First soil grow, under lights.

OK, have grown outdoor, fair result. Grown using hydro indoors, but was in colder climate, fair result. Now in ideal location (temp/Humidity etc). Have 3 x 10 litre buckets, each with potting mix and a single seed, as described. The plan is 1 litre nutrient mix (2 part Rock formula) @ 5ml/l each. I also have some bud booster, will have to find the bottle. Will share pics of all nutrients soon. Got to clean up the grow tent, dust the ViparSpectra, get some new bottles for my CO2 plant. Was very happy with the output using yeast and sugar. Better yield than I was getting using bi-carb. No more pump or air line needed (YAY). If anyone can provide advice on watering amounts each plant will draw per day, as I may setup a solar pump to trickle, but not sure just yet. Planning on FIMing or topping. I am no expert, so a binge watch of YouTube coming up. Photos when we get some plants up 🙃 For those interested, straight from the MSNL website. Making sure these were the ones I planted, they are :-) Northern Lights Feminized Has a high flower to leaf ratio. Northern Lights won Indica cups in 88, 89 and 90 and is one of the most acclaimed strains of all time. Northern Lights Feminized is highly recommended for indoor growing. Tasting Notes Northern Lights Feminized Marijuana Seeds is one of the least pungent strains to grow when in vegetation and flowering. It is a great choice for guerilla grows. The lack of pungent aroma when growing belies a very rich, classic skunky smell and taste when it is smoked. The initial earthy aroma is replaced by a more floral, pine scent on the exhale which an enjoyable experience. The resulting effects of Northern Lights are very well balanced and quite strong without being very intense. An even head stone and body buzz are well tempered with enough mental activity to mean that this is a great evening smoke after a meal or if you still want to stay active enough to watch a movie or play video games. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bubblegum Feminized It is an F1 hybrid and has a taste truly resembling Bubblegum. Aroma is sweet, so is the taste. Stoned Indica high. Bubblegum seeds are one of our most popular strains. Bubble gum feminized looks to be a winner. Tasting Notes Truly living up to its name, this strain has a very sweet scent when cured correctly. The distinctive bubblegum taste is immediately apparent but it also has that slightly sour hint in the background that cuts through the sweeter taste well, giving greater depth to the flavour. A very deep calming stone sets in almost immediately. Long lasting but not too couch-locky this is a very good choice for chilling out without the need to expend too much energy or thought. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Big Bud Feminized The purpose behind creating Big Bud was to produce a plant with maximum yields. Big Bud has a subtle Skunk taste with a long lasting high. Big Bud feminized has been further stabilized to improve consistency and yield. Tasting Notes Subtle Skunk taste with musky undertones. Earthy aroma that is faintly reminiscent of wild mushrooms and the forest floor in fall. The taste develops into a slightly sweeter more lime citrus flavour after repeated use. Not an incredibly strong weed, it will still pack a pleasing punch without totally giving you the KO. Well, 6 days, two little ladies are up. Very tall looking to start with. This will be fun. We have Big Bud and Bubblegum up and at em, Northern Lights hopefully up tomorrow. Watering dropped to every 2 days, until we got babies. Must get plant saucers on Wednesday. Lights on 6am - 6pm (the solar will cover it in spades). Come on #3, let’s make it a hat-trick and grow some weed.

OK, weeks 2 starts with all three girls rising up from the potting mix. All small and fragile. The light has been set for 18 on, 6 off. Watering is now easier, as I have added saucers to the bottom so there is no mess. I had my 4 in 1 soil tester arrive, and I have checked all the pots. All seems good. I have installed the super Dyson fan. Ideal as I can control it to so minor a breeze it is almost not there, right through to full force. It also oscillates, has a timer and spoofy heap filtration. Big bonus, it was a freebie as a reviewer 👍 Week 2, day 2, not much to report. Girls are doing plant stuff. My adage, keep an eye on them, but leave them to do their thing.

Well, we have had some ups and downs in this grow, but are on track now. We initially planted 3 plants, but only two came up, which was a heartbreak. So 2-3 weeks in, we put a new seed in and it has come along and said G'Day too. Bubblegum has taken off like a trooper, and is spreading it's branches widely. Not too far behind is Big Bud. Hoping that one really takes off. The smaller one is Northern Lights, and will be 2-3 week behind the others. But I expect I should be able to keep them together ultimately. I am looking at Fiming all three, so anyone who can provide advice of the best time to do so. Only want one Fim on each. The fan is being turned on in the next few days, to keep the air flowing. I have also started a new CO2 generator, so the babies should start reaping the benefits.

OK, so I have committed to the need and taken the big jump. I have FIM'ed the biggest, Bubble Gum. Did some final research, chatted with a mate, and took to it with the scissors. The other two are still catching up (one is 2-3 weeks behind). so all going well, and a couple more months, I will hopefully have 'too much weed?' Nah, I will turn lots into BHO. Keep watching, as they get big enough, I will be fiming the other two as well. Almost forgot, also set up my CO2 set. 3 Coke bottles, sugar, water and yeast. Works a treat, slowly bubbling away and producing CO2. Also have the Dyson bladeless running nicely in the back corner.

OK, welcome to Week 5 of the soil grow. WOW ! After FIMing the BubbleGum last week, she has taken off with avengence. The growth and spread is fantastic. Big Bud, is catching up, and has just been FIMed last night, but I had enjoy a few cones, so I may have gone closer to a Topping. Time will tell, but from a quick look today, it too is threatening to branch out with 6-8 sites! 😏 You know, there might just be something in this FIMing business . . . 😄 The late planting (seed failed, comeon MSNL WTF?), but all is good, The Northern Lights is catching up in it's own right, It too will be Fimed, or Topped or whatever my stoner hands do. Looking to do a prune on the MASSIVE lower leaves and other shaded, spindly crap, before the week is out. A mate wants one of the leaves to show his Dad, apparently they are very large. Seems normal to me 😎 At this stage, Bubble Gum is drinking a litre of nutrients a day, with Big Bud not too far behind. Watered Bubble Gum earlier today, this evening ZERO in the tray! Bought a quality PH, moisture, temperature/light spike things, I am keeping a close eye on them, as I think we will soon be watering 2, maybe 3 times a day 😲 Having never grown in this format (Soil and nutrients, indoor), so have no clue how much water the girls will drink in an average day. If anyone can give me a guide. Using basic potting soil, in buckets, nutrients daily by watering. How much water can I expect to use? Previous grows have been with hydroponics. I love that, but the water here is atrocious. It CANNOT be fixed. The PH is uncontrollable. So, I chose to use soil, which will allow a wider range of PH and less stress to the plants. At least that is how I read it. The PH in the buckets is sitting nicely at 7.0 If it were Hydro, the plants would be stunted little turds. So, keep an eye on the diary. I will be aiming to post some pics later in the week, to more clearly show how Big Bud is reacting to the radical haircut. Today (Saturday my time) is the day. The next post, tomorrow, will start Week 6, and the girls (two of them) will have had a prune and the third will be FIMed. The amazing growth of Big Bud, following the FIM or TOP (I think I topped it, a little too FIMMY), but it has sent out a massive amount of branches and looks like it will produce very well. Time will tell. Until the next post . . .

Hey guy and gals, So, I was going to prune the girls tomorrow, but a mate dropped a half over, got stoned and decide, Bugger It!, so we hooked in today. I did take some after shots. Should have done 'before and after, but, I was STONED !' The girls look happier, more sprightly, less 'HEAVY'. Saved the biggest and best fan leaf for a mate. He is amazed at the leaf size. Then earlier today, when he dropped in ;-) , he had a look and near dropped. Big Bud has so many nodes, he was shocked. The FIMing/Topping, whichever I did has done amazing things. On a side note, I haven't grown heaps before, so this grow is amazing me. Previous grows got small buds, small amount, only just covering the cost of my setup (Hydro at the time and tent). I now have a BIGGER tent, am using SOIL and they are thriving. Personally, I think the water is the major factor, but also my 'dedication'. I check the girls 2-3, maybe 5 times a day (viewing port). Regular PH, moisture and such checks. I even put a sticky fly strip in there, as a bloody fly got in. This grow, besides the constant checking, I have Fim'd/Top'd, I have pruned them to promote growth. Basically, I have learned heaps, both from here and videos. I have re-read pretty much everything I read previously, tweaked a little and it seems to be working. Northern Lights is still a week or a bit more away from a prune, I think, then we will give them a couple more weeks and turn them to flower. I am aiming for a Late May/Mid June harvest, then a month in jars to cure. All going well, I will have a heap of and great choice, for my birthday in July :-D So, feel free to let me know how they look. Shoot through any advice. Hope you are enjoying my story :-) Have just uploaded some more photos, showing the girls, after their beauty treatment :-) All are looking fantastic, Hope you like the images. Just discovered Vipar Spectra have created a 1000W LED which uses a micro 100W to achieve this. The Vipar Spectra Pro Series P1000. I will be looking to buy myself one for my Birthday in July.

We begin the weekend with the girls having had another haircut. As can be seen, lots of cola sites, and bushy looking. I have taken off the lower, non producing leaves, to push all nutrients up, in preparation for a switch top flowering in a week or two. The girls are drinking around a litre a day easily. I am using my moisture meter to ensure they don't get wet feet. The aim now is for the girls to shrub up, maybe a little more height. Will update near end of week. Late Update: * I splurged this evening. I am upgrading from the Vipar Spectra 600W (original LED with switchable) to the mighty Vipar Spectra Pro P1000. It should be here in time for flowering :-) *UPDATE* The girls are looking great, and are beefing up. Down to around a litre every 1-2 days. Very happy with the results so far, here’s hoping they create some massive bud for me :-) **UPDATE** So<the girls are very happy, no issues, drinking and brushing out. Today, I received my ViparSpectra Pro P1000. As you can see from the photos, I added, the difference is like night and day. I plan to give the girls 2-3 days to acclimatise to the amount of light, maybe a week, then flip them to Flowering and see how we go.

** UPDATE** OK, so the big girls are happy and showing no ill effects of the switch to flowering, or providing clones. That is good. So, today, because I have read a lot, watched a lot and looked around here a bit. Therefore, I decided, it was time to let the girls really spread their wings, for the best possible results. So, a quick visit to the computer table, one at a time. Next some small 3mm holes were drilled into the side of each bucket, of did I say bucket, pot 😎. Then some LST (OK, I know I haven't done LST as everyone talks about, this is my take on it). The girls are into flower, so spread those branches and let the light get right in there deep. Hope the photos do it justice. Compare the earlier photos, to the latest, and the spread is I think perfect. No shaded sections, check, no real stress on the branches, check. So, I expect the colas will develop and get the better part of 1600W of growing light power, and have all the room to move they need. Happy Growing ! *** MAJOR UPDATE *** Well, I made a kind of important discovery this evening. The lights have been on 24/7! Yep, the girls have had 24 hour for the ENTIRE Grow. I now officially blame my son (who secretly is in on this with me, he is my carer). So, I have programmed the lights, 6AM-ON & 6PM-OFF. The logic being, I was switching them tomorrow anyway. The reason for the times? I have solar 🙃. Part of the reason I got solar, was to hide my growing activities 😂🤣. So they are now nice and tucked in for a good sleep. Checked them with the moisture meter and they all wanted a drink (under 48 HOURS of 1600W . . . But I digress. The lights will come on at 6AM (I checked it three times to confirm each did as they should). And a flowering we will go. will check them in the morning, when I get up, ensure light is on, then a once a day moisture/PH check. I have the CO2 plant chugging away (must get more yeast). So they get a nice supply, the fan is blowing and oscillating at level 6, to keep the girls cool. Looks like I might of got it all aligned this time. Here’s hoping 😷 **UPDATE** OK, so I have had a few cones, relaxing in front of my wood fire, and I had a thought. The ViparSpectra Pro P1000 on draws ~100W. I have a 4ft x 4ft tent. What is I put another THREE of them in, and use ONE lamp per SqFT ! Imagine 1000W per plant, plus residual from the others. I think I may be onto something . . . At only 400W, it is a smidge above the ~365W being drawn for the ViparSpectra 600W and P1000 1000W currently (pun intended). Using the 1g per 1w per plant. One could expect 1KG per plant! Or for those who understand them like me, THIRTY FIVE OUNCES PER PLANT ! Thoughts? **START** WOW, what a week. The new ViparSpectra Pro P1000, LED grow light arrived. To date I have been using a not too shabby Vipar Spectra 600W LED for growing (I did start with CFL's, but very quickly upgraded a couple years back). Installed that, Have let the girls have their privacy, watering pretty much every second day. I am using the 4 in 1 moisture meter, PH meter and temp and light. The girls, as you can see in the images (it is much more pronounce in real life), have actually started another flush of growth. They are looking so happy. At present I have both the ViparSpectra LED lights going and the girls appear to absolutely love it. The plan? Tomorrow I will take 4 clones, probably 2 big bud, and one each of the other two. Then I will water them and switch them to flower. Then leave them alone for 2-3 days (bar window checks and such, watering where needed). After a week, I will also start adding Rock Resinator, to boost the buds size and quality. I am hoping for a really good harvest, if things keep going this way, it just may be . . . So, give it a few weeks to a month and I should have some great buds growing (here's hoping). A note for anyone who is new, like me, patience. Let the girls do their thing. Trim them, give them lots of light, and nature will take it's course. Many , many thanks to all those who have answered my questions. I have grown a few before, but never "seriously", if you know what I mean. My goal is to get as big a supply as possible (I don't sell, I use for medicinal purposes). So the more the merrier. Also I am cloning for the first time, so I am studying heaps of info, videos etc, to give the little ones the best possible start, when I do it. Happy Growing :-)

** UPDATE ** Well,, the big girls are working on creating buds. I have started them on Resinator, at 1ml/litre, does say up to 2ml, but not if you use soil. Wonder why? Anyhow, around about every 18hrs, they get drinking/nutrients. They are loving the 1600W of light. I firmly believe the CO2 Plant helps. The fan keeps them nice and cool. Considering erecting smaller 2.5ft x 2.5ft x 6ft tent as a veg tent. Then I would be running a propagation tent, veg tent and flower tent. Hmmmm . . . Not legal here 😡, yet. In for a penny, in for a pound 🙃😷. Don’t want the little girls (clones) to struggle cause they are stuck in a propagation tent. We will see. But for now, the big girls are happy. Now, we wait . . . Happy Growing! Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls, we have hit week 2 of flowering. The girls are very happy, having taken the 12/12 switch in their stride. No issues from cloning (or the re-cloned, cause I'm a clutz). Tonight when I water them, I will also be adding the Rock Nutrients Resinator. Oh, I also used plastic/wire ties to spread the branches. The girls all liked that. New photos, enjoy. Happy Growing!

** UPDATE ** So, the big girls are looking great. Even have some sugar forming, so that is a great sign. Happy Growing! ** UPDATE ** Well, the big girls are happy, no ill effects from the trim yesterday. The smell is really starting to build, which is a great sign 😀 For now, it is simply wait for them to bud up and get big. It is funny though, I have these girls, their daughters, in the smaller tent, and still two clones to be picked up, so I am going from one tent to another. Happy Growing! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Welcome to week 3 of flowering. So, after some careful consideration, and question asking, plus research, we decided we needed a final defoliation, to get as much light down into the depths of the girls. So, out come the scissors and snippets doo daa . . . We are hoping we didn’t go too far, will soon find out. The girls are starting to get some great bud sites, so all going well. A few more weeks and we will have some fantastic bud to cure, then enjoy. Happy Growing!

* UPDATE * Not much in news, The girls are budding nicely, I had a play with my main camera today, and got a nic3e shot. I will be looking to go absolute macro soon. Happy Growing! Well, week 11 and the big girls are going great guns. Drinking a litre of water/nutrients a day each, without issue. Very happy, very healthy. Happy Growing!

** UPDATE ** Not a lot of news really, the big girls are putting on some weight, so all going well, 2-3 weeks and I will be harvesting. Then 4-6 weeks curing/aging and then some nice smoke :-) I have added a few photos, showing serious snow over two of the big girls. Big Bud, the smallest of the three, is still catching up it’s bud size, but I have faith. 😀 Happy Growing! The big girls are really going well. The buds are really starting to get heavier.

Bullet-proof, idiot-proof, hell, ME proof! Can’t wait for the cured result, but the aromas coming off after 24 hours harvest, are to die for . . .