Closet grow - Single Feminized Bianca - 1st time grow

I

Iguana Man

Well-Known Member
Greetings. First time grow of a -single- feminized Bianca seed. Info and comments below.

Feminzed Bianca from Amsterdam seeds.
Indica 85% | Sativa 15%
1 single plant.
Single seed.
Indoor
Soil: Mix of Espoma Organic Potting Mix & Hortic Vermiculite
3 gallon pail with drain holes
Mars-Hydro300 and possibly a 75watt CFL
Mars-Hydro300 will be height adjustable from the floor to approximately 5 feet.
Closet is in a bedroom. Temp of home varies between 73-76 degrees.
Closet is 22 inches deep. 3.5 feet wide. 8 feet high.
No ventilation in closet - door can be left ajar or fully open instead.
Room closet is in has a forced air floor vent supplying freshly cooled air.
Room closet is in has a door that can be closed or open. If closed, the bottom of the door is vented.

Would like input on this setup please. Any obvious issues?

I'm wondering if the 22" depth is going to be a bit of a squeeze on this plant and if so, is that even a concern?

Just how strong of an odor will develop in this room the closet is in? I live alone but I do have visitors from time to time. Would some candles lit throughout the other rooms of the house help mask the odor?

Is the non-ventilation and issue? If so, how much?

My goal is to get an ounce or so from one plant. That would last me a LONG time as I only smoke a small bit at night for insomnia and muscle spasms. An ounce of this stuff would probably last me 6-9 months. :)

Okay then, have at it and thanks in advance!
 
Let me start by saying welcome to the party! This is the right place to ask this.

First I would start with the best way to get great results for a newb is to start a journal. Put all this good relevant info there and document the grow. Then when you have problems you can point people at it and say here on this post is when I saw something and now it looks like this.

Reading through a few journals will help you to just in general. So go to completed journals and look for someone growing similar to you and read how they did.

As to your list in order as listed...

I don't like the soil mix. It isn't bad but there is a lot better and easier methods to start with. Based on the mix you choose I must ask do you understand the difference between macro and micro nutrients, what they are used for and what the maro nutes are and what they are used for? This is important general plant growing info that is crucial to know before growing.

So for soil I recommend to beginners to start with a very different blend. #1 Vermiculite is good stuff and has its place just not in cannabis soil. It is not needed and there are better choices. I always have it on hand as it is a safe good way to deal with certain pests but I don't mix in the soil anymore after many years of experimenting with it. Instead I use perlite.

A good soil is made up of 3 parts: Aerration, Organic material, fertilizers and boosters. The ratio of these is what matters to get the plant to have the most vigor to grow fast and finish fast. The plant only grows as fast as its roots can grow.

The Organic material is there because fertilizers you add need to be absorbed into something otherwise they wash out the bottom. By having Organic mass in there the fertilizers get absorbed first there and slow release over time into the roots.

The third part is generally what comes in a bag of good soil. The other stuff is there too just the wrong ratio.

So there are 4 things to get to mix up.

#1 good potting soil ( I use Fox Farms Happy Frog but for no good reason). You want something that says Earth worm castings, Oyster shells, Ancient forest product or Humis, Mycos...The list goes on but if it has those 4 things then you will have some pro grade soil mix base.

#2 Perlite is found anywhere. (that is simple rocks and only aeration).

#3 Coco fiber (I have a large bag of the botanicare stuff only because it was the cheapest at the store).

#4 Composted Steer manure: This is technically fertilizer even though it looks like dirt. I get the Home Depot stuff for less than $3 a bag. This is both Organic material and fertilizers and will get you through Veg without needing to add anything if done correctly.

You mix those up to a ratio that is 1/3 perlite, 1/3 Steer Manure, 1/3 Potting Soil.

The Coco fiber can be used instead of some of the manure to make it less hot but 1/3 - 1/3 - 1/3 works great if you can handle a little tip burn.

The steer manure, if from fresh compost, will come alive with beneficial microorganisms which, if you keep alive through the grow, will enhance you yield and quality.

So for a beginner you may want to try 1/3 Perlite, 1/3 Potting Soil, 1/6 Manure, 1/6 Coco Fiber and then you may need a little fertilizer near the end of veg. Depends how long you grow for.


So Issue #2...3 gallon pail: I think that is small but you can grow small plants if you like. That works well for clones but seeds shoot off huge tap roots and need space or they become root bound. I would go 5 gallons for the seed plant and consider raising clones for a possible 3 gallon pot in the future.


Issue 3: Yes that is likely too hot of ambient to run cool in that space without ventilation but you will just have to see wont you.

Issue 4: tight spaces are more difficult when you are doing well. You need good air flow for a good plant. you must have a fan in there circulating air. In a small space it can get over crowded and then mold can grow causing what is called Bud Rot. You don't want the buds laying up against the walls although here and there by themselves isn't a big deal. You just don't want them stacked up next to each other transpiring on each other without airflow.

Odor will be a problem likely. You can buy a carbon filter and run it in the room the closet is in and clean all the air and it will be fine. Or leave the window open ;)

The ventilation may be an issue and I wold suspect it to be so.

Don't use an auto in such a small place. If you get good and grow a nice auto it will be too big for that space. You can't really control the size of an auto so since you need to control blooming time and start early you wont want an auto in there. I mean it will work fine but learn how to grow first. Autos are more difficult then regulars so not good for beginners.


Good Luck!

Start a journal
Journals in Progress
 
Thanks VilliageIdiot!

I've added the following to my Amazon Cart for the soil.

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I assume I can use the cowpot to start the seed and then move it to the 5gal pail as well as break up the others for the soil?

EDITED: The seeds I ordered are feminized, not auto feminized. :)
 
Iguana Man said:
Thanks VilliageIdiot!

I've added the following to my Amazon Cart for the soil.
Click to expand...

Yikes! You're paying $13.99 for two gallons of perlite? The last four cubic foot (29.92 gallons, or roughly 3¾ times the amount in the bag you're getting) bag of perlite I picked up at my local garden center cost me under $20. That was a few years ago, so the price will probably have gone up - but not that much!

The price you're paying for the Happy Frog soil seems more or less in line with what I saw last year (again, at a local gardening place) depending on what size bag it is. But the reported shipping amount to get it to me would easily purchase another bag of soil and a sandwich at a drive-thru on the way home.

You may wish to look around at your local greenhouses and gardening centers. You won't have to pay shipping and ought to find decent-sized bags of perlite, which will be significantly cheaper than buying those little ones. Perlite is inert and will not spoil, lol, so you can use it over the course of several years if you do not need it all at once.
 
Tortured Soul, thanks for the heads up. I have Prime so shipping is free. There's only one or two garden places around here and a Lowes but hopefully one of them will have what I want for less.
 
I hate those CowPots. I have seen plants not go through those. Crazy but true.

I use peat plugs like most good cannabis growers. We use either peat plugs or Rockwool. From both of those medium you can plant them into any other one directly hydro or soil or in between and for the most part have no issues with either of those.

I prefer Mad farmers Peat plugs but that is me.

That coco looks like the pressed brick stuff. You will what to fluff it out first.

Growing weed is easy man you will be fine.
 
So just to re-cap, I've got the Happy Frog soil, coarse perlite, coco and peat pellets ordered. I'm also going to see if I can get some horse crap but I may just go 1/3 on the soil, perlite and coco as suggested above. I'm also waiting on a mars-hydro300 as well as the feminized Bianca seeds from AMS.

I've got a power strip setup in the closet which I've lined with the dull side of aluminum foil. All that's left is the 5 gal pot with drainage holes and a saucer to go underneath it.

So while I wait, I'd like to make sure I've got some of the basics down concerning Temp, Humidity, Watering, Lighting height and Duration. If anyone is familiar with the specific needs of Bianca, by all means chime in. :)

TEMP:
-Seeds- 80F
-Veg- 70-80F with 70-75F being optimal during the day. 60-65F night.
-Flowering- Same as Veg.

HUMIDITY:
40-50% but last 2 weeks of flowering as low as possible.

WATERING:
-Seeds- Always moist. Once sprouted and planted in plug always moist except the very top which can dry out occasionally.
-Veg/Flowering- Use wooden skewer in pot. Pull out and water only if the top 2/3 of skewer feels dry. Give it a good drink.

LIGHTING:
-Seeds- 24/7 until ???? Lamp Height ????
-Veg- 18/6 Lamp Height 18-24"
-Flowering- 12/12 Lamp Height ????

I hope that sounds about right, but I could use a little help on the question marks under LIGHTING above. I'll ask about pruning and nutrients later once I get this part squared away in my head. :)

Thanks in advance!
 
This chart is for a hydro grow so the pH should be ignored but the rest is relevant. This is a fast cycle if you look at the weeks.


CCH2O-Recommendations-Graph-1024x743.jpg



Basically don't let the humidity go below 40% preferably above 50% in veg. Bellow 40% and the growth slows. If you can get it warm and moist they grow fast. But in late bloom you want it drier and cool at night. Remember you are simulating the outdoors.
 
Thank you sir! EC = ?? I searched for a Glossary of Terms here to no avail. :( I may have a problem after further review. The humidity range early on may be tough to attain but I suppose I could leave the main door to the room closed (closet door ajar) and almost close off the floor vent which supplies the a/c. I guess I'll find out. The big problem though is the night time temp. There is no way I'll get that room that cool (below 70F) since my house thermostat is set to 72 at the lowest. And I'm not going to spring for a window a/c unit so . . . just how worried should I be about this?
 
EC is the actually way PPM is measured. That is measuring the Electrical Conductivity of the water. That is measuring the total concentration of dissolved ions. It is how you measure the amount of fertilizer you are using in the water. The trend is relevant to you but not the value so much. PPM is a calculated value derived from EC.

The chart is for ideal best operating conditions and yes a lot of it is hard to achieve. That is why I said just don't let it drop below 40% humidity until late bloom.

Not hitting those numbers is not a big deal. Just means you could have likely gotten "more" out of your plant, That could mean harvest sooner or more potent... whatever "more" means.

Hitting those numbers is more betterer.

RH below 40 and the plant really slows. Temps over 90 starts to become very problematic.
 
How about it, Iguana Man, would you like one of us to ask a staff member to move this to the active journal area?
 

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