Cannalearna's Bagseed Grow "09"

[MagicCannabus]

Yes definitely wait! My biggest plant was looking male and now I'm almost certain it's a girl. Calyxes can look very much like a little nut when they're still forming.

With that soil mix, it's amazing you've come this far honestly. I think you'll be excited to see the improvements that switching to a good medium will give you.

Coco coir can be found at a lot of garden centers, but here in Iowa, almost the only place to find it is pet stores. I got mine at Petco. It's "Zoo Med" brand "Eco Earth". The stuff comes in bricks, almost like a weed brick. You just place it in a container with some water and let it rise. Use only a little and keep adding some as you peel it apart. Put it all in a larger bag and you have at least 22 liters of it. The brick looks small but it adds up. I recommend you buy the 3 pack of the stuff, it's a way better deal and you'll need more eventually anyway.

Worst case scenario, if you can't find anything better, try the following:

1 part Miracle Grow Organic Mix(Pro-Mix Organic Mix is better! Worm castings would be the very best, with mushroom compost a close third)

1 part spagnum peat moss(regular Pro-Mix works too as it is mostly peat)
1 part perlite
1 part vermiculite(or use two parts perlite if you can't find this)
2 parts coco coir
add one tablespoon of dolomite lime per gallon of this mix. No more than that, unless it's pelletized dolomite, which releases slower and thus you can use 50% more of it. I actually dissolve mine in water first before adding it. Breaks up the pellets and spreads it through the mix very thoroughly. If you use Pro-Mix as your source of peat moss, be aware it has dolomite in it already, so reduce all stated amounts by 50% in such case.

I really mean it on the amount though. Any more than that will raise your pH, and your coir needs a lower pH than soil, so the acidity of the peat in the mix complements the needs of the coir, and the coir protects you from ever being able to over-water the plants. The perlite and vermiculite add air and water retention, in addition to offering larger aggregate particles to keep the mix from compacting.

[cannalearna]

I am very grateful I have made it this far. I would have killed my plants if it wasn't for everyones help. These are the first plants I have not killed. I am normally the angel of death for all plants.

I can't wait to use all these tips. Garden Centers will be opening soon so I should be able to get these products now. Growing should get easier with the right stuff.

Thanks again!

[MagicCannabus]

If you have a Petco there, or a Petsmart, I strongly recommend you go get coir asap. I am certain Walmart has all the other things except vermiculite, and sometimes they don't have dolomite lime.

You're lucky. Any native soil I've used from around here is swarming with plant pests. It makes me wonder how plants survive at all out there sometimes!

[CharlieMopps]

A pet stores a good place to get activated charcoal too.

[MagicCannabus]

Sort of. I mean it's a convenient source, but buying activated charcoal from a pet store is about 10 times more expensive for the weight compared to buying from an online charcoal supplier.

I use litter crystals. They sell a generic brand of the silicate crystals at Walmart, which is the exact same thing as the name brand but 1/4th the price. They are slightly inferior to charcoal overall, but mix well with it, and can be reused an unlimited amount of times. They just need to be put in an oven at 350 for two hours and they're like new again.

[cannalearna]

Originally Posted by MagicCannabus

Any native soil I've used from around here is swarming with plant pests. It makes me wonder how plants survive at all out there sometimes!

I didn't use top soil from my yard if that is what you mean. I bought the 40 pound bag at home depot for $2. I asked for potting soil with no nutes and thats what they had at the time beside miracle grow soil wich I read not to use if using miracle grow nutes. Too hot or something.

My next list... PH probe, better soil, vermiculite, perlite, coco coir, dolomite lime, and fox farm nutes. Looks like I have to start over, huh.

As long as I get about a half ounce a plant (female) It will be a success to me... actually it already kind of is. I have never seen a flower on a pot plant before and I have learned so much.

By the way I now have 4 females and 2 males, but one female looks like both. Not a banana, but more a cluster of balls with hairs. Time will tell all.

[cannalearna]

This is the male I am sure about...

No hairs, but the cluster keeps getting bigger.

[cannalearna]

Here's a pic of a baby bud...



So far 8 females and 3 males out of 31.

I just got some super thrive, but found out I shouldn't use it during flowering... oh well... next time.

[paul1791]

I noticed that you said you were going to get a ph tester. Good thing because you are really wasting your time not using the proper ph water. My plants looked a lot like yours until I got my ph right. It is really night and day. I thought for some reason my tap water was ph 7 until i tested it and it was 8.7..no wonder my plants barely grew .

[cannalearna]

I got a bag of pelletized dolomitic lime. I gave every plant 1/10 of a teaspoon. How fast can you bring PH up or down without causing osmotic shock?

[cannalearna]

Does anyone know a good camera that takes good close-up photos? I have seen some really nice shots in the photo gallery. I don't know anything about cameras.

[damnyourhot]

Originally Posted by cannalearna

Does anyone know a good camera that takes good close-up photos? I have seen some really nice shots in the photo gallery. I don't know anything about cameras.

wal mart sells a 10.4mega pixel samsung camera its palm sized and takes great pics u must put it in macro mode and turn off the flash hold down the button halfway untill the shutter focuses right then hit it

they go for 135-$ at walmart and come in black and red as far as i kno but they are samsung and very small not the 7mp ones the 10.4mp ones

thats my reccomendation

and the iso and stuff isnt bad on the camera either and it has a rechargeable battery and takes regular mini usb and stuff

[cannalearna]

Still having a hard time getting supplies. Had to make my own poor mans perlite by grinding styrofoam in a coffee grinder, but I did find some garden sulfur for hydrangeas to help lower my soil PH. Hopefully the sulfur wins the battle with the lime I added too. Oops.

New update...
30 seeds gave 31 seedlings, 2 hermies, 5 males, and 24 females. Maybe seeing where I froze my plants and juiced them early with high nitrogen fert that people are on to something saying that colder temps and high nitrogen in infancy promotes females.

[akaman]

man those pics are hot dude, but in no way am i growin at that rate.....absolutely no room for it thats why i was gonna do 1 at a time....i'm a patient kinda fellow

[cannalearna]

Here is an updated photo. This bud is 6 inches tall 2 inches wide.