CFL grow journal - 12/12 from bag seed

After around 4 or 5 attempted grows that failed, i finally got a grow going that looks like it will turn out good.

THIS GROW IS 12/12 FROM BAG SEED.

USING:
mixture of both 27k and 65k 23 watt cfls, 8 lights (right now) altogether



about 1/4 perlite and 3/4 miracle grow 3 month fertilzer soil



Nutes: shultz big bloom and miracle grow tomato plant food, haven't used any because i'm not sure if and when and which one(s) i need to use
Here are the details on them:




Cheap little newspaper pots (i am very pushed for money) hey they work well i havent had problems yet!



I haven't really kept up with the days i started them so they might be for 2 or 3 days off, but that shouldn't matter too much.

This is just from random seeds i collected.


DAY 14

PLANT A:






It is about an inch taller than a regular writing pen


I decided to cut the bottom two leaves off they were turning yellow and tips were dying.

PLANT B:

I started a seed a few days ago
Right now I only have 2 65K 23 watts on it, i'm going to get it two 27K soon


DAY 5 (After it popped the soil)





Any input, advice, help... all of those would be awesome

Also i have 2 fans blowing on the lights to keep them extra cool since i set my lights at about 2 inches and then wait till the plant is about half an inch away from hitting them to move them up some more... and sometime within then next 4 or 5 weeks i am getting 2 7" by 7" fans to help circulate the air because it has no air conditioner where they're at....

AND

The A plant is drooping a little bit because he got a big watering about 8 hours before these pictures

Any input? This is basically my first grow that worked (well my last one was a male)... please help and give advice

What nutrients would be best to use for Plant A, or should i keep feeding it plain water?

It is on day 15 and approx. 7.5 inches tall and was watered last on day 13.

(By the way you can click the pictures to enlarge them.)

2 More lights were added tonight, now there are:
5 23watt 27K and 5 23watt 65K on those two plants

AND PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE, IF ANYONE ACTUALLY READS THIS:

Should I Add any nutrients or not? I have noticed a little purple on the stem and through the middle vein on one or two leaves on Plant A, What does this mean, anything at all?

I follow the feed, water, water, feed schedule for soil ... The plants will tell you when they need.

If you want some cheap pots go to walmart and check the house paint section. I picked up a bunch of 1 quart plastic paint mixing buckets for $.79 each. Poke holes in the bottom for drainage and your good to go. They work good. You can use 1 liter soda or gatorade bottles cut off as pots as well for this type grow.

I use foxfarm happy frog soil at the moment. ?Tried to stay away from soil with ferts already in it. If it has time release ferts in you can go without adding nutes for awhile since they are already in there. Many people on here swear micrale grow soil with time release sucks, but i got the seemorebuds book grow 8 ounces of pot for under 100$ using cfl's and thats what he uses. If you use that type of soil you run the risk of over nuteing the plants and burning them so they say...

Trust your instincts. If you think they may not need nutes yet, dont give them any. If you feel they do, feed them. Its the best way to get the experience and learn. Everyone will have their own opinion. They are all right and all wrong...There is more than one way to do this. If your happy with the results, your doing it right..


Also, if you want a nute pack i just ordered a decent nute pack from here

Its got everything you need for 30$...Even cloning gel... Heck of a deal for 30 bucks..May not be the best out there( i dont know), but for 30$ it beats just miracle grow..

http://www.discount-hydro.com/productdisp.php?pid=513&navid=12

they also have these grow bags for $.39 each... Gotta be better than homemade newspaper pots and they are cheap

I'm no expert.. Just got back into growing after a 10 year hiatus that was mostly outdoor grows..

I've been completely happy with my current grows...

As long as plants have soil, light, water and food they will grow.. Its not as complicated as it gets made out to be on here sometimes.

Keep it simple and you'll get results...

Again, these are just my opinions and what works for me.. Others will disagree, but I'm happy and content with what i'm doing and it seems to be working

I got sick of the run around trying to find decent weed on the street. Its all over priced and usually the guy selling it doesn't even know exactly what it is. It just gets a funny name and your stuck having to believe them..

I'm rambiling again... I hope something I said was helpful..

Theres a lot of knowledge on this site, but theres also probably a lot of experts who probably arent even growing anything but giving advice anyway and being critical of others.

Take the advice that sounds good to you and use it to tweak your methods.

Literally, i don't have money for anything else at all... and yes the MG soil is the 3 month fertilizer stuff. The only nutrients i have the option of using are the ones pictured in my previous posts because of money, but i guess i don't need any since the soil has it.

The plant has started drooping though, the lights are really close (4 of the 10 are 1" to 3" away), and there's 10 23 watt all within a 12 inch radius of the plant, can too much light cause this? Although i know it isn't because the lights are too hot, because i have 2 mini PC fans blowing on them to cool them.

I tried to go to the water once every 3 to 4 days thing, but it seems once i started doing that, the plant started getting worse, so i'm going back to smaller watering every 1 to 2 days. Hopefully the leaves will start smiling up again.

Oh, and also, i can't order anything from the internet, basically wal mart, k mart, lowes, and home depot are my options, but i'm sure i can deal with that. Thanks for the link anyways, i'll check it out if things change and i get money and can order it.

Thanks for the advice and help

AutumnsRedTears said:

Literally, i don't have money for anything else at all... and yes the MG soil is the 3 month fertilizer stuff. The only nutrients i have the option of using are the ones pictured in my previous posts because of money, but i guess i don't need any since the soil has it.

The plant has started drooping though, the lights are really close, and there's 10 23 watt all within a 12 inch radius of the plant, can too much light cause this? Although i know it isn't because the lights are too hot, because i have 2 mini PC fans blowing on them to cool them.

I tried to go to the water once every 3 to 4 days thing, but it seems once i started doing that, the plant started getting worse, so i'm going back to smaller watering every 1 to 2 days. Hopefully it the leaves will start smiling up again.

Thanks for the advice and help

Click to expand...

I water my plants daily since they are in little pots.. Literally if i miss even a day the leaves will be drooping when the lights turn on... Water them once a day and see what happens...

Stick your finger into the soil and inch or two. If its dry water them...

If i went to watering even every two days right now they would all be wilted bad. The smaller the pot the more you have to water... The plants use it up quick in small pots...

how big would you say the pots are? Bigger pots = less frequent watering, smaller = more often... If they are drooping, water them and you should see them perk back up in a half hour to an hour. If that the case then you know they need to be watered more often.

i even do a small watering twice a day sometimes. It all depends on how the plant looks... Too much light isnt the problem I would...Light is key...

I have two 150 wts hps, 1 240 watt total t5 light set up, 2 75 watt cheap flouros from walmart for ten bucks each for side lighting and the plants love it...

you have any idea what your ph level your water is before you put it in? I checked the ph of my tap water and it maxed out my ph scale thing... that could be it as well...
I have the thing where you put a little water in the vial, add a few drops of this stuff and the color it turns tells you what the ph is... i try to get my ph down before i water the plants at all..not saying this is the problem, but it could be a variable...

I think you just need to water daily and see how they react. if they respond well to that you'll know.

No clue what the Ph is but i do let the water sit for 30 - 40 - 50 hours before i water... i've been meaning to get some ph test strips from the pet store but aside from that, i can't seem to find ph up or ph down anywhere, the hunt for that still continues...

As for the pots... well the big plant is in a pot about 6 inches tall and 4 inches wide... so yeah considering the plant is as tall if not taller than the pot, i think you may be right about the watering thing... i'll give it a little water tomorrow, see if that helps.

I'll try to post new pictures within 2 or 3 days

Thanks man!

And the newpaper pots work better than you'd think, they're about 20 pages thick, i wrap them tightly around a coffee can and tape them all the way around, they work good enough for up to about 3/4 liter, more than that and i'd be pushing it but i don't plan to get pots that big anyways, and since it's newspaper, it allows good drainage.

AutumnsRedTears said:

No clue what the Ph is but i do let the water sit for 30 - 40 - 50 hours before i water... i've been meaning to get some ph test strips from the pet store but aside from that, i can't seem to find ph up or ph down anywhere, the hunt for that still continues...

As for the pots... well the big plant is in a pot about 6 inches tall and 4 inches wide... so yeah considering the plant is as tall if not taller than the pot, i think you may be right about the watering thing... i'll give it a little water tomorrow, see if that helps.

I'll try to post new pictures within 2 or 3 days

Thanks man!

Click to expand...

I'm willing to bet some seeds from my inventory this is your problem. With pots that small the plants are using the water up fast. The plants drink it, the heat from lights dry it out.

As the plants get even bigger your probably end watering twice a day.

The biggest pain in the ass of the seed to 12/12 is how often you have to water..

if their is no hydro shop in your area to get ph up/down try ebay...I've bought a few nutes off their that the seller provided free shipping...

http://cgi.ebay.com/PH-test-kit-GENERAL-HYDROPONICS-PH-UP-PH-DOWN-PH-meter_W0QQitemZ190299273268QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item190299273268&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1326|66%3A2|65%3A12|39%3A1|240%3A1318|301%3A0|293%3A1|294%3A50


heres one with both ph up/down and free shipping for ten bucks...You can take back soda bottles to raise that kinda money if your that broke

http://cgi.ebay.com/General-Hydroponics-pH-UP-DOWN-4oz-Dry-Samples_W0QQitemZ370127124624QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item370127124624&_trksid=p3286.m20.l1116




another one thats priced cheap

http://www.discount-hydro.com/productdisp.php?pid=532&navid=55

AutumnsRedTears said:

And the newpaper pots work better than you'd think, they're about 20 pages thick, i wrap them tightly around a coffee can and tape them all the way around, they work good enough for up to about 3/4 liter, more than that and i'd be pushing it but i don't plan to get pots that big anyways, and since it's newspaper, it allows good drainage.

Click to expand...

Thats cool they work... Maybe i'll give it a shot next time...Just seems like they would get wet and break down after awhile.....

Its a good idea though.

NoSaint said:

Thats cool they work... Maybe i'll give it a shot next time...Just seems like they would get wet and break down after awhile.....

Its a good idea though.

Click to expand...

Yeah try it, don't make them any bigger than how big a cut off 2 liter would be though.

And i think they would last for a good 3 or 4 months of growing, i don't see them collapsing unless you give the plants a shitload of water very quickly... thanks a ton for all the help man... in about 12 hours, once i wake up, i'll give my baby some water... see how it reacts... as for now it's

AutumnsRedTears said:

Yeah try it, don't make them any bigger than how big a cut off 2 liter would be though.

And i think they would last for a good 3 or 4 months of growing, i don't see them collapsing unless you give the plants a shitload of water very quickly... thanks a ton for all the help man... in about 12 hours, once i wake up, i'll give my baby some water... see how it reacts... as for now it's

Click to expand...

Good luck bro...

Heres one link to cloning...

https://www.rollitup.org/subcools-old-school-organics/50073-cloning-subcool-redundant-explanation-pictures.html

http://www.marijuanapassion.com/Cloning-Marijuana.html



I took a razor blade and cut one of the offshoot braches with a diagonal cut close to the main stem of the plant. Diagonal cut give it more surface area to make roots from. Make sure the shoot is like 4-5" or so at least.

Dip the end in clean water, then dip in schultz rooting powder(walmart, homedepot and any garden center will have it.)

Then just put the clone in the dirt and under a lower wattage flouro light, or in a darker corner area of your grow room where it wont get as much direct light... Then just wait..

A lot of people here dont like the stick the clone in potting soil right away method but it worked for me a few times the last grow.

I tried the jiffy pot, rockwool way but i think i over watered it...The dirt method worked better for me...

theres a good article on here somewhere on cloning, i just cant find it at the moment/


heres another decent link

http://www.weedsthatplease.com/cloning.htm


Last months or maybe this months high times has a cloning article in it as well

NoSaint said:

Heres one link to cloning...

https://www.rollitup.org/subcools-old-school-organics/50073-cloning-subcool-redundant-explanation-pictures.html

http://www.marijuanapassion.com/Cloning-Marijuana.html



I took a razor blade and cut one of the offshoot braches with a diagonal cut close to the main stem of the plant. Diagonal cut give it more surface area to make roots from. Make sure the shoot is like 4-5" or so at least.

Dip the end in clean water, then dip in schultz rooting powder(walmart, homedepot and any garden center will have it.)

Then just put the clone in the dirt and under a lower wattage flouro light, or in a darker corner area of your grow room where it wont get as much direct light... Then just wait..

A lot of people here dont like the stick the clone in potting soil right away method but it worked for me a few times the last grow.

I tried the jiffy pot, rockwool way but i think i over watered it...The dirt method worked better for me...

theres a good article on here somewhere on cloning, i just cant find it at the moment/


heres another decent link

http://www.weedsthatplease.com/cloning.htm


Last months or maybe this months high times has a cloning article in it as well

Click to expand...

Sounds easy enough, question though, my box of perlite says i can use it for cloning, since you say soil is working fine, maybe if i mix 50%soil and 50%perlite it'll take root even better? I think i'll try both ways. Seriously dude, your a lifesaver(or rather plant saver) i've learned alot in the past day thanks to you! I'll be sure to post some pictures maybe today to keep you updated, if not then tomorrow.

AutumnsRedTears said:

Sounds easy enough, question though, my box of perlite says i can use it for cloning, since you say soil is working fine, maybe if i mix 50%soil and 50%perlite it'll take root even better? I think i'll try both ways. Seriously dude, your a lifesaver(or rather plant saver) i've learned alot in the past day thanks to you! I'll be sure to post some pictures maybe today to keep you updated, if not then tomorrow.

Click to expand...

I'm no expert by any means...But i do remember reading something that mixing soil and either perilite or vermiculite, cant remember which 50/50 will give the plant a looser medium and allow more air for the roots to develop easier? Theres a lot of ways to do this and i've only just did the clone thing the past few months. The dirt method worked best for me. I screwed the others by over watering.


heres another link with some info

https://www.rollitup.org/newbie-central/181317-brainstorm-cloning-problems.html

NoSaint said:

I'm no expert by any means...But i do remember reading something that mixing soil and either perilite or vermiculite, cant remember which 50/50 will give the plant a looser medium and allow more air for the roots to develop easier? Theres a lot of ways to do this and i've only just did the clone thing the past few months. The dirt method worked best for me. I screwed the others by over watering.


heres another link with some info

https://www.rollitup.org/newbie-central/181317-brainstorm-cloning-problems.html

Click to expand...

It's not whether you're an expert or not, it's that you're telling me information from your first hand experience, and that helps more than 10 times the info being told to me through the grapevine, if you get what i'm saying. Primary sources help alot more than secondary sources. Thanks for keeping up to date with my journal.

No Saint has given you great advice and you have listened. Your on you way! I am no expert either but have grown many respectable crops. Just watch and learn as you are doing and with a few grows under you belt you will be producing great bud. Its about harvesting the fruits of your own labor. One thing about soil with slow release ferts in it, I know this has been mentioned in this post, but feel it needs to addressed. Every plant has it needs. Growing weed under indorr conditions you are forcing or speeding up the natual process. So things change greatly. Slow release soils make it much more difficult to adjust your nutes. But can be done with wonderful results. IMO though it adds some stress to the grow. If you can start with a nuetral medium all the things you add and do can be accounted for. Just a thought. Godd Luck and KEEP TRYING AND EXPERIMENTING!!!!!!

Miracle Grow Organic Potting Soil special, 4 dollars at walgreens, picked up a bag, once i find some seeds (i misplaced like 100 bag seeds), i'm going to plant two with MG organic and two with MG 3 month fert time release and compare results... Although i'm about 90 percent sure organic is going to give better results, it seems like a no brainer to me...