Under $100 1st grow, 5G DWC, WW (Fem Seed) Closet Grow (106W Veg, 160W Flower)
- Thread starter MrJones86
- Start date
Cransi
Well-Known Member
Lookin good MrJ, no stress from topp with some wonderful short an bushy growth. Can't wait to see the progress pics, any day now for flower huh? Lucky on the HPS set-up, are you going to use the CFL's for side lighting? I think that would help the most. patiently waiting for pics...
I guess Buds For Less: Grow 8oz. of MJ on a $50 budget is something you have never ran across? So I am glad you offer your opinion... and am sorry your experience with cfl's was inadequate to your standardz.
MrJones86
Active Member
Day 34 (Day 3 of 12/12) Pics:
I've been REALLY busy the last few days, so sorry for the lack of updates. Can you tell the HPS has been installed ??? LOL ! I had to take out some CFLs for now until I can rig them up to not be in the middle of the plant. The leaves are drooping because the lights had only been on for ~5 mins before I took these pics. I started 12/12 2 days ago and she has been stretching a bit during that time. I just finished wiring up the 150w HPS today and was so excited to get pics on here I couldn't wait for her to perk up.
I've been REALLY busy the last few days, so sorry for the lack of updates. Can you tell the HPS has been installed ??? LOL ! I had to take out some CFLs for now until I can rig them up to not be in the middle of the plant. The leaves are drooping because the lights had only been on for ~5 mins before I took these pics. I started 12/12 2 days ago and she has been stretching a bit during that time. I just finished wiring up the 150w HPS today and was so excited to get pics on here I couldn't wait for her to perk up.
Cransi
Well-Known Member
Barely I can tell.... 
Mine kinda looks like your color-spectrum not enough orange-red though. I need to move like 4 of my bulbs for side lighting.... i have none now. Being low-budget grow can suck sometimes!
So how are the temps now with the HPS in there, to me a few them leaves look a bit stressed from heat. Also is it the color of the picture or are some of the leaves discoloring? I thought I seen some light speckle/spotting. In pic 5 i think i noticed it.
Mine kinda looks like your color-spectrum not enough orange-red though. I need to move like 4 of my bulbs for side lighting.... i have none now. Being low-budget grow can suck sometimes!So how are the temps now with the HPS in there, to me a few them leaves look a bit stressed from heat. Also is it the color of the picture or are some of the leaves discoloring? I thought I seen some light speckle/spotting. In pic 5 i think i noticed it.
MrJones86
Active Member
The color is from the HPS spectrum. There is still spotting on the lowest set of leaves... but that's from some early nute burn. I'm going to try to take some pics tonight right before the HPS and 2700K CFLs come on so you can get a better idea of actual color. The temps held pretty steady @ 82 F , but I might add another fan. The ballast is remote mounted on the shelf above the setup, so that is helping a bit for the heat. I think the leaves might be stressed a bit b/c my timer fell yesterday and the lights ran for 4 hours in the middle of what was supposed to be my dark cycle. She's also been drinking up ~ 500mL of water a day, so growth should be happening pretty rapidly.Barely I can tell....
So how are the temps now with the HPS in there, to me a few them leaves look a bit stressed from heat. Also is it the color of the picture or are some of the leaves discoloring? I thought I seen some light speckle/spotting. In pic 5 i think i noticed it.
MrJones86
Active Member
Day 36 Pics (Day 5 of 12/12):
Leaves still drooping : (. Still not sure what is causing it though. Temps have been 72F (Dark) - 82F (Lights) and I changed out the res yesterday, and made damn sure to get my PH between 5.5 and 6.
I'm going to stop using my generic nutes and switch to something like Shultz. Growth has stuttered a bit... but she's still growing and the branches are thickening. I'm not sure if the color of the stems should be bothering me or not. I've read in a few different places that this could either be a calcium deficiency or just something the strain does.
Leaves still drooping : (. Still not sure what is causing it though. Temps have been 72F (Dark) - 82F (Lights) and I changed out the res yesterday, and made damn sure to get my PH between 5.5 and 6.
I'm going to stop using my generic nutes and switch to something like Shultz. Growth has stuttered a bit... but she's still growing and the branches are thickening. I'm not sure if the color of the stems should be bothering me or not. I've read in a few different places that this could either be a calcium deficiency or just something the strain does.
Katastrophe
Member
Don't worry too much about stem color - many plants just get red stems. As long as the leaves and the plant look healthy overall it isn't necessarily a bad sign. Nice grow, good fast bushy growth, I'm a little surprised with the light setup (mainly the lack of more blue light). CFL's are underrated, though. I use them exclusively and have had a lot of success with them. You can't beat the price, I find 32watt bulbs for $1 all the time, and get multi-light bathroom fixtures from thrift stores for $4 each - you can use them as is by stripping the wires and attaching a lamp cord ($.99 from thrift stores), or do the same but take the sockets out of the fixture and group them closer together or hang them. What I've found is that (you may hear differently, but this is from mucho experience) you can put CFL's about 3-5 inches away safely, but any closer and the WILL burn the leaves after a while. The leaves can get close and even touch for short periods without problem, but if they sit right next to the bulb you will get brown spots.
The drooping is odd. It looks like underwatering, but that doesn't make sense with your setup - possibly overwatering? The heat may be in the 70's in the closet generally, but check it right around the bulbs - it will be higher there. I also don't see a fan - that will not only cool the plant, but get much needed air circulation to the leaves and make the plant stronger. Overwatering (lack of O2 to the roots) would be my guess as to your drooping. I would try to get that fixed, it will just make for a stronger, healthier, happier plant.
I would put out the money for some really good nutes - that can make the difference between a lush, beautiful grow with only a few minor problems here and there, and constantly trying to diagnose and fix issue after issue. When done right, it seems easy as pie. Nutes with some lack of micronutrients or something will just have you eventually scrambling to find out what went wrong, and buying more stuff in the end to fix things. You should be able to get some great nutes online for $40 or so - well worth it! And that should be enough for several grows.
The drooping is odd. It looks like underwatering, but that doesn't make sense with your setup - possibly overwatering? The heat may be in the 70's in the closet generally, but check it right around the bulbs - it will be higher there. I also don't see a fan - that will not only cool the plant, but get much needed air circulation to the leaves and make the plant stronger. Overwatering (lack of O2 to the roots) would be my guess as to your drooping. I would try to get that fixed, it will just make for a stronger, healthier, happier plant.
I would put out the money for some really good nutes - that can make the difference between a lush, beautiful grow with only a few minor problems here and there, and constantly trying to diagnose and fix issue after issue. When done right, it seems easy as pie. Nutes with some lack of micronutrients or something will just have you eventually scrambling to find out what went wrong, and buying more stuff in the end to fix things. You should be able to get some great nutes online for $40 or so - well worth it! And that should be enough for several grows.
MrJones86
Active Member
Thanks man. I actually work at an electrical supply store... so I have wholesale pricing access to bulbs, fixtures, etc. It's actually how I got the parts to put together that 150W HPS that's hanging above the plant.
There is a blower type fan on the left hand side of the room, and another fan blowing fresh air in when the lights are on.
I checked the moisture in my perlite and it seems a bot high. I might try dropping the water level a bit in the res and trying to vacuum some water out of the pot with my shop vac and a screen of some sort. I'll post how she does tonight.
MrJones86
Active Member
Day 37 Pics:
I'm pretty concerned at this pont about the drooping and major slowing of growth. Can't tell if it's deficiancy or abundance of nutes. I'm flat fucking broke at the moment, so better nutes will have to wait 'til next week. Hopefully she recovers a bit before then. I checked my PH and I guess my ph down hadn't fully desolved when I checked it... because the PH was around 4 !!! I've since corrected that and hope it helps. I guess it's a good thing I've got more seeds waiting, lol. It would suck to fail this far into the grow
I've also kind of neglected my clone... but good roots were showing when I checked today, so I'm going to transfer it to some coco that I've got ready to go !
I'm pretty concerned at this pont about the drooping and major slowing of growth. Can't tell if it's deficiancy or abundance of nutes. I'm flat fucking broke at the moment, so better nutes will have to wait 'til next week. Hopefully she recovers a bit before then. I checked my PH and I guess my ph down hadn't fully desolved when I checked it... because the PH was around 4 !!! I've since corrected that and hope it helps. I guess it's a good thing I've got more seeds waiting, lol. It would suck to fail this far into the grow
I've also kind of neglected my clone... but good roots were showing when I checked today, so I'm going to transfer it to some coco that I've got ready to go !
HistoryPuff
Active Member
AGH! those things are droopier than my grandma's titties! JK, I just saw an opening for a joke. That looks like overwatering to me, it happens VERY easily. I'm pretty sure we've all been there, done that. I'm not sure if your low pH would be exclusively responsible but it can't be good for them. I have heard that your plants can't use any nutes in the soil unless the ph is 6-7. But I forgot if it was the pH of the soil or water (see, I'm still a newb). Anyways, I'm subscribing to this, and GOOD LUCK!
MrJones86
Active Member
Haha, thanks man. It's a DWC hydro setup though man, so there is no soil.Probably should've done a soil grow first... but I just said to myself "What the hell, just fucking go for it man !"
HistoryPuff
Active Member
My bad man, I probably should have read the whole thread but I kinda just skipped to the good stuff so I could get in on this! In that case disregard my WHOLE post haha. Well good luck, man!
MrJones86
Active Member
So yeah.... call me an idiot. I couldn't find any PH Down for plants locally... so I've been using pool PH Down. Didn't even think about the salts in it. So, I've flushed my plant, replaced the water in the res with distilled bottled water, and bit the bullet and ordered some GH PH Down. Oh, and I found some Shultz nutes at the local Dollar Store.
Hopefully I haven't waited too long to correct all of this. I really hope my plant makes it through !!!!
Hopefully I haven't waited too long to correct all of this. I really hope my plant makes it through !!!!
RyanTheRhino
Well-Known Member
nice setup you should get a good size plant if you keep up with the hydro
HistoryPuff
Active Member
Maybe this only happens when they're in soil, but it happened to me, the leaves actually went droopy but then eventually shriveled up and kinda died. I'm not sure what my problem was but I don't think your beyond help. It will probably rebound. I mean, if they made it that big you were doing something right haha
MrJones86
Active Member
Day 38 Pics:
Also... you might have noticed a little cutting off to the side in a little red bowl. To be honest, I had forgotten about it and left it for dead. I picked it up and very healthy looking roots were bursting out of the bottom so I watered her and transplanted her to a 12" pot today. Hopefully this clone takes off a bit too and I'll have a plant to harvest a couple of weeks after my hydro plant. The cutting is in a mixture of perlite and coco (50/50).
Also... you might have noticed a little cutting off to the side in a little red bowl. To be honest, I had forgotten about it and left it for dead. I picked it up and very healthy looking roots were bursting out of the bottom so I watered her and transplanted her to a 12" pot today. Hopefully this clone takes off a bit too and I'll have a plant to harvest a couple of weeks after my hydro plant. The cutting is in a mixture of perlite and coco (50/50).
HistoryPuff
Active Member
Thank god or mother nature I guess that weed is a weed, eh? The clone doesn't even look too bad at all.
MrJones86
Active Member
Day 39 Pics:
Maybe it's just me, but don't the top nodes look a little more lively than yesterday ???? Hope she's recovering. Also, my clone has shown a little growth too !
I was going to take a couple of shots of the roots, but my batteries died on my camera. Roots are still looking healthy, so no worries there at least. My PH Down looks like it's going to be here either Friday or Saturday. I'm pretty sure she'll be fine 'til then.
Maybe it's just me, but don't the top nodes look a little more lively than yesterday ???? Hope she's recovering. Also, my clone has shown a little growth too !
I was going to take a couple of shots of the roots, but my batteries died on my camera. Roots are still looking healthy, so no worries there at least. My PH Down looks like it's going to be here either Friday or Saturday. I'm pretty sure she'll be fine 'til then.
HistoryPuff
Active Member
yup, looks like those leaves are poppin back up.