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Seed soaked in water for 10 hours (until it sunk). Planted in rapid rooter and placed in clear covered seedling tray. 15000 LUX Full Spectrum LED Grow Light for 16 hours once sprouted. Sprout was ready to transplant in about 10 days. Planted in a 7 gallon grow bag. Planted in 50/50 mix Miracle Grow potting soil and Miracle Grow Garden Soil. Added Summit Responsible Solutions Mosquito Bits into the top 3 inches of the grow bag soil to control any gnats and other insects that may infest below ground.
The Bubblegum was transplanted into the grow bag. Grow bag was watered with 36 oz of water. Drip irrigation was set to 30 secs every 3 hours. Drippers were set about 3 inches from plant. Set 1200w LED grow light to veg (blue) 16 hour cycle 34" from plants. 2 15000 LUX Full Spectrum LED Grow Light in front. After about 3 days moisture was high so drippers were adjusted to 30 seconds every 4 hours. Misted with water every day.
See a little yellowing on leaf tips, but seeing new growth every day.
Soil moisture is still high on the Bubblegum. Changed water cycle to 30 seconds every 5 hours. Filled dehumidifier reservoir with water and added 3 teaspoons of Big Bloom and 1 teaspoon of Grow Big. Dripper feeds directly from the dehumidifier reservoir.
Some leaves are still a little yellow on tips and some leaves are not coming in fully formed.
Dehumidifier tank was full. 1200w grow light was switched to full spectrum. Emptied dehumidifier tank no nutrients to be added until tank fills again. Soil should still have enough nutrients. Soil moisture is still high. Increased dripper interval to 6 hours. Misted with water twice per day. Moved 1200w grow light from 34" above soil level to 30".
New leaves are coming in good. Old leaves still have a little yellowing at tips. Started taking on a deep green color by the end of the week.
Soil moisture was still running a little high. Increased dripper interval from 6 hours to 7 hours. Dripper still set at 30 second duration. Misting plant with water once per day. Rotated plant 90 degrees counter clockwise to ensure even lighting. Went back to adding a light amount of nutrients this week. Two tsp of Fox Farms Big Bloom and 2 tsp of Fox Farms Grow Big. Nutrients were added to a full dehumidifier reservoir and expected to last the week of watering from the drippers (about 2 gallons per week for 3 plants being watered). Still using 100w full spectrum on a gooseneck to light under canopy. The gooseneck light is moved around throughout the week. Temps in the grow room are remaining consistent at 72 deg F. lights off and 78 degrees when lights are on. Humidity got away from me (65%) when lights were off (cooler temps). I was letting the dehumidifier fill and shut off because the nutrients were in the dehumidifier reservoir. Began removing about 1/4 of the water from the dehumidifier reservoir every day and humidity came back under control in the 45% range with lights on and 50% range when lights off. I will need a scheme for adding nutrients to the reservoir while still removing water every day.
This plant is really taking off in height. Plant is still short but bushing out nicely. Foliage has taken on a deep green color. The plant is definitely out of the seedling stage. There is no yellowing or browning on any leaves. The plant looks very healthy. Started LST this week only on main stem. I think I'm starting to see preflowers.
Soil moisture has come in perfect over last week. Will be keeping a closer eye on the dehumidifier this week not letting the reservoir fill up. Target humidity in the grow room is between 47% and 52%. this week. I moved this plants position in the grow room and rotated it 90 deg. clock wise to ensure even light. Still moving a 100w full spectrum gooseneck grow light to fill under the canopy where needed. Now that the plant is growing healthy I misted with Sevin Insect Killer. The plan is light misting once a week for a couple weeks until flowering. There are no signs of insects on the plants. It is preventative.
Odor control is becoming an issue because the plants are maturing and the grow room is open on top. There is a three stage HEPA air purifier in the grow room (rated to 200 sq ft) that has activated charcoal in stage 2, but that will not be enough. I ran an ozone generator for 30 minutes outside the grow room and it took care of the problem so far. I'm not worried so much about the ozone generator because it is in an unfinished basement where no people or pets go and it is not being run in the grow room itself. My plan is to run the ozone generator once per week or if the odor becomes overpowering. I also placed some Ona Gel Pro in a coffee can with holes punched in the lid outside the grow room. I also hung one Earth Care Janitorial and Industrial Odor remover in the grow room. With only 3 plants in the grow room and the basement being somewhat isolated from the rest of the house I don't anticipate odors to be a problem in the living areas. We will see.
Overall, the Bubblegum looks really healthy. All the leaves are a deep green. There is no evidence of disease, bugs, or stress. I would like to see more leaves on the branches, but I'm assuming this strain just has thinner leaves so it doesn't look as bushy as others. This one started flowering this week. Hoping the ozone damage didn't stunt it. Plant looks pretty good at the end of the week.
OZONE DAMAGE
Running the ozone generator like I did was a mistake. It was too much, too close, for too long. The ozone generator was run on Saturday. By Monday morning the damage on some of the leaves was evident. At first I wasn't sure if it was nutrient burn so I immediately flushed the dripper reservoir with clean water. I then went online to figure out what was going on. I researched possible affects of Sevin bug killer and found no real concerns. I found a picture of ozone damage that matched perfectly. Once I realized what it was and what to look for it was obvious. I ran a commercial grade ozone generator for 30 minutes pointed at the grow room about 8 feet away. There are 3 plants in the grow room. The plant closest to the generator was affected the most while the plant furthest was not affected at all. This Bubblegum plant was closest and affected the most. I trimmed off all the affected leaves (see picture above), mid week pictures are 1 day after ozone damaged leaves were removed.
I consider myself fortunate. Overall, it looks like the plant is still somewhat healthy once the damaged leaves were removed. I added some of the water with nutrients back to the dripper water. Given the dose of ozone, any mold and bacteria that could have been in the grow area are probably gone. I still plan on using the ozone generator once a week to help control odor, but will be moving it 20 feet away from the grow room and only running for 10 minutes. I will obviously be monitoring it closely.
Soil was a little dry at the start of the week. Reduced watering frequency from 30 seconds every 7 hours to 30 seconds every 6 hours. Added small amount of nutrients to water. Started using Tiger Big Bloom (just 1 tsp per gallon. Placed a bigger air purifier in the grow room. This one is rated for 840 sq ft. Should be plenty for a 24 sq ft room. Ran ozone generator for 10 minutes (20 feet away from grow room) at beginning of week. Added more Ona Gel to the coffee can outside the grow room. Spray a few spritzes of Fresh Wave outside the grow room. There is a faint smell in the basement where the grow room is located. No smell at all through the rest of the house. Plant was turned 90 degrees clockwise at the beginning of the week to ensure even lighting. There will be no more LST done on the plant. Yellowing leaves were removed from the bottom of the plant. Plant was lightly misted with Sevin bug killer at the beginning of the week as a preventive measure. This is the last week for applying Sevin. Removed all LST wires on the plant at end of week. Plant is adequately trained. No other grow techniques are planned for this plant.
The Bubblegum is one of 3 plants in the grow room. By Mid week, the plant looked healthy but the soil moisture is running critically low. It seems to be using more water than the other two. I don't want to overwater the other two by adjusting the dripper further so I added 32 oz of additional water to the Bubblegum by the end of the week with a light amount of Big Bloom and Tiger Bloom (1tsp per gallon of each). I think all the plants in the grow room will be calling for more water by next week. I will increase the dripper frequency for next week.
This plant continues to look good at the beginning of the week. Not a lot of foliage, but still good. It doubled in height last week. It is fully recovered from the ozone damage last week. I will be watching it closely for any further damage. It is well into flowering. The plant looked healthy at the end of the week. It is really starting to produce buds with two main colas.
Raised grow lights to 34" above soil. Soil moisture has been low all last week. Reduced dripper interval from 30 seconds every 6 hours to 30 seconds every 5 hours. Checked dripper and it is still pumping fine. Rotated the plant 90 degrees clockwise. Added more Ona Gel to the coffee can outside the grow room. Ran Ozone generator for 15 minutes 20 feet away from the grow room. Smell in grow area is still only faint with all the odor control techniques being used.
This plant looks really good. Plant is flowering fine. I will be watching some fan leaves that are a little yellow this week. The Bubblegum Auto is still looking really good by mid week. Ended up removing a couple yellow leaves from the bottom by the end of the week. Pistils are starting to turn brown. Trichomes are still clear. This plant may be about 1 or 2 weeks away from harvest.
Soil moisture is low, Decreased dripper frequency from 30 seconds every 5 hours to 30 seconds every 4 hours. Rotated the pot 90 degrees clockwise to ensure even lighting. Flowers are maturing and filling out. Pistils are starting to change colors but all trichomes are still clear. It looks to be 1 or 2 weeks out until harvest. Overall, this plant looks very good.
Mid week update: Soil moisture was running low early in the week. Added 48 oz of water in 2 days on top of what the dripper is delivering. There is no sign of distress. The buds are maturing nicely. Pistils are turning color. This plant has two main colas. I think the LST back on weeks 4 & 5 worked. Looking through the loupe indicates the trichomes are still clear. Didn't see any milky ones yet. Certainly no amber. None of the fan leaves are turning yet so I may still be 2 or 3 weeks from harvest.
I didn't get to this until midweek. Humidity was higher than I like and soil moisture was low. Rotated this plant 90 degrees clockwise to ensure even light. Added 36 oz of water on top of what the drippers are delivering. Drippers were also moved 90 degrees to ensure even soil moisture. Humidity was lowered to 45%.
Starting flush this week. Began with pH'ed water only in the dripper. Will be adding water only with no nutrients for the rest of the week. Pistils are about 50% brown and the trichomes are getting cloudy. Buds are looking good. This plant still has about a week until harvest.
By the end of the week the buds are filled out. The pistils have mostly turned brown. The trichomes are clear, milky, AND amber... in the same view. Many shots are both clear and amber. I want a more active high so this plant is coming down next week. I think it is ready. It is very confusing seeing so many clear and amber trichomes on the same bud.
I'm disappointed in the yield, but it is my first grow and an auto-flower. The growing conditions were tightly controlled so I really didn't need to worry much about disease or pests. I will try growing it again in about 6 months and see what happens.
This is the 1st plant I ever harvested. I think the buds look really good... I just didn't get enough of them. With 2.25 ounces wet, I ended up with 1/2 ounce of smokable bud once dried and trimmed. The plant was small , but it is auto-flower. There is a Jack Here Auto and OG Kush Auto still in the room. My hope is those two yield twice as much bud as this one. I need to yield about 6.5 ounces on the 3 plants to break even on my total investment at current market price. If I don't make it, I still have 11 seeds left so I will cover my costs with the next grow if not this one.
I'm drying the buds individually in a drying rack (fan leaves removed) The room is at 70 degrees with 50% humidity. I will be back to fill in the blanks once the buds are dried.
By mid week (day 4 of drying) the temperature has held steady at 70-72 deg F with humidity at 50% - 52%. Turning the buds twice per day. Stems still do not snap when bent. They are still wet but look good.
By day six of drying the stems snapped without breaking. My trim tray, trimming equipment, and 1 pint mason jar were all thoroughly wiped down with rubbing alcohol before I started trimming. Did the dry trim and got it in a jar. This plant only yielded 3/4 oz dry, but it is my first plant ever and the buds look really good even if they weren't that dense. The trim even looked pretty good so I ran it through the herb grinder and will use it as a small preview of what is to come in 3 or 4 weeks once cured.
This plant came down in 11 weeks (72 days) from seed. In hindsight, I would have left the plant going for 1 maybe 2 more weeks. The buds still look good and it was mature enough to harvest, but I think they would have fattened up a little more if I would have left them a little longer. I have 4 more seeds so I will try another one in a few months and see what happens.
After 2 months of curing I tried it. It is definitely powerful. 1 hit is all that's required. The high lasts about 2 hours.
Good luck with your plant.
I wouldn't perform misting twice a day. Once a day is way enough in my opinion.
Too much humidity is bad for diseases, bugs...
@PurpleWorship, I was thinking the same thing. I could go to misting one time per day if at all on this plant. There are 3 plants in the room a Jack Herer Auto and OG Kush Auto are in with the Bubblegum Auto. The OG Kush is 11 days behind the other two because the first seed did not germinate. I'm still misting the OG Kush Twice per day until it is in full veg like the other two.
I'm not worried about bugs so much because I have a control plan for that. But mold and mildew could become a problem. Better safe than sorry so only misting the two older ones once per day and will stop misting them completely by next week. Thanks for the tip.
If you grow a photoperiod strain, look into LST and ScrOG, the two go together really well. I completely fill out a 2ft x 2ft tent with two plants using these methods, and get about 3 to 4 ounces dried! For about 6 weeks worth of veg (I've done some experimenting and cloning and stuff lately though, hadn't popped a seed in many many months)
@FreshCoastOrganics, Thanks again. Yep, when I first started smoking a card and a frisbee were required to get the seeds out... and if you missed a seed you were rewarded with a burn hole in your shirt. An ounce of "Columbian gold" was about $35. The gonja (sinsemilla) was popular by the time I quit. There was still no such thing as indica vs sativa back then. Just sticky buds. My plan is to take it easy with it. Take a hit on Friday night after work with a nice cigar and a cocktail and just kick back... after it is cured to perfection of course. Still 3 months away I think. Looking forward to it.
@Jerry101, YouTube is great for the visual aspect of learning! Videos can definitely fill the gap because books, articles & pictures can only help so much. Experience is #1 over everything but that will come as you grow along!
Wow 35 years! Be careful my friend you’re about to be smoking some 🔥 buds that will definitely get you lifted! This supply will definitely last you a while. $55 is certainly an amazing price. I used to live in California, (Medical $45-$65 per 3.5g Top Shelf) (Recreational $55-$65/3.5g TS) Now I live in another legal state and prices are $35-$55 Medical and $45-$65 Recreational.
Growing your own is way more rewarding even if you break even at first. Once you get more experience your plants will yield more than you need!
Good luck with everything my friend! 🤙😎
@FreshCoastOrganics, Thanks. YouTube is my friend.... along with various articles here and on other sites. I spent about 2 months researching before I even bought anything. Still researching as it grows. There were a lot of decisions to make. So far so good. At $55 per 1/4 oz at the local store I will have to yield a total of 6.5 oz out of 3 plants to make my money back on the equipment... not that I'm going to sell it. I haven't smoked any weed for over 35 years. So the first time I light up will be my own. It's legal now so why not? I have olive trees going in the room for the winter so the yield from this grow will have to last me until late spring.
Grow Room
The grow room is made from ¾” Schedule 40 PVC Pipe frame. Corrugated cardboard boxes lined with black duct tape on the outside and Vivosun Horticulture Highly Reflective Mylar Film (Roll 4’ X 50’ 2 Mil for $32) inside adhered to the cardboard with two-sided carpet tape. The cardboard panels were mounted to the frame using wire ties. Reflective mylar was also placed on the floor of the room. There are two shower curtains hung from the front with a white shower curtain facing inside and a black shower curtain to the outside. The white shower curtain should reflect some light back into the room with the black shower curtain absorbing any light getting through the white curtain. It is literally PVC pipe, cardboard, duct tape, wire ties, and a couple shower curtains. Since the room is in a dark unfinished basement it is open at the top (about 1 ft head space to ceiling). This should allow for adequate ventilation without the need for separate exhaust. See the Air/ Temperature Control section. The room is 4’ x 6’ but can be easily expanded with little investment. The room cost about $70 to build. It can be expanded to 12’ x 4’ for an additional $20.
Moisture Control and Watering
Humidity in the room is controlled by a Vremi 3,000 Sq. Ft. Dehumidifier ($280) for the 700 Sq. Ft basement where the grow area is located. The dehumidifier sits just outside the grow room. A Moistenland Automatic Drip Irrigation System ($48) is fed directly from the dehumidifier reservoir. Both duration and interval of watering is controlled. The ¼” dripper line feeds through the wall of the grow room. The moisture collected out of the air is used to automatically water the plants. No other water source is used. The water from the dehumidifier is about 6.1 pH with 65 ppm total dissolved solids (before nutrients). Nutrients are added directly to the dehumidifier reservoir each week as required. The dehumidifier is thoroughly cleaned and sanitized between each grow… including the filters. See Air/ Temperature Control for how mold and bacteria are controlled.
Air/ Temperature Control
The grow area is in a 700 sq ft unfinished basement. The home HVAC system is also in this space. The temperature remains consistent between 70 and 75 deg F. (21-24 deg C.) outside the grow room. Inside the grow room remains between 70 to 80 deg F (21-27 deg C.) depending on the time of day and whether the lights are running. There is about a 10-degree difference between lights on and lights off. There is no need for extra temperature controls. There is a Pure Enrichment PureZone Air Purifier - True HEPA Filter ($100) with a 3-stage filter that includes activated charcoal to reduce odors. The filter is rated for 200 sq ft so it should be enough for the 24 sq ft in the grow room. The air purifier is placed on the floor. It brings in air from the grow room blowing the filtered air up from the top of the unit. The fan in the purifier is set on high and expected to be the only thing needed to move air, eliminate mold and bacteria, and provide odor control in the room. The air purification filter is changed out for each grow. Again, the top of the grow room is open, so ventilation should not be a problem. I have a coffee can with hole punch in the lid Ona Gel Pro inside to help control odor along with a Earth Care Janitorial and Industrial Odor remover hung inside the room.
Lighting
The 6’ x 4’ grow room has 2 WHOSLED LED 1200W (230w actual) Dual Switch Dual Chip Plant Lamps ($110 ea) attached to floor joists above the room with a rope. They have blue, red, and full spectrum settings. They can be easily adjusted for height. There are also 2 Relassy 200w (45w actual) Full Spectrum Grow Lamp, Dual Head Gooseneck Plant Lights ($30 ea) used to direct light as needed under the plant canopy. All lights are connected to a timer. Light cycle matches natural day/ night cycle.
Soil and Planting
The first grow with this setup is 3 autoflower plants (Bubblegum, Jack Herer, and OG Kush). A 6’ x 4’ grow room should be plenty of room for 3 plants. They are planted in JERIA 7 Gallon, Plant Grow Bags (12 for $26) with Hydrofarm 14” plant saucers (10 for $41) under them. The soil is a 50/50 mix of Miracle Grow Potting Soil and Miracle Grow Garden Soil. About 2 oz of Summit Mosquito Bits - Quick Kill (30 oz for $17) was incorporated into the top 3 inches of soil in each grow bag. This should control gnats and other soilborne insects. Plants were started in rapid rooter and seedling trays for the first 10 days before being transplanted directly to the 7 gallon grow bags.
Monitoring Grow Conditions
There are several parameters being monitored during the grow. Soil moisture and light are measured using a Kensizer Soil Tester ($14). The soil mixture used is known to have a 6.5 pH so the water pH is monitored using a Vivosun High Accuracy Pen Type pH Meter ($10). A General Hydroponics pH test kit ($23 includes pH Up and pH Down) is also used for the water pH to ensure accuracy. A Vivosun TDS sensor ($10) is also used on the water. Temperature and humidity inside the grow room are monitored using a Govee Indoor Temperature Humidity Sensor with Bluetooth ($13).
Nutrients
The watering schedule is about 12 oz per day per plant. It will fluctuate between 10 and 15 oz per day depending on soil moisture measurements. For 3 plants that comes out to about 2 gallons per week. Since the fresh soil mixture already has nutrients, the liquid nutrients are added directly to the dehumidifier reservoir once per week at about ¼ recommended strength. Fox Farm Big Bloom, Grow Big, and Tiger Bloom are used per the ratios recommended for growth stage. Used the Fox Farm Feeding Schedule as a guide (1/4 of recommended amount).
Overall Comments
There should be good control on grow room temperature and humidity. There is probably enough light for a grow room twice the size… or twice the plants using about 2800w LED total (600w actual usage). Light leaks are naturally controlled by being in a basement room with no windows and light schedule follows actual day/ night hours (the first grow is all autoflower anyway). The air in the room is purified with good ventilation. Watering is fully automatic with proper pH water and nutrients are added per schedule. The soil is the proper pH starting out in is protected against insects.
Grow room temperature and humidity is continuously monitored and charted via Bluetooth. Soil moisture is monitored daily and controlled through automated dripper settings. Light intensity is monitored and controlled via adjustable lighting. Water pH is measured daily using a probe and titrated weekly to verify accuracy. Total dissolved solids in the water with nutrients is measured daily. The grow journals for each plant can be found here.
Jerry101
