New Dude + 1st Time Grow Log

Hey there, been doing my research and a lot of reading on here! I'm gonna start growing some bud and thought I'd post my set-up and see what kind of advice you guys could offer.

I planted my germinated seeds (pics below) today so this is day 1. They're easy buds from femaleseeds.nl and they seem good for a first grow because of the shorter yield time. I got a 400 watt HPS and, as you can see. it's in a spare wardrobe. The soil is good stuff too, lots of worm casings and perlite, has the right PH etc :thumbsup:

So, I've just planted the seeds and I have them in under the HPS now for a few hours. It really dries out that soil and it's quite a few feet above it. Should I turn off the lamp and wait for the seedlings to come through before resuming the lamp?

In another picture, you can see my nutes. They're organic and as you can, they're for growing, flowering and the fish mix is an all-rounder. I'm just curious when to start using them and how much?

On the to-do list is:

Get a fan
Get some blackout blinds (or something similar)
Get a PH tester, thermometer and timer!

Phew, lots of effort but it'll be worth it. As its my first grow, I'm not expecting miracles. I just want to learn first. Plus I'm going on vacation in 8 weeks so I'll probably be rushing it a bit (flowering and harvesting a tad early I'd say).

Anyway, what do you guys think? Am I missing anything glaringly obvious?

Cheers,

Dr. Z :rasta:

Well you definitely don't need to be running that light for germination, and from what I've read here you would be better off with some CFLs or MH instead of the HPS until you start flowering.

Hmm, kinda thought as much although I was told otherwise by my friendly growshop owner. I was just kinda giving the light a trial run. I left the wardrobe doors shut (otherwise there's an orange glow coming from my window, bit suspicious) and it got very hot. It would seem no HPS anymore until I can blackout the room and keep the doors open with a fan blowing. I don't expect the seedlings to be fully out until the weekend (probably) so I could pick up some CFLs then. Will the CFL cause the plants to grow at the same rate. Cheers for your advice.

Actually, after further research....CFLs vs MH. What should I go for the veg stage? I'm not restricted by budget at the moment and would prefer to use the best method & lights rather than just go for the cheap one.

Also, I dunno if anyone read above but I've got 8 weeks til I go on vacation for 2 and a half weeks. Keep in mind that this is my experimental grow and I want to get things cleared up before I go (I suspect my mother will be checking up on my house while I'm away y'see). Is it possible for me to veg for 4 weeks and flower for 4? I know, I know, I'll get a crap yield and crap bud but this is my trial run so I don't mind.

Also, what do you think of my nutes? Any good?

The first few weeks are the hardest kind of thing..... two leaves, four leaves and then crucial... tender loving care.

You need to read Bob Bong's post, in the Grow Lounge.

You're really gonna be pushing it to get anything worth smoking in 8 weeks, but if you gotta i'd say veg for 2 weeks and flower for 6. I'd try reducing light for flowering from the recommended 12 to 11 at the third week of flowering then 10 and 9 each week after, this way the plant will react to the shortening of day and should finish a little earlier. I'd go get some lowryder seeds if i was in your position, start to finish 10 weeks, you should get a decent smoke after 8 weeks but i'm afraid any other seeds it's just not gonna be long enough. Hope i'm wrong. Good luck dude
Oh and get a fan as soon as you can, and look into getting a heat shield or cool tube as well. HPS lights are a nighmare for heat!

Cheers for the advice guys. Dutch Pimp, had a look at Bob Bong's post in the grow lounge....the one about growing in your parent's house? This is my house, I'm many years from living at home. I just said my mother would probably come and check my house every now and again while I'm on holiday. Sorry if you're talking about a different thread though.

Hudson, cheers. That's some sound advice. I know I'll probably not get anything too worthy from this grow but it's all about learning for me right now.

So, 3 of 4 seedlings have sprouted today. I'm very proud :) haha. I turned on the HPS because they could use some light. However, how far away from the lamp should they be? I don't want them stretching but I know that heat is a factor. Currently, they're about 4 and half feet from the lamp. I've not heard of a heat shield before, care to explain?

I've also been listening to the dope fiend podcast (dopefiend.co.uk) and there was a guy called Mr. Bud who has done segments about growing your own. It seems he uses a HPS from start to finish, any thoughts? Check out the podcast by the way, it's pretty good.

Also, I've attached a few pics of the lil babies. I have to say, it'll be nice to get some bud eventually but right now, I'm finding it very interesting as a hobby.

Forgot the pics! Dur!

I think you'd do better getting a couple or four cool white CFLs and just use those for the first week, let the little ones get a strong root system going and a few leaves before you beam them too hard with the HPS light. Probably denser node placement that way too. Then after a week, leave the CFLs there, and turn on the HPS light too.

Getting anything decent in 8 weeks seems nigh impossible. I mean, they need that long in flowering alone, or longer, before the trichomes are mature. You'll have plants you can cut down after eight weeks, and if you smoke enough, you'll still get high. But if it sucks (and it probably will) don't think that it's bad weed or anything, it'll suck because you won't get a big yield and what you do get won't be ripe, just because they'll be immature plants. Still worth doing though, as a learning thing.

That wardrobe looks quite similar to my own (before I put stuff in it). I have the same size light too. I'll post a pic or two here for ya (from last grow), and you can see how I made stuff work pretty well with a wardrobe. I'm not saying this is the best possible cabinet or anything, but maybe it'll give you a few ideas for the future. Oh, and those bushy suckers are the result when you veg too long. Yield was about 15 ounces, and took me 10 painful and sticky hours to manicure. ;)

Wow, niiiice! :thumbsup: That's something to aspire to! 15oz! Yowsa!

Well, I've stuck up some temporary blackout blinds (ha, see pic) and now I can leave the wardrobe doors open so it can be a bit cooler. I've put my hand just over the seedlings and the heat isn't too bad so hopefully it will work out until the weekend when I can get some CFLs and stuff. I am getting a fan tomorrow though so that should be a help!

..I jumped off sides...before the hike...I need to read closer. My mind was still on that tread...while reading yours. My Bad.

No probs DP! I do agree that growing in parents' homes is bad news.

Anyway, today is about day 4 and I have two champs and two runts (see pics). 2 of them are doing really well while the other 2 day are shorter and their leaves are much less developed. In fact, the smallest plant's real leaves are tiny! They've all gotten the same treatment, soil, light and amount of water so this confuses me.

Apart from that. today I went shopping and picked up a ph tester (ph is fine, just under 7), thermometer (low 80's, not too bad right?), a spray mister for watering, a timer for flowering and some bigger pots for whenever I need to transplant. Seems like I've got a pretty decent set up. I also wouldn't mind getting my hands on some mylar and some seeds for a future grow but I'm broke now til payday :( Anyways I've included a pic of the current set-up (added a fan a few days ago to help with the temps, which it is doing nicely :) )

Oh man, the Jamstigator has sopken, he's so right - It takes ages and ages to flower some strains (well it seems like it!!!).
Is there no way you can rig something to water them while you are away?

Kudos to J - and All the best to you (have a great vacation)

Thanks although vacation time is a while away yet.

I suppose I could rig something to water them but I just don't fancy having the lights going for 2 and a half weeks while I'm gone. Like I said, I'll do some learning with this one (like next time have CFLs for veg as the heat in this room with HPS going 24hrs is killing me lol) and get better next time.Next grow, I'll have plenty of time and a bit of experience when I start again in mid November. :cool:

Anyone got any ideas why two of my babies are runts? Any other advice/implorement is more than welcome ;)

And yeah, while I think of it, has anyone smoked some easy bud from femaleseeds.nl?

Hello Zoid, :)

You'll want to work with your venting... that will be a hassle if you don't nail it.

You're still relatively 'ok' regarding the schedule... but start working on the venting.
If the budget isn't constraining, get a good, high-quality fan from one of the hydro shops.
Something like a Fantech or a similar thing.
At the very least, you'll want to exchange the air inside that cabinet every 5 minutes.

Are your plants getting fresh air?
NOTE: Fresh air is NOT air from the room... from 'around the house'. No, fresh air is air from OUTSIDE the house. f r e s h
The plants needs fresh air, or they'll get stunned in their growth.
They'll still grow... yes they will... but not at the rate/performance they're capable of.

The other thing, is that you're going to want to start light-proofing your cabinet. That's a task that can be a little daunting. When you 12/12 your girls, you need a perfectly BLACK enviroment for them. No ifs, ands or buts. p i t c h b l a c k

Your setup looks good. :)

Best to you buddy,

-turtle420 :cool:
.

Hey Turtle,

Thanks for the advice. At the moment, I have the fan in the picture going all day (it moves from side to side) and the wardrobe doors are always open so air does get shifted around all day.

I would say the guys get some fresh air, probably not enough. I live in the middle of the city so I've had to black out the windows of this room. I tested the light a few days ago, took a walk outside my apartment and there was this hugely noticable orange glow from my house. Looked like the room was being visited by god from the outside lol.

However, the door of this room is always open and whenever I'm home I open all adjacent doors and windows which should allow some fresh air. I'll need to work on it though.

I should be able to manage perfect darkness for 12/12 easy enough. Especially now the winter months are coming, there will be less than 12 hours light anyway so I can control that aspect ok.

When you say venting, what do you mean? The wardrobe is a built-in feature of my place so I can't exactly start drilling holes in it and using extractor fans. I notice a lot of the guys on here vent hot air up into their attics. Apart from the DIY aspect that I wouldn't be very good at, I don't have an attic to vent to. Ideally, I'd like to get some decent curtains or blinds in this room and be able to keep the window open. Would this be a good alternative?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Zoidberg

Thanks for the advice.

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My pleasure. :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Zoidberg

Looked like the room was being visited by god from the outside lol.

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Ahahahaa!!!
I know EXACTLY what you mean man...
HA!
Various nights, my neighbors must have thought I was conducting cold fusion experiments or something in that room. HA!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Zoidberg

Ideally, I'd like to get some decent curtains or blinds in this room and be able to keep the window open. Would this be a good alternative?

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I think this is the best alternative... and your best bet.

If you can't drill holes here and there...
hmmm.... thinking (slow process, as I find my self weedless right now)...

thinking....


Ok, I saw a grow video once, where the guy built a small "box/wall" behind his window. Just for the window opening.
He hung up some blinds... cracked opened the windows... and installed the box/wall behind the curtains.

This way, he could drill all he wanted into his box, which would provide him with his fresh air and exhaust needs.

Maybe you can do something like that.

Reason I'm being so hard on you, is because I was there.
I mean, we have to face reality here.

How practical is it to have the closet doors open all the time, with a fan perched up blowing air into it?

Don't feel bad man!!!
I'm telling you, I was there.
It's super good when you nail a part of your grow problems... super satisfactory.

But, those are my thoughts.
If you can't drill/cut the closet... maybe get a cool tube... that will definitely help you with the temps of the bulb.
(((I know, I know... here:::: cool tube = Pyrex Bake-A-Round @ eBay.... no problem)))


What do you think?
Just some thoughts :)

-turtle420 :cool:
.

Thanks again turtle. Hmmm, the box wall certainly sounds do-able and would be pretty easy to make. I guess I'd just need extractor and intake fans that I could plug into the wall.

Just been having a look at cool tubes too. The 'real' cool tubes look a bit pricey, so loving the price of the pyrex bake-a-round (the name is so appropriate heh). Do I just slip the tube over my existing bulb or do I need anything else? Looks very good!

Still though, I'm looking the at the cool tube jamstigator has in the pic he posted. I notice he has a pipe coming from the cool tube and going up through his wardrobe. Is this venting necessary? (I'm guessing yes....or else what's the point, right?) This wouldn't be possible for me. I'd have to attach the cool tube pipe to the box wall (that would be about 6ft away). The girlfriend would never go for that.....well, some persuasion maybe.

It actually is quite practical for me to have the wardrobe open and the fan perched all day btw. I've got my grow going in my box room which just houses this computer and that's about it.

Ah the complications! If I still lived in the country, this would be a whole lot easier! Damn city livin'

Hey Zoid! :)
If you have a powerful exhaust fan, you can forego [sp?] the intake fan... as the exhaust fan will create a vacuum.... which will pull air IN through your intake tube.
Passive intake is what we call it.

There's a good thread in the.... here
http://boards.cannabis.com/showthread.php?t=38520
It's Mellow Man's cool tube How To.

Being inspired by him, I did my own:::
http://boards.cannabis.com/showthrea...t=34726&page=6
post #148

RE::: Jamstigator's cool tube setup.
Yeah, the venting is necessary.
I'm sure the open-end of his cool tube is the intake, and he just pushed air outside the box.
That's the idea... to keep all that hot air the bulb produces, and keep it separated from the grow box's enviroment.

As to the 6ft drying machine duct going to the wall/box, that's the thing I was guessing.
You're going to end up with two or three wierd stuff 'out of place' in your room.

BUT, if that's the "box" room... and it's the computer and the grow stuff in there... Go for it!!!

Wise Words::::
It is better to say you're sorry than to ask for permission.
;)

Let us know how it goes man! :)

Been doing a bit of looking around and I think I'll get one of these grow tents like the bud box. It seems like a good solution as it's light proof, I can leave the window open at all times. I'll get an extractor fan/carbon filter in there and blow it out the window. :) I love it when a plan comes together. Only problem is the expense really, but it'll be worth it in the end! :rasta:

Anyway, here's some piccies from day 6. I've still got two good growers but now only one gimp. The other plant is doing much better now. I've just to name them now. I think the big one should be Chuck Norris, no idea what to name the rest lol. Chuck's stem doesn't seem to be the strongest as I came home today to find it leaning to one side but a bit of packed soil did the job. I also turned down the fan a notch too. Anyway, here's the pics.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Zoidberg

Been doing a bit of looking around and I think I'll get one of these grow tents like the bud box. It seems like a good solution as it's light proof, I can leave the window open at all times. I'll get an extractor fan/carbon filter in there and blow it out the window. :) I love it when a plan comes together. Only problem is the expense really, but it'll be worth it in the end! :rasta:

Anyway, here's some piccies from day 6. I've still got two good growers but now only one gimp. The other plant is doing much better now. I've just to name them now. I think the big one should be Chuck Norris, no idea what to name the rest lol. Chuck's stem doesn't seem to be the strongest as I came home today to find it leaning to one side but a bit of packed soil did the job. I also turned down the fan a notch too. Anyway, here's the pics.

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Chuck Norris ftw man =D

Good luck on your grow, it's always helpfull to do a test-run with the lights and some plants, I think everyone should, Just to get the hang of it.

Cheers

Total

Hello there, day 8 is upon me and my seedlings and Chuck Norris' dominance continues over his siblings. Er.....I understand I want Chuck Norris to be a female but I can't refer to Chuck as 'she' or 'her'.

Anyway, the gimp is still a gimp but the others are doing nicely. I've been bringing the light closer to the seedlings each day and now they're a shade over 12 inches away from the lamp and doing fine. I've included some pics! I'm pretty happy the way things are going so far. Can't wait to get my budbox and extractor fan now. I also want a conversion bulb so they get some blue spectrum light and I don't have to buy another ballast. :) Anyone care to recommend a 400w conversion bulb?

Edit: if you have a look at the first pic below, see the leave slightly curl at the sides? Should I be worried about this?

Hey Zoid, just my opinion but i think you should move that light at least 6-12 inches further away pronto, they're not nearly big enuff to use the amount of light they'll be getting from just over a foot away, you can only really hurt them. They can take a little time to show signs of heat damage and when you realise it's too late. I don't wanna see your seedlings fry!

Cheers for the heads up man. I've moved them to 20 inches away now.

I can see that Chuck is developing 3 more nodes now. I'd say that in a week, it will be coming along nicely.

Hey there,

today is day 13! Chuck Norris is still kicking ass.

Anyway, I'll probably post some pics later but I've noticed some lower leaves yellowing. I'm taking this as a sign that the babies need some N so I made a fairly weak Biobizz bio-grow feed (0.5ml/litre) and fed the plants yesterday.

They're still growing nicely but there's still yellowing of the lower leaves. Note that this isn't nute burn as they have not been fed any nutes before. The soil is biobizz all-mix. How soon should I see some effects of this feed?

Thanks,

Z

Chuck Norris is a pussy! Well, that's what you're hoping, anyway. ;)

Dunno anything about biobizz stuff, so can't comment, but hope the prob gets fixed!

Looks like you might have some juicy buds in time for Christmas! I have some plants (Blue Mystic) on basically the same schedule as you here, so hopefully I will have some juicy Christmas buds too.

Thanks for the reply man. You'd be proud - I'm slowly building up a nice grow space. My extractor fan arrived today and I expect the budbox to come soon :) Eventually, I'll get a cool tube and I'll be set up :) Here's a few pics of the kids in the wardrobe before their new luxury home is set up. You can see the yellowing of the leaves. I read that added nitrogen will take a week to show its effects but all seems healthy otherwise.

bump.. this is interesting dont let it die

yeah im liking this lol

Don't worry, I'll be keeping this one going until harvest. It's great to get people's opinions and advice, plus it helps me by keeping a record of where I'm at. Still waiting for my budbox to arrive (tomorrow hopefully....) and I'll be posting pics then. At the moment, Chuck Norris is kicking total ass. It's taking well to the nutes! :D Cheers for all your help and comments so far, it's greatly appreciated.

Well, I got my tent on Friday and began the long process of setting it up. I had read one review of a growtent by a guy who claimed to have put it up in 15 minutes whilst stoned. I realise now that this was a lie. It took me hours to get everything set up. It's really a 2 person job. Anyway, below are pics of the tent and the set-up.

It's great to have a tent where I can control everything but the downside is - it's frickin' huge! Notice in the picture of the tent, I am outside the room taking the photo so I've had to move everything else out of that room! The girlfriend is not impressed with this but what can I do! I realise now that I will definitely need a cool-tube for this type of set-up as it does get rather warm in the tent even with the fans and extractors working. For the time being, I have the extractor fan on the top of the tent because I have nothing to suspend it with inside. It's a noisy mofo so that'll have to go on the inside soon enough.

The funny thing is, it's really an overkill set-up for my 3 plants but I plan to grow 10 or so Northern Lights in there starting mid-November. Anyway, what do you dudes think? Am I missing anything in my setup?

Cheers, Z

I'd do like you said, put the fan inside, the filter outside, and get (or make) a cooltube. But looks pretty rockin' to me! Never seen one of these grow tents in action before. Looking forward to you kicking ass with it! ;)

Cheers man. Just wondering, why would you put the filter outside? I've only ever seen people's setups with it inside. Can't wait til the tent sees some flowering action! I'm really gonna fill the tent up in future grows :D Well, I'll try anyway.

Hey there, just a quick update. Today is day 27. The plants have been coming along nicely in the past week or so. I've had a bit of lower leaf yellowing but apart from that all is good. I've ordered a cool tube so I'm going to wait until that gets here to post more pics. I also ordered some PH uppers/downers for my water because I recently bought a really good PH tester and discovered my tap water has a very high PH. I think a nice flush is in order just to be sure that I don't have PH lock-out once the stuff arrives.

Sorry, nothing too exciting. I just want to keep this thread up to date because I'm using it as a reference for myself! Pictures soon!

Cheers,

Z

Is the light still close to the plants? They still look burned to me, dude.

The light is about 2 feet above the plants. I don't think they're being burned because the top leaves are fine, it's only the bottom leaves that are yellowing. Temps are kept around 29 degrees when the lights are on. Either way, the cool tube should be able to sort it out if they are burned.

Hey zoidberg, things are looking good, like the tent, i wanted one but being a cheapskate made my own! Kinda funny your 3 little ones in such a big space ha ha but i'm sure you'll have it looking like a jungle soon enuff!

Sooooooon! :) Nah, when I get back from my hols in mid November, I'm getting started on a big crop of northern lights. It does look a bit ridiculous now though! Complete overkill ;)

Yes, today is the day I got my cool tube. Took quite a while to wire everything up and have optimal conditions but I got there in the end. I believe I can stop screwing around now! :) Anyway, pics are below, today is day 31 of veg, still a bit small so I might wait another week/a few more inches to throw them into flower (wanted to wait until they showed sex). They seem to be doing well although I noticed a few rough, bright yellow, brittle edges on the leaves of one plant so I gave it a precautionary flush. Soil Ph is 6.8 and everything seems good :) Let me know if you have any thoughts or comments :)