First time grow, any comments or feedback?

Lockeboxgrows · Apr 6, 2022

Hey first time grower here thought I'd share what I've got going on and see what anyone has to say. Disclaimer, like I said I'm a first time grower and working under a heavy budget so my main goal is to have fun and learn something.

I picked up a girl scout cookies clone from a local dispensary a couple weeks back

Here she is on the ride home.

Once home I transplanted her into a 9 inch plastic pot I found using foxfarm happy frog soil as my medium and watered 48 oz of distilled water

She is under two hyper tough led cabinet lights for a total of 150 watts and I have a small fan which sits on the floor pointed under the door to circulate air.

I switched the light cycle to 12/12 the day after bringing her home and have been feeding straight water about every five days (when the soil is finally starting to dry).
She has now been in 12/12 for about a week and a half and is showing nice growth (I think)

That's about all I can think of right now. Im thinking about getting some sort of nutrients to introduce around the end of week 4 of 12/12 but am not sure cause I know the soil has a set amount of nutrients before needing more and also flushing before harvest and what not.
Well that was a lot, thanks!

Lockeboxgrows · Apr 6, 2022

Heres another photo of the day I brought her home for growth comparison

Treecutter · Apr 6, 2022

Add cal mag plus at the least once a week and a little down to earth 4-8-4 or any organic 2-8-4 would help with the flower.

Lockeboxgrows · Apr 6, 2022

Treecutter said:
Add cal mag plus at the least once a week and a little down to earth 4-8-4 or any organic 2-8-4 would help with the flower.

Okay good deal thanks! I'll pickup some cal mag plus and try it out and start looking in to the other. I've noticed a few yellowing / burnt leaf tips throughout the plant do you think that's due to a nutriency deficiency? Or possibly from the light

Shaded_One · Apr 6, 2022

"watered 48 oz of distilled water"

Careful with distilled/RO water and soil grows. You WILL run into micronutrient deficiencies of all sorts unless you supplement with a rock dust blend or something else to target them. The other thing I would have done is let it veg for a week or two before going 12/12 - that clone looked very lanky and not completely healthy before you switched. Good luck and have fun :)

Mostlymooses · Apr 6, 2022

Echoing supplement filtered water with cal/mag, you will run into problems eventually without.

Lockeboxgrows · Apr 6, 2022

Shaded_One said:
"watered 48 oz of distilled water"

Careful with distilled/RO water and soil grows. You WILL run into micronutrient deficiencies of all sorts unless you supplement with a rock dust blend or something else to target them. The other thing I would have done is let it veg for a week or two before going 12/12 - that clone looked very lanky and not completely healthy before you switched. Good luck and have fun :)

Awesome thanks for the input, maybe a silly question but would a rock dust blend be similar to cal mag or something entirely different? I wasn't sure on when to switch to 12/12 either and to be completely honest it just worked out easier for my schedule that day due to my lights not being on timers LOL. In the future I will definitely veg longer, that clone was actually one of the best looking ones in the dispensary is that a bad sign? Lol

Shaded_One · Apr 6, 2022

Lockeboxgrows said:
Awesome thanks for the input, maybe a silly question but would a rock dust blend be similar to cal mag or something entirely different? I wasn't sure on when to switch to 12/12 either and to be completely honest it just worked out easier for my schedule that day due to my lights not being on timers LOL. In the future I will definitely veg longer, that clone was actually one of the best looking ones in the dispensary is that a bad sign? Lol

I recommend starting from seed next time :) it's not terribly difficult and you at least have complete control over everything. Getting clones are ALWAYS risky - they may be sick, weak genetics, pests etc.

A rock dust blend is just an organic supp that usually covers most of the micronutrients and elements that a plant would need, your primary nutrient blend will cover your macronutrients(N, P, K) and have some micronutrients but not enough to sustain.

Gypsum is a good source of Calcium & Sulfur
Epsom salts can provide Magnesium & Sulfur

Lockeboxgrows · Apr 6, 2022

Shaded_One said:
I recommend starting from seed next time :) it's not terribly difficult and you at least have complete control over everything. Getting clones are ALWAYS risky - they may be sick, weak genetics, pests etc.

A rock dust blend is just an organic supp that usually covers most of the micronutrients and elements that a plant would need, your primary nutrient blend will cover your macronutrients(N, P, K) and have some micronutrients but not enough to sustain.

Gypsum is a good source of Calcium & Sulfur
Epsom salts can provide Magnesium & Sulfur

Yeah after the experience I've had with this clone so far and all the reading I've done about training/ topping etc. I've decided I definitely want to go with seeds next time for much more control like you said.

I'll be stopping in a grow store later as im out and about and I'm planning to pick up some rock dust blend as well as a primary nutrient blend maybe something along the lines of 2-8-4 like treecutter mentioned earlier. Do you think that will be sufficient or at least a nice step up?

Also I'm thinking basalt rock dust due to the high levels of calcium and magnesium?

Shaded_One · Apr 6, 2022

Lockeboxgrows said:
Yeah after the experience I've had with this clone so far and all the reading I've done about training/ topping etc. I've decided I definitely want to go with seeds next time for much more control like you said.

I'll be stopping in a grow store later as im out and about and I'm planning to pick up some rock dust blend as well as a primary nutrient blend maybe something along the lines of 2-8-4 like treecutter mentioned earlier. Do you think that will be sufficient or at least a nice step up?

Also I'm thinking basalt rock dust due to the high levels of calcium and magnesium?

Yep that's definitely a step in the right direction - Dr Earth and Gaia both use an equal ratio veg blend (2-2-2/4-4-4) and I would recommend picking up something for bloom/flower. There's a couple versions of rock dusts that you can get and I think you're good with whatever option you go with. I went with the all purpose rock dust blend which I think is less specific but more broad and has some humics.

I definitely recommend grabbing some scentless epsom salts as well just in case you need to do a home made Cal Mag solution (egg shells & epsom salts) and other than that maybe some Mycorrhizae :)

GanjaFarmer24 · Apr 6, 2022

Cannabis is categorized as a "heavy feeder" and will need extra P and K as it enters flowering. I like Dr Earth Flower Girl organic dry because it has beneficial bacteria and mycos included. I use Epsom salt for magnesium, about a teaspoon every week. Also, worm castings work great as a top dress as it has plenty of Calcium in it.

Lockeboxgrows · Apr 6, 2022

Shaded_One said:
Yep that's definitely a step in the right direction - Dr Earth and Gaia both use an equal ratio veg blend (2-2-2/4-4-4) and I would recommend picking up something for bloom/flower. There's a couple versions of rock dusts that you can get and I think you're good with whatever option you go with. I went with the all purpose rock dust blend which I think is less specific but more broad and has some humics.

View attachment 1233381

I definitely recommend grabbing some scentless epsom salts as well just in case you need to do a home made Cal Mag solution (egg shells & epsom salts) and other than that maybe some Mycorrhizae :)

I just got back from the store and they didn't have exactly what I was looking for but hopefully what I got will work.

They didn't have any rock dust but instead I got a product called sensi bloom parts a and b. Part a is the micronutrient part with a makeup of 3-0-0 and what I'm hoping to replace the rock dust with. Part b is the macronutrient part with a makeup of 2-4-8 I'm going to use as my primary nutrient blend.

I plan on trying these out later this afternoon when my light cycle comes on, here's some pictures of the bottles you may already be familiar with them

I didn't get the chance to grab any epsom salt today but I can when my budget builds back up a little if there's not enough magnesium here

Lockeboxgrows · Apr 6, 2022

GanjaFarmer24 said:
Cannabis is categorized as a "heavy feeder" and will need extra P and K as it enters flowering. I like Dr Earth Flower Girl organic dry because it has beneficial bacteria and mycos included. I use Epsom salt for magnesium, about a teaspoon every week. Also, worm castings work great as a top dress as it has plenty of Calcium in it.

Cool beans thanks for the info, I've heard Dr earth mentioned before and would like to try it in the future. when you do a top dress do you just layer the top of the soil with whatever you are using and water through it like normal?

zzzybil · Apr 6, 2022

stop pullin leaves , maybe pinch or fim .1 more time ..........keep reading ...........top dress & tea idk .........looks promising imo

GanjaFarmer24 · Apr 6, 2022

Lockeboxgrows said:
Cool beans thanks for the info, I've heard Dr earth mentioned before and would like to try it in the future. when you do a top dress do you just layer the top of the soil with whatever you are using and water through it like normal?

Yup, spread it around with your fingers. Also you might want it use some garden string and pull the top over so the side of the stem gets more light.

Shaded_One · Apr 6, 2022

Advanced Nutrients is not the best in my opinion and I hear nothing but bad things and problems with people that use the lineup. Not really surprised your local store tried to push it on you either tbh. You can try it out and see how it goes but I would try to find an alternative.

With dry nutrient lines you "pre-amend" your soil before planting/transplanting and then top dress every 2-4 weeks or as the plant needs. Literally all you do is water daily and top dress every few weeks once things are going smooth!

Lockeboxgrows · Apr 6, 2022

GanjaFarmer24 said:
Yup, spread it around with your fingers. Also you might want it use some garden string and pull the top over so the side of the stem gets more light.

Pull the top over as in bend it down and tie it off so to say? I've watched a few videos on low stress training and have been pulling all of my side branches down multiple times daily but have left the main stem alone for the most part, I've wanted to invest in a scragnet as well and plan to do so in the future

Lockeboxgrows · Apr 6, 2022

Shaded_One said:
Advanced Nutrients is not the best in my opinion and I hear nothing but bad things and problems with people that use the lineup. Not really surprised your local store tried to push it on you either tbh. You can try it out and see how it goes but I would try to find an alternative.

With dry nutrient lines you "pre-amend" your soil before planting/transplanting and then top dress every 2-4 weeks or as the plant needs. Literally all you do is water daily and top dress every few weeks once things are going smooth!

Well I was a bit worried to hear something back like that but all I can do now is try.

was also a bit disappointed in the selection at the store I didn't really see much of any type of dry line up but then again I'm not sure what I'm looking for. LOL the guy looked at me crazy when I asked for rock dust.

I will finish out this grow with what I have and see how it goes, but will definitely be studying up more as well for next time.

Is there anything I should watch out for after introducing new nutrients? It's been about 2 hours since I fed them now

grnmtn · Apr 7, 2022

Lockeboxgrows said:
I just got back from the store and they didn't have exactly what I was looking for but hopefully what I got will work.

They didn't have any rock dust but instead I got a product called sensi bloom parts a and b. Part a is the micronutrient part with a makeup of 3-0-0 and what I'm hoping to replace the rock dust with. Part b is the macronutrient part with a makeup of 2-4-8 I'm going to use as my primary nutrient blend.

I plan on trying these out later this afternoon when my light cycle comes on, here's some pictures of the bottles you may already be familiar with them
View attachment 1233386
View attachment 1233385
I didn't get the chance to grab any epsom salt today but I can when my budget builds back up a little if there's not enough magnesium here

They also make these same nutes with a formula for coco mediums. Works great!

LivingBlackSoil · Apr 10, 2022

Was also disappointed when I read AN was introduced. Find a garden center near you. A place that's focused on growing plants will serve you better than a place focused on growing cannabis( selling nutes is the true focus). Hell HD or Lowes is better, you can find Dr. Earth line at HD. What you won't find are people to talk to about your specific needs, which is better for your pocket. Grow shops are not a safe space! If you're in a backwards place you can always discuss tomatoes.

Watch Build a soil YouTube 10x10 series, and ask questions here.

You are now a grower! Not a user/taker. This is ancient and honorable. Take pride in your efforts. Learn. Improve. Share.

First time grow, any comments or feedback?

First time grow, any comments or feedback?

Lockeboxgrows

Lockeboxgrows

Treecutter

Lockeboxgrows

Shaded_One

Mostlymooses

Lockeboxgrows

Shaded_One

Lockeboxgrows

Shaded_One

GanjaFarmer24

Lockeboxgrows

Lockeboxgrows

zzzybil

GanjaFarmer24

Shaded_One

Lockeboxgrows

Lockeboxgrows

grnmtn

LivingBlackSoil

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