ithinkiam's first indoor grow! -- CFL's, 2' x 4' closet space.

[ithinkiam]

So, instead of hi-jacking other subcategories throughout thread-land to shameless promote myself I have decided to just post all of my plants' progress here.

I'll be posting pictures along with updates and summaries describing what I've been doing to tend to the plants and also lay out what I plan to do. This is my first time growing. So, it's definitely proven to be a learning experience.

Right now my plants (I have 3) are at about 7 weeks of growth (including germination time). Today I started a 12/12 to induce flowering. I've transplanted 2 of them into larger pots (I ran out of soil. lolol.), but I plan to transplant the 3rd plant tomorrow.

3/8/2010

For vegetation I used three 120 watt equivalent bright white CFL's; one bulb per plant.

Now, for flowering, I will be using six 100 watt equivalent soft white CFL's; two bulbs per plant.


Much to be uploaded on here! I want to post pictures of them that I took when they were younger up to now, but I'll save that for another time. Anyway, thanks for checking my thread out. Any comments or advice are welcome!! (And encouraged.)

 

[ithinkiam]

Thanks!

 

[kmk420kali]

Nice looking Ladies!! Doing a great job--
The only thing I might ad, is if you have just transplanted, it has been my experience that once plants go into flower, the root system doesn't do much after ...so you might consider giving them another week or 2 of veg, just so the roots can grow a bit before flower--
The reason I say this, is I work for a Collective, and last year I noticed that the plants that we transplanted from 5's to 15's on the day we set them out to flower... after harvest, I was emptying buckets, and noticed there was very little root growth outside of the 5 gal bucket mark, even tho they were in 15 gal pots--

 

[ithinkiam]

Mmmm, yeah. I actually had given thought to this earlier as I was transplanting them. The roots had begun forming a kind of "net" around the edge of the soil and I thought maybe I should give them time to expand out into the new soil a bit. The only reason I wanted to get them to flower was to establish their sex. And I had been worried that if I didn't transplant them soon enough they would start to die on me.

Now that I (and my plants) finally have some breathing room, I suppose it wouldn't be a terrible idea to wait a while before flowering. Although, I'll still have to flower relatively soon because I am trying to keep the plants on the short side; like 3 feet or so.

I also need to get a read on how to control the smell before it gets too bad. I don't have any type of ventilation system. My setup is fairly simplistic; just the plants and some clamp lights. But, having the entire house smell like potting soil, onions, and leafy foliage is not necessarily something my mother is prepared to tolerate. lol. I don't mind the smell in my room, though. I actually like it. ...but yeah, if warmer weather comes about I'll considering opening the window a bit. But until then, I have no idea what to do. Scented candles, maybe? lol...

 

[kmk420kali]

Mmmm, yeah. I actually had given thought to this earlier as I was transplanting them. The roots had begun forming a kind of "net" around the edge of the soil and I thought maybe I should give them time to expand out into the new soil a bit. The only reason I wanted to get them to flower was to establish their sex. And I had been worried that if I didn't transplant them soon enough they would start to die on me.

Now that I (and my plants) finally have some breathing room, I suppose it wouldn't be a terrible idea to wait a while before flowering. Although, I'll still have to flower relatively soon because I am trying to keep the plants on the short side; like 3 feet or so.

I also need to get a read on how to control the smell before it gets too bad. I don't have any type of ventilation system. My setup is fairly simplistic; just the plants and some clamp lights. But, having the entire house smell like potting soil, onions, and leafy foliage is not necessarily something my mother is prepared to tolerate. lol. I don't mind the smell in my room, though. I actually like it. ...but yeah, if warmer weather comes about I'll considering opening the window a bit. But until then, I have no idea what to do. Scented candles, maybe? lol...

Onions??? lol

That is your answer...get a small filter & Fan (4 Inch) and run it--

 

[ithinkiam]

Onions??? lol

That is your answer...get a small filter & Fan (4 Inch) and run it--

My mom says it smells like onions. LOL And a fan is one thing I keep forgetting to purchase! I was thinking of getting a small oscillating fan. Would this suffice? What is this in the picture? Is it a filter/fan combo? Or..what? lol.

Could you provide a link to something with prices and/or item information? I'm a little confused. (Sorry...me being a NEWB and all. lol.)

 

[ithinkiam]

Yesterday I noticed some discoloration on some of the leaves.

I am thinking (and hoping) it is because I didn't water them AT ALL for about 2.5 days and had them on 24 hour light for almost 3 days. I also just transplanted them so I kind of want to give them time to settle in to the new space before I get too worreid. :/ Eeek.

Here are some more pictures I took last night and also this evening before I sent them to bed. :

Finally transplanted the 3rd plant.

Male or female? I can't tell.

I can't tell which might be female or male yet. They are starting to show, and I THINK I have at least one male and one female...but time will tell.

 

[ithinkiam]

A little history of my babies from germ-veg!

A little history of my babies from germ-veg!

Photo time!
In chronological order for your viewing and educational pleasure. lol.


In the beginning...there was dirt!

Rise and shine!

"Momma, I'm hungry!"

Transplanted early/strongest sprouts into peat.

The strongest of those sprouts (3) were chosen for transplant into semi-permanent pots. <3 Lucky little seedlings!

Stretch those roots!

And reach for the skyyyy.

Living together.

Marijuana Mandala

Reaching from underneath.
I attempted to pinch the plants a bit to encourage stem growth in the lower areas of the plants.

At this point I noticed that the plants were beginning to outgrow their pots.
They were growing at an amazingly fast rate, or at least it seemed like they were!

First signs of an established sex. (But not a good one! I'm still clueless.)

Healthy glow, healthy grow! lulz.

These last few were taken just days before I began flowering.

and...

and...

So, that's that! Now onto a greater stage in their lives. Hopefully I will have at least one female. And hopefully her yield will have been worth the wait and time. lol. And worth the cost, too.

Thanks for stopping by! Hope you enjoyed checking out my amazing photography. lol.

 

[redspaghetti]

looks good so far but i cant see the pics neear the end? am i trippin or wah

 

[ithinkiam]

I think it might be due to my albums being private.

Are the photos visible now?

 

[ithinkiam]

Update.

Update.

I bought some Unsulphured Blackstrap Molasses

and an air purifier.

I'll be mixing up a molasses solution tomorrow and also will be setting up the air purifier somewhere in my grow room. Probably below or above the plants.

One thing I am not sure about is if I start using the molasses to help feed my plants, should I stop feeding them the Miracle Grow Flower Food? Or can I just alternate between the two, and then use plain purified water to help flush in between feedings? Hmm.

 

[ithinkiam]

Update.

Update.

Will be relocating plants tonight to a safer and more efficient grow space. So happy! I won't have to chop and toss my babies afterall!

 

[Ramius]

They are looking great I like your camera skills too

 

[redspaghetti]

plants look reallll happy, keep up the great work and keep us update

cheers,

 

[weeeduh]

hey thanks for doing this. I have no experience indoor growing, so I am gonna be watching your thread as I get set to start my grow. I am hoping to have everything I need bought by this week.

Mind divulging a few more details as far as cost? I have yet to look into prices on mediums, and other such tools. I see you are growing in soil, I was thinking to go with hempy buckets for my first run. I actually haven't smoked regularly in probably 6 years, so I am wondering if you decided to go with soil for the taste of it ect ect.. I only smoked really good stuff a few times in my life. Mostly I just smoked the cheep stuff. I am now convinced that is why I started hating smoking.

I want to smoke now to help with my insomnia and lack of appetite. I also have these headaches I get cause of a chronic pinched nerve in my neck and shoulder. Anyways, enough about me! Lets see what you can do with your plants! Good luck, and please keep your grow updated, I am watching with much interest!

 

[RESINvention]

I bought some Unsulphured Blackstrap Molasses

and an air purifier.

I'll be mixing up a molasses solution tomorrow and also will be setting up the air purifier somewhere in my grow room. Probably below or above the plants.

One thing I am not sure about is if I start using the molasses to help feed my plants, should I stop feeding them the Miracle Grow Flower Food? Or can I just alternate between the two, and then use plain purified water to help flush in between feedings? Hmm.

Hey I have some pointers and personal experience that might aid you in better luck with your grow..

The molasses is a sugar supplement to aid your plants in making more starches for building blocks. Also, the molasses act as food for the microbiology in your soil, where increasing biology = increasing efficient nutrient uptake, because the microbiology release gasses, enzymes/nutrients right near the root structure, like nitrates and phosphates, and and form "accessible" food for the plant to consume, when the plant needs it.

This is great.. but there are some con's to using MG (miracle grow).. you can "burn" your plants easily, as the fertilizer is forced into the plants system through the absorption of water via roots.. It can leave a nasty taste in the final product, making the smoke turn irritating and harsh, and the final ash to be black, and not gray/white. There is actually a slight bit of radio-activity in MG as well, something to do with radio-active isotopes.. Miracle Grow, or chemical fertilizers are really just a bunch of mixtures of salts with different forms of nitrogen. A bunch of man-made salts that are very alkaline in nature, and when assimilated by plant roots, or microbes, it creates a very acidic environment, destroying your balanced PH, which requires you to make ph adjustments... The residue from the fertilizers are built up salts which kill your microbes at toxic levels..

That air purifier you bought, is that to do a moderate job of filtering out pollen, or is that for your smell control? I have a very similar one, but I use this to aid in mycelium cultivation for a semi - sterile environment. You would want to get a carbon scrubber with a lot of activated charcoal for proper smell/odor control, with a venting system to disburse the muted scent elsewhere.

Also, (in your grow room) put your hand right below the light bulb and at the top of your plant's height.. How hot does your hand feel? Depending on whether it is comfortable or uncomfortable to leave your hand there all day, make appropriate light adjustment changes with the distance between the two. Some of your photos look like your plants have heat stress, or are under-watered at the time the photos were taken. The leaves are pointing downward and are not rigid and consistent. I would totally suggest adding some sort of light reflector above your lights to maximize growth production.. You could take a piece of cardboard, and paint it flat white, not glossy enamel, and suspend this above your lights.. You'll notice how much brighter your plants will look.

Hope this helps! Best of luck.

 

[ithinkiam]

hey thanks for doing this. I have no experience indoor growing, so I am gonna be watching your thread as I get set to start my grow. I am hoping to have everything I need bought by this week.

Mind divulging a few more details as far as cost? I have yet to look into prices on mediums, and other such tools. I see you are growing in soil, I was thinking to go with hempy buckets for my first run. I actually haven't smoked regularly in probably 6 years, so I am wondering if you decided to go with soil for the taste of it ect ect.. I only smoked really good stuff a few times in my life. Mostly I just smoked the cheep stuff. I am now convinced that is why I started hating smoking.

I want to smoke now to help with my insomnia and lack of appetite. I also have these headaches I get cause of a chronic pinched nerve in my neck and shoulder. Anyways, enough about me! Lets see what you can do with your plants! Good luck, and please keep your grow updated, I am watching with much interest!

I actually went with soil because it's the only medium I've ever worked with on plants. I've grown flowers and vegetables in the past so I've always trusted soil. And I kind of wanted to keep it simple the first time around with the cannabis, anyway.

I probably could have used something different. I did a lot of research before I bought all my materials, but ultimately, the most important thing for me was just seeing if I could really be responsible enough to grow the stuff. Now that it is starting to become second nature to me I might consider a more complex setup next time. Better lights, more accommodating mediums, more diverse range of nutes, etc.

I don't really know which mediums help produce the best taste in your bud. I have learned recently that the taste is also dependent on the food you provide for the plants. I've been using Miracle Grow plant food. I hear good things and bad things about it. But I think as long as I flush the plants well at the end of flowering it might help with the apparent harsh taste. Plus, I've started feeding them with the molasses. So, I hope this helps.

I feel you on the insomnia! I'm used to smoking the not-so-great stuff. Not that it's been all shake, but around here we don't have much to choose from. So sometimes you get decent stuff, sometimes you don't. Though, I haven't smoked in almost a month now due to trying to get a job and it has been HELL. I used to smoke at least a little bit each day to help ease the pains of ulcers I would get in my stomach. It has been really difficult saying no to just taking a few hits (which is all that it would take to make me feel better). It really sucks that it stays in your system for so long. :/ And it sucks even more that employers can test for it in a drug screening.

But hey, thanks for stopping by!

Hey I have some pointers and personal experience that might aid you in better luck with your grow..

The molasses is a sugar supplement to aid your plants in making more starches for building blocks. Also, the molasses act as food for the microbiology in your soil, where increasing biology = increasing efficient nutrient uptake, because the microbiology release gasses, enzymes/nutrients right near the root structure, like nitrates and phosphates, and and form "accessible" food for the plant to consume, when the plant needs it.

This is great.. but there are some con's to using MG (miracle grow).. you can "burn" your plants easily, as the fertilizer is forced into the plants system through the absorption of water via roots.. It can leave a nasty taste in the final product, making the smoke turn irritating and harsh, and the final ash to be black, and not gray/white. There is actually a slight bit of radio-activity in MG as well, something to do with radio-active isotopes.. Miracle Grow, or chemical fertilizers are really just a bunch of mixtures of salts with different forms of nitrogen. A bunch of man-made salts that are very alkaline in nature, and when assimilated by plant roots, or microbes, it creates a very acidic environment, destroying your balanced PH, which requires you to make ph adjustments... The residue from the fertilizers are built up salts which kill your microbes at toxic levels..

That air purifier you bought, is that to do a moderate job of filtering out pollen, or is that for your smell control? I have a very similar one, but I use this to aid in mycelium cultivation for a semi - sterile environment. You would want to get a carbon scrubber with a lot of activated charcoal for proper smell/odor control, with a venting system to disburse the muted scent elsewhere.

Also, (in your grow room) put your hand right below the light bulb and at the top of your plant's height.. How hot does your hand feel? Depending on whether it is comfortable or uncomfortable to leave your hand there all day, make appropriate light adjustment changes with the distance between the two. Some of your photos look like your plants have heat stress, or are under-watered at the time the photos were taken. The leaves are pointing downward and are not rigid and consistent. I would totally suggest adding some sort of light reflector above your lights to maximize growth production.. You could take a piece of cardboard, and paint it flat white, not glossy enamel, and suspend this above your lights.. You'll notice how much brighter your plants will look.

Hope this helps! Best of luck.

I have been told this about the MG plant food. I probably should get some type of ph tester, I know they sell them at like Home Depot and other garden centers. I have been using the MG food about every 2nd - 3rd watering since they were about 2 inches tall. I have noticed that a few leaves on some of the plants look a little burned out or under nourished, it's hard to tell exactly what they need sometimes. (Just like babies. lol.) But I usually just feed them plain water when I notice this and it does seem to help a bit.

The air purifier's main job is to help with the smell, yeah. And it does filter pollen, I believe. I have it about 4-5 feet from the plants and is always set on the low speed. I usually have the fan facing upwards/filter facing plants when the opening to the closet is entirely exposed. And if I want to have air directly on the plants, I hang a knitted blanket over the door way and this absorbs and slows the momentum of the air flow so the air isn't blasting the plants. lol. But for about 18 hours of the day the fan faces upwards which, I believe, helps distribute air around the room as it will be bouncing off the ceiling, etc.

I usually don't have the tops of the plants too close to the bulbs. Never closer than 3 inches, but usually around 5 or so. They are hot to the touch but surprisingly not too hot just 4 inches below. Should I have them further away? And if so, won't this cause the plants to stretch upwards more?

And yeah I have been noticing the leaves getting a little droopy. What was interesting this morning though, when I woke up and turned their lights on all of them had their leaves reaching upwards! I hadn't seen them do this after a dark period ever, I don't think. I did begin watering them with the molasses yesterday but I have no idea if this could be why. ha.

As far as better light reflection, I have really been trying to figure something out. I might actually try this (with the cardboard). The inside walls of the closet are actually all white all over, but the opening to the closet is usually where I hang that blanket? Not sure if this could be effecting their growth. But the stems are healthy. The plants aren't falling over on themselves or anything so I think they are doing alright. Though I know I could be doing much more to aid their growth.

Thanks for the suggestions, I really appreciate it. I'm going to be posting new pictures in my next update. So, check it out if you'd like. lol.

 

[ithinkiam]

Update.

Update.

So, today I took some new pictures of my plants. They are starting to reveal sex so I am closely watching now for the male(s). I think 2 of my plants will actually be female! And I say this because the tallest of the 3 is the one that I believe to be male. It has these little ball-like pods growing off a tiny stem near the main stem...but I could be wrong.

Yesterday I started feeding the plants with molasses. I think I'm going to feed them 2 waterings in a row, then one watering with plain H2O, then back to 2 waterings in a row of the molasses solution. I want to continue using the MG plant food because it has other essential nutrients, but I am not sure how to work it in with using regular water and the molasses-water. Any ideas?

Anyway, here are some pictures!


I moved the plants onto the floor; they're getting big! haha.

I think this one may be a female.

I think this one may also be a female.

This is the plant that has those little pod-like things. There are pictures of these as well below.

Can you tell which sex these are/might be?

Possibly females?

These are a few pictures of the plant that I believe to be male.

And...

Same as above but zoomed:

And finally, another hopeful female!? Maybe? lol:

So, what do you all think? I really hope this^ one is a female. So pretty!

If anyone can help me identify any of these plants' sexes that would be great!
Thanks for checking in.

 

[Anti]

Looking good so far. Love to see some pics of the whole cab just to get a feel for it.

The one you think is male looks male to me.

The other one looks like it could be female, but give it a few more days and post new pics and we'll be sure.

 

[RESINvention]

Lookin good Molasses is used as a supplement, but it also contains a good portion of potassium, so just continue your regular feeding. If you are concerned about taste, grow in organic soil teeming with helpful bacteria. Terpenes and Terpenoids (smell and taste) are more abundant in natural dirt, vs hydro. Some people note they can taste the difference between people who grow with molasses, and those who don't, as it leaves a different taste in the final product. Some people like to flush 2 weeks before harvest to get rid of most of the molasses.



Have you switched to a flowering miracle grow to stimulate floral production and reduce vegetative growth?

If your leaves are hot to the touch, they are uncomfortable. Put a thermometer right at the leaves, if it reads higher than 86 degrees, your plants are cooking and won't grow as fast. Yes, the lumen penetration of your lights won't be as strong when they are further away, but your plant will produce more vegetation and growth from the reduction of stress. If you created a reflector for your door, I'm assuming it would increase growth by 25%. The idea is to trap the light as close as possible, in a comfortable way for the plants.


If your plants become really stinky, that air purifier will do almost nothing to combat the smell. If you are really concerned about the smell, you can use a negative ion generator (but not too close to your plants), or filter the smell through a more safe approach using a carbon scrubber and odor scents to cover up any leaks.

It does look like your suspected "male" is a male. They cluster little balls like that.. but sometimes it's too hard and early to tell.. Generally, males will grow tall and fast with lots of vigor so they can shoot out on top of all the ladies, and shed their pollen for the most successful pollination. Males are good, as they can continue your seed production with selected expressions chosen by the breeder, and they contain psychoactive properties just like females do, but at smaller concentrations.. I dunk males in 99% ISO propyl alcohol for a minute or two, and let the solution evaporate to leave me with some clean hitting ISO oil.

Great job!