Kitty's First Grow Spring 2017: LED & CFL & Sun

[bobrown14]

Plants are growing great there Kitty... Prolly getting close to being able to figure out which of the plants are girls... the boys won't show generally and MAYBE after the switch to flower.

Theboys are sneaky little critters. They will present as female then all of a sudden he's got balls. Man I hate when that happens. I've been at this for a while and generally grow from REG seeds a lot as well. Last round I transplanted 2 males I thought were female.... I should start a burn pile outside... I told'em if you get balls its into the fire for ya.... they didn't listen.

I grow in a pretty tight space 10 full size ladies in my flower room 5'x10' ... you get a lot of females it's going to get tight and you may have to move plants around later on just to get in there to water and so forth, so plan for that and hope they are all female!! I started out in a 4'x4' tent and my first grow was Sativa and they grew to 8' tall in a 6.5' tall tent! So depending on what type of cannabis they are height will vary as will spread.

I wouldn't worry about watering... just don't over water..... too dry is not good but over watering can kill. The plants will tell you if they get too thirsty.. at this point they are starting to ramp up and will drink a lot.. I water my plants at this stage maybe a cup every other day...then shortly it will be 2 cups/pot every day... then the growth spurts happen!! Fun times ahead.

Cool you went to Drexel.. West Philly... we live in North West Philly - Chestnut hill/Mt Airy ... been here a while, love this part of town. I just have to worry someone in my neighborhood doesn't grow out male cannabis with windows open and pollinate my ladies.... In our neighborhood I counted 5 grow lights like the MarsII you have with the burple color. That's in a 2 block radius. Times are changing!

I stop my lighting in flower before sunset - VEG rooms are stealth. On your tent and letting in pin hole light ... wont be an issue, if it bothers you duct tape to the rescue. In nature its not totally dark at night, the moon is usually out so not as dark as a grow tent zippered up. A few pinholes won't stress the plants and it won't affect the flowering sequence. Other factors are much more important. You may end up with the door wide open later... hahaha you may need to.

Your grow is coming along. The girls will be getting the action started shortly... have fun with it... gardening is rewarding.

 

[CannaKitty]

Thanks Bo!!! I check them EVERY day... if not twice or thrice... for signs of sex because I was really hoping I wouldn't have to waste the soil and space including my males in the final transplant but... nada. I did the math and they are going into 18Liter 30x30 plastic rounds for their final homes... Any bigger and I can't fit all 8... I actually still have one plant in a starter square that... despite me not really tending to it for lack of space... has become a little rootbound bonsai plant.

So it's a beautiful day here in Tuscany and I wanted to inspect each plant under natural light so I took them out for a sunbath and check over... they look short because their tops are tied down in hopes to force more energy to my secondary bud sites... my hand is cradling the actual 'top' of the plants... I won't post a photo of every plant as it's redundant and they all look pretty similar but here's a few....

They are looking reallllly healthy to my eyes... but if anyone sees anything that looks off/needs attention... please let me know. I don't know if it's because I'm their mom and I think they are beautiful no matter what... .





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[Manic4organic]

All look healthy enough to my not so experienced eyes looks like your doing a great job, crazy how squat the leds make the plants, im sure they will thank you nicely for their transplant!


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[CannaKitty]

Kitty's First Grow Spring 2017 - LED & CFL & Sun

Dag Nab It!
.....
Just when everything was going so smoothly... I made a rookie mistake.

NOTE: I am going to document my failures with more efficacy in this journal than my successes because it is from our mistakes that we learn. So if you don't want to hear the long version I'll add a TLDR at the end with pics.

Off with their heads!

I went all Queen of Hearts on two of my plants... the smallest two as well!

I have broken their not so little tops off... totally my fault. I just wanted to TRY LST. It was going well until... well...

This mistake had a lot of contributing factors. These are the lessons I have learned.

1. My original plan was to fim my way to a kinda SOG from seed canopy because this was my first grow and best to learn the basics first. I must say I got a little jeli when I saw others training there plants and I decided to give it a very basic try by stabilizing my main stems and then tying the tops down with garden ties and holes drilled into the sides of my pots. When one decides a style of grow they must commit. Growing my plants naturally and then tying down the tops 3 and a half weeks into veg was stupid and done on a whim.

2. I did at least perform the initial LST when the plants were thirstyish so that they would bend for me. The mistake was watering them and leaving them tied down. I believe the reason the ties strangled the tops is, as the plant drank it expanded and grew more robust and I didn't allow enough give. The problem only happened to my two smallest plants. They were most likely tied a bit tighter. The larger ones seemed strong enough to not be effected. Even though I double looped the ties to allow a little space for stem growth. Maybe in the future... if LSTing larger plants.... I should untie when I give a big water and the retie gently after they have flexed their muscles??? This plants structure is greatly effected by the point it is at in its drank cycle.

3. I chose the cheapest garden ties. They were glorified trash bag ties with a bit softer green plastic instead of paper around a wire. Don't skimp on the small stuff.

3. Walk before you run. I got too confident. I have untied all my plants. I will not be using anymore LST this round. I have a 6.5' tent and a fairly low profile LED. I have bought a hanging kit that will allow me to get the light very close to the top (with room for fans to pull air of course). If I am interested in 'trying' a new method... I will try it in one plant... see how it goes... not potentially harm a whole crop.

4. When life gets you down... you can always try a bandaid. I actually didn't photograph the damaged plants BEFORE I bandaged them. I was in a hurry to get them bandaged. One was chopped right off and the other was at first still partially attached but then pretty much completely off as well. Because I have seen plants do miraculous things when given the chance... there is still a modicum of hope that maybe I'll get one of these ladies to regenerate for me. Unfortunately it's not a 'clean break'. I tried scotch, then electrical and then finally a bandaid with a butterfly bandage wrapped round that and a skewer to take any stress away was what seemed to work the best.

I just want to leave them be so I didn't want to pull em out and shake em all up just for photos... IF it works... hallelujah and if not... just might have to add a little extra veg time .

I have some new soil, a big ass bag of perlite, pots, and lots of other goodies that arrive this week... all in preparation for the big last transplant before the flip to flower. l am trying to think positively into the future... It's a bummer... not just one but TWO plants decapitated. Plantslaughter... that's what it was. It's MY fault!

TLDR: I broke the tops off of my two smallest plants and have tried to bandage them with bandaids and support the area with skewers.

Wish my babes luck... that's all I can hope for!


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[mostarda]

Hi @CannaKitty,
only an advice to take photo under magenta led light,
you could use a color correction filter,
in your case green.
Something like this:
Green Filter
to put it on the iPhone Camera,
with one hand the phone on the other the filter.
LOL.
My way to speak english is insane!
I hope this help.

 

[Manic4organic]

Re: Kitty's First Grow Spring 2017 - LED & CFL & Sun

Dag Nab It!
.....
Just when everything was going so smoothly... I made a rookie mistake.

NOTE: I am going to document my failures with more efficacy in this journal than my successes because it is from our mistakes that we learn. So if you don't want to hear the long version I'll add a TLDR at the end with pics.

Off with their heads!

I went all Queen of Hearts on two of my plants... the smallest two as well!

I have broken their not so little tops off... totally my fault. I just wanted to TRY LST. It was going well until... well...

This mistake had a lot of contributing factors. These are the lessons I have learned.

1. My original plan was to fim my way to a kinda SOG from seed canopy because this was my first grow and best to learn the basics first. I must say I got a little jeli when I saw others training there plants and I decided to give it a very basic try by stabilizing my main stems and then tying the tops down with garden ties and holes drilled into the sides of my pots. When one decides a style of grow they must commit. Growing my plants naturally and then tying down the tops 3 and a half weeks into veg was stupid and done on a whim.

2. I did at least perform the initial LST when the plants were thirstyish so that they would bend for me. The mistake was watering them and leaving them tied down. I believe the reason the ties strangled the tops is, as the plant drank it expanded and grew more robust and I didn't allow enough give. The problem only happened to my two smallest plants. They were most likely tied a bit tighter. The larger ones seemed strong enough to not be effected. Even though I double looped the ties to allow a little space for stem growth. Maybe in the future... if LSTing larger plants.... I should untie when I give a big water and the retie gently after they have flexed their muscles??? This plants structure is greatly effected by the point it is at in its drank cycle.

3. I chose the cheapest garden ties. They were glorified trash bag ties with a bit softer green plastic instead of paper around a wire. Don't skimp on the small stuff.

3. Walk before you run. I got too confident. I have untied all my plants. I will not be using anymore LST this round. I have a 6.5' tent and a fairly low profile LED. I have bought a hanging kit that will allow me to get the light very close to the top (with room for fans to pull air of course). If I am interested in 'trying' a new method... I will try it in one plant... see how it goes... not potentially harm a whole crop.

4. When life gets you down... you can always try a bandaid. I actually didn't photograph the damaged plants BEFORE I bandaged them. I was in a hurry to get them bandaged. One was chopped right off and the other was at first still partially attached but then pretty much completely off as well. Because I have seen plants do miraculous things when given the chance... there is still a modicum of hope that maybe I'll get one of these ladies to regenerate for me. Unfortunately it's not a 'clean break'. I tried scotch, then electrical and then finally a bandaid with a butterfly bandage wrapped round that and a skewer to take any stress away was what seemed to work the best.

I just want to leave them be so I didn't want to pull em out and shake em all up just for photos... IF it works... hallelujah and if not... just might have to add a little extra veg time .

I have some new soil, a big ass bag of perlite, pots, and lots of other goodies that arrive this week... all in preparation for the big last transplant before the flip to flower. l am trying to think positively into the future... It's a bummer... not just one but TWO plants decapitated. Plantslaughter... that's what it was. It's MY fault!

TLDR: I broke the tops off of my two smallest plants and have tried to bandage them with bandaids and support the area with skewers.

Wish my babes luck... that's all I can hope for!


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You might get lucky with these, if they recover in time you could end up with two healthy topped plants
That should be interesting to see


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[CannaKitty]

Re: Kitty's First Grow Spring 2017 - LED & CFL & Sun

You might get lucky with these, if they recover in time you could end up with two healthy topped plants
That should be interesting to see


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Well... I hope so!!!They were too far gone to be salvaged by bandaging... even though I worked quickly... 24 hours later it was obvious the plant wasn't going to regenerate. Mid veg is... probably the best time for such a mistake. They seem like they will bounce back... already started actually. I just wish it had happened to a set of the taller girls. I still have my final transplant to do this week and want to give them time to settle in new homes before the flip. I read somewhere that the ten days leading up to and after the flip it is imperative to keep the plants as stress free as possible to 'push' for females.

Whether that's bullshit or not I don't have the experience to know yet... but it seems logical... if you are going to buy in to the nurture effecting ultimate sexing theories.

These are the two now topped gals... I have magnified where they broke off... now I have two marijuana shrubs .

But when I put them all together in their SOG ish way... the damage isn't really noticeable ... All the plants look healthier since I untied them... in my opinion.

Ehhh... what can you do??? Keep calm and carry on right??

That's all for now.

XxKitty




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[smokeywokey]

Wow! Big healthy plants there Kitty. Looking good. Subbed

 

[smokeywokey]

Hi. What's band-aiding? Did the stem totally break? Good luck for your up potting!

 

[bobrown14]

Plants in VEG... cut, top, scrape.. bump and break.. they will recover. Just be patient everything will work out fine.

In flower different deal duct tape to the rescue!


Looking good .. go outside for a walk with a bucket and dig up some local soil and top dress in... FTW. How's the local grape vines looking?

Cheers

 

[CannaKitty]

Hi. What's band-aiding? Did the stem totally break? :

Haha... I used an adhesive bandage for human cuts/burns/etc... Americans call them band-aids... like how we call cotton swabs Q-Tips... It is a major brand that became so popular it replaced the actual word for the product.

One stem broke completely off and the other still had some flesh attached... nonetheless both were beyond repair But as I mentioned I have seen some miraculous recoveries from major breaks... always worth a shot.

Thankfully the plants have recovered. No infection or pests at the site of the injury which was my worst fear. They are just now more so Marijuana shrubs... It will be interesting to see what happens in flower... how they develop without a main cola...

xxKitty

 

[CannaKitty]

Looking good .. go outside for a walk with a bucket and dig up some local soil and top dress in... FTW. How's the local grape vines looking?

Cheers

Well... I inadvertently was forced to kind of do this... lol. After doing the math I realized I would be about 15 liters short on soil when I transplant. I didn't want to go all the way to the hydro store to get more All Mix so I picked up a bag of Italian soil mix... the one with the shortest list of components and not ferts/chems. I WAS going to mix it in but I actually think I will stick to my Biobizz/Perlite mix that has been working so well for me and then use this Italian mix on top... its got a PH of 6 and lists Baltic peat, granulated bark, coco, and 'fibrous earth' as its ingredients.

I made a separate post in FAQ asking about how to use my extra cheapo 'fibrous earth'. lol Earth and Soil are the same word in Italian... Terra, Terricio, etc.

I rarely drink but when I do it is a good chianti. One day I hope to get out of this damn condo and have a little villetta somewhere with my own private garden. Grow my plants, grapes, and maybe have a couple chickens. I remember eating concord grapes straight off the vine as a kid... the sweet sweet inside and tart skin... mmmmmmm. I can't stand neighbors in the condominium left to me by my Grandfather. It is mostly populated by llittle old Nonnas that LOVE to complain about everything. Even though I technically have a spot of green of my own in the garden... I don't dare touch it... they keep it how they like it.

xxKitty

 

[mostarda]

I can't stand neighbors in the condominium...

This is true in general,
not only in condominium!
In Italy more and more...
but i don't think is different in other places,
is the human being.
Come on!
You are doing a good job with your plants.


Brava

 

[smokeywokey]

Hi Kitty! I never knew what those grapes were called. They were selling them in the local organic store.

I stopped everything when I got into recovery too, like you I didn't want to have contact with people who pushing/using. I'm over 3 years clean now. I couldn't bear the thought of never smoking weed again though

So nice of your Grandpa to leave you a place to live in Italy!

 

[CannaKitty]

Time for a journal update...

I got the final transplant done. As I mentioned, I ended up having to use a bit of cheap soil on top of my bb all mix/perlite. Even though I had done the math and had 17.5 liters of soil mix for every 18 liter pot... I was short and needed more of the 'dirt' I bought. Must make note that soil compresses pretty drastically and causes cubic liters to drop... I'd say I need about 20 liters of packaged soil mix product per 18 liter round to fill it to a few inches under the Rim. (Remember for the next grow)

So... the plants are sat a bit lower in the pots than I would have wanted in a perfect world but it is what is. Shade isn't an issue when working with a immobile light source and that area will all be branch anyway.

Also... the 18liter round pots came with nice big drain holes around the bottom of the pot but I decided to drill some additional holes in the bottom of the pots. 4 holes. One in the center and 3 evenly around it. They only allow for a small amount of water to drain but I think they will help ensure drainage throughout the center of the soil. The pots are quite big and I want to avoid any chance of root rot and ensure air is getting to the center of that root ball.

I saturated the pots completely with water after transplant. That included some HEAVY lifting. No nutrients of course because that all mix is rich. I sat the pots in the bidet in my bathroom which happens to fit the large pots perfectly. I waited for just a dribble of run off.

I pruned them down again. Defoliating pretty drastically especially underneath in a lollipop style. My pretty drastic defoliation a couple weeks ago proved a powerful tool for producing a bushier, fuller, plant with many more potential bud sites.

Now I plan on not touching them other than to water/feed creating the lowest stress environment possible for the next week while they grow into their final homes and prepare for the switch. These plants are very hesitant to show their sex... maybe they are confused... having gender identity issues... they are in their sixth week of growth and I check every day twice a day. Maybe my strain just won't show until flower.

It's a bummer going from squares to rounds man... but I just couldn't justify paying 4 times the price for the same pot but square... since I have the space... and my light's footprint is a good bit bigger than my tent thankfully. I am going to experiment with different pot arrangements. I rotate and turn them daily anyway...

So there's definitely some space for my ladies to grooooow

Countdown to flower is on... I don't have an official date but I'll know it. It could be anywhere between 7 -12 days. See... I want the roots to develop first as my thinking is that, that way they only have to work on their upper body strength once we go 12/12.

Now... over two weeks not trimming,training, bending, pruning... hippy science says that's the way to get them females... For a busy bee first timer grower it's not going to be easy. They look so small in the big pots all pruned down... but hopefully once they get that bigger rootball they'll be able explode in flower

When pruning I noticed some of the undergrowth was not yellow but lighter. This could be due to lack of light OR I Think that it may be because the roots haven't had time to uptake the nutrients in the soil they got just yesterday. If I hadn't watered they would have been in need of a feed but because of the transplant I chose to not use nutrients. Now I am wondering whether I should feed next water or just water. I have only had to use my Bio Grow ONCE at quarter strength because they grew so fast and in turn needed transplants and fresh soil meant no need for nutrients.

Phew... I think that's everything. I'm still checking for sign of sex twice a day so.. surely if I find anything that will be my next update....

Note: I'm really not expecting anyone to get through these detailed borderline obsessively detailed accounts of my experiences but I like to write and enjoy the idea of having this to look back upon one day.. when I'm grey.. and can tell my grandkids how there was marijuana prohibition when I was young ! Haha... well maybe not that... but to look back upon and recognize mistakes I made or details I missed. Thanks for reading... brevity is not one of my strengths.

XxKitty

 

[CannaKitty]

Journal Update...

They all seem to have recovered from transplant and are focused on growing and filling up their new homes...

Looking to make the switch to 12/12 on Friday or Saturday... depends on how quickly they drink up that soil I saturated when I transplanted.

Oh... I have found the earliest signs of sex/preflowers and it is on the mutant ... of all plants... it's actually really good news if it is male because mutant is one of 2 plants that I thought to be a different phenotype but am now thinking it could be that they are both male...

.

It's definitely a calyx but I think to early to tell .. if I had to I would go with male... but I've read they can be indistinguishable at first. I have checked all the other plants and some have a 'nub' that may turn out to be anything but it's too early.

 

[MrGreene]

I check for signs of sex every day too.....just not on my plants.

Your plants are looking great and will have that tent full soon.

Oh, some of us do enjoy reading your detailed accounts and look forward to your updates.

 

[Mike420husker]

Kitty your plants look great. I just wish I had the big beast you have. But I will have the sun soon. I transplanted and fim to close but today they are taking off new bud sites all over.
happy growing

 

[bobrown14]

Looking great there Kitty.... yellow leaves down low on young plants, meh.... don't stress it too much, sometimes I just trim them off to get better air flow.

On the sex plant there... usually and thats like 90% of the time the females show sex in VEG and males will try and fake you out until flower time and then they show balls... usually the female has a pointy calyx but I've seen males look just like that and then when I'm not watching they go and try their stupid crap in flower.

Patience .... they will show soon enough for sure and you're getting close.

Sorry to hear about your neighbors... I've worked with an Italian family here in the states, 3 generations with mom and pop from the old country all speak Italian. I think there's going to be a time when you somehow earn their respect... it will take time. Just be nice and respectful, they are set in their ways but will be open minded after you pass the mustard!! Just figuring out how to get the respect is the challenge. There's some unspoken "test" ... you're already taking it now! hahahaha Good luck with that... you will figure it out. They are watching you... trust me on that 100% so when you bring friends over they are passing judgement on your friends too! Tough job, someone's gotta watch out for you..

Looking great in the garden... round pots are WAY easier to rotate! You will be fine... there will be a few males and you will have a little more room in there. So it will get easier ....

 

[CannaKitty]

Thank you everyone for sticking with me through my grow journey! I love to be able to share my thoughts, plans, and growdeas ... but you all know the deal... Even if it's not technically illegal, I cannot compromise my privacy by telling anyone I know locally.

Big News:

Tonight's the night!

.............

Tonight I am switching to flower hours! I don't want to push my height restrictions and not knowing my strain coupled with being new to all this... It's about that time...

They needed a water last night... and I did a very light feed. I wanted to wait till today but they weren't just dry, they were showing signs of needing water in their bones... Looking tired and wilted and during this crucial time before flower I want to keep the plants as stress free as possible.

I have read that organic nutrients can take a little longer for the plant to uptake... whether that is true or not... I don't know yet. I gave each plant 2 liters water containing quarter strength BioBizz Grow AND Bloom. I know they won't need that Bloom for a week or two but my intention was to get them a little amped up for the flip. I don't think quarter strength BB can do too much harm and they look happy and perky this morning. See... I may not water again for another five days... I'm not sure what kind of drink demands these gals will have during flower but assuming the flip in itself may cause a little stress... I want those nutrients to be there for them... and I may not need to water for a bit so hence my very modest use of nutes.

They, have rooted in their new pots in less than a week with many roots visible at the drainage holes. They are looking so perfectly ready for the flip!

Oh... undoubtedly due to using cheap soil as top dress I am seeing a couple little mushroom caps pop up in my soil... but they die an dry out quickly. I think because the space between the soil and the bottom leaves remains more humid than elsewhere it allows for a little haven for the shrooms. Honestly, I am not too concerned. It's just a few and they die and dry quicker than I notice them. If anything I know my soil is natural... I have read of many people having this happen... I think all organisms work with one another in our complex universe striving to create a perfect harmony. I mean I'm not going to eat them... or keep them... but I am not worried about it. All it tells me is I have some natural soil and that maybe my plants are a little to humid in that space between the soil and the bottom leaves.

I will run dark hours between 7pm and 7am... a naturalish night ....I know US energy companies offer discounts for off peak electricity but that is not so here... so might as well run dark when it's dark. The room they are in has black out shutters which I have secured as tightly as possible. They are also IN the tent in that room. I checked it out yesterday for light leaks and the only thing it is missing is a rolled up towel for the bottom of the door to the room as that is the only noticeable entrance of light left.

I have still been hearing the heat pump kick on during dark hours in my plants room at night. In Italy we don't have central air but we have what apparently are called 'minisplits' in the US or ductless air conditioners/heat pumps installed in the each room individually. The indoor part of the unit sits right above my tent and handles my air circulation needs REALLY well. I wasn't expecting this but it really serves as a climate control for my grow space. Have not had any need for the AC yet ... but the heat pump is set to kick on if the temp drops below 22 celsius... otherwise it is just constantly venting the room... It has been a tremendous assist to my grow. The unit works as my extractor fan, cooling, heating, and scrubbing... although not carbon filters... the filters do do a decent job keeping the smell manageable. The unit will be even more important with longer dark hours... until it warms up for good and then I'll be battling temps with the AC instead. . Running the AC will also keep my humidity down later in flower when it's important.

I believe just about all my plants now show little nubs of growth where the preflowers are so they are mature enough to flip BUT distinguishing their sex just isn't possible and at this point... Since we are going into flower... I have come to terms with the fact that my strain is obviously one of those that just doesn't show sex early. I have seen plants half the age of mine displaying very obvious preflowers... but mine just are not that way. I assume that I'll know within 10 days of switching to 12/12. So I give up on 'early sexing'.

I am switching directly to 12/12. No 24 hours of dark or 'weaning' of light. My thoughts on 24 hours of darkness is it is just an unnecessary stress and similarly I would rather the plants deal with one change 20/4 to 12/12 than 8 changes that would be required to remove an hour at a time. Just my personal opinions gathered from my research. So... switching that timer now and ready for the second chapter in my grow journal! Wish my lovely ladies luck and join me in doing a don't grow balls on me dance....
Last Day of Veg...