dakin3d
Member
I've been waiting to post until finished... I was moving recently and figured it in my best interest. Now that I'm in between setups, I'll post a couple a day to show you how my first grow progressed.
So, as the story goes.... I've been interested in doing this for a while now, just never really had the means/space/location to support a decent grow. I bucked up last fall and picked up 'The Bible' (Jorge Cervantes
). I needed general knowledge and I, like everyone else who starts at the beginning, had no idea what I was doing. I had planted a couple of seeds when I lived w/ my parents in high school. Bagseeds in old dirt, probably free of any nutrients at all -- I had no idea what I was doing. Two germed and they got about 4 inches tall. They looked very healthy, and I was very proud! Then, I got busted by my Dad. He was a hard ass, so I've waited some time to even attempt it (He makes quite the impression.)
And it really wasn't much of an attempt... I had a small palm full of old beans from past bags (find a seed or 2, every once in a while), progressively dating back 6-7 years ago, and threw them in a big planter that we had out on the deck. I usually smoke dank, so in theory the seeds should be able to produce decent quality bud (not necessarily true for the genetics, as they are most likely hermi's if you got just a couple of seeds from a quality bag). And large majority of them popped in a large plant that I had thrown them in outside (it was still pretty warm this past fall). I left them there, moving them out in the sun for about a week until I started to identify that a lot of them were pretty damn vigorous. I grabbed stuff from around the house and made a quick trip to the local department store. I had some time release MG in the garage (my first mistake, for an inexperienced grower anyway) and then grabbed:
-An old transparent(not ideal) plastic storage tub
-Packaging tape
-White plastic bags
-A power strip
-Light bulb adaptor/splitter
-x6 27-45W CFL's
-A cheap accuweather hygrometer/thermometer
-Couple Milk jugs
-Sprayer
-Watering Can
-Some styrofoam(i know, i know) beer cups
-70% (Rubbing) Alcohol
-Cleaned-up an old 8or10" fan
I then sat down and transplanted each and every one of the little seedlings that were growing in that pot, and there were a lot of them. I poked holes into the bottom of each cup, transplanted and watered them, and put them underneath the x6 CFLs during the night. I moved them out during the daytime, knowing that my limiting factor at the time was light. What I didn't know was that actually, at the seedling and early veg stages, they were getting plenty of light. Over the next couple days I battled burn. I assumed it was the time released nutrients in the soil. I was also over watering, which was releasing even more nutrients.... They battled through after I let them dry out. I lost a couple but still had an army. I eventually realized that I had more than I needed, and I had wished I hadn't planted them all. I just didn't expect them to actually pull through.... but they did. And I was now thinking about buying some real soil and possibly a light....
So, as the story goes.... I've been interested in doing this for a while now, just never really had the means/space/location to support a decent grow. I bucked up last fall and picked up 'The Bible' (Jorge Cervantes
). I needed general knowledge and I, like everyone else who starts at the beginning, had no idea what I was doing. I had planted a couple of seeds when I lived w/ my parents in high school. Bagseeds in old dirt, probably free of any nutrients at all -- I had no idea what I was doing. Two germed and they got about 4 inches tall. They looked very healthy, and I was very proud! Then, I got busted by my Dad. He was a hard ass, so I've waited some time to even attempt it (He makes quite the impression.)And it really wasn't much of an attempt... I had a small palm full of old beans from past bags (find a seed or 2, every once in a while), progressively dating back 6-7 years ago, and threw them in a big planter that we had out on the deck. I usually smoke dank, so in theory the seeds should be able to produce decent quality bud (not necessarily true for the genetics, as they are most likely hermi's if you got just a couple of seeds from a quality bag). And large majority of them popped in a large plant that I had thrown them in outside (it was still pretty warm this past fall). I left them there, moving them out in the sun for about a week until I started to identify that a lot of them were pretty damn vigorous. I grabbed stuff from around the house and made a quick trip to the local department store. I had some time release MG in the garage (my first mistake, for an inexperienced grower anyway) and then grabbed:
-An old transparent(not ideal) plastic storage tub
-Packaging tape
-White plastic bags
-A power strip
-Light bulb adaptor/splitter
-x6 27-45W CFL's
-A cheap accuweather hygrometer/thermometer
-Couple Milk jugs
-Sprayer
-Watering Can
-Some styrofoam(i know, i know) beer cups
-70% (Rubbing) Alcohol
-Cleaned-up an old 8or10" fan
I then sat down and transplanted each and every one of the little seedlings that were growing in that pot, and there were a lot of them. I poked holes into the bottom of each cup, transplanted and watered them, and put them underneath the x6 CFLs during the night. I moved them out during the daytime, knowing that my limiting factor at the time was light. What I didn't know was that actually, at the seedling and early veg stages, they were getting plenty of light. Over the next couple days I battled burn. I assumed it was the time released nutrients in the soil. I was also over watering, which was releasing even more nutrients.... They battled through after I let them dry out. I lost a couple but still had an army. I eventually realized that I had more than I needed, and I had wished I hadn't planted them all. I just didn't expect them to actually pull through.... but they did. And I was now thinking about buying some real soil and possibly a light....
!), researching the blogs, and checking out equipment and nutrients. I went to my local hydro store and checked out the stock. They recommended botanicare nutrients because I didn't have a pH meter at the time. Who was I to argue? I had heard that FF soil was the way to go, but I was also strapped for cash. I compromised and went w/ a couple bags of Happy Frog, instead of OF, because you get a larger bag for the same price. I also picked up some bamboo sticks, some 3 gal pots, drip trays, and a quart of Bot Pro Grow base nutrient, and other small accessories. 
. This is something that I had to relearn, rather than the idea just 'pop' into my head. The other problem was the size of the containers.... The larger size meant more time in between waterings, so it took a little longer to flush than I would've like, but I didn't want to drown them for days straight. After 3 flush/mild feedings over a course of a week, the plants seemed to recover. The copper discoloration seemed to disappear and a nice rich, green color covered the entire canopy. 
. It's attached to a Hydrofarm cordset and 'Radiant' Hood that is non-air cooled. I was using a space in the basement so heat was actually welcomed. I had to buy a Danby Dehumidifier to kill the humidity that was building up over the night, as the house would cool. The RH was around 65-95% at times! I was still in veg, but I knew I needed the dehumidifier for flowering so I went ahead and got one. I figured it would be a good investment for the future, plus the basement could use it from time to time.
. One downfall of bagseed (even if it is good), is that you might never know the strain you were growing. At this stage it was obviously too early to tell. I knew that the majority of them were sativa dominant, except for one. There was one that was w/o a doubt a true indica or even a kush. I wish I had pics of it. It was a short stalky deep green/purpleish bush that was the blacksheep of the group. 
). I figured it would make it easier to prevent buildup during flowering. I was also thinking about adding some 'Sweet' to the lineup. This stuff is a carbohydrate supplement plus other components that feeds the beneficials that reside in the soil. There is a common argument that these types of products actually do 'nothing' to improve the plants health, production, or taste!
Cheers, dak
