Grow - Damn It - Grow - Newbie looking for some progress advice

[research420]

Hey All,

I wanted to post some progress and get some opinions....

Stats:

Its a 5'x3'x8' room, so I need sunglasses when I open the door.
Humidity is between 35-45%
Temp is between 28-32 Deg Celcius (80-87 F)
No Fan, but I have a laundry room fan and open vent to outside.
3 plants in 5 Gal pot
Fixture #1: Mars 600 hanging from the ceiling about 3.5ft from top of leaves (600 Watt LED)
Fixture #2: 4 x Fluorescents mounted to side wall 4-6" from side of plants (22" T5 Full spectrum Florescent 24 W)
Fixture #3: LED BAR about 2.5ft from top of leaves ((1) 16" 6 LED, Energy consumption: 14 W)

Notes:
Seeding started around Xmas time.
I didn't know about nutes until about Mid Feb, since then I have been feeding as follows every 10-14days:

2 Gal water with:
Tiger Bloom: 1 Table Spoon
Grow Big:1 Table Spoon
Big Bloom: 1 Table Spoon
* Regular watering in-between as needed.

Leaves look lush and healthy, no burns or drying out etc.
No bugs
I trimmed the lower leaves close to the base, to promote growth up top.
I have been turning off the lights everyday for 8-10 hours per day to promote flowering (not sure if that's right).

What do you think of the progress of this jungle?, and dosage for feeding too low or too much?
How far am I from budding and cultivation?
All said and done the plants look healthy but it just seems they are growing at a snails pace.

 

[Cdogg]

If you want to trigger flowering you need your lights to been on for 12 off for 12! This needs to be regimented. I think you would really benefit from reading some grow journals start to finish. There's a lot to take into consideration if you want to yield anything at all. So far in essence you've basically vegged your plant for 4 months .... Your nute schedule seems way off to me and temps slightly to high. Sorry I've not got much good news other the your plant looks healthy but some drastic changes will be needed to ever produce much bud

Read read read and you will get there

 

[research420]

Hey Dogg,

Thanks for the reply.
Could you maybe give me a step one the the right direction?
I've read a lot but there's a lot to know, and everyones environment is slightly different.

I can adjust temp, thats not a problem at all, its actually a little lower than what i posted as I added another vent recently.
12 on and 12 off is very close to what I'm doing now, I'll tighten up schedule.

Can you give me some direction on nutes at this stage?

Anyone? Bueller?

 

[rydndrty]

As cdogg said your still in veg and youve been applying bloom nutes. when vegging, the plant needs a higher N (nitrogen) intake when in veg. you'll need to get a timer (their cheap, around $15 up i think) and set it to 12 hours on/ 12 hours off. ensure you have no light leaking in to your grow room during 12 hours of lights off. you can keep applying Nitrogen rich ferts for first couple weeks of 12/12 as it is more of a grow period. (the stretch) but after that, thats when you want to add your bloom nutes. and maybe a little pk 13/14 4 or 5 weeks into flowering to increase bud mas and crystals but looks good, should become a monster!!

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[Cdogg]

Rydndrty has basically hit the nail on the head if it seems complicated just visit a hydro store there full of great advice and can help u keep the nurse simple... U want to be giving mutes every other watering but as rydndrty says make sure there the right kind for the right time in your plants growth phase... Get your lights set to 12/12 then use bloom notes only !! Having complete darkness is extremely important during lights off !! Light leaks or not correct light schedules can't turn ur plants hermaphrodite and only femal plants produce the bud your after ...

 

[research420]

Cdogg, rydndrty ....

Much appreciated guys, I understand perfectly....
I now know where I need to be headed and creating a 12/12 is very easy, its all in a 5x3x8 room with a door in an area that doesn't get much natural light even with the door open. Thats great....

Nutes have been pretty consistent every other feeding as I didn't want to over fert them they are lush and green and don't require much notes.

Just one more question if you don't mind..

I guess by your advice I should stop in the next couple weeks the Grow Big (6-4-4) and just go with Tiger bloom (2-8-4) and Big Bloom (0.01-0.3-0.7) from this point onwards? (All above from Foxfarm Fertz products)

As well, rydndrty you mentioned PK13/14....

for any knobs like me who had to look that up and might be reading this:

CANNA PK 13/14 is a high grade mixture of phosphorus and potassium that is added during the flowering phase. Both elements play a big role during the generative phase of plants. Thanks to a special production process CANNA has succeeded in combining pure phosphorous and potassium in very high concentrations. This makes PK 13/14 available to the plant quickly and directly.

Phosphorous (P) is a macro nutritional element for every plant. It plays a key role in metabolism and energy transfer. In the flowering phase, extra phosphorous is needed. Phosphorous strengthens cell formation in flowers, among other things.

Potassium (K) is also a macro nutritional element. It is found throughout the plant and is necessary for a lot of its activities. It is essential for transporting water and nutrition (sieve vessels) and it is responsible for the plant’s quality and rigidity. In addition to this, it controls countless other processes such as sugar production. Potassium ensures that the plant can produce enough sugars during flowering, which are essential for the development of the flowers.

Whenever you see a fertilizer product, it will have three numbers prominently listed on the package, usually on the front. These numbers are very important and tell a great deal about what this fertilizer will do.

Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium (N,P,K) are what the numbers refer to. They are always listed in this order. It is the percentage within that package of each component. For example, a common type of all-purpose fertilizer is referred to as 10-10-10. This is a balanced blend of equal portions of Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium. If you purchased a 50-pound bag, five pounds (or 10%) would be Nitrogen, five pounds would be phosphorus, and five pounds would be potassium. The remaining 70% is simply filler, or inert ingredients, which are there mostly to help disperse the chemicals.

Up, Down, and all Around

A common way of describing the purpose behind each chemical is to think “up, down, and all around.” Applying this simple phrase will help you remember that Nitrogen (N), the first chemical listed, helps with plant growth above ground. Nitrogen does a great job of promoting the green leafy growth of foliage, and provides the necessary ingredients to produce lush green lawns. Lawn fertilizers will frequently have a high first number for this purpose.

Phosphorus (P), the middle number, is very effective at establishing growth below ground, in the form of healthy root systems. It is also the component most responsible for flower blooms and fruit production. You’ll notice that fertilizers designed for flower production, or starter-type fertilizers for your lawn, have a high middle number.

Potassium (K), the last number listed, is considered important for overall plant health. This is primarily due to its ability to help build strong cells within the plant tissue. In turn, the plants withstand various stresses, such as heat, cold, pests, and diseases. For example, winterizer fertilizers will have a high component of potassium.

When shopping for fertilizers, be mindful of their intended use. Fertilizers that have equal numbers can generally be used as an all-purpose fertilizer. If you had only one product to work with, 10-10-10 would be my recommendation.

For promoting good fruit or flower production, look for a middle number that is higher than the first. Otherwise, your plants will be stimulated to put out lots of nice green foliage, likely at the expense of fruit or flower production. Instead, you want the energy and nutrition of the plant to go towards the desired result, flowers or fruit, so a higher middle number is a more appropriate choice.

To toughen up your plants or lawn for environmental stresses, then you’ll want a fertilizer that promotes the last number, and middle number. A high first number in this case may not be appropriate, because you are not likely to be promoting new lush foliage when at the same time putting plants or turf to bed for the winter. Instead, your goal should be to promote cell structure and strong roots which continue to grow through winter.

Finally, whenever you apply fertilizers, don’t assume that more is better. You can burn plants by over fertilizing, and damage the surrounding soil as well. Instead, opt for the practice of less is better. If your soil is rich in organic matter, it should have all the nutrition plants need.


Thanks guys..... so the 12/12 begins.... Week 1....

 

[rydndrty]

If you need to access your grow room for any reason during lights off, apparrently if you use a green light, the plants wont even notice! it's also a personal preference when to start adding bloom nutes (or 50/50 bloom/veg nutes as some do for the first 2-3 weeks) if you want bigger plants keep adding N for a couple weeks. some people add a high dose of N at the start of 12/12 then a week or to move to bloom nutes. some flush their plants prior to 12/12 cycle and add bloom nutes straight up. Myself i dont flush i just start using bloom nutes next feed after goung 12/12 as im after quality not quantity. But as you can see there's many ways to skin a cat, but there is no wrong way. It's all personal preference brother!

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[rydndrty]

Ohh and keep us updated with your progress. you should get some amazing initial growth going into flower!!

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[Cdogg]

I'm the same switched to bloom nutes (bloody nutes nutes nutes, just seen how many typos I made in last post haha) only as soon as I went 12/12! Seemed to keep things running just fine but every grows different . And rydndrty is right a plant vegged as long as yours then flipped will be a jungle ! Just get ur programme down and you should yield well

 

[research420]

Much appreciated Cdogg, rydndrty ....

I just installed a hardwired wall switch with a built in timer.... so easy peasy now....
12 on during the day, as I need access to my laundry room , 12 off at night, 10am to 10pm

I don't think I need more growth, these guys are about 3.5/4 feet tall and they've been veging out for months! (lazy bastards lol)
I'll stick to just bloom nutes and I'll look for that PK13/14 locally.

Really appreciate the guidance fellas... I'll be sure to pay forward once I get the hang of this.

After 4 months ... another 4-5 weeks is a piece of cake! lol

Stay tuned for updates...

Here's where I started in case u were wondering....

 

[flexy123]

Well dont switch to bloom nutes too early...know that 2 weeks after switching to 12/12 they STRETCH....this is where you continue to give veg nutes. Give bloom nutes about 2 weeks after light switch, this is approx. where they stop growng/stretching and actually start to flower.