How am I doing?

[LimeGreen]

This here is my first post so i'd like to start off by saying hello fellow growers!

Okay guys/gals i'm after my first real harvest... I budded before just to see if I could do it and I did! Unfortunately I harvested much too early and didn't use any nutrients (just rich soil from my backyard, lol) but hey, I got there... Now I'm taking things much more serious with the intent to be self sufficient so here's where I stand as of now..


Equipment

1) 4'x4'x80" Vivosun Tent
1) 1kW Hood with cool tube @ 50% dimming about 18" from top of plant
1) 2 Gal Wire mesh trash can with a 100% cotton cloth shopping bag so its basically a smart pot...
2) 8" Fans for air circulation
1) Trellis for SROG
1) GH Veg, Micro and Bloom nutrients
1) 300CFM fan cooling light and exhausting hot air from tent to outside
1) 4" duct running directly from my ac vent in my office


Organic soil consisting of worm casting and compost with amendments added per the typical "super soil" recipe (bone meal, blood meal, Epson salt, lime, perlite)

Environment

Lights off temp: 76F
Lights on temp: 78-84F

Humidity: Unknown at the moment (temp, humidity monitor will be here tomorrow)


Background

I started this plant with a root stimulator which was a 5-15-5 and I've only fed her with that twice at about 250ppm..I'm expecting my nutes to come in the mail tomorrow and shes due for a feeding as its been 2 weeks since her last one.. so tomorrow will be the first time I use the GH nutes on her..

I just topped her after her 6th node appeared so shes got two new tops coming up..

I have a few questions if you guys would be so kind as to help me out here.

• I'm concerned that my 2GAL smart pot is not sufficient, what do you all think?
  
• Is this 1kW light at 50% adequate for veg? I intend to up it to 75%- 100% for flower assuming I can maintain the tent temp...
  
• Speaking of temp, I cant seem to find a straight answer.. Just how hot is too hot????
  
• I would like to see a yield of about a half # and grow 4 or so plants, is this unreasonable?
  
  

Any advise would be very much appreciated, I'm all ears guys. I've done hours of research and watching videos so I think I'm doing alright here but like I said I'm not an experienced grower. Let me know what you guys think! Thank you very much for any time you take schooling this n00b.

-Peace!

 

[Perramas]

Generally for soil grow 1 gallon of container equals 1 foot tall for the plant. So with two gal containers you can grow a 2 foot tall plant.

Now for temps I have found 75-85 during veg to be ideal. During flower 70-80 but I like to keep it around 75-76. As the temp gets higher than 76 the smell from your grow will increase. And when temps get above 80 the terpenes start to evaporate and the smell gets really bad.

As for your other questions I will leave that for growers who are more knowledgeable and experienced.

 

[Imhigh85]

In that small of a tent with that big of a light you're already pushing the max for blooming you're going to end up with more issues if you go above 50% power how do you plan on Cooling your tent waiting

And as for pot you should have a gallon for every month that you plan on growing your plants I don't know how tall you plan on getting them so it's a judgment call on the pot

 

[mikeyxb]

Generally for soil grow 1 gallon of container equals 1 foot tall for the plant. So with two gal containers you can grow a 2 foot tall plant.

Now for temps I have found 75-85 during veg to be ideal. During flower 70-80 but I like to keep it around 75-76. As the temp gets higher than 76 the smell from your grow will increase. And when temps get above 80 the terpenes start to evaporate and the smell gets really bad.

As for your other questions I will leave that for growers who are more knowledgeable and experienced.

Agreed, the lighting will be great for what you want as well

Give them plenty ventilation and just experiment with trial and error no single grow is the same as there are always different factors set yourself a journal (sorry if this is lol) and we can work along with you

 

[LimeGreen]

Thanks guys I appreciate the advice.

From everything I've seen and based off the yield I'd like I'm thinking I should have about 2-1/2' plants in a SCROG... I'd like to see an ounce dry from each (at least?)..

Imhigh85 - You know how in homes you ac vents in ceilings? They are about 8"x14" so what i've done is covered it with cardboard and sealed around it, cut a 4" dia hole in the center and stuck that 4" foil accordion type ducting in there and ran a good length of it into the tent..It works rather... I'm pumping 74F air into the tent every 1/2 hour or so which is keeping the tent at an acceptable temp.. I forgot to mention I have two 8" fans blowing on the plants...

As for turning the light up during flower, I may just turn it up to 75% and open the tent or just end up getting a window unit and routing the air into the tent... That's if you guys think I need to turn it up during flower... IDK you tell me.

So should up my pot size, huh? I was under the impression the whole craze around smart pots was that you could grow very large plants in smaller pots..


Thanks again, I'll keep ya posted on my progress.

 

[wiley420]

I run a 1000w hps in my 4x4 tent full bore, heat is an issue if it's not vented properly an as summer approaches a/c is a must. In a tent this size an soaked in right a pound is not unreasonable. Mind u that's if u grow the same strain a few times to dial it in perfectly. 2gal pots r a bit small, I'd be more inclined towards 3gal or maybe even 5gal. Temps it depends, for example I have a diesel that likes it 85-90 but my kushberry seems to grow better at 80-85. But anything over 90 is to hot. On average I'd say 85ish. As for trellis I recommend 3-4" squares at most. I have a 6" an find its way to big an really difficult to control my spread. But this is just my opinion based on my experiences.

 

[Imhigh85]

I don't think you need to turn your light up an AC will not hurt your plants at all and on the smart pots it is always a better idea to have more space than what the plant need then not enough the smart pots are there to increase airflow and oxygen to the roots

 

[wiley420]

But with smart pots I can grow a plant in a 3gal to about the same size as a 5gal plastic pot. An they do more then add air an oxygen, they also air prune the roots as well. Which gives bigger healthier root systems. But ur right it's better to have to much room then not enough imo

 

[LimeGreen]

I run a 1000w hps in my 4x4 tent full bore, heat is an issue if it's not vented properly an as summer approaches a/c is a must. In a tent this size an soaked in right a pound is not unreasonable.

Oh hell ya! What kind of nutrients are you using wiley? Do you think im good with the General Hydroponics Flora Grow, Bloom, Micro ?? Also, How far is your light from your plants?

But with smart pots I can grow a plant in a 3gal to about the same size as a 5gal plastic pot. An they do more then add air an oxygen, they also air prune the roots as well. Which gives bigger healthier root systems. But ur right it's better to have to much room then not enough imo

This was my reasoning behind the 2GAL.. I figured it would be adequate but I will definitely move up to bigger pots when I'm ready to take clones. IMO, I find they are more forgiving as they dry out quicker so its harder for a new grower to over water them..perfect for a beginner like myself.

Again, thanks for all the great info. You guys have been awesome.

 

[wiley420]

I use gh 2 part, calimagic an koolbloom, all r gh products

 

[wiley420]

My light is about 18" from top of my plant. I have a journal if u wana check it out.

 

[LimeGreen]

Heck ya man I'd like to check it out, I'm sure it'll save me a few questions.

I too am logging my progress... seems like the only way to dial in a strain for optimal yield.

So I received my gh nutes today and gave her a good feeding. I used the 1-1-1 General veg ratio as I already have a few amendments in the soil so I just want to be careful... although it's my understanding that blood meal and bone meal have to break down a bit before they are viable... I could be wrong... probably am..

Anyway, much appreciated as always.. Let me know how you want to shoot me that log Wiley. Peace!

 

[LimeGreen]

Ok guys, this plant is right around 5 weeks old started from seed... What do you think? does she look like a typical 5 week old plant or what? I understand genetics play a huge roll in what I'm asking but I'm just trying to figure out if my girl is healthy and pretty typical for her age. Thanks, you are all appreciated!

 

[mikeyxb]

Ok guys, this plant is right around 5 weeks old started from seed... What do you think? does she look like a typical 5 week old plant or what? I understand genetics play a huge roll in what I'm asking but I'm just trying to figure out if my girl is healthy and pretty typical for her age. Thanks, you are all appreciated!

I'd say for a plant that has been topped your looking ok takes a little time after topping to recover

 

[LimeGreen]

I'd say for a plant that has been topped your looking ok takes a little time after topping to recover

Thanks a bunch Mikey!

 

[LimeGreen]

Hey friends, me again. So my main girl seems to be suffering at my inexperience... Even though I have only watered when I could feel the soil was dry about 2" down it seems I have still managed to over water her.. In fact, if you look in the post above you can see what I mean.. Her leaves are full and dropping a bit.. Not standing tall, leaf tips reaching for the light like a happy plant would do.. So my question is this... Whats the best way to get her back happy? Should I let her dry out and continue to push her with no water so maybe she will use up some of that water she has stored in her leaves or should I just do a light water when she feels dry??? Thanks guys for all your support!

 

[mikeyxb]

What I would do, and most people in my experience is let it go completely dry feel the weight of the pot dry, and when you get a feel for it you will know by the weight if she needs watering

The top of the soil will always dry before the bottom and you not diving your plant enough root growth, if it's always got water at the Base of the root ball it's not going to seek for water and the root system will rot if it's always wet and not being able to oxygenate, I don't water mine till it looks thirsty you will see the wilt is different on a thirsty plant, it's not so much the leaves that wilt on a thirsty plant it's the stems

Hope this helps

Happy growing

 

[Cornfield Gro]

Hi. I'm currently on week 4 of 12/12 using the same tent. I have 4 different strains going. This is my first grow so I'm sure there is a lot wrong. But here is your tent kinda full.

 

[LimeGreen]

Bro that looks amazing!!! For your first grow I don't think I'm wrong to say your doing better than most on their first attempt! Great work! How long did it take to get to that point? It looks a little thick, did you prune/lollipop during your veg? Best of luck mate... Ask the others but it may or may not be too late to get rid of some of that lower brush that wont yield much of anything..

I just found an old picture of my first attempt at seeing if I could grow... Im actually pretty pissed at myself because my current grow, the one I actually invested in is not looking so great....then I started thinking...whats different??? Well, you guessed it... Last time I left them the hell alone.. only minor LST and it looked great... My current girl is suffering at the moment and it's really frustrating because I'm not only running a 1000W light but also an air conditioner now which is going to really hit me in the pocket with shit to show for..

Anyway... Here's a pic of my first girl a couple years ago...

Cheers!

 

[Cornfield Gro]

I did super cropping and F.I.M them. When I started I popped 6 seeds thinking that I would lose a couple, lo and behold they all survived. So I quickly realized I was pressed for space. I decided to purchase another tent but it had to be a small one because the only room I have left. Didn't want to spend a bunch of money on the lights so I got the eye hortilux power veg bulbs for my t5 ( the flower formula). I'm very impressed so far. Here is a picture of the 2. They in a 2x4x60 tent.