First Grow - Need Advise! (pics)

Lollo84 · Nov 1, 2018

Hello Everybody!

New 'farmer' here in need of advise from you experts :)

I've 2 plants of white widow (feminised and the ones that stay small).
Using normal potting soil and NPK as supplements.

It all started beg September

I'm using 2 LED lights since I read that they don't generate too much heat and they're quite cheap to run. Actually, I'd need your advise on distance and whether they're enough.
They are full spectrum lights, but you know.. Better ask!

This is the actual set up:

The first month and a half I went for 20 hours of light and 4 of darkness. They then stopped growing and I switched to 12/12.
I'm not seeing any 'stretch' during this period and, as you can see the plants are quite different in size, although they received the same treatment..

There are now few things I'm concerned about:
- Pests: there are small white bastards in the soil just under the surface that 'jump' when you poke them (How do I kill them?)
- Development: although some pistils are turning brownish, I'm not seeing any progress.. It seems like everything stopped..
- On one leaf there are these little yellowish spots (below). Any idea what that might be?
- Are the lights good enough?

https://i.invalid.com/bxZDtCF.jpg

Thanks all, I learned a lot reading around and I hope I'll be able to contribute once I get better at this :)

xinobyte · Nov 1, 2018

The 2 small ones are overwatered, so much so that green algea is forming on the top of your soil.

They're very lanky as well which makes sense considering your lights are adjusted for the tallest plant.

The pest infestation could've started because of the overwatering or poor quality/already infested soil.

The last thing you want to do is cheap out and buy soil from a hardware store, learned that the hard way.

The spots you're seeing is just a symptom of the overwatering and pest infestation IMO.

Honestly i think there's no fixing this and even if you did, it wouldn't be worth it.
I'd just harvest the ones that grew when ready, toss the rest and do better next run.

Make sure to clean the walls, floor, ceiling of your tent and the room it's in with bleach when done so pests don't come back.

Lollo84 · Nov 1, 2018

xinobyte said:
The 2 small ones are overwatered, so much so that green algea is forming on the top of your soil.

They're very lanky as well which makes sense considering your lights are adjusted for the tallest plant.

The pest infestation could've started because of the overwatering or poor quality/already infested soil.

The last thing you want to do is cheap out and buy soil from a hardware store, learned that the hard way.

The spots you're seeing is just a symptom of the overwatering and pest infestation IMO.

Honestly i think there's no fixing this and even if you did, it wouldn't be worth it.
I'd just harvest the ones that grew when ready, toss the rest and do better next run.

Make sure to clean the walls, floor, ceiling of your tent and the room it's in with bleach when done so pests don't come back.

Thanks a lot for your reply!
And you’re totally right: I guess I mistakenly translated ‘watering’ with ‘giving love’ :)

For the next time I already bought fabric pots that should help as well..
Is there an average amount of water for 10litres pots? Like 100 ml every 2 days or so..

Smoking Gun · Nov 1, 2018

Lollo84 said:
Thanks a lot for your reply!
And you’re totally right: I guess I mistakenly translated ‘watering’ with ‘giving love’ :)

For the next time I already bought fabric pots that should help as well..
Is there an average amount of water for 10litres pots? Like 100 ml every 2 days or so..

There is no average amount of water to give, it is all going to depend on environment and age of the plant. As the plant gets larger it will need more water and nutrients. Another thing to keep in mind is airflow and ventilation. I don’t see any fans bringing air in or circulating it around the tent. That will also create problems for your plants.

xinobyte · Nov 1, 2018

Lollo84 said:
Is there an average amount of water for 10litres pots? Like 100 ml every 2 days or so..

The rule of thumb is you want 20% runoff so for 10 litres pots you'd want 2 litres of runoff.

The term overwatering is misleading, the problem isn't how much water you put in but how long you wait between watering.

The way i do it is by putting half my index in the dirt and when it's dry i water again.
You can also tell by how heavy or light your pots are.

Lollo84 · Nov 1, 2018

Can someone confirm whether the lights are decent enough? As it’s clear, I need to get better and don’t want to start off the wrong foot with the wrong tools :)

@Smoking Gun, true, they’re not visible but I’m using 2 pc fans 180mm for airflow. You reckon is not enough?

Monster762 · Nov 1, 2018

Lollo84 said:
Can someone confirm whether the lights are decent enough? As it’s clear, I need to get better and don’t want to start off the wrong foot with the wrong tools :)

@Smoking Gun, true, they’re not visible but I’m using 2 pc fans 180mm for airflow. You reckon is not enough?

I’d bend the plants over a little n drop those lights to light the sides up. Or just put sidelights in. I think your lights are a little high though for the output. You can probably put them like 8 inches off tops.
Try adding some mykos on next run to your soil. It’s with the $. And perelite.

And the jumpy white bugs are good bugs. But do point at overwater or drainage issue if they’re mob deep.

xinobyte · Nov 1, 2018

Lollo84 said:
Can someone confirm whether the lights are decent enough?

From what i can see you've got 90w LEDs for what i assume is a 2x2 tent, ideally you'd want 250w.

If you have the funds a 250w HID would be the best but you'd also need an aircooled hood and 4" inline fan to get rid of the heat. A 4" carbon filter to remove the smells on top of that wouldn't hurt either.

This hobby can be pretty expensive to get into but is well worth it in the end.

Smoking Gun · Nov 1, 2018

Lollo84 said:
Can someone confirm whether the lights are decent enough? As it’s clear, I need to get better and don’t want to start off the wrong foot with the wrong tools :)

@Smoking Gun, true, they’re not visible but I’m using 2 pc fans 180mm for airflow. You reckon is not enough?

As Monster said your lights are a little far from the plants, move them a bit closer and you will get better results. I think you would be alright with the lights you have, but upgrading is never the wrong answer.

As for the fans, they are definitely not enough. You need to get a 6” clip fan in there for some air movement and I would suggest at least a 4” booster fan for air intake. You also have no air filter or exhaust which @xinobyte pointed out and I would also recommend. Don’t underestimate the importance of air in your grow. That is where most people go wrong as it is relatively easy to over look. But if you have good air flow and exchange you will have healthier plants.

Dan789 · Nov 1, 2018

First of all, one of your plants is killing it for a first grow. Second welcome to the farm, glad you found the community.
We’ve all progressed from lights that barely grew MJ, and you’re off to a good start. As time and your budget allows you can acquire additional or maybe more effective lights, but that’s for the future.
Watch the over watering, especially when the plants/seedlings are new.
As a rule, try to use natural or regular lights for photos, as the LEDs or “Bluple” lights can hide a problem that regular lights allow the community to see, to be able to suggest any solutions for.
Don’t sweat the small stuff, good growing and good luck.

Lollo84 · Nov 2, 2018

Alright, after all your amazing suggestions I went and bought a 600w led light and will use the actual ones as sidelights. Plus I bought a booster fan and mykos.

@Monster762 what do you mean by good bugs? Are the harmless or even proper good for the plants?

@Dan789 thanks man! I needed some encouragement! I’m sure the next ones will be better.

Monster762 · Nov 2, 2018

Jumping bugs near top of soil are springtails. They are harmless. I killed a bunch before worrying. I saw them bastards mob deep n nuked em then found out they were a sign of a good live soil.

MissBotany · Nov 2, 2018

I personally hate those plastic nursery pots. The soil stays wet far too long and roots do not get proper airflow. In my opinion, if you keep them in those plastic nursery pots, cut the soil with more perlite (I would also drill small holes in the side of the pots).

It’ll also help prevent pests.

Lollo84 · Nov 2, 2018

MissBotany said:
I personally hate those plastic nursery pots. The soil stays wet far too long and roots do not get proper airflow. In my opinion, if you keep them in those plastic nursery pots, cut the soil with more perlite (I would also drill small holes in the side of the pots).

It’ll also help prevent pests.

Great advise! I’ll do that.
And for the next ones I already bought 10litres fabric bots :)

MissBotany · Nov 2, 2018

Good choice. You’ll see a huge difference.

I just bought 6 of the 2 gallon air pots to use in veg. I up pot to 5 gallon fabrics before moving to flower tent.

Smoking Gun · Nov 2, 2018

Lollo84 said:
Alright, after all your amazing suggestions I went and bought a 600w led light and will use the actual ones as sidelights. Plus I bought a booster fan and mykos.

@Monster762 what do you mean by good bugs? Are the harmless or even proper good for the plants?

@Dan789 thanks man! I needed some encouragement! I’m sure the next ones will be better.

A 600w light is a good choice, hopefully it’s dimmable so you can use it through all stages of growth. What size tent is that? While more light is better than less, you can over do it. You are setting yourself up for a good round two, I am looking forward to your next run.

Lollo84 · Nov 2, 2018

Smoking Gun said:
A 600w light is a good choice, hopefully it’s dimmable so you can use it through all stages of growth. What size tent is that? While more light is better than less, you can over do it. You are setting yourself up for a good round two, I am looking forward to your next run.

Thanks dude!
The tent is 60x60x140 cm
Not huge but I’m going to grow only 2 plants at a time: I realised I’ve a lot to learn, so small batches give me time to improve and learn from my mistakes.

Not sure te dimmable :S
What if it’s not? Can I ‘filter’ it somehow?

Smoking Gun · Nov 2, 2018

That is a lot of light for a small space, but it will be a vast improvement from what you have now. If the unit itself does not have a potentiometer you should consider an external dimmer of some kind. Otherwise it would be best to start the light at the top of the tent and over time move it closer to the plants until they start to show signs of light or heat stress.

You are correct that you have a lot to learn but trial and error is the best way to learn; I am still learning every day through trial and error. You have certainly done one thing correct, you have joined the community here at the Farm where you will receive plenty of advise and help.

Lollo84 · Nov 3, 2018

One more question: I should buy a humidifier.
Any suggestion for my small tent?
Better cool mist or warm? Ultrasonic?

Dan789 · Nov 3, 2018

The answer to that depends on what your RH is, if it’s not high enough a humidifier is a good bet, but then with higher humidity air movement becomes more critical. Don’t know if you’ve got access to Amazon, but they’ve got plenty of them.
Here’s a picture of the one I’ve got, which works ok in a 4x4 tent.

First Grow - Need Advise! (pics)

First Grow - Need Advise! (pics)

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