My First Grow, super noob!

[bijnas]

Okay, I got a lot of my information off of this forum. Funny enough I had the tub idea before I even started looking. This grow is going to be just bagseed for my first try because I dont want to ruin some exspensive shit. I've got some good seeds on the way for my next batch, provided this one goes well. I'm at about day 5, from when I started germinating the seeds. I chose a method which I learned at the cannabis college in amsterdam to germinate. Just put the seeds into a cup of water and look everyday for the little root things. So I did that and put my seeds into some miracle grow dirt with perlite and peat moss in it as well as some kind of fertilizer. It says it will grow plants twice as big.. we'll see. For the first pot I used these thing called peat pots which are supposed to stimulate root growth and can be planted directly into the next pot. As for the light, I've got a GE 50 watt plant light, which I guess is supposed to have more blues. It's in one of those shop light holders from inside the tub. On day five, in one of my pots I've got sprouts that are about 3 to 4 inches high with their first leaves coming in. I was running a light schedule of 20/4 but I think I'm going to be switching it to 24/0 today based on some stuff I read last night. Anybody know when I should switch to the 18/6? I'm going to be doing LST to maximize my yield in my space. Right now I'm just using one tub so that I can have the lights closer, but once they get high I'm going to stack two tub on top of each other and add more lights. I built my scrubber a little while ago and it went well. Instead of using the activated carbon I used Premium Fresh Step Crystals Cat Litter, which supposedly locks in odor up to 5X longer. We'll see.. I still haven't gotten a fan, because I live in a major american city, have no car and home depot and lowes are a little far from me. So I've been getting all my supplies from a small Ace Hardware store. Right now I'm running into a problem with a lot of condensation in my box, I guess due to the lack of ventilation. I was thinking about using the computer fans like I've seen a lot of people doing. But I wasn't really sure where or which I should get, maybe someone has a suggestion? Also, I know there's a tutorial for hooking those fans up to a regular wall plug, but I can't find it so if someone could also shoot me a link to that, it'd be cool.

Well that's about all I've got for now, any suggestions or comments would be greatly appreciated, since I don't really want to tell anyone else I know about this, you guys are my only real source of advice!

Thanks, Jeff

Oh and here's an explnation of the pictures attached, incase anyone doesnt know.
1. germinating the seeds in a cup of water
2. the kitty litter crystals
3. my cute little seedlings!
4. my box thus far
5. my scrubber, based off of someone else's I found on here

[bijnas]

I almost forgot a question I had:
I bought a new bulb today because I heard a lot of people were using these on here. Its a GE Outdoor lucalox 35 High Pressure Sodium with 2250 lumens. It says on the box: Do not use in incandescent light bulb sockets. For use with s76 ballast only.

Is this true? Or can I just replace my plant light with this and be safe?

Thanks in advance,
Jeff

Here are some more pictures too.
1. Picture of the box of the bulb
2. a peek into my box
3. the scrubber being built (more of a bitch than I expected)

[michaelpeg]

im definitly no pro but i recommend you keep reading through this site if you want to get a decent yield and check out stinkys grow guide: http://boards.cannabis.com/basic-gro...e-harvest.html

[bijnas]

Thanks, but that link didn't work: 404 error

[jackforest]

Unfortunately, The HPS bulb you've acquired needs a ballast. If you are going with the rubbermaid idea, check out some examples around the forum. I'd recommend using CFL's in the space you have, especially if you don't have a fan to reduce heat. CFL's are cheap and perfect for what your trying to achieve. Get a couple 100watt equivalent bulbs.

Start off by starting over from scratch. You have 5+ seedlings in one small pot (Save yourself a ton of trouble down the road and trash em). Place one germinated seed into a small dixie cup to start. Transplant 3 times. Once from dixie cup to larger 18oz party cup and the third time into it's final resting place - a 3-4 gallon pot.

Your plants will not survive long without proper ventilation so check out how to use a fan for an exhaust and create a passive intake.

I am no expert. But this is a little information I'm tossing over to you before I crash into bed. Maybe enough to get you started... I'd like to see you around and I wish you luck on your first grow.

[bijnas]

Sucks about the HPS since it was $20, glad I didn't splurge on the 75 watt one. The bulb I'm using now is a plant light made by GE, it's got like light blue paint on it or something and its in the shape of a mini floodlight. It doesn't seem to produce a lot of heat. Does the "plant light" moniker really mean anything? Cause I wanted to go with CFLs but they didn't have any "plant light" ones. I plan on making a ventilation system, (hence the scrubber) but the small hardware store by my house didn't have an inline fan. I'm going to a different one tomorrow to see if I can find one. I just let the lid open a bit right now because it was getting so humid in the box that there was a puddle of water sitting on the bottom, so I can see that I need a proper ventilation system sooner than I thought.

I put that many seeds in the pot to wait for the sex and then just keep the biggest, most healthy female. Is there a problem letting them grow in the same pot for awhile and then killing off all but one? Or, is it still earl enough that I could transplant them to different pots? I don't have any more bagseed, and I don't want my first grow to be the good shit I ordered.

Thanks for the advice, I'll keep it in mind. Let me know what you think about the seedlings now that you know my plan. :cool:

[jackforest]

Cannabis plants need room to grow. It's most likely been accomplished growing 2 in one pot. However, myself and many others would advise not to. If anything, attempt at seperating them. Personally, it seems to me that bagseeds are not very hard to come by and you'd be better off starting over now rather than trying to transplant fragile seedlings.

As for CFL's - check out the sticky in the indoor lighting forum.

[JeffersonBud]

go to a commercial light store with the bulb and see if you can trade for a ballasted 100w which is equal to 1000w of 6500k light used for the veg stage. You might have to pay 40 more bucks, they are $60 at home depot but they are sweet. they also have 85, 65, 45. I think they are all 120 volt.

Get ready to know a shit-load about lights.

[JeffersonBud]

Its a 100 watt CFL ballasted Light

[bijnas]

Alright, well I took the advice and separated the seedlings into their own pots today. I know bagseed isn't usually worth saving, but its not often that the weed I smoke has any seeds. I had 13 between the two pots and picked the six healthiest and very very carefully transplanted them. The wet peat pots made it easy to break up the soil and then I used a fork to pull away some of the dirt. In most cases the root ball was completely intact with dirt still around them, so hopefully they weren't too disturbed.

I also upgraded my lighting system with four more CFLs, 24 watts each 1750 lumens so thats 7000 lumens plus the plant light which is 50 watts, but didn't have a lumen rating on it.

I went to a used computer store and got the most powerful motherboard fan they had and hooked that bitch up to my box and made a passive intake so my plants can breathe. Which consequently solved my humidity problem. So now I'm just going to be hoping my seedlings make it for now.

Thanks for all the tips, but I don't think I'll be able to get the HPS ballast for now. It's hard to find anything like home depot or a light store in the south side of Chicago. I went to a different hardware store though, and almost bought this big 500 watt halogen thing, but I'm soooo glad I didn't. I was all excited about it cause it was only like 10 bucks. Thankfully I pulled up this message board on my iphone and found out real quick. I never thought I would be learning so much about lights. lol, I'm a political science major not a lightchemist or something or the other.

I do have a question, about my peat pots. Has anyone else tried them? It says I can transplant them with the pot and all when I'm ready. True?

Here are some updated pics too!
1. nice little view of the seedlings
2. separated seedlings
3. passive air intake demonstration
4. new light set up
5. the whole shebang

[bijnas]

Oh and I also discovered that these homemade scrubbers are perfect weed smoke smell eliminator! Fuck the dryer sheets in a tube! I think I might start making these bitches and selling em to smokers on campus. The little fan sucked the smoke right outta my mouth, pushed it out and my apartment still smelt fresh!

[jackforest]

It is looking much better. You seem to have some stretching. Fill the plant containers up to the brim with soil. It's okay to support the stem with more soil. You might have gotten red warm CFL's, those are perfect for when you flower, but for now, You should have blue cool CFL's. If you do have the red ones, save em for flower.

Keep up the good work, You've come a long way. I'm impressed. Look up where you could find some Mylar or Emergency Blanket material (Check Walmart). Finding some with increase the light getting to you plant significantly.

[bijnas]

Well, I didn't know there was a difference in CFLs, which is just another thing I've learned about lights. I attached a picture of the box, maybe someone could identify which it is for me? I looked all over the box and it made no indication of which it was. I suspect that maybe the red square with the 100 in it designates this. So I'll head out today and try to find some blue ones.

I figured that the plants going that fast had something to do with the fact that they weren't getting enough light and were trying to grow faster towards the source. I didn't know it was bad or even called stretching. I'm just learning so much today! But I will fill the pots up all the way to try and counteract that. And hopefully I'll find some blue CFLs today and then they'll be happy.

And thank you very much Mr. Forest, I'm glad I could impress somebody, since I didn't expect to. As for the mylar goes, I searched up and down my hardware store for some (don't bother to ask because they will always tell you know and 8 times out of 10 I find it 3 minutes later) and just couldn't find any. Unfortunately for my project there are no Wal-Marts in Chicago. They're barred from the city! I think its nice sometimes not to have a wal-mart, until I need shit that I just can't find anywhere else. But, maybe they have emergency blankets at Target? I'll see what I can conjure. If I can't find any, then I'll just line the whole thing with that silver duct tape stuff. I just really didn't what to have to do that. Very tedious I'm sure.

Thanks again,
Jeff

[bijnas]

Oh, and does anybody know about the peat pots? Will the roots be able to get thru them? They are supposed to decompose once I plant them in bigger pots. Is 9 weeks just not enough time for them to decompose?

[Kbrandon]

hey im a newbie too good luck 2 u and your grow...

are u going to add another rubbermaid? Cause ur plant will most likely grow taller than that rubbermaid....

and u shuld put some books under ur pots to hoist them closer to the lights because i think thats why your stems are really long.

Good luck on ur grow tho.. im gonna keep track of it since we are both noobs and we are both around the same stage.

[jackforest]

Look for some mylar online... Foil Duct tape isn't anywhere near reflective enough. It's better than nothing but I'm pretty sure its around the same as aluminum foil at reflecting 33% of light. Mylar is 99%. It's pretty cheap stuff too. Perfect for the rubbermaid. Emergency Blanket would be to the same effect.

[bijnas]

are u going to add another rubbermaid? Cause ur plant will most likely grow taller than that rubbermaid....


Yeah, I got another one just chilling right now, I'm using it as a makeshift coffee table, lol.

Yeah man, I was looking at your post earlier. I'm glad I'm not the only person dong their first grow on here right now. Though, I think we're definitely going about it in different manners. I wish you the best of luck though.

[bijnas]

Look for some mylar online... Foil Duct tape isn't anywhere near reflective enough. It's better than nothing but I'm pretty sure its around the same as aluminum foil at reflecting 33% of light. Mylar is 99%. It's pretty cheap stuff too. Perfect for the rubbermaid. Emergency Blanket would be to the same effect.

I'm going to head to target today and see if they don't have some emergency blankets. I had no idea that there was even that much of a difference between mylar and aluminum foil. Awesome to know. Thanks! If I can't find it at Target, I guess I'll bite the bullet and order some online.

[JeffersonBud]

You want the CFLs in the Super white spectrum "daylight" This runs around 6500K They make all types of 5000k cfls on up to 6500K the closer to that 65 number the better. You have around a "soft white" or 2700k. this is an orange color as you can tell which mimics the flowering sun in fall. I would ditch that other grow light. they tend to cause a lot of heat. Just stick another cfl in there in its place. You can use the pots to place in the larger ones. those break down over time and allow the roots to poke out. when your babies become bigger you will see the roots poke out. Then its time to throw those into a 1 gallon container on to 2 depending on the size limitations. How hot is it in there? it should be around 72 but I doubt you can achieve that in a rubber made without some serious ventilation. shoot for anything under 85 degrees but the lower the better.
place your hands under the cfls when they are one and determine how far away your hand can be from the lights without being hot. thats where the tops of the plants should be at. they like the same temps as you and I so if its hot to your hand then its hot to them.

[bijnas]

Well I went to the store before I got to read your post, luckily I did get some 6500K daylight CFLs, 26=100 watt. They only had two though! :( So I got the two and I also upgraded the center light to a 120 watt big mamajamma plant light. I can see that you said to throw that one I had away, but I didn't get to read it in time. So for right now, I'm gonna keep it cause it was $16 and I wanna get my money worth. ;) So only two 6500k.

I also went to Office Depot, Walgreens and a grocery store looking for emergency blankets. But no luck. While I was at Walgreens I came across some CFL Ionic Bulb Air Purifiers in the clearance bin. I picked up two since for now, my other two CFLs are gonna be the wrong ones anyways, I just wanted to try these. I'm not sure if they'll be beneficial in anyway, but maybe later they'll help with the smell.

So here are some pics of my new light set up
1. Before and after of light set up
2. the new bulbs
3. new light set up activated

[JeffersonBud]

Nice finds! Just be on the lookout where ever you go for the 65k ones. they sell them in grocery stores...ect. don't worry about the space blankets. I tend to not like them because they cause "hot spots" due to them being folded up. Use some flat white paint. The commercial ceiling type. It stays cooler and reflects a lot of light. Better for that small space. Just take the plants out since their still in veg and place them in a window or somewhere with light. they dont need a ton right now. Next, paint the inside of the tub white (sand it down first to rough up the surface with a VERY light sand paper. Polishing sand paper will do.) Let dry overnight.

[bijnas]

Well, the 120 watt plant light has bumped the temperature considerably. I'm gonna get a thermometer the next time I go out, and if the temp is to high, I might just have to put the other one in there. Are the 6500K a lot hotter than the other ones? I saw some 65 watt 6500Ks at the grocery store, but the guy at the hardware store said they'd have more of the 100 watts Monday, so I figure I'll wait til then.

As far as painting goes, I live in a 1 bedroom apartment, so I don't think I could deal with the fumes. What about putting up some white paper or something like that?

[JeffersonBud]

Those 65 w cfls might not be ballasted. Bad idea to plug an un-ballasted bulb in a socket. take that big one out of there for now if you think its hot. those plants dont need much light right now. They are young. Just 2 of those 65 k lights might just be enough right now. always better safe then sorry.

[bijnas]

What do you think about the paper, though?

[bijnas]

I just noticed after putting in these lamps that my leaves are now pointing slightly upward. Is this an indication of something?

[JeffersonBud]

have a picture? using any extra nutes? they like the light most likely

[bijnas]

Yeah heres a pic. Its hard to get pics of them up close because my camera doesn't have macro.

[Kbrandon]

ive noticed that when the leaves start lifting upward it means they are about to go through a growth spurt and youll see them grow faster than usual....

at least thats what happens to my plant when the leaves lift up.

[JeffersonBud]

Looks normal. Just don't let them stretch anymore.

[bijnas]

Looks normal. Just don't let them stretch anymore.

How can this be prevented? I filled the pots up to offer more support, they were pretty close the soil this morning, now it seems like they're getting right back where they were.

[JeffersonBud]

They stretch because they are reaching for the light. Don't put the lights closer. instead move the plants higher until they are close enough to not get burned. use blocks of wood ect... to stack under the pots.

[bijnas]

Here are some seeds I got on the way for my next grow:
Blue Dynamite
A very sweet and fruity smoke flavour. Branchy plant with pink/purple hues as it finishes. Good yield and very heavy resin.
Plant height: short/Med
THC level %: 25+
Flowering times: 45-55 days
Yield: 600-700 g/m2
Grows: Indoors/Outdoors/Greenhouse
Strain Genetics: Indica/Sativa Hybrid
Grow Difficulty: Easy
Plant Odor: low-med
Smoke Flavor: Fruity

[bijnas]

I just ate some space brownie.. loving it.

[Kbrandon]

have u ever made brownies with schwag? If so was it worth it? My cuzin said u have to use really good weed for brownies but good weed cost alot.

[bijnas]

have u ever made brownies with schwag? If so was it worth it? My cuzin said u have to use really good weed for brownies but good weed cost alot.

I only make brownies with schwag, the cheaper the better. I usually get it free. The THC butter doesn't care how the weed smokes, it just wants the THC. It's a high a lot like marinol. But definitely schwag. I make 2 big brownie pans and then put them on top of eachother with frosting in the middle and all around like a cake. Last one we made had reese's pices on the top. We had it in the freezer, and just took it out and nuked it and it got us hella baked. Still baked now.

[JeffersonBud]

Make them with the trim you will have. or some bubble hash:thumbsup:

[Kbrandon]

I only make brownies with schwag, the cheaper the better. I usually get it free. The THC butter doesn't care how the weed smokes, it just wants the THC. It's a high a lot like marinol. But definitely schwag. I make 2 big brownie pans and then put them on top of eachother with frosting in the middle and all around like a cake. Last one we made had reese's pices on the top. We had it in the freezer, and just took it out and nuked it and it got us hella baked. Still baked now.

So do you think about an ounce of schwag is good enuff to make a cake with?

My aunt said all i got to do is break down the weed and mix it into the batter.. but she's from the old school so i dunno if thats really how ur sposed to do it.

[JeffersonBud]

check the recipe section out on this forum. lots of ideas. The better bud, the more thc in it (most likely) but an ounch of what you got will be just fine. Grind it up into a powder. far more then what a grinder for smoking will do. mix 1 cup of water for every stick of butter so it wont cook down and burn. So if you have 1 stick, bring 1 cup of water to a boil and drop the butter in so it melts. reduce to a simmer (low heat) stir in the powder and cover for 22 hours stirring often. (at least 7 hours will do) if you wait that long all the thc will be out of the cannabis at 22 hours but don't go more then 24 because it will start to degrade.
I have found that most recipes call for oil now like brownies. I always double my butter, add oil (2 t will do) so they won't dry out, and some extra flour, cinnamon, to balance out the extra liquid and add kiluah (for moisture).

[bijnas]

Well I got an emergency blanket at target today and lined the inside of my box. It was one hell of a project. I certainly didn't expect it to be so hard. But anyways I got it in and I don't know if it makes a difference yet, but we shall see.

Plants are coming along well. The ones near the passive intake seem to be doing much better than the ones farthest away, they're almost double size.

I also got a very nice birthday present in the mail today. My seeds finally arrived! Interesting packaging. Blue Dynamite made by Next Generation seeds.

Here are some pics:
1: Front of packaging
2: back of packaging
3: Inside box with new mylar coating

[bijnas]

I just checked on my plants and I think things might not look good. One of my plants was almost completely fallen over. And another (the one which is my favorite) seemed like the leaves were curling under instead of sticking out like they were.

I know its not the temperature, because it's quite cool in the box, like slightly above room temp. The only thing that has changed is the mylar I put in last night, could this be doing something bad?

Another possibility is perhaps I'm watering it too much? I water them once a day... sometimes twice.. depending on how the soil looks.

Another thing, is I've been going 24/0 is it time to switch the light down to a more respectable schedule like 18/6?

HELP!

Heres a pic of the one I'm worried about:

[fenderninja]

wow, we are about on the same page as far as growing goes! Check out mine, ill be watching yours.

Lookin good!

[bijnas]

Anybody? Its my birthday and I wanna go out, but I dont wanna leave my plants to die if something can be done now.

[sublime27]

Looks good. As far as the problem your having I would start watering only after they dry out good and you really shouldnt give them any fertz for the first two weeks. Keep it up!:jointsmile:

[sublime27]

Well HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! The only thing you can do is buy them some more time. Go have one for me too. :thumbsup:

[trynagethigh]

Yeah, I got another one just chilling right now, I'm using it as a makeshift coffee table, lol.

LOL..I thought I was the only one with one of those...mine is a combo coffee table/laptop holder..:thumbsup::jointsmile:

[bombdiggity]

You're probably watering them too often, once or twice a day is too much. Letting the soil dry out forces the roots to grow searching for moisture, which gives you a stronger plant. I'm struggling now with resisting to water my babies after a transplant that was 2 days ago. Still haven't watered and they're lookin good and healthy!

[the image reaper]

Bombdiggity has it right :thumbsup: ... watch the 'over-watering', cannabis likes to go thru wet/dry periods ... keeping your seedling too damp will almost always result in Pythium Wilt, a FATAL situation for young plants ... they tend to get too wet, and too dry in those peat pots, transplant to larger container when possible ... once in a decent-sized container, you will probably only be watering every 3-4 days ... :smokin:

[stinkyattic]

the curling-over of seedlings' leaves like you've shown isn't something to worry about if they remain stiff and turgid, and show no discoloration. If they are limp or discolored, you're doing something wrong. Remember, you have just added reflectivity to the walls, so they are getting light from all directions- plants orient themselves to the light. So far, that seedling looks a bit stretched but otherwise healthy.

[bijnas]

the curling-over of seedlings' leaves like you've shown isn't something to worry about if they remain stiff and turgid, and show no discoloration. If they are limp or discolored, you're doing something wrong. Remember, you have just added reflectivity to the walls, so they are getting light from all directions- plants orient themselves to the light. So far, that seedling looks a bit stretched but otherwise healthy.

Yeah, they got stretched in the beginning before I figured out the the plants had to be so close to the light. I did think about the reflective thing, but I didn't expect it to be so reflective that the plants would change direction.

[bijnas]

Okay well, after worrying about them the other night, I chalk it up to overwatering and the newly installed mylar. So I didn't water them for about a day and a half, and they exploded! I mean ridiculously rapid growth. There are leaves shooting off in everywhich way. Its quite exciting.

My thermometer/hygrometer also arrived in the mail today, which is awesome. Its actually quite warmer than i thought it was. The temperature fluctuates between 80 and 84, but that is still in the acceptable range right? When I switch to the two rubbermaids I am going to get an inline centrifugal fan to facilitate the heat. The humidity is usually at 30ish, which is about 25% lower than the air in my apartment. Is this okay?

Also i just noticed that my thread has a -1... why would this be? I didn't think I offended anybody..

Well anyways, here are the promised pics:
1 This plant only had two leaves yesterday
2 These two were my favorite, but they were the ones that were affected most by the over watering, one is even needing to be held up.
3 just a view of all my little beauts

[bijnas]

Bombdiggity has it right :thumbsup: ... watch the 'over-watering', cannabis likes to go thru wet/dry periods ... keeping your seedling too damp will almost always result in Pythium Wilt, a FATAL situation for young plants ... they tend to get too wet, and too dry in those peat pots, transplant to larger container when possible ... once in a decent-sized container, you will probably only be watering every 3-4 days ... :smokin:

Hey, I really really meant to give you a positive rep! I swear! I must have clicked the wrong one! I'm so so totally sorry.

[bijnas]

Welp, I decided that I guess it was time to transplant since there were roots popping out the side of the peat pots. So I removed the peat pots carefully with some scissors and transplanted them into some 2 liters I'd been saving. Unfortunately I ran out of potting soil half way through, so 3 of them are still in the peat pots until I can get some more soil.

I had quite a shock when I came home this evening. I opened my box to check on my babies and I found that the temperature was 100 degrees! Turns out my girlfriend's shirt had gotten sucked into the passive intake and was blocking fresh airflow.

I got the shirt out, and I put in a little fan I got at target to move some more air around in the box.

So anyways, here are some pictures:
1 bright ass box
2 the favorite
3 plantttt
4 the guys who missed out
5 the whole picture, with the new circulation fan

[organick]

Dude, BUY A FAN NOW?!!!....piont it up so it blowes throgh the plants and under the lights.
Got the fan....too expensive? Oh yea.
I use 12volt fans from dumpster dived computer cases (power supplys have fans) , a 12v converter is need (thrift store {second hand store} if you don't live in a materialistic area of America where it's cool to throw stuff away) use thre and you can get quite the wind going. use some up top to blow (suck) the heat away.
THROW AWAY THE INCANDESANT BULB. THE MOSTEROSITY IN BLUE...MARKETING BOY, THATS ALL IT IS MARKETING... USE IT AS MOOD LIGHTING (WELL AWAY FROM YOUR PLANTS) THINK OF IT AS YOUR FIRST MISTAKE....I've had many and still counting.
Never discount the power of airflow, too many often do.

[bijnas]

Dude, BUY A FAN NOW?!!!....piont it up so it blowes throgh the plants and under the lights.
Got the fan....too expensive? Oh yea.
I use 12volt fans from dumpster dived computer cases (power supplys have fans) , a 12v converter is need (thrift store {second hand store} if you don't live in a materialistic area of America where it's cool to throw stuff away) use thre and you can get quite the wind going. use some up top to blow (suck) the heat away.
THROW AWAY THE INCANDESANT BULB. THE MOSTEROSITY IN BLUE...MARKETING BOY, THATS ALL IT IS MARKETING... USE IT AS MOOD LIGHTING (WELL AWAY FROM YOUR PLANTS) THINK OF IT AS YOUR FIRST MISTAKE....I've had many and still counting.
Never discount the power of airflow, too many often do.


Well, if you look at my most recent pics, you'll see that I don't have any incandescent bulbs in my set up anymore. Also, I already set up an airflow system with a computer fan with a carbon scrubber and a passive intake as well as a little fan or circulation.

Thanks though!

[bijnas]

Went to borders and raided their home gardening section.

Clockwise from top left:
The Cannabible 2 - Jason King
The Cannabible 3 - Jason King
Marijuana Success Indoors: Garden Tours and Tips - Ed Rosenthal
Easy Marijuana Gardening - Ed Rosenthal
Marijuana Horticulture: The Indoor/Outdoor Medical Grower's Bible - Jorge Cervantes
Cannabis Cultivation: A Complete Grower's Guide 2nd Edition - Mel Thomas
Marijuana New School: Indoor Cultivation - Jeff Mowta

So far, Marijuana New School is my favorite, because its got a lot of diagrams and whatnot. I've heard good things about Jorge Cervantes, but his book is really cluttered, confusing and full of advertisements! The Cannabibles are really interesting, but not too helpful for growers.

[bombdiggity]

lookin alot better. btw i +1'd ur thread so know its back at a neutral 0 :thumbsup:

[jackforest]

Went to borders and raided their home gardening section.

Clockwise from top left:
The Cannabible 2 - Jason King
The Cannabible 3 - Jason King
Marijuana Success Indoors: Garden Tours and Tips - Ed Rosenthal
Easy Marijuana Gardening - Ed Rosenthal
Marijuana Horticulture: The Indoor/Outdoor Medical Grower's Bible - Jorge Cervantes
Cannabis Cultivation: A Complete Grower's Guide 2nd Edition - Mel Thomas
Marijuana New School: Indoor Cultivation - Jeff Mowta

So far, Marijuana New School is my favorite, because its got a lot of diagrams and whatnot. I've heard good things about Jorge Cervantes, but his book is really cluttered, confusing and full of advertisements! The Cannabibles are really interesting, but not too helpful for growers.

Jeez, That's quite the collection. You must have got a silly look from the cashier, didn't you? Haha. Knowledge is power. You're going to be a pro in no time.

[bijnas]

Okay, so I'm making a journey tomorrow to get some real supplies for my lovelies, since my hardware store didn't even have tomato food!

So what I want to do is get some recommendations from you guys! I've read a bunch in my books about brands, but I don't trust them to tell me what brand and what not because it's a commercial product and they could be paid off.

So, what should I get? (preferably organic)

[bombdiggity]

FoxFarm is good from everything I've heard, and its what I'm using. Its a 3 part system, so you get GrowBig, BigBloom, TigerBloom. Its organic. Wooohooo

[stinkyattic]

That type of CFL has a built in ballast in the base. The incandescent plant light isn't adding much but heat. Replace it with another CFL if you have any more.

The leaves may be getting dry and hot- are the edges curled up slightly? Removing the 'plant light' will drop temps.

[the image reaper]

FoxFarm is good from everything I've heard, and its what I'm using. Its a 3 part system, so you get GrowBig, BigBloom, TigerBloom. Its organic. Wooohooo

actually, it is not organic ... I'm a big fan of Fox Farms, but they are a mixture of organic and mineral fertilizers ... Fox Farms is very good stuff, and the plant doesn't know or care, where the ingredients come from, IMHO ... just don't want anyone to be misled, it's all there , in the Ingredients list ...:jointsmile:

[the image reaper]

Hey, I really really meant to give you a positive rep! I swear! I must have clicked the wrong one! I'm so so totally sorry.

no worries, hope someone will give ya some + Rep to make up for it ... help me out, folks ! :thumbsup:

[sublime27]

Thanks for the negative rep, only tried helping. I was interested but not anymore. Good luck anyway!:stoned:

[stinkyattic]

Guys- are you sure it's not a 'neutral' rep? New members cannot give rep until they have 50 posts. The grey square means that a noobie wanted to give you rep but failed at it because of low post count. Only RED squares are negative.

[sublime27]

My bad, yes it was grey. SORRY!:stoned:

[stinkyattic]

bijnas- If you have a source for the "Canna" line of nutrients, they are wonderful. They might as well be fully organic for how rich in good natural things they are, and easy to use. My friend grows the dankest stuff around using Canna Aqua and I'm not even certain that he flushes!

[the image reaper]

Guys- are you sure it's not a 'neutral' rep? New members cannot give rep until they have 50 posts. The grey square means that a noobie wanted to give you rep but failed at it because of low post count. Only RED squares are negative.

oh no, that explains it :wtf: ... happened to me twice in one day, wasn't even from threads I was being a smartass at ... apologies all around. (my dumb ass) ... it's not my fault, it's cannabis madness :D

[bijnas]

Well, I went and got my nutes before I got a chance to read anyone else's posts.

I did see the Canna brand at the grow shop! But I decided to go with Fox Farm, since at the time it was the only one I had seen recommended. I got the Grow Big and the Big Bloom, but they were out of tiger bloom, so the guy at the grow shop said I could use jamaican bat guano in its place. So I'm following that schedule now with the guano in place of the tiger bloom.

The three that I've transplanted into the 2 liters are just booming with growth! So I went ant got 3 more 2 liters of different sodas. Hopefully I can drink them within the next few days so I can transplant!

I also got an inline duct fan, which was 80cfm. Now I think this is like double the size of my computer fan, but it doesn't seem to be working as well. So I put the computer fan in front of the inline fan so I've got two going now, it still doesnt seem to be helping much though. I think my thermometer shit the bed as well, since I took it out of the box and it still said 85 degrees, and then I put it in the freezer and it went up to 90, so I don't really know what the temperature is. I also got a pH test kit and my soil is 6.6 to 6.8 depending on the pot, but I think thats good right?

As for all the rep issues, I'm sorry I confused all of you. Will that grey turn green when I go over 50? I hope. I also hope I can get some positive rep to get me out of the red. I don't want to seem like some sort of delinquent.

I'll takes some pics tomorrow, my cameras dead right now.

[bijnas]

Welp, I got another thermometer and I'm glad I did! Something was not going right with my ventilation after I installed the inline duct fan. My temperature was between 99 and 101! Really dangerous, so I let my babies sleep for awhile until I could come up with a solution.

First thing I did was move the whole box out of my living room closet and into my bedrooms, since nobody goes in there besides me and my girlfriend. I figured the hot air was getting pumped back out and into the closet and pulled back in. Well moving it into the bedroom only brought it down a few degrees. So I taped up every hole I could find to make sure I was only getting air from my passive intake. Still no luck. So I made the passive intake bigger, no luck. I grabbed the little fan I had inside pushing air around and put it outside pointing into the box. Voila! Problem solved and my temps are now between 79 and 84 on either end of the box. I'm freezing a big jug of water, and I'm going to put it in the box right in front of the fan to try and bring the temp down even some more.

I finished of all my two liters of soda today so I transplanted the last two of my plants into the 2 liters. The ones I transplanted the day before last are fucking booming! I've started using the nutes today as well, haven't seen any noticeable improvements or anything. We shall see.

I'm also referring to my plants now by the 2 liters that they're in. There's Squirt, Crush, Schweppes, Fresca, DC (diet coke), and A&W!

But anyways, here are the pics as promised:
1: Box out in the open with fan pointing inwards
2: all the girls
3: Squirt and A&W
4: current temps, the top is by the intake and the bottom is by the exhaust
5: clean clean box

[Cede2Weed]

Awesome! :thumbsup:

[bombdiggity]

lookin really good - and check ur rep u should be out of the red now :)

EDIT: nah i guess some other people need to +rep u too. cmon guys help him out!


:(

[bijnas]

lookin really good - and check ur rep u should be out of the red now :)

EDIT: nah i guess some other people need to +rep u too. cmon guys help him out!


:(

Yeah, not quite, but thanks anyways!
My rep says -11 point(s) total

So I dont know what that means, I've only got 2 negative reps in there and 2 green, and 3 greys, so I don't know whats up. Uhh, I don't really know how the rep system works. As soon as I can again I'll give you another but it says I have to spread it around some right now.

[smok3y]

bijnas, there you go dude,Iv givin u sum +rep. Now your REP is back up to green..:D

Plants are looking good man.. Will bookmark this...

Goodluck:thumbsup:

[bijnas]

Okay, so I'm thinking going scrog in a few weeks. I've looked at a lottttt of scrog postings, but I run into a dilemma with my box. How would I put a scrog into it? The way I'll be accessing my plants is by removing the top tub, so I was thinking I could just put it between the tubs, but then I realized that I then wouldn't be able to reach under the scrog to put them through the holes or water them. Anybody have any suggestions?

[Dazed4now]

when they get maybe 1 or 2 nodes bigger start LST (low strength training) them to get em ready for scrog.
look up LST on the forums if you havent already.

[bijnas]

when they get maybe 1 or 2 nodes bigger start LST (low strength training) them to get em ready for scrog.
look up LST on the forums if you havent already.

Yeah, I'm definitely going to be doing some LSTing, but I don't know how I can go about putting a SCROG into my set-up, because I face the problem of not being able to access my plants without removing the top, and I don't see how I can do that without removing the plants from the scrog each time.

[jackforest]

What size pot are you going to use for the final transplant? I realized my rubbermaid was too small to host more than one (17qt). Your rubbermaid looks a bit larger. But still keep that in consideration.

I ordered a $95.95 400 watt HPS light. Now I can just use my closet as a grow room and have four plants in 17qt pots growing huge.


The scrog will work nicely if you can fit 2 or 3 in there.

[bijnas]

I wasn't planning on transplanting them again. I've read that the final transplant should be a 4-6 inch pot. The 2 liters are 4 and 1/2 inches and pretty deep. Do you think I should have to transplant it again?

I don't know how big my rubbermaids are cause I peeled the stickers off.

[jackforest]

I wasn't planning on transplanting them again. I've read that the final transplant should be a 4-6 inch pot. The 2 liters are 4 and 1/2 inches and pretty deep. Do you think I should have to transplant it again?

I don't know how big my rubbermaids are cause I peeled the stickers off.

From all that I've read and observed the 2 liter soda bottles are too small. Its recommended to use a 5-gallon. Bigger the better I assume. I believe anywhere from 3-5 grows a nice large plant. I don't have much experience however, I'm as new at this as you.

;)

Hopefully someone with more expertise can answer this question to a better extent

[bijnas]

Wellls, things have been going well. I've got all my girls in their 2 liters still. Anyone know if I'll need to transplant again or if these 2 liters will do?

The extra 2 liter you see in there are three 2 liters with frozen water that I cycle through when they dethaw to bring the temps down even more. It works really well. Been using the Fox Farm and it seems to be booming. They're not getting very tall, just really bushy, which is good because I want to keep them short. I also started LSTing them yesterday.

When do y'all think I can start looking for pre-flowers?

Pics:
1: top view
2: A&W, the favorite
3: the plantsssss
4: temps

[fenderninja]

lookin great!

[jackforest]

Wellls, things have been going well. I've got all my girls in their 2 liters still. Anyone know if I'll need to transplant again or if these 2 liters will do?

Well, to quote stinky - hope this helps the decision somewhat. You can probably find more on it if you look. I just came along it and decided to send it along to you

Stresses and problems:
Things that can cause stress and eventual hermaphroditism among your plants, and the ways to prevent them, include the following:
-Light leaks. Check during the dark period to be certain no light is coming through cracks or ductwork.
-Heat stress. Keep temperatures below 85 F at all times. 75 or thereabouts is comfortable for your plants during their lights on cycle. Spikes up to 95 will not kill the plant, but are a source of stress. Night temperatures should be only 10-15 degrees F less than day temps. Low temps are also dangerous, and if you grow in a cellar, lift your plants up off the floor on shipping pallets or a table.
-High humidity. Humidity more than about 50% runs the risk of mold in your buds. Again, cellars can be dangerous. An application of Kilz oil-based primer on exposed moist concrete is a way to help kill and prevent mold that is already present. Old carpeting can also harbor mold spores. Moldy buds are dangerous, can cause respiratory ailments, and should NEVER be smoked under any circumstances.
A rootbound condition. Allow about a gallon of soil per foot of main stem that your plant will finish at. A plant flowered at 1 foot will be very happy in a 3 gallon pail with PLENTY of drainage. Holes drilled up the sides of the pot are wonderful to help aerate the roots, prevent root rot, and aid in uptake of nutrients. A plant that has been aggressively trained and pruned will naturally need a larger pot- just use your instinct when choosing pot sizes. Free pots can be found out back of the Hadley Garden Center on Rt9 in Hadley MA in a large wooden crate. They should be thoroughly bleached before use. The square white pots sold by Liquid Sun in Putney VT are IDEAL for flowering indoor soil-grown plants, and I typically finish a trained plant at 24â?� in a pot like that.

The last thing you want to do is go rootbound during flowering.

Good luck :)

[jackforest]

More Ms. Stinky wisdom - This was actually a reply to someone flowering with 2 liter pots

Here's the problem with tiny pots:
Not only do you have wild fluctuations in moisture, and it's hard to keep up with watering, but the amount of actual media compared to the amount of root mass is relatively small, and you'll see problems with soil chemistry too, resulting in nutrient lockouts.
Bigger pots time! First, and do this right away, FLUSH the pots well with plain tap water at pH 6.7 to rinse out any excess fert salts. Let the plants chill for a day or so, long enough to dry the soil out again. Now find a pot that is about a gallon per foot of stem height- your plants look like they would like a 2-3 gallon pot. Take your favorite soil mix and add more perlite if it is not freely draining. Find the level that the plant should sit in the pot, fill the pot with soil until it will hold the plant at that level, put in the plant (turn the whole thing upside down and slap the bottom of the pot hard- the root ball should slide out with no damage), and backfill around it with the rest of the soil. The soil surface should be the same in relation to the STEM, and an inch below the rim of the pot. Now give a LIGHT watering with a ~1/4 strength fertilizer solution. If you have superthrive, now is the time to use it- only 1 drop per gallon! more is not more, lol

[the image reaper]

More Ms. Stinky wisdom - This was actually a reply to someone flowering with 2 liter pots

Here's the problem with tiny pots:
Not only do you have wild fluctuations in moisture, and it's hard to keep up with watering, but the amount of actual media compared to the amount of root mass is relatively small, and you'll see problems with soil chemistry too, resulting in nutrient lockouts.
Bigger pots time! First, and do this right away, FLUSH the pots well with plain tap water at pH 6.7 to rinse out any excess fert salts. Let the plants chill for a day or so, long enough to dry the soil out again. Now find a pot that is about a gallon per foot of stem height- your plants look like they would like a 2-3 gallon pot. Take your favorite soil mix and add more perlite if it is not freely draining. Find the level that the plant should sit in the pot, fill the pot with soil until it will hold the plant at that level, put in the plant (turn the whole thing upside down and slap the bottom of the pot hard- the root ball should slide out with no damage), and backfill around it with the rest of the soil. The soil surface should be the same in relation to the STEM, and an inch below the rim of the pot. Now give a LIGHT watering with a ~1/4 strength fertilizer solution. If you have superthrive, now is the time to use it- only 1 drop per gallon! more is not more, lol

very good advice ... JackForest is correct about the SuperThrive, too - ONLY one drop/gallon ... that stuff is surprisingly concentrated, can kill plants if overdone (ST is a great rooting-aid, but that's all it does, don't fall for all that crazy advertising on its label, reminds me of the old 'medicine-show' days :D) ... your plants look nice, keep it simple, and don't 'overlove' them ... :thumbsup:

[jackforest]

very good advice ... JackForest is correct about the SuperThrive, too - ONLY one drop/gallon ... that stuff is surprisingly concentrated, can kill plants if overdone (ST is a great rooting-aid, but that's all it does, don't fall for all that crazy advertising on its label, reminds me of the old 'medicine-show' days :D) ... your plants look nice, keep it simple, and don't 'overlove' them ... :thumbsup:

Hah, I wish I could take credit for that advice. But I was just quoting the talented StinkyAttic.

I'm just merely spreading information to where it's needed :thumbsup:

[Cede2Weed]

Perhaps you can find the largest pots your rubbermaid can accommodate 6 of. Actually may not need 6 if they are not a female, can't remember if your seeds were feminized.

Anyway, they look great :thumbsup:

[bijnas]

Perhaps you can find the largest pots your rubbermaid can accommodate 6 of. Actually may not need 6 if they are not a female, can't remember if your seeds were feminized.

Anyway, they look great :thumbsup:

No, they're not feminized, just bagseed for thsi first grow. I have 10 seeds of Blue Dynamite from Next Generation Seed Co. for my next grow, but I didn't want to grow those on my first since I had no experience.

So should I just keep them in the 2 liters and wait til flowering to see sex? And transplant the females? Is it okay to transplant during flowering? I still don't really understand the pre-flowering thing, I can't tell the difference yet I guess.

[Cede2Weed]

from what I have read, if you pre-flower for sexing, then go back to veg, it will add anywhere from 2 to 4 weeks to your length to harvest. You could then use that re-veg time to trnsplant your females into larger pots. Hopefully a more experienced grower will offer more advice here.

Wish I had link for you, but I also read you need one gallon of sail for every foot of height at harvest. More with LST and SCROG. This has me reconsidering my veg time on my personal grow. As I simply do not have the space for all that dirt.

My recommendation would be to assess your goals for this grow in terms of height and work backwards from there. I assume the perils JackFrest and ImageReaper mentioned would be mitigated if you were to limit the size of your plants by going to flower early. Anxious to hear others opinions.

Good luck, they look great so far!

[netdog]

Yep those plants are going to get awfully root bound in those pots..

I'm with cede2weed on that one, find the biggest pots you can fit, probably square ones, and transplant now or maybe go to 12/12 now and repot the females as soon as they show.

[bijnas]

Just been doing the same shit.
Added the top part of the box because the lights were starting to burn the plants. I also stopped LSTing because the plants are soooooooo bushy already. I did some timming to let light get to the more important nodes under the foliage. I also think I'm dealing with a few different strains here. Some of the leaves are most definitely indica, but others have thin leaves and seem like they might be a cross but more sativa dominant. I guess we'll see. Still can't figure out the pre-flowering thing, so I don't know what the plants will be so I don't want to transplant them. I'm going out of town this week, so I'll have a friend take care of them, and when I get back I'm going to start 12/12.

So here are some pics:
1: plantsss
2: the extreme bushiness
3: inside of top
4:new box
5: trimmings

[Cede2Weed]

Looking good, Bijnas! :thumbsup::thumbsup:

Can't wait to see the growth when you return

[fenderninja]

you AND bombdiggity are goin on vacations from your plants!? There is gonna be such crazy ass growth coming

Cant wait!

[bijnas]

Well, something has apparently gone wrong and the people looking after my plants are retarded maybe. But they called me last night while I was just really really high, and were all worrying me about my plants having splotches and shit. Then I started asking them some questions, and apparently the MAX temperature in the box was 114! So I don't know whats happened, because I never had a problem with temps. I had them take out two light bulbs, and make sure all the fans were in order. I'm going to have them give me an update tomorrow.

Here are the shitty camera phone pics they sent me:

[bijnas]

oops, here are the pics:

[gpickett6224]

Damn! 114 degrees? thats pretty hot! were the people watching your plants not under the relization that plants don't like temps over 85 degrees?
Sorry to hear about that man:( I hope your whole crop isn't burned

[bijnas]

Damn! 114 degrees? thats pretty hot! were the people watching your plants not under the relization that plants don't like temps over 85 degrees?
Sorry to hear about that man:( I hope your whole crop isn't burned

Well, I left instructions (very detailed) and Jorge Cervantes Grow Bible. SO it leads me to assume they're just stupid.

[bijnas]

OMFG!
I just got a call from the ringer in my apartment complex, a friend told me that the cops were in my apartment and they were arresting people.

I don't know the whole story yet, since it's still happening and I haven't been able to talk to anyone who is in the apartment. But from what I hear, two plain clothes cops came to my building in an unmarked car. The people I left in charge of my apartment, were apparently smoking, and the cops just came in because I guess the smelt it. Then they apparently searched the apartment and found my rubbermaids. They also found a note that I wrote for instructions for caring for the plants. They then arrested the girl who was "in charge" of the apartment for cultivation. And now she's in jail. So I don't know what's really going down, and I'm really really worried.

I'm supposed to go back home on Sunday, but now I'm worried they might be looking for me? I checked NORML and in my state more than 5 plants is a felony, and I had 6. So now my friend is in jail and I don't know if I have a home to go home to. Will the cops notify my landlords, will they evict me? Am I going to get arrested when I get back home and go into my apartment? If I come forward at her court date and say that they were my plants, will I get charged and they'll acquit her? She was taking care of them, so I wonder if that actually counts as cultivation, and me coming forward would just get both of us in trouble? Are they going to look up my lease and arrest me anyways?

If anyone knows anything, please, omg tell me what I should do!

[Ausguy]

You f**ked up. You dont tell ANYONE you are growing let alone let people watch over your plants, do you understand the gravity of whats going on?

When a law states its ILLEGAL you want to stay out of the obvious yes? So why the hell would you let your "friends" look after YOUR house and PLANTS... There isnt much you can do. The cops have your details obviously from your place you were renting... and at that why would you grow in a place YOU DON'T OWN :S

God.

You could try and take them to court saying they barged into the house and searched it against your friends word and did NOT show a warrant. But then again, it isn't your property and the landlord has the right to search your rental property.

Pretty much, if Marijuana is illegal in your country.. Stay away from it. If you cant stay away... KEEP IT TO YOURSELF.

Good luck. Hows the grow? :hippy:

[mushaboom]

why were the cops at your apartment anyways?

well its illegal and in most places they take this very seriously. enjoy yourself t ill you get back as much as you can because im sure there will be something waiting for you. sorry man.

[wangman]

Holy shit dude thats got to suck !

I wish u the best of luck for whatever happens

[Cede2Weed]

Bijnas, really, really sorry to hear this. Friends...

In all seriousness, contact a criminal defense attorney. I believe you stated your city in an earlier post. The reality is, despite the code, they have much larger problems to deal with. Someone called them, and they had to respond. The case must now be disposed of. The easier they can dispose of the case, the easier things will go on you and your "friends". Unless you have a criminal background and are under some sort of probation you are not going to go to prison. You are going to get in trouble, no way around that, but they will probably drop it to a misdemeanor. You may have a suspended sentence and a short amount of unsupervised probation. Basically, some bureaucracy is going to use the threat of jail to get you to pay them a monthly stipend until you "debt" to the all mighty government is paid.

Best advice I can give: Do not freak out and make things worse. Get a lawyer. Know the sun will come up and you will get past this. You will be a little lighter in the pocket and a great deal wiser.

Growing dope is kewl, but some kewl things need to be kept to ourselves, especially when dealing with young people, no offense.

Good luck and please do keep us posted. Man, first they fry your plants, then they party in your place and out you. Really hope it is not your girlfriend. Anyway, good luck and take care.

[bijnas]

For anyone who is wondering whats going on, check out this thread about all the legal shit im going through right now:

http://boards.cannabis.com/legal/154741-omg-bust-please-read-advice-please.html

[bijnas]

Well I was cleaning my apartment after the bust and I remembered I had this in a book:

[Mr. Clandestine]

Hey chief,

I read what you went through in the "Bust" thread, and I also think you handled the situation pretty well, considering the flack you caught for it over there. I'm sure you've learned some serious lessons from all of this, and I hope things blow over as quickly as they came on, giving you the inspiration you need to get something going again one day.

Best of luck to ya. :thumbsup: