MegeBudz First Grow

[MegeBudz]

I had about 2 months between when we started to grow and when we were finally able to so I did a lot of reading.

lol that should have read "between when we DECIDED to grow and when we were finally able to"... that will teach me to try and post that early in the morning so soon after waking up.

 

[KingJohnC]

Here is a nutrient availability chart

You want pH 5.8 for hydroponic and soiless (peat moss and coco coir) and pH 6.5 for soil. Baking soda has too high of sodium to be used with cannabis plants.

 

[MegeBudz]

Pic from last night...

 

[MegeBudz]

Got the TOP LED lights put up but spent so much time monkeying around with getting them lined up that I never did get to test the pH of the MAG AMPED like I had planned. Anyhow... lights are up and around 34" above the topmost plant. Unfortunately that is as high as they are going to go so I will need to take the VersaGrow off of the stand it is on and set it directly on the floor and readjust the lights. Checked the temp in the room after a couple hours of them being on and it is about the same temp as it was with the fluoros... will have to continue checking over the next couple of days though as our outdoor temps are already in the upper 80s.

Test the pH and it was at 5.6 so I added another 1/2t of pH Up to the solution. PPM jumped to just over 1200 which is 200 more than it was last night when I checked.. so since I did not add anything, I am thinking that it is some of the minerals and salts leaching out of the growing medium since there would now be an imbalance between the solution and the medium(?)

Still have not put a carbon filter on the exhaust as I had not filled it up with activated carbon yet. Was looking for a good deal on the carbon on eBay but then it dawned on me. Here a number of years ago I started making charcoal when I was learning to Blacksmith and when I decided it was too damn hot down here to be sitting over a forge, I decided to continue making it for the BBQ. While making it I always had pieces that were just too small to use in the BBQ and instead of throwing them out.. like most other men I decided that someday I may have a use for all those little pieces and I put them in a 50 gallon rubbermaid container. Although activated carbon has an additional step in order to increase the pores required to more efficiently absorb odor I figure since I have so much of it.. worth a shot to see if it will work as it is.

So here are some pics we took tonight before we closed it all up.

 

[josh223]

Here is a nutrient availability chart

You want pH 5.8 for hydroponic and soiless (peat moss and coco coir) and pH 6.5 for soil. Baking soda has too high of sodium to be used with cannabis plants.

Thank you KJC!

MegeBudz, glad to see the increase in PH. I'm no expert and don't claim to be in this subject. For me personally, having a lower PH has always been better than a higher, given the appropriate range. Too high locks out a bunch of macro and micro nutrients. Your plants look perfectly healthy. They are at the point in which their growth rates explode exponentially. From this point until harvest is when you really want to keep all your stats (PH and PPMs/E.C values in check). And don't forget to flush right before harvest.

Like I said, I'm no expert. If problems occur, ask in your thread and in the FAQ's section and you'll get the help you need.

I'm also a bit jealous of your new lights. Looks like they will serve you well for years to come.

I'm also glad that I stumbled upon your neck of the woods. Glass making and blacksmithing...man, that's cool. I'd love to try both. Actually, I know my way around a forge. Nuclear/Aerospace Certified and Certifiable Welder, college professor in the subject, training for my Certified Welding Inspector license.

So, to stay on topic, how much longer until you start flowering those plants? Depending on the strain, they can grow from 25%400% in vertical height during the first month of flowering.

Past my bedtime.

 

[MegeBudz]

Kind of up in the air as to when I put them into 12/12.. they are bag seed and the only one I know the strain is the Pineapple Kush (and even that one I am taking the word of a friend who found it in an unmarked bag). The other two I haven't a clue to what it is. This grow was basically a "can I do it without driving myself crazy(er)" kind of thing. I'll probably cut some clones off of the two healthiest as well just to try my hand at that and if my wife likes what we grew enough then I'll go from there with the clones. In the wings I have some Sour Diesel and some Lemon Haze seeds to mess around with.

- M

 

[MegeBudz]

Put some weather stripping along the top of the door so as to drag more cooler air from the passive intake underneath.. I figure the air along the cement slab will be much cooler than anywhere else. Also sifted some charcoal and put the carbon filter together and placed it up on the stack on the roof of the box offices.

No sign of any stress from the new LED lights.. temperature held right to where it was with the fluoros.

 

[MegeBudz]

Growth has seemed to slow down a bit in the last few days or so after installing the new lights (at least it looks like it has since it is hard to tell without having to move the lights every day to get the plants off of them). Lights were set about a yard from the tops of the plants so I decided to move them down some to see if that would have any affect.

After dropping the lights and having to play with them AGAIN to get them sitting right, I decided to restring the lights on 4 yoyos to make it easier... MUCH easier!!

 

[MegeBudz]

A few updated pics.. a couple more inches of growth but these are some thirsty girls as I am having to put in a gallon of water each evening to keep the water up far enough so that the pump is not sucking air!

This weekend I will be ousting the hot peppers, parsley and dill to leave more room for them as they are starting to cover the other containers. As it is now I had to rearrange the containers so that they would not suffocate each other.

 

[josh223]

How are the gals doing?

 

[MegeBudz]

How are the gals doing?

Doing really well!! They seemed to slow down a bit but I kind of expected that with the warmer temperatures now.. but still going strong.

Today it was time to switch out the nutrients and put them into 12/12 to start into bloom.

Spent this morning finally putting a spigot in the reservoir to make emptying the thing easier. While doing that I had an idea for doing my flush before putting new nutes in. In order to get a proper flow of fresh clean water to cycle through the plants I would need around 5 gallons of distilled water... but if I tilted the reservoir towards the spigot so that the runoff would go into a bucket, put a pump in the bucket running a line up.. I could flush with just 2 gallons instead.

Spent a few hours flushing the girls out.. given that it is just about summer and it was headed towards evening when I finished up.. there is a joke in there somewhere I am sure.

Anyhow... got them flushed and ready for new nutrients. Into the tank went 6 gallons of distilled water with 90ml of FloraBloom, 60ml of FloraMicro and 30ml of FloraGrow. PPM came in at 910 and pH needed to be adjusted up a bit to land at 5.7.

Reset the timers for lights and oscillating fan at 12/12 (from 7pm to 7am) with watering set every 2.5 hours for 5 minutes with the last watering for 10 minutes.

Flipped the TOP LED lights so that they had the bloom lights on as well.

Then about an hour before closing the place up for the night the wife asks "Have you started clones yet?" To which I responded "Nah... decided not to do it this time and just concentrate on getting a good grow in. Besides... I'd have to set up yet another smaller area for cloning so as to give them the daylight they need while depriving the plants of their light to force bloom."

Well 30 minutes later I had a place set up, lights clamped on, black curtains in the window and door separating the two rooms to block any light, etc. So I took two clones off of each of the three plants and labelled accordingly. Took my clones off with a razor blade, trimmed the leaves back, scored the stems, dipped in rooting hormone (CloneX) and then stuck each of them into some rockwool cubes and put into the humidity dome. So much for my response lol.

Just went out about 30 minutes ago to check on them and very little wilting so perhaps I didn't do too bad of a job after all... time will tell.

- M

 

[cannateer]

Looking great!

 

[josh223]

I am very impressed!!! This is your first indoor grow, correct? Wow,

 

[MegeBudz]

I am very impressed!!! This is your first indoor grow, correct?

Yep... First time through on everything. Wife asked the same thing lol.. Told her though "hold on there... We don't have bud yet!"

 

[josh223]

In all serious, kudos. I am genuinely envious.

 

[MegeBudz]

Too much light... too much heat... or both.

Wife went out there to check the clones while I was at work and said that we lost two of them already and the others were not looking so hot. Had her shut down two of the lights and keep an eye on them... have not gone out there yet but will soon enough and get some pics of the "damage". If I can salvage one or two out of the six then I would consider my first attempt at cloning a success... otherwise I will give it a shot again during the next grow.

Thanks for the kudos josh!!

- M

 

[MegeBudz]

Well they don't look too bad.. definitely sadder than last night but not terrible. The two my wife said were goners I recut and put back into the growing medium.. I doubt that it will save them but I figure that the light has to be on anyhow ;-)

As for the girls.... almost 2 inches of growth since yesterday!

 

[Lester Freeman]

When I clone, I make sure the inside walls of my dome are completely soaked moist. They want it moist as hell during that stage to prevent transpiration, and direct the energy into the forming roots.

 

[MegeBudz]

When I clone, I make sure the inside walls of my dome are completely soaked moist. They want it moist as hell during that stage to prevent transpiration, and direct the energy into the forming roots.

Excellent tip!! Thanks!

 

[josh223]

Folks will also mist the clones daily. Having no roots yet, they need to get moisture some how.

The big girls are looking proper! I'd get some better ventilation and crank those LEDs back up.