Big Jay's Cream Caramel Grow (first grow)

[nMEEKS]

you have deficiencies, I would feed nutrients. . . seems like your other viewers are organic supporters so you may want to go that route so their feedback continues to be helpful, although I think organic is a bunch of hoo-ha and would recommend fertilizing your plants with readily available nutrients rather than a bunch of shit (literally).

 

[bigjay420]

@mark & quest- I've improved ventilation, and the plants look noticably better. I'm picking up a PH meter tomorrow, so I'll be able to give a reading then. Hopefully, that will tell me if I have any lockout, and I'll go from there. I'm glad I caught this problem early enough to do something about it. Thanks so much for stopping by and throwing in your educated opinions. I can't stress enough how thankful I am for you guys, and this site. As always, Cheers from the South.

PS- Can you recommend any books about growing?

 

[PButter]

Teaming with Microbes gives a good understanding of what organics should be ideally.

There are some really great threads on this site that brought me further along in understanding than any book ever did.
cheap alternatives to overpriced hydro nutes... for one.

 

[bigjay420]

@pbutter- Thanks a ton. I checked out that article on cheap alternatives to overpriced hydro nutes. I'm currently doing more research, and weighing the nute options. I need to make a decision soon, though... I think my girls are craving food. lol

 

[bigjay420]

Well, yesterday (June 10th) marks 3 weeks from germination. I have many worries about one of my gals (code name Darla), because she has burns on a couple of her leaves. They haven't spread, but they're still there (see pics)... taunting me at every glance. But, I also have some good news. I was sitting around playing some xbox, when my nose caught the faintest smell of herbs. This was news to me, since I've stopped smoking until harvest. I just assumed there was a roach sitting around somewhere, and went about gaming. But, the smell persisted. Upon investigation, I was lead to the closet where my plants reside. I opened the door, and got slapped down by the funky smells coming from my baby's. I did some research which told me this isn't normal at 3 weeks in, so I take this as a good sign. Anyway, I feel since autos take about 70 days from seed to harvest, they should be a lot bigger by now. I've heard they can start flowering anywhere from 3 weeks... If they start flowering soon, I'll literally get 5 grams off of 5 plants. lol. I hope this isn't the case. Maybe I'm just a worrier... What do you guys think? Are they on par, size wise? At any rate, I've yet to administer any nutes, so they probably look better than they should. I'm starting nutrients this weekend, so we'll see if growth takes off then. I had a slight stretching problem due to the CFLs I used for the first few weeks, so I buried the stems up to just beneath the first nodes, and they seem to look much better now. I'm still too scared to water them all the way through, so I should begin that next week, I think. Anyway, suppose it's time to get to the goods. Thanks for stopping by, and as always... Cheers from the South!

 

[PButter]

I wouldn't worry about smell indicating flower but I guess with an Auto strain you would want to keep them from stretching. Sometimes veg rooms smell better(more) than the flower. Just remember that when you do start some nutes, go low and slow on it. I just mentioned the cheap alts. thread because it gave me a better understanding of what I am doing with regard to balancing nutrients- I do organics. mineral salts are cool too..

 

[bigjay420]

@pbutter- Thanks, man. I'm doing organic, now. But it wasn't the plan, it just kinda happened by accident. I'm mixing 1/4 the recommended dose, and they seem to be responding well. Will update again on Monday the 17th, as that will be the 4 week mark. The closer to flower time I get, the more excited I get. lol

 

[bigjay420]

Not an update... just lettin' ya know it's gonna be a good night. :D

 

[bigjay420]

Week 4 update. Not much to tell... A bit of yellowing on lower leaves (pic). I have a deficiency of some sort. Hopefully the nutes will sort it out. These ladies are packing on a lot of leaves, but not really getting any taller. I hear that's what you want at this stage, but I'm not really sure how I feel about it, yet. Anyway... Here they are. Not much to write home about, I fear.

 

[Cannaculture]

Hey Bigjay!

Nice looking plants so far. I had issues with yellowing leaves early in veg, scrap that, through the entire veg. It was systemic on one of my plants and I thought it was a doomed lady but apart from the yellowing all looked in order.

It was strange as when I flipped them the yellow went completely and they returned to a vibrant green. Feel free to take a look at my thread and you'll see what a plant that yellows in it's youth can do in maturity.

I'll stay tuned in. A strain called cream caramel sounds too nice to miss out on seeing the final product!

 

[bigjay420]

Week 5 starts tomorrow, so I'm sure these autos are getting ready to flower, soon. I wasn't very excited during week 4, due to stress. I was getting very discouraged by the yellowing (and browning :mad:) of lower leaves. I just assumed my jack assery was killing them slowly. The nutrients took care of it, so next go round, I'll start nutes in week 3, rather than week 4. Live and learn, I suppose. I took the room temp up to 80, and they seem to really love is. Also took humidity down to 50%, to I can start easing into flower. I'm hoping they stretch just a bit during veg, because these beauties are still quite short. I buried the stems , so that's part of it. The tallest is about a foot, and the shortest is about 10 inches. I have decided that for the next grow, I'll do a few autos to hold me over... But, the majority of my space will be dedicated to non auto female seeds. I have them all picked out, but since this is a Sweet Seeds forum, I'll only mention the Dark Devil. I would love to grow the whole Red Family, but attitude does not carry them in the pack, and Sweet Seeds doesn't ship to US. Reckon I'll grow them one strain at a time (along with other strains, of course). Anyway, without further ado.... Cream Caramel. Week 5.


@canna- Thanks for stopping by! I hope you're right about the yellowing not making much of a difference... I've stressed over it enough, fer sure. I appreciate any advise you can give on any subject. I'll check out your grow to learn all I can from it. Thanks again!

 

[Cannaculture]

@bigjay420 to be fair, there's probably next to nothing you can learn from me. I'm near to completing my first grow so I don't really have any experience to pass on. The reason I mentioned about the yellowing was that some of mine yellowed, alot! Yet when I came to flipping it all straightened itself out.

Of course i'm not saying this is ideal for growing optimum buds, just that mabe you shouldn't stress about it too much as aside from a couple of leaves they do look nice and healthy.

If any one knows differently then I hope they say, but I'd be tempted to just cut the yellow leaves out as there's only a few on there. That way all your plants will be green and it'll be easier to see any more yellowing occur. I only suggest this as it seems like a logical thing to try, but it may not be right.

Also, you mentioned in your last post that you 'buried the stems.' By this i'm wondering if you added extra soil to the containers once the plants had already been in there for some time - is this the case?

The only reason I ask is that i'm an arbourist by profession and know that if you change the soil level around a tree, either raising the level around the trunk or lowering it, it will have a bad effect on the tree. I think the same goes for plants as they have a root system too.

I'll speak about trees as that's what I know but think maybe it'll apply to the plants we're growing - so basically each species of tree puts down roots at defferent levels that obviously suit them best. If you were, for example, to add soil on top of the ground it therefore means that the trees roots are now deeper in the ground than they were before thereby changing the amount of water and O2 at that level.

Some trees will not adapt to this at all and will kill them - it can be that drastic - especially in trees that are mature. So, in short, once the plants have been put in place do not add or take away soil. Even compacting it down further will have a negative effect as it'll change the amount O2.

Sorry this turned out a bit long, it's just that when you mentioned about burying the stems it set off a little thought in my head.

 

[bigjay420]

@canna- Thanks for all of your info. To answer some of your questions... Yes, I put extra soil on top. Hopefully, a more experienced farmer can correct me if I'm wrong... In my research, I've read that when you "bury the stem" on cannabis, it has a few benefits. First, it is an excellent way to strengthen stems. If you have a lot of stretching in early veg, burying the stem will keep those babies from falling over. Second, the stem will actually start to sprout roots out of it's side. I hear it's safe to bury it all the way up to the first nodes. I've read this is a very common practice in bonsai trees, as well.
As for pulling off the leaves, I've been told by some VERY reputable growers/ breeders that it's a bad idea to pull any leaves (yellow, or not), period. They say if a leaf gets severe necrosis, you MIGHT toy with the idea of pulling it off. I'm not saying pulling them off is a bad idea... I'm just saying that, due in large part to what I've been told, I'm simply too chicken to try it. lol


I hope this info will help you in future grows. Being new myself, I encourage you to look into all this (as I'm sure you will, if you haven't already), because I would hate to give you bad info. And, if you uncover any contrary information, I would love to be informed of the correct procedure. Thanks again.

 

[Cannaculture]

@bigjay interesting stuff! I will look into that for sure. I thought it was pretty much a universal law but perhaps not after all so thanks for the insight. Very curious to learn if does indeed put out extra roots after burying. If so this is one adaptable plant!

Also interesting about the leaf debate. I've actually come across rather conflicting views on leaf pruning. Some people swear by it, allows extra ligh and ventilation to penetrate deeper, others say, just as you've been advised, leave them alone. One person wrote that he's never pruned a leaf in his life.

I pruned mine a lot! Next run i'm going to experiment with not pruning at all and see how they compare as I have the same strain all set up to go.

Good stuff Jay, i'll stay tuned in.

 

[Max Frost]

Hi Jay!

Congrats on a nice first grow. My first didn't go nearly as well! :arghh: I'll chime in with my $.02...

Burying the stem IS a valid technique, and yes...the plant will develop roots along the entire stalk. It's a good technique to control height. As for leaf pruning...IMO, you're BOTH right! I subscribe to the philosophy that when the plant is done with a leaf, she'll drop it. It's very comon as your plant gets in to the 5-6 week old range, that it may lose some bottom leaves due to poor light penetration and lack of exposure. The leaf will yellow, then necrose. Left alone, it'll drop on it's own, but after a leaf passes the 65-70% damaged range, I just go ahead and take it at that point. It IS a good idea to prune for yield. This is basically removing the bottom growth and small buds that form near the bottom of the plant. You remove this growth because it's not going to fully develop due to less light exposure compared to the bud sites on the top of your canopy. By removing it, you allow the plant to put that energy into productive areas that will develop and mature into good quality meds.

Lastly, adding soil to the tops of your plants..or "top-dressing" is a time-honored tradition! It's a good way to add some nutes and beneficial microbes back in to your soil. No problems there! Hope this is helpful. Your grow looks great man! Can't wait to watch them fill up and fatten! I've never run auto strains, and can't give you any help with lighting schedules and etc., but it seems like everything else ought to be the same (feeding/watering/etc.). The strain sure sounds good too. Do you know anything about the genetics?

Best,

Max :wacky:

 

[Shamus]

theyre looking good man.. seems like your getting lots of solid advice. everythings damn near growing 100.. IME with seeds they start off incredibly slow then have the vigor of a thousand gallivanting lions. however my experience with autos is minimal

i would make sure to keep PH in check, 6 to 6.3
and also go out and buy some age old nutrients and start off at a 1/4 to half strength per regimen like markcastle said. possibly some deficiencies there.

i would say they are on par with most seedlings, just make sure to start feeding them if you havent yet

molasses is awesome for what its worth as well.. make sure you cop un sulfured.

good luck with the grow man

if you ever have any questions feel free to ask.. im not the most experienced around here but ill try to help

 

[markscastle]

If that`s Northern Lights x Blue Berry marked on that one your looking at a plant that will get very large.

 

[bigjay420]

Well, folks... Week 6 is upon us, and problems are starting to pop up everywhere. Started flowering on the 28th, and I couldn't be more excited. Those babies are getting bushy. However, I did get some burns on the NLXBB, so I raised the lights. They seem to be "healing" now. But, the dreaded claw has reared it's ugly head on a few plants. Thought over fert and heat stress were the problems, so I brought RH up to 45% and flushed. Also, have a lot of yellow popping up. Looks like these plants HATE nutrients. Gonna scale it back to 1/4 the dose and hope that clears up my problems. I'm afraid these plants aren't gonna yield very much due to the fact that the tallest is 1'5" tall, and I burned the piss out of them. Maybe I'm just nervous. I hope they surprise me. There are some terrific smells coming from the closet, so that keeps my hopes up. Next watering will start molasses and epsom salt. Possibly Cal Mag... Think these together will be overkill? Suppose time will tell. Thanks for stopping in. Cheers from the South.
Here goes. Week 6 pics:


@max- Good to hear from ya, 'ol boy! As always, your advise is right on the money, and much appreciated. If you don't mind, take a look at this eagle claw I'm being plagued by, and lend your 2 cents!

@mark- That's Northern Lights X Big Bud. However, the thought of NLXBlueberry makes my mouth water, so I'll be looking into it. lol. Thanks for checking in on me, my friend!

@shamus- I've been keeping my PH steady at around 6. I'm scared to death with all the problems popping up, but I'm trying to stay positive. The prospect of smoking my own bud is keeping me going. lol Thanks for stopping by. I'll definitely add you to the list of growers I pester with noob questions. Thanks again!

@canna- Looks like Max "put us in our place". lol Be sure to stop back by. Hope you're learning as much from these fine folks as I am. Cheers!

 

[Max Frost]

Well, folks... Week 6 is upon us, and problems are starting to pop up everywhere. Started flowering on the 28th, and I couldn't be more excited. Those babies are getting bushy. However, I did get some burns on the NLXBB, so I raised the lights. They seem to be "healing" now. But, the dreaded claw has reared it's ugly head on a few plants. Thought over fert and heat stress were the problems, so I brought RH up to 45% and flushed. Also, have a lot of yellow popping up. Looks like these plants HATE nutrients. Gonna scale it back to 1/4 the dose and hope that clears up my problems. I'm afraid these plants aren't gonna yield very much due to the fact that the tallest is 1'5" tall, and I burned the piss out of them. Maybe I'm just nervous. I hope they surprise me. There are some terrific smells coming from the closet, so that keeps my hopes up. Next watering will start molasses and epsom salt. Possibly Cal Mag... Think these together will be overkill? Suppose time will tell. Thanks for stopping in. Cheers from the South.
Here goes. Week 6 pics:
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@max- Good to hear from ya, 'ol boy! As always, your advise is right on the money, and much appreciated. If you don't mind, take a look at this eagle claw I'm being plagued by, and lend your 2 cents!

@mark- That's Northern Lights X Big Bud. However, the thought of NLXBlueberry makes my mouth water, so I'll be looking into it. lol. Thanks for checking in on me, my friend!

@shamus- I've been keeping my PH steady at around 6. I'm scared to death with all the problems popping up, but I'm trying to stay positive. The prospect of smoking my own bud is keeping me going. lol Thanks for stopping by. I'll definitely add you to the list of growers I pester with noob questions. Thanks again!

@canna- Looks like Max "put us in our place". lol Be sure to stop back by. Hope you're learning as much from these fine folks as I am. Cheers!

Hey BigJay!

Well, I sure wasn't trying to put anybody in their place. Just offering an opinion...and you know what they say about those! :confused:

Personally, I don't think your problem is overfeeding! It looks to me like you're suffering lockout from your pH being so low. I think the yellowing you're getting is from defs. They're not overfed...they're starving, even though food is there. It's there...it's just not available to them! It's hard to tell from the pics because the color of the light spectrum makes it hard to see the true colors going on. Can you possibly post a pic in different lighting? It would help nail it down. Again...it's hard to tell from the pics, but do you see allot of bright lime green/yellow on the growing tips and upper leaves?

I run my pH at 6.5. Not sure why you're running so low, but allot of problems can from from that pH, IMO! Here's a chart showing pH range and nute uptake:

Note that the values for soil are on the right...hydro on the left. Notice how many nutes are locked out at a pH of 6.0. A pH of 6.5 allows all the nutes to be available. My suggestion would be to give them a light flush...more of a rinse, really with your water pH'd to 7.0. I'd also include some espom salts at the rate of 1 tsp/gal, and a TBSP of Big Bloom. This should raise the pH of your soil, and the Epsom salts and Big Bloom (Big Bloom is your guanos) will help stabilize the root zone environment, bring it back into balance and soothe the plant. Once you've done this, let them dry out REALLY good! (They look a tad over-watered to me also). Then you can resume a normal feed schedule. (Hit me up via PM if you'd like my recommendations on your feed schedule). By the way...the best way to make sure you're not over-watering when starting out, is to fill an identical container with same (DRY) soil mix you're using. When the pot with your plant feels identical in weight to the empty pot...it's time to water. If it feels the least bit heavier...hold off until it doesn't! The weight of the plant is negligible at this point, and you don't need to take it into consideration until you're well into flowering, and they're putting on some weight.

I give mine a Cal/Mag supplement with every feeding. I also use Molasses, but I wouldn't right now if I were you until I got the pH issues cleared up. If you hit them with the rinse above, IMO you'll see improvement within 2-3 days at most.

Also...I'm not sure why you're running your RH so low either. I wouldn't worry about having it that low until later in flowering. Right now, I'd be running up around 60-70%...depending on your temps. (What are your temps running)?

Hope this helps bro!

Best,

Max :wacky:

 

[Cannaculture]

Wicked info Max!

I've just started a new grow and the soil manufacturer said pH everything to 6 but now i'm not so sure this is right. Will certainly take it up half a point since seeing your chart.

Thanks again!