PurpleRoot's first grow log

[PurpleRoot]

Hey all,:wtf:
First time grower here, finally decided to give it a go. I have been very successfull in growing shrooms, have been doing it for approximately 7 yrs. I'm only in the begining stages of my grow life, still on the net 15-16 hrs a day learning, reading, watching, observing what others are doing/ have done.

As soon as one of my babies sprouted I was hooked, and actually got my other half to go along with me on this project (amazing!) I was initally worried about growing MJ but I'm to the point the risks are not as strong as the benifits.

Here is my standard questionaire:
.1) Type and wattage of lights. (MH, HPS, CFL's, tube fluorescents, LED's)
Right now, two 25W cool white CFL and two 65W Dual Spectrum CFL. I will be ordering a lighting system on Tuesday (payday) and I am willing to spend $300-$350 for a good lighting system. Iâ??ve been doing a TON of research and the more I get into it the more Iâ??m second guessing myself. I originally wanted to add a 400W HPS/MH- however, my grow room is small and I am worried about heat/ventilation. So I was looking into LEDâ??s, but got scared away when people were stating you need at least 1W per node set at no more the 120 degrees, you need to have the magic ratio number to make it work, etc etc. Then Iâ??ve been reading up on CMH bulbs??? So I got to figure that out todayâ?¦..

.2) Distance from tops?
2â?�-3â?�

.3) Reflector type? (cool tube set-up, bat wing, enclosed reflector, bare bulb...)
rounded parabolic reflectors


.4) Is there a consistent fresh air supply?
Room is 4x3x9, itâ??s a closet, door remains open during lights on, with a small fan.

.5) Do you have an exhaust fan and a circulation fan?
I have one fan that I have blowing around the plants, not on them.

.6) What are the bulb wattages, Kelvin ratings, and schedule?
Dual Specâ??s are 4200 lumens per bulb (Total 8400 lumens), 65W each, 6500K and 3000K
Not too sure about the 25w cool whites, they were extra bulbs around the house, I had two extra sockets for them, so I figured the more light the better.


Your medium:
.7) Specific brand and type of soil, (coco, peat based soilless...) and anything you've added to it. (vermiculite, perlite, worm castings...)
This is my first grow, so Iâ??m not going too scientific here, this grow is basically for a feel of things, by trail and error. I grow shrooms quiet well (I know fungus is a little more forgiving then a plant.) Now I have a total of 8 solo cups with soil, nothing added. MiracleGro Moisture Control Soil.

.8) Size of container.
Solo cup

.9) Did you use peat pucks (or similar) to root clones or germinate seedlings?
Germinated approximately 10 seeds, 8 planted, as of today 5 are sprouting. The seeds were placed in soil on 08/31/10

Your nutrients and water:
10) Source of water? (tap, bottled or filtered) What's it's ph before adjusting?
Tap, ph is around 7

11) Method of checking water ph. (ph pen, test strips, aquarium test kit...)
Aquarium test kit

12) Method of adjusting water ph. (phosphoric acid, white vinegar, hydrated lime, PH Up...)
Havenâ??t had to yet

13) Specific brand and N-P-K ratio for each bottle. List dosages (quantity per gallon) and current feeding schedule.
None, still babiesâ?¦..

14) How often are you watering between feedings, and how much per watering?
I mist normally once a day, I have skipped a couple days because my cups felt heavy.

15) Any additives or tea's? (Superthrive, CalMag, molasses, Mother's Earth...)
No

16) Are your ph levels stable, or do they fluctuate?
As far as I know, they have been pretty stable when I have checked

17) What is your ingoing water's ph? ...your runoff ph?
Iâ??ve actually never taken a ph reading from the runoffâ?¦. Iâ??ll get on thatâ?¦â?¦

18) Do you foliar feed? If so, with what, how often, and at what time do you spray?
no

Your grow room:
19) Indoors or outdoors?
Indoors

20) What size of closet, room or hut?
4x3x9, closet

21) What are the temps and humidity levels while lights are on? ...With lights off?
Temp 75-82 Hum 45-55%

22) Have you seen signs of insects in the grow room?
Well I actually did see a flying thing about a week ago, havenâ??t seen him since though, might have been a fruit flyâ?¦..

Your strain:
23) What strain are you growing? (Indica dominate or Sativa dom?)
Bagseed, it was decent stuff, certainly stuff I wouldnâ??t mind getting again. Before I dump $100 into seeds, I want to have a feel for my grow room, understand her! I wouldnâ??t be able to live with myself If I murdered my little girls after spending all that time and moneyâ?¦. I know its going to happen.....

24) From seeds or clones?
Seeds

25) Is this an autoflower strain?
Lol, noâ?¦..


As stated I planted on 08/31 I noticed one of my sprouts leaf turned up towards the light...... it did open flat, but then curled up.... theres four baby leaves on it. Also, in most pictures of sprouts, I observed that the stem seems to be a lot longer then any of my sprouts, as a matter of fact, three of the sprouts appear to be sprouting out of the ground with no stem?

Well this is it for now, I have pictures, of my little 1" plants, I'll post when I can. Thanks guys and gals, stay green!

PurpleRoot Reviewed by PurpleRoot on 09-06-2010. PurpleRoot's first grow log Hey all,:wtf: First time grower here, finally decided to give it a go. I have been very successfull in growing shrooms, have been doing it for approximately 7 yrs. I'm only in the begining stages of my grow life, still on the net 15-16 hrs a day learning, reading, watching, observing what others are doing/ have done. As soon as one of my babies sprouted I was hooked, and actually got my other half to go along with me on this project (amazing!) I was initally worried about growing MJ Rating: 5

[PurpleRoot]

I forgot to add my light schedule, currently on a 18/6. I uploaded some pics into my album.

[PurpleRoot]

http://www.advancedledlights.com/pro...velengths.html

it states it is for a 4x4 space, and i have 4x3. I plan on using this one light. Will it be good for all phases of growing? Would you suggest a regular hps/mh 400w?

[headshake]

go for the 400W or a 600W light. sure you might have to invest a bit more with cooling/exhaust etc, but that LED won't come close to comparing with the HID.


-shake

[PurpleRoot]

:wtf: .... DAY 7
I added more photos to my album. Do the plants look ok for day 7? Yesterday I observed flyin' asses coming from two of my babies soil. I removed the plant into a seperate area to try and prevent the spread of the bug to my other 6 plants. Also observed a cotton type whispy thing on one of my little leaves, after I removed it I believe it might have been the seeds shell.... dunno, I'll watch it.

I did not water my plants yesterday and turned my fan on to high, humidity was gettin up there 60%. (pics show my soil pretty good, its getting dry around the edges, but still moist near the plant) I also removed the plastic wrap I had on 'em and will probably keep it off now. Plants are still under the CFL, I really can't pull the trigger on a light that I can decide on.... I'm leaning towards HPS/MH 400w system, and purchasing a CMH bulb. (MasterColor Ceramic Metal Halide 400 Watt)

I broke down and spent the money on one of those online aero/hydro kits.... I know I know, build my own.... I actually priced it out, and I live out in the boondocks so going out and getting EVERYTHING I need would be a pain in the ass, and probably the same about of money on gas..... When I was at my walmart they didn't have a quarter of the stuff I needed.

My first babies are good bagseed (nice thick buddy nugs, hairs, crystals- probably a quality mid-grade) I am however on the prowl at seed banks for a nasty strain, I'm actually very intrigued by white widow from the dutchman.

Thats it for now, please check out my pics in my profile album, do my babies look ok? Do they look like they should for Day 7? I know it's still early, and I'm a n00b.... wish I could just speed the process of becoming a jedi-master at growin.... that would have been a good nickname: Darth Root!!! dam it! Ya I'm stoned, and apprently you ramble on and on when your typing too..... neat....

[PurpleRoot]

go for the 400W or a 600W light. sure you might have to invest a bit more with cooling/exhaust etc, but that LED won't come close to comparing with the HID.


-shake

Thanks bro, thats actually what I'm going to go with while I start out, then may add LED as supplemental light, however that is sometime off as I want to get basic growing down first.

[headshake]

sounds like a plan!

-shake

[canniwhatsis]

http://www.advancedledlights.com/pro...velengths.html

it states it is for a 4x4 space, and i have 4x3. I plan on using this one light. Will it be good for all phases of growing? Would you suggest a regular hps/mh 400w?

I'm running this LED for my vege area, 3.5x3.5, and it's kicking ass. Certainly whooped up on my 400w MH Horilux "Blue"
EGL 120 TRI-BAND LED grow light | High quality hydroponic LED grow light product | Ecogroled



For flowering, I'm not sold on LED, but it has promise. None the less I'm using 400w HPS for flowering in a 53"x33"x 7.5' space. Can only cram 3 plants in there, but that's all I need at the moment.

[PurpleRoot]

Lost one of the girls today. She sprouted, however, her leaves never fell open. Today when I was moving her, she plopped on the ground, it looks like her root had rot.

Temp: 80-84
Humidity: 34-40
Water pH: 5.75-6.00 adjusted to 6.75-7.0, I water almost everyother day, when the top of the soil gets dry and begins to crack
Light: two 85w dual spec lighting (one cool one warm) approximately 2-3 inches from the plants
Vent: Osc fan blowing into larger open room
Nutrients: none

I have added light prior to the last post and have observed more growth in the surviving plants. I WILL BE getting my 400w hps/mh tuesday. The seeds I'm using are from good bag seed, however is appearing to be difficult to get started. I've read a ton of logs and do not observe the same rate of growth as others are getting. I'm wondering if I would get better results from better seeds from a bank???

Also, I have set up my hydro system, and now am debating whether I should wait for special seeds or determine if the seeds are good and my soil growing tech is not.....

posted day 10 pics in my album!

[canniwhatsis]

Personally not a fan of MG soils, but they do work(ish). :?

Only problem I see with Hydro, if something goes wrong, it goes wrong for ALL your plants. But when it goes right it's more efficient than with soil.


Everything looks pretty much good, might have been slightly over watering, but I can't be sure. It's sometimes a bit shaky with seedlings. If I were you, I'd hold off on spending the $$$ for bank seed until you have your grow down. Then drop the green for Top shelf green