Larry.G
- 31
- 33
This is my first grow so I'm wide open to comments, suggestions and ideas.
The goal:
To successfully grow out one female plant from seed to harvest in a small 2 x 2 x 5 tent.
The setup:
I decided it would be fun for my first grow to try a blend of old school genetics (BOG's BOG Bubble) with some newer technology, a Timber Grow Lights 200W CXB3590 LED at 3500k.
I'm running a pre-mixed version of Organic Super Soil, watering with regular tap water (tested at 7.5PH, 200ppm, bubbled for 24 hours). Temperatures hit 72F during the day, 65F at night, relative humidity hovers around 40%.
Using a 65 CFM silent fan to vent the tent. (Will be switching to an S&P TD-Silent Series Inline Fan with 8" Phresh Filter next week.)
The plan:
My plan was to germinate 5 seeds, veg them under the LED fixture, grow them out until about 12 inches tall (or I ran out of room), sex them and then choose a keeper to grow out to finish. I wasn't sure how much space the plants would take up in the tent along the way and I was curious to see the results of vegging the seedlings under the LED.
Week 0 - 3:
The soil looked great out of the bag, really chunky and super lightweight. The lava rock and rice hulls add depth and variety. Smelled great too.
For the first few weeks, I watered the seedlings with regular tap and kept the lights dimmed down about 75% to about 25 watts/sq.ft, at a distance of about 24 inches. Light was on 24/7. They seemed to respond well.
Seedlings had a tiny bit of stretch but they seemed to respond well to the LEDs. Three seedlings sprouted vigorously, one had a pretty strong mutation and one was stunted. I pruned the mutation and gently coaxed the runt - both corrected strongly and likely could have been grown out, but I culled them to focus on the three strongest since they were over a week behind.
I topped each of the seedlings once at about this point in their growth.
Week 4 - 6:
I added a dose of low-strength liquid kelp to every other watering. I also switched to an 18/6 light schedule. The plants grew extremely bushy. I'm not sure if this is due to genetic or environmental factors. Did some stem bending and gentle super-cropping as well. Growth seems slow but steady. The photos below were taken at week 6 from seed.
I've been noticing some leaf discoloration at the tips and veins (since week 4). It looks like either mag lock-out or nutrient burn (maybe I went too heavy on the kelp?) I'm hesitant to add dolomite lime or hit them with a heavy dose of nutes because I'm confident the soil PH was well-balanced and even with 7.5PH waterings, I don't think PH could be the problem, but not sure. Doesn't seem too bad yet.
Lessons thus far:
- The Cree CXB3590 LEDs are very strong. I've tried to gradually turn up their intensity a few times but it seems to stress the plants as they wilt and stunt. When I turn the intensity back down to 35 watts/sq.ft they perk back up again. It seems like light distance matters less than overall intensity with quality LEDs. I now have the fixture 24" from the tops and would probably raise it even higher if I had the space. I'm a little concerned about light distance after the stretch of flowering.
- My grow space gets cold at night so I added a tiny space heater and thermostat. It fixed the temperature problem but was blowing hot, dry air directly on the plants all night. I noticed it was causing some leaves to become brittle and crack so I swapped the space heater for a radiant seedling mat. Much better.
- I transplanted from 1 gallon plastic containers to 3 gallon fabric smart pots. I don't think smart pots were the best choice for this grow. My humidity is low, and the pots dry out very quickly. They are difficult to keep moist and the roots have grown into the sides which will make my final transplant difficult. I've already decided on "Rootmaker" pots for next time.
- At around week 4 of 24/7 light, the plants seemed wilted and stressed. They seemed tired, if that makes sense. I switched from a 24/7 to 18/6 light schedule and they perked up immediately. Been on 18/6 ever since.
Future:
I'll keep this thread updated so you can grow along with me, following all the ups and downs! Feel free to chime in with your comments, questions or suggestions. Hope you enjoyed!
The goal:
To successfully grow out one female plant from seed to harvest in a small 2 x 2 x 5 tent.
The setup:
I decided it would be fun for my first grow to try a blend of old school genetics (BOG's BOG Bubble) with some newer technology, a Timber Grow Lights 200W CXB3590 LED at 3500k.
I'm running a pre-mixed version of Organic Super Soil, watering with regular tap water (tested at 7.5PH, 200ppm, bubbled for 24 hours). Temperatures hit 72F during the day, 65F at night, relative humidity hovers around 40%.
Using a 65 CFM silent fan to vent the tent. (Will be switching to an S&P TD-Silent Series Inline Fan with 8" Phresh Filter next week.)
The plan:
My plan was to germinate 5 seeds, veg them under the LED fixture, grow them out until about 12 inches tall (or I ran out of room), sex them and then choose a keeper to grow out to finish. I wasn't sure how much space the plants would take up in the tent along the way and I was curious to see the results of vegging the seedlings under the LED.
Week 0 - 3:
The soil looked great out of the bag, really chunky and super lightweight. The lava rock and rice hulls add depth and variety. Smelled great too.
For the first few weeks, I watered the seedlings with regular tap and kept the lights dimmed down about 75% to about 25 watts/sq.ft, at a distance of about 24 inches. Light was on 24/7. They seemed to respond well.
Seedlings had a tiny bit of stretch but they seemed to respond well to the LEDs. Three seedlings sprouted vigorously, one had a pretty strong mutation and one was stunted. I pruned the mutation and gently coaxed the runt - both corrected strongly and likely could have been grown out, but I culled them to focus on the three strongest since they were over a week behind.
I topped each of the seedlings once at about this point in their growth.
Week 4 - 6:
I added a dose of low-strength liquid kelp to every other watering. I also switched to an 18/6 light schedule. The plants grew extremely bushy. I'm not sure if this is due to genetic or environmental factors. Did some stem bending and gentle super-cropping as well. Growth seems slow but steady. The photos below were taken at week 6 from seed.
I've been noticing some leaf discoloration at the tips and veins (since week 4). It looks like either mag lock-out or nutrient burn (maybe I went too heavy on the kelp?) I'm hesitant to add dolomite lime or hit them with a heavy dose of nutes because I'm confident the soil PH was well-balanced and even with 7.5PH waterings, I don't think PH could be the problem, but not sure. Doesn't seem too bad yet.
Lessons thus far:
- The Cree CXB3590 LEDs are very strong. I've tried to gradually turn up their intensity a few times but it seems to stress the plants as they wilt and stunt. When I turn the intensity back down to 35 watts/sq.ft they perk back up again. It seems like light distance matters less than overall intensity with quality LEDs. I now have the fixture 24" from the tops and would probably raise it even higher if I had the space. I'm a little concerned about light distance after the stretch of flowering.
- My grow space gets cold at night so I added a tiny space heater and thermostat. It fixed the temperature problem but was blowing hot, dry air directly on the plants all night. I noticed it was causing some leaves to become brittle and crack so I swapped the space heater for a radiant seedling mat. Much better.
- I transplanted from 1 gallon plastic containers to 3 gallon fabric smart pots. I don't think smart pots were the best choice for this grow. My humidity is low, and the pots dry out very quickly. They are difficult to keep moist and the roots have grown into the sides which will make my final transplant difficult. I've already decided on "Rootmaker" pots for next time.
- At around week 4 of 24/7 light, the plants seemed wilted and stressed. They seemed tired, if that makes sense. I switched from a 24/7 to 18/6 light schedule and they perked up immediately. Been on 18/6 ever since.
Future:
I'll keep this thread updated so you can grow along with me, following all the ups and downs! Feel free to chime in with your comments, questions or suggestions. Hope you enjoyed!
