Newbie fertilizer question

Innerorbit · Jan 5, 2019

Quick update. I did the LST and trimming to open it up a week or so ago and I’m thinking I’m pretty close to switching to flower. Plants are still looking nice and green and it looks like the LST worked well.

I don’t have any other seeds or anything lined up for my next grow so I’m thinking I want these 5 plants to maximize the yield from my avalible space so I’m looking for some opinions on remaining veg time. I’m growing with a supposedly 1000w equivalent LED in a 6 1/2ft tall grow tent (5’x5’). The plants are about 2 1/2 ft tall currently measuring from the top of the soil. Should I keep vegging or consider switch to flower soon?

The strain is Northern Lights.

JSheeze · Jan 5, 2019

Innerorbit said:
Quick update. I did the LST and trimming to open it up a week or so ago and I’m thinking I’m pretty close to switching to flower. Plants are still looking nice and green and it looks like the LST worked well.

I don’t have any other seeds or anything lined up for my next grow so I’m thinking I want these 5 plants to maximize the yield from my avalible space so I’m looking for some opinions on remaining veg time. I’m growing with a supposedly 1000w equivalent LED in a 6 1/2ft tall grow tent (5’x5’). The plants are about 2 1/2 ft tall currently measuring from the top of the soil. Should I keep vegging or consider switch to flower soon?

The strain is Northern Lights.

2.5ft from top of soil, so ~3.5ft from floor? Tent height 6.5ft? Ya, I'd say they could be flipped now.

They'll stretch for the first 3 weeks of flower and typically double in height. The NL is a little shorter and won't stretch like a pure sativa but looking at their height and maturity, as well as considering your grow area, I'd flip them now or soon.

If you don't have seeds but do like the strain, just take a few cuttings from your mothers before you flip, by the time the mothers are done the daughters will be big enough to flower again..

Innerorbit · Jan 6, 2019

JSheeze said:
2.5ft from top of soil, so ~3.5ft from floor? Tent height 6.5ft? Ya, I'd say they could be flipped now.

They'll stretch for the first 3 weeks of flower and typically double in height. The NL is a little shorter and won't stretch like a pure sativa but looking at their height and maturity, as well as considering your grow area, I'd flip them now or soon.

If you don't have seeds but do like the strain, just take a few cuttings from your mothers before you flip, by the time the mothers are done the daughters will be big enough to flower again..

Sounds good, I will try taking some clones and then switch to flowering this week. I’ll have to figure out something for lighting for the clones since I don’t have another light or grow tent aside from this one but I’m excited that everything is going well so far.

Next attempt will be straight perlite Hempy buckets.

JSheeze · Jan 6, 2019

Innerorbit said:
Sounds good, I will try taking some clones and then switch to flowering this week. I’ll have to figure out something for lighting for the clones since I don’t have another light or grow tent aside from this one but I’m excited that everything is going well so far.

Cut the bottoms off of 2 liter soda bottles and use a humidity domes to cover your clones. You could go to the store and buy the biggest daylight E27 LED bulbs and screw into your normal bathroom light fixture and leave plants in there with lights on 24/7 (my bathroom had 4 bulb fixture). The shower humidity will help them. That's what I used to do back in the day.

You could also get 1 or 2 of those clamping shop reflector dishes and screw the E27 bulbs into them and then position over the humidity domes for spread lighting.

Or an overhead shop fluorescent light would work great, probably the best. Can buy for $20.

Pretty much any low intensity diffuse lighting will work for clones. They don't need much light in fact they can't handle much, humidity is more importatnt. And no nutes except rooting hormone for clones. Just straight water.

Innerorbit said:
Next attempt will be straight perlite Hempy buckets.

I like at least 50/50 coco/perlite. Perlite floats. I Mix 1/3cup neem meal per 2 gallons of grow medium (2gal 50/50 coco/perlite + 1/3cup neem meal). Neem will prevent gnats ect. You can go up to 1/2cup per 2 gallons, or 1/4cup per gallon, but its rather high in N so just be aware of that and use as needed with that info in mind (if you do).

Budzbuddha · Jan 6, 2019

I do Hempy all the time ...

You CAN do 100% perlite grows . It will support a plant just fine . If the the hempy was made properly and not holding more than bottom Rez , the perlite will hold plant. I recommend running water thru bucket when filled to help rinse out the dust . Plus if you need to clear the drain hole if it clogs. Place a seed in a rooter plug or cube ( pre moistened ) in center and go watch tv.

My preferred mix is a 3:1 using perlite and vermiculite.....
The vermiculite keeps “ some “ moisture on the roots .
In the beginning, just keep plug moist .... when a seedling grows , just mist once a day.
Bucket needs nothing at this point. Tap root will SEEK moisture by growing out and branching to bottom.

When you notice more leafsets begin , you CAN do a mini feed with a light fertilizer.
Always PH your water / mixes ... I do about 5.8 to allow for drift. Once the plant hits the Rez at bottom .... growth explodes. Then a regular feed can begin. I use MAXIBLOOM ( GH ) powder nute from start to finish. (((((((((((( Simple ))))))))))

I do 1 tsp of maxi in a gallon of water .
Any bucket will do ... from 1 to 5 . I use colored kids sand pails .... lol
And work well. You will find that Hempy grows big plants.

JSheeze · Jan 6, 2019

Innerorbit said:
Sounds good, I will try taking some clones and then switch to flowering this week. I’ll have to figure out something for lighting for the clones since I don’t have another light or grow tent aside from this one but I’m excited that everything is going well so far.

Next attempt will be straight perlite Hempy buckets.

Budzbuddha said:
I do Hempy all the time ...

You CAN do 100% perlite grows . It will support a plant just fine . If the the hempy was made properly and not holding more than bottom Rez , the perlite will hold plant. I recommend running water thru bucket when filled to help rinse out the dust . Plus if you need to clear the drain hole if it clogs. Place a seed in a rooter plug or cube ( pre moistened ) in center and go watch tv.

My preferred mix is a 3:1 using perlite and vermiculite.....
The vermiculite keeps “ some “ moisture on the roots .
In the beginning, just keep plug moist .... when a seedling grows , just mist once a day.
Bucket needs nothing at this point. Tap root will SEEK moisture by growing out and branching to bottom.

When you notice more leafsets begin , you CAN do a mini feed with a light fertilizer.
Always PH your water / mixes ... I do about 5.8 to allow for drift. Once the plant hits the Rez at bottom .... growth explodes. Then a regular feed can begin. I use MAXIBLOOM ( GH ) powder nute from start to finish. (((((((((((( Simple ))))))))))

I do 1 tsp of maxi in a gallon of water .
Any bucket will do ... from 1 to 5 . I use colored kids sand pails .... lol
And work well. You will find that Hempy grows big plants.

I stand corrected. I've read many posts about people having trouble with supporting the plants in perlite, looks like @Budzbuddha, you got a way to make it happen.

** @Budzbuddha good idea on removing the dust, @Innerorbit the dust is nasty stuff you don't want to breath it in. My first time opening and pouring a bag of perlite into my mix I learned the hard way. Slowly pour it into the buckets because that fine powder dust is nasty stuff on the lungs and eyes.

Budzbuddha · Jan 6, 2019

Yeah ... rooter plug or cube RESTS in center ... walls of container will eventually keep all together.
I was actually breaking up the root mass in this picture to COLLECT some perlite for REUSE !
I manage to recover a good bit that I rinse and soak in plastic bin with a little hydrogen peroxide to sterilize it. I don’t like just heaving the whole thing in trash if I can get some recycling.

Another good additive for Hempy ..... HYDROGUARD. It keeps the roots nice and clean.

Innerorbit · Feb 13, 2019

Update: about 5 weeks since I switched to 12/12. Ran into a few bumps with this grow but still hopeful that things turn out alright as it is my 1st attempt.

I think I let my plants get too big before switching to flower since they stretched quite a bit and I dont think my light is strong enough to penetrate all the way down. Some of the lower and inner leaves turned yellow due to this. I’ve also been traveling a lot for work so I tried watering more then usual before leaving last week hoping that things would be good until I returned...that turned out to be a big mistake as a couple of the plants had many leaves yellow and eventually die. I clearly overwatered! Things have stabilized in the week since but I’m sure I hurt the final yields on those particular plants, luckily the bud areas don’t looked changed but they lost a lot of leaves.

Now on some of my healthier plants I’m starting to see the leaves look unusual as in the attached photo. Could it be that they finally used up the most of the nitrogen in the FFOF soil?

Innerorbit · Mar 11, 2019

Just wanted to give a final update on my first grow. Harvested the plants yesterday after about 8.5 weeks in flower.

I’m sure my yield could have been better but I learned a lot and I’m happy with the results I achieved on my first attempt and with the cheap LED I used. Just trimmed them up after I read up on trimming and hung them up to dry. Didn’t bother with wet weight but I’ll weigh once buts are dried and I jar them up.

Skybound420 · Mar 12, 2019

Est 4-6 ounces dried.

Newbie fertilizer question

Innerorbit

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JSheeze

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Innerorbit

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JSheeze

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Budzbuddha

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JSheeze

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Budzbuddha

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Innerorbit

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Innerorbit

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Skybound420

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