Floro cabinet grow in week 5

this is my second grow overall my first grow i actually did in the areogarden alone and while i did have some small sucess with it let just say the plants were dwarfs compared to these ones. This time id actually like to get a yield that i can have around for more than a week or so. I switched to soil and its seemed to have paid off so far.

i started with 3 seeds 1 didn't pop. i germanated with the good ole papertowel bowl and saucer trick. moved them to peat pellets and have repotted them twice since the inital greenhouse phase. Im in week 5 and have just repotted to 5 gal buckets. Plant A is untrimmed compleatly and plant B ive topped and trimmed and i think im gonna do some LST on it once it recovers. im going to start flowering at the end of week 6 or maybe week 7. Im using 215w actual of florecent lighting at 5500k whitch gives me around 4875 lumens per square foot overall. While i am using miracle grow products i am being very careful not to over do the feedings about 1/2 the recomended dosage of tomato nutes whitch is 18-21-18. i do that once a week and just plain water every other time i started that at the begining of week 4. As the MG micro max already has nutes in it ive read its really easy to burn your plants but ive also readt that you can be sucessful if your careful. Also ive added about 30% perlite to the mix whitch you really cant see on the top but i promise you its in there.

As far as my seed stock goes I'm using bag seed and while i know thats not the prefered method but i had veen getting some pretty decent stuff from a long time source that has recently moved. being that i loved the strain, while not knowing what it was i knew that i loved the smoke... So near the end i started looking for healthy looking seeds and stored them so i could reproduce the bud that i had come to love. ill attach a pic of one of the buds i got the seeds from when i figure out how.

also i cant seem to attach photos in this thread? not sure why but its not giving me the option.

Sometimes you need a certain post count for attachments. Try uploading to photobucket.com first and then linking here with the link (globe + paperclip) icon or picture (mountain pic) icon above the reply text box.

Pic 1 is what i got the seeds from

http://i1010.photobucket.com/albums/...d/thedonor.jpg

Pic 2 is 2 weeks old

[IMG]http://i1010.photobucket.com/albums/af221/drbagseed/week2.jpg
[/IMG]

Pic 3 is the day i transplanted ti the 5 gal buckets.

http://i1010.photobucket.com/albums/...eed/week55.jpg

Pic 4 is the big plant today

http://i1010.photobucket.com/albums/...growing002.jpg

They look really good man! I would say the one on the right looks ready for flowering in like a week! ;)

start week 6

So my big plant is now over a foot tall and the little guy that i topped and trimmed is about 8"... i have about 2 feet left of grow upwards in the closet... i think ill be ok to start flowering today just want a few second opinions.

I have gone out and purchased the low spectrum cfls and tubes I will need. my next watering will be without nutes... i guess if i have one question is when to start the flowering nutes? do i wait til i see the flowers or if i do start to flower today just add it to the next cycle?

here are a couple of pics of what were looking like this morning.

http://i1010.photobucket.com/albums/...ngweek6001.jpg

http://i1010.photobucket.com/albums/...ngweek6002.jpg

Yeah, I would start flowering the one on the right today. With CFL's poor light penetration you don't want it getting much bigger as they will continue to stretch for the 1st 2 weeks of flower.

I can't help on the nutes question as I don't grow in soil.

... oh and they look really healthy btw, nice work. :thumbsup:

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Originally Posted by PhatJay

Yeah, I would start flowering the one on the right today. With CFL's poor light penetration you don't want it getting much bigger as they will continue to stretch for the 1st 2 weeks of flower.

I can't help on the nutes question as I don't grow in soil.

... oh and they look really healthy btw, nice work. :thumbsup:

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thanks jay... i figure ill flower them both and if i get a small yield out of the second plant than i dont think it will bother me too much. also i think it will give me a chance to hang my lights at different levels so penetration is less of an issue...

as for any first time growers that see this make sure you do your homework and read as much as humanly possible before starting a grow. check multiple sources for info and cross referance that with what you already know. even with this grow im sure ive made some mistakes. On my first grow i went in pretty blind and didnt realize how important it was to pay attention to details as far as this grow is going so far... i realize that it takes time to become a seasoned vet. ive still yet to get a decent yield out of anything, but i think i have the veggie part down now. i dont mind taking small steps but the goal is obviously some sensi buds.

hopefully we have a couple of females here and we can be very happy. even if i get a hermie i think ill be satisfied cause from what i understand if you get one and let it seed than the majority of those seeds will be females. I could be wrong, but i think thats what i read. well off to flower i go keep your fingers crossed that i got some ladies!

in case you were wondering i do have some northern lights seeds that i did get from a reputable bank... just figured id use the bagseed to get my feet wet as not to just be experimenting with stuff i paid good money for.

so no suggestions on starting my bloom nutes?? i figure ill just water them normal tommorow and then in a few days start the bloom nutes, we'll see how it goes i guess.

started my 12/12 this morning... 6:30am made all the preperations for absolutly no light leaks....

also im still wondrering if i should start my bloom nutes right away or wait til next week? they are due for water tonight, so if i could get a little advice on this it would be appreciated.

im pretty suprized how much my plants have grown at the start of the 12/12 cycle when i woke them up yesterdaythey had grown almost 2 inches anyways here are some pics...


http://i1010.photobucket.com/albums/...day2rev002.jpg

http://i1010.photobucket.com/albums/...day2rev001.jpg


also im wondering how long until i can attach thumbnails... otherwise im gonna have to go pro on photo bucket and that seems like its not the way to go.

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Originally Posted by rikb631

also im wondering how long until i can attach thumbnails... otherwise im gonna have to go pro on photo bucket and that seems like its not the way to go.

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I think it is post 20, imgur.com is a great free image host. I also think you can add your photos to your album before 20 posts and just ask people to look at your album. Feel free to put 2 spam posts in my current grow log, if you want to get to 20.

I didn't want to comment on the nutes because I don't grow in soil, but I am pretty sure it is ok to start the bloom nutes when you switch the lights to 12/12.

went and picked up a bunch more lighting and hardware at the store today ill have more pics tonight after i wake up the babies...

found that GE 20w (=75w) soft white cfls are on sale 3 / $7.50 @ the local wally world they put out 1200 lumens ea. @ 2700k frequency. thought it was a deal so i grabbed some up. maybe worth a look for you lower budget folks like myself. also grabbed the last 3000k floro tube for the uprights... whitch leads me to this question about the frequency of the lighting...

So would it be better to run all my lights lower and higher frequency for the flowering for the extra lumens? or should i just stick with all the lower frequncy ones? if i just run the lower ones ill have about 5560 lumens/sq ft if i go with both it would be a little more than double that.

also after a couple of days of flowering i know now that i probably should have flowered sooner. its just a guess but the larger plant has grown about 2 inches each time ive shut the lights off. its almost unbelievable. i can still take the bottom shelf of my cabinet off if it really comes down to it but i was really hoping i could use the space to start some seedlings early for the northern lights grow i plan to do next.:thumbsup:

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Originally Posted by rikb631

So would it be better to run all my lights lower and higher frequency for the flowering for the extra lumens? or should i just stick with all the lower frequncy ones? if i just run the lower ones ill have about 5560 lumens/sq ft if i go with both it would be a little more than double that.

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The more light the better. Also, your plants will appreciate the broader range of light frequencies, having blue and red spectrums makes the light closer to natural light. If you can run all your lights, do it.

new pics of lighting change... also i could fit all of the lights but 2 in there at once so im gonna have to think it over about space management. also as you can see im running out of vertical room very quickly good thing i have the space below or id be screwed. im gonna have to find a new place to put my supplies. ;)

Hows the ventilation in your wardrobe/grow cabinet? I see you have a fan to circulate the air, but do you have extract or intake fans?

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Originally Posted by PhatJay

Hows the ventilation in your wardrobe/grow cabinet? I see you have a fan to circulate the air, but do you have extract or intake fans?

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If you look at the very top of the cab ( first pic of the latest ones) i have two 4 inch fans mounted. so id say its ok also i keep my cool mist humidifier in the space underneath. also there is another fan on the other side at the bottom that was previously mounted on the top.

here is a pic of the fans from the top... so anyways as you can see for this grow im utalizing the duct tape.

still no signs of preflowers whitch could be a very good thing... plants have grown about 7 inches since the last post. here are some pics.

also im wondering if i should trim up some of the droopy undergrowth that doesnt get much light... thoughts and tips are always welcome.

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Originally Posted by rikb631

here is a pic of the fans from the top... so anyways as you can see for this grow im utalizing the duct tape.

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Most of my grow is held together by duct tape. I'm not sure if it is possible to grow cannabis indoors without using it. :D

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Originally Posted by rikb631

also im wondering if i should trim up some of the droopy undergrowth that doesnt get much light... thoughts and tips are always welcome.

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Pruning out the the lower branches is something I havn't got a handle on yet. I'm too cautious and don't take out enough. If you do prune, it is best to do it in the veg period before they go into flower. Pruning during the flowering period can stress your plant making it more susceptable to pests, disease and herming. I pruned my plants on the 1st day of 12/12, which is a bit late really. They didn't seem to mind though, some strains are more tolerant than others.

Your girls look great. If your going to prune I would do it now but honestly since it is a bagseed I would just let it grow. I've hadn't had alot of luck with bagseeds in the past so now I try and be gentle. Some seeds thrive in anything. Next grow try giving the ladies 48 hours of total darkness, they tend to show signs of sex a few days quicker. Good luck during flower:jointsmile:

i think the bigger plant is a female!!! here is a pic of why i think so. im pretty excited about this fact!!

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Originally Posted by rikb631

i think the bigger plant is a female!!! here is a pic of why i think so. im pretty excited about this fact!!

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I spy with my little eye, two little "white hairs."

:thumbsup:

ya woke them up yesterday and fed them the bloom nutes (15-30-15) and bam bout 8 hours into the light cycle i noticed those hairs. almost went blind looking for them, but i found'em... this was the first bloom feeding. :thumbsup:

im considering culling the shorter one if i dont see any signs of sex by monday night, as i said b4 it wasnt the strongest plant from the start. i also made the mistake of putting it in the 5 gal pot too early. IMO it wasnt ready. i know this because the soil isnt drying out. i skipped the mid week watering this week and it was still moist about 5 inches down in the pot when i fed last night. Im also thinking i can position the lighting better around the healthier one to max out bud production.

these are my first real flowers on a plant that has been able to go through a decent veg cycle. next time i plan to go with some Fem seeds, so i can be sure not to waste time with my limited growing area. i may even go auto flower if i see something i like. thanks for the vote of confiednce jay... like i said i hope my plant looks 1/2 as nice as yours.

take clones from the bottom of your lady. It will cancel out the "needing fem seeds" aspect that was killing me before I couldn't clone. Don't give up hope on the little one. Practice cloning on her. Try getting her back outta the bucket and add perlite or stones to increase drainage. I hate to see a girl wasted:)Good luck on the rest of the grow it heathly girl looks great!

more pics... so i havent seen much on the branches as far as pistils goes here are a few pics of whats going on this morning.

so i ended up culling the shorter one chances are i went too crazy with the trimming along with repotting it too soon. i was running out of room for the strong plant that i knew was female she seemes to fit nicer in her new space. still 50/50 on if i should to start the veg again and use her as a mother or just go forward and compleate a life cycle and say ive actually got one done. id have to make a separate spot for flowering too and im a little constricted for space so while i may only get 1 plant this time next time i plan on knowing the genetics of my plant b4 i grow it. and will probably be better funded to produce a flowering area.

So she now stands approx 22 inches in hieght. I have about 20 inches of vertical grow space left. suggestions for some LST techniques that would be applicable for my space would be appreciated. Also if i top her will that slow the vertical growth much? is it too late to use the scrog method? basically any suggestions on maybe keeping this puppy from growing out the roof of my cabinet would be nice. anyways hers a pic of the changes i made today.

looks good man. just my opinion, i would take a cut off the top so that you will be able to continue another cycle. cause who knows, you might end up liking the way this plant effects you, even know you dont know its genetics. and if you take one off the top it will phocus the energy into the other 4 main branches, keeping it from getting so tall. not having much space does suck, but losing a strain that you may end up liking, sucks even more. good luck man!

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Originally Posted by G13budsmoker

looks good man. just my opinion, i would take a cut off the top so that you will be able to continue another cycle. cause who knows, you might end up liking the way this plant effects you, even know you dont know its genetics. and if you take one off the top it will phocus the energy into the other 4 main branches, keeping it from getting so tall. not having much space does suck, but losing a strain that you may end up liking, sucks even more. good luck man!

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wurd, agreed... it seems to grow nice as well. i do have twenty more seeds from this strain. once it really buds out im hoping to maybe get some guesses on what it is. when ever i got it from my connect it always had like 10 - 15 seeds per ounce and it was still dank... this would be my first time smoking it sensi though. i saved the healier seeds near the end. it would have been nice if i had saved some pollen from my last batch and pollenated one of these buds. but alas i failed there. maybe next time. also i t would be nice if i could get my hands on some strong pollen, but i hear a good male is hard to come by and that people dont give it up that easy.

i think im just going to flower this one so i can get a comfort level with the flowering. Im not the most expierienced grower so i dont want to ruin the one plant i have by chopping her up too much. also id like to determine how much i can expect to harvest from a plant of this strain. thanks for the advice though man besides i dont have any place to put a cloning set up right now. i will consider topping her just want to wait for a few more people to wiegh in on it b4 i just go snipping her to shreds.


also this morning im starting to notice lots of buds forming on the outer shoots and a few clusters on the main shoot... bout 5 or 6 more weeks til harvest hopefully. this maybe the most fun ive had since i fired an AT-4 rocket launcher in basic training!!! seriously im having a great time growing, it seems to be something ill be doing for a long time god willing. These are my baby steps right now. So while i may not have the best growing operation im having a great time with what i got.

so i had this on another post figured id add it to my grow log.... ive updated it a little too.

What is your experience level?
2nd time grower

Your Equipment:
.1) Type and wattage of lights.
florecent 261w actual.
.2) Distance from tops?
2- 4 inches
.3) Reflector type?
bare bulb
.4) Is there a consistent fresh air supply?
Yes
.5) Do you have an exhaust fan and a circulation fan?
Yes
.6) What are the bulb wattages, kelvin ratings, and schedule?
24/7 veggie.. 12/12 flower... bout half and half 2700k and 5500k and assorment 15w tubes, 20w 23w and 27w cfls.

Your medium:
.7) Specific brand and type of soil, and anything you've added to it.
Miracle Grow Micro Max w/ miracle grow peralite.
.8) Size of container.
5 gal
.9) Did you use peat pucks (or similar) to root clones or germinate seedlings?
Peat pucks, seedlings

Your nutrients and water:
10) Source of water?
Poland Springs
10.a)What's it's ph before adjusting?
7
11) Method of checking water ph.
Aqaruim test kit
12) Method of adjusting water ph.
n/a
13) Specific brand and N-P-K ratio for each bottle. List dosages (quantity per gallon) and current feeding schedule.
18-21-18 miracle grow tomato, miracle grow bloom booster 15-30-15 (flower) once per week. pending on time dosage was varied. 1/2 mix at week 4 on the tomato. full dose week 5. approx 3/4 of a gallon per feeding. full dosage of bloom started at the begining of the second week of flower.
14) How often are you watering between feedings, and how much per watering?
3 days after feeding i water bout 3/4 of a gallon of poland springs.
15) Any additives or tea's?
n/a
16) Are your ph levels stable, or do they fluctuate?
stable
17) What is your ingoing water's ph? ...your runoff ph?
7, runoff is 7 or 6 its hard to tell on the aquarium kit but it seems pretty stable.
18) Do you foliar feed? If so, with what, how often, and at what time do you spray?
Just water twice a day for the veggie. not spraying for flower

Your growroom:
19) Indoors or outdoors?
indoors
20) What size of closet, room or hut?
about 3.5 sq ft
21) What are the temps and humidity levels while lights are on? ...With lights off?
75 - 82... every now and again it will spike to 84 prolly every third day. 40% - 45% Humidity
22) Have you seen signs of insects in the growroom?
no

Your strain:
23) What strain are you growing?
Indica
24) From seeds or clones?
Seeds
25) Is this an autoflower strain?
No

these are my mater (tomato) plants i had the nutes and soil.i grow maters every year, so i figured id just use it for the pot seems. to have worked out ok my maters look worse than my indoors :D.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by rikb631

So she now stands approx 22 inches in hieght. I have about 20 inches of vertical grow space left. suggestions for some LST techniques that would be applicable for my space would be appreciated. Also if i top her will that slow the vertical growth much? is it too late to use the scrog method? basically any suggestions on maybe keeping this puppy from growing out the roof of my cabinet would be nice. anyways hers a pic of the changes i made today.

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Topping is done during the veg period and it can take a week or 2 for the plant to recover fully. I think it would be a bad idea to top now, it is going to stress your plant. I think your plant is about 11days into flower? The stretch stops after about 14 days.

A bit of LST'ing is your best bet imo. You could spread out the branches and train/tie down anything that is too tall. Something like this...

Cannabis Forums Message Boards - Medical Marijuana, Cannabis Club, Dispensary, News

ok so when i wake her up today ill do some of this lst'ing you speak of... i guess ill spend most of the day reading bout it i imagine its not rocket science... but ill be sure to read a few items on it. i think i had seen a video that said you could top at anytime,?, but im cautious to do so anyways so i think ill just let her grow and see what happens. thanks again jay.

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Originally Posted by rikb631

ok so when i wake her up today ill do some of this lst'ing you speak of... i guess ill spend most of the day reading bout it i imagine its not rocket science...

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It's a pretty simple process, I'm sure a man of your calibre won't have any problems doing it.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by rikb631

i think i had seen a video that said you could top at anytime?

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You may have done, but I have read quite a few bits and pieces on topping and fimming and they all do it in veg, I can only go by what I have read. If you come across some information that states otherwise, post up a link in the thread, I am still learning as well. :)

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Originally Posted by PhatJay

It's a pretty simple process, I'm sure a man of your calibre won't have any problems doing it.




You may have done, but I have read quite a few bits and pieces on topping and fimming and they all do it in veg, I can only go by what I have read. If you come across some information that states otherwise, post up a link in the thread, I am still learning as well. :)

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ya i think it was on one of th urban grower videos on you tube. i looked for it but i couldnt find it. maybe i was mistaken. ill prolly leave it alone anyways... gonna go pic up some string and start the lst at some point in the next day or two... i think it will help me further with the light penatration as well ill be able to hang the cfls on the side lower... if it is 14 days of streching i think the main shoot will be fine. that would bring it to saturday, on the average of about an inch and a half a day, that puts her around 28 inches or so by day 14 of flower.

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Originally Posted by rikb631

if it is 14 days of streching i think the main shoot will be fine. that would bring it to saturday, on the average of about an inch and a half a day, that puts her around 28 inches or so by day 14 of flower.

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The stretching will stop around 14 days, but the main cola/shoot will continue to push upwards as it develops. To give you an idea of how much to expect, my plants were 15" when I put them into flower. The canopy is now at 19-20" and the main cola is at 27".

we i have started to see some signs of budding on the side branches... also were at about twenty four inches today. heres a few more pics of my lovely lady. guess not much more to do but sit back and watch her grow.

so im trying to decide on wether or not i should tie down the main stalk of the plant. just woke the her up and were now at 25 1/2 inches tall. at the rate of an inch and a half a day by day 14 this will give me aproxx 31 inches of growth. assuming the strech stops there i will have about 16 inches of grow hieght left for the last 6 weeks of flowering. is this going to be enough space? should i tie down the main stalk as well? i guess what im asking is how much will she grow approx after the initial flowering streach should i expect? thanks again.

also im starting an outdoor grow on city/town protected wetlands. nobody goes in there... matter of fact its a pain in the ass to get to...just a bunch of crappy bagseeds, not the strain im growing now... just doing it for fun not really anything serious... ive been saving random bagseed for a few years. just tried to germinate about 30 seeds only about 16 of them popped. basically im mixing them all up in potting soil and just placing it out in a clearing in the woods... nothing too fancy but we'll see how they do. :thumbsup:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by rikb631

i will have about 16 inches of grow hieght left for the last 6 weeks of flowering. is this going to be enough space?

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Yes.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by rikb631

should i tie down the main stalk as well?

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If your CFL bulbs were mounted in a reflector, having a main cola sticking up above the canopy means that the lights are quite far from the secondary buds and this will decrease your yield. Because you have bare bulbs and can hang them around the main cola nearer the top of the canopy, training the main cola is not critical, as your secondary buds should still be close to your bulbs.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by PhatJay

Yes.



If your CFL bulbs were mounted in a reflector, having a main cola sticking up above the canopy means that the lights are quite far from the secondary buds and this will decrease your yield. Because you have bare bulbs and can hang them around the main cola nearer the top of the canopy, training the main cola is not critical, as your secondary buds should still be close to your bulbs.

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word... thanks again jay! you'd think that you were the only guy reading this. :cool: . ya i may not even bother with tie downs... ive been kinda moving the secondary branches and getting them to position themselves on the left or right side of the cabinet. they have seemed to taken to it well, i imagine its cause that where most of the light is. a couple of times a day over the last couple of days. i just went in there and moved them to where i wanted them and they are now just staying there.