Rookie's Journal

day 17

plants look healthy and seem to be thriving in their new pots.



close up of one of the thicker stalks

the three plants that had the taproot problems seem to be doing a nice job of correcting themselves:

can i start misting them with a grow solution or is it still too early? i am planning on watering on tuesday with a pure blend grow mix in the water (1 tsp per gallon).

 

Hey Dudette!

Yeah! Now, that's what I'm talking about - Happy looking plants!!! Looks like the yellow blotches are history!
By the way; are you taking notes about how each plant is doing? Kind of a diary that includes measurements, comments, treatments, appearance, "spots", waterings - whatever? This kind of information is far to tedious to remember (bit by bit); but can be invaluable as something to refer back to. Just tag each pot, 1-10, or, A-J, or whatever, and refer to them individually.
Yeah, you can start misting them again. Do they really need a "growth solution"? Here's what I'd do: mist half (A-E) with "grow solution" and mist half (F-J) with plain water - see if it really works!!! Just don't overdo the misting, excess moisture and humidity is not a good thing!!!

 

day 18:

taking your advice t.h. I mixed up a solution of diluted pure blend grow formula and misted plants 1,2, and 3 and stayed with straight H2O on the rest. if i notice a markable change in the three i'll spead it around a bit.

i took measurements last night and all of the plants have grown about two inches in height since the last measurement (five days and one repotting ago). they have also spread out to between 9 and 10 inches across. is this how you measure, or is there some other way?

i've been reading where plants will about double in height during flower, so i am thinking i should go to flower when my plants hit about 15 inches. does this sound about right, or should i wait longer? what will the benefits be other than a higher yeild? i guess what i am saying here is that i want to get some buds without shortchanging myself too much. from what i understand, i could go to flower right now if i wanted, but the plants don't look as if they could support too much bud weight. thoughts on this?

 

day 19 -

the plants look great! i rotated them and misted (#'s 1-5 with nutemist). they really are growing like weeds - anywhere from 1" to 2.5" a day.

since all the plants seem to be healthy i am going to start playing with them a little. i don't really know what i can do other than play with the nutes and try lst on some. time to start reading some more. any other suggestions?

still looking for answers in last post as well.

thanks.

 

Hey Dudette!

Sounds like everything is pretty well under control (fingers crossed)! Indoor plants tend to be more "frail" looking because they're not exposed to the full outdoor "toughening" experience. Wind and rain can really give the main stem and branches a workout - the exercise makes them stronger and thicker!!! That's part of what the circulation fan's job is; to wiggle the plants a little as they keep the air stirred up! Another thing you can do to "exercise" them a little is to "dance them around" when you are rotating them - we're not talking whiplash here; just something like a good, occasional, gust of wind might deliver! Indoor plants are often so frail that they need bracing to support the buds during flowering (that's always an option).

Yeah! Measuring the height and width is important so that you can manage every square inch of indoor space in the most efficient way possible!!! The condition of the leaves and the overall size of the plant, at any given time, are the best indication of how well it is doing!
There are so many variables to consider about when to go to flowering mode! The basic rule of thumb is that HID lights will only "penetrate" about 30"-36". Allowing for "doubleing size during flowering" - that makes 15"-18" the right size to start flowering. Another thing to consider is the "maturity" of the plants; I wouldn't put the plants into flowering mode untill they show "alternating nodes" as a sign of maturity, regardless of their size! I believe putting imature plants into flowering increases the chances of getting Hermies, I can't proove it; but I believe it!!! This is where using clones comes in handy - they are sexually mature at a smaller size - so they are more flexible (timeing wise).
Using the LST method is a good way to experiment on part of your plants - they will spread out and take up a bigger "footprint". So I recommend the "arena" setup. Put the LST'ed plants in the center with the taller ones around the perimeter allowing better light distribution. The taller plants will "lean in" so give them a "half turn" rotation to keep them growing straight.
All strains don't double in size during flowering, but I would say to start flowering as soon as they start alternating nodes just to play it safe!!!

 

day 20 -

group picture: http://i9.tinypic.com/2vbs9j8.jpg

can you tell which plants struggled to seed? i haveto look at numbers to be sure. they look pretty nice to me.

tomorrow is feeding day. i thought about doing it today, but decided to give them another day to dry out before feeding them with pure blend grow at full strength. i'm not certain yet, but the misting with pure blend appears to be helping the plants who are getting it, but i'll give it another couple of days to see since all plants will be getting a dose tomorrow. i might keep food from one plant just to see the benefits. i do have ten to play with here, so i might as well take advantage of the learning potential.

i've been doing some reading on scrog and have a question: what do you do if you start weaving branches and have to get rid of a male plant? is it dificult to remove the males without hurting the females? or will i be able to determine sex before this becomes an issue?

more pics:

http://i10.tinypic.com/2wmfiut.jpg

http://i10.tinypic.com/2wozm9x.jpg

 

"i've been doing some reading on scrog and have a question: what do you do if you start weaving branches and have to get rid of a male plant? is it dificult to remove the males without hurting the females? or will i be able to determine sex before this becomes an issue?"

I've heard of people doing scrog and getting males.......they said it was a bitch to get them out but you can do it...just alot of work. This is why most people who do scrog, usually use clones. You might be able to keep them short enough to see pre-flowers then start scrog.......but i haven't tried this method yet so im not too sure how well that works. Im sure T.H. will be able to help ya out a bit more there.

As for the nutes......i know its tempting to give them full strength.....but i would start off with AT MOST 1/2 strength, if it were me i would start out at 1/4 strength, just to make sure as to not over fert them. Just give em' a couple feedings at 1/4 or 1/2 strength and if they take well to it and it looks like they can take more, than start feeding more. Just my 2cents.

Other than that your plants are looking happy and healthy! Keep up the good work!!

- 42o -

 

Hey Dudette!

What M4N said is good advice! First about the nutes. The makers of nutes tell everyone to use a maximum amount of their products - so they can sell more and make more money! Here's what they don't tell you:
1. Cannabis seeds are packed with natural nutrients that will keep the seedling happy for the first 3-4 weeks. Most growers make it a rule not to add any nutes untill week 4; and then only in incremental steps (as the seed reserve peters out). This prevents nute burn and allows a smooth transition, avoiding stress.
2. Nurtrients are designed to work well with soiless mixtures; soils that have no nutrient value at all! A full dose of nutes equals 100% of the requirements for a big plant. Some directions don't make that clear, and some (supplied) feeding scheduals are overly aggresive. Remember that you still have MiracleGro supplying some chemical nutes (25%?) and the BOG mix soil is supplying some organic nutes (50%?). If you add full strength nutes that would be 100% + 25% + 50% = 175%. That's not good - that's nute burn all over again!!!
3. Many growers find that that their plants thrive on less than full strength nutes. The soil composition and strain have a lot to do with it, but some growers never use more than 1/2 strength nutes - and they do just fine!!!
4. As long as the plants are healthy and happy looking and keep growing; they are doing fine. Don't overcomplicate your first grow by pushing to hard!

Like M4N said, I would also start adding the nutes at 1/4 strength. You could add an extra "pinch" of nutes with each application to make it a little stronger than the last one! That way; at the first sign of nute burn you just back off a notch!!! As the plant grows a little - you add a little more!! Once you get the hang of it; it just becomes natural!!! Another thing to keep in mind is that, indoors, the goal isn't so much big plants as it is small plants that utilize the available space more efficiently! Growing monsters indoors is a whole different ballgame!!!

About the scrog. Some people "weave" and some just keep the branches below the sceen (using ties) and let the leaves grow through. One way is harder to do, the other way is harder to undo!!! It can be a pain in the ass to remove the male plants one way or the other. That's why female clones make it so much easier! Doing a scrog can get a little hectic for a first time grower. If you wait till your next grow to try it; you can have clones ready and more time to reseach and plan it through!!! In the mean time, if you're getting antsie to try something, I would recommend the LST method - Low Stress Training. In case you're not familiar; that's tying the individual plants down, more or less, horizontally in an effort to produce a lower, denser, canopy. The results are similar to scrog but each plant is treated seperately.

 

day 22

thanks mn.

i guess my confidance is growing like my plants. i don't know if it's just me, but my babies seem awfully bushy compared to some of the pics i've seen of 21 day old plants. this is good, right? or is this just indicative of the strain, northern lights?

i watered and feed pure blend grow formula and i started an experimentation process.


i have ten plants.

plants one - five get misted daily or twice daily with a 1/8 strength pure blend grow.
plants six - ten get misted with pure h20

plant one - no ferts measures 6" in Height and 12.25" across
plant two - 3/4 strength of PBG 4.5H 9.5 Tied Down (LST)
Plant three - 1/2 strength PBG 5 11
plant four - 1/4 strength PBG 6 11 LST
plant five - 1/2 6 12 LST
plant six - 1/4 6.25 10.5
plant seven - 1/2 5.5 11.5
plant eight - 1/4 6.25 10.5
plant nine - full strength PBG 5.5 11.5
Plant ten - 3/4 6.5 11

full strength = 1 tsp pure blend grow formula per 1 gallon of water.

i didn't have to work tonight since it's snowing like crazy, so i went ahead and tied three of the plants down. i'm not really sure what i was supposed to do, but i simply looped some twine around the upper part of the stalk and pulled it over tying it to a screw in the side of the pot. i guess i'll learn soon enough if i hurt them.

is there anything to consider that i might be missing?

kind of weird how all spaces on this old farm are considered for grow spaces. i'm thinking i am going to convert an old cabinet in the barn. it's about 40 inches X 40 inches and about 14 inches deep. i figure it will be perfect for three to four plants which is what i want to do after i do this grow to learn. pricing mylar on ebay for the cabinet. since i won't have a lot of height to work with i was thinking i would cut holes in the bottom of the cabinet to place the pots in making them stick out of the bottom. space will likely still be small enbough to require cooling, though.

i figure i have about two more weeks of veg before going 12/12 on these northern lights. i remember reading that someone said they give the plants 36 hours of darkness before they turn on the lights for 12/12. any thoughts on this?

 

Yeah , me im missing you need a friend to help you smoke it !sounds great, A freind
of mine gave me six seeds and all i know is its "sticky", after reading your thread i may have a bash at growing the lil buggars . gl with the rest of your grow....

 

Day 23

discovered a setting on my camera i didn't know i had.

#1



#2



did i fuck this one up by snipping the fan leaf?
#3



#4

 

by the way, are my pics still HUGE?

 

Ya the pics are huge , you can use free software like irfanview to size pics ect, nice pics tho

 

question:

what are the negatives of not taking out the males IF i want seeds?

 

well you'll pollinate more than likely your whole grow.....a better way to do it and still get some good female bud is to put your male in a seperate area, even a window, just so it gets its 12/12......collect the pollen off the male and pollinate a select plant or two. This way you will still have some bomb female buds with some OK smoke with seeds......just a thought.

- 42o -

 

correct me if i am wrong here, but spiders are not anything to be afraid of, right? i remember reading that they are predators and kill eat bad bugs. does this make sense?

 

i answered my own question: page 368 marijuana horticulture (bible) "Spiders are predatory and eat other insects. If you see a spider in the garden, let it help you!"

having ten plants on my property is making me paranoid. i don't like being paranoid, so after this initial grow i will be paring down to micro grows. i've been working on a cabinet the past couple of days that should be about perfect for a small veg chamber and a flower chamber that will fit up to three plants. height will be a bit of an issue, but if i keep the plants low and provide plenty of ventilation i think it will be able to make a grow of it.

nothing to report on the plants, really. they look, and smell great.

 

well, i couldn't wait any longer. i switched to 12/12 today and replaced the mh bulb with a hps. harvest should be in mid december if all goes well. plants are ranging from 10 to 15 inches with most of them around 12. If they double in height i am going to run into problems with my ceiling height and will likely have to get rid of the table.

i read where i should keep the humidity below fifty percent during flower, but when does this become an issue, so i know when to kick on the dehumidifier?

i love the way the skunky smell hits me when i walk in the front door, but i ordered an ionizer to be safer.

can't find my camera so i don't have any pics, but believe me when i say they are gorgeous!

 

time for updates!...!....!....!....