PhishwithPhiv's - 600W - SCROG - WW-XTRM - AK-XTRM - Soil - 2014

[PhishwithPhiv]

Entry 14 (6/3): Six Weeks Old (Days 41-43)

Day 41: Big day. I transplanted AK I, AK II, and WW II into the 3.7 gallon pots. The timing seemed right as it was a day or two past a watering and they were around 7-7.5". Also, the two AKs looked like they were overfeed (again!) and I probably needed to flush them anyway.

I culled WW III. I will keep WW I around for a week or so just in case something happens to one of the other three.

I think the timing of the transplant was good as well because the roots were showing but not too crowded.

Here is AK I in her new home — she does not look great right now but I am optimistic she will recover in a couple of days.

Here is the group in all their new spots:

And here they are under the screen:

Day 42: Basic upkeep. I am just misting lightly a couple times a day.

Day 43: Everything looks fine; they appear to have responded well to the transplant and the AKs look better after getting flushed. I am thinking to go about 2/3 nutes next time and be sure not to overfeed them again.

They have grown a couple of inches in the last 2 days. I am guessing part of that is the stems readjusting after I removed the tie downs and the rest is new growth. Looks like I will need to start tucking them under the screen in the next day or so. From what I have read I will be doing that every day or two for the next 3-4 weeks.

It looks like within a few days they will be firmly up against the screen and I am guessing it will be about half way (or more) filled. I planned on erring on the side of caution and not letting the screen get more that 60-70% filled before switching over to 12/12. At this point I am not even sure where everything is going to go or what to expect after the switch.

Any thoughts? I would appreciate any advice that would help me avoid further mistakes.

 

[CMoney]

Re: PhishwithPhiv’s 600w SCROG - WW-XTRM - AK-XTRM - Soil - 2014

First off, I have to commend you on an awesome journal. You are setting the standard pretty high. Secondly, nice looking greens and I'm digging to set up you have. Best of luck.

 

[RobertSensi]

Re: PhishwithPhiv’s 600w SCROG - WW-XTRM - AK-XTRM - Soil - 2014

You're off to a great start! Those are looking awesome!!

I'm in for the ride can't wait to see how it goes!

 

[PhishwithPhiv]

Re: PhishwithPhiv’s 600w SCROG - WW-XTRM - AK-XTRM - Soil - 2014

Thanks CMoney and RobertSensi - i appreciate the comments. Its a cool journey growing these things as they develop quickly and are so responsive to changes (and they are forgiving which is good in my case).

 

[PhishwithPhiv]

Entry 15 (6/7): Flowering Phase (Days 44-47)

Day 44: Basic upkeep.

Day 45: Feed each of them today. The each took about 1.5 gallons of Big Bloom — 20ml, Grow Big — 10ml, and Tiger Bloom — 6.5ml. This is about 2/3 strength according to the FoxFarm schedule. I wanted to be sure not to burn them again.

Day 46: Temperature still ranging between 78 and 82. Relative humidity is ranging between 38 and 46.

Day 47-1: Began flowering today. I put in the HPS bulb at around 2:00 PM and set the timers to shut everything off (except the small fan which will remain on constantly) at 6:30 PM; they will come back on at 6:30 AM.

As soon as it turned everything on it started getting hot (I think I noticed some light/heat burn on some of the leaves in the middle area of the screen). I moved the light up so it now sits about 18 inches above the screen. I will keep an eye on things and move down if possible.

I don't think my timing is perfect for a scrog as I went conservative and switched over before the screen was 70-80% full. One of the challenges was finding a good fit for 3 round pots under a 3X3 screen. I set the WW up in back and am trying to keep it as "thin" as possible so it would take up the back 3' by 1' area of the screen — this was harder than I thought it would be.

Also, I wanted to be careful and not get myself in trouble on the front 2/3 of the screen. This will be a good learning experience for me as I see how much they stretch and what the grow pattern leaves me for options.

Next time I will reduce the screen size a bit and just go with two plants.

Next couple of weeks should be fun.

Here are some photos:

The seeds are advertised as needed 8 weeks to flower. Not sure if should believe this so I am just planning on 9 weeks.

 

[Calyx Hunter]

Re: PhishwithPhiv’s 600w SCROG - WW-XTRM - AK-XTRM - Soil - 2014

Nice journal you have going. I will be watching them grow. I agree with trichomes advice. Keep it up

 

[PhishwithPhiv]

Entry 16 (6/10): Seven Weeks Old (Days 48-50)

Day 48-2: Played around with the grow room environment (removed one of the humidifiers) trying to get the temperature and humidity just right. The HPS bulb is much hotter than the MH.

Did a lot of tucking the leaves under the screen and they seem to be responding well.

Day 49-3: Temperatures are dipping down to 67 at night and into the mid 80s in the day with humidity ranging from mid 40s to mid 50s.

I noticed some burnt and bleached leaves in the middle area of the screen. I moved the light up: the bulb is 19" from the screen (glass is 16" away).

Day 50-4: I am still fine-tuning the switch off/on. I think I now have the timers set so that there is not much more than about 10 minutes away from 12/12.

I went ahead and moved the light up to 20.5" from the screen (glass = 17.5" away). I didn't notice any additional bleaching or burning but wanted to safe.

Looks like moving the plants under the screen will be a daily thing for a while. Its not too difficult and I have managed not to break anything so far. I am letting them grow about 2-3" above the screen and then moving them back under and trying to direct them where I think they need to go.

Some pictures:

 

[PhishwithPhiv]

Entry 17 (6/14): One Week Flowering (Days 51-54)

Day 51-5: Basic upkeep (which includes tucking, folding, and directing the stems).

Day 52-6: Temperatures and humidity have stabilized at around 80 degrees and mid 40%. The nighttime low temperatures are in the upper 60s. Seems good to me.

Day 53-7: When I checked on the plants this afternoon a couple of them (AK II and WW II) had begun to wilt. I watered them all with pure water (about 2 gallons each). They had recovered within a couple of hours and looked good going to bed.

Day 54-8: I am still manipulating the stems daily but it appears to have slowed down from earlier in the week. The screen is filling in nicely with a couple of dense spots that I will redirect in the coming days.

I cleaned out the underbrush today; not much as I plan to take a conservative approach to pruning. I will probably just continue to remove the leaves and branches that come off easily and reconsider when I see how things are next week.

I am still happy with how things are going despite the fact that I have under feed them, over feed them, over watered them, and burned them. I suppose making mistakes is a great way to learn and its nice that mine have not resulted in bigger problems.

If I look real closely I am able to spot some pistols forming: very nice to see that process beginning.

Here are some pictures.

 

[PhishwithPhiv]

Entry 18 (6/17): Eight Weeks Old (Days 55-57)

Day 55-9: Everything looks fine. Moved a few of the branches/leaves under the screen but there is not too much going on.

I lowered the light to 19" above canopy. This does heat things up a bit, but not much — I will keep an eye on things and try to be sure not to burn any more leaves.

Day 56-10: Checked on them this morning and they had a growth spurt: a lot of plant material above the screen. It took a while this afternoon to get them all tucked.

Temperatures are starting the day in the low 70s and working there way up to around 80 by lights out. I tried turning the humidifier off but it was a bit early as the humidity dipped to the low 30s (with it on it stays in the mid to upper 40s).

Day 57-11: Not much going on today. Looks like they will need some water (with nutes) tomorrow or Thursday at the latest.

I am planning to keep moving them under the screen for the next few days and then give them a final tuck on Saturday along with some under brush clearing. At that point I will just sit back and watch (and hope).

I apologize: the following pictures aren't very good (took them after the light went out and was in a bit of a hurry):

 

[PhishwithPhiv]

Entry 19 (6/21): Two Weeks Flowering (Days 58-61)

Day 58-12: Watered all of them today (again, one was just starting to wilt). Each took two gallons of the following mixture: 15 ml of Big Bloom & 10 ml of Tiger Bloom mixed per gallon. This is the recommended amount according to the FoxFarm feeding schedule.

The two gallons poured in each pot allowed from some runoff, which I pumped out with a small hand pump and finished with a sponge.

Watering and pumping out the runoff is challenging (the space to work with is so cramped and not easily assessable). My solution has been to attach a hose to the spout of a gallon sized watering can; this works better but it is still a pain. I tried using a small fountain pump but it was more hassle than it was worth.

I did some moving and tucking again today.

Day 59-13: Routine maintenance.

Day 60-14: I spent quite a bit of time moving the branches where I wanted them to be for the remainder of the grow. I also tucked them all down to as close to screen level as I could. My plan is to do some finishing touches tomorrow and then let them alone to grow vertically.

Day 61-15: Did a little more branch placement and tucking today. I think it turned out well and am hopefully that the vertical phase will be okay (well populated but not crowded). My plan at this point is to just let it be and only make minor adjustments if necessary (for example: if I get some random branches far outpacing the rest).

The screen filled out nicely. I lucked out with my timing. I am surprised at how much coverage I ended up with in the back corners; I was thinking there would be about twice as much left empty.

On the other hand: there are still a couple of dense areas (not too bad I don't think) but I am happy how it turned out given my limited skills and experience.

I am excited about sitting back and watching what happens over the next few weeks.

I did not do much defoliation. I have been pulling off some leaves here and there that come off easily and I suppose I will continue with that unless a related problem becomes evident.

The plants responded well to the feeding earlier in the week. They look healthy and continue to grow and tolerate the daily manipulations.

I have to say that after reading everything I could find about the scrog method before starting this grow operation there really is no substitute for experience. There are so many things that just can't be explained and require the slow process of experimentation to lend any real understanding. The method itself is enjoyable but a lot of work (it doesn't help having a relatively cramped grow space) — it is also a nice challenge and fulfilling in that regard.

From what I have read I will not have much to do with the plants, besides feeding and watering them, for the next 7 weeks (I will flush them again in a week or so and then again a couple weeks before harvest). Hopefully they will provide a good show during this time.

 

[PhishwithPhiv]

Entry 20 (6/24): Nine Weeks Old (Days 62-64)

Day 62-16: Didn't do anything with them today; just letting them get used to their new vertical freedom.

Day 63-17: Watered them all today. Each took 2 gallons of tap water (I pumped out the runoff).

I may have been too quick with the watering this time but I'm not sure. I test the soil tactilely and then with a moister meter and when it was in this area the last two times I witnessed signs of wilting within a day or so. It's hard for me to know when the perfect time would be.

The ph of the water was around 6.9; the runoff was around 5.5; I checked the soil and it was 6.2.

I don't really know what any of that means. From my reading it is recommended to run between 5.5 and 6.5 with as many opinions opting for the lower range as the higher. I have also read that the reliability of most instruments is not perfect... None of the readings shocked me and they are in the suggested range so I won't worry about it too much.

Day 64-18: Temps continue to range from the mid 60s to the low 80s with humidity in the upper 30s to upper 40s. Seems good to me.

I don't think they look great right now: they look okay but not great. It may be a color issue or leaf texture, I'm not sure they just don't look to be in optimal health.

They are growing and the pistols are developing nicely so that's good.

The bud sites under the light seem to be a lighter color than the rest. This is hard for me to decipher because the lights will be brightest directly beneath the hood, which will impact the illumination and thus the displayed color. With the light off and the room lights on the difference is not very noticeable.

I plan to give them a full feeding next time they need water (I will let them dry out a little longer) and then a full flush the time after that.

Some pictures:

 

[Bagzy]

Re: PhishwithPhiv’s 600w SCROG - WW-XTRM - AK-XTRM - Soil - 2014

Hello first and fore most I want to applaud you on this journal, very well done and extremely detailed, props brother! I have also acquired some regular AK 47 XTRM which are just about ready to show their sex (week 3). I am eager to see a few things from both the WW and AK XTRM...1) If their 700g per square meter is feasible ( by the looks of your Scrog of probably 100 budsites it just might be!) and 2) If the 24% THC can be realistic as they should be covered in crystals and finally 3) What smell they have in up coming weeks(fruity, dank, skunk etc). The only things I swear by other than macro nutes are pro-teKt silica, unsulphured molasses and dolomite lime. Just about everything else is hydroponic bullshit imo. I even switched my base nutes to Jack's Classic 20-20-20 for veg and jack's Classic 10-30-20 for bloom after doing a side by side with General hydroponics vs Advanced vs Jacks under same conditions+strain and they all came out virtually the same. Oh I use Snow Storm Ultra as well but that may be unnecessary for such a potant strain. Good luck and happy growing! Bagzy

 

[PhishwithPhiv]

Re: PhishwithPhiv’s 600w SCROG - WW-XTRM - AK-XTRM - Soil - 2014

Welcome Bagzy and thanks for the comments.

700g is a lot but i really don't know what to expect from my grow. I wondered about the 24% claim myself - that would be some strong herb wouldn't it?

If there is anything that i am not covering in my posting that would be of interest to you just let me know and i will try and include it.

Best of luck on your grow.

 

[PhishwithPhiv]

Entry 21 (6/28): Three Weeks Flowering (Days 65-68)

Day 65-19: Basic upkeep. Everything looks fine.

Day 66-20: The AKs look like they need some nutes soon — they don't look bad but they are hinting at some slight yellowing. The WW looks great. I plan to feed them next time they need water.

Temperature and humidity continue to be in the target range.

Day 67-21: Basic upkeep. The AK I seems to be drying out a little quicker than the AK II and the WW II.

Day 68-22: I cleaned out the underbrush again today: I just focused on removing the leaves that easily came off.

I think the AK I could have been watered today but the AK II could use another day at least and the WW II could probably wait another two days. I will check them tomorrow and try to split the difference (I really want to keep them on the same schedule if possible).

They canopy is about 3" above the screen (some a bit higher) and I have not moved the light which remains about 19" above the screen. I have been checking everyday to make sure there is no signs of burning (I have a small branch that I propped up and that is about ½" taller than the rest that I am using as my test subject).

I wasn't sure what to expect a week after I stopped tucking them but they seem to be developing okay. I don't know how much taller they will get in the next 6 weeks but I will find out soon.

The temperature got up to 85 degrees today and the forecast for the coming week is about the same as it was today so the girls may be in for some more heat — nothing I can do about and I won't worry too much unless it get closer to 90.

Some photos:

 

[Bagzy]

Only thing I would suggest is the protekt silica either as foliage spray or just added right to the nutes. Look it up it's proven great for heat tolerances and plant cell wall development and raising the leafs ph to prevent mold, bugs etc plus you use such a small amount it's well worth the $20 investment. Just my .02 cents! Good luck bro!

 

[PhishwithPhiv]

Entry 22 (7/1): Ten Weeks Old (Days 69-71)

Day 69-23: Feed all of them today. I mixed the following: 15 ml Big Bloom, 10 ml Grow Big, and 10 ml Tiger Bloom with 1 gallon of water. Each plant took 2 gallons with a little bit of runoff (almost none on AK I and a bit more for AK II than WW II).

Watering is still somewhat of a pain but the hose on the watering can is helpful.

I don't look forward to the whole flushing process, which I plan to undertake the next time they need water (probably Saturday).

Day 70-24: Temp and Humidity are in good spots: daytime = 80 +/- 2 ; 45-50% and nighttime = 68-70 ; 55-60%.

I don't think there is any doubt now that I have burned, or at least bleached, some of the leaves. The area below the bulb — about 1 square foot — is showing some discoloration. I was moving some leaves around and moved one off another and the shaded area was a perfect color with the rest of it being much lighter.

The damage does not seem to be too bad and I'm confident it is more cosmetic than anything else. I am not too upset about burning them. As I stated my goal is to experiment and try and learn from my mistakes; I now know that my HPS in this set up should never be much closer than 18" from the highest plant.

This should not be a problem as my growth rate has slowed considerably and thus I don't think the light will ever be more than around 24" from the screen. From what I have read that is plenty of light and my dispersal area is relatively small for a 600 watt bulb.

Day 71-25: I moved the light up today. It is now around 17-18" above the taller buds (from glass to screen is about 18"). I think I will just plan on targeting 18" away from here out.

The highest budding sites average 3.5" with a couple of them growing past 4". This seems fine to me but I wonder if they will get any taller.

I did some under brush clearing today. I was surprised by how much I was able to pull out (again, I only gently tugged on weak looking leaves and took those that came off easily).

It may have inadvertently paid off (i.e. I got lucky) that the plants had gone about as long as they wanted to without nutes. Perhaps, some of the weaker leaves could not survive without some food and made it easier for me to remove them.

Each plant appears to have responded well to the feeding a couple of days ago. Everything looks healthy, and besides seeming a bit short, is developing well.

I took a bunch of pictures this time — hope it's not too many for this journal.

From the data it appears that as many as 25-30 of you guys are following the progress here. I would welcome some feedback if you feel like sharing it. I just have no real idea what to expect in the coming weeks; if I should be focusing on anything in particular; avoiding anything specific; or if there are things I should be considering for my next grow.

Hope this journal is worth any of the time you have spent looking it over. It has been very helpful to me to learn from my mistakes and try to build on the strengths.

 

[PhishwithPhiv]

Entry 23 (7/5): Four Weeks Flowering (Days 72-75)

Day 72-26: I am keeping the light 18" above the canopy.
I clearly did some minor damage (discoloration mainly) to some of the budding sites directly under the bulb.

Day 73-27: It has been getting warm here; it is challenging to keep the temperatures in the low 80s.

Day 74-28: Basic upkeep and I cleaned out the underbrush again. It is fairly open under the screen at this point — I think it was a good idea not to trim them much but rather just let the lack of light clear out the weak and unexposed leaves.

Day 75-29: I watered the AK I today. I ran 3 gallons of water (with ¼ tsp of SuperThrive/gallon) through it and ended up with about 1 gallon overflow. I will do the same for AK II and WW II when they dry out (probably tomorrow).

It got hot again today and I was forced to keep the door sealed for several hours. The temperatures got up to 87 degrees. Not real happy about that but nothing I could do.

I counted the budding sites and came up with around 120 that were above the screen. Some are fairly close to the screen but I would estimate the average height being about 3"; with a few around 4".

They all look healthy and seem to be developing on schedule. The only exception being the 12 or so that are directly under the light — they are obviously discolored but okay otherwise and they look improved over the last couple of days.

All-in-all, the WW looks healthier than the AKs but not as much developed/dense. Here are a couple of pictures of the WW:

Below are a couple pictures of the AK:

And here are some pictures of the group:

I am still assuming that the plants are on a nine-week flower cycle, which would mean that I have five weeks left. I am still not sure what to expect over the next 35 + days but things seem to be going okay.

 

[Bagzy]

Re: PhishwithPhiv’s 600w SCROG - WW-XTRM - AK-XTRM - Soil - 2014

Bro those look amazing in my opinion! appreciate you specifying the pics of the AK, they should start smelling nicely in the next couple weeks...I hope for both our sakes you get over that 700g per sq meter keep up the good work!

 

[Growlow]

Re: PhishwithPhiv’s 600w SCROG - WW-XTRM - AK-XTRM - Soil - 2014

Good on you mate. I grow Harlequin and a few other potent THC, CBG and CBD strains for a bunch of medical issues. I'm Subbed in for sure. Good luck

 

[PhishwithPhiv]

Re: PhishwithPhiv’s 600w SCROG - WW-XTRM - AK-XTRM - Soil - 2014

I would be real happy with 200g and i think that is realistic but the more the better.

Welcome Growlow. I have never tried Harlequin but it looks interesting.