Punk Rock Caramelicious - First Grow

[PunkRockGirl]

My husband (Punkrockguy) and I just started our first grow last week. We are first timers. We are growing Caramelicious that we got from AMS, plus 21 free seeds. We planted just over a week ago and out of 31 seeds, only 12 have come up. The majority of them are the Caramelicious.

I have some pics, but I'm still trying to figure out how to post them. I'll have my husband post the info on the nutrients we are using etc.

 

[PunkRockGuy]

We're using Roots Organics soil and Cutting Edge Solutions 3 part nutrients. the Carmelicious seeds that have popped up have grown huge in a very short time. the Freebie seeds are taking a bit longer...

we're on a 19/5 light cycle and i water when they feel like they are starting to dry out.

is there anything we should be doing differently?

 

[PunkRockGirl]

 

[PunkRockGirl]

Oops, I need to put spaces between the pics next time, heh.

Also I couldn't get them very clear, there's not as much detail as I would have liked but hopefully that will change as they get bigger.

 

[Smoke2Js]

Hello Punkrockers! Congrats on the sprouts! I know it can seem like for ever, but they will pop when ready. What are your veg / flowering plans? indoor or outdoor? I like the impromptu DIY light "hangers" . You might want to put some white paper or white plastic bags over the cardboard to reflect more light, as you are using florescent, and lower them if you can to keep the stretching down.

 

[PunkRockGuy]

hehe thx! we're planning purely indoors and adding to the growing facilities as we go along and they get bigger. we're buy 2-4 lights a week and i imagine the walls and ceiling will be lined with them by the end...hehe the lights themselves are actual grow light tubes......we also have a horticulture shop right down the street, but we're trying to keep the cost down as much as we can right now. eventually, i'd like to dump a few grand into a grow room, but thats just not possible right now, so baby steps...heh

 

[Smoke2Js]

Baby steps is a good approach lets you hone your skills ,develop knowledge, and decide how you want to approach a larger scale grow room. Have you read this? how-grow-marijuana everything you need to know ? I found it and still do to be quite useful, for diagnosing all kinds of problems.

 

[Smoke2Js]

what will be the size of the grow room for this grow?

 

[Smoke2Js]

.we also have a horticulture shop right down the street, but we're trying to keep the cost down as much as we can right now. eventually, i'd like to dump a few grand into a grow room, but thats just not possible right now, so baby steps...heh

be careful of the sales men at the shop. do your research , and when the sales person starts talking bs, say I'll get back to you, look it up. then decide. Get advice from other growers who have experience , plenty here at 420 mag.com. A wise person seeks council before going to war. Yes, at times growing this plant will seem that way. some days its a loosing battle, and on others its Victory! However small your success is, its still success.

 

[PunkRockGirl]

Thanks so much, especially for the "how-to" link, I'm reading some of it now.

Our grow room is about 10 by 10 or so. It's been about 11 days since we started and we have 13 plants now, 2 of just which just popped up within the past couple of days. If we see more come up I will be surprised, so we are probably going to end up with plenty of room.

 

[PunkRockGirl]

After this grow we are moving to NC and are planning on devoting a bigger room to the next endeavor.

 

[PunkRockGirl]

Update, about 2 weeks in:

We've ended up with 12 plants out of 31. Kinda sucks, but almost all are caramelicious. Two of the freebies are kinda weird. All three of the freebies aren't growing as fast as the others either. One of them looks like it's damaged for some reason, and one of them only has half its leaves (it looks healthy though, oddly enough).
We are now on a light schedule of 21 hours light, 3 hours dark. I am spritzing the leaves with distilled water a few times a day. We have a heater set on about 79 degrees, a fan, and CO2 supplied with eggshells in vinegar.
Some pics:

 

[PunkRockGirl]

Question...the plants seem to just keep getting taller...the stems aren't getting thicker, and we've had to prop up most of them. When should they start to thicken up?

 

[Smoke2Js]

how close are the lights? The further the light the more the plant will stretch. I am not sure what kind of lights you are using . "Grow light tube" is fairly ambiguous . CFL, HPS, MH, LED? each type has a "perfect distance" from the plant .

 

[PunkRockGirl]

Not sure, I will check. But I did lower them a couple of days ago. I thought by stretching you meant they were just bending towards the lights, but you're saying that stretching is making the stems elongated? (sorry if I sound like an idiot.)

 

[PunkRockGirl]

Ok, we have the lights about 4 or 5 inches above the plants. They are just fluorescent tube lights, 24 inches long, 75 watt output. Right now we have 6 of them, and 2 that we haven't busted out yet. They are made by a company called Lights of America. I saw on another site that it might be good to take the plastic casing off too?

 

[PunkRockGirl]

Lights of America 24" Fluorescent Grow Light Fixture: Decor : Walmart.com

 

[Smoke2Js]

Ok, we have the lights about 4 or 5 inches above the plants. They are just fluorescent tube lights, 24 inches long, 75 watt output. Right now we have 6 of them, and 2 that we haven't busted out yet. They are made by a company called Lights of America. I saw on another site that it might be good to take the plastic casing off too?

Florescent work best about 3 to 4 inches from the plant. Might be a good idea removing the cover ,as its absorbing some of the light. I recently upgraded from florescent to LED. I have grown and flowered under florescent. You can get good results ,and there are a few grow journals using them with excellent results. I went LED after looking at the costs of all the florescent bulbs that I would have to buy yearly. The initial cost of LED is daunting. But I am just using them for veg growth and not flower. Currently, I use the sun for the flowering stages. In the future I will be mostly indoors with LED, but that's a few years down the line. I am buying my dream set up one piece at a time. So in closing remove cover, lower lights to 3-4 inches above the tops.

 

[PunkRockGirl]

Ok thanks so much!!

 

[Smoke2Js]

Not sure, I will check. But I did lower them a couple of days ago. I thought by stretching you meant they were just bending towards the lights, but you're saying that stretching is making the stems elongated? (sorry if I sound like an idiot.)

NO problemo, you are not an idiot, just new to growing this plant. As you gain experience and understanding of her needs, your relationship with her will expand and new levels of learning will begin. If you give her just the basic necessities she will grow. Amazing plant, I had one I did not like last year pulled her up and tossed her to the side . I forgot about her and after harvest I found her . Her nugs were small, but dense, and heady. So, even with the minimum of care she will flower.