Losing My Grow Virginity

[Kyu Maengun]

Hello everyone! I am super stoked to be posting my very first grow journal! As I stated in my recent introduction to the forums and I am not new to enjoying Cannabis but this will be my first legitimate effort to grow my own.

~Preface:

I had stumbled across a stealth "PC" grow box on another site and this really sparked my creative juices and pushed me into wanting to seriously do this. The benefits of being self sufficient heavily outweigh the cons of dealing with outside people to obtain your bud.

To start I want to clarify I am going to break this up into two parts more or less; I will have my "trial grow" section which is where I am piloting whether or not my grow conditions can even support life, and then my "bonafide grow" where I will be approaching it holistically with all aspects already prepared and ready to go.

~Pilot:

So unlike most folks I made a bunch of purchases financially committing to this concept before totally verifying that I could in fact do this. So while I was impatiently waiting for all of the necessary supplies for a quality grow I thought I would do a test run. To be honest I want to begin by saying I had no expectations that these seeds would germinate or sprout to seedlings.

I had roughly a dozen random bag seeds hanging out in the keef catch of my grinder. These had been sitting in my cold, detached garage all winter and I assumed most if not all were duds. I figured if I were to pilot and these seeds and for some reason they did not germinate or if I killed the seedlings that I wouldn't lose sleep over it.

Things I had around the house:
an older bag of "light" potting soil by Miracle Grow
3 .5 gallon nursery pots
miracle grow all purpose plant food
a medium bag of perlite
20 red solo cups.

Things I bought for the bonafide grow and was waiting on:
270 W LED full color spectrum grow light
25' of 2 mm Mylar material
7 day digital outlet timer with two outlets
120 mm PC fan
80 mm PC fan
Ac/ 12 v DC power adapters
Acurite humidity and temp digital reader
pH soil tester
Beans from the UK
3 size#2 Smart pots

Now at this point mind you I hadn't figured out exactly what my "grow box" would be but I did have an idea of what I wanted to do. The thread I had found on another site that inspired me utilized a large PC Server case that measure roughly 26" h x 12" d x 19" l. Now due to this being a PC box there were some things inside that limited the volume of the case and made for a really compact grow box. The grower had managed to have all of the necessary components inside of the case so upon inspection it looked like a plain old computer tower. This grower also utilized 2 100W LED grow lights, two intake fans and one larger exhaust fan with a custom made carbon filter to eliminate odors from escaping. His temps, humidity, CFM, and space for the pots and plants were plenty for three smaller hybrids. This concept inspired my ideas to pursue something similar in dimensions that was inconspicuous and wouldn't draw attention from my wife if she was looking around and stumbled across it.

I began searching classifieds to find a similar Full ATX tower/server tower that would meet my needs. I was unsuccessful in finding anything that was at least as big as the tower. The more I thought about it the more I realized I wanted more volume inside of my grow box anyhow, so If I chose a sativa -heavy phenotype I wouldn't have to limit my yields or worry about outgrowing the container.

After browsing countless alternatives on classified ads I found someone selling an old decorative trunk! I figured it would be the perfect container once fully assembled to accommodate my purpose and would have even more room than a PC tower. I found one for $10 not far from my home and another one that was even bigger for $5! At this point everything but the beans had shown up that I purchased so i was able to begin constructing my grow box.

I started by opening the trunk and removing most of the awful floral wall paper that lined the interior and sanding any rough particle board/wood to get an even surface. I patiently lined three side of the trunk with mylar after hours of using a razor blade and packing tape. There was an insert for the trunk that I lined the backing of to minimize light waste. I then cut a round hole that would be roughly the diameter of the 120 mm PC fan so that air could be sucked out of the box. I found an ac/dc 12 v output adapter and wired the pc fan to the adapter so it could plug in.

Here are some pics-

After I constructed the box and visited the local Home Depot for supporting hardware to hang the light I got this puppy assembled.

While this was going on I had taken the twelve spare beans I had and tried germinating half in a tupperware container with about an inch of lukewarm water stored in a dark place and the other half i used the paper towel method. The space I had each in was fluctuating in temps quite a bit coming out of winter thaw and only half of them total germinated and had a tap root emerge. I planted six in the solo cups filled with the generic light potting soil and for some reason only three ended up even sprouting. This could be due to a lot of things but these were "test beans" anyhow and since I figured my soil for the bonafide grow would utilize a much higher quality of soil mix combined with perlite to increase drainage, get more oxygen to the roots and be more permeable for the roots to spread.

After a few days all three seedlings that I put in the box have breached the surface. Some sprouted sooner than others but I have made slight adjustments to the amount of water I give them and rotated the cups slightly. I think this is officially the third day for the first cup, the second day for the second cup and about 1 and 1/5 days on cup three. Their growth progress reflects this.

#1

#2

#3

Now I know I made the mistake of overwatering the first day, under watering the second and I may need to move to an every other day schedule for these seedlings.


Regarding the bonafide grow I did receive some goodies today but I will show those off at a later point

Things that still need to be bought:
Fox farms soil combinations
Fox farms nutes

For these I am still searching for the best deal possible and I am still debating the combination of soil and nutes...

 

[ShiggityFlip]

Subbed. Great job so far for not having Any practical experience. The first thing is to learn to let the pots dry out. The plants love a dry cycle to signal them to send out more roots in search of water. Fill a pot and weigh it with dry soil. This is about what it should feel like in between waterings.

Too much water and the plants roots will "drown." Leaves will wilt, old leaves turn yellow and plant growth will stop.

So never have a schedule. And don't just look at the top of the soil. Feel inside the holes at the pot bottom. Feel the weight of the pot. Start getting the experience to know when to water. It usually is like 6-7 days at first depending on pot size. As the plant grows it will get to be a shorter and shorter interval.

 

[Kyu Maengun]

Awesome advice! I agree that it is better to get a feel for the drying out even on this tester seeds.

The bottom of the cup has a spongy drainage piece and the solo cups have holes bored to allow runoff but I think my all mix in the cups is slightly packed because it isn't a quality soil.

When my smart pots arrive I will mix some FF soil and perlite which should help if I do accidentally over water.

On a side note I ordered a big batch of beans from the UK and being nervous of it being seized by customs I ordered a separate smaller batch from a different company. The first batch came this morning just one week after arrive as the ISC in Chi town!

It turns out the stealth shipping does work.

 

[ShiggityFlip]

Fill up a solo cup the same way dry and it will be easy to know the weight of a no water cup.

And yes the times I have used stealth shipping it has been super effective.

 

[Kyu Maengun]

Subbed. Great job so far for not having Any practical experience. The first thing is to learn to let the pots dry out. The plants love a dry cycle to signal them to send out more roots in search of water. Fill a pot and weigh it with dry soil. This is about what it should feel like in between waterings.

Too much water and the plants roots will "drown." Leaves will wilt, old leaves turn yellow and plant growth will stop.

So never have a schedule. And don't just look at the top of the soil. Feel inside the holes at the pot bottom. Feel the weight of the pot. Start getting the experience to know when to water. It usually is like 6-7 days at first depending on pot size. As the plant grows it will get to be a shorter and shorter interval.

Another question I have is is it too late to attempt to mix perlite into the soil of these seedlings or would that disturb them too much?

 

[ShiggityFlip]

I would wait. Be vigilant with not watering until dry and the plant just barely shows discontent. This will show you what that looks like. Then water and soak the container fully. I actually sit mine in water while pouring some over the top. Then let them drain completely. The draining action will pull oxygen into the soil. Then wait until they dry again. When the waiting time is just one day you can reply and add perlite to the new pot. I wouldn't mess with the young seedlings. They will be fine in that mix as long as you let them dry.

They won't need nutrients at all the first two weeks or so.

 

[hydro1000]

Subbed!!! to Looking good, it's cool to see how everyone makes their own grow boxes with what they have around. That box is cool on the outside and soon to be really cool on the inside! Looking forward to your posts.

 

[Kyu Maengun]

Subbed. Great job so far for not having Any practical experience. The first thing is to learn to let the pots dry out. The plants love a dry cycle to signal them to send out more roots in search of water. Fill a pot and weigh it with dry soil. This is about what it should feel like in between waterings.

Too much water and the plants roots will "drown." Leaves will wilt, old leaves turn yellow and plant growth will stop.

So never have a schedule. And don't just look at the top of the soil. Feel inside the holes at the pot bottom. Feel the weight of the pot. Start getting the experience to know when to water. It usually is like 6-7 days at first depending on pot size. As the plant grows it will get to be a shorter and shorter interval.

Subbed!!! to Looking good, it's cool to see how everyone makes their own grow boxes with what they have around. That box is cool on the outside and soon to be really cool on the inside! Looking forward to your posts.

I would wait. Be vigilant with not watering until dry and the plant just barely shows discontent. This will show you what that looks like. Then water and soak the container fully. I actually sit mine in water while pouring some over the top. Then let them drain completely. The draining action will pull oxygen into the soil. Then wait until they dry again. When the waiting time is just one day you can reply and add perlite to the new pot. I wouldn't mess with the young seedlings. They will be fine in that mix as long as you let them dry.

They won't need nutrients at all the first two weeks or so.

Awesome guys I really do appreciate this feedback. I was worried about being overly OCD and drowning these plants so duly noted to not water until they are similar weight to a cup of dry soil.

One thing I want to know is I placed the Accurite in the box and when the LED is going I noticed a temp of 81 *F and a humidity of like 30. I think I recall reading that seedlings and clones alike prefer higher humidities and with the temp being what it is I imagine the relative humidity has to be low (maybe even too low).

I have heard of people "misting" the plants with a sterilized spray bottle or even taking clear 2L pop bottles and making mini green houses to trap more humidity. Are either of these good ideas while not watering or am I being a tweak?

 

[Stinky Snid]

I'm going to be a spectator for this little grow. We're all In this together. any way to increase humidity for seedlings to above 50-60% will make them much happier. You can make a shrink wrap teepee or use pop bottles or mist them when lights are off. If you can get the temps down humidity will increase also. Hope that babbling made sense.

KiG cheers

 

[Kyu Maengun]

I'm going to be a spectator for this little grow. We're all In this together. any way to increase humidity for seedlings to above 50-60% will make them much happier. You can make a shrink wrap teepee or use pop bottles or mist them when lights are off. If you can get the temps down humidity will increase also. Hope that babbling made sense.

KiG cheers

Hey Sidrajsed!

Thanks for your input. I was trying to find an example of a shrink-wrap teepee but have been unsuccessful. Would you be able to send me an image of what you are talking about so I can try to replicate it?

I appreciate your help!

 

[Stinky Snid]

Lol I wish they had a ms paint thing on here. Just make a stake 3 or 4 times taller then the seedling. Stake it close enough to the stem nut not so close to damage possible roots.

1)put a stake in the soil higher than the seedling 2) use a foot or two of cling wrap to cover the entire pot. 3)spray the inside of the plastic wrap with water. 4)place back under lights... If I really need to I'll make one and take a pic. But I'm away and will have to wait.

Hope you get what I'm saying... Just make a plastic roof over the pot with one main stake(mast, colllumn, stick etc..)

KiG cheers

 

[Kyu Maengun]

Thanks I will give the teepee method a shot.

Going forward I think I will limit my updates on this journal to improvements made to the box or plant progress. Expect to see me update it once or twice a week and once I have private message priveledges I will try to have most of my questions that way or searching around on the grow forums.

I want to avoid flooding this journal with a ton of newbie questions to keep it interesting to follow!

 

[ShiggityFlip]

Your questions are the same legitimate ones any new grower would have so by asking and having the answer you help all other new people who are reading and lurking. So questions are what a forum is all about.

 

[Kyu Maengun]

Well guys here is my most recent update:

I have serious concerns regarding humidity and temp control and I think I may have lost a seedling to mold :./

The good news is these are the pilot seeds for a reason.

Here are photos of plants 1, 2 and 3 as well as a shot of the Accurite.

#1

#2

#3

#3 up close after I wiped away some of the myocelium looking stuff

The reason for my concerns...Mind you I hadn't even had a chance to do the shrink wrap teepee, I think this is the resulted combination of overwatering/watering too frequently (even in small amounts) and opening/closing my office door and closet door. This probably caused the temps to drop and humidity to rise which is why I now have a recent flux in almost 30% humidity and 20 degrees.

 

[Kyu Maengun]

And the Accurite I forgot to add to my post above:

Two questions:

I assume that #3 is toast, but is it really?

And if it isn't, then do I need to isolate it from the others?

 

[Noob4x4grow]

Subbed. I could be wrong, but I think you are supposed to keep the high/low temps in the 15 degree range. I.e. High of 80 low of 65. All I know is when I grew in the past, temperature and humidity control was a bitch. The growers on this site are very knowledgable. They will be able to help you. I would make sure you're bringing in colder air and exhausting (near the top of the box). That's all the help I can give but I will be grabbing a seat to watch you on your journey. Good luck!

 

[Kyu Maengun]

Yeah the temp swing is far too much and the box is not yet done.

Unfortunately I put the cart before the horse and I am waiting on a ac/dc 12v output adapter to arrive so I can wire the intake fan and install it (along with a light trap and intake filter) towards the bottom of the box. I will also add a carbon filter near the top of the exhaust fan and move everything to be internally inside my grow box.

I also have the idea of getting some sort of wire-like mesh or rack for the pots to sit on to allow better air circulation as well as oxygen to be drawn into the soil from below. My current setup is subpar because I am simply cracking the trunk door open just slightly so the LED power cord can snake through and some air can suck in. The exhaust fan is actually external right now as well and is simply taped to the outside. It will be inside of the box once I get the second piece I am looking for to make the carbon filter.

More to come regarding the box...

 

[Stinky Snid]

I assume that #3 is toast, but is it really?

And if it isn't, then do I need to isolate it from the others?

It's totally dead. It wasn't what you did. I think it had been attacked in the soil by tiny bugs that eat out the seed and attack the roots. Leaving your seed without juices to care for the cotyledons and they rotted. Unless you see bugs it's ok to keep her around a day or two but she's dead for sure. I could also be mould. Lol. Is the other one getting fuzz at the stem too?

KiGsorry for the loss.

 

[Kyu Maengun]

It's totally dead. It wasn't what you did. I think it had been attacked in the soil by tiny bugs that eat out the seed and attack the roots. Leaving your seed without juices to care for the cotyledons and they rotted. Unless you see bugs it's ok to keep her around a day or two but she's dead for sure. I could also be mould. Lol. Is the other one getting fuzz at the stem too?

KiGsorry for the loss.

Yikes!

The other two both have small white fibrous looking hairs around the stem; I wasn't sure if I should chalk it up to more mold or if this was somehow a part of the young stem. If the other two plants begin to show similar symptoms I may need to scrap this spare potting soil and the cups and wait till I get quality soil to germinate some of my new seeds into a better pot.

Something I was thinking about as I read your post is the bag of soil I had "sitting around" was in my cellar, unsealed and I am sure if microbes/small bugs wanted to make their home there they could have.

It may also be a good opportunity to clean the inside of the box with diluted simple green and then once the ac/dc adapter arrives actually finish the box construction so I am not doing this sub-par.

The bad news about this is I think I only have two remaining "bag seeds" that have been slow to germinate or have not germinated at all and if I am still making adjustments I don't want to germinate my quality beans that I spent hella $$$ on.

I do have the small bag of Mykos as well but I was planning on saving it for my quality soil. Would something like this help protect the seedlings from malicious bacterium and possibly small bugs too?

 

[hydro1000]

I think your humidity will be ok, mine is at 25% should be upwards of 50%, but as winter is ending here in Canada the humidity levels should start going up. Make sure you let them dry out (don't over water) a little root rot on young seedlings slows growth down substantially if not kill them
One other thing if temps are lower then you want at night, consider putting a space heater by your air intake controlled by a thermostat.
I have a thermostat at 4" off the floor in grow room which is set at 70 F so when temps get lower, it turns the power on to the space heater and the intake fan pulls in the heat keeps my temps at 68-72 when lights out. This is just my way of controlling night time temps. As I have no other heat except for heat from lights during the day.