4x4 Tent, Galaxyhydro 300w Led (x2) In Soil. First Grow.

[somedumbjerk]

Hello everyone! just started my first grow yesterday. plan on documenting it a bit here and hopefully learning to make the next one even better!

To start, the equipment:

• lighthouse 4x4 tent
• galaxyhydro 300w LED x2 (non dimmable, daisy chain, about $130 from amazon)
• fox farms ocean forest
• fox farms light warrior
• GO box nutes
• 6" fan/duct passive intake

of course also things like ph meter, hanging equip, etc.

the grow space is in the basement. not much light getting in there, so even if the tent wasn't light proof, not much chance for light to leak in.

so originally i was going to grow from seeds. ordered some from Nirvana. i got impatient, went to my LD and picked up two each Girl Scout Cookies and Granddaddy Purple clones. the GDP had just arrived that day and the guy working suggested it as a first grow. the GDC had roots poking through the rockwool already and was bushier. wasn't expecting to buy plants, kind of happened on a whim. got home, set up the lights and ducting (took about 15 mins) and then potted the guys in a 2:1 ratio of FFOF and FFLW. watered with plain ph'd tap water until i had about 20% (eyeballing it) runoff, let it finish draining a bit and put them under the lights.

today almost exactly 24 hrs. later, the plants could have used a little more water so i set up the nutes and watered. went a little light for the first watering, and then made a 2 gal batch of nute water (ph'd, always) and set it in a bucket with some air stones. already foaming!

a few pics:

sorry for the potato quality photos, i didn't want to turn off the led's during the first day. i'll get better ones next update.

 

[3N1GM4]

I know you mentioned that you had other things beside the light and tent, I hope a fan to circulate air in the tent was one of them. Having a fan blow on them making them sway injures the stems and makes them stronger so they can hold those huge buds when they swell.

 

[somedumbjerk]

yup! i have two little clip fans that arrived about tens mins ago, about to put them in. currently my concerns are the temp and the humidity, but i want to see where they stand with the fans blowing for a bit. my temp concern is the temp is too low. i have a small heating pad under the tray right now, and a tiny little heater in there, but can't get the temp above 70. it's hovering between 68-70 depending on the time of day. also humidity is at a solid 70%rh. might pick up a second gauge to check everything out. i have some accurate RH meters from my cigar hobby as well. the temp probe is about an inch above the soil, lower than the "canopy" as it stands right now. the tops of the plants feel the same to my hand as the level of the sensor. the basement isn't heated, and it's been chilly here (well, for the bay area at least)

 

[3N1GM4]

If your temp is too low just slow your exhaust fan down a little if you have a fan controller.

 

[somedumbjerk]

went and checked this evening after putting the little fan in to make those laves have a dance party. temps went up to 87. cut the heat and mat, checking back in an hour or so. had to show the wife that the tent was safe and noticed the temp spike! took the time to measure the plants. GDP: 6" & 5", GSC 6" & 7".

 

[somedumbjerk]

got the temp and humidity to a good level. will probably need to dehumidify in flowering though. been stable for a few days (even when the lights turn off). this may be a dumb question, but i searched a while and couldn't really get a good answer. i got my seeds from nirvana on Friday. 5 each fem northern lights and bubbleicious. they also gave me ten free mystery seeds. i was thinking about germing some of the mystery seeds and planting along with the current crop. is there any reason i shouldn't do this, excluding the get a grow under your belt thing? from what i understand you can veg the plants for a long time before switching to 12/12. thanks for the help, and again sorry if this is a dumb question.

 

[keiksweat]

got the temp and humidity to a good level. will probably need to dehumidify in flowering though. been stable for a few days (even when the lights turn off). this may be a dumb question, but i searched a while and couldn't really get a good answer. i got my seeds from nirvana on Friday. 5 each fem northern lights and bubbleicious. they also gave me ten free mystery seeds. i was thinking about germing some of the mystery seeds and planting along with the current crop. is there any reason i shouldn't do this, excluding the get a grow under your belt thing? from what i understand you can veg the plants for a long time before switching to 12/12. thanks for the help, and again sorry if this is a dumb question.

looking good so far lad,I'd hold on to the beans.see how ya get on with the clones first.good luck,n keep it simple.

 

[somedumbjerk]

looking good so far lad,I'd hold on to the beans.see how ya get on with the clones first.good luck,n keep it simple.

good call. i think i got overly excited by the plants, and want to grow all the things. i'll hold off! it'll be hard, but worth it. quality > quantity for me. not trying to donate to dispensaries or anything.

 

[keiksweat]

Got

good call. i think i got overly excited by the plants, and want to grow all the things. i'll hold off! it'll be hard, but worth it. quality > quantity for me. not trying to donate to dispensaries or anything.

a pic of ya panel,led

 

[somedumbjerk]

Got
a pic of ya panel,led

i'll take some when i get home from work. lights on okay? any particular views or want anything to show for scale?

 

[somedumbjerk]

transplanted into 5 gal fabric pots, as three/four had roots poking out through the holes. light watering as well close to the plant only. one of the clones has a wierd looking leaf, and had a dead branch, too. first the sick one:

the little twisted leaf is the same area the dead branch was from. no yellowing of leaf edges on this one, no brown/burned spots either.

now the rest:

the other GDP (healthy one)

GSC:

gsc:

when should i start training them? they seem too small to me yet, but i haven't done this before. researching now, but kind of want to hear from experience. plan on LST, although it sounds like i should top it, too.

thanks again guys!

 

[AnimalMutha]

You could start slightly training them, but to me they are still a little small. I usually start training mine at around 8" to 10"s , some people do it at smaller than that, but to each his own. Be patient grasshopper!
Topping- is OK to do, but remember causes stress and can take up to 2 weeks to completely heal. Question is to do have the time?

 

[3N1GM4]

www.thcfarmer.com/community/threads/main-line-topping-best-method.60224

 

[3N1GM4]

https://www.thcfarmer.com/community/threads/mainlining-vs-lst.76727/page-2#post-1622804

 

[Minitiger]

Interesting. I'll tag along, if you don't mind. I'm using an Apache, which was NOT cheap, very curious to see how your lights perform.

My only advice would be to spray the fuck out of those clones with some neem oil. I'm assuming "LD" is short for Local Dispensary? Clones can very often come with some other shit that you don't want.

Totally get that urge to grow everything all at once. I went a little crazy with my grow and now it's kind of out of control haha. I started from seed, four different strains, eighteen seeds, expected to get a 50/50 M/F ratio. Ended up with fourteen females, which was way too many for my space. I had to kill a few females (sad, sad day.... Haha) just to make room. So now I have eight females of said four strains and for real, it's a little chaotic in my 5 x 5.

Anyway, yeah, looking good so far. Keep us updated!

 

[somedumbjerk]

3nigm4, thanks for those links, those are very good breakdowns of both. i think i'm going to skip mainlining for this grow and just use LST. LST seems way less stressful to the plants, and i think i will get a grow under my belt before trying mainlining. since posting, i've read about 12 articles on LST, FIM, and mainlining. great resources on this site and others. the FAQ is pretty good but lacking in the visual department, and i'm a hands on and visual kind of learner.

Minitiger, i'll pick up some NEEM today from the hydro shop up the road. 980 hydro. solid place if you are in the San Jose Area. sounds like your seeds went nuts! congrats! the LD is Elemental Wellness. found really good reviews online about their nursery and classes. i just wish the classes where on a day i could make it! the hardest part so far is trying to figure out watering a little better. it's really hard to not over water! Patience is hard.

i'm getting some electrical work done today, so i may have to put the plants in the sun for a few hours. i'll take photos if i do for some natural light photos. also i'll take some photos of the set up including the panels.

 

[rmoltis]

the hardest part so far is trying to figure out watering a little better. it's really hard to not over water! Patience is hard.

This was the first problem I encountered as well as a new grower.

After the 2nd day in soil wondering why 1 or 2 wouldn't stand up.
I let them dry out for 2 days.
The soil dried slowly and as soon as it dried to the seedlings ideal soil moisture content they perked up. I knew then that was their optimum moisture level for the soil.

These plants draw in oxygen through the roots.
And water also contains oxygen.

So initially when you water them, they use up the oxygen quickly in the water.
But then the soil remains wet for hours or days.
Meaning that their o2 useage must wait until the soil hits the appropriate dryness/moisture level for the plant to start utilizing o2 again.

As the soil drys the moisture draws the air into the soil as it evaporates.

Now I use a spray bottle to mist each seedlings soil top about twice a day.
The first inch of soil tends to dry quick.
While the remaining lower soil tends to retain moisture longer.

You will catch on quick.
Just no more full pot drenchings for a while ;-)

 

[somedumbjerk]

rmolits, that makes the most sense out of anything else i read about watering, thank you!

 

[Minitiger]

Ahhhh, gotta love NorCal.... Weed-growin' classes? Hilarious... They probably have those down here in SoCal, too, but I figure I'm here at the farm, plenty of people to help me out. Maybe I'll look into that, though. It'd be nice to actually speak to somebody in person to talk about my grow.

I actually have problems with under-watering. And I use the word "problems" loosely. My grow's been pretty stress-free thus far (except for the stress I put on myself; all in my head haha)but I do try to err on the side of caution. I figure it's much easier to fix an underwatering situation than an overwatering one.

Re: neem oil: you'll want to use some sort of emulsifier with the oil. Potassium Silicate is what's recommended (plus, K Silicate has a bunch of other benefits besides acting as an emulsifier). Check out buildasoil if you haven't already, they have a lot of good info re: the foliar application of neem seed oil. And a lot of other good information, period. Just dont buy anything from them haha.

I'm kidding, kind of, but when I was planning my grow I bought a shitload of things from them (coconut powder, aloe Vera, neem oil, the list goes on and on) that I thought I'd need and I haven't used any of it, for the most part. I'm super-OCD (wash my hands before I even touch the doorknob to my grow room and of course I shower before I actually open the tent and fuck with the plants etc etc), but for real, if you go to their site, you may start reading and reading and think,"Fuck, I need to get all of this."

Or maybe that's just me haha!

Either way, if I got clones from a dispensary, I'd definitely foliar heavily with a combination of neem oil/K silicate/any other organic substance that kills pests/mold/whatever kills the things that kill your plants. The combination of Fox Farm soil and dispensary-sourced clones could end up being more of a headache than you're willing to deal with. I've heard other people (and had a bad experience myself) with Foxfarm soil. Seems like those bags just kind of come with all kinds of gnats and other shit you don't want around your plants.

Sorry for the long-winded post. I do that sometimes.

 

[Minitiger]

This was the first problem I encountered as well as a new grower.

After the 2nd day in soil wondering why 1 or 2 wouldn't stand up.
I let them dry out for 2 days.
The soil dried slowly and as soon as it dried to the seedlings ideal soil moisture content they perked up. I knew then that was their optimum moisture level for the soil.

These plants draw in oxygen through the roots.
And water also contains oxygen.

So initially when you water them, they use up the oxygen quickly in the water.
But then the soil remains wet for hours or days.
Meaning that their o2 useage must wait until the soil hits the appropriate dryness/moisture level for the plant to start utilizing o2 again.

As the soil drys the moisture draws the air into the soil as it evaporates.

Now I use a spray bottle to mist each seedlings soil top about twice a day.
The first inch of soil tends to dry quick.
While the remaining lower soil tends to retain moisture longer.

You will catch on quick.
Just no more full pot drenchings for a while ;-)

Yep. What he said. Posted that as I was typing my response.