experienced varying degrees of stress related to...

1) Over-watering. The soil looked crusty, my finger came out dry, I guess the cup felt light, so I watered. The Miracle Grow soil I started with retained more moisture than I believed, leading to the plants getting a little droopy.

2) Shortly after (Feb. 17 I think) I upcanned to the 5.5" square pots and watered thoroughly. During the transfer, I tried to remove as much MG soil as possible, and invariably damaged the delicate roots (some more than others). Not too bad though.

3) Heat. Somedays, the heat got above 90 and stayed there for a while. This led to some yellowing and necrosis in the leaves, but I simply cut the bad part off the leaf. I've been busting as$ to try and improve the ventilation of this tiny space...progress is being made.

4) Humidity. Average 23%. Can't fix it. Tried paper towels, tried cups of water, bought a $15 dollar humidifier from Sears (and promptly returned as it had no effect--it was just a sponge in a res of water with a fan blowing out), just can't fix it. Tried buildling small humidity tents of seran wrap--worked, but made the plants too hot cuz no breeze from fans. I've just accepted that its low. All plants are growing and producing new growth, so I'm not too worried. And its good to be low during flower, so I'll have that to look forward to!

Here's what I've got so far...

This is a general view inside. Note the general droop--still recovering from too much heat/water.

This next pic shows the biggest girl of the lot...she had some trauma and got a leaf tip snipped, but is doing fine for 2 weeks and a couple days.

This next one is of the same plant about 5 days ago...you can see the trauma on that has since been cut off

None of these plants have been watered since their upcanning on Feb. 17. I mist ~once/day, causing the top of the soil to get a little damp, but no actual watering. I am now using a $5 moisture meter from Lowes that tells me when the soil is actually dry (at least until I learn to just recognize it). Since they have been slightly overwatered I want to ensure they are really DRY before they get wet again.

I will also begin using Fox Farm Grow Big (6-4-4) and Big Bloom (0.01-0.3-0.7) plant foods during the next feeding. I will likely use 1/4 of the recommended dosage and gradually increase as the plants adjust.

Any/all comments, suggestions, questions welcome!

~JG

Jerry Garcia · #2 03-03-2009, 05:22 AM

Yesterday I took moisture readings of all the plants using my moisture meter from Lowes. 10 DAYS since their last water and they finally registered in the dry/red zone on the meter. I took this opportunity to give the plants their first dose of nutes. I was planning on only using 1/4 of the recommended dosage, but the Grow Big suggested 1 tsp/gallon for standard feeding, which seemed conservative enough, so I went with .5tsp/.5gallon. I also used .5tsp of Big Bloom--my (not so) local hydro shop guy suggested using this throughout the life cycle and not only during budding, and a quick glance of the contents (Earthworm Castings, Bat and Seabird Guano) reassured me that I wouldn't do any harm using this stuff.

One day after feeding, the difference is staggering. All the droopy plants have perked up nicely and just look stronger...

Here is a general view of the improvement. Note the one on the left in front of the CO2 bottle was not watered witht he rest because the soil was still a little damp.

This is the same lady from the previous post (the biggest of the lot thus far)--note how all leaves have picked up are are not drooping at all.

So there it is. After one day of nutes the girls have all perked up.

I'm still constantly fighting the temp in there, so I may construct a "DIY Closet AC" using a styrofoam cooler, ice, duct, and a fan to move some colder air into the space. My goal is to stay 78-83 without aid from the large 12" fan (that sits on my toilet and requires me to move everytime I have to go...). I'll update pics of the cooler after I make it and give a report of its functionality.

Jerry Garcia · #3 03-04-2009, 12:41 PM

With some free time this morning I put together a DIY AC united as suggested in the following thread: DIY Air Conditioning For Closet Grows

I cut a ~5" hole in the side of the cooler, near the base (cold air sinks, so I wanted to draw air from the bottom). I then placed my 3" personal desk fan in the hole blowing out. To the other end of the fan I attached 3" expandable ducting from lowes. I didn't think this was going to produce enough pull to travel the 4' up to the grow space, so I cut the 3" duct in half and inserted a CPU fan (of unknown cfm...came from an old school apple) between the sections to act as an inline air booster. I then cut 3 holes in the lid of my styrofoam cooler to allow airflow. I purchased 6 $2 ice packs from Target (all they had in stock of the large size) and plan on using 3 at a time, so I always have three frozen packs ready to go.

Here's the cooler. Note: I didn't seal the lid onto the cooler. The suction produced from the fan is enough to hold the lid on firmly.

Here's an interior view and the duct going up to the shelf above. Note the square cpu fan duct taped in the center.

I had a small amount of ice in my freezer that I just threw in the cooler until the ice packs freeze. Currently, the temp is holding at 77 degrees with only my two cpu exhaust fans running and this ac.

Tatan · #4 03-04-2009, 01:04 PM

This looks great for a first grow man and tons of info, I´m on my first grow as well, so I´ll be following your thread.

I think you forgot to tell us what strain you are growing...

Jerry Garcia · #5 03-04-2009, 03:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tatan

This looks great for a first grow man and tons of info, I´m on my first grow as well, so I´ll be following your thread.

I think you forgot to tell us what strain you are growing...

Thanks for the kind words Tatan. I've been doing lots of research and want to share the knowledge as best I can. I also think visuals are key, so I will be including lots of pics to help explain.

As for the strain...they are all bagseed, though I can attest the bags they came from were quality. I mixed all the seeds together, so I can only try to classify them by phenotype. As they get bigger I should have a better idea of who is related to who.

AC UPDATE: It works. Temp is holding ~78 with no fans. Lets just hope it stays this way.

I've also begun to catch fleeting whiffs of the faintest aroma...

Tatan · #6 03-04-2009, 03:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jerry Garcia

Thanks for the kind words Tatan. I've been doing lots of research and want to share the knowledge as best I can. I also think visuals are key, so I will be including lots of pics to help explain.

As for the strain...they are all bagseed, though I can attest the bags they came from were quality. I mixed all the seeds together, so I can only try to classify them by phenotype. As they get bigger I should have a better idea of who is related to who.

AC UPDATE: It works. Temp is holding ~78 with no fans. Lets just hope it stays this way.

I've also begun to catch fleeting whiffs of the faintest aroma...

Good thing about the temp

, and yeah I agree about the pics... they are essential to get a better idea of the grow. Im trying to do the same on my journal.
I think its cool that you are growing some bagseed, I´m doing the same for half my grow. I heard somebody on this forum say that a lot of times bagseed is great, cause sometimes people have to sell really good quality weed at a lower price just cause some damn male got in there and now the weed has seeds in it, lol. Btw, I have been using miracle grow potting soil as well, and I can see what you mean about it retaining a lot of moisture... I am also worried I might be overwatering due to it. It´s a good thing you were able to substitute for it.

And yeah, as your plants get older, maybe you can start seeing at first if its more indica or sativa by the leaves.. anbd then maybe by the height and bud formation you can kind of guess at its origins...

Jerry Garcia · #7 03-05-2009, 06:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tatan

I have been using miracle grow potting soil as well, and I can see what you mean about it retaining a lot of moisture... I am also worried I might be overwatering due to it. It´s a good thing you were able to substitute for it.

I would get some perlite and mix some into your MG soil if you can. The soil around the central root ball just stayed moist for days, even though the surrounding/top soil was dry and crusty. Though I never added perlite to mine (because I could upgrade to the good $hit!) I think it would help immensely, and you can get it at lowes or home depot for pretty cheap.

I agree about the bagseed thing too--one pesky undetected male can cost someone a big chunk of change! On a related note, I remember reading that pollen from male cannibus plants can stay viable for a long time--if a male has a chance to release the pollen from their balls, it gets in everything it can, and can contaminate future grows, especially indoors. So weed those guys out early.

Just checked out your journal and they're looking good! Keep up the good work and share the knowledge!

Tatan · #8 03-05-2009, 07:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jerry Garcia

I would get some perlite and mix some into your MG soil if you can. The soil around the central root ball just stayed moist for days, even though the surrounding/top soil was dry and crusty. Though I never added perlite to mine (because I could upgrade to the good $hit!) I think it would help immensely, and you can get it at lowes or home depot for pretty cheap.

I agree about the bagseed thing too--one pesky undetected male can cost someone a big chunk of change! On a related note, I remember reading that pollen from male cannibus plants can stay viable for a long time--if a male has a chance to release the pollen from their balls, it gets in everything it can, and can contaminate future grows, especially indoors. So weed those guys out early.

Just checked out your journal and they're looking good! Keep up the good work and share the knowledge!

Yeah I added some perlite already lol...

Keep the pics coming

Jerry Garcia · #9 03-06-2009, 09:36 AM

Sorry for the delayed update...been busy finishing up classes before spring break.

AC UPDATE: Temps were beginning to climb up to around 84, so I put my 4" fan near the AC duct blowing towards my plants. It may have helped. Temp continues to stay around 78-81 on the whole. Even without the icepacks, the air drawn through the cooler is considerably cooler than that in the grow space, and helps with the temp--reassuring, as now I won't worry as much about the temp rising if the ice packs thaw out...

Upon my daily misting and inspection yesterday, I noticed some of the soil had already become dry and the pots comparatively light. I used the moisture meter and discovered three of the girls were already reading in the dry zone. I watered fully a couple days ago for the first time since repotting, so maybe they were just thristy?

Either way, I elected to water the three driest. Some of the others were still sufficiently moist, so they only received a misting.

For feeding, I decided to continue with the fertilizer and mixed a 1L spray bottle with a capful of Grow Big and a capful of Big Bloom. This is a higher concentration than last time of the Grow Big, but they responded favorably last time so I tried it again. This time, however, I administered some of the food foliarly using the spray (usually I use a spray bottle top without the spray nozzle--it creates a smaller hole from which I can gently administer the food).

A few hours after feeding, they were drooping hardcore...so badly I was distraught over the situation for most of the evening. By morning though they rebounded as I always knew they would, and are looking much better today. See for yourselves...

A general view of the plants this morning...little droopy still...

Here's another view of the front...

From the top down...note the two little guys in the back coming along nicely

A close-up of one of the tops...just keeps spitting out new leaves!

Another close-up, this one a profile showing the undergrowth

So that's it. I'll let you know if their status changes.

Tatan · #10 03-06-2009, 12:54 PM

Those plants are looking great, nice and compact. I really like how you have the Cfl up top really close to the plants. I´m using the same splitter to put 2 bulbs in 1 socket, nice.

Btw, how do you do it to put your pics inside your post ? I only know how to put in thumbnails that people have to click to see the enlarged pic.