InhaledFreq 1st actual grow closet cfl poor man's - month 4 of flowering to harvest

[InhaledFreq]

This is my very first grow

This grow was started mid August, 2008 and harvested at the end of November, 2008.

Here's the info...
What strain is it? Unknown bagseed. A good, potent commercial strain, no doubt.
Is it Indica, Sativa or Hybrid? What percentages? Hybrid % unknown, I might guess 60% or more Indica.
Is it in Veg or Flower stage? Flower
If in Veg... For how long? n/a
If in Flower stage... For how long? 4 months
Indoor or outdoor? Indoor
Soil or Hydro? Soil
If soil... what is in your mix? Miracle Grow Potting Soil w/ time release nutes
If soil... What size pot? 3.5 gallon and 1 gallon
Size of light? (2) 24" fluorescent tubes (one cool white 4200k, one full spectrum), (3-4) cfl's cool white 4200k and warm white 2700k
Is it aircooled? 8" fan for exhaust, full size oscillating fan.
Temp of Room/cab? 76°-78° F
RH of Room/cab? unknown, probably 27% or less
PH of media or res? unknown
Any Pests ? fungus gnats
How often are you watering? too often
Type and strength of ferts used? Just the time release nutes in the soil and a little Orchid Bloom Booster 11-35-15 w/ trace minerals

I documented this grow with photos and on paper. I was not aware of this forum at the time, so you know...

I made a lot of mistakes this first time around but still ended up with some really good quality buds in the end.

Veg cycle was from mid August to around the first of October (roughly 45 days.) I did not keep a journal during the veg cycle so we will be jumping right to week 4 of flowering.

10/22/08
Flushed soil using 3x as much purified water as there is soil.

pics - week 4 of flowering

The plant shown above was named "Biggie".


The plant shown above was named "Lucy".

[HazeSeeker]

yummy ...Lucy looks goood!
+reps

[InhaledFreq]

Week 5 of Flowering

10/29/08
Watered
Fed with 1/2 strength Orchid Bloom Booster 11-35-15 w/ trace minerals

pics - week 5 flowering







The pic shown above is the pic I'm using for my avatar (at the time of this post anyway.)

[InhaledFreq]

Originally Posted by HazeSeeker

yummy ...Lucy looks goood!
+reps

Thanks for the reps! Lucy was a runt, just one main bud along the a single stem, but the smoke from her turned out to be just as good as the large plant and her buds had more trics.

[InhaledFreq]

Week 6 of Flowering

11/4/08
Watered with water only, no nutes.
40-50% orange haris

This is a pic from week 5, it got left out becuase the photo gallery does not keep pics in the order they were uploaded (apperantly). This is actually the pic I'm using for my avatar, not the one shown in week 5 post.


pics - week 6 flowering

[InhaledFreq]

Week 7 Flowering

75% red hairs, still some new flower growth

11/9/08
Final feeding w/ 3/4 strength Orchid Bloom Booster 11-35-15

11/10/08
Started final phase flushing

pics - week 7 flowering

[InhaledFreq]

Week 8 Flowering

11/17/08
Flushed plants for the final time

11/18/08-11/20/08
Gave plants no water or nutes

11/21/08
No water or nutes
Cut a test branch



11/22/08-11/24/08
Gave plants no water or nutes

pic - week 8 flowering

[InhaledFreq]

Harvest

11/25/08
Harvested both plants

pics - harvest























Total yield dry
~19 grams




11/29/08
Sealed in jar to cure



Turned out to be very nice and potent... fruity/hashy tasting.
I smoked it all within a couple of weeks...

The End


Thanks for reading my first grow journal!

[InhaledFreq]

I learned a few little lessons from this grow.

What did I learn?

Here are ten things I learned, in no particular order...

1.) Plant in a deep container, not a wide one.
2.) Put the lights closer to the buds and use more lights.
3.) Grow more than 1 or 2 plants (or a perpetual harvest), only a few grams of even the best bud is not worth the 4 months of effort and waiting (unless you count the learning experience. )
4.) Do not use Miracle Grow Potting Soil (or any similar soil), it has poor drainage and time release nutes. And, like most all potting soil, it will have fungus gnats (soils labeled "sterilized" will not have gnats - or I read that you can sterilize your own by putting it in a metal bowl in the oven on 300° F for 10 minutes)
5.) Don't line the walls with foil. It will reflect the light but it makes the temps go up as well. For my next grow the closet is getting painted flat white with Kilz 2 Latex.
6.) Have good ventilation, I just had the closet propped open with a fan on the floor blowing air in... not so good.
7.) Address any problems right away, I ignored the first few fungus gnats I saw and by the time I did anything there were far too many to stop with sticky traps, which brings me to the next one...
8.) Don't Overwater & Use Extra Perlite... Add about 20% extra to most potting mixes! Use extra perlite, don't overwater, important.
9.) Don't use a medium with organic matter in it, a soilless mix is recommended for most beginner and novice growers, add hydroponic nutrients with micro-nutrients.
10.) Have a ph meter or at least ph test strips. In soil or soilless mix test the ph of your water and nutes (when mixed with water.) You can check the ph of the medium (soil, etc.) by catching the runoff out of the bottom of the container when you water, and test and the ph of that.) PH is also very important.

I'm sure there's more, but I'm pretty high and it's time for bed, so there you go. Hope this info is helpful to someone out there!

[brettweir]

That's some good learnin'! I learned a lot from my first grow, too. Although your yields weren't great, you certainly know what to expect next time (when you have a 1000 HPS), haha.

[spike69]

very nicely done inhale.

[InhaledFreq]

^

Thank you! That first grow was a lot of fun, especially harvest and finally getting to smoke the fruits of my labor.

[InhaledFreq]

Originally Posted by brettweir

That's some good learnin'! I learned a lot from my first grow, too. Although your yields weren't great, you certainly know what to expect next time (when you have a 1000 HPS), haha.

lol, yeah I can't wait until I have a couple of 1000w HPS's, and an actual room instead of a closet!