GoogleGenie's First Grow - LED Hydro - Northern Light Blue & Fruity Chronic Juice

[GoogleGenie]

Hey w2ge

Thanks for checking out this journal, i experimented a lot, and managed to cobble together a way of growing that works for me.

You should find them if you search for screw hooks. I think I might have got mine from a local hardware shop.

The last time i used a screen though i didnt use hooks, i used bamboo can and used them to stretch out a net to cover the 1.2x1.2m space. It's a bit of a tight squeeze but i can just about slide the bbamboo around the houtside of the tent poles, and using some rubber twisty wire I tie the canes to each other (where they cross), and then to the poles, very sturdy and lightweight. This is the way I would do it from now on also, but this is just the way it works for me.

I used PVC pipe, hooks and string, but when the string was strained, the pvc pipe bowed inwards, and i couldnt get adequate torque from the string connected to the hooks.

Just something to consider. I'll take some pictures and post them later. Or if you check out my latest journal you will see the screen using bamboo canes

Is this your first grow? How are you growing, organic, hydro? And are you going LED or HPS?

 

[Wahtoogee]

Thanks, yep... First grow. I've got a 48*48*80" tent. Soil: FFOF-40%, HappyFrog - 30% , rest perlite and coco coir. Mars Hydro 1200 and also a 4 bulb 48" T5 fluro. Currently growing 5 Nirvana Northern Lights Autos.

Thanks, I'm gonna look at your newer journals for the bamboo screen. Didn't think abt how the PVC would bend, but makes sense!

 

[GoogleGenie]

Thanks, I checked out your thread in the other forum, lovely looking plants, very healthy, good job. You should start a thread here. The community here is so friendly, helpful and encouraging. Then again I haven't participated in the other forum so I suppose I can't really compare. I learned a lot from the growers here, it's an excellent place to get opinions, advise and even clarity on some of the information that Google spits back at you, which, sometimes can be totally inaccurate and misleading.

A few tips if I may:

A tip for the Mars 1200. Particularly in flowering, keep the light at least 3-4ft from the top of your canopy. This light is silly powerful and as well as give your leaves left burn, it can even discolour the tips of your buds into a strange cauliflower looking bud. Kept at the right distance, this light is awesome.

Nutrient tip use Advanced Nutrient Bud Ignitor or Buddhas Tree Flower Burst the first 2-3 weeks of flowering.

Keep yours fans on 24/7. If you can, extract the air not only from your tent, but from your grow room all together to ensure a constant replenishment of CO2.

i would strongly recommend defoliation and super cropping to add to your training regime. There is a lot of contravery on defoliation and I did extensive research on it and defoliation vs not came out on top. I defoliate as necessary in veg, once a month maybe if they are around for that long. Once right before the flip, at day 21-25 and again at day 45.

Supercropping is a no brainier though, i always supercrop now.

This is is my full training regime.

Top the 5th node (Google LBH's scrog tutorial)
LST (I do this throughout) to stretch it out once the plant has recovered
Optional - Top everything again
Supercrop to level your canopy (and watch the miracle of branching happen)
Optional - defoliation of lower growth (lollipopping)

Pre-flip defoliation
Day 21 defoliation
Day 45 defoliation
Defoliation before flush

 

[Wahtoogee]

Awesome tips.. And I instantly went down and raised my light! Tips are so good I'm going to print that out... Clear, concise tips.

I'm going to start AK48 FEMS in a bit (want to figure out a time when I know these Autos will finish and still be in veg for the AK48) and will try everything with them. I've read that due to the short veg. Period with the auto flowers not to top etc. as it will lower yield as they are on their own time clock re. Flowering etc.

Little bit of a problem now, I noticed a tiny missing portion of a lower fan leave and underneath noticed what looked like a little bit of " black powder". Under a 45X magnifying loupe I think I seelittle black bugs. Just picked up some Captain Jack Deadbug with Spinosad and Neem Oil (and put up a yellow sticky card). I'll post some pics, I may also be a bit low on Nitrogen as the lower leaves are now a bit yellow. I just tried bottom feeding (poured into the tray) Big Bloom etc. As well.

 

[Wahtoogee]

Somehow this pics are rotated, sorry

 

[GoogleGenie]

Absolutely right there, good point, don't top, fim or apply any sort of HST to an autoflowering plant. You might get away with a little LST, but that's about it. You'll have some good fun with your Fems though

Before you feed with any additional nutrients, i would use your pesticides. Check to see if your products fight fungus gnats also, those little bastards are evil. They lay larvae in your root zone which eat away at your roots, which in turn can make it seem like you have some sort of deficiency but in fact it's just that your roots are not doing what they are supposed to.

The yellow sticky card will help get rid of the adult gnats, silly little buggers just love yellow! To rid yourself of the larvae (assuming your current products dont handle it), I use a product called Tanlin, it doesnt appear to hurt the plant, and it has cleared my gnat problems in the past. The idea is to kill off the gnats faster then the can reproduce and the little shits just die off...

Can you tell i despise gnats

Another tip, use some sort of a silica product as a foilar spray in veg (I also feed my plants silica). Among other things, the stuff is great for protecting leaves and strengthening your stem. I use Buddhas Tree Silica, but there are lots out there. And a little goes a long way, same applies for the Tanlin.

 

[Wahtoogee]

Its all your fault, Those damn fungus gnats! That may be what I have... On a sticky card I found a little flying insect, and looking at leave damagepics it seems to look like mine. So, I went out to Home Despot looking for gnatrol or mosquito bits, as the Neem Oil or the Spinosad doesn't specifically say that it works for them. Of course none in stock this time of year, but I did pick up diatomaceous earth and sprinkled that on the bottom. I found this ugly looking leaf while sprinkling the D. earth on that plant.

 

[Wahtoogee]

Any white bits are diatomaceous earth... Looked real close at this leaf under my 45x scope and didn't really see anything.... ?

P.S. yep, I've been foliar spraying with silica

 

[GoogleGenie]

Its all your fault, Those damn fungus gnats! That may be what I have... On a sticky card I found a little flying insect, and looking at leave damagepics it seems to look like mine. So, I went out to Home Despot looking for gnatrol or mosquito bits, as the Neem Oil or the Spinosad doesn't specifically say that it works for them. Of course none in stock this time of year, but I did pick up diatomaceous earth and sprinkled that on the bottom. I found this ugly looking leaf while sprinkling the D. earth on that plant.

Well hopefully you have found your problem and fingers crossed you managed to avert a gnat outbreak. It would be a shame to let such evil little things get the better of a beautiful plant.

 

[Wahtoogee]

Yep, I think things are getting better. I think I nipped it in the bud, and I think I have everything back in equilibrium again, I.e, temps, humidity, etc.

BTW, I had the Admins change my user name because it was too easy to actually identify me, so we changed it a bit.

Thanks for your help, looking at possible dwc in the future.