budbuddingding
Active Member
Hey hey!
Im new to this forum, and to growing. A friend did once give me a small plant....I helped it grow a bit but knew nothing about growing really....in the end i think it was a male and gave it to the old lady down the street who grows her own for medical reasons. Needless to say i have researched the shit out of the internet, and there is a load of information out there. Im doing this as a kind of interactive diary, and just in case i encounter something thats not been covered thus far.
In the end Im skipping soil and moving straight to coco, in an Autopot system. I will potentially be away from home a bit and wanted to make sure I had something that covers that eventuality. I have 3 15L pots with the 47L reservoir. When ordering I tried not to miss out anything. Got myself the Hesi Coco starter kit, jiffy coco pellets, neem oil, clay pebbles, ph pen, jewellers lupe, etc etc.
Enough of all that.
Now onto the juicy stuff.
I ordered 9 seeds in total. I was hoping to get three grows this summer, as Im in Spain. Its northern Spain though, which leaves my climate significantly cooler than that of the Mediterranean coast. So I may only get 2 grows. I have 2 x Royal Queen Northern Lights Auto, 2 x Advanced Biodiesel Mass, 2 x Buddha White Dwarf, and 3 x Dutch Passion AutoMazar. All Autofems.
Did a lot of research about these seeds too. Im saving the Automazar for the warmest weather as Ive read they are potential beasts!
I germed the seeds after plenty of research......24 hours in tap water (PH around 6.2) in a dark warm place (chucked them in on 6/5/13, around 20 hours in they were still floating, gave them a tap and they sank.
Then stuck em in damp kitchen paper in a warm place. (Shot glasses with labels will acompany the seeds til I can be bothered to re label the pots...all in good time!)
Encountered problem number one. Checked on them the next morning and the paper had actually dried out! I thought SHIT!!!!
So I took the top layer of kitchen paper off, rewet it, squeezed the water out, and layed it back on top. However I could not stop thinking about the seeds and thought there was a chance they could have died. The NL had cracked and as some people plant straight into their growing medium after soaking, I thought I may aswell begin the next step to ensure they would receive all the moisture and water needed, without the risk of drying out overnight.
I soaked the coco pellets in PH´d water for about 10 mins, with a very weak mix of root complex and powerzyme. Had the water Phd to around 5.6, 5.7. At this point I learned that a tiny frikkin drop of PH down messes with the PH way too much. In the end the only way I have found to get my PH where it needs to be is to start with less water than I intend to use, say 4L. I then chuck in the nutes, and a drop of PH down. mix it up, check PH. The PH is pretty much always too low, so I add the final Litre of tap water and it balances it out by bringing it up a bit. Repeat if necessary. Made a hole in the pellets with a pencil, and dropped the seed straight from the paper into the hole, and covered lightly. Into prop, in warm dark place.
Anyone else have problems with PH down taking the water down from say 6 to 3 with a single drop?? PLEEEAASE advise me on this as i cant seem to find much info anywhere.
At this point I really started to think I should have experimented with germing the seeds i got for free with my order, but it was too late!
Anyway, meanwhile I figured I should prepare the pots. So I set up the Autopot system. Not to difficult just followed the instructions. I have yet to actually test it with but heres a pic.
Then I proceeded to wash the clay pebbles. Took at least half an hour, they were filthy!
As advised by many, about an inch layer of clay pebbles at the bottom of the pot to stop water log and aid drainage.
Then filled almost to the top with coco. Didnt fill right to the top as i wanted to save some fresh coco to mix into this coco after this grow (for the next grow)
So yesterday (10/5/13), i went to check on the seeds, and one of them, the NL, had poked its head above the surface of the jiffy pellet. Great I thought! On closer inspection, it was the seed poking out, not leaves! I have read about the force that roots use when they are growing, the taproot essentially goes downwards, while propelling the seed upward. I figured i must have planted them too near the surface, so got a bit more coco and covered it. At this point i really thought these seeds had bad luck with me as a grower, and honestly thought I had damaged the roots (as i had pressed down on it a bit too). At least it was rooting though.....and i checked the other pellets, just picked them up, gave em a little squeeze and i could definitely see a root in each of the others too. Brilliant! I decided that rather than let these other seeds poke out with the shell still on, ill stick em in their final pots now and cover them with a bit more medium.
So i top watered my pots to presoak the coco, with PHd water (same issue as before, masssssiivve drop in ph when using just a drop of ph down.....so ended up taking a while to nail the ph in) and weak mix of hesi root complex and powerzyme (added nutes before ph adjustment). The coco soaked up, and became more compact. now my pots are like, just over half full. this is annoying, but at the same time, for my first grow should i just see how it goes? Im worried that being small plants already, they may need an open space to grow out in...currently the pots might get in the way a bit. on the other hand less light to the bottom of the plant means potentially less shitty popcorn buds underneath the main canopy....again please advise!
dug a little hole to fit in the pellets. stuck em in. dark and warm all day yesterday. last night i removed the cover so they would get light first thing today. This morning I have sprouts!!!!!!
Well I have 2....The Biodiesel Mass is doing the best so far:
The NL second best:
The White Dwarf is kinda poking out a bit, still trying to get the seed shell off but Im sure it will make it! Gonna leave them indoors by the window while top watering, with the radiator on, gonna stick a fan on to strengthen the stems once the WD has grown a pair. Eventually when they are big enough they shall be moved outside to my balcony with the Autopot system in full swing. I know you all love pics so ill keep em coming.
Tips for first time growers, from my experience thus far. This is found all over the net but I shall state again. Dont worry too much, give the seeds what they need to germinate and let nature do its thing. Do your research. I thought mine were a lost cause at several points. Be gentle. Be patient!
Now...I have a few questions. Maybe someone can help.
1. Ph down. Anyone else have similar experience, where 1 drop can cause massive drops in PH? Is this normal? how do you deal with it? i didnt order any ph up as i figured id need to drop more than raise the ph. a second part to the question: in hydro set ups, can organic ph adjusters be used like vinegar, lemon juice etc?
2. with the coco soaked, my pots are only just over half full of medium. is this fine or should i add more? will it help to avoid shit small buds growing at the bottom of the plant? should i wait for the plants to grow a bit of a stem and THEN add more coco? Autos like a lot of space to spread their roots out in, is it better that i give them that space, or restrict the space to gain one fat cola (if indeed it will work as im thinking it might)?
Hope to hear your thoughts soon.
Will continue to update as and when i can....!
Adios!
Im new to this forum, and to growing. A friend did once give me a small plant....I helped it grow a bit but knew nothing about growing really....in the end i think it was a male and gave it to the old lady down the street who grows her own for medical reasons. Needless to say i have researched the shit out of the internet, and there is a load of information out there. Im doing this as a kind of interactive diary, and just in case i encounter something thats not been covered thus far.
In the end Im skipping soil and moving straight to coco, in an Autopot system. I will potentially be away from home a bit and wanted to make sure I had something that covers that eventuality. I have 3 15L pots with the 47L reservoir. When ordering I tried not to miss out anything. Got myself the Hesi Coco starter kit, jiffy coco pellets, neem oil, clay pebbles, ph pen, jewellers lupe, etc etc.
Enough of all that.
Now onto the juicy stuff.
I ordered 9 seeds in total. I was hoping to get three grows this summer, as Im in Spain. Its northern Spain though, which leaves my climate significantly cooler than that of the Mediterranean coast. So I may only get 2 grows. I have 2 x Royal Queen Northern Lights Auto, 2 x Advanced Biodiesel Mass, 2 x Buddha White Dwarf, and 3 x Dutch Passion AutoMazar. All Autofems.
Did a lot of research about these seeds too. Im saving the Automazar for the warmest weather as Ive read they are potential beasts!
I germed the seeds after plenty of research......24 hours in tap water (PH around 6.2) in a dark warm place (chucked them in on 6/5/13, around 20 hours in they were still floating, gave them a tap and they sank.
Then stuck em in damp kitchen paper in a warm place. (Shot glasses with labels will acompany the seeds til I can be bothered to re label the pots...all in good time!)
Encountered problem number one. Checked on them the next morning and the paper had actually dried out! I thought SHIT!!!!
So I took the top layer of kitchen paper off, rewet it, squeezed the water out, and layed it back on top. However I could not stop thinking about the seeds and thought there was a chance they could have died. The NL had cracked and as some people plant straight into their growing medium after soaking, I thought I may aswell begin the next step to ensure they would receive all the moisture and water needed, without the risk of drying out overnight.
I soaked the coco pellets in PH´d water for about 10 mins, with a very weak mix of root complex and powerzyme. Had the water Phd to around 5.6, 5.7. At this point I learned that a tiny frikkin drop of PH down messes with the PH way too much. In the end the only way I have found to get my PH where it needs to be is to start with less water than I intend to use, say 4L. I then chuck in the nutes, and a drop of PH down. mix it up, check PH. The PH is pretty much always too low, so I add the final Litre of tap water and it balances it out by bringing it up a bit. Repeat if necessary. Made a hole in the pellets with a pencil, and dropped the seed straight from the paper into the hole, and covered lightly. Into prop, in warm dark place.
Anyone else have problems with PH down taking the water down from say 6 to 3 with a single drop?? PLEEEAASE advise me on this as i cant seem to find much info anywhere.
At this point I really started to think I should have experimented with germing the seeds i got for free with my order, but it was too late!
Anyway, meanwhile I figured I should prepare the pots. So I set up the Autopot system. Not to difficult just followed the instructions. I have yet to actually test it with but heres a pic.
Then I proceeded to wash the clay pebbles. Took at least half an hour, they were filthy!
As advised by many, about an inch layer of clay pebbles at the bottom of the pot to stop water log and aid drainage.
Then filled almost to the top with coco. Didnt fill right to the top as i wanted to save some fresh coco to mix into this coco after this grow (for the next grow)
So yesterday (10/5/13), i went to check on the seeds, and one of them, the NL, had poked its head above the surface of the jiffy pellet. Great I thought! On closer inspection, it was the seed poking out, not leaves! I have read about the force that roots use when they are growing, the taproot essentially goes downwards, while propelling the seed upward. I figured i must have planted them too near the surface, so got a bit more coco and covered it. At this point i really thought these seeds had bad luck with me as a grower, and honestly thought I had damaged the roots (as i had pressed down on it a bit too). At least it was rooting though.....and i checked the other pellets, just picked them up, gave em a little squeeze and i could definitely see a root in each of the others too. Brilliant! I decided that rather than let these other seeds poke out with the shell still on, ill stick em in their final pots now and cover them with a bit more medium.
So i top watered my pots to presoak the coco, with PHd water (same issue as before, masssssiivve drop in ph when using just a drop of ph down.....so ended up taking a while to nail the ph in) and weak mix of hesi root complex and powerzyme (added nutes before ph adjustment). The coco soaked up, and became more compact. now my pots are like, just over half full. this is annoying, but at the same time, for my first grow should i just see how it goes? Im worried that being small plants already, they may need an open space to grow out in...currently the pots might get in the way a bit. on the other hand less light to the bottom of the plant means potentially less shitty popcorn buds underneath the main canopy....again please advise!
dug a little hole to fit in the pellets. stuck em in. dark and warm all day yesterday. last night i removed the cover so they would get light first thing today. This morning I have sprouts!!!!!!
Well I have 2....The Biodiesel Mass is doing the best so far:
The NL second best:
The White Dwarf is kinda poking out a bit, still trying to get the seed shell off but Im sure it will make it! Gonna leave them indoors by the window while top watering, with the radiator on, gonna stick a fan on to strengthen the stems once the WD has grown a pair. Eventually when they are big enough they shall be moved outside to my balcony with the Autopot system in full swing. I know you all love pics so ill keep em coming.
Tips for first time growers, from my experience thus far. This is found all over the net but I shall state again. Dont worry too much, give the seeds what they need to germinate and let nature do its thing. Do your research. I thought mine were a lost cause at several points. Be gentle. Be patient!
Now...I have a few questions. Maybe someone can help.
1. Ph down. Anyone else have similar experience, where 1 drop can cause massive drops in PH? Is this normal? how do you deal with it? i didnt order any ph up as i figured id need to drop more than raise the ph. a second part to the question: in hydro set ups, can organic ph adjusters be used like vinegar, lemon juice etc?
2. with the coco soaked, my pots are only just over half full of medium. is this fine or should i add more? will it help to avoid shit small buds growing at the bottom of the plant? should i wait for the plants to grow a bit of a stem and THEN add more coco? Autos like a lot of space to spread their roots out in, is it better that i give them that space, or restrict the space to gain one fat cola (if indeed it will work as im thinking it might)?
Hope to hear your thoughts soon.
Will continue to update as and when i can....!
Adios!
