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Let me start by saying that I'm about a month into research and I don't even know most of the terminology. I've never dabbled in horticulture.
First committed grow ever. I've never been interested in growing anything. I've never even seen this (or any similar) plant in person before. Now, I need to succeed.
Research. Research. Research.
1x Cotton Candy Auto Fem
4X4 tent about 6.5ft tall. I'm using a full spectrum 900 watt LED with a bloom/flower switch (450 each?). 6 inch exhaust. Small dehumidifier.
Room with tent has AC set to 75 and DampRid x2.
Used paper plate method to sprout (June 8), Broke through soil on day 8. For purposes of keeping accurate logs on my end,
June 8 will be considered Day 1. Since there's no germination selection on here, I'm logging it under the Veg stage.
Today is day 15, so in reality it's the last day of week 1 in the veg stage if I'm understanding things correctly...
Day 1 Placed in 5 inch solo cup
Day 8 it popped.
Day 9 no noticeable change.
Day 10 about .25 inch growth.
Day 11 one leaf turning yellow. Raised lights.
Day 12 first true set of leaves emerging
Day 13 leaves nice and green. About an inch tall.
Day 14 No change. Aside from original leaf still yellowed, it looks healthy.
Day 15 About 1.5 inches tall and starting on its 2nd set of leaves. Adjusted light from 18 inch to 11.5 inch from tip.
Just mixed medium in bucket to soak for transplant in a few days.
(Cups are actually the 5 inch solos)
Coconut fiber 3 cups
Peat moss 2 cups
Vermiculite 3 cups
Perlite 3 cups
Pro Mix Garden soil 11 cups
Water 2 gallons
Going to let set 48 hours, stirring several times a day.
UPDATE FROM WEEK 2:
2 gallons of water is way too much. 😯 Next time will use same formula but decrease to 1 gallon.
UPDATE FROM WEEK 3: NOT AUTO
Day 16 from seed (Veg Week 2 Day 1) Third set of leaves forming quickly
Day 17 Repotted into 2L from Solo cup
Day 18 Still growing nicely!
Day 19 fourth set of leaves starting to emerge; weak smell at leaf level
Day 20 just measured at 2 inches
Day 21 growing great. Shaded under layer leaf. Will start LST next week.
Day 22 fed 3 cups, 1 cup overflow; 2.5 inches tall; looking perky at end of this week. Plan to replant into finish container next week with something to anchor zip ties for LST.
So far I think it’s where it should be. NEXT grow I’ll start auto flowers in finish planter instead of making several transplants 🙏 thanks for any advice!
Day 23 (Veg Week 3 Day 1) did nothing. 24 hour leaf growth is amazing!
Day 24 repotted; fed and adjusted lights; 4 inch height.
Day 25 height 5.75 inches
Day 26 rearranged tent; added 2 60w grow bulbs plus reg 23w LED bulb; mixed last batch of soil for final repotting (TBA); fed and adjusted lights; turned AC down from 76 to 72 (reg bulbs add a LOT of heat) no noticeable growth
Day 27 fed 3 cups, 1 cup runoff; No noticeable growth
Day 28 5 cup ph 6.2 w/feed; no noticeable growth 🐌; guess I’m expecting some sort of miraculous overnight growth
Day 29 repotted in 3 gal
Conclusion: NOT AUTO
Will wait and see what week 4 brings!
Week 3 Day 6: under 6 inch
HELP
Other than being autoflower & transplanting couple times, which I won't do next time, are there any other reasons for stunted growth during veg phase? Or are my logs normal & I'm just impatient? I've put every detail I can think of in my diary.
Hey dude, temps good, humidity good, light sched. Good. Your ph is on the high side (not by a ton for soil though). if your nute sched. Is accurate then I’m not sure why you’d be feeding bloom nutes while she’s still in veg??? All said, she looks pretty healthy. Biggest limiting factor with growth I can see is the pot size, my guess is that her roots are already winding around the inside of that pot and I would move to at least a three gallon, preferably 5 gallon while you still have time before flowering starts. Best of luck and feel free to reach out if any of this was helpful. Cheers
Day 30 (week 4 day 1) grew about 2 inches overnight!
Day 31 green and growing
Day 32 8.5 inch height; forgot main grow light yesterday
Day 33 8.75 inch height; fed 1 gal; overflow 1/4 gal
Day 34 9.5 inch height. Took cuttings for 2 clones.
Day 35 Spots on couple leaves and one curling; fed 1 gallon
Day 36 10.5 inch height; clawing; flushed 1/2 gallon water
Conclusion: over fed; cutting feed in half after flush.
Day 36 (week 5 day 1) looking the same
Day 37 looks better; took 2 more clones
Day 38 no change
Day 39 no change
Day 40 half inch growth; watered
Day 41 half inch growth
Day 42 started chop stick training
Conclusion: looking good and green!
Day 43 amazing side growth after chop stick training (cst)
Day 44 clipper 2 fan leaves, continued cst, fed 1 gallon, 1/2 cup runoff
Day 45 clipped few fan leaves and one more clone
Day 46 looking happy
Day 47 trimmed 2 more fan leaves; most nodes have full light
Day 48 excellent growth and color
Day 49 fed 1 gallon
Conclusion: main stem training proving more difficult
Day 50 growing like a weed 😁 attempting horizontal training
Day 51 no change
Day 52 too sick to get out of bed (barf)
Day 53 (barf)
Day 54 watered 1 gallon; removed a few leaves; topped; why does it smell like bengay?
Day 55 canopy evening out
Day 56 great growth
Conclusion: slow process
Day 57 no change
Day 58 no change
Day 59 no change
Day 60 bushing out a bit more
Day 61 no change
Day 62 moved everything into big tent
Day 63 lookin good
Conclusion: Green and growing
Day 64 thirsty girl
Day 65 no change
Day 66 more bushy and taller
Day 67 green
Day 68 mmmm smelling great!
Day 69 doing great
Day 70 bushing out nicely
Conclusion: super thirsty now
Day 73 day 1 switch to flower time
Day 74 no change
Day 75 no change
Day 76 no change
Day 77 no change
Day 78 no change
Day 79 no change
Conclusion: can’t tell what’s going on; gained 4 inch but not seeing any other change
Day 80 still stretching but no other changes
Day 81 no change
Day 82 no change
Day 83 no change
Day 84 explosion of white hairs at bud sites
Day 85 hairy; 3 inch growth in 48 hours!
Day 86 growing; yellowing lower fan leaves
Conclusion: growing and hairy
Day 87 growing fast; white hairs; yellowing lower fan leaves
Day 88 out of town
Day 89 out of town
Day 90 out of town
Day 91 out of town
Day 92 thirsty girl
Day 93 no change
Conclusion: growing fast; losing several lower leaves
Day 94 no change
Day 95 1 inch growth; losing lot of lower leaves
Day 96 no change
Day 97 no change
Day 98 no change
Day 99 measurable growth
Day 100 1/2 inch growth
Conclusion: spurts of measurable growth
Day 101 no change
Day 102 no change
Day 103 no change
Day 104 no change
Day 105 no change
Day 106 more glitter
Day 107 no change
Conclusion: no change in height; more glitter
Day 108 no change
Day 109 no change
Day 110 no change
Day 111 no change
Day 112 more glitter and stink; still no more growth; holding steady at 33inches
Day 113 no change
Day 114 no change
Conclusion: stealthily growing
Any tips on scoping trichs? I have a pocket scope with a LED on base and super shaky hands. What and WHERE am I supposed to be looking?
I know it’s too soon now (day 39 of 65ish) but I wanna figure it out before it’s too late. Any tips/tricks much appreciated!
Hi @BlackThumb! The trichomes onto the buds (don't look onto sugar leaves) should have changed from thin & clear / transparent to fat & milky / cloudy / opaque. Once you'll get only milky trichomes, the harvest window is open! For an energetic high, harvest before the first amber trichomes appear. For a couch-locking high, you'd rather harvest once 20-30% of the trichomes have turned amber/red, you'll get more CBN/CBD but less THC. From what I see on your last pictures, I think you still have 3 to 4 weeks to go. Hope this will help, keep us up-to-date and enjoy your harvest 👊
Day 115 ERROR 420: CLOUD NOT FOUND IF PLANT DIES; several browning leaves; very thirsty
Day 116 figured out PH meter took crap. New one had low reading.
Day 117 no change
Day 118 looking better; think it was a heat issue with bigger light being same distance as smaller one
Day 119 looking so much happier; super thirsty; starting flush on next watering I think
Day 120 no change
Day 121 no change
Conclusion:getting closer; trying not to be impatient
Day 122 getting closer; flushing
Day 123 no change
Day 124 growth on buds; is this normal??
Day 125 weird growth
Day 126 DID MY SHIT JUST HERM????
Day 127 X
Day 128 X
Conclusion:
Hi @BlackThumb! This is weird, it looks like your plant is re-vegging, are you sure you don't have any light-leak in your grow room? Nothing disturbing plants at night? Timer is working as usual? In this situation I'm afraid I would proceed to harvest now, because if this diagnosis is confirmed, your buds are going to loose their potency day after day. Keep us up-to-date, good luck with this 👊
Grow was a learning experience. Was going great until timer crapped out and stayed on 24/7, a week or so before I planned to harvest. All my ladies stayed under 3 ft.
After investing in another timer I’ll grow again. This yield is full of, I’m guessing, seeds. I added mint as taste but haven’t tried it yet. It smells like skunky Bengay.
After growing the clones and they ALL hermed as well, I've concluded that the seed, fem not regular, was the cause of the herm because each successive clone did the same thing, always after week 4 of flowering. I have now lost 3 crops to this one seed.
Planted seed 2 last week and will see if it does better (at least makes it to harvest).
After a friend looked her over because of my stunted growth issue, they decided the pot was way too small and I wasn't letting her dry out enough between feedings.
They also discovered the seed I ordered and the seed I received were not the same.
She is NOT an auto.
According to them, she isn't nute locked and she isn't root locked, yet. The "bloom" feed is an all stage feed in addition to the specific stage (veg) feed. They suggested a final replant and to let her dry more (feed when meter is 1-3 on a 10 scale). Also said I could use cider vinegar to lower the PH a bit as a quick but very temp fix until I can get a PH down chem but to flush (with molasses water?) before adding actual PH chem.
Going to replant later today in a 3 gallon finisher, the largest pot I have, invest in a moisture meter (actually already ordered the one they suggested and it's on its way), and get some PH down chem, using vinegar if needed until arrival.
Definitely a learning experience. That is why I'm growing ONE first.
@BlackThumb, hey dude, not knowing the strain details I’m gonna guess the typical 8 weeks of flowering (give or take). I’d say at the end of this week (7 by your numbers) I’d start to flush. Probably flush for 2 weeks but a little less or more won’t mattter much. The purpose is always to flush out any lingering nutrients that haven’t yet been absorbed by the plants roots so u should be good to start now. Ur prob. Watering fairly often so it won’t take much to get er completely flushed out. The rest is just monitoring trichs and picking the best time to chop. Sadly this time is largely based on preference and experience. 😉. Hope it helps homie, lookn good!👊👍👊
@BlackThumb, yeah think ur good bud. FYI - most grows tend to go a week or so longer than the suggested flowering time of the breeder. Per @Stick comment from week 16 - monitor for trichome development over the next 3-4 weeks. Best way to determine level of doneness/goodness 😛. Reach out any time if unsure👍
Hi @BlackThumb! This is weird, it looks like your plant is re-vegging, are you sure you don't have any light-leak in your grow room? Nothing disturbing plants at night? Timer is working as usual? In this situation I'm afraid I would proceed to harvest now, because if this diagnosis is confirmed, your buds are going to loose their potency day after day. Keep us up-to-date, good luck with this 👊
@Stick, Started harvesting. 10 seconds in I don’t know what I’m looking at. It wasn’t there 2 days ago. Did my shit just herm?
Found out it wasn’t a light leak. My timer quit working and lights were on 24/7 for last, I’m guessing week or so.
Vinegar is also a good way to kill a living plant. If you have PH conecerns....check into the Advanced Nutrients PH Perfect nutrient line-up this has helped people I know and I started to compare it to my Humboldt Naturals with no complaints so far.
"the claw" usually references to too much nitrogen (nitrogen toxicity) the ends of your leaves curled downwards and inwards hard like a Bird of prey's talons.
@Kirr38, thanks! Not sure if it was the vinegar, PH change, or too much feed, but something gave her claws. I stopped vinegar, flushed, and have PH down now, and cut feed in half the strength I had been using.
She seems to be doing better so I’m going to stick to half feed and using PH down until she complains.
@bobo420, Thanks! Still not sure what I'm doing yet, but I check on her everyday. Pondering LST and if she's ready for it or with her being an auto if it would be best to let nature take its course. Decisions. Decisions,
Damn dude this is disappointing to hear. Ultimately it’s still a haul dude so weigh it out and most importantly test er 😉 for experience sake. Congrats on the harvest dude - even if early.
Hi @BlackThumb! The trichomes onto the buds (don't look onto sugar leaves) should have changed from thin & clear / transparent to fat & milky / cloudy / opaque. Once you'll get only milky trichomes, the harvest window is open! For an energetic high, harvest before the first amber trichomes appear. For a couch-locking high, you'd rather harvest once 20-30% of the trichomes have turned amber/red, you'll get more CBN/CBD but less THC. From what I see on your last pictures, I think you still have 3 to 4 weeks to go. Hope this will help, keep us up-to-date and enjoy your harvest 👊
The harvest, a pitiful one, weighed in at a mere 24g dry and deseeded. Seeds were EVERYWHERE. So many seeds! The harvest was very early and all girls started to reveg due to a timer malfunction. After curing 30 days and testing. It smells off, still like Bengay. It is so very weak. Potent enough to relax but does nothing, absolutely nothing for pain, which is the biggest bummer.
Not knockin those of you who like/love the smell/taste, I do not enjoy either. Aside from an IV drip of Dilaudid, it's the only thing that kills my back pain and Dilaudid make me feel like bugs are crawling all over me and starts shutting down my kidneys after a while, My doc has no problem with that but I do so I thought I'd give growing a try because I don't trust a lot of people and want to know exactly what I'm using.
I used only 1 seed to grow all of my girls. The timer malfunction is what I assumed to be the cause of the herm, but after two more grows using clones from the same seed and otherwise near perfect conditions and no malfunctions did the same thing, I've concluded that the seed was the cause.
I'm very disappointed. I'm angry. I'm hurting. I want to give up. I don't want to invest all the time and funds into this all over again, in case it happens again.
BUT I have 4 more seeds and I'm also determined. This time I'm going to take the first two viable clones from seed 2 and force flower ASAP just to see if they herm as well, and possibly get me to a pain free "full" harvest. I'm not a praying person but I'll pray to Ra, the sun god, if that's what it takes at this point. I just want the pain to go away without having to resort back to Dilaudid.
BlackThumb
