4th grow, 1st journal. 400w HPS cabinet

Hey all. I just found this website the other day after flying solo since OG was shut down. I want to give a HUGE thanks to all you old OGers that contributed to the design of my cabinet. The information you all provided has been invaluable. Unfortunatley OG was shut down less than a week after I started my first grow :( and I am clueless when it comes to gardening. So I have been getting by and learning a little on my own, but let me just say I'm glad it grows like a weed :D I'm on my 4th grow and no matter what I do with ferts there is something wrong that looks like a N deficiency until I add even the smallest amount of fertalizer (I have also tried adding slightly more than what the box calls for), then it starts to look to me like nutrient burns. So I am at a bit of a loss, it might be something with my water but friends in town use straight tap water left out for 24 hours and it's fine for them. I'm currently 3 weeks into flower so I dont have pics of the first weeks (I didn't intend to do a journal at least until I have half a clue what I'm doing) but I'll fill everything in as best I can.

A little about my grow space: It was inspired by this. It's not an exact replica, mine was sized to fit under my stairs in an effort to be stelthy (it turns out that spending any amount of time under your stairs when you are 6' 2" sucks so I moved it). I also took some shortcuts due to knowledge and at the time I had a pretty small budget. My goal with this cabinet was a soil grow using simple materials and really learning how to grow. I intend to rebuild everything for a DWC system and more in the style of the C-22 cabs in 6-9 months...depening on how long it takes me to figure out what I'm doing hehe. The veg chamber is lit by 4 23w CFLs that I mounted onto some scrap plywood to contain wires and make the lights adjustable, it ended up being easier to just raise and lower the plants. In the flower chamber is a 400w HPS with a batwing reflector and suspended from the roof is a DIY canister style carbon scrubber. Everything is cooled by a 265cfm squirrel cage fan. The temps with that alone were sitting at about 35 degrees so I ended up having to add extra vent holes at the back and put a big box fan behind the cab. It's a huge light leak but it's in a dark room and the photoperiod is not interrupted, I just have to turn it off once or twice a year if there is a chance someone might be in my laundry room. Temps dont ever go above 28 degrees celcius anymore (Yay Canadian climate). If anyone has any specific questions feel free to ask.

The strain was aquired from a friend, he has been growing it for years and loves it. It is a very nice smoke, although mine has been coming out a lot more harsh than his ever did. We think it is something close to BC Big Bud but we are not sure. If anyone recognizes it and can tell me for sure please let me know.

I have tried to keep everything as simple as I can, I just want to learn the basics before going hydro. I use the generic name brand potting soil from Home Depot, Miracle Grow 15-30-15, and straight tap water that sits out for 24 hours or more.

Day 1, Cloning Day:
For cloning I use jiffy peat pellets and $5 rotting hormone from HD. I had to make a dome small enough to fit into my veg chamber so I ended up using clear rubbermaid containers that I turned upside down and cut a hole in the top of. I take clippings between 4 and 6", trim off all but the top 3 nodes and trim any large fan leaves back to about 75% their original size. I seem to get the best results when I minimize the amount of leaf tissue. I mist the plants and inside of the dome and close it up until the next day. Once a day I open the dome and dry off the bottom and inside of the container, this seems to lower the humidity at a good speed. I mist the plants once and put them back in the dome. I continue this for the first week.

Day 7, First Water
I give a small amount of water just to moisten the jiffy pellets again. I also stop misting the plants before returning them to the inside of the dome. I continue to open it once a day and dry off any condensation.

Day 21, Transplant
All the clones will have rooted by day 14 but I am a procrastinator and I am in no rush since I have to wait for the previous crop anyway, so it's nice to leave them in the dome because it keeps them from drying out too fast. I transplant each clone into a red disposable plastic beer cup that I poke drainage holes in the bottom. I use these to save cleaning. I transplant into potting soil and give them their first good watering. I also mist the leaves to help ease the transition to a lower humidity. I continue to water every 2 or 3 days as needed.

Day 56, Moving Day
Next time I will take the clones later, this time I took them at the same time I put the other crop into 12/12, they stretched more than I would have liked and I had to top them at about 12" tall. To make room for watering and turning pots and things I also trimmed the bottom 6" of leaves off. They dont produce well anyway. I transplanted everything for the final time into 8" pots and move them into the flowering chamber. At this point some of the bottom leaves have started to yellow slightly and in previous grows I have tried various amounts of ferts but this always results in what looks like nutrient burns. This time I didn't add any ferts, there should be nutrients in the new soil anyway, but it still looks very much like a nitrogen deficiency.

Day 63, Week 1 of Flower
The leaves continued to yellow and one or two completely died and fell off over the first week of flower. I continued to water with plain water every 2 or 3 days, that is pretty much the norm for the entire grow. I held off on fertalizing until the end of the first week of flower when I added a very small pinch of 15-30-15 Miracle Grow to about 11 or 12L of water (it was about 1.5mg and the recomended dose is 4.5mg. Even with the leaves yellowing they are all growing at an alarming rate, I have to raise the light every other day.

Day 68
The leaves are continuing to yellow and drop off and it seems the problem is getting worse not better after my very small dose of ferts. In previous crops I would have added more ferts at full strength or close to it, but then I would get what looked like nutrient burns. So this time I held off again and only gave the same small amount I did last time. The growth is still fantastic and buds have gotten a good start but more and more leaves are yellowing and falling off.

Day 70, Week 2 of Flower
The leaves are really getting yellow and the really bad ones have twisted up and contorted. As best I can tell from books I have is that this is salt buildup or nutrient burns. Could it be salt buildup if it started appearing after one week in new soil and only 2 or 3 waterings? I continued watering with plain water allowing for plenty of run off for the rest of the week.

Day 77, Week 3 of Flower
The problem continued to worsten through the whole week so on the last watering I ferted again at about 1/2 strength instead of 1/3(I know I may need to be adding more but I have tried that on previous crops and had the same results so I am trying to give VERY little fertalizer this time). The upward growth has slowed and buds are starting to fill in a little, it is right on track with the last crops, it should survive and give an OK yield but it cant be right that so many leaves are dying. And for week 3 I have pics!! So please everyone take a look and tell me what I'm doing wrong :)

http://gallery.cannabis.com/data/500/DSCF0875.JPG

http://gallery.cannabis.com/data/500/DSCF0874.JPG

http://gallery.cannabis.com/data/500/DSCF08731.JPG

http://gallery.cannabis.com/data/500/DSCF0871.JPG


-Doyu



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Everything I say is a lie or copied from another source and is purely for entertainment.

I'm sorry, can someone please tell me how to make those thumbnails or something so they dont screw up the page. I havent used a forum since OG.

-Doyu

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Everything I say is a lie or copied from another source and is purely for entertainment.

sorry not sure on how you can fix it but i like your set up, this should be a good grow:thumbsup:

Day 81

I am sad to report that the problem is getting worse. A lot worse. Again, to me it looks like salt buildup or nutrient burns. Should I stop fertalizing alltogether? Should I flush everything? I am at a loss :( Hopefully the pics will help. :jointsmile:

http://gallery.cannabis.com/data/500/DSCF0880.JPG

http://gallery.cannabis.com/data/500/DSCF0879.JPG


-Doyu

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Everything I say is a lie or copied from another source and is purely for entertainment.

Thank you for your input. My only fear is that I have tried using exactly what the box called for on my last grow and it ended up looking exactly the same. I used different soil so maybe there are too many veriables changing from grow to grow...I dont know. I just watered yesterday so it will be a day or two but I will give it a full dose next time and see what happens. It is also good to hear someone say that so many fan leaves are supposed to die, I know some are supposed to but it just feels like a hell of a lot are dying. I'm going into week 4 of flower so things are a couple weeks ahead compared to what you said...but probably because I've been holding off so much on ferts. My guess is that others are prettying their gardens up before taking pics hehe ;)

-Doyu

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Everything I say is a lie or copied from another source and is purely for entertainment.

Great grow set up I hope you will tell more about the cabinet. I would like to build the same thing.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by w33dman27

You need fert! Those plants have used up thier nitrogen much too fast.... I've never seen plants with about 80 % of leaves yellow :eek: I use the same fert, and sometimes I accidentally double the dose, and it makes no real difference. The bottom fan leaves should start yellowing a dying week 1, and by week 2 the middled-level fan leaves should start to yellow. By week 3 most of the old fan leaves should be dead, and the 'new' (no no the bud leaves) fan leaves should still be green and healthy. Most all fan leaves are dead by week 5-6, and then its getting close to peak, and now the bud leaves will slowly sart to die, in the prime weeks. Light green coloured leaves are a sign that the plants are low on nitrogen. Give a good 1-2 litre flush, then water 1/2 strength, and next water dont be afraid to add a full dose.

Buds are looking sweet, and I hope I helped you out!
W.M

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you need nitrogen ASAP and a lot of it.

I feed my plants with every two days. and if they yellow like this i often give them a shot of fish emulsion (only early in flower)

I disagree with above in that i dont believe and dont find that most fan leaves are dead by week 5-6. it may be your strain. but ushually only 40-50% ever die off.

you may want to up your nute. strength and feed more often for a week, color should come back in the leaves. but may not

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Doyu

I'm sorry, can someone please tell me how to make those thumbnails or something so they dont screw up the page. I havent used a forum since OG.

-Doyu

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i've never seen this, usually i just attach it and it comes out little. maybe post something in the feed back section, the forum shouldn't do this.

Yea, you really jacked this page up! Ha.

First off, how do you post your pics? As in, what method do you use?

Secondly, if you resize your pics, they will come out smaller. :)


Cool cab. Sorry I don't have time to read your thread right now, as it is a bit difficult to read having to scroll over and over, but I will be back. Nice to have ya, man.


The Fog :rastasmoke:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by TheGreenFog

Yea, you really jacked this page up! Ha.

First off, how do you post your pics? As in, what method do you use?

Secondly, if you resize your pics, they will come out smaller. :)


Cool cab. Sorry I don't have time to read your thread right now, as it is a bit difficult to read having to scroll over and over, but I will be back. Nice to have ya, man.


The Fog :rastasmoke:

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LOL hell yeah those pics are freggin huge.

Hey all. Sorry, I've been lazy. I figured out why my pics are screwed up, on other threads I have the little attachment paper clip and for some reason on this thread it's not an option, the only thing I can do is add an image...no attachment. Not sure if its a glitch or what and my computer is beyond crap and I have uninstalled all prorgams I "don't need"...so any picture editing software is long gone hehe. Anyway, the plants are doing exactly as I said they would, almost all the fan leaves have died but they are still producing buds. They will produce about half the dry weight that my buddy gets from his plants of similar size (same strain) and they will smoke really harsh :( but they'll get me high hehe. So on that note I have decided to completely overkill the situation and rebuild my cab from scratch hehe. I have gone over the strain, my watering schedule, my soil, everything! I have decided that it is still too hot in the cabinet. So until I fix the heat I'm not even gonna worry about it, I'm just gonna smoke what I can get and start planning hehe.
I'll post some more pics of the plants after this week, that will be 6 weeks and I'll want some before and after for the last 2 weeks of flower. Oh and I did add ferts like some suggested...it didn't help but meh, it's probably heat. Peace

-Doyu

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Everything I say is a lie or copied from another source and is purely for entertainment.

hope the plants are ok, cant wait to see the yeild!

BIG BUDS!!! or BIG pics... Anyways... I hate growing in soil... Go hydro... You'll appreciate the difference!

My plant looks just like yours and I still haven't a clue as to why the leaves are behaving soo badly. They just started turning yellow and the tips died... then the leaves went yellow and eventually fell off.