First grow, self build grow closet with cfl lighting

[blues frog]

Well, this is my first grow and my first diary. I can't promise to keep up to date with this but I will try.

I am growing in a closet I just built out of 9mm plywood and 1" square softwood. Total size of unit is 6'x4'x2'.
Clone space - 18"x20"x24"
Veg space - 42"x20"x24"
Flower space - 60"x28"x24"
Drying space - 4" x48"x24"

As yet have no ventilation. I am waiting on delivery of a tt125 inline fan, and some clips and stuff, so will be sorted this week.

Growing in 60% John Innes No.3 with 40% Perlite

Planted 10 Early Misty and 3 bag seeds, got 7 misty and 3 bag germed. Have cut 2 mistys and 1 bag seed (males). Plants are approx. 5 weeks from germ.
Am now germing
1 x Barneys Blue Crimea
1 x Barneys Red Dragon
1 x Soma Lavender

 

[420grassgrower]

really nice

 

[sativablast]

Congrats looking unreal, i like the big thin leaved plant yu got nice which 1 is
that???

 

[blues frog]

i dunno. Came from some random bag seed. The smoke wasn't that great, but it had been impregnated by some filthy male.

 

[shdowlkr]

Nice looking cab Blues Frog... Looks a lot like mine but yours was probably cheaper to build, lol...

ladies look like they are enjoying those CFLs:party0042:

 

[blues frog]

That looks excellent. My ladies are still having problems with magnesium deficiency, but i'm not sure whats causing it. growing tips are lime green and losing some older fan leaves. I've just started using viresco granular humate and mycorhizal funghi, good price i thought, check it out here.

http://www.viresco-uk.com/onlineshop/

I hope it helps me sort out whats happening as I don't want to keep adding more magnesium.

Will add more pics tomorrow.

 

[blues frog]

New pics

Well here we are as promised, some new pictures, and some other news. Of the three in the garden that I thought were female, well I was wrong. Two of them are boys, so I am gonna let them grow on and flower, to fertilise the bag seed female I have out there. Early Misty male x Random sativa female.

In the closet I have had a nice surprise this afternoon, as both of my remaining early misty plants have produced female preflowers, and my lavender, red dragon, blue cheese and magic bud girls have all germinated, although the crimea blue had fused cotyledons, and died soon after germination. So I am in an excellent mood.

The pics are of my three indoor ladies.

:boogie:

 

[blues frog]

Sorry about the orientation of the pictures, I'll get that sorted out.

 

[blues frog]

Shdowlkr, what wattage bulbs are u using, and what spectrum are they. Also what sort of results are you getting, say in grams per plant, kind of density of the flowers etc. This is my first grow and I need as much info as possible, so as to get an idea of what I can expect. I need to make plans as I want to be totally self sufficient.

 

[shdowlkr]

You're ladies are looking great BF! nicely done so far.

Genetics play more of a role in flower density then lighting. While lighting helps, it cannot make a fluffy sativa feel the same as a rock hard indica.

The pic I posted of my box above is abit old. Currently in veg I have 3 23w 6500k CFL's and in flower there is a single 400w HPS sitting in a cooltube. Original setup as shown above only had a single 23w cfl in veg and a 250w hps in flower.

I've never flowered with only CFL. I did use them to supplement the 250w hps, but dont see the need with this 400, lol.

and the gram per plant, really goes back to the pot size as the biggest restriction. Limit the roots and you limit the buds.

I dont know how much you smoke, but when I first started growing my wife and I were going through a quarter of schwagg in about 10 days. Now, a q of schwagg is only good for 3 days, maybe 4, and most of that is because we both work all day. I do not grow to sell, so weights in general do not matter to me. You will find, the more you grow the more you smoke, and the more ya smoke the more ya need to grow. Its a vicious cycle, but I wouldn't trade it for the world! lol

 

[blues frog]

Yeah, I guess I can understand that. I only wanna get enough for me and my wife, not commercial (obviously considering the size of my cab).
Thing is I think I'm hooked on getting my smoke this way and I haven't even got a crop yet. They say there is nothing like the taste of your own home grown food, and it's true, so I guess that applies double to your own smoke.

Only time will tell.

Oh, and I took 8 cuttings today, so hopefully a few more girls (if they root alright)

:joint:

 

[hoki2test]

:smoke:smokeNice one bro,good luck with this grow:smoke:smoke

 

[blues frog]

Thanks hoki. I thought I was going to lose my plants, I think I fed them too much early on and caused a nute lockout. Now I am happy, 3 confirmed girls in the cab, plus 4 female seedlings and all these clones (if they root).

Life is good at the mo.

 

[shdowlkr]

Thanks hoki. I thought I was going to lose my plants, I think I fed them too much early on and caused a nute lockout. Now I am happy, 3 confirmed girls in the cab, plus 4 female seedlings and all these clones (if they root).

Life is good at the mo.

Most common issues at the seedling stage

1- over watering
2- over feeding

Best solution to both, Patience :)

Good luck with the clones. The first one I ever took rooted in 12 days, second time they rooted in 10, third, 4th and 5th time they didnt root, lol.. You'll find a system that works for you cloning, stick with it until it becomes flawed or limits you. but if it works, be happy and continue to use that method.

 

[blues frog]

Thanks Shdow

 

[blues frog]

So. I guess I ought to describe the smell. I am nearly 2 weeks into 12/12, and they are now developing white hairs in all the growing tips, so I guess they are flowering.

The bag seed plant still smells like catpiss, but only mildly.

The Early Misty on the other hand smells like hot coffee cake in an Amsterdam cafe. Its the only way I can describe it, except to say it smells delicious.

I will try and put some more pics later on today or tomorrow.

The only downer is that they are still lime green at the tips, and growing very slowly (unless my impatience is causing my time perception to alter, I know its not the hash I am smoking, cos that's shit.

 

[blues frog]

Well, here is the next set of pics. The Red Dragon seedling is looking sick. Leaves are curling up at the ends. Could this be windburn or too much light too early?

 

[Lost]

Lime green = new growth. Dont worry about it..

 

[livinglegend]

nice bro. i have always wanted to build a cool cab...... like yours.
but than i just filled the room up instead. haha

 

[blues frog]

Lost - Thanks for that. First grow and all, I'm probably over worrying.

Living Legend -Thanks dude.

This though is a worry. I have thrips. :sick0026: Well, not me personally, but my plants in the closet (and the outdoor ones) have definately got thrips. Now the ones outside I am not too worried about, as we have plenty of predator bugs out there, but the ones indoors are more of a worry.
Caught a ladybird larvae today and put it in there with them, and am going out tomorrow to look for more of those, and also lacewing larvae. If anyone has any other ideas (bearing in mind my girls are two weeks into flower) then I would love to hear your input.

I have read the thread on thrips on this site, but want to know everybodys preferred methods, especially organic/bio.