Cheesedog Grow Journal - 1st Time Medical

[Chief Bigsmoke]

Good Day Everyone,

Thank you for taking the time to check out my very first journal. My name is Chief and I rep from Columbia North. After a couple years of struggle, my girlfriend and I finally have our licenses. Nothing feels better than being 100% legit. We are also members of the Cannabis Trade Association. "The Cannabis Trade Association is a registered non-profit society committed to promoting a safe and legally regulated cannabis industry. www.cannabistradeassociation.ca" They were a huge help in finally completing the process.

For those of you who don't know its a total bit** to get your license here in canuckville. A blessing and a curse at the same time. Sometimes I'm happy that we have a tight regulated system, but at the same time their office wait times and efficiency is wayyy below par. Our licenses were supposed to take 8-10 weeks but it took well over 18 weeks. I look back and sweat thinking how many days I waited by the mailbox everyday.. ;P Ah well, I guess good things come to those who wait...

While we waited for our licenses we had a chance to invest into a pretty tight nube tent. *I'll post some photos of the production site.

On a final note, the reason why we are producing medicine is because my beautiful girlfriend lil'chief suffers from Crohns' disease. Those of you who know, crohns is a super lame. My heart goes out to anyone who suffers from it. We thank our lives to Cannabis. Before cannabis she was on a plethora of pharma drugs. More side effects than solutions. One of them actually caused stomach cramps.. which is one of Crohns' symptoms. haha incredible.

Anyways, after trying cannabis she has been able to quit all her other drugs and she has never been happier or healthier. Nothing makes me happier.

Our first garden is a small one. check out the specs:

Grow Tent: 79x79x79
2x Air Cooled 600w Digital Lumatek Ballast
-2x 600w Grolux Full Spectrum High PAR HPS bulbs
-1x 600w Ushio Opti Blue MH Conversion bulb
1x 400w Digital Lumatek Ballast (standard mh/hps bulbs)

5 in 1
1200 BTU Air conditioner, Ionizer, Heater, Fan and 80 pint dehumidifier.

Quantum Fan (W) Pattern

2x circulating fans

12x Air-pots

Greenpads (CO2 enrichment)

6" can fan max fan


STRAIN CHOICES:

11x Cheesedog - Connoisseur Genetics
4x Tahoe OG - Cali Connection

:harvest::harvest::harvest::harvest::harvest:

 

[Chief Bigsmoke]

I am currently a full-time horticulture student at a local university. So I am eager to play with some of my new found knowledge.

I am very interesting in soil sciences. Currently I have developed my own custom soil. I have adopted the True Living Organics (TLO) method of layering and spiking your soil. This is my current but every changing soil recipe:

70% Coco-coir

10% Earthworm castings

5% perlite

5% organic potting soil mix

2.5% Mexican bat guano

2.5% Jamaican bat guano

1% Glacial Rock Dust: Glacial Rock Dust is a natural mineral product which is produced over many thousands of years by glacial action. A wide variety of rocks which contain a broad spectrum of trace minerals are collected and pulverized by the expansion/contraction action of the glacier.

1% Greensand: Mined in New Jersey from 70 million-year-old marine deposits, greensand contains 3 percent potassium and many micronutrients

1% Raw Earth (GH Product): Rare Earth is derived from ancient seabed deposits of pyrophyllitic clay that are blended with fulvate ore. By slowly releasing silicon, humates, and organic rare earth minerals, Rare Earth allows a crystal matrix to develop within growing plant tissue that protects the plant from heat stress and nutrient extremes by generating a protective silicon shield.

1% Kelp Meal: Kelp is widely available as a powdered meal. It usually contains a minimum of 2% potassium and many micronutrients

Trace Amounts of Dolomite Lime and coffee grounds


Layered in 3 layers:

Top Layer: highly active ingredients example: high N bat guano/EWC's/greensand/kelp meal

Middle Layer: Aerating layer. lots of perlite and void space. encouraging the roots to depart on their natural journal of nutrient hunting.

Bottom Layer: Long-term and Strong nutes. Intended for strong taproots. examples: High P bat guano/EWC's/greensand/coffee grounds ( a typical place for strong manures, but I will not any. Other than guanos and ewc's and want to use Vegan ingredients. Simply because vegan is beyond organics.

Spikes ( create a small hole with a piece doweling or long stick all the way to the bottom layer and then spin the piece of wood and compact a tight shaft for nutrients. Inside my spike went coffee grounds, ewc's, kelp meal, organic Sea Soil.


The goal is to stay away from mono-chromatic soil mixes. Root systems like searching for nutrients and beneficial bacteria and fungi live life at different pH levels. So you must created different bio-zones for your bennies. Happy Bennies are the key to a healthy plant. Above and below the surface. Also raising the resistance to possible pest issues.

 

[Chief Bigsmoke]

Catching everyone up

Since things have been pretty busy starting everything for the first time I have to catch everyone up on what has happened so far.

My main objective on my first cycle will be to select a suitable mother(s). I will be vegging the cheesedogs until I see preflowers and I will be switching to 12/12 when the Tahoe's will only be 1.5 weeks old. I also added a does of bushmaster to strong-arm my girls into flowering early. Possibly reducing overall possible yields if over done too early, but a way for me to speed up the harvest date and move on the mastering my winning genetics. Each plant was trained from side to side when it was veggin' to increase stalk strength. All plants were loli-popped and some were topped.

Here is how it started:

1. 11 cheesedogs, soaked in RO water and a dash of Hygrozyme for 6 hours.

2. Placed in between coffee filters on a plate and covered with a bowl. Then placed over heat mat. I didn't have a thermostat for my heat mat so I just had it on a timer that is on for 15 then off for an hour. Just so it didn't get too hot.

3. All 11 sprouted within 12 hours

4. 8 ended up being females and 4 males

5. 4x Tahoe OG's seeds were germinated

 

[Chief Bigsmoke]

Fast forward to today -----> 4 Days into 12/12

*Signs of some over fertilization in some plants. due to the new soil mix. I expect things to simmer down nicely. pH is now balanced at 6.5.

7 Cheesedogs remain. 1 was retired from the breeding program. 2 distinct phenos. The Exodus Cheese Dom and the Chem Dom. The cheese pheno has a bit of a stretch but tight internode spacing. The Chem dom is very aggressive and has a very tight internode structure. Overall very impressed with both so far.

 

[Chief Bigsmoke]

Strain Info

Connoisseur Genetics Seeds Cheesedog

Sex : Regular
Type : Indica / Sativa
Flowering Time : Medium
Height : Medium

Flowering Time: 8-10 Weeks

Environment: Indoor/Outdoor

Seeds per pack: 11

Legends collide as the original UK Cheese (Exodus cut) is invigorated by pollination from one of our select Chemdog males.

Super branchy plants, amazing potency and beautiful smells that extremely aggressive.
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and
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THE CALI CONNECTION TAHOE OG It is a totally unique seed created by crossing the SFV ogk F3 and hit the TAHOE clone. Every seed that has been grown is pure Lemon kerosine skunk funk to the max. It is said to be one of the strongest hitting strongest tasting cannabis around. Flowering is between 70 days and watch out , yields will be solid. New in the market.

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[Chief Bigsmoke]

I am a strong supporter of using regular seeds. I doubt I will ever use feminized seeds.

 

[Chief Bigsmoke]

Water and Fertilizer

From the beginning I always use Reverse Osmosis water. I bought a pretty affordable Hydro Logic Stealth 100gpd unit. It was pretty easy to install. It fits nicely on any regular gardenhose tap. I think it cost $200 bucks online. 110% worth it. For how little a RO filter costs its almost seems using tap water is totally unnecessary.

I tend to water every two days. I typically water, fert, water, but right not my fert only consists of Cal Mag, hygrozyme, humic acids and a soluble seaweed fertilizer. The only other fertilizer i have introduced was the single dose of Bushmaster. Which was applied on the first day of 12/12. I only applied .5ml per gallon.

Bushmaster info:

Bushmaster slows down and halts the vertical growth, creating more compact plants. At the same time the vertical growth ceases, the plant starts to become very bushy, producing lateral branching and eventually producing much more surface area for flowers to form, thus greatly increasing the yield. Works well in soil or hydro, indoors or out.

 

[Chief Bigsmoke]

I also added a 1/4 tsp of ZHO root innoculant to each hole when I transplanted the cheesedogs. Making sure the innoculant made direct contact with the roots.

I noticed an immediate change within 24 hrs. Increase vitality. The plants just seemed happier. They danced a little harder the next day.

ZHO info:
Rev Up your Rhizosphere with Botanicare’s new Biological Inoculant, ZHO. ZHO contains revolutionary supercharged Endomychorrizal and Trichoderma fungi that naturally build a microbial system in and around plant roots significantly improving a plants growth, vigor, and production. Unlike other rhizosphere inoculants currently on the market, ZHO contains special amino acids designed to intensify the rhizobial activity that ZHO ignites.

Apply 1/4 teaspoon of ZHO twice during your grow cycle and your plants' vitality and development will exceed your expectations.

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I also recently added Tarantula and Piranha on my last watering. Bennies galore.

Tarantula info:

· Exclusive OMRI Certification
· Potentiates Phosphorus for larger flowers
· Potent & economical
· Protects plants from predators and disease

Miniature organisms in your hydroponics garden can determine whether you get fantastic full harvests or heartbreaking, puny harvests. These organisms live on leaves and roots in general, but they concentrate in the root zone to either harm or help your plants.

Advanced Nutrients Tarantula contains 19 types of organic beneficial bacteria that colonize plant roots and leaves, giving you growth and harvest benefits you’ve never imagined. It’s the only indoor gardening beneficial bacteria hydroponics formula to have earned the official seal of approval from the Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI). This means it’s the best product of its kind in the world.

Tarantula’s 19 types of beneficial bacteria bring organic gardening techniques into your indoor grow room for faster growth and bigger yields. These bacteria form a bioactive shield that prevents predatory microscopic organisms from attacking and killing clones, mature plants and buds. This beneficial bacterial shield guards leaves from being attacked by nasty bacteria and fungi that can wipe out crops.

Tarantula’s exclusive beneficial organisms release natural substances that encourage hydroponics flowering plants to produce extra flowers, shorter growth and more branching. Your garden will give you much larger harvests when you use Tarantula. When there are debris in the root zone, Tarantula’s organisms are there to digest the debris so they become nutrients rather than pollutants.

Tarantula minimizes hydroponics nutrient leaching, aids in nutrient cycling and absorption, improves soil structure, dissolves minerals (including phosphorus) for better bioavailability, enhances seed germination, fights pathogens, stimulates root growth and produces natural growth hormones. Tarantula’s beneficial bacteria are most effective when used in combination with Advanced Nutrients Piranha mycorrhizal fungi, which support and protect Tarantula’s beneficial bacteria.

Tarantula and all other Advanced Nutrients microbial products are safe, easy and economical to use. They’ll easily fit in with your regular feed program. Tarantula contains microbial friendlies that no other plant growth tonic contains. Tarantula is the only OMRI-certified beneficial bacteria product on the market.

You can’t get yield-boosting, specialized growth factors, crop protections and harvest enhancements- unless you use Tarantula.

Key Point: This product should be used in conjunction with the Piranha for optimum root development and an optimum yielding plant. Carbo Load is the food source for the bacterial in Tarantula and should be applied weekly to ensure a long life of all the beneficial bacteria.
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Piranha info:

· Piranha Protects Plants From the Roots Up
· Exclusive OMRI certification
· Fights Nematodes, Disease, Mold, and Mildew
· Increases Root Function for Better Growth
· 100% Guaranteed, concentrated and cost-effective

Most of us want the benefits of organic gardening in our hydroponics grow rooms. The general benefits of hydroponics include total control over plant nutrition and the ability to use organic products indoors to enhance yield and protect plants.

Piranha contains organic beneficial fungi that create faster hydroponics growth and bigger yields. It’s the only beneficial fungi formula to receive official approval from OMRI - the Organic Materials Review Institute. OMRI certified Piranha because it’s a 100% organic formula that cleans and energizes roots and root zones. Piranha helps roots uptake nutrients faster, and turns root zone debris into nutrients. It also protects plants. There are many molds, fungi, nematodes and other predators that will steal your harvest profit. Piranha’s beneficial fungi protect crops safely and easily.

When used as a foliar spray, Piranha fights gray mold, powdery mildew, Pythium root rot, Rhizoctania solani, Fusarium, Sclerotium rolfsii, Sclerotinia homoeocarpa and other problems that ruin plant health and decrease yields.

Our unique formula works wonders in the root zone. Piranha’s beneficial fungi break down root zone debris, transform debris into nutrients your plants can use, and create conditions that produce higher hydroponics yield. Piranha also blocks the onset and growth of root nematodes, which otherwise would penetrate roots and decrease growth and yield.

Piranha Beneficial Fungi colonizes root zones and plant surfaces with eight species of trichoderma and 18 species of endomycorrhizal and ectomycorrhizal fungi. These beneficial organisms colonize inside and outside roots to make stronger, healthier hydroponics roots that resist disease and stress while taking in more nutrients to produce faster growth and bigger yields.

Trichoderma are energetic colonizers that enhance root mass while preventing root rot, nematodes and other profit-killing problems.

Mycorrhizal fungi excrete powerful natural chemicals that increase nutrient availability and water retention, retard soil pathogens, and create a more aerated, porous soil structure.

Piranha’s good microbes fight bad microbes and nematode worms so your crops are safer and better able to produce large harvests. Piranha readily protects your seeds, sprouts, seedlings and clones so they survive into adulthood and give you the fat harvests you deserve. Piranha’s mycorrhizal fungi can expand surface area of root mass by as much as 700%, which means vastly increased nutrient water uptake.

Piranha and all our beneficial microbe formulas are easy to use, and produce obvious and immediately visible results. Plants treated with Piranha have more and better flowers, especially when Piranha is used with Tarantula and Voodoo Juice. There are no other hydroponics products available anywhere that do what Piranha can do, and Piranha is the only beneficial fungi product ever certified by OMRI.

Advanced Nutrients Piranha will assist plant growth by improving the development of a strong, expansive root zone. Piranha contains 26 types of beneficial fungi, including 8 species of Trichoderma (disease fighting fungi) and 18 species of Ecto Mycorrhizea and Endo Mycorrhizea fungi. Drawing on thousands of studies that detail the importance of mycorrhizal fungi, Dr. Hornby's further research found that such fungi excrete powerful chemical that dissolve nutrients, absorb water, and promote soil porosity. Such actions greatly assist the development of root mass, nutrient absorption, and water absorption, via the symbiotic relationship between the plant, its roots, and the fungi.

In nature, the beneficial fungi found in Piranha contribute to healthy soil and plants that are able to resist drought, stress, and other problems that deter plant growth. Dr. Hornby's studies and field tests prove Piranha helps plants establish fruits and flowers faster, in greater abundance, and with increased yield. Piranha gives your plants a natural advantage not often found in modern growing situations, especially when growers are working indoors. If you want a healthy, large, and an incredible yielding plant, the first step is to focus on the root system. The plant can only be as healthy and large as the root system can sustain. Piranha will not only increase the growth of the root system but it will also keep it free from harmful root diseases.

Key Point: Apply Piranha twice during the vegetative phase and once per week in the first two weeks of flowering. Carbo Load is the food source for the fungi in Piranha and should be applied weekly to ensure a long life of all the beneficial fungi.

 

[Chief Bigsmoke]

Electronic Tester

Taking the guesswork out of a lot of things in the production room is my handy super tool. I have never tried a fancy electronic tester until now, but damnnn I am never going back. S far it has been bang on. I was a bit disappointed that they didn't include a storage solution. Overall it has been a big help though.

Here is some info:

HI 9813-6N is a versatile, water resistant multiparameter portable meter specifically designed for agricultural applications such as hydroponics, greenhouses, farming and nurseries. It features an extra large LCD that clearly displays the parameter being measured as well as calibration instructions. Calibration is fast and easy with knobs located on the front panel of the instrument. HI 9813-6N is a pH/EC/TDS meter designed for simplicity of use in taking pH, mS/cm, ppm and temperature in the °C scale measurements. HI 9813-6 includes all the features of the HI 9813-5 while incorporating our exclusive CAL CHECK™ feature. CAL CHECK™ allows the user to easily check the probe calibration status at any time. Both instruments utilize the HI 1285 series pH/EC/TDS/temperature probe. This probe features a fiber junction and gel electrolyte making it ideal for fertilizer solutions.

Features

Water resistant
On-screen user guides-Save time with on-screen calibration guides
BEPS (Battery Error Protection System) alerts the user in the event that low battery power could adversely affect readings
Switch parameters at the touch of a button
Automatic Temperature Compensation- For pH and conductivity
Simple calibration-Dials located on the front panel makes calibration quick and simple, even for non-technical users
Battery % displayed on startup
Fast response probe included

Uses 4.01 and 7.01 pH calibration solution and either 1413 uS/cm or 1500ppm
calibration solution.

Range
pH 0.0 to 14.0 pH
EC 0.00 to 4.00 mS/cm
TDS 0 to 1999 ppm (mg/L)
Temp 0.0 to 60.0°C
Resolution
pH 0.1 pH
EC 0.01 mS/cm
TDS 1 ppm (mg/L)
Temp 0.1°C
Accuracy (@20°C/68°F)
pH ±0.1 pH
EC ±2% F.S. mS/cm
TDS ±2% F.S. ppm
Temp ±0.5°C
TDS Conversion Factor 0.56 to 0.78
pH Calibration manual, 1 point
EC Calibration manual, 1 point
EC/TDS Temperature Compensation automatic 0 to 50°C (32 to 122°F) with β=2%/°C
Probe HI 1285-6 (CAL CHECK compatible)
Battery Type / Life (1) 9V / approximately 150 hours of continuous use
Environment 0 to 50°C (32 to 122°F); 100% RH
Dimensions / Weight 144.6 x 79.5 x 37 mm (5.7 x 3.1 x 1.5") / 230 g (8.1 oz.)



NOTE: BGH highly recommends the use of Electrode Cleaning and Electrode Storage Solution with any meter. Customers have sent their defective meters back only to have them returned because there was nothing wrong with them - all they needed was a good cleaning. By using Electrode Storage Solution you will lengthen the life of the electrode (which is warranteed for only six months) and minimize the frequency in which you will have to clean it.

 

[Chief Bigsmoke]

Aug 26th

Water Application

2 gallons of RO water
Starting pH 5.8, 0015 ppm

:character0180:

Add:+
1 tsp Cal mag + iron
6 ml Hygrozyme
4 ml Bud Candy
2 ml Bushmaster* Final Application
1/4 ml Drip Clean

Water pH 4.3, ppm 171

Add a pinch of Baking soda to adjust pH

New pH = 5.9

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Pour over plants

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Then pour 2 more gallons of PLAIN RO water. 5% runoff.

 

[Builtaforest]

Way to land in hard brother!

Tagged for later, dense posts haha

 

[Chief Bigsmoke]

Way to land in hard brother!

Tagged for later, dense posts haha

Thanks bro! I have a lot of catching up to do. :) I have been following the vets here for a while now and it's time for me to start contributing. Plus I'de really like to friend some breeders and fellow cannabuddies.

I would really love for fellow farmers to stop by and say hello. I am a total nube. I've done a lot of homework but now I need lots of experience.

Thanks to everyone who takes the chance to read.

:hi:

 

[Chief Bigsmoke]

Co2 all gone....

Today I ran out of the "Greenpads" which are used for Co2 enrichment. I do not have the funds for a professional Co2 system yet, but I've heard of a way to produce a LIGHT amount of Co2. The technique was passed along by the advancenutes boys a couple years ago here in my area.

Here is the recipe:
An empty 2 liter soda bottle
7 cups of lukewarm water
2 cups of white sugar
1/4 teaspoon granular bread yeast

*I'll be doubling the recipe and using a 1 gallon milk jug

Anyone have any experience with this method?

Or is there a better method?


Thanks!!!

 

[Chief Bigsmoke]

24 hrs after last bushmaster application

Photo log

 

[Chief Bigsmoke]

Equipment extras

Today it was safety day in the garden. I added an automatic fire extinguisher to the inside of the tent and I took some photos of some extra safety equipment.

So to further prevent fires I have included a High Temp Shut Off with a 15 minute on delay. It has a 15 amp max so I have it controlling my Air con. If the temps get too high it automatically shuts off and turns back on in 15 minutes. The 15 minute delay also protects your lighting equipment as well. Good tool.

My Sentinel HID-2 Lighting controller has a remote temperature sensor and has its own dedicated high temp shut off feature. The lighting controller gives the user the option of how long before the lights refire. This thing has too many features to mention. So in my typical fashion I will just post a short bio.

PS The controller can handle a max of 1200w's but I have the 1st outlet and trigger cord attaches to a Lighting controller that I can upgrade to a possible 4000w's

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The Sentinel HID-2 grow light controller is the simplest model to set up. It features a 24-hour digital time-clock that is extremely accurate and easy to use. There's even a battery backup in case of power outages.

To protect your plants, the Sentinel HID-2 has a remote temperature sensor that will activate the "Hi-temp shutdown" feature if air temperature rises above the adjustable setpoint that you select.

The HID-2 grow light controller has built-in Hot-start prevention logic to make sure your HID lamps cool properly before re-firing in the event of a power interruption.

You can stagger-start 2 separate lighting banks using the adjustable time delay to eliminate large power spikes.

If you prefer, set the first outlet for DAY, with the second outlet set for NIGHT only output for dehumidifiers, heaters, or exhaust fans, etc.

The HID-2 lighting controller can handle up to 1200 watts of HID lighting.

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[Chief Bigsmoke]

Extra photos

Remember to get proper commercial insurance for your site. 99% of insures will void your policy if you are caught growing legal or illegally. I had no clue that finding insurance would be so difficult. I took us nearly 4 months to find proper coverage. Finally a company by the name of LMG insurance helped us out. They have a youtube video done by remo (urban grower) just search LMG inurance and CTA Urban Grower.

 

[Chief Bigsmoke]

Last night I applied some ferts via Foliar Spray. In the back of my mind I questioned whether I should or not. In the end my decision to fert was based on an article produced by the producers of Bushmaster. Explaining that I should combine a kelp/seaweed fert with the aplication of Bushmaster. They recommend applying it 3 days before. I have kelp meal in my soil mix so I figure I'm alright. I just wanted to add some more to help the process.

Here is what my spray consisted of:

1000ml of RO water
1 ml "Bio Weed" by General Organics
2 ml Grozyme - "Enzymatic Formula"
.5 ml Cal Mag + Iron - Botanicare


The Foliar spray was applied during the plants morning hours and I was hoping that the spray did not burn the foliage. I had my fingers crossed so I think that helps. :P

I'll post some photos when they wake up in a couple hours. :)

My you all have a blessed day

 

[Chief Bigsmoke]

48 hrs After Bushmaster

Pictures as promised. It took me a couple days to post them but here they are. These are taken 48 hrs after Bushmaster Application.

Lots of new sites popping up. Very impressed so far with this product. No signs of over-fertilization yet. :) Fingers crossed

 

[Builtaforest]

lookin good still chief! not much to add, but just wanted to let ya know still lurkin :)

 

[Chief Bigsmoke]

lookin good still chief! not much to add, but just wanted to let ya know still lurkin :)

you're too Awesome Builtaforest!

Thanks for the re-assurance. It is always nice to know ppl are following along.

I am still Jealous over your wicked Chemmy Jones

- Chief