Chronicles of a Potchimp

Day 1 : (from seed) 1 Afghani (feminized), 1 Skunk x Ruderalis (regular).

Used paper towel germination method for both seeds w/ homemade seed germinator pad (heating pad with multiple layers of cloth to prevent overheating). Managed to keep it around 75 - 85 degrees (couldn't get precise control, but worked well).

Day 2 : Both seeds open approximately 18-24 hrs from start. (from seed) 1 - Jack La Mota (feminized), 1 TNT Kush (feminized). Same germination method as above.

Day 3 : Jack La Mota open, Afghani and Skunk x Ruderalis with 1'4" tail, TNT Kush - no visible change. Afghani and Skunk x Ruderalis put into rockwool cubes (Superlocker cloning chamber w/ CFL T5 bulb - 24 hr. light cycle).

Day 4 : TNT Kush open, Jack La Mota with 1/4" tail (placed into rockwool cube and put in chamber), Afghani and Skunk x Ruderalis approximately 3/8" out of rockwool w/cotylendons.

Day 5 : TNT Kush has 3/8" tail (placed into rockwool cube and put in chamber). Jack La Mota 1/2" out of rockwool w/cotylendons.
 
Re: Chronicles of a potchimp.

Day 6 : All seedlings have the first row of leaves (standing about 1" tall; moved the light closer to avoid stretch) except the TNT Kush, which had the late start (thick tail on the seed; so I doubt it's going to be lagging behind for too long). It had a little trouble getting out of the rockwool cube, so I had to break the cube slightly to expose the cotylendon/seed husk. By the end of the day, it was about 1/4" out of the rockwool.

By the way, I'm using the 24 watt Sun Blaze T5 that came with the overpriced Superlocker for the seedlings. It is set up about 1 - 2" above the tops of the young plants. When they are worth looking at, I will get on the thread about how to post pics so everyone can see (except for the Skunk x Ruderalis, which I am putting into the flowering stage 2 weeks from seed to determine sex). I'm going to try some experimentation with tissue culture in the future; those should be some good pics, too.

:peace: out, people.....
 
Day 7 : All seedlings rose to 1" and went into that dormant, no-growth-put-out-roots stage, so there isn't anything new to post there, except the tap roots are going below the rockwool cube about 1" (the free TNT Kush seed is still struggling; hence the "free", I guess). I have a lux meter coming, too (I think this 24 watt bulb may be electroswag.....).
I'm going to get a camera this week to post pics.
Added note : Using distilled water for neutral ph through entire process so far. May need to add highly diluted nutrient solution (no nutrients in distilled water). I'll read up on using sugar at this stage to see if it will do the trick.
 
Day 6 Still : The water is reading 6.0 ph by the test kit. I just added a product called "Sugar Daddy" to the seedling water (15 ml/1-1/2 gallons) and it still reads 6.0 ph with TDS at 112 ppm. Thanks for the info, though; I'll not just take the ph for granted from now on. I'll post pics of these slightly stretched out specimens soon (Cheesy 24w Sun Blaze CFL; GRRR!!!!!).

Lesson # 1 : Increase reflectivity in the cloning chamber of the Superlocker (a.k.a. SuperRipoff) with Mylar, and increase lux (I'll find out how much with the light meter I have ordered).

:peace: out.....
 
Yeah. Pricey and needs tweeked, but convenient. Time is something I have little of, so I'm stuck with paying the price sometimes.

Week 1 (from back to front) :

-Afghani, Stunted TNT Kush, Ruderalis x Skunk, Jack La Mota.

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Yes, it's a 24 watt Sun Blaze T5 CFL (came with the purchased unit). I'll be putting together a 2-bulb, 23w Westinghouse Full Spectrum fixture with a reflector tomorrow. I also have some reflective Mylar ordered to fix the problem in the cloning/seedling chamber (pictured above), and the vegetative chamber below (2.5 sq. ft. x approx. 2.5' working height, using a 90w LED growth spectrum light). I'll move them to a 5 sq. ft. tent x approx. 4' working height and a 150w HPS for flowering (not sure what lights to supplement the tent with in order to make up for the extra 100w I'm lacking).
Inadequate start for THESE specimens, huh? Maybe I can salvage this disaster if I act quickly enough.....

The PotChimp
 
No, I don't think it's a disaster. Far from it. I would however, stick a couple more CFL's (compact fluoros) in there so that they don't stretch. I can't believe how much they charge for this setup. I think you'll do great if you just give them a little bit more light so I think your plan of putting another fixture in there is perfect.
 
Day 11 : All specimens are starting the vegetative stage, stunted from the angled T5 Sunblaze CFL (changed light schedule to 18/6 and put 2 23w cool white sunlight bulbs in place of the T5 reading. Readings are at 4900 lux, 77.9 degrees and 64% humidity. Water/Sugar Daddy solution still reading about 6.0 ph; turned on the bubbler yesterday). I'm not expecting much at this root growth stage, but hopefully they will pull out. I have a 50w full spectrum LED ordered for the bottom chamber; when they hit good vegetative growth (IF they do!) I will place them in it on the yo-yo system. No major change to photograph. I'll be planting 4 more seeds 1 month after the first seedlings opened. I'm thinking White Widow (feminized), Skunk #1 (feminized), Jack Herer (regular; couldn't get feminized) and maybe a plant I can't say on here (feminized) because the 3 letters in the name are taboo on this site. :)

Discussion: The Superlocker has way too many flaws. The cubic space makes it hard to work with, and leaves a bad light pattern to cover. The inside top surface is black (Wha....?), and the entire cloning area is about 30% unreflective black. I have a feeling these 4 specimens are going to be affected for life by the bad start.
 
Everybody calls that strain Mazar Skunk or Lucy. Whichever one you will use, everyone will know what you're talking about.

I've never used the Superlocker myself but I read about it. It seems way overpriced for what you get (no offense). They should have at least painted it white inside, not black.
 
Thanks for the inside tip on the strain lingo. I'll probably only post once a week on this journal from now on to keep it from getting too longwinded. No insult taken here on the Superlocker, even though I deserve one. It's horribly overpriced, but I can use it for seedlings and vegetative stages to keep it from being a complete waste of money. All in all, the potchimp gives it a big -
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:peace: out.....
 
These plants are in the primary growth stage and are not much to look at. Once they hit the secondary stage of growth and start looking like plants, I will post more pics. The TNT Kush with the late start is wilted. I'm going by the book with all the conditions (the lux, humidity, temperature, ph levels, and total dissolved solids are all within range), but there could be something I'm overlooking. Then again, when Jack traded those magic beans for his cow, there was no guarantee that every one of them was going to grow into a beanstalk, huh? Maybe I'm just being impatient, but it looks like that giant could have kept sleeping and not had to go through the whole "Fee-fi-fo-fum" ordeal if I planted those seeds.....

:sleep:
 
Well, this journal comes to an end (for now). There were too many problems to overcome as I went along. By the time I ordered the additional light for the Superlocker, the seedlings were in bad shape. Amazingly, they're not dead. I put them outside under a bush to give them one last fighting chance. Ol' Sol hasn't done me wrong yet. Everything I've ever planted outside needed to be jerked out of the ground to kill it. All in all, I never would have thought I could find something positive in this, but I learned a lot for a mistake making potchimp. I'll save the hydroponics supplies for cloning later, but I've got to get my knuckles off the ground first. Got me some seed starter soil, peat pots, a seedling box set up (2 Sunblaze lamps put out enough lux for the seedling stage), and some healthy looking seeds (Mazar x White Rhino-fem, 1024-fem, Jack Herer-reg, and the infamous Mazar Skunk-fem, boy howdy!). Only the Mazar Skunk seed looks weak, but as an experiment, I want to see if size matters :slide: (rim shot, please).

Discussion: I would suggest to anyone to have your grow room/closet set up beforehand. I do not recommend the Superlocker. I am a novice, and do not recommend starting out seeds in rockwool as a novice. I thought the half-size and slightly odd shaped seeds I bought had something to do with being feminized, but a later purchase made me realize that wasn't the case. Keep it simple at first.

Stay tuned for the "Evolution of Potchimp" coming soon to a thread near you.....
 
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