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1
Week 1. Vegetation
14 hrs
28 °C
6.5
No Smell
55 %
19 °C
1 l
60.96 cm
Comments 1
CRIM_mir
Sorry for the lack of pics or any other info. I wasn’t planning to create a diary, but I think I might need it to keep up with feedings. I am not entirely sure I remember which day I germinated the seeds, so I may be off by 3-5 days.
2
Week 2. Vegetation
11.43 cm
18 hrs
28 °C
6.5
No Smell
70 %
18 °C
19 l
45.72 cm
Nutrients 5
Big Bloom - Fox Farm
Big Bloom 4 mll
Grow Big - Fox Farm
Grow Big 2 mll
Bush Doctor Boomerang - Fox Farm
Bush Doctor Boomerang 0.66 mll
Comments 1
CRIM_mir
OCTOBER 6 (DAY 10): This week has been a scramble to get organized and ready for feeding and odor control. I still have NO idea what I’m doing, but there isn’t any drooping or discoloration, so I guess I’ll keep on keeping on. Although the three plants aren’t all the same size (No. 1 seems to be the biggest at the moment), they all seem to be growing consistently — thus far, the differences appear to be a result of germination differences. Any comments or suggestions would be welcomed and appreciated. OCTOBER 7 (DAY 11): Plant no.1 is looking like a dragon. Since he’s a Northern Lights, I think I’m going to nickname him Viserion... because I’m weird. I still don’t remember the day I soaked the seeds or the day(s) they sprouted, so I am going to use the first day for which my thermometer/hygrometer has data and call that the beginning (Sunday, Sept 27 = Day 1). Potential Issue: I’m noticing some faint white variegation in the leaves — hope that’s ok. I think it’s visible in my pics, but I can always take more. Again, any suggestions would be great. OCTOBER 8 (DAY 12): It might have been too early, but I gave the plants their first, half-strength feeding. I have no idea if I fed them enough volume, though. In an effort to avoid overwatering these baby plants in their 5 gallon planters, I only fed them 1/3 of a liter each, directly around the plant stem. 🤷‍♀️🏻 OCTOBER 9 (DAY 13): All three plants are working on their fourth nodes, and I read that LST should be started pretty early on autos. That said, doing it freaked me out a bit, so I've only done one, and I think I'm going to seek guidance on how to proceed. TL;DR: Finally getting organized. Plants seem happy, but I don't know what I'm doing, so I think I'm going to try some side-by-side comparisons of techniques.
Used techniques
LST
Technique
Grow Questions
CRIM_mir
CRIM_mirstarted grow question 4 years ago
Question about LST autos (see photos). I read LST should start early with autos, but I am worried I might be starting too soon. I started with plant 3, but it just flopped right over (I didn't have to pull it), so I stopped. Is this ok, or should I wait? The others?
Solved
Techniques. LST
1 like
FreshCoastOrganics
FreshCoastOrganicsanswered grow question 4 years ago
I think you may have started a little early. I wait until there are about 3+ nodes usually when she sprouts her first true leaves. I’d take a little pressure off and start maybe a week or so later. You really want her roots to anchor down a bit more! I’d also support the base of the stem before you start pulling the top down as well! I hope this helps!
3
Week 3. Vegetation
15.24 cm
18 hrs
28 °C
6.5
Weak
2250 PPM
60 %
18 °C
19 l
30.48 cm
Nutrients 5
Big Bloom - Fox Farm
Big Bloom 4 mll
Grow Big - Fox Farm
Grow Big 2 mll
Bush Doctor Boomerang - Fox Farm
Bush Doctor Boomerang 0.66 mll
Comments 3
CRIM_mir
OCTOBER 12 (DAY 16): The plants seem to be doing well after their first feeding. I plan to alternate feeding and plain watering every 3-4 days, assuming the plants don’t show any signs of nute burn. That said, I think I may have screwed up my first feeding. I forgot to test and adjust the feeding solution’s ph prior to feeding, which may explain why my last TDS reading was so high (showing 2250 ppm two days after feeding). The plants are all getting nice and big. Viserion (#1) was the strongest out the gate, so I was going to leave it alone. But #2 has overtaken it, so I have decided to make #2 the comparison plant that will not receive any training. Based on some feedback from my first grow question, I let the plants go until their first set of true leaves were fully fanned out before beginning LST. Plants #1 & #3 have now begun LST, along with stem support. So far so good. OCTOBER 15 (DAY 19): Everyone looks good. I gave a second feeding today, following the FF feeding schedule at half-strength. This time I tested the nute solution ph and adjusted it up to 6.5. I have a feeling they weren’t getting the most out of the last feed, as I’m guessing the ph was about 4.5. Hopefully there will be no nute burn (a few leaves got wet during the watering, despite my best efforts. Unless the plants tell me to do otherwise, I am going to continue a twice/week watering schedule, adding nutes once a week. OCTOBER 17 (DAY 21): Week 3 has ended with a bang. Plants 2 and 3 are sporting pistils, so I guess we are now in pre-flower. Viserion (no. 1) is taking its sweet time, and I’m not seeing any pistils yet. Isn’t it weird how the ones that go crazy big out of the gate aren’t always the strongest or fastest in the long run? I can’t wait to see what week 4 brings! TL;DR: Started feeding the plants using FF soil schedule at half strength, 1x/wk. Figured out using distilled water with nutes requires adjusting the PH. Leaving one plant alone and LSTing the other two. Almost ready to flower, maybe?
Used techniques
LST
Technique
4
Week 4. Vegetation
27.94 cm
18 hrs
28 °C
6.5
Weak
50 %
18 °C
5 l
30 l
30.48 cm
Nutrients 10
Bud Candy - Advanced Nutrients
Bud Candy 0.264 mll
Big Bloom - Fox Farm
Big Bloom 1.981 mll
Grow Big - Fox Farm
Grow Big 1.321 mll
Comments 1
CRIM_mir
OCTOBER 20 (DAY 24): Week four has begun, and I am now so completely full of questions. I’ve got preflowers on at least 2 of the 3 plants, the terminal nodes (is that right?) on all three are looking... uh... busy... lots of long, skinny growth coming out of the bud sites. I am wondering if this means it’s time to start transitioning to bloom nutes, or if I’m a little early yet. On the subject of bloom nutes..... wtf? There are so many options, and it’s hard to tell what can be used with other things and what products are supposed to be direct competitors. This is definitely going to require some trial and error. I’m also not sure what to do about the lights. Because I’m using LST on some but not all of the plants, one is significantly taller than the others (and thus closer to the lights)... this looks like a grow question. OCTOBER 21 (DAY 25): After dealing with a runaway heat problem in my tent and major height discrepancies between the LST’ed plants and the control plant, I decided to reorganize the tent... again. I’ve got my tiny tent in a nook in my bathroom, and there aren’t any ports for intake fans at the bottom of the tent (just windows), so I had been running a small intake fan shoved right up between one of the mesh intake windows and the wall. That didn’t give a ton of open air for the intake fan to draw from, so I rotated the tent 90 degrees so the intake fan has the open room air to pull from. I also raised the LST’ed plants by about 6” so the canopies of all three plants will sit roughly equal. We’ll see if this works. Τoday I fed the plants again. I’m not sure if I am going to prefer to go the FF Bembe route or the AN Big Bud/Bud Candy/Overdrive route, so I am doing a side-by-side on my LST’ed plants. Plant 3 received Bud Candy today, while plant 1 will get Bembe starting next week. I have only been feeding the plants nutes once a week. I’m wondering if I should step that up or just stick to once a week unless the plants start squawking. Any feedback would be much appreciated. TL;DR: To flower or not to flower... to feed or not to feed... to water or not to water... these are the questions. Control plant = winning. ***************************** LST Kit Info ***************************** In case anyone is interested in the LST kit I am using: https://www.etsy.com/listing/831218796/growth-manipulation-kit-for-low-stress Engineered Essentials offers these in two sizes — regular and seedling/clone. I think these autos are small enough that I should have gone with the seedling size, but I have some on the way and will report back once I give them a shot and can compare.
Used techniques
LST
Technique
Grow Questions
CRIM_mir
CRIM_mirstarted grow question 4 years ago
My grow light is suspended (offset from plants) about 10” from the canapy of my two LST’ed plants but only about 6” from my control plant (no LST). Everyone seems happy, and I am not noticing any burns or lack of growth (unless too close can stunt?). Should I rethink the setup?
Solved
Setup. Lighting
likes
russrahl
russrahlanswered grow question 4 years ago
I agree with the previous comment. You really don’t want to let one go and lst the others, you will have problems with it later on in flowering. The one you let go could go 2-3 times higher then your lst canopy will be. The other option if you really wanna keep your Control plant is to buy another led light and move your lst plants to one sine of the tent together under one light and use the second light over your control plant.
CRIM_mir
CRIM_mirstarted grow question 4 years ago
Veg stage w/ preflowers or flower? The top node looks different from prior growth, but no white pistils. How should I handle nutes? My FF feeding schedule is based on photoperiods, so which week of flower schedule should I use? Sorry for million ??, total n00b here. THX!
Solved
Plant. Other
Feeding. Schedule
likes
Shagrath
Shagrathanswered grow question 4 years ago
Hi there! She's starting flower but you can keep using veg nutes and gradually lower the nitrogen in the next 2-3 weeks. The first weeks of flower is the stretch phase and they need lots of nitrogen in that time so it's good to slowly change to full flowering nutes
CRIM_mir
CRIM_mirstarted grow question 4 years ago
I have been feeding my plants 1/2 strength FF once weekly since week 3. The plants seem to be doing well. One has twisted leaves but seems healthy. But the plants are displaying random spots of yellowing. Is this normal or indicative of some kind of nute issue?
Solved
Leaves. Color - Mottling
Leaves. Other
likes
JoseTodoLoco
JoseTodoLocoanswered grow question 4 years ago
You had the TDS at 2250ppm to me it's too high, sometimes those spots are related to drops of water that acts as a magnifier, Are you having those spots on a few lower leaves?. Cheers
5
Week 5. Flowering
35.56 cm
18 hrs
26 °C
6.5
Weak
1500 PPM
45 %
18 °C
5 l
30 l
30.48 cm
Nutrients 10
Bud Candy - Advanced Nutrients
Bud Candy 0.264 mll
Big Bloom - Fox Farm
Big Bloom 1.981 mll
Grow Big - Fox Farm
Grow Big 1.321 mll
Comments 2
CRIM_mir
OCTOBER 28 (DAY 32): I have not spent as much time babying the plants over the last four days or so, as I have been entertaining guests. So imagine my dismay when I pop into the tent to give the plants their weekly feeding and pruning, only to find my comparison plant droopy and some leaves on a couple of the plants sporting big brown splotches. EEK! Gotta figure this out. Maybe it’s too high a TDS — the nutes going in are between 1300 and 2500 going in. I am guessing I need to learn more about how to properly feed these plants. I didn't do much journaling this week, because I had houseguests and couldn't break away to think through my grow problems. TL:DR: EEK! Drooping! Houseguests! Terrifying Halloween combo.
Grow Questions
CRIM_mir
CRIM_mirstarted grow question 4 years ago
2 plants have browning on lower leaves where light hits (calcium def?), and now one has drooping leaves. All plants fed/watered same, except healthier plant (on right) did not get Bud Candy. Strong growth. Nute TDS high (~2250) but following 1/2 str. FF schedule. Help plz!
Solved
Leaves. Curl down
Leaves. Color - Mottling
likes
Spider
Spideranswered grow question 4 years ago
Tds too much high, less nuts and more water. See your PH. Happy growth!
6
Week 6. Flowering
39.37 cm
18 hrs
26 °C
6.5
Weak
1500 PPM
45 %
18 °C
5 l
30 l
30.48 cm
Nutrients 10
Bud Candy - Advanced Nutrients
Bud Candy 0.264 mll
Big Bloom - Fox Farm
Big Bloom 1.981 mll
Grow Big - Fox Farm
Grow Big 1.321 mll
Comments 1
CRIM_mir
NOV 2 (DAY 37): Well, another week begins... I think I have worked out what my biggest issues are right now (which is not to say that I have resolved them -- and on that note, PLEASE feel free to chime in with any suggestions. ALL HELP IS MUCH APPRECIATED!!): - Watering: The plants seemed pretty happy being watered ~1200ML 2x/wk (once with nutes, once without) until last week, when they all just started drooping. The plants seem to be sucking up water much faster now than they were before (haha, go figure), which makes me think I'll be watering 3-4x/wk. I'm going to stick with 1200ML each watering for now. Chances are, it will take me another week or so to hone in on that perfect schedule/amount. - Nutrient Deficiencies: For the most part, I had been mixing the liquid nutes in store-bought distilled water, and I'm guessing that either (a) the distilled water lacked calcium, leading to a deficiency; or (b) somehow I have locked out some important nutrient(s) and it is presenting like a calcium deficiency. I have added Cal Mag Plus to my weekly feeding schedule, so we'll see what happens with new growth. I still don't know what I'm doing. - Ultra high TDS: The TDS of my nutrient solution is sky high (between 1300 and 2300, depending on what's in there). I need to test the TDS and PH of the soil today to see what's up with all of that. This is the part of growing I am having the most difficulty working out. NOV 3 (DAY 38): I took a big chance today and did some massive defoliation of my LST'ed plants. I cut out the branches with immature bud sites that were completed shaded out in my comparison plant. The defoliation of the other two plants opened up the canopy, allowing air to get in. Hopefully the plants will bounce back. Plant 3 looks a little mad, but it's hard to tell if that's the defoliation or my nutrient issue. NOV 7 (DAY 42): Plants 2 and 3 are sporting the start of some nutrient burn at the tips of their fan leaves, so now it's time to see what happens with flushing. I have given each plant a gallon of filtered, PH-balanced water. Runoff from the plants measured between 1800 and 2300 ppm, so I will flush again in a couple of days. Despite the sky high TDS readings, the plants look pretty good. Everyone bounced back from the defoliation, and I think we are now in a better place. TL;DR: N00b growmie + trial by error = a yoyo effect between good and not so good. Defoliation = good. Overfeeding = bad. Nutrient burn starting after too heavily feeding. Ended the week with some flushing.
Used techniques
Defoliation
Technique
7
Week 7. Flowering
39.37 cm
18 hrs
26 °C
6.5
Normal
1000 PPM
45 %
18 °C
5 l
30 l
30.48 cm
Comments 1
CRIM_mir
NOV 9 (DAY 44): Since the TDS readings from my runoff were still super high a few days ago (1800-2300ppm), I have opted to do a semi-flush again today. Each plant received about a gallon of filtered water. The TDS readings from the three plants' runoff have dropped to 500-800ppm. Now that these fast maturing plants have had two semi-heavy waterings with the latest leading to runoff below 1000ppm, I'm not sure what to do. Should I do another plain watering? Am I getting close enough to the end that it's time to put away the nutes altogether? This may warrant a grow question. NOV 11 (DAY 46): I officially have no idea what to do with my comparison plant (plant 2). Its growth looks great, the buds are fattening up, and I finally got the TDS down below 800ppm after 2 heavy waterings. But now the plant is developing several different kinds of spots and colors that make me worry. Grow question time! NOV 12 (DAY 47): I’m trying my luck at feeding the plants again. This time, I mixed all the nutrients as per the FF schedule with a gallon of water, and then I diluted that mixture with filtered water until the TDS read around 800. This is when I figured something out. I added pH UP to bring the diluted mixture to 6.5, and that shot my TDS up to around 1200. I then diluted the mixture out again until the TDS read 1000. I will need to do more research to learn what impact pH UP has on solutions. Anyway, feeding as follows: Plant 1: 2400ml of diluted FF nutes, Cal Mag Plus, and Bembe (nute solution TDS = ; runoff = 500ml) Plant 2: 3000ml of diluted FF nutes, Cal Mag Plus, Terpinator, and Perpinator (nute solution TDS = 1000; runoff = 800ml) Plant 3: 2400ml of diluted FF nutes, Cal Mag Plus, trace Terpinator/Perpinator, Big Bud, and Bud Candy (nute solution TDS = 1000; runoff = 800ml)
8
Week 8. Flowering
41.91 cm
18 hrs
26 °C
6.5
Normal
1000 PPM
45 %
18 °C
5 l
30 l
30.48 cm
Comments 1
CRIM_mir
NOV 17 (DAY 52): Oooohhhh... I let the plants go too long without watering them. Plant 3 looked so limp and pathetic, I was afraid to touch it. I have got to start setting a reminder to pick the pots up every day to be sure. NOV 18 (DAY 53): Everyone is looking much better now that they have been thoroughly watered. They need to be fed next time I water. NOV 20 (DAY 55): The fan leaves on my comparison plant, which up to now had been light years ahead of the others, are now rapidly yellowing and turning brittle. And Plant 3 is also starting to look lighter yellow green... time for food. I mixed everything as per FF’s feeding schedule (minus the dry ingredients and plus a few other things), adjusted the solution’s pH, and then diluted it to 1500ppm. I’m a little uncertain about what to expect from my comparison plant... so I’m feeding it at least one more time.
Grow Questions
CRIM_mir
CRIM_mirstarted grow question 4 years ago
I committed a n00b mistake & got the nutes all outa whack during bloom. Now the fan leaves are yellowing and brittle. The stigmas are also turning orange, but I don’t see ANY amber trichs — maybe just burned? I fed again, but don’t know how to tell when to flush for harvest. THX!
Solved
Buds. Other
Feeding. Other
likes
Organoman
Organomananswered grow question 4 years ago
It is pretty normal for the leaves at late flowering to go yellow, so nothing really to worry about. The close up picture looks like that plant is close to harvest, don't worry about "amber trichome percentages" some plants will never have amber trichomes and some plants will have amber trichomes very early on, depending entirely on genetics. I am a bit worried about the first and third pictures, there seems, what looks like to me, a fungal problem starting to raise its ugly head, with the black blotches being the tell tale sign. I would be stopping all nutrients, letting things dry out a bit and only giving water for the next week or so and be considering harvest soon rather than later. You don't want all your hard work and big chunky blooms going mouldy. Perhaps if you haven't fed them for a few days, harvest could be brought forward a few days. Remember, you will never stop learning when growing this wonderful plant and as a self described "newbie", should be proud of your results. Think how much you learned this time and how you can apply that knowledge into your next grow. I have been at it for 35+ years and am still learning new things every season. Congratulations on your adventure into the wonderful world of gardening for pleasure! Hope this helps... Organoman.
9
Week 9. Flowering
41.91 cm
18 hrs
26 °C
6.5
Normal
1000 PPM
45 %
18 °C
5 l
30 l
30.48 cm
Comments 3
CRIM_mir
NOV 23 (DAY 58): Everyone received water — plants 1 & 3 received 600ml each of nutrient-enriched water, along with an extra 600ml plain pH’ed water; plant 2 received 1200ml pH’ed water with a teaspoon of FF Sledgehammer. NOV 24 (DAY 59): Checked everyone’s trichs today. Plant 2 (the comparison plant currently recovering from nute burn) has the most obvious signs of amber trichs... looks like yesterday’s flush was a good call. I will continue to give plain pH’ed water until it’s time. Not sure what to make of plants 1 & 3. They are much smaller than plant 2 (the one that was not trained), and there don’t seem to be nearly as many cloudy or amber trichs. These three Auto Northern Lights seeds from ILGM all started at roughly the same time, but have diverged in their condition due to (a) differential training methods, and (b) nutrient problems. I guess the appropriate question is this: are plants 1 & 3 BEHIND plant 2, or are they still maturing at the same time but are stunted due to the training?
Grow Questions
CRIM_mir
CRIM_mirstarted grow question 4 years ago
Plant 1 has healthiest foliage but smallest buds. Plant 2 seems farthest along but stalling out. Plants 1 & 3 fattening. Just delayed? Seeing amber trichs here n there, but lots of clears/milky all over. Flush plant 2 for a week or two and harvest but let 1 & 3 go longer? THX!
Solved
Buds. Other
Plant. Other
Techniques. LST
likes
NobodysBuds
NobodysBudsanswered grow question 4 years ago
Trichomes look similar, eh? Resources are spread out as opposed to a more focused used on the untrained plant. You get similar yields. I'd wager the strongest correlation as far as plant structure is the root system. Obviously giving max DLI relative to ambient environment being the single biggest factor for larger yields. #1 has more colas than #2, right? So, it's colas are a bit smaller. Sometimes training can stall a plant. If you didn't notice a slowdown, i'd wait for the dry weight before assuming anythign about yield. it can be deceiving still on the plant.
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