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Hello, friends. Welcome! I'm looking for a successful grow after years away from the garden and hope to be of help to those who are new or returning to the hobby. This grow started a day ago with a Sour Diesel Auto seed from Seed Supreme. Thanks for stopping by!
This and that:
-My light (UFO 150w LED) is approximately 27 inches from the soil surface. This is my first LED grow.
-This is my first time using five-gallon fabric grow bags. In the past I used five-gallon buckets from Lowe's and those worked fine. I have the grow bags resting on baking racks in large planter saucers in order to catch any runoff.
-Soil is Foxfarm Ocean Forest mixed with perlite. I typically let the soil feed the plant the first three weeks. Last grow (2016) I used General Hydroponics nutrients I had laying around. I don't remember what I had specifically but I added a small amount of nutes once a week starting at the end of veg all the way through flower. I flushed the last week. I imagine I will do something similar this time. I am always very cautious with nutes, especially when I grow autos. Quite frankly, I'm cautious with everything when growing autos because there just isn't enough time to recover from an accident or silly mistake.
-My water is sourced straight from the tap, although I pH down to about 6.0. (I use a General Hydroponics test kit.)
-I have a run-of-the-mill box fan blowing in at the bottom of the tent. I have a six-inch clip fan blowing over the grow bags. I have my inline exhaust fan controller set to run at speed 4 (out of 10) when when the temperature is 79 or higher. I don't think I'll be able to keep the temp below the mid-eighties this summer, but I will have constant air exchange without taxing my system.
-Assuming she makes it that far I plan to start LST in Week 2, which I've never tried before. I won't be topping this time but I may do so next time around.
-This is my third or fourth grow and first in many years. Seeds are much cheaper now but I always worry the most at germination and right before harvest. First 24 hours: so far, so good. The next 24-72 hours will tell me a lot about how this will go. My environment is less than ideal (second story of a house with no A/C); hopefully the tent (a 3x3 Covert from Hydrobuilder) and fans give me a fighting chance against the often brutal heat here in the Midwest.
Both seeds cracked and broke the surface in about 48 hours.
Hello, friends. Weather-wise it's been an interesting June here in the Midwest. For the month I'd guess it's been a few degrees cooler overall compared to a typical year, with some days only making it into the seventies. That said, there's been plenty of hot, humid weather that's sent the temperature in the tent up to 90 (this house dates to the 1940s and there is no A/C upstairs). On the other hand, my air exchange is good and it feels closer to eighty when I go in to check on things.
I'm watering every other day, although I mist the top of the soil on the off-days. I'll start some LST by the end of this week and probably introduce very small amounts of nutes sometime after the Fourth of July.
This and that:
-My grow is pest-free so far, but... I bought some peppermint essential oil to deal with some ants downstairs in the kitchen. The house is tidy but ants will come around once in May/June and again in October/November, I guess for relief from the heat/cold of the respective seasons. The peppermint sends them packing, and after doing some half-assed research it seems spider mites also hate the stuff. Hopefully I don't have to deal with them later but if I do, well, I got a little somethin' for 'em!
-I bought some round baking racks to raise my grow bags off of the planter saucers. They work perfectly! I'm obviously not watering the girls too much but the runoff that does make it to the bottom evaporates within a few hours. I'm really happy with my soil/perlite mix!
-I'm not doing anything crazy here, just letting the light and water and the girls do their thing together.
Hello, friends. The girls have grown nicely over the last few days. I initially planed to introduce a small amount of nutes after the Fourth of July, but I've decided to wait at least another week. I don't have a TDS meter and they seem happy; why not leave well enough alone?
This and That:
-I continue to experiment with LST using pipe cleaners I have laying around. I certainly haven't done any harm to the girls, although it may be a couple of weeks before I can see positive results.
-I trimmed a couple of leaves from each of the plants. I probably jumped the gun by a week on that; if someone reads this I would love to hear their opinion. Anyway, each of the girls used neighboring leaves to "frown" at this minor, experimental bit of defoliation, but they were happy again within six hours. Interesting to see.
-I really love how hands-off this grow is. Having the inline exhaust fan and an LED light with a timer keeps it low-maintenance and fun for a hobbyist like me.
Hello, friends. I'm very happy with the last week of growth and also pleased that I haven't done anything stupid. Sometimes we want to push our plants but end up doing more harm than good.
Last week I watched a gnat fly over my shoulder and into the tent. I immediately ordered some yellow sticky traps and a bag of Mosquito Bits and I'm glad I did. Being proactive at the first sign of pests is a must, and it looks like the situation is under control—each trap had a half-dozen gnats the first day. I replaced them with new traps the next day and haven't caught anything.
Hello, friends. It's super hot here as we start a new week, but air circulation is good and the girls seem happy as they start pre-flower. Today (Day 32) each plant received a 1 tsp nute solution (Big Bloom + Tiger Bloom) with a 1/4 gallon of water.
Hello, friends. This should be the last few days of stretch. I have trimmed a couple more leaves from each of the girls, something I've done every 7-10 days the last few weeks. Overall, things seem pretty okay; they are certainly getting more thirsty.
This has been an enjoyable, reasonably low-maintenance grow so far. We are hitting the dog days of summer and the forecast this week calls for our highest temps yet. I'm going to be careful not to overwater and I'll make sure to turn my fans up a bit, but otherwise there isn't much to be done about the heat. Thankfully, cannabis—especially autos—can take some abuse from the elements. Hopefully genetics and my TLC can keep us pushing toward the finish line, now about four short weeks away. Cheers!
Hello, friends. Hotter than Hell here but we seem to be getting by. I'm feeding three times and watering the fourth, with each feed or water separated by about 48 hours. You really have to be careful in order to keep mold away.
One plant seems to be doing better than the other but both girls are healthy. I don't like to get ahead of myself but it would seem like one girl will yield about an ounce while the other will yield closer to two. Still a long way to go so we'll see. Cautiously optimistic...
Hello, friends. The girls are taking a half-gallon of water every forty-eight hours or so. Nutes two or three times a week. I'm also removing leaves from the bottom here and there as they yellow and we approach full maturity.
One plant still looks better than the other but the second one is starting to fill out a bit. I'm still hoping for about three ounces total but we shall see. I'm especially curious to see if I'll chop around Day 70 or if I'm going to have to wait a week or two longer. Time will tell. In the meantime, happy growing. Stay cool and stay hydrated!
Hello, friends. I've decided to end feeding and go water only the rest of the way. I was on the fence but you can see some nute burn so I guess the decision has been made for me.
As you can see from the picture the second plant stretched a good six inches higher than the other. Poor training on my part, I guess, or maybe genetics, but she's started to fill out a bit the past few days and I think I can still get an ounce out of her. Still planning (hoping) for two ounces from her sister.
I will definitely be topping this next grow (Gorilla Glue #4 Auto, somewhere between Day 10 and Day 14 based on what Ive seen others do.
Anyway, I'm feeling good about things. They're drinking about 2/3 of a gallon every two to three days. We'll probably have to reduce that a bit in a week or so. Peace!
Hello, friends. The girls are drinking about 100 ounces every 60 hours or so; I guess they're still working hard. They appear unbothered by the slight overfeeding (the burn has not spread beyond the tips of the leaves) and look well on their way.
As of right now I think I'll be chopping on Day 80. Maybe a bit after, but somewhere in that ballpark based on how things are progressing. Happy growing and smoking to all of you!
Hello, friends. I've decided to chop the girls. Temps are going to drop in the next few days, giving me my best chance at a proper dry before curing. One plant is ready; I think her sister could use another week but I need the tent space for drying. I gotta get the next grow (Gorilla Glue #4) started so we can be ready for Christmas.
I'll be adding some pics in the coming days and weeks as we dry and cure. In the meantime, happy growing and smoking to all as we enjoy the last of summer with our friends and loved ones. Peace!
*After drying I ended up with 92 grams. Not great, but not too shabby either. I'll check back in three weeks to give my take on the cure.
JackieBoy
