Rockwool grow journal - Updated Daily!

[Jkrustie]

Ahoy there maties!

Time for a grow journal to begin!

Here are a few specs of what I have going on:

-Seedlings started in paper towel (08/31), germed into 1 inch rockwool cubes
(09/03), planted into the 3 inch rockwool cubes(09/05), then transplanted to buckets(09/21)

-Seedlings are now 20 days old, growing in Rockwool using Grodan Grow cubes(1cm x 1cm cubes)

-Layer of hydroton at the bottom and on the top of the buckets

-Feeding Canna Substra, designed for inert mediums

-Also using all the other Canna additives, Rhizotonic, Cannazyme and PK 13/14 for flowering

-Growing Diablo from Next Generation Seeds

-Seedlings were transplanted only a few days ago into these buckets

-Grow environment is a gutted dresser, custom made swinging doors, with 3 30 watt cool white flourescent tubes attached inside. One bathroom exhaust fan for circulation, and a personal fan to keep them dancing!

-Temperatures stay between 72-78(Nights are getting cold here) Relative Humidity ranges from 60 to 70


Plans for this week are to have the buckets raised up as close as can be to the lights, monitor new growths, and hope that the transplantations go well and that new roots develop fast. With the rhizotonic roots should grow fast and veg growth should explode within the coming week.

As you can see in the pics, this strain has some undesirable traits, a few deformed leaves, a few slower growing seedlings, and some deformations on the surface of leaves. But as I hoped, all deformations have stopped with the new mature veg growth. My feeding for anyone who uses Canna nutrients, are currently 11.38 mL Substra Vega, 9.8 mL Rhizotonic and 13 mL Cannazyme Per 5L of tap water. I let my solution sit overnight to allow most of the chlorine to evaporate, and also as per the suggestions of Canna.

Questions comments suggestions?! I will update often so check back often and help me with my grow!

Cheers!

[Jkrustie]

pics

[Jkrustie]

more pics, and a pic of White Widow outdoors 4 weeks into flower for your viewing pleasure!

[FREEWAYHOBO]

nice setup i am working on something kinda like this when i buy some seeds mind if i steal some of your ideas? lol

[Jkrustie]

I would be more then happy to help with whatever your trying!

[BlueBear]

How is the rooting going.
Adieu

[Jkrustie]

Oh heya Bluebear.

Rooting seems to be going well! All the transplantees are perky, and I got them as close as I could to the lights this evening.

I expect from this point on they will get big fairly fast, and I should be able to just sit back and enjoy the view. The cannazyme is a great help allowing me to keep the rockwool fairly wet so lots of nutrients can be absorbed pretty fast. Im thinkin of adding a bit more rhizotonic to the mix to help the roots a little more :thumbsup:

[Jkrustie]

Ok quick update

Plants are loving the flouros so close, they have all layed their leaves down to soak up the rays! I'm looking for the closest internode spacing because I will need very thick bushy plants for my 2 plant SCROG, so far so good imo.

The biggest of the seedlings has spewed out its 7 point leaves in just over a day, the leaves are so fresh they still have a bit of a curve to them, yet they are huge!

What are the risks using clear and white buckets? Think mold might grow with the amount of light getting to the root zone? Should I cover up?

Thanks, JK

[Jkrustie]

Holy cow time for an update!

I am very happy with the last days growth. All 5 plants have happily spurted new sets of leaves straight up for the light. The kind of leaves that you see develope on a huge outdoor plant when leaves come out so fast they stand up straight a while before they grow enough to flatten out!

The biggest seeder, lets call it Ms B, it is growing so fast the leaves are overlapping in a jumbled mess at the top! The 7 points are out, the 9 points will be out tomorrow, and the 11 points are close behind. The second largest, Ms S, it is showing the same vigour, 7 point and 9 point leaves shooting out. The other 3 smaller plants are doing great, the Runt is still a runt, but the other two are showing healthy growth at a fast rate also.

Canna nutrients are showing their stuff, and I'm very excited!!!

Temps 74-80F, Humidity steady at ~60

Cheers, JK

[kdspecial]

I have one question,, So do you water manually? or is there a drip sysetm? How do the rockton hold any water? Or is the Rockwell enough to hold mositure and you water frequently?

kd_special

[turtle420]

Do those pots have holes at their bottoms?

[Jkrustie]

Kdspecial - Yes I water manually. :thumbsup:

The hydroton acts as a protective layer on the bottom to stop roots from completly reaching the bottom and laying in a usually oversaturated area, and the top stops direct light on the rockwool, stopping evaporation and mold growth.

The rockwool holds a insane amount of water, and uses capilary action, so it will suck up water or air. This keeps the rockwool a perfect mix of air and water, while having the small rockwool cubes, there is a lot of space where air is stored between each cube. As of right now, it takes the plants a long time to use up all the water, so I am only watering once avery week or so. I expect to water every day when the plants mature. When they show sex I plan to transplant in to a very large bucket, add an air stone on the bottom, and grow 1 or 2(if i get 2 girls) huge scrogers.

Turtle420 - Yes the pots have holes in the bottom, when I water manually, i completly saturate the rockwool and allow the excess to drain away. :dance:

This style is very similar to a soil grow, just you must be more careful about having the rockwool dry out, and feeding is much stricter since rockwool is inert and everything the plant needs, you must add.

Cheers, JK :stoned:

[kdspecial]

Cool thats sonmthing to consider for my next grow

[Jkrustie]

;) Yarr, I find I have had to spend a little more money up front for this grow compared to soil, but I get a lot left over and I can use my nutrients for 2 to 3 grows easily. It's no mess and from the results I have seen first hand, can produce some serious insane yields and fast growth :thumbsup:

[Jkrustie]

:eek: Eww early mornings suck, so I might aswell update!

Plants are perky as ever this morn, I can see some healthy branch formation, and internode spacing looks perfect. I had to lower the plants a bit since they are growing too tall. I think I have enough light there that they won't stretch from this distance. I guess if I see stretching I'll have to move them closer again some how.

A few of the pots are getting light in weight, so I will have to mix some solution this morning and perhaps water them later tonight.

I got lots of time so here's a whack of pics.

Enjoy, JK. :thumbsup:

[turtle420]

Looking very nice! :)

[cactusman23]

very nice grow, they'll really take off when you add the airstone, as if they havnt already.:thumbsup:

[Jkrustie]

Indeed!
ty Turtle, cactusman
I watered earlier and the leaves that were standing straight up have relaxed now the roots are wet again.

I'm still getting to know how to water rockwool, much different the soil it seems. You cant let them dry out completly or the roots are toast!

I can almost see physical changes since this morning, and after the dark period. I keep my girls in the dark for 6 hours around 11:00 am.

Stay tuned for more and more pics! I'm stoked w8n for them to mature and show sexe!

[Jkrustie]

Another day another update.

Looks healthy, I don't see any issues. Guess I'll let em be.

You folks see any problems? Think I should cover up the pots so they keep the rootzone completly dark?

[turtle420]

You folks see any problems? Think I should cover up the pots so they keep the rootzone completly dark?
I don't see no problems...

I wouldn't cover the pebbles....
Just because... that's the way I'd do it.

Either way you decide, it's fine. Cover, no cover. It's fine. :)

They're coming along very nicely!

Just a thought: The biggest ones (three), are males.

Why?
Males are usually a little faster than females in the growing.
This is a SUPER MEGA rule of thumb... not a definite.
I'm just throwing something in the wind.

Peace and love buddy!

-turtle420 :cool:
.

[Jkrustie]

You just HAD to throw that out there didn't ya lol.

Yeah I got enough grows under the belt to know males usually grow faster. However, some research I've been doing suggests the plants don't choose a sex until around weeks 3 and 4 of veg. Apparently if temps are perfect, day night temp fluctuations are minimal, light is perfect, air quality and if the plants are completly stress free(nutrients) then they will produce a extremely high number of females.

Of course nothing is for sure, but I'm going to try to have everything perfect for those crucial weeks and cross my fingers!

As for the pots, I don't mean to cover the hydroton pebbles, I means the exterior of the pots, whic are white, and clear, which allows some light into the root zone.

[Jkrustie]

It's that time again!

It is getting VERY cold around here, and I am getting a 10 degree drop in temperature when my lights go out for 6 hours...I need to figure out a cheap and efficient way to keep that cabinet warmer then that when the lights are off.
Such a variation will no doubt stress the plants and cause more males, any suggestions?:confused:

Other then that, growth is as always very healthy. I notice that they are all showing signs of wanting water, leaves laying down, new growth standing straight up....however, they are not due for any water yet. I will not give in to their begs for water because the medium is still plenty wet, and I do not want rot. I think this could be contributed to rapid root growth, and the plant wants to feed all the new roots quickly?:confused:

I also now have a pest problem :mad:
Those little tiny dark flies that flutter around in a unorganized fashion, who usually live in the soil, lay eggs, and eventually you have a bunch of their white, then yellow larvae all over your leaves. I noticed one of these flies today, and I noticed the shiny slime left behind from them on the surface of a few leaves..... :cursing:

What is the best way to elieminate these. I have had these in many grow before, and I found that no matter how concentrated a mix of Safer's Soap I use, they just keep coming back! Should I try neem oil, or something else? This problem will require quick fast action to keep under control, I have lost grows from these pests..:confused:

Anyhow, here are some pics of this morning. What do you think?

Cheers, JK:thumbsup:

[turtle420]

As for the pots, I don't mean to cover the hydroton pebbles, I means the exterior of the pots, whic are white, and clear, which allows some light into the root zone.
Oh!
Then, by all means, definitely cover them.

By any and all means possible.
Light in the root zone is bad. Bad.
Like Bush-style bad.

Well, ok... I'd rather have light in my roots than Bush...

Anyways, I'm running late... so I'll log-in later to see if I can help you out with anything in your post #22.

Peace Krustie! :)

-turtle420 :cool:
.

[Jkrustie]

:mad: Ok I ran in to some trouble here :(

I decided to give the plants a good dosing of safers soap. I have seen safers soap shrivle the ends of bud hairs before, which is understandable because hairs are so damn small and skinny, but this is different!:mad:

I mixed up a bottle using my watering solution so it would act a a foliar feeding as well. When I got home to check on the progress this evening all the plants look VERY sad. They are very droopy, lifeless, and a lot of the tips of the newest growth has shriveled and curled and become discolored!:mad:

What in the fuck happened? I have never seen safers soap damage growth before. Could my mix have been too strong, or was the new growth SO fragile that being exposed to anything caused them to go that way?:mad:

I'm very concerned about this. Perhaps the nutrients and the safers soap didnt mix well? perhaps the nutrients burned the tips? perhaps it is normal? perhaps i dunno!
I didnt just pour concentrate onto the leaves, but i cant imagine seeing THIS much damage from a soap spraying FFS:mad:

What is your analysis of this mess?:mad: :mad:

I also took the time to cover them pots up so the roots are pitch black, some handy tinfoil did the trick!

Pictures clearly show the damage, and a HUGe difference in health from 8 hours ago. I circled in blue around damage so zoom in.

[cactusman23]

I've never had to deal with a problem like this before, but i'll try to help, alright, did you spray before light out or lights on, if you sprayed when lights came on, or when lights were on, the water may act as a magnifying glass and focus the light in a way that it burns the plant. Also did you spray on top or on the bottom of the leaves or both, I've read that spraying too much on the stoma tends to choke off the plant, I think the stoma is located in the center of the main growth node, not sure, may want to search. hang some sticky traps to catch some the little pests.

[Jkrustie]

Yup I fucked up royally!

Almost all of the fresh branch growths are dying off, a bunch of the leaves are necrotic, and they look terrible..

I sprayed right before lights out, so the stomatas should have been closed(I believe they are open right when lights come on, so in the morning?)

Anyways, I believe it was the nutrients....,Apparently you can NOT foliar feed with these nutrients, unless you want to kill your plants.....

This will set them back at LEAST a week in growth, if not 2, and this will cause them to be mostly male. This is the critical time before they show sex, and I fucked myself. I will be lucky to get even one female now....FUCK Im pissed.:cursing:

All my hard work was for nothing, these perfect INSANE healthy plants are now sacks of shit :sadcrying:

Ill post pics later to show the damage....trust me its worse this morning then it was last night....
oh look some poison:glugglug:

[Jkrustie]

Ok here are some pics.

Vigour has returned, leaves have proper posture and such...

You can clearly see the damage now, and the extent of it.:mad:

All new growth seems to have suffered, new branch growth, and fresh top growth is necrotic.:mad:

Since growth has resumed, I can only expect that those damaged leaves will still grow, and the fresh growth behind them will be unhindered.:mad:

Let this be a lesson to me and the rest of you...uneducated foliar feedings is dangerous LOL :thumbsup:

You can see the safers soap residue on the hydroton, hey at least this wasn't enough to kill them completly. :dance:

[Jkrustie]

well...The plants seem to have made a full recovery. There are of course the scars of my stupidity, but all new growth is healthy, and they are growing normally as far as I can see.

Just cut down the outdoor also!
Weather is so cold and wet that I had to cut at week 6...
BUT, better then nothing!

Ill post some pics tmoro

[FREEWAYHOBO]

sounds like a stupid question, i am going to be growing inside and have a grow closet can flies and pests still get in there if its inside and in a closet?

[Jkrustie]

Absolutely
Anything can get into your closet, there isnt any way you can have a closet grow sompletly air tight and sealed up.

Just take precautions, sanitize everything, equipment, soil. Watch for first signs of pests, and deal with them accordingly early, so now harm comes to your plant.

[will1am87]

hey,
Im planning on having a similar set-up in a converted dresser drawer. Could you please tell me the measurements of your space. (Height, depth, width)? And could you tell me the size of the buckets, thank you.