ColoradoGriz's First Grow - LED - Soil - Bag Seed

[ColoradoGriz]

Howzit? Thanks for checking this out! I hope you stick around!

Man weed has gotten crazy! I remember when I used to smoke and there was only like 10 different strains out there. What have you crazy kids been doing? I have a lot of catching up to do.

Strain: I wish I could tell you, too soon for me to tell and it comes from bag seed. I have so much weed I don't know which bag it came from. Here in Colorado friends throw weed at you because everyone is sitting on so much.

Is it in Veg or Flower stage? They are just babies, seedlings currently @ 2 weeks to Veg.

Indoor or outdoor? Indoors AH 5'x5'x6'8

Soil or Hydro? Soil - Went from Rapid Rooters to Fox Farm Ocean Forest

What size pot? I started in a hot box and went to red solo cups of FFOF. Probably a little too soon but it does not seem to be having any negative effects, just a future note to self. Tap roots were getting really long in the hot box so I moved to soil. I plan on transferring to 3 gal Smart Pots to 7 gal depending on the sexing result.

Size of light? Using T5s through Veg. Money set aside for 1 Mars II 1600 or 3 144x5 Mars Reflectors. I'm still making inquiries and researching before I make a final decision. I have some time.

Is it aircooled? The tent itself has an 8" inline fine and carbon filter for exhaust. Intake will be free air from a duct at the bottom. A 31" tower fan will keep the plants dancing.

RH of Room/cab? The basement stays between a cool 68 - 75 degrees. Current lights keep it around 78. I anticipate the grow tent will need some adjusting depending on which route I go with the lights.

PH of media or res? Tap water that I let sit to dechlorinate, soil runoff is @ 6.7-6.8

Any Pests? Not sure if it's the garlic I'm growing on the side but the grow room is the most pest free room in the house.

How often are you watering? I'm a fan of light cup, wait a day and water. I maybe water once every 5 days but I try and stretch that out.

Type and strength of ferts used? Fox Farm nutes sitting on the shelf unopened. Too early for it seems to be a consensus.


So long story short, 4 bag seed, 3 popped and are in seedling stage. Will they be female? Will one be female? Will they all be dudes? I guess we will find out if this is a short journal or a long one. I do plan on getting some clones to play with, this weekend or next, but those will be covered under a different grow journal. This grow is all about the what ifs. I'm one of those guys that doesn't like to play video games where you die and re-spawn. I like taking chances and learning from my experiences good and bad. That doesn't mean I will sit idly by and watch the world burn though. That's why if I do get something to flower this run, I will spoil them with light whether it's one plant in scrog or three.

More photos to come, these are from a few days ago and have grown quite a bit since.

More to come with more thorough data tracking. I'm not on my home computer.

Again thanks for stopping by, wishing you all the best in your grows!



Griz

 

[Legal Hydro]

Hey ColoradoGriz! First to sub!
Everything looks good! If you need anything or have any questions don't hesitate to contact me!

 

[ColoradoGriz]

Hey ColoradoGriz! First to sub!
Everything looks good! If you need anything or have any questions don't hesitate to contact me!

Hey thanks for popping my cherry man lol! I couldn't be happier it was someone local. I'm going to check out your grow and thanks, I will take you up on bouncing questions off of you I'm sure

 

[Legal Hydro]

Hey thanks for popping my cherry man lol! I couldn't be happier it was someone local. I'm going to check out your grow and thanks, I will take you up on bouncing questions off of you I'm sure

lol! Any questions I reply to, take with a grain of salt! I'm on my very first grow but have learned A lot from this site! But the old schoolers here seem to know everything and will gladly correct me if I reply with a wrong answer so were in good hands!

 

[uhewekguilw]

Subbed.
Seedlings are looking good. If I may make a suggestion... instead of going to a #3 Smart pot, go from the solo cup to a #3 hard plastic pot, let it veg good for 30 days, then to a #7 smart pot. This will help you when you transplant to the smart pot. Roots get stuck in the fabric and you could stunt the growth if you transplant from a smart pot. Also, if you go with the 3 144x5 you will have more even coverage and you can turn them off if you want to save some power. With the 1600 you are running 700-850 watts + at all times, even if you only have one small plant to veg. Just a thought. Looks like you did some homework, good for you! Good luck
GB80

 

[ColoradoGriz]

Subbed.
Seedlings are looking good. If I may make a suggestion... instead of going to a #3 Smart pot, go from the solo cup to a #3 hard plastic pot, let it veg good for 30 days, then to a #7 smart pot. This will help you when you transplant to the smart pot. Roots get stuck in the fabric and you could stunt the growth if you transplant from a smart pot. Also, if you go with the 3 144x5 you will have more even coverage and you can turn them off if you want to save some power. With the 1600 you are running 700-850 watts + at all times, even if you only have one small plant to veg. Just a thought. Looks like you did some homework, good for you! Good luck
GB80

Thanks for the sub! I'm getting ready to throw up some updates here in a few. I just got done logging my stuff and might have given them a haircut...

Dude that is solid advice! COFinest told me the 5x5 would cover the weight of 3 144x5s and you made an awesome point in that I have the additional option of running one to three lights. (Facepalm) Thanks man, that tipped the scales in favor of the 144s. Also point well taken about the plastic 3 gal instead of fabric! I'm definitely going to do that.

 

[PTSD 4 ME]

We got some very similar grows going here. I agree with Guam to go hard plastic to smart pot. The plants do get intermingled into the fabric and are a pain to remove.

 

[ColoradoGriz]

We got some very similar grows going here. I agree with Guam to go hard plastic to smart pot. The plants do get intermingled into the fabric and are a pain to remove.

Thanks for seconding that PTSD that make me feel more confident in that switch

 

[ColoradoGriz]

Alright it's late and I'm really high so I'm going to post these up and cozy up with the old lady. Well she's a lot younger than me but you know what I mean. So feeling good about some suggestions made by GuamBomb80, PTSD 4 ME, and COFinest for verifying some info for me.

I'll go with 3 gal plastic pots next instead of 3 gal smartpots before the 7 gal smartpots.

Lights, 3 144x5 Mars Hydro Reflector series for the win as it gives me the option of switching on 1-3 lights based on size of my grow and being able to save unnecessary power. The 1600 will use the same power regardless. Flexibility is important, and heck if it sucks I'll buy a 1600 later right?

So here are some photos of some tricks I use that might come in handy for others.

I found these red solo cups that have chalkboards on them. You can wipe or scratch anything you want. Fun labeling. In addition are these shot sized solo cups that make a quick and perfect size indent in your soil for rapid rooters.

 

[ColoradoGriz]

Ok got those last two images flipped around but you get the idea.

 

[ColoradoGriz]

My Tap water falls between 6.8 to 7.0 so I usually let it sit until the chlorine evaporates off and it's good to go. I've seen a lot of videos that express pouring water into the soil slowly as not to disturb the soil. I take my dab torch, heat up a paperclip and poke holes in the cap of a 2 liter soda bottle.

 

[ColoradoGriz]

Ok, on to the seedlings, Day 16

TEMP: 72-76
RH: 54-58

Soil is pretty dry, cups are light. They look good to me, giving them another day. Last watering was 7/11. They look good to me so not concerned. Still no nutrients.

OMG I hope this wasn't bad. I topped them. I saw that middle node and I plucked them. Even off of Betty, the little one. It wasn't too soon was it? I've been bending them too.

So, I don't know the strains so I gave them names:

Lucy: First woman reference and the name of our sweet minpin that passed away last year. She's the biggest.
Foxy: Hendrix reference. She's catching up to Lucy and they look a lot alike.
Betty: Flinstones, skinny chic. She's tall and taking her time, healthy but not as big as the other two.

Lucy:

Foxy:

Betty:

Family Shot:

 

[ColoradoGriz]

Okay, I was pretty high last night and felt the weed was talking to me when I topped these babies off. Being a little more clear headed this morning I looked it up on the internet and found differing opinions on how soon you can top seedlings.

This is a hobby, I don't do this for profit and not in a hurry for harvest. If topping these early slows their growth but results in making an an awesome high yielding plant, I'm okay with that. I'm more about getting what I can out of every plant than how quickly I can get it to flower. I'm enjoying this new hobby so any additional expenses are okay with me and I enjoy learning from my mistakes.

These plants are pretty strong and since topping last night, have shown new growth this morning. I'll add new photos tonight as I may water. I need to go pick up some distilled water for calibration to double check my PH levels. Just a gut feeling but I think my tap water is running a little higher than normal. We get good snow melt water but I have been noticing the water has been kind of hard lately, i.e. build ups on sinks and toilet bowls etc. I might water tonight or tomorrow so I want to get that straightened out first.

 

[PTSD 4 ME]

They look ready , its said 3 nodes at the least. Even if its botched u wont kill the plant you just might not get the desired effect...

 

[ColoradoGriz]

They look ready , its said 3 nodes at the least. Even if its botched u wont kill the plant you just might not get the desired effect...

Well if the idea is to keep them low and growing outward, I started pretty low lol

They haven't been given water in a week but not showing signs of thirst. Cups have been dry for almost 2 days. There is a slight color change, lime to dark, on the leaves in the photos which could indicate early signs of manganese deficiency. I'm pretty sure my PH readings have been off and running high which could definitely cause it. Then again maybe it's nothing but PH should be checked anyway.

 

[ColoradoGriz]

Went to the grow store and bought some PH UP&DOWN. I hate going to the grow store, ended up walking out with trays, buckets, heat pads, bulbs. $15 trip always turns into more.

Adjusted my water PH to 6.86. Gave the girls some water, 3 red solo cups each, tested the runoff and got PH 6.6-6.7. The water was testing at 7.9-8.0 at the tap. I'm considering a filter I can run to the hose to filter out the crap and bring my PPMs down. Not ready to do the whole RO water yet. Baby Steps.

 

[uhewekguilw]

RO water is nice but not necessary. Your ph runs high like mine, well a bit higher than mine. You might also concider getting some buffer solution. I got my last batch off Amazon and cost me $15. It will help you be sure your meters are reading correctly. Go easy on the water while they are still young. If you are running 3 times the ammount of soil, you could slow their growth and you are creating a perfect environment for pests (fungus gnats especially). You are doing fine so far, you have a lot of good growers with a lot of experience helping you out. You may have topped a bit too early, but it shouldn't cause any problems for you. I like to wait till I get 5 nodes then top, but that's just what I do. As for a filter, the zero water filters work well. I have used them in the past and they do bring the ppm down from 125 to about 10 ppm, but the pain is waiting for them to fill up before you can water then wait some more... you get the picture Sorry for bouncing around with suggestions, I type as they come in my head.
I hope you get all females, but the best way to find out will be to wait till they get bigger and take a few clones off each then flower them to find out what you have. I like to flower the donor (mother) because by the time the clones root, it (mother) will be showing the sex and you can cull the males quicker and move on to growing the ones you want. Keep at it bro, you are doing great!
GB80

 

[ColoradoGriz]

RO water is nice but not necessary. Your ph runs high like mine, well a bit higher than mine. You might also concider getting some buffer solution. I got my last batch off Amazon and cost me $15. It will help you be sure your meters are reading correctly. Go easy on the water while they are still young. If you are running 3 times the ammount of soil, you could slow their growth and you are creating a perfect environment for pests (fungus gnats especially). You are doing fine so far, you have a lot of good growers with a lot of experience helping you out. You may have topped a bit too early, but it shouldn't cause any problems for you. I like to wait till I get 5 nodes then top, but that's just what I do. As for a filter, the zero water filters work well. I have used them in the past and they do bring the ppm down from 125 to about 10 ppm, but the pain is waiting for them to fill up before you can water then wait some more... you get the picture Sorry for bouncing around with suggestions, I type as they come in my head.
I hope you get all females, but the best way to find out will be to wait till they get bigger and take a few clones off each then flower them to find out what you have. I like to flower the donor (mother) because by the time the clones root, it (mother) will be showing the sex and you can cull the males quicker and move on to growing the ones you want. Keep at it bro, you are doing great!
GB80

Thanks for all the great advice! I figured out this morning that I'm an idiot as our house water, kitchen sink and fridge door are filtered so the water I always gave my upstairs plants was @ 6.8-7.0 and low ppm. The basement water comes off the main. Re-calibrated my meters and adjusted the PH. My normal water feedings are far less water, usually just until I get runoff. This last watering was more of a flushing "good PH" through the soil and get a runoff reading. As far as the filter I picked up an inline hose filter and a regulator. Water pressure is low but pours just the right kind of slow.

I appreciate the suggestions as I've been bouncing around different things myself and it helps me sort out the good ideas from the bad. I appreciate the support. My plan is to get these seeds to veg, transfer them to 3 gallon plastic pots and let them do their thing. Sure I will find out later if they are male or female but up until that point I'm going to deal with other things like building up my grow room, and gaining experience on growing. I'm hoping in veg these girls will show me what's between their legs. I have a friend growing some Blue Dream so I have a backup plan if I need some clones to fill my plant count.

Currently: Purchased a 4ft 8 bulb T5 for the 5x5. This will be for the 3 Mystery seeds and 6 Blue Dream Clones

????: Might purchase 1 144x5 Reflector early and move 6 plants under that Reflector in Veg light to compare. In either case the 5x5 will have a total of 3 reflectors so 2 more to go. The T5 is eventually going into the 4x2 next grow anyway for the six sitting on the bench.

Come Flower I will pull the T5 and move it to the 4x2 and put up the 3rd reflector.

If the 3 don't show before flower, I will take a clone off each and throw them in flower. I will throw 3 BD into flower, leaving me 3 BD in veg and 3 Mystery Clones. If in Flower any mystery seed prove to be male, I can pull and replace with a BD in veg. I can pull clones off the BD in veg to supplement the bad mystery clones so I still have 12 plants with 6 in flower. Granted the harvest of any late added BD throws off the cycle but that's what the 4x2 is for.

I know that what I would like to do is grow-pull clones-grow clones-grow seed, repeat. I enjoy seed, I feel like I had more to do with it. My garden is my safe spot, no one bothers me, I sit with my plants, play music, smoke weed and talk story. I'm in no rush to say goodbye lol. So if I spend some extra time with them in veg and in no rush to find out they are male and I have to put them down, that's my way of thanking them for being such an awesome plant that makes me feel so good.

 

[Legal Hydro]

Just hanging out in the back Griz

Gathered some good info so far from here! Thanks!

 

[ColoradoGriz]

Just hanging out in the back Griz

Gathered some good info so far from here! Thanks!

That's what we are all here for right Thanks for swinging by and checking on my updates!