My First Shot At Bakin' Fresh Cookies On A PBB - Poor Boys Budget!

[Bud Tinder]

Howdy fellow "bakers", my name is "Bud Tinder" and this is my first foray into "bakin" my own cookies; I've been eating them for about forty years now but never had time to try bakin them on my own; now I am really eager to "fire em up". I have seven different strains that I am currently puttin into the oven for mass consumption in the near future. I have Kush, AK-47, Sweet Tooth, Cheese CBD, Critical Carmel , Bubble & Squeak and Cali-Mist. I obtained the seeds from a major sponsor of this site.
I am doin this on a PBB (poor boys budget) with only stuff that I have found lyin around. I made my own homemade cookie incubator box out of an old 40 qt ice chest with a 12 volt 500 lumens LED work light that I wired to plug into the wall with a old charger from some type of toy or something. The light is about 5" in diameter. I cut the upper inside lid of the ice chest and flush mounted the light. It keeps the interior temp right @ 80 degrees and humid. PERFECT I used it for my vegetable garden seeds and it worked great. I planted my "cookie dough balls" in red Solo cups that I drilled for drainage and am using Miracle Gro garden soil from Lowes. My incubator works stupid good. I planted the "dough balls" and all but the Sweet Tooth popped in three days. Less than 7 days in and I have a couple almost 4" tall already. I leave the light on 24/7. I am currently workin on the "bigger oven" to finish bakin the cookies in which I will update in my next journal entry !!! Constructive criticism and/ or advice always welcome. Pics to follow if I can figure out how!!!

"Knowledge is Power"

 

[Bud Tinder]

 

[Bud Tinder]

Howdy fellow bakers !!! I know that it has been a while but I am not much of a journal keeper and trying to get the "bigger oven" straightened out is proving to be a bigger challenge than first anticipated My room is a converted 24 ft dry van body. I walled off a section roughly 7'6" x 7'6" 7' tall and installed a bifold door. I lined the inside with 1 1/4" insulated foam board and painted walls, floor and ceiling pure white. Right now I have 2 52" 12v 500w LED light bars along with 3 12v programmable 48" LED light sticks for the red and blue you would get from a professional LED grow light. I just used some reflective window tint I had lying around with a spray can of adhesive and attached it to some of the foam board to make basically "moveable walls" to shrink the size of the room while the plants are small. MY science is non existent and my budget is low. I used old panels from a outside a/c unit i disassembled to vent the room. One up high out the back wall and one on the floor sucking in the cooler air from underneath the 24" box van. No problem with ventilation.
I transplanted my 7 Lil' buds into some 5 gal buckets from Lowe's that I drilled for drainage. I used Miracle Grow moisture control potting soil for a median. Although the almost 1 month old "buds" are small (4" or less) due to my lack of knowledge or proper preparation, I was pleasantly surprised and the amount of roots at the bottom of the red Solo cups I used for germination. My ice chest "starter oven" works stupid good!!! I'm savin the really good "cookie dough balls" for later when I have all of the kinks worked out of the main "oven"
I'll take some picks and upload later. It is a work in progress with frustration and a big learning curve but I am determined to get this done on a PBB. LOL !!! I am tryin to keep it on a 12v system but will upgrade if necessary cuz I am tired of paying the excessive price for commercially baked "cookies" I also like my own variety !!!As always constructive criticism and/ or advice always welcome!!!

REMEMBER, "KNOWLEDGE IS POWER"

Peace Out

 

[Chicobaba]

Howdy fellow bakers !!! I know that it has been a while but I am not much of a journal keeper and trying to get the "bigger oven" straightened out is proving to be a bigger challenge than first anticipated My room is a converted 24 ft dry van body. I walled off a section roughly 7'6" x 7'6" 7' tall and installed a bifold door. I lined the inside with 1 1/4" insulated foam board and painted walls, floor and ceiling pure white. Right now I have 2 52" 12v 500w LED light bars along with 3 12v programmable 48" LED light sticks for the red and blue you would get from a professional LED grow light. I just used some reflective window tint I had lying around with a spray can of adhesive and attached it to some of the foam board to make basically "moveable walls" to shrink the size of the room while the plants are small. MY science is non existent and my budget is low. I used old panels from a outside a/c unit i disassembled to vent the room. One up high out the back wall and one on the floor sucking in the cooler air from underneath the 24" box van. No problem with ventilation.
I transplanted my 7 Lil' buds into some 5 gal buckets from Lowe's that I drilled for drainage. I used Miracle Grow moisture control potting soil for a median. Although the almost 1 month old "buds" are small (4" or less) due to my lack of knowledge or proper preparation, I was pleasantly surprised and the amount of roots at the bottom of the red Solo cups I used for germination. My ice chest "starter oven" works stupid good!!! I'm savin the really good "cookie dough balls" for later when I have all of the kinks worked out of the main "oven"
I'll take some picks and upload later. It is a work in progress with frustration and a big learning curve but I am determined to get this done on a PBB. LOL !!! I am tryin to keep it on a 12v system but will upgrade if necessary cuz I am tired of paying the excessive price for commercially baked "cookies" I also like my own variety !!!As always constructive criticism and/ or advice always welcome!!!

REMEMBER, "KNOWLEDGE IS POWER"

Peace Out

Hey man best of luck, but honestly just with the money you've spent already if you applied that towards items that are more suited for growing cookies I think it would make more sense. You can setup a grow that you can take out a lot of guess work with by buying a couple things from a local grow shop or Amazon.

Amazon/Grow store
-grow bags 3-5 gallon 5 packs are only $20 bucks
-good soil like fox farm ocean forest which is basically weed growing soil for like $30 on Amazon, $15-$20 at a Grow store, find a soil that works for you but Miracle Gro isn't soil for cookies, think of it like someone using poison ivy to garnish your ice cream instead of mint
-Good medium to grow in or mix with other medium is promix

, it should be $15-$20 at a grow store

-far as lights cfl are cheap only downside is you'll need a couple, but imo getting a viparspectra 300 watt led light is cheap ($89) and is a proven weed light, why not go with something proven?

Don't overthink this imo, you've germinated the seeds which is sometimes an issue itself so keep up the good work but again if you want good cookies use the right ingredients and the other bakers here for advice, I have leaned on this community and it has helped me out a ton. All the best and I'm subbed in

 

[Bud Tinder]

Hey Chicobaba,
Thanks for the critique and advice I really do appreciate it. Why is Miracle Grow so Bad? Can you mix it with another medium? How about dirt from my vegetable garden? Do you think that the 5 gal buckets will not drain properly or what? I drilled numerous holes in the bottom and put wooden spacers underneath them to aid in drainage and air flow. Do you think I can finish bakin the cookies in the Miracle Grow? They had really good roots for as small as they were. It's not that I doubt you its just that I do not want to kill them or throw them away. How do you like my incubator? Sorry for all of the ?'s As always constructive criticism and/ or advice always welcome and taken advantage of!!!

Remember "Knowledge is Power"

Peace Out

 

[Chicobaba]

Hey Chicobaba,
Thanks for the critique and advice I really do appreciate it. Why is Miracle Grow so Bad? Can you mix it with another medium? How about dirt from my vegetable garden? Do you think that the 5 gal buckets will not drain properly or what? I drilled numerous holes in the bottom and put wooden spacers underneath them to aid in drainage and air flow. Do you think I can finish bakin the cookies in the Miracle Grow? They had really good roots for as small as they were. It's not that I doubt you its just that I do not want to kill them or throw them away. How do you like my incubator? Sorry for all of the ?'s As always constructive criticism and/ or advice always welcome and taken advantage of!!!

Remember "Knowledge is Power"

Peace Out

I'm not a guru or anything just a grower that messed up years ago taking the "Home Depot" approach.

Grow bags vs Containers-
read up on the advantages of grow bags for root growth yourself (goto amazon & read customer reviews, YouTube videos of grow bag users) if this is a budget grow $15 bucks for a 5 pack of the best type of grow containers for soil growers is imo just a no brainer

Miracle grow soil/Dirt From Vegetable Garden vs Weed community advised mediums-

read up on the issues of Miracle grow soil in relation to growing Marijuana yourself but again would you use poison ivy as a garnish?
Far as vegetable garden soil if you want to test the ph go ahead but imo paying the $15-$20 for soil/growing medium intended (& ph balanced ) to grow weed and highly recommended by the weed growing community is the smarter route. You don't have to get rid of any plants at all, just make sure the next medium you transplant into is medium intended for Marijuana cultivation

Depending on where you live weed is expensive, time is also expensive, grow correctly to ensure you don't waste your time on "things you'll do right on the next grow" a lot of first time growers usually have a lot of basics they correct from their first grow because of "eh I'll grow it this way, what's the worst that can happen" attitude

 

[Bud Tinder]

WEED IS EXPENSIVE regardless of where you live !!! Thanks for the info! I'll take your advice to heart and correct my mistakes. I'm gonna git this "bakin" thing down pat and make the 420 community proud!!! I will strive to bake some of the sweetest cookies that have ever eaten. I really appreciate your input and will update this journal in the near future with pics !!!

"KNOWLEDGE IS POWER"

Peace Out

 

[Bud Tinder]

And my attitude is not so cavalier, I really want to do it right cuz I sure do like eatin them fresh baked cookies !!!!

"KNOWLEDGE IS POWER"

Peace Out

 

[Bud Tinder]

PSS; I also live in a hostile area where baking cookies is frowned upon and ingredients are exceptionally scarce. I also like to keep it on the down low !!!

"KNOWLEDGE IS POWER"

Peace Out

 

[Philsthetent]

Problem with miracle grow is it has time released nutes in the soil- you can never flush them out because plain water activates them.
Your final product will have fertilizer in it .

 

[Chicobaba]

PSS; I also live in a hostile area where baking cookies is frowned upon and ingredients are exceptionally scarce. I also like to keep it on the down low !!!

"KNOWLEDGE IS POWER"

Peace Out

Amazon will be your best friend if you can't find a local hydro store. By the way your grow cooler is ok but anywhere you can fit a clamp light can become a grow area. If you don't have a room you can run lights in then get a tent, long term solution

 

[Chicobaba]

And my attitude is not so cavalier, I really want to do it right cuz I sure do like eatin them fresh baked cookies !!!!

"KNOWLEDGE IS POWER"

Peace Out

This community is here to help you, no egos here, if the people that stepped into my journal hadn't I might have trashed two plants that are potentially going to eliminate my need to spend money on smoke for the next year since I purchase an average of a pound of smoke per year. That can all go wrong or not as well as it can if I didn't listen to advice and made my own observations by reading and watching grow journals. You can do this brother

 

[Bud Tinder]

Please forgive my ignorance, but I thought the MG would do great because of it's nutes. To be honest I didn't even know what everyone was referring to when they said nutes. I have read quite a bit on this site to try and edjumacate myself !!! What exactly does the MG do? Will it burn the plants or does it stunt their growth? As I said in my previous post, I live in BFE and supplies are not readily available and I honestly thought that MG would do great; sorry, my bad!!!
It seems like a lot of other "bakers" on this forum also have degrees in Botany. I will seek out the correct ingredients as well as all of the free advice I can get from my fellow bakers here @ 420. Also I have read alot about using LED grow light on this site and have seem a boat load of them for sale on the internet from less than $100 to more than $1,000. I do not mind spending the dough (no pun intended), but would like to know one proven and used one by someone @ 420,that is a good value for the $$$. I buy at least a lb or more a year of cookies so my dough spent will pay for itself in less than one year!!! As always constructive criticism and/ or advice always welcome and taken advantage of!!! I really appreciate you guys trying to help me out !!!

"Knowledge is Power"

Peace Out

 

[LaidBackLeo87]

So the problem with MG is the time release nutes (nutrients, or food the plant needs to grow big and strong) basically everyone you water some of the nutes are released, the problem with this is you have no control on how much of each nute is released, so usually the plants get way to much and it burns them. I'd agree with the above post, hit up Amazon and grab some smart pots and some fox farm ocean forest, it has enough nutrients to get your plant by for 3-4 weeks at most in veg stage. And when it comes to lights the most used inexpensive LED lights are usually viparspectra or mars hydro lights
They are relatively cheap although i would recommend getting two for a larger grow space. I personally have a marshydro 96x5 reflector and love it.
This is the latest pick i have using 5 gal smart pots, fox farm ocean forest soil, fox farm trio for nutes and my marshydro reflector.

The money spent will pay off in the end!

 

[Bud Tinder]

Thanks for stopping by ya'll. I really appreciate the constructive input. Nice pics !!! Hope to get my cookies there soon. Trying to get the kinks worked out of my "oven". It is definitely coming around I'm just trying to get the temps to stay around a steady 80 degrees. Its been getting down into the low 40's and my oven is in the dry van body outside so Iv'e been putting a heater in there to better maintain. I have definitely seen quality growth within the last week with my current redneck setup on lights ( 2 12 volt ATV 500 watt LED light bars and 3 LED light sticks for color) Really looking forward to getting my Perfect Sun Dwarf Star to see some REAL GROWTH !!! As always constructive criticism and/ or advice always welcome and taken advantage of!!!

"Knowledge is Power"

Peace Out

 

[LaidBackLeo87]

A dwarf star? I've heard that's a really good light, very nice choice!

 

[Bud Tinder]

Howdy again fellow bakers !!! It is a beautiful day here in "right where I wanna be'" USA !!! It has been one week to the day since I transplanted my little "dough balls" into the 5 gal buckets and put them into the big "oven " in the van body outside. They are still in the MG that I put them in as I have not gotten any different median. I can not stress enough that I live in BFE and ingredients that i need for baking aren't readily available. That being said the growth within the last week in nuthin short of ignorant and a miracle (no pun intended). I will upload pics later. My redneck "oven" and light setup is working better than I imagined. I know that they say no to the MG but I'm in too deep to back out now !!! They are growing like they are on steroids. Watching the video made by Neil ( the man that manufactures the Perfect Sun grow lights was very informational and helped me out a ton. He was absolutely correct when he said that the environment was the most critical element of baking premo "cookies". He had a plant with cookies as big or bigger than a beer can. WOW!!! Can't wait to use the Dwarf Star to compliment my current redneck light setup which runs off of an a/c to d/c power converter. They may just grow out of control !!! If you could see it you may laugh but might also be impressed with my redneck ingenuity !!! Pics to follow !!! As always constructive criticism and or advice always welcomed and taken to heart !!!

"Knowledge is Power"

Peace Out

 

[Bud Tinder]

Good evening fellow "bakers". This is a wonderful day as I just recieved a tracking # for my new Dwarf Star which I will have by the weekend. I can not wait to install it and "watch the magic happen" !!!! I have also been doing extensive reading on this site and changed my light schedule to 16/8 vs 24/7 per the advice of numerous 420 members. I started "lights out" at 12 noon and "lights on" at 6pm to take advantage of not generating any heat during the hottest part of the day. Even 500 watt 12 volt ATV light bars creates a lot of heat!!! Who wants to 'bake cookies" in a hot kitchen ??? The cookies started bakin 38 days ago and let's just say that I was anything but kind to them for the first 30 days. Newbie mistake, I didn't have the big oven ready.Tweaking on the "big oven' has been a challenge but I must say it is performing beyond expectations to this point!!! Here is to redneck ingenuity !!! And that is before the new 'PLANETOID" light addition. SWEET !!! I will post pics before putting the new light" into orbit" !!!
I would just like to close this evening by givin a big "LUNGBUSTER" out to one of my newest and bestest mentors Mr. Perfect Sun himself, Neil. His videos and knowledge have helped me immensely' and I'm "just gettin started" !!! He made a friend of me when he stated on his video on HIS site that he had "baked" cookies as big as beer cans using MG (my first mistake according to the vast majority for which I apologize !!! I know that there are thousands of qualified bakers on this site and I want to learn from all of ya'll!!! As always constructive criticism and or advice always welcomed and utilized in the kitchen !!!

"Knowledge is Power"

Peace Out

 

[LaidBackLeo87]

Good evening fellow "bakers". This is a wonderful day as I just recieved a tracking # for my new Dwarf Star which I will have by the weekend. I can not wait to install it and "watch the magic happen" !!!! I have also been doing extensive reading on this site and changed my light schedule to 16/8 vs 24/7 per the advice of numerous 420 members. I started "lights out" at 12 noon and "lights on" at 6pm to take advantage of not generating any heat during the hottest part of the day. Even 500 watt 12 volt ATV light bars creates a lot of heat!!! Who wants to 'bake cookies" in a hot kitchen ??? The cookies started bakin 38 days ago and let's just say that I was anything but kind to them for the first 30 days. Newbie mistake, I didn't have the big oven ready.Tweaking on the "big oven' has been a challenge but I must say it is performing beyond expectations to this point!!! Here is to redneck ingenuity !!! And that is before the new 'PLANETOID" light addition. SWEET !!! I will post pics before putting the new light" into orbit" !!!
I would just like to close this evening by givin a big "LUNGBUSTER" out to one of my newest and bestest mentors Mr. Perfect Sun himself, Neil. His videos and knowledge have helped me immensely' and I'm "just gettin started" !!! He made a friend of me when he stated on his video on HIS site that he had "baked" cookies as big as beer cans using MG (my first mistake according to the vast majority for which I apologize !!! I know that there are thousands of qualified bakers on this site and I want to learn from all of ya'll!!! As always constructive criticism and or advice always welcomed and utilized in the kitchen !!!

"Knowledge is Power"

Peace Out

Let's see some pictures! Lol. Glad too read everything is going well, just remember the first grow is a learning experience! There are a lot of great DIY or "redneck ingenuity" journals, check them out and learn from them, That's what this site is all about. Get to know some people and ask them to check out your journal and sure enough you'll have a lot of great people and some really amazing information! Happy growing man ( but seriously get some pics up, I'd love to see the change when they get under that dwarf star!)

 

[Bud Tinder]

Thanks for stoppin by Leo. Preciate it !!! I'll get pics up I promise. I learn from this site every single time I log on !!! It is actually very cool to connect with so many others who share my passsssssssion for great cookies !!! I will close with my new favorite quote by none other than myself :

"GROW WEED CHEAP, DON'T SMOKE CHEAP WEED !!!

"Knowledge is Power"

Peace Out