Grow Journal #8: DIY Hydro & Making Feminized seeds with Colloidal Silver

Hey friends!

I've been M.I.A. for a while but it feels good to be back! I see the forum has changed over the years..lots of new faces, and it's not nearly as active as it used to be..but this is where it all began for me, so I'm loyal until till then end. RIU for life baby!!

As some of you know, I'm a bit of a DIY & Experimenting geek.

Some of my best journals were the crazy ones where I built my own box, revegged my plants, grew 12/12 from seed or bred my own strain. Well this journal is no different.

The plan this time is to build my own hydro setup, and successfully breed my own feminized seeds. I also have a goal to have at least an Oz and a half of top quality bud by 4/20/2013.

Over the next couple of post I am going to document everything that I've done so far, and get you all up to date with my latest progress. Pull up a seat, grab some bud and some snacks..and join me on my latest grow. I hope you enjoy!

Feel free to comment, ask questions and make suggestions.

Thanks,
-Cash

I think that I am going to wake up and live to this journal! I am thinking of doing the same thing some time in the future. I have a question for you if I may. I think that I understand that you apply the colidal silver early in flowering, and if so, then can you veg for a shorter time than normal? Maybe wait until preflowers show and then flip and apply? ok, sorry for rambling... I guess my one turned to many.
Subbed for sure!

DIY Hempy Bucket & Ebb n Flow Hybrid:

The plan is to grow 8 plants, two plants per bucket. I'll be making 4 - automatic hempy buckets that will be on a timer. They will recirculate the water/nutes in my 30 Gallon Res. The buckets will be filled once or twice per day, 20 minutes at a time and then drain back into the reservoir below.

The Grow Room:

The grow room is a Grow tent that sits in my closet. I have a LEDwholesalers GYO1001. Courtesy of Amazon.


Dimensions: 62-Inch x 36-Inch x 20-Inch


Lighting:

For the seedling stage, I plan on using 2 - 26w CFL's. Courtesy of Walmart.

For veg, the light I will be using is an iPower 400-Watt MH/HPS Light Dimmable Digital Ballast, with a cool tube. Courtesy of Amazon


Containers:

Since my GF works for walmart, she was able to get me a few nice containers for my grow. I'm using 4 - Sterilite 7.5 Gallon/28 Liter Trash cans as my hempy buckets.


I will drill a 1/4" hole about 2" from the bottom, then I'll put a grommet in the hole to make it water-tight, then I will connect 1/4" tubing to each bucket, which will connect to a manifold which will connect a 1/2" tube back down to my reservoir.

Here is a sketch of my bucket setup:


Simple and effective, right?

Parts Used:

Manifold:

1/4" Grommets:


1/4" tubing & 1/2" tubing:


Medium:

My Medium of choice is 100% Perlite. I went with this because I've seen FlowaMasta have some excellent results in this medium, so I decided to give it a try. I'm using Miracle Grow Perlite, which has a small amount of nutrients in it.



Nutrients:

The nutrients that I'm using are the General Hydroponics Flora Series 3 - part nutrients. I also have a few extra goodies that will increase plant growth & performance. I wont feed my plants anything for 21 days, and then I will feed them as per the General Hydroponics instructions.




Seeds:

As you can see, I have quite the seed collection...and this isn't even all of them!



My full list of seeds are:

From Attitude Seedbank:
De Sjamaan Seeds Purple Widow
Barneys Farm Pineapple Express Auto Fem
G13 Pineapple Express Fem
DinaFem Road Runner Auto Fem
Advanced Seeds BioDiesel Mass Auto Fem
TH Seeds Wreckage
TH Seeds Burmese Kush
DNA Genetics Stacked Kush Fem

From The Single Seed Centre:
SeedsMan White Widow
Nirvana Blue Mystic
Afghani Kush x Yumbolt Fem
Northern Light x Big Bud Auto Fem

Strains I created:
Bubbilicious x OG Kush
Sweet Purple x Bubbilicious

For the sake of space, and time constraints I will be growing out 4 regular seeds, and 4 auto seeds:

2x White Widow
2x Blue Mystic
2x Road Runner Auto Fem
1x BioDiesel Mass Auto Fem
1x Pineapple Express Auto Fem

Hopefully the Autos will be ready by 4/20/2013.

Damn, looks nice! Another user has used Tiresias Mist, http://www.ebay.com/itm/120940851051?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649, and has had good results.. are you making your own? Looks like you will have some fun!

LeafGnosis said:

I think that I am going to wake up and live to this journal! I am thinking of doing the same thing some time in the future. I have a question for you if I may. I think that I understand that you apply the colidal silver early in flowering, and if so, then can you veg for a shorter time than normal? Maybe wait until preflowers show and then flip and apply? ok, sorry for rambling... I guess my one turned to many.
Subbed for sure!

Click to expand...

Hey LG! Applying it too early in veg is wasteful because the plant will still be growing regular fan leaves. You have to wait until the plant's hormones tell them to start forming buds, and then you apply the CS..usually thats about a week after 12/12.

As far as shortening the veg time - You don't have to wait for preflowers...you can absolutely shorten the veg time to start budding sooner. For example, you can veg for a week and then switch to 12/12, wait until you see buds forming, then apply CS. That'll work fine. Or you can do 12/12 from seed, and then start applying CS at about 21 days, that'll work fine also.

CS is very easy and effective, you can apply it in the beginning, middle or end of flowering and it will still work. Stick around, I'll be happy to show you how it's done!

LeafGnosis said:

Damn, looks nice! Another user has used Tiresias Mist, http://www.ebay.com/itm/120940851051?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649, and has had good results.. are you making your own? Looks like you will have some fun!

Click to expand...

Negative, I bought some off of amazon..I'll post pics in a few

Thanks for subbing!

1-1-2013: Germination

To germinate my seeds, I soaked them in water for about 48 hours, then I planted them into rockwool cubes.



It took about 4 days for the seeds to sprout..but on 1-5-2013 I became a proud father!!

Sitting back, relaxing with some blueberry gum, am ready to follow along! thanks Spittn4cash!

1-12-2013 Day 1
Temp: 74°
Humidity: 30% (yikes!!)

So, I don't count "day 1" as the day the seeds sprouted..I wait until the first set of leaves fully form..and then I begin the counter. Since I have humidity issues in my grow tent, I decided to use plastic bags as make-shift humidity domes.





2x Blue Mystic:




Pineapple Express Auto (on the top), BioDiesel Mass Auto (on the bottom):




2x RoadRunner Auto:



2x White Widow (still waiting for one to sprout):

1-17-2013
Day 5
Temp: 74°
Humidity: 35%


Sad news....the BioDiesel Mass Auto seedling died due to damping off. You could see how she was leaning in the previous post I guess the humidity got too high in the dome, and she couldn't pull through, and the other white widow seedling never sprouted.

As you can see I'm still working on my humidity issues. I removed the humidity domes, and decided to spray the plants..spraying instantly increases the humidity and it lasts for a few hours. I have it under control for the time being.

Now I'm down to 6 plants:

2x Blue Mystic
2x RoadRunner Auto
1x White Widow
1x Pineapple Express Auto







I got some weird stuff going on with my White Widow..the leaves are turning colors, and it's droopy!

White Widow:



And one of my RoadRunner Auto's are growing deformed!! WTF!

RoadRunner Auto:




The rest of the gang is doing great however.

Top (Pineapple Express Auto on left, RoadRunner on right), Bottom (Blue Mystic):

1-20-2013 Day 8
Temp: 74°
Humidity: 45%


I removed the CFL's, and put the MH bulb into the cool tube. I decided to switch the ballast to 50% (200w). This setting causes the bulb to glow a bright "blue" light..that's why the pics are the way they are. lol. But the lights are still currently on 24/7, I'll probably switch them to 75% (300w) and 20/4 next week.

Also, a couple days ago, I germinated 2 more seeds to replace the other 2 that didn't make it.

Now I have:

3x Blue Mystic
2x White Widow
2x RoadRunner Auto
1x Pineapple Express Auto

Group:


New Additions:

White Widow Baby:



Blue Mystic Baby:




The White Widow is still having issues! Help!

White Widow:


The RoadRunner is still growing deformed!

RoadRunner:



Everything else is fine besides these two.

1-23-2013 Day 11 & Day 4
Temp: 75°
Humidity: 45%
pH: 5.8
TDS: 130 ppm

I've transplanted the plants into their new homes! The buckets are set to flood once per day 20 minutes each watering. I know the ppm of my tap water is a little high..not really much I can do about that, and it doesn't seem to be an issue so I wont worry about it.

The lights are still on 50% (200w) 24/7, I'll be switching to 75% (300w) in a few days.

I'm still keeping an eye on the White Widow and RoadRunner..but they're still growing, even though they are struggling. I wont worry about it until it becomes an issue.


Here are the plants in their new home:



Here is the left side of the tent

Left (both are Blue Mystic), right (top is Blue Mystic Baby, bottom is RoadRunner):



Here is the right side of tent.

Left (top is White Widow baby, bottom is RoadRunner), right (top is White Widow, bottom is Pineapple Express Auto):


White Widow is still having issues

White Widow:


The RoadRunner is still growing deformed, but she's starting to come around!

RoadRunner:

1-30-2013 Day 18 & Day 11
Temp: 76°
Humidity: 45%
pH: 6.0
TDS: 135 ppm

Everything is looking a little better, I'm thinking about feeding the plants now that they're coming along. I switched the lights to 75% (300w) - the temps barely increased, and the humidity remained the same!

I've been having issues controlling the pH, that could be one reason why the White Widow has been acting ugly. 6.0 pH seems to be the sweet spot, so I'm going to try to keep it right there.

The White Widow and RoadRunner has been looking really good lately, I can't wait to show you the pics!

Group shot:


Here is the left side of the tent

Left (both are Blue Mystic), right (top is Blue Mystic Baby, bottom is RoadRunner)



Here is the right side of tent.

Left (top is White Widow baby, bottom is RoadRunner), right (top is White Widow, bottom is Pineapple Express Auto):


The White Widow is really improving!

White Widow:


The RoadRunner is also coming along nicely

RoadRunner:


More updates coming soon!

-Cash

2-6-2013 Day 25 & Day 18
Temp: 74°
Humidity: 50%

Right after the last update I was struck with disaster! Apparently one of my plants caught a cold, and ended up spreading it to the rest of the plants..

It looks like White Widow may have brought this upon my grow, since this illness only affects stressed plants, and then spreads to the rest through the reservoir.

Pythium Infection


My sad looking group:





Roadrunners:


Blue Mystic 1:


Blue Mystic 2:


Blue Mystic Baby:


White Widow:


White Widow Baby:

Pineapple Express Auto:



Hopefully all is not lost

I'll post an update when things are looking better. Till next time.



-Cash

2-13-2013 Day 32 & Day 25
Temp: 74°
Humidity: 45%
pH: 6.0
TDS: 930 ppm

A few days ago, I treated the plants with 5ml per gallon of 3% peroxide. The peroxide neutralizes the Pythium, and prevents if from spreading.

And the next day I treated the plants with 5ml of bleach in 1 gallon of water. The bleach kills the remaining pythium pathogens, without harming the plants. The only downside of using bleach is that is causes the pH of the rockwool cubes to rise significantly.

On day 3 i treated the cubes with 2.5ml of Apple Cider Vinegar, 2.5ml of General Hydroponics Rapid Start rooting supplements and 2.5ml of Advanced nutrients SensiZym. The Apple Cider Vinegar acts as a natural fungicide further killing the pathogens, and also lowers the pH of the rockwool cubes. The rooting supplement helps the plant grow new roots, and the SensiZym are enzymes that eat dead organic material like dead roots, and turns them into plant food.

By today, the plants were looking much better, so I gave them a full strength feeding.

Their feed included:
2.5ml of Advanced Nutrient SensiZym
5ml of General Hydroponics FloraGro
5ml of General Hydroponics FloraMicro
5ml of General Hydroponics FloraBloom
2.5ml of General Hydroponics Rapid Start
2.5ml of General Hydroponics Floralicious plus
2.5ml of General Hydroponics FloraBlend
2.5ml of Botanicare Aquashield

*Keep in mind these amounts are per gallon of water

2-13-2013 Day 32 & Day 25
Temp: 74°
Humidity: 45%
pH: 6.0
TDS: 930 ppm

So, I've rearranged some of the plants in the grow tent. Notice the new order

Starting from the left to right:



Top row:Blue Mystic Baby, White Widow Baby, Pineapple Express, Deformed Roadrunner
Bottom row: Blue Mystic 2, White Widow, Blue Mystic 1, Normal Road Runner


Group Shot:



Here is the left side of the tent:
Left (top is Blue Mystic Baby, bottom is Blue Mystic 2), Right (top is White Widow Baby, bottom is White Widow):



Here is the right side of the tent:
Left (top is Pineapple Express Auto, bottom is Blue Mystic 1), Right (top is Deformed roadrunner, bottom is RoadRunner):




Blue Mystic Baby:



Blue Mystic 2:


White Widow Baby:


White Widow:


Pineapple Express Auto:


Blue Mystic 1:



Deformed Road Runner:



RoadRunner:



Begin Colloidal Silver Treatment:

You'll notice that the 3 Auto's have already began flowering. This happened a lot sooner than expected, and you can tell their growth was stunted from when they were sick. Hopefully they stretch a little more so that I can meet my goal of an oz and a half by 4/20.

I've put in an order for Colloidal silver on Amazon, should be here tomorrow. Tomorrow I will begin treating the auto's with Colloidal Silver.

I plan on spraying the lower branches of:

• The good looking RoadRunner Auto, and the Pineapple Express Auto
• Twice per day, for 8 - 10 days

After 10 days I'll stop spraying, and a week or so after the final spray the bottom buds will form male pods AND female flowers. That way the plant's will self-pollinate.

Most people recommend spraying CS for 21 days, but if I were to spray the branch for 21 full days then the whole branch would turn male...I don't want that. I only want a few male pods, so the rest of the branch can continue to grow female flowers and self pollinate.

I'll report back in a few days when I've began treating the plants.

Stay tuned, I'll be back in a few.

-Cash

2-18-2013 Day 37 & Day 30 - Day 4 of CS treatment
Temp: 74°
Humidity: 45%
pH: 6.0
TDS: 1050ppm


The plants are beautiful!

I've increased the amount of General Hydroponics FloraMicro nutrients just slightly, because I noticed they were showing signs of Cal/Mag deficiency. I placed an order for Botanicare Cal-Mag on Amazon, should be here in a few days.

I'm starting to see preflowers, so I also changed the light to 100% (400w) and reduced the time to 18/6...hopefully they'll show sex in a few days!

I also raised the lights so that they are now about 2 feet away from the tops of the plants. I can tell you that this has caused a lot of changes! They started stretching and the leaves have began reaching for the light! I just love the way they look now!

Group Shot:



Here is the left side of the tent:
Left (top is Blue Mystic Baby, bottom is Blue Mystic 2), Right (top is White Widow Baby, bottom is White Widow):



Here is the right side of the tent:
Left (top is Pineapple Express Auto, bottom is Blue Mystic 1), Right (top is Deformed RoadRunner, bottom is RoadRunner):



Blue Mystic Baby:


Blue Mystic 2:


White Widow Baby:


White Widow:


Pineapple Express:


Blue Mystic 1:


Deformed RoadRunner:


RoadRunner:



Colloidal Silver Treatment continued:

Today is the 4th day I've applied the CS treatment..nothing is happening yet, but I know that it takes a little bit of patience.

Here is the Colloidal Silver I'm using:

• Medi-Silver 99.999% pure 20ppm Colloidal Silver
• Applied with a nasal spray bottle

• I use a make-shift shield to protect the rest of the plan
• Made from cardboard, paper, and clear packing tape.

Pineapple Express Auto:






RoadRunner:

• I spray the bottom branches
• Twice per day

That's all I got for now!...I'll report back when I've got some new updates for everyone!

Thanks,
-Cash

DIY Hydro setup pt.2:

I have a few extra pics of my setup that I wanted to share with you all.

As I stated, I'm using 7.5 gallon buckets.



They have 1/4" holes about 2" from the bottom, and each one has a 1/4" tube connected to one single manifold.




The Manifold is connected to a 1/2" tube that returns to my reservoir.



The reservoir is a 30 gallon rubbermaid tube, But I only fill it up with about 20 gallons. It has one 396 gph submersible pump, courtesy of Amazon.. and 2 - 12" airstones courtesy of Walmart.



The cooltube has a 4" fan on one end, and 6" ducting on the other end that goes out of the tent. Eventually i am going to attach a carbon scrubber on the end, but right now the plants aren't smelling too bad so they should be fine.




And finally, my intake is one single 4" booster fan, courtesy of Home Depot. Surprisingly, it does a great job of circulating the air, and cooling off the tent. When spring comes around I may add an oscillating fan, but right now this is doing a great job.



If anyone has any suggestions, comments or questions about this setup - feel free to ask away!

Thanks,
-Cash

Looking good, it seems all is going as planned. One question if I may. After applying the spray on the lower branches, do you keep the shield on for a while or the whole time? (though common sense would say to take the shield off after a while for light to lower branches)..

LeafGnosis said:

Looking good, it seems all is going as planned. One question if I may. After applying the spray on the lower branches, do you keep the shield on for a while or the whole time? (though common sense would say to take the shield off after a while for light to lower branches)..

Click to expand...

Thanks LG, and that's a great question..

I remove the shield right after I finish spraying, no need to leave it on. And actually, the lower branches aren't receiving that much light - they're mostly blocked by other foliage ..which is a good thing because CS degrades in light.

It's funny you should mention that, because I am starting to see some small changes But everything seems to be doing exactly what it's supposed to do. I'll post an update as soon as I can get the camera again.

Thanks,
-Cash

2-19-2013 Day 38 & Day 31
Temp: 74°
Humidity: 45%
pH: 6.0
TDS: 1250ppm

Hey all, Im back!

I got the Botanicare Cal-Mag today, and it couldn't have arrived at a better time. I immediately added it to my res, and the ppm bumped up slightly. I will post an update in a few days with the results of this, and my opinion on the Botanicare Cal-Mag supplement.

At the next reservoir change I will probably increase the amount of Bloom nutes, in order to start the transition from veg to flowering. Still no sign of sex, but the plants are growing bigger every day! Check out these pics:

Group shot:




Here is the left side of the tent:
Left (top is Blue Mystic Baby, bottom is Blue Mystic 2), Right (top is White Widow Baby, bottom is White Widow):




Here is the right side of the tent:
Left (top is Pineapple Express Auto, bottom is Blue Mystic 1), Right (top is Deformed RoadRunner, bottom is RoadRunner):





See ya next update!

-Cash