Northern Lightsout 1st Grow

Hi Guys and Gals, my name is Shawn, and I am excited to share my first grow with anyone who cares to chime in. After weeks of nagging my fiance, she finally caved in as she couldn't take a grown man crying lol so it worked and I am now a proud owner of a 2x4x5 grow tent. I know it's micro but in all fairness, I figured to start small and if I'm somewhat successful, then down the road I'll definitely expand my setup. I just want to shout out to this forum, it's giving me some useful information, and for the most part, people genuinely tune in and offer any advise in a curteous manner. Besides, even master growers have made their share of mistakes. We all have to experience the trials and tribulations of this miraculous plant that so many of us indulge in, whether medicinal or recreational. So without further ado lets get started. Once again hello and Thanks for any support here as it met with much love and respect. So I presoaked Northern Lights Auto and a freebie Amnesia Haze Auto from Canuk seeds. I chose NLA for its resiliency to newbie growers so wish me luck and we will see how it all goes. Presoaked for roughly 12 hours. Planted directly into Coco Coir medium on 3 gallon air pots. I don't bother with perlite or anything just straight Coco. I prefer to use Gaia Green organic ammendments. A blend of 2-8-4 bloom and 4-4-4 all purpose, with a wee little dash of Roots Excelurator. All doses are manufacturers recommended amounts. I'll keep RH between 70-80 for the first week, RH 50 weeks 2-6, RH 40-45 the rest of the duration of flower. I will implement LST as well as ponytailing. I'm running 300 watt White Spectrum LED that runs 180 true watts which is sufficient for my setup. Very low heat is a must in such a small space so I decided to go this route. 2 4 inch inline fans and 2 hurricane clip fans for circulating air and exhaust. A humidifier for humidity. I filter my water and use an air pump with stones to oxygenate the water. Not sure if I'm leaving something out but for the most part that's my setup. I'll go with a 18/6 light schedule as it's more economical for me. I want to keep my first run as simple as possible to maximize my success. I use success lightly lol So here we go so freaking excited!!

Hi everyone, well this was week 2 and I started to use a technique called ponytailing. Shoots are small so I'll hold off on LST training for now. I don't think I will go the route of topping or fimming because I am a newbie and want to minimize stress and a possible stunted plant if I do it incorrectly. So I didn't mention last time that I am using 180 true watts Electric Sky from Dan, from the Green Sunshine Company. Very informative and a passionate grower from what I see. So I'm excited to see what the Electric Sky can do for me. PH of 6.8 is what I try to maintain. Very little water as this point maybe 1L around the centre of the pot. I don't do the knuckles test to determine dryness as I have a pot just filled with coco which I compare to to help with the wet/dry cycle. I water with added Roots Excelurator per manufactures direction. I'll start to lower my lights from 24in by 2in per day until I reach 15-18 inches slowly integrating more light each day. Well that's about it for this week. Stock Strong and Happy Growing!!

Hey everyone, week 3 not much to say this week I think she is healthy and loving life. I am still ponytailing 8hrs per day then I release. Water 2L enough to dampen but not completely saturated. I am growing organically so I don't runoff. My lights are down to 18in at this point. My home humidity is very low so I am running a humidifier at RH 50%. That's it for this week, stay Stock Strong and Happy Growing.

Hello fellow Growers, week four is going well as there is not much of change in my schedule. Lights 18in. Ph 6.8. 4l water every 3 days with added Roots Excelurator per maufactures recommendations. 8hrs ponytailing each day then release. 18/6 lights schedule. Dabba Dabba that's all folks Stock Strong and Happy Growing.

Hi fellow Growers, week 5 still veg'n and growing strong. Not much of a smell to report at this point but I'm overall happy with the way things are growing. Lights 18/6, PH 6.8, 4l every 3 days with added Roots Excelurator per maufactures recommend dose. Ponytailing 8hrs per day then release. Spray leaves with plain ph'd 6.8 water which is filtered. I try to keep temperature 74-76.I say 1 more week veg and then the real fun begins. I'm so stoked. Stock Strong and Happy Growing.

Hello fellow Growers, this week went boom!! Explosive growth and bushy. Seems to be loving life at the moment. I haven't fed since week 1 so I top dressed as per manufactures recommended amount while watering/Roots Excelurator PH 6.8 until I start to see runoff and then I stop and let the plant suck the tiny amount of runoff back up into her roots roughly 2-3 days in between. 18/6 light schedule, 15in light distance, ponytailing 8hrs then release. Well that's about it for this week so Stock Strong and Happy Growing.

Hello fellow Growers, week 7 report is going well. I'm getting nice side branch growth but my air flow seems weak. I only have 2 hurricane clip fans that aren't quite sufficient enough. Seems to be some hot spots so I'll do a light defoliation to improve air flow and some LST. I no it seems late and rightfully so but the side branches are surprisingly flexible. I want more light penetration evenly distributed. I wasn't planning on doing this as I know there is controversy on the subject but I also have seen excellent results. She is growing strong and is vibrant so I'm applying light defoliation. Wish me luck we'll see how it goes. Just plain Ph'd water 6.8 with added Roots Excelurator per maufactures recommend dose. I water every 2-3 days starting from the middle. 1.5-2L slowly to ensure water oxynigates the roots. Roughly 5L of remaining water around outside edge to promote lateral growth for a healthy root system. 18/6 light schedule, this week no ponytail and from here on in. I'll start LST. Well that's about it for this week so Stock Strong and Happy Growing.

Hello fellow Growers, week 8 update is going well. I lightly defoliated and tied down the side branches to expose more light. I was given a tip from Dan, from the Green Sunshine Company which I'll try to implement. Where you dip your lights down. I got as low as 6in from 15in for a couple of hours and then back to it's original position. I'll see how she responds and update. The circulation has much improved from defoliation so the hot spots issue is resolved. For future grows I'll be upgrading to a box fan. This week plain ph'd 6.8 water with added Roots Excelurator per maufactures recommend dose. 18/6 light schedule. Defoliation and side branch tie down. Any lower yellowing growth removed. Well that's about it for this week so Stock Strong and Happy Growing.

Hello fellow Growers, week nine report is in and it's been crazy to say the least. This plant doesn't want to stop gaining height. I have such a small space to work with, and I am inexperienced grower and should have planned my grow better. This is my first grow and I thought I would make my fair share of mistakes, so I didn't think I would run out of head space, surprise...I did!! I started to notice my ladies developing heat stress so I made a stupid decision. I decided to super crop in flower and who knows what's going to be the outcome. Honestly, it's my first run ever, and my expectations were very low. I'll tell you though, I've had a blast so far and have learned so much in so little time because of GROWDIARIES and the insightful and experienced growers that I have had the privilege of learning from. Anyways, on a very positive note, I did not break one branch which makes me happy. Now I have experienced cropping technique, I just wish I had implemented sooner. We'll see how it goes I have my fingers crossed. So I lowered my PH this week. Please note I dropped it from 6.8 - 6.0 gradually, not in one shot but over the week. These were combined recommendations from Bulbi, and Valhalla which I very much appreciate. So the transformation is dramatic, go easy on me lol I did say I was a NOOBie!! Well looks like 2 different plants now. I tried to tie branches together to ensure the suckers stay down. I don't have time for plant games right now as I know their resilient and pop back up. Not when you're tied up baby, you're not going anywhere lol I water 2.5 days 5-6 litres. Now a PH 6.0. 18/6 Lights schedule. 45 RH / 76°. One thing to note is there wasn't much trichome production before cropping, but now it is noticeable. So this concludes this week. I don't know how she will respond but time will tell. Thanks for chiming in and as always. Happy Growing!!

Hi fellow growers, way to hit the 10,000 milestone, fun to be part of such a welcoming community. Well this is week 10, and once again my lady has gone through another transformation. This is it, no turning back from this one, time will only tell how much stress I put her under. Fun process and one heck of a learning curve, so regardless of results I can say I'll be a grower for life with a great community to grow with. So if you're a Newbie like I am, don't sweat it, someone has your back here. So my girl has taking a beating. I mean I have bent branches, light to heavy defoliation, high PH , I even snapped the top in 2 and throw some lollipoping, and the icing on the cake was schwazzing. All those techniques combined and if you have followed my first grow, you know from week to week she looked like a different plant. So I need to learn a little more patience, plan out my grow a head of time, more of a subtle approach as opposed to the agressive approach that I applied. So PH 6.0, 76°F, humidity 45%, 6L filtered water every 2.5 days. One helluva training schedule which she thinned out dramatically. Almost unrecognizable. Since super cropping I can see swelling where the stem and branch connect. I'm hoping she'll really kick in soon but the stress I put her under I know it's wishful thinking. This week the pistols started to change orange. Mild smell but once you leave room it dicepates quickly. She is opened up, so no worries about light penetration, she'll get a nice tan. So I'm thinking small yield but quality could still be nice. Considering I threw everything but the kitchen sink at her, she's standing, sort of. Well anyways Growers you live and learn and I want to find out the hard way and make my own mistakes, and see it for myself in real time. Thanks for chiming in people. Stalks Strong and Happy Growing!!

Hi everyone, hope all is well with your grows. Week 11 has been all about recovery from the super cropping and schwazzing technique that I applied. You can see knuckles forming from where I bent the branches. She is doing great now and starting to fill out. I figure to have a couple more weeks of flower so I'm hoping she packs some juicy colas.The Trichome production has amped up and the smell is filling the room pleasantly. I find the temperature and humidity to be more consistent without her leaves as the airflow is fantastic as well as light penetration. Definately a resilient plant to say the least. I wanted to try super cropping but what I didn't realize was to do it gradually, instead I did it all at once and she is still standing tall. Trial and error but all in all I'm happy so far but will be really stoked if she flattens up. Not sure she will though but on the bright side quality should be fine even if I didn't reach full potential on yield. I noticed her uptake in water dramatically slowed down from watering every 2.5 days to 4.5 days but now she's almost back to normal which tells me she is back loving life again. PH 6.0, 18/6 light schedule, released some tie downs. So I'm on cruise control now and the next couple of weeks should have the finish line in sight. Just think after all the anticipation, one of the most important steps is to have a flawless cure to reap all your hard work, and that only takes a couple months which ia going to feel like forever lol well growers I wish all of you the best of luck and Happy Growing. Always a pleasure.

G'day Green Nation, week 12 has just begun and I will post pics throughout the week. Not much to say this week, seems to be moving along slowly but I expected that with all the stress I caused. Live and learn. My second run will be much different and I will most definitely stick to simple LST and compare the results as I have 2 more of the same strain. I am not sure what is going on but her water intake has slowed dramatically so if anyone has any suggestions I'm all ears. I have been adding calmag but the redness is still visible. The leaves seem fine but not the stems. I wonder if it needs a few more days to clear up? Still no yellowing in the leaves and the colas aren't developed yet either but I'm not sure that is going to happen lol I had great veg growth but it was the complete opposite in flower...the best part..lol Is it possible that flowering will take longer due to stress? At what point does it start to ripen? Will I eventually get bud swelling? Any insight would be fantastic. Well growers keep em healthy and all the best.

Week 13, redness still present so I'm not sure if I left it too long before treating her with calmag. I haven't received much support here so it is what it is. I'll just wing it and see lol Soon I'll be in school for Cannabis Cultivation and Tissue Culture so I'll know exactly what to do but for now this is my first grow so it is expected to make mistakes. I surely made mine but that's all apart of the learning curve, a process that takes years to master. Fun in any regards and a hobby that I'll endure for life. The smell is pungent and fills the room but not overpowering. I figure to have 3 weeks remaining so I'm hoping my baby puts on weight for me. I like em BBW ( Big Beautiful Weed ) Do they get their biggest during the last few weeks? Anyways I'll post pics throughout the week.

Week 14 is here and I think she has finally recuperated from all the stress I put her through. She seems to finally be putting weight on so I think I'll pull through okay. Fingers are crossed. Ph is 6, Daytime temps are 76°F, nighttime temps are 70°F, 6L water every 3 days. Pretty much sitting back and letting her do her thing. The smell is pungent. So I think I am getting close to harvest but I think I may have 3 weeks to go as there is no yellowing yet. I'll post pics throughout the week. Stalks Strong!!

Week 15, not much to report as she is in cruise control. Starting to fade just a tad so 2-3 weeks to go. She is in cruise control and I feel like these last few weeks are going to feel like an eternity. I'm really stoked, this is my first grow and I just want to finish so I can pop the next seeds. I might actually run the sweet tooth as I hear good things with Canuk Seeds. Ph 6, daytime temps 76°- nighttime temps 70°, 18/6 light schedule. I'll post pics throughout the week. Stalks Strong!!

Week 16 and she is 2 weeks away. I can hardly wait now as the fruits of my labor is just around the corner. I'm excited to wrap up my first grow and see what I was able to produce. Even if the yield is on the small side it was a great experience nonetheless. I'll add pics throughout the week but other than that there really isn't much to report.

Week 17 is here and it's finally the last week before harvest. Feels like forever, just think 2 more months of curing and I'll be sitting back with some rum and this Northern Lights beauty chillin with my better half. She doesn't smoke but she told me she would like to join me, in on my first joint from my very own grow stash. Been trying for 8 years to get her to smoke one and all it took was for me to grow my own lol Crazy girl but nonetheless should be exciting. Next grow I'm going to keep it simple because I know I must have put her back quite a few weeks because supposed to be complete in 49 days. I'm well past this projection so I can only assume that I put her through hell and back with all the stress. Lesson learned. I'm stoked anyways as it was quite the adventure. I learned so much more knowledge from this experience that will carry over to future grows. I'll post pics throughout the week and then yabbadabbadoo harvest time baby. Can't wait. Stalks strong!!

Final week, for real this time lol trichomes are mostly cloudy as I'm just waiting for 10-20% amber and then lights out for 48 hrs. Buds seem to be dense with highlights of purple really starting to show and the smell is nice that fills the tent. Just a couple days away as I'm just about done my first journal and there's been a lot of ups and downs but overall I am pleased to have grown my own herbs as it was a very rewarding experience that I will continue to grow as a marijuana enthusiast. My new hobby for life, great site to grow, learn and track your progress and possibly win some prize packages on the way. Doesn't get better than that especially when you light up your first joint and sit back enjoying every puff of the fruits of your labor. So close I can almost taste it. Well that's about it until harvest, on cruise control with the finish line in sight. Stalks Strong!!

Haha, what's good Green Nation, well this lady doesn't know when to quit. Does anyone know what the record for longest time to grow an auto is? Bawahaha,19 weeks of flower, I suck!! What a ride baby, a really damn long one. Are we there yet? I keep saying last week, no this is really the last week, I don't even know to be honest. I look at the trichomes and see half clear and she is still putting on weight. Under my LED the leaves look yellow but in real light mostly green. She is starting to fade so I must be close. Well I have a big list of don'ts on my second run, so should be fun to see what I can do if I mostly let her be and do her thing. I will say that even though this took some time, I am very pleased with how she is responding near death Haha!! At least I'm getting something outa her so it could have been worse so I'll take that as a positive. Well Green Nation it's weekend time so spark a joint, vape, dab..etc. whatever your flavor, light it up and enjoy your weekend!! Stalks Strong!!

Overall easy to grow and very durable as she took a beating but bounced back and finished strong. I was going for a nighttime smoke so I let her go to about 70% cloudy/30% amber trichomes. Great strain for a newbie trying to start out, I made a ton of mistakes but definitely learned from this so expect greater results in the near future. I am pleased considering my first run and want to thank grow diaries for a nice place to come and share experiences with fellow growers. I smoked a joint already but the real report will be in a few weeks. Taste and smell need to cure but the buzz so far was nice and relaxing for me as a nighttime smoke. The smell is spicy almost and taste earthy/piney but will improve with cure. Burn was nice. I will definitely grow again. So I almost forgot to report that it took roughly 6 days to dry. My preference was to use large Costco yard waste brown paper bag.That's all for now but thanks for tuning in much appreciated. I will post dry weight and cure report soon as I can. Stalks Strong!!0000000000