First timer - 3x3 315w CMH

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Pzykotik

Pzykotik

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Hello everyone, and thank you for taking the time to read my thread, this will be a long one, riddled with beginner mistakes.

I have been giving a Female "Crit" on July 24th. Grown outside surrounded by a few sisters, it had been a week since it had been promised to me.
With this information, I assumed it was around 14 days old, or older.

At the time of offering, it already had a few completely yellow leaves, which I promptly cut but left some that seemed like they could recover.
This is what it looked like when I left her outside for a day or two, while I was waiting for the store to open to buy the equipment:

First timer   3x3 315w cmh 2
First timer   3x3 315w cmh


So, I set out to do some research. While it is legal where I live, there is a clause in my contract against it. Therefore I cannot exhaust and risk smells getting to the outside of the house, nor stink up the inside.

This led me on a futile quest for a cheap, closed loop solution. I thought I'd buy this: Mars Hydro TS1000 but called a local shop that recommended against the LED and suggested I go for 315w CMH (and as far as I can read in these forums, this was a good decision, despite the heat problem). I explained the issues and that I wanted a closed-loop where no air would go in or out, only circulate. He sold me a full kit, gave me some fertilizer and another "super-something 1-something-something" I forget the name of, for the rest of the yellowing leaves.

Once I put everything together:

This is the setup at the time of filming the first video:

1629494831333.png

After a while, temps were absolutely insane, at a scorching 33°C / 41% R.H.
Since the plant was still very young and didn't smell, I opened up the tent and put a fan in front of it.
This would now be exhausting hot air in my air conditioned bedroom, which was at 19°C near the AC, and 21°C near the tent. (AC is across the room, exhausting to the outside.)
I figured I would lower the 4-step dimmer on the ballast, and at the 145w setting, I was able to reduce temps to:
23.5 / 74% R.H. Day with the tent open
28.1 / 80% R.H. Day with the tent closed
21.7 / 45% R.H. Night (tent closed, obviously)
The local shop suggested another fan, so I bought him a booster fan and a pole-mounted fan, and I thought it would be enough CFM to cool the CMH light tube on its own like this (not my setup):

1629495658691.png


It didn't take very long for me to realize the booster fan was ABSOLUTELY not enough.
Plus, some of the research I did told me there is a need for fresh, CO2-charged air, and a perfectly closed loop with no CO2 generator is simply impossible.
So, I asked a few more questions regarding the filter and apparently even if it is exhausted in the house, it should not smell.
Okay then, I trust you, local shop owner. Used 2 old usb desk fans with a usb hub, opened up two passive intakes at the bottom of the tent, and exhausted this in the bedroom.

The setup at this point July 30th:

1629496265115.png


1629496292031.png

1629496305848.png


1629496947606.png

1629496957242.png

Trimmed it on Aug 1st, and switched to a 12/12 schedule because I read that you should put em in flowering as early as 14 or 16 days Here (and this guide is what I've been using ever since):
1629497033903.png


On August 8th, a sister was given to me as the potential owner could take take care of it. It was put together with the other one, and as such was immediately switched to 12/12. I also setup an old phone as a camera inside the tent.
1629497556240.png

August 10th:
1629497661206.png

1629497670842.png

August 16th, started reading up on monster cropping, training, etc. and tried to apply some of the things I learned. Also, at this point I returned the dimmer to 315w, because I realized I put these babies in flowering way too early and I want them to benefit more from the stronger daytime light:
1629497741237.png

1629497751022.png

At this point, I keep the tent closed all the time, daylight temps are 28.4°C / 48% R.H., night is around 23°c.

This is today, August 20th. Note, some of the bottom leaves yellowed where some fertilizer water spilled and dried.
I need to be more careful, maybe my watering can is too big. Any ideas?
Also changed the training wires to something thinner and lighter.

1629498265163.png

1629498283670.png


1629498306190.png

1629499141907.png

I believe most of the vertical growth is over at this point, so I should be focusing I getting a good flowering season and a successful harvest.
I am thinking about buying some polyester trellis netting for training, and I ordered a mini air cooler (cool water evaporator) to lower the temps and raise the humidity levels.

And so, here we are.
As you can see I am not an experienced grower by any means.
I would like to know what you think about my grow setup, what would help me get the biggest yield with the plants what I'm working with, and how to avoid any further mistakes.

Thank you all, and have a great rest of your day!

Links:

 
Ponky

Ponky

3,941
263
Well. The equipment should work well. I think you should invest in some seeds. And do regular pest and fungus control. I'm not going to sugar coat anything for you. This grow is not going well. However. You're in the right place. And it's good to get some practice. If you ask the right questions. And make an investment in nutrients and quality genetics and some pest control you should have some good weed in a few months. Happy growing.
 
Pzykotik

Pzykotik

13
3
Thank you for the feedback Ponky, much appreciated!
With the current heat wave and high CMH temps, I have been running 29°c / 50% R.H. daytime | 21°c / 45% R.H. nighttime

I have been looking for pest ever since the beginning, I had noticed a very small amount of tiny bugs when I brought them both from outside, but nothing after the first few days.
Thankfully, I believe there is no mold.

They have not changed much visually from the last pictures, however the trichomes and pistils are much more present.
We are on day 22 of the flowering stage, here's a closeup of both of them.
If I understand correctly, from this point, I should be waiting another 4 to 6 weeks before harvesting the first one.
I read that most of the pistils should be brown, but I must be keeping an eye on the trichomes so they don't turn brown.
1629840749888
1629840731884
 
ImpulsiveGrower

ImpulsiveGrower

Supporter
2,073
263
Hello everyone, and thank you for taking the time to read my thread, this will be a long one, riddled with beginner mistakes.

I have been giving a Female "Crit" on July 24th. Grown outside surrounded by a few sisters, it had been a week since it had been promised to me.
With this information, I assumed it was around 14 days old, or older.

At the time of offering, it already had a few completely yellow leaves, which I promptly cut but left some that seemed like they could recover.
This is what it looked like when I left her outside for a day or two, while I was waiting for the store to open to buy the equipment:

View attachment 1159443View attachment 1159442

So, I set out to do some research. While it is legal where I live, there is a clause in my contract against it. Therefore I cannot exhaust and risk smells getting to the outside of the house, nor stink up the inside.

This led me on a futile quest for a cheap, closed loop solution. I thought I'd buy this: Mars Hydro TS1000 but called a local shop that recommended against the LED and suggested I go for 315w CMH (and as far as I can read in these forums, this was a good decision, despite the heat problem). I explained the issues and that I wanted a closed-loop where no air would go in or out, only circulate. He sold me a full kit, gave me some fertilizer and another "super-something 1-something-something" I forget the name of, for the rest of the yellowing leaves.

Once I put everything together:
View attachment 1159444
This is the setup at the time of filming the first video:

View attachment 1159446
After a while, temps were absolutely insane, at a scorching 33°C / 41% R.H.
Since the plant was still very young and didn't smell, I opened up the tent and put a fan in front of it.
This would now be exhausting hot air in my air conditioned bedroom, which was at 19°C near the AC, and 21°C near the tent. (AC is across the room, exhausting to the outside.)
I figured I would lower the 4-step dimmer on the ballast, and at the 145w setting, I was able to reduce temps to:
23.5 / 74% R.H. Day with the tent open
28.1 / 80% R.H. Day with the tent closed
21.7 / 45% R.H. Night (tent closed, obviously)
The local shop suggested another fan, so I bought him a booster fan and a pole-mounted fan, and I thought it would be enough CFM to cool the CMH light tube on its own like this (not my setup):

View attachment 1159456

It didn't take very long for me to realize the booster fan was ABSOLUTELY not enough.
Plus, some of the research I did told me there is a need for fresh, CO2-charged air, and a perfectly closed loop with no CO2 generator is simply impossible.
So, I asked a few more questions regarding the filter and apparently even if it is exhausted in the house, it should not smell.
Okay then, I trust you, local shop owner. Used 2 old usb desk fans with a usb hub, opened up two passive intakes at the bottom of the tent, and exhausted this in the bedroom.

The setup at this point July 30th:

View attachment 1159465

View attachment 1159467
View attachment 1159468

View attachment 1159485
View attachment 1159486
Trimmed it on Aug 1st, and switched to a 12/12 schedule because I read that you should put em in flowering as early as 14 or 16 days Here (and this guide is what I've been using ever since):
View attachment 1159487

On August 8th, a sister was given to me as the potential owner could take take care of it. It was put together with the other one, and as such was immediately switched to 12/12. I also setup an old phone as a camera inside the tent.
View attachment 1159490
August 10th:
View attachment 1159492
View attachment 1159493
August 16th, started reading up on monster cropping, training, etc. and tried to apply some of the things I learned. Also, at this point I returned the dimmer to 315w, because I realized I put these babies in flowering way too early and I want them to benefit more from the stronger daytime light:
View attachment 1159494
View attachment 1159495
At this point, I keep the tent closed all the time, daylight temps are 28.4°C / 48% R.H., night is around 23°c.

This is today, August 20th. Note, some of the bottom leaves yellowed where some fertilizer water spilled and dried.
I need to be more careful, maybe my watering can is too big. Any ideas?
Also changed the training wires to something thinner and lighter.

View attachment 1159502
View attachment 1159503

View attachment 1159504
View attachment 1159505
I believe most of the vertical growth is over at this point, so I should be focusing I getting a good flowering season and a successful harvest.
I am thinking about buying some polyester trellis netting for training, and I ordered a mini air cooler (cool water evaporator) to lower the temps and raise the humidity levels.

And so, here we are.
As you can see I am not an experienced grower by any means.
I would like to know what you think about my grow setup, what would help me get the biggest yield with the plants what I'm working with, and how to avoid any further mistakes.

Thank you all, and have a great rest of your day!

Links:

I probably wouldn’t worry about getting the trellis net as your plants are very small and won’t require any support and there isn’t any branches to tie down. You have all the right equipment so your next grow can be a successful one. I wouldn’t put to much effort into these as you won’t barely harvest a couple buds but take it as a learning experience. Buy some quality genetics and some living soil and organic dry amendments and you will be growing fat bushes in no time! You weren’t givin healthy plants and you may have made it worse by overwatering and other environmental factors but there so many awesome growers here who have helped me on my road to becoming an indoor cultivator. Don’t get discouraged and do your research and keep trying!
 
Pzykotik

Pzykotik

13
3
So we're 10 days later from the last post, as suspected they have not grown much more and one of them looks like it will have a very small yield.
I think I should harvest in one to three weeks, but I'm wondering about the exact day it would be ideal.
I also didn't realize until recently, but I didn't have any "bloom" fertilizer and only "growth", so I stopped giving them any since last week.
However since it's so late in the flowering season, I wonder if it would be a bad idea to introduce fertilizer at this point.

1630704409540

1630704417455



The sister was put in bloom 1 week later, but it is much smaller.

1630704462213

Snapshot 1630640143064

So basically:
-when should I harvest?
-is it too late for bloom fertilizer?
 
Ponky

Ponky

3,941
263
So we're 10 days later from the last post, as suspected they have not grown much more and one of them looks like it will have a very small yield.
I think I should harvest in one to three weeks, but I'm wondering about the exact day it would be ideal.
I also didn't realize until recently, but I didn't have any "bloom" fertilizer and only "growth", so I stopped giving them any since last week.
However since it's so late in the flowering season, I wonder if it would be a bad idea to introduce fertilizer at this point.

View attachment 1164563
View attachment 1164564
View attachment 1164571

The sister was put in bloom 1 week later, but it is much smaller.

View attachment 1164566
View attachment 1164572
So basically:
-when should I harvest?
-is it too late for bloom fertilizer?
I would go for 9 weeks. Feed bloom up 6.5 weeks. But don't stress about it. They won't yield much. Buy your next batch can.
 
Pzykotik

Pzykotik

13
3
Night pics are so much better.
IMG 20210905 000043301


So I got some bloom feed, I watered nute-free yesterday. Next watering will be with bloom and will keep feeding every other watering for the next 2.5 weeks.
 
Ponky

Ponky

3,941
263
Looks good. The leaf damage is from thrips. But Looks like it's gunna smoke.
 
LoDesertGro

LoDesertGro

7
3
U need to 86 that cmh ASAP, go take it back to the asshole that sold it to u and tell him to put it a foot away from his face and turn it on for 12 hours🤣🤣🤣. I’ve done it before brother and it’s possible to do a run with a cmh but it gets F’in hot in there and they can’t get to close to that light or they’re toast. With an LED u can keep that tent at 86 degrees and 60% humidity, and they can get stupid close to that light and they’ll be fine lol. U prolly wont even need any cooling and if u do get a small portable AC, ur gonna need it when ur drying ur buds so u can keep it at 60/60 in ur tent. And as far as for keeping down the odor at ur place, put an air purifier in the tent, one that has a charcoal filter, u can find a descent one for like $80-90 on sale. There’s a company called ona that makes stuff to keep the loudness down as well, u can get that on Amazon. Definitely get an LED tho bro!!
 
Pzykotik

Pzykotik

13
3
Ah yes, I forgot to mention I mitigated the heat problem during the heat wave by attaching my portable AC directly to the air intake, and exhaust the AC in the rest of the house (humidity is condensed into a bucket).

That metal duct is sweaty AF, I had to put a towel under it, but I need to get an insulated duct for next year so it doesn't rust.
1630943224250

Now that the heat wave is over, the AC is a bit further from the tent. (This close at night, temps went all the way down to 14.5°C.)
Obviously, I allowed for plenty of airflow with all windows open and strategically placed fans.
I'm keeping a stable 25°c during the day / 19°c during the night, and R.H. is hovering between 40 and 55%.
I bought bloom yesterday and fed it today, but apparently, I was missing the bottle of part "A" (5-0-6) of the growth nutrients.
I have been feeding my plants only the "B" part (1-5-6), so they were drastically missing nitrogen.
Stay tuned for more ridiculous mistakes, we still have harvest, drying and curing, so much can still go wrong! :D
 
Lpena93

Lpena93

109
43
You have such great equipment but you can’t follow directions. 🤷‍♂️
 
Pzykotik

Pzykotik

13
3
Maybe you're right, I'm not great at following directions.
However I learn from my mistakes and do my research.
This harvest was tiny as expected, and I also had to did indeed have pests (can be seen clearly in some pics in post #5).
I harvested, dried and cured this, and it came out aright, all things considered.
Earthy, with a very smooth toke, and lightweight high. Felt like a CBD high, I did leave it under the light a bit longer to let the pest control flush out.
Some pictures of the damage done, and the culprit.

1653502474399

1653502454202

1653502503419

This is how it looked at harvest, after pest control.
1653502532956

The yield:
1653502587194




When this was done, I decided to let a few buds on it and turn it back to 18/6, and try some of that "monster-cropping + scrOG" I heard about... Continued in next post.
 
Ponky

Ponky

3,941
263
Sometimes it's worth the effort of making a honey oil if you're plants are covered in little bug bodies. Dabs are nice.
 
Pzykotik

Pzykotik

13
3
So I read up on monster-cropping, from my understanding, re-growing from a harvested plant for a more risky but potentially very high yield. (2lbs with an indoor plant? count me in)
I left some buds on the healthy stalk, and began 18/6 and growth nutrients again. (nov 11)
1653502832832

1653502838662

1653502849417


For a while, every new leaf look like some inbred lettuce was being grown onto it, but after a few days they would all turn into their conventional shape. (nov 15)

1653503027691

1653503035048


Growth was very fast at this point, this is the very next day: (nov16)

1653503067451

The day after... (nov 17)

1653503090516

A week later, began training: (nov 24)

1653503247456

1653503256938


On nov 29 I got a screen and continued training.

1653503319271


Fast forward two weeks into dec 11:

1653503398969


1653503409851


Dec 23:

1653503464971

At this point I took the old buds off and dried/cured/smoked them.
1653503471763


Jan 20:

1653503553108

1653503563658


February came around, and I switched to bloom.

1653503619983

1653503627262


Feb 19:

1653503651439



Feb 24, started noticing some yellow leaves, but didn't think anything of it. I didn't know it at the time but it was nitrogen deficiency.

1653503725354

Continued in next post.
 
Pzykotik

Pzykotik

13
3
1653503775790

1653503783887

1653503795695

I looked around, got myself the right nutrients and started doing what I could to bring it back because it started being pretty bad. March 3

1653503852426

1653503884369


March 8, seems like there's less yellowing. At least not more.

1653503919167


March 10:

1653503964201

1653503972505

1653504090349

1653504105962


March 13, harvest time:
1653504145276

Only took the top, let the rest continue growing (another tip I found in my research)
1653504170366


March 23, the bottom branches are now snapping and now fibrous when pulled. Time to go into jars

1653504201335

1653504216300


April 3rd, curing for about 2 weeks now.

1653504268324

1653504565162
1653504568951
 
Pzykotik

Pzykotik

13
3
The jarred batch is curing, and the plant keeps growing. I tried some of it with some friends, it was a very potent, frontal lobe, "what's my name again" kinda high.
April 18, I'm thinking I might let some grow longer for a more couchlock high.

1653504611792


April 29, I harvested some of that more growth. Difference in color and high is very drastic.

1653504758223

Trimmed
1653504789124

1653504798613


A friend of mine got rid of all of his equipment, so now I got everything for a hydroponic setup. For now I just sieve thru the leaves

1653504890685

1653504897744


Right now, may 25, there's still some really brown buds growing and I'm just seeing how much I can pull out of it.
Maybe I could turn it back to growth right now and see how much of a monster it becomes.
At this point, I must've gathered a good quarter of a pound, I'd say it wasn't too bad for a first try!
 
Pzykotik

Pzykotik

13
3
Sometimes it's worth the effort of making a honey oil if you're plants are covered in little bug bodies. Dabs are nice.
Honestly, the least amount of effort will always be a winner with me (thanks adhd brain)
There's also the fact that I don't know how to make dabs or hash yet (but as with everything else, I *could* look it up. Maybe sometime!)

So even that little bunch of trichomes I gathered from the leaves, instead of making hash, I just sprinkle it on top of some bowls whenever I feel like having a higher high.

Also, another thing about this weed is, it's so sticky!
Compared to the other weed I buy from my guy for example, even after letting a bud out in the open it's still super sticky.
I get to smoke hash every other day from the electric grinder grinding my weed 😄
Anyways it rolls well, smokes well, smells great, gives a very good high either if it's harvested early for the more elevating effect, or late for the couchlock.
Overall, I'm very happy with the experience and 100% would grow again!
 
Ponky

Ponky

3,941
263
Well its good the strain is good. Now just try to grow it clean and pest free in a nice clean tent. Get it in rotation. Good save.
 
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