Help_Needed's Fast and Simple - aka the Oh-My-God-I'm-out-of-weed grow

Hello Cannacom :).

Haven't done a full grow journal on this side yet. I started out one a while ago, but I was also running a journal for the same grow on another forum and double posting everything got old fast, so I sort of gave up. This time, though, this will be the only journal.

My last harvest was April 15. At the time I had all sorts of glorious ideas of how I was going to improve the grow next time. But unfortunately I can't grow over the summer due to heat issues, and somehow the stash that *should* have lasted 2+ years is all but gone - partly due to increased tolerance and partly due to the fact that I've started smoking to help deal with my stomach issues - I have irritable bowel disorder and weed's one of the only things that does much good for it. So, I need to get growing again, and I need to get to harvest as quickly and easily as possible. So this grow is going to be all about brushing out the cobwebs and getting back to basics.....

Strain: The strain is called Le Fruit Defendu from Amsterdammarijuanaseeds.com. It's a blueberry x haze cross that does nice things for an upset stomach without scrambling your brain so badly that you can't function. Sadly it's somewhat of a light yielder - best I've done was an ounce per plant - but that's offset by a very short flowering period. The last grow I did finished in just five weeks of 12/12. I think it had something to do with the fact that they were clones from a very mature mother.

Medium: I've got a 6-plant commercial unit that's a combination DWC and drip-fed hydro system. So far the "6-plant" part has been in name only, though. It's really to small to grow 6 full sized MJ plants. There's not enough room for the roots.

Nutrients: I'll be using the basic Lucas Formula with standard 3-part GH nutes.

Location: A 3x3 hydrohut tucked away in the back of a large walk-in closet.

Lighting: 400w HPS used throughout the grow.

Think that just about covers that basics. Right now I've got 8 cuttings sitting in an aero-cloner. They've been there almost 10 days now and haven't rooted yet. But their leaves are starting to yellow, so I'm hoping I'll see some results in the next day or two.

I'll take some pictures of the set-up tonight or tomorrow so you all can see what I'm working with.

Good luck, and welcome back.

http://boards.cannabis.com/advanced-...2-12-seed.html

I'm trying it now :)

Ya know, I've come to the conclussion that one of the "fun" (yes, I'm using the term with sarcasm lol) things about growing is that no matter how many times you've done it, you never know just what's really going to happen. So, two weeks later.........

The cloning has been less than successful, and I have no idea what went wrong. I did everything almost exactly the same as the last two times, but for some reason this time the cuttings just didn't want to root. My last two cloning attempts were very successful, giving me 7/8 clones the first time, and 8/8 the second time. THIS time, however, I only got 3/8 and two of them rooted almost 10 days later than the first one.

So, it looks like I'm going to run with three plants instead of the six I was expecting. Which means I'll be changing things up just a touch.....again lol. At very least I'll be topping all of them. And I *might* go buy some chicken wire and run this as a SCRoG. Maybe.

In any even, I'm off and running. The hydro system is set up and the clones will go in the tank this afternoon. Some numbers and such:

TDS - currently at 580ppm @ 0.7. This strain likes a lot of food, so I'll probably be topping out around 1350ppm. On the other hand, I've also thrown in some Hydroguard this time around, which I haven't really used before. So my numbers may even be a bit higher.

pH - 6.3 as of this morning. I added in some pH Down - aiming for ~5.8. I usually run around 5.6 or so, but based on the experiences of some other growers I think I'm going to let it drift a bit higher this run and try to hold it in the neighborhood of 5.8-6.0.

Temps - Ambient is about 68F. Reservoir is 72F. I haven't turned the HPS on yet, so these numbers don't mean much lol.

Pics:

The hydrohut
http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...o/_MG_1636.jpg



A close-up of the system
http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...o/_MG_1637.jpg



The babies in the cloner - the tall one is the one that rooted first.
http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...o/_MG_1633.jpg



Hi Mom :D
http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...o/_MG_1634.jpg

Moved the three clones into the hydro tank last night and got everything up and running. Lighting is on 18/6 for now.

And then this morning I went in to check on them and found this:

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...o/_MG_1640.jpg

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...o/_MG_1641.jpg

I've seen fresh cuttings hit the deck like this, but never rooted clones. I had the drip lines running too, so you wouldn't think they'd be hurting for water. Just to be safe, though, I repositioned them lower down in the net pots and made sure the roots were touching the water. They actually perked up a bit after I did that - they looked even worse when I first woke up.

The big clone is still happy at least.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...o/_MG_1639.jpg

While I was working with them this morning I actually had a wild thought - one I might try next time around. What if I took one clone and the LST'd it all the way around the tank and then into the center before I flowered it. Think that'd be pretty wild :D.

Temps seem ok too, although it's hard to be sure. It looks like my thermometer is malfunctioning. It was telling me it was 101 in the tent last night and there's no way it was that hot. I actually stood inside the tent with the doors closed and while it was warm it was quite comfortable. I'm guessing the true temp was closer to 80.

Res temps spiked with the HPS, but I sort of expected that. I've got my ghetto chiller online and it'll gradually bring the temps back down.

pH didn't change at all, despite the pH Down I added so I dumped in some more lol.

And on a happy note, while planting to clones I noticed that two other cuttings were showing a touch of vertical growth. I peaked and, yep, they're just starting to put out roots. So I'll have five plants of very different sizes lol. I'll have to do some pruning to get them all even once they've hardened a bit more.

Key Numbers:
TDS - 580ppm @ 0.7
pH - 6.4 :wtf:
Res Temps - 82F
Ambient Temps - ???

hi guy, sorry you're having troubles.

a couple of things that kinda jumped out at me are that first, your
cuttings are too big, if you cut them smaller, they will root easier.

another thing that might be more relevant to your current problem is
that you have them too deep in the pots, the air needs to circulate
around the plants.

all my stuff is DIY but i think you might find something useful if you
look, especially in my cloner thread.

anyway, good luck

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by justanotherbozo

a couple of things that kinda jumped out at me are that first, your
cuttings are too big, if you cut them smaller, they will root easier.

---

I take cuttings below the third node and then strip the bottom node off when I trim them up before putting them in the cloner. The way the cloner is set up there's not really any way to take them any smaller. Also, they've all put on a bit of vertical growth while they were in the cloner so what you're seeing is a big bigger than they started out (a lot bigger in the one's case).

That said, I'm thinking that part of the problem is that these cuttings came from top part of the plant. Cuttings that come from further down seem to root easier. Also, I'm thinking I might have mixed the Clonex/Hydroguard solution a bit richer than I usually do. I'm wondering if that might have slowed down the rooting process. Finally, the last two clone grows I've run were started in the dead of winter. Then it was a challenge to keep the cloning solution warm enough (I added a fish tank heater to the cloner lol). This time the cloning was done much earlier in the fall, and it's been a bit warmish lately. So I'm thinking that my cloning solution was probably warmer than optimal, which accounts for the slow results.

Quote:

---

another thing that might be more relevant to your current problem is
that you have them too deep in the pots, the air needs to circulate
around the plants.

---

That's a good point, and I think I might be in a bit of a catch-22 here. I actually had them a lot higher, but then the roots won't reach the water, and for some reason the drip lines aren't keeping them wet enough. Maybe I'll get a small clap-style fan and attach it high up on one of the corner polls so that it's blowing down onto those two cuttings.

you could also top-feed until you see roots although the drip lines are
supposed to be doing just that.

come take a look at my cloner thread, i'm no expert but i did get input
from some of the more knowledgable folks here so the thread is filled
with useful cloning info.

then go check out a few of the other cloning threads, 'cause even
accounting for new growth, i still think your cuts are too big. not that
it can't work with cuts of this size, just that it makes it harder for them
to root.

lol, really man, i'm not criticizing you, just suggesting that you do some
further research in the areas where you're experiencing problems.
it's already very obvious that you're not just another noob looking for
someone to hold his hand, you're someone who has already invested many
hours of study.

that being said, good luck man, really, i hope you have a truely great grow.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by justanotherbozo

lol, really man, i'm not criticizing you, just suggesting that you do some
further research in the areas where you're experiencing problems.
it's already very obvious that you're not just another noob looking for
someone to hold his hand, you're someone who has already invested many
hours of study.

that being said, good luck man, really, i hope you have a truely great grow.

---

No criticism was perceived and I really appreciate the input :).

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...aby_clones.jpg

This is about what they looked like when I put them in there. This isn't the same batch, though. I think this was from two grows ago, but don't remember for sure. You can't tell from the pics, but the little unit they're in is an 8 plant aero-cloner. I love the thing because it takes a lot of work out of cloning. You don't have to cut the leaves up or mist the cuttings. Normally you just fill it and forget it.

This is the fourth or fifth batch of clones I've run through it, and this is the only time (besides the very first one when I screwed up the temps) where I've had any issue with it. As far as I can remember, I did everything pretty much the same as before so I don't know for sure what went wrong.

I'm actually really surprised I'm having this much trouble. This strain usually clones really easily. Oh well, on a positive note I stopped in at the house to let the dog out during lunch and took a peek. One of the two has stood all the way back up, and the other one's about half way there so that should be good.

On a sad note, while I was moving things around this morning I accidently set the cloner on top of the mini-fridge I use as a water chiller. That fridge puts out a lot of heat and, well, if the cloner were larger the nutrient solution would have made for a comfortable bath :(. The cuttings weren't showing any strain, but I'm betting I cooked the roots.

lol, all my stuff is DIY, even my cloner.

good luck with the cuts, i hope you didn't cook them

come check out my cloner, tell me what you think