Buds Buddy's 1st Grow Journal

[Buds Buddy]

Just food for thought, but these monetary considerations, ie, cost per ounce, were the main reason that I went to a reusable organic soil model. Outside of the electricity costs for my now super efficient COB lights (that I will run at 90w total in early veg) I have no real expenses for this current grow. I do not use nutes, but I will buy my water at the grocery store at .89c per gallon. It is all about how to be a miser for me, or why would I do this if it would be cheaper and easier to just go to the dispensary and pay their prices?
Also, a well managed soil grow can give you oftentimes throughout the grow, 2-3 days in a row where you really don't need to do anything with the plants except watch them grow. This is why coco and many of the other hands on every day methods just wont work for me... I have a life and many times I need to jet out for a day or two during a grow.
Kudos on being patient and waiting for your plants to get done... despite them taking their time about it. You are a talented grower, and I look forward to you coming back when circumstances sort themselves.

I was thinking about buying these lights to put in a 5' x 5' tent. Take a look at them & tell me what you think. I'm not up to date on this type of lighting. What Kelvin Temp do you use with these ?
https://www.ledgrowlightsdepot.com/products/rapid-led-cxb3590-5-x-5-led-grow-light-kit?_vs

 

[Emilya Green]

I was thinking about buying these lights to put in a 5' x 5' tent. Take a look at them & tell me what you think. I'm not up to date on this type of lighting. What Kelvin Temp do you use with these ?
https://www.ledgrowlightsdepot.com/products/rapid-led-cxb3590-5-x-5-led-grow-light-kit?_vs

Those are the lights that I built... same COBS as that one, 3000k CRI 90... I have 6 cobs for a 2x4 area which will allow me to get maximum usable PAR with around 90w of power out of the wall during veg and around 500w total during the peak of bloom.

 

[Buds Buddy]

Are they working out for you ?

 

[Emilya Green]

Are they working out for you ?

I basically built a smaller 2x4 version of the super COB light that @fanleaf built and described several months back. I have not used them yet in an actual grow, however I assembled them at the end of my last grow and ran some extensive lighting tests with them and know that they can actually put out too much light to grow cannabis with. I am very confident that they will do exactly what I built them for. I did a lot of research before buying these, and even experimented with cheaper LED's in my last grow just so I could understand what I was getting a little bit better. By the middle of that run, I knew that I wanted these full spectrum 3000k lights, although in future runs I am going to add 2 5000k COBS to the array to balance out the light spectrum even more.

LUX, Wattage & Distance Analysis: 6x CREE CXB3590 Array

This is a graph that I compiled tonight based on extensive measurements of my new COB array. I have tested the LUX hitting the table at 30", 24" 18" and 12" and I have tested it at 10w intervals from 15-245w per side, which equates to 5-81w per COB chip. The colored sections of the chart show...

www.420magazine.com

 

[Old Salt]

Just food for thought, but these monetary considerations, ie, cost per ounce, were the main reason that I went to a reusable organic soil model. Outside of the electricity costs for my now super efficient COB lights (that I will run at 90w total in early veg) I have no real expenses for this current grow. I do not use nutes, but I will buy my water at the grocery store at .89c per gallon. It is all about how to be a miser for me, or why would I do this if it would be cheaper and easier to just go to the dispensary and pay their prices?
Also, a well managed soil grow can give you oftentimes throughout the grow, 2-3 days in a row where you really don't need to do anything with the plants except watch them grow. This is why coco and many of the other hands on every day methods just wont work for me... I have a life and many times I need to jet out for a day or two during a grow.
Kudos on being patient and waiting for your plants to get done... despite them taking their time about it. You are a talented grower, and I look forward to you coming back when circumstances sort themselves.

I took a different route than Emilya, for exactly the same reasons. I went with:

• a re-useable coco/perlite substrate
• General Hydroponics' Nutrients and Supplements as I think they were the first in the business;
• water from my RO for less than 2c/gal; and
• a dimmable LED light.

These choices made it easy to get help when I needed it.

My first few grows I got caught, as Emilya mentioned. I was locked at home with daily tasks, and couldn't leave my grow for more than 24hrs. I fixed this during my last grow with an automatic watering system for a one time cost of about $40 CAD to put together. An 18l (4.75 US gal) pail lasts 4 to 4-1/2 days, so I can get out of the house. It really proved its worth when I had overnight stays in a town 2 hrs away while my wife was hospitalized.

I certainly don't knock soil growers. Many claim the taste of living organic soil grown cannabis is much better than that grown with chemical nutrients like I do. I wouldn't know, as I don't smoke or vape it. Mine goes into the rosin press, is mixed with an edible oil, and then encapsulated.

You have several highly experienced growers subscribed to this thread, who only want to see you succeed. Take the time left in this grow to look around at other growing methods. You may find something that works better for you.

 

[Old Salt]

I was thinking about buying these lights to put in a 5' x 5' tent. Take a look at them & tell me what you think. I'm not up to date on this type of lighting. What Kelvin Temp do you use with these ?
https://www.ledgrowlightsdepot.com/products/rapid-led-cxb3590-5-x-5-led-grow-light-kit?_vs

They are good lights, but before you buy anything do a layout of your tent. Does the whole tent need to be lit up, or will you have areas in it to care for your plants, or for other equipment? Are you going to to have different strains with varying heights in your tent, or plants at different stages of growth? These decisions will help you decide on a light that will work best for you.

I also built my own COB based light. It's been in use for almost three weeks, and seems to be working out well. I can't do a full test on it until my next grow. I owe Mars Hydro a report on the TSL-2000 my wife won.

Something I'll mention is that it's well worth the effort to put your lights into independently controllable banks. You want to be able to power the lights, adjust the intensity, and height separately for each bank. I should have made fixtures for each 2' X 2' area of my 2' X 4' tent. Seedlings and plants in early veg don't take up the entire tent. Lowering the fixture, and its intensity will give you the coverage and light needed. The light you linked has three 1 COB X 4 COB arrays. Will that work for you, or will another arrangement be better. The good thing about those lights is you can get parts from Rapid LED to re-arrange things if you don't get it right the first time.

 

[Buds Buddy]

I'm actually thinking of selling off this set up. Buying that light set up but with a dimmer on each light & a 5'x 5' Gorilla Tent with my 4 XL Auto Pots, 1 Humidifier, 1-6" fan & Filter & 2 Monkey Fans. I'm going to have to down size because I'll be moving to (not sure yet). But I'm not keeping the house. Wife says I can keep it as long as I want as long as she gets 1/2 the money when I sell it. Yeah, Right ! I pay for the next 5 years & she gets 1/2 ... Don't think so. House goes up for sale in Sept. & I'm looking for a Manufactured Home on Land so I can get one of those Sheds that look like small houses & make a real Grow Room.
Anyway, due to the circumstances I gave my 2 Photo's away to a friend yesterday. Hated to do it because I can't get another Widow's Breath Seed. The guy who bred them went back to Cali. Sure wanted to see what Angel Breath x White Widow was like. He will have to give me a few buds !!!
Auto's are all doing fine. They drink too much ... LOL. I'm up to a gallon every feeding on 3 of them & 3/4 of a gallon on 2 & the Critical I'm only giving 3 - 12 oz. Cups because it seems a little over watered. Leaves were drooping & clawing a little a few days ago so I decreased the nute strength & started feeding less at a time & it seems to be straightening out & looking better. That plant hasn't done too well from the start.
AK 47 Has lots of Flowers & coming along nicely. N.L. just keeps growing & growing. I think the Energizer Bunny is in there.
This Weekend I'll have to put my lights all the way to the tent ceiling so I can spread these plants out some & put the ViparSpectra Light in the Center. This is why I want to go to the other lights. The whole tent will be lit no matter where I put things. I'm sure my current lights would be fine in a 5' x 5' also.

 

[Old Salt]

Can you get a few cutting from the Widow's Breath, or get her back after the harvest and re-veg her?

 

[Buds Buddy]

It will probably be 3 - 4 months before I'm up & running again. Takes a little while to find a place & close on it. Until then I'll probably be stuck in a weekly rental as I have no family or friends here in AZ. Wife chased all my friends off years ago.
I have 2 fellow growers I associate with; but that's it. I don't think clones would do me any good since I probably wont get situated fast enough.
I got to start getting all my stuff packed & in the garage this weekend so I can see how big of a storage to get. I hate packing. Also have to give away a bunch of the furniture so I don't have to move it. Going to get hectic the next couple weeks trying to find time to get it all done.
Anyways, I'll post new pics this weekend.

 

[Buds Buddy]

Today is Day 49 (7-Weeks Old Today). Pics were taken yesterday. I'll post these pics but probably wont post again til they're done. This journal isn't active enough for me.

 

[Buds Buddy]

 

[Buds Buddy]

 

[Old Salt]

It's not about having an active journal. This journal will be a future reference for you, and others who are growing the same way. It will remind you of how these strains grow, if you decide to re-grow them in the future.

 

[Buds Buddy]

That's just it. I'm not doing this for me at all. I keep notes in my binder & pics on my computer for me. I did this for others & expected more participation. All I really get is Likes. It's like having a conversation with a mime. It's just not worth the extra time & effort I have to put into it.

 

[Old Salt]

If you want to go with feedback, and comments by others, you are getting far more than I am. This journal was started June 14th, or five weeks ago. You have 13 pages of your notes and feedback. I started mine on April 5th or 15 weeks ago, and have 11 pages of notes and feedback. In other words yours is growing at more than three times the rate mine is.

There are very few journals that are growing faster than yours. Those are for the folks that need a lot more help, or those long time members doing something different from the norm.

There are more than 100 journals that I keep an eye on. I normally leave a 'like' to show that I have taken a look, and not seen anything jump out at me screaming that attention is needed. How long do you think it would take to leave a comment on all those journals every time their creator posted?

Your grow seems to be progressing well. You are doing what's needed, when it's needed. You have provided some excellent advice in solving problems. Some folks are facing problem after problem with their grows, and need a lot of attention to get them through to harvest.

If you run into trouble, this journal will really help those of us following along to give you meaningful advice. This journal also gives you credibility when you help out another member. It's up to you whether you abandon it, or finish it off.

 

[Smokiemcpot19]

I agree with old salt finish it off bro you've come this far already! Your plants are 2x the size of mine!! I should of been watering atleast 2x a day till run off I just don't have time in the day to be able to unfortunately
I'll be going to pro mix hp next grow with mega crop for ease

Your ladies look great man I'm hoping my Ak looks like yours In the next 2-3 weeks

 

[Buds Buddy]

OK, I'm going to try to finish this journal but not sure how far I'll get due to packing & moving. Today is Day 53 & most of the ladies are doing just fine. Everything is in the Flowering Stage & the AK 47 is in the lead. 5 out of 6 are being fed 1 gallon each every feeding now. I'm still using Week 7 Nutes as I don't think they're ready for the next step yet. I'll keep them on week 7 for another 7 - 10 days. After that I'll quit using the Big Bud & start using Over Drive instead.
I'm getting tempted to try Mega Crop on a grow because of everyone saying how great it is.
Anyways, I'll do a better update on my girls on the weekend.
Today I'm here to get your opinions on this Critical 2.0. It's been a little bit of a problem from the start. She came out twisted & grew weird & now .... heck if I know.
I took several pics & as you can see the plant is about 12" tall. She's full of tiny ass little (Smaller than popcorn) buds & they are getting orange hairs & crystal coated.
Anyways pH going in is 6.2 & coming out it's 5.6. I know pH drops during Flower but am I in the norm ?
ppm going in is 783 & coming out it's 1054. Now this sounds like a problem to me but I'm no expert so I'll ask before I do anything. @Barney86 , @Old Salt , @Emilya your opinions are much appreciated & always helpful.
Right now I'm thinking it needed to be flushed with just Cal Mag Water til I got the pH to come out the same & bring the ppm down some also. But logic doesn't always work for me because I've been told before I shouldn't have done what I did. So should I do anything ? I think it's probably too late at this point & should just let her grow & see what happens.
Thoughts .... ?

 

[Emilya Green]

She is looking good, healthy and strong with no deficiencies showing. You apparently are doing everything right, and that 6.2pH is working great for you. Don't let your runoff pH concern you... that reading is meaningless unless you are in coco. In soil, testing runoff pH and then trying to adjust to it somehow has ruined many a grow. Just keep doing 6.2 for every fluid going in and you will be perfect.
If you wish to do a flush, do a real flush at 3x the container size, and then go right back to water/nutes/water/nutes for the rest of the grow. By all means hit her hard with the overdrive and the mega crop too... thats what those products are for. Just please stop thinking that that runoff pH has any meaning... you start reacting to that arbitrary number and this is going to quickly go south on you.
Arbitrary you say? Think of a coffee percolator. The more water you run through the grounds, the weaker the coffee becomes. The same happens with the runoff as it drags salts and debris from the soil with it. At what point, 10%, 20% or more, is the dilution the correct one that has any possible meaning as to the pH up above? None of them. PH up top in the container doesn't work like that. Your pH is not just one number, the pH is different depending on what part of the container you check it at, and how much of the 6.2pH water is still influencing that area, or if the soil has dried out and gone back to its base pH of 6.8. Again... just water at 6.2-6.3 pH, and the soil will do its thing and drift you through the range that you need to be in.
Good luck with your move. I hope it goes as smoothly as possible!

 

[Buds Buddy]

She is looking good, healthy and strong with no deficiencies showing. You apparently are doing everything right, and that 6.2pH is working great for you. Don't let your runoff pH concern you... that reading is meaningless unless you are in coco. In soil, testing runoff pH and then trying to adjust to it somehow has ruined many a grow. Just keep doing 6.2 for every fluid going in and you will be perfect.
If you wish to do a flush, do a real flush at 3x the container size, and then go right back to water/nutes/water/nutes for the rest of the grow. By all means hit her hard with the overdrive and the mega crop too... thats what those products are for. Just please stop thinking that that runoff pH has any meaning... you start reacting to that arbitrary number and this is going to quickly go south on you.
Arbitrary you say? Think of a coffee percolator. The more water you run through the grounds, the weaker the coffee becomes. The same happens with the runoff as it drags salts and debris from the soil with it. At what point, 10%, 20% or more, is the dilution the correct one that has any possible meaning as to the pH up above? None of them. PH up top in the container doesn't work like that. Your pH is not just one number, the pH is different depending on what part of the container you check it at, and how much of the 6.2pH water is still influencing that area, or if the soil has dried out and gone back to its base pH of 6.8. Again... just water at 6.2-6.3 pH, and the soil will do its thing and drift you through the range that you need to be in.
Good luck with your move. I hope it goes as smoothly as possible!

I am in 70% Coco & 30% Perlite. I read Barney's How to Feed in Coco thread & that's why I think things aren't quite right.
According to it you pH lower like 5.7 - 5.9 for instance during Veg. & pH higher around 6.3 -6.4 during Flower. I was feeding at 5.8 pH every time until I read that post yesterday.
The buds are just a little bigger than a pea & turning orange already. Looks like 1 - 2 weeks till she's done. Be lucky to get anything worth while off her from what I see & comparing her to the other 5 which are 4 - 8 times her size. The N.L. is a good 4' tall & 3' in diameter... it's the biggest.
With a soil grow I know you are right on target with your advice as I did 5 soil grows with the help of you & Weezard.
Sure miss talking with him. Wish we could get him off ICMag & over here. Maybe you could influence him to join us.

 

[Emilya Green]

I miss old wizard too and I wish he would come here. Yep, you fooled me with that 6.2 and I was thinking soil. I am curious how this pH change to the soil range will work and I know that we've been advised that that does work in Coco yet I still remain a little skeptical.