GrowingGirls' Mystery Seed Growing Adventure Journal - 2010

[GrowingGirls]

Adventures in RH regulation!

My basement is completely unfinished (but old and used...you'll see) except for a little room in each corner of one of the narrow ends. There's a space of about 5 feet between the rooms. One has the door on the long end and one has the door on the short end...it's weird. But anyway, I've got them both sealed pretty well, but the rest of the basement still affects them.

So when I say unfinished, I mean that the rest of the basement in one big-ass room. When I run the dehumidifier, no matter where I put it in the big-ass room, it still dries out both the little rooms. I'm flowering in one and cloning in the other, so that's not going to work.

So I need to dehumidify the bloom bloom room but I don't want to actually put the dehumidifier in there. I'd have to knock out a shelf, and it's a huge unit for a space that size.

My solution? Bisecting the basement with a wall of blankets and keeping the dehumidifier right where it was. I hope this works! It was quick and easy.

 

[GrowingGirls]

A moment of silence please for the top 15 inches of mom #3...here she is on the growroom floor. I had to put her out of her misery. Sad. You can't really tell in this pic, but she had some pretty pistils already.

There's plenty of her left that's healthy, though.

I am not even going to THINK about bending anything major for the remainder of this grow. Little stems only. And I can't wait for the next grow so I can train them properly. I daydream about how I'm going to train the babies, if some of them make it.

So, the upside to this mess is that my plants are now closer in height. Still nowhere near equal, though. One of them has a couple of slender side stems that I need to get reined in...I've got ample room to bend them down but I'm terrified to try at this point (even though it would be easy) so I'm going to give it a fresh look in the morning and see if I can force it where I want it to go by moving a couple light fixtures around and possibly propping up a pot or two.

I just want to get to the point where I can go two whole days without having to do anything but make small lighting placement adjustments and stare at them while they bloom.

 

[dfw-guy]

When you LST do it recently after you have watered. That way the stems are nice and moist. Also instead of LST'ing you can Supercrop.
Be sure to raise the damaged girl so that you have a nice even canopy. Put her on a bucket or something ya know? Don't worry the time will come when all there is for you to do is sit and admire your plants grow. Your doing good, keep it up. You'll learn from your mistakes, and soon you'll be a pro buying exotic seeds for your future crops :]

 

[GrowingGirls]

Well, I don't exactly have a really even canopy yet, but I did rearrange some things and make a few more small tie-downs. My dead laptop is awaiting a new adapter so I am on borrowed computer time for the next few days and don't want to bother with uploading pictures right now...but they look good!

The wall of blankets bisecting my basement didn't work out at all, but I made some more adjustments in each of the grow rooms (mostly with bedsheets and tablecloths) and basically made rooms inside the rooms. I'm really really close to having temp and RH perfected for everyone. The clones are doing mostly well. I think I'm going to lose one more for sure, as she may be past the point of no return, but that would still leave ten.

I'm feeling very good about today's progress!

 

[GrowingGirls]

Some quick pics:

Just a thin sheet thrown over the clone shelf was enough to hold the temp and humidity where I want them. That bug was inside one of the domes.

The canopy is as close to even as it's going to get for now. And there's still some drooping, especially amongst the big fan leaves. Oh, and I moved the big gnarly girl up front because she is going to need the most attention...bitch is out of control! I need to get a pic of her from the side; she's awesome.

Pretty stuff! I don't know if the pics picked it up at all but some of the pistils have golden tips.

 

[GrowingGirls]

I changed my mind again today and put the biggest girl in back again so I could get the other two (which are way behind in flowering) right up under the best light.

I busted 3 CFLs and had to go running around the house stealing some from lamps to replace them. It turned out to be a good thing though, because while looking at the mess I thought of a better light arrangement. I love how I've got it now, and I've really evened out the canopy too.

Pics tomorrow!

 

[GrowingGirls]

A nearly even canopy. I worked really hard at this...

The big girl in back:

I'm going to give them a couple days to just chill now...all I should have to do is maybe tweak the light positions just a bit as they grow and move. I might make some reflectors, just because I haven't done that before.

The two plants in front are so far behind; one because I lost all the good parts on top with that accident a few days ago, and the other because...hell, I don't know what it's problem is. It's just slow. It seems to barely have progressed from when I was first able to see the pistils last week.

I could be wrong, but I think the clones might be rooting! More on that later.

 

[SanibelGreen]

First couple weeks is a waiting game, always seems like that but patience is a virtue just make sure everything is alright and stay the course! She will show you the goods soon enough

SG

 

[Woodsman]

Hello GG! Just read through your grow journal. Looks like you are getting things under control now! I don't know anything about clones so can't help you much there.

DFW has it right about over watering, if anything 'under water'. I know it hurts, like your making your plants suffer, but in the end you and they will be much happier. I don't do the 2 inch test with larger pots. It works OK with small containers though. DFW was not wrong in those directions, I just do it differently. The best way to know if your plants needs water is by the weight of the pot ( DFW also mentioned this method earlier). Lift a glass that is full of water then lift that same glass when it's empty. With a potted plant, you will notice the difference even more so and after the first time you let it get to where it needs to be watered you will be an expert. Another way to make sure your not over watering is to let it go until the plant starts to droop. Not the greatest way as this stresses the plant some, I would call that way , "Woodman's and other lazy growers way to know when you need to water system" Your plants will perk right up within just a couple of hours after you relieve their thirst. Try not to water your plants on a 'schedule' (in soil) all plants are different and some drink faster that others. Different soil compounds also will effect your waterings and when to do it. Your plant will have healthier roots if you water 'correctly'. You should also be able to see a growth spurt after each of those 'needed' waterings. Sorry for rambling on, you have some good advise from your other readers, just adding my 1 cent!

All the best GG, I'll be around, don't be afraid to ask for help (that's how I do it, all the time!) Big time reps to you and your grow!

 

[Hypo Hippy]

I just found your journal,it appears that your on the right track.I had some clones i nursed for 5 weeks,i didn't give up,there in the 5th week of flower now,also have 3rd gen going on the third week of veg.I'm subcribed.

HH

 

[GrowingGirls]

Thanks for the input, everyone!

I found the plastic slipcover tent thing for the clone shelf. Hooray! I thought I'd tossed it out, not realizing its potential at the time. I'm using that instead of the domes now and the tent also allows me to utilize my humidifier. I've got them at 77 degrees and 88% humidity; I think they're finally set.

All I've done to the big ladies today is make a few tucks and pulls to level the canopy even more. They look good.

I'm supposed to go out of town on a 2-3 day cabin trip at the end of next week, and I'm worried about leaving my plants. If I water the big girls before I leave and make sure nothing is in danger of hitting a light or a wall, they should be fine without me...but I can't predict what state the clones are going to be in 10 days from now and if they haven't rooted yet, I'm not going to want to leave them in my housemate's care. He's responsible and will do fine with detailed instructions for basic maintenance on stable plants, but problems could be...problematic.

 

[Search]

Looks to me you are doing a great job, cant wait to see the end results.

I had issues with my clones too but they turned around and are healthy little girls now.

subscribed

 

[HorseBadoritz]

High GrowingGirls, just wanted to let you know I'm subscribed. Looks like this is going to be a good one

 

[GrowingGirls]

Picture time!

This is my method for keeping the two shorter plants up with the tall girl (she's about 4.5 feet and the others are around 3). Fancy, I know.

Split stem on a fan leaf. I didn't remove this on purpose, but is there anything I should do if others split like this?

A little extra light on some sad low growth:

Not happy with the coloring of a couple of the clones. Working on it tomorrow:

Tops of #3

Top of the big lady, #2. And no, she's not running into the wall...just a bad photo angle:

#1, the slow girl:

 

[GrowingGirls]

HOLY SHIT, WE'VE GOT ROOTS!!!!!

I'm going to pat myself on the back here:

 

[dfw-guy]

Things are looking good. How far apart have your waterings been so far? I notice your leafs are still a little droopy. Those girls are going to be a tasty heady sativa, the smoke will be great. Looks like you've got 10-11 more weeks till harvest, then 1 month of drying/curing and then you can smooookeeeee!

 

[GrowingGirls]

Well DFW, I will admit I jumped the gun a bit on my last watering. I had some canopy work to do a few days ago and wanted them to be nice and bendy, so I gave them a half-feeding even though they weren't ready. But I'm really stretching it out now...I know I'm going to be tempted to get 'em wet today, but unless I can stick my whole finger in and it's dry, I won't feed yet. I'm really happy with how everything is set up in there now. Oh, and I'm not sure if I mentioned this yet, but I did go ahead and squeeze the dehumidifier into the room...it's working beautifully.

I'm going to start giving the clones a very very weak nutrient solution today and get them switched from 24/0 to 18/6. If all 10 of them thrive in veg, I'm probably going to put 9 of them in pots no larger than 1.5 gallons for a nice grow of short plants that I'll LST like crazy (your journal is my inspiration for that, by the way...WOW, you did some amazing shit) and keep one in veg indefinitely as my mother plant. #2 will probably be my mama as she is the strongest plant and seems to have the strongest babies too...she's the only one from which I still have all 4 clones. It blows my mind that she grew to 4.5 feet (she'd be 5.5 if I hadn't trained her down) in a pot that's about 1.25 gallons.

I have some time to decide on the potting plan for the little ones though...the roots have a ways to go before they are at the prime point for transplant.

 

[langa78]

hi! nice journal you got going doing well so far there looking pretty good i think watering is a big part to try and hold back on im a first timer and im just leaving alone with the watering its hard to try and not to give them some more but they will certainly benefit more if you let them dry a little then water and they all take water at different rates so take each individual and test accordingly good luck with the grow and i will be watching this one....subscribed!!

 

[tizzforthat]

When you took your cuttings did you use cloning jell or powder. Soil is hard to root in, but can get good results if done right. I personally use rockwool plugs. I get 100% most of the time. I have a standard flat with a Mondi dome for cloning. The insert that holds the rockwool plugs, and it fits perfect in the standard flat. I brought a heating pad at wal-mart and i sit it on my tile floor with a towel laying on top of the pad between the pad and the flat. I soak the rockwool plugs over night in thrive alive B-1 and P.H.ed water around 6.1. I take my heat pad an turn it on the same time i begin to soak my plugs so the temp is up to power. After 24 hours i ring the plugs of most of the water but still are moist. I then take cuttings, dip in clone-X, and insert them in the plugs and put the dome over them and around 5 to 6 days most have usually started rooting. By the 10 day iam transplanting them in 3 and a half gallon pots because they are all rooted and taking off. This method works great for me. i have tried everyway possible and rockwool is amazing. Lowes or home depot carry flats, gel for cuttings or powder, Wal-Mart for heating pad, and if you don't have a hydro shop or can't order rockwool use perlite. Lowes, Home Depot and Wal-Mart all carry perlite. Again I get usually 100% success rate in cloning. What works for me might not be for everybody but all who have tired it have a very high success rate.

 

[GrowingGirls]

When you took your cuttings did you use cloning jell or powder.

I used rooting powder...can't remember the brand, it's whatever was the only kind I found on the shelf at Home Depot. Immediately after cutting and before dipping in water and then powder, I slit each stem up the middle about 1/4 - 1/2 inch...not sure if that helped.

I'm pretty happy with the result of 10 out of 12 clones rooting. I actually only checked three (one from each mom), but they were the three shittiest looking ones...I'm assuming that if they made it, everyone else did too.

The soil came mostly from my vegetable garden (which is just yard dirt w/ a bit of horse manure) and I added perlite.

I've cloned with rock wool plugs before (once, when I did a hydro grow a few years ago) and it's great, but decided to go without this time just because I was super low on funds when I was ready to clone. I might try it again in the future, but considering how well the soil method worked for me, maybe not.

I'm fortunate to have a huge hydro/growing/brewing warehouse store in a nearby suburb...man, I love that place! If I want to start making my own beer too, they've got me covered.