My 3rd grow - Turning a novice into an intermediate grower

This is my first grow journal ever. I am not sure that anyone is going to learn much from this, but at least you might enjoy looking in on it. All comments are welcomed. I assume that I will learn a lot opening my process up to the wisdom of the community.

On to the plants. I took some seeds out of some good buds I smoked in January. From these seeds I have raised 3 plants that have flowered. I recently cloned 4 more plants and a mother plant to take clones from. I currently have a 30" plant flowering as well.

On to my setup. I have a small grow space I made from lumber left over from a deck project. I have 2 spaces, each around 9 sq ft. In one side I have 2 4' 2 bulb T12 fixtures. This was supposed to be my veg side, but there's not much in it now because I took the only T5 out and transferred it to my bloom side. I bought the T12s on a whim one day when I impulsively decided that I needed to grow my own pot. They actually worked too. I veged and bloomed with them. I wanted to include a pic, but the location info was in the pic. The bloom side has far more light. I have a 2 lamp 4' T5 HO fixture and 4 2' T5 HO lamps. Currently, I have 3000k bulbs on a 12/12 cycle in my bloom side. All my plants are in the bloom side now. Why you ask? There is not enough light in the veg side to get my clones growing. They need more light. I'm just hoping my clones don't start flowering soon. Here's the girls.

The clones


The big girl.


On to my materials and methods. I grow simple and "organic/natural." I grow in soil and use compost I have been making for about 3 years running now for fertilizer. I water with rainwater that I collect in my rain barrel. I use 3 gallon pots that you could buy about anywhere. This is the extent of the complexity of my medium/fertilizer.

Compost


Growing medium


I'm thinking at some point I will attempt a compost tea. I am also going to LST 3 of the 4 plants. Why only 3 you ask? Well that brings me to my last point. This grow is an experiment for me. I have some aquarium bulbs on order. I want to see if this talk of PAR light produces significantly better results than what I'm doing now. PAR is basically only putting out light at certain wavelengths for those that don't know. Plants have certain spectrums of light that they use for photosynthesis. I am trying to put most of my light in this spectrum. I am not doing HID for this grow. Please don't try to talk me into it. I am not set up for tons of heat, and I don't want to be the electric company's best customer. I don't want to be at the ribbon cutting ceremony when the power company names their new top of the line steam turbine after me. Whoa, tangent. Back to why 3 and not 4 LST plants. The one I'm not training is going to be a control plant to make a comparison to my current flowering plant. My comparison is not going to be exactly apples to apples because this new plant will see much more light than my current plant has seen over its life. Other than that, I'm going to do everything the same.

More updates to come. Thanks for reading.

Thanks for the post. I am doing my first grow and look forward to posts like yours. I see you are using 4's strips. That is what I started off with 2x4' T5's. Do you grow all the way to completion with just those?
I have decided to get more light so I got some 150w cfl bulbs, seemed like everone was using them and light is more concentrated tha the 4' strips. I use both now. You can see a pic. on my journal:
https://www.rollitup.org/grow-journals/483276-first-grow-using-cfls.html

I see you use compost, I have some as well. Do you just sprinkle in the pots or do you mix in with dirt before planting?
Here is something you might find helpful about Compost Tea:
http://www.dirtdoctor.com/Compost-Tea_vq152.htm

I am sure you could get by without all the aeration equipment and just agitate by hand a few times a day.
Good luck!

Hey buddy nice to finally see your plants

PAR means Photosynthetically active radiation or in other words, the parts of visible light that plants use the most for photosynthesis. That being, PAR light is usually concentrated in blue and red hues.

On the other hand: your potting soil scares the crap out of me. Get a pro-mix, you can buy it in large bags if you don't want a whole bale It's affordable, reliable and used by.... every commercial greenhouse grower I know. And I'm talking people with 32 greenhouses to 250 greenhouses who shit out more flowers than you could imagine.

I read your journal and I think our methods are very similar. I do use the tube fluoros from birth until death. They have worked pretty good for me. As far as compost goes, here's how I use it; I fill my pot about 1/3 with compost and mix the pitting soil in. As the plant grows, I top the pot off with compost occasionally. My theory is that when I water the plant the water carries the compost's nutrients into the soil.

Looks like you are on your way too. Good luck.

Afka said:

Hey buddy nice to finally see your plants

PAR means Photosynthetically active radiation or in other words, the parts of visible light that plants use the most for photosynthesis. That being, PAR light is usually concentrated in blue and red hues.

On the other hand: your potting soil scares the crap out of me. Get a pro-mix, you can buy it in large bags if you don't want a whole bale It's affordable, reliable and used by.... every commercial greenhouse grower I know. And I'm talking people with 32 greenhouses to 250 greenhouses who shit out more flowers than you could imagine.

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So this home depot shit is no good? A pro-mix you say. What are some good brands? Do I have to order online or do the big box stores carry it?

Thanks for your input man.

Ok. So last night I thought it would be like any other day in my indoor garden, but it wasn't. There were 2 issues that came up. I had some guests over and they commented on the scent coming from the basement. I also noticed a cola was falling over. I had work to do.

I needed to tackle the smell issue immediately. I never installed any odor control before because I thought the smell of my musty basement would cover the pleasing stink of the Mary Jane. I was wrong. I went to the sticky at the top of the indoor growing fourm here at RIU. I found some recipes for DIY carbon filters. I decided to go with this one because all the materials could be found at home depot.

https://www.rollitup.org/indoor-growing/7074-easy-build-diy-carbon-filter.html

I gathered the materials and got to work when I got home. Well, I guess before I got to work, I picked some small popcorn buds off my plant. I got those with browning pistils that didn't seem like they were getting any bigger. I needed something to ease my anxiety about getting caught. I don't think my guests would tell anyone, but I got paranoid anyway. It's not like I was going to be using any tools that dangerous while I was high. Reciprocating saws aren't dangerous right? Anyway, I took my plants out and saw how dirty my space was. I cleaned it out while everything was out of it. People say that dirty growing spaces can cause problems. I don't want to fall into that trap.

Before and After.


So I made the filter and installed it. I noticed a few things. My pussy fan really helps my temps. I realized this after I took my fan out and left the lights on. Here's my fan and what my temps look like without it.


Here is my finished DIY filter.


I wasn't entirely confident that this would work, but I was sure that it was better than nothing. I was surprised this morning when I went downstairs and it smelled like the normal musty basement. I officially endorse this DIY carbon filter.

I was told that my branches were to small to hold up any kind of decent yield. I am getting some decent buds and one of my colas is falling over. This is a lesson to all you noob growers, myself included, listen to your crazy uncles at RIU. They know what they're talking about. I tied my drooping cola to another stem. I think that, for now, my fix works. This fix, however, is already starting to pull the stem I tied the drooping cola to down. I am going to fix this better tonight. It was too late to do it last night.

Drooping cola


My quick fix


Success. Thanks for reading.

My girl has gone from a hot adolescent to a beautiful young woman. Check these out.

I am aware that I overwatered. I read somewhere on this site that someone waits until the soil is dry and puts the volume of the pot in water in the soil. 3 gallons of water for a 3 gallon pot in this case. It didn't work with this strain/setup. I put about 1 gallon in before water was coming out the bottom. I am not sure if it will really need water again before harvest.

Today I tied up my tallest cola to the grow room. It's kind of a shitty fix, but my big one is almost done. After that, my focus will be on the smaller plants and comparing lights. I think that my big one will be ready to harvest by the time my new lights get here. I'm thinking I'll have the new bulbs around thanksgiving. My trichomes are still clear, some are turning cloudy. I want to harvest when they're just turning amber. I've taken some small flowers and smoked them. They are getting potent, but need some more time. Enjoy the pics.

I'm subbed. Looking forward to seeing how your new bulbs work out.

organicbynature said:

I'm subbed. Looking forward to seeing how your new bulbs work out.

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Thanks man. I'll be asking questions if I run into any issues.

These pics aren't as glorious as pics of flowering plants, but I thought I would share my mother plant. It had been a while since I took it out and looked at it. I can't really tell what it looks like when I check in on it because other plants obscure the view. Yes, I grow other plants in my space.



https://www.rollitup.org/organics/478518-does-anyone-grow-other-plants.html

I just want anyone who is newer than I am to know that pot is easy to grow. This plant is lit by 2 T12 4' 2 bulb shop lamps. 160 watts 7500 lumens in about 9 sq ft. It's not growing fast, but I was really surprised at how good it looked. I'm convinced that you have to try to kill this strain.

I'm thinking that this PAR is the way to go. Here's why; I replaced 2 6500k lamps putting out 2750 lumens each with 2 3000k lamps that output 1600 lumens each. The plants like the 3000k lights more than the 6500k that put out more lumens. I haven't looked at the output spectrum of this lamp, but I suspect it's putting out more light in the PAR spectrum. It's a Phillips T12 plant and aquarium bulb. I'm going to look for the spectrum when I have some time.

Yes I have some leaf lettuce growing and a very young tomato plant. They aren't getting much light though, low priority. Lettuce looks pretty good though.

Dont Fear The Reefer said:

Yes I have some leaf lettuce growing and a very young tomato plant. They aren't getting much light though, low priority. Lettuce looks pretty good though.

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I was reading your journal and I saw your posts about nutrient deficiencies. I thought my purple leaves were genetic because it also has pink pistils. When I saw your post, I thought, "Is this a phosphorus deficiency?" I then went on to ask, "Should I be doing something about it?" I know the plants need it when they're flowering, but your post said some during flowering is normal. It also said that too much shouldn't be tolerated. I interpret this as, "You really have to have experience to know how much is tolerable." So organicbynature, are you out there? Is this phosphorus deficient? Should I do something about it? What do you even do about it? I was hoping to use all natural stuff. I don't want to break down and have to buy a pile of chemicals in a plastic jug. You can see the methods I use. Also, how close are these to being done? My first grow didn't have nearly as good of a setup or light. This plant, though genetically identical, is like a different beast. It's bigger and has a ton more trichs and flowers. I keep waiting for more trichs to turn cloudy, but it's happening slower than I thought it was going to. Anyway, thanks is advance for any help you can provide. Forgive me for asking all my questions here before I research.

I get anxious when I get close to harvest. I think that the hormones and chemicals my plants are manufacturing cause me to get overly worried about my harvest. Not really, but I think it sounds funny.

I really thought that I did not have enough phosphorus to get through flower and my trichomes weren't turning. Well, today I found quite a few cloudys. I'm thinking that I will be harvesting a portion, the top, of my plant in the next few days. My microscope will be in overdrive. Why only the top you ask? Because I didn't train to get a canopy at a uniform height. The lower buds aren't getting much light and will benefit from closer light for a few more weeks. Picking and growing the last of these buds will keep me busy and happy while I wait for my new bulbs. When I have my final weight, then the comparisons can begin.

One final note; I did not need any purchased nutrients to get this thing all the way to flower. Are you listening new growers? I used only waste that would otherwise be in a dump to grow my plants. Pot is easy to grow and you don't need a complex setup to get some good bud. I only wish I could grow it outside. I would do great based on the outcomes of my vegetable gardens.

Tonight, I harvested a few flowers to give me an idea of where my plant is at. I hope anyone who is following my grow is not horrified that I chose to clip some. I looked at another thread to determine what I should look for before harvest. Here was my criteria for choosing what flowers to cut; purple fan leaves, brown pistils, cloudy trichomes. I cut 4 total flowers. I kept the 2 largest colas intact. I will cut those when I feel they are more mature than the buds I just harvested so I will know when to pick future buds. On to the pics.

Here are the buds I cut.


I am not Picasso with the scissors, but I am proud of my homegrown bud. I think it's not bad considering my setup.


I know that you're supposed to let the bud dry and cure before smoking, but I'm hard up for weed. I smoked the top tip of one flower. It was glorious. Truly more potent than I thought it would be. There is plenty more plumping up and getting ready for harvest.


Also, I talked to aquarium specialty today. They are shipping me everything except a 2' red sun and the 454. I can't wait to get them.

If you want organic phosphorous you can get bone meal. Lowes probably has it. Not terribly expensive. Needs to be mixed in soil and use sparingly. I suppose you could just put some in pot and water it in. You got ot be careful with organics they can burn and its easy to overdo it...There is a liquid bone meal fertilizer but I have never seen it, probably at a farm store or a nursery...

I haven't updated in a while, so this post may be long.

#1 thing I take away from growing with a decent amount of light; the smoke is about the greatest I've ever had. They say if you want something done right, do it yourself. This is true with pot as it is with other things. I am experiencing a little regret at chopping down a few of my flowers. I don't think they were ready, but they are still very potent. I see my trichs have turned mostly cloudy on a big flower. I have to decide tonight whether to cut it or not. I won't get another opportunity till Sunday.

I am also noticing a large number of leaves turning purple indicating to me the plant is taking nutrients from the leaves to the flowers. I fear that I didn't have enough nutrients to get a healthy enough plant. I am faced with another question; switching over to lights in the PAR spectrum, will I have enough nutrients? I have enough running a small fluoro setup using 3000k and 6500k lights. The plants are supposed to be able to use PAR light more efficiently and will need more water and nutes. I hope I'm able to handle it. I question myself because others on this forum have said that the T5 PAR light produces better results than a 1000w HPS. I'm not sure I'm ready to get results that good. I'm kidding. Of course I want good results. I just may have to open myself to different nutes and methods.

Over the weekend, I got myself some aquarium bulbs. I got tired of waiting on my bulbs to come through the mail, so I went shopping locally. I found a Coralife Actinic and an aqueon colormax. I am desperate to upgrade. These are not the bulbs recommended in the T5 thread I subscribe to. Please don't tell the folks on that thread that I am cheating on their bulbs with their slutty cousins while they are not in town. Just kidding. They already know.

Here are the spectrums of my bulbs. Keep in mind I only bought 2 bulbs, one 4' HO and one standard 2' T5. Most of what I'm putting out is still 3000k.


As you can see, I'm trying to avoid too much green light. I've got plenty coming from my 3000k. My colormax bulb isn't even an HO version. I'm just using it for emergencies and to keep myself from making other stupid purchases due to lack of willpower. The lights look really nice though.


I also took a picture of the 4 babies. They are just starting to grow. They don't get much light in their current position, so I was surprised they had grown at all. Pics taken on Saturday before the addition of aquarium lights.


So the experiment begins partially. I need a bigger quantity of PAR in my room before any conclusions can be drawn. This is a start though.

I also like to get high and lay down on my growroom floor, and pretend that I live in a world where pot trees are 50 feet tall and human size bud flowers fall off and crush people occasionally.


What? It's my journal. I can write what I want. Right?

Awesome Ass, rating floodlights as par 40 has any thing to do with the PAR you mention? Is that something different that a regular cfl doesn;t have. I noticed the CFL Flood lights I bought are rated par 40???????????

by the way, have a laugh. I am sure you can appreciate
https://www.rollitup.org/newbie-central/489288-confessions-cfl-jinkie.html

Never mind I figured out what the par on the bulbs is:
http://www.ehow.com/about_6605063_par-lighting-definition.html

not related

I looked in my grow room before I left for thanksgiving. I feel quite bad that I won't see my plant again until Sunday. I'm not sure, but I think the 2 bulbs I replaced are having an effect. I've had to water my plant twice in the last 2 days. It hasn't needed water for about a week. The nutrient uptake from the leaves to the flowers also seems to be accelerating. Are these direct results of replacing about 40% of my wattage with these new bulbs? I like to think so, but I'm not sure.

I think I'm going to have to chop my plant on Sunday out of necessity. I don't think it will survive much longer. I feel like I didn't get this poor plant enough nutrients during it's final stage. I have to figure out something better for my next grow. I threw some compost on top of the soil hoping that I can get something into the soil. I did this yesterday. Rainwater has nitrogen in it I read. I hope this helps in some way. I fear when I get home the whole think will be yellow and dry. Oh well. Nothing I can do now.

I'm thinking that this experiment is not so controlled. I've got a greater quantity of light, different light, and probably different nutes. The only way to tell if the lights made a difference will be if I get a love-fist sized cola on my plants.

http://www.sextoy.com/prod_info.php?a=a&pnum=DJ0261-01

Couldn't attach the way I wanted tonight, so here's my pic descriptions.

Pic 1 - top of plant taken today
Pic 2 - small buds suffering from phosphorus deficiency
Pic 3 - top of plant taken11/21
Pic 4 - top of plant taken 11/18

I noticed one of my seedling plants seems to have to be watered more than the others. I have decided it is root bound