Grow for a friend

[SlimDog53185]

I am growing 16 plants for my friend. He wants to make money and grow his own. He didn't know how so now I'm doing it. This is only my second attempt, so any advice is greatly appreciated.

Soil: Miracle-Gro Moisture Control and Schultz Moisture Plus2
Lighting: 4-48" Cool White Flouros and 1-24" Grow Flouro
Ferts: Miracle-Gro All Purpose House Plant Food (Liquid)
Containers: 4-10" pots and 4 slitly smaller tera cota pots

Light Schedual: 19 On-5 Off
Water Schedual: Every Tues. - 500mL

They are looking good. I'm almost 6 weeks in to this grow. He gave me 8 of the plants in 4 pots. I talked to him about a lot of it, and he wanted 18 plants at one time. I planted 8 more in 4 pots against my better judgement. I'm really not happy with this many plants, and I won't have space for them in the future. I am not happy with the soil and ferts he got, but its what he wants. Its not costing me anything and I will hopefully get free buds out of it. If they survive that is. They appear to be growing fine except for a few small problems. Some leafs are mishapen, and some have small yellow spots. Its not very many and it doesn't seem to be spreading. They are doing a lot better now that I hooked up this big office celing light.

Overall I'm not very happy with it. There are to many plants. The soil and ferts are not what I told him to get. He only had one light, but I luckily found the office fixture. It could turn out good. I wish he would have listened to me instead of some other guy he says grows.

Well here are some pics. More to come no doubt.
These are the oldest plants. They were planted on ~4/25. Taken 5/1

These plants were planted on 5/11 at about 2 weeks. Taken 5/25

These are the 4/25 plants at about 5.5 weeks. Taken 5/25

 

[RooRman]

Strange light schedule, why 19/5 and not 18/6?

Plus you still have to sex them, so if you want a big harvest, having alot of plants is not a bad thing.

 

[SlimDog53185]

Well doing 19/5 is more convienent for me. I turn them off at 4pm and on at 9pm when everyone goes to bed. If I waited any later I'd be to high and forget.

I know we are going to have some males, but that many is gonna take up a LOT of room. He wants a huge harvest. I just want something good to smoke on. Even at 50/50 males to females thats 8 plants. Should be good I just have to get them to live.

Yay 1,000 posts for me.

 

[PaRaLyZeD-420]

good luck with your grow man let's pray for some females.

 

[Syrup]

Looking good so far, man. Watch, you'll end up with 16 females... then what the hell are you going to do? haha

Shit, I think I got 3 for 3 females... and this harvest I'm not sharing. It'll last me until another one. I don't even have enough lighting for 16 females... well, I do, but they'd be skimpy.

Just for the sake of space, I hope ya get 50/50 females too! At least.

 

[RooRman]

Well doing 19/5 is more convienent for me. I turn them off at 4pm and on at 9pm when everyone goes to bed. If I waited any later I'd be to high and forget.

I know we are going to have some males, but that many is gonna take up a LOT of room. He wants a huge harvest. I just want something good to smoke on. Even at 50/50 males to females thats 8 plants. Should be good I just have to get them to live.

Yay 1,000 posts for me.

You need to get a timer. Also, for a large harvest you will need an HPS setup of some sort. The buds produced by flowering plants under only florescent bulbs are airy, light, and don't produce much weight at all.

 

[SlimDog53185]

I'm planning on getting a HPS before I flower them. I really don't want to be stuck with these flouros. The lights are about 2-3 inches away from them now. They streatched bad when I first got them. We only had that 24" grow light on 8 plants. It took me a while to wire up the garage for the office fixture. I noticed they do seem to be growing slow. Anyone have some tips to fix that, and make them grow faster? So should I take out the stakes also? Some will stand on their own now that I got a fan on them.

 

[RooRman]

The fan will help form strong main stems and keep the plants upright. As long as you plan on getting an HPS system for flowering you should be fine. I would indeed remove the stakes now, because they need to get used to bearing their own weight and the buds will only be harder for them to hold up with under-developed main stems.

What are you feeding them, and what kind of soil are they in?

As usual the floros have caused major stretching to your plants.

 

[SlimDog53185]

I'm using some MG liquid house plant food for feeding the larger ones. I've only fed them once so far. Its just 8-7-6. I really don't know what else to use. I had it left from my first grow where it seemed to work pretty good. Any suggestions would be great.

Food
Official site for Scotts Miracle-Gro Company: Lawn, Garden, Outdoor Products & Services* :* The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company :

Soil (Schultz is for the smaller ones, MG for the large older plants.)
Schultz :: Moisture Plus Potting Mix - 2038 - 20316 - 20325 - 20350
Official site for Scotts Miracle-Gro Company: Lawn, Garden, Outdoor Products & Services* :* The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company :

So how do I get them to stand up without the stakes? They tend to fall over and then bend so they are growing toward the light.

Anyone else notice spiders like weed. Look at my friend I found when I checked on them today. Scared the shit out of me when I almost picked him up. I didn't kill him though. Compare him to the size of the plant food bottle on the right side.

 

[RooRman]

I always go organic. I never use MG or MG soil. I like an organic soil mixed with some vermiculite for drainage and fish emulsion as the fertilizer.

They really should have never been staked to begin with. That is part of the reason why they are so weak, they have grown up relying on the stake for support. If you had kept them stakeless and put them in a good breeze then they would have formed healthy and thick main stems capable of supporting all the plants growth and the buds to follow. I strogly recommend removing the stakes at this point to force them to thicken their stems or I would look into some sort of training method, like S.C.R.O.G, to get the plant supported as well as fully able to access the availible light. Also, a fan or strong breeze on them is a must. It may look like the wind is being really rough with them, but in fact it does help alot.

Spiders are predatory to stuff that would harm your garden so I would just leave him in their. The only thing thats annoying is when they decide to put webs all over your leaves.

 

[tronix]

I'm planning on getting a HPS before I flower them. I really don't want to be stuck with these flouros. The lights are about 2-3 inches away from them now. They streatched bad when I first got them. We only had that 24" grow light on 8 plants. It took me a while to wire up the garage for the office fixture. I noticed they do seem to be growing slow. Anyone have some tips to fix that, and make them grow faster? So should I take out the stakes also? Some will stand on their own now that I got a fan on them.

To make the plants grow faster, add more light, and a nute solution, with a higher nitrogen content.

 

[PaRaLyZeD-420]

if you are looking for some great foods and nutes, try the products from general hydroponics

 

[SlimDog53185]

Well I took out the stakes and most of them stand on their own now. I had to add some dirt to one of the pots so those plants would stand up. Now it all looks good. I do need some good food for them. I'll look at the general hydroponics stuff. I forgot what I need for veg and flowering. Was it high nitrogen for flowering and high potassium and k, whatever k is, for veg or the other way around?

 

[SlimDog53185]

Here are some updates. They have started to bush out nicely. One of them did fall over onto a light and get a little bunrt. Its not bad though, just a few leaf tips. I fixed that so it won't be happening again. I very happy with it this week. They a growing faster now, and look very healthy. I didn't get any pics of the little ones, but they are growing great to. I'll get some after the batteries charge on my camera. Is there anything I should do about the burnt leafs?

Plants plated on 4/25/06. Taken 5/30/06

 

[SlimDog53185]

Here is this weeks update. They all look healthy except for a few little problems. One of the smaller ones has something funny going on with the leafs. Looks like a fert thing to me. Can someone please help me fix it, check out pic 19? I want to stay on top of this kinda thing. On other big plant feel over on a light and got just a little burnt. It looks fine, wasn't a bad burn.

Plants plated on 4/25/06. Taken 6/6/06

Plants planted on 5/11/06. Taken 6/6/06

(This has a little problem)

 

[SlimDog53185]

UPDATE: Well it has been very hot around here lately. The high has been in the 95-100 range for a week. I have a watering problem with the smaller ones. Seems the heat dried them out. It could be the soil not holding water like the MG kind does. They are droopy and not looking very good. I gave them just a little extra water, and they seem to be getting better. They looked almost dead when I got back from Nashville the other day. Now they are coming back. Any suggestions on what to do, or am I doing just fine like I am?

The large plants are looking great. They are getting pretty bushy. Haven't hade any problems with them. Just the little ones. It may be because they are in diff soil and diff pots. I'm doing everything else the same.

Here is a pic of my whole setup. You can see the light and how everything is put together.

Plants plated on 4/25/06. Taken 6/13/06

Plants planted on 5/11/06. Taken 6/13/06 (They are kinda sick)

 

[DankCloset]

are they out side? if they are has it been rainy as hell??

 

[NoDirtWeed4Me]

How often are you watering? Are you waiting for the soil to dry out before watering? What kind and how often with the nutes?

 

[SlimDog53185]

No they are inside my garage. They are actually under a table. Hasn't rained much. Just really hot, and a few bad storms the other day. Heat could have caused the water to evaporate. Does anyone think I need the pots setting on something like a plate? I don't know if the water just drained out.

I water once a week. Every tues. The small ones don't get nutes, only whats in the soil for now. I'd like them to be a little larger before I give them anything. The large ones have been getting MG liquid house plant food. There is a link in the first page. Its only 8-7-6. I give them about 1/4 of what the directions say everytime I water. They seem to love it.

 

[DankCloset]

that might be your problem then, they are over heating, thats what happened when mine got too hot. took a couple days to get it under control but they recovered.