[THoC]

Hey Everyone!

First I want to thank all the posters at this forum from whom I have read and learned alot from due to them all sharing there experiences! So to that end I decided to document this current grow to kind of payback the community.

Anyway this grow is a first run of the mandala's strains through our grow system. I have gathered a few strains and I just want to see how the plants react to how we are growing, get some tasty smoke, and maybe a pheno to keep around.

I am starting with 4 strains and then following 30 days later move them into a flowering box and start another sampler batch. Im only planting 2 seeds from each strain!!
This Grow is to observe these strains grow not for yield ( though Im always ready to be surprised. )

The first Phase of Sampler.

March 1
Started 2 seeds of the following..

Mandala #1 ( fem )
Speed Queen
Hashberry
White Satin

Each seed was planted directly into 2" peat pots with seed starter soil. The peat pots have been soaked in water and filled with soil and placed in humidity dome. These are made from two 6 inch pot liners. I also place the peat pot ontop of a inch bed of aquatic soil ( gravel ). This is the same method I use for making clones. The gravel maintains the moisture and allows the roots to grow out of the pots and not dry out or get damage when they move on...Picked out two nice looking seeds from the above strains and popped them in! Labeled the pots, misted them well and placed them near a window and radiator and wished them well... See them in a week.

WHAT!!? wished them well? well yes our system basically works around weekly visits. Because we arent around the grow during the week. So we'll see how it goes.

A quick note on how we are setup. We run a multiple box grow, It is a simple ebb and flow system lit by CFLs. As I go through this grow some might be aghast at some of things we do ( like using Miracle Grow for our fert!! lol ) but what we been doing has been working.

Also we setup guide lines on how our system was to be setup and have of course modified some of them but for the most part the standards have been..

Non permanent and easy to break down.
If possible use common objects.
Does not need daily maintenance.
Objects for the system can be bought locally.

Anyway Ill explain as we go forward.

March 8

Drove up in the rain and snow and of course checked on the 'kids'. Well we learned something already! A week away from the plants was a bit to long. I was nervous about the moisture level since they where close to the steam radiator so I had a friend mist them!! Wasnt the best thing to do since they over watered them. Nothing critical.Also I didn't place them in my cloning or veg box and one of the seedlings stretched ahead of the others trying to get to the week sunlight. Nothing again critical should be fine without any staking.

So for the initial seedling stages where the watering needs to be done by hand a more experienced grower will be checking them during the week until they can go into our hydro system.

All the Speed Queen, Hashberry, and White Satin germinated and have shown the beginning of the primary leaf.

The Mandala #1 no signs of growth. Wasnt expecting that. I did some exploring ( of course ) but didnt see any growth below the soil. Didnt want to dig too deep. So left them to see if they pop. I am tempted to start more but I think I will wait until the next sampler is started.

Placed the new plants in the newly vacated veg cabinet under 2 27watt CFL ( 5500k ).
All the seedlings seem robust.

will send photos.

cheers

[THoC]

Well i got some pictures of the seedlings from during the week ( thanks be to the garden gnomes!

The good news is that one of the Mandala#1 beans popped! It seemed that it enjoyed the flowering chamber over the casual radiator setup.

My grow setup is in an un-heated basement where the temps hover around 50 Fahrenheit... not the best for starting seeds ( to say the least ) But I added a heater to the area and got the temps up to around 70 Fahrenheit. Didnt want to use a heating pad since no one would be around to monitor the setup and I didnt want to get a call for a fire.

so here are some pics

Hashberry and Mandala #1 seedlings



White Satin and Speed Queen seedlings





All the seedlings





and just as an aside here are the Strawberry Cough flowering clone plants that where hogging up the veg cabinet. These are four plants in one of our 2'x2' flower boxes. Took 40+ cuttings from them last week and we still have over 20 flowering sites.



Anyway I will get up to the garden this weekend.... cant wait

[THoC]

Hey the secound week of March!! Baseball season and Trout fishing season is almost here!! ( my only weakness! ) Except for growing.....

Well I finally got up to the garden this weekend and everything looks good. The seedlings where coming along nicely so much so that after much debate ( with the gnomes and myself ) I decided to move the transplanting up a week. So thats what I did all day saturday instead of my other chores!! lol

With the roots beginning to come through on most of the plants I wanted to get them into the hydro sooner than later. I probably could have waited till next weekend but decided get the roots 'in their beds' now. Heres a shot of one of the seedlings which you can see the roots emerging....

**edit took photo out will replace**

Well like most of the time with a grow the plants force me into doing modifications to the setup that I keep putting off doing due to lack of time, resources and clear conviction about which methods to use.

As I mentioned earlier we ( gnomes and I ) grow from cuttings so our crops are uniform and of a known sex. So we usually grow multiple plants in a large tray or container. Also whether we are growing a SOG, SCROG or LST a suitable container is used. Since on this grow we are growing straight through ( perhaps some LST to promote branching for clones ) and I dont know what we are getting I decided to grow these seedlings in individual containers. This will give me the most flexibility.

Since space is an issue I have been looking for suitable containers that will fit the grow spaces ( both veg and flowering )and give enough room for the root mass. I had settled on using either a 1 gallon sterlite pitcher or going smaller with a 2 1/2 quart/litre bucket.

My gut feeling was to go with the 1 gal pitcher. It is bigger ( of course ) in the future I could reuse them for a SOG grow, Sturdy enough to attach a SCROG screen to for individual SCROGging. And of course in the 3-4 month life span of the grow give the plants room for their roots! Additionally it has the same footprint as the smaller buckets.

But alas and alack I could only gather 6 of them and I want to be consistent so I opted for the 2 1/2 quart buckets. I know Im pushing it a bit in such a small container but if it works out fine then that will be great. If the roots get to confined I could move them into larger containers ( if I had too )... this is a test grow after all.

So I setup the buckets for our simple flood and drain ( siphon ) system which involves using aquarium tubing placed on the bottom of the bucket. Covering it with a filter made of Polyester Batting and a circle of window screening. This is then filled with a commercially available Aquatic Grow Medium. On this grow I used Schultz Aquatic Plant Soil found at Home Depot... not my favorite stuff but available.



Each bucket is then hooked up to an 8 way dip irrigation manifold that I find at our local Wall Mart ( only in the early spring. they run out of them by summer and no one knows what I'm asking about when I need to find more! So if you can find them get them! ) I first saw these in a grow video by GreenMan. Each output has flow control so you can adjust and balance out the filling of each individual container. This is important since I dont use an overflow tube in this system and if you are not careful you can overflow everything! This manifold lives inside the grow boxes so I don't need to have all those tubes going back to my reservoir.

Also I picked up a new Digital timer that Im beginning to see in the stores now. It allows me to only run the pump for the 5 mins a day interval I want. Another nice thing about these new timers is that they slashed the prices on the older timers!

Anyway balancing out the manifold and timing took awhile but since its finished... its finished. Also when this block of plants move to the flower cabinet the manifold will go with them so I dont have to re-balance the system again.

Then it was time for the transplanting....

transplanting underway....


transplanting done


What about the plants?? In general I was happy with what I saw.

All of them except two had the 'Krinkly' primary leaf trait I have seen in other peoples grows. Some of those had spots on the leaves as well. The second set of leaves are developing fine without the Krinkle.

Both the White Satin and the Speed Queen stretched more than I would have liked. Had to do some propping. I would normally be tempted to cull these plants but Im going to just wait and see how they do now they are in their comfy beds!

Here are individual shots of the plants.

March 16

WS1
@4" tall, Krinkle Primary Leaf with dead spots. 3 blade Leaf set established.


WS2
@5" tall ( biggest stretch ), Krinkle Primary Leaf. 3 blade Leaf set established.


HB1
@3.5" tall, Krinkle Primary Leaf. 3 blade Leaf set established.


HB2
@3.5" tall ( needed support ), Less pronounced Krinkle Primary Leaf. 3 blade Leaf set established.


SQ1
@3.5" tall ( needed some support ), NO Krinkle Primary Leaf. 3 blade Leaf set established.


SQ2
@3.5" tall, Krinkle Primary Leaf with dead spots. 3 blade Leaf set established.


Man1
@2.5" tall, NO Krinkle Primary Leaf. 3 blade Leaf set just starting. No roots where showing when transplanted.


Arent they all cute?

Anyway here they all are planted.....


Thats it for now. Need to check my notes. write more later.

Thoc, I see the leaves are also twisting. maybe ph and mag problem, check ph first

[THoC]

Hey Zoo,

Thanks for stopping by! Not sure what it might be ( or have been ). I have seen this twisting before on the first set of leaves ( on other strains ). Usually they just grow through it without problems...

They where being watered with just water at a PH of 6.7.

I'm just going to wait and and see how they look next weekend after having a whole week with the newly introduced hydro. If the next set of leaves begin to show signs then Ill try to find the cause! lol Perhaps the week I germinated them the friend ( not even a garden gnome ) I had checking on them overwatered them and maybe not with the water I had set out!

BTW hydro is running at PH 5.8 ( balanced with vinegar ) with 5/8 teaspoon MG for 5 gallons of water.

cheers. Hey your Speed Queen ladies lokk great!!

[MoleMcHenry]

Nice setup THoc. What are the dimensions of your flowering area (2 feet x 2 feet?) and what kind of light and fan are you using?

[THoC]

Hey mole, thanks for tunneling over!

Im always trying make it a nice setup.lol always has things needing to be done to it. Including packing it up moving and storage a few times. its a third generation already! Old boxes have gone to the gnomes. Such is life.

The flowering box is basically 2' x 4'6" x 48' (high ). The largest box weve used yet. It is divided in two areas. Basically two refrigerator boxes. There is a frame inside the boxes to hold all the gear ( fans, lights etc ) Ill see if I have any pictures with me or Ill take some this weekend.

The lights are CFL. We started with them because they fit our initial guidlines of getting them local and being common objects ( not so much n the begining ). They where also initially cheapish. But as we have increased our grow area they are at the edge of their effectiveness. Im running @ 320 watts for each separate 2' x 2' with @ 15000 lumens.

Even though it would not satisfy the earlier mentioned guidelines I have been looking at getting two hps in there.

I was thinking 150 HPS and have dreamed of a 250 HPS. I would have to upgrade the ventilation but it would be nice. Locally I can get my hands on 70 watt lights and adapt them but they are not cheap. considering i would want at least four for the whole box. HTG supply has a nice 150 hps setup for @ $69 definitly cheaper.

If I go or a ballast kit I would be tempted to go for a 250 watt because they are about the same price. All total the seperate parts would be about $40 but have only found those prices online. And you usually never bump into a ballast and reflector to often.....

You are using a 400 watt in a 2' x 2' tent right? Did you once grow with less?
Too many choices! Im actually feeling inclined to ignore those rules.

But in the mean time Im still using the CFLs. But as I said earlier usually the grow move these decisions to be made and when these seedling approach the flower box ll have to decide.

cheers

[MoleMcHenry]

Hi THoC.

Be careful using cardboard boxes, even with a frame. I've always heard that cardboard and grow lights don't mix, as it creates an easy-to-avoid fire hazard. HTG grow tents are fire safe, stable, and cost less than $200.

If you're overwhelmed with what to buy: think about how you want to use your space. If you have the space, get a larger light (400w) because larger econ lights like the HTGsupply ones are the same price or lower than smaller ones (250w and 150w). Don't forget ventilation and odor control. Ventilation usually costs more than lighting.

Re. your questions: My flowering tent is 20 inches deep x 36 inches wide x 60-something inches tall. I was growing with a 150w HPS before I got my 400 and I'm completely pleased with the switch. 150's are great for small spaces of a couple square feet. I loaned the 150 to my boyfriend and now he's flowering some of my old clones in his closet.

[THoC]

Hey Mole,

So you have a garden gnome too?

You know I think the cardboard box gets kind of a bum wrap. I don't believe its flash point is that low or its any more flammable then plywood or mdf or particle board. I started using them because I was always prototyping. And they be broken down and stored ( if need be )

The lights we do use have been CFL and I am very neat with my wiring so the fire thing is not my major fear.

If I do decide to go with HPS it will probably the 150's and supplement with CFL's. If it seems to be getting too hot I would probably look into modifying the box into mini room.

Your tent is definitely a nice setup too. And with that height I see why you went to 400 watt.

We have had smaller boxes in the past and once again the CFLs worked more than fine and to be frank the thought of a HPS or MH bulb in such small spaces seems scary to us too.

But in boxes is how we have to do it.

You know I doubt these plants really enjoy all this box and inside growing at all. Im sure they would dream to be free ranging plants. It must get to them all these bright lights and white walls. with nothing but more of your selves to look at. ( if they are clones )

anyway cardboard can get damp and your cant really wipe it down with anything wet. Thats can be a bummer.

cheers

[THoC]

Hey everyone
Happy belated Equinox everyone ( the big 12/12 )

My general impression when I saw the plants after not seeing them for six days was. Huh... Not as much growth as I was expecting. And not compared to some of the robust growth Ive seen in other grows. Also not as rich of a green color. So I adjusted some things to see if I could improve things. But not too much since I want to stick to my routine through this grow and save any major adjustments to the grow for a second pass also working with clones.

Anyway.....

PH was 6.2 ( which is around what I was expecting after a week)
Temperature was 72F ( not bad since I had turned of the heater in the grow roow last weekend )
Humidity was 50 ( a little low )
The top of the soil in the peat pots was very moist hours after their scheduled watering.

So im leaning towards an over-watering situation. As I mentioned in an earlier post this Aquatic Soil is not my favorite because it is a bit fine, and holds more water than a coarser medium. Also the Water temp might be a bit cold.

So I'm thinking that I need to lower the water level in the containers so that the top 1" of the gravel is not submerged. I fine tuned the manifold again to even out the separate containers and then adjusted the timer to run for 4 minutes once a day. I anticipate that I will have to add another cycle when they start getting bigger.

New reservoir solution PH 5.7
1 1/4 tsp MG ( tomato ) for 5 gallons.

Also I added a aquarium heater to the reservoir and set it at 62F.

The ventilation for the veg box and my clone box is working on convection at this point ( no fan ) probably add that this next weekend.

ok here the photos

March 16

WS1
@4.5" tall, 2nd iternode set of leaves established not counting primary leaf.


WS2
@5.5" tall ( stretch stopped ),2nd iternode set of leaves established not counting primary leaf.


HB1
@4 tall, 2nd iternode set of leaves established not counting primary leaf.


HB2
@4 tall, 2nd iternode set of leaves established not counting primary leaf.


SQ1
@4 tall, 2nd iternode set of leaves established not counting primary leaf.


SQ2
@4 tall, 2nd iternode set of leaves established not counting primary leaf.


Man1
@3" tall, 2nd iternode set of leaves established.



Overall I was happy to se that the plants stems ALL firmed up nicely and no supports are needed. And the stretch has seem to have stopped. Internodes are developing tight.

Ill write about my musings later. lol

cheers