Diary:02/09/07: 8 Pots of Plants

[home.grower]

Greetings One and All & Thank You For Visiting This Thread

02/09/07 marks the day that I commence yet another Garden Diary. This time I am working in a smaller space approximately 5' x 8' in measure, which is actually a custom partition in a small bedroom.

The room has been implemented from scratch. A 4" x 2" timber frame was cut to fit, MDF panels were cut to fit, and a custom sliding door was installed due to space issues.

The Garden has 2 x 160mm unfiltered air inlets from outside. The windows have been boarded off, as have any wall vents. The Garden is half lined with dimpled-mylar.

The hardware installed is listed bellow in a random order:

ONE 6" Dual CoolTube / TWO 600W HPS HID Bulb / TWO 600W Ballast / ONE 6 Way Contactor Timer / 6m 5" Bare Aluminium Ducting / 5m 6" Bare Aluminium Ducting / FOUR 5" Jubilee Clips / ONE 5" Duct Fast Clamp / TWO 150-125mm Reducing Rings / 8m Dimple Mylar / ONE Growth Technology pH Meter / ONE Trunceon / TWO Pairs Light Hangars / ONE 5" Spigot Plate / TWO Grasslin Mechanical Timers / ONE Sphere AirStone / ONE Mouse Dual Outlet AirPump / ONE Multi 1300 Water Pump / ONE Rose & Extension / ONE 6"" Carbon Filter / ONE TD-500 150mm Inline Extractor / ONE TD-160 100mm Inline Intake / ONE Cheap Heater / ONE Fan Speed Controller / ONE Small Oscillating Fan / ONE Propagator / ONE HygroMeter / ONE Storage Unit for Nutes / TWO Square Trays for Pots / EIGHT 15L Pots / TEN 1/2L Pots / ONE Portion of Black-White Sheeting / ONE Measuring Jug / ONE Syringe / ONE 2.5mL Pipette / ONE 5L Pump & Spray / ONE Portion of Heavy Duty Floor Covering / and I think that's most of the essential hardware that will make this Garden fully functional.

For plant nutrition I have chosen to continue using products from the Advanced Nutrients range:

1L Mother Earth Bloom / 1L Mother Earth Grow / 4L Sensi Bloom A / 4L Sensi Bloom B / 1L Sensi Grow A / 1L Sensi Grow B / 1L Big Bud / 1L OverDrive / 1L Barricade / 1L Fulvic F1 / 4L Fulvic F1 / 4L Humic H2 / 1L CarboLoad / THREE 250mL pH Down / 50L Plagron / TWO 50L B'Cuzz Special Mix (Gold Bag) / 50L Clay / 1L Wipe Out Garden Cleaner / 1L VooDoo Juice / 250mL Gnat Off / 50mL Pest Off / THREE Spidermite Control / ONE 250mL Special Insecticide / ONE Bug Bomb / THREE Sticky Fly Traps...

At some time I anticipate using everything in the above list.

Because the Garden is relatively small, and I do not have an adequate wide angle lens on my camera, the photos of the Garden are a bit 'pants' to say the least.

[home.grower]

I gave someone some clone 4 or 5 months ago, and to my suprise they have ben vegging them ever since. The report is that they are 'massive'... That individual must have ample space, as they inform me that they have also developed their own genetic. I will try it some day....

So this person as able to supply me with 3rd generation clones, which if I recall might have consisted of G13, Chronic and possibly Cheese. I'm once again going blind with regard to strains.

I asked for 8 and got 20 odd!!! Good goin!! They are in my propagator presently as not even half are rooted.... when they arrived I already knew they hadn't rooted, but I didn't mind taking them and getting the rooting experience myself.

On day one in the propagator only 4 had subtle signs of roots showing through the rock wool. But 5 days on with a couple of blasts of Advanced Nutrients' VooDoo Juice through a trigger sprayer and 8 now have prominent signs of root formation. I'm hoping that the next 5-7 days will offer more rooted clones for my final selection.

I plan to veg a few of these extras in another room to provide me with my second batch of clones, but that is another plan.

when the clones arrived they were very yellow and looked to be lacking. I hope the stress hasn't messed with them too much. They seem to be getting their color back gradually. I have taken a pic of the tiny clones, I'm not sure if the supplier knows exactly what he's trying to achieve when cloning, but I'm taking the chance at trying to revitalize these lil ladies.

[KHAN]

Nice m8, those clones leaves look very wet isn't the light burning them? The yellowing of the leaves looks like it may be a case of too much nutes?

Nice grow-room, though I might be a bit worried having those 2 power supplies in the actual grow-room, dont they get super-hot under those lights as well?

Good luck!

[home.grower]

Nice m8, those clones leaves look very wet isn't the light burning them? The yellowing of the leaves looks like it may be a case of too much nutes?

Nice grow-room, though I might be a bit worried having those 2 power supplies in the actual grow-room, dont they get super-hot under those lights as well?

Good luck!

Orite KHAN

Thanks for dropping by. Yes the clones are very wet. I am under the impression that the humidity needs to be kept up while they are taking root. The light they are under is only about 25W from an energy saving bulb. The bulb isn't of the right spectrum in all honesty. I'm just using it to try and get them rooted then I'll either introduce them to 250W of MH or 600W of HPS. I don't think they are getting heat damage from the light.

As for the yellowing. I don't think the clones are experiencing nutrient shutdown as the supplier told me that he hasn't fed them anything. I think that if anything the clones are lacking from deprivation and not over indulgence.

I've always kept the control gear in the same room as the Gro-Op. With adequate air extraction, the heat from 2 ballast shouldn't really become and issue. Other Gardens have seen six 600W ballasts on the floor which didn't cause a heat problem, while other Gardens have five 600W ballast shelved at ceiling height. Two 600W ballasts shelved at head height, I'm hoping will be fine. The light may not need to be retracted to head height, thereby allowing the ballast to always be within the shadow of the lighting.

Thanks for checking this thread, and I hope you continue to visit and leave comments.

[PharmaCan]

Home.Grower - It is common to deprive the mother plant of any nutrients for one week before cutting clones. This puts the plant into a nitrogen deficiency which promotes faster root growth in the clones. While the cutting has to no roots, and therefore no means of nutrient uptake, it is senseless to feed it via the rockwool. Foliar feeding is counterproductive at this point because you want to force the plant to grow roots so that it can eat. If you are foliar feeding it won't be as hungry so won't root as fast. Meanwhile, the cutting neads nutrition from somewhere so it is "eating" its leaves.

If those were my clones, I would trim the leaves and cut of all the brown parts and a lot of the yellow parts. For trimming the yellow, you mainly are just trying to cut down on unneeded weight that the cutting must support - and your cuttings look nicer and healthier so it does some good things as far as your attitude is concerned too.

Nice looking growroom!!!! :thumbsup:

PC :smokin:

[home.grower]

Home.Grower - It is common to deprive the mother plant of any nutrients for one week before cutting clones. This puts the plant into a nitrogen deficiency which promotes faster root growth in the clones. While the cutting has to no roots, and therefore no means of nutrient uptake, it is senseless to feed it via the rockwool. Foliar feeding is counterproductive at this point because you want to force the plant to grow roots so that it can eat. If you are foliar feeding it won't be as hungry so won't root as fast. Meanwhile, the cutting neads nutrition from somewhere so it is "eating" its leaves.

If those were my clones, I would trim the leaves and cut of all the brown parts and a lot of the yellow parts. For trimming the yellow, you mainly are just trying to cut down on unneeded weight that the cutting must support - and your cuttings look nicer and healthier so it does some good things as far as your attitude is concerned too.

Nice looking growroom!!!! :thumbsup:

PC :smokin:

Hello PharmaCan and thanks for commenting here. I appreciate you shared knowledge with regard to starving mother plants. I'm not sure if this is what my supplier intended. But I shall assume it is as the clones were very much lacking.

I have been foliar feeding with Voodoo Juice. It doesn't actually prescribe the user to foliar spray the product onto the plants. Instead I shall apply this only to the cubes. But it neither is a rooting hormone like Hygrozyme. I think I'll stop using voodoo juice and apply a mild dose of hygrozyme to the cubes over the coming day or two.

I have also trimmed most of the leaves back as you've suggested.

thanks for commenting here and I hope you stay tuned in to assist where I might be going wrong.

[KHAN]

I just grew a bunch of clones myself, I didn't use any nutrients for 2 weeks just ph'd water, I sprayed them with water only when I turned the lights off for the 6 hours of dark period, and even then i only sprayed them for a week to stop them drying out.

After 2 weeks they had descent roots so I gave them a 10% coco feed every 3 days and have moved them into small pots.

As posted above it maybe best to simply cut off the yellow parts of the leaves, and dont bother spraying them with water, they will get all the moisture they need from the rockwool blocks.

[PharmaCan]

Khan - Until they have roots, the clones have no way to take anything from the rockwool, so trying to feed via the rockwool is useless until the cutting has roots.

As you have discovered, it's kind of a balancing act. You want to mist the cuttings enough to keep them alive, while still encouraging root growth.

Home.grower - I use Clonex both for misting and for moistening the rapid rooters/rockwool. I've never used Hygrozyme but I guess it's a similar product and will work the same. My personal opinion is to stay away from any nutes until the plants have a decent root system. ...but I only make about 100 clones per week so I guess you should take that with a grain of salt.

PC :smokin:

[BUZz UK]

I don't use anything but water for my clones and have had a 100% success rate. You don't really wanna risk burning them with nutes...

[KHAN]

Actually soaking the rockwool and not the leaves in a propergator causes humidity and takes away the need for soaking of the leaves, Taking away the risk of light magnifying on the water and burning your plants. 50 clones with no losses here...

[home.grower]

I just grew a bunch of clones myself, I didn't use any nutrients for 2 weeks just ph'd water, I sprayed them with water only when I turned the lights off for the 6 hours of dark period, and even then i only sprayed them for a week to stop them drying out.

After 2 weeks they had descent roots so I gave them a 10% coco feed every 3 days and have moved them into small pots.

As posted above it maybe best to simply cut off the yellow parts of the leaves, and dont bother spraying them with water, they will get all the moisture they need from the rockwool blocks.

Hello KHAN. I understand your method. My sidekick used to look after his clones exactly the same way. It often took 2 weeks at least for him to get his clones rooted. He would soak his cubes in Water before putting his clones in them. Then a daily mist with water kept the humidity up in the propagator. Once roots started to show he would give them Hygozyme as a root enhancer all the way up to the 3rd week in bloom.

I have ceased foliar spraying... The droplets on the inside of the dome are much much finer now.

Thanks for commenting KHAN, call again!!

[home.grower]

...Home.grower - I use Clonex both for misting and for moistening the rapid rooters/rockwool. I've never used Hygrozyme but I guess it's a similar product and will work the same. My personal opinion is to stay away from any nutes until the plants have a decent root system. ...but I only make about 100 clones per week so I guess you should take that with a grain of salt.

PC :smokin:

I will try and remember to get some clonex for the future.... I used to own some but can't figure where it ended up. How much of a root development am I looking to see before I bed some clones in half litre pots to veg? Can I pot the clones that have a few root shoots out the base of the cubes and just water them for a few weeks? Or should I wait untill there is substantial root mass before doing transplant number 1? I'll take a couple pics once I get out of bed....

[home.grower]

I don't use anything but water for my clones and have had a 100% success rate. You don't really wanna risk burning them with nutes...

Can you be more specific with regard to your method BUZz? Share how you achieve 100%... do you mist? or do you just keep ur cubes damp?

[home.grower]

Actually soaking the rockwool and not the leaves in a propergator causes humidity and takes away the need for soaking of the leaves, Taking away the risk of light magnifying on the water and burning your plants. 50 clones with no losses here...

So if I stop spraying them I'll be better off? I noticed the humidity changed when I stopped spraying yesterday. The mist on the inside of the dome was a lot finer... todays visit will be interesting...

[home.grower]

It has been a few days since I acquired a tray of 20 odd clones, of which only 4 had roots emerging from the rockwool cubes. Having bunged them in a propagator on 31/08/07 (3 days ago) a 9th clone has displayed roots emerging from its' cube. I busted open a 10th cube to see what's happening and took a pic to let it explain itself.

The first few pics are of the clones that have had roots showing for longer than 2 days, while the last pic is of a clone that I expect to be showing within the next 2 days.

[home.grower]

What indicates that it's time to pot a clone?

Is it the first sign of roots?

Is it when many roots are showing?

Is it after a certain period of time regardless of what they look like?

A poll would be good to see how many people use:

1. Just moistened cubes with a little puddle of water in a propagator

2. Particular accelerator products & frequency with results

3. Straight to a soil filled cup with rooting gel

I'm now eager to find out that ultimate cloning method with 100% success like BUZz UK claims... I'm off to surf Can.com

[PharmaCan]

Here's one of my clones after seven days. She's ready to go into coco. :thumbsup:

Right now you've got three people here, all of whom apparently have experience cloning, telling you essentially the same thing except with variations on the technique. I'm certainly not going to say that my technique is better than theirs, but neither am I going to change my technique. In a lot of ways growing can be as much an art as a skill and so you just kinda have to go with the flow and do things in a way that works good for you.

PC :smokin:

[KHAN]

I find that if you keep the rockwool in the black plastic tray they come in then they seem to root faster, it keeps the moisture in, stops mold growing from light hiting the cubes and promotes the roots to pop out as strong light kills them.

As pharma said it's about what works for you, but it looks like your clones are developing fine I wouldn't go about breaking up the cube tho :thumbsup: Goodluck man i'm sure you'll do fine.

[home.grower]

I hear you PharmaCan & Khan & Buzz UK

[mjdragon]

Hey man, just wanted to say nice setup. I grow in very similar conditions to you - space & lighting - (although I've grown from seed)..

Hope all goes well for you, will keep checking in!

[home.grower]

thanks mjpragon, and please drop in again... Checked ur log and hope to follow suit

[home.grower]

The clones haven't survived... This isn't yet over!!! I have a new batch of Big Bud clones on the way from a more reputable sort

[home.grower]

Today I have been gifted with eight clones that have been properly rooted for me to save time and effort.

The clones are G13 & Big Bud.

The roots looked very healthy, as though achieved through some kind of aeroponic-style culture. Very silky looking, brilliant white, and spaghetti thick. I forgot to photograph them in all the mayhem of applying some late finishing touches to the garden construction.

I am starting them on 18/6 lighting cycle. I have mixed a 10L bucket containing 40mL of my remaining voodoo juice and a splash of mother earth super tea grow. The final EC was 0.9 while the pH was 6.5. They had 400-500 mL each and look like they are going to enjoy the ride.

Most, or all, of the room configuration is still the same.

One of the 2 600W HPS lamps are illuminated and has been running for a few hours. The room temp/hum is currently 21.5C/38%. All looks good.

I will be commencing a veg room adjacent to the bloom room very soon and will practice taking cuttings and developing a method I can cope with to get them rooted in shortest possible time.

Thanks for reading.

[home.grower]

I'm happy to see that these clones are going to survive.

They have all perked up since being potted in half L pots yesterday.

23.5C/51% are the Temp/Hum readings.

I applied another small does of the same solution which is sitting in a bucket with and air stone continually agitating it. Approximately 250mL per just to dampen the soil slightly.

I foresee rapid growth. I expected these cutting to take a day or two to settle in to their new home, but day 2 in veg shows signs of development above the soil.

[home.grower]

One or two seem to be showing nute burn signs. The tops are of a funny colour.

Will not be watering/feeding as soil seems to be adequately damp.

Besides the odd one or two that look like the might be dying, the others are cool.

[Forwhat420]

nice grow you got there. i would only recommend to cut back on water to let the soil dry almost completly and watering on an as need basis. also the nute should be very mild, if any at all, as you are only 3 days into veg.

[home.grower]

Cheers for dropping by Forwhat420

Thanks for the props!! I've done as you say and have begun letting the soil dry up instead of watering upon water, which will eventually water log the soil and stunt growth.

The level of feed is very mild. I commenced feeding on a 0.9EC strength mix that included:

Advanced Nutrients: Mother Earth Super Tea ~(Organic)~ Grow [NP-1.5-0.75-1.5]
Advanced Nutrients: VooDoo Juice

I'm not sure if the measure was 1/3rd dose as I tend to just tip from the container into the reservoir then measure with the nutrient wand.

I always consider the age of the plants, but with such good root formation and top-growth I'm sure that a little food is desired by the ladies.

Thanks for tuning in and feel free to keep dropping comments Forwhat420

[home.grower]

Hello readers

Let me see. About half the plants are of different strain. It is apparent that the Big Bid seems less resilient to cloning as G13.

The G13s, about 3 or 4, are growing at an alarming rate. New shoots are developing all the time. The internode lengths are quite short, which is apparently good and produces efficient buds. The G13s have easily tripled in size over the past 7 days (see new pics)

On the other hand, we now come to the Big Bud. They are slow in development. They've been infested with spider mite already! Also, they are under attack from lil black flies. I've had no choice but to insecticide all of them with HydroGarden's Pest Off product. After a couple days it looked as though it had worked. But three to four days on it is looking as though new larve have hatched as there are a small number of pests appearing again.

Up until day six (yesterday) the plants were being fed on the original mix of 0.9EC solution. I've since emptied my bucket, cleaned it out and have remixed a new solution at 1.0EC with the pH within range. On day 6 I only watered 3 G13 plants which had dry soil. I have them 750mL.

The new solution consisted of:
Advanced Nutrients: Mother Earth Super Tea Grow
Advanced Nutrients: Sensi Grow A&B
Advanced Nutrients: Barricade - Potassium Silicate

I didn't give the other 5 plants any of the new solution as they are relatively small and do not seem to be growing much. Actually, yesterday ~(day 6)~ I decided to end the life of one of the clones as the top of the main stalk appears to be burned and shriveled.

Yesterday I cut off the majority of decaying leaves of the Big Bud strains in my last attempt to get them to recover. Today, 3 of the remaining 4 are showing signs of development. There is one that looks a little confused and might end up on the rubbish heap. That will leave 3 G13 and 3 Big bud.

Today I think I will feed the Big Buds with the new solution as they are beginning to dry up. I think I will have to purchase a soil moisture meter soon.

Tune in again for updates

[home.grower]

When I began vegging these clones under a single air-cooled 600W HPS the distance between the bulb and plant tops was 45inches.

Over the course of time I lowered the lighting system to where it is now. Only 11inches from the tallest plant tops.

The G13 strains stand @ 6", 5", and 4" in height. There are internodes at every inch on all three.

Now we come to the stragglers of the group. These Big Bud are very slow but are showing signs of health. They stand @ 2 1/2", 2" and 1 1/2" in height. The tallest actually has 4 or 5 internodes which is quite good for a tiny plant. I'm still contemplating what to do with them when the time comes for me to turn the lights down.

Today all pots appear to be of the same dryness, (i could really do with a soil moisture meter). I will be checking the pH of my pre-mixed solution, correcting any imbalances, then giving them all 1L. The remaining solution @ EC1.0 will them be discarder and replaced with pH'd water. The next application will be plain water. Hopefully I will them be able to repot the bigger plants and allow them to veg for a couple to three weeks after their flush.

pic1 - G13 @ 6"
pic2 - G13 @ 5"
pic3 - G13 @ 4"
pic4 - Big Bud (i guess?) @ 2 1/2" after having decaying leaves removed a few days ago

[home.grower]

pic 1 - 1 1/2" Big Bud
pic 2 - 1" big bud confused plant
Pic 3 - confused plant
pic 4 - away shot

Maybe I've gotten the descriptions wrong... there should be 6 pix + one.... errrrrr

[home.grower]

I've made a few changes. Let me try and sum them up in chronological order.

On day twelve (30/09/07) I flushed as planned. Before flushing I repotted the three bigger plants into 15L pots. The medium was really dry and dusty so I gave them about 2L of pH'd water. The smaller plants also had a good drenching.

Since day twelve I haven't watered the plants as it has taken quite a long time for the pots to begin drying up.

Today, day fifteen, I have decided to fit an RVK 8" inline extractor in place of the TD-500 6". Even though the temps have been good to me, I feel that once I crank the two 600W lamps on together the heat level might rise; so all is in preparation. This operation took a couple hours, but I'm now pleased to have greater pulling power in the extraction department.

I am about to take one or two cuttings from each of the larger plants and dump them in the propagator. I bought a cloning kit so all the necessities should be in the box. These cuttings will be moved, along with the stragglers, into a veg room which I will finalise tomorrow. I was hoping to bloom eight plants, but I now think taking a few cuttings and keeping the existing stragglers alive in a seperate room is just as good an idea.

Here are the latest pics. Presenting The three bigunns

[home.grower]

The rest of the pics with a partial sighting of my latest batch of medicine loosing moisture.

[home.grower]

The new addition/replacement in the garden is the extractor. As mentioned, I don't think the TD-500 will handle both lights while maintaining the current climate. The RVK is the new recruit. I tried to obtain a bracket for it but my local didn't have one in stock. Instead I've chained it up. Its a bit noisy in its current configuration, but I hope to obtain some rigid ducting and scrap as much flexy as possible. The spigot plate hole took ages as i didn't have a jigsaw to hand, so i drilled millions of holes.. enjoy the attempted photoshopped pic of the new big hole and closed sliding door way.

[home.grower]

I've made a few more changes.

I've taken two cuttings offa each of the larger three plants. These have been in the propagator since yesterday in the same room as all the rest.

I've fitted the TD-500 extractor to a 1x2m floor area veg room. In the veg room is a single 125W Blue 6400K daylight bulb that currently illuminates the stragglers ~(minus 1)~ and six cuttings from the bigger three. There are a few instruments I need to get for the veg room but I've used that space before so it should be adequate for now.

So there are a hopeful 9 in the veg room..

Back to the new bloom room. The bigger three have had throughout the night and all day to recover from having their lower most branches amputated. As from tomorrow my lights will come on later and 12/12 commences.

Today I fed the bigger three with F1, H2, Barricade, Mother Earth Bloom, Sensi Bloom at and EC of 1.2.

The Veg room occupants had Mother Earth Grow, Barricade, F1, H2 at ans EC of 1.0.

I'm not up to photography right now as the bud featured in an earlier pic is leaving me somewhat couchlocked all day and night.

[home.grower]

Hello, A few more changes have happened.

The veg room is operational and the clones are still alive.... No roots showing yet though, but standing strong... they get daily misting with Formulex... The three struggling plants are now developing much better, only slower due to the 125W Envirolite as oppose to 600W HPS... fingers crossed..

I'm now 9 days into bloom with the three bigger plants.

They have gotten F1, H2, Barricade, Mother Earth bloom, and Sensi Bloom over a week with feeding commencing every other day. Yesterday they had a good flush. Tomorrow, or possibly the day after, I shall add liquid carboload to their diet. Previous attempts at big harvests required that I used as many useful amendments in the right proportions to achieve 100%+ g/W harvests. I'm planning on repeating history.

After one week I'm certain these are all girls. They are equally doing well so my future mothers, cloned from these beauties, should reward me heaps in future if I can do this right.

I shall post some pics of the veg room soon.

[home.grower]

In the veg room are 3 25/26 day old Big Bud that arrived as clones, that are surviving well in 15L pots under 125W of enviroliting.

The six G13 cuttings appear to be very much alive, still to show roots though. One has started to display her roots since dropping the veg room lights from 24/0 to 18/6, though only one day has passed since dropping the lights.

I've been able to take a few pics. You can see the development of the Big bud plants in comparison to the blooming G13s.

[home.grower]

here are a few more.. I'm so stoned recently I don't feel to take good pics

[Forwhat420]

just droppin by to check. everything looks good to go.

[home.grower]

Thanks for dropping by Forwhat420.... I'm glad someone is paying attention lol

[home.grower]

Hello readers, and welcome back!

I'm very happy with the overall development of the three (supposed; I do have to wonder) G13 plants that are just about to end their second week in bloom.

Yesterday, I think it was as I was very very stoned last night, I gave each plant F1, H2, Barricade, Mother Earth Bloom, Carboload and their first installment of Big Bud. The resultant EC was around 1.8 so I tipped half away and topped of with tap water until EC1.4-1.5 was met. pH was a cool 6.4.

The noticeable difference in appearance since before feeding, around 24 hours ago (could be 48hrs), and now is major. The amount of visible pistils is putting a smile on my face.

I'm paying close attention. A source of information told me that:

1. I should Veg for 1-4 Weeks then switch to bloom
2. I should feed plants with only bloom nutes and no amendments for the first two weeks of bloom
3. I should apply Big Bud between weeks 3 and 5 with the bloom nutes
4. I should apply Overdrive between weeks 6 and 8, maybe 9, with the bloom nutes

That was the suggested regime in short. I wondered how to make best use of Big Bud and Overdrive. I think that the two weeks that was suggested to apply bloom nutes only is just a guide for the duration that it takes for plants to start showing their pistils. I really think that as soon as a plant shows her pistils she should have full doses of Big Bud. I've seen what the use of this amendment does for plants. It stimulates pistil growth. If I'm correct in all my assumptions than my next bloom cycle with the other strain of plants currently in veg should display the same speed of progress. Well, I'll see over time.

I purchased a much needed soil moisture meter today which should prevent me from constantly potentially saturating the soil with water when I need not be.

I've also added a slightly more powerful oscillating fan. This too could be a contributing factor to the acceleration in pistil growth, though the fan was added a couple of days ago.

I think it's a photo day as I'm so impressed with how healthy these girls look. Enjoy!!!

[home.grower]

Hello, and welcome back to yet another update.

My veg room is in need of renovation. I've just been to check the others and clones and they are fine. I want to extend the space and install some thermostat controlled heating etc before winter wrecks my plans.

After a patient 16 days all clones are now showing their roots. I'm so happy that none have yet been lost. This is my first real effort at cloning and I've found success. Over the coming week I shall be potting these clones into 1/2L pots and commence a light feeding regime with root enhancers.

The three vegging plants are getting bigger. They look healthy and I've been foliar feeding daily with formulex for some reason, but I sense that their environment could be improved somewhat.

I'll add photos of the veg room progress at a later stage.

Seventeen days in to Bloom for the others and I'm also very pleased with the results so far. Three weeks in and very slight signs of difficiency. All leaf stems have a browny purple tinge along their tops (though green underneath) but sometimes this is attributed to to higher difference between day and night temps, potassium, and a couple others that I'm unsure of.

The leaves are a lush green; not to light not too dark. No signs of over fert or under fert that I know of. Erect, sharp leaf fingers (so sharp I almost cut myself). Plenty of developing bud sites with semi erect pistils as they continue maturing. The lighting is 1.2kW, aircooled and 8" from the plant tops. Good light penetration. Oh, and my oscillating fan doesn't want to oscillate, but luckily still runs.

I'm about to mix the food for the blooming ladies. They will get CarboLoad, Barricade, F1, H2, M.E Bloom, Sensi A&B, and Big Bud all to and EC of 1.4 pH 6.4. Pretty much as before!

They are drinking a good 2L per other day of feed and 3L per other day during flush periods. I allow the soil to get quite dry between applications as an earlier poster commented. The soil moisture meter confirms that I'm watering at the right time. Over the next 2 weeks I predict vast growth in preliminary bud formation. It would be nice if they totally finished early and exceeded my target dry weight as the new plants are about ready to come in but I want to do one controlled grow at a time atm.

Here are one or three pics, I'm off to the reservoir!!

[pccdrom]

impressive, merdevert.
some nice pics, plants looking good, lets hope everything carries on in this fashion.
Will you consider using Connoisseur Part A & B? I believe the acuracy of your grow could pnly be complemented by such a product.

[home.grower]

impressive, merdevert.
some nice pics, plants looking good, lets hope everything carries on in this fashion.
Will you consider using Connoisseur Part A & B? I believe the acuracy of your grow could pnly be complemented by such a product.

merdevert? not sure what you mean pccdrom.. I'll consider using that new fertiliser if i can read up on other peoples experiences with it... I shan't waste any money. thanks for the gro-compliments!!

[home.grower]

Hello readers, cheers for coming back.

I am now about to commence week 4 of bloom. I have some awkward news. Once again my clone supplier has fed me bollocks with regard to the strains of the acquired clones. They aint G13 nor Big Bud. They are actually some derivative of Cheese!!

I'm certain now, as the plants have just started to put out their scent, and I know what strain it is from the smell, fused with the physical characteristics of the bud formation. I'm somewhat disappointed that the clone man doesn't speak the truth. I'm not disappointed at the strain as such, I just like to know what I'm working with... Is that too much to ask?

So the big cheese plants are starting week 4 tomorrow. This evening they had the usual mix of nutes up to EC 1.5 and pH 6.5.

Within the past two days I've realised that the reddy/purpley/browny tinge on the leaf stems may be attributed to having too low temperatures at night. I installed a digital thermostat that controls the two inlet fans. One inlet is now a heated inlet, providing heated air from outside... while the other inlet brings in cool air directly from outdoors. The thermostat switches between the two fans as and when needed. The heater only come on when a minimum temperature is met (obviously).

I'm not sure if I already mentioned the fact that the two plants that had their branches tied down earlier on have actually produced more bud sites that the single plant that didn't have any branches tied down. I think tying down branches with certain strains has a positive effect on bud formation. I'm yet to try this with other strains.

Yesterday I potted the rooted clones taken from the, now blooming, 3 Cheeses. The root formation on one or two was very suprising to me as its my first ever effort at cloning with a 100% success even though I only took 2 from each plant. The vegging plants are doing very well. Plenty of internodes. I may attempt taking cuttings from all 3 then fill the bloom room sometime soon.

i'm now sensing that 8-9 weeks of bloom is not really a long time.. have I mastered the art of patients?

tune in to my next update, i'm off to watch weeds s3e11 as its just finished downloading.. check the pix!! :)

[spongebobsmokepants]

GREAT! even though your rep is disabled.... I added to it anyway. This is a great grow.

[home.grower]

Thanks spongebobsmokepants.. I have just enabled it.. didn't know what it was at first and kept wondering why some people have green things under their country.. Now I get it.. big thanks...

[home.grower]

Today, the first day of week 4, the ladies stink!! what else can I say? The well known stench of good erb is now being evacuated from the garden very efficiently via the carbon filter. Smells gooooood : )

tune in for new updates coming soon..!

[spongebobsmokepants]

My ladies are just starting to smell. Time to turn the filter on. I love this part of the grow!!!:smokin:

[home.grower]

Hello and welcome back.

I just love being a farmer!

Today should be a flush day, but girls are doing so well that I'm tempted to give them another EC1.4-5 dose of home.grower's Magic Mix. The plants are developing really well and thus far have not shown any major signs of deficiency. I would like to make the best use of their remaining bloom time by not skimping on feeding practices. Every time I give them the magic mix they just swell day by day. I think I might compromise with the solution to give them a very mild feed of say EC1.0 that includes the full range of products at my disposal. This way, new elements will be available in small supply in the soil, as well as the probable dilution of any nute build up within the said soil. Hmmmmm, I know what I mean!!

Today I've measured the soil moisture levels and they are the lowest they have been since I started. It is almost completely bone dry; whereas my previous gauge of dryness was moist below 6" from the top of the soil. This is a good indication that it is possible that the plants really enjoy my magic mix as it is correctly balanced for this time in their growth diet. Or maybe, it is just that time where they drink a lot. The room temperature is very stable with the thermostat installed so they shouldn't be transpiring abnormal levels of water.

I don't know... I now feel like giving them CarboLoad and water. Hmmmmm... lemme see... I can't decide... Been smoking Nepalese Hash Medicine for the past week or so and have just obtained some Dutch Medicine that tastes like Mango. It's playing with my brain.

Back to the plants. I'm about to go take a look at the vegging plants. They may need a watering. They don't drink much as the temps in that space are quite low in their room. I don't want the conditions to be too perfect in the veg room else the plants will grow too much too quickly before I have a chance to harvest my test crop to ensure this new garden & I can produce beneficial erbs of the highest quality. Well, they are alive and look very ok to me; nothing a lil time under a 600W hps or two couldn't recover.

I'll post again after I finish this joint and sorted through the veg room pix and cropped and what not... don't move that dial!

[home.grower]

My ladies are just starting to smell. Time to turn the filter on. I love this part of the grow!!!:smokin:

What does your garden grow?

[home.grower]

Doesn't time fly when I'm having fun?

So the veg room seems in order. The plants, which I now presume all to be of a Cheese Strain appear to be living it up in peace and quiet. When I decide to bloom the plants that are vegging, they will probably end up enormous! I don't really want that to happen in all honesty. Well, I do as it goes... more medicine :)))))

The clones look like they are taking to soil transplantation quite well. One is somewhat looking a little shyt, which I think is directly attributed to potting them up under 1.2kW of HPS and that particular plant had its roots exposed longest as I tried to take pix. In future I will skip photographing roots on clones as it seems best to get them potted as soon as possible with little in the way of messing about. Well, if success is desired one should think that way!

Not much else to say on the veg stance. Gave them a blast with formulex... don't know why I keep doing that.. They look healthy so I don't think it's harming them. Stand by for an assortment of pix.

[Budexpress]

nice plants man

[spongebobsmokepants]

What does your garden grow?
I have quite a variety right now. I started 5 white widows from seed. 5 Romulans from seed. 1 Trainwreck clone. 1 star Trek clone.
1 durban poison clone. 1 great white shark clone. 2 northern light x blueberry clones. I started today to cut more clones from my clones. The ww's and rom are just starting to sex. the train and trek are 2 weeks into flower. the rest are still in veg.

[home.grower]

What a lot of variety you have there... I'm debating buying some seeds to get some variety up in my veg room, but this may not happen till the winter spell has gone. I'd like some Kush & Sensi Star... Oh well, hopefully Satan's Claw will bring me something nice for X'mass. What is your most favored strain~(s)~ in the garden atm and why SpongeBobSmokePants?

[home.grower]

nice plants man

thanks... They aren't really that nice anymore.. I have some kind of deficiency goin on and also an infestation of spidermite. I've sparyed em, i don't think it will hold em back... I love spending hours in the garden with them and I think i could be the culprit for possibly bringing the little bastards in from outside the room. Maybe smoking too many joints in the room has made the plants immune system low and unable to fight off these pests. Whatever is happening I think I'll be lucky if the finish up as good as the look now........

[spongebobsmokepants]

I do not have a favorite yet. I will choose one in 8 weeks or so, when I get to taste test the. I also have some nevilles haze seeds, but no room to grow them now. variety is the spice of life!

[pccdrom]

wot happened? infestation, smoking around plants? thought u knew how bad it was. wots the damage reduced harvest?

[home.grower]

I do not have a favorite yet. I will choose one in 8 weeks or so, when I get to taste test the. I also have some nevilles haze seeds, but no room to grow them now. variety is the spice of life!

I just have 9 vegging cheeses and 3 blooming cheeses. I'm wondering about hacking up the 3 biggest vegging cheeses to make more cheese. But I'm wondering if that will be too much cheese. I may install the flood and drain system in this small space and to 16 cheese under 2 * 600W hps as a one off... decisions, and this dutch (bought as) doesn't help.


wot happened? infestation, smoking around plants? thought u knew how bad it was. wots the damage reduced harvest?

Sprayed em weeks ago when I first spotted the problem. It cleared it up. But then I left an infested plant in the bloom room. As the infested plant died, the pests moved house. I've used the Don Insecticide but I don't think it killed em all. I did a second dose of SpiderMite Control the following day and they all appear dead. Might do it again in a day or two to kill of any unborn larvae. I don't think Mites will reduce my harvest because the condition isn't that severe. But the discoloration which is now appearing at the plant tops could cause slow growth and potential loss.

[home.grower]

sum pix

[Charles U Farley]

Thanks for sharing the pics of your ladies,Im enjoying the show,take care,be well,and most of all be safe.

[pccdrom]

seen. well mek sure u r clean b4 entering the grow room & plse do not leave the grow room with ur clothes infested!!

[home.grower]

seen. well mek sure u r clean b4 entering the grow room & plse do not leave the grow room with ur clothes infested!!

errr?

[sneakyt33]

Hey, Nice grow so far...I've got some white widows and papayas at day 26 flowering.
Can you give me more info on your digital thermostat? Maybe a picture? I could use one of those!

[home.grower]

Hello readers, Time for my meager update.

Today week 5 commences. I'm happy with the bud development thus far. It would be nice if they were much bigger :)

I have some deficiencies. New leaves are pale green. Upper most fan leaves have blotches of yellowing appearing. My last feed was simply pH'd water. Today they are ready for watering again. I'm not sure whether to feed them up or flush.

The deficiency looks like a lack as oppose to a build up. I'm not sure what EC I should be at either. I'm looking at my feeding chart that I devised at the beginning of bloom and I'm thinking in the back of my mind that I ought to be at 1.6-1.8 on the EC front by now and not the 1.6 as it is advising. mmmmm, a quick trip to advanced nutrients online nute calculator might put me back on track.

__

I've looked and it's confused me a little. I'm using a big host of nutes and amendments. Some are organic while others are synthetic. I think using purely synthetics to 1.7EC might be required here. I'll pause on the Mother Earth Super Tea for now. The synthetics will produce quicker results as ingredients do not have to be broken down in the soil over a period of time before they are available to the plants.

Also, I haven't been mixing to the directions on the packet. I've been shoving stuff in the reservoir thn just ensuring the EC is at the right level afterwards. I've found it difficult adding Mother Earth Bloom, Sensi Bloom 2 part, F1, H2, Barricade, Carboload and Big Bud in the right amounts to keep the EC in the bucket from exceeding 2.4EC. I've been having to dilute my solution with tap water more or less every feed. So, storing water in a bucket with a couple air stones in it has not benefited me this time due to my methods.

Next time I will have a 100L reservoir and only use water that has been thoroughly aerated.

Check the pix, I'm sticking a movie on and turning up the volume :)

[home.grower]

Orite sneakyt33.

About the thermostat then.

I have 2 inlets. Both are 4"/100mm dia. One has an inline fan pulling in cool air. The other is a normal cheap electric household heater with a simple mod to try and encourage it to pull air in from outside also.

Both fans are wired to a switching thermostat that will power each device when required, and never at the same time. All I do is set my daytime temperature and night time temperatures (and the time that day becomes night) and the rest is auto. I do not have speed controllers in stalled. The out take (filtered) exceed the intake but doesn't cause an unlivable vacuum. This way, the smell should never become a problem.

I have taken pics of the thermostat with the control panel covered; control panel revealed; Exhaust fan ~(not linked to thermostat)~; and the two fans that are controlled by the thermostat. Last image is my feeding thingy, but it might not be readable because of the resize

[sneakyt33]

Thanks,
I need to get something like that set up before I get too far into the Canadian Winter.

[home.grower]

It does help. I think I will suffer in the summer unless I retink the setup. My cool air inlet is on all day(light hrs) and my temps are only just comfortably in good range. If next summer, the outdoor temps reach above 27C then I will need to be cooling air as it comes in.. a little forward thinking doesn't hurt.

Good luck setting it up. It isn't expensive to do.

[pccdrom]

home.grower very interesting that you DONT give recommended doses of feed to your ladies "Also, I haven't been mixing to the directions on the packet. I've been shoving stuff in the reservoir thn just ensuring the EC is at the right level afterwards. I've found it difficult adding Mother Earth Bloom, Sensi Bloom 2 part, F1, H2, Barricade, Carboload and Big Bud in the right amounts to keep the EC in the bucket from exceeding 2.4EC. I've been having to dilute my solution with tap water more or less every feed. So, storing water in a bucket with a couple air stones in it has not benefited me this time due to my methods." have you always done this? how do u know if u r under/ova feeding?

[home.grower]

home.grower very interesting that you DONT give recommended doses of feed to your ladies "Also, I haven't been mixing to the directions on the packet. I've been shoving stuff in the reservoir thn just ensuring the EC is at the right level afterwards. I've found it difficult adding Mother Earth Bloom, Sensi Bloom 2 part, F1, H2, Barricade, Carboload and Big Bud in the right amounts to keep the EC in the bucket from exceeding 2.4EC. I've been having to dilute my solution with tap water more or less every feed. So, storing water in a bucket with a couple air stones in it has not benefited me this time due to my methods." have you always done this? how do u know if u r under/ova feeding?

I know that they aren't gettin over fert because the EC is in range. EC above 1.8 in normal environments is too high for most mature plants even.

When mixin in a big 60L reservoir its easier to add the right doses. But in a 10L bucket the concentration rises too quick for some reason. I can't add the full dose of Big Bud with enough room to fit the rest of the formula in the bucket before the EC reaches above 2.0

Though I know they are within the right EC range I do not know if the balance of available elements is optimal. If I mixed in a bigger reservoir then I may as well grow more beneficial erbs as not to waste half the solution every time.

[pccdrom]

yeah yeah i get yeah.
on my 2nd dose of big bud gave em some the other day they loved it! gonna update mine after nxt pics

[home.grower]

Greetings one and all.

Two days ago I was debating what to do to combat the signs of deficiency that I see. I decided to give the ladies EC1.7 of Sensi Bloom 2 Part and Barricade with a dash of CarboLoad. That I did. But after I gave them each around 2-3L I shouted SHIT! a couple of times because I didn't pH. I think they are suffering from some kind of lockout at the moment. I assume this because they haven't drank very much. The pots weigh a tonne and the soil moisture meter reads WET which indicates they aren't interested in what is in the soil.

Today I have attempted to leech the soil of crap. I've given them each another 3L of pH'd water and have caught the run off in a bucket for one of them. The EC of the run off was around 2.8. Because I've never measured the run-off I'm unsure if these figures are something to worry about. Any input??

I will be flushing again in an hour or two with another 3L of pH'd water. I think the build up in the soil could be what is causing the deficiencies I see.

I'm also certain that before I flushed I could see tip-burn on numerous leaves. But since leeching just 45minutes ago, I cannot seem to find those problem leaf tips... Surely it isn't possible for a plant act so quickly? Is it? I need a big Spliffy, tune in later to find out how things are coming along!!

[home.grower]

Greetings one and all - a salam alaikum - akwaaba

Stinkin! what else can I say. All praises to be the almighty for access to odour filtration.

The ladies are now at day 35 - week 5 - of their bloom phase. I Love It!

Since my last post I haven't given the ladies anything to nurish on. I didn't give then a second flush as anticipated on day 31. The pots have remained quite heavy and the soil moisture meter isn't informing me of much in the way of the requirement of fluid replenishment. I'm not totally alarmed because at some stage throughout the bloom phase I've notice that plants stall on nute take up for a short time, then suddenly start drinking and packing on weight.

I am somewhat concerned that the aren't drinking because of the sighted nute deficiency noted earlier. But bud development has not stopped. If growth, as well as nute take up, stalled then I'd be more concerned. The leaf symptoms have not alarmed me any further because it hasn't worsened since applying a pH'd flush. I think things are going very well in this new environment. One must bare in mind that this lil crop is the first attempt in this space and minimal refinement of operation is still required before I feel 100% total success.

Unfortunately I do not have any magnificaion equipment to monitor trychome development. I do not think my camera zoom will satisfy the situation either.

Today then, the pots still hold a bit of weight and the meter still tells me things are good in the soil. But its been a few days since last watering and I feel a need to start using Overdrive as I can visually see the plants entering that part of their life where they will give a final push and flower heavily.

I will be mixing Overdrive, Sensi Bloom and Carboload. I may add some Potassium Silicate if there is any room on the EC meter.

I shall apply 3-4L per pot and hopefully get run off. It has been stressed to me in the past how important run off is. Run off is a way of leeching the soil of nute build up. Good run off means a good rate of fluid has passed through the soil, hopefully, pulling a lot of excess minerals out of the soil.

I think I'll add a few pics of current development. My photography skills do not do this shyt justice. Time to light some incense.

[home.grower]

15mL Overdrive
5mL Sensi A
5mL Sensi B
pH 6.63/EC1.0

now a lil Carboload, and there should be plant room for Potassium silicate...

I have 10L of water in the bucket and I've Mixed 2/3rd dose of the recommended Overdrive amendment. sensi is quite concentrated and doesn't state a dose so I just added 5mL of each to bring the EC up to 1.0

I think I'll give them this really low EC with the correct pH as I'm not 100% on what the interaction between plant and moisture content in the soil is.

[pccdrom]

plants are looking nice, bud formation has improved. im gonna give mine 56ml of overdrive when the time comes. (2 weeks bhind u). when wud u normally apply overdrive then? seen a couple red stem on your leaves, u still think its because temp is too low @ night????? i got red stems all ova plant, (things look ok apart from that)

[home.grower]

plants are looking nice, bud formation has improved. im gonna give mine 56ml of overdrive when the time comes. (2 weeks bhind u). when wud u normally apply overdrive then? seen a couple red stem on your leaves, u still think its because temp is too low @ night????? i got red stems all ova plant, (things look ok apart from that)

I used to apply Overdrive in the last 2 weeks of a 7 or 8 week bloom phase. But I'm currently experimenting with trying to identify the physical changes of the plant that indicate when Overdrive should commence.

I believe Big Bud should commence when you have a few pistils appear. Big Bud should stop when pistil formation has peaked. Overdrive should commence after pistil development. Normally once the pistils have peaked, the real bud formation begins. Some people refer to them as asparagus tips, while I compare this point with the bud developing its pop-corn features. This pop-corn feature is my physical reference to when Overdrive should commence. I think the scientific name of the pop-corn/asparagus is Calyx.

My new method

1. When the plants are switched to bloom, Calyces (plural for Calyx according to the dictionary) develop at every internode.

2. A couple of Pistils/Stigmas appear from these Calyces/Calyxes that indicate the gender of the plant.

3. Then a load of Pistils/Stigmas form and create bud sites along branch stems at each node.

4. Then once the pistils have reached a maximum, Calyces develop at every node that give us usable produce in the world of medicinal herbs.

So, once the first signs of Stage 3 appear I use Big Bud. I've noticed that the job of Big Bud helps with the development of Pistils/Stigmas and lots of healthy Trichomes. The overall appearance of what the plants' final buds will look like starts here.

Once the Pistils/Stigmas have reached a maximum I notice a slight pause in development. Then, slowly, more Calyces/Calyxes form where all the Pistil sites are. So when Stage 4 appears, I start using Overdrive until the bud looks 95% ready for harvest. The last 5% comes about during the final flush of the crop.

----------------------------------------------------

Big Bud [0-1-4] - What they say:

Dr.Hornby has spent many years researching and profiling resin producing plants. His knowledge, passion and love for his work has produced unparalleled products that supercharge resin production and substantially increase yield. Big Bud has been extensively researched, developed and field tested. Big Bud is extremely plant specific - the only one of its kind in the world. During field testing, Big Bud overwhelmingly beat all of it's competitors. The reason for this is Big Bud's plant specific ratios of Phosphorus, Potassium, Magnesium and Amino Acids. Big Bud will dramatically increase bud growth, width, weight and resin production like no other bloom enhancing product can.

Available Phosphate (P2O5) 1.0%
Soluble Potash (K2O). 4.0%
(Soluble) Magnesium. 0.7%

Derived from:

Magnesium Phosphate, Magnesium Sulphate, Potassium Phosphate, Citric Acid, L-Alanine, L-Arginine, L-Aspartic Acid, L-Cysteine, L-Glutamic Acid, L-Glycine, L-Histidine, L-Isoleucine, L-Leucine, L-Lysine, L-Methionine, L-Phenylanlanine, L-Porline, L-Serine, L-Threonine, L-Tryptophan*, L-Tyrosine, L-Valine.

----------------------------------------------

Overdrive [1-3-4] - What they say:

Overdrive is an ultra premium flower booster with an extensive and very complex array of phosphorus and potassium sources. Overdrive is designed to pack on extra girth and weight, and to produce unparalleled flower and oil production during the critical last weeks of flowering when plants show the most sizable gains.

Total (Nitrate) Nitrogen (N). 1.00%
Available Phosphate (P2O5). 5.00%
Soluble Potash (K2O). 4.00%
Magnesium (Mg). 0.92%

Derived from:

Magnesium Phosphate, Potassium Nitrate, Potassium Phosphate, Magnesium Sulfate, Folic Acid.

0.5% Absorbic Acid
0.5% Fulvic Acid (derived from Leonardite)

-----------------------------------------------

Since applying the first dose of Overdrive, the plants aroma has become somewhat supercharged. It is no longer the sweet, fruity, almost edible feminine smell of Cheese in her youth. It's now more spicy with less sweetness, like it has aged. The new aroma has that serious aspect to it that indicates a few bong hits will leave one daze for hours. The Calyxes are coming on really well and I can see this crop finishing around one week earlier than expected. The majority of buds are dense and firm. Only very few are still looking soft.

I'm going to bring the other three cheeses in to the bloom room within the next few days as to overlap slightly. The others have been vegging for around 50 days or more so I expect they will grow pretty big. That is my only concern. Will they steal the space in the bloom room and force the others to the side?

I think I've typed enough for not, time to smoke a lil medicine to ease my mind.