Phat Jays 1st Grow (belated log w/pics)

I wanted to post this log earlier, but without pictures it seemed a bit pointless. I have borrowed a digital camera, so I thought I would post it up now. This is a low budget first grow, using begged, borrowed and scavenged equipment. Any comments or questions are welcome.


Grow Cabinet (by cabinet, I mean wardrobe)

Height 60" x Width 36" x Depth 19"
The entire cabinet including doors are lined with Mylar

1 x 3.5" Computer fan (extraction)
1 x 6" Desk fan (air movement and air induction)
1 x 2.5" Computer fan (air movement around lights/top of plants)


Lighting

Vegging (18 - 6) 1 x 125 Watt CFL (Blue Spectrum) (Vegged for 39 Days)
Flowering (12 - 12) 2 x 125 Watt CFL (Red Spectrum)


Growing Medium

Cann Coco Plus


Plants

I am growing from 2 cuttings. I do not know the variety, but I have smoked bud, grown from cuttings taken from the same female as mine are and it kicked my ass.


Nutrients

Day 0 - Day 14 - Canna Start (Weak Solution)
Day 15 - Day 39 - Cannazyme, Hydroveg A, Hydroveg B, Roots Accelurator.
Day 40 - DAy 50 - (Don`t know what I am using atm)
Day 51 - Day 54 - Ran out of food and gave them Tap Water.
Day 54 ->>>>> - (Don`t know what I am using atm)

I am getting the food from a friend pre mixed and PH tested. I have no way of checking PH at the moment. I am watering using Tap Water which I leave standing for at least 24 hours before use. I plan to get a PH meter in the next week or so. I think watering my plants for 4 days straight with tap water has caused some leaf damage (pics coming soon).


Feeding Schedule

2 Days of nutes, 1 day of water. Feeding/watering when the lights first turn on.


Lessons Learned Already

You can burn your plants with CFL`s - I experimented with how close I could get the lights to my plants and managed to burn a couple of leaves. I now leave 2-3" gap between my plants and the lights.


Pic Taken on Day 53 (13 days into flower)

http://imgur.com/EnxNM

More pics to follow shortly (as soon as I work out how to properly use this digital camera I have borrowed).

wow nice setup i like the idea of the mylar block sitting on the pot around the plant. I bet that helps get the bottom leaves more light.

Although i cant see the pics unless i click on the link, i would suggest if you would need some advice, to post an IMG code or upload them to the site so ppl can easily see your pics while reading the info youve posted.

But overall i will be around to watch this grow i have one going on in my closet but have been looking into a cabinet/wardrobe setup.

Good luck, and BTW how old are they?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by superskunk1

wow nice setup i like the idea of the mylar block sitting on the pot around the plant. I bet that helps get the bottom leaves more light.

Although i cant see the pics unless i click on the link, i would suggest if you would need some advice, to post an IMG code or upload them to the site so ppl can easily see your pics while reading the info youve posted.

But overall i will be around to watch this grow i have one going on in my closet but have been looking into a cabinet/wardrobe setup.

Good luck, and BTW how old are they?

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I added the mylar (its actually tin foil) around the base because I was getting a mould form on the soil. But it has helped the lower leaves a lot. The plants even grew new leaves around the base after I added them.

I don't think I can add pictures until I have a higher post count.

That pic was taken on day 53. I am currently on day 55.

o you are probably right about the post count i started my first thread at around 20 posts.

And like i said that was a great idea although i dont know how that prevented mold (maybe your humitidy it high?) and glad to heat more growth along the bottom of the stem.

I hope your next grow will be posted on here as these babies look great, everyone learns something new everytime.

Goodluck hope your yeild is exactly what you expected

Here are some more pics now that I have got to grips with this camera. Click on the images for hi-res versions.

http://imgur.com/2BLp0l.jpg

http://imgur.com/o8NLQl.jpg

http://imgur.com/3oaDDl.jpg

http://imgur.com/39dDHl.jpg

http://imgur.com/XOTHfl.jpg

http://imgur.com/SsEnul.jpg

and the 1st image again, now that I know how to link with a thumbnail.

http://imgur.com/EnxNMl.jpg

Quote:

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Originally Posted by superskunk1

And like i said that was a great idea although i dont know how that prevented mold (maybe your humitidy it high?) and glad to heat more growth along the bottom of the stem.

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I think this mold problem is specific to me. I live in a very old house with a damp problem. The mold is in the walls, under the floors and in the air, basically everywhere. It grows on anything dark colored or damp, so I wasn't surprised when it started to make a home on the dark moist canna coco. Simply depriving it of a light source, prevents it from growing.

O ok i understand, gotta work with what you got.

But besides that those ladies are looking great, nice pics as well

looking good matey, surprised what some people can do with those CFL's still..
I do find it strange your using such quality (and expensive) nutrients for your plants instead of investing in some more powerful lights (HPS / MH) but on second thought its good that you have this as a starting setup so you can learn all the tips and tricks :thumbsup:

A quick tip regarding the mold, hydrogen peroxide will remove the mold and also is a great fertilizer when used in small amounts. Check the below page for the exact amounts used, ive used their ratio when i had small amounts of mould on my clones and the results were spectacular!

Mixing charts for gardening with hydrogen peroxide

Congrats mate and all the best :jointsmile:

[quote=tristan1986]I do find it strange your using such quality (and expensive) nutrients for your plants instead of investing in some more powerful lights (HPS / MH) but on second thought its good that you have this as a starting setup so you can learn all the tips and tricks :thumbsup:/QUOTE]

The food is being provided for free. I also don't have a PH meter yet. When I do start my own feeding, I don't plan on using expensive foods. Like you I think expensive food is overkill on a basic setup like mine. If a friend is kind enough to gift me some food for my first grow, I would be a fool to say no.

;)

Thanks for the tips on the mold.

As I mentioned earlier in my log, I am getting my food pre mixed and PH tested. I ran out of food for 4 days and had to feed my ladies Tap Water (which I left standing for a minimum of 24 hours). On the second day that I restarted feeding I noticed some leaf damage and I wanted to confirm that it is the Tap Water that has caused the problem or if I should be looking for another cause. The leaf damage seems to have slowed down since I switched back to the food.

The damaged leaves (about 4 on one plant and 2 on the other) either get minor damage on the edges (like pic 1) or get a "rusty" sheen all over the leaf before looking like the second picture.

I have a PH tester arriving later today, so if it is my tap water, I should be able to eradicate the problem.

Minor leaf damage (pic 1) click for hi-res version
http://imgur.com/7eu1sl.jpg

Major leaf damage (pic 2) click for hi-res version
http://imgur.com/Wopqcl.jpg

Quote:

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Originally Posted by PhatJay

I think this mold problem is specific to me. I live in a very old house with a damp problem. The mold is in the walls, under the floors and in the air, basically everywhere. It grows on anything dark colored or damp, so I wasn't surprised when it started to make a home on the dark moist canna coco. Simply depriving it of a light source, prevents it from growing.

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I feel like you could be trapping more moisture in the soil using those reflective blocks... If the water doesn't have a way to evaporate off the soil surface, a whole new set of problems will likely pop up.

Things seem to be going ok. I have a few more of the larger fan leaves showing damage (like in the last post) but apart from that, the ladies seem fine. I will be switching to a new nute mixture in the next few days, which contains Bloom Bastic. Hopefully that will help fatten these girls up.

(click pics for hi-res versions)

Plant C Main Cola - top - taken just before the lights came on

http://imgur.com/CvMeTl.jpg


Plant C Main Cola - lower shot

http://imgur.com/NYyK4l.jpg


Plant C Main Cola - top (with damaged leaf in background)

http://imgur.com/hGeSKl.jpg

Plant B - lower shot

http://imgur.com/FfM4Pl.jpg

In case you were wondering, Plant A died as a cutting and was replaced with Plant C.

They looks nice :greenthumb:

But the only thing that worries me is the purple/browning along the stem, this has happened with a few of my babies and it is because of over-nuting the plant. (also happens in cold temps but i dont think thats the case)

To correct it i did a proper flush, on one plant i didnt flush and simply feed it water the next time, and it started to loose the browning and began to green up again.
:jointsmile:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by superskunk1

But the only thing that worries me is the purple/browning along the stem, this has happened with a few of my babies and it is because of over-nuting the plant. (also happens in cold temps but i dont think thats the case)

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I must admit that the red/purple in the stems had me really worried at one point. Mainly because in the nutrients sticky, it mentions that red stems can indicate a potassium shortage. But then I also read here that some strains have red stripes in the main stems.

I really want to do a flush, but the brand new spare PH meter a friend had, turned out to be a Nutrient Meter (I bought it anyway). So I still don't have a way to test and alter the PH of my water (the food is premixed and PH tested). I live in a hard water area with a PH of 7.5, I am worried that if I flush with this, I might create another problem.

Getting a PH meter and some PH down is now top of my todo list and as soon as I have one, I will take your advice. Growing on a tight budget limits my options and can be frustrating at times. But once I have my 1st crop, I won't have to spend money buying weed and can redirect those funds into equipment.

Thanks for the advice and glad you like the pics. :thumbsup:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by PhatJay

I must admit that the red/purple in the stems had me really worried at one point. Mainly because in the nutrients sticky, it mentions that red stems can indicate a potassium shortage. But then I also read here that some strains have red stripes in the main stems.

I really want to do a flush, but the brand new spare PH meter a friend had, turned out to be a Nutrient Meter (I bought it anyway). So I still don't have a way to test and alter the PH of my water (the food is premixed and PH tested). I live in a hard water area with a PH of 7.5, I am worried that if I flush with this, I might create another problem.

Getting a PH meter and some PH down is now top of my todo list and as soon as I have one, I will take your advice. Growing on a tight budget limits my options and can be frustrating at times. But once I have my 1st crop, I won't have to spend money buying weed and can redirect those funds into equipment.

Thanks for the advice and glad you like the pics. :thumbsup:

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Ya try too get PH down and PH up (PH down is very strong and just a little can change PH dramatically)

It also might be a nutrient lockout because of not knowing what the PH is, i am going through the same problems, and funds is always an obstacle.

Also im not to sure if its OK to flush a plant in flower but what i do know is dont try to change the PH quickly, meaning if your PH is 5.7 try to get it to 6.0 then the next watering 6.3 then 6.5 as i heard that rapidly increasing the PH to try and balance it might stress the plant.


:jointsmile:

Heh, we're in the same boat with the pH frustrations. I am finding myself without a proper meter in times of low income. Your buds looks great though - I can't wait to see how it turns out!

I think it's looking great so far!

I don't know if the coloring of the stems are a real problem though. I have purple stripes on the stalks and the stems of the fans leaves are almost completely purple, but the plant is still looking quite healthy.

Besides that keep up the good work, the buds are looking might fine :rastasmoke:

K

Last night I overhauled my ventilation system. Some of the leaves around the top of the plants were showing signs of "transpiring" (getting rid of water to cool down). I had noticed that the air coming out the extractor fan was luke warm, but I didn't think it was a problem (I was wrong). I am hoping this is the source of the leaf damage I was getting.

I added yet another computer fan to move air around the tops of the plants and changed the power supply to a higher voltage one, making the existing fans spin faster. I now have 4 fans in total and the air coming out the extractor fan is cool.


http://imgur.com/1xqq9l.jpg



Tonight I addressed the possible issue highlighted by Faddenator.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Faddenator

I feel like you could be trapping more moisture in the soil using those reflective blocks... If the water doesn't have a way to evaporate off the soil surface, a whole new set of problems will likely pop up.

---

I have been pondering this post for a while. I didn't want to remove the covers that had stopped mould forming on the coco surface, but I didn't want to suffocate my roots either. While browsing a grow shop magazine, I noticed they sold a product called "Cube Caps" that does exactly what my covers do, except they have ventilation holes in the sides. So I modified my covers.


http://imgur.com/Meopil.jpg

http://imgur.com/qszEGl.jpg


Thanks Faddenator, I wasn't ignoring your advice, I just needed time to come up with a solution to both problems. :thumbsup:

I made a mistake with the labelling of the pics in the the Feb 2nd post. All the pics labelled plant C are B, and all the pics labelled plant B are C. :i feel stupid:

So... tonight I took a pic of plant C

Click Image for hi-res version

http://imgur.com/LYRbyl.jpg

Plant C

Click Image for hi-res version


http://imgur.com/fFGPDl.jpg

Quote:

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Originally Posted by PhatJay

Tonight I addressed the possible issue highlighted by Faddenator.

I have been pondering this post for a while. I didn't want to remove the covers that had stopped mould forming on the coco surface, but I didn't want to suffocate my roots either. While browsing a grow shop magazine, I noticed they sold a product called "Cube Caps" that does exactly what my covers do, except they have ventilation holes in the sides. So I modified my covers.

Thanks Faddenator, I wasn't ignoring your advice, I just needed time to come up with a solution to both problems. :thumbsup:

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No problem, Jay. That's a really cool solution by the way, I may have to utilize this next time around :thumbsup:

The leaf damage I have been getting has slowed down but it seems to be moving up the plant. The first leaves to show damage were in the top of the canopy and then on the larger fan leaves surrounding the main cola's. Now it is showing on the small leaves around the cola. New growth on the plant seems unaffected.

I am thinking of cutting feeding to alternate days, instead of 2 days on 1 day off. But my girls are 4 weeks 3 days into flower and I intend to stop feeding at the six week mark. So I am undecided.

anyway here's a pic...

click for a hi-res version

http://imgur.com/NJyBGl.jpg

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by PhatJay

I have been pondering this post for a while. I didn't want to remove the covers that had stopped mould forming on the coco surface, but I didn't want to suffocate my roots either. While browsing a grow shop magazine, I noticed they sold a product called "Cube Caps" that does exactly what my covers do, except they have ventilation holes in the sides. So I modified my covers.

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Neat! Have you ever tried Tyvek? I ask because it's a vapor barrier that lets moisture breathe one way and is mold resistant. They use it for sub-siding home wrap but I imagine it would work well for pot covers. I may have to try it on some of my hops starts to test it.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by PhatJay

The leaf damage I have been getting has slowed down but it seems to be moving up the plant. The first leaves to show damage were in the top of the canopy and then on the larger fan leaves surrounding the main cola's. Now it is showing on the small leaves around the cola. New growth on the plant seems unaffected.

I am thinking of cutting feeding to alternate days, instead of 2 days on 1 day off. But my girls are 4 weeks 3 days into flower and I intend to stop feeding at the six week mark. So I am undecided.

anyway here's a pic...

click for a hi-res version

http://imgur.com/NJyBGl.jpg

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What's your total P number? I would guess (probably wrong) that it's too high from the way the leaves look. I could be totally wrong and the shape could be completely genetic. The plants look really healthy otherwise. I just noticed that the petiole on one side is read and the others are greenish.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jakester

Have you ever tried Tyvek? I ask because it's a vapor barrier that lets moisture breathe one way and is mold resistant.

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I havn't heard of it, but I will definately check it out.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by jakester

What's your total P number?

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Um... P number? Do you mean the amount of Phosphorus in my food? If so, my food is pre-mixed and I don't know. I have asked a few times for more detailed information on the food I am getting, but sofar it hasn't materialised. I really need to get this information sorted out, else this free food is going to hinder instead of help me.

Right, phosphorus. That would be good to find out. They look great regardless.

Watered yesterday and fed today, so now I am on 1 day on 1 day off feeding. Will keep this up till the end of the week and see how they react.

I forgot to mention it in my log, but the last 5 days the smell from my plants decreased considerably, most notably, the unripe tomatoey smell that they give off when the lights go out. Today that smell returned.

Plant C (battery is 1.75" x 1")

Click for hi-res version

http://imgur.com/2JYaQl.jpg

Plant B (battery is 1.75" x 1")

Click for hi-res version

http://imgur.com/gNf5Wl.jpg

Looking real nice jay keep up the good work :thumbsup:
They have more time to go and just from the pics they already are giving me the munchies :eat:

Looking good JAY!! :thumbsup:

looks awesome!!

Yo where you been? Updates! Pix!

I noticed 1 or 2 of the pistils started to turn brown about 2 days ago and the plants are really starting to stink now.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by aquanaut

Yo where you been? Updates! Pix!

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Here ya go buddy, feast your eyes on these....

(Click pics for hi-res versions)

Plant C
http://imgur.com/xQpNul.jpg

Plant C
http://imgur.com/6mjcil.jpg

Plant B (I think)
http://imgur.com/u80JIl.jpg

Plant B (Fo shure)
http://imgur.com/FhlNhl.jpg

Looking real nice. :thumbsup:

Click for Hi-res versions

Plant C Main Cola
http://imgur.com/nK5hEl.jpg

Plant B Side Buds
http://imgur.com/l60ffl.jpg

Fed my girls for the last time. Seems odd that after attending to their every need for the last 3 months, I am now going to starve them and then hack them to pieces. :sadcrying

I have been quite busy since my last post. I have bought another light and started vegging my second grow. I now have all the kit I need to do my own food and water and I have also bought a 30x pocket microscope, so I can look at the trichomes.

The lower buds seem to be maturing faster than the main colas (well they have more brown pistils) I don't know if this is normal?

Anyway.... here are some new pics.. I think these illustrate the size of the main colas much better than any of the earlier ones I have taken.

(click for hi-res versions)
Plant C main cola
http://imgur.com/bgJ62l.jpg

Plant C main cola
http://imgur.com/1grUyl.jpg

Plant C main cola
http://imgur.com/ai5U1l.jpg

Plant B main cola
http://imgur.com/EMBbGl.jpg

Plant B lower buds (this pic is was taken below the above pic)
http://imgur.com/SA7sdl.jpg

Woooow real nice
Hope you get a good yield out of those.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by superskunk1

Hope you get a good yield out of those.

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Me to... :D I think I will get about 1-1.5oz a plant. I was hoping to get 2oz a plant. But I think I have done ok for a 1st time grow.

Took some photos tonight but they were all rubbish except for this one. I will take some more tomorrow before the lights come one.
http://imgur.com/SLUapl.jpg

:woohoo::weedpoke::detective1::yippee:

I examined my buds with my $10 cheapass 30x pocket microscope, invest in one, they:asskick: 1 bud had 15% rusty trichomes! :D 3 others had about 5 -10 % rusty trichs. About 30-40% of the tricks were clear on the buds and the remainder were cloudy. My girls are are very close to harvest :)

I could only test the higher buds and not the main colas, because it's really hard to keep a microscope still without anything to lean against. Not a fault of the microscope, which is excellent and gives some amazing images. I am glad I didnt buy a slightly more expensive 60x - 100x because I think I would find it impossible use by hand.

One thing from stopping me harvesting now, is that the plants have showed no signs of food/nutrient deficiency since I stopped feeding them 7 days ago. But I don't want to leave it too much longer because most of those buds are within 48-72 hours of being perfect for harvest in my opinion.

Some looking buds you have there :greenthumb: