keith1975
Well-Known Member
My first grow is finished and it went okay. Some of the buds that have been curing for over a month are very decent. But my biggest issue was and still is, spider mites. I was going to first clean out my grow room before attempting any more growing, but I've decided to proceed with the setup I have. Reasons being:
- I can "manage" the spider mites to the extent that the harvested buds aren't badly affected (especially after bud washing)
- I have 3 months before it will be very cold, so I'd rather clean my grow room in Winter and use these remaining hot days for growing
- Fixing the room properly is going to cost money that I'd rather not spend just yet
- When I do start fixing and making the changes, it means I won't be able to grow for at least 3 weeks and I will need to start from seed (can't use clones, because I have nowhere to keep them while working on the room)
- My current setup is "adequate" (I can control humidity and heat etc)
My tent setup:
- tent A = 1m x 1m x 1.8
- tent B = 1.2m x 1.2m x 2m
- Tent C = 2.4 m x 1.2m x 2m
There are 4 trays in the tents, each with a Mars Hydro II 1600.
Before I pop any seeds into the ground, I do intend to make the following changes:
- Seal the one window properly (so that the aircon can function better)
- Add more fans in the tents
Temperatures can get a bit high in some of the tents. Sometimes 30 degrees. So I want to avoid that. And I'm fairly certain this is due to the window not sealing properly, which affects the aircon. And the fans I am currently using are too small.
My Planting Plan:
I want to plant all the remaining autoflower seeds I have. There are 9 in total. Which means I can spread it out evenly by putting two plants under 3 of the lights, and 3 plants under 1 of the lights. But one of the problems with my last grow was that I got +-150 grams per plant, but I was only doing one plant per light. I think the Mars Hydro II 1600 can probably cater for 4 plants. So I am hoping if I can squeeze 4 plants under a light, I might get 600 grams for that surface area, instead of just 150 grams. BUT, I am then also worried this might affect potency. Potency is more important than yield. This grow is for me, personally, and I don't need busloads of the stuff. I just want what I have to be the best quality and potency. I think I can get the best of both worlds by planting:
- light 1: 4 seeds
- light 2: 3 seeds
- light 3: 1 seeds
- light 4: 1 seed
Total = 9 seeds
It's going to be bug me if I don't have 4 seeds under the second light, so I'm going to get one more seed so I can do:
- light 1: 4 seeds
- light 2: 4 seeds
- light 3: 1 seeds
- light 4: 1 seed
Total = 10 seeds
If I do it this way, I will have numbers to compare. If it turns out the single plants produce better buds, then I might consider sticking to doing one plant per light in future. I would also prefer that, because managing 4 plants under one light is a lot more effort than managing 1 plant under one light.
These are the 9 auto feminised seeds I have:
- Pineapple Express (hybrid)
- Blueberry (unknown type)
- Great White (unknown type)
- Gorilla #G (unknown type)
- Lemon (unknown type)
- Sweet Cheese (hybrid)
- Sour Diesel Haze (unknown type)
- Critical Ogre (Sativa)
- Northern Blueberry Lights (unknown type)
Side note: I can't find too much consistency between any of my plants. I had 3 identical seeds and got 3 plants that don't really taste the same. Or smell the same for that matter. In fact, I have one jar curing right now that is labelled "cheese or sour diesel haze", because I lost it's label and despite having samples of both cheese and sour diesel haze, I can't figure out which of the two this one is.
Anyway. I am going to also get Dutch Passion – Auto Ultimate. This is important, because this is the first time I am growing an actual Dutch Passion strain. All my other strains, including the 9 I am planting now, is from a local breeder. So I am not sure how close they are to the real thing. Is my Pineapple Express the same as the world famous Pineapple Express? I have no idea.
This is my final plant plan:
- light 1: 4 seeds ---> Northern Blueberry Lights, Critical Ogre, Sweet Cheese, Sour Diesel Haze
- light 2: 4 seeds ---> Blueberry, Great White, Gorilla #G, Pineapple Express
- light 3: 1 seeds ---> Lemon
- light 4: 1 seed ---> Dutch Passion – Auto Ultimate
My biggest concerns for this grow:
1. Spider mites
They are still there despite having added predatory mites. I've also tried spinosad and neem oil. I'm considering the following strategy:
a) using neem during veg (but I dont really want to use neem)
b) using spinosad during flower (but I dont really want to use spinosad)
c) using isopropyl for emergencies
This is going to be tricky, because spinosad and neem means I need to leave the plants alone. I can't spray them off using Iso. But the last time I left the bugs, they just multiplied, didn't die, and ended up almost killing 3 of my plant. (I'll still add pictures of these 3, they look really sick and horrible). So I'm actually considering just washing the plants every day. Or I should take a chance with the predatory mites one more time. If I harvest all the plants currently in my tent, and add the predatory mites when the seeds are just planted, that would mean the spider mites have nowhere to go, and hopefully the predatory mites will wipe them out.
I could also look at cleaning the tents, although that has proven futile in the past. But it might slow them down, which is actually all I really need right now: enough time to finish this grow before doing the actual big changes needed to have better grows in the future.
(FYI: i am currently looking at ways to turn my grow room into a medical grade lab. I want it so clean in there that you can eat off the ground. But that's going to take a lot of time and money)
2. LST
With 4 plants in a 1.2 m by 1.2 area, it's goig to be important to keep heights down. So I want to start LST from very early on and really do my best to get it right. Not only to get big buds, but to really make sure I have a large canopy and my plants grow in the best possible way.
My previous LST attempts have had various degrees of success. In some cases the plant got so tangled, I had to chop off branches. This was probably because I didn't cut off lower branches early on. I am still not entirely sure when to do this. In other cases, my LST turned out massively successful. Particularly in cases where the branch ended up "horizontal". So that a large part of the branch gets light. Not just the top part. This gave me fatter buds. I want fat buds and no popcorn buds, if possible. (I guess everyone wants that?)
3. Trimming
From what I've read, autos should not be trimmed. They have a short lifespan so anytime you cut off a branch, it means the plant has to heal and that could take away from bud producing energy. But, I need to really avoid "popcorn buds". They honestly waste my time during harvest. I want to chop them off the moment they appear. So hopefully as I start planting and more branches appear, I can get some advice on which one's would be okay to chop off and when. Perhaps I should maybe even consider things like SCROG?
4. Nutrients / Soil
I am using Freedom Farm Premium Growing Medium:
- Macro-nutrient content: Nitrogen (9.1 g/kg), Phosphorus (7.6 g/kg), Potassium (3.1 g/kg), Calcium (56.9 g/kg), Magnesium (14.3 g/kg)
- Ingredients: Coco Coir, Worm Castings, Compost, Perlite, Vermiculite,Volcanic Rock Dust, Bone Meal, Gypsum, Dolomite Lime, Kelp Meal, Organic Nutrients
My plan is to not feed any fertilizer until week 6. From week 6, I am thinking of just using the Biobizz nutrients I have, or to buy this nutrient kit: EHG Nutrient Kit - Online Hydroponics Shop
Any advice is welcome. I want to get the nutrient part right this time, so I can be sure I don't mess up harvesting. So if I could get an actual schedule and stick to it, that could help. RIght now I have stuff labelled "bloom" and "grow". I use grow for veg, and bloom for flower. I feel I could probably be doing more here.
Next Steps?
I intend to germinate these seeds in the next 7 days. I will use tissue paper and a plate (has worked every time so far). After that, I am going to plant them directly into 25 liter pots where they will live til they are harvested.
Any additional information
A lot of history on my previous grow can be found here: Is it time to switch to 12/12?
And here: Spider mites 2 weeks from harvest
But feel free to ask and I'll clarify anything1
Any questions or feedback?
- I can "manage" the spider mites to the extent that the harvested buds aren't badly affected (especially after bud washing)
- I have 3 months before it will be very cold, so I'd rather clean my grow room in Winter and use these remaining hot days for growing
- Fixing the room properly is going to cost money that I'd rather not spend just yet
- When I do start fixing and making the changes, it means I won't be able to grow for at least 3 weeks and I will need to start from seed (can't use clones, because I have nowhere to keep them while working on the room)
- My current setup is "adequate" (I can control humidity and heat etc)
My tent setup:
- tent A = 1m x 1m x 1.8
- tent B = 1.2m x 1.2m x 2m
- Tent C = 2.4 m x 1.2m x 2m
There are 4 trays in the tents, each with a Mars Hydro II 1600.
Before I pop any seeds into the ground, I do intend to make the following changes:
- Seal the one window properly (so that the aircon can function better)
- Add more fans in the tents
Temperatures can get a bit high in some of the tents. Sometimes 30 degrees. So I want to avoid that. And I'm fairly certain this is due to the window not sealing properly, which affects the aircon. And the fans I am currently using are too small.
My Planting Plan:
I want to plant all the remaining autoflower seeds I have. There are 9 in total. Which means I can spread it out evenly by putting two plants under 3 of the lights, and 3 plants under 1 of the lights. But one of the problems with my last grow was that I got +-150 grams per plant, but I was only doing one plant per light. I think the Mars Hydro II 1600 can probably cater for 4 plants. So I am hoping if I can squeeze 4 plants under a light, I might get 600 grams for that surface area, instead of just 150 grams. BUT, I am then also worried this might affect potency. Potency is more important than yield. This grow is for me, personally, and I don't need busloads of the stuff. I just want what I have to be the best quality and potency. I think I can get the best of both worlds by planting:
- light 1: 4 seeds
- light 2: 3 seeds
- light 3: 1 seeds
- light 4: 1 seed
Total = 9 seeds
It's going to be bug me if I don't have 4 seeds under the second light, so I'm going to get one more seed so I can do:
- light 1: 4 seeds
- light 2: 4 seeds
- light 3: 1 seeds
- light 4: 1 seed
Total = 10 seeds
If I do it this way, I will have numbers to compare. If it turns out the single plants produce better buds, then I might consider sticking to doing one plant per light in future. I would also prefer that, because managing 4 plants under one light is a lot more effort than managing 1 plant under one light.
These are the 9 auto feminised seeds I have:
- Pineapple Express (hybrid)
- Blueberry (unknown type)
- Great White (unknown type)
- Gorilla #G (unknown type)
- Lemon (unknown type)
- Sweet Cheese (hybrid)
- Sour Diesel Haze (unknown type)
- Critical Ogre (Sativa)
- Northern Blueberry Lights (unknown type)
Side note: I can't find too much consistency between any of my plants. I had 3 identical seeds and got 3 plants that don't really taste the same. Or smell the same for that matter. In fact, I have one jar curing right now that is labelled "cheese or sour diesel haze", because I lost it's label and despite having samples of both cheese and sour diesel haze, I can't figure out which of the two this one is.
Anyway. I am going to also get Dutch Passion – Auto Ultimate. This is important, because this is the first time I am growing an actual Dutch Passion strain. All my other strains, including the 9 I am planting now, is from a local breeder. So I am not sure how close they are to the real thing. Is my Pineapple Express the same as the world famous Pineapple Express? I have no idea.
This is my final plant plan:
- light 1: 4 seeds ---> Northern Blueberry Lights, Critical Ogre, Sweet Cheese, Sour Diesel Haze
- light 2: 4 seeds ---> Blueberry, Great White, Gorilla #G, Pineapple Express
- light 3: 1 seeds ---> Lemon
- light 4: 1 seed ---> Dutch Passion – Auto Ultimate
My biggest concerns for this grow:
1. Spider mites
They are still there despite having added predatory mites. I've also tried spinosad and neem oil. I'm considering the following strategy:
a) using neem during veg (but I dont really want to use neem)
b) using spinosad during flower (but I dont really want to use spinosad)
c) using isopropyl for emergencies
This is going to be tricky, because spinosad and neem means I need to leave the plants alone. I can't spray them off using Iso. But the last time I left the bugs, they just multiplied, didn't die, and ended up almost killing 3 of my plant. (I'll still add pictures of these 3, they look really sick and horrible). So I'm actually considering just washing the plants every day. Or I should take a chance with the predatory mites one more time. If I harvest all the plants currently in my tent, and add the predatory mites when the seeds are just planted, that would mean the spider mites have nowhere to go, and hopefully the predatory mites will wipe them out.
I could also look at cleaning the tents, although that has proven futile in the past. But it might slow them down, which is actually all I really need right now: enough time to finish this grow before doing the actual big changes needed to have better grows in the future.
(FYI: i am currently looking at ways to turn my grow room into a medical grade lab. I want it so clean in there that you can eat off the ground. But that's going to take a lot of time and money)
2. LST
With 4 plants in a 1.2 m by 1.2 area, it's goig to be important to keep heights down. So I want to start LST from very early on and really do my best to get it right. Not only to get big buds, but to really make sure I have a large canopy and my plants grow in the best possible way.
My previous LST attempts have had various degrees of success. In some cases the plant got so tangled, I had to chop off branches. This was probably because I didn't cut off lower branches early on. I am still not entirely sure when to do this. In other cases, my LST turned out massively successful. Particularly in cases where the branch ended up "horizontal". So that a large part of the branch gets light. Not just the top part. This gave me fatter buds. I want fat buds and no popcorn buds, if possible. (I guess everyone wants that?)
3. Trimming
From what I've read, autos should not be trimmed. They have a short lifespan so anytime you cut off a branch, it means the plant has to heal and that could take away from bud producing energy. But, I need to really avoid "popcorn buds". They honestly waste my time during harvest. I want to chop them off the moment they appear. So hopefully as I start planting and more branches appear, I can get some advice on which one's would be okay to chop off and when. Perhaps I should maybe even consider things like SCROG?
4. Nutrients / Soil
I am using Freedom Farm Premium Growing Medium:
- Macro-nutrient content: Nitrogen (9.1 g/kg), Phosphorus (7.6 g/kg), Potassium (3.1 g/kg), Calcium (56.9 g/kg), Magnesium (14.3 g/kg)
- Ingredients: Coco Coir, Worm Castings, Compost, Perlite, Vermiculite,Volcanic Rock Dust, Bone Meal, Gypsum, Dolomite Lime, Kelp Meal, Organic Nutrients
My plan is to not feed any fertilizer until week 6. From week 6, I am thinking of just using the Biobizz nutrients I have, or to buy this nutrient kit: EHG Nutrient Kit - Online Hydroponics Shop
Any advice is welcome. I want to get the nutrient part right this time, so I can be sure I don't mess up harvesting. So if I could get an actual schedule and stick to it, that could help. RIght now I have stuff labelled "bloom" and "grow". I use grow for veg, and bloom for flower. I feel I could probably be doing more here.
Next Steps?
I intend to germinate these seeds in the next 7 days. I will use tissue paper and a plate (has worked every time so far). After that, I am going to plant them directly into 25 liter pots where they will live til they are harvested.
Any additional information
A lot of history on my previous grow can be found here: Is it time to switch to 12/12?
And here: Spider mites 2 weeks from harvest
But feel free to ask and I'll clarify anything1
Any questions or feedback?
. Wait until it's an actual plant before you neem. Depending on the type, probably 4 or 5 nodes old.
