Mary Chiva's Papaya Aurora Indica Grow Journal

[mary.chiva]

BTW, when I checked earlier temps were at 84. I'll check again in the AM to see where they are. Hopefully the light is fine where it is for a few more days. I am going away for a few days this weekend starting Thursday. I will raise the light and give another good watering before I go. Hopefully nothing bad happens while I'm away...it should be fine. I'll have a breakdown if some unforeseen circumstance affects my babies' health!

 

[mary.chiva]

Just checked on our friends...temps were 73 at the tops of the pots...giggity giggity. The light should be fine where it is until the end of the week.

I gave everyone a nice misting and brought the humidity up in the 30's again. I'll most likely be cutting the panda plastic to size and hanging it today. There is a good possibility I will have some time in the grow area. I'll get some pics taken if I get the chance.

 

[mary.chiva]

I'll take some more pics with the good camera soon...BUT...I wanted to show you all what I did today. I managed to install the panda plastic. Everything is cut to size and hung. Boy, does it look nice. I still need to cut a piece for the back (you can see it doesn't reach the floor)...I used an excess piece ...was running low on time. I have to tell you...installing that plastic REALLY makes things MUCH brighter, wow.

Also, it looks like the plants are liking the grow big. I can already see a difference since yesterdays first dose.

I measured how far the bottom of the reflector is from the top of the tallest plant...it was exactly 12 inches. I'm going to try and keep them at about this distance unless I notice problems.

So far everything is looking good and everyone is happy. I'm watching for any discoloration on leaves, etc...nothing as of yet. I'm hoping for the best!

 

[mary.chiva]

I know I know...I keep updating.... Anyhow...I snapped a couple pics with the good camera to show you all the updated grow area.

Some housekeeping items... It looks like the pots closest to the heater dry out a bit quicker then the ones furthest away (the heater does not blow directly on the pots). I'll just have to keep an eye on those pots to make sure they don't get under watered.

Also the pots furthest from the heater feel rather cold on the bottom. My guess is cold enough to slow down growth. If you notice the 2 flower pots furthest to the left are a bit slower to grow, especially the smallest papaya. I'm not sure there is much I can do about this considering it is just about winter time and going to stay cold.

I need a longer extension cable for the heater. Once I have a longer one I can move the heater around to different positions to get the best heat coverage. For now, most plants are growing just fine.

Regardless, when the majority of the plants are 12 inches tall I am switching to 12/12. If there is 1-2 plants that are not quite that tall, then they will just have to be shorter than the rest (I'm talking about this because of the slower growth in the colder pots furthest to the left).

I also plan to buy a backup heater this weekend in case the one I have burns up or stops working (it runs quite a bit...). I'll get that with a new extension cord.

 

[FLOWER PIMP]

looking good.

the plastic will help with many things, i would imagine.

i have somewhat colder pots at times, i haven't noticed a problem but i don't have anything to compare them too.

a thought on the short ones... move them into the middle for a few days and see if that doesn't help them grow a bit. it could be difference in the plants or conditions. if its conditions you can control that. and it might be a good idea while there still little, as when they get big theres not much you can do. also, it has been said b4 that the bigger plants often are the males, i don't know how true this is, but becuaase thats possible theres no reason to play favorites yet! out of the 6 or 7 seeds i put down the best 2 were males. very dissapointing. but i also don't like to think that, positive thoughts and maybe a female dance? if they do turn out short though, you can always put a booster under the pot to keep the plant as close as the lights as the others.


i'm out 4 a few days like the you, i can't wait to see what they look like in a couple of days... i will get started witht my special ones right after that!

 

[mary.chiva]

I think the only small plant I will worry about is the small papaya. Rather than move it to the middle I think I will put something under the pot to raise it. This will especially help for the the next few days since I plan to raise the light before going on my trip.

I love being a farmer.

 

[mary.chiva]

Pimp, by the way...I meant to say thanks for the input concerning the colder pots. I'm just going to keep an eye on the plants progress and see if colder pots are a problem or not. Right now it looks like just the 1 small papaya is kind of slow to grow. The plant in the pot right next to it is growing fine (fast in fact) and its pot is the same temp as the small papaya's pot....I actually have a feeling the small papaya is getting ready to take off....it's just a week behind the others.

I placed a piece of 2x4 under the small papaya's pot to raise it a couple inches closer to the light. Hopefully this will help get things going for 'her' (hopefully).

The rest of them are looking very very good.

I'll be taking off for a few days so...tomorrow everyone will get a real good Grow Big watering and I'll raise the light a chain link or two (probably two to be safe). I can always lower it when I get back...I just don't want to burn them while I'm not around monitoring things. BTW, raising two chain links will be 2 inches...making me 14 or so inches away from the tops of the plants. Right now (I measured yesterday) the light was 12 inches from the plants.

Updates to come in a few days...most likely the end of the week. I'm sure a pic or two will be due then.

 

[Douche Nozzle]

It seems Like my Papaya is slow to take off also. I am thinking it could be the strain. I see plants that are about the same age as mine looking a little more developed. They look healthy though. Keep it up and its looking great.

 

[FLOWER PIMP]

ur right, farming is cool.

have a safe trip, cant wait to see them in a few days..

 

[mary.chiva]

It seems Like my Papaya is slow to take off also. I am thinking it could be the strain. I see plants that are about the same age as mine looking a little more developed. They look healthy though. Keep it up and its looking great.

I actually only have 1 Papaya that is slow. The other 4 have been very fast to grow actually. The 3 biggest papaya's are a hair over 2 weeks old and they are growing very fast. The Aurora Indica's have really taken off as well.

Have a good one everyone...I'll see you all in a few days.

Be safe Pimp.

 

[mary.chiva]

I numbered them according to age. Papaya 1,2,3 and Aurora 1 all cracked soil at about the same time.

BTW...you can tell the plastic does a good job reflecting the light. Ever since I hung the plastic I get 'waves' in my camera when trying to take a picture. I guess the light is just bouncing back and forth...very very cool.

I'm out.

 

[kevin]

hey mary, that plastic will make all the difference. what heighth are you planning on putting your girls into flowering? i'm thinking 12" for me.

 

[mary.chiva]

Well...I just got back from my trip and everything is great with my little babies . I was thinking about them obsessively while I was gone...it's pretty bad..haha.

Kevin - I'm actually planning to flower when the majority of my plants are 12" tall too. I figure it will be a couple weeks still.

Update...all plants are looking exceptional. Right now the bottom of the reflector is 13.5" from the tallest plant. The tallest plants are the AI's and they are 4". The tallest of the papaya's are 3"...there are 3...almost 4 papaya's that are this height. All plants are stocky and the biggest ones are making their 4th internode....with 7 blade leaves.

This soil, fertilizer, and light I'm using is kicking the CRAP out of my last grow. My last grow went decent for being a newb...but man...I got it right so far on this grow. I hope I can just keep things up and nothing crazy happens. Special Thanks to Flower Pimp and Da Kine 420...and anyone else that's offered me great advice and taken the time to help me. I hope to return the favor one day.

If things go as planned then I'll have beautiful buds for a long time

Pics to come soon .

 

[mary.chiva]

Everyone...check this @$%& out! I wasn't kidding when I said things were really taking off. These pics were taken just short of 4 days from the last ones I uploaded. I'll get more pics with the good camera later, with individual plant shots. For now, here is a couple group shots.

Quick note on 12/12...I've been doing some extra reading...and it seems a good recommendation before switching the lights to 12/12 is, before the first 12/12 light cycle, there needs to be a period of darkness around 36 hours. This is supposed to 'reset' the plants time table and help initiate flowering. I'm making note of this for everyone because I didn't have this as part of my original plan. I am however, planning to do this.

Enjoy the pics.

 

[mary.chiva]

BTW...Pimp...you were right... The roof has a couple spots where frost (and probably soon snow) melts...joy. I'm pretty certain this is happening because the roof has a vent the length of the roof...and heat is escaping through the vent. It's not a ton of frost or snow melting, but it's noticeable (at least by me). I still think I can fix it...I'm going to the store today and buying another roll of insulation. I plan to install 1 (possibly 2) layers or insulation at the top of the roof to 'stop up' the roof vent.

I'll let you all know tomorrow if this works or not... If not...then i am going to need to start racking my brain for a solution.

 

[mary.chiva]

Quick update... I went to the store, picked up 2 rolls of insulation, and insulated the area some more. Hopefully what I did will stop up the roof vent and the warm air won't escape and melt the frost. When it melted the frost it was about a 1 ft wide stripe of melted frost, mostly down the roof. The rest of the roof was frozen, which is alot of roof. I want ALL of the roof frozen, however... We'll find out if it worked soon.

Here's a couple pics. The first is my favorite papaya...the 2nd pic shows plant height of my favorite papaya and a couple AI's plus another papaya....the 3rd pic shows the extra insulation I added. The plants are nice and stocky and producing lots of nice spots for big ol' buds. Let's hope for lots of girls!

Crossing fingers about the frost.

 

[Douche Nozzle]

I had the opposite problem when I tried in my attic. My problem was it got way too hot and couldn't cool it off. Had to move it inside and managed to get half of my wifes closet. don't ask how i managed that. The plants are looking real nice. Your doing great. The leaves are huge now. Hopefully mine will take off soon. Keep it up.

 

[mary.chiva]

I had the opposite problem when I tried in my attic. My problem was it got way too hot and couldn't cool it off. Had to move it inside and managed to get half of my wifes closet. don't ask how i managed that. The plants are looking real nice. Your doing great. The leaves are huge now. Hopefully mine will take off soon. Keep it up.

Yeah, I'm thinking the only time I can use the attic is in late fall/winter/early spring. If I get a good female ratio and a good harvest with this grow, I probably won't grow again until late fall 09.

I do have a portable air conditioner though...so, in theory, I could grow during the hotter months...but again, that may not be necessary for my needs.

Thanks I am beginning to get impressed with these 2 strains...especially the papaya...we both have beautiful babies on the way

 

[mary.chiva]

These babies are growing so fast I just can't help but to upload more pictures to share...so...here you go.

We are at roughly 5 inches with a majority of the plants today. A couple are a hair taller and obviously the 5th papaya is shorter, but even 'she' is FINALLY starting to take off. I'm hoping to be at 12 inches with most plants in another 2 weeks, hopefully less, and then I can start flowering. Right now the reflector hood is about 13 inches from the tallest plant...I'm going to raise it a couple inches tomorrow and maintain about 14-15 inches from the tops of the plants. When they get to be about 12 inches from the bottom again, I'll raise fixture to be back at 14-15 inches.

Note...It looks like the extra insulation work I did this weekend actually worked and is keeping the roof frozen...whew...what a relief.

The plants are starting to become thirstier and transpiring more. It looks like I'll start needing to water more. I've been giving 1 gallon to all pots at the same time and it has been soaking the soil pretty good. Each watering was lasting 3-4 days, but now it looks like it's lasting 2-3 days (soon less I bet). I'll start soaking a little more at each watering and also potentially watering more frequently (depending on when the soil gets dry). I watered yesterday AM and the AI pots are already drying out (closest to the heater...yeah I know, not much I can do about it, need heat...).

Enjoy the pics of our little friends

 

[mary.chiva]

Purchase list update... I still need to buy 1. backup heater, 2. three gallon pots, and 3. Fox Farm Ocean Forest soil mix. I now plan to add 4. Reflectix insulation to this list. I'm going to line the ceiling and walls with Reflectix to insulate everything further and force heat to stay in the grow area. PLUS, I get the added reflection properties that I will really only be getting from the ceiling since panda plastic is everywhere else.

Note on my upcoming transplanting. I plan to do the 36 hour dark period (roughly 36 in my case) and then switching to a 12/12 light schedule. Once the dudes share their nuts with the world I shall chop them down (ouch!). When the males are removed I will then cut my 2 gallon pots and transplant the girls to 3 gallon pots. I'm doing this to conserve top soil and not be wasteful. Other folks have transplanted this early on in flowering and not had problems or had effect on yield...so, I'm going to give it a shot.