1st Grow Cfl

Bird Gymnastics said:

Thanks man! Today, I was actually going to take out those bulbs (6500k) out and see what the temps were. The HPS will be here today so tomorrow when the lights turn on I will put that in there and see what the temps are looking like. I really hope I can use the HPS. If I wasn't moving here soon I would build a bigger cab. But I'm hoping my new closet at my new place will be perfect. Sorry for the ramble...but I will keep everyone posted on what happens today and tomorrow. Pics coming very soon!

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Wasup man good job so far, but I have a bit of advise for you, if you have been using CFLs for the plants whole life you cant just change over to HPS because it will severly stress the plant since its not use to HID lighting which is much stronger than CFLs. I sure you could gradually get the plant use to the HPS by using less CFLs and only use the HPS for a hour the first day, then 2 hours the second, and 3 hours the third day anyway I think you get the point. I figured I would let you know all this just incase you didnt. +rep, +sub.

IgrowUgrow said:

Wasup man good job so far, but I have a bit of advise for you, if you have been using CFLs for the plants whole life you cant just change over to HPS because it will severly stress the plant since its not use to HID lighting which is much stronger than CFLs. I sure you could gradually get the plant use to the HPS by using less CFLs and only use the HPS for a hour the first day, then 2 hours the second, and 3 hours the third day anyway I think you get the point. I figured I would let you know all this just incase you didnt. +rep, +sub.

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Thanks for stopping by Igrow. Since my temps were reaching 86 with it getting a little hot here I figured I'd just wait to use my HPS the next grow. Thanks for the advice. Greatly appreciated as that would of sucked to kill my plants with a more powerful light lol. I'm sub'd up so looking forward to some good things.

Happy belated Easter! Hope you guys had a good holiday weekend. I'm glad all the food made up for not smoking ha ha. Anyways here is my update.

My girl is looking real good. The bud sites are starting to get big and now it is starting to smell I open up the Ona gel and the fresh linen was a bad idea I don't like the smell at all. So I am going to be working on a DIY carbon filter for my exhaust fan. I will let you guys know how that goes and pictures will follow.

I decided to change my light setup a little bit to try and get more light exposure to the smaller bud sites. I know I started LST way late, but some of the little bud sites seem to be imitating the main cola and starting to stretch towards the light. I added another 26w 2700k CFL bulb. So now my light setup is as follows:
1 55w 2700k, 1 42w 2700k, 2 26w 2700k (these are above the plant)
1 42w 2700k, 1 26w 2700k (these are for side lighting and more light exposure to smaller bud sites)
217 actual watts

For those who are just catching up, I have been using a light dosage of nutes every watering rather then a "recommended" amount every OTHER watering. Today will be her 5th feeding and after this one I will be flushing with pure rain water! My friend was telling me about some nutrient solution you can buy that you mix with your water during to flush to further breakdown the nutes/salts in your soil. I believe its called "flush doctor or bush doctor" (correct me if I'm wrong) What do you guys think about using that or just rain water??

Sorry for the excessive writing. Just trying to be as thorough as I can so if I did do something wrong it can be corrected more easily. Any suggestions or advice are kindly welcomed. I love hearing feedback (good or bad) Can only learn from mistakes right?? Thanks for stopping by and "Cheif the leaf!"

plant is looking very healthy bro! your feeding schedule seems to be working. just keep a close eye and adjust as necessary. don't know about flush doctor, but you can definitely flush with plain water, so i don't know if it would be the most important purchase at this point.

homer371 said:

plant is looking very healthy bro! your feeding schedule seems to be working. just keep a close eye and adjust as necessary. don't know about flush doctor, but you can definitely flush with plain water, so i don't know if it would be the most important purchase at this point.

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Damn! Thanks for such a prompt response lol. Yeah I haven't done too much research on them my friend just said that is what he used during his grow to break down carbs, enzymes, proteins etc.. to fully expose your plants roots so they can intake as much nutrients as possible. I mean the way he explained it he should be working for that company I was just curious if anyone else has heard of them or even tried them. I appreciate your advice Homer. I was heading that same direction as to think you only need that when feeding heavy dosages or even overfertilizing your plant. I dunno I just look at it as that's a last result to save your plants. (Ps my friends crop looked good but tasted terrible and barely got me high) So I don't really want to trust him too much just don't want to shoot down any advice given. Sorry for rambling again...too medicated right now

Coming along nicely, BG. Sorry to hear about the Ona smell...looks like I might have steered you in the wrong direction on that one. I opted for the supposedly neutral-smelling variety, so maybe there's a big diff between the two...but the one I have is pretty potent, too. so might not have an acceptable alternative anyways. FWIW, I found that mixing it with Soil Moist granules seems to tone it down a little, so not sure if you wanna give it a try. A carbon filter will def be neutral, so I guess that might be the way to go (and certainly the way I'll go when I get around to building a more permanent setup for flowering).

Personally, I would agree with homer about the flushing...I always just use plain RO water or rainwater...sometimes once in the middle of the flowering phase (but not always), and def for a week or two at the very end, and that seems to work just fine. I doubt that using "flush doctor" would hurt, but it's probly unnecessary, imo.

xebeche said:

Coming along nicely, BG. Sorry to hear about the Ona smell...looks like I might have steered you in the wrong direction on that one. I opted for the supposedly neutral-smelling variety, so maybe there's a big diff between the two...but the one I have is pretty potent, too. so might not have an acceptable alternative anyways. FWIW, I found that mixing it with Soil Moist granules seems to tone it down a little, so not sure if you wanna give it a try. A carbon filter will def be neutral, so I guess that might be the way to go (and certainly the way I'll go when I get around to building a more permanent setup for flowering).

Personally, I would agree with homer about the flushing...I always just use plain RO water or rainwater...sometimes once in the middle of the flowering phase (but not always), and def for a week or two at the very end, and that seems to work just fine. I doubt that using "flush doctor" would hurt, but it's probly unnecessary, imo.

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Loving the feedback. Earlier this month you did recommened getting that ona gel and soil moist granules. I ordered both and got them last thursday. Didn't really think about why you told me to get the granules but now that makes sense. I just cracked the ona gel and it is a smell I just don't prefer lol. So don't be ashamed or down on yourself for recommended that. At least you have me a suggestion. I will find some other uses for it. Maybe put it in the cats room Anyways I have been reading on flushing alot. Some people say to flush every couple weeks and others say not to till last couple weeks of flowing. Is it all preference?? Now talking to you guys I'm contimplating even flushing it next watering. Kinda wanna wait till the last 3 weeks and just give it pure rain water. Thanks again for the advice and just for following along with me

hey bro, from my limited knowledge and experience, you want to flush whenever you're getting salt buildups or nute lockouts. for some feeding regimens, that never really happens, and so flushing is only done near the end. for other regimens (like make-it-rain) flushing happens every week of flowering. for your grow, i'd keep doing what you're doing, maybe do an occasional flush every couple weeks, and then ease up on nutes for the last 10 days or so. i don't think you need more than 10 days to do a final flush to get rid of bad flavors/smells. doing more than that might actually hurt your yield as the plant starts to consume herself. just my 2 cents.

homer371 said:

hey bro, from my limited knowledge and experience, you want to flush whenever you're getting salt buildups or nute lockouts. for some feeding regimens, that never really happens, and so flushing is only done near the end. for other regimens (like make-it-rain) flushing happens every week of flowering. for your grow, i'd keep doing what you're doing, maybe do an occasional flush every couple weeks, and then ease up on nutes for the last 10 days or so. i don't think you need more than 10 days to do a final flush to get rid of bad flavors/smells. doing more than that might actually hurt your yield as the plant starts to consume herself. just my 2 cents.

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Much appreciated. I haven't seen any yellow at all on any leaves so I think you are right when saying to just keep doing what I'm doing. Sometimes I like to over think things but just need to remember, "if it ain't broken, don't fix it!" Originally I was planning on flowering for 8 weeks. After first 4 weeks I was gonna flush and then last week - 2 weeks just plain rain water. I just figured that IF there was any salt buildup I'd be able to clean it out so the last month or so she can really intake the nutrients since the lack of salts building up. I'll just stick with what you recommend or what I originally planned. It seemed simple in my head but now explaining it, it seems super complex lol So how's that amnesia treating ya??

Bird Gymnastics said:

Much appreciated. I haven't seen any yellow at all on any leaves so I think you are right when saying to just keep doing what I'm doing. Sometimes I like to over think things but just need to remember, "if it ain't broken, don't fix it!" Originally I was planning on flowering for 8 weeks. After first 4 weeks I was gonna flush and then last week - 2 weeks just plain rain water. I just figured that IF there was any salt buildup I'd be able to clean it out so the last month or so she can really intake the nutrients since the lack of salts building up. I'll just stick with what you recommend or what I originally planned. It seemed simple in my head but now explaining it, it seems super complex lol So how's that amnesia treating ya??

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haha, well actually the amnesia is a good example of over-nuting, i think i mentioned that before, but basically it has a bit of a chemical smell because i didn't do a good flush at the end and i probably over-nuted as well. i'm gonna need to do a second smoke report on both girls soon, now that they've been curing for two weeks, crazy how time flies! been smoking other stuff in the mean time, including some sour grape from a grower i met at the deepgreenfest. anyway, your plan sounds good bird, and as for flowering time, that's also something that you'll probably find you'll have to play by ear. even if you're set on 8 weeks, as the date approaches, your plant might tell you otherwise! peace

homer371 said:

haha, well actually the amnesia is a good example of over-nuting, i think i mentioned that before, but basically it has a bit of a chemical smell because i didn't do a good flush at the end and i probably over-nuted as well. i'm gonna need to do a second smoke report on both girls soon, now that they've been curing for two weeks, crazy how time flies! been smoking other stuff in the mean time, including some sour grape from a grower i met at the deepgreenfest. anyway, your plan sounds good bird, and as for flowering time, that's also something that you'll probably find you'll have to play by ear. even if you're set on 8 weeks, as the date approaches, your plant might tell you otherwise! peace

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Yeah you have but its still "medical quality." Ha ha Let me know how that report goes. You will probably be posting it in your thread so I stay posted on that. I had some sour grape a few weeks ago. It was such a good taste! Wish I would find me a decent grower of that strain. Anyways I know the plant might take more/less time to flower that is just my estimate so I could plan out my feeding schedule better. I really appreciate all the advice. Where abouts in cali are you? 619 right here!!! lol

Bird Gymnastics said:

Loving the feedback. Earlier this month you did recommened getting that ona gel and soil moist granules. I ordered both and got them last thursday. Didn't really think about why you told me to get the granules but now that makes sense. I just cracked the ona gel and it is a smell I just don't prefer lol. So don't be ashamed or down on yourself for recommended that. At least you have me a suggestion. I will find some other uses for it. Maybe put it in the cats room Anyways I have been reading on flushing alot. Some people say to flush every couple weeks and others say not to till last couple weeks of flowing. Is it all preference?? Now talking to you guys I'm contimplating even flushing it next watering. Kinda wanna wait till the last 3 weeks and just give it pure rain water. Thanks again for the advice and just for following along with me

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LOL, I use the Ona gel in my cat's litter box room, too...really great at killing all sorts of odors. Even used it this weekend in the kitchen when my wife cooked some fish, and it helped. Kind of a trade-off, I guess, since you can't stand the smell of your Ona. Give that Soil-Moist a try and see if it helps, I'm interested in hearing your take on it. It seems to me that it helps, but it could also just be my imagination.

You can certainly wait until the end of flowering to flush, really it's not necessary for you to flush now unless there were some signs of nute lockout, and I don't see that in the pics.

xebeche said:

LOL, I use the Ona gel in my cat's litter box room, too...really great at killing all sorts of odors. Even used it this weekend in the kitchen when my wife cooked some fish, and it helped. Kind of a trade-off, I guess, since you can't stand the smell of your Ona. Give that Soil-Moist a try and see if it helps, I'm interested in hearing your take on it. It seems to me that it helps, but it could also just be my imagination.

You can certainly wait until the end of flowering to flush, really it's not necessary for you to flush now unless there were some signs of nute lockout, and I don't see that in the pics.

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Thanks for confirming that. That is why I figured people flushed more frequently is because of having nute lockout. I will let you know how it works for me. Quick question...how do you feel about chopping them fan leaves? I noticed that my bigger ones with purple stems seems to shade the lower bud sites quite well. I know that they are used to store nutrients for the plants to use later in flowering but I was just curious. Any advice on what has worked for you as far as cutting fan leaves please share. Anybodies experience is welcomed. Thanks again X!

Ya know, I usually leave my fan leaves on unless they start to yellow or just look less effective than the underlying leaves. I tend to think of 'em as big solar panels (?). My understanding is that it's the leaves (and not the buds themselves) that are responsible for the photosynthesis, so I don't really feel it's necessary to have the buds exposed to light, but rather you should maximize exposure of the foliage to your light source. I could be wrong about that, I dunno, but I always try to keep leaves that are healthy and gathering light, and usually only trim them if they're unhealthy or damaged or just aren't really doing much cause they're too shaded. That's not to say that I've never purposely removed fan leaves, I def have when they were in the way or whatever, as long as the plant has enough other healthy leaves to compensate, then it's fine to remove some fan leaves, it'll do no harm.

yeah, generally agree with what xebeche said. only other thing i would add is that in mid veg, pruning leaves can help promote new growth. not so much probably at your stage of flowering right now, but something to keep in mind for a future grow.

Thanks guys. I read something like that too homer. That pruning those bottom leaves will force the upper growth of the plant to explode. Will probably try that with one of my plants next grow. I won't be pruning now hearing from you guys. I'll just waitto see if she has any problems and then start clipping away. Thanks for being so informative. I don't know where I would be without you guys

Bird Gymnastics said:

I don't know where I would be without you guys

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LOL, you'd probly be spending even more time in your garden. We're here just to keep you occupied...so you don't "over-care" for your plants. Sometimes that can be worse than neglect.

Bird Gymnastics said:

Thanks for confirming that. That is why I figured people flushed more frequently is because of having nute lockout. I will let you know how it works for me. Quick question...how do you feel about chopping them fan leaves? I noticed that my bigger ones with purple stems seems to shade the lower bud sites quite well. I know that they are used to store nutrients for the plants to use later in flowering but I was just curious. Any advice on what has worked for you as far as cutting fan leaves please share. Anybodies experience is welcomed. Thanks again X!

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I was told never to cut the fan leaves, but i guess its personal preference. Unless the are completely dead. I just used thread and tied, LIGHTLY, the stems that were masked by the big fan leaves. Think of it this way, can you get more solar power with less solar panels? Same principle. The leaves use the light for photosynthisis. More leaves, more power.

Thanks guys. That just confirms what I had thought. Some people like cutting fan leaves but to me, why cut something so beautiful?? just wait till I get to flowering, right?? lol Thanks for the company. If I had more trustworthy people in my life I would tell them about this grow but for now, I have y'all! I'm glad my grow is going good so far. Glad you guys have "guided" me to the right light. I'll hit you guys with an update in a couple days or so.

P.S. Just took a peek at her and she is starting to get frost on the leaves by all the bud sites. I'm guessing this is where the FUN really begins!

Bird Gymnastics said:

P.S. Just took a peek at her and she is starting to get frost on the leaves by all the bud sites. I'm guessing this is where the FUN really begins!

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Yeah, if you got one of those 30x scopes, it's fun to get a close-up look at the buds and trichs under the lens. I used to get really high and just stare at 'em for hours, lol...now I have to be stealthier, so I can't spend that kind of time around my plants. I still like to look at 'em up close, though...they can be a beautiful sight to behold.