DobeWan's First Grow! LA Confidential & 24K Gold - LED - 3x3 - Coco

DobeWan

Well-Known Member
Hey everyone!

:welcome: to my grow journal, hopefully something here piques your interest and you stick around for the ride!

I use cannabis to treat my IBS and have had some real successes, but I've had trouble staying supplied with what I need. So I decided to grow my own. This will be my first grow! I'm hoping through this journal to learn a lot. I've done a lot of research (and lurking) so I'm hoping that'll help make this successful, along with the help of you fine folk. Let's get started!

What are you growing?

2 x LA Confidential (fem) seeds from DNA Genetics

From DNA's description:

OG LA Affie x Afghani
100% Indica
Flowering Time: 7 - 8 weeks
Yield: 350-450g/m2

This is a great medical strain as it relieves pain and helps eliminate insomnia. For the everyday user, the high of this herb is psychedelic and energetic, with a hammer. This girl is a heavy eater. There are two real phenotypes of the Confidential and they will both finish in 45-56 days. One is a bit more hardy, but both equal in knock down drag out stone. Pre-veg’ing is advised to maximize the yield. Thinning the large fan leaves in the later part of the flower cycle will promote more light getting to the lower buds, thus increasing your yield. With an incredible smell and unique LA flavor, DNA’ s LA Confidential has won many awards.

2 x 24K Gold AKA Kosher Tangie (fem) seeds from DNA Genetics

From DNA's description:

Kosher Kush x Tangie
Flowering time: 9-10 weeks
Yield: 450-550 g/m2
60% Indica / 40% Sativa

24k Gold is the obvious mix of our multiple award winning Indica Kosher Kush and the 2013 12X Sativa champion Tangie! With the scent of tangerines and the Dankness of Kosher Kush, the Kosher Tangie is like no other strain DNA has created. Kush flavoured nugs with citrus undertones or Tangie flavour with Kosher nugs you make the choice in this F1 hybrid, expect 3 phenotypes all being winners! She will grow tall in Veg. And will stretch until the 4th week of flowering. Flowering time will be 9-10 weeks with above average yields. Expect to see some very resinous flowers with that Cup winning taste and smell!

Why these strains?

My IBS responds best to indica, the purer and stronger the better. But a strong indica stone isn't the best for daytime, hence the hybrid as well.

What's your setup?

3x3 Secret Jardin tent in a stable 21c / 40% RH basement
Viparspectra 600W lamp (276W consumed)
iPower 175 CFM fan, and carbon filter
AcuRite temp/RH monitoring system
Small ceramic heater (veg only)
Small warm mist humidifier sitting outside of the tent at the air intake (veg only)
6" attachable fan

What's your grow medium?

Solo cups (seedling to 2 weeks)
3 gallon smart pots
75% coco coir, 25% perlite

What's your goal?

I decided on bought rather than bag seed, so while my main goal is to learn the ropes to confidently go into grow #2, I also want to get through a successful grow from start to finish, and based on my lamp I'm shooting for 5oz yield of good quality bud!

What's your plan?

Temperature and humidity: I'm getting 21c/40% RH steady state in the tent thanks to location. I added the ceramic heater and warm mist humidifier to help with veg. I have the heater on the light schedule (18/6) currently, and the humidifier running constantly. I'm keeping the temperature around 25 at lights on, 21 at lights out. Humidity is more of a challenge. I haven't been able to keep it steady, so I'll go as low as 40% and as high as 60% at the sensor, but I'm averaging 51% next to the plants. I'll remove the heater and humidifier in flower.

Feeding: I'm feeding the General Hydroponics series per the H3ad schedule. I've read that LA is a bit of a glutton whereas 24K is more finicky, so I'll be watching closely and adjusting as needed.

Watering: I'm watering with tap water. I'm pouring the water and letting it stand for a couple of days, then adding nutes and pH balancing to around 5.8. I'm hand watering and using a 5ml dropper while they're in solo cups to be super careful.

Germination: I started my seedlings in the paper towel method (per Jorge Cervantes and DJ Short's methods!) with 5.8 balanced distilled water and all 4 germed after 36 hours. One of the LA taproots was only slightly out of the shell, but I planted anyway. I planted all 4 on April 28. They all sprouted and have been growing well since.

Training: I'm not in any rush, and I want to learn. I read another grower mention he's done multiple runs of LA and that it responded best to LST, so my plan is only to tie the main stalk down and try to get a fairly even canopy. The 24K is a different story thanks to its potential length. I found a good YouTube video where the grower successfully topped his 24K Gold and did a lot of LST to get a nice even canopy. I'll flip to flower when I feel ready.

I'll be back to add a first update when the kiddies are in bed!
 
re: DobeWan's First Grow! LA Confidential & 24K Gold - LED - 3x3 - Coco

Just don't consume anything too strong while you're on the bean bag chair - wouldn't want you to get stuck in there! :helpsmilie:
 
re: DobeWan's First Grow! LA Confidential & 24K Gold - LED - 3x3 - Coco

Today is 14V!

First update!

Germed seeds went into my coco/perlite mix in solo cups last Friday, so today bring me to 2 weeks, and the excitement of an imminent move into Smart Pots!

Initial watering was pH balanced (5.8) neutralized (let stand 2 days) tap water. When I planted the seedlings I used a 5ml dropper to drop a small amount onto the soil above the seed as I'd heard it recommended.

After 2.5 days the solo cups were light and the top of the coco visibly dry so I watered and fed. Mistake #1 - I misread and fed 1/2 strength nutes instead of the GH-and friend-recommended 1/4 strength. I know some people say don't feed in the first two weeks, but I was given advice I trusted given that I was in coco (so no nutrients in the substrate) and would monitor closely. I also had a finicky seed shell that wouldn't come off and helped it off via tweezers. I've heard these ones with finicky seeds sometimes become very desirable plants, so fingers crossed!

The plants responded well to the nutes initially - no obvious signs of issues. So rather than diluting I continued to feed 1/2 strength. This was perhaps a mistake, although it appears to have been a minor one. After their 10V feeding, I noticed some curling on the initial 2 true leaves (not the cotyledons) of 24K #1. All other plants showed no noticeable issues to my inexperienced eye. The plants also looked especially lush, so I figured the most likely culprit was too much nitrogen, the next most likely too much heat. I adjusted the heater to not mosey up to 29c (so it's stable 25c, not a range between 25 and 29) and watered without nutes on 12V.

Short term plan is to give them 2.5-3 full days without water, and check them after that point (tomorrow night, 15V) for readiness to move into smart pots. I'll be moving to full strength nutes once the plants have settled into their smart pots.

Biggest challenge so far? Not giving too much love. It's so tempting to think you'd be babying them by watering more! I peek into the tent several times a day and want to do something, and have to tell myself to only look!

Questions for the pros:

At what point can I identify differences in phenotype? I guess I'm wondering if some of the differences I'm seeing are just relative maturity of one plant vs the next, or if it's a true early sign of different phenotypes. I'm fairly certain I got 2 of the 3 24K phenotypes - one plant has more rounded leaves that look like the LA Confidential (I'm guessing the Kosher Kush-leaning phenotype) and the other is clearly bigger than the others and has wider, pointier leaves (I'm guessing a Tangie-leaning phenotype).

Thanks for reading along everyone! I'll post again shortly with some 14V pics!
 
re: DobeWan's First Grow! LA Confidential & 24K Gold - LED - 3x3 - Coco

Sometimes you can tell very early, if their structured different then probably different genetic expressions.
 
re: DobeWan's First Grow! LA Confidential & 24K Gold - LED - 3x3 - Coco

Sometimes you can tell very early, if their structured different then probably different genetic expressions.
I'll post up a few pics and maybe you'll see it. Although I'm doubting myself now that the lights are back on and I can actually look! They look less different now than when the first 2 sets of leaves came in initially!
 
re: DobeWan's First Grow! LA Confidential & 24K Gold - LED - 3x3 - Coco

Today is 14V!

I know some people say don't feed in the first two weeks, but I was given advice I trusted given that I was in coco (so no nutrients in the substrate) and would monitor closely.

I'm doing something similar. After a ton of reading on the nute issue and when to apply, I decided to go with a very dilute solution. Guess I'm trying to cut the advice down the middle since there is so much contradicting info. Some believe in water only and others soak their rockwool cubes in nute solution.
 
re: DobeWan's First Grow! LA Confidential & 24K Gold - LED - 3x3 - Coco

I'm doing something similar. After a ton of reading on the nute issue and when to apply, I decided to go with a very dilute solution. Guess I'm trying to cut the advice down the middle since there is so much contradicting info. Some believe in water only and others soak their rockwool cubes in nute solution.

It says right on the GH bottle that seedlings can get 1/4 strength nutes. I asked at my local hydro shop, and the guy (whose info has all checked out so far) said he started on the same nutes, and would feed seedlings 1/4 strength when he did.

I can see a little bit of an indication it was too much for my plants, but then again, I mistakenly fed 1/2 strength for a couple of feedings, so it's no surprise. I'll tentatively plan to go 1/4 strength during seedling in my next grow - definitely if I grow these strains again.
 
re: DobeWan's First Grow! LA Confidential & 24K Gold - LED - 3x3 - Coco

Finally, the best part - pics of the ladies! I took these right after lights on, so the ladies may still be a little sleepy, but they still like the lens. :cheesygrinsmiley:

24K Gold #1. She's been the leader out of the gate since the beginning. I suspect she may be Tangie-dominant given how she's growing the quickest. Note the first pair of leaves and the issue I had previously described - they folded over a little. This issue has not progressed in the last few days (my last watering was water only).

j01v14-24K1-001-600x800.jpg

j01v14-24K1-002-600x800.jpg


24K Gold #2. She's the one I thought initially was maybe a Kosher Kush-dominant phenotype. With the first two leaves on she looked more like the LA Confidential than the other 24K. Not the case anymore.

j01v14-24K2-001-600x800.jpg


LA Confidential #1. She's been the runt since the beginning. But she's very sturdy in spite of her size.

j01v14-LA1-001-600x800.jpg


LA Confidential #2. She's looking strong, happy and sturdy. I have high hopes for her.

j01v14-LA2-001-600x800.jpg


All 4 of the ladies!

j01v14-all-001-800x600.jpg
 
re: DobeWan's First Grow! LA Confidential & 24K Gold - LED - 3x3 - Coco

I shouldn't have watered LA #1 when I watered the rest last time - the others were ready, but she wasn't, and she's shown me with a little extra droopiness. Lesson learned!
 
re: DobeWan's First Grow! LA Confidential & 24K Gold - LED - 3x3 - Coco

Checking in early and thanks for your visit Dobe .

Looking forward to seeing some photos of the ladies in waiting .

Thanks for coming over for a look! Happy to have you!
 
They look great! :goodjob:

It is funny how one can be the leader of the pack, isn't it? My Blue Dream CBD is like that in my group; first to crack, sprout, and leaves up. It will be interesting to see if that continues the whole way through, or if it slows down at some point.
 
They look great! :goodjob:

It is funny how one can be the leader of the pack, isn't it? My Blue Dream CBD is like that in my group; first to crack, sprout, and leaves up. It will be interesting to see if that continues the whole way through, or if it slows down at some point.
I have a feeling both of us will see these early leaders stay in front the whole way through. Maybe your Candida will surpass your Blue Dream thanks to it being mostly sativa but for me, I expect my leading 24K and it's sativa influence to stay out in front - people talk about how Tangie can be tall.
 
Prepped my smart pots a little earlier - counting down the time until lights on, because there's a good chance it's time to transplant.
 
Exciting times! And I must say, it is such a wonderful thing you are doing for your wife.
 
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