Henry's - Soil - Bag Seed - Grow Journal - 2014

[Henry998]

Hi 420 community,

This is my 1st grow so i thought what better way to get every bodies opinions about what I'm doing right or wrong, than by sharing it with you guys.

Heres some information about the set up i have;
- Black Orchid grow tent (80x80x160)cm
- light reflector (not sure what brand, just something that was thrown in with a package deal at my local hydro shop)
- Pro gear 600w ballast
- Sunlux 600w HPS bulb
- Spectralight 125w cfl (6500k)
(as you'll see from the pictures I'm not using the HPS for the start, instead I've got the cfl in the reflector. without using the ballast)
- Bio Bizz All Mix soil

I figured with this being my 1st grow i would use some bag seed, so if i messed it up i wouldn't feel quite so bad about losing seeds that cost money.

I germinated 5 by firstly soaking in room temp water over night then putting them straight into the medium and placed in the window of the warmest room. I had watered the soil about 1 hour before placing the seeds in.
2 days went by with no sign of seeds poking through, so i germinated 3 more but this time using the paper towel method and placing the container they were in above a desk lamp. tap roots showed the next day on these 3 and i planted them that day. (25/09/14)
Since then the tent arrived and i collected the rest of the equipment from the hydro store and got all the seeds under the cfl lamp. (around 8inches away)
Ive been keeping the soil moist with a few sprays morning and night. Im not using any nutrients yet but just tap water thats been allowed to air and warm to room temp. (pH unknown)
Also i have the cfl running 24hrs right now.

I will upload more pics and add more text when things move along a little (fingers crossed).

I hope firstly that i haven't made any mistakes while making this journal and uploading the images.

secondly please read and give me feedback/advice. All I've learnt so far as been mostly from the 420 forums so keep up the good work guys and thanks for visiting.

 

[dunc014]

Subbed. Great start. Need to get ph under control. You can find ph meters at your local home improvement store. Test what's going in and what's coming out. Shoot for 6.0 o 6.7 for soil. This should help some. Can you let us know what nutrients you will have lined up for these beauties.

Again great start. Welcome to 420 magazine.
Don't be afraid to ask questions. We're. H r 're to help as mush as we can.

 

[Henry998]

Thanks for reading and your advice dunc. I was looking at some on ebay. Seems silly not to get 1 and have problems for such a small price.
Thanks again.

 

[dunc014]

Believe me it will save you lots of trouble. I'm also in my first grow, and it was one thing I got down fast. When ph is off it cause an array of problems. Such as nutriant lockout, slow growth, or stunted. This just to name a few.

 

[Henry998]

Ok Thanks. I'll get on that right away.

 

[Henry998]

Morning everybody,

quick update from yesterday. This morning i woke to find that 2 more girls have popped up through the soil (5 total now). 28/09/14
All looking fairly healthy, just keeping check on them periodically. (moisture, temp etc)
Theres 3 that have yet to pop up, but 5 from 8 isn't bad i guess and i think i only really have room for 4 anyway. I plan to leave them all together for the time being, will probably wait for a few more days.
Anyway heres some picture updates of the plants today.(Wanted to put this into the original post but couldn't see if or how i could)

 

[Henry998]

I know i only posted yesterday but i think i have something to update. I can't keep my head out of that tent and theres probably less change than i think haha (said excitedly).
Anyway, I've lifted them up as much as i think is safe heat wise. They are still about 4/5inches away from the light and temps are around 26-28 centigrade, humidity is around 48-55%.
Yesterday i felt the soil at the bottom through the holes in the bottom of the pot and felt a little dry so i gave them a good water instead of just a misting, they are still moist now without further water being added.
This morning i felt that they were stretching a bit so i topped up around the bottom of the plant with a bit of soil.

Heres some updated pics. Anybody that has any advice or sees anything I'm doing wrong please let me know, your input and knowledge will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks

 

[dunc014]

I would let them grow some more. I assume your gonna transplant eventually. Give them Some more time, there looking great.

 

[Henry998]

Thanks dunc, I think I'm just worrying because i have nothing to compare what I'm doing with being my 1st grow. Im surprised how much they have grown in 24hrs. Yeah ill transplant into final size pots.

 

[dunc014]

Hey no problem. I know how anxious you are. I'm getting ready to finish up my very first grow myself. More than welcome to check my journal. Just click link below. I learned patient's pays off. Befor you know it they will be blossoming before your eyes.

 

[Henry998]

haha exactly. thanks again, ill go check yours out

 

[Henry998]

Checked pH of water today which is at 6.7. Also after re-reading a post from dunc above i noticed he had asked which nutrients i will be using when i get to that point, and i hadn't answered. So, I'm gonna go with Bio-Bizz grow and bloom. Reasons being 1. my local hydo store stocks it at a good price and 2. I'm using bio bizz soil so why not complete the set i guess.

 

[dunc014]

Sounds good. Let me know how they work. Wait I guess I'll find out I am following this journal after all.

 

[Henry998]

Quick update, watered the plants last night before i went to bed as the soil got dry. This morning I've noticed maybe a couple of issues. 1st 1 of the plants seems to have a yellow spot, 2nd 1 seems to have a slightly upward curling leaf (this plant has always looked a bit strange, it was the only 1 that when it appeared above soil it still hadn't shook the seed shell) anyway they've grown a lot and they are all having roughly the same amount of water. Pics below if anyone can see if theres something wrong that would be great.
Thanks

 

[dunc014]

The yellowing looks like Nuteriant splash. Have you fertilized lately. And for curling leaves. Could be heat stress. How hot is the grow space. Wanna stay between 65 and 80 degrees. This is just what I have read in journals and other threads.

 

[Henry998]

i haven't used any nutes at all yet, thats what i thought it looked like but not sure why. I had the lights quite close last night and it was around 28 centigrade, this morning i took the light up a bit and its 26 now. but even at 28 when I've got my hand under it, its not too hot on my hand. well ill just see how they go now the lights a bit higher

 

[Cruizer]

My advice is go eeeasy on the watering and let the soil dry before next watering. There are different ways to tell if they need water, stick your finger in the soil up to the knuckle and if it feels wet don't water, you can weigh the pots before and after you water to find out when to water next, or buy a moister meter. A plant under watered will recover but an over watered plant will die.

 

[Henry998]

Ok thanks cruiser. I did wait until the soil was dry about 1 inch deep and then watered. Ill just wait and see what happens over the next few days. I've also got another problem com in up as my landlord has a electrical engineer coming in tuesday/ wednesday so I'm gonna have to put the plants away in darkness during the day, at this rate they will be dead by the end of next week

 

[Cruizer]

Weeds are tough plants and i doubt they will be dead. Are they turning the electricity off during the day? Do you have a friend you can take them to until the electrical is finished? I haven't had loss of electricity problem yet but maybe someone else has and can offer some tips.

 

[Henry998]

yeah fingers crossed they will be ok. the electric isn't gonna be off but he will be poking around my house probably while I'm out and may say something to the landlord if he sees the tent in the corner of the room. i might just throw a blanket over it.