MadWoodsman's 1st Grow - BlackJack - Soil/CFL - Closet - 2011

[Mad Woodsman]

hi folks, welcome to my first grow journal!
total noob but have been doing lots of reading and research on this great site and hoping some of you guys can help me get through to the end!

What strain is it?
BlackJack feminized (Black Domina/Jack Herer)

Is it Indica, Sativa or Hybrid? What percentages?
Hybrid 50/50

Is it in Veg or Flower stage?
Veg

If in Veg... For how long?
2 days

Indoor or outdoor?
Indoor. Closet 2'x2'x2', expandable to 2'x2'x4'.

Soil or Hydro?
Soil. BioBizz Allmix.

If soil... what is in your mix?
It consists of 20% sphagnum peat moss, 35% garden peat, 10% high quality organic Worm-Humus, 30% perlite & 5% Pre-Mix.

If soil... What size pot?
Seed was planted in small pot (about 1 litre) and will be transplanted to 2 gallon pot. Might even get a bigger one.

Size of light?
Available lights at the moment (all CFL):
125w 6400k
105w (x2) 6400k
23w 6400k
250w 2700k
25w (x2) 2700k

Is it aircooled?
Passive intake at the bottom of closet with 3" computer fan pulling some air in (fan is about an inch from the wall, not flush with the hole). Another 3" fan in the roof of closet pulling air out. An 8" fan inside for air circulation.

Temp of Room/cab?
Not sure yet (don't kill me!). Got 2 digital temp/hygrometers due in the mail this week.

RH of Room/cab?
55-60%

PH of media or res?
Approx 7. More accurate ph tester on the way!

Any Pests?
No.

How often are you watering?
As required. One watering on second day of seedling growth.

Type and strength of ferts used?
I've got some bat guano and Superthrive but haven't used any yet. Will probably go for some BioBloom for flowering. Hoping the Allmix will get me through veg without any extra nutes.

Aims:
I hope to keep it fairly small (1-1.5 feet then flower). I can expand the 2'x2'x2' space to 2'x2'x4' (or even 6' high) by removing a shelf for more height as it grows. I'll probably try some LST on it to get the best out of the light coverage and keep it low.
If I can get to the end of the grow with anything from a half to an ounce I'll be thrilled, as well as hopefully learning lots on the way. Thought about planting 2 seeds (I have 3) but went with one. Maybe a risky strategy as I haven't had a smoke in 2 months, longest break in 20 years of toking, so I'm seriously jonesing!
I basically want to keep things stealthy, simple and safe!

Possible issues:
Worried about the small intake (2" square) and small exhaust as I believe the Blackjack can be susceptible to mold. RH in the space was well over 70% before I started but has dropped to 50% after I put the 105w light in. I can open the door during light cycles to ventilate as I go, so hoping for the best.
I also need to get a reflector/holder for my big CFLs, looking at options right now. The whole inside of the closet is painted with matt white and the door is light sealed with draught excluder tape.
No odour control yet, wondering if some Ona gel will get me through as a carbon filter will require better venting.
I'm hoping my noob skills won't turn it hermie as I heard fem seeds can go that way if messed with.

Story so far....
Soaked the seed in a cup of bottled water for 36 hours then planted. The soil had been watered the day before and left stand. There's about 2" of perlite at the bottom of the pot which I though might encourage root growth in the seedling and lessen the effects of the Allmix, which I heard wasn't ideal for seedlings.
Seedling popped up after about 2 days (which was 2 days ago) and it was under a 25w 6400k CFL for the first 24 hours. Put it under a 105w 6400k today. I started an 18/6 light cycle last night.

Day 2 veg:
Been a bit worried about the curly leaves, but otherwise looking ok I think?
It's exactly 2" high and about 2" under the 105w CFL.
Bit worried about getting the balance right between stretching and burning under the light until it puts more weight on.

 

[OG13]

Re: MadWoodsman's 1st grow/BlackJack/Soil/CFL/closet/2011

List the actual wattage of your bulbs, not the incandescent equivalent. 105 watt equivalent is ??? watt CFL (21?). Lumens are actually more valuable to keep track of what you got. You will want 15 to 20,000 lumen for that space. You should keep a couple of inches in between the bulb and new plants. As they get older, they can be closer. Don't worry about the leaves, they are fine.

 

[Mad Woodsman]

Re: MadWoodsman's 1st grow/BlackJack/Soil/CFL/closet/2011

thanks for the input OG, much appreciated!
they are the actual wattages.
the 105w (spiral), 125w and 250w (both Eco-Lights) are big grow lights.
I figure I've got about 20,000 lumens each for blue and red lighting.

the one in the pic below is one of the 105w's:

the humidity has dropped to about 45% since I put that 105w in.
I've put a cup of water in there to try get it back up a little.
have been considering putting it back under a couple of smaller 23w's instead for a few days.
I noticed the perlite on top of the soil is yellowing a little, maybe from the heat?
didn't water today as the soil still seems moist after watering yesterday.

Day 3 veg seedling:

 

[OG13]

Re: MadWoodsman's 1st grow/BlackJack/Soil/CFL/closet/2011

The perlite is just wicking and getting dirty from the "soil". Why did you go w/ so many big CFLs vs a HPS? You should have plenty of light in there, try to aim it down to the plants. Yeah a 23 watt would be fine for now.....

 

[Mad Woodsman]

Re: MadWoodsman's 1st grow/BlackJack/Soil/CFL/closet/2011

thanks OG,

I think those 105w's put out about 6000 lumens, so probably not as efficient as a bunch of smaller ones,
but the only bulbs I can get around here have the bayonet (B22) fitting, not screw on (E27), and I'm having trouble getting splitters with B22 fittings.
The 105w are B22 too.
I got some some E27 splitters and some E27 to B22 adapters, so will be trying to rig those up soon if I can.
I figured it would be easier to have a few big ones in terms of wiring too as I'm no expert there.
The big 125w and 250w are a big screw on fitting (E40), so I'm gonna have to get a proper reflector for those.

Went for CFL instead of HPS as I was worried about heat, the venting isn't great in there and I'm limited in what I can do about it.
Figured it would be cheaper too, but not sure if it really is.

 

[OG13]

Re: MadWoodsman's 1st grow/BlackJack/Soil/CFL/closet/2011

I'm interested to see about the heat issue...the plants WILL need venting for sure to maintain growth (need to supply CO2 to them, so you need to get something figured out. I'm sure the HID would be cheaper by the time you get splitters, reflectors and wiring taken care of. You have almost 600 watts in lites! It all comes down to controlling the environment and providing enough lumens. The smaller bulbs are pretty efficient and much easier to rig up. Shaggie420 did a grow w/ 10 bulbs that had 16,000lumens and had great results, see the nug of the month contest.

 

[Mad Woodsman]

Re: MadWoodsman's 1st grow/BlackJack/Soil/CFL/closet/2011

not much to report, seems to be going ok.
first signs of second real set of leaves coming through.
a bit concerned about the length of the stem, seems kinda gangly.
wondering if it's the light or just the sativa genes at work, but I read this strain can be kept short and stocky.
maybe I didn't plant it deep enough?
the fan is giving it some very gentle movement so hope it will strengthen it.

RH has steadied to about 55% under the 105w, so keeping it about 2" under that at the moment.
held off watering today and will water tomorrow after lights on.
lights out period is 12 midnight to 6am.

Day 4 veg:

 

[Mad Woodsman]

Re: MadWoodsman's 1st grow/BlackJack/Soil/CFL/closet/2011

watered 2 days ago with 1 drop of Superthrive in a litre and used about half the water until there was some run-off.
no other nutes used yet.
still about 2" under a 105w CFL with RH about 50%.

could be my imagination, but wondering if I'm seeing a slight yellowing of the leaves?
seems to have slowed stretching.
ordered a large CFL reflector today and some BioGrow and BioBloom.

Day8 veg:

 

[Mad Woodsman]

Re: MadWoodsman's 1st grow/BlackJack/Soil/CFL/closet/2011

watered yesterday with a drop of Superthrive in 500ml of tap water, left standing 24hrs.
so far watering every 3 or 4 days with about a cupful until I get some run off.
finally got my thermometer/hygrometer with min/max function.
temp is steady at 76F at the minute, RH at 52%.

still wondering about some slight yellowing on the top of the leaves, particularly on the 2 oldest/biggest ones at the bottom.

anyone got any thoughts on how it is looking?

Day10 veg:

 

[TaylorMade420]

im subbed, your only a few days in front of me, be nice to have someone to compare with along the way. good luck with the grow

 

[Mad Woodsman]

thanks G.J! much appreciated!
was getting kinda lonely in here.
sub'd to yours too, lookin good in there!

ok I added about an inch of soil to my pot today to help support the stem.
I'll water tomorrow without Superthrive to see if that makes any difference to the yellowing of the bottom leaves.
Temps today were 79F with an overnight min of 66F.
I've turned the power of the circulation fan up about 10mins ago and temp is down to 76F so far.
RH was 52%, gone up to 55% now with the fan on higher.
Still just the one 105w CFL in there.

Day12 veg:

 

[Mad Woodsman]

btw thanks to whoever edited my thread title making it easier to read lol.
was trying to do it myself but realized I couldn't edit it.

 

[Mad Woodsman]

Put in my big CFL reflector today with the 125w 6400k Eco-Light. It's not a very expensive one but will do the job.
I had to bolt a couple of L brackets to the angle where the bulb holder section meets the roof to make it more solid and prevent it sagging. It's pretty solid now.
Still haven't fed it any nutes but got some BioBizz Grow and Bloom today, so I'll probably start with a small feed of Grow at the next watering.
I'll need to think about transplanting soon too, though I haven't seen any roots at the bottom of the pot yet.
Got a ph tester too and the tap water I have been using measured 8.7.
Still a bit of yellowing on the 2 oldest bottom leaves but they're the only ones effected.

Day16 veg:

Are these the first sign of preflowers in this one, or a bit early yet?

 

[Mad Woodsman]

about transplanting....
I read a post here about transplanting into an organic mix and it says the soil should be prepared 7-10 days in advance.
should I do this with the Biobizz Allmix I'm using?
should I prepare a pot and wet the soil and just let it rest for a week before I put the plant in?

 

[Mad Woodsman]

ok so apparently leaving the moist soil stand for 36hrs before use is fine.
got some ready now and will transplant the day after next.
saw the first tiny sign of a root at the bottom of the pot today.

the temp in the space has also dropped since I put the 125w with reflector in, down to 73F now, so it seems to be less hot then the 105w spiral.
RH gone up to 56% too.

 

[TaylorMade420]

love the pics, plants are looking good bud, keep it up

 

[Mad Woodsman]

getting a bit worried about the yellowing of the lower leaves and the growth rate in general.
some dark spots at the edges of the yellowing leaves too.
so far it was only affecting the lower/oldest leaves but I've noticed some slight yellowing in the tips of the next leaves up.
is it looking a bit stunted and droopy or should it be stretching out more?

wondering of the yellowing is a nitrogen deficiency?
seems to be the closest diagnosis but really don't know.
I just watered it about an hour before these pics, last watered 5 days ago.
PH of the runoff was 7.9 which is guess is kinda high.
haven't fed it any nutes yet and will be transplanting to a bigger pot (with Allmix) tomorrow, so I don't intend feeding it any nutes until that pot is filled out with roots.
temp is 75F, RH is 55%.

anyone got any thoughts on the yellowing or how it is looking?
could really use some help.

Day18 veg:

 

[Mad Woodsman]

Transplanted to 2 gallon pot 3 days ago and so far so good,
She seems to be taking to her new home well.
Still haven't fed any nutes (using Allmix soil) and I hope she'll have enough in the new soil to keep her going a while.
Gave her a light watering after the transplant to even out the moisture in the soil.
Still under the 125w and I've got a 105w positioned vertically at her side about 6 inches away.
The reflector makes it hard to position it any better, as it takes up a lot of the 2' x 2' area.
Removed the closet shelf it was on, so now its in a 2' x 2' x 4' space.
Temps 73F.
RH 58%.

Day22 veg:

Decided to FIM her today after the 5th node. Probably should have done it sooner.
Hope I did it right!
Here she is before the FIM...

Note the red line in this pic where I FIMMED her:

After the FIM:

 

[Mad Woodsman]

first update in a while.
watered today after 8 days, one drop of superthrive in 500ml.
ph'd the water to 6.8 with a few drops of lemon juice.
still haven't fed any nutes.

not sure if the FIM went to plan,
lots of new growth from the cut site but seems I just topped it really?
looks like 4 main bud sites at the top.
suppose I'll be thinking of flowering her soon, might just go another week and one more watering with some BioGrow.
she's about 7.5 inches high now.

Day33 veg

Some female pre-flowers showing here at the point where I cut it:

 

[TaylorMade420]

looking good bud, when u gonna flip? im thinking monday for me. i liked how the topping turned out for you, looking forward to seeing the buds forming