Beginner CFL growlog.. feedback appreciated!

[seaside blues]

Hey Floro! Thanks for stopping by!

I'm using water from the tap that sits out for at least 24 hrs before I use it. Yeah, I do test Ph.. The tap Ph is around 7.6-7.8, which I correct to around 6.6-6.8 with Ph down when watering plain. However, when I fed with nutes (during veg), it drops the Ph to around 6.4 or so.

I just stirred in the blood/bone meal with the soil during the last transplant.. was that bad? lol I didn't use a whole lot, probably an 1/8th of what the directions said. I read of others doing it, so I gave it a shot.

I water about every 4-5 days.. I let the soil dry out before she gets a drink. I go by the weight of the pot.

I was actually thinking about transplanting her into a larger pot. Last night I lifted the pot up to look at the drain holes underneath and found quite a bit of roots coming out of the bottom. A transplant right now wouldn't hurt her, would it?

Do you have any suggestions on a transplant medium if I decide to do it? Mixes, soils, anything like that?

No more pics as of now cause my camera battery decided to stop working and not charge, but I should be getting another tomorrow! She gets a watering tonight and I got some molasses that I will feed her with.

That bagseed looks really yummy, Floro! She's looking great! Do you have a grow diary or anything here on ICM?

 

[floroscroger]

Hey seaside.

Your water should be fine.If your only haveing to water every 4-5 days. you don't need to transplant. When she starts budding out the roots will stop growing anyway. Next time you water, wait for about 30 minutes after you water and then add enough more water to get a little run off. Test the ph of the run off water. This will be the ph of your soil. If the ph of the soil is ok then you probably have a nitrogen toxicity and you probably need to flush the soil. This would be comming from the blood meal you added. Blood meal is a little bit hot until it has had time to compost in the soil.

I don't have a grow log. I don't really post that often unless I can help someone out.
To tell the truth I don't type very well.However you are more than welcome to check out my gallery.

As far as soil goes I really can't say. I've been remixing my soil for years. I grow totally organic, feeding the soil more than the plants. I would not recomend reusing soil when chemical fertalizers are used bcause of salt build-up in the soil.

Try to hurry with the pictures. I want to see how much she streched.

 

[seaside blues]

Good news, got a new camera battery to update with pics.

Day 17 of Flower. I think she's looking pretty good.. completely happy with her, cause hey.. she isn't dead yet! I think I've been somewhat successful so far. lol

She's stretched about 2 inches since the flip to 12/12. I took her bondage off, other than the main top that I still have tied down. I watered her tonight w/ an added tbsp of Molasses.

And I'm kind of having a problem with some leaves yellowing and turning brown. I'm not quite sure what's wrong, unless it's Ph somehow, and I don't think it's a burn?? .. but I was looking thru Ganja Guerrilla's site at the deficiencies and I found a couple pics very similar to my plant that show a Potassium deficiency. Now, I could be completely wrong here, so just let me know. I've seen a couple lower leaves yellow from the tips inward, then turn brown, like the one below. There was a pic on his K gallery that showed the new growing tips curling.. which is what I am experiencing now with my plant. Help anyone?

Ps: Actually, could it be a Ph issue, Floro? I waited about 1 hr after watering, then watered a little more with distilled and tested the runoff.. the runoff Ph was around a 6.2. I know soil Ph is best at around a 6.8, so is this causing my problems?

Here's the problem:


More pics:

 

[floroscroger]

Looking nice!

Don't worry about those bottom leaves. They just aren't getting enough light because of your beautiful thick canopy. You can remove them if you want or they will fall off in a few days. This is normal.

Ph of 6.2 isn't too bad. I still think your problem is too much nitrogen. Next time you water give her a good flush with plain water That has been ph adjusted to around 6.9-7.0. Use twice the amount of water as you have soil. This should flush out the extra nitrogen and slighly raise the ph of your soil. Too much nitrogen can lock out potasium.

Use the molasses at every watering from here on out(after the flush). It is a great source of potasium and it feeds the micro organisms in the soil. It is also full of micronutes.

Other than that she really is looking very nice. You should be proud.

 

[panopticist]

Don't worry about those bottom leaves. They just aren't getting enough light because of your beautiful thick canopy. You can remove them if you want or they will fall off in a few days. This is normal.

I second your observation. They are simply dying off due to lack of light...

 

[seaside blues]

Hey, thanks for the comments, guys! So you all just think that yellowing and stuff on the bottom is lack of light? That makes sense, I suppose.. I just want to be sure! In that case, I could hang a couple CFLs along the sides to get some light to the bottom. It wouldn't hurt I don't guess.. just have to check my temps in the cab, make sure they don't get too high. But yes, she is pretty damn bushy and I know those CFLs don't have great light penetration.

I went out of town for a couple days.. came back to see my plant had stretched more than I expected, and a couple branches grew up into my lights. I adjusted the height about 2 inches before I left, figuring that would be plenty of room.. well, I was wrong. Anyways, the top of my 'main cola' got a little burnt, along with some leaves.. not a huge deal. I was pretty pissed at myself that I hurt her, but hey.. she seems fine. lol

I just got finished flushing her.. getting ready to feed her some molasses. She really seemed to like that last time, so I'm sure she's ready for more! I'm looking forward to watching her frost up with delicious buds! It's exciting that I've made it this far without killing her. It's definitely a learning process, I'm having fun, and I can't wait to start another grow.. this time with lots more (good) seeds!

Her burns:





After a lil trimming:



Some pics from a little bit ago:

 

[floroscroger]

Hey seaside,

Your girl is looking great!!! Dont worry too much about the burn. It looks like she will recover just fine. It looks like the strech is about over.She'll be throwing out hairs like crazy any day now.

I always trim out all of the under canopy after I am sure the plant has stopped streching. The smaller growth that does't get much light is going to be using nutrients that are best used on the larger colas. I have found that by trimming out the undergrowth yeild stays about the same and may even be a little better. Plus you don't have all those damn little popcorn buds to trim at harvest time.

Here is a plant that I have trimmed.

 

[facelift]

Seaside,

That's one squat and bushy plant. How did you get it like that? How tall is it?

I have to break the silence. I have 4 plants that will be finished sometime around New Years and they are all 20-24 inches tall, and I only have about 6 inches left in my box. I started a few weeks too late, kept the lights about 4-5 inches off the top. i thought for sure I was going to keep them short.

Not hijacking your thread, just wanted to know how you kept the plant so squat and bushy? It's definitely not your average Christmas Tree shaped pot plant.

 

[floroscroger]

How, about an update?

 

[seaside blues]

Hey sorry I'm so slow to update this thing, long weekend.
For some reason it's not letting me upload photos right now, so I'll post some when it decides to work.

Floro: That plant looks really good! Looks like you're going to have some nice colas on that one! How old was it in the pic?

I've noticed on mine that I'm getting a few smaller bud sites developing underneath, and I know they aren't getting enough light to really make a big difference on the overall plant, at least I don't think. I'll be getting a few popcorn buds for sure. I wasn't sure if trimming was okay or not during flower? But hell, your plant looks great so I don't see any drawbacks to it! If I remember correctly, I've read that some people say to leave those leaves on and to just 'tuck them away/under', and some people say to trim out the undergrowth like you have done. I guess I'm not exactly sure how, when, or what to trim.. ? lol

I'm pretty sure the lil lady is done stretching, she's starting to put out more hairs and is getting a little frosty up on some of the bud sites! So far, so good! Still feeding just molasses and water about every 4 days. It's kind of odd, but it seems like the colas on one side of my plant are getting thicker and frostier, but the other side seems a little, behind I guess.. not as frosty or hairy. Any reason why this might be?

Facelift: Thanks for stopping in! She's about 7-8 inches. My canopy isn't completely even, the tallest cola measures in at 8" from the soil. I just LST'd her starting at around 2-3 weeks old. I think what helped a lot in the plant not stretching a bunch and staying short, was that I kept the CFLs really close to the plant, sometimes within a half inch. Might be why she's so damn bushy! Never had a problem with the lights burning that close either.. well, except when the light actually touched a leaf for a couple days (my own fault). I researched a lot on LST, because tying her down was my only option, as I don't have a lot of height to work with.

Do you have any pics of your plants? How old are they? That will be a great New Years present for sure!

I hope to get some new pics up by tomorrow!

 

[floroscroger]

High seaside,

Actually I'm a little disappointed in that plant. It didn't fill out as much as she usually does. I just showed you that one because it was the closest in age to yours. She's been on 12/12 since Oct. 6th. I believe yours was the 14th?

When people refer to tucking leaves they are generally talking about fan leaves that are part of the canopy. I try not to cut anything that makes up the canopy but I trim off everything under it. This reduces the number of buds at harvest but makes the buds you leave bigger.

I cant explain why one side of your plant is different than the other side but I think it happens to most plants. I know it does mine.

Now here is a plant that I am proud of. She went into 12/12 on 10/28. I veged this plant forever. Over the past week I have removed hundreds of branches, most of them were 2-3inches long. She's under a 20" square screen and she's 14" tall

 

[who dat is]

Holy crap! There are at least 50 bud sites on that thing! How tall do you think it will be when it gets the chop?

 

[seaside blues]

WOW! That plant has a ton of bud sites on her.. that's impressive! How long did you veg her for? One day I hope to have a plant that looks that good. Can't wait to try scrog when I get more experience! How much/what kind of lighting are you using?

Finally got some pics uploaded. She's bulking up, slowly but surely. Day 32. I know it's probably impossible to tell, but think she'll be finished in 8 weeks?

It's totally cool watching the buds develop. I didn't think I'd make it this far, seeing how she was near death early in her life. This plant may not yield or look the best, but it's a learning experience and I'm happy for whatever this lady wants to give me. This is really exciting!! LOL, I probably sound like a total n00b right now.

It seems like her newer growth is droopy.. not really sure why?? Is she looking alright, anything I need to do?

The next grow I'm going to focus more on:
Getting a more even canopy w/ LST. I think I've done a decent job, but it could use some improvement.
Also, I'm def. going to transplant the plants one last time before the flip to 12/12.. I feel like this lady is at her max in the pot.
And finally, I'm going trim a little of the undergrowth like you mentioned, Floro. I'm developing some small buds on the bottom that really won't amount to anything.

Well, on to the pics!













Pic of some lower buddage:

 

[The St.]

damn, that plant looks great! nice work man! im interested in this grow!

 

[seaside blues]

Thanks St.!

She's starting to get a lil stinky, going to have to put together a carbon scrubber SOON. I saw a DIY one on here somewhere.. gonna have to look that up.

It's not a huge deal, but I'm hoping I get her harvested by Christmas.. seeing how I won't be around much during that time. I'm on Day 32 now, 70 days will be Dec. 23. I know it's all about the trichs, so I'll start watching closely here in a few weeks.

 

[barletta]

Hey everyone.. I just thought I would start a little log to keep track of this plant that I have had vegging for 38 days. This is my first ever grow and I'm just looking for advice, suggestions, comments.. whatever anyone feels is necessary to keep this baby alive!! lol : This is an unknown bagseed. Wanted to get some experience for free, before I buy seeds online.

I started with 4 seeds, 3 of them didn't germ/sprout.. sooo here's my one and only. 'We' had a couple problems right before the transplant with some deficiencies around the 25 day mark, and they have cleared up now I think.. except for what I'm guessing is definitely Magnesium. def, and maybe a Phos? As I said, I'm a complete no0b to growing, although I've done tons of reading and research over the last year. So I'm thinking I will water with some Epsom salt next time.. what is a good amount? A teaspoon to a gal?

Here's some pics:
Day 17, start of LST.


Day 29, Bad shape before transplant


The rest are from today, Day 38.

Since it's bag seed, you should name her Virginia Slim, cause she's come a long way baby!! lol Seriously, your plant looks incredible, and the best smoke in the world is the smoke you grow yourself!

 

[floroscroger]

Hey girl,

Your plant looks great!!! The new growth looks normal to me. 8 weeks looks about right to me too. Just keep doing what your doing.it's working.

I use four foot t-8 foresent tubes in both my veg and my flower cabnets. I just have four regular shop lights in my veg cab.They are 2 tube fixtures so Its got 8 tubes. I had to build a rack for the flower cab It has 18 tubes x 32 watts or 576 watts.Both of my cabs are about 8 sf.Here's a picture of the flower rack.

 

[seaside blues]

Thanks barletta and Floro!! It's so exciting that I'm growing my own smoke.. it's going to be great.

Floro, that pic looks really cool. I've been interested in those tubes, but as of now I just don't have the space.

Maybe I'm overreacting, but I posted a thread in the Infirmary just to maybe get some quick answers. I noticed a couple rusty/orange spots on a couple leaves, and the lower fan leaves were VERY droopy when I saw them today. Also, there is some yellowing, but that may just be normal... I don't know! LOL Anyways, here's the thread w/ pictures, I'll just link it from here. http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?p=1364013#post1364013

 

[floroscroger]

High seaside,

Mynamestitch is the man when it comes to sick plants. I fall short of his expertise. Heed his advice and you will do well.It probably is time to start feeding her again.

Keep us updated, I realy want to see how she turns out.

 

[seaside blues]

Hi guys! Been home visiting family since Saturday, back to my apt for one night, then it's back home til the weekend! I'll get some pics up after I fix dinner.

Stitch was awesome with his quick reply in the Infirmary. In all the time i've been lurking these forums, he always seemed like the best guy to answer any sick plant questions!

I was definitely under watering, that's for sure. She perked right up not even an hour after giving her a good drink. I fed her a half dose of what my nute directions said, and the yellowing and rust has stopped. A few lower leaves died (completely brown), so I plucked them off.

The colas are coming along, a couple are looking REALLY good, while some of the others still seem a little behind.. hopefully they'll catch up.

Ok, time for dinner.. then I'll take some pics of her and post!