188w CFL Day-by-Day First Grow
- Thread starter Sassafrass
- Start date
S
SeaMaiden
I never recommend testing run-off unless you're more interested in what's being washed out the media rather than what's actually in it. I prefer a proper media test where a sample of the media is taken and mixed with a sample of clean, low EC water of known parameters (test the pH and record that), a slurry is made and allowed to set for 5-7 minutes, then tested.Thank you!
I picked up some blackstrap molasses like LadyLargely suggested, I think they'll need some water this morning so after lights-on I'll give them some
Edit: Oh, I forgot, I also picked up a pH tester and I'm reading at 7.6, not good, right? I'll test my runoff water and update this afterwards.
If using organic feeds, then EC is, for all intents and purposes in my world, fairly useless. But knowing pH is good. However! Knowing pH and having an idea of where the 'ideal' numbers lay can also be a dangerous thing. That's why I always advocate for reading the plants. This comes from my extensive aquatic experience, I've killed more fish than I can count due to chasing numbers.
So, the long and the short of is this--watch the plants. Knowing pH is helpful, but DO NOT chase numbers, because you can screw things up a lot more than help them. Keep a log of the pH, but perform a proper media test, instead of using run-off. Yes, I know it's the common pot gardener's method, but I personally have yet to solve a problem using that method, where I've always been able to solve problems performing the test as outlined as above.
That said, GENERALLY, cannabis is an acid-loving plant, and prefers SOIL pH to be in the range of 6.2-6.8. There's another caveat going on here, though. If you're running bennies (beneficial microorganisms) and using organic feeds, then not only can the microbes control pH in their immediate surroundings, so can the plant (rhizosphere)! That means, again, learn to watch the plants and don't spend too much time chasing numbers.
Well that is just awesome! Good job getting the plants back... From what I can tell you didn't fuck with them too much. That molasses will help but I don't see any of the same issues that were there before.
7.6 was your tap water? I'm confused... or was this your run off? Test the run off that is all that matters.... Let us know the results. I think that the PH was very low in the beginning causing the cal/mag issues and strange growth... also it's possible it was a little hot on nutrients... once you watered enough to get the soil "flushed" so to speak, they took off.... and the 7.6 water you were using would explain the rise in PH....
Or, again, I could be way off.
So just keep doing what you're doing! I suspect they are about to explode with growth!!!
Oh... and if your runoff is really at 7.6 then I would suggest some lemon juice to lower the PH before feeding.
7.6 was your tap water? I'm confused... or was this your run off? Test the run off that is all that matters.... Let us know the results. I think that the PH was very low in the beginning causing the cal/mag issues and strange growth... also it's possible it was a little hot on nutrients... once you watered enough to get the soil "flushed" so to speak, they took off.... and the 7.6 water you were using would explain the rise in PH....
Or, again, I could be way off.
So just keep doing what you're doing! I suspect they are about to explode with growth!!!
Oh... and if your runoff is really at 7.6 then I would suggest some lemon juice to lower the PH before feeding.
Sassafrass
Member
Thanks again for all your responses!
7.6 is my tap water, yes. I was going to test my runoff water but had a "derp" moment and forgot that I was giving molasses this watering. Next time I will!
I trimmed off just a few bigass fan leaves that were on the underside of the plant but curling up over the top and shielding the new sites from the light, so that's why the plants look a little different today. I've also been rotating them in the box (one side seems to be a little warmer than the other), hence the changes in angles on photos and such.
Day 27
7.6 is my tap water, yes. I was going to test my runoff water but had a "derp" moment and forgot that I was giving molasses this watering. Next time I will!
I trimmed off just a few bigass fan leaves that were on the underside of the plant but curling up over the top and shielding the new sites from the light, so that's why the plants look a little different today. I've also been rotating them in the box (one side seems to be a little warmer than the other), hence the changes in angles on photos and such.
Day 27
Sassafrass
Member
Day 28
Sassafrass
Member
Day 29
On a note not related to plants, does anyone have a suggestion for a good image hosting site that's anonymous? Looks like my ICMag album will be full in a week or so.
On a note not related to plants, does anyone have a suggestion for a good image hosting site that's anonymous? Looks like my ICMag album will be full in a week or so.
delic
Active member
Sass
Once you get to 50 posts you get a much higher photo allowance. From 50 to 1000. See the link below.
https://www.icmag.com/modules/Benefits/
You are almost there, so keep your posts coming
-delic
Once you get to 50 posts you get a much higher photo allowance. From 50 to 1000. See the link below.
https://www.icmag.com/modules/Benefits/
You are almost there, so keep your posts coming
-delic
Sassafrass
Member
Thanks delic, that's a relief!
I missed a day's photos; I got distracted and missed lights-off for day 31. However, here's day 30!
Day 30
I missed a day's photos; I got distracted and missed lights-off for day 31. However, here's day 30!
Day 30
Sassafrass
Member
Day 32
Man, I can't stop thinking about how bummed I'll be if these turn out to be male. I wish they were sexable sooner!
Man, I can't stop thinking about how bummed I'll be if these turn out to be male. I wish they were sexable sooner!
Sassafrass
Member
Well, it's pretty much just cheap unknown stuff really, got it from a friend who could only tell me they have Haze genes. Anyone's guess I suppose
Thank you!
Thanks! I'm not really sure how much longer to let them go, I'm planning on putting them into a different box tomorrow that will let me position the lights to the sides of the plants better. I don't want them to get tooooo big, but I don't know how much yield I can reasonably expect for my cheap setup. I'd like to get an ounce or two.
Aaaaand we have a problem. My ICMag album is full! I would love to chat in tons of threads on here, but I don't often have access to my real computer that I can use a proxy, I'm too worried to post from my cell phone XD Therefore my post count is only going up when I upload here.
Gonna go find a hosting service to use until my ICMag album is bigger. For now, here's the last photo I was able to upload:
Day 33
Sassafrass
Member
Day 34
So I accidentally burnt some leaves while measuring pH of the runoff. -_-. That's what I get for being too lazy to raise the lights for a water sample. Anyway, I only burnt #2, and I trimmed off most of the damaged stuff, so it'll look a little sparser than usual!
Oh, and runoff pH is 6.6.
Day 35
Oh, lookie what I found today!
I should be able to sex them soon!
So I accidentally burnt some leaves while measuring pH of the runoff. -_-. That's what I get for being too lazy to raise the lights for a water sample. Anyway, I only burnt #2, and I trimmed off most of the damaged stuff, so it'll look a little sparser than usual!
Oh, and runoff pH is 6.6.
Day 35
Oh, lookie what I found today!
I should be able to sex them soon!
S
SeaMaiden
Sexing can occur as soon as the nodes begin to alternate their growth. During 'childhood' (aka vegging), the nodes grow on the main branch immediately opposed to each other. Once the plant gets to about 7-8 nodes worth of growth the branching nodes begin to alternate, one side, the other side. It is THEN that sex is usually most easily able to be determined.
Your girls (I'm puttin' the girls vibe out there) still look a bit cold. Can you warm them up at all? If you do that, you'll receive in return amazing leaf turgor and they'll hold the leaves up at an angle that looks like they're cheering. Once you get VPD in good ranges (VPD = vapor pressure deficit, and it's the plant's circulation system in some essence) they'll grow faster, better, and will utilize all available nutrients properly.
Your girls (I'm puttin' the girls vibe out there) still look a bit cold. Can you warm them up at all? If you do that, you'll receive in return amazing leaf turgor and they'll hold the leaves up at an angle that looks like they're cheering. Once you get VPD in good ranges (VPD = vapor pressure deficit, and it's the plant's circulation system in some essence) they'll grow faster, better, and will utilize all available nutrients properly.
Sassafrass
Member
Hmm, I thought that it was desired to keep the temps around 80 or below; I might have been leaving the room too cold at night for them. I fixed up a sturdier box than the cardboard one I was using and the ambient temps in there are around 82-83 now. I'll check the nighttime temps in the new box tonight, might have to put one of the fans on the timer with the lights to keep them warmer.
Here's yesterday's pictures. I haven't taken today's quite yet but they'll be up tomorrow anyway.
Day 36
S
SeaMaiden
They're growing well, and they're telling you by the dark green color and burnt, turned under tips that they're being overfed.
As for temps, yes, conventional wisdom says that they must have extremely tight parameters, not to go over 80F, but my experience says otherwise, that as long as there's sufficient relative humidity and temps aren't too hot (well into the 90s), they prefer it on the warm side. See, the issue with cool temps when growing indoors is the root zone being too cool. Growing in-ground directly there isn't so much of a problem, as the earth does act as a radiator to a great degree, simply due to thermal mass. That condition does not exist in a pot, however.
As for temps, yes, conventional wisdom says that they must have extremely tight parameters, not to go over 80F, but my experience says otherwise, that as long as there's sufficient relative humidity and temps aren't too hot (well into the 90s), they prefer it on the warm side. See, the issue with cool temps when growing indoors is the root zone being too cool. Growing in-ground directly there isn't so much of a problem, as the earth does act as a radiator to a great degree, simply due to thermal mass. That condition does not exist in a pot, however.
Sassafrass
Member
Sigh. I don't know why I can't get this right. The plant seem to need about 4ish days or so to drink up all the water in their pots, so the last several times I've watered, I've alternated with ferts and fresh water. IE: diluted urine + splash of the 1/2str 20-20-20 + molasses on 1 day, several days later water only, several days after that back to ferts. It works out to ferting less than once a week as recommended and I still fuck it up?
Oh, don't forget that alot of the burnt spots on #2 are from where I physically burnt the plant with a light. I know you're referring to the tips, but just to make sure we're consistent
Hmm. I hadn't realized my night-time temps were so low. See, I keep the damn box in my bedroom because there really isn't any other option with the layout of my apartment. I hate trying to sleep when it's really warm in a room, so I guess the room temps without the lights on at night were dropping to about 71. I decided based on your post that since I work nights anyway and sleep all day, I can keep my room temp down during the day and crank it up at night when I'm not in there anyway.
So now that's fixed as of last night; Daytime 82-83, nighttime 77-78. Should see change in a few days now?
Day 37
Day 38
I did NOT switch into flowering today; I just changed the lights right before lights-off and forgot to take my daily pictures till after.
Day 39
Day 1 of flowering! I've decided to flip them now because I really don't have the space to grow them out too much longer since they say plants double in size in flowering?
So I'm not going to use anything but water for the next 2 or 3 waterings. Should I still put a bit of molasses in there?
Now I need to go read some nutrient threads again and find out exactly what I need for flowering nutes. Payday is tomorrow!
S
SeaMaiden
Should see a change if it's VPD immediately. If you don't see a change (remember, the other equation of VPD is relative humidity), then it's not that, and I would lean towards overfeeding. Drop it to every couple of weeks, just give water when they need it, see how it goes.
And no, you're not fucking it up, you're learning.
And no, you're not fucking it up, you're learning.
