Hijinks Headband & Skywalker Indoor Soil Grow Journal

[Hijinks]

Close-up of the headband - leaves are getting bigger:

Just fixed a slight issue with the exhaust. Didn't leave myself enough slack when lowering the lights completely down so one of my lights was hanging at an odd angle. Added a new piece with extra length. Simple fix.

 

[TaylorMade420]

looking good mate, wont be long till these are taking off

 

[doobieman21]

Hello all, Hijinks coming out of lurking (recently registered but I have been reading these forums for years). Today I am happy to bring you my first grow journal.

I live in the wonderful state of Colorado where cannabis is now legal for recreational purposes (woohoo!), and I have also been a registered MMJ patient for 3 years. After buying my first home I decided to build my very first grow. I live at 7,000ft in the mountains and have an extra bedroom in my basement which is now in the process of being converted into my grow room.

First a little bit about the space:

The room is located in the basement and is roughly 14x7x14, however it is not exactly square (see below).

(the closed off area is a closet)

After much planning (weeks of google research), I decided on sectioning out the room in the following way:

This left me with a 5x9 veg room, a 9x9 flower room, and two separate areas for sprouts/clones and a mother plant or two as well as room leftover to grow into or use as a work station.

My first task was to frame out the veg room. Although I own the home, I still do not want to damage the room if I can avoid it, so I went to Home Depot and bought a bunch of 2x2x8's and some 2x4x10's (no one carries 2x2x10 but you can easily buy a $40 circular saw and split 2x4's in half like I did) and built myself a frame.

As you may or may not be able to see, the room I am building in used to be a fitness room so it is covered in mirrors. (call me crazy but I left them all up in case it helped block any RF interference)

After finishing the 2x2 frame for the veg room, I placed everything out that was to be hung (lights, ballasts, exhaust) and screwed all necessary holes for hooks so that going in after plastic is up was easier.

I used 4mil black plastic for the floors - I hope to upgrade to pond liner eventually

Make sure you leave a little extra slack in the floor so it doesn't tear easily - especially if using staples like I do.

After everything was in place, I took it all down so that I could put the panda film up easier. I ended up getting a roll that was 10ft high so I could wrap the walls as well as the ceiling all in one piece making it extra light proof! Putting up panda film was EASILY the most frustrating part of building this by myself. I recommend doing it with a friend.

Finally after the walls and ceiling were done I was able to remount everything into place.

From there I just tidied up the wires and hooked up the exhaust!

Here is the outside of my 5x10 (really 4'10"x9) veg room so far. Today I added a 7' "Lite Tite" zipper door entry. The only thing left to do is add the passive intake. I will easily have a 4x8 area to grow in inside.

You can see that the exhaust is currently just venting into the main room, however, I plan on venting it further to the window before using it to veg.

I am pretty damn proud of myself for building this so far. I have minimal handyman experience and thought I would run into way more speed bumps than I actually did. If you are debating building something for yourself and are holding back because of experience, just go for it! You will learn a lot along the way.

The room maintains 65-69deg temp 24 hours of the day during the hottest days of the summer, so I am looking forward to seeing how easy it is to get to 72-76.

Another great feature about the room is that is contains the breaker box for the house. Because the room itself is only on a 15 amp circuit, I called an electrician who comes at the end of the month to install a 8 new plugs, each with their own 20 amp circuit. Luckily because the breaker is in the room, it will be a relatively easy install for the electrician and I will save on the bill!

I was also able to bang out a little sprout area today in my 36"x38" odd nook area. I added some of my scrap pieces of panda film to the sides:

saved about $50 on the stand for the T5 light by just building one out of scrap 2x2's



Next a little bit about the equipment being used:
As this is my first grow I wanted to start small(ish). I also didn't want to use any 1000w bulbs because of heat issues as well as only a 7.5ft high ceiling.

I decided to get two 400watt Apollo mh lights that have an air cooled hood for the veg room. Because my veg grow area is 4x8, I positioned each light above a 4x4 area. The ballasts can run MH as well as HPS and the seller (AMAZON! great deal but we will see how good it actually is) sent both bulbs with each, so if I don't get around to building the flower room I can always just use the veg room.

Everything other than the lights I ended up picking up at a local store (Way to Grow - this place is killer!). 18" wall mount fan, 6" inline fan, and a 2 ft 2 bulb T5 system for sprouts/clones.

Because of the size of the space and my aesthetic for clean lines, I ended up hooking up my exhaust fan directly to my air cooled hoods. Now don't get me wrong - I understand that the best way to maximize the potential of the air cooled hoods is to bring in a fresh intake through them and then exhaust it, but this would mean another line of ducting going through my small room. I took the chance and decided to hook it up directly to the exhaust hoping I get enough heat reduction so I won't have to use an A/C unit. You can't see it very clearly, but here is a sketch of what I mean.

Here is how mine is currently hooked up:

Here is what I understand to be the ideal way to set it up:

I'm rolling the dice with this one - if temps get too hot I will have to abandon my straight-line method of exhaust and redo it to the ideal setup.

I plan to get four 600watt lights for the flower room (8x8 grow area, 1 light per 4x4 area), and I will definitely get Apollo again if these 400watters turn out to be good.

For soil I will be using "roots organics" and "rapid rooter" pellets, and I plan to use 1-gallon pots to start veg.

Finally! Some info about the cannabis being grown!

I decided to order feminized seeds from Single Seed Centre. I chose six "818 Headband aka Sour Kush" from Cali Connection and six "Skywalker OG Kush" from Reserve Privada. I am a fairly picky when it comes to my smoke - currently I only smoke oil/dabs, and even my oil only comes from the finest buds. It is easy to maintain this snobby smoke-style because I have an amazing dispensary hook-up that only sells the finest oils, but it is starting to really impact my wallet. Lately every time I spend $200 in the dispensary I think to myself, "that could have been $200 going to the grow". Hopefully with these 12 plants I will be able to find myself a mother for each strain and have perpetual good smoke! (that is the plan, anyway)

HeadbandOriginal Sour Diesel x SFV OG Kush IBL)

This is easily one of my favorite strains of all time. I have quite a high tolerance when it comes to smoking, but headband gets me every time. I am very excited to see how this bud turns out.

Skywalker OG: (Skywalker x The OG #18)

I decided to get this one because it was another OG Kush cross, and hopefully the headband and skywalker will have similar growth periods and heights.

They are beautiful aren't they?! I hope mine come out even half as nice as those pictures.

Received the seeds today (came after only 7 days). To germinate I decided to soak them in water for about 5 hours before putting them into damp paper towels inside of a zip lock. They are sitting on top of my DVR box which maintains a constant heat.

I'm so excited for one to sprout!

I will update this journal regularly. Thanks in advance for any constructive criticism. I really appreciate the feedback.

good job on the do-it-yourself project, the room looks excellent. subbed

 

[KingJohnC]

your rooms look very good for grow areas. what did you use to line the bottom of your rooms with?

 

[Hijinks]

your rooms look very good for grow areas. what did you use to line the bottom of your rooms with?

Originally I was looking into Pond Liner (it's really thick and would be great for resisting water), but it was too expensive and only came in 5' rolls. I ended up using 4mil black plastic that you find in the painter's isle of a dept store. It was really cheap, only like $10 for a roll.

 

[Hijinks]

Day 11:

The lights went through two days at 50% dimming and today they were set at 75% for the first day. Still introducing the sprouts into their new environment. Temps never went over 79 until I turned up the lights to 75%. Temps are now around 80 with the window closed. I will need to exhaust the veg room to the outside and add a vent to the door of the room holding the grow room so I get better circulation. Right now I just open the window when temps rise to 80 or keep the door open to the room. Humidity has been around 48-55%.

The plants seem to be responding amazingly well to the new lights. I wish I had posted a picture yesterday to compare today's growth to.

Headband:

Skywalker:

Even the skywalker plant that was struggling seems to be doing slightly better now:

Still looks like it has some sort of nutrient deficiency, although i'm not sure why it would have this and none of the other plants would if it were nutrients. Must be just genetics?

I ended up digging up a seed of the skywalker from my rapid rooters that still has not germinated. I put it back into the paper towel method, but after 11 days I am starting to think it may not pop. 2 out of 6 Skywalker is not great - I can't say i'm thrilled about it. My chances of using Reserva Privada again for seeds are slim. Cali Connection, on the other hand, seems to have genetic monsters when it comes to seeds. My headband all sprouted within 24 hours and are all doing great now (except the one I dropped during transplant).

 

[Hijinks]

Day 12:

The lights came down slightly today (still on 75% dim). To make sure they are not too close to the plants I am using the hand technique where you gauge whether or not the light hitting your hand feels warm. I can pretty much put my hand all the way up to the glass of the bulb without it feeling warm, and I can touch the glass ends and they are cool to the touch. Right where the light shines through the glass is the only warm area. My temps, however, are rising slightly now with the 75% dimming. The ladies went into darkness today at 82 degrees (it falls to 69 during their night). Currently the room is at 80 with a 40 relative humidity.

Not the best conditions anymore - had to add a humidifier today and I am planning my new exhaust. Rather than let the exhaust dump into the bedroom the grow is contained in, I am going to exhaust it out the window. This leaves me needing an intake into the room, however, so I am thinking about adding a passive vent to the door of the room - probably something with a backdraft damper. This will leave me with a negative pressured grow room inside of a negative pressure room.... lol.
Red circle = 6" inline exhaust
purple circle = 4" inline intake
Red lines = warm air
blue lines = cool air

Ideally I would like to have both my intake and outtake use the window, but unfortunately living at 7,000ft in Colorado we have some really cold nights, even on a summer's day, so I don't my plants would appreciate a freezing intake.

The plants seem to be loving the new light. Tomorrow they go under the lights without any dimming.

Skywalker: (I think the weird looking one was just going through transplant shock)

Headband:

An ewok spotted inside of the grow:

 

[KingJohnC]

seedlings do not require much light to grow, i would not give them 100% light until they have grown.

 

[Hijinks]

seedlings do not require much light to grow, i would not give them 100% light until they have grown.

Interesting. What would you consider "grown"? Full set of leaves? More than one node?

 

[KingJohnC]

i believe cannabis can benefit from full powered Metal Halide light at 5 inches tall when it has 5 sets of nodes and begins to receive 1/4 strength nutrients, this is the start of its growth spurt that it can begin to grow rapidly.

 

[Hijinks]

Day 13:

Today the plants were left at 75% dimming, although I am considering dropping it to 50% after what KingJohn suggested above.

I finished running my exhaust line completely to the window a few moments ago - I hope it makes a noticeable difference in temps.

Headband:

Skywalker (the one in the back is the one I think I killed during transplant):

 

[Hijinks]

The soil is still slightly moist, though I will probably have to water tomorrow for the 1st time after transplanting.

 

[Hijinks]

Day 14:

The skywalker that has been struggling now has noticeable leaf burns on it from being too close to the light. The other skywalker which was at the same light level has no burns. It must have been directly under the light while the other was off to the side...

I put the 5 headband that are doing really well under the closest light to the exhaust intake and left them at 75% dim. I took the 2 skywalkers and the dying headband and put them together under the other light at 50% dim.

The headband plants are still doing great so they will remain at 75% for a while.

Pictures to come later tonight

 

[Hijinks]

Day 14 continued:

The struggling skywalker is noticeably smaller than the other skywalker:

Unfortunately I only have 1 thriving skywalker at the moment, so if turns into a mother I am left with this struggling one. I really hope he pulls through.

The 5 remaining headband are all doing great and looking very similar.

After one day I noticed a few degrees less in temps overall after exhausting my veg room out the window. I was seeing 82-83 temps after 18 hours of light, but yesterday it was only 78. I am happy with that for now. My humidity is being a pain in the ass, however. Right now I have a humidifier running 24/7 on full blast and the humidity levels are struggling to stay above 40%. It is usually around 43% daytime, and 50%~ nighttime. I wonder if I should get a new humidifier, but I am having to change its water tank daily so it must be doing its job.

My to-do list:
Take the door to the grow room off the hinges and cut into it to add a passive intake so I can close the door rather than leaving it open during the daytime cycles. My fans are fairly loud and I am getting tired of listening to it, so I will make the vent as noise-proof as possible.

 

[Hijinks]

Oh -

I didn't end up watering today... Stuck my finger into the soil about 2 inches and it was still slightly moist. Maybe water tomorrow.

 

[Hijinks]

Day 15:

Watered all of the plants today. Gave them water until it started draining out the bottom, and then cleaned up all excess water.

The Skywalker that was struggling is still having problems:

Compared to her healthier sister:

The Headband are all doing well. The one that accidentally got supercropped last week is now completely fine, and its stem is darker and thicker than the others. They are really starting to blow up, it's pretty amazing.

Humidity did not increase at all after I watered ... Seems strange. Maybe I have too much air flow going?

Tomorrow I am going to a fabric store to pick up some "batting" fabric to use as intake filters. I will attach it to the fans using velcro strips and cut new pieces every so often.

Still on my to-do list:
Make the room quieter (the fans without any ducting attached to the front end are quite loud, even turned down)
Add passive intake to the door containing the grow room.

 

[KingJohnC]

I would raise your lights, its definitely heat stress on the leaves.

 

[Hijinks]

Day 17:

Still haven't got around to making an intake filter, but I will do that soon. I have an electrician who is supposedly showing up tomorrow to install eight 20 amp circuits in the room. Should give me plenty of room to "grow"

Today the plants experienced a large humidity drop. When the lights came on the humidity was at 25% even with the humidifier on full blast (it is usually in the 40's). I decided to move the humidifier into the main room that contains the grow to see if having the humidifier on the other side of the intake helps at all. Currently the room is sitting at 32% RH. At least I know it will be easy to get lower humidity levels for flowering...

I also raised the lights a few inches.

Headband (leaves look droopy in the second picture because I had just sprayed them with the spray bottle):

Skywalker (the one that was suffering got the burned leaves trimmed):

 

[KingJohnC]

unless you are foliar feeding or spraying for insects please stop spraying your leaves with water, they do not require it. water droplets on the leaves can burn the plant from the light focused on them.

 

[Hijinks]

unless you are foliar feeding or spraying for insects please stop spraying your leaves with water, they do not require it. water droplets on the leaves can burn the plant from the light focused on them.

thanks for your concern, but I am spraying the plants with water occasionally to offset the extremely low humidity lately. only 20% today. While the water on the plants dissipates quickly and isn't the best humidity control, I am not left with many other options at the moment. My humidifier doesn't increase the humidity in the room (because of the air flow probably) and leaving out bowls of water or hanging damp shirts hasn't done anything.