The Anti-Journal Journal

Dwight Monk

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Unfortunately didn't find this place until I was mostly into my first grow, as I found it while trying to get some feedback (or good pictures to help my decision) as to whether my two ladies were ready to harvest or not quite or past that point. So we will call it a practice Journal, as it will undoubtedly be a freaking mess and be confusing and everyone will avoid thread like the plague (writing not my strong suit at all, and too old to change ;) ).
As I haven't kept track of dates and what not far as when I started some bagseed, and then started a couple more, and then failed at cloning, and another go at cloning after that. So why I chose to go with a practice journal, and will attempt to document everything next time I start either a bought clone or seeds and try a real journal thread then.

My set up started with one of those 3' stealthy grow box things (8"x14"x3' tall) that came ready to go and included the 135W LED (soil version). I didn't picture things in my mind well, so once it got here I realized it would be a very limited grow area, as you can't grow up to the light so pretty limited height and width even with one plant:

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So decided to attempt to mimic the box and build my own box. Went down to the Habitat for Humanity Resale Store (cheap stuff and a good cause ta boot) and found a used cabinet 8' tall cabinet 14"x21" ID, that was two sections as had one fixed shelf at 4' part of it (and all the holes for the moveable shelves on the side panels). Yes story of my life, I didn't think about height and we tried to stand it up in my shed and it hit the rafters before vertical. So cut it off at the 4' shelf and fixed it up with computer fans for circulation and bought a 300W LED (bought two as figured I might use both halves). Got that up and running, two clones that I had bought were happier as room to breath as had a 4' tall 14"x21" space for them now. Decided I was still limited on height so I added to the box I had w/o a bottom as had cut it off above shelf to make roof of other one, set it up same with fans, so now I also have a 6' tall 14"x21" box.

My shed not much for storage anymore:
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4' box:

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6' box (drying to two Clones I bought from Dispensary that I just harvested under the moveable shelf in pic):
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First attempt at growing from seed, two for two on sprouting but only one lived. It is either a Lemon Diesel out of Dispensary flower, or a Blue Widow my Son thinks someone gave him. Meant to keep them separate/marked and that didn't go so well. Got two clones off of it on my 2nd try and the one in the original dinky box is the one I'm trying to sex the plant with so I don't waste time (put it into flower on the 7th so maybe it show me sex soon):
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These two out of the Lemon Diesel flower from dispensary for sure, and the little one next to them is the 2nd clone off of the plant above:
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I should have researched a bit more (or got lucky and had found this place prior), but did my usual jump in headfirst and while on the way into the water go "oh crap, rocks!!". Put the clones from the dispensary into shock as was giving nutrients every water, and the SOP beginner maneuver of watering way too freaking often. Using organic soil with mycorrhizal fungi in it (no idea if good or bad, from guys at the Hydroponics store recommendations on that and nutes). Also my PH was high as Trailer Park water is on their own system so basically treated well water, switched to the water cooler type water (5 gal) which is better for us and the plants I think as you can smell/taste the difference lack of chlorine makes in the bottled one as it's filtered out.

So I"m still learning, and generally have to do things wrong once or twice (thrice or crapload of times back in my youth) before I catch on and make right choices (takes less tries now that I'm old, otherwise I'd die first before I got it right ;) ).

Will document watering schedule once I get one, along with progress pics (and Imagine you will get those annoying topics from me until I learn too "is this a male?" "what the heck did I do wrong this time?" and probably come up with something that nobody has seen before (as in 'how in the heck did they manage that result?")
 
Been getting cold at night and my low temp in boxes was 20 degrees cooler at night, don't think plants liked that so trying to keep my high and low temps closer to each other. Feel free to chime in if something obviously wrong, as like I said I'm still learning as I go. Always wanted to try and grow, and it's a good hobby if nothing else as I"m home 24/7 as I"m my Wife's caregiver, and lately with the way the world going I'd rather be with plants than people anyway ;) LOL
 
Moved the harvested branches into the house and into my Son's closet, as humidity is so high out in the shed (been like a monsoon here this week lots of rain and wind) and the Deep Purple was harvested 6 days ago and seemed pretty wet still, didn't want to lose first try to mold. It seems to be working better as stems firmed up pretty quick inside, my Wife let me bring them even though she don't like the smell, so hoping it don't stink up the house too bad. Hopefully first one I harvested be ready to go into jars and cure (trying to resist urge to try it ;)). Eyeballing it looks like I might get a 1/2 oz out of each plant, so considering I put the two clones I bought into shock and tried to kill them I am just happy I'm getting something besides the learning experience.
 
Think the Deep Purple ready to cure, will find out as first go round. The Dairy Queen was harvested 3 days later.

Plants just before harvest
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need a new camera lol Deep Purple nug:
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Got the Dairy Queen dry and cut up and put int jar for curing today, think I'm almost past the point of having to worry about it molding (I worry a lot lol and first time so justified ;) ).
 
Overall happy with the results for my first try, probably close to a half oz off each plant once it finishes curing (but that a guess as first time), not sure if I will get temp in my shed figured out enough to save the ones I have in there or not yet, or if I will just wait until closer to Spring to try again. Glad I got something besides the learning experience, was kinda touch and go there for awhile after putting them into shock and all that fun stuff (least I didn't have any major bug problems in my cabinets, didn't want to learn too many things at once ;) LOL)
 
Think I solved the low temp at night issue with my shed by adding a heat bulb on a timer and a small oil filled space heater, until I get my electric bill anyway ;) LOL.
Up potted the mystery plant and it's two clones, tried sexing one of the clones but must have been too soon (needed growth first?) as two weeks and it didn't show me anything (either Lemon Diesel or Blue Widow we think, but pretty sure later as it looks different (shape of leafs) than the Lemon Diesel from same seeds that was sprouted later). Have to see if the mystery plant recovers or what, but either way some practice with training and pruning.

Before and after (trying some training and thinned out some of the bad looking leafs) with that mystery plant:
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Trying to sex this one (started yesterday) it's the one that from the Lemon Diesel bag seed for sure (got rid of the ugly looking one earlier in the thread of the two that made it out of the three seeds):
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What I ended up with off the two plants, a little over a 1/2 oz off of each (not sure if I will lose much more with curing), not going to complain as first try and after putting them into shock, etc....so I'm happy I got something (tried some of the Dairy Queen last night even though only cured 4 days, tasted good and had a nice high and my kid thought the same as I let him try some to get 2nd opinion).

Dairy Queen:
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Deep Purple (love this one, I will have to get this again if the Dispensary has a clone of it when I have room in my boxes):

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Think I"m the proud father of a Girl, well 3 actually in theory anyway. As I made two clones off my bigger plant, and put one into 11/13 to try and get it to show sex. Got a loupe on order as I am getting blind in my old age ;) took almost 3 weeks before I could see for sure.

Well at least I"m pretty sure it's a girl :rofl:

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I put clone back with the other clone and my seedling in box that in Veg 24/0. What is everyone's experience with putting them back into Veg State? Is it a good idea to try or will it just go Hermie on me more than likely? As I'm new to this, and don't want to screw up my 100% Clone rate ;) as first attempt at Cloning was a -00% success.

Mother Plant, as think I will call her that as it is the bigger plant and we unsure of the Strain as of yet, as I used one of my bagseeds and one of my Son's and got them mixed up while germinating so it (well they as two clones also) is either Lemon Diesel or Blue Widow that I have been trying to train. Current pic of it as getting growth even though my LST probably stressful, so probably HST instead ;) LOL

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This is the older pics in case you don't want to scroll back in thread:

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Almost doesn't look like the same plant. As this is my 2nd attempts at growing and I'm still highly paranoid of removing too much and stressing them out, though least I haven't been overboard with the Nutes (well I think anyway), as that and overwatering were an issue with my first grow along with too high a PH (again I think, got a real gauge coming soon). I don't have much experience training them yet so what I'm trying to do in my mind and what it will actually do are more than likely way different, but we shall see. Just happy that Clone I sexed is a girl, as had just repotted the Mother and figured with my luck it was going to be a guy, as I had gave up after two weeks of trying to sex and she was needing a bigger container again prior to me being able to see for sure the sex. Maybe someday before I'm 60 I will get the hang of this, but might take longer than 6 years ;) :rofl:
 
Whatever the strain that's some beautiful dark leaves! +reps for the clones and confirming sex.

I don't know about hermies when you reveg. I've got several that I left in greenhouse too long that apparently had started flowering. they weren't showing flowers at the time. But back under veg lighting they're growing funky leaves and a lot of single blades. It takes a long time to reveg. It's been almost 2 months and these were just barely into flower.

It would probably be faster to take another cutting and grow it out than to wait for this one.
 
Whatever the strain that's some beautiful dark leaves! +reps for the clones and confirming sex.

I don't know about hermies when you reveg. I've got several that I left in greenhouse too long that apparently had started flowering. they weren't showing flowers at the time. But back under veg lighting they're growing funky leaves and a lot of single blades. It takes a long time to reveg. It's been almost 2 months and these were just barely into flower.

It would probably be faster to take another cutting and grow it out than to wait for this one.

I guess I will experiment and find out, it was in Flower for 3 weeks before it showed (or enough that I could see with my magnifying glass thingy, have a loupe coming so maybe I can catch it earlier ;) lol
The dark leaves are from when it got too cold out in my shed, as that is where my grow boxes at, not sure if I"m going to like the power bill or not for that small electric oil filed radiator type heater, but part of the experiment I guess. It got colder in there faster than I thought, dropped in low 40's one night (gauge in box even) so it pissed them off a bit until I got it remedied a few days later. Why a lot of the dark leaves not there anymore as they got even darker and were dying, so far (knock on wood) all the new growth is green again. As the top pics what it currently looks like with lots of LST, bottom ones were what that plant looked like before (save everyone the scroll back to the first page).
If it dies it dies (the one clone I used for sexing), I'll just have to make sure it don't Hermie on me. As technically I"m 1 over on plants with that seedling from my new grow (allowed 4 here per address not per person), but we shall see if seedling makes it or not as it has only been out of ground for 3 days. As I have another older one from seed in the little box trying to get it to show sex before I re-pot it, it's been in Flower cycle for 6 days now so hopefully it shows faster than other one.
 
Mother starting to get some growth from horizontal of my ST (not sure if LST or HST ;) ). Gave her and the Clones some Grow Nutes last water and the new growth looks better (or so far anyway), will give water next one or two times so I don't mess them up like my first grow. So far the Clone I put back into Growth after sexing is looking alright (it is the on on the right).
Mother:
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Clones:
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Still paranoid and learning how much I can take off far as defoliating and topping goes, haven't tried much FIM yet.
 
Mom and clones look great. :high-five:

I haven't had much success with FIMming. It would be great to get 4-8 tops at once, but I think in the time it takes FIM to develop I could top 2x and have much better spread. That's my 2 cents on FIM.

This is one of my revegging BCS clones. Not a great shot, sorry. I was comparing root growth in different soils. (that's the middle stage, improved soil but without high brix amendment.) It looked normal when I brought it in, but new growth stalled for a while and then grew only single and triple blade leaves. This is 2 months after start of reveg. You can't see it in photo but she's still trying to flower along stem. I'd just put her and her sisters into flower tent but these are last of strain. If I don't get one to reveg I will lose the strain.
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