JoJo's Hempy SCROG Bucket C99 Grow Journal - 2015

[Weaselcracker]

I don't save fan leaves myself, so I try to throw all that stuff outside sooner than later. But I sometimes dry my trimmings and popcorn buds to use for hash. A couple times I left those trimmings on the drying rack for a few weeks. I thought they would just be nice and dry and crispy. Instead they were somehow degenerating a bit and there was a whole a lot of dust everywhere. Maybe it's some sort of mold that lives in dry conditions. I got the same thing if I leave foliage laying around too long. So, like I said sometimes I just dry them a bit then toss them in the freezer.
PH -it's like constantly keeping your balance on a tight rope.

 

[Tead]

Ya know... I just don't have much problem at all. Often I don't need to dance either way. Sometimes a touch of PH down... sometimes a dash of baking soda. I really do like my nutes. I'm rarely out of the 5.5-5.7 range I'm shooting for. I'd almost skip checking but I know... the moment I do...
Damage is always so demoralizing. The curled tips will never uncurl. Then, as the plant grows, the damage gets stretched out and looks bigger. I always try to remove any leaves that are significantly damaged. Mold of fungus can be the worst. Always remove any trimming from the grow room. Dead plant material is a insect/mold/fungus paradise.

 

[mussh]

beautiful plant.

gnats are not very strong fliers. if you put a fan with a light breeze across the top of your pots, they will get blown out and never be able to get back. a few fly strips and your problem will disappear.

 

[jojo677]

@weasel - Good to know! I noticed them breaking down from some really old leaves I kept awhile ago, but nothing too bad. I'll be sure to get them out of the grow room ASAP though.

@Tead - Good advice, and sounds like you have your nutes in line! I really need to properly store my pH meter (not just in distilled water). I'm pretty sure that's what's making it drift over time. I'll make a storage solution here in the next day or two. I'm liking the sound of your nutes too! 2-part would be preferable...

@mussh - Thanks for joining! That's really good advice on the gnats, I hadn't thought of that. One peculiar thing I noticed is there were always gnats hanging out at the drainage holes of my small pots. I always sprayed them with neem too, but it may be difficult to get all of them with a fan too. Also, I couldn't find any yellow sticky traps for some reason! I tried like 3 big box stores, and no luck.

Fortunately my gnats are pretty much gone now. I think the TINY mites/springbacks (or whatever I have living in my soil) killed them off, with the help of another H2O2 watering. I'll probably continue to do neem treatments every few weeks if I can remember.

 

[jojo677]

Update (54 days old):

Time for you guys to weigh in!

I'm not much further than I was a few days ago, but the screen is looking pretty thick to me. I'd say it's at ~70% full. Shall I flip? I'd like to flip as soon as I can, but I'd still like for my screen to be completely full. I know there are unknowns by you guys, but remember I have 2.5-3 weeks of stretch left.

I'm going to water/feed tonight, so I may do a flush and then transition to bloom nutes, depending on your votes.

Below are comparison pictures, then a few more to give a better view.

Under shot:

Top shot:

 

[mussh]

nice work!
looks very healthy.
she is going to be a beauty.

I would flip to 12/12.

 

[iwltfum]

Hey jojo, Are the serrated tips pointing up because of the pH issue? and the dead leaves also?

 

[PTSD 4 ME]

Your scrog is roughly the same size as the one I just used. I wish I would have waited a bit longer to flip to right about where yours is. But I guess that depends on what kind of stretch you are expecting. I flipped to early and didn't fill that so I would say now would be a good time to try for the 100% coverage.

 

[jojo677]

nice work!
looks very healthy.
she is going to be a beauty.

I would flip to 12/12.

Your scrog is roughly the same size as the one I just used. I wish I would have waited a bit longer to flip to right about where yours is. But I guess that depends on what kind of stretch you are expecting. I flipped to early and didn't fill that so I would say now would be a good time to try for the 100% coverage.

If you guys say so, I'll flip to 12/12 tonight!

I'll have to do some rearranging, as I already put the small Hempy into flowering a few days ago, after chopping the C99 hermie.

I'll be following the feeding schedule, except I won't be flushing in between. I've noticed in the past that they need nitrogen for the first few weeks, and the feeding schedule I posted doesn't allow for too much of that. I'll just add the week 1 bloom nutrients as-is.

Hey jojo, Are the serrated tips pointing up because of the pH issue? and the dead leaves also?

If you're referring to the older pictures where they're curling up and some dying, then yes, the pH issues would be why. I had this happen in a previous grow, but I didn't know any better at the time and the medium wasn't as forgiving!

As for the recent pictures, a lot of them are pointed up because they are either newly formed and haven't spread out yet, or they're twisted around in an attempt to get them to comply with the screen! I've noticed that compared to fluorescent and HPS lighting, sometimes the leaves seem to "point up" toward the LED a lot. Not really sure why!

 

[iwltfum]

If you're referring to the older pictures where they're curling up and some dying, then yes, the pH issues would be why. I had this happen in a previous grow, but I didn't know any better at the time and the medium wasn't as forgiving!

good to know and store for later just in case! thanks

I'm voting in favor of flipping it too. You don't want to overgrow the screen.

 

[jojo677]

The Hempys have been fed, and the lighting changed to 12/12.

Now we wait...for like 9 weeks...

 

[Groovy Bud]

Let the party begin. I can't wait to do that as well, maybe within 2 weeks.

The canopy is very even and your stems look though! She will indeed bring you a lot of fruit!

 

[jojo677]

Let the party begin. I can't wait to do that as well, maybe within 2 weeks.

The canopy is very even and your stems look though! She will indeed bring you a lot of fruit!

Thanks for joining, I'll see if I can't impress!

 

[jojo677]

Update (2 days flower, 57 days old):

I've got a bit of news since the last update, get ready for pictures! I was also looking at my veg time, 55 days. I think I could have cut at least 7-14 days off if I had my pH in line.

Big Hempy is doing great. Color is restored, growth is super fast, and leaves are looking happy. I fed both Hempys again tonight, with the scheduled formula and a bit of extra grow nutrient. It's crazy, once you switch to bloom, the nutrient solution pH buffers way closer to where you want to be. I barely have to pH down now.

Anyway, little Hempy is still stretching away under the fluorescent bulbs. I feel like the pot for her is a bit too small, but I'm also curious how much room roots have in this Hempy mix - maybe she'll do alright.

Comparison time:

And a few others:

I also took clones today. I was going to put all the other flowering girls in the same room with the big one and run another LED, but it got a bit warm, so I made due.. And yes, it is completely light-tight. And it only gets to 90F during the day.

Good news on the breeding girls. I think we have some seeds forming. They also happen to be on the oldest pollen. I can only see them on the Northern Lights, but they're there.

And the NL hermie is still around! She's actually growing some seeds herself:

I've got my gloves ready for when this turns into a sticky mess!

 

[Groovy Bud]

Good thinking in keeping the strain with yourself, sacrificing a clone for seeds instead of an immediate "profit".

Good job

 

[jojo677]

Update (5 days flower, 60 days old):

Just a quick update. The stretching continues...

The screen is filling out quickly, and everything is looking great. I also forgot to mention that I moved the LED to 12" above the canopy once I flipped to 12/12. I'm getting a few more pistils forming, and most growth has made it above the screen. I'm still tucking & bending every day.

3 Day Comparison:

Little Hempy is doing great also, and seems to be getting thirstier these days. She's a few days ahead of big Hempy in flowering.

I've also got the clones trying to push out some roots - they'll probably take another week or so, then I have to figure out where to put them..

And here are some seed/hermie shots:

I may put together a breeding tutorial for feminized plants. It's much trickier than you'd think to pluck the pollen at the right time. Too soon, and the pods are too wet, and no pollen releases. Too dry, and they've already dumped it. You want to pick them when they're yellowing and looking pretty dry. Just a quick tip!

 

[jojo677]

Just a quick note:

2 days ago, I noticed a nanner (male flower) on the pollinated Northern Lights plant. I noticed a full flower today also, but I was able to pluck both of them while they were juicy/before they burst. I guess I'll have to check for light leaks and do regular hermie checks now. Sucks.

On the bright side, it answered one of my questions. I was wondering if a pollenated female would have less of a tendency to turn hermie. I figured that the whole reason they produce male parts is to produce offspring in the case that they don't get pollinated and/or the ideal growing conditions aren't met and they are stressed. It is one of the breeding plants under my t5 setup, and both male parts showed up on the outside where they were getting limited light... I guess that question is answered! Then again, it is a feminized plant, so there is an increased chance of turning hermie starting out.

 

[jojo677]

Update (8 days flower, 63 days old):

I fed again tonight, and big Hempy has drank a little less than one gallon in the last 3 days, so I may change my feeding schedule to every 2 days. It's been a little warmer the last few days (85F at the canopy), so they're probably transpiring a bit more now. I won't be able to get the heat down for at least a few weeks, so we'll see how everything goes. Hopefully I don't end up with airy buds...

As far as progress, she's still stretching, and putting out a few more pistils. I'm still tucking leaves every day, and the small budsites are stretching for the light. I can't wait to see what she looks like in a few more weeks!

I need to tuck some more, but I'll probably do it tomorrow after letting her stretch for another day. Tucking gets old pretty quick!

3 Day Comparison:

In other news, I collected the last pollen I will be collecting from the NL plant and chopped it last night. It's mixed 1:10 with wheat flour, and sitting in the freezer. I'll probably use it to pollinate some of the small Hempy.

The other two pollinated plants are looking great, and the seeds are forming quite well. They look like they're pulling nutrients from the fan leaves, so I may have to throw in a bit of grow nutrients to keep them working on the seeds. Do plants producing seeds need the same nutrients as sensimilla plants?

Since I'll probably be feeding/watering every 2 days now, I'll probably post pictures every 4 days, unless someone requests otherwise.

Stay tuned! This is where it starts getting fun!

 

[HunterHunt]

Subbed! I want to see the end result of this! You have a beautiful setup! I would love to see what you could do with a HID system.... Good luck!

 

[jojo677]

Subbed! I want to see the end result of this! You have a beautiful setup! I would love to see what you could do with a HID system.... Good luck!

Thanks for tagging along!

I would like to try a HID setup, but I didn't want to fork up the money and heat is an issue, at least for a few more weeks. I'd really like to try it in the future as I (hopefully) move to a new grow setup.