New Grower - 1st Indoor Grow Questions

Cali Cajun

Well-Known Member
IMG_4224.JPG Hi all,

I found this site a few weeks ago when I was researching my first grow, and have been learning a lot by reading posts in the newbie section. I'm nearly three weeks in to my first indoor grow with Gorilla Glue #4 clones and things seem to be going well so far. I'm growing in a mix of Kind organic soil and coco coir, in a 3' x 3' x 6' grow tent. The first couple of weeks I was using a blurple light, but based on the advice I read here I returned that and for the last week the lights have been noticeably happier and growing well under a Horticultural Lighting Group QB light. I'm not sure how to upload a picture, but will try to do that after posting this thread to show how things look as of this morning with my grow - just transplanted into 3 gallon pots this morning.

I'm wondering how much longer I want to veg before inducing flowering. I've topped (or tried to - think I messed up a couple of times) all plants twice and am starting trying to train the branches horizontally. I'm also wondering if I will want to transplant one more time prior to flowering, and if a 5 gallon pot will be sufficient as the final pot size or if I can get away with keeping them in 3 gallon pots.

Thanks all,

Matt (Cali Cajun)
 

Cali Cajun

Well-Known Member
Oh, and one more question - I got a clip-on fan to get some air on my plants, but the poles on my tent are too thin to clip the fan to. I've temporarily got a small fan clipped to a flower pot in the tent, but am looking for a better solution. I'd love to be able to find a small, clip-on oscillating fan but wasn't having much luck finding one still being sold on Amazon. If anyone has any suggestions for a good, preferably oscillating fan, I'd be much appreciative!
 

Chef420

Well-Known Member
You’ll be fine with the 3g pots. You might be over watering. Are you lifting the pots and watering when they’re light?
I bought a small secret jardin oscillating fan that clipped onto the poles very nicely. Don’t. Everyone that bought one retuned it to the grow shop and got their money back.
Your best bet is to get creative when rigging your fans. In veg you just need some air moving but in flower you’ll want one blowing up their skirts from below and another blowing across the top of the canopy. You’ll learn about air circulation when you switch to flower. Have fun!
 

Cali Cajun

Well-Known Member
You’ll be fine with the 3g pots. You might be over watering. Are you lifting the pots and watering when they’re light?
I bought a small secret jardin oscillating fan that clipped onto the poles very nicely. Don’t. Everyone that bought one retuned it to the grow shop and got their money back.
Your best bet is to get creative when rigging your fans. In veg you just need some air moving but in flower you’ll want one blowing up their skirts from below and another blowing across the top of the canopy. You’ll learn about air circulation when you switch to flower. Have fun!
Thanks Chef420! I've generally been watering every third day when the girls were in 1 gallon pots. The first couple of times watering I got a bit of runoff, but learned how much to add without getting any. I saturated the three gallon pots after transplanting this morning until I was just getting a bit of runoff, and measured so I know how much to back off in the new pots. Does watering every second or third day sound about right?

Thanks for the advice on the fans. Would it be OK / safe to place a small standing fan on the floor in the tent, or elevated a bit off the floor on a stand? So far I've been watering the plants outside of the tent and moving them back in once I'm sure there is no runoff. I do spritz some water on the leaves once or twice during the day, being careful to avoid spraying near the fan.
 

GroErr

Well-Known Member
Looks great, nice healthy plants, keep doing what you're doing. Good choice on the QB's you'll be much happier with their performance in flowering.

RE: 3gal pots vs. 5. If you flip in the next week or so those should be fine, if you veg a couple of weeks you'll be better off to transplant them, More room for roots, better yields.

RE: Clip-on fan, I'd just grab some wire, I grab rolls of gardening wire with a soft covering at the dollar store, it's like duct tape for your garden. use it to LST, tie things down, etc.
 

Cali Cajun

Well-Known Member
Looks great, nice healthy plants, keep doing what you're doing. Good choice on the QB's you'll be much happier with their performance in flowering.

RE: 3gal pots vs. 5. If you flip in the next week or so those should be fine, if you veg a couple of weeks you'll be better off to transplant them, More room for roots, better yields.

RE: Clip-on fan, I'd just grab some wire, I grab rolls of gardening wire with a soft covering at the dollar store, it's like duct tape for your garden. use it to LST, tie things down, etc.
Thanks GroErr! That's what I was thinking too on the pots. Since I understand Gorilla Glue can get a bit tall, I'm wondering if I'd be better off flipping fairly soon in the 3 gallon pots, or try to veg for another few weeks to get more growth prior to flipping and do one more transplant.
 

GroErr

Well-Known Member
Thanks GroErr! That's what I was thinking too on the pots. Since I understand Gorilla Glue can get a bit tall, I'm wondering if I'd be better off flipping fairly soon in the 3 gallon pots, or try to veg for another few weeks to get more growth prior to flipping and do one more transplant.
I think you have the room to let them go another 7-10 days in there, if you have the stuff throw them in 5's and they should fill that space nicely once they stretch. Good luck, keep'm green :)
 

nmibud

Well-Known Member
The tower fans work nice,they have a small foot print.Any time after they show alternating nodes is when you flip.You can veg as long as you want depending on your space.
 

Cali Cajun

Well-Known Member
The tower fans work nice,they have a small foot print.Any time after they show alternating nodes is when you flip.You can veg as long as you want depending on your space.
Thanks for the suggestion on the tower fan; I hadn't thought of that and actually have a spare one not currently in use. Regarding flipping, what do you mean by "alternating nodes"?
 

Cali Cajun

Well-Known Member
You’ll be fine with the 3g pots. You might be over watering. Are you lifting the pots and watering when they’re light?
I think you're right on the over-watering when I transplanted to 1 gallon pots. I started with 5 clones, but the strongest / healthiest one started lagging as the other ones began thriving after the transplant and swapping to a QB light. I decided to move the lagging plant outdoors to free canopy space in the tent for the remaining four plants. I decided yesterday to experiment with a 3 gallon smart pot for the outside plant, and noticed during transplanting that a significant area of the outermost visible roots had browning on them. I had been noticing that this particular pot felt heavier / wasn't draining as well as the other ones. I'm not sure why drainage became an issue for this particular plant...
 

Attachments

nmibud

Well-Known Member
The branches will no longer be opposite of each other,they will be staggered on the stem.It is a sign of sexual maturity.
 

Cali Cajun

Well-Known Member
The branches will no longer be opposite of each other,they will be staggered on the stem.It is a sign of sexual maturity.
Ah, I see. I'm working with clones, though, and they had alternating nodes when I got them. Is that a sign that they were flowering when the clones were cut? Sorry for all the questions - still trying to wrap my head around all of this!
 

nmibud

Well-Known Member
Clones should have come from a confirmed female and should also be female.There is no reason to clone a male.It may take 3 weeks to show it's sex ,every strain is different.
 

bezalom

Well-Known Member
flowering clones would have pistils (white hairs)

many say can't take clones from a flowering plant but have done it many times

definitely look overwatered and overfed

I veg 30 days at 24 hr light and top twice in that time leaving 4 colas (plus lateral buds) so not to get so high (have height restrictions)

less veg time and smaller pot equals smaller plant with smaller buds....more veg...bigger pot...bigger buds

as for watering...can't always hold to a schedule when watering....as mentioned above...lifting pot and getting used to the feel of a light weight pot needing water is best way (unless pot very big)

too many things effect how plant takes up water...humidity for example...bunch of rainy days then no transpiration taking place so no water uptake....

during stretch in early flower one can (and I do) over-water pushing stretch growth
 

Tfunk0704

Active Member
View attachment 4147116 Hi all,

I found this site a few weeks ago when I was researching my first grow, and have been learning a lot by reading posts in the newbie section. I'm nearly three weeks in to my first indoor grow with Gorilla Glue #4 clones and things seem to be going well so far. I'm growing in a mix of Kind organic soil and coco coir, in a 3' x 3' x 6' grow tent. The first couple of weeks I was using a blurple light, but based on the advice I read here I returned that and for the last week the lights have been noticeably happier and growing well under a Horticultural Lighting Group QB light. I'm not sure how to upload a picture, but will try to do that after posting this thread to show how things look as of this morning with my grow - just transplanted into 3 gallon pots this morning.

I'm wondering how much longer I want to veg before inducing flowering. I've topped (or tried to - think I messed up a couple of times) all plants twice and am starting trying to train the branches horizontally. I'm also wondering if I will want to transplant one more time prior to flowering, and if a 5 gallon pot will be sufficient as the final pot size or if I can get away with keeping them in 3 gallon pots.

Thanks all,

Matt (Cali Cajun)
View attachment 4147116 Hi all,

I found this site a few weeks ago when I was researching my first grow, and have been learning a lot by reading posts in the newbie section. I'm nearly three weeks in to my first indoor grow with Gorilla Glue #4 clones and things seem to be going well so far. I'm growing in a mix of Kind organic soil and coco coir, in a 3' x 3' x 6' grow tent. The first couple of weeks I was using a blurple light, but based on the advice I read here I returned that and for the last week the lights have been noticeably happier and growing well under a Horticultural Lighting Group QB light. I'm not sure how to upload a picture, but will try to do that after posting this thread to show how things look as of this morning with my grow - just transplanted into 3 gallon pots this morning.

I'm wondering how much longer I want to veg before inducing flowering. I've topped (or tried to - think I messed up a couple of times) all plants twice and am starting trying to train the branches horizontally. I'm also wondering if I will want to transplant one more time prior to flowering, and if a 5 gallon pot will be sufficient as the final pot size or if I can get away with keeping them in 3 gallon pots.

Thanks all,

Matt (Cali Cajun)
Not sure if I missed something but I’d add some perlite to that for drainage. I made that mistake my first grow. Good luck
 

kkt3

Well-Known Member
You can use all sorts of things to catch the run off. I went to the local grocery store and got some lids that they display birthday cakes in. My 3 gallon buckets fit perfect in them. I water when buckets feel light, and give enough water that it runs out the bottom into tray. Then I leave that water and the plant uptakes it.

I apply a topdress of fresh ewc at 2 and 4 weeks into flower. Also use Revs layered bottom he shows in TLO. The buds respond unbelievably to this.
 

Cali Cajun

Well-Known Member
You can use all sorts of things to catch the run off. I went to the local grocery store and got some lids that they display birthday cakes in. My 3 gallon buckets fit perfect in them. I water when buckets feel light, and give enough water that it runs out the bottom into tray. Then I leave that water and the plant uptakes it.

I apply a topdress of fresh ewc at 2 and 4 weeks into flower. Also use Revs layered bottom he shows in TLO. The buds respond unbelievably to this.
Thanks for that. I read in another thread somewhere on here that it's best to avoid watering to runoff with organic soil / not adding nutrients so that you don't lose the nutrients. If I water to a small amount of runoff that is caught in a tray and allow the plant to reabsorb it, will the nutrients reabsorb as well? Do I need to worry more about mold or mildew or anything with the water sitting in the tray?
 

Tfunk0704

Active Member
I’d always water till run off and dump the water tray every time. It’s easier to add nutes later then to fight root rot and what ev other problems occur with the natural breakdown of organic waste. I also flush every 3 weeks but I don’t suggest that, it’s a pain and prob not helping but I’m hyper active and can’t stop screwing around with my plants lol good luck
 
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