1st Tent For A BAG

[budnoob2]

FYI, the best way to aerate water is with surface movement so a fountain works 100x better than an air stone for aeration. The larger the surface area the better the aeration too so mixing in a wide and shallow container is far better than mixing in a pitcher.

 

[CherokeeJ]

Thanks for the tip, Budnoob. The wife had one of those waterfall things. Rocks and a pump to sit on the table and drive up the power bill. She liked it, but I couldn't get into it.

Well, I fed the DQ in the tent some Tiger Bloom, and I'm going to wait a week to see what she does. If she doesn't improve, then it's "Hassan chop!" Get what i can from her.

The rest of the tent looks pretty good. Buds look like they're filling in nicely. Nice, white pistils. Stems on the GRs are still light purple. Waiting to see if the Tiger Bloom helps that.

And looking at the buds on those GR's, I can't help but think the poor man's CO2 is helping. It certainly isn't hurting.

The DQ on the patio is into full bud now. No question about it. Covered in calyxes and pistils. The IE out there is lagging behind a bit. That seems about right, cuz the IE in the tent took a couple more days to show, too. Both patio dwellers got a good dose of Tiger Bloom and a touch of cal/mag in yesterday's watering.

 

[CherokeeJ]

Decided to take a couple pix out on the patio this morning.

The Dream Queen. Yup, she's in full flowering mode, and can look forward to some defoliation in the very near future.

And the Infinite Euphoria. She's trying.

I think from now on, I'll stick to soil. Next time I leave the Homey's de-Pot, I'll have another bag of Supersoil, some perlite, and a small bag of vermiculite in the truck.

RW is great for rooting cuttings, but the soilless method just isn't for me.

Dad was right. If it works, don't fix it.

 

[Greenthumb J]

what about rockwool growing dont you like?

I grow in rockwool and i'll never grow in anything else (unless i move to a house and have the space to mix up sol!!) Its so easy to grow in! Its PH neutral, so the rockwool doesn't affect the PH level of your water, it doesn't retain lots of moisture, so its almost impossible to overwater your plants. It doesn't allow a lot of salt and nutrient build up and actually allows for a quicker flush time come harvest. You have less pests to infest your growing medium like you do with soil, and with the cubes like you already have, you can grow them like they are in soil, but really they aren't. water em every couple days or as needed.. you get to transplant them like soil plants, and if you're cloning in rockwool already, then you should have no problems growing in rockwool!!!

theres tons of smart people here than can lend a tip or two about growing in soiless mediums. I thought about a soil grow in my new tents, but mixing up soil doesn't sound like something i want to do..

put that shit in rockwool and set it and forget it (just dont forget to water.. so i guess dont really forget, but you know what i mean hahah)

 

[CherokeeJ]

A valid interrogative, sir. To which I have only one response...

Soil gives me fewer headaches.

I have no idea what happened here, but I'll bet a dollar to half a stale donut it was something I screwed up. This DQ shouldn't look like this. She should look like the IE flowers in the background. That IE is in soil. This DQ looks like an over-matured plant, well past harvest, that got seriously starved of nutes.

I'm going to go with what works for me. Supersoil and perlite worked in the '80s, it'll work today. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

I'm about ready to do the chop-chop on that DQ...

 

[Greenthumb J]

how long has it been in flower for?

do you have a loupe to check trichomes with?

I dont see anything wrong with that plant that you showed in the picture other than a little heat stress/too close to light.

Could you take a few more of the entire plant please?

 

[CherokeeJ]

You betcha.

Here's three. Tried to get a couple good shots. I'm no pro with a camera.

Here's one of the Infinite Euphoria, and one of all 3 strains in the tent.

This is day 39 of 12/12. The DQ's I grew outside in April took 61 days to mature, and the buds were beasts. These are scrawny.

Had a look thru the loop. Mostly clear, maybe 20% amber trichomes.

 

[CherokeeJ]

Well, took her outside for another rinse. Here she is, in all her glory...

And here's a closer shot of the top...

If she's as starved for nutes as she looks, why are the leaf tips burned to a crisp?

Give it water, it starves. Give it even the slightest bit of nutes, and it burns.

Here's her sister, growing in soil. She looks pretty good to me.

I admit it. I have no clue.

 

[Greenthumb J]

The Plant doesn't look sick or like its dying.

How often are you watering the plant/plants in Rockwool?

IS your feeding regiment for the plants in rockwool consisting of any nutrients?

sorry if i'm asking you to repeat yourself, just dont feel like scrolling back. how much nutrients are you feeding with and how do you prepare your water for feeding?

How long has it been in the Pot that it currently is growing in.. I think you mentioned it had suddenly stopped growing during flower.. I know plants stop their initial stretching after about 21-25 days, but if it slowed its growth down anytime before this point, the plant might very well be root bound!

I had a plant in DWC get root bound on me and it looked the same.. I tried everything. Thought it as a Cal/mag deficiency, this and that deficiency. But it wasn't until i was doing a res change and i pulled the root mass out of the bucket when my SMART GF asked me if the bucket was large enough for the roots to grow in ( i thought for a second that she knew what a root bound root mass looked like! i was right!) So i did a little research about roots and the part they play in plant growth. a plant can only grow as big as the roots let it. Meaning if you confine your roots to a small space, the plant cant stretch out properly and be able to hold its own weight up. Essentially the plant gets "top heavy" and it cant support its branches anymore. Plants that are able to grow roots outwards rather than just down will become much wider, bushier plants that are much more capable of supporting its own weight and be able to take in more nutrients. It will require much more water to keep the roots moist and in search for water/oxygen tho.

Just my thoughts. i cant seem to figure out whats going on with your plant.

I just looked back on your original post. It appears you are using the T5's still for your light source?

I now know the reason behind your smaller buds. You need some HID lighting to tighten up those buds!! get an HPS light over top of those babies and you will see an instant increase in bud production. The light given off by the florescents is enough to grow your plants, but you want huge colas not popcorn fart buds right? A 250-400w HPS will be enough to flower your babies but i would suggest 600-1000w for adequate bud production. Remember you're only half way though flowering. Try taking them longer than 8 weeks to see if the buds stack up any more and resin production increases. Sometimes the thing i see is people ruining a good bag of smoke cause they couldn't wait any longer to actuallly do something with their grow.. so they chop it early cause they are BORED! I doubt thats the case with you, but its always better to wait, cause you cant rush perfection right?

 

[CherokeeJ]

Well, she has been in that pot since the end of June. They get watered a little more than once every three days, and get about 3 quarts each. Just a tiny bit out the drains. Following the first rinse after the nute burn, she got a half gallon of 5.8 pH, mixed with 1 Tablespoon Fox Farm Big Bloom. Then she got watered twice since, then got a half gallon of 5.8 pH with 1 teaspoon FF Tiger Bloom. And now she looks like hell.

Low light makes sense. I do have a 400W hps and a 400W MH, but there's no way I can put those in that little tent. It would burn the house down. I guess it's named right. Mother Keeper. Hold 'em in veg and take cuttings, to be matured elsewhere.

I know it's a major no-no, but she's out on the patio, and gonna stay there. I'm going to wait and see what she does. She had a good rinse, and looks like it. If she's looking better tomorrow, I have another 10 gallon pot, and half a bag of Supersoil. Get a look at that root ball. (That is probably the entire problem.) If she doesn't improve... chop-chop.

 

[Greenthumb J]

the reason your last plant of this strain was better cause it was grown under the best light possible, the sun. now growing the same strain under a T5, you aren't giving the plant enough energy!

If your HPS and MH are air cooled, then it shouldn't be a problem. if you are interested in getting a tent for a HPS or MH set up, i know a place thats local here in BC (10 mins from me actually) where i got my tents. They're no Gorilla Grow tent, but for $150 canadian, i got my 4x4x6.5 tent, and it was too easy to set up. Perfect for 1 MH/HPS set up up to 1000w. I can PM you the link to the website. They also do HID light packages. 400, 600 and 1000w packages that include an air cooled hood or a cooltube, the ballast size of your choice, a MH an HPS bulb to match the ballast, Yo-Yo's to hang the light with ( I used caribeeners attached directly to the tent poles for optimal height!) as well as a 24hr analog timer. The timers are a little finicky, but they work alright once you got em set up properly. I haven't run the lights yet as i'm waiting for 3 fans and 2 filters to come into stock, but tomorrow is my day off, so i'll probably set up my shelf for the ballasts and plug em in a do a quick test!


As for your plant, just let it ride. Dont chop prematurely. It might just fix itself! plants have a tendency to be resilient and bounce back. Just double check things.. go over things a second time. WE can figure it out.. remember, its just a weed after all!

 

[CherokeeJ]

It IS a weed, after all. So... Whiskey Tango Foxtrot?

Maybe it's all the weed I've been smoking.

Yeah, I'm going to leave her out there on the patio, give her roots some room to grow, and let Mother Sun do her work. Her sister is now in full bloom, so hopefully the 1:45 delta in the photoperiod won't stress her too much.

There's still 4 more in the tent, and as of just before lights-out last evening, they were looking pretty sweet, considering they're under tubes.

There's TONS of used gear on CL here, and I can pick up a cooled hood at the hydro store in town for relatively cheap. He's got a lot of used gear there. I wouldn't mind having room for a 4x4 with 600W of HID in it, but I don't see that happening in the very near future. That small tent was a squeeze, a bigger one would be impossible right now. But thanks.

 

[Greenthumb J]

its always good to dream!!

maybe one day you clear out a spare bedroom and put a 4x4 or an 8x4 tent and run a perpetual grow with your mother keeper tent.

You clearly have cloning down pat. Running 2 tents, you'll be unstoppable. The wife will complain that the house is overloaded and that she cant find anything to eat in the cupboards cause they're all filled with mason jars full of bud!!!

 

[CherokeeJ]

Don't think it doesn't cross my mind every day. I see some of these other grows on here... It's like porn. Green porn.

Cabinets full of bud.

Tough job, but somebody's gotta do it.

 

[Greenthumb J]

I know hey? Too bad everyone didn't take one for the team and grow some good buds! We'd overgrow the world in no time!!

And yes.. very sexy green ladies showing their reproductive parts under provocative lighting.

All the journals is why i decided to go as big as i possibly can in the space i have. I could probably fit another 8x4 tent in my apartment or two 4x4 tents. I would then have six 600w lights going in my apartment tho, plus my LED light! Fun times!! We would probably move somewhere else and keep this space for growing at that point!!

 

[CherokeeJ]

Well, I got rambunctious. Mixed up a gallon of 6.5pH water, prepared a 5 gallon pot, wet out some soil, and transplanted the budded DQ.

She wasn't root bound, but day-um... The bottom of the pot of croutons was black. Nasty. No wonder the poor thing was getting burned. A 3 gallon rinse wasn't enough. Should have been 20. Cuz... Yuck.

I need to think about the GR in croutons. She might need a 20 gallon rinse too.

I knocked the nasty black croutons off before putting her in the soil. She should only have about 20 days to go, but I'm going to keep a close eye on her, and see if we can get those scrawny buds to plump up some in the sunshine.

 

[Greenthumb J]

did your pots have drainage holes in the bottom? i hope so.. next time try using a layer of hydroton on the bottom to allow better drainage and to avoid that nasty nutrient build up.. remember that a flush once a week is good to remove any build up of salts in the nutrient solution if you're using RW of any sort, blocks or cubes.

Give her an additional 2 weeks on top of what you think. she will need time to adjust to the soil and the transplant remember.

I think you shouldn't give up on RW growing. just maybe change your approach to it. Whats your temperatures like where you are? is a DWC an option? would you be able to maintain a reasonable water temperature where you live without having to buy a water chiller?

DWC is way too easy in my mind. I literally set it and forget it, except for changing out the water in the DWC bucket.. thats the only thing i have to remember! Oh and when i planted it, so i know when to put her into flower! not much maintenance really either. i dont scrub my bucket out or anything.

-take off lid that has plant in it and place in an empty, dry bucket. plants love the 10ish mins of air drying before going back into their soup!
- I spray out my bucket with hot water from my spray nozzle in my kitchen sink.. then fill it with 16L of tap water (my tap water reads 7.1PH.. almost pure and a PPM of less than 10!)
-refill with nutrients with PH level of 5.5 or 5.6 so i can allow a good fluctuation in PH and have the roots absorb everything efficiently. by res change a week later, PH level is at around 6.3ish, still in the optimal range for hydro growing!!
-I use Aquashield to prevent root rot, as well as help the plant sustain healthy root mass even in high water temperatures

thats it.. i find it very forgiving.. except if you let the bucket run dry.. thats as easy to fix as easy as having a schedule for res changes!!

 

[CherokeeJ]

Drainage holes... absolutely. 6 of 'em, size large. Once a week flush? That's news to me. Now we know why there's build up. D'oh!

Me thinks the GR in croutons is getting a bath today. At least the croutons are. A big bath. She was going to get straight water today anyway.

I'm going to let the DQ get over the transplant shock, and keep a close eye on the buds and trichomes. She really should perk up in a week, and start plumping those buds. She can take as long as she wants to get as fat and sticky as she can be. I'll be watching closely. 8^)

Sounds like you've got some very good water, like my buddy. He's on Hetch-Hetchy water. Possibly some of the best water on Earth. I'm stuck with this over-processed alkaloid solution they pump thru the pipes. Astronomical pH, and hard enough to drive nails.

Temps here vary quite a bit. When we get the delta breeze, summer is nice, in the 80's. Lose the breeze, and it'll top 107°F in a heartbeat.

Can you recommend a good book that covers DWC, and possibly other hydro techniques? I got nothing else to do here, may as well read and learn. Disabled, and can't pull a wrench any more, so all I do is sit here at the 'puter, tend my plants, and smoke the fine herb. And right now, I don't have enough herb to keep me busy. Come the regular NFL season, tho, I'll be busy on Thursdays and Sundays. Glued to football! GO NINERS!!!

Sorry. Some times I can't help it. I need a bowl full so I can mellow out.

 

[CherokeeJ]

Did the deed.

First, I prepared 2 gallons of water at 5.8 pH, and set it aside. Then I took the Green Ribbon (in croutons) out and set her up at about a 30° angle, next to the pepper garden. Then I put the end of the garden hose into one of the drain holes in the bottom edge of the pot, and let it run for 5 minutes. Then I rotated the pot 60°, and ran water thru the next drain hole for 5 more. Then I rotated again, and rinsed it thru a third drain hole. Pretty much in one side of the pot, and out the other. (That garden hose on full for 15 minutes is a LOT of water. I won't need to water the peppers again for a week.) Then I let her sit and drip for ten minutes, put her next to her sisters on the patio, and poured the prepared water in slowly. Both gallons. That's about as rinsed as it's gonna get. She's gonna look like hell this afternoon, when she comes back inside.

I also changed out the fluid in he poor-man's-CO2 jug. It's something to do.

The wife has a couple of good sized roaches stashed. Think I'll go snag one, and burn the evidence. 8^)

She'll get over it. Especially when she gets a look at "her" Infinite Euphoria. Considering it was all but dead after the pH fiasco, it sure is looking good now. And it's going into bud. Wifey is going to have a NICE jar. 8^)

 

[Greenthumb J]

Great thing about rockwool, is it doesn't really hold that much moisture like soil does. It basically runs right through. Rockwool is exactly what it sounds like. Rocks heated up to an exponential temperature till they are molten, then they are spun into "wool" like strands and set in blocks or croutons or slabs.

You'll be very surprised to see that plant not really seem too affected by being drenched for a solid 15 mins with a garden hose. Next time you happen to take the plant out of the pot (if you do at all again) try to remove the shitty looking rockwool if possible without harming and disturbing the roots. if you cant, then what you did is the next best thing you could have done.

At this point, to prevent against that blackness in the RW, i would go and pick up some Aquashield from the local hydro shop, or order some online. It will protect your roots against that black shit, and actually break it down into useable compost if its fungal or whatever.

Love it.. "Burn" the evidence haha

Also, you say your disability doesn't allow you to turn a wrench anymore, it might be tough to drill holes in the sides of 5gal buckets then. There are pre-fab DWC buckets on Scamazon i seen. Come with an air pump, air stone, some starter plugs, a 5 gal bucket with the lid and net pot combo as well as a drain feature so you can just lower the drain hose and out comes the water. I'm sure it also acts as a water level gauge with a float ball to show the water level inside the drain tube and bucket itself.

I dont know of any DWC books other than the good Ol' intrawebs!! You just really need to know the basics. Water temperature, PH level... uh.. thats about it.. then you can get crazy and start learning all the other itty bitty details. I'll gladly help you in any way i know how.. I think i got a good grasp on DWC growing and how to prevent catastrophic fuck ups!! haha

I'd be more than happy to help guide you to a DWC grow. If you have troubles with temps and can afford it, a water chiller would ensure you can grow year round and in any temperature and not have to worry about nutrient solution getting too warm!

If you got those buckets i talked about with the easy drain feature, i'm sure it would be easy to maintain a grow in DWC even with a disability, although i do not know the extent of your mobility. I was reading a journal of a handicapped man on this site who modified his tent to allow him hand supports and a body support in the middle of the tent to lean over the garden and do work on it. He's growing in a Recirculating DWC, and its a very impressive set up.

Just shows that with some perseverance and a little elbow grease, anyone can do anything!