Aberration's Mixed-Strain First Grow - 2009

[Aberration]

Re: Aberration's Mixed-Strain *First Grow* - 2009

So they all look much better today. Woohoo! Thank you all.



I also won the A/C battle and proofed it with all four lights running. It stayed within 1 degree of my target for several hours without a miss. Woot!

So I took the girls out for a walk to the veg area next door, where we could see them under a 2-bulb daylight 4' floro. What can I say - it's closer to what I'm used to seeing. Makes for a better reference for me I guess.

They don't look as yellow in here.

Here's the Kaia Kush, looking greener:

The Matty still droops, but it seems to be alive:

The Lavender is greening up:

As is the Snow Bud:

Here's little Afgooey:

And special agent Purple Sage:

Here's my "Tim Taylor Special" A/C unit. It's delivering the goods so far.

Bonus! Here's a pano of the work area in the veg room. I'm still working on this:

 

[redolent420]

Re: Aberration's Mixed-Strain *First Grow* - 2009

I love the set up, you're very ambitious. Try not to over analyze your grow. I grow more from the heart than the head and am having good results. No charts and very little record keeping. Cherma has been awesome with my grow and keeps me from panicking too much when unexpected things come up. I'm glad to see that he is helping you out too. You will have some nice bud to smoke.

 

[Minus]

Re: Aberration's Mixed-Strain *First Grow* - 2009

Dude,I just so love your setup.That panoramic shot is nice.Excellent job on the ac unit.
I have no doubt you'll be swimming in a sea of buddage very soon.Keep them pics a comin!

 

[pan4gold49]

Re: Aberration's Mixed-Strain *First Grow* - 2009

The Tim Taylor look rules.

DIY is the best.

Nice plants.

Pan4

 

[Aberration]

Re: Aberration's Mixed-Strain *First Grow* - 2009

Thanks for the advice, swampgas. I'll try to put it to use.

Minus: Thanks, I work at it. I think of it all as my 'secret lab', and I like to DYI when I have the time (or in this case, lack of $$$).

Exactly, pan4. Thank you. My dad's a hot rod mechanic. I'm not afraid of iterative design.

And just because I have nothing else today, here is some Purple Sage. It has the same basic spicy flavor that it's S.A.G.E. mother has, but the Potent Purple that hermied seems to have toned down the S.A.G.E. harshness and made the smoke fuller and more mellow in the throat. It also produces better and smells richer (? maybe more earthy ?) than the S.A.G.E. alone. I like to smoke doobies, and this is a fine tobacco in it's own right. Even better, it has a good daytime buzzz to it.

Alas, I am growing some PS, but this is not my produce. This bud is one that my previous med grower flowered out. It is his (accidental) cross, and it is clone-only. There were about a dozen seeds, and this plant was the clear superior of the bunch. He has maintained a couple clone mothers and traded it out to other people. In his stable of 20-ish strains, it still stands out as good enough to hang on to. I do wish he wouldn't run it so hot in there though.

I probably should have shot from farther away and zoomed in to avoid the depth of field issue, but I was high and my tripod is broken anyway. Sorry. At least the middle is in focus.

 

[pan4gold49]

Re: Aberration's Mixed-Strain *First Grow* - 2009

Looks yummy.

Pan4

 

[Aberration]

Re: Aberration's Mixed-Strain *First Grow* - 2009

Looks yummy.

Pan4

It is.



So it seems apparent that I was over-watering at least some. I have a moisture meter - the same one Cervantes pictures in the Grow Bible. I'll start using it, but I'm a bit unsure where to call it dry enough. At the bottom end of the green band seems right to me, but we all know how much I know.

I figure if I can stick it into the near-center of the root mass and look for a specific number, I can 're-calibrate' myself and get back on track. Like training wheels.

Any ideas what is a good moisture number on a meter like this?

 

[pan4gold49]

Re: Aberration's Mixed-Strain *First Grow* - 2009

Aberration I have one of those they work good till you break it.

Broke mine the in first week.

Pan4

 

[Aberration]

Re: Aberration's Mixed-Strain *First Grow* - 2009

Right. So I groomed the plants. By that I mean I checked for pests/disease, removed dead and dying matter, cultivated the surface of the soil a little, and generally cleaned them up and looked them over.

I found one live spider mite on the Matty. I used a scope to confirm (he was in a hurry too), but anyone who says you can't spot them needs glasses. I looked pretty good and found no others. So all 6 got sprayed down with Azatrol and a little added yucca.

Checking the soil, they all seemed dry to me on inspection, but they didn't have the same reads on that meter:

MT ... 3-4
AG ... 5-6
L  ... 3-4
PS ... 2-3
KK ... 2-3
SB ... 2-3

The last three had low enough readings to put them clearly in the 'dry' red range of the meter. I'm going to assume that this is a good time to water. So the PS, KK, and SB got a gallon of pH water between them with a teaspoon of added Epsom salts. The other three will get a day to think it over and then get the same probably.

Height:

MT ... 18"
AG ... 16"
SB ... 18"
L  ... 16"
PS ... 24"
KK ... 31"

Giving me:

In retrospect, I should have put Bt-i in the water too. Next time.

They look OK. The Matty refuses to perk up and remains droopy, and the Kaia Kush is still a little magnesium poor. I will have patience. They will be fine.

Maybe pics later, after the lights can come back up. They're all wet right now anyway.

 

[FreakNature]

Re: Aberration's Mixed-Strain *First Grow* - 2009

This is excellent documentation and information. The chart is over the top. I LOVE it. Spreadsheets rock. lol

I hope your plants are perking up to your expectations.

 

[Aberration]

Re: Aberration's Mixed-Strain *First Grow* - 2009

Plants are doing OK:

Got my veg lights hung:

I know what you are thinking, but with materials at hand, I only spent about $100. I couldn't have hung the expensive grow lights here for that, and at the moment I am cash-poor. Besides, I have grown other plants to excess under half this much light, and every one can be independently adjusted to any height all the way to the deck. They can also be easily tilted front to back and they will stay. It's insane, but it will work. Has to.

 

[pan4gold49]

Re: Aberration's Mixed-Strain *First Grow* - 2009

Not to bad looks like you'll get some good veg growth.

Nice for the money you paid.

Pan4

 

[Aberration]

Re: Aberration's Mixed-Strain *First Grow* - 2009

Right. Let's get caught up, shall we?


Monday (3/9/09)
----------------

WATER + addatives, per gallon: 1 t Epsom salts, 1 t Bt-i, 2 T Oregonism. pH 6.40, 17.7C
MT, AG, L got 1/3 gal. ea.
PS, KK, SB got nothing.

Folar SUPPLEMENT for KK, Epsom salts, 1 t/gal

Tuesday (3/10/09)
------------------

Tested tap water with TDS meter: 140 ppm. That's low.
Already knew the pH of fresh tap is 6.75 here.

According to moisture meter:

Strain	Moisture (1-10, 1 = dry, 10 = saturated)
----------------
PS	5-6
MT	3-8 (?)
SB	4-6
KK	4-6
L	3-7
AG	6-10

All measurements are from multiple tests per pot, rounded to best approximate actual distribution.

Nobody gets anything today.

Refilled water barrel. Added the aquarium heater on what appears to be med-high. Temp is currently 54F (too cold).

Finished setting up the flood table. Reservoir is filled, heater and bubbler installed. Everything but the fill timer.

However, with only a 1/2" inlet line it takes forever to fill and drain the table. The gradient is too large. I have grown plants in a flood table before (homemade) and they need to all get watered more evenly than what this table can do. I plan to bring it a bit more level (it drops 1" over 6 feet). I have a second pump. I should put in doubled inlets. That will let it fill and drain faster. More water fittings...

I'll do pictures when I get the second inlet and new outlet installed.


Wednesday (3/11/09)
---------------------

According to moisture meter:

Strain	Moisture (1-10, 1 = dry, 10 = saturated)
----------------
PS	2-3
MT	4-6
SB	2-4
KK	3-5
L	3-4
AG	7-10

I will feed the PS, SB, KK and L, 3/8 gal each.

They are getting the full soup this time. Per gallon:

• 2 t Soil Nute (3-7-3)
• 3 t Feather Tea (2-0-0)
• 1 t Cal-mag
• 4 t Notrozyme (10% kelp extract)
• 2 t PGE ("organic acids, humus, B1, natural plant growth promoters")
• 1 T yucca extract
• 2 t Amino Blast

pH 6.50 @ 20.8C (at the high end, yes, but they have been pH-low)

Forgot to add beneficials. Damn.

Checked for pests - I see none at all.

So here are the pictures from last night (3/11/09):


First Purple Sage. It seems to be doing great. 2.5" growth in 4 days. Still a bit malnourished, but doing well:

The Matanuskan is still droopy, but after some research I believe it to be due to deficiencies more than over watering, so it should recover:

Snow Bud is doing great. The old leaves are still yellowed, but the new stuff is growing in great:

The Kaia Kush has apparently been at a standstill for 4 days, without any growth at all. It seems to be stubbornly deficient, especially in Mg. I keep my hopes up:

The Lavender still looks forlorn, but it grew an inch, and I think it is recovering:

The Afgooey didn't grow at all, but it seems to be greening up. I hope this is a lul before it gets it's growth on. It is definitely the runt:

Strain	Height
--------------
PS	26.5"
MT	18.5"
SB	19"
KK	31"
L	17"
AG	16"

I'm sure you all would like to see them in bloom. So would I. The tallest are big enough, but not healthy enough. The others are too small still. It's driving me nuts. My clone source offered to trade me out for more healthy, but younger, clones to try again.

I'm hesitant to take him up. I might get better yields, but I feel responsible for these. What do you folks think? Should I take him up on the offer for at least some of them, or stick to the ones I have?

 

[skariskunk]

Re: Aberration's Mixed-Strain *First Grow* - 2009

hi , nice setup , my thoughts are you might be watering your plants too much , marijuana plants dont like wet feet so i let my almost dry out before i water again.

and my answer to your question is NO , first plants are very personal and are ment for you to make some mistakes and learn from them , i say stick with your plants , and water them only when they need watering not when you think they do , and add some epsom salt in your feed.

what nutes are you using for them , i only just saw your grow now.

 

[Aberration]

Re: Aberration's Mixed-Strain *First Grow* - 2009

hi , nice setup , my thoughts are you might be watering your plants too much , marijuana plants dont like wet feet so i let my almost dry out before i water again.

I have been letting them dry out quite a bit lately. I started using a moisture meter in an attempt to 'calibrate' my sense of dry.

The thing is, every book I read talks about checking with your finger, 1-2" down, for moist soil. Mine get bone dry to 3" deep long before the meter says dry. I'm sticking to the meter though.

and my answer to your question is NO , first plants are very personal and are ment for you to make some mistakes and learn from them , i say stick with your plants , and water them only when they need watering not when you think they do , and add some epsom salt in your feed.

I added Epsom's a while back, and foliar fed the worst with it as well. Since I've decided to use the cal-mag and other nutrients I have instead when feeding, and I'm going to go with 1/4-1/2 strength on it for a while. I'm trying to get the Mg up.

The real problem is that the original soil in the 2 gal bag is not the same as the new added around it in the 5 gal pot. SO the outside dries much faster. The inner core however, it holds water waaay too long.

Know of a way to make the inner soil breathe better without trashing the roots?

what nutes are you using for them , i only just saw your grow now.

They are a local brew called Harvest Moon Organics. I have:

• Soil Nutrient (3-7-3), nutrient base
• Bioactive Supplement (1-5-1)
• Plant Growth Enhancer: humic acid, kelp extract, B1, citric acid
• Calcium and Magnesium
• Notrozyme: 10% kelp extract
• Yucca Extract
• Liquid Steamed Bone Meal (0-12-0), plus humic acid
• Amino Blast
• Biggest Bloom Tea (0-3-0), castings and seabird guano
• Liquid Lime pH Up
• Golden Amber pH down
• Bloom Power Foliar Spray
• Feather Tea (2-0-2)
• Carbon Sweet Love Bud

I also have some:

• Roots Organics Buddha Grow (2-0.5-1.5)
• Epsom Salts
• Bt-i
• Roots Organics Oregonism: mycorrhizae, and beneficial bacterias

I've been researching these nutrients, however, and I think that the overlap is excessive. There are times when you do want different formulations of the same thing, but some make no sense in combination. I'm working hard to develop a thorough understanding of nutrients. I just finished Marijuana Garden Saver (Stitch/Rosenthal), and have recently re-read several other books that have up-to-date nutritional information specific to cannabis.

I think some of it is getting through. I've started to make an informational chart I can print out poster-sized and tape up on the wall. I'll share when I am done. If you have suggestions for info that should be on a big quick-reference poster about cannabis nutrition, I would love to hear them. Hell, I'll print your nick in a 'kudos' section at the bottom if you want. Anyone.



and a doobie.

 

[Aberration]

Re: Aberration's Mixed-Strain *First Grow* - 2009

So, doing a little research on the proper pH for soil vs. hydroponics. I decided to do a survey:

Jorge Cervantes (Marijuana Horticulture: The Indoor/Outdoor Medical Grower's Bible) says soil should be 6.5-7.0, and hydro should be 5.8-6.8.

Rosenthal says soil should be 5.9-6.4, and hydro 6.1-6.3 in the Ask Ed book. His older Marijuana Grower's Handbook says 6.2-6.8 for soil. In Easy Marijuana Gardening he said 6.0-6.3.

SeeMoreBuds (Marijuana Buds For Less) says soil 5.9-6.5 and hydro 5.9-6.3, and he recommends 6.5 when in doubt (soil).

Robert Connell Clarke (Marijuana Botany) says 6.5-7.5, but he is basing it on neutral (7.0) as ideal and is obviously out of date.

Mel Thomas, in Cannabis Cultivation: A Complete Grower's Guide, says 6.5 for soil and 5.5 for hydro.

In Marijuana New School: Indoor Cultivation, Jeff Mowta says 5.5-6.5 for both.

Finally, Marijuana Garden Saver says 6.0-6.5 for both. It was written by J. C. Stitch and edited by Rosenthal.

There are three charts I found. Here is one of them. It is from the Cervantes book as far as I can tell:

There are two others I would link, but they are in someone else's forum and I gather linking to another site is a no-no here. Suffice it to say that the other two show 6.5 as right in their sweet spot for soil, and recommend 5.5 and 5.8 for hydro.

-----------------

I'm thinking that 6.5 is a good target number, but not to be exceeded. Does that sound like a good rule?

 

[Aberration]

Re: Aberration's Mixed-Strain *First Grow* - 2009

3/15/09 (yesterday)
-------------------

They were all dry today, so they all got something. Keeping with the pattern of alternating water with feeding, and adding beneficials every 2 weeks or so, they were handled in three sets:

They all got 1/2 gallon.

Set 1 (PS, SB, KK)
------------------

Per gallon:

• 1 t Epsom salts
• 1 t Bt-i
• 1 t Oregonism

pH 6.51 @ 22.7C


Set 2 (L)
---------

Water only

pH 6.46 @ 22.2C


Set 3 (MT, AG)
--------------

Per gallon:

• 2 t Soil Nutrient
• 3 t Feather Tea
• 1 t Calcium-Magnesium
• 4 t Notrazyme
• 2 t PGE
• 1 T Yucca
• 2 t Amino Blast

pH 6.54 @ 22.0C

I didn't take pictures because they look the same. I didn't have time to measure them either.

 

[flyfishinrock]

Re: Aberration's Mixed-Strain *First Grow* - 2009

Honestly I believe anywhere in the 6's for soil and anywhere in the 5's for hydro; I shoot for #.5 on both to give me some room for it to swing. It all depends on what your particular plant needs though, they will tell you if your low or high by the deficiencies that arise.

 

[Aberration]

Re: Aberration's Mixed-Strain *First Grow* - 2009

Honestly I believe anywhere in the 6's for soil and anywhere in the 5's for hydro; I shoot for #.5 on both to give me some room for it to swing. It all depends on what your particular plant needs though, they will tell you if your low or high by the deficiencies that arise.

That sounds good to me. I was just looking for a target number to use when I can't tell what the plant wants. Until I get better at reading the ladies I think I need such a number.

---

I measured their 'altitudes':

Strain	Height
-------------
PS	28"
MT	19"
SB	19.5"
KK	32"
L	17"
AG	17"

which brings them to:

Those lines are starting to really look sad. More vertical, please.

But the more I look, maybe I see recovery in the wings... take a gander at the first set of plateaus in the lines on that graph. At about Feb 5, the Kaia Kush suddenly hit a plateau. And then if you look below that, you see they all pretty much hit a plateau in that general time frame.

And then there is a second major set, where the KK went flat at about Mar 10 - the rest of them did it there too. Now compare the order of the plateaus then, to the order of the plateaus in the more recent set. Notice a pattern? Maybe it's chance, but I think not.

2/8 and 3/7 were the dates I used Azatrol foliar. So the biggest detriment to height is my spider mite control. There has to be something better. I have a shelf of books about cannabis and the entire intarweb to survey. I'll do some checking later maybe.

 

[Aberration]

Re: Aberration's Mixed-Strain *First Grow* - 2009

I was looking into Beauveria bassiana, but then I noticed it's a foliar. I'm trying to achieve control, or controls, that will work throughout bloom. I'll do what I have to, but I want a systemic or biologic control.

Anyone have any experience with predatory mites for spider mite control?