12 weeks veg. First grow, any suggestions?

[triton137]

So this is my first grow. Before I started this grow I read up pretty heavily about growing for the first time and know your basic shit about growing but I dont have that Veteran Knowledge that some of guys have. So I need your help/tips.

This is what I got:
-4ftx6ftx8ft grow box that a buddy and I created.
-600 watt MH/HPS
-7 plants in total. 6 sativa- 1 clone of White WidowxSilver Haze and 1 indica. Strains unknown from seeds.
-Organic soil in 3 gallon pots.
-Currently using like a standard plant fertilizer at 50% concentration in the water, unsure of the NPK

Out of the 7 plants, we put one plant into flowering 12/12 at 10 weeks in a seperate, smaller grow box under two 27 watt cfls. It was starting to get to humid in the box and caused a lot of leaves on top to curl downward. Today was moved the plant back into the big grow box along with the original 6.

Today marked their 12 week under the 600 watt MH bulb. We super cropped a few and topped a few but ended up topping just about all of them, that's the reason for the 12 weeks veg, it sent us back a bit.

The one clone of white widow x silver haze we low stressed trained early on and has since sprouted another main branch coming for base of the plant. It's pretty cool how the plant has grow under low stress.

Here's a picture of them at 10 weeks, just one week after topping i believe

The plant in in the middle in both of these pics is the clone which we low stressed

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This is them at 11 weeks under 600 watt MH. The plant in the light green pot to the right in the picture is the clone. The plant all the way to the left in the yellow pot is the Indica of our bunch

11 weeks still

The clone at 11 weeks, crazy how she just sprouted another branch acting like the main stem.
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Here they are today at 12 weeks, just put the 600 watt HPS bulb in. Notice the plant to the left with the curled leaves, she's the lady that has been under 12/12 for two weeks already and suffering for excess humidity

So how are they doing for my first grow ever? I went into this with high expectation for myself and the bud I was about to create so I need some good criticism and critique please.
-What nutrients would you recommend I start using for the flowering stage. I know the ideal NPK but actual names of products you would recommend would greatly help!

Thank you everyone!

 

[Bud Grant]

They look healthy. For bloom you can use any fertilizer that is specified as a bloom fertilizer. If your organic people use high phos. bat guano. Sunleaves is a popular one. Fox Farms Big Bloom is another. If you don't mind non organic you can use Fox Farms Tiger Bloom, or Miracle Grow bloom fertilizer for that matter. A lot of the sponsors on this sight sell good stuff I'm sure. They are a bit expensive and boutique for my $$. Any bloom fertilizer is going to work, just start out using about 1/4 of what the maker recommends.
good luck

 

[triton137]

Thanks Bud Grant

So then would you recommend using a trace fertilizers with another fertilizer or if I was going to use bat guano, would i use it by itself?
Same question if i use the MG Bloom Booster

 

[Bud Grant]

both contain trace elements. If you wanted to spike it with some trace elements I'm sure that's not going to hurt anything.I personally will add a dash of AZOMITE here or there through my grow. If your going to use guano a lot of people will mix up a jug of it and water with that. Of course use 1/4 of their recommended dose. Some strains are sensitive, others can handle full dose. MG is pretty consistant. Just add it to the water you water your plants with. And remember, less is more.

Thanks Bud Grant

So then would you recommend using a trace fertilizers with another fertilizer or if I was going to use bat guano, would i use it by itself?
Same question if i use the MG Bloom Booster

 

[triton137]

If i use bat guano, Im able to put the dry fertilizers straight into my 5 gallon jug? And continue to water as normal with the fertilizer mixed into the water? Can i do the samething if i used tiger bloom as a fertilizer, or do I have to follow tiger bloom with something else and only use the water with tiger bloom every other week?

Sorry if this is a stupid question, I just dont get this whole nutrients thing and how to best apply it for my plants AND not get nutrient lock out.
Thanks Bud

 

[Fuzzy Duck]

They look pretty healthy... but some what small for 12 weeks of veg including the topping under a 600w MH !


Something appears to be stunting their growth rate a tad ?

1. I might be incline to pot up to a larger pot size.

2. Check your grow room temperature as high temps may stunt growth...

3. It don't look like you have any ventilation such as extraction of intake to provide a continues supply of new/fresh air... very important for plants to have plenty of new fresh air !

 

[triton137]

They look pretty healthy... but some what small for 12 weeks of veg including the topping under a 600w MH !


Something appears to be stunting their growth rate a tad ?

1. I might be incline to pot up to a larger pot size.

2. Check your grow room temperature as high temps may stunt growth...

3. It don't look like you have any ventilation such as extraction of intake to provide a continues supply of new/fresh air... very important for plants to have plenty of new fresh air !

Perfect this is just what I needed, an overall eval.
But I think the reason for their heighth which they avg 20in or so, might be because they spent their first part of veg-including from seed under two 27 watt cfls in a smaller grow box.

Could be wrong but that's what we need.
----As far as good air ventilation, I know these next few weeks under flowering are important, so would you have any suggestion for a ventilation setup? Im a good DIY person and handy, I'm a college student so my budget is tight, hence the fan in the corner hanging from the string. It works you know.

 

[Fuzzy Duck]

Effective lighting has a noticable effect on vegitive growth & also end yield off flowering which is one of the more important factors to making growing MJ worth while

So ye... gotta think of getting lighting to more of an average to optimal level for flowering for better yield !


Ideal temperature is around 25c / 77f don't really want it going over 30c / 85f for long periods of time tho...



Plants need to breath & when its day light/lights on they require Co2 (carbon dioxide) night time/lights off they exhale Co2, ideally in an inclosed growing enviroment air exchange of 20 X the area volume of the grow room is required per hour for good plant growth... you can get away with a little less tho.

Other wise the air becomes stagnant & growth is hindered... a noticable rise in humidity maybe observed & once RH room humidity hits over 80% this becomes problematic which may induce fungal problems such as powdery mildew & bud rot for example.... those will trash ya girlies.


This is why ventilation is of importance to maintain good growing conditions.

The very basic's is hot air rises & cold air sinks...

Extraction/exhuast vents are placed at the top of the growing chamber.

Intake vent (fresh air) can be a passive vent & often are at the base of the growing chamber.

Inline fans/computer fans etc can be used for exhuast/extraction with warm air often being discharge away from growing chamber completely... others wise discharging the exhuast into same room as growing chamber recicleates the air to which is kind of deprimental in control temps etc



I keep ventilation running 24/7 as when lights go off a humidiy spike does occur with in the growing chamber which may induce problems !

 

[KarlJay]

I agree, those plants look very healthy, but they really should be larger.

Here's a pic of mine at about 8 weeks from them being cut (they are clones)... The roots took about 12 days and I just put them into these 5 gallon grow bags about weeks ago.

I haven't used any nutes in this grow and I've been using CFL and T8's, the MH just came in this week.

 

[Fuzzy Duck]

Oh ye forgot to mention...

When you get around to making some ventitalion it needs to be light tight, ya don't want light leaks.

 

[DSMstoner420]

I have an unknown strain from seed plant that is 11 weeks into veg and it's double the size of some of yours. It is crazy, I have 6 autofem plants going (3 Pineapple Express and 3 Dark Devil) so I am using the normal one to just experiment with, I have topped it heavily so that may be a reason why it looks bigger. It was grown for a majority of its veg cycle under T8 fluorescent bulbs until recently when I bought a 400 watt HPS and combined it with the T8 bulbs.

 

[Weaselcracker]

Oops - was replying but I see this is an old thread.