My First Grow: Northern Lights

First of all, let me thank everyone who has helped me with my first grow. Cannabis.com along with you well informed and helpful members helped me accomplish something I've been wanting to do for a while now. Everything from convincing me to start, to what strain, to my setup, lights, soil, nutes, plant problems, etc.

I wish I had started a log from day one, unfortunatly though my camera was broken and i never thought it would take this long to get fixed, I finally gave up and went out and bought a new one today.

I'm already nearing harvest, Day 31 of flower. The strain is Northern Lights. My setup is a cabinet 30"X15"X60" using only CFLs. My exhaust is simply 2 Frebreeze odour catching fans that are aimed out two holes near the top of the cab, two air intake holes at the bottom. IMO this is a good way to exhaust for a small setup. They are very very quiet, they blow out a good amount of air, and they collect the smell as the air leaves the cab.

To fill you in on what has happened so far, I had trouble getting started because my white widow seeds would not even germinate...i had 4 trying to go, and after 3 or 4 weeks i just gave up on them, my 2 Northern lights had germinated within 1 or 2 days, planted and sprouted an inch over night...I picked a bad soil to start, the sprouts stopped growing after a couple inches and turned yellow....I transplanted them using a different soil and planted 2 more Northern Lights from seed at the same time. My 2 sprouts quickly turned a healthy green, and my two seeds had sprouted...The two new sprouts quickly grew and over towered the two older plants, and still today they are both much taller and more full than the original one....out of 4 plants growing, I only had 1 male which i immidiatly killed, leaving 3 beautiful healthy girls. That was it for problems, its been an easy grow since then.

I was feeding them with 20:20:20 nutes and they loved it...i used the nutes about once a week, until they grew so big that i was afraid they would run out of space so i stopped using the nutes...Instead I started using honey in my water which i was told helps with the buds....I've been using honey once a week since.

But enough reading for now, lets get to what im sure most of you came here to see, PICS!!!

1. Britni - One of the girls planted from seed
2. Chandler - One of the first two plants i started
3. Jasmine - The second girl planted from seed
4 and 5 - group photos in the cab

More pics

Thats it for today, will post more later...any tips or suggestions are welcome. Thanks, WeedNeedy

Looking g8 Weedy....nice & healthy plants...:thumbsup: How many CFL's are you using?? and what kind??

Thanks Zeb, for veg I started with 5 27Watt Cool Light, and then added 3 more...for veg i switched the bulbs to the regular Daylight 23Watt bulbs

*flower*

Couple more photos....not too much development really...but you can really see the THC coming in on that last picture

I've been looking at some pictures of Northern Lights right around the same day in flower as im at now, my pictures are not as impressive as thiers...especially you can tell with this first pic, its showing a lot more stem than i would have expected for day 34...I realize I'm not using as good as lights as they are, but their pictures show full thick buds over the entire stem, this one plant in particular are little tiny buds that seem to be spread out...is this normal for Day 34 of flower?..there is only about 10-15 days left until harvest so i want to help them as much as i can...is there anything I can do to help mature the buds more? I'm already mixing honey in with their water, but I stopped giving them nutes, should i continue to give them nutes?

An unrelated question that maybe i should have asked at the start....but should i be spraying my plants with water?, the leaves and flowers? would that do harm, good or nothing?

Thanks, WeedNeedy

You see, this is what im talking about...This is Nirvana Northern Lights, same as mine....this was grown with 12 23W CFLs, the difference, and definatly something im going to try next time, this grow was done using 12/12 from seed....this is only 54 days after germination....yield was over an ounce off each plant...pretty amazing if you ask me...any tips on how to grow pot like that? Perhaps my cab was over crowded, or i was overwatering? I had to have done something wrong...don't get me wrong, i love my plants and i'm proud of them, but after seeing how everyone elses turned out i know they could have been so much more and i just want to figure out what to do different for next time.

http://www.icmag.com/gallery/data/500/19355IMG_0522.JPG

Got some more pics...they're starting to look a lot more like what i was expecting, i guess i was impatient, the one i was worried about was just slower than the other two...the first pic is of the one that was almost all stem last week...one of my plants already has its pistils turning orange, getting excited, harvest is only a week or two away :jointsmile:

Some more

Like you said, just a little impatient, but that happens to everyone from time to time! I think your ladies look just fine for a little over half-done, and especially since you're using just a few CFLs. The 12/12 from seed guy with over an ounce per plant with ~300 watts seems a little incredible. You can't see the medium in the pic so it could be possible with a good hydro setup, but still sounds a little fishy to me.

Next time maybe some bigger containers? The plants look fine but they would definitely do better with some more dirt to work with.

Good luck and happy harvest

I think the other guys got such big buds because he flowered from the start, which has kept the plants shorter meaning his light don't have to travel so far. You've vegged yours much longer and they've got taller and cfl's don't penetrate so deep. You could still veg for the same amount of time as you've done for this grow but next time look into LST to keep the plants shorter and get more budsites at the top of your canopy. That way you'll have a lot more cola's that are closer to the light that will grow big and juicy ;)

Good luck!

Those are nice, how long did u veg them for?

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Originally Posted by Giro2007

Those are nice, how long did u veg them for?

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the small one was vegged for about 6.5 weeks, the two tall ones were vegged for 4 weeks

New pics guys, AND PROBLEMS!!!! I hope i didnt ruin this plant by waiting too long or something, she's dying, my best plant is turning almost all yellow, and shes not drinking water....she was soaking wet as if she had just been watered and the other two were bone dry....i dont know what to do, is this a sign shes ready to harvest? shes getting the same light and watering as the other two so i dont see why shes so different...im getting a scope hopefully tomorrow to check the thc maturity....please any advice or knowledge as to why my plant is dying, shes on day 47 of flower...should be very close to harvest, but i think its too early for her to be past when i should have harvested, hardly any of her hairs are even orange..am i wrong by thinking that?

On a happier note, check out the buds on these girls....4-20 is gonna be a fuckin BLAST!!:jointsmile:

Hey weedneedy, your plants are looking real good, looks like they added plenty weight. Have you flushed them lately? Maybe worth a try for the yellowing, I like to flush mine once a month to stop any locks.

Hey Weedy....first of all, nice plants....:thumbsup:

You should relax, there is nothing wrong whit that plant....it's getting old, but it isn't ready for harvest yet, believe me...yellowing is a normal thing when so far in flowering, bloom ferts. contain less N than grow ferts., and this is causing the yellowing....You don't want much N in the plants when harvesting, it makes the smoke harsh and it takes more time to cure....

Other thing is that the plant is probably rootbound too...

Some yellowing is from lack of N (no worries) the weeping of the plant is a concern, but probably a combo of nute locks and root bound plants, I would have re potted before entering flowering. Flush with ph adj. water until runout is low 6s.....6.2. Check the stem to see if its red. If it is check to make sure your water softener isn't on. Get a PPM detector and get the readout from your water (personal experience). Good luck man hope everything works out well. Trust your instincts rather than listening to everyones solutions including this one. :thumbsup:

ata boy weedneedy, repping the ontarian's! budds look sexy as ever.. this'll be a yummy 420 indeed:jointsmile:

grrrr im starting to worry about them now....i hope i get a reply by the end of the day cause i dont want to wait any longer

my water is fine, same water i've been using all along and i had dark green healthy plants up until last week....i'm not adding any nutes to thier water at all and i havnt for a while, should i be? i was told not to give them nutes when they are nearing harvest...is this a possible sign of over watering? what does that look like? its starting to spread to the plant beside it, i noticed its starting to turn yellow, and the one beside that is a lot lighter green than usual...Would it be a good thing if i gave them a dose of nutes this late in flower?, its day 50....im thinking not, but i really dont want to kill them...i was going to add a bunch of new soil on top and water and hope the organic nutes in the soil would help...does anyone think this will help?

I read that yellowing plants nearing harvest is normal, but as you can see from the pics the worst plant is starting to burn, its almost like its getting nute burns, but im not giving them any...is this normal as well? my second plant is getting brown spots on the leaves...if this is nothing to worry about then fine, but the burning tells me that there is something wrong, and is it too late to fix it with proper nutes

would flushing even do anything right now? i've been watering them so long without nutes that there's probably nothing in it to flush out, its just water, and honey once in a while, anyways if i could a reply ASAP it would be appreciated, WeedNeedy

How long you think till you harvest?

You should make a thread in the Plant Problem section ASAP!!!! You need professional help...Stinky can help you for sure...

Soon...this week or early next week...the site i bought the seeds from says flowering is 7-9 weeks...well today is the first day of week 8, so its gotta be gettin close...i was actually thinking of maybe just cutting my small plant down tonight...northern lights is suppose to be a pretty strong strain, and i might want some stuff thats a little less heavy for times when im doing stuff...taking a walk or at a concert...i wont want couchlock when im trying to walk, and i want to remember the concert when its done, know what i mean? So im thinkin that im gonna hack her down...i looked at the thc through a 21X scope...its pretty hard to see, i have to buy a 30X for my next grow....its hard to tell if they are amber in colour or not, i think they're all clear/cloudy...should the amber colour be a noticeable colour under a 21X zoom? Im gonna snip a branch right now, dry it in the oven and give her a test smoke, if im happy with the results ill be harvesting tonight (if im able to) This is so exciting!! :jointsmile::jointsmile::jointsmile:

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Originally Posted by zebulon

You should make a thread in the Plant Problem section ASAP!!!! You need professional help...Stinky can help you for sure...

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I already have :D...i was told it was cause i stopped giving them nutes too early and they ran out of nutes to feed on...its too late to give them nutes now without giving the bud a bad taste...at least i know for next time, i put a fresh layer of organic soil on, hopefully theres enough nutes in that to keep them happy a little while longer without giving them the chem taste...also im sure my plants are root bound...next time ill use bigger pots

Can't wait to see some harvest pics!

Way to go on the grow man!

currently im on my second flowering of NL i have planned on 10 weeks this time because reading around at multipleplaces i have found that flowering took anywhere from 7-10 weeks. and the last plant deff took 10. i stopped giving my plant nutrients 2 weeks early so around day 56. then gave it one nice flush and gave it only ph adjusted water the 10 days. but as you said its to last to try and make up for that now. you plants should do fine. barring any other severe problems.

They don't look too good, but damn are they strong...I almost stopped posting pics of my plants, cause they just look worse and worse instead of better...but its just the leaves, the bud still looks good as you can see...the problems came on really quick, but its been spreading pretty slow the past few days...As far as i can see through my 21X scope, the thc still looks only clear, im anxiously awaiting harvest...on 4-20 we cut one branch off and dried it in the oven...i got SOOO high, didnt even smoke that much at all, but i was pretty damn stoned...not the best i've had but definatly the top 3, maybe even top 2...I couldnt beleve it, i wasnt expecting it to be that strong at all...real creeper weed ...If thats what its like when the thc is still clear, i cant even imagine what it will be like when its amber

should i be cutting off the leaves that are turning yellow and brown, or just let them do their own thing and die? also will the dieing leaves spread and start killing the bud next? If you think it will then maybe i should harvest before its too late

bud pics

more bud pics

more

Should make some good stash.

irie,

Shov

looks like they got at least a week left...looking real good man and yellowing is nothing to worry about

Looking good, where's the updates? Take it you've harvested and are too stoned to type ;)

Actually I harvested 2 of them today...I left 1 to sit anouther week or so cause i think she needs it, only a few of the pistils have changed colour on her...one of the ones i harvested today looks like i waited too long, it was a dud from the start anyways...what little THC it produced is mostly gone i think..it looked like it had some thc, but then when i was cutting it i noticed that the thc was all hard little bumps on the leaves...im assuming thats a sign of me waiting too long...not only that but its mostly all leaf, not much bud at all, it wont be a nice smoke but gives me something to sell to all the people bugging me....but the other one i harvested today looks perfect....so much bud, little leaf, and covered in sticky thc...i cut a stem from her and smoked her on the weekend....me and my friend smoked a big joint and it was unlike any weed i've had...walking in the wind, i swear my body felt like a slinky, felt like the wind was forcing my body into impossible positions, like i had no bones, skin just flapping in the wind like a flag....and it felt like it was pushing my nose and mouth and eyes to one side of my face...I was so fucked up...If i didnt grow it then i probably would have thought it was laced...i never imagined weed could do something like that, especially weed that i grew for my first time

i also just started my second grow today...im going to try flowering from seed with 1 northern lights, and 1 white widow...the nl i know works good for this technique, the ww im doing as an experiment to see if it works, cause i couldnt find anything about anyone trying that technique with that strain...this time though i'll start my grow log from the begining instead of mid flower...look for my new grow log sometime this week, I'll start it as soon as i see them sprout

WeedNeedy

My plants arnt even done yet and im already getting ripped off...came home from work and checked on the two that are drying, someone cut a bud off my best plant...fuckin idiot left the stem instead of cutting it off, i know i didnt harvest a stem...im pretty sure i know who it was, a friend of my roomate who i've gotten to be good friends with as well....i dont know who else it would be, my roomate barely even smokes so i doubt it was him, but this other guy is over here all the time and is a big smoker, and sells...if they had asked, i woulda said yes...if they had taken it and told me, okay...but to steal it and then not tell me and think they got away with it? fuck....then i checked my dried weed that i have, a gram of that is missing....i know cause i measured it yesterday....im pissed...especially since i've been selling thier friends weed whenever they are looking for some, and they'll all smoke my weed with me for free and i've never asked for anything in return, and now for them to steal it?? and the fact that exactly a gram of my dried stuff was gone tells me it was probably stolen to be sold as a dimebag, not stolen to smoke....so now theyre makin money off my stolen weed, whose to say they havnt stole from me in the past and i just never noticed...this is fucking rediculous and unacceptable...my roommate is like one of my best friends, and the guy i think took it i thought was a good friend of mine too...but they all have friends over here all the time, so i dont want to accuse him, or come right out and ask him if he stole it in case it was one of thier friends, but im so sure it was who i think it was....how should i handle this? im fucking pissed, but i dont want to ruin my friendship with my room mate...i dont want to ruin my friendship with this other guy either but its kind of hard to trust him now....any suggestions?

That sucks....i hate rippers...they are the worst sort of people imo....try to keep your weed closed away....and remember talk about selling weed is not allowed on this site...be careful or you gonna get banned....

my bad, i had no idea, can you edit posts?

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Originally Posted by WeedNeedy

my bad, i had no idea, can you edit posts?

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Yeah near your post is an EDIT button, click it

It's next to Quote and Reply

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Originally Posted by macro

Yeah near your post is an EDIT button, click it

It's next to Quote and Reply

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I dont have that, i have quote, multi-quote, and reply...ive looked for an edit button many times before and i've never seen one