Lou's first grow and diary

[lou1980]

I recently purchased a Secret Jardin DR120. I have it set up w/ some gear from Hydrofarm, to include a 1000w dual balast and inline fan.

I'm starting from seed. I have 10 Green Crack germinating and 6 Bubba Kush/Master Kush. I also have an Avalanche baby from seed someone gave me who is just a few days older and already has it's third set of leaves. The Green Crack were pulled from a 1/2 lb of flowers I went through and the Bubba/Master were giving to me from a friend.

I've got the seedlings in rockwool and will transplant to 3 gallon smart pots when they are ready.

I want to create a mother for all strains. Should I take cuttings when they are big enough to take cuttings and then let them continue on? I'm not sure how to go about that stage.

I also have a question about pH. I have a liquid tester, and I'm not sure how to test the soil when the time comes. Do I put some soil with some water and apply the liquid? Won't it be too dark for me to see a color change? Am I just supposed to check the pH of the solutions I am feeding and assume the plants are good to go?

I'll get some pics up soon of the set up and the seedlings.

 

[TheSeedstress]

Soil pH Test Kit

I test the pH of my soil using the test kit shown below. It tests for pH, Nitrogen, Potash, and Potassium. Its easy enough to use, as its color coded and has marks for the soil line and water line. The most important thing is to use distilled water when testing and to let the soil sample dry. Shake the sample after adding water and soil, wait about a minute and you've got a pretty accurate read on all things important about your soil!

Hope this helps! Available for $10-15 at any local garden supply store.

 

[lou1980]

Thanks for the help. I'll pick that kit up soon.

I have a few updates and some pics.

I transplanted most of the babies into 3 gallon smart pots and turned on my 1000w and switched it to MH.

I had some serious root growth from the bottom of many of the rockwools and didn't want to fuck them up, so I freaked and put them into dirt. I took 4 parts Ocean Forest soil to one part perlite. I then put the rockwool in, covered it up and gave them a few squirts of water. I'm letting the water sit out for at least a day and then lowering the pH.

I didn't have enough smart pots for the final two, but they don't have roots protruding from the rockwool yet anyway so I'm not sweating it. It looks like one will not germinate.

My breaker kicked earlier and I lost power for a minute. I unplugged unnecessary outlets to try to ease up on some of the juice. What are my options if it continues to trip the breaker?

I hope I didn't transplant too early. I'm very excited and thrilled to be growing.

Some pics:

 

[TheSeedstress]

Your setup looks good! I'm a fan of the Smart Pot myself. Hopefully the soil won't be too chocked full of nutes for such small plants; the gardening store told me to wait a while before using the FoxFarm Ocean if transplanting seedlings at it has high levels of nutes. No need to supplement for a while in your water.

It looks like your temp is a little high(?) I've read you can go up to 85 F but thought the optimal temp was like 75-80 F. I'd keep an eye on it, you definitely don't want anything more than a 10 F change between night and day.

Keep postin' those pics!

 

[Hazeface]

lookin good bro keep up the good work..

 

[lou1980]

I think I'm having a problem with heat. I close the tent up at night because it's in my bedroom and I like to sleep with the lights off. ;) I woke up yesterday to a 90 degree tent.

I currently have a 6" inline attached to my light sucking the air out, and then I have the other end of the light vented outside the tent to avoid pressure problems.

Can I take half the ducting off the light so the air is still sucked through, but add a 4" inline to a different vent to blow fresh air into the room?

As a reminder, I'm using the Secret Jardin DR120.

 

[lou1980]

A couple of quick updates.

The Avalanche is doing good. I think it might have had a little heat stress, as the leaves are slightly curled under.

Almost all the other babies are getting their second set of leaves.

I think I have the heat under control for now. I've angled a fan to pull the heat out a window. I'll be creating a more permanent solution to vent the heat out of the room soon.

Here a few new pics. Nothing spectacular, just gaining some size.

 

[jakesebastin]

To measure the ph of the soil there are lots of kits available in the market. They will give you the detailed explanation of the soil perfectly.