Advanced Nutrients (Micro, Grow, Bloom) and Cal-Mag

[chuck88]

Hello again,
Actually I enjoy your ramblings because I'm one of those people that need to hear lots of information. Okay, so I've got 11 plants. Five are about a month and a half old, and the 2nd batch which is 6 plants are one month old exactly. I think I will take your advice and cut the two big ones in the back, because otherwise, they'll probably just be tall and ugly and not produce much. So, do I cut them while they're in the dark (lights off), or cut them tonight when lights go back on? (I realise you may not respond before my time, UK vs CA time).

Cut them whenever it is convenient for you. I don't believe it matters enough to worry..

I did top every single plant though. As I was reading how that's better. So, all plants have been topped. Now, while they're still in veg, do I cut ANY fan leaves at all? Some of them are pretty big on some of my plants.
I thought I had read not to cut anything once you're in flowering, but I could be wrong.

Generally I leave the fan leaves alone, even when lollipopping until the first week or so of flower. By that time the lower fans will be in shade anyhow and it's more important to have good air flow.

I did move some stuff around last night, after I'd written my post on here, so I have more space available now. I have a total of 4 lights, and I believe 3 are pulling 100 watts (but claim to give a higher output, as they all do), and one of them is pulling 200 watts.

Can you dim them or is it on/off ? Check the lux value at plant top height and adjust accordingly...

The thing is, the building I'm using has no electricity to it. I literally have an all weather extension going from our house to that building. It did, at one time, have electricity, not sure what happened there. So, obviously I'm limited as to how much electricity I can have (and a partner that is akin to Scrooge with money) . I have a heater running, because it's getting cold at night here. I have a full size dehumidifier in there, a fan, and of course, the lights.
My temperatures are around 68-70F (but only by using the heater), unfortunately getting my humidity down below 60 is proving to be very difficult. Not sure how to fix that.

Temperature is a little low, 78ish would be nice. And 60% in veg and early flower is okay but towards the end of flower I like to aim for under 50%. Less chance of bud rot !

Are you using an exhaust fan ? Stealth mode would require a carbon filter. It's a balancing act, exhausting will help lower the rh but it will also mean bringing in colder air.

Yes, my area is totally light proof. I went and blocked off all the windows and when I turn off the lights and stand in there, it's dark. I can't see anything.
When I went in there today, to turn the lights off, I had another look for any rust spots and I can't see anything on any of the plants. So I feel like maybe that was the start of signs of not enough nutrients.

Wait and see on that

As to expectations. I have none. Obviously I want something to come of all the time and money I've spent on this little hobby, but I'm not looking to make £££, and to be honest, I am not looking to share because that's how bad things happen. My partner doesn't smoke, so it's just me. Really, this is half about my ability to make this work, and half about getting something out of it. Of course, like I said, I do hope to have something to celebrate with when it's all said an done.

You could do that with three or four plants and get the max coverage with your lights, he, he...

Okay, remind me again. How far would you chop those two big plants in the back? I will do it later.

Take a deep breath and chop them off at roughly the same height as your younger plants ! And then readjust the height of your lights. This is also a balancing act. The closer the light the higher the lux readings will be but the spread of light will be less. Download that lux meter and get measuring

Thank you so much again for your help. I really enjoy learning stuff. Oh, and I was thinking of going for another 2 weeks before flipping, what do you think?
Cheers from UK

That sounds like a plan ! The sooner you flip, the more manageable the plants will be...

Cheers

 

[ArtistZanner]

@chuck88

I took the plunge and cut the 2 tallest plants. They smelled good though. Ha ha. So now, for the most part, the plants are about the same height, and I've put all the lights at the same height. I will water them accordingly as needed.

I've turned up the heater to make it warmer in the growing area, but I'm worried about how I will get the humidity down once I'm in the flowering stage. I can't seem to get it under 60%. As I mentioned, I have a dehumidifier in there, and it's pulling a good amount of water out. Any suggestions on that score? Also, considering what you said about bringing outside air in -- well, that would lower my room temperature pretty quick, but it also lowers my humidity (one bad, one good) The problem is, there's only one window in that building. If you know anything about England, you might know that our windows aren't like normal windows. And this building is old and so the windows have been sealed. And even if I could get a window open, the one window in that building isn't near my growing area. The building is being used for storage, so there's a lot of crap in there. Let's just say that it's not easy to move about in there. I'll do some research on getting my humidity down.

To be honest, everything looks good. I'm going to let the plants dry out pretty good before I feed them again. The top couple inches feels dry, but when I put my fingers down lower, or feel the sides, I can feel that it's still very damp, and I know from growing other plants that overwatering will kill a plant quicker than most other things and it's almost impossible to save them once you realise your mistake. So, at this point, it's just wait and see. I'm sure I'll have more questions when I move to the flowering stage, and probably before.

Again, thanks so much.

 

[chuck88]

Well, the only other option I can think of is either another dehumidifier or a larger one !

But, do you have enough power for that ?

Cheers

 

[Newty]

60% humidity won't be the end of the world in flower if you can't find a way to lower it.

I've successfully flowered in 60%-65% day time and 70%-75% night time on several occasions in the summer months.
I didn't buy a dehumidifier until I was growing for a few years, to this day I've never seen mold or mildew on one of my plants.

Week 3 defoliation will help with air flow if foliage is thick.

Make sure there's no condensation and you don't want it to be muggy (hot and humid), mold will be more of a threat.

Lowering temps mid to late flower is something I do regardless of humidity levels, you don't want high bud temps.

 

[ArtistZanner]

60% humidity won't be the end of the world in flower if you can't find a way to lower it.

I've successfully flowered in 60%-65% day time and 70%-75% night time on several occasions in the summer months.
I didn't buy a dehumidifier until I was growing for a few years, to this day I've never seen mold or mildew on one of my plants.

Week 3 defoliation will help with air flow if foliage is thick.

Make sure there's no condensation and you don't want it to be muggy (hot and humid), mold will be more of a threat.

Lowering temps mid to late flower is something I do regardless of humidity levels, you don't want high bud temps.

Thank you for your response. There has been times when my RH has reached 54%, but that's not a regular thing. Lately I seem to go between 60-65% RH. I keep a bucket of plain water in my area, do you think I should remove it, in case it's contributing to the higher humidity? I will say that the dehumidifier has been a big help. I didn't buy it specifically for my new hobby, our previous house had a mold problem. I can only imagine where my RH would be if I didn't have it.
Thankfully, don't have an issue with condensation, and it never feels muggy. I can control the overall temperatures better than I can control the humidity.
Question - when you say "week 3 defoliation", do you mean in veg or once I am in flower mode?
I am planning on flipping around the 26th of October. Do I decrease the amount of light daily until I'm at 12/12? Or do I just start them off at the new time one day?
Thank you for your help

 

[Newty]

Thank you for your response. There has been times when my RH has reached 54%, but that's not a regular thing. Lately I seem to go between 60-65% RH. I keep a bucket of plain water in my area, do you think I should remove it, in case it's contributing to the higher humidity? I will say that the dehumidifier has been a big help. I didn't buy it specifically for my new hobby, our previous house had a mold problem. I can only imagine where my RH would be if I didn't have it.
Thankfully, don't have an issue with condensation, and it never feels muggy. I can control the overall temperatures better than I can control the humidity.
Question - when you say "week 3 defoliation", do you mean in veg or once I am in flower mode?
I am planning on flipping around the 26th of October. Do I decrease the amount of light daily until I'm at 12/12? Or do I just start them off at the new time one day?
Thank you for your help

The bucket of water could definitely be contributing, depending on where it is.

Week 3 defoliation in flower, never do anything major after week 3 but a few leaves here and there is ok.

I defoliate the lower 1/3 of the plant 1-2 weeks before I flip to flower.

I go right from 18/6 to 12/12, I don't do it in steps.
Most people do the same, I'm sure there's some that do taper down.

 

[ArtistZanner]

The bucket of water could definitely be contributing, depending on where it is.

Week 3 defoliation in flower, never do anything major after week 3 but a few leaves here and there is ok.

I defoliate the lower 1/3 of the plant 1-2 weeks before I flip to flower.

I go right from 18/6 to 12/12, I don't do it in steps.
Most people do the same, I'm sure there's some that do taper down.

Awesome! So I should be trimming mine down now since it's about 2 weeks to flip.
The bucket of water is probably 4-5 feet from the nearest plant & plant light. I was using it as a backup, but the better thing to do would be to put it in a sealable container, as everything else is.
I'm starting to get excited, this is my first full grow. My ex-husband grew a long time ago, but it was "his". Then our neighbour grew, and while I was a bit more involved, it was "his grow". I am excited that this is my grow!