Cottage420's Pepetual Grow - 2nd Grow in Progress Organic Soil Indoor

[bobrown14]

Hey kids - First grow journal here so be kind to a newbie!

Backround on first grow:

seeds - got lucky a bag of weed (good to great) Cali Sens. had a few seeds in a oz bag - looked like the plant that the seeds came from went hermie and garnered me a few seeds. Wife plants them unknown to me. 2 weeks later I was scrambling to get my gear set up... grow went pretty well. The Plants I grew were 2 different strains, one strain tallish and seems to be a hybrid sativa/indica probably 50/50 or close anyways. The 2nd strain looks like mostly sativa, short n fat very bushy. Pics are coming, you'll get the idea. Ok so it's been a month since harvest and I've dried (1 week hanging in my grow tent by stalks), then into glass jars for curing. The taste is soooo smoooth, organic grow rocks, also the high is probably the best and strongest I've ever smoked and that's 40 years worth and I'm picky about what I smoke too. Suffice to say I'm completely self sustaining at this point. The high is very medicinal head high, as it cures more and more the high is longer lasting where in the early stages I could smoke in the evening and be totally clear headed in the am and go to work. Now the high is lasting much longer and I can sometimes feel a little cloudy in the am for an hour or 2.

These are clippings from my first grow that I took the day of harvest. Snipped off a few small branches put a few in RO water, said a prayer and hopped for the best, the others I just planted them in amended soil, again hoping for the best.

Well we got lucky - I started with 10 clones, culled that down to 5 that were looking good.

So here's my rundown for my grow:

Seeds - Bag seed clones from last grow

Soil - Organic - Roots Organic - big green bag - I mix in 3 cups of organic worm castings to the mix then pot the plants.

Water - reverse osmosis filter

Indoor grow - 48x48x86 grow tent

Lighting - 600w MH grow lamp for Veg and 600w HPS for flower

Right now running 24/0 MH all day all night.

Ventilation - I have a cool tube setup with an external fan with a big charcoal filter - vents into the room the tent is in - I open the tent during the day and run a fan and at night close the tent up - to hide from prying eyes in the neighbor hood. When flowering the tent mostly stays shut do to the need to keep the aroma down in the house.

soil PH is 6.5
water I adjust up to ~6.5 with Earth Juice natural PH-up and cal mag+ organic

I'm in week 4 of this grow

Just started feeding yesterday - Earth Juice Grow/Meta-k/Microblast/cal mag+
Just pretty much did 1/2 recommended feeding for now
I will start feeding them at this point once a week or every 3rd watering.

I'm in clay pots right now and getting close to needing to re-pot a few of the ladies.

In my first grow - I had 2 plants one of each strain - both plants once in flowering started eating shade leaves. Made me extremely nervous, I thought my plants were sick and after 2 1/2 months of work they were going to die on me. I just let them run their course, almost every shade leaf dried up all the way up to harvest day. In the end I was happy with the result and learned a tremendous amount of knowledge about growing cannabis organically. So I should get even better results this time around.

Here's so pics of what I've got going on:

notice the yellow leaf there - this happened all the way thru the first grow - I could not stop the progression.
It's already started only on one plant so far - this one needs to be transplanted that may help she's hungry!

Below is part of the harvest - nice an snowy buds there about 3 weeks after harvest - trichomes were cloudy and about 10% were amber - Pistols were 50% white/orange

 

[bobrown14]

Still in 24/0 veg. day 45. Notice a few yellowing leaves. This happened first grow which got me all in a panic, I think this strain just like to eat shade leaves a little at a time.

 

[bobrown14]

Here's some pics - day 47 after cutting clones. Some took off right away a few took longer, the runt is taking off now and it's time to transplant them all to 1.5L pots. I'll be keeping these in 24/0 for at least another month.

Just started full feeding schedule - Earth Juice Grow/Meta-k/Microblast/cal mag+ for all the girls. They were starting to eat up some of the lower older shade leaves. This happened all thru the first grow. I took a few pics of the leaves that were yellowing. I did the full feeding and pruned the lower leaves. I could probably just leave them be but hey whatever... any suggestion on the lower leaves and something I could do to keep them from yellowing I'd be much appreciative on that.

 

[bobrown14]

I figured out my problem. The pots are all root bound big time. When I transplanted the tall one today the roots were wrapped around the pot X2, I think I could hear a faint "Ring around the Rosie pocket full of Budzies". I transplanted all but 2. The other 2 I will transplant tomorrow. I'm going to move my grow room back to the 3rd floor. 2 days ago we had a little breaking and entering happen in the middle of the night - took my cell phone with pics of our girls not to mention the faint smell of herb in the house. Not good I'm thinking they may be back for more... So moving them higher up. I wish personal grow was legal here. I was in the "guns and weed don't mix" camp (felony land in jail); but personal safety comes first. MY wife is all freaked out shes getting paranoid .... we do have a mean "looking" dog so we are safe as long as we don't leave for extended time frame.

Cheers

 

[J189RFC]

Front row center eh? Excellent!

I can't find the nice infograph I was looking for but here Plant Abuse Chart this pretty much sums up all problems with nutes.

Wow sorry about the break in. Personally I would consider this grow compromised. Especially if it's not in a safe state. Really sorry. They look so good! If you are in a state which has a good season (ie you dont get snow or freezing. Might want to put them in a safe outdoor spot away from the home. Safety first right? This may not prevent a home invasion but at least it will keep you out of jail.

Just me though and I am one paranoid guy sometimes!

 

[bobrown14]

I hear ya - I live in a "place" where the only "officials" that would be breaking down my door are Feds - local police are not worried about cannabis and are in a "stand down" on pot related arrests. Lots and lots (+80%) of people where we live are for decriminalization which means me growing will "eventually" be legal. I'm not too worried about getting arrested but I'm more concerned with someone coming back or someones friends coming back to find my stash. Kinda reminds me of the prohibition on alcohol, I have to build me a false wall and put my grow room behind it. That is in the works. Not growing is not an option.

Cheers

 

[J189RFC]

It's so strange to think about the change in times over the last 10 years. It really is astounding. People on the old OG forums had that kind of thing happen it was straigh tear down, roaring bon fire, burn everything, ship the equipment away, clean out the house of everything, scrub the walls, take the trash to the landfill.

Now there are old people chatting in the doctors office and giggling about "that plant they have in the yard" I am so happy that things are progressing I just sometimes have a hard time believing or envisioning it, ya know?

I love the hidden wall idea. I had considered putting a rolling bookcase in, or a sliding one. Whats classier than a hidden room behind a bookshelf right?

 

[bobrown14]

Well moved my grow tent back up to the 3rd floor and transplanted all the girls into some new pots. Wow there were way root bound. I'm still getting yellowing with spots of the leaves - hopefully a larger container will help but I think since this was going on the first grow it has to be the soil I'm using or I need to get the nutes going before I feed them. I'm trying that now, I've got the organic nutes going in a container and the PH went WAY up over night without any amendments. So probably need to do that from now on. Before I was just adding nutes to RO water and adding PH up to get me 6.5 but testing run off after re-potting and the run off was WAY low at ~5.3 I tested the same runoff today (still in the tray) and it was back up to 6.1. I'm going to try letting the nutes get going prior to feeding and I guess it's time to get an air stone and an air pump and make me some tea!
Here's my new set up - 3rd floor - it was 85 degrees in the grow room today, humidity 45% - it was like going back into summer time when I opened the door and walked in. During the day I leave the doors open, at night close them mostly and leave a small triangle at the bottom open so I can still get some air in there with the fan to get the stalks nice and thick to hold up those B.A.B. (big ass buds) that are in the future! Yeah buddy. Last harvest those big colas were 12x4" and I got a bunch!
I'm gonna keep this strain going, it will look like AK47 when it starts to flower.
More eye candy - day 50 in 24/0 veg - yesterday was transplant day.

 

[bobrown14]

More eye candy - our girls (the big ones) are crying for me to turn the lights out. My house is stinky and I've got a filter scrubber running room all closed off and on the 3rd floor. The room is like a nice warm humid danky dank beautiful smell. Plants are WAY more healthy looking now that they have larger pots to stretch out in. We transplanted them all about 5 days ago and they have totally perked way up no more yellowing leaves and I'm feeding them every other watering with Earth Juice organic nutes. We're at day 57 here in 24/0 grow with 600w MH cool tube. These girls will take off once I turn the lights down to 12/12 but I want the little runts to catch up some more. They are doing that. I will probably switch when the tallest plant gets +20", it won't be long now.
Here's some pics - if you look at the previous pics and compare, I'm getting somewhere .....I think the big girls are getting horny, they smell A LOT and they are in VEG 57 days. It's looking like a new years harvest or very close. I'm getting close to pull the trigger on 12/12.. I can hold out... I can hold out...

Cheers,
BB

Here you can see 2 different strains - see the tall one in the back left and the smaller spindly one front center - they are different than the thicker bushier ones - last grow the thicker bushy plant final smoke is stronger and more psychedelic than the taller thinner plants but the thinner plant ended up with more yield probably 2X yield.

 

[bobrown14]

Day 62 with pics

Okay - getting ready to flip the switch to flower - have my organic nutes growing in a bucket. The ladys are looking good and everybody is very healthy. I've just transplanted the big girl in the back left and will be transplanting the other large girl on the right tomorrow. So all the plants have been transplanted in the last week. The runt in the middle is catching up but I'm going to go to flip to flower soon so I' not sure what I'm going to do with her. It's looking more and more like I'm going to build another grow room all proper and all in the other side of the attic. I'll make it a stealth room - most likely it will be the grow room and use the tent for veg. Anywho... here's my girls! Grow babies grow...

Buffalo Loam used for a topping on all the girls - feeding the nutes and the girls

Day 66 - tall girls are around 28" dirt to top

Right here is the start of the SEA OF GREEN - pretty soon nothing but frosty buds! They are crying to flower at 66 days - gonna flip the switch probably tomorrow. Gotta get the new HPS bulb out. Gonna be a white white Christmas...

 

[bobrown14]

First day of flower

Lights go to 12/12 tonight - it's the hunters moon this am was a lunar eclipse. I believe in lunar cycles and the effect on plant growth cycles so I thought it would be a great time to go into flower. I have a flower tea brewing since yesterday and will feed at first light in the am. The ladies are smelling up out home even tho they are locked away in the closet with an air scrubber on 24/7. Compared to the first grow these clones are much healthier looking and more bushy than last grow. I've been very diligent with correct Ph both in and out. I'm still getting a few dying fan leaves but the majority of them are small ones way down low on the largest plants. To be expected. I'm going to need more room this grow. Not sure what I'm going to do about it. Going to build a stealth room most likely but not this weekend.

Been feeding the ladies pretty much every other watering - earth juice nutes grow with a 1/2 flower mixed in top dressing with EWC and the Buffalo loam - table spoon of each spread on top

When I transplanted them all last weekend I supplemented the Roots Organic soil with EWC, dolomite lime & Alfalfa Meal well mixed into soil then into new containers. Each large container has at least 2 cups EWC 1 cup Alfalfa Meal and a few table spoons of dolomite lime to tame the PH in the new soil.

Last grow I did not feed right away going into flower due to new soil - I transplanted same exact containers this time added the dolomite lime this grow and the alfalfa meal.

I think these plants are going to take off - I'm going to need a bigger space. We have the room just need to convert it into a proper grow room and add another light.


Room temps are 78-85 with RH in the 50-60% range with lights on 24/7 fan running low scrubber 24/7
with lights on 12/12 I expect the temps and humidity to drop some which I think will be fine. Winter time is not far off so I expect the RH to drop a bit I may need a humidifier down the road in a few weeks.

So our VEG stage went as expected - 2 30" plants about 20" girth each with many large branches that will convert into 15-24" colas - thats the 2 large tall plants. The shorter bushier plants are one runt that is taking off now the other is 15" tall and 15" around and super bushy so dense I cant see the stems and we have one more of the tall variety that is somewhat spindly but going to get tall, I've fimmed that one to try and promote some bushy behavior.

The taller plants look and taste like AK48 and I think that's where the seeds came from, the smller bushy plants I cant say but the smoke from the smaller bushy plants is stronger more psychedelic and is my preference but both are by a good bit the best weed I've ever smoked and thats saying something, I cant believe I haven't grown more. My first grow was 10 years ago outdoor all organic that went really well. I took that plant to a festival and pretty much gave it all away to my friends we were camping out and no one had weed cept for me so hey everyone had fun.

Thats about it for now - we will be having guests this weekend so I'll be in stealth mode and I'm hoping to see a few small white flowers in a week or so... hope the ladies dont try and reach for the stars too fast.


Cheers

 

[bobrown14]

Re: Cottage420's Pepetual Grow - transplant the runt and swith to flower

More eye candy here, transplanting the runt. During cloning process she never grew a root but didn't die so I just put her in soil and she started to grow but is WAY behind her sisters. I have a soft spot for the runts so I will keep her - she will catch up just wont have a big yield. This one came from the runt my last grow, the smoke was the best so gonna keep her.

before transplant

Nice root structure here
I use a US Post Office letter opener to run around the rim of the pots before pulling out the plants
you can see it laying beside the plant - notice no damage to the root ball, without the letter opener it's WAY harder to get the root ball out without damage specially in clay pots - there's almost ZERO stress this way.

 

[bobrown14]

Re: Cottage420's Pepetual Grow - 2nd day of flower already stretching out

Here's the girls in the flower tent - I think they grew a few inches over night already!!

No or very few pistols - there were some in veg if I look close enough. Probably tomorrow they will start to show more. Going with straight RO water adjusted to 6.5 ph - run off if around 6.2 but it will adjust up some in a few days. The plants were all just re-potted so fresh soil needs a few days to get to growing beneficial organisms. Flower tea going wont use it for a few more days tho - new soil has plenty of nutes built in, last grow I started right into flowering nutes and that's when I almost killed my plants - I didn't check the PH so I watered with probably 5 or lower PH and right away had lock out - never really got 100% back on track so this time being patient and just using water for now.

Here's the girls 2nd day into flower and switching to HPS 600W bulb.

Here's a closeup of runtgirl I just transplanted 2 days ago - notice not a hint of stress she never skipped a step

Runtgirl's twin sister here

Working on the sea of green - too crowded tho I need to build a bigger place for flowering

 

[J189RFC]

Can I ask why you elevated your plants? Couldn't you lower your light instead? I'm just worried because the platform they are on seems to be bending....

 

[DarkGreenGoo]

Lots of awesome info in here. A real journal to say the least. Everything is looking really good. Can't wait to see how it all turns out.

 

[bobrown14]

Can I ask why you elevated your plants? Couldn't you lower your light instead? I'm just worried because the platform they are on seems to be bending....

Elevated during VEG so I don't have to bend over to water !! Next up is expansion for the grow/flower room then the large plants go on the floor. Basically so I can reach easier when the plants are smaller and in smaller pots... now that we are heading down the back stretch in flower they all will go on the floor so they can get much taller - last grow there were 24" colas and a bunch of em plants @ 50" or so finish heigth

 

[bobrown14]

Lots of awesome info in here. A real journal to say the least. Everything is looking really good. Can't wait to see how it all turns out.

Thanks so much for checking in - I hope it turns out the same as the last grow these clones came from. This is my 2nd indoor organic grow - the smoke is just tremendous. Hard to believe the seeds were bag seed (although it was from known Cali med grower) that I think had a hermie mixed in, we got a kilo shipped to us and there was like 20 seeds, I kept 10 seeds and still have 5 left but cloned so no need for seed... I originally started 5 of the 10 seeds - outcome was 2 plants to harvest, one male one hermie and one seedling died. So these are the clones of those 2 harvested this past summer. No turning back now... I've learned a lot from reading and advice from more experienced growers here. I always kid my wife as she's an avid outdoor organic veg and flower gardener - "how many of your flowers flower for 2 months?" - not too many eh? Then I turned her on to cloning... It's all my wife's fault she started the seedlings for me but had no idea what was involved...neither did I.



Cheers

 

[J189RFC]

They can sure be a handful can't they? Especially as they get older they just need more and more work! Right when you think its all over, nope! Gotta trim it and cure it, and make butter etc etc. Haha. If it wasn't so fun, rewarding and helpful, I think a lot of people would give up half way through. Lots of journals actually end that way. It sure look like your rocking it though. Good job, they look great.

Have you considered raising the whole tent up perhaps? Do you have enough head space to accommodate a 2 foot under cab? Great for long term storage and no more bending over to water.

 

[bobrown14]

True that... well nothing much here to report, just switched to 12/12 a few days ago so nothing really going on yet. The girls are stretching out and getting BIG tho, I'll take a few pics today and post em up.

On a side note I just ordered some proper seeds today from Herbies.

3 seeds of Dinafem feminized Blue Thai

3 seeds of Original Sensible Kali AK feminized

Anyone have any advice for the above strains feel free to give me advice.

got a few freebees too

hopefully by the time I get new seeds I'll have a dedicated 2nd room for sprouting seedlings and grow room which I'm in the works on designing a layout in our attic nothing fancy but stealth for sure. Gonna try and design it so no one will be able to tell there's a grow room, kinda like the old school ways from alcohol prohibition - hidden room full o budz idea!! We have a very old house with a strange roof line so easy to hide a small grow room.

 

[bobrown14]

day 6 of flower

Getting ready to move out of the tent - I'm just about out of room with 5 plants. This tent I can use for sprouting/cuttings/seedlings. Friday is move day building a new grow room.

Today I moved the plants out of the tent - cleaned everything and when I went to put the girls back it was pretty tough and not enough room. So temporary expansion 2 plants sitting outside the tent for now getting plenty of light. When lights out I cannot see my hand in front of my face I think its dark enough without having to close up the tent at lights out.

I watered again today with 1/2 strength Earth Juice nutes - actually 1/4 strength grow and 1/4 strength flower with Meta K and Micro blast regular strength for the last 2 and a table spoon of organic molasses. I'll wait to water regular RO water next time probably wait say 3-4 days let them get thirsty and just water with PH'd RO water next.

It's a warm day today so in the attic the temps are in the mid 80s and some decent amount of humidity there - with 5 plants the humidity level is above 50% when lights are on. There's a pic or 2 of some of the leaves that are canoeing, most likely due to high heat and humidity and I have a fan going too so the ladies are sweating some.

They are stretching out now but no signs of frost yet but its coming woohoo.

Here's some pics from today - notice the very large increase in size - wow I'm doing much better this grow. PH under control, nutes under control and the girls are loving it.


It's a hot and humid day in the grow room - outside it's an Indian Summer here in the NE.

top of main cola on one of the large girls - swelling getting ready to bloom go baby go baby

Canoeing leaves mainly where the fan air is hitting the plants - not to worried it's not there at lights on.

temporary expansion 2 plants dont fit back inside the tent - yikes... Wife has a plan and I'm going with it.

this pic is from 4 days ago so you can see the difference in growth - can you say S T R E T C H I N G out now