First Time Grow. SOG-style Sampler using Pot for Pot

[Milson]

So I have decided to take the plunge and start up a little grow of my own. Laws changed recently making it much less risky, so I figured what the heck.

Unfortunately, my wife is only tentatively onboard, and so this first grow will be pretty modest. I am growing in an apartment bedroom using a 2'x2'x4' tent, a Viparspectra Pro Series 1500 (125w LED that claims to be 400w HID equivalent...the PAR values look quite good at the middle and then so-so as you push out, and 4 2 gallon fabric pots filled with a nutrient rich soil halfway up and then a coco-perlite mixture on the top half. I have also mixed in some diamatecous earth and some rooting helper. Also put in some worm casings, and I have some 4-3-4 (Happy Frog Japanese Maple) fertilizer ready along with bone meal should i want it. Thinking about picking up blood meal too to help with nitrogen if I need it, which I guess I might given how the Maui Wowie is looking.

For cooling I have a personal AC (one of those water evaporator deals) and then a desk fan blowing out the top. I also have a vornado fan on low to move the air around. Planning to use Ona Gel to help control smell...not sure I need a full blown carbon filter can fan combo for such a small tent. They are rated to move like 120 cubic feet of air plus....i need to move......16.

I started out with four plants, but two seedlings died due to my idiocy so I started two more while the other two (which were still alive but not doing great due to my planting the seeds way too shallow in the jiffy pods and then being so terrified of overwatering them that I actually underwatered I am pretty sure...the material was like dust when I finally did the transplant). But the next two I did the jiffy pod right and I swear they are basically caught up even though they got planted like 9 days later. Roots look way better and they are just a lot healthier.

From 12 o clock going clockwise I have LA Confidential, NYC Diesel, Purple Haze, and Maui Wowie. All from ILGM. The LAC and MW are the victims of my shenanigans (I also had the light wayyyy too close at first).

It seems pretty obvious to me that the LAC and MW are stressed given their leaf color. Going to keep watching them but thinking that the nutrients from my soil base have not made their way up to the coco coir layer yet and so I should get a little fertilizer on them. Contemplating a foliar spray to see if that changes leaf color before following through with application.

My plan is to veg them just a couple weeks and then flower them SOG-style. Also likely I will do some training on them because I will probably screw something up....also thinking about vegging them a little longer and controlling the height with one topping to try to get two main colas per plant since that might be better efficiency. Really my goal is an ounce a plant. Anything less would be a bit disappointing and under half an ounce per plant would be sad. Anything more would be bonus. It's all personal use and hopefully getting the wife on board with making edibles (she won't ingest via lungs but has been enjoying dispensary sativa gummies so there is hope).

Obviously I am a beginner and so thoughts are appreciated.

 

[Milson]

Just a little update. Everyone is plugging along. Getting used to the lenses that came with my kit, sorry about the crappy focus on some of them. It's cool to see the nodes though!

Thinking I might give a light feeding of some 4-3-4 on my next watering, which will probably be Saturday. Obviously depends on how they look, I am also still working on VPD measures. Found my IR gun finally, I also have the air temp and humidity right now. Currently it's way too high (VPD), but with the fan blowing they seem to be surviving it so far while I work on lowering temps a bit. Got a new fan coming on Sunday that should help, and I am opening up the bottom vents to get more air in.

 

[Milson]

Just figured out my temp problem! Turns out if you blow a fan taking intake air from outside the tent onto the heat sink for the light, it helps....lowered my temp 10 degrees down to 76 air and 72 leaf....once I get my other fan in (these are just cheap desk guys), I should be rocking and rolling till flower.

Also, I am not touching nutes until they look like they need it...the color in the leaves of my two poor abused plants (MW and especially LAC) are looking way better so I think I will leave well enough alone and just keep it simple. The kits say the bottom soil layer should give them all the nutes they need for a while. I am very excited about this VPD change though, finally have it in a good range without making it super humid with an extra humidifier for seedlings (have that in another tent where my wife's pandan plant is living...maybe I can use that tent to flower in if I play my cards right, we will see....).

 

[One drop]

Just figured out my temp problem! Turns out if you blow a fan taking intake air from outside the tent onto the heat sink for the light, it helps....lowered my temp 10 degrees down to 76 air and 72 leaf....once I get my other fan in (these are just cheap desk guys), I should be rocking and rolling till flower.

Also, I am not touching nutes until they look like they need it...the color in the leaves of my two poor abused plants (MW and especially LAC) are looking way better so I think I will leave well enough alone and just keep it simple. The kits say the bottom soil layer should give them all the nutes they need for a while. I am very excited about this VPD change though, finally have it in a good range without making it super humid with an extra humidifier for seedlings (have that in another tent where my wife's pandan plant is living...maybe I can use that tent to flower in if I play my cards right, we will see....).

You need to set up passive air intake . Mate use the exhaust fan to pull it in through the bottom of your tent , cut a clean old Nute bottle top n bottom off creat a tube then get your wife’s black stockings if she has any bad slide the tube into it to creat a closh to cover it this stops bugs getting and cuts the light out from coming in through the tube you open up one of the holes in bottom of tent stick it through and tighten up the pull strings , passive air intake .. here’s one I did on my LED tent just used the GW container to use as tube super easy super elective and the exhaust fan dose the work . Regards Od .

 

[Milson]

You need to set up passive air intake . Mate use the exhaust fan to pull it in through the bottom of your tent , cut a clean old Nute bottle top n bottom off creat a tube then get your wife’s black stockings if she has any bad slide the tube into it to creat a closh to cover it this stops bugs getting and cuts the light out from coming in through the tube you open up one of the holes in bottom of tent stick it through and tighten up the pull strings , passive air intake .. here’s one I did on my LED tent just used the GW container to use as tube super easy super elective and the exhaust fan dose the work . Regards Od .

Brilliant! I am going to work this out as soon as I can. Thanks!

 

[One drop]

Brilliant! I am going to work this out as soon as I can. Thanks!

Look through my pics there’s a few pic to help explain buddy but I think you got it so get to it . Regards Od .

 

[Milson]

BIG goings on at Casa de Milson. After conferring with my better half, I have moved my grow into a new tent that has almost double the square footage and another 1.5 feet of height! Hell yeah! Now using a 30x30x66 tent and TWO Viparspectra 1500 Pro Series lights. They both actually draw 150w and claim to replace a 400w HPS. Looking at the PAR values, I think I can get pretty wide coverage with two lights of PPFD over 600, which should be in range for decent flowering intensity. Spectrum includes 660nm red, 3500k and 6500k according to specs from manufacturer. Maybe I can do a real grow with training of the plants to go a bit wider.

I am still working on getting an intake set up according to OD's rec, but for now I have a personal AC blowing through from the lone intake at the bottom and a fan blowing out. Temps are sitting at 81 with 50% RH. I am not currently blowing across the top to cool down the lights but I definitely could.

Getting a light meter later today to guesstimate even light coverage. Also getting soil tests since that seems useful and they are at the same store.

Btw, say hi to the pandan plant. Pandan Plant will be joining in the fun, but since it grows in Southeast Asia I think it should be cool with the same environment.

 

[Milson]

So inspired by both one drop's passive air intake suggestion and Dreams of Diesel's https://www.thcfarmer.com/threads/all-new-strains-to-me.109884/page-24 thread about her problems with heat without being able to add to the circuit, I decided to make myself a super duper cheap and shitty evaporation cooler (from an existing fan). It cost me 4 dollars and it works!

You can see my photos below and get the idea I think, but basically it's just two of those aluminum cake pans adhered together after you cut a bit off one end of the top for the exhaust and then snip in a lid on the other side (it makes sense from the pictures I assume). then stick the paper towels, which are pretty damn absorbent, up as air guides and to soak up the water as the ice melts. when you drag the air through (after installing it as an intake), that air is pretty cool. I lowered my temps 4 degrees this way! I do have to refill the ice a few times a day but I mean, I'm already checking on them like a nut job given the current world situation (and I work from home in normal times anyway), so it's a win for Milson!

I will probably replace it with a nicer one once I put the motivation and ideas together.

 

[Milson]

Just a quick check-in. Turns out I screwed up my timer and had manual override on, soy lights haven't been turning off. Something tell me this first round of lights off will help.

God damn it Milson.

 

[DreamsOfDiesel]

Just a quick check-in. Turns out I screwed up my timer and had manual override on, soy lights haven't been turning off. Something tell me this first round of lights off will help.

God damn it Milson.

You're not the 1st or last to have done this at least once, better now than in flower for sure tho

 

[DreamsOfDiesel]

So inspired by both one drop's passive air intake suggestion and Dreams of Diesel's https://www.thcfarmer.com/threads/all-new-strains-to-me.109884/page-24 thread about her problems with heat without being able to add to the circuit, I decided to make myself a super duper cheap and shitty evaporation cooler (from an existing fan). It cost me 4 dollars and it works!

You can see my photos below and get the idea I think, but basically it's just two of those aluminum cake pans adhered together after you cut a bit off one end of the top for the exhaust and then snip in a lid on the other side (it makes sense from the pictures I assume). then stick the paper towels, which are pretty damn absorbent, up as air guides and to soak up the water as the ice melts. when you drag the air through (after installing it as an intake), that air is pretty cool. I lowered my temps 4 degrees this way! I do have to refill the ice a few times a day but I mean, I'm already checking on them like a nut job given the current world situation (and I work from home in normal times anyway), so it's a win for Milson!

I will probably replace it with a nicer one once I put the motivation and ideas together.

Moved tents apart, & taped duct to ac vent to go thru top hole in tent, blows down on lights, given me about 10° difference (already had fans on lights & vents open)

 

[Milson]

So I am starting to think about fimming my two that are a little ahead, but I am having a hard time deciding if they are ready. My tendency is to think yes, but they still seem so short...but at the same time they are both working on node 5, right? Isn't that a good time to do it?

Another question: is my nodal spacing really tight or is it just me? I feel like the Maui in particular should be a bit more stretched out. I am moving a lot of air in the lower part of the tent since I began working on my heat problem. Would that contribute? Both of them also definitely got way too much light as babies...

 

[Milson]

Moved tents apart, & taped duct to ac vent to go thru top hole in tent, blows down on lights, given me about 10° difference (already had fans on lights & vents open)

Nice. I see from your pics the air goes out the other side... the tents makes sense.

 

[Milson]

Just a quick update. The Purple Haze and NYC Diesel are chugging a long. The PH is staying super compact and the NYC Diesel is a branchy little girl who needs to get topped soon. I think they can be allowed to just do their thing for now though.

I tried fimming the LA Confidential and Maui Wowie. Idk how successful I was, but I tried to pinch for both. Might not have taken enough but whatever, they seem to be growing something back just fine.

They also really like the Japanese Maple Fertilizer. The package says a cup for a one foot plant once a month, but since there are nutes below their coco in the super soil, I have just been using a dusting once a week (a pinch..very scientific I know... I cook a lot). This is week two of that regimen and I may increase the frequency because they seem to like it.

I have actually turned down my lights a bit for heat reasons. I think they are getting enough as is, they sure as hell are not stretching...

Pandan plant is doing well too.

 

[Milson]

New growth on my Maui and LAC. Does that mean the fimming worked?

 

[DreamsOfDiesel]

New growth on my Maui and LAC. Does that mean the fimming worked?View attachment 988303View attachment 988304

In general, yes, but no idea how well it worked until you get a little more growth

 

[Milson]

Stuff is happening! Look how much wider out Maui's branches have gone. She making room for something?

(I figure pics this close to each other will be cute for me to look at later, don't mind my excitement haha).

Plus lac is doing great.

NYC diesel and purple haze too.remember they are nine days younger.

 

[Milson]

Monday update: stuff is happening!

Also, ordered the roots organics ml master pack for supplementing as I approach flower. Aim to give a very light touch, but with two of my strains requiring lots of nutes, I want to be sure I have what I need in case the super soil isn't giving them enough.

Also just fimmed NYC diesel. Yay!

 

[Milson]

My plants are growing. I really like the way Maui looks after fimming. Not so sure on effect for LAC. Too early to tell for NYC and PH, who got fimmed and seems to be loving life.

Also did a very small dose of Buddha grow and trinity. They seemed to like it. Will try that again this weekend.

 

[Milson]

The plants, they grow. Thinking to flip soon.