Indoor Grow Of 2 Plants - ScrOG - LED & CFL Lights

[PNW-CBD]

First off, thanks to all the journal, article, etc. authors here and elsewhere. I've gained a lot of information already and will likely avoid some common mistakes thanks to them. I appreciate to their generosity with sharing info, sometimes at significant risk.

I decided to grow mostly for the challenge, I have the opposite of a green thumb. Also, the type of weed I like to use is harder to find, I prefer the higher CBD:THC varieties such as Charlotte's Web or Critical Mass. Critical Mass has been my favorite, so I bought some of those seeds and they're coming in the mail. If this works out and I process/store the yields well, it could be the last $ I ever spend on MJ (I'm an extremely lightweight, occasional user). I figure 2 plants should do.

Where I live it's legal to grow for personal use, and a lot of cannabis-specific grow shops have opened up. I stopped by one and got some soil "direct from Humboldt County" that's supposed to be ideal for cannabis. I also bought a plant-growing specific LED light panel and a bunch of CFL floodlights I found for cheap, along with some LED bulbs.

So far the lighting setup is;

1x 45W LED panel, red/blue spectrum, ~4500 lumens
4x 8W LED bulbs, "natural light", 800 lumens each
6x 23W CFL floodlight bulbs, 1300 lumens each
4x 13W CFL floodlight bulbs, ~730 lumens each

That's a combined lumen of about 18,420
(the last three digits a total coincidence but I'm taking it as a good omen =D )

I'll likely buy another LED panel or two as they grow. There's also a possibility I could supplement all this with natural light, depending on the enclosure.

Power consumption will be about 267 watts (less if I add LEDs) so with cheap electricity here it should cost well under $15/month. However, I will likely need to add a dehumidifier - but I need one anyways. I live in the NW in a ground-level apartment. The air is so wet my towels take forever to dry.

I thought I'd use soil for its simplicity. I bought a bag of cannabis-specific stuff. But, since my biggest concerns are environmental, I may settle on hydroponics. Either way, I figure I'll put the plants in the best-ventilated part of the place which is by the patio sliding glass doors. I understand mold could be an issue, and pests in soil.

Although I could easily just grow in the open (the sliding glass doors have a frosted-glass coating), I think I'm going to build, or buy, a grow tent/box if only to control the ecosystem better, and keep the cat from eating the plants.

This journal seems pretty close to what I'm trying to do, so I figure I'll mostly try to replicate their methods. I especially like the ScrOG technique. But, man, hydroponic growing seems like it can get a bit complicated!

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. I'll keep this journal up to date as I go.

 

[PNW-CBD]

Collecting stuff for the tent setup while I wait for the seeds to arrive. I decided I'm going to build a ~3x3x6 foot frame using PVC pipes, make a canopy around it using heavy plastic, seal up the seams with strong watertight tape, and line the insides with whatever mylar (or similar) materials I can scrounge - probably from emergency blankets and/or car windshield reflectors. Yes I am being cheap.

I got a moisture meter for the soil and a digital hydrometer/thermometer for the air. I'll get a couple fans, probably from the used computer parts store (large case fans) and use one intake, one exhaust. I saw plans for making a DIY carbon filter so I'll give that a shot too.

 

[LiveAndLetGro]

Good luck! Green thumb or not, preparation is the key to success. That is from my, very limited experience, one of the most important things. I researched for months before settling on what I wanted to do. If you do plan on building a box and doing hydro, I would recommend getting everything together and letting your system run for a few days so you know what the environment will be like before ever putting your plants in. Did you buy from seed bank? If so, which one? What kind of LED's are you considering?

I am a first timer as well. I am glad I chose DWC. For me, it fits my situation. I check ph and ppm's everyday and when the water gets low I just add some with nutes and phdown in it. Once every 14 days I change my reservoirs. Anyway I'm prolly rambling...

Good Luck! Once you get everything together, throw up some pics and start a journal...Happy Growing and Welcome Roy!

 

[LiveAndLetGro]

Wait a minute, I see this is your journal. Sorry man, found your link through new posts lol. Didn't realize this was your journal lol.

 

[PNW-CBD]

No worries! And thanks, but I am actually going with soil, though.

Yes definitely, I'll put it all together before I start the seeds germinating. I bought the seeds from DutchSeedsShop, no idea when or if they'll arrive. The wrote me back using Russian character settings on their email, so who knows where they're actually coming from. :/

Thanks for the tips, please feel free to post any feedback. That's why I'm here.

 

[PNW-CBD]

OK I finally have something to post here, because I am actually growing cannabis.

Over the past 3 months I ordered 40 seeds from an apparent scam-site called "Dutch Seed Shop". They were supposed to send 10 seeds and claimed to be in the Netherlands, but the package arrived from Bulgaria and contained 40. All 40 were complete duds. I tried every method to germinate them, they just had no life left. Probably stale or rotten. Dutch Seed Shop did not reply about a refund, they're just a scam, avoid them. $55 gone.

Then I did my research a little better and ordered from Herbies. I had to compromise because they didn't have Critical Mass, so I got CBD OG Kush instead and 3 free seeds. The 3 free seeds are Moroccan Kush and something else, doesn't matter because I can't smoke THC only weed. I decided to try and grow those first as an experiment.

My plans have change in that I'm no longer limiting myself to 2 plants, I'm just going to grow as many as I can manage. I'll probably end up with 5 or 6 in the end.

I got a tray of Jiffy peat pellets with a clear cover and decided to practice growing with basil, cilantro, arugula, and radishes. After about a week all were sprouting up nicely (especially the arugula).



Having gotten advice from so many sources on how to 'pop' / germinate seeds and experimenting with the duds, and the above herbs/veggies, I learned what works best for me is this advanced sophisticated technical approach:

PUT THE SEED IN THE DIRT AND GIVE IT WATER & LIGHT.

So, I did that with the cannabis seeds, and two have come up quickly - I guess the third is just taking more time. I can see their first serrated true-leaves starting to unfold.



As soon as I get these guys into soil I'll put the 10 CBD OG Kush ones I really want to grow into peat pellets.

Today is day 2, counting from when the first successful seed was planted. (If I'd bought from Herbie's in the first place I'd be closer to day 62 already.)

Updates will follow, I'd better get started on building my grow tent. I plan on making it a 2-level structure using PVC pipes.

 

[PNW-CBD]

An update, it's July 21st now, so 6 days in. I've transplanted the two healthy seedlings into soil, and have added a few more CFL lights. So far 2 of the 3 CBD OG Kush I planted have started to sprout. In total; of the 6 seeds I've planted so far, 4 are growing.

Here's a photo of the current grow space:

(the other plants are basil, arugula, cilantro, etc.)

From what I've gleaned reading other grow journals, the CFLs can be placed fairly close to the plants. The stem of the larger seedling seemed weak, and they both did seem to rise up quickly, so fearing a lack of light I added 4 more 23W CFL bulbs and placed them closer. The closest CFL bulb is about 3 inches away from the larger seedling.

Everyone seems to agree that airflow is important - not just for CO_2, but also to dissipate heat from the bulbs - so I'm adding a fan below.

The larger seedling tipped over a bit when I watered its leaves yesterday (I read that seedlings get nearly 100% of their water through the leaves), so I put that stick in for support:

The other started out with it's cotyledon and first true leaf stuck inside half the seed shell as it grew. I picked off the shell but the leaf had been stunted a bit. It's since grown well and is catching up with its sister:

I found a deal on a 300W LED array on Amazon for just $50, so at some point I'm probably going to buy at least one of those.

The full grow space will be 4x6x8' and have 2 tiers. I'll be using the corner of a room, taping thick sheets of vinyl to form two walls.

 

[PNW-CBD]

Note; I now have 5 plants going instead of the original 2 I'd planned on.

First two seeds sprouted up about 1 month ago, next 3 a week after that. So at about 4 and 3 weeks in, here are my plants, currently:

I've added about 800W of LED lights, still have 7 23W CFL bulbs positioned close to the plants (4-8"), so about 1000W total. The cheap LED lights were claimed to be 600W and 1000W by the lying no-name seller on eBay, they're really about 300 and 500. The 300W even said so on the box.

I keep only the LED lights on at night (so I can sleep, a lot of light still escapes), and both them and the CFLs on for the other 16 hours. I move a small fan on its low setting around to different spots.

I've created a 5x5x8' grow space by sectioning off a room, currently using a shelves' frame within that space boxed in with mylar. Plants seem to be doing well. One of the first two planted is growing much more rapidly than its sister, about 9" high. The other three are 6" and smallest is 4". Those other plants are basil & arugula.

I've started using a very moderate amount of 3-2-1 NPK organic plant food (Jobe's) weekly. Watering according to common advice; saturate, wait for it to dry out, saturate again. Seems appropriate for their native climate.

The grow area is sealed off with thick plastic sheeting and duct tape, I'll be creating an air filter soon. They don't have any smell yet, of course.

 

[PNW-CBD]

Here's a slideshow w music of all the photos so far;

.. .

 

[PNW-CBD]

Unfortunately there's no way to change the title of this journal, but it's completely inaccurate now. There are actually 5 plants and I'm not using the 'SCRoG' method.

Below are some recent-ish photos - they've substantially since these though; the 17" one shown is actually 22" now. I'll have new ones soon. I replanted them from the 3 gal. pots they were in to 5 gal. 'smart-pots' (felt material) to give more room for & aerate the roots. I switched from using a Jobe's 3-1-2 NPK plant food to Tiger Bloom's 2-8-4 flowering plant food.

The PVC pipe and plastic sheeting idea, cordoning off a corner of a room, turned out to be a disaster. Tape won't stick to the ceiling, and 100 other problems. So, I emptied out my 4x4' closet instead, sealed it off and installed intake/exhaust with a filter. I added more LED light for a total of around 850W now, removed the CFLs (the temp in the closet was too high, my place doesn't have air conditioning). I should be able to add them back in as the days grow cooler, I hope.

I'll post another set of photos soon. Like I said, they've already grown a lot since then.

The stocky one I'm planning to clone and use in a 2-story SCRoG setup inside an 8x4' tent I plan on buying soon. I might go hydroponic. I want as high a recurring yield as possible.

Right away after switching the lights over, the tops of each plant turned bright green. I suppose that means something.

 

[PNW-CBD]

Here are those updated photos:

Even since my last post, they've grown so much. Less than a week after switching them to 12/12 hour light, they've grown about 12". I had to rearrange the room because their leaves were touching the light bulbs, tops growing over where the LEDs were hanging.

 

[PNW-CBD]

It's been just over a month since my last update, I have tons of photos to add. Aside from a thrip infestation, all has gone fairly well. I have one plant which has stayed really small, which is fine though because its top cola is as big and thick as its taller sister. Another one is showing signs of nitrogen toxicity. I'm not sure why. I was careful to feed all the plants the same amount of food, or so I thought. Perhaps this one got an extra dose in a spill I didn't notice or something. Anyways I'm just flushing it out from now on, so hopefully its buds will thicken up more still.

The thrips infestation was the only emergency I've had to deal with so far. I treated it by first spraying Dr. Bronners soap diluted into water on the tops & bottoms of all affected leaves, because it's all I had around. This seemed to at least put the brakes on their spread, if not kill off a great deal of them. But as soon as I could I also went to the nursery and got 'Captain Rick's Deadbug' spinosad spray and that spinosad bacteria has apparently eradicated every last remaining thrip from the closet. I searched and couldn't find a single living one. I even poured some of the spray in with their water because it says you can do that, and the bacteria will carry through the stalks and saturate the plant.

The second photo shows a dead leaf with some mold on it. I wasn't exactly sure what caused it (or whether that mold was really the canopies of spider mites!) but I got rid of it quickly and cleaned up the area. All I know is it looked .. pathogenic.

Now that I'm extra mindful of pests, I brought 3 extra fans in and am keeping an eye out. I didn't realize how important the breeze was to controlling flying pests. I'm also taking other measures like sprinkling cinnamon on the dirt and trying to find some ladybugs & predatory mites, which is hard because they're not in season.

The air filter system is working very well, you can't smell anything outside the closet when the door is sealed shut. I also added some setups with rock salt; little tubs or small planter pots that drain, to control humidity. The temperature hasn't been much of a problem since the days got cooler.

Altogether it looks like everything's good, I expect to harvest in about two more weeks - but I'm not taking that for granted. When they're ready, they're ready. They probably won't all be at the same time.

 

[Amadeus Forzin]

Hope all is well in your world.

How did this grow turn out?

We would love to be updated with some pictures and info.

How about posting a 420 Strain Review?

If you need any help with posting photos, please read our Photo Gallery Tutorial.

I am moving this to Abandoned Journals until we get updates.

Sending you lots of love and positive energy.

 

[PNW-CBD]

So, the rest of the grow went pretty well except for two significant problems: The first was an infestation of thrips. You can see some damage they did to the leaves, but it wasn't too bad and I was able to get rid of them quickly & safely using a spinosad-based spray. It also came pretty late in the grow, so I don't think yield was affected much. Here's a photo showing some of the damage to the leaves:

The second was the smell. I thought I'd done everything possible to control it, but still it became a huge problem for my neighbors. They didn't seem to know the difference between fresh flowering plant smell and smoke smell, so I was able to convince them it was just my smoking indoors. So, to those about to grow: the potency of flowering cannabis bud smell cannot be underestimated. Despite the closet being completely sealed off, an activated charcoal filter and intake/outtake fans, + having ionizers and air purifiers around, it still somehow permeated through the walls or ceiling somehow into the building's vents. My guess is that the light fixture in the closet let enough seep through into the interstitial space. Anyhow, it was still described as "overpowering" to everyone on my floor and a couple apartments above. Just, don't grow in an apartment - unless you want to go to extreme lengths to control the air. Also, if you do, make sure the exhaust air blows directly outdoors.

Here's the total harvest. Trimming was a pain! I left some of the top colas intact just because I thought they looked beautiful. They're all in the big tupperware container. There's actually another of the blue-lidded tupperware jars left out of the photo. I haven't actually weighed it but I guess it's somewhere between 1-2 lbs (?) I'll update if I figure that out.

 

[Amadeus Forzin]

Hope all is well in your world.

Thanks for sharing this grow with us.

Please head over to the 420 Strain Reviews forum and post your smoke report there too.

I’m moving this to Completed Journals now.

Have you started a new grow you would like to share with us?

If so, please feel free to start a new journal here: Journals in Progress

You can use the Report Post feature found at the bottom left of every post and we'll move it for you right away.

Sending you lots of love and positive energy.