Daylight and Fluoros

[daylighting]

From a Chinese streetlight? What color temperature you thinking of, and what about the LEDs?

There's a fully stocked store near me that carries good-quality CFLs/HIDs/etc. I'm thinking about using a simple Philips or Osram MH with E40 base in 250W, or maybe I should just pick up the 400W and continue cycling on and off? The ballast will support both HPS and MH.

The LEDs and CFLs will still get used, although the glass on the CFL bulbs is getting HOT with the HPS running over them. I'm trying to minimize my scrubber use at this stage since getting another can filter will be a PITA when the time comes, although I recently discovered washing and drying the carbon filters gets them almost as good as new again, so there's that! With the air conditioning off and the tent zipped up, the power strip and CFLs get too hot with the scrubber dialed up to around 30%. With air conditioning on and the tent open, everything is fine, but I'm hesitant to run HID when I'm not around.

Fortunately I can adjust the HPS by moving the roof bars in the tent around and sliding the HPS left and right to aim the light precisely where I want it. Once the plants are a little taller, I can move the power strip back and out of the fire and the plants will be getting side lighting from the CFLs and LEDs and top lighting from the HPS.

 

[daylighting]

Four out of four germ rate on these Jet-47s so far! We have a tap root! In 48 hours it's head should be out of the soil, although it may need help getting the seed coat off.

I hit all three pots with 100-200ml of BTI solution today. I didn't want to add anymore water, but the pot with the male has definite fungus gnats. I'll hit them with BTI again a week from now, and again and again until there are no more larvae to be seen.

The other two are vegging along, slowly but surely.

 

[daylighting]

Picked up a bunch of two-gallon smart pots today...I've seen great results from them here at IC, and they should help greatly with the ice cream. As for medium, I'm thinking 25% coco, 25% perlite and 45% organic pro mix with 5% worm castings for the next round.

The plants are chugging right along and are making good progress every day, especially now that I am running the old HPS for several hours a day. The growth over the last week has been decent, and the soil is slowly but surely drying out, although I think there is still enough water in the pots for another 2-3 weeks!

The second plant is a female. Nice, long white preflowers today, and it's starting to stretch a little. I have high hopes for thi little lady! I have, however, noticed what appears to be LED bleaching on some of the lower leaves. I had the 12W 660nm bulb only 2-3" away from the plant, and it appears to have yellowed the leaves somewhat. I don't think it's a deficiency. I've switched over to the 24W 630/660nm LED now that I know it's a female, and backed the light off to 6-8".

The fourth seedling is up. When I came in to work, it had raised its head, but hadn't shed the seedcoat. I misted it lightly, and then turned on the HPS. Within ten minutes, the seed coat had been shed and the seedling had moved and opened its cotyledon leaves up to the light! I turned off the HPS and put it under a CFL and one of the 9W LED bulbs. I'll run the HPS again in a few, once it dries out a little.

Slacking today, so no metal halide bulbs or garden center visit. I find rewarding myself for good work keeps me motivated.

 

[daylighting]

Just got some azomite and leonardite today. I'll make a tea with azomite, leonardite, urine, high P bat guano, kelp, earthworm castings, ebony leaf ash and orange juice (for pH) for the next feed. I may incorporate some sugarcane juice (basically unprocessed molasses) and use coconut sap vinegar for pH instead of OJ. It still looks like two to three weeks until the next feed. I did a kelp folair feed yesterday as my plants always love the stuff. I haven't checked on them or run the HPS today, but I will shortly.

I'll never buy this brand of potting soil again. It's far too heavy. I'll buy professional-grade peat, coco bricks and perlite and just blend my own mix in a large trash bag. I'm not sure about the clay pebbles just yet; I'm pretty sure I had pH issues because of them. They are, however, excellent for preventing evaporation and wind (fan) erosion. They'd probably work a treat for guerilla grows.

I'll also make sure not to plant seeds into large pots that are thoroughly soaked! Taking a five-year hiatus from growing has made me forget a few things.

A few days ago, when smoking some well-cured indoor, I thought back to when I was a kid and enjoyed playing with (and squishing) bugs. I used to dig in the plant pots and kill fungus gnat larvae with my bare hands. Looks like this brand has had them all along! On another note, I found seven healthy seeds in the indoor indica/sativa hybrid I've been smoking. They're definitely worth a whirl at some point!

 

[shokdee]

I find rewarding myself for good work keeps me motivated.

I found that too.

 

[daylighting]

OK, I don't know if my eyes are playing tricks on me, someone has been in here, or I have a bug issue...you tell me. I looked around to see if anything had been moved and I don't think anything has been touched...

My stinky little male...5-6" tall. 24 days old today.

In the same pot..yesterday's seedling, but it appears to have lost its cotyledon leaves, or maybe I just imagined them yesterday? No sign of one half of the seed coat, which makes me think someone may have been in here. Then again, it may just have blown away. It appears to be putting out its first serrated leaves from the stalk. I've had this happen before (1996?) with KC Brains Northern Lights.

My 24 day old female...smells sweet and skunky, and is wider than it is tall. 4-5". All five nodes are within 1.5" of the cotyledon leaves. You may be able to see the lightened patches from LED bleaching.

Twelve-day-old seedling...third one. Also moving along slowly. The second leaf set looks pretty normal, so maybe it was just the early growth that was a bit twisted.

 

[shokdee]

I don't know if my eyes are playing tricks on me, someone has been in here, or I have a bug issue...you tell me.

Well, did you have a guest last night? Are your contact lenses in upside down? Are you bugged?

 

[daylighting]

No guests here, no contact lenses and no signs of bug damage on anything else. Maybe I mistook the U-shaped stem for a cotyledon? Either way, it appears to be alive and I have come across seedlings without cotyledon leaves in the past...

Got my 12" fan blowing directly on the HPS now. It's keeping temps down very well and the plants are still waving in the breeze. I read about some growers doing the same thing earlier today and it appears to work a treat. I think I'll zip the tent all the way up for twenty minutes or so to see if it stays as cool as it is now.

^ The CFLs still got almost too hot to touch.

Since the soil is still pretty wet, I aerated thoroughly with my bamboo chopstick. This has worked wonders for helping the soil dry out. I'm careful to avoid the area directly around the plant.

Fed them today with a fairly potent 150ml (50ml for each pot) solution of a pinch (splash) of each of the following:

Urine, kelp, high P bat guano, azomite, leonardite, BTI.

I shook it all up for aeration and to mix it up, and then poured a little in each pot, away from the plants. The hope is the nutrients will disperse through the soil since it's wet. Hopefully the organic matter will draw the fungus gnats away from the plant, and hopefully they eat some BTI in the process.

 

[Sativa Dragon]

I would re think Urine, it seems like a good idea and for the most part it is if you eat the same thing all the time like a cow, some of the bacteria in your gut gets expelled with the urine and tends to take up residence in containers, not that it is all bad but your starting a science experiment, one that may not be as good for plants as you think. Stick to none urine nutes and you will have a smoother run.

Peace

 

[DemonPigeon]

I would re think Urine, it seems like a good idea and for the most part it is if you eat the same thing all the time like a cow, some of the bacteria in your gut gets expelled with the urine and tends to take up residence in containers, not that it is all bad but your starting a science experiment, one that may not be as good for plants as you think. Stick to none urine nutes and you will have a smoother run.

Peace

Technically the kidneys filter out any "gut" bacteria, urine is usually sterile, unless you have thrush or something....

 

[wildgrow]

Your growth will probably speed up if you back those bulbs off a few inches. Since the light is right on them, they don't need to reach for it at all. And light bleaching = bulbs too close.

 

[daylighting]

Yup, urine is sterile, and very effective too!

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=farmers-in-nepal-use-urine-to-boost-crop-yields

Another advantage, in my experience, is I can back it off in flowering and then will be getting much less nitrogen from the other organic amendments I use.

Your growth will probably speed up if you back those bulbs off a few inches. Since the light is right on them, they don't need to reach for it at all. And light bleaching = bulbs too close.

Wildgrow, the 9W LEDs aren't causing any bleaching and the dealer recommended keeping them as close as possible. The CFLs are all 3-4" away from the plants. The 24W LED is a good distance away (6-8") so as to prevent anymore bleaching, but I don't think the color will return to the affected leaves. They seem perfectly healthy, just lighter where the 12W LED was hitting them. I underestimated the power of these bulbs!

I did, however, remove the boxes under my female, so she sits 2" lower now. It seems the girls do indeed do better at 4-6" from CFLs.

Picked up 7 lbs of worm castings for $7, and they'll be at my door in a few days. I can't complain!

You guys may enjoy this...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Ti9WK-y1Thw

Be careful people!

Decided to pick up some lightweight seed starting mix. Pricey at around 80 cents a quart. No perlite to speak of, and I can't read the language on the bag, but it's lightweight and says it provides good aeration and drainage. It is indeed very fine and light. Many growers say you shouldn't repot autos, but I've had excellent results with transplanting photos in the past with no shock at all (as long as the plant is solidly rooted and I water well before transplanting).

I punched holes in a plastic cup (bottom and sides) and filled it with the mix, and then watered lightly. Sowed the seed, and then sprayed the soil lightly. It's in the tent on the shelf I have in there. If it does well in the new mix, I'll get some perlite in and use their brand of overpriced pro mix instead.

Things to keep in mind from the future:

Wash clay pebbles, soak in pH adjusted water. They work great for preventing evaporation and erosion, but for soggy pots that need drying out, a layer on top can slow things down.
Get your pH right from the start
Don't germ in big, soggy pots. I've made this mistake countless times over the years. I should really know better!
Don't even get seedlings soaking wet in their pots. A little water, put the seed in, then mist. Increase the amount of water as the roots expand (really basic stuff, I know)
Don't buy the heavy, fungus gnatty potting soil. Good media makes a world of difference
Buy amendments in bulk, even if you are growing small, since you always need more, even years down the line
Don't overfeed and don't let lights get too close unless they are very low-powered. Good quality LED lights will BLEACH leaves

 

[Sativa Dragon]

I stand corrected about the Bacteria unless your kidneys are fucked, however your unrine changes strength from hour to hour and day to day, like if you drink a lot of water, Diluted, if you don't drink a lot concentrated, Or if you eat a lot of fish, very stinky.

Peace

 

[daylighting]

Yeah, it does, so the trick is to use it diluted at 1:10 or even less since it's potent. Fish doesn't seem to affect my urine, but coffee definitely does!

I have a pretty good diet and don't take any form of medication, so I should be good to go.

 

[DemonPigeon]

It's nice we can all discuss our urine, it's like "Stoners & The City"

I've used dilluted down urine before, not very often but a little bit here and there. I think I'm somewhere between you guys. I think it's probably an ecologically better plant feed (no water from flushing the loo, less water needed from the tap, less air miles than using imported plant feed etc) but also it can be unpredictable and it doesn't arrive pH balanced or altered to compliment the local tap water.

Personally I don't care for fish but I'll have Tuna Mayo sometimes If I go to Subway

Or a fishcake and chips if I want to be a british steriotype

 

[daylighting]

I'm pretty much the same way about fish. I'll probably back off on the urine now that I have earthworm castings coming in....my nitrogen needs will be covered!

Using urine is ok as long as you pH test your water before feeding, and for optimal yield you can't just urine alone. I tested mine for a lark and it was acidic at around 6.2, which makes sense, since I'm a meat eater.

The nitrogen in urine is also immediately available. It is, however, strong enough to kill plants (like chemical fertilizer).

 

[Sativa Dragon]

I am so frigin amused, we all piss on our plants at some point. I would be more inclined to piss on a pile of compost I was gonna use a year later. either way farty poopy, piss and shit jokes are the rule.

I would fart on my plants if I thought it would help them. Enough people reading this have already done so or have thought of it already.

Either way we all want whats best for the girls.

Peace

 

[shokdee]

I would fart on my plants if I thought it would help them. ... Either way we all want whats best for the girls.

Peace

LOL I like your style!

Piss.

 

[Sativa Dragon]

Hee hee.

Your all guilty of farting in the grow room and pondering its worth to the plants.

Just saying

Peace

 

[daylighting]

I don't think anything living would want to be exposed to my farts. I just imagined letting one go and zipping up the tent. lol