Here Come the Girls - a First Timer's Adventure

Hello and Welcome to my mini adventure fellow stoners.

This is my first outing into the wonderful world of indoor horticulture and although I have absolutely zero experience in growing (other than a bit of Basil and a straggly Sage in my window box), my girls appear to be doing rather well.

Learning as I go, I am starting my journal @ 4 and a bit weeks into my grow, so will do mini-catch up in the first couple of posts.

To set the scene then...

Day 1 / Wednesday 17th April - the day I planted the first 2 of my germinated seeds. The third one germinated and was planted a day later.

The girls are Jamaican Pearl (Sativas) - my first sort-of mistake. I never planned on doing what I'm doing, I just thought I'd buy some seeds and grow one outside in my backgarden, so outdoor seeds were chosen, plus one that said 'XXL yield...hehehe. Might as well go for it hey? Apparently they can grow 10 foot high...oops.

Next thing I find myself down Homebase, the first of many a trip, buying propagation trays and what-not. I also started to google and read.

Pearl came up first (day 3), Shirley followed a few hours later and Grace was popping up the following morning (day 4) - very exciting. Ahhh, the miracle of life. It is magic, pure and simple. Where does the actual, physical material come from? All that potential in one teeny, tiny seed. But I digress.

Here is a pic of Pearl emerging.

Placed the delicate little ladies under one T5 2 x 4 light. Wasn't thinking things through properly, clearly.

Transplanted the little seedlings into their first pots on day 6.

Here they are at 1 week old.



Pots are labelled with 'Love & Happiness" - please see Dr Emote (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAvzsjcBtx8) and am playing them classical music.

I also found myself at Argos buying a humidifier...my bedroom (yes my bedroom, as I said I didn't really think it through so there is no 'grow room') is now like a tropical rainforest. It actually has mist n stuff.

Wednesday 24/04, 1 week old to the day, technically, actually 8 days old.
They are loving that classical music.

2 weeks old (day 15) on Wednesday 01/05.



Photos 1 & 2 are Pearl, 3 & 4 are Grace, 5 & 6 are Shirley and photo 7 is a nice group shot.

Day 19 - had to re-pot again already. Now in their final pots. 10" diameter, no idea what the volume of the pots is.
Also added another T5 lighting unit and a bunch of CFL spots around the sides...#makingitupasigoalong
Have decided to start LST tomorrow...oh yeah.

Day 20 - 06/05
- started LST with their first tie-down
- also started nutrients (Hessi TNT Grow, 1/4 strength)

Nice grow you have there. I'm currently on my third grow with two auto purple kush plants. Anyway keep up the green thumb work.

Day 21 - 07/05
The Girls are looking good , but...I think Pearl may have "Nitrogen Toxicity" (have used '' '' marks don't really know what I'm talking about here...) as she appears to have, 'THE CLAW'.
Gave them a litre of plain tap each water to see if that helped.



Photo 1 - The CLAW (poor Pearl)
photo 2 nice group shot, look how nice they have responded to the LST in one day.

look good, just be careful not to overwater them (if you keep the soil moist all the time)
let em dry out a bit in between watering`s

redbud12 said:

Nice grow you have there. I'm currently on my third grow with two auto purple kush plants. Anyway keep up the green thumb work.

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Well thank you very much redbud12. You are the first person to comment. I think they look amazing, but obviously have nothing to compare to.

Slipon said:

look good, just be careful not to overwater them (if you keep the soil moist all the time)
let em dry out a bit in between watering`s

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Thank you Slipon. Will bear that in mind. Have been watering every couple of days or when it seems dry on top.

So, the Girls are 3 weeks old (day 22), I'm like a puffy-chested proud parent.
Personally, I think they look incredible. Anyone else like to comment? Do they look good for 3 weeks?
They are responding the the LST great.
Poor Pearl still has The CLAW...
Tried some v. minor defoliation - took one big fan leaf from each plant. Let's see what happens.



Photos 1 to 3 are Pearl
4 & 5 are Shirley
6 & 7 are Grace
photo 8 nice group shot of the Girls @ 3 weeks.

Day 23 - 09/05

Because of Pearl's sitch with The CLAW, I decided to give them a 'flush', so I stuck them in the shower and gave them a good soaking.
Also pinched off 4 more leaves.

Post showering pics...



Actually here's a couple of shots of them pre-showering, looking '...kin great.

P

Pearl, Grace and Shirley respectively.

Day 24 - to defoliate or not to defoliate?

Being new to this and now having done a fair amount of reading, I realise what I am about to say/do is contentious to say the least, but fuck it, I am going to go for it re defoliation. There I've said it.

So at 10am on 10/05 I pinched off a bunch of fan leaves. Eek, what have I done...?



1 & 2 - Grace pre-defoliation
3 & 4 - Grace post-defoliation



1 & 2 - Pearl pre-defoliation
3 & 4 - Pearl post-defoliation



Shirley - pre & post-defoliation



The Girls post-defoliation - with their leaves. Good Lord, what have I done....

(Blimey...I am nearly caught up now...only a week behind)

Alrighty then, we are at Day 26 (12/05). More LST, gave them a second tie-down. Then watered them (possibly a mistake, just sayin'...).
Pinched off a few more fan leaves.



Pearl, Shirley, Grace, the Girls and Grace close-up

Oh. MY. God.
Disaster.
Woke up this morning and went to check the girls (they are only a few feet from my bed after all...) and Shirley's top was practically hanging off, by a thread! Jesus she's almost been decapitated. Cue panic attack and heart palpitations and I haven't even been to the toilet yet let alone made a coffee and skinned-up. Feck!

So, I reckon, having done a little more reading that I should not water when LST-ing as you want the stems nice and pliable, not full of water and all stiff and un-bendy and frickin' snappable. Feck, feck, feck.

OK so, deep breathing, assess sitch.
Despite being almost decapitated, Shirley looks healthy, not wilting, her top is still flourishing even tho it's dangling by a shred. But she had still responded to the LST and had turned her leaves upwards. That's my girl.

So...I taped her up with duct tape. We'll see what happens.

Apart from that, all 3 looked good and had responded to the LST-ing.



It goes without saying I was far to panicked to take photos of her injury before taping her up. Poor old Shirl.

Did i miss somthing? How are all these days going by today? Youve done all these updates today. Oh well, your plants look very nice and look like threy are getting lots of love. Sorry to hear about the snapped one, some tape and itll be healed right back up in no time

Oh, i see i did miss somthing the first four and a half weeks lol, carry on carry on...just pretend like i was never here.....

Ninjabowler said:

Oh, i see i did miss somthing the first four and a half weeks lol, carry on carry on...just pretend like i was never here.....

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Hello Ninjabowler, yes sorry for totally hogging the feed. I just worked out how to do this so am trying to catch up with myself. Almost there...only a couple more days to add, then I'm up to date.

Ninjabowler said:

Did i miss somthing? How are all these days going by today? Youve done all these updates today. Oh well, your plants look very nice and look like threy are getting lots of love. Sorry to hear about the snapped one, some tape and itll be healed right back up in no time

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Yeah, it's now 4 days since 'The Disaster' and she's looking better than ever, better than the other two. It would appear I have accidentally 'super-cropped' her and she loves it.