First Grow: Are My Girls Looking, Okay?

manditroy

Active Member
Think I may be able to build some kind of raised platform with an open grid design, then slide the drain pan underneath... Got the idea looking at my dogs food bowl setup - he has one of those table things for big dogs to keep their dishes at a better eating level than the floor. Maybe he'd let me borrow it...?
 

SinSimian

Active Member
I use a mesh aquarium lid and a bucket for my little plants. I'd just flush bigger plants in the shower.
 

manditroy

Active Member
I use a mesh aquarium lid and a bucket for my little plants. I'd just flush bigger plants in the shower.
The shower would be a good idea for some, but my plants are 34inches tall now, and I don't want to risk damaging them by hauling them through the house to the bathroom. It would be awful to break a stem when they're just 2 or 3 weeks from harvest. Besides, the stealth kinda goes out the window if I get caught carrying a 2.5 gallon bucket with a 3foot ganja plant around the place (damn split level house). I think I have the remedy with a stubby shelf unit made of plastic mesh that I can slide a drain pan under. Well, it's a learning curve that I can correct for my second grow... -Mandi
 

manditroy

Active Member
Here is an updated look at my ladies...AK48 flowering 6 weeks now and 34inches + tall (not gaining height anymore, just growing buds). Pics are showing just the top 8-10 inches of the main colas, but there are plenty of lower branches filling up with nice little clumps of bud too. Is this not too bad for a first time grower with CFLs? Sorry about the poor photo quality - making due with a cheap cell phone camera for now. -Mandi
AK48singlecola1-12-11.jpg AKdoublecola1-12-11.jpg
 

manditroy

Active Member
I used some pollen I collected from my boy AK48 (he's long gone now), and dabbed about 3 buds on the very bottom of my girls. It looks like they're working on a few seed pods now, but since this is my very first grow, I have no idea what to expect. How many seeds grow per pod - is it dependant on how much pollen got in the bud?
 

Stinkmeaner

Well-Known Member
when did the buds start to swell for you? mines in the beginning of the second week in bloom, and they look kinda shitty
noway near as thick as yours. just hairs mostly
 

FarmerJJ

Member
when did the buds start to swell for you? mines in the beginning of the second week in bloom, and they look kinda shitty
noway near as thick as yours. just hairs mostly
Your Going to have to wait until atleast the 4th week of flower, Your babies just barely realized the lights have changed.
 

manditroy

Active Member
when did the buds start to swell for you? mines in the beginning of the second week in bloom, and they look kinda shitty
noway near as thick as yours. just hairs mostly
Your Going to have to wait until atleast the 4th week of flower, Your babies just barely realized the lights have changed.
Yeah Stink, I think it was about the 4th week where I noticed them really fattening up nicely. I'm seeing a few amber hairs now finally too, but I probably have another 2 or 3 weeks to go I'm guessing. Just finished the 6th week and Nirvana says they go 7-9wks flowering. Just keep them as happy as you can and give them a little more time...
 

CHIEF PUFF PUFF

Well-Known Member
Hey Manditroy, I know it sounds like a lot of water but your plants will wick that water in 2 days and be looking for more on day 3. When the top 3 inches of soil is dry you feed them but don't flush them. Try it for 2 weeks and see how big those babies get:) Most people think it's over watering but you only water like that when your plan needs watering. Over watering is when you don't give your plants time to dry before watering them again. Flushing is watering your plants with large amounts of water. Ask Archminister about his baby and how she loves the "Making it Rain" technique. I plan to start my plants as soon as they are 4 weeks old right through to harvest. Because of the amount of water you are using to flush your plants, you don't have to worry about too much nutrients because after every feeding, you are flushing out the soil of the nutrients. The technique is called "making it rain" because of all the water running out the bottom of the pot when you hold it up, it looks like rain. You let the water run off the plant. You don't sit your plants in 5 gallons of water nor do you try to make you your plants suck up 5 gallons of water:)
Thanks for the reply Chief! So...since they're in a 2.5gal pot, I need to water with 5 GALLONS? That sounds like an awful lot...I'm only giving about a half gallon twice a week (water with Big Bloom, skip two days, water again with Schultz nutes). Should I be using FF Big Bloom and the Schultz together now, or stop one or the other? They're in MG soil too, so is this going to risk nute burn if there is too much of the time release stuff still left in the soil? I assume I should be tossing the runoff right away, or do I give it an hour to draw up anything it wants before I dump the excess? This is my first grow and I don't want to fuck it up after getting this close to a harvest!
 

bekindbud

Well-Known Member
Whats up Manditroy I am Sub'd. Can you list what exactly you are using for nutes and their (N-P-K) please? Do you have the whole Fox Farm Lineup? I just recently harvested my 1st plant ever so I will hang out here and try to help as much as possible.

Peace

BKB
 

manditroy

Active Member
Whats up Manditroy I am Sub'd. Can you list what exactly you are using for nutes and their (N-P-K) please? Do you have the whole Fox Farm Lineup? I just recently harvested my 1st plant ever so I will hang out here and try to help as much as possible.

Peace

BKB
Cool BKB...my first sub (I think)! I'm using only the Fox Farm Big Bloom right now. I may hit the hydro store for more nutes soon (just happened by a new hydro place that opened a couple months ago) as my second grow is now at 3 weeks veg today. I topped the babies only hours ago... I was using only the Schultz 10-15-10 plant food from Home Depot garden dept until I found the hydro place and got the Big Bloom. The first grow was in MG soil right from the start (didn't know it was kinda hot for seeds) and they somehow survived all my newb mistakes and look about to give me a nice harvest. I've been alternating between the FF and Schultz while in flower, but plan to try the 'make it rain' method when I water in a few hours. Chief Puff Puff says its gonna be great for them, so I'm trusting his experience.
 

bekindbud

Well-Known Member
The Fox Farm complete lineup with supplements are very expensive but you can get by with using the main three Grow Big / Tiger Bloom / Big Bloom. If you have the budget get the Grow Big and Tiger Bloom. I am currently using the main 3 Fox Farm Nutes. I also Make It Rain on my plants too. I do it alittle different but its very effective. What I do is when I flush my soil I dont wait a few days for it to dry to feed nutes, I feed my plants nutes immediately after flushing. Its easier for me and works just as good. If you have any questions about Making It Rain let me know. If I cant help you I will get someone in here that will. I dont know much about the MG soil but if you make it rain, it will get rid of all build ups of salts and nutes in your soil. I would feed your plant both nutes you have, especially if you make it rain. You can start it off with 50% of recommend dosage and gradually increase so you dont burn your plant. Do yo uhave the Fox Farm Feeding Schedule? Also how much do you feed your plant with Big Bloom and Schultz? Another words tell me how you mix your nutes before ou feed?
 

manditroy

Active Member
The Fox Farm complete lineup with supplements are very expensive but you can get by with using the main three Grow Big / Tiger Bloom / Big Bloom. If you have the budget get the Grow Big and Tiger Bloom. I am currently using the main 3 Fox Farm Nutes. I also Make It Rain on my plants too. I do it alittle different but its very effective. What I do is when I flush my soil I dont wait a few days for it to dry to feed nutes, I feed my plants nutes immediately after flushing. Its easier for me and works just as good. If you have any questions about Making It Rain let me know. If I cant help you I will get someone in here that will. I dont know much about the MG soil but if you make it rain, it will get rid of all build ups of salts and nutes in your soil. I would feed your plant both nutes you have, especially if you make it rain. You can start it off with 50% of recommend dosage and gradually increase so you dont burn your plant. Do yo uhave the Fox Farm Feeding Schedule? Also how much do you feed your plant with Big Bloom and Schultz? Another words tell me how you mix your nutes before ou feed?
Will check out the hydro store prices and see if I can spring for both the FF Grow and Tiger. My 3 week old babies were just topped and are still in the party cups with a seed starter soil. I plan to up-pot with the MG in a few days so they will get nutes from the soil soon. I will probably wait a few weeks before I give them any additional nutes so as not to burn the youngsters. I vegged my AK48s for a full 8 weeks, but think I will switch the new crop at 6 weeks (unless they're on the small side still).

Do you think I should mix the FF and Schultz in the same water, or water (half way) with each separately? They've been taking a half gallon or so each. I use 4tbs FF to a gallon of water, and the Schultz is 4 droppers full per gallon. Do you think this is still okay if I use them both at the same feeding? I'm leaning towards feeding right after the flush, like you do - too afraid I will strip them of all nutes and leave them hurting. They aren't all green and pretty like the experienced growers have at this stage. I'm seeing some fan leaf loss on the bottom, but I know that should be expected to some extent at this stage. I just don't want to starve the poor ladies and ruin my hard grown buds!
 

bekindbud

Well-Known Member
If you look at my journal you will see how I was under feeding my plants. I wasnt mixing my nutes correctly. My whole plant was turning yellow and now its insane healthy. Thats why I like Making it rain cause you monitor your nute feedings better cause with a flush before feeding you are giving them a clean slate.
yellow (4).jpgPat Day 27 (7).jpgPB270127.jpgPat.jpgPat.jpgPC080272.jpgPat.jpgPat (2).jpgPC230052.jpgPat.jpg

If your plant that is flowering and has been for some time its normal that the fan leaves turn yellow cause you dont want to be giving them veg nutes past 3 to 4 weeks of flowering so after no more veg nutes your plant starts to use "N" Nitrogen with in itself through its fan leaves. You will notice that with my plant Pat she was very yellow in the beginning and its because I wasnt feeding her correctly. But you can see with time I got her back on track using Making It Rain and look how healthy she is now. So dont sweat it and just try to learn how to read your plants. It would be wise of you to post more pics of your plants that way you can recieve better help.

Im not trying to jack your thread with my pics just showing you how you can turn a yellow plant back into a happy healthy green plant!

Peace
BKB
 

IXOYE

Active Member
I have flushed and not flushed at end of harvest and imo (with MG soil) flushing was the way to go. Made a huge dif in the smoke and the ash.
I have read good arguments in either direction but am shooting for the flush as I feed nutes 2-3 times a week I figure even with a light flush they'll still have what they need without making the cure harsh.
 

IXOYE

Active Member
The shower would be a good idea for some, but my plants are 34inches tall now, and I don't want to risk damaging them by hauling them through the house to the bathroom. It would be awful to break a stem when they're just 2 or 3 weeks from harvest. Besides, the stealth kinda goes out the window if I get caught carrying a 2.5 gallon bucket with a 3foot ganja plant around the place (damn split level house). I think I have the remedy with a stubby shelf unit made of plastic mesh that I can slide a drain pan under. Well, it's a learning curve that I can correct for my second grow... -Mandi
Your raised rack idea is great! How about those wire racks used for cooling hot cookie sheets and pizza pans...maybe not tall enough but I'm going to look around the thrift shops for something like that.
 

manditroy

Active Member
Your raised rack idea is great! How about those wire racks used for cooling hot cookie sheets and pizza pans...maybe not tall enough but I'm going to look around the thrift shops for something like that.
The shelf unit worked like a charm! I'm pretty sure it was only a few bucks, but I've had it for a while, so I can't say exactly how much it was. Its something that was likely bought at a place like Walmart...white plastic framework with an open grid top (kind of like a subway grate or catwalk platform) and it has tubular legs that snap into the under side and make it stand about six inches off the floor. The drain pans slid under and gathered the "rain" as it fell, then I emptied those for use on my houseplants later. The wire cooling racks would be okay if they were tall and strong enough to support your plant over the drain pan, just be sure it won't bend under the weight and dump your baby over. You may want to check a closeout or discount store for the shelf unit I have, as it's strong enough to support two big plants in 2.5gal pots. I left them up there ready to go for the next rain since they were so secure...
 

manditroy

Active Member
Here is a look at the girls just after my first go at 'making it rain' for them. They're hanging out at between 34-35 inches and have not really gained any height in a while - but they're packing on the buds very nicely. As you can see, the photos are just the upper 12 inches of the main colas. There are at least 8-10 smaller branches on each plant that have decent 4-5 inch colas building on them, and some little buds all around the bottom trying hard to catch up. I may decide to harvest most of the plant and keep her going for a little longer to get some decent buds from those smaller ones left behind. Any thoughts on this...is it worth it to cut part and then let her go more for the rest?

singlecola6wksflower1-14-11.jpg doublecola6wksflower1-14-11.jpg
 
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