First Grow Fumbles: A Grower’s Diary

[RoadKillSkunkHunt]

The second piece of advice is not to top, so I think I won’t top her. I believe their slow growth is due to me damaging their roots when changing the soil. Right now, their growth is pretty good with healthy physical characteristics, especially the Mimosa. As for Sour Jealousy, with so many damaged roots, it’s probably not growing as fast as the Mimosa. I’ll update their condition in this thread in 2-3 days. The light is now at 35 DLI and 18 inches from the canopy. Soil pH is 7.0, temp is 91°F, and RH is 67%.​

Soil pH is too high. It should be closer to 6.5. It's not "out of range." It's at the very top. Ideally it should be lower.

Cannabis under LED lighting prefers temperatures in the 80f-84f range. Your temperatures are too high right now. Your RH for a vegging plant is ok, but what will that be once you bring down the temperature a bit? Your light level is low and most likely the reason for slow growth. Can you bring up the DLI to like 50-55?

 

[figolus]

I will say this about autoflowers. Once upon a time, I wouldn't touch them. Inferior yield. Inferior bud strength. They have come a long ways since then and some are extremely high yielding and extremely potent.

I trust you, genetics must have evolved.

 

[RoadKillSkunkHunt]

Couldn’t agree more. So, with autos, it’s more about considering how much time they have left before we try experimenting with them, right?​

Not really ... you can't really clone them. You can't really slow their growth down. You really have zero control other than LST. In my eyes, their primary purpose is to be grown outdoors in a northern climate that doesn't have a full summer.

 

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Soil pH is too high. It should be closer to 6.5. It's not "out of range." It's at the very top. Ideally it should be lower.

Cannabis under LED lighting prefers temperatures in the 80f-84f range. Your temperatures are too high right now. Your RH for a vegging plant is ok, but what will that be once you bring down the temperature a bit? Your light level is low and most likely the reason for slow growth. Can you bring up the DLI to like 50-55?

Sure, I’ve lowered the light to your recommendation and will update later. As for RH, we’ll see how it goes after I set up my AC, and I do have a dehumidifier to control it.​

 

[RoadKillSkunkHunt]

Sure, I’ve lowered the light to your recommendation and will update later. As for RH, we’ll see how it goes after I set up my AC, and I do have a dehumidifier to control it.​

I think you need the dehumidifier running. Not in the tent. In the same room where the tent is located. Let it intake the dryer air.

 

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Not really ... you can't really clone them. You can't really slow their growth down. You really have zero control other than LST. In my eyes, their primary purpose is to be grown outdoors in a northern climate that doesn't have a full summer.

Cloning is definitely tricky since they’re on such a tight schedule, and slowing their growth isn’t really an option like with photoperiod plants. I think LST can be a game changer for managing their shape, though. Do you think they perform better than photoperiods in shorter summers, or is it more about the convenience of their fast cycle? I’m trying as maximum as I can to dial in the environment to maximize their potential.

 

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I think you need the dehumidifier running. Not in the tent. In the same room where the tent is located. Let it intake the dryer air.

Actually, that’s a great idea. Just wondering why I didn’t do that before ​

 

[Bobcat.Branch]

Cannabis under LED lighting prefers temperatures in the 80f-84f range.

 

[RoadKillSkunkHunt]

Cloning is definitely tricky since they’re on such a tight schedule, and slowing their growth isn’t really an option like with photoperiod plants. I think LST can be a game changer for managing their shape, though. Do you think they perform better than photoperiods in shorter summers, or is it more about the convenience of their fast cycle? I’m trying as maximum as I can to dial in the environment to maximize their potential.

I've grown photoperiod plants outside. Once September rolls around and the nights are dipping into the dew point every night, it's very difficult no matter how good of a grower you are to get a plant over the finish line. This also true with many of the fast flowering plants like Tropicana Poison for example. It's faster but not fast enough to beat northern weather.

I can start a run of autoflowers in April inside, transfer them to the greenhouse in May and be harvesting them in July. In fact, I can get 2 runs of autoflowering plants through a Michigan summer.

Yep, 80-84f not 91 ... old school values of 78F are for HID lighting which has a higher amount of infrared heat.

 

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I've grown photoperiod plants outside. Once September rolls around and the nights are dipping into the dew point every night, it's very difficult no matter how good of a grower you are to get a plant over the finish line. This also true with many of the fast flowering plants like Tropicana Poison for example. It's faster but not fast enough to beat northern weather.

I can start a run of autoflowers in April inside, transfer them to the greenhouse in May and be harvesting them in July. In fact, I can get 2 runs of autoflowering plants through a Michigan summer.


Yep, 80-84f not 91 ... old school values of 78F are for HID lighting which has a higher amount of infrared heat.

That’s a solid point about the challenges of growing photoperiods in northern climates. I totally get why autos are a go-to for you with that tight summer window in Michigan. Starting in April and harvesting by July sounds like a great way to make the most of the season, and getting two runs in is awesome! I’m planning to try photoperiod plants next.​

 

[RoadKillSkunkHunt]

That’s a solid point about the challenges of growing photoperiods in northern climates. I totally get why autos are a go-to for you with that tight summer window in Michigan. Starting in April and harvesting by July sounds like a great way to make the most of the season, and getting two runs in is awesome! I’m planning to try photoperiod plants next.​

I'm planning tomatoes and peppers in the greenhouse this summer. I will run photoperiods again starting around late August indoors. I've got 3 strains chosen already. Roswell Code, Elementz, and Strawberry Tree all by Anesia Seeds.

 

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I'm planning tomatoes and peppers in the greenhouse this summer. I will run photoperiods again starting around late August indoors. I've got 3 strains chosen already. Roswell Code, Elementz, and Strawberry Tree all by Anesia Seeds.

That’s a sweet plan for your greenhouse! Tomatoes and peppers sound like a great addition to the summer lineup. I’m actually planning to grow tomatoes, chilies, and strawberries outdoors myself, so it’s cool to hear we’re on a similar wavelength. I haven’t heard of Roswell Code, Elementz, or Strawberry Tree before—those Anesia Seeds strains sound intriguing! I’m also gearing up for photoperiods. I’ve got a few strains lined up: Meds-Web, DarkStar Kush, Eggnog OG (Fem), Orange Runtz Cake 2.0 (Fem), Banana Krumble (Fem), and Original Cheese (Fem). Have you ever grown any of these? Would love to hear if you’ve got any experience with them.​

 

[RoadKillSkunkHunt]

That’s a sweet plan for your greenhouse! Tomatoes and peppers sound like a great addition to the summer lineup. I’m actually planning to grow tomatoes, chilies, and strawberries outdoors myself, so it’s cool to hear we’re on a similar wavelength. I haven’t heard of Roswell Code, Elementz, or Strawberry Tree before—those Anesia Seeds strains sound intriguing! I’m also gearing up for photoperiods. I’ve got a few strains lined up: Meds-Web, DarkStar Kush, Eggnog OG (Fem), Orange Runtz Cake 2.0 (Fem), Banana Krumble (Fem), and Original Cheese (Fem). Have you ever grown any of these? Would love to hear if you’ve got any experience with them.​

Anesia Seeds is a European breeder known for high quality offerings. The closest I have grown to what is on your list is OG Kush, Skywalker Kush (Reserva Privada), and Runtz Muffin (Barney's farm). Those cultivars are good ones for newer growers. They will take a bit of abuse and not mess up on you. OG Kush can get large but the other cultivars lend well to an indoor tent grow.

 

[Galgrows]

Not really ... you can't really clone them. You can't really slow their growth down. You really have zero control other than LST. In my eyes, their primary purpose is to be grown outdoors in a northern climate that doesn't have a full summer.

I disagree

 

[RoadKillSkunkHunt]

I disagree

What do you disagree about and why? I'm interested in hearing what you have to say.

 

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Anesia Seeds is a European breeder known for high quality offerings. The closest I have grown to what is on your list is OG Kush, Skywalker Kush (Reserva Privada), and Runtz Muffin (Barney's farm). Those cultivars are good ones for newer growers. They will take a bit of abuse and not mess up on you. OG Kush can get large but the other cultivars lend well to an indoor tent grow.

Cool! I’ll start a new thread for my second grow to let the forum members vote on the seeds, just for fun. I’m keeping in mind my tent height, which is only 160 cm, so I’ll probably have about 80-90 cm of growing space after accounting for the pot height and LED dimensions. Timing the flip is gonna be tricky!​

 

[RoadKillSkunkHunt]

Cool! I’ll start a new thread for my second grow to let the forum members vote on the seeds, just for fun. I’m keeping in mind my tent height, which is only 160 cm, so I’ll probably have about 80-90 cm of growing space after accounting for the pot height and LED dimensions. Timing the flip is gonna be tricky!​

You can make them fit your space using a number of different approaches.

I use LST to fit larger cultivars in smaller spaces. Many people top. I don't top my plants ... its kind of my signature using LST and supercropping techniques. I'm convinced that many newer growers hurt their yields by topping their plants and then immediately flipping to 12/12 light cycle. It never occurred to them that if you want to maximize yield, you allow the cut stem to branch off into 2 new stems. For every tip you cut, if you allow time for new growth, 2 tips take their place. It's a great yield maximizer done right ... but it takes extra time in veg. When I ask new growers why they want to top, the standard answer seems to be "aren't I supposed to?" No, its not written in stone. You don't have to. You can ... but if you do at least understand what the process is, and why it works so it can be executed correctly.

 

[Galgrows]

What do you disagree about and why? I'm interested in hearing what you have to say.

About slowing the growth down because it's very easy to. Did you try and grow photoperiods outdoors? Start them indoors get them 12-14" tall an healthy then put them outside. Indica strains do much better in your area than long running sativa strains. And you got that greenhouse.

 

[RoadKillSkunkHunt]

About slowing the growth down because it's very easy to. Did you try and grow photoperiods outdoors? Start them indoors get them 12-14" tall an healthy then put them outside. Indica strains do much better in your area than long running sativa strains. And you got that greenhouse.

You cannot slow down the internal time clock of an auto-flower plant which is why they are not ideal candidates for clones or topping. I probably should have phrased what I said differently.

To answer your question ... Yes, I have grown photoperiod plants outside in my greenhouse. I've grown fast flowering plants outside in my greenhouse. I've also grown autoflowering plants outside in my greenhouse. Everything gets started inside in April. The only plants I can guarantee finishing without having at least some loss to bud rot or WPM are autoflowers. I have air flow. I have heat. I have oscillating fans. I have everything they recommend but that doesn't mean you're going to have a successful grow. If mother nature is throwing a week of rain straight at you during the last week or so of flower, its going to hurt your yield. No matter what. The only exception would be if you had a state of the art greenhouse where you can also control humidity. Our backyard greenhouses don't have that feature. It costs too much for your average home owner.

Air flow helps but .... None of that matters come fall and the nights dip into the 50's. There's condensation dripping from the roof of the greenhouse and the plants are wet. It doesn't matter how much air flow you have in these weather conditions. You're at the mercy of mother nature.

When people purchase a greenhouse, they usually think about protecting plants from frost. At least that is what I thought ... I was wrong about that. It's dew point that is a cannabis farmer's enemy.

If there's more you would like to know about my experiences outside, please ask. I welcome it. Your questions are valid.

 

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Since the discussion is going well, here’s an update on both plants at day 39 since seed and day 12 since re-potting.

Questions:
1. Do I need to remove some lower branches that look unhealthy or aren’t growing after re-potting? Branches without true leaves are branches that were already there before re-potting.
2. If so, which branches?

Thank you!​