Five's Second Attempt - Coco/Perlite - CFL/LED - NL - 2016

[FiveToMidnight]

Nothing to worry about.

I might try and add one box at a time as I don't want to have too many to manage.
I'm also going to wait until after I do the next grow which will be autos as I wasn't able to organise it prior. But I'll continue with journals so you can see what I'm doing. I really like the idea though

 

[FiveToMidnight]

I know I asked this question last time but I can't find it in the 100 pages so I'll ask again lol
Should I be using Florakleen during flush? The bottles instructions are quite vague but I'm wondering do I use it only at the end, only at the start or every time I water?

 

[Skybound]

I never used it, but was told that it aides in breaking down the salt content at the root zone. I always just used RO to rinse the root zone, but I suspect that higher concentrations will be available for consumption after I discontinue the feed, so it might be good thing to use.

 

[FiveToMidnight]

In to the last week now. Girls have started flush and after 5 days will be given 48 hours of darkness then harvest
I will be washing all the buds using Doc Bud's method and then doing a wet trim before hanging in the new dry box I built last week. (will post pics at harvest time so you can see)
Other than that, nothing much more to tell with these girls.



I have however, also just started germinating the 2 x AK49 Auto and 1 x Super Skunk Auto and will start a new journal for that shortly. I used the paper towel method as I have every other time and put the seed between wet paper towels and then between two saucers. I then placed the saucers on top of a propagation heat mat as it is quite cold here at the moment.
Going off the other seeds I have done so far I expect they should crack in approx 5 days. By then I will start a new journal as there isn't anything more exciting to talk about at this point lol.

 

[Skybound]

Trimming drenched bud fresh out of the wash is a pain in the nuts. They'll need about an hour to drip dry, but the remaining wetness keeps the pruners semi clean which I found helpful. Also, good thinking on the saucers to germ on the heat mat. they'll keep it really humid and heatsink a little bit to keep temps steady.

 

[FiveToMidnight]

Trimming drenched bud fresh out of the wash is a pain in the nuts. They'll need about an hour to drip dry, but the remaining wetness keeps the pruners semi clean which I found helpful. Also, good thinking on the saucers to germ on the heat mat. they'll keep it really humid and heatsink a little bit to keep temps steady.

Yeah I should have said I would let it drip dry for a couple of hours before trimming, thanks for the reminder
I found the saucers worked well the last two rounds as I've had 100% success rate when it comes to germination.

 

[FiveToMidnight]

Quick update on the new seeds.

1 AK49 Auto see cracked last night and woke today to find the 1 Super Skunk Auto also cracked. Hopefully when I get home this arvo after work the other AK49 seed will also have cracked and it will be happy days.
They are all still between the paper towels but will be planting them in pots this arvo.

 

[FiveToMidnight]

Got home to find all seeds cracked and have planted them in their pots.
Little concerned about temps being around 17 celcius but humidity is around 70%.
Have put them inside the dry box I made until the weekend when I harvest the current girls and put these new ones in to the grow cabinet. Pics and new journal to come shortly, feeling quite high and lazy right now

 

[FiveToMidnight]

One thing I have noticed some people doing is putting plastic cups over the top of where they have planted the seed to act as a sort of humidity/heat dome. Would anyone recommend me do this?

 

[Skybound]

Definitely do that! The bump in humidity will speed the rooting process up and get that new foliage out. Also, because the dome would be all steamed up, this would diffuse the light which is also ideal for seedlings and clones. Double bonus!

 

[FiveToMidnight]

Ok will do!
Should I leave them on once the seedlings pop their head above ground?
Also, I dont have lights on at the moment, should I?

 

[Skybound]

Yes to lights now and leave the dome on till the true leaves start to grow, but try to still keep the RH in the 60% area. High RH is good in veg. When you put the dome on, ensure to offset the dome slightly to allow a mild breeze to move air in and out of the cups/pots. You want the humidity, but fresh air is needed too, otherwise the seedlings will "damp off" which is exactly how it sounds, only the seedlings die in the process.

 

[FiveToMidnight]

Ok lights are now on and set to 18/6. I also have the heat mat in there so temps are around 22 celcius and humidity around 60%.
I also put the cups on top leaving a gap for air to get in.

Will leave things there for the time being and start a new journal shortly.



Now back to the Northern Lights.
I bought a Soil pH Meter from the garden shop today and put in the plants to check what the coco mix is reading and to my surprise it was sitting about 6.1-6.2pH. So although the run off is measuring below that it seems the soil mix is correct.

Or is the soil meters not good for coco for some reason?

 

[FiveToMidnight]

New journal up and running!!
Please come and grab a seat, always love having all you guys there!!

Round 3 AUTO GROW - 2x AK49 + 1x Super Skunk

 

[FiveToMidnight]

Girls got their final flush today using RO water with 1.5ml/L FloraKleen. Gave about 6L each and droppedPPM-all the way down to 10ppm. After lights go out tonight they wont come on again until I open the cabinet on Saturday to harvest. I'm hoping the dark period makes them fatten up like I have heard in other journals.

 

[FiveToMidnight]

Harvest tomorrow!!!

 

[FiveToMidnight]

Harvest is complete and everything is hanging to dry.
Too stoned and lazy to upload pics now but will do so tomorrow. Now just to wait for the buds to dry, weigh it all and then in to jars to cure.

 

[FiveToMidnight]

Although I did just notice a problem I hadn't really thought of. The house now reeks! And its starting to drift outside. The house isn't a problem but I don't want it to smell like a grow op from out the front.
I googled carbon filters for pc fans but couldn't find much.
Any ideas?
All the bud is hanging inside of a large cardboard box that is sealed with two intake holes and a 12cm PC fan at the top set very low so as to keep a slight but steady breeze in the box. Humidity is sitting around 50-70% which I think is good.
Its just the smell that's the problem and considering Northern Lights is meant to be low odor I hate to think what it will be like in the future with pungent buds!!

 

[TheBlaze]

How close is your nearest neighbour? My house also reeks come harvest time, but I don't really stress about it.

 

[FiveToMidnight]

Our neighbors are within meters. They don't really care but it's the rest of the street I'm not sure about