# Metal grow cabinet build for 1st grow



## PrezDickie (Apr 11, 2011)

I've been hanging around RIU for a while now and learning alot from the great people on here and i've been in planning stages for a while now slowly building up my supplies until i was ready and educating myself in the mean time.

Well i've got all the ingredients now its time to get to work
(might be a slow process since i work two jobs and have a lil one to care for)

I started with a sandusky metal cabinet measuring 72" x 18" x 36"

Problem was those shelves were welded in there and didn't want to come out!
Thought i'd have to rent a plasma cutter but tried cheap fix first
dremmel tool with metal cutting disc, not made for big jobs think i burnt thru 4 or 5 disc so far.


----------



## PrezDickie (Apr 11, 2011)

Got a lot done this weekend. if anyone has any suggestions along the way i'm open to them. i'm a newb. but i've got my grow bible, my light, my seeds, my soil, and my girl who needs the medicine so i'm motivated.

Wearing my Attitude Seedbank Shirt and listening to John Doe Radio while i'm working 


Shelves all out 
and i removed too many 
got too ahead of myself.
Anyone who is planning to use a similar sandusky cabinet don't remove the middle shelf like i did... that is what the door lock latches onto
Rookie mistake #1


----------



## PrezDickie (Apr 11, 2011)

I left the top shelf to use it to support my little fan and for something to hang my light from. Also the cabinet need the inner support of the shelf from to be stable so i cut out the center. A good sized hole since i'm hanging my carbon scrubber above this shelf i wanted good airflow thru it.




marked and cut this "U" Shaped hole close to the bottom of the cabinet. I made it sized so that the replacement carbon filters for my little house febreze/hamilton beach odor filter will cover the hole They block light well and i believe they will be porous enough to let air move and being active carbon should help stop smell leaking out bottom of my cabinet. I left the flap to direct the airflow down so that it will work around the plants and not just straight up to the scrubber and out. 

Do you guys think its needed or should i remove it to give myself more space for plants in cab? i will have a clip fan to move air around the cab and promote stronger stems so can i do without this flap to direct airflow?


----------



## PrezDickie (Apr 11, 2011)

i'll post a pics of all my supplies and hit you up with the overall plan soon out o time for now


----------



## xebeche (Apr 11, 2011)

Interesting. I looked at some metal cabinets a while back and was wondering whether a Dremel would cut through it. I read one thread where the guy used a plasma cutter (he actually bought it...then re-sold it later I guess), but I had no intention of messing with one of those at this point in time. 

I'm sub'd and will be watching your progress...this could end up being a really cool grow cab. 

Not sure if that flap will be needed there...I guess it depends on where your exhaust fan will be located. I would think that if it's located more toward the FRONT of the cab, the air would have to move through the plant area to get out....whereas if it's more toward the BACK, you might run the risk of air moving straight up and out of the cab without really circulating through the canopy. If I were you, I'd leave it on until you get everything set up and running...put as many plants as you can in there, and see how it operates. No sense removing it now when it might not hurt (other than taking up a little space along the back wall)...and may very well help. You could probly even push it in a little more later on if you need the space. Either way, taking it off later would probly be easier than putting it back on if you think you'll need it in the future.

How many plants do you plan on growing in there?

Is the back of that cabinet welded on pretty securely...or could it be removed easily? I was thinking that combining two together (back to front, with one back panel and one door removed) would make a nice solid 36" x 36" cab (for maybe a 600w hps). Might be a little expensive, though. As I recall, those metal cabinets aren't cheap...unless maybe I could find a couple used ones from an office furniture liquidation outlet or someplace similar. Did you buy it new or used?


----------



## PrezDickie (Apr 11, 2011)

I lucked out big time $45 on craigslist for the cab and they are built pretty well removing the back would be a pain in the ass! i just got the cheap little two speed dremel with the quick change bit top (it holds the disc better for high friction like cutting metal) Its not ideal and lil sloppy but gets the job done. 

I cut a hole in the top left corner for venting out the scrubber. need it all in back for stealth reasons. want the cab to look normal at first glance from front

I'm planning to grow 2 to 4 plants at a time, just enough to supply my lady with her meds


----------



## xebeche (Apr 11, 2011)

PrezDickie said:


> I'm planning to grow 2 to 4 plants at a time, just enough to supply my lady with her meds


Gotcha. Should be the perfect size...and a stealthy, sweet looking cab when it's done.

I have an old Dremel in my garage. Haven't fired it up in years, but now you got me thinking about using it for another project. I have an old 150w hps hood...removed the ballast and need to cut off the ballast housing part of it to fit it in a smaller cab. Tried with a hacksaw for a few days, but only got partway through it. I think I'll pick up a fresh pack of those cutting discs next time at Home Depot....should cut thru that heavy gage steel pretty well.


----------



## rasvial (Apr 11, 2011)

PrezDickie said:


> I'm planning to grow 2 to 4 plants at a time, just enough to supply my lady with her meds


Sounds like you've got the right idea spacewise- I'm curios what your plans are for lighting- you mentioned having one- HID?

I did a smaller similar grow dresser, which used a series of CFL lights midway down to assist in canopy penetration as the plant got bushy. You might consider trying to add CFL lighting just because it's an easy cheap way to bushy up the plants a bit.

Following this- although the dresser from above is no longer with us, I miss those space constrained DIY days, where anything for an extra vertical inch counted (although your cabinet looks to have plenty)


----------



## FillerBunny (Apr 12, 2011)

I have a similar metal cabinet, and found that once the fan was running (I used a 5") ,the whole thing vibrated and rattled like crazy, making it way too loud for stealth. 
My advice would be to line the inside with sticky-backed sound deadening rubber matting like they use in cars. (Dynamat is one of the better known brands)
It cost a fair bit of money to line the whole thing, but was definitely worth it! 
Hope this helps!


----------



## Green Dave (Apr 12, 2011)

I lined my cabnit with insulation with mylar on one side 2 for one sound and mylar


----------



## PrezDickie (Apr 12, 2011)

I've got a 180W Blackstar high output Led, and a small all red "grow spot" led (which i will add during flowing for that extra red spectrum bloom boost) for my above plant lights and i've got two fixtures to add Cfl side lights (5600k for veg and swapped to 2700k for flower) I'll get pics of that once i get em set up



I'm planning to germ with paper towel method on plate on heating mat but once that tap root shows i was thinking into jiffy pellets so they can build some roots and grow before the hit my soil

I've got Fox Farms Ocean Forest and a organic mix from my local grow shop i hear ffof can be a little "hot" for seedlings i haven't checked my bag to see what the ph is yet but i thought i'd mix the ffof with the local organic that doesn't have any nutes in it about 50/50 with just a dash of perlite mixed in

What do you guys think? 

maybe i'll run an experiment and do a side by side 1 pot with pure ffof and 1 with the mix? i've got four 5gal Smart Pots and i'm going to start by germing 4 seeds fully expecting one or two not to make it. Since i'm a newb after all


----------



## Green Dave (Apr 12, 2011)

when I transplant I use FFOF and just around the plug I use some seed starter to soften the blow of the rich dirt
FFOF is some good shit


----------



## PrezDickie (Apr 12, 2011)

rasvial said:


> Sounds like you've got the right idea spacewise- I'm curios what your plans are for lighting- you mentioned having one- HID?
> 
> I did a smaller similar grow dresser, which used a series of CFL lights midway down to assist in canopy penetration as the plant got bushy. You might consider trying to add CFL lighting just because it's an easy cheap way to bushy up the plants a bit.
> 
> Following this- although the dresser from above is no longer with us, I miss those space constrained DIY days, where anything for an extra vertical inch counted (although your cabinet looks to have plenty)


yea i'm thinking my actually grow hight inside the cab should be good, will be mostly indica strains after all, that the meds that help the lil woman, although i've got some more sativa heavy freebies that i might have to try at some point. i can always lst the plants 

And i am planning CFL side lights probably two, one in each lower corner of the cab i'm thinking 200w equivalent bulbs to really help out the lower branch buds


----------



## Green Dave (Apr 12, 2011)

becarful the cfls can burn your leaves if they grow into it and do make heat as well but you should be good with that fan


----------



## PrezDickie (Apr 12, 2011)

Green Dave said:


> I lined my cabnit with insulation with mylar on one side 2 for one sound and mylar


Where did you get that insulation with mylar???

I've got some mylar to line cab but i am worried about noise


----------



## PrezDickie (Apr 12, 2011)

Green Dave said:


> becarful the cfls can burn your leaves if they grow into it and do make heat as well but you should be good with that fan


Thanks dave, i think my lights will be below the plants so they'd have to grow down to get into the cfl's but with my led above not making heat and my space being a little on the cool side i'm hoping those cfl's will warm the cab to just the right temp


----------



## Green Dave (Apr 12, 2011)

Lowes or Home Depot foam with mylar on one side
Cut to size and use aluminum tape on the seems


----------



## PrezDickie (Apr 12, 2011)

FillerBunny said:


> I have a similar metal cabinet, and found that once the fan was running (I used a 5") ,the whole thing vibrated and rattled like crazy, making it way too loud for stealth.
> My advice would be to line the inside with sticky-backed sound deadening rubber matting like they use in cars. (Dynamat is one of the better known brands)
> It cost a fair bit of money to line the whole thing, but was definitely worth it!
> Hope this helps!


i'm planning to hang my odor scrubber to help control noise and vibration but i was thinking of puttin the entire cabinet on a rubber shock absorbing mat, Think that would help without having to line the whole cab with sound board?


----------



## PrezDickie (Apr 12, 2011)

Green Dave said:


> Lowes or Home Depot foam with mylar on one side
> Cut to size and use aluminum tape on the seems


Didn't see anything like that at my local shop but i didn't know it was around i'll check into it! Thanks! +Rep!


----------



## pazuzu420 (Apr 12, 2011)

Well after reading over the post I was excited to see someone else using metal cabinets as I am really enjoying mine. First thought I had is that if you need to make cuts in the future you can also use a metal grinder, throws alot more metal but gets the job done in a fraction of the time.
I don't have the noise problems that ppl keep refering to but I think this has alot to do between cabinets thicknesses and the way the fans are mounted as well as the maker of the fan itself. I"m using a 6" Vortex with insulated ducting. The only noise I get from the fan is the airflow that comes out of the end of the duct, which your going to have if you are moving large amounts of air 

As for the foam insulated board any lumber yard should carry it but you would probally have to ask for it as it would be out in the yard. Although I think if you mount the fan rigidly and don't let it touch the outside of the cabinet directly. I put a piece of 1 in. foam cord that I cut a split into and slipped it around the exhaust hole and pushed the fan up agianst it then used aluminum tape to seal it up. I used the mounting bracket it came with, after pushing it into place, mounting it to the bottom of the shelf just like yours. Check out the link in my sig perhaps it will give you some ideas and if you have any questions at all. Feel free to ask.....


----------



## jwop (Apr 12, 2011)

https://www.rollitup.org/attachments/grow-room-design-setup/402284d1241113488-400w-club-show-off-your-img00094.jpg.

https://www.rollitup.org/attachments/grow-room-design-setup/402285d1241113488-400w-club-show-off-your-img00095.jpg

https://www.rollitup.org/attachments/grow-room-design-setup/402291d1241113522-400w-club-show-off-your-img00101.jpg

this is the one i built ... 400w hps i yeilded 492 grams dry


----------



## PrezDickie (Apr 12, 2011)

The vent hole I need is larger than I planned roughly 8 inches so I can't use the carbon filters I plan to use to screen the passive intake for this vent hole. What would be my best option to screen/cover this opening? Air will be coming from my foothills carbon odor scrubber which pushes 300cfm if I remember correctly.

I plan to direct the airflow down and place a bucket of ona gel there to kill any remaining smell. Or would it be better to have gel further from intake so I don't taint fresh air to plants?


----------



## PrezDickie (Apr 18, 2011)

So i cleaned out my cabinet this weekend, it was still full ofdust, crap, and tons of metal shavings from cutting. i used a cleaning spray that had clorox bleach in it to kill any germs or bacteria, and i picked up some insulated ducting to vent out my scrubber, got the right size this time 8" not 6" hoping it will help muffle noise 

Was the clorox a good or bad idea?? wanted the cab germ free but don't want to damage plants with it, but i've got some time before i get them growing in there so i should be good right?

i am planning to get the insulation board with reflective backing suggested in this forum what should i wipe it down with? lysol wipes? clorox again?


----------



## xebeche (Apr 18, 2011)

Yeah, bleach will be no problem, esp since you won't have plants in it for a while. Personally, I don't think your cab needs to be "germ-free," just clean. I usually use rubbing alcohol to clean between grows, and never had any problems with mold or mildew.

I used Ona right behind my exhaust fans to kill my skunky mj odor, but the cab was located in a closed garage, so basically there was always some concentration of Ona was in the air in the garage, and that air was flowing through the cab for most of the flowering period. I haven't noticed any effect on flavor or potency of the buds I got when using Ona compared to when using nothing at all to control odors, so my conclusion thus far is that Ona is perfectly fine even in the grow room in reasonable concentrations. However, it's hard to say what kind of concentrations you'll get with a bucket near you intake vent, I would think near exhaust or at least away from the intake until you can try it out and see how potent the Ona smell is. I believe that Ona is comprised of a bunch of different natural aromatic oils (and probably some other stuff as well), so too much of this "oily" vapor in the air could certainly end up affecting your buds, but as I said, if it's just enough to mask the mj odor then your plants should be fine with it. It still would probly be best to locate it not too close to the intake, but I wouldn't worry too much about that right now if there's no other choice, since it seems to be pretty neutral in the end.


----------



## maxbidwell (Oct 12, 2011)

When smell becomes an issue, I'll use dryer duct to tie to existing attic vent.


----------



## PrezDickie (Oct 12, 2011)

been away for a while but finally got back to work on my lil project


i cut out all the shelves with a lil dremmel tool i bought and man was that a pain! created a lot of metal filings too. i obviously left the top shelf and cut a hole in it to use the shelf as a base for all the power strips and etc... 
i lined the inside of the cab with foam insulation with reflective backing, i hung my filter and used an insulated 8" duct i got from home depot to vent it out the hole i cut in the upper left corner of my cab. the air being vented out is not only going thru my carbon air scrubber but this little odor control furnace filter i picked up and cut to fit over my vent hole. the picks of the lights i posted are of both the Blackstar led and my grow spot and then just the all red grow spot in the cab. i will also add cfl's to those metal reflectors seen in some of the pics in the bottom of the cab to add under light to the plants. i have a small clip on fan to circulate air around the cab also which should help the plant stems beef up. 

My carbon scrubber seems to push the air just fine thru my filter out the back of the cabinet and i can even feel the suction thru the passive intake. which is pulling thru another carbon filter made to go into one of those odor filters that plug into a bathroom. or by litter box etc... I was worried before i got this all set up that my passive intake wouldn't be enough or that the fan wouldn't pull air thru a carbon filter over that intake, but now i'm not worried. plus this keep light leak out of my intake and prevents bugs, or whatever from gettin into my grow area.

oh forgot to mention i sealed all the seems in the cabinet with duct tape before i put in the insulation too just to prevent leakage


----------



## PrezDickie (Oct 12, 2011)

right now i'm lining the inside of the doors with my mylar since my insulation was too thick to put on the doors and have them close. 

also i might warn anyone using my kind of cabinet to do this with, if you remove the shelves as i did don't get too cut happy like me and remove the shelf that the cabinet lock secures itself with. i had to cut the front of the shelf off and a remount it in my cabinet so my locking cab would lock again. Rookie mistake but sure it won't be my first...


----------



## PrezDickie (Oct 13, 2011)

Light leakage, so who knows the best way to light proof door seems of a metal cabinet?


----------



## SmokesLikeBob (Oct 14, 2011)

Adhesive weatherstripping would probably fix hat right up! Nice build by the way, I'll definitely be stickin' around to see it in action!


----------



## PrezDickie (Oct 14, 2011)

i picked up some supplies today while running work errands which i hope will fix this...
pic quality sucks i know, but i'm surprised i've got so much leak between the two doors when i covered the doors with mylar i left about a 1" flap to overlap the gap 

i got weather stripping to go aound the outside of the doors but i'm not sure what to do between them. Any Suggestions?


----------



## PrezDickie (Oct 14, 2011)

should the mylar be super smooth? mine has some ripples but i'm not too worried since my whole cab is reflective and i'm only planning to do two or three plants at once

will the mylar create hot spots if its too mirror like? too smooth? or too bumpy? i'm not sure which is better because i think the nature of mylar is supposed to prevent hotspots


----------



## PrezDickie (Oct 16, 2011)

Why has no one ever said how evil clear packing is?! This stuff carries light better than fiber optic cable! I used it to attach mylar to my cabinet doors and every bit is going to have to be removed! I'm going for total light seal I don't want any leak. But that tape carries light around the corners and past my weather stripping. I've got thin little glowing plastic edges everywhere. Which I'll admit from a strictly scientific view is kinda cool and fascinating, but for my cab a shitty discovery


----------



## PrezDickie (Oct 17, 2011)

let the cabinet run for about three hours with both led lights running and my two cfl's on in the lower corners with 100w equivalent 6500k bulbs and the temp only got to 72 degrees F. my humidity seems a little low (37%) but i don't have plants and moist soil in there yet either.


----------



## PrezDickie (Oct 17, 2011)

Planning to start germinating seeds tonight! my first time... I'm both excited and freaked out


----------



## PrezDickie (Oct 18, 2011)

both seeds soaked in distilled water over night, still floating in the morning, but when touched they sank so i think these should be good ones. they are now planted in jiffy peat pellets sitting on a heating mat in a dark area. fingers crossed they pop so my build can really become a grow cabinet and not just a shiny box i made. should be soon...


----------



## BTG1028 (Oct 18, 2011)

Use some of that mylar and tape it so that when the cabinet doors are open the whole inside is covered by mylar with the black side facing out of course. And make a split in the middle that is held together by either a zipper or velcro. Something like that.



Hope that helps


----------



## PrezDickie (Oct 18, 2011)

BTG, thanks for the thoughts. +Rep. i was originally thinking of ways to put mylar up like that but they all seemed to be a serious hassle, but velcro strips holding up a full sheet i could flip up out of the way might be my answer


----------



## PrezDickie (Oct 18, 2011)

my two seeds Easy Ryder from lowryder, and my auto white russian from g-13 labs were both soaked in distilled water (one in a shot glass, one in my dark glass storage jar) they were kept warm and dark over night (about 7 hours) and were still floating in the morning but sank as soon as they were touched and looked a lil swollen. 

I used the warm distilled water to expand two of the jiffy peat pellets (1/5 cup for each pellet) and after they had absorbed all the water i removed the little excess and prepared a small hole in each (just deep enough so the seed would have its own depth worth of soil above it. I stored the other jiffy pellets for future use if this works well. 

i made labels and covered them with tape so they wouldn't fall apart and i don't get the stains mixed up.

i put the cover back on over the peat pellets and placed them in a dark area sitting on a heat mat until... fingers crossed both seeds pop up and i can put my cabinet to use and get them growing


----------



## PrezDickie (Oct 19, 2011)

Just checked temp with heat mat off it's 72 degrees and 88% humidity in my germ dome... 36 hours since planted and nothing yet. Getting impatient...


----------



## PrezDickie (Oct 20, 2011)

One seed popped! And really stretched out there. The g-13 labs auto white Russian is now more than a seed! Can't say the same for my easy ryder. Lil worried cuz the seedling shot up so far that it's top is hanging down. Put that in some of my peat and perlite organic mix from my local shop and stuck it under my lights. Wanted to drop it straight into my 5gal smart pot but my FFOF mix is too hot. About 5.5 to 6 so I need lime. 
Pics to come soon


----------



## PrezDickie (Oct 21, 2011)

this is my one seedling to germ so far the Auto White Russian. it really sprung way out of the soil, but it was looking very pale and the head (with seed shell still attached) was almost thouching the soil so i wanted to get it under light ASAP. as i said before my soil is too hot even thou it a 50/50 mix of FFOF and my local shop organic peat and perlite
after a night under the light its perked up a little but shell was still on the lil girl so i'm hoping when i check back that shell is off and the seedling is standing straight up. 

The peat and perlite mix with just water should be ok for how long with an Auto Seedling?


----------



## matthebrute (Oct 21, 2011)

looking good


----------



## PrezDickie (Oct 22, 2011)

One day under the lights and it has already got it's first leaf set! 

Stem is odd purple/red color but i'm not too worried with this kind of growth in 24 hours she's gotta be doing ok


----------



## SmokesLikeBob (Oct 22, 2011)

She looks great man! Keep it up and you'll have some Grade-A Sensi in no time!


----------



## gingerbuddha (Oct 22, 2011)

If you're still having troubles with light issues I'll let you know what I did with my cab (link in sig). I bought a little car sun shield, cut it to size to fit the grow area, nailed it to the top (you'd have to use something else as my cab is wood) and then just kept rolling that shit to get the creases out. Place weather stripping on the inside of the cab and the doors so that you sandwich the sunshield between them. Since you have mylar I'd suggest covering the inside of the sunshield with that as it's not completely lightproof but it provides a nice thick backing that will (eventually) hang straight. You have to weigh it down with something but im sure you can figure it out. Just my two cents. (I did this in a few hours thinking, twiddling with it, smoking, staring at it, etc... its almost there.)

edit: just realized i dont have pics on my journal. here you go: the light coming out of the sides are my vents. I should also mention that during the day, you can not see any bit of light coming out. Run your light cycle similar to normal day time and you'll be fine.


----------



## PrezDickie (Oct 23, 2011)

Rookie mistake! I was getting my set up final two 5 gallon smart pots were too wide so I got my soil mix into two 3 gallon smart pots and made a central core of seedling soil surrounded by my ffof. But when I tried to transfer the seedling the peat puck separated from the peat and perlite mix it was in and exposed the root! How bad is this?! Roots looked good main tap was about 4 inches and had fuzzy offshoots. I could also see many small white root tips poking out of the puck. They didn't appear to break but it came totally out of soil. I gently packed peat mix back around puck and it in 3 gallon now, but can I expect transplant shock or total death?!


----------



## gingerbuddha (Oct 23, 2011)

you should be fine. I messed up on my transplant and the root become completely exposed, a lot of the roots falling off in the process. they recovered just fine.


----------



## PrezDickie (Oct 24, 2011)

pics taken only minutes after the transfer to the 3 gallon smart pot in which i exposed the roots  

but...good sign, this photo was from last night around 9:30pm and this morning at 8am she still looked good so i'm hoping no real damage from the transfer


----------



## PrezDickie (Oct 25, 2011)

So I had a feeling about my easy Ryder seed. It's been 8 days and the peat puck hadn't budged. I know I should have waited another week but I decided to pull the seed and try the paper towel method if it hadn't popped yet. I checked seed and saw a tap root so I very carefully removed the seed from the peat puck because the root was totally smooth. No root expansion at all. Maybe the seeds food source was not enough, or it was just a weak seed but it hadn't pushed toward surface at all. I prepared some black gold seed starter soil with about a 20% ffof. They seed was placed just below surface with only enough soil sprinkled over it to block the light. So fingers crossed it will take root this time.


----------



## PrezDickie (Oct 25, 2011)

I don't have much hope for this seed since it wasn't very deep in peat puck or packed in very tightly and it didn't break surface with constant moisture and regular use of heat mat... How long should I wait for progress before dumping the weak seed and trying another? I don't want this plant (or new 2nd plant) too far behind the other one.


----------



## gingerbuddha (Oct 26, 2011)

I would just keep on waiting, making sure its moist. I germed like 20 seeds at once and within 4 days (using paper towel+bag method) all had sprouted tap roots. I then put about 8 of the healthier ones in party cups. Within a day 1 had popped, within 2 3 had popped, eventually all but like 2 popped. If you REALLY dont wanna wait I'd keep it around and germ another one and hope the new one sprouts soon. You can always just train your bigger plant so its canopy is at the same level of the smaller one, it'll eventually catch up. I had one plant that looked like a complete runt but its now almost equal to size as my others.


----------



## PrezDickie (Oct 26, 2011)

the seed split and the taproot is out as you can see but it only about an inch and totally smooth... i suspect this seed has been in this state for almost a week i detected the smallest of small bumps in the peat puck about the same time the white russian seed popped. i just don't think this lil girl had the strength to push upward at all. 

the white russian seems to be doing well, the 2nd set of true leaves were forming so i hope the transplant doesn't set it back too much


----------



## gingerbuddha (Oct 26, 2011)

Eh, on the few cups i had where i didnt see them pop after awhile i brushed a lil of the soil off the top to try and help it break through. It seemed to work on one or two of them. Might just have a runt though =/


----------



## PrezDickie (Oct 26, 2011)

gingerbuddha said:


> I would just keep on waiting, making sure its moist. I germed like 20 seeds at once and within 4 days (using paper towel+bag method) all had sprouted tap roots. I then put about 8 of the healthier ones in party cups. Within a day 1 had popped, within 2 3 had popped, eventually all but like 2 popped. If you REALLY dont wanna wait I'd keep it around and germ another one and hope the new one sprouts soon. You can always just train your bigger plant so its canopy is at the same level of the smaller one, it'll eventually catch up. I had one plant that looked like a complete runt but its now almost equal to size as my others.


my concern is since i'm growing auto flowers i'm not sure i can really top to control height and with my limited space training would be intersting too... but if i do have a smaller plant next to a larger one i can always hang my light at an angle to get both plants. thats one of the nice things about the led light


----------



## gingerbuddha (Oct 26, 2011)

oh those silly auto flowers. Ya you might not want to top them but lst is not hard and wont hurt the plant.


----------



## PrezDickie (Oct 26, 2011)

my impatience got the better of me. i just stuck one of my two remaining Easy Ryder seeds in a paper towel and set it on the heating pad... so let's hope this one is stronger than the other which is still in soil, so its getting its chance but its time to start plan B  "worse" case i end up with another dud seed and only have the white russian this grow or i could have 3 plants and need to go get another 3 gal pot. the two seeds i had left were drastically different i'm trying the slightly larger lighter colored one the dark almost black seed is still in waiting


----------



## PrezDickie (Oct 27, 2011)

these were the last two Easy Ryder seeds i had i took the one on the left and i'm trying the paper towel method with it. distilled water, and using press and seal to cover the plate which is currently under my DVR since the heat mat i've got shuts off after two hours


----------



## PrezDickie (Oct 27, 2011)

My original wimpy Easy Ryder may have some life in her  after i've been damn near giving her CPR its nice to see some kind of response. and the g13 labs auto white russian is coming along nicely. (Hard to believe these 2 seeds were started at same time) 

So if my new seed pops in the paper towel method i might have three plants which i can fit in the cabinet if all are in 3 gal smart pots. 3 might be a good number since my next grow will probably be photo period plants i'd like to keep my girl supplied with meds while that grows out


----------



## pottx (Oct 27, 2011)

I have your same cab! It is going to be my next project... I noticed that middle shelf thing before I cut it out. I am still thinking of taking it out but I have need to find something that I can replace it with at home depot first. I am sure metal bar or something will work. I used a rotozip to cut my top shelf out and it was a pain. Then I noticed that the shelf was just tack in in a few spots. It cam out pretty cleanly over all. I also put a 3/4" ply on the top of my cab to have something to screw into. The metal is a little thin and I didn't think it would hold any weight well. 
I am starting a smaller cab for now and going to move things over as needed if needed. I also found a thread about CFM you may like... I know yous is done but it is always good to know. best of luck and I am subed for your show!
I posted the article in my grow thread...
https://www.rollitup.org/indoor-growing/480806-led-auto-not.html


----------



## PrezDickie (Oct 28, 2011)

lining the inside of the cab with plywood would make mounting things much easier but since i was going to use reflective insulation i don't think i'd want to give up the space inside the cabinet the wood and insulation would take up.
the more builds the better thou! +REP for medicine, for fun, for a hobby, or just as an act of disobedience, the more people growing the sooner our whole country will be free to do so on a federal level


----------



## PrezDickie (Oct 28, 2011)

my 2nd Easy Ryder seed officially popped his morning. paper towel method seems to work just fine. its just barely poking out of the shell thou so i'll leave her in the paper towel for the day and transplant tonight when i'm back from my Two Jobs...  sigh the things a father has to do to support his family in a bad economy. My work schedule is really limiting my time to work on this grow so i'm glad its going well so far.


----------



## PrezDickie (Oct 29, 2011)

pics of my girls first pic is of "rudy" the lil seed that wouldn't give up. germed at same time as my white russian but just popped recently,

second pic is "rudy" the Easy Ryder after she opened her shell and guess what... She already had 4 leaves!?

3rd pic is newly germed easy ryder which is now in soil in solo cup

and last pic is my g13 labs auto white russian which doing well


----------



## gingerbuddha (Oct 29, 2011)

good job not giving up on ole rudy there. "RUDYYYYYY"


----------



## PrezDickie (Oct 31, 2011)

three seeds all still going but i swear i've hit some kinda time warp where they have all stalled... seems to be little to no progress in last day or two? i'll throw up pics soon

I did fix my light leak thou! only one stubborn bottom corner is showing any sign of light from cabinet and i'll get it soon 
I hung a mylar sheet with velcro all around the sides, its odd because i can see right thru the mylar since the light is on the inside of it but it keeps all light leak in


----------



## PrezDickie (Nov 1, 2011)

I still need to fully secure the mylar sheet that is blocking my light leak its got velcro along the top and part of one side but not the rest. i rolled up the end of the mylar sheet to put a light thin board inside (basically a yard stick to keep the sheet flat and down all the way to the bottom. that seems to work well and isn't too bad to work around. but here are some pics of the plants progress:


----------



## gingerbuddha (Nov 1, 2011)

looks like you're running into a similar issue i had (getting my sun shield to roll flat)... where you used a board I used a cardboard tube filled with baggies of MG soil i no longer use


----------



## PrezDickie (Nov 2, 2011)

the 2nd easy ryder seed i popped for this grow.
this one was done with the paper towel method and germinated quickly, thou it took an extra day to pop out of its shell

but again not just the two cotyledon but i've got full leaves popping out of my seeds? maybe i just got a freak pack of Easy ryder...
We'll see how they turn out


----------



## PrezDickie (Nov 3, 2011)

This morning i gave my first dose of nutes Fox Farms Grow Big at 650 PPM in 3 cups of distilled water it was only little less than half a teaspoon so i'm surprised the PPM was so high. Only gave it to the white russian the two easy ryders just got distilled water. 

White russian is really starting to fill out but still not really growing up so internodel lengths should be good. but problem was a leaf tip was touching soil this morning... i lifted the leaf up and it seemed to stay off the soil, but should i trim the tip off anyway?


----------



## PrezDickie (Nov 4, 2011)

All seeds are in their final pots now. No more transfers. White russian seems to have responded to nutes well. Many more leaves popping out. The two easy Ryder seedlings got a lil FF big bloom mixed in their water only 57ppm thou. 
And noticed an odor for first time today when I opened the cabinet door. Very mild just smelled like outside and fresh plant growth. But nothing with cab closed. I'm loving this. This growing hobby could be addictive even if the plants really aren't


----------



## pottx (Nov 6, 2011)

PrezDickie said:


> lining the inside of the cab with plywood would make mounting things much easier but since i was going to use reflective insulation i don't think i'd want to give up the space inside the cabinet the wood and insulation would take up.
> the more builds the better thou! +REP for medicine, for fun, for a hobby, or just as an act of disobedience, the more people growing the sooner our whole country will be free to do so on a federal level


I just put the ply on top of the cab so I would have something to screw into threw the metal and hold the weight. I here you on the interior space! There is not much to start with. I used foam core for my backing with mylar spray glued on it. On the sides I used a matte board with spray mounted mylar. The foam core is 1/4" thick and the matte board is about 1/8" at the most. 
I am still working on my second cab and will post pics when I get it finished. I took out my middle shelf today like yours. I was looking at it and you don't even have to cut it out with anything. I took a flat head screw driver and heavy hammer to it. If you find the spot weld places and put the hammer to it they snap in three for four hits. It all took ten min and with no more metal flakes! Big plus! I am still cleaning up after the first shelf. About to buy a magnet to get the rest out of the nooks. Hope all is going well in your grow!


----------



## pottx (Nov 6, 2011)

just updated my journal with pics... any feed back is welcome. 

https://www.rollitup.org/indoor-growing/480806-led-auto-not.html#post6584096


----------



## PrezDickie (Nov 7, 2011)

as you can see in 1st pic the cotyledons from my 2nd easy ryder were still stuck together after the seed shell fell off after this pic i forced them to seperate


----------



## PrezDickie (Nov 7, 2011)

plants as of morning on Nov. 7th 2011. I'm trying to track progress so anyone can check their plants (if same strain or similar) and see how they match up, but also so i can compare to future grows and see how i'm doing and learn as i go



you can see how much the white russian has grown between these pics and last, lots of lower leaves and stem is thickening. i'm little concerner about "crumpled" look to main leaves on my two easy ryders but i think its just because those are leaves that came from seed shell. new growth doesn't show any worrying signs that i can see but again i'm a newb.


----------



## gingerbuddha (Nov 7, 2011)

Lookin good man. The nodes are starting to look pretty crazy.


----------



## PrezDickie (Nov 8, 2011)

White Russian got 420 ppm of grow big but 32 ppm of that was cal mag and a drop or three of big bloom. Rudy got a taste of the mix too but only 82 ppm. 

I wanted to add a touch of cal mag because I've read plants under led need more


----------



## PrezDickie (Nov 9, 2011)

i didn't noticed in person but when i was loading these pics up i thought i saw the first pistil showing on my white russian it's hard to tell with all the crazy vegetative growth going on but i'll have to take a look when i get back.


----------



## pottx (Nov 9, 2011)

are these new pics? I think we started about the same time if your first three pics are current. I would like to have someone else grow to judge my against. I think my stuff is stunted or something not really sure though. This is my first grow also. Your stuff looks good either way keep it up!
https://www.rollitup.org/indoor-growing/480806-led-auto-not.html


----------



## GrownInTheUSA (Nov 9, 2011)

Awesome grow, seems like you have it set up nicely. It's inspired me to turn a metal gun cabinet I have into a grow cab! Aside from the shelves being a pain in the ass to cut off, how was the vent holes? Just as bad I assume? Keep up the good work ^_^


----------



## lee harvey (Nov 9, 2011)

lookin nice man.. lovin that cab. keep it up


----------



## PrezDickie (Nov 10, 2011)

GrownInTheUSA said:


> Awesome grow, seems like you have it set up nicely. It's inspired me to turn a metal gun cabinet I have into a grow cab! Aside from the shelves being a pain in the ass to cut off, how was the vent holes? Just as bad I assume? Keep up the good work ^_^


if you can get your venting set up a gun cabinet would be great for a grow cab! they are usually tall enough and it would be secure. thou i would consider lining the inside of the cabinet with like plywood and covering that with mylar that way your not always struggling to figure out how to mount things. you can just screw into the wood. Good luck and good growing.


----------



## SmokesLikeBob (Nov 12, 2011)

PrezDickie said:


> if you can get your venting set up a gun cabinet would be great for a grow cab! they are usually tall enough and it would be secure. thou i would consider lining the inside of the cabinet with like plywood and covering that with mylar that way your not always struggling to figure out how to mount things. you can just screw into the wood. Good luck and good growing.


 That's a great idea! +rep for good lookin' girls and great advice!


----------



## PrezDickie (Nov 14, 2011)

So should i be worried that my "autoflowering" white russian isn't showing signs of preflower yet? She's been growing strong since Oct. 22nd 2011 so she's almost 4 weeks old. this strain was a new strain i think g13 labs put out as a tester during attitudes birthday giveaway. so maybe the auto gene isn't fully there. the plants are still under 24/0 lighting but i just added my all red bloom boost led spotlight into the cab directly over the white russian. if that doesn't get her to start showing pistils then i guess i'll try changing to 20/4 or 18/6 light schedule... hate to jump right to 12/12 when my other plants are so little 
Pics to come later today


----------



## PrezDickie (Nov 14, 2011)

taken November 13th


----------



## PrezDickie (Nov 14, 2011)

pics from this morning after watering last night with plain H2o

Nov 14th


----------



## PrezDickie (Nov 16, 2011)

So last night (Nov 15th 2011) i noticed the first few pistils popping out of my Auto White Russian! its about time i'm not sure if its because she was happy about the last feeding i gave her about two days ago or reacting to the all red bloom boost led hanging above her or maybe it was just time, because when i checked by larger Easy Ryder "rudy" is showing just a few pistils too! that worries me thou cuz i hoped that plant would get larger first my white russian is about 10 inches tall and 11" wide but my ER's are still small rudy is only about 5 inches tall.... Should i move the light up to get some stretch on my two small easy ryders and hope they fill in? or should i keep it about 12 inches above them and see what they do as they flower?

Pics later today


----------



## PrezDickie (Nov 16, 2011)




----------



## PrezDickie (Nov 16, 2011)




----------



## PrezDickie (Nov 17, 2011)

Does anyone have an idea when the best time to switch to flowering nutes for autoflowers is? i was listening to Danny Danko the other day and he suggested not switching from veg to flower nutes till the bud sites really form but that is for photoperiod plants, i was curious if same holds true for autos with their shorter lifespan??


----------



## PrezDickie (Nov 18, 2011)

Before and after 20 hours of growth i'm loving this plant!


----------



## gingerbuddha (Nov 18, 2011)

Im new to this but I'd say if your plants are starting to show pistils its about to time start the flowering nutes. If anything, the nutes will kick start the flowering process.


----------



## blimey (Nov 19, 2011)

Looking good man. I'm growing some autoblueberries that are showing pistols at about 4 inches too. I really hope they keep growing vertical or it would be kinda disappointing. I think I'm going to wait to add flower nutes because even photoperiod plants can show preflowers in veg.


----------



## PrezDickie (Nov 20, 2011)

My white Russian is taking off almost 15 inches now, but my youngest easy Ryder hasn't grown vertically at all. Think I'll switch to 20/4 light schedule since moving light up doesn't seem to be helping her stretch out


----------



## PrezDickie (Nov 21, 2011)

The last pic is my youngest easy ryder but she's been going since Nov 1st 2011 so i don't know why she's so small i can't keep her leaves off the soil since she's so small


also today will be the 1st day i'm starting 20/4 lighting schedule i was running 24/0 since they are auto strains.


----------



## xgiovanni03x (Nov 22, 2011)

Dam thats suxs, atleast you still got the other big ones.


----------



## PrezDickie (Nov 22, 2011)

So in an attempt to give some life to my small easy Ryder I busted out the power drill and punched many quarter inch holes all over the black plastic pot it's planted in. It's the only plant not in a smart pot and also the smallest so I hope more air in the soil will help her out. And a good dose of grow big might help in the next feeding, anyone know about what Ppm an easy Ryder can take at day 23 without burning?


----------



## PrezDickie (Nov 23, 2011)

my tiny Easy ryder got 500ppm of grow big 
and the big white russian got its first taste of tiger bloom at 240ppm


----------



## hoss12781 (Nov 23, 2011)

hey man if you use the trimming method I detailed in my journal you'll be able to get the smaller one to bush out big time, I'm looking at the plant in pic 3 in your last post. Basically remove the fan leaves that are inhibiting cola growth once an established cola has sprouted from the leaf you're about to trim. I have pictures if that doesn't make sense. 

Also to chime in on what you were asking earlier - I begin flower nutes as soon as pistils appear (FF Tiger Bloom, Open Sesame, Beastie Bloom, and Cha-Ching - flush with Sledgehammer a week and a half before chop). 

Lookin pretty awesome brother.


----------



## PrezDickie (Nov 23, 2011)

i do plan to do some trimming. On the bigger plant i've been able to tuck leaves to get light to bud sites but the smaller easy ryder just started to show some bud sites and no tucking possible there so snip snip soon, i'm just hoping the nutes and being positioned directly under the main light will help her grow a little


----------



## machnak (Nov 23, 2011)

Looking good so far dude!


----------



## gingerbuddha (Nov 23, 2011)

keep up the good work man!


----------



## PrezDickie (Nov 26, 2011)

I let my girls get way too Dry.... Newbie Screw up its only been 3 days but you can see my white russian is looking BAD! i hope i didn't do too much damage. the other two seem ok but i can't get over how dramatic the change is the healthy looking pic in the middle is from Nov 24th and the rest are from Just now...


----------



## hoss12781 (Nov 27, 2011)

you're good, nothing some tlc won't clear up in a day or two man.


----------



## hellohappinesss (Nov 28, 2011)

This is making me consider trying autos on my next order.. how long from start to finish do you expect this grow to go? Three months?


----------



## PrezDickie (Nov 28, 2011)

not sure on my final timeline the big white russian got a head start it broke soil on Oct. 20th 2011 the larger easy ryder was germinated at the same time but took much longer to break soil. and the smallest is an easy ryder that broke soil on 11-1-2011. 
i should finish within 3 months thou white russian is only 39 days old and she's kicking butt


----------



## PrezDickie (Nov 28, 2011)

pics from this morning, plants have recovered from the dry spell but i saw just the slightest bit of yellowing on the smallest easy ryder so i added some cal mag to their feeding today, all plants got around 500ppm the white russian and rudy the er got tiger bloom with 100ppm of cal mag and and the runt my small er got grow big with about 100ppm of cal mag also


----------



## hoss12781 (Nov 28, 2011)

hellohappinesss said:


> This is making me consider trying autos on my next order.. how long from start to finish do you expect this grow to go? Three months?


sorry to jack the thread for a minute Perez, but yeah man autos kick ass and are super easy to grow. I just pulled over 2 full oz off one plant in less than 70 days. Most run as advertised and finish in about 2 months.


----------



## hoss12781 (Nov 28, 2011)

how are you diggin those 5 gal smart pots Prez? I've been super happy with mine as opposed to the 3 gal or the plastic 4 gal I used to use.


----------



## PrezDickie (Nov 28, 2011)

hoss12781 said:


> sorry to jack the thread for a minute Perez, but yeah man autos kick ass and are super easy to grow. I just pulled over 2 full oz off one plant in less than 70 days. Most run as advertised and finish in about 2 months.


No worries Hoss your knowledge and experience is always welcome and that 2oz you pulled from the caramel is still stuck in my head will be a must for my next auto grow, thou that might be a while since my girl doesn't want me spending more money on seeds because i've got a large back stock of photoperiod genetics to grow, most were freebies but i got a few good strains to try out including critical+, heavydutyfruity, dark star, dutch passion's blueberry, dinafem's blue hash... etc... i guess i should grow so non-auto's for comparison, but i'm loving these plants even thou its my first grow


----------



## PrezDickie (Nov 28, 2011)

hoss12781 said:


> how are you diggin those 5 gal smart pots Prez? I've been super happy with mine as opposed to the 3 gal or the plastic 4 gal I used to use.


actually right now i'm using the 3 gallon smart pots since i couldn't fit three 5 gallon smart pots in my cabinet, but i love the smart pots, and i'll be using my 5 gallon when i grow my photo periods which might just be one or two plants at a time


----------



## hellohappinesss (Nov 28, 2011)

hoss12781 said:


> sorry to jack the thread for a minute Perez, but yeah man autos kick ass and are super easy to grow. I just pulled over 2 full oz off one plant in less than 70 days. Most run as advertised and finish in about 2 months.


'Nuff said.. wow, I should visit the autoflo part of riu once in a while..


----------



## PrezDickie (Nov 29, 2011)

white russian is now just over 20 inches tall and growing pistils everywhere and is just starting to frost up

rudy my larger easy ryder is 16 inches tall and is forming lots of bud sites

the tiny easy ryder seems to be putting lots of new growth out but is still crazy short...

I'm switching my cfl's from 5000k to 2700k tonight also, forgot they were still the bright white ones


----------



## gingerbuddha (Nov 29, 2011)

Looking good Prez, when you switch you're bulbs leave one or two 5000k in there. A nice mixed spectrum helps with photosynthesis. I have about 210 watts, and of those 50 are 5000k.


----------



## PrezDickie (Nov 29, 2011)

gingerbuddha said:


> Looking good Prez, when you switch you're bulbs leave one or two 5000k in there. A nice mixed spectrum helps with photosynthesis. I have about 210 watts, and of those 50 are 5000k.


my main blackstar led light has a variety of spectrums including IR/uv, infact i was worried it didn't have enough of the red spectrum for flowering, thats why i got the all red bloom boost led spot light to supplement so i've still got plenty of the bright white spectrum the 2700k clf's will just be for my two lower lights to help the lower buds develope


----------



## PrezDickie (Dec 1, 2011)

so i finally got around to swapping out my lower cfl bulbs, i forgot the new ones at work so i got delayed a little  the color change is really dramatic from the 5000k to the 2700K so i'm hoping the new color will help push flowering and frost up these plants

also my small easy ryder is finally reaching above its own pot rim, some actually vertical growth! its still not showing pistils but i didn't want to hold the two big ones back while waiting for that one


----------



## PrezDickie (Dec 1, 2011)

"rudy" (center) has just about caught my white russian (left) in this pic you can also see the spectrum difference between the lower lights since i only swapped one cfl when i took this


my small easy ryder showing signs of life, but still crazy small for being 30 days old


the white russian is starting to frost up, its nice to actually see the trich's forming


----------



## gingerbuddha (Dec 1, 2011)

This stage of growth is so exciting! The buds look frostier and frostier each day, keep up the good work. Check out my thread for some new pics


----------



## PrezDickie (Dec 2, 2011)

so my girls are looking good as i just watered and fed them this morning but i'm a little worried about the temps, its staying around 66 degrees F in there? is that too cold? will that stunt them? i know its not ideal but will it hurt my yield?


----------



## blimey (Dec 2, 2011)

I don't mind my temps getting down there at night. I generally consider below 60 degrees to be the "danger zone."


----------



## gingerbuddha (Dec 2, 2011)

^ what he said. I've had a few nights where my temps dropped to 58 or so and that scared me but the plants seemed fine... i also have days where my temps rise up to 88-90 but for the most part they stay in the 75-85 range


----------



## PrezDickie (Dec 2, 2011)

i love this plant i hope G13 labs makes the decision to produce it full time and not just as a one off freebie


 i can actually see space between the leaves on my small easy ryder now before her internodal spacing was 0 i think

rudy is tall but i'm hoping she fills out a lot more soon... i've seen some bud heavy easy ryders so far rudy isn't one but she's just starting


----------



## PrezDickie (Dec 5, 2011)

pic update coming soon, "Rudy" is putting out orange hairs already, the white russians secondary buds are looking as good as the top and the small easy ryder is trying to catch up she went from only showing one or two pistils to preflowering sites all over.

had to move lights up again this morning rudy is just too tall  and i swapped the white russian and rudy side so the big easy ryder is back under the red spot light


----------



## killacorn (Dec 5, 2011)

looks awesome can you take a pic of the whole cab with the doors open?


----------



## PrezDickie (Dec 5, 2011)

killacorn said:


> looks awesome can you take a pic of the whole cab with the doors open?


yea i'll shoot one tonight


----------



## PrezDickie (Dec 5, 2011)

The cab filling up, the white russian's main cola, and 3rd pic is one of her secondary buds 
Rudy's main cola, the full strech of all her easy ryder goodness (still a little skinny), her orange hairs showing 




 my small easy ryder is so bushy i've trimmed a few leaves but keep tucking others back to give the preflowering sites light


----------



## PrezDickie (Dec 5, 2011)

are easy ryder's know to have a thick cental stem? because "rudy" is about twice as thick as my white russian


----------



## gingerbuddha (Dec 5, 2011)

Looks good man, how big is your cab again?


----------



## PrezDickie (Dec 5, 2011)

its 36 inches wide by 18 inches deep and about 6 ft tall but really only about 4ft tall in growing space


----------



## gingerbuddha (Dec 6, 2011)

Still pretty roomy in comparison to mine haha.


----------



## PrezDickie (Dec 6, 2011)

had a request to post cab pic, put up the dark pic to show no light leak, then with doors open and mylar down and it folder up. that plain jane looking cabinet is so much prettier inside


----------



## gingerbuddha (Dec 6, 2011)

When i finish this grow i'm gonna be doing some definite cab improvement... How did you make the light traps for intake/outtake?


----------



## PrezDickie (Dec 8, 2011)

[/ATTACH][/ATTACH][/ATTACH][/ATTACH][/ATTACH][/ATTACH][/ATTACH][/ATTACH]

even my pic upload went screwy, don't know what going on at RUI but i'm about to give up on the site totally.

my large easy ryder looks healthy but isn't packing on weight yet, my white russian is developing nice buds, but since i'm a noob i can't tell if they will be fluffy or dense.

and my small easy ryder has exploded recently and is playing catch up


----------



## PrezDickie (Dec 12, 2011)

Rudy the big easy ryder finally putting on some weight

my small easy ryder is still crazy compact but she's blooming well and developing a main cola in the midst of all that green


 my white russian is doing well and just started to show orange hairs which i wasn't sure she's do since she's a white strain but i'm still learning and from what i can tell so many of the genetics out there have been crossed somewhere along the way so its hard to tell whats really in each strain.


----------



## hoss12781 (Dec 13, 2011)

Having grown some "white" strains in the past I think they're just refering to the color of the buds themselves (white cause they're supposed to be covered with crystals, such as yours) not the hairs which will always turn red, brown, or orange as your plants mature. You're still running solid man. You should have a happy start to 2012 sometime early to mid Jan. Cheers!


----------



## troutie (Dec 14, 2011)

outstanding looking growth ... perfect


----------



## PrezDickie (Dec 15, 2011)

The G13 Labs Auto White Russian as she looks this morning Dec 15, 2011 She first broke soil on Oct 20th 2011. Who's got the closest prediction? when will she be done?

"Rudy" my Easy Ryder Germinated at same time as the WR but didn't break soil until Oct 28th 2011. Who's got the best prediction? seems to be the taller er pheno, when will she finish?

 my small bushy pheno of easy ryder first broke soil on Nov 1st 2011 when will she be done? who knows their easy ryders best? i'm really curious on this one

the group


----------



## troutie (Dec 15, 2011)

W-R 30/12/2011
E-R 10/01/2012
E-R (short bushy) 18/01/2012

just a guess... and not even an educated one at that ... but throw it in with the others anyway


----------



## PrezDickie (Dec 16, 2011)

very bottom leaf from my tall easy ryder... some other bottom leaves had small yellowish spots but none like this, i fed them cal mag the other day but not very much 

is this an issue i need to stomp out quickly?
i'm hope this is just from being a lower leaf and touching the soil but the other spots on low leafs make me worry, what nute problem starts from bottom and works its way up? i forget i'll have to consult my grow bible you guys know off hand?


----------



## PrezDickie (Dec 19, 2011)

White Russian at day 60

The whole group


 Rudy the tall Easy Ryder Pheno she's at day 52 if i remember right


 my shorter bushy Easy Ryder pheno at 49 days


----------



## troutie (Dec 20, 2011)

W/R is looking quite fat up top

loads of layers of leaves in the E/R tops ... but i'm sure they'll swell up and look massive real soon, really impressed how healthy they look still


----------



## PrezDickie (Dec 20, 2011)

troutie said:


> W/R is looking quite fat up top
> 
> loads of layers of leaves in the E/R tops ... but i'm sure they'll swell up and look massive real soon, really impressed how healthy they look still


Thanks  just hoping they continue to do well to the finish

Anyone know when i should start flushing the White russian? they had only pure water yesterday should i just start the flush now till the end? of should she get another feeding? i've got some sledgehammer to help flush soil but i've never used it


----------



## troutie (Dec 20, 2011)

i started 2 weeks before the end ..... some say a week ... some say with soil there is no need to flush (feed water only rather then flush) ... mines have been just water for two weeks and look like there gonna be another two weeks before ready ...even though i've had cloudy trich's forever now!


----------



## PrezDickie (Dec 20, 2011)

just checked my trich's still clear on the white russian so she can have another feeding cuz it should be a little bit before she's ready


----------



## troutie (Dec 20, 2011)

when mine showed half cloudy i started the starve ..... but still mostly cloudy 2 weeks later ... so no rush buddy


----------



## SwampDank (Dec 21, 2011)

DUDE!!! today I FINALLY seen my girls first white hairs growing!!! But the weird thing is, they arent on the main top cola yet, there on the next biggest one, but they are DEFF hairs!!! Dude im so excited, hopefully this will be a very merry Christmas!!!! Check out my page!! AND.... should I switch back to 20/4, or keep her steady at 12/12 since shes finally not all stressed out?


----------



## PrezDickie (Dec 23, 2011)

i thought the bud show had already begun in my cabinet but i was wrong! i didn't really get to check on them for a day and a half and they are blowing up! both easy ryders are gaining weight and the white russian is beefing up like she set up camp at muscle beach.
I'll post pics soon, probably tonight

Also I can tell growing is taking over my brain because i jerked awake last night because i was dreaming about finding spider mites in my girls! lol


----------



## troutie (Dec 23, 2011)

can't wait bruv.... its nice to have a day off and find they've been busy


----------



## PrezDickie (Dec 23, 2011)

in order: Rudy the tall easy ryder packing on buds, the white russian adding weight to the main cola, small easy ryder main cola, small er secondary "cola", the group, and finally a bad attempt to take a photo thru a pocket microscope of the white russian's trich's which are about 65% cloudy and rest are clear


----------



## gingerbuddha (Dec 23, 2011)

those pocket microscopes are a bitch... i got one recently and it's cool to be able to see trichs so magnified but its hard to keep anything in focus... i dont get how people can accurately guess the percentages of trichs... i lose focus halfway through the count


----------



## PrezDickie (Dec 24, 2011)

odd leaf spot showing on the lower fan leaves of the tall easy ryder?

almost every leaf on the white russian has what appears to be a burnt tip? dont think its nute burn since they didn't have a feeding for about a week prior to this? but i might have mixed up and used my water with cal mag mixed in could two waterings in a row with cal mag on the med to heavy side do this?


----------



## gingerbuddha (Dec 25, 2011)

the tips of my leaves are looking like that too. i dont think its a big deal, probably a slight n def but thats normal as the plant ends its life cycle. i think...
-gb


----------



## troutie (Dec 26, 2011)

gingerbuddha said:


> those pocket microscopes are a bitch... i got one recently and it's cool to be able to see trichs so magnified but its hard to keep anything in focus... i dont get how people can accurately guess the percentages of trichs... i lose focus halfway through the count


yep i had the same issues ... until someone said cut a (tiny) sample and lay it on your bench then stick you microscope over it... much better with my shakey hands


----------



## gingerbuddha (Dec 26, 2011)

ya i figured that would probably be the best bet, just didn't want to mess with the girl too much


----------



## PrezDickie (Dec 26, 2011)

thats how i took my microscope pic i snipped off a tiny lil bit and laid it down, helped alot because i thought the trich's were all clear when lookin at em on the plant but could see a lot of cloudy once i snipped a sample


----------



## PrezDickie (Dec 26, 2011)

i'll throw up some pics tonight, but i pulled a yellowing lower leaf off my white russian this morning, and my girl has been dying to try her new medicine so i think i'm going to use my sledgehammer on the white russian tonight and just give her pure distilled water from here on out. so my projected chop date would be Jan 9th for the white russian that would make her 81 days old. 

Sound like a solid plan to my fellow RIU members? i don't wanna go too early but i think she'll be ready by then and if i wait longer, i might be in danger from my impatient wife


----------



## PrezDickie (Dec 26, 2011)




----------



## PrezDickie (Jan 2, 2012)

left the girls alone for 3 days but they are fine, my small easy ryder is still developing nicely



Rudy the Tall Easy Ryder is still packing on bud weight. and still frosty as i wished this christmas to be



The white russian seems to be done adding weight, at least to my eye, and under the scope she still isn't showing any amber trich's... ? i've heard some autos don't go amber but i'm still flushing her and waiting a little while to take her down



does appear that the White Russian has some more swollen calyx, but maybe its just because i didn't see her for a few days, you can also see in this pic that the leaves are still dark green despite the flush but that the spots i noticed on lower leaves are showing leaves in the bud now... is this just part of the maturing process? i'd love any input you've got.


----------



## gingerbuddha (Jan 3, 2012)

looking good man! i would definitely wait a little bit longer. How tall is she?


----------



## PrezDickie (Jan 4, 2012)

The white russians main cola, been on pure distilled water since dec 26th planning to chop on the 9th
secondary branch on the white russian that is bending out from the weight of its nug 


short bushy easy ryder
rudy the tall easy ryder, considering starting her flush at next watering
 Group shot


----------



## Enzogrowspot (Jan 4, 2012)

They r so frosty, lookin super bro.......


----------



## nick17gar (Jan 4, 2012)

nice job man, looks really yummy


----------



## PrezDickie (Jan 5, 2012)

In prep for my first ever harvest i thought i could use this  gotta know how big the girls really are, got from a local head shop for $30 didn't research it at all so hope it turns out to be a decent one


 was adding pics so you know i gotta throw in the girls, because i can't help myself


----------



## hoss12781 (Jan 5, 2012)

that's actually a great digital scale, I've had that same one for over 3 years. It's not the best but for the price accurate to about plus or minus .1g which is all we really need them for.


----------



## PrezDickie (Jan 5, 2012)

hoss12781 said:


> that's actually a great digital scale, I've had that same one for over 3 years. It's not the best but for the price accurate to about plus or minus .1g which is all we really need them for.


Thanks hoss, thats good to hear, I was hoping someone out there was using it, if it's been you for three years I know it's gotten some use


----------



## troutie (Jan 5, 2012)

knockout .... really nice


----------



## PrezDickie (Jan 6, 2012)

so my white russian and my tall easy ryder are now in the final flush just my small er i'm considering giving one more feeding and some more time, 

I pulled a pile of leaves from the girls, most of which should have come off long ago especially on the small bush er that thing was so dense no light could get thru


----------



## PrezDickie (Jan 6, 2012)

when should my last watering be before i chop the white russian for harvest? i imagine it wouldn't matter that much only to possibly prolong drying time


----------



## PrezDickie (Jan 7, 2012)

She'll be at day 80 from breaking soil after today.

The g13 labs white russian day 79 from breaking soil
she stands 20 inches from the soil and the last pic is her lowest "Popcorn" buds  i think my under lights helped them plump up

the group 


 the short bushy easy ryder at day 67 

Rudy the tall easy ryder pheno, at day 71 she's 26.5 inches tall and filling out nicely, she's also on her flush but giving her another week to finish up before i chop. So glad i didn't pitch this seed when it wasn't wanting to pop


----------



## PrezDickie (Jan 7, 2012)

rough trim on the white russian and chopped her and hung her to dry 
its an odd solution but since i've got the two still going and no other cabinet to dry her she's hanging at the top of my cabinet with a paper bag around / beneath her to block the light coming up, think this might speed the drying process so i'll check her often, also its right under my odor scrubber so air flow a plenty, but bag should block some of that

How's she look? does this look typical for an auto flowering white russian?


----------



## PrezDickie (Jan 8, 2012)

A seed?! Wife tested first 'bud' from white Russian if u can call it that. Was the two tiniest lowest growing twigs right at base. I snipped off when I hung her to dry. One day in paper on heater vent and ready to sample. But found a seed? A mature looking seed , from twigs with single calyx buds?! In a cabinet with no males or hermi?! What's up? And could this seed be viable??


----------



## PrezDickie (Jan 9, 2012)

i had to have missed a lil banana popping up somewhere, now i just hope my whole cabinet isn't going to be seedy.  bummed by seed but excited to try and grow it again someday  fingers crossed i didn't seed up my two easy ryders


----------



## PrezDickie (Jan 10, 2012)

My Easy Ryders: Rudy is 26 inches tall and her sister is only 14 inches. They are less than a week apart in age from breaking soil, thou rudy was germinated earlier.


The white russian hanging to dry been up since late sat night and humidity has been hanging around 40% she's mostly dry with some moist areas and still bends pretty easy with no crackling sounds. think she'll come down wed and get trim and go into jars

 er's frosty goodness  and no seeds in sample bud i took from rudy which is a good sign. one bud was hanging limp after almost breaking off when the white russian came out so i quick dried it on top of the toaster oven for my girl


----------



## PrezDickie (Jan 11, 2012)

Pre Trim, Not strong smelling but sticky.






Post Trim 30.5 Grams of Bud in two jars and 6 grams of sugar leaf trim in one jar, maybe i'll make butter or brownies with it.

I'm confident this plant should have done an easy 13 more grams or more but once she got a taste of pollen she stalled and that was it.
I did find the one tiny male flower and it was much higher on plant than i hoped so i'm sure she has some seeds sprinkled all over.
found two tiny under developed seeds while trimming but didn't spot any others ready to pop out so we really won't know how seedy she is till we start breaking up the buds

Should have know my first grow was going too smooth to last


----------



## PrezDickie (Jan 12, 2012)

after one day in the jars i popped them open to "burp" the jars and the bud smelled really green so, i read recently in Skunk mag that leaving them out in a paper bowl can help dry them a little more. so my bedroom was scented all night with two bowls of white russian sitting on top of my warm cable box. when i put them back in the jars again they seemed much less "green" smelling but we'll see for the next burp. i'm hoping the cure can help this bud out right now i'm not a big fan of its smell. which is odd. thought i loved all bud scents.


----------



## PrezDickie (Jan 12, 2012)

So Rudy the tall easy Ryder is 11 weeks old today and even my short easy ryder is over 70 days , but they are both frozen in time?! Neither is gaining weight or dropping leaves? They are both totally green?? At almost 80 days shouldn't Rudy have more yellow and dying leaves? The smoke is good to go because my girl loved her test bud. I was just waiting for the short girl to finish, but I guess she has. 

Would pollination cause these plants to remain dark green longer?

Plan is to chop both Saturday night


----------



## PrezDickie (Jan 13, 2012)




----------



## PrezDickie (Jan 13, 2012)

I'm planning to take a look at both my easy ryders under the microscope tonight and see where the trich's are, but the sample i pulled from the taller er was already a good body stone my girl likes so if they aren't going to produce any more weight i think i'll take them down this saturday night so i can start the dry and cure process. my only hesitation is that the short er hasn't been on pure water as long as rudy has.


----------



## PrezDickie (Jan 14, 2012)

Rudy the Tall Easy Ryder with a hair cut and ready to hang



the short er uncut, then trimmed and both hanging dry. high hopes for rudy the tall er but not so much for the short one


----------



## PrezDickie (Jan 16, 2012)

got a PM from someone asking my location! they were wrong with guess, but still too close for comfort. I think that means i'll be closing my RIU profile and journal. Thanks to everyone for your help and keep going my friends, good luck and good grows. and keep an eye out, i smell bacon on this forum.


----------



## PrezDickie (Jan 16, 2012)

Someone was snooping around in a PM fishing for my location and that kinda rubbed my the wrong way so i think i'll be leaving RIU. Had fun with you all if i don't come back. good luck and good grows everyone. 

Making the cannabutter and it stinking up my fridge 
couple small cured White Russian Buds i ground for the lil lady, (No seeds) if you've been following the thread thats a big deal  


And the final cannabutter in a bag which is in a bag which when into so tupperware only 6 grams of white russian bud trim to a pound of butter not sure how strong that will be but i'll make some brownies soon to find out


----------



## troutie (Jan 18, 2012)

massive well done fella ....


----------



## alexonfire (Jan 22, 2012)

Nice auto grow, good luck on your Blueberry!


----------

