Sunroom Grow

[StoneMeadow]

I'm on day 6 of my very first grow, which I'm doing in a south-facing sunroom that's 8' wide and 20' long. The windows are single-pane, untreated glass 6 1/2 feet tall, and I have been using this sunroom to grow winter veggies (tomatoes, peppers, okra, herbs, eggplant, etc.) very successfully.

My setup is very simple. I got a dozen or so 4-gal kitty litter buckets off Freecycle, which I filled with 10" of Miracle-Grow pre-fertilized potting mix. Yeah, I know that's not recommended, but I've had good luck with it and had it on hand, so went with it. For watering I add 1 tbsp of Alaska Fish Fertilizer and 1 tbsp Alaska Bloom to a gallon of RO water at 6.5 pH, which lowers it a full point to 5.5 pH. I water as needed, which turns out to be two days on so far, then skip a day. Again, this is based on a proven technique that has produced lots of really good fruits and veggies from my sunroom, so I went with it for this first grow. Keep it simple... :thumbsup:

I finally went to a mmj doc and got my recommendation, then bought four Sensai Early Skunk (http://sensiseeds.com/earlyskunk/1p2302.html) clones from a local coop. They were 2"-3" tall with several roots poking out of the rockwool, and really healthy looking. I took them home and immediately transplanted them, watered them, and put each under a 27w cfl with a reflective hood, with the lights on 24 hours.

The sun comes up a bit after 7, and by 8:15 - 8:45 the temp hits 70 in the sunroom, so I move the clones into the sunroom where they get direct sunlight until about 4:45, when the sun drops behind the western hills. At that time I move them back into the closet under their lights. Daytime soil temps are 83-86 F, and I use a small fan to make sure each plant gets some exercise.

Here are a few pics...enjoy!

[StoneMeadow]

The plants have each nearly doubled in height in the 6 days I've had them. They are also developing lots of new leaves at the lower nodes, as you can see in these photos.

[StoneMeadow]

Since my plans all have at least 4 nodes I FIM'd them this afternoon. Following the instructions in the sticky in this section of the forum made it a piece of cake. The only hard part was getting the camera to focus on the right spot afterwards, but I did get one decent photo.

[emilya]

Excellent FIM shot! Looking good so far... what kind of lights do you have on them inside? It sounds like with all the moving about, the plants aren't the only ones getting exercise here. :) Good luck with the grow... I'm watching to see how you do with that Miracle Grow along with the added nutes.

Remember that these are weeds, not veggies. The nutritional needs are a bit different, but I am thinking you will be able to adjust just fine. As a brand new grower, I also started out with the Miracle Grow and it really made things more difficult for me along with all the other things I was doing wrong. I have grown a little veggie garden outside for years and thought that I had it all figured out... until I met the weed and tried to grow it indoors. I am curious to see what you conclude about this as your grow continues.

What I have realized in my time here is that there is a science to be learned behind all this growing too. Its one thing to grow a successful plant. Its quite another to optimize that growing situation so that the plant produces the biggest, tastiest and most powerful harvest that it is genetically capable of. This requires going a bit beyond the simple and dialing in the proper PH vs nutrient load currently being supplied, optimal temperatures and even light periods, humidity and trace minerals in the water. There are so very many things to consider, and so many ideas being tried all the time to make things even better. Some are experimenting with electrifying the soil to increase yields. Hydroponic systems are being used by some to supercharge growing conditions. Its crazy sometimes just how much information is out there about these particular plants.

My point is, I am sure that from the sounds of your growing experience that you will have no trouble growing this finicky little weed. But now I challenge you to read about some of the amazing things being discussed here on the board regarding the advanced growing techniques. Find here, an extension to your gardening hobby as I have, a desire to learn what it is that these strains available today need in order to develop into what they deserve to be, prize winning samples of genetic science. Anyone can grow a tomato, but what if someone gave you a clone of THE very tastiest tomato ever grown? I bet you would do whatever it took to give this beauty everything it wanted. This is what your coop sold you. Top of the line genetics. Now its up to you to bring it to its potential. Good luck and have fun with it! :thumbsup:

Emmie

[StoneMeadow]

Thank you for the comments, Emmie. Your points are well taken and you're correct...my setup is far from optimized. That said, my plants are healthy, with compact internodal spacing, lush growth and a deep green color with no signs of nutrient deficiency (see photo below from today). They're sprouting right up and bushing out nicely, too, with all but one doubled in height in 8 days (and it got transplanted twice...my fault).

My objective is an easy grow with low capitol outlay that produces a solid crop. I'm not trying to maximize my yield for sale to a coop, so if I'm not quite producing to the genetics' fullest potential I won't consider it a failure. In any event, I plan to document this grow through to curing and weighing, so its success or lack thereof will be right out there for all to see.

[TANKJR]

Ah, I use MG all the time, all the products, too...have for years...I dilute it or cut it in half most of the time, add some perlite and vermiculite, some dolomite lime....very scientifically too I might add....a handful of this and three of that...etc...LOL! Until it "looks right"...Just so I don't burn up young clones and such with it...Just be very careful adding ANYTHING to it, I very rarely do, and watch the girls carefully for signs of excess nutes and you'll be fine...it's actually the absolute cheapest way to grow excellent stuff, next to throwing a seed out the window...just takes practice...$20 bucks worth of stuff last me years...The only other thing I add is Molasses. High dollar stuff too$!! $4 a bottle and it only last two grows!!! It's the one other thing actually worth the money...

Girls are lookin good so far!

[StoneMeadow]

Thanks TANKJR! I check my girls several times a day, and knock on wood...no signs of nute burning. I did buy some molasses yesterday, and will add a tablespoon to the water for its micronutrients.

[rudy2010]

Besides growing veggies and such a sun room can help heat your house. My uncle had one in NV and heated his house with it nicely in winter.

Your girls are looking good.

[StoneMeadow]

Yes, my girls are looking good...thank you! They especially look good compared to some of the stretched out plants I see in a lot of indoor grow photos. I'm two weeks into the veg stage, so I guess about another 2 weeks until I flip them into 12/12. Here's my photo of the day... :thumbsup:

[emilya]

Yes, my girls are looking good...thank you! They especially look good compared to some of the stretched out plants I see in a lot of indoor grow photos. I'm two weeks into the veg stage, so I guess about another 2 weeks until I flip them into 12/12. Here's my photo of the day... :thumbsup:

Looking very good! I just knew you were a good gardener and a dedicated one too, after hearing about all your vegie experience and how you move things back and forth from the sun room to lights. I am smiling here watching you have fun with this and doing quite well with it. It is going to be fun watching over the next several months as you continue to acquaint yourself with your little girl there. Enjoying the ride!

Emmie

[StoneMeadow]

I'm not having any trouble with my plants, but I thought I'd fill out the TroubleShooting Guide so everyone can see the details of my setup... :)

What is your experience level? (first timer, novice, experienced...) First timer

Your Equipment:
1) Type and wattage of lights. (MH, HPS, CFL's, tube fluorescents, LED's) one 26w 5500k CFL above each plant, rated at 1500 lumens per bulb
2) Distance from tops? 1"-2", adjusted daily
3) Reflector type? (cool tube set-up, bat wing, enclosed reflector, bare bulb...) 8" round trouble-light aluminum reflector
4) Is there a consistent fresh air supply? yes. sunroom has loose-fitting sliding-glass doors with an open ceiling vent and one door locked open several inches. lots of air exchange.
5) Do you have an exhaust fan and a circulation fan? yes, on 24/7
6) What are the bulb wattages, kelvin ratings, and schedule? 26w 5500k CFLs on from when I bring the plants in at night until I take them back out to the sunroom, so the plants get 24-hour lighting during vegging. Plan to put plants in sunroom during the day for flowering with four 65w 2700k CFLs as needed to maintain 12/12 lighting.

Your medium:
7) Specific brand and type of soil, (coco, peat based soilless...) and anything you've added to it. (vermiculite, perlite, worm castings...) Miracle-Gro Potting Mix. According to the label the actual nutes are: 0.21-0.07-0.14 (says it feeds plants up to 3 months)
8) Size of container. 3 gallons of dirt in a 4 gallon plastic kitty litter bucket. no drain holes
9) Did you use peat pucks (or similar) to root clones or germinate seedlings? yes, the clones were rooted in rockwool

Your nutrients and water:
10) Source of water? (tap, bottled or filtered) What's it's ph before adjusting? private well water with pH of 7 from the tap, or 5.5 from the reverse-osmosis (RO)
11) Method of checking water ph. (ph pen, test strips, aquarium test kit...) General Hyroponics pH test kit (drops and test tube)
12) Method of adjusting water ph. (phosphoric acid, white vinegar, hydrated lime, PH Up...) haven't adjusted yet, but I have muratic acid and lime on hand
13) Specific brand and N-P-K ratio for each bottle. List dosages (quantity per gallon) and current feeding schedule. "Alaska Fish Fertilizer" 5-1-1 @ 1 tablespoon per gallon (1 tbs/gal) of tap water, and "Alaska MorBloom" 0-10-10 @ 1 tbs/gal. 2 weeks into vegging plants now and plants get about 1/2 cup every day or every other day
14) How often are you watering between feedings, and how much per watering? RO water without nutes daily for 3 days after transplanting. every watering since then has nutes
15) Any additives or tea's? (Superthrive, CalMag, molasses, Mother's Earth...) 1 tbs/gal Brer Rabbit unsulphured molasses
16) Are your ph levels stable, or do they fluctuate? stable
17) What is your ingoing water's ph? ...your runoff ph? tap water with nutes and mollasses is 5.5 to plants. there is no runoff, but my electronic 2-prong soil meter shows about 6.8 one hour after watering. it also shows nutrient levels in the lower part of the "Ideal" range.
18) Do you foliar feed? If so, with what, how often, and at what time do you spray? no

Your growroom:
19) Indoors or outdoors? 8'x20' south-facing unheated indoor sunroom for about 8-10 hours a day on sunny days, the rest of the time in closet under lights
20) What size of closet, room or hut? closet has about 3'x3'x7' of available space
21) What are the temps and humidity levels while lights are on? ...With lights off? overnight temps in closet are about 70. I take the plants out to the sunroom when its temp hits 70 and leave them there until the sun is going down...typical soil temps on sunny days are mid 80s to low 90s. when the soil temp hits 90 I open one of the sliding glass doors to increase circulation. I don't have a relative humidity meter, but will get one.
22) Have you seen signs of insects in the growroom? no

Your strain:
23) What strain are you growing? (Indica dominate or Sativa dom?) Sensai Early Skunk (indica dominant)
24) From seeds or clones? clones
25) Is this an autoflower strain? no

[emilya]

I love that troubleshooting form!
I realize that you are not having any problems right now and keep in mind that I am inexperienced... but two things popped out at me that I would not have done, and I wonder if it will cause problems for you in the future. I leave it to the real experts or your own research to determine if my observations have any merit here.

The first is your kitty litter tubs. I considered using those tubs myself because an aunt has lots of cats and seems to go through a lot of these tubs, but why no drain holes in the bottom of them? I realize it must be easier to transport them this way, but I am worried that stale water in the bottom of the tub will eventually cause root rot. You may be keeping this from happening now with your natural experience telling you how much water to add and when, but I am afraid that this is going to eventually cause you troubles as the water needs change. You have read my grow log and see how I use the point of runoff to determine the water needs of my plants. Also, I know that later there is a need to flush the plants if giving nutrients, and of course this is not going to work with a sealed tub. One could fix this pretty quickly with a large drill I would think but then you are going to have to collect the drainage somehow.

The other is your RO water. I think in every case I have seen someone using pure water, I have seen along with it suggestions to use Cal-Mag to add necessary nutrients back into the mix. Calcium, magnesium, iron, and, trace minerals deficiencies can be avoided this way. Now It may be that since you are also using well water that you may be getting these nutrients from there. If it were me, I would be familiar with how these deficiencies present as problems in your plants and be ready to act on it. I do think that it is easier to prevent than to cure however.

Other than that, I am in awe. Your sun room sounds like a wonderful place and has me thinking about the possibilities of getting my brother to build me an enclosed porch this summer. I'm thinking of a wonderful quiet and sunny place with ferns and azaleas and the african violets my mother always grew. Maybe a few veggies too. That and a good rocking chair. Everyone needs a nice place to practice smiling.
:)

Emmie

[StoneMeadow]

...two things popped out at me that I would not have done, and I wonder if it will cause problems for you in the future.

The first is your kitty litter tubs. I considered using those tubs myself because an aunt has lots of cats and seems to go through a lot of these tubs, but why no drain holes in the bottom of them? I realize it must be easier to transport them this way, but I am worried that stale water in the bottom of the tub will eventually cause root rot. You may be keeping this from happening now with your natural experience telling you how much water to add and when, but I am afraid that this is going to eventually cause you troubles as the water needs change. You have read my grow log and see how I use the point of runoff to determine the water needs of my plants. Also, I know that later there is a need to flush the plants if giving nutrients, and of course this is not going to work with a sealed tub. One could fix this pretty quickly with a large drill I would think but then you are going to have to collect the drainage somehow.
You're correct, it's easier to transport the buckets without water dripping out the bottom, not to mention lower risk of water leaking into the carpet. And you're also correct that not having a built-in drain raises the potential for root problems and complicates flushing and transplanting. That said, I don't overwater my plants...a half-cup of water every day or every other day isn't going to accumulate much in the bottom of a pot with 3 gallons of dirt in it. Besides, that's "compost tea" draining out of the bottom of the pot when one adds enough water for it to run out the bottom! Why steal nutrients from your plants?

Plants really need only enough water to drink in a few minutes, which they use for growth and transpiration. More than that can suffocate the roots...or if it doesn't, it doesn't do them any good. My dad, who owned and operated a retail greenhouse for the last 20 years of his working life, was fond of saying that drain holes are for lazy people who can't control themselves to give their plants the correct amount of water. Don't take my word for the technique, though, if you search the archives for "The Sealed Room" you will find a very successful grow log from someone who uses this very technique to great success.

Moreover, I don't transplant more than absolutely needed. My clones went straight into their final buckets directly from having a half-dozen roots poking out of a rockwool cube, and never having seen soil. Done correctly, I concede that transplanting doen't set plants back any appreciable amount. I just dont think it's required, so don't do it more than needed. I'm on what I like to call the 90-10 plan...I get 90% of the results of fully optimized growth with 10% of the effort. ;)

In the end we'll see how well my veggie growing habits transfer to mmj.


The other is your RO water. I think in every case I have seen someone using pure water, I have seen along with it suggestions to use Cal-Mag to add necessary nutrients back into the mix. Calcium, magnesium, iron, and, trace minerals deficiencies can be avoided this way. Now It may be that since you are also using well water that you may be getting these nutrients from there. If it were me, I would be familiar with how these deficiencies present as problems in your plants and be ready to act on it. I do think that it is easier to prevent than to cure however.
Perhaps I didn't make it clear enough in my previous post...I only routinely give my plants RO water for a few days after transplanting. After that I give them unfiltered well water for all waterings and feedings. I haven't had the county do a Title 22 test on my well water for mineral content, so I may have that done so I know from now on exactly what I'm dealing with.

Cheers!

[WashougalWonder]

I vote for holes in the bottom regardless. Emmie is right. Also with all those nutes be awful careful of burning. In miracle grow you don't need any additional nutes, in fact, adding more could easily burn these weeds or cause lockout.

[emilya]

I'm on what I like to call the 90-10 plan...I get 90% of the results of fully optimized growth with 10% of the effort. ;)

:thumbsup:

It sounds that you are way more optimized than it first seemed to me. I suspect that you are going to end up with a wonderful crop. Your father obviously passed some of his knowledge down to you and as I suspected from the start, your experience growing things is way ahead of mine. I am learning that a certain amount of the "green thumb" comes simply from being able to "read" the plants and know what it is they are needing, and you had that ability long before you came here to try to grow MJ.

I have been conflicted each time I have responded to you because of this, and because I am new to this hobby and certainly have no business second guessing or criticizing someone else's garden. I do try to preface my comments with a reminder that I am a newbie and have only heard that things go this way or that. I am no expert and I know that it upsets those who are, each time someone like me makes a gardening comment. I understand why this is, that even well intentioned comments may inadvertently affect those who are growing for medical reasons and who's very well being of life could be affected by my well meaning but un-experienced comments. This is why I refuse to respond to "problem" or "diagnosis" type threads... it simply is not my place.

You stood out right away to me somehow as someone who knew what they were doing and I knew that I had something to learn from you. I think it was your FIM shot that did it for me. It was such a beautiful picture of a perfect FIM... and from someone new to the board! It was also obvious from your comments that you had been reading on this forum extensively. So, I have made these comments to you and attempted to understand your growing conditions to find that knowledge that I could feel was there. You have already taught me something here and the insights that you have, based on your experience with your father are priceless. Please keep them coming. I will continue to read your grow log with great interest as you figure out how best to care for the girls and the differences you see from growing vegetables. Count me as among your dedicated readers.

Emmie

[StoneMeadow]

I vote for holes in the bottom regardless. Emmie is right. Also with all those nutes be awful careful of burning. In miracle grow you don't need any additional nutes, in fact, adding more could easily burn these weeds or cause lockout.

Yeah, good point...I should emphasize that I am NOT recommending the no-drain technique for anyone else, especially inexperienced indoor gardeners. It's just what I do. Moreover, if you are questioning whether you are underwatering your plants, the odds are nearly 100% that you are OVERwatering them... ;)

Your point about not over-fertilizing is also well taken. Miracle-Gro 3-month is pretty weak sauce (.21-.07-.14), and uses a time-release coating. Combined with the fairly weak added nutes I use COULD be too strong, but I keep an eye on them and haven't seen any issues so far. As a prophylactic I have I added a scant 1/4 teaspoon of Epsom Salts (magnesium sulphate) to the 'tea' I water my plants with to help preclude lockout.

Along those lines, last fall I did an experiment in my sunroom with tomatoes, collards and 2 varieties of peppers. Alaska brand fertilizers recommend 2-3 tbs/gal of water for veggies. I raised that incrementally to 6 tbs/gal before seeing signs of stress in the collards and peppers. Even though I saw nothing in the tomato, I terminated the experiment and flushed the plants (all recovered). Considering that my current regime is 1 tbs/gal, experience with a variety of plants tells me I'm probably in the safe zone. Of course, I haven't yet completed a medijuana grow, so the jury's still out. In any case, the results will be here for all to see. :)


It sounds that you are way more optimized than it first seemed to me. I suspect that you are going to end up with a wonderful crop.
Maybe, but we'll see. In the meantime, Emmie, please do NOT change your routine to mine based on my very incomplete results. That would be bad science! Besides, my grow conditions are very different to yours...yours is an indoor grow under HPS while mine is a hybrid sunroom-indoor grow with mainly natural light. We'll see how it turns out. In the meantime, have that brother of yours enclose the south porch. There's nothing like warm sunlight and the earthy smells of a healthy greenhouse to sooth the soul.

[StoneMeadow]

Today is 3 weeks into vegging for my 4 girls. Another week to go and I'll flip them into flowering. All are 10"-12" and looking real healthy and strong, so I am considering taking cuttings for more daughters before I flip them. Here are a couple of photos showing one of them 3 weeks ago and from an hour ago. The others look very similar. Enjoy!

[emilya]

Lookin good!

[StoneMeadow]

I changed my mind about waiting a week to flip my girls into flowering, so I light-proofed the closet yesterday afternoon and turned out the lights at 7pm. I'll turn them back on at 7am this morning. And I have a timer, which they'll be on starting tonight.

BTW, I'm running my lights and fan through a Kill-A-Watt meter. During the past two days I left the plants in the closet with the lights on while it was rainy and cold outside, the project consumed about 6.0 kwh over a 48-hour stretch, or about 0.125 kwh per hour of lighting. At 14 hours a day under lights for the first 19 days of the grow, and $0.135 per kwh, that's about (19x14+48)x0.125 = 39.25 kwh, and 39.25x$0.135 = $5.30 so far in electricity.

Of course, the sun is providing the real growing light. The CFLs are just keeping the plants in veg mode during the night. In any case, it will be interesting to keep track of the cost of the electricity and other consumables to find the cost per gram of my yield. Should be way cheaper than retail. :smokin:

[StoneMeadow]

Eek...they stink! :thumbsup:

Imagine my surprise while I was out fondling my girls (the plants silly! ;)) a few minutes ago and discovered my fingers stunk o' skunk. Since I have never handled uncured weed before, it came as a surprise. I was so shocked I had to go get my wife to come and check it out. Her verdict? They smell better than tomato plants. :smokin:

[StoneMeadow]

Okay, I flipped the plants to 12/12 Monday night, three weeks to the day after transplanting them. This morning all four have broken out with pre-flowers all over...woot! :hippy:

That said, I see red spotting on a couple of branches of just this one plant, and not on the others. Thoughts?

[GaGrown]

Everything seems to be going in your favor,with the exception of a few variables. One word stuck out at me when I started reading this thread.. It was medijuana.. Just seems like it came right out of websters dictionary.. Waaaaaay cool word! Great thread Stone! Everyone else involved is spot on! You got a GREAT band wagon,here My Friend!

I think Emmie has come such a long way in this game! She has alot of good advice as well as TANK. Advice given from either,is surley from experience in most cases! But I think most (experienced) members of this community would jump at the chance to help a serious newbie or in your case.... A First Time Gardener.. I think your a bit above Newbie..

Peace!

[StoneMeadow]

Thank you for the kind words! I hasten to admit that I did not invent the word medijuana. I saw it somewhere on teh interwebs and liked it, so started using it. It's just so much handier than the slightly pedantic 'medical marijuana'. ;)

And yes, Emmie and Tank have been a big help to me (as well as to others, I am confident).

The one little dark cloud on the horizon is that I have learned that the outlaws are coming to visit in about a month, so I've now got to figure out how to go into stealth mode... :wtf:

[GaGrown]

Thank you for the kind words! I hasten to admit that I did not invent the word medijuana. I saw it somewhere on teh interwebs and liked it, so started using it. It's just so much handier than the slightly pedantic 'medical marijuana'. ;)

And yes, Emmie and Tank have been a big help to me (as well as to others, I am confident).

The one little dark cloud on the horizon is that I have learned that the outlaws are coming to visit in about a month, so I've now got to figure out how to go into stealth mode... :wtf:

I'll give ya a tip as to the steath mode... I'd have to know if your home was underpenned or do you have a basement? If you have a basement then stealth is out of the question! Whether you hide it or not.. Now underpenned and at least 4-5 feet from the ground.. Then that's Money! No pun intended.. The money that is... Your growing personal meds for cryin' out loud!

I can't believe that I ain't thought of that word.. Cause I'm here to tell ya! I can come up with somemore kinda words sometimes.You can't even spell these words... Medijuana. Land sakes alive! Damn Good word! Makes all the sense,or is it SINSE? Anywayzzzz... I like it! Way better than MMJ.:thumbsup:

[StoneMeadow]

I'll give ya a tip as to the steath mode... I'd have to know if your home was underpenned or do you have a basement? If you have a basement then stealth is out of the question! Whether you hide it or not.. Now underpenned and at least 4-5 feet from the ground.. Then that's Money! No pun intended.. The money that is... Your growing personal meds for cryin' out loud!
Unfortunately, I have a single-level slab-house. I also have acreage, and by then it'll be very warm out even at night... :jointsmile:

[StoneMeadow]

Day before yesterday was three weeks total, and one week into flowering (12/12 lights). Nothing much to report...they seem to be doing fine. Here they are.

[StoneMeadow]

I was planning to post just once a week, but noticed these white tendrils this morning while moving my plants out into the sunroom, and thought I'd snap a photo or two. All four plants have these on the tips of all their major branches.

[sunbiz1]

Excellent FIM shot! Looking good so far... what kind of lights do you have on them inside? It sounds like with all the moving about, the plants aren't the only ones getting exercise here. :) Good luck with the grow... I'm watching to see how you do with that Miracle Grow along with the added nutes.

Remember that these are weeds, not veggies. The nutritional needs are a bit different, but I am thinking you will be able to adjust just fine. As a brand new grower, I also started out with the Miracle Grow and it really made things more difficult for me along with all the other things I was doing wrong. I have grown a little veggie garden outside for years and thought that I had it all figured out... until I met the weed and tried to grow it indoors. I am curious to see what you conclude about this as your grow continues.

What I have realized in my time here is that there is a science to be learned behind all this growing too. Its one thing to grow a successful plant. Its quite another to optimize that growing situation so that the plant produces the biggest, tastiest and most powerful harvest that it is genetically capable of. This requires going a bit beyond the simple and dialing in the proper PH vs nutrient load currently being supplied, optimal temperatures and even light periods, humidity and trace minerals in the water. There are so very many things to consider, and so many ideas being tried all the time to make things even better. Some are experimenting with electrifying the soil to increase yields. Hydroponic systems are being used by some to supercharge growing conditions. Its crazy sometimes just how much information is out there about these particular plants.

My point is, I am sure that from the sounds of your growing experience that you will have no trouble growing this finicky little weed. But now I challenge you to read about some of the amazing things being discussed here on the board regarding the advanced growing techniques. Find here, an extension to your gardening hobby as I have, a desire to learn what it is that these strains available today need in order to develop into what they deserve to be, prize winning samples of genetic science. Anyone can grow a tomato, but what if someone gave you a clone of THE very tastiest tomato ever grown? I bet you would do whatever it took to give this beauty everything it wanted. This is what your coop sold you. Top of the line genetics. Now its up to you to bring it to its potential. Good luck and have fun with it! :thumbsup:

Emmie

:thumbsup:

I could not locate find the like button, I too learned the hard way w/miracle grow etc. early on. Now I'm strictly organic, Grandma's molasses has become a very good friend.

[emilya]

I was planning to post just once a week, but noticed these white tendrils this morning while moving my plants out into the sunroom, and thought I'd snap a photo or two. All four plants have these on the tips of all their major branches.

Those are some beautiful pistils starting to explode from that new flower! Vegging is now over. You should be very proud. :) ---Emmie

[StoneMeadow]

Realized it has been a week since I posted. The only change to report is that the buds just keep getting taller and have spread to all of the secondary branches and nodes. Oh, and I have bumped the Alaska MorBloom from 1 tbs/gal of water to 2 tbs/gal. Other than that it's all the same as before. Here's a photo from a typical main branch tip.

[rattlingdags]

Such a gorgous lush green your girls are, especially beautiful in the sunshine :) Your really doing well with them and its nice to read and watch. Great pictures and I love to see someone growing in a sunroom for a change.

[emilya]

Such a gorgous lush green your girls are, especially beautiful in the sunshine :) Your really doing well with them and its nice to read and watch. Great pictures and I love to see someone growing in a sunroom for a change.

I think its the morning walk that's doing it :) who knew? I'm wondering if I should try my next grow in strollers or shopping carts. :)

[StoneMeadow]

I too learned the hard way w/miracle grow etc. early on. Now I'm strictly organic, Grandma's molasses has become a very good friend.
Are you talking about MiracleGro pre-fertilized soil, or their separate line of fertilizers? If the former, keep in mind that their fert rates are very low, as noted above. If the latter, I don't use MG ferts...but rather Alaska brand, whose nitrogen is organic, but not their P & K, which are inorganic, of course.

I'm curious is all, since at this late date I can't really change anything.


Such a gorgous lush green your girls are, especially beautiful in the sunshine :) Your really doing well with them and its nice to read and watch. Great pictures and I love to see someone growing in a sunroom for a change.
Thanks you for the kind words, rattlingdags. The plants are a deep, lush green with no sign of nitrogen deficiency, and sturdy, dense, compact growth. I couldn't be happier with how they've developed so far. A 1000 watt grow light costs about a dollar per day to run on 12/12 (plus the cost of the lamp, hood, fan, etc.), so after considering a sealed room grow I rejected it in favor of the sunroom with "free" lighting. Yesterday was sunny, but the high temp outside was only 56°F/13°C. Inside the sunroom it stayed over 80°F/27°C all day from about 8:30am until just before sunset at 7:15pm. Nothing not to like about that! :)

[StoneMeadow]

Another week gone by, and my girls are doing fine. No changes to report. Here's a photo of #1 this morning.

[mrorganics]

ok so since the last thread Iv made some changes,first off ive drilled holes in the bottom of my buckets aswell as flushed them with 5 gallons of freash water also I spit some of the plants up and put them into there own containers.then I dropped the light down to 16 inces to maxamize the wattage per foot for a 400 watt hps,,also I took down all the foil I had up becouse a member mentioned hot spots when useing it..also I dropped the humidity to 30 percentim going on day 6 of flowering im starting to see sign but nothing to defy the sex yet well hope the flush resolve the burnt leaves issue the allready seem alil more awake so to speake since the stess of to many ferts building up in the buckets with no holes,well ill keep you guys posted hope all goes well ... take care comments are welcome...

[StoneMeadow]

mrorganics, you might wish to post this in its own thread. I can't really answer your questions, but if you post it separately in the growroom forum, I'm sure someone can help you. Cheers!

[mrorganics]

holy crap, oops sorry bout that im new to this lol

[StoneMeadow]

While giving my plants their morning look-over after moving them from the closet into the sunroom, I noticed that they're really starting to pack on the frosties. :thumbsup:

[emilya]

looking good now! She sure is pretty! ---Emmie

[StoneMeadow]

It's been a week since I last posted. There's nothing to report except that the buds just keep getting bigger and denser. My girls are just past 4 weeks into flower, with another 4-ish to go. Here's a photo of #3's main cola.

[boaz]

^ mmm, very tasty looking. love this thread.

[StoneMeadow]

My plants and I had to lay low for a couple of weeks while the outlaws were here, but we're back out in the open now! :thumbsup:

Here's my #3 plant's main cola...same plant as in the photo up above on April 21st. It's starting to get some amber in it, so I will take some better close-ups for folks to look at and hopefully comment on re harvesting... :smokin:

[StoneMeadow]

Here are a couple of close-ups of #3's main cola crown. One is taken in the shade, with the other in full sun. What do you think about harvest timing?

[StoneMeadow]

After corresponding with a couple of more experienced growers I decided to start a progressive harvest. Ended up with 84 grams as shown here, which represents about 20% of what was on the plants.

[StoneMeadow]

Part of the byproduct of harvesting were several sections of healthy green stems, so I decided to try vegging these cuttings in recycled peat plugs. The experiment appears to be working, as the cuttings still look good after three days, and have started showing tiny new leaves.

[flakeyfoont]

Here are a couple of close-ups of #3's main cola crown. One is taken in the shade, with the other in full sun. What do you think about harvest timing?

what are those spiderweb looking things?

[rattlingdags]

Gosh I'm fascinated with your stem experiment :) They always surprise me these plants with their survivabilty. I wouldn't mind trying that myself just to see. How are they looking now a few days on?

[StoneMeadow]

what are those spiderweb looking things?
I don't honestly know. I couldn't see them in real life, but they're there in the photo. Could be from some tiny spider, but in any case, I can't find any insects on my plants.


Gosh I'm fascinated with your stem experiment :) They always surprise me these plants with their survivabilty. I wouldn't mind trying that myself just to see. How are they looking now a few days on?
Two of the cutting developed black moldy spots right above when the stem emerges from the peak, so I threw those two out. The other three appear alive, but haven't grown any real leaves yet.

[StoneMeadow]

After drying the first round of harvesting (84gm wet) for nearly two weeks, I have 22gm of select dry bud. I still haven't tried it, but will think of something... :)

[StickyBuds1987]

ah those buds are looking good smoke a J and tell us how the high is

[StoneMeadow]

ah those buds are looking good smoke a J and tell us how the high is
In the interest of science I tried my infamous "Sunroom Grow Sensai Early Skunk" last night. :)

I got in two hits before the coughing fit started, so called it good. (Gotta invest in a vaporizer.) Within about 10-15 minutes I noticed a slight inebriation...akin to finishing a second beer. Not "stoned" or anything incapacitating. Just a mild and pleasant distortion of reality, and I could walk and talk fine. After about half an hour my wife drove us into town on a quick errand. I was glad I wasn't driving, as corners and other cars and objects seemed to alternately come too quickly and sometimes too slowly.

No anxiety or paranoia. No euphoria or silly giggles, either, but I think I'll not smoke if I know I need to ride in the car while under the influence. Maybe a short walk in the pasture would be nice, though. I slept well last night, too, though I forgot to think about how it was affecting the arthritis in my right arm. Maybe that's a good thing... ;)

Thanks for all the encouragement and assistance, friends...it was a very pleasant experience and I look forward to doing it again.

[rattlingdags]

:thumbsup: Good one - in the interest of science lol. Also glad that you didn't drive after it.
Are you going to have a go at cooking with a bit? It's my latest craze currently and have been rounding up recipes. It's a fun alternative to smoking it anyways.
Thanks for doing your growlog right through to the happy end product. I really enjoyed following it and an interesting, and successful change doing it in a sunroom :) I'll be looking out for your next venture

[StoneMeadow]

Thanks for the nice words. I haven't yet tried cooking with it, but have plans to do so and have been collecting recipes.

Here in NorCal mmj costs roughly $300/oz, and I've harvested roughly 2 oz of dried and cured bud so far, with about another oz to go before I reveg them. I figure that the savings from growing my own has paid for every penny I've put into it so far, including the Doctor's fee, potting soil, ferts, clones, electricity, etc. Then I'll reveg my girls for another harvest, so I should be even further ahead when it's all said and done. And I'll log it all here... :)

[rattlingdags]

The reveg will be interesting to see, thats something I've not tried doing yet. Its sure been well worth your while cost-wise and even more so considering a second round with the same girls. Its good to see your work paying off eh?!

[StickyBuds1987]

ah thats good to hear man sounds like its some fire buds and yeah man its not good to dive when your stoned so thats good that you were being safe.

yeah its always cheaper to grow your own now days people want to charge you an arm and a leg for good bud when you can grow just as good or better buds at home yourself keep it up bro looking forward to your next grow.

[StoneMeadow]

I weighed my second harvest this morning after curing it for two weeks (it's not yet fully "cured" in some opinions, but it IS fully dried out). Anywho, I got 20 more grams, for a running total of 48 grams. I'm going to harvest again today, which I hope will produce another 30-40 grams.

[StoneMeadow]

To wrap up this thread, I ended up with a grand total of 94 grams of Grade-A bud from this grow, plus about 20 grams of kif. Based on my local dispensary prices, that's about $900 worth of bud for $110 in plants, potting soil, electricity, lights and fertilizer. The lights were about $40 themselves, and I continue to use them as light-extenders in my second and third grows (hybrid indoor-outdoor bucket grows). Plus, I used only about half the ferts I bought, so really, I got 94 grams for about $50, or about 50-cents a gram. I call that a success!

[rattlingdags]

:thumbsup: 50 cents a gram?! Yep I'd call that a sucess also lol. Well done. Onward and forward to the next grows :)