MHippie
Supporter
- 1,209
- 263
So this is the beginning of a pretty wild (for me) grow diary being that I've never publicly documented anything. But living in a legal State? It's all good now I guess.
I got caught up in hydroponics, aeroponics, and the like more than 25 years ago. Sure there are a TON of "advanced" growing machines and techniques out there. But the weed is basic (try doing a Desert Rose Bonsai from a Chinese importer that's been traveling for 3 weeks before you get it for a flex on difficulty level) in comparison to other exhaustively difficult types of plants. It adapts fast, reacts fast, and you really have to work to kill them. I never could get past the fact that while everyone is spending dump truck loads of money to replicate sunlight... it's sort of available for free. Might be more labor intensive, but all of my plants regardless of stage (flower/veg) are outside every day by 8am and inside by 8pm. This gets adjusted when the sun up/sun down times change.
I use supplemental florescent grow lights (... the little thin ones) at night for vegging plants. Can't seem to trust LEDs yet though my sons laugh at me constantly about it. Hey, if it works, stop fucking with it.
Cloning imo can be a challenge and I've learned once again that it can be all about the strain and its behavior.
The first pic is this White Widow strain I'm working with. I killed a good half dozen of these before I realized, this particular strain of White Widow SUCKS in a water clone method. On a whim, I hit a clone from a topped plant with rooting hormone and stuck it into moist GOOD dirt (cow shit, perlite, premium potting soil mixed). This is a week later. In a water clone, I would not have left the larger fan leaves intact. But on this one? Oh yeah. Push it. See what happens. Leaves have lifted and it's VERY happy. In another week, I'll use some bonsai tools and GENTLY check its root structure. If it's good, then outside it goes.
The second pic is my "cloning machine" lol which is currently hosting 4 Pineapple Express clones. So giggle... get it out of your system now lol! It's not a space age amazon thing. It's a $5 plastic shoe box, sliced up pool noodle, tooth picks, and the cheapest aquarium air pump on the shelf with the cheapest air stone they had. So like $14 bucks. Here's how simple this is. Drill a 1/4 inch hole into the upper side for the air pump. Feed the hose through, stick the stone on and you're done. Fill it with water. If you are lucky like me, you're on a well with no chlorine and fluoride. If you're not, head to the store and pick up a couple gallons of some decent drinking water... not distilled. Slice the pool noodle about 1/4 inch thick. You want 2 slices for each clone. Then do the toothpick thing you see there. One across the top ring to hold the clone upright. Three to hold it at least an inch above the one on the bottom. The reason for this is they soak up water and you don't want your clone's leaves constantly wet. They need to exchange air. The top ring needs to be dry. Stick your clones into the hole and drop them into the water. That's it. Make sure you prop them up against the toothpicks to keep them in the air a little and that's it. No supplemental lighting. They are sitting on an unused desk in my house next to a window that has a curtain over it. Mild light... no nutrients. These gals have been going for a week as well. I can hold the clones up to the lights and see the nubs of the new roots starting to emerge. When they are about a half inch, I'll add a VERY low very below "mild" dose of nutrient to the water. They'll go bonkers and into the dirt they'll go.
The third pic is Squirt and Purple Mountain Majesty sprouts started from seed. Germination mat set to 80F. REALLY good soil. Inside normal household lights are on around them and that's it. I see mixed reviews about Humboldt Seed Company's stuff on here. Uh... that's cool. Everything isn't for everyone. But if I'm getting 100% germination using the wet paper towel method within 48 hours? Yeah that's for me. I have three of each going. They have all started to erupt from the soil. So we'll see what happens.
In my part of the world, outside winter gardening isn't happening. So we have to grow enough to get us through the winter and early spring. Then we coast with mommas through the winter and clone out about 2 months before the temps come back up.
I got caught up in hydroponics, aeroponics, and the like more than 25 years ago. Sure there are a TON of "advanced" growing machines and techniques out there. But the weed is basic (try doing a Desert Rose Bonsai from a Chinese importer that's been traveling for 3 weeks before you get it for a flex on difficulty level) in comparison to other exhaustively difficult types of plants. It adapts fast, reacts fast, and you really have to work to kill them. I never could get past the fact that while everyone is spending dump truck loads of money to replicate sunlight... it's sort of available for free. Might be more labor intensive, but all of my plants regardless of stage (flower/veg) are outside every day by 8am and inside by 8pm. This gets adjusted when the sun up/sun down times change.
I use supplemental florescent grow lights (... the little thin ones) at night for vegging plants. Can't seem to trust LEDs yet though my sons laugh at me constantly about it. Hey, if it works, stop fucking with it.
Cloning imo can be a challenge and I've learned once again that it can be all about the strain and its behavior.
The first pic is this White Widow strain I'm working with. I killed a good half dozen of these before I realized, this particular strain of White Widow SUCKS in a water clone method. On a whim, I hit a clone from a topped plant with rooting hormone and stuck it into moist GOOD dirt (cow shit, perlite, premium potting soil mixed). This is a week later. In a water clone, I would not have left the larger fan leaves intact. But on this one? Oh yeah. Push it. See what happens. Leaves have lifted and it's VERY happy. In another week, I'll use some bonsai tools and GENTLY check its root structure. If it's good, then outside it goes.
The second pic is my "cloning machine" lol which is currently hosting 4 Pineapple Express clones. So giggle... get it out of your system now lol! It's not a space age amazon thing. It's a $5 plastic shoe box, sliced up pool noodle, tooth picks, and the cheapest aquarium air pump on the shelf with the cheapest air stone they had. So like $14 bucks. Here's how simple this is. Drill a 1/4 inch hole into the upper side for the air pump. Feed the hose through, stick the stone on and you're done. Fill it with water. If you are lucky like me, you're on a well with no chlorine and fluoride. If you're not, head to the store and pick up a couple gallons of some decent drinking water... not distilled. Slice the pool noodle about 1/4 inch thick. You want 2 slices for each clone. Then do the toothpick thing you see there. One across the top ring to hold the clone upright. Three to hold it at least an inch above the one on the bottom. The reason for this is they soak up water and you don't want your clone's leaves constantly wet. They need to exchange air. The top ring needs to be dry. Stick your clones into the hole and drop them into the water. That's it. Make sure you prop them up against the toothpicks to keep them in the air a little and that's it. No supplemental lighting. They are sitting on an unused desk in my house next to a window that has a curtain over it. Mild light... no nutrients. These gals have been going for a week as well. I can hold the clones up to the lights and see the nubs of the new roots starting to emerge. When they are about a half inch, I'll add a VERY low very below "mild" dose of nutrient to the water. They'll go bonkers and into the dirt they'll go.
The third pic is Squirt and Purple Mountain Majesty sprouts started from seed. Germination mat set to 80F. REALLY good soil. Inside normal household lights are on around them and that's it. I see mixed reviews about Humboldt Seed Company's stuff on here. Uh... that's cool. Everything isn't for everyone. But if I'm getting 100% germination using the wet paper towel method within 48 hours? Yeah that's for me. I have three of each going. They have all started to erupt from the soil. So we'll see what happens.
In my part of the world, outside winter gardening isn't happening. So we have to grow enough to get us through the winter and early spring. Then we coast with mommas through the winter and clone out about 2 months before the temps come back up.