John's First Indoor LED Grow

[Blackburn19]

Welcome, this is my first grow, help wanted...

Is it in Veg or Flower stage?
-Critical widow should be starting flower stage by now. Others are not even seedlings yet.
Indoor or outdoor?
-Indoor, would like to try one of each outdoors.
Soil or Hydro?
-Soil
If soil... what is in your mix?
-Pro-Mix, straight soil
If soil... What size pot?
Size of light?
-LED full spectrum
Temp of Room/cab?
-20.5 - 23
RH of Room/cab?
-stays around 50%
PH of media or res?
-not sure but water PH is 6
Any Pests ?
-none
How often are you watering?
-I am only trying to water as the get lighter and feel dry
Type and strength of ferts used?
-Kick Start 5-8-5

Hi guys, so this is my first grow. I am growing indoors in a 3x3x6 grow tent. My set up at the moment is 2 full spectrum led lights about 18” above the critical widow (only 1 left out of 3)
I started 3 critical widows that sprouted on May 2nd, unfortunately I lost one to overwatering and another to what I thought was PH but my PH is at 6 so I think now was nutrient deficiency and my last on is not looking good so I fed it some nutes and will hopefully turn around.
I have 3 Bruce Banner and 3 Cinderella 99 female seeds in jiffy pellets in a dome on top of a heat pad so the wait is on for these girls to sprout.
I am completely new to this and would love some help along the way. I really just want to produce some beautiful looking plants and to get a decent yield out of it. I really failed at my first 3 seeds and don’t want that to happen with the rest.

Bucket Size - 6” breathable pot
Medium - Soil, Pro-Mix BX
Lights - (2) 19w led. Not much info on lights
Nutrients - kick start 5-8-5
Strain(s) - Critical Widow, Bruce Banner and Cinderella 99
# of Plants: 7
These are pics of the critical widow before and then how bad it looks now.

 

[Alafornia]

How close are the lights? How much and how often are you feeding? Watering?

I don't know jack yet, but it seems to me the soil should have everything those plants need at this point so you may be trying to feed too much. That's also not a lot of light. The pH also seems on the low end of the scale for soil, but probably acceptable.

When the knowledgeable people come along shortly listen to them. Look around the "how to grow" section. This place will have you on the right track in no time.

 

[Blackburn19]

How close are the lights? How much and how often are you feeding? Watering?

I don't know jack yet, but it seems to me the soil should have everything those plants need at this point so you may be trying to feed too much. That's also not a lot of light. The pH also seems on the low end of the scale for soil, but probably acceptable.

When the knowledgeable people come along shortly listen to them. Look around the "how to grow" section. This place will have you on the right track in no time.

Thanks, yes I think it’s a little low as well so I went and bought some supplies yesterday. That’s why I’m on here for a little help. I wasn’t giving them anything but water until yesterday and was told at the hydro store I needed to because of the soil? I have the lights about 18” away with the blue on

 

[Alafornia]

Sorry I'm not much help, but that info will help the people who can help. You're in the right place.

 

[Backlipslide]

Good morning and welcome to the site. I would be most obliged to help you. First of all, 18” clearance of light is okay, but with my 1000w led full spectrum light the manufacturer suggests 24” in veg and 18” in flower. Not that this will make or break your grow, thought I would let you know. Rule of thumb, put your hand underneath the light palm faced down. If it’s uncomfortable for you, it’s uncomfortable for the plants, more or less when their flowering, for now let’s keep the height to 18-24”. If the plant looks to be healthy reaching towards the light, it’s at a good height, if it’s drooping/wilting away from the light, it’s too close.

Now, your plant looks to be in rough shape. Make sure your pot has breathing holes in the bottom to allow water to run through the plants. When you water/feed you want to water the entire surface of soil to ensure your feeding all of the roots. You will also want to see run off of water after every feeding. This ensures to you that the water is pulling oxygen through all of the roots. Not seeing run off can lead to a nutrient lock out situation. Which is kind of what I’m thinking is happening here.

You may want to give the plant a good flush of clean right ph’d water through your plant, washing away all of the salt and nutrient build up. I will go into better detail about how feeding with no run off can be harmful, just trying to send this first.

Second, you may need better nutrients, I have a three part system I feed them from seedling to late flower. Your npk numbers seem to be off. That as well could be why your plant isn’t doing well as well.

This is what I use, bought at peavey mart, has worked awesome for me! Go to my journal located at the bottom of my post called blue angel 2019 to see plants I’ve grown with these nutrients, and read the rest to follow along with my new plants.

 

[Backlipslide]

Now, feeding without run off. Look at it this way.

Plants love BLT (Bacon lettuce tomato) you feed them a BLT, but see no run off. Your feeding your plant a lot of bacon, a little lettuce and little to no tomato. The plants looks dry after a 4-5 days or so, so you mix up some more food, another BLT! Again they get a lot of bacon small amounts of lettuce, and again lil to no tomato, on top of the left over scraps that wasn’t eaten before from, the prior feeding. The feeding schedule gets all messed up to say the least.

Now, watering with run off:
You feed a plant a BLT, seeing run off come out of the bottom of the pot you are ensured that the full BLT has went to all of the roots in the soil, as well as pulling oxygen through all of the roots, giving you a proper feeding technique.

 

[Blackburn19]

Wow now that is some great help right there and makes sense because I have not been feeding with any run off at all. So now I am going to correct that but when it comes to nutrients I wasn’t using any at all until I did a feeding a day ago so with that being said my soil is evenly moist but not that wet so would I be best to give it a good water with run off now or wait until it’s a little dryer and then do it. Complete newb here so I really appreciate it guys.

 

[Backlipslide]

I would say, give it a good flush of clean phd water right away, flushing away all of the nutrients you just fed it. Not sure how big of a pot you have but I would say maybe 2 gal of water depending on how big of pot you have it in. Let her dry out really well. Then feed her once she’s really light and visibly dry, with some nutrients. I personally think the nutes your using is off as well, needs to have the right npk value at each stage of her life. I strongly suggest looking into nutrients and find a good kind that you like.

 

[Blackburn19]

Ok thanks! I will do that flush. So the pot it is in is 5” round and about 4 tall so not that big, I posted a pic for you to see the pot as well as the nutrients I started yesterday before this point I was not using any nutrients what so ever just water into the soil.

 

[BirdieNumNum]

I used to think a "flush"was pissing on the plants.

I know better now.

 

[Backlipslide]

I dont know man, That plant may be too far gone, I’m hoping it bounces back after a good flush. It looks in pretty bad shape though. If it kicks the bucket, do you have other seeds to try with?

When you germinate, what’s the method you use?

I leave my bean in a shot glass of water for a night or two, then move to a paper towel that has been moistened really well, and stick it in a sandwich bag for about 24 hours, then I drop it in a Pete puck

I burry the germinated seed into the soil, and leave in a humidity dome, or anything that will fit over it and create a high humidity chamber. Leave it under light for 24 hours untill it sprouts then switch to 18 on and 6 off. I also take the dome off after a week or so.

 

[Blackburn19]

I completely agree with you that it may be to far gone and that why I am starting the others. This ones I tried in Rockwool but didn’t like it so this time I am using jiffy pellets. They were soaked in water overnight then put into the jiffy pellets. I didn’t do they paper towel method because of the risk of it drying out with the hours I’ve been working this week. I have them in a dome that has a heat pad, I just put them in the jiffy pellets yesterday

 

[Backlipslide]

I didn’t do they paper towel method because of the risk of it drying out

If you put the folded paper towel in a sandwich baggy it stays moist for a longer period of time. I usually leave the bag open in one spot, but this past couple times I closed the bag tightly. You sprouted seeds before so what ever your doing you did it right lol

 

[Blackburn19]

Ya the sprouting wasn’t an issue lolbut on a good note I got up this morning and 1 Bruce banner and 2 of the Cinderella’s are poking there heads out so I’ll keep you updated and will be looking for some help along the way

 

[Blackburn19]

Thought I’d give a little update. All 6 seeds sprouted, 3 Bruce Banner and 3 Cinderella 99. I noticed roots coming from the jiffy pellets so all were transplanted into solo cups. Everything seems to be starting off good so hopefully I can keep it this way. Thanks for the help so far!! My tent has been holding at 70-75 for temp and 40-50% humidity. There in the tent with lights and a small fan at the moment.

 

[Blackburn19]

Another update here, girls are ready for there second real feeding later today, all seem to be doing well so far. I will be moving 1 of each strand outdoors but am thinking I will wait until the end of the month to do so, open for suggestions from anyone that’s started indoors then finished outdoors. Here are a few pics for you all to see, as always I am completely open to advice or input, thanks. The first 3 are the BruceBanner and the next group of 3 are the Cinderella 99.

 

[BirdieNumNum]

Where did you steal those white stands from man ?

 

[jetsgrower]

Where did you steal those white stands from man ?

holy lol I think those are dish racks but not sure and welcome Blackburn19

 

[Blackburn19]

Where did you steal those white stands from man ?

Haha yard sale find last weekend

 

[BirdieNumNum]

Very handy ....