2014/2015 - DrVerdeThumb - Organic Soil - Indoor Grow - First Grow

[DrVerdethumb]

Hey Guys, so I am about to start my first indoor grow. My first plan was to build a special room, but I don't have time right now. So I opted for a tent grow. The tent can be moved and if I have fun, I can build permanent space soon ( I have a basement project on deck anyway ).

This is for personal use only, not commercial, but that being said I will be providng for several friends/family as well.

I am using:

36"x36" Grow tent @ 72" Height
Apollo 300W LED grow light
2 120W CFL Full spectrum (one for seedlings, both for veg then augment flower)
I will be using an organic soil mix.
Running a 6" Inline fan, with carbon filter.

Once I get all supplies in (should be here by Wednesday) I will start the set up and I'll post some pictures....


HERE is my dilemma. I was initially going to grow bag seed....I figure its a first grow why not. But here is the thing I don't have any info about the strain, what it likes, what it is. I can tell its more on the sativa side by the high, but that's about it. I can just wing it, veg it then flower when i see fit/ harvest based on resin sacks. I could germinate 20, assume I get 10 growing, 5 females. And go from there.

option #2. order seed. I like this because I can choose what I get, most likely a Northern lights, and a silver haze...that way I get a nice sativa. and a nice hybrid. I know what I am getting, I know flower times, I could but feminized seed as well. I could do 3 plants of each (and could still stick 2 or 3 bagseed plants in there just to see)...and I'm golden. BUT i have to wait for the seeds, and I'm not sure how long it takes to come where the bag seed I can get going asap.r


My intentions are to grow, veg flower and harvest all crop, not to save any mothers for cloning. Not that I don't want to. I'd prefer that after all of this, and if i buy seed..I could have clones. Instead what i harvest will get me through while i try again. At which point I would grow for a mother plant and just set up a room or another tent to keep them going.

I also like that because once i find a few staple strains I like, I could keep the mothers for when I want them.

So what do you guys think?

Bag seed for the first run and get going this week, or order seed and wait till it gets here?

PS I am very excited.

 

[J189RFC]

For a first grow ever, bag seed or garden seeds are just fine. But you might have to prepare for ultimate dissapointment if they hermi or don't turn out too good. So other than time and energy (well and $) you haven't lost anything and you've gained some good insight.

Now on the other hand ordering seeds removes a lot of the risk associated with growing bagseed and you get to choose. Ordering through the sponsors is quick and easy and discreet. They have pick and mix and whole bags. You can get a bunch of seeds for under 20$ If you can still find some Nirvana, they have good prices. So do any of the "store brand" varieties. Go check out the seed markets. I flipped out the first time I saw one in 10 years. There are also seed bank review sites if you need help choosing. Takes up to 2 weeks to deliver.

Good luck, have fun!

 

[DrVerdethumb]

Yea, I ordered my seeds the other day. I went with Grandaddypurple and supersilverhaze. I will start some bag seed to just to see. I ordered fem seeds, so should be good luck. But With seeds costing money, and the 6 weeks it takes to get them up and going. I think I will germinate 5 haze/5GDP and as many bag seed as i have. With all of them going, I'll be able to pull a mother from all three (i hope). I didn't want to set up a cloning set up yet, but If I am growing them all from seed if they get to that point may as well keep them alive. Also makes it easier if I want to start another strain. I'll get myself a tent just to hold moms/veg when the time comes.

I'll see what I end up with, pull my mothers, and flower the rest and see what happens. I didn't want to go through the expense/time to find out my bag seed is old, not great, or male...and have to start again.

I've been getting boxes all day, so by weeks end i should be able to set up and get going.

Currently I am sick as a dog, so it's not my top priority.

 

[J189RFC]

You could also start all 15 of them let them grow and flower them early, once you know what sex they are you can take some clones from the best of each. Saves ya some time in the short run.

Get better soon!

 

[DrVerdethumb]

Good plan, If I let them all run its course I can pull some clones off the plants to get my mother plants. I was thinking to start all of them, but that would be 20 plants with the ordered seed alone, I don't have room for that many, So I'll do 5 of each, and then pick the best.

 

[DrVerdethumb]

Hey guys, so tent is set up, and I have about 30 seeds germinating, It's a lot but I'll sift through them. I am hoping to have them in a nice incubator this week. And away we go.

 

[DrVerdethumb]

We've Got life!! I started germinating my seeds two days ago. The bag seed is doing great, most tap roots already 1/2" Granddaddy Purple and Super Silver Haze Fem Are just coming out of their shells. I am going to give everyone another 24 hours and tomorrow night I will put into the humidity dome ( just your basic seed starter, 72 seed spots, heating mat with a 7" dome).

Here is where I am at currently

Super Silver Haze Feminized

Grand Daddy Purple

Bag Seed

 

[J189RFC]

Yo! Looking good! I usually plant mine a day after tap root so those bag seed are ready to get buried!

 

[DrVerdethumb]

Yea, I know but I'm waiting on some new trays. My 'gardening' gear is all burried in the garage so I splurged and bought a new set up for this and will be here today. These little guys will be in nice warm soil with a CFL floating overhead by tonight.

 

[J189RFC]

Hahaha awesome, can't wait to see what you come up with!

 

[madmedscience]

You could also start all 15 of them let them grow and flower them early, once you know what sex they are you can take some clones from the best of each. Saves ya some time in the short run.

Get better soon!

from what I've heard you need to take clones when they are in veg mode, doing it in flower could cause hemie condition

 

[J189RFC]

Welp, madmedscience, your sort of right. You can take a cutting from a plant at any time. It does stress the plant but not much. Also we are talking about 10-12 days into flower when you positively id sex. If you were to take cuttings from a flowering plant every week then ya, you might have issues.

If you want to make sure your plant is happy through cuttings give a little foliar feed and amend your root system with a myco product. DocBud also has a destress dunk/spray? for those doing high brix. I assume that would be a time to use it.

Alot of people around here like to defoliate at about the 2 week mark, that doesn't increase the chances of hermies or nanners generally. The one that really does it is root boundness and heat stress, as well as over extended flowering periods.

So ya if you take 2-3 cuttings from the best/healthiest ladies you should be fine and if your any good at it 90% of those cuttings should root.

 

[J189RFC]

Also, take the clones from the lowest branches. Ones that would likely get "lolipopped"/cut/stripped anyways. Then it's a gain for what would be a loss!

 

[DrVerdethumb]

Hey Guys, Sorry for the delay with the holidays things got hectic. So here is where we are at.
This is the Pic a few days after they went into the soil pod, I was nervous there was a water issue, they ended up in Mud, the bag seat wasn't flooded and were doing good. The GDP and SSH got flooded and I was afraid nothing was going to sprout.

This next one was taken yesterday. They sprouted. The bag seed did great, the SSH was a very slow grower and I had 5 make it, and I didn't think all of them would make it. The GDP i managed to get 2 to sprout, and it was a dire situation the first week, but the 2 are doing great, so let's hope for girls.

They all slowed down a lot, the bag seed was showing yellow and the others were very small, Popped one out and root bound. so I put them in their new homes (solo cups) and they started at it again.

I have been running 24/0 Lighting, with apollo 300W Led light at about 4 inches. Temps range from 72F-79F. humidity cycles every hour from 60-30, whn the humidifier comes on. They seem to like it. I am going to cut to 18/6 next week, just to give them some rest. The pics also are off on color, they are all a nice deep green. If you look you can see the blue mark on the rim of the cups, that way every morning they get rotated 90 degrees to get better light coverage.

This last pic is a clone someone got me, so it's nice to add a 4th strain to the collection...she's under a CFL grow bulb and doing great. I started pinching her back and will cut clones to slow her down and that way I can keep her as a mother and will have a few "HOG" plants to put into flower with the others.

 

[DrVerdethumb]

Hey guys, it's been a while since I updated so here is where i am at.
I was having some issues, soil wasn't doing well, and plants were just Meh. I swapped the box store potting soil for some FF Ocean soil. Nice stuff. I also ordered the three pack of FF nutes. (not using them yet).

I had them in solo cups, and transplanted them into 1G containers (that is when I put in the Box Store soil). they didn't take well to the soil, and Even at just 8 days old very root bound in the solo cups.

I then transfered some (strongest) to 2.5G containers when I changed over to the FF soil. They seem to like it.

I have been doing some trimming, very light just to get some damaged leaves off, or some that are really shading.

I had some PH problems ( i think ), some nute burn (bad on some), some heat issues (still dialing in the tent and with the extreme cold it's been hard)

Lighting I added a second Apollo 300W LED (170W actual). This may be overkill but it's a better spread in the tent.

The only thing I've given them is water with 1/4 Strenth Super thrive in it @ transplant.

All thoughts and opinions let me know, here are some pictures.

Here is a sequential picture of the ladies
12/25/14

1/9/15

1/12/15

Here is one of my favorite little weedlings, It is Grand Daddy Purple with heavy Sativa traits ( I have another that is fatter)

12/25 (on the right)

1/12

Here is a Super silver Haze I topped 3 days ago, she is doing well and took it nicely.

What do you guys think?

 

[J189RFC]

Hey hey! Looks like it's coming along quite well! Those must be even bigger this week! When are you going to flower? With your space you may consider doing it fairly soon.

 

[DrVerdethumb]

Yea they are pretty big, I got rid of the ones that were left in the smaller 1G pots. They weren't doing well and taking up room. So I am down to 8 plants. One is a clone (hog) so I know it's a female. The SuperSilver Haze was feminized so I've got fingers crossed, the Grand Daddy purple and the bag seed we will just find out. This week, I am taking a few clones of each. And by 2/15 I will flip the switch, they are getting BIG. I've been pinching them back on the sides, and I topped 5/8 and they are growing some nice off shoots. I ordered a second tent to veg the clones in (this is getting to be a serious hobby). Once these show sex I will know which clones to keep etc.

I have been using FF nutes @ 1/4 strengh and they are thirsty now. I used to water once a week, now every 4/5 days they need water.

This picture was taken 2 days ago.

 

[J189RFC]

Looking good DrV! Funny how this hobby is like a rabbit hole. You start with only a few seeds you found, and then all of a sudden your buying a third light, and are sitting on 10 strains and built half a dedicated room just for drying and curing.

 

[DrVerdethumb]

Looking good DrV! Funny how this hobby is like a rabbit hole. You start with only a few seeds you found, and then all of a sudden your buying a third light, and are sitting on 10 strains and built half a dedicated room just for drying and curing.

Yea man, and it's awesome too to find this hobby when I'm a grown up...I couldnt imagine some of these young guys trying to sneak a closet grow, with minimal cost. It's fantastic that I can just order A grand worth of stuff, set up in basement like ok new hobby.

And I've always loved gardening, I find it relaxing, but this is a whole new level. I guess because Its a crop I really really love, but i've never doted on tomatoes like this. haha Im a bit faded.

 

[DrVerdethumb]

Hey guys, just an update. I gave the ladies a deep trimming, took three clones of Each plant I had except the Bag seed. So I have a 2 week old set of clones and then very new ones. (cut 2/3). The plants were flushed, as I am flipping the swtich tonight, and in a few days will start the flower nutes. They are looking very nice, we have had some COLD nights, the plants are getting 75H and 60L, which is at the extreme but it's all I can do. They are showing a tiny bit of stress but not too bad. I also got another tent for the clones. That will be grow #2 I guess. Here are some pics