FIRST TIME GROWER: growing from seed in my closet :)

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itsjasonovak

itsjasonovak

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Welcome to my closet grow journal. As a first time grower, I thought it would be fun and beneficial for not just myself, but for everyone watching, if I documented every step of my first grow.

While this is my first time growing, I have spent the last year learning everything I can.

The resources Iā€™ve had access to here on this forum, and will continue to have access to throughout my grow, make me confident my first grow will be a successful one.

Information about the closet grow
Note: I'll be linking to the specific products I'm using so that you guys can learn more about them and grab them yourself if you wanted. I did a lot of research on what I wanted to use and I think these products are going to be great. IF THIS VIOLATES ANY TERMS AND CONDITIONS: please let me know. I will simply stop doing that and will remove the links, just thought this would be extra helpful for others looking to start their first grow
:)


The Grow Tent
I am going to be growing in the High Rise 2ā€™ x 3ā€™ Multi-Chamber. I chose this tent because, well, it fits in my closet perfectly!

But, I wonā€™t be using it in a perpetual growing style. I removed the partition so itā€™ll just be one growing chamber for veg and flower.

The grow light
The Covert UFO is a perfect beginner light, as its completely plug and play. At just 150 watts, its super energy efficient - I wonā€™t be paying more than $5-10 bucks a month to run it during veg. It also produces minimal heat, which is really important in such a small tent.

Controlling odor, heat, and humidity
One of the main goals I have for this grow is to be as discreet as possible. I want to be really stealthy, and prevent anyone from finding out about the grow. This is why fitting it in my closet was so important for me.

With that in mind, I have the 4ā€ Covert Ventilation and Odor Control Kit installed in the tent. I canā€™t risk any chance of my neighbors smelling my grow, and I donā€™t want to reek up the entire house anyways!

Since I am growing in a closet, I am just ducting the air into the closet itself. I have the fan speed controller turned all the way down, and will be running the fan 24/7.

I also have a clip-on fan to improve the growing conditions and keep air moving around the tent.

Grow medium and nutrients
I will be growing in pots with Fox Farm Ocean Forest soil. This natural, organic soil is considered one of the best you can grow with. Its pH-adjusted, and works great with the nutrient line I selected - The Fox Farm Soil Trio.

This three-part nutrient package includes Fox Farmā€™s Grow Big, Big Bloom, and Tiger Bloom. I also grabbed some of their Cal-Mag supplement.

Genetics
I wanted to start my grow from clones, but was unable to find any in a timely manner. So, seeds it is!

While this will be more work and take longer, Iā€™m up for the challenge and have been told that growing from seed is far more rewarding anyway.

I have a few different strains I am trying to pop, with varying quantities of each:
  • Cotton Candy (3)
  • Eleven Roses (1)
  • Black Sugar Rose (3)
  • Bag Seed (3)
Remember, I only have a 2ā€™ x 3ā€™ growing space. Thatā€™s enough for 2-3 plants MAX. Because I want to grow great plants, Iā€™ll probably stick to two so they have plenty of room to reach their full potential.

These seeds are NOT feminized, so who knows how many will even end up being contenders. I am going to grow them all, and once the plants start showing their sex, Iā€™ll weed out the losers and double down on the winners.

Now, without further ado, letā€™s get into week 1!

Week 1
The first week is just about popping these seeds. I have everything I need to get the highest germination rates possible, including a seedling heat mat, a tray, dome, and a T5. If you want something similar, grab one of the seed starting kits from Hydrobuilder.com!

Days 1-2
[IMG]

These seeds have been stored for a long time...so I decided to wake them up with a bath! I dropped them in cups of water and left them overnight.

[IMG]

They floated at first, but eventually sank to the bottom of their respective glasses. After 18-24 hours, I removed them and placed them in a damp paper towel. When taking the seeds out, it appeared as if some had already started to crack!

As you can see in the image, a little tiny white taproot is visible. A few of the seeds still showed no signs of popping yet. So, I put them in the seed starting kit and turned everything on.

[IMG]

Seeds need a few things to germinate - warmth, water, but most importantly - time. It just became a waiting game at this point, where I watched for that little white taproot to emerge.

[IMG]

I woke up on the morning of day 2 and checked the seeds. Unfortunately, the paper towels had dried up a bit. This is not ideal, as once seeds crack, they need constant moisture.

I turned off the heating pad but left the light on so it didn't get too cold (the room is only around 65 degrees during the day). I wet the paper towels again and put them back in the tray.

Days 3-5
Luckily, it doesn't look like the quick dry spell my seeds experienced is affecting them! The Eleven Roses seed has completely taken off, with a taproot of at least half an inch.

[IMG]

The Cotton Candy Seeds are germinating pretty well, although not quite as quickly as the Eleven Roses.

[IMG]

One of the Sugar Black Rose seeds is starting to pop, slowly but surely.

The bag seeds look to be a bust, as even now on day 5 they are showing no signs of germinating. But, I'm not giving up on them yet!

After four days, I planted the Eleven Roses in Botanicare Coco. This was honestly a nerve-wracking process for me. I know how delicate the little taproots are, and the last thing I wanted was to take a seed that was doing so well and damage it when planting.

[IMG]

I moistened the coco, and planted it taproot down, about a half-inch deep. I covered it up and moistened the top of the coco with a spray bottle.

On the fifth day, the Cotton Candy seeds looked to be ready for planting as well. I followed the same process of planting, and put these back in the seed starting kit.

Days 6-7
[IMG]

By day 6, three of the four seeds I planted have begun to sprout! The Eleven Roses seed continues to grow the fastest, as its already a half-inch out of the soil.

[IMG]

While one of the Sugar Black Rose seeds now looks ready to plant, the other one is not showing signs of life.

This one and the bag seeds are probably not going to end up germinating, but I am pretty happy with the success rate of over 50%. For a first-timer with some pretty old seeds, I can't complain!

I've been misting the seedlings with a spray bottle a few times a day, as this will help prevent overwatering and drowning these little babies.

Throughout the first week, I kept the temperature in the seed starting kit between 75-80 degrees. Humidity was kept between 60-65%.
 
itsjasonovak

itsjasonovak

37
18
Great detailed beginning!

2 tips for ya. 1 plant seeds tap root up. I will attach a pic showing why.

And in my opinion it is necessary to mix in 25-30% large perlite in ocean forest for proper drainage.

Im tuned in to watch. :-)

View attachment 914690
That's so interesting, I was told taproot down! One of my seeds that I thought was a no show is actually starting to pop, I'll try that with this one! Thanks!

Thanks for the Ocean Forest advice! I'll see if I can find some this weekend :)

Cheers!
 
Aqua Man

Aqua Man

26,480
638
Great detailed beginning!

2 tips for ya. 1 plant seeds tap root up. I will attach a pic showing why.

And in my opinion it is necessary to mix in 25-30% large perlite in ocean forest for proper drainage.

Im tuned in to watch. :-)

View attachment 914690
For discussion sake I have to disagree. Gravitropism controls root direction... I have seen this before and not a single scientific document I can find shows that tap roots will grow up and then back down other than this illustration. They will emerge and grow straight down from every single thing I can find. I have seen this posted a lot over several sites... I have 2 extra seeds I promised a buddy but I'm thinking about cutting one open as they were planted tap root down.

What I can see planting inverted help with is the removal of the shell. If planting inverted I would double the the seed depth to a out 4-6x seed size while if tap root down 2-3x seed size.

I do feel there is a slight benefit to planting inverted in that aspect. But I believe that illustration is wrong about tap root growth. I believe the source was from a Chinese book not that it matters and would like to try to find for the explanation.
 
Aqua Man

Aqua Man

26,480
638
Looking at that video closer I think tap root down is better. It appears the root grows down and the shoot grows up consistent with gravitropism. As the shoot is growing up there is more drag on the shell from the soil than the shoot so it curls and provides an orientation favorable to pull the seed shell from the shoot.
 
MIMedGrower

MIMedGrower

17,190
438
For discussion sake I have to disagree. Gravitropism controls root direction... I have seen this before and not a single scientific document I can find shows that tap roots will grow up and then back down other than this illustration. They will emerge and grow straight down from every single thing I can find. I have seen this posted a lot over several sites... I have 2 extra seeds I promised a buddy but I'm thinking about cutting one open as they were planted tap root down.

What I can see planting inverted help with is the removal of the shell. If planting inverted I would double the the seed depth to a out 4-6x seed size while if tap root down 2-3x seed size.

I do feel there is a slight benefit to planting inverted in that aspect. But I believe that illustration is wrong about tap root growth. I believe the source was from a Chinese book not that it matters and would like to try to find for the explanation.


I got that pic and info from the ch9 breeder. It was from an old french gardening book. I have the original in french in my old computer. I just pulled that one off a google search.

And the difference when i switched to tap root up was obvious. Faster sprouting. No shells stuck anymore and a generally stronger seedling.

Maybe tap root down is for rapid rooter pucks? I have only seen it on weed forums.
 
Aqua Man

Aqua Man

26,480
638
I got that pic and info from the ch9 breeder. It was from an old french gardening book. I have the original in french in my old computer. I just pulled that one off a google search.

And the difference when i switched to tap root up was obvious. Faster sprouting. No shells stuck anymore and a generally stronger seedling.

Maybe tap root down is for rapid rooter pucks? I have only seen it on weed forums.
I think your observations may well be correct but not for the reason illustrated in the book, that goes against all science and info i can find. If i had a camera i could do time lapse on it, would test it out including starting the tap root at the same depth ( meaning inverted seed with top even with the bottom of non inverted seed) . There is little doubt that orientation will have an effect on removing the shell and if planted inverted i think the faster sprout is because the tap root is closer to to top of the soil and already in a favorable position to pull the shell off. If the tap roots come out at the same depth I have a feeling you may have the opposite opinion. That time lapse is a really good source of info seeing how it happens. I almost feel like its the depth of tap root emergence that is key and it makes no difference on seed orientation so long as there is enough soil over top of tap root emergence... again all speculation. I'm glad we had this discussion. I feel i learned from it
 
MIMedGrower

MIMedGrower

17,190
438
I think your observations may well be correct but not for the reason illustrated in the book, that goes against all science and info i can find. If i had a camera i could do time lapse on it, would test it out including starting the tap root at the same depth ( meaning inverted seed with top even with the bottom of non inverted seed) . There is little doubt that orientation will have an effect on removing the shell and if planted inverted i think the faster sprout is because the tap root is closer to to top of the soil and already in a favorable position to pull the shell off. If the tap roots come out at the same depth I have a feeling you may have the opposite opinion. That time lapse is a really good source of info seeing how it happens. I almost feel like its the depth of tap root emergence that is key and it makes no difference on seed orientation so long as there is enough soil over top of tap root emergence... again all speculation. I'm glad we had this discussion. I feel i learned from it


I have no proof either. Maybe it is the depth its planted. I like about a centimeter max.
 
itsjasonovak

itsjasonovak

37
18
Week 2

Week 2 showed some pretty impressive growth from the Eleven Roses and Cotton Candy seedlings. Just like week 1, Eleven Roses continues to lead the charge. I ditched the bag seeds, as they don't appear to have any life in them.
Days 8-10

During week 2, I just continued to maintain temperatures between 75-80 degrees and humidity between 60-65%. They are still in the seed starting kit, with a T5 running 24/7.

The Eleven Roses started to develop it's first "true" leaves, which are more jagged than the sprouting leaves you saw above.
Eleven Roses baby leaves

The third Cotton Candy seed has also started to pop through the soil. While it wasn't looking as healthy as the others when I planted, I decided to plant the final Sugar Black Rose seed. To this day, the first Sugar Black Rose seed has not popped through the soil.

I feel as if I may have planted that one too deep. Hopefully, it's just a late bloomer, and both Sugar Black Rose seeds sprout soon.
Days 10-12
Week 2 closet grow journal

As you can see, the Eleven Roses seedling has developed a few sets of leaves already. It's progressing noticeably quicker than the other seedlings.
Eleven Roses week 2

But, the Cotton Candy seedlings are also doing really well. All three of them are growing very quickly, each having developed two or more sets of leaves.
Cotton Candy Seedlings

As far as the Sugar Black Rose seeds are concerned, I still have nothing. This is disappointing, as I was really hoping for at least one of these.

I've heard and read great things about this strain, so I am slightly bummed. But, I still have 4 healthy plants to work with!

In the coming few days, I will likely take the plants out of the propagation chamber I have and start using the LED. But, I want all the seedlings to develop a few sets of leaves before I do that.

At this point, I am still just feeding plain water with a spray bottle. I moisten the grow media twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening.
Days 13-14

I saw more leafy growth on the four plants over the past two days.
Week 2 plant growth

The Eleven Roses plant is working on its third set of true leaves and looks really healthy to me.
Eleven Roses end of week 2
ER top view

The Cotton Candy seedlings are growing steadily as well. They are all pretty close to the same size, despite some being planted earlier.
Cotton Candy end of week 2

Throughout all of week 2, I simply sprayed the media with a water bottle 2-3 times a day. I kept the T5 on 24/7, and temperature and humidity were kept between 75-80 degrees and 60-65% respectively.
 
Aqua Man

Aqua Man

26,480
638
Week 2

Week 2 showed some pretty impressive growth from the Eleven Roses and Cotton Candy seedlings. Just like week 1, Eleven Roses continues to lead the charge. I ditched the bag seeds, as they don't appear to have any life in them.
Days 8-10

During week 2, I just continued to maintain temperatures between 75-80 degrees and humidity between 60-65%. They are still in the seed starting kit, with a T5 running 24/7.

The Eleven Roses started to develop it's first "true" leaves, which are more jagged than the sprouting leaves you saw above.
Eleven Roses baby leaves

The third Cotton Candy seed has also started to pop through the soil. While it wasn't looking as healthy as the others when I planted, I decided to plant the final Sugar Black Rose seed. To this day, the first Sugar Black Rose seed has not popped through the soil.

I feel as if I may have planted that one too deep. Hopefully, it's just a late bloomer, and both Sugar Black Rose seeds sprout soon.
Days 10-12
Week 2 closet grow journal

As you can see, the Eleven Roses seedling has developed a few sets of leaves already. It's progressing noticeably quicker than the other seedlings.
Eleven Roses week 2

But, the Cotton Candy seedlings are also doing really well. All three of them are growing very quickly, each having developed two or more sets of leaves.
Cotton Candy Seedlings

As far as the Sugar Black Rose seeds are concerned, I still have nothing. This is disappointing, as I was really hoping for at least one of these.

I've heard and read great things about this strain, so I am slightly bummed. But, I still have 4 healthy plants to work with!

In the coming few days, I will likely take the plants out of the propagation chamber I have and start using the LED. But, I want all the seedlings to develop a few sets of leaves before I do that.

At this point, I am still just feeding plain water with a spray bottle. I moisten the grow media twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening.
Days 13-14

I saw more leafy growth on the four plants over the past two days.
Week 2 plant growth

The Eleven Roses plant is working on its third set of true leaves and looks really healthy to me.
Eleven Roses end of week 2
ER top view

The Cotton Candy seedlings are growing steadily as well. They are all pretty close to the same size, despite some being planted earlier.
Cotton Candy end of week 2

Throughout all of week 2, I simply sprayed the media with a water bottle 2-3 times a day. I kept the T5 on 24/7, and temperature and humidity were kept between 75-80 degrees and 60-65% respectively.
Looking nice and healthy šŸ‘
 
Aqua Man

Aqua Man

26,480
638
You can't compare yourself to others. Light will be the biggest reason they are a bit slower. Slower is actually easier to care for so it's a good place to start before you go blasting top of the line HID and kill everything you grow trying to learn. Media also plays a big role.

For your setup you are right on pace man. Happy healthy growth.
 
420Andrew

420Andrew

47
18
Don't be too bummed about seedlings growing slow, it's mostly just genetics of the specific strain that affects this. What they lack in initial development speed they'll probably make up for in other aspects later on. Looking great so far! Definetly staying around for this one šŸ˜ƒ
 
itsjasonovak

itsjasonovak

37
18
You can't compare yourself to others. Light will be the biggest reason they are a bit slower. Slower is actually easier to care for so it's a good place to start before you go blasting top of the line HID and kill everything you grow trying to learn. Media also plays a big role.

For your setup you are right on pace man. Happy healthy growth.
Thanks, you're right. A slow pace is probably best for the first time! I have a 150 watt LED, do you think these little guys are ready for it at this point? The Eleven Roses is probably 2-3 inches tall and is getting pretty close to the T5, maybe 2 inches from it.
 
itsjasonovak

itsjasonovak

37
18
Don't be too bummed about seedlings growing slow, it's mostly just genetics of the specific strain that affects this. What they lack in initial development speed they'll probably make up for in other aspects later on. Looking great so far! Definetly staying around for this one šŸ˜ƒ
Thanks for the positivity :)
 
itsjasonovak

itsjasonovak

37
18
You can't compare yourself to others. Light will be the biggest reason they are a bit slower. Slower is actually easier to care for so it's a good place to start before you go blasting top of the line HID and kill everything you grow trying to learn. Media also plays a big role.

For your setup you are right on pace man. Happy healthy growth.
For reference, here is their progress after 2.5 weeks:
AllPlantswk31
 
Aqua Man

Aqua Man

26,480
638
Thanks, you're right. A slow pace is probably best for the first time! I have a 150 watt LED, do you think these little guys are ready for it at this point? The Eleven Roses is probably 2-3 inches tall and is getting pretty close to the T5, maybe 2 inches from it.
I think they are doing well seedlings require much less light. I would let em go a bit longer. You can go under the led but would need to hang it way higher. Give em a couple weeks under the t5 and if they start stretching to much you can start the led but always start it high and being a bit closer each day get them used to it
 

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