A Newb's first attempt

[Joyrider]

Okay I have decided to log my journey into growing. I started from seed nearly 4 weeks ago. They are progressing nicely. I have 8 veg'ing. I have High output flourescent currently with 8000 lumens. I am plan to build a box very soon for the flowering. But for now I have an unused bathroom with a standing shower that is working for now. I will add pics very soon.

[TurboALLWD]

can't get a 600w in the mix? 8 plants is about 6 too many for those flouros. I plan on having 8 under a 600w hps for veg and flower but only have 2 under it now :) 95,000 lumens

[Joyrider]

I am not trying to grow for the entire neighborhood, just me and some friends casual smoking. I am going to switch over to a 250-400 watt HPS when they are done vegging.

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/f6gm6y9QRrqPIUWM9YyFWw?authkey=r5kombuLASU

Made my first attempt at cloning as well with a few clippings. it was more of a can I do this than I want a million clones. I do plan to evolve my grow into a continuos cycle using the SOG method. That is why I have so many currently. They were all started from bagseed, so the fact that 8/11 grew up healthy plants I am happy so far. I have been running 24 hour light, until yesterday when I switched it over to 18 hours to sex them and eliminate a few.




http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/mxYWw_nhTiHzQg-rWCWsHQ?authkey=r5kombuLASU

[Joyrider]

Picasa Web Albums - joy - Newb's first ... (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/FMdMYcJjwEGiD-LStk5Yfg?authkey=r5kombuLASU)
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/FMdMYcJjwEGiD-LStk5Yfg?authkey=r5kombuLASU

[headshake]

from the pics the big ones look a little low in those pots. there should be no more than an inch from the soil to the top of the pot. if it already is, my bad. the air can get stagnant and damage the stem otherwise.

other than that they look nice!

-shake

[Joyrider]

Right on I didn't know that. I am trying to keep them low so that I can keep my box I build low. I may have to cut the plastic pots then to get the air to circulate. Maybe I'll leave the low powered fan I have in there now and use it aimed at the stems.

I started bending the stems to build them up, about 4-5 days ago. I also started twisting today. not sure if this is good or not. Just kinda did it by accident and was like "I bet that helps". Have to research it. I'll know tomorrow for sure by how they look.

Till then guys :jointsmile:BLAZE IT UP!

[Joyrider]

Pic 1 is the nutes of choice.

Pic 2 is the hygrometer I have. Its nice because it has highs and lows for humidity and temp.

Pic 3 is the grow area currently




http://boards.cannabis.com/members/joyrider-albums-start-picture1046t-nutes-choice.jpg
http://boards.cannabis.com/members/joyrider-albums-start-picture1045t-current-conditions-op-its-night-so-its-little-colder-than-normal-plus-i-had-door-open-about-10-minutes-before-pic-i-like-hygrometer-because-its-got-highs-low-humidity-temp.jpg
http://boards.cannabis.com/members/joyrider-albums-start-picture1044t-entire-op.jpg

[headshake]

it's lookin good joyrider! i'm following along. we are pretty close to the same stage, aren't we? your plants look better than mine. i need better nutes and not mg. and probably some more/better lights. but it is working and i'm not complaining.

-shake

[GoldenGraham84]

hey i noticed you said you switched to 18 hours of light to tell sex...? :wtf:
until your plants reach sexual maturity, they won't show sex under 18/6 conditions.
try switching to 12/12 temporarily to sex them quickly (within two weeks), then go back to 18/6 or 24/0.

[Joyrider]

How do you know that they have reached sexual maturity? I had read it was the amount of light that changes as you indicated, but I am sure their is some other requirement, like height or number of leaves? Help a guy out here.
Do they grow taller if the lights are off more? My seedlings that didn't shed their seed casing till later are much taller than the others that shed it much earlier!

[GoldenGraham84]

just do your research man. read up about preflowers and figure out the difference between male and female preflowers. google image search for pics of each. height and number of leaves really don't have anything to do with it. so, if you want to know sex ASAP, learn the differences between male and female cannabis plants, then switch your lighting to 12/12. you'll know the sex of each plant within 2 weeks. then switch back to 24/0 or 18/6. the seed casing probably kept light from reaching the leaves at full strength, so it stretched. thats most likely the reason its taller: stretching. not good.

[Joyrider]

Thanks for the feedback! I'll have to switch the lights tonight! and I will do more research!:jointsmile:

[TurboALLWD]

Thanks for the feedback! I'll have to switch the lights tonight! and I will do more research!:jointsmile:


Before you switch to 12/12, turn the lights out, and leave them off for 36 hours. This will make the plants show their sex a lot earlier, most of the time they'll show within the first few days of 12/12, making it easier to get the males out so the females can have all the light right away! I researched this technique plenty before i tried it and it definitely works. Both of my plants turned out to be female, although the bigger female didn't show sex till the 6th or 7th day(smaller one showed in 2 days).

The other thing i learned is that PH is key to healthy plants, 6.5 is what you're shooting for in soil. Use test strips if you don't have a digital ph pen, measure the run off water, if its too low, adjust your water higher to compensate until you're run off is close to 6.5. If you're feeding them nutrients and the soil ph is off, their not going to take in much nutrients. Also, don't be afraid to flush the plants if they look like their getting burned. Flushing my plants saved their lives when I didn't have a ppm meter and i was feeding them too much.

[Joyrider]

I'll take your word on it and I will give that a try. Heck its only bagseed and my guess is it won't kill them so why not!

I need to get a PH pen I think. I have a friend who I am going to help get a medical set-up going and he wants quantity so I think that will come in handy for hydro!

I also have secured the rights to clones of several varieties, that I will be getting soon as I get my set-up right. AK, Grandaddy purp and a few other varieties!

So I won't have to do this next time. YAY.

Anyone have a ballpark idea of how much water to put in pot that is nine inches across like the pots I in the pics. I really think that I am under watering them. But I am not sure.

Oh and before I put them in for the Dark 36 should I water them?

[Joyrider]

http://boards.cannabis.com/members/joyrider-albums-start-picture1059t-img00085.jpg

The latest!

I have performed the 36 hour night cycle. Then I have had them on a twelve/twelve. I have added (2) 26watt 1750 lumen CFL's to the area. That brings the lumens up to 11500. I am thinking thats not bad for about 150 watts.

The above pic is of the tallest one.

I have seen enormous amounts of growth since the switch in some plants and some not much acceleration of the growth. I am actually wondering about one because he has maintained his height for almost a week straight.

Next update tomorrow!
More pics then too!

[GoldenGraham84]

regarding the growth you've noticed... here's a link to information about the 40/60 stretch/fattening of flowering cannabis plants. knowledge is power, and i pass this power to you, young grass-smoker... :jointsmile:

first the 40/60 article: CannaStats - The 40/60 Phenomena (http://www.angelfire.com/cantina/fourtwenty/articles/4060.htm)
then an example: CannaStats - 40/60 Formulas (http://www.angelfire.com/cantina/fourtwenty/articles/4060formulas.htm)

good luck and keep reading! :thumbsup:

[TurboALLWD]

watering: water until theres a steady but small drainage coming out of the pot, should drain for several minutes, I believe 5 is ideal. I just start small with 12oz or so and pour that on them every 30 seconds or so until they start draining. Milwualke has the best ph pen available according to stinky! and good job on scoring the clones, must be sweet :) I was just given 4 chocolope seeds from a bottle of medical mj.

Can't wait to see the plants turn into ladies! I hope you've got some hairs by now!

[elskeetro]

First off, for your first attempt this is looking great! i wish my first was along these lines.

Just my 2 cents:

The easiest way to tell when a plant is sexually mature is when it starts showing alternating nodes. Meaning the branches won't be symmetrical. Once that happens, the plant is ready to flower/show it's sex.

It was suggested that you go 12/12 to see the sex then re-veg them with 18/6 or 24/0. That is not the preferred method. Messing with the light schedule will confuse the shit out of your plants and, if they don't hermie on you, they will at least take a few extra weeks to sort themselves out.

The best way to sex a plant is to clone for sex. Wait until your plants are sexually mature (alternating nodes) then take a few clones off of each plant. Take very good notes as to which clone came from which plant. Once those clones root, throw them into flower (12/12) when those clones start showing sex...then you know what the parent plant is and there is no need to re-veg or change the light cycle. easy as pie.

You mentioned 250-400w HPS...that's gonna be a little small for 8 plants. I have 2 400w and i only do 2-4 plants under them. Of course i like big plants...i could probably fit 8 smaller plants...but i like the low-maintenance and High yield of a big tree.

Ok. That's just my perspective, but hopefully it gives you something to think about.

good luck. looking good!
Skeet.

[Joyrider]

Yes My plants do have alternating nodes. I am thinking about keeping them very small this time just to prove that my set-up can sustain a suitable environment/climate and I gain lots of knowledge. So the plan is to keep them under 18 inches out of the soil to speed up the budding and then select my favorite plants and then clone for full out growth in round two. This round will be to perfect my skills, and then I will get my clones for round three. I need to learn how to make my own clones before I get some from my friend.

So I don't plan to to switch em back to a 18/6.

I am seeing the swelling near the nodes like in the pics on sexing in the OG grow FAQ. All but three have the swelling seen in the pics of early development of females!

So good things. I hope to see some hairs by next week!!!!

I'll post more pics in a few days when more has changed!

[headshake]

hope you get a lot of girls joyrider! i decided to LST mine and let em veg while i'm gone for a month or so. my brother/wife will take care of them til i get back. should be interesting. get those pics up!

-shake

[Joyrider]

http://boards.cannabis.com/members/joyrider-albums-start-picture1166-nov-30th.jpg

So here we are in a new month. The plants are beginning to show signs of sexual orientation. But no for sure indicators yet. I am hoping and praying for females. They are growing a lot. I think its them stretching in preparation for the flowering stage. They are still quite low. Which makes me very happy.

Shake~ wish I knew about LST before I started these. It looks like a great idea to me. I will try it in the future for sure.

The plants are looking very healthy which is why I am going to give them a shot of nutes either tomorrow it the next day.

I am going to take a magnifying glass into the room, as soon as the timer for the lights kicks on. Who knows I might be a proud poppa of a baby girl tonight!

[Revanche21]

can't get a 600w in the mix? 8 plants is about 6 too many for those flouros. I plan on having 8 under a 600w hps for veg and flower but only have 2 under it now :) 95,000 lumens

yea same here I think imma do 4 plants next itme :)

PS they are lookin great!

[headshake]

they are lookin nice joyrider! as soon as they delcare their sex you can eliminate the males (or keep for pollen) and then clone the ladies. then you can improve your harvest time and LST to boot!

-shake

[DTRave420]

Lookin' good joyrider!!!:thumbsup:

[Joyrider]

OK so sorry its been so long. I kinda goofed up. Accidentally flipped the switch on my timer and the lights were on for two days. So my plants are all pissed off and sorta stunted. I discovered this about 4 days ago. So they haven't shown any progress in about 6 days. hmmmm....note to self don't do dumb things....lol.

They did stretch again which was good because they didn't stretch as much as I would have liked the first time. I will post heights soon and pics as well of each plant.

[headshake]

hurry up with those pics joyrider! i'm interested to see them. mine have been growing like crazy.

-shake

[elskeetro]

note to self don't do dumb things....lol.

haha. no worries chap! We've all done hair-brained things at one time or another. In fact, there's a thread here about it: http://boards.cannabis.com/growing-information/137798-i-am-such-f-ing-stoner.html#post1688024

some good stories in there, some grow related.

kill a joint and read that thread. you'll have yourself a good night.

But don't worry about your babes. they'll get back into the swing of things shortly. Your little goof is definitely on the lighter side of mistakes.

peace friend.
Skeet.

[Joyrider]

Its gets worse....I think that 5 atleast are males. The others I still can't tell yet.

Can female flowers form several pods before sprouting the hairs?


Ok so I haven't gotten the pics of each plant yet cuz funds are low because xmas snuck up and said buy gifts!!!GRRRRRRR! I will prolly get my new camera after the new year.

So the berry pics will have to suffice for now.
http://boards.cannabis.com/members/joyrider-albums-recent-12-10-08-picture1252-img00098.jpg
http://boards.cannabis.com/members/joyrider-albums-recent-12-10-08-picture1251-img00097.jpg
The reason I need a better camera! blurry shot with the berry!
http://boards.cannabis.com/members/joyrider-albums-recent-12-10-08-picture1250-img00096.jpg
Long suspected males
http://boards.cannabis.com/members/joyrider-albums-recent-12-10-08-picture1249-img00090.jpg

http://boards.cannabis.com/members/joyrider-albums-recent-12-10-08-picture1248-img00089.jpg
http://boards.cannabis.com/members/joyrider-albums-recent-12-10-08-picture1247-img00088.jpg
http://boards.cannabis.com/members/joyrider-albums-recent-12-10-08-picture1258-img00105.jpg
http://boards.cannabis.com/members/joyrider-albums-recent-12-10-08-picture1257-img00104.jpg
http://boards.cannabis.com/members/joyrider-albums-recent-12-10-08-picture1254-img00101.jpg
Suspected males
http://boards.cannabis.com/members/joyrider-albums-recent-12-10-08-picture1253-img00099.jpg
The remaining unknowns!!!!
Look how lush the undergrowth of the lady on the right is!!!! Its just outta control. Its growing so thick that today I had to run my fingers through the leaves to untangle them, cuz they were growing in all kinds of crazy ways.


So its been a real burner of a day! So i'll post some more tomorrow!

Till then burn one(:jointsmile:) and pray to the pot gods that I have three females atleast!

[elskeetro]

yes sir. those are looking fine!

I can't see sex too well in those pics. But if there are banana looking things forming, they are males. if they have pistils (long white hairs) and bananas then you have a hermie and it's just as serious as a male. Just white hairs...that's a pretty lady and get her away from those horn dog males!

My plants are just 1 week into flower and are showing some prime examples of what a female looks like. if i have time i'll put a pic up tonight for you.

lookin good!
Skeet.

[Joyrider]

One lucky lady and counting!

[Joyrider]

Correction Make that two confirmed.

[Joyrider]

Three very lucky ladies have decided to grace my grow room with their pistils!


I am so relieved to finally know that I do have females and this wasn't all for nothing!

[Joyrider]

Check out the video of the temporary set-up! (http://qik.com/video/698583)

[headshake]

so are the females still blazing pistills joy?

-shake