First Time (More or less...)

[krums1000]

Been trolling around a while and figured it was my turn. Startin up what should be a decent grow dependin' on whether or not I can get someone to babysit while I'm out of town in a few weeks.

Anyhow started with bag seed (Pretty small seeds if that makes any difference or indicates sativa vs. indica). Using an LED UFO, miracle grow soil.

The two that are opened up with a couple of leaves are around a week old - have no idea where the random sprout off to the side came from.

I only intended there to be one in the pot; the smaller one and the new sprout must've been seeds that I thought weren't gonna sprout after my last lil one died (had two or three seeds in the time and only one sprouted - ended up under-watering bc this miracle grow soil always looks soaking wet on the surface and it died). Anyhow - I'll let em grow up a bit and keep the gals.

Stay tuned and enjoy :D (Pics to follow once I figure the attaching out)

[krums1000]

There we go (with and without their pink light bath):

http://boards.cannabis.com/members/krums1000-albums-first-grow-picture3615-so-young-innocent-heres-hoping-theyre-female.jpg
http://boards.cannabis.com/members/krums1000-albums-first-grow-picture3613-discoloration-led.html
http://boards.cannabis.com/members/krums1000-albums-first-grow-picture3614-a.jpg

[krums1000]

Plants are coming along nicely, no major change really; added a bit of soil because the level was low and I was worried about it getting root bound esp with two in the pot.. (I think I read from a post by stinky that cannabis plants will gain new roots from the stem if they're covered up, anyone confirm/deny that?)

Also another newbie question or two: The soil has some slow-release nutes in it, should that be enough or will I be better off buyin more? And is the molasses trick just for during flowering or all along? Thanks!

Edit: Also ordered a new digi cam a few days ago so future pictures should be better, 10.2 MP up from 3.1, technology obsolescene comes sooo fast :P.

[krums1000]

Separated the plants from each other leaving the oldest in the largest pot I have, just avoiding the disaster of doing it when they're older and risking losing all three. Random seeds sprouting out still threw me for a loop didn't inted to have more than one plant...

Think the middle child will probably die because the roots were in much deeper than I hope and s(he) was pretty hard to get out and is already wilting a little, we'll see. She's in a bonsai pot for now and if she lives I'll get her a new home before long.

The lil sprout that i expected to die and wasn't pictured yet looks like it might be a diff strain from the other 2 (still tiny but a much deeper green) and was put into a cup for now; I'll keep an eye on 'em all and keep ya posted.

Decent number of views but no replies = sadface. (Posting pics of all three in a sec).

[krums1000]

Didn't want to let me edit the last post so one more for today; before and after transplant pics in my album.

[redtails]

Yeah I wouldn't give additional nutrients to your plants for probably a month.

I had a 3.1mp cam about 3 yrs ago($80), then the next year I got a 10mp($150), and last year I got a 12mp HD($170)...gadgets like that get outdated quickly!
Moore's law - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moore%27s_law)

[krums1000]

Good to know, thanks!

[EvilCartman]

Looks like your off to a good start. :thumbsup:

Good that you separated them when you did...the root system spreads quickly, the best time to separate them is when they are only 1 or 2 days old. Far less shock to the plant.

I'm far from an expert, but my limited experience with the MG suggests you'll be all set (nute-wise) for a month or so. Feeding is really hit-or-miss, even more so with an unknown bag-seed. A lot depends on the plant, some will devour all you can give 'em, another may just choke on it. :wtf:

I use the molasses for trace nutrients through the whole grow, only because I'm using distilled water, though.

Good luck with this, seen some real nice results from those LED lamps! :thumbsup:

[krums1000]

Yeah, I didn't expect the other 2 to join the party like I said haha. Atm looks like neither of the two I transplanted will make it, roots were deeper than I anticipated (almost entirely in a straight line) and I probably did a bit too much damage gettin em out, but we'll see, the oldest ones still looking great though so let's hope she's female.

And yeah was random bag seed but couldn't resist saving the dankness :D.

Thanks for stoppin in, and I'll look into gettin some molasses asap :).

[frostedwonder]

hey, nice start so far. About the molasses, from what I have read/done is to use on the plain water feeding opposite nutes. Some have sulfur don't use that one, and stop before flower is what i do. others will chime in or do a search..

[krums1000]

Thanks for the feedback :thumbsup:

Looks like the one I thought for sure was gonna die will live, the leaves shriveled a bit but it perked back up today. The eldest is doing great and goin on next set of leaves and the sprout died or was so close to death that I didn't bother tryin to save it (no big loss if my theory of where the seed came from is right, was shwag and the other two were from a great bag).

Will probably post new pics monday :)

[mainegrown]

where did you get the UFO? the internet?
i want one of them but i cant get one offline..too sketchy!
-J

[krums1000]

Mine came from ebay, 140 dollars (took a few days of bidding to get it that low).

[krums1000]

Can anyone reccommend a good automatic timer (needs to have a three-prong outlet)?

[redtails]

Check out Home DePot, they have some in the lightbulb & extension cord sections...get digital if possible.

[mainegrown]

i got mine at a lil place called ocean state job lots... it was $2 and is analog. has lil multi colored prongs that tell you when it turns on and off. look at a salvage store if you know what that is. or go to Casa DePot.. the christmas section has tons of timers now.. make up some BS and they will hook you up
-J

[krums1000]

Thanks to both of ya, looks like Home Depot it shall be.

Plants are doin well, like I said before the one that wilted is struggling to recover but the leaves and stem have stiffened back up and new growth is slowly starting back up so I'm just watching to see what happens.

The healthy plant (that wasn't transplanted) is growing though I'm not sure if the pace is average or maybe a bit slow - will post new pics soon - waiting on my camera to arrive.

[krums1000]

I realized lookin at the older pics how much she (hopefully) has grown so figured I'd go ahead and post a new pic.
http://boards.cannabis.com/members/krums1000-albums-first-grow-picture3653-100-0327.jpg

[mainegrown]

they are looking good..
how much blue does that UFO thing give off?? i thought that they needed blue light too veg..
ur gurl is looking nice tho..mine dont look at all that nice at 2 weeks. i wonder y..
-J'Stoned

[krums1000]

Couldn't tell ya exactly but tri-bands (what I have) are primarily red, then blue, then white I believe (been a while since I bought it) so while most are red, the 2ndary color is blue (thus the pinkish-purple glow). As far as I know they do pretty well for veg and maybe a bit worse for flower (someone else can confirm/deny as this is my 1st grow).

As for yours my guess is that they might be restricted for space if they're still in cups? Or maybe not getting enough light, they seem to be further along in the number of leaves than mine, just much smaller... I'd ask around.

[mainegrown]

i will do i ahve to go work for a few hours but when i have time i will pester shovel or one of the other knowledgeable people here and see what they think..
i agree that they seem well formed but very small i have plants started that are half the age with less leaves that are the same size if not bigger,,
and thanks for the info on the UFO.. i think that after i crop-out i will invest in some cool toys like a ufo.. if only for the fun of it.
thanks for the info
-J'Stoned

[Vancefish]

I really looked into the LED thing a few weeks ago. I KNOW the tech is out there to make an LED grow light that works as well or better then MH/HPS. Issue is the cost, and a few companies selling set ups too weak in certain ranges to really produce the way MH/HPS can.

After looking at pics on weedfarmer and seeing the same thing over and over. I decided LED's are OK for supplimental lighting, but just don't have the intesity needed yet. HOWEVER, People who bought the MULTI-thousand doller German made LED panels were FAR FAR better(still not MH/HPS). Issue seems to be part of the spectrum(either orange or UV or both) the plant needs is still not there in LEDs. I'd guess the best thing you can do with LEDs right now is use them to add extra blue and red to your HID set up.

I wish this were not the case. LEDs will improve. I just could not for the life of me find pics of a crop that looked ANYTHING like an HID grow. I hunted for someone using both HID AND LEDs. But I couldn't find anyone doing that either. The spectrum output of both at the same time looks VERY promising.

[krums1000]

I bought the LED primarily because 1) I'm doing small scale, don't plan on having more than 1 or 2 plants at a time and 2) low heat for the small space I'm growing (they produce pretty nearly NO heat). And the ballast the light comes with has small fans built in that add a bit to the circulation.

That said I'll probably add a few CFL's when flower time comes around and I think the two together will be plenty. I can't remember the name but it was a grow log here that ended up selling me on the LED; used first a 90 and then a 180W for veg and flower and had some great plants to show for it.

Hopefully I'll have a success story to share :D

[EvilCartman]

I can't remember the name but it was a grow log here that ended up selling me on the LED; used first a 90 and then a 180W for veg and flower and had some great plants to show for it.

Hopefully I'll have a success story to share :D

I'll bet the log your thinking of was by PotofGold, I remember being very impressed with his results.

Yours are well on the way! :thumbsup:

[krums1000]

Good Call EC, was potofgold. Beer can sized buds will def be more than sufficient for me, haha.

Waitin on my new camera to arrive and then I'll take some pics on the last day I have the plants before heading out for xmas for a few weeks (leavin em with a friend). Kind of a mixed feeling on havin to leave em behind but its also nice that I'll be near flower when I get back (Week or so into Jan). Thanks for following folks!

[krums1000]

New camera arrived. Woot. Both plants growing after the second one was near death after the transplant, took a few days but coming around now. The older one is going crazy, new growth constantly and all the nodes have new growth coming in as well.

Doesn't want to let me upload pics so I'll try another post...
Edit: Still nada so I put em in Album

[mainegrown]

hey bro i had the same problem but i opened a new thread and it was working fine for me then so idk how do i look at your album??
thanks -J

[krums1000]

There's a link from my profile but I don't think you're alone in not knowing that so here ya go:

http://boards.cannabis.com/members/krums1000-albums-first-grow-picture3700-dscf0019.jpg
http://boards.cannabis.com/members/krums1000-albums-first-grow-picture3698-dscf0020-had-compress-because-wasnt-letting-me-upload-despite-them-being-under-size-grr.jpg
http://boards.cannabis.com/members/krums1000-albums-first-grow-picture3699-dscf0021.jpg

[redtails]

MUCH better, and might I say the ladies are looking nice as well. Now just play around with the cam a bit with different settings and lighting and you can make spectacular shots!

[krums1000]

Blah, my babysitter bailed so now I'm gonna put MiracleGro moisture control to the test...soak the crap out of it, hope my plants don't drown and more importantly hope they survive no new water for a while /sigh.

[mainegrown]

thats too bad you cant have the babies looked after hope all turns out well man,
let me know what you think and also as an alternative you could mulch the tops of the containers with a natural product like cedar bark (i think the acidity would be too much but there are other products) this would stop some or most of the moisture loss due to evaporation. ... just food for thought
-J

[redtails]

Wood chips actually leach the water out, I kow this from years of experience keeping reptiles on various types of substrate.

[mainegrown]

oh id didnt know that..i was always under the impression that they helped with water retention.. i guess wood chips may be bad but i wouldnt use those anyway. the PH would be fudged by cedar mulch, and it made from bark mostly not the wood itself

Mulch reduces the need to water by reducing the rate of evaporation of moisture from the soil. Mulch can also absorb water so that the water retention per square foot is much greater with mulch than without. This means there is a more consistent supply of water to your plants with mulch than without.

Depending on your type of landscaping and your climate, mulching can drastically reduce or eliminate the need for watering. Of course, when you do water your properly mulched plants, you want to make sure you get the water to the plant and not just to the top layer of the mulch. You can do this buy burying a soaker hose in your mulch, or brushing aside the mulch close to your plants so that the water soaks directly into the surrounding soil.

For water retention mixed hardwood mulch, hay/straw, peat moss, and vermiculite are good choices.
google search benifits of mulch..
hope this helps
-J

[redtails]

Anything you put over the soil will keep moisture in but wood absorbs it also bringing it to the top. I'd rather put plastic wrap over it with a few tiny holes in it to allow some air in to the roots.

[mainegrown]

yep plascic wrap would work great.. more expensive but kinda breathable they make mulching fabric. works like a champ to keep the weeds down and would probably help with moisture.
i have found that the plastic does not allow enough air (might with holes) and creates a moldy enviroment
just my observations
-J

[monny10]

Hope your grow goes well Krums.... :thumbsup:

Those plants are looking nice and healthy....

[krums1000]

Hey again folks, thanks for the suggestions and well-wishes.

At the VERY last moment before I left I managed to get another friend to agree to come water the gals so now it's just the waiting game, lights will be on 24/0 till i get back (woot for LED and low heat). Hopefully as soon as I get back I can start flowering before the plants get too big to handle :D.

[redtails]

Nice! Good luck & happy holidays

[krums1000]

So I'll finally be home Sunday and got some good news today, my friend who's watering the plant (small one died after all, no big loss) sees no sign of male preflowers and *thinks* he does see female ones. Woo!

He's been a little absent minded :smokin: when it came to watering and some of the leaves have turned brown so I'll probably just prune them and watch what happens with my OCD-level TLC; also planning on transferring to a bigger pot for final home for flowering.

[krums1000]

Back home at last. :smokin: Ahhhh.

Got cold in the last few days and the gal was lackin humidity so a lil yellow/white tonight but shes coming around quick with some TLC. Pruned the dead leaves and gonna veg a bit more to give her some recovery time and maybe do a lil LST.

No LST during flowering as a rule, no?

And my noobie friend who was watering her was indeed right and it is a girl! Preflower pics tomorrow perhaps.

[mainegrown]

good to have you back bro..
and i have been doing a very lil bit of lst in flower.. and i think it has helped.. you just gotta go slow and take it easy..

~MG a.k.a. le Maine développé

[krums1000]

One more to test out macro, and a preflower shot of course. :)

And thanks for returnin MG :)

[redtails]

I did most of my LST during flower, just be careful where you put the ties because as the plant stretches it can cut off leaves or branches if placed just above the node. Here's some just before flowering (started 12/1) & after finishing LST pics for ya to show just how much it still grew for me. I think I still adjusted the ties a bit after the last two pics a few times, but the overall look didn't change.

[krums1000]

Been a bit busy. Plant had a good bit of recovery (pruned a lot of wilting/browning/yellow/white leaves) and started to veg healthy again. Started flower today so we'll see how it goes. Pics to come.

[krums1000]

She looks like a totally new plant after all the pruning. (Flower Day 2)

[mainegrown]

looking nice.. :thumbsup:

[krums1000]

Plant looking a little on the down side... not sure the issue - any suggestions? (Browning leaves and tips). Working on the close-ups so let me know what ya think of the pics as well.

[krums1000]

Poke.

[jtsik330]

Hmm I'm not a pro but I'm just gonna throw some idea's out there. Could the girl need a repot? to many nuteS? overwater? Do you have any idea what the PH is?