[The Apprentice]

What's up everyone!

This will be my second grow and am uber excited to keep this journal going strong. My first grow was a two plant outdoor grow with synthetic nutes (Emerald Harvest) and it went quite alright but I have finally finished the research and set up my new indoor tent set up. Going fully organic after much reading on this forum (thank you guys btw).

I'll be running 7 plants/strains total all from seed. 3 are autoflower and 4 are feminized. I'll elaborate on why I did this and the theory behind it below the strain and consumables information below.
I'm doing something that I have not found a journal for before so maybe I am the first one... but probably not so if there are any tips or advice please lay them on me! I will probably need some help/advice in the areas of pest prevention, temperature and humidity issues but at this moment in the seedlings lives, I don't think what I currently have is unacceptable and I can wait a couple weeks to get a humidifier or another fan.

For this set up my equipment is as follows:

Equipment
4X4 Gorilla Grow Tent (Not using the extension due to roof limits)

NextLight Mega LED lighting. 650W actual draw but claims 1000W equivalency

Vortex S-Line 6" Fan (This thing looks like a plane engine and is pretty quiet!)

Can-Lite Filter

3, 3 Gallon GeoPot G-Lite pots and 4, 5 gallon G-lite Pots (But one 3 gallon pot is not the G-Lite version and is a bit thicker since the store gave me this one on accident)

I've also got two non-oscillating fans, one pointed at the LED and one pointed at the plants. This part of the set up may change as I figure out the temperature situation.

Now onto the other good stuff...
Consumables
(I really really REALLY wanted to grow some Chiquita Banana or GG#4.. GG4 was clone only and I couldn't get my hands on Chiquita as Utopia Farms and RB haven't released it to the masses so I decided to go with the best strains available in seed. I can still switch up if someone wants to send me one of the mentioned strains..... lol )

Soil King Big Rootz organic soil

Mr. B's Green Trees Growth and Mr. B's Green Trees Bloom granular top dress

Autoflower strains: Fastbuds Pineapple Express, Fastbuds Girl Scout Cookies, and Cream of the Crop Cash Crop

Feminized strains: Reserva Privada Kosher Kush, Elemental Seeds Honey Bananas, CannaVenture Cookie Wreck, and BlimBurn Seeds Chemdog #4

I started the autoflower strains 1.5 weeks before starting the feminized seeds. The idea behind this is that since autoflower don't need the light to be switched in order to flower, I am going to base my lighting needs on the feminized seeds and let the autos come along for the ride. I'll be going 18/6 for as long as I think the feminized seeds need and I am assuming the autoflowers will be flowering halfway through the veg cycle of the regular plants. When I switch to 12/12 the autos should be a good way through their flowering so when the autos are "done," I'll pull and process them which will leave more light and room for the four photoperiod plants.
I hope that sounds as clever as it did when I thought of that idea... maybe I was just stoned but I'm going to run with it lol.
I also put the autos in the 3 gallon geopots so they will be somewhat more dwarfed.

I don't plan on using much of the Mr. B's Growth since the super soil that I got is supposed to contain everything that my plants need. I might just throw a little bit of it here and there for giggles. I will be using the bloom formula though at full strength when the time comes for flowering.


This picture is sideways but it is the filter and my light


Also sideways, but this is my light panel from NextLight. Doesn't get very hot at all and is always cool to the touch


Sideways but shows the distance of my light and the seedlings. Yeah.... Probably not the best idea to put seedlings under a 650W LED but that is why the height is so far away. I'll move the light to a proper distance when I transplant the 4 photoperiod plants into their 5 gallon pots. Haven't noticed much stretch and they seem happy.

[The Apprentice]

Auto Girl Scout Cookies at about 2 weeks from seed (Someone told me it looks like the trichomes are already starting but I think they're just random spots that will go away when the plant is older)



Auto Pineapple Express at about 2 weeks from Seed



Cash Crop at about 2 weeks from seed



My 4 photoperiod strains that are a few days old.... Covered by foggy tupperware to increase humidity and to protect from excess light


The final product of my outdoor Strawberry Banana.. Proud of how they turned out! I grew stuff that people actually enjoyed... Rad!


I'll be posting updates and questions here and there and as I mentioned.. if anyone has any comments, questions, ideas, advice, please don't hesitate to post! After all, this is a great community that has been built upon learning from each other

[The Apprentice]

I think I made a booboo already.
I've been using ph down to adjust my water ph. Its usually around 8.5 ph from the tap and we have good water without too much additives.
Did I kill the biolife in my soil with this acid? Anyone have any recs on what I should use to adjust my ph and not kill my soil if I haven't already? And also what should I do to bring them back to life lol

[Kmetak]

If I may advise, dont use PH down(acid nitric or phosphoric) for PH corecting. if you want to grow in the soil, use Acid citric from supermarket(food).. Mix a powder with water cca 1:2 a this mix use like PH down.. Citric acid help microlife in soil.. Try this.. You see..

[ozzieAI]

i grow in soil under leds and never ph my water...and it comes in 9 last time i checked...which was years ago...

not even for clones or seeds...

good soil will balance out in my experience...

good luck...

[The Apprentice]

Originally Posted by ozzieAI

i grow in soil under leds and never ph my water...and it comes in 9 last time i checked...which was years ago...

not even for clones or seeds...

good soil will balance out in my experience...

good luck...

Thank you guys. I think you're right as it does have dolomite in it. I'll leave the ph out of it then and if I run into any problems I'll revisit this area

[Kmetak]

Originally Posted by ozzieAI

i grow in soil under leds and never ph my water...and it comes in 9 last time i checked...which was years ago...

not even for clones or seeds...

good soil will balance out in my experience...

good luck...

Its a holy true!! Micro life in GOOD soil, doing his job.. besides buffer water..!

I post this already: " ....Try to avoid the use of pH correction products. Try to rely on the micro-life to do the work.Non-organic pH products will damage the micro-life we rely on so much. .."

[The Apprentice]

So far so good! Couple weeks in from when I started this journey and the plants are looking happy. I last watered them all on Wednesday night and let them dry up until today and I watered and transplanted the photoperiod strains. I like to let the girls dry out once when they're young.. I feel it gives them some ruggedness lol. Photos below of the babies.. the auto girl scout cookies is just exploding. I think I'm getting a little squatting on her and I cut off the cotyledons and the lowest new growth so I can make more room for soil.

[The Apprentice]

Time for a photo update. They seem happy.. the honey bananas by reserva privada look a little odd but we'll see how it comes out. The cookie wreck also looks a little funny but I'm thinking they'll clear up soon.. if not I'll start looking at potential problem areas.

[The Apprentice]

I'm really liking the branching of my autos! Didn't train or top any of them until the day these pics were taken. I squished the top of the main stalks of the cash crop and gsc just to see what'll happen so will update on that

Gsc

Cc

PE