GoneP's First Grow - CFL - Soil - Blue Dream - 2015

[GoneP]

What strain is it? Blue Dream

Is it Indica, Sativa or Hybrid? Sativa dominant Hybrid. Blueberry x Haze

Is it in Veg or Flower stage? Veg

If in Veg... For how long? Rooted clone, will keep in veg for 4 or 5 weeks..

If in Flower stage... For how long? Not yet

Indoor or outdoor? Indoor/but I may alternate between both (I live in sunny southern California, grow season has started)

Soil or Hydro? Soil

If soil... what is in your mix? Clone was given in Sunshine #4 mix. I will keep it in that for the next day or two, until I transplant the clone into 4 gallon bucket. Not sure which kind of soil I'll use. Suggestions please?

If soil... What size pot? Looking to transfer to 4 gallon bucket soon.

Size of light? 4x 27w 5000k CFL's, 1x 42w 2700k, 2x 23w 2700k. Will add more as needed.

Is it aircooled? Passive intake at bottom, and 120mm axial fan 69cfm as exhaust at top of box.

Temp of Room/cab? Not sure, I'd say around 75 F.

RH of Room/cab? No idea.

PH of media or res?No idea.

Any Pests ? No.

How often are you watering? J
ust picked clone up, not sure. Haven't watered yet and grower told me not to water today unless I plan on transferring it to a 4 gallon bucket.

Type and strength of ferts used? None yet.


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Hello everyone. I'm new here, but have been lurking for the past several months. I finally decided to register today and at just in the nick of time, because I am starting my FIRST grow.

I just came back from my grower who gifted my this lovely Blue Dream clone.

How does she look? She's about 5 inches tall and there's a few brown edges on some of the lower leaves, nothing to bad, I don't think, but then again, what do I know? I'm a complete amateur.

I've done plenty of research, but I still feel a bit overwhelmed. This is budget grow and I am extremely limited in what I can do, so I have to work with what I have, which isn't much.

Anyhow, I constructed a fairly basic cardboard grow box. It's not complete, I need to add the passive intake and do some more light proofing and get a door on to seal it all up.

Here's what the grow box currently looks like. (Still not finished)

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My light fixture is bolted on to the top of the plywood cover, so it's not really adjustable. I figured I'll just keep the plant propped up to reach the lights for now, and lower it once it starts getting bigger.

Okay, so once again I must mention I am a complete amatuer. I've successfuly germinated seeds in the past and planted them, but lack of research and experience ended up killing my plants before they got out of the seedling stage.


A few questions:

1) How often should I be watering, and what kind of water can I use? Regular tap okay? I also need to buy a PH tester. I am on a very, very tight budget so I cannot afford the digital $30 ones. Are there cheaper kits available or DIY methods of checking PH.

2) Should I transplant the clone into a 4 gallon bucket now or wait a couple days?

3) The grower said I can leave the plant outside in direct light for a couple hours each day, would this be ok to do without harming the plant?

4) When should I start nutes?

5) When can I start FIMing?


Any constructive criticism is welcomed and appreciated. I am determined to growing and have plenty of time to do so. So Please help make this first grow successful.

Thank you.

 

[GoneP]

So I was looking at the soil and the top soil seems to be prettu dry. I am going to transfer to the 4 gallon bucket tomorrow. I just want to make sure I dont kill the thing before it even gets a chance.

 

[GoneP]

Any help, guys? How can I measure Ph in water? Is there a cheap, do it with stuff at home method I can use? Or what cheap PH testers can somebody recommend me?

 

[etaffate]

Cheap method liquid tester. I wanna say like 10 bucks ish at the hydro store. Collect a bit of run off water and couple of drops of the ph tester and you compare the color to on the bottle.

How long has she been in the cup? What type of soil is she in? Need a bit more info for your other questions.

If your looking real cheap Wal-Mart should sell ph tester strip for fishes idk how reliable those are though.

 

[uhewekguilw]

So, some people may not like my answers, but it's what I did when I first started.
1: Water when the pot feels light, or every 3 days. Whichever comes first. Regular tap water will be fine and don't worry about the ph for now since you plan on bieng in soil.
2: I personally would transplant into a #3, wait a few weeks then flower it. Remember, it's a sativa and will stretch 2 to 3 times it's size when you flower. I would look into low stress training to keep the plant wide and short since you are limited in height. Also, it can keep the canopy more even so the light distribution would be better
3: If you want the possibility of bugs or other crap you can get from the outdoors, then do it. I'm not trying to be a smart a$$, I'm just telling you the truth.
4: If you put good soil into the pot, you shouldn't need any nutes till you start to flower, however if you want better growth I'd start at transplant. Feed, water,water etc.
5: Now! Get as many tops as you can out of her! Fim, top, LST and make the most of the limited space you have.

I hope I answered your questions, I'm sure more people will chime in and give their opinions. But remember, this is your grow! You won't learn if you don't make mistakes, and these plants can take a beating and come back strong. Don't be too worried if you are doing it right. Like you said, it's your first grow. This is the time to try it all and find what you like.
GB80

 

[GoneP]

Cheap method liquid tester. I wanna say like 10 bucks ish at the hydro store. Collect a bit of run off water and couple of drops of the ph tester and you compare the color to on the bottle.

How long has she been in the cup? What type of soil is she in? Need a bit more info for your other questions.

If your looking real cheap Wal-Mart should sell ph tester strip for fishes idk how reliable those are though.

She's been in the cup for about 10 days now according to the grower. Soil in the cup is sunshine #4 mix. I just purchased a bag of Kellog's patio plus organic soil (comes with worm castings, bat guano) and a bunch of other good stuff for under $4.

I was thinking of transplanting into a much bigger, 4 gallon square bucket today, but I'm not sure if that's a good idea. Would a smaller 1 gallon be better at this stage? I just want to avoid problems like dampening and over/under watering, because that is what killed my first plant.

I noticed a little browning and drying on one of the top leaves today. The tip was totally brown/crisp. Is this cause for concern?

 

[etaffate]

Not too what the brown is yet. I would hold off transplanting. In capn style you would wait till roots were coming out the bottom. If you move into a bigger pot it may cause over watering cause she's not using much water right now. I would keep an eye on her and when she shows a good growth rate then transplant. Transplanting may cause a but of shock so you wanna make sure she's healthy plant before hand.

 

[JayGrow21]

Don't knock your cabinet it looks good to me. If you can't lower the lights raise the floor haha. Definitely PH your water. If you don't you run the risk of messing up the PH of your soil and causing lockout like the plants in my journal. You'll be glad you did it from the beginning when that plant is 6 weeks into flower and kicking ass. I don't know of any cheap reliable methods to test PH. I'm gonna she'll out the money for a meter now.

Water it one more time then after its dry then wait a day and transplant it if the roots are to the sides of the cup.

Do you have a fan moving air around in the box? I don't see one and you'll need it too.

Also read about topping and LST now because you are going to need it very soon. Blue Dream is notorious for getting very tall very fast.

 

[GoneP]

Not too what the brown is yet. I would hold off transplanting. In capn style you would wait till roots were coming out the bottom. If you move into a bigger pot it may cause over watering cause she's not using much water right now. I would keep an eye on her and when she shows a good growth rate then transplant.
Transplanting may cause a but of shock so you wanna make sure she's healthy plant before hand.

Well, I repotted into a 2.7 liter pot on Thursday afternoon. I watered with a fairly small amout of bottled distilled sparkletts water mostly around the sides of the pot so the roots out the moisture, there was run off, but I didnt drench the pot.

There was definitely some shock and drooping for the nextvday or two, but all in all, she seems to be doing okay, although her leaves still havent perked up to where they were in the beggining.

I added mylar to the box and some other things. I will post a few pics tonight, time permitting. Should I water her again today? Top soil and down past 2 inches is pretty dry.the top is very dry in fact, no signs of moisture and the pot is light.

 

[GuttaCannabis]

Nice I'm subb

 

[GuttaCannabis]

I think I wanna grow some blue dream my next run

 

[GoneP]

Sorry for the long delay everyone. I should have listened to guamnomb80! I am doing sort of a hybrid/indoor grow. Plant gets a few hours of outdoor sun everyday and then CFLs when I bring her in for the remainder of the day as supplemental lighting.

But now Im starting to regret making that choice. I brought the plant in the other day, put it inside the cab for the night until I noticed something odd.

I looked at the rim of the pot (its black colored) and saw a tiny white spec start moving, i thought i was just seeings things until i looked closer and noticed more TINY white things walking around the rim and around, but not directly on the soil. They are white with a slight transparancy to them and they are nearly microscopic.

I did some research and learned they could be soil mites, or.....root aphids. They arent directly on the plant, just on the pot and perhaps in the soil, but I havent spotted any in the soil as of yet.

Ive been pretty bummed out. My plant, that i decided to call "Merigold", is also looking a bit stunted in terms of growth. She's grown maybe an inch or less since I brought her home, and two or three of her middle/bottom leaves have turned a pale yellowish green with small brownish/rust looking coloring on some parts.

Oh, i stopped by a grower friend of mine last night and he gave me a small bale of some roots organic 707 soil and an entire lineup of some nutes called nectar of the gods, which was a blessing because im pretty broke at the moment.

He advised me to dump the soil I have now and tranplant into another pot with the new 707 soil.

Im kinda concerned about doing this as i dont want to shock the plant again.

Ill be posting some pics of Merigold a little later, stay tuned guys.

 

[uhewekguilw]

Man, I hate hearing about the bugs. I've been there done that. My last grow I had outdoor plants (peppers,tomatoes,etc.) That I brought inside the house because of cold weather, and got gnats and aphids in my grow room. But the only way you learn from mistakes is you have to make them yourself. Hope everything turns out good and you get it all under control.
GB80

 

[jrd0821]

Sns 217. This controls spider mites, aphids, and all other insects to. You can also try some neem oil. Neem oil is an organic pesticide. This will take care of all bugs. This product is also safe to use on the plant. Just it a little on the stem, and some around the rim of the pot and your good. This comes in a liquid form that you mix with water. I've also seen in it a gel form to.

I recommend using the liquid kind.

I'm an out door grower. I transplant my girls in the woods every year. I've used these products again and again.

Oh and the cabinet looks great.

The only thing I see is foil sitting below the plant. Get rid of it and paint that thing white. Foil tends to reflect light, which can also heat up the grow area. This could also be the Browning your seeing on the leaf. I'm gonna bet it's a reflection burn. Just my opinion though. Nice job brother keep it up.

 

[SpacemanSplif]

I've am also new to growing.. I just repotted my girls...I hope to gain some wisdom here on indoor growing.

 

[Digital]

subbed .... Good luck man ... Lots of good advice on this board ... Im new too ... so welcome to the club!

 

[GoneP]

Hey guys!

Wow, it's been a while since I posted anything new regarding my first grow. I'm still here, the grow is still going and most importantly, the plant is still alive lol.

I promise to update more often now, Anyways, where to begin...

It's been just over a month since I got the plant as a little clone and as some of you may know, I had some issues early on which fortunately were only minor (small bugs turned out to be springtails and not root aphids or mites).

I was able to get rid of them and am no longer cycling between CFL and natural sunlight, especially since here in southern California temps inland have been soaring into triple digits and high 90's most of the time, so I've decided to stick to just CFL's for this run.

Ok:

Bucket Size - 3 gallon
Medium - Roots organic 707
Lights - CFL's, 4x 27w 5000K, 1x 65w 6500K, 1x 40w 2700k, 1x 23w 2700K,
Nutrients - Nectar For The Gods
Strain(s) - Blue Dream
Temp of Room/cab? 77 - 80F during day, drops to 68 at night.
RH of Room/cab? 40 - 50%
PH of media or res?
Any Pests? No.
How often are you watering? Whenever pot gets light, usually after 4 or more days.


This is how she was looking at the beginning of last month.

Roots were peaking out of this one just a few days after I transplanted!

A day later, the soil became infested with tiny springtails.

So I visited a friend of mine who gave me some Roots Organic 707 soil, a 3 gallon pot and told me to repot with new soil since the plant was already pot bound or close to anyways (he turned out to be correct about that). Well, I transplanted the next day into the roots soil and 3 gallon pot. I went a step further and rinsed the old soil off with running water, the roots were healthy and white. After that I carefully put the plant in the pot with soil making sure the roots weren't to0 bunched up. I put it back in my grow cab and hoped for the best. I honestly didn't think she was going to pull through from the stress and shock, but I woke up to this the NEXT morning after transplanting.

She was perky, leaves pointing high and looked happy for the first time ever. I was ecstatic. Anywho, she continued to grow very vigorously for the following weeks. She almost doubled in size in only two days that week.

Here she is a few days later, growing rapidly since the transplant.

Week 3 veg, going into week 4 in this photo, CFL's at close proximity keeping her short and making her branch out.

First feeding came a few days after she perked up. My watering/feeding schedule so far has been feed, water, feed, water. (Only fed nutes twice so far at 1/4 strength the first time and half strength last feeding.)

I also briefly started foliar spraying Bloom Khaos half teaspon in spray bottle mixed with a little epsom salt, and I say briefly because that combo seemed to have been a little heavy as a couple days after foliar feeding with the Bloom Khaos (kelp extract) and epsom salt, I started getting some burn and also some leaf claw action so I stopped.

Next watering was coming up, but I wasn't sure whether the foliar spray or the first feeding had caused burn, so instead of feeding again, I decided to just give straight water (1 gallon, bottled water) with about two teaspoons of Herculean Harvest (liquid bone meal) to help with the little calcium deficiency I was experiencing because of the Bloom Khaos (NFTG strongly recommends to use HH if using BK as the BK can cause deficiencies if used alone). So that's what I did.

I was also noticing red/purple streaks on the plants main stock and on some of the leaf stems (phosphorous deficiency I understand), but this red/purpling was there since I got the clone. This is blue dream, not a purple strain and so I don't think it's normal.

I figured some lockout was occurring probably due to PH issues, so I went out and got the general hydroponics PH drops a week ago and made sure the PH of the water was 6.5 for the next feeding/watering. I fed her on Thursday morning last week with nutes at half strength and upped HH to 2 tablespoons hoping it would help with the phosphorous deficiency. Initially, I started noticing some of the red/purple streaks/spots fading and turning more green but the red seems to be getting worse on the stems of fan leaves, so I am not sure what's going on here. Water PH going in is about 6.5 and run off is the same.

So it was a rough start for the plant, but overall the grow, I think, has gone fairly well until recently. On Thursday morning of last week I went to the grow cab when the lights came on to check on her as I do every morning, and she was looking slightly droopy. This both surprised and concerned me as her leaves are always perked up and facing the lights as soon as they come on, but that day she was drooping and looking sad, nothing like the days before. I quickly thought of what may have changed, but I couldn't think of anything. Everything has been kept the same, expect the day before that I added a 65w 6500k light, aside from that nothing else was changed and temps didn't increase even with the new light. It had been a week since she was last watered, so I decided to water and feed that same morning since the pot was very light and dry. The next morning her leaves were raised and slightly more perky, but still a bit droopy. She's been this way since Thurday morning and the drooping literally came over night.




So here is where I now am with my grow. Day 30 something of veg, plant is just under 20 inches tall and bushy as hell, I may need to start pruning some of the lower leaves soon. But the drooping is concerning me.

Here she is today.

The purple streaks on the main stalk...

This is how she looked a little over a week ago.

Leaves standing straight, more perky.

I have no idea what's happened or changed. Water PH and run-off are the same...6.5. Temps are the same, 77 - 84F, 68-70F after lights go out. RH is between 40 - 50% most of the time.

 

[jrd0821]

Purple streaks in the stalk. This could be genetics. I also see a little curling like you said, and the purple stems. This tells me calcium deficiency.

It is an easy fix. Grab some cal mag at a local grow shop or hydroponics store. If you don't have this at you disposal. You may grab some Epsom salt. I teaspoon to a gal of water. This is only a temporary solution. You should see a diffrence in a few days.

She looks great

 

[SpacemanSplif]

I agree ^^^

 

[GoneP]

Whats up all! Back for a quick update. "Marygold" is doing quite well, the drooping problem was underwatering.

I repotted her into her final 7 gallon home about 2 weeks ago, i also reverted back to patio plus organic soil, with some added perlite. Theres already a few visible fat white roots coming out of the bottom of the pot - i really like this soil and most importantly, so does marygold!

Oh, I flipped her to 12/12 on friday night. And seeing several white hairs forming already. Also, shes been put under a 150 watt HPS with a couple daylight CFLs for side lighting.

Shes around 21" tall, i hope she doesnt stretch too much. How much does blue dream typically stretch during flowering?