Blue Dream Weaver #1

This is my first grow so I went with Blue Dream'matic which is an autoflower from FastBuds. I’m growing in a 5-gallon space bucket. The supplies list for the bucket build and grow is in my photos. Bucket Build (Bottom to Top) The 14” water tray is at the bottom with a bucket lid on top of it. The lid was drilled out with 2 different size bits to allow for drainage. An upside down 5-gallon bucket was placed on top of the lid. I cut the bottom of this bucket with a Dremel but left a small lip to keep the bucket from warping. A second bucket was placed on top with the bottom of that bucket also cut out. These buckets were zip tied together to prevent them from coming apart. The inside of both buckets was lined with foil tape to increase the reflectiveness and the outside was covered in black duct tape to make the bucket more inconspicuous. A LED strip was mounted inside the top bucket towards the bottom of the bucket. Outside the bucket a hole was made to allow the power cord to be fed out. A temperature and humidity monitor was mounted outside the bucket using a small bolt and nut. A hold was made to insert the probe into the bucket and placed at canopy height. The power strip was mounted on the outside the bucket opposite the temp monitor (backside of bucket). A lid with 4 holes was placed on the top bucket. Three holes were cut in a diamond pattern for the bulb sockets. In each socket, a splitter was used to place 6 bulbs (4 Daylight, 2 Warm White for Veg). All the lights were connected to a mechanical timer. The center of the lid had a large hole where the fan was mounted on the outside. Inside the bucket opposite the fan was a DIY carbon filter using the pencil holders. The guide to build that can be found here - https://bestseedbank.com/diy-micro-grow-carbon-filter/ The fan was connected to the fan speed controller and with everything on I adjusted the speed to keep the temperature 70-80 degrees. Inside the bucket is a 3-gallon Smart Pot. The soil used is 4 layers consisting of Fox Farm Ocean Forest Soil (6 Quarts), Happy Frog Potting Soil (3 Quarts), Perlite (3 Quarts), Earthworm Castings (1/4” layer). These were placed in that order from bottom to top. The idea was that FFOF can be a little too nitrogen and nutrient heave for seedlings, so the hope was to offset that a little early in the grow and as the roots go deeper they will gain more nutrients. The soil was watered completely (1 gallon tap PH at 6.4) 2 days before the seed was placed in it. I used the paper towel method to germinate. I wet a paper towel allowing the excess water to drip out. The seed was placed in the paper towel which was then folded over and placed in a DVD case. The case was wrapped in a towel and then placed in a warm dark place. I started this Dec 26 (Tuesday) and a tap root appeared on Dec 28 (Thursday). On Dec 29 (Friday) I planted the seed by placing it about one knuckle deep in the soil and gently covered it with soil. On Jan 2, the plant broke through the soil. This was all during the really cold winter streak we had. It was difficult regulating temperature and even worse with humidity. I placed the humidifier we own closer to the bucket and since the humidity has been consistent 30-40%. The plant was watered as soon as the soil felt dry when I placed my finger in it. I used a small soda bottle (12 ounces) with 5 holes in the top to water every 2-3 days. The soil meter was placed in the solid to provide an idea of how dry the soil is at a quick glance, but I take it with a grain of salt as these can be less than perfect over time.