BubbaHoTep's - Blue Dream - Cabinet - Soil - Grow 2015

[BubbaHoTep]

Howdy 420ers! Starting this journal to keep tabs on my progress as well as to get some tips and info from some of you more experienced farmers out there.
While I'm not a total noob to growing, I am still relatively "green" (ha!). This grow will be my first attempt at an indoor cabinet/stealth grow. I have done two outdoor grows in the past with limited success.

To start, I built my own grow cabinet out of parts that I mostly had laying around my home. The cabinet is a standard MDF work cabinet that I already had. It measures 2.5'W x 5'H x 1.5'D. Roughly 2.5-3 sq. ft. of grow space. After a bit of experimenting I've come to the conclusion that it will hold two plants in 3 gallon containers. I have mounted a shower stall bar to the bottom side of one of the shelves. Attached to it is a suspended miniature vortex fan and 3x150W 6500K CFLs. As the plants grow, the shelf can be moved up to adjust distance of light from tops of plants. The bottom is an aluminum roasting pan that will catch run-off water and doubles as a reflective surface. The entire inside of the cabinet has covered in UL reflective duct tape. (Pics 1, 2 & 3)

As for the strain, I have accumulated 4 seeds out of a few bags of Blue Dream. Currently have germinated 2 and have moved them into solo cups with holes punched in the bottoms for drainage. (Pic 4) Really hoping that they are girls as my "test" run in this cabinet ended up being male.

Growing medium for these ladies: They germinated using the paper towel method. Both had 4cm roots pop through within 2 days. Transplanted to aerated solo cups 1 day ago filled with miracle gro seed sprouting mix. They're sitting in a warm closet in my house that stays dark for the most part. Once they sprout and show their first leaves they'll be going into the cabinet under 18/6 until they get to about 4 nodes or 4-5 inches tall, whichever comes first. Once they reach that point they will be transplanted to their forever homes (3 gal container) with a lining of gravel below FoxFarm Ocean Forest organic mix. After 30 days, I'll start feeding them with 5-1-1 Fish Fert. Containers are: one terra-cotta, one plastic. The girl going into terra-cotta will get a regular top/FIM treatment while the girl going plastic will get LST.

More pics and updates will come as these girls poke their heads out of the soil. Comments and questions welcomed!

-Bubba

 

[BubbaHoTep]

Pics 1,2 & 3: The cabinet

Pic 4: Germinated seeds in solo cups

Pic 5: Grow medium and fertilizer for seed and veg

 

[BubbaHoTep]

Just a quick update.

Covered the solo cups with aerated plastic bags to promote humidity. Looks like one is starting to punch through the soil, nothing from the second one yet.
Anyone advise about how long it takes to get from germ'd seed to seedling? Also, when should I put them under light?

Oh, and forgot to mention how much I hope to yield. I'm hoping for anywhere from 20g-30g per plant. A total of 40g-60g if both turn out to be ladies.

 

[BubbaHoTep]

Time for another update.

Both of my germ'd ladies sprouted. One came out thin and wiry, the other, short and stocky. I let them sit in my closet for about a day after sprouting, then took the bags off and moved them under 18/6 in my cabinet.

3 days later, the seedling that came up thin and wiry had wilted and was turning purple. I tried to prop it up for a couple days, but it was no use. 1 dead seedling right off the bat.

The good news: the one that grew up short and stocky is thriving! I have just transplanted it into it's forever home which is mainly just a 3 gallon container with gravel at the bottom and filled with Fox Farms Ocean Forest potting mix. This lady will feed off the fertilizer already in the soil for 30 days, after which I will start feeding it a 5-1-1 fish fertilizer ever 3rd or 4th watering.

Cabinet is working well. Temp under light stays right around 80 degrees. Lights off, gets down to about 60-65. RH fluctuates a bit, when I water, it gets up to 60-70%, after a day of watering it tends to drop down to 30-40%. Not much I can do about it as it's winter here and the air is dry. (Ever with a humidifier.)

Also, when I decided to give up the tall lanky one, I wet the 3rd of my 4 Blue Dream seeds and put it directly in soil. Skipping the paper towels this time. It has only been under soil for a day, so I'm hoping to see a sprout by the end of this weekend. Pics to follow.

 

[BubbaHoTep]

Initial move into the cabinet. Seedling on the right died.

Healthy seedling transplanted to 3 gallon container.

 

[BubbaHoTep]

Update:

I've decided to give these ladies names. The one that is about 10 days from seed is now, "Wanda the Weed" and the freshly transplanted seedling is, "Patti the Pot Plant".

Wanda is doing well. As you can see from the pics, she is roughly 4 inches tall and is currently sprouting her 4th node. She will be starting LST once the 5th node sprouts and I can get some gardening wire safely around her base and top.

Patti just sprouted up 3 days ago and seems to be doing well for a young'un. She was transplanted into her forever home this morning. Will start LST on her once she is around 4 nodes.

Wanda from the side.

Sisters

Wanda and Patti in the cabinet.

 

[BubbaHoTep]

No love? Haha

Anyway, this seems to be a journal just for my own benefit. An update on the lighting in my cabinet.
I was running 3x 150W 6500K CFL's under those clip on hoods that you can get at Home Depot.
Today I picked up 3 Y-splitters and switched over to 6x100W 5500K CFL's

So for basically the same wattage draw I've increased the lumen output by about 1.5X.

3x 150W CFL's:Real draw 43W for 129W total. They were 2200 lumens each for a total of 6600 lumens.
6x 100W CFL's: Real draw 23W each for a total of 138W. These are 1600 lumens each for a total of 9600 lumens.

I had to yank the reflective hoods off of the fixtures to fit two bulbs into each socket. Hopefully this will help my ladies to veg even faster.

Here's some pics. Also, I have to give some thanks to the users of these forums. Studying your journals has been a HUGE help in getting my first indoor grow going. Thanks!

New lighting array:

Wanda under her new lights:

Patti under her new lights:

 

[BubbaHoTep]

LST time!

Wanda is now two weeks out from when she sprouted. Her 5th node started to develop, and she is really starting to outpace Patti (the seedling) so I decided to start on LST.

First I FIM'd Wanda's 5th node. Then, using gardening wire, I hooked one end above her first node and tied it down, then another hook between the 3rd and 4th nodes and slowly bent her down. I plan to keep bending her until she is almost parallel with the soil. This will probably take a few days as I don't want to over do it and risk snapping her stem. As tie-down points I drilled 8 screws along the sides of her pot.

Once Patti catches up I plan to strictly top/FIM her. Unless someone has a suggestion on how to do LST on a plant in a terra-cotta pot?

Starting Wanda's FIM and LST:

Lights up a notch as they were too close to Wanda.

 

[BubbaHoTep]

More LST pics. Wanda is staying low and getting very bushy! She showing a major increase in side branch growth and she is almost at a total 90 degree bend. I do have a question if anyone is reading this: Should I trim off the lower fan leaves now? There are 3 sets of leaves that are basically laying on the soil. Should I leave them or trim them now? She is about 20 days from seed and has been going through LST for 5 days now.

Patti is also doing well. She is developing her 3rd node. Will probably FIM the 5th node.

Wanda getting bushy!

Wanda, wide and low! Almost at 90 degrees.

Patti trying to catch up.

 

[BubbaHoTep]

Halfway to flip! Really looking forward to seeing the sex on these plants. Please cross your fingers that they're both ladies!

Wanda is now in her 3rd week of veg. I've been tucking fan leaves under where I can. So far I've counted 9 potential tops, though a few of them are on the lower side of her trunk and may just get removed if I try to lollipop around flower time. I've been hesitant to do any pruning right now. From what I've read, pruning while doing LST in veg doesn't really accomplish much. Unless I'm wrong? I'm always open to expert input! I plan to let Wanda get to 6-7 weeks of veg before flipping the lights. I also think I'm going to gradually work the light down to 12/12. (18/6-->16/8 for a few days-->14/10 for a few more-->12/12). Unless it's safe to go straight from 18/6 to 12/12? I've also read that 36 hours of complete dark then going straight to 12/12 can speed up the flowering time by about a week. Anyone with experience know if there's any truth to this?

Patti is now at two weeks of veg. I FIM'd her 5th node and just started LST last night. She's going to get 5, maybe 6 weeks of veg before the flip so will probably yield a bit less than Wanda...but that's okay, this medicine is just for me. The yield from two plants (if both girls) should last me for months...long enough to start my next batch. Trying Alohaberry and Yummy D next time around. These came straight from a local dispensary , so hoping for top notch results. They're regular seed, not fem, so I'll probably germ 4 at a time and hope for 2 ladies to fit my cabinet.

I'm contemplating making another cabinet so I have one for veg, one for flower. But that's a story for another time.

Here's Patti after a FIM and starting her LST.

And Wanda on her 3rd week of veg. 9 tops, you can only see 6 in the pic, 3 more are hidden below...hoping to get around 12-16 before I start flower.

One thing I wanted to mention about these pics. They're just crappy cell phone shots. Once I go to flower, I have a Nikon D60 DSLR with a decent lens (not macro, don't have that kind of cash) that I plan on using for some good nug shots. Getting anxious to flip!

Oh and my current stats:
Feeding with just tap water that has sat out for 48 hours+ to let chlorine burn off
PH of run-off: 6.2
Temp: steady 80F under light, getting down to 55-65F lights off, depending on how cold out it is.
RH: 60-70% for 1-2 days after water. Gets down to 30% when they are thirsty. Typically 4-5 days.
Wanda has 1 more week of feeding from FFOF. Will start a 5%N-1%P-1%K liquid Alaska Fish Emulsion fertilizer at 50% strength for one week, then at 75% the week after that. Once the flip comes, will be using FF Big Bloom until the flush.
Same for Patti, but only one week @ 50% on the Alaska Fish.

 

[TattooedJT]

Looking good man! I will definitely come along for this one!

 

[BubbaHoTep]

Hey JT, thanks for stopping in! Appreciate the kind words!

 

[TattooedJT]

It's crazy nobody else ever jumped in.I haven't really had many people comment on my journal either.

 

[BubbaHoTep]

It's crazy nobody else ever jumped in.I haven't really had many people comment on my journal either.

I'm honestly not surprised that no one's jumped in on my journal...it's still in veg, and it seems like people are more inclined to post on journals that are in flower. I guess we'll see what happens once these girls start showing their tits, haha.

Just wanted to throw up one quick pic that I forgot to upload last night. This is the "back" view of Wanda. You can see how thick her trunk is getting from the daily LST treatments. Gonna try to keep spreading her out, hoping to get a few more "tops" before week 6 of veg gets here. Oh, and that's the 5-1-1 NPK she's going to start on next week. Every other feeding most likely.

 

[BubbaHoTep]

Quick update. No pics as not much has changed.
I haven't seen much growth out of Wanda over the last 4-5 days, so I've decided to start her on nutes a week early. I gave her soil a quick soaking with de-chlorinated tap water, then mixed up a 25% strength batch of 5-1-1. (1/2 tsp. in 2 quarts of H2O.) I soaked her with this mix until I got about 20% run-off. We'll see if this helps her to grow a bit more.

Patti has recovered from her FIM and is continuing LST. She's at about a 45 degree bend. a few more days to total 90 degrees. She got a soaking with de-chlorinated tap water until run-off.

Oh, and I don't think I ever did the "official" 420 mag listing of what I'm doing. Here it goes.

What strain is it? Blue Dream bagseed. Strain came for a dispensary in the state next door.
Is it Indica, Sativa or Hybrid? What percentages? Hybrid. 70 Sativa/30 Indica
Is it in Veg or Flower stage? Veg
If in Veg... For how long? 23 days (Wanda) 16 days (Patti)
If in Flower stage... For how long? N/A
Indoor or outdoor? Indoor
Soil or Hydro? Soil, FFOF
If soil... what is in your mix? Bottom inch: Rinsed aquarium gravel for drainage. The rest is FFOF
If soil... What size pot? 3 Gallon
Size of light? 6x 23W (100W) CFL's @5500K, 9600 lumens for veg. 6x-8x 23W (100W) CFL's @2700K, 9600-12900 lumens for flower.
Is it aircooled? Vortex fax across canopy. Fresh air in through hole in bottom of cab.
Temp of Room/cab? 80-82F lights on. 55-65F lights off.
RH of Room/cab? 60%-70% for 1-3 days after watering. 30% when dry and plants are thirsty.
PH of media or res? Run-off is measuring 6.2PH
Any Pests ? None
How often are you watering? When soil is dry down to 2 inches. Typically every 4-5 days.
Type and strength of ferts used? In veg, using Alaskan Fish Emulsion at 5N-1P-1K after 23 days of soil feeding. Switching to FF Big Bloom at the flip. Calmag if I see any deficiencies.

 

[Dchannn]

Very interested in watching your grow.

- all the best

 

[BubbaHoTep]

Very interested in watching your grow.

- all the best

Welcome aboard, Dchannn! Thanks for following!

 

[BubbaHoTep]

Seems like I'm doing these updates on a daily basis lately. I'm sure there will be a gap at some point, so might as well post when I can.

This is more of a pic update since I didn't add any yesterday. Wanda is responding well to her first nute feeding. 24 hours after the feed, her tops are getting longer and thicker. She's also popped out a couple of new tops, up to a total of 11 now. Almost to where I want her before the flip!

Patti is on her 3rd (maybe 4th? forgot to write it down.) day of LST. She looks like she's starting to bush out. Her side growth is starting to come in nicely, too.

The ladies staying toasty in their home. Lights have gone up three notches since popping out of the soil.

Wanda showing increased growth. 11 total tops now.

Patti starting to bush. Side growth beginning to form.

As always, questions and critiques are welcome and appreciated. Thanks for checking my grow out!

 

[tokezilla]

Hi BubbaHoTep, great nick (and movie). Checking in so you don't feel alone, am sure others are lurking. I am working on plans for an LED cabinet so I am interested in the progress and success of your grow; veg looks pretty good so far. Am still undecided on cab height, whether to go 5' or 6' so am reviewing grows to assess stretch issues with & without SCROG. I will try to drop in periodically. Good luck!

 

[BubbaHoTep]

Hi BubbaHoTep, great nick (and movie). Checking in so you don't feel alone, am sure others are lurking. I am working on plans for an LED cabinet so I am interested in the progress and success of your grow; veg looks pretty good so far. Am still undecided on cab height, whether to go 5' or 6' so am reviewing grows to assess stretch issues with & without SCROG. I will try to drop in periodically. Good luck!

Howdy tokezilla, thanks for the kind words and for checking out my grow!
My cab is just a little over 5 feet tall, but when you take into consideration the height of the grow containers and the lights, it actually comes out to about 44 inches of vertical grow space. I was honestly a bit nervous about the stretch and the tops ending up in the lights too, hence why I decided to go the LST route. So far my largest girl has been in veg for just shy of 4 weeks and is roughly 5 inches tall. I plan to flip at 6-7 weeks. LST is keeping her short and wide, so I'm not really concerned about height anymore. If you decide to go with a SCROG, I'm sure you will be able to manipulate your ladies to keep them low. Best of luck and happy farming!