Schwer's First Grow Evah! Planning, Prep and Grow

[Schwer]

Have you been able to identify your plants sex yet Schwer?

Yes indeed, no sausage at this party (as evidenced in part by the first macro pic above). Chasity mostly assured

I'm sorry. I feel like I should have been more specific with my answer after remembering that I didn't just make this thread for myself, but for anyone who might read this looking for the details. And I don't think I've mentioned sexing before. So here's my experience, but keep in mind I don't really know what I'm talking about :D

These were grown from feminized BBK and GDP seeds I got from ILGM. I know that's not a guarantee so I've been on the lookout for any boys that may have snuck into my tent. I have been pretty confident since about the 4th week because I've read that males tend to have fewer leaves, and mine have been bursting with them since day one, though that's probably not definitive either.

Honestly, I was expecting to be able to verify sex a lot sooner than I was able to... not in terms of time but in terms of size! I figured it would at least be definitive by the time I flipped but I'm not even sure if that was the case on all of my plants. A more knowledgeable and experienced grower might have been able to tell sooner, but I wasn't sure until I saw the little wispy hairs start emerging from the little sex organs that have been there for quite some time. They also don't all pop at once so I had to hunt for them at first.

Hope that addition is helpful to someone in the universe someday Christ... smoke some more weed why don't ya, Schwer.

 

[Lilolme]

When I watered yesterday I did try to "pre-water" all of the pots before starting. I think it helped a little, but being able to switch between pots during the whole process would definitely be better. I've been trying to "Tetris" the pot I'm focusing on to the front of the tent where its easy to both water and spin it around to defoliate, but those days are coming to an end. No more individual smooching for me. Honestly, that alone will probably triple my speed, heh.

I can fly through waterin, the soil mix I concocted performs very well even when the top is dry it sucks the water right up pretty fast

 

[Schwer]

@Lilolme Maybe this is my penance for purchasing a pre-made soil

 

[Tracyfri]

Thanks so much, that wetting agent info sounds interesting. I'll be pursuing that for my own edification at the very least because that's new to me.

Actually, all of your replies have been very helpful because at this point I don't really know what's normal and what's not. This is sounding pretty normal.

Doing it like Tetris is how I do it too! If they get to that stage.

 

[Lilolme]

@Lilolme Maybe this is my penance for purchasing a pre-made soil

A lot of that stuff is just a money maker for somebody. I’ll tell you what I made mine with for $100, lol

 

[Lilolme]

Good drainage but also moisture retention along with a moderate amount of organic material in my case composted cow shit. Thats the recipe, for about $20 you can go to the local hardware and find everything that matches that criteria and make a LOT. I use an old expanded metal patio table top set on a half of a plastic 55 gallon drum to screen out the big stuff and break up the chunks then I mix it well with an old wooden boat oar, giant wooden spoon, my biggest source of pride is makin just as good as or better stuff than you can buy for pennies on the dollar. Actually the naturally occuring soil here is a nice forest loam but it has a lot of stones which is shale made from the decaying matter that settled to the bottom of the sea bed this once was till about 400 million years ago when the continent’s collided and wrinkled up the Appalachian Mountain chain which extends across several continents not just the U.S.

 

[Lilolme]

I have a heck of a nice back yard surrounded by 10 million acres of National Forest.

 

[Schwer]

Good drainage but also moisture retention along with a moderate amount of organic material in my case composted cow shit. Thats the recipe, for about $20 you can go to the local hardware and find everything that matches that criteria and make a LOT. I use an old expanded metal patio table top set on a half of a plastic 55 gallon drum to screen out the big stuff and break up the chunks then I mix it well with an old wooden boat oar, giant wooden spoon, my biggest source of pride is makin just as good as or better stuff than you can buy for pennies on the dollar. Actually the naturally occuring soil here is a nice forest loam but it has a lot of stones which is shale made from the decaying matter that settled to the bottom of the sea bed this once was till about 400 million years ago when the continent’s collided and wrinkled up the Appalachian Mountain chain which extends across several continents not just the U.S.

Thanks for the soil info and the history lesson. I was *this* close to making my own soil for this grow but I chickened out at the end when I settled on keeping everything as simple as possible for my first time out. I bought four bags of the CoM but I only needed two, so I still have enough for another grow but after that I'd like to try making my own.

As for your back yard, that's just beautiful man. VA is such a pretty state.

Your $100 check is in the mail. I just wrote @Lilolme on the envelope so I hope it finds you.

 

[FourPlants]

I have a heck of a nice back yard surrounded by 10 million acres of National Forest.View attachment 1157147

Whats up new bff

That is nice... Makes my backyard with the creek cutting through it backing up the city park seem... like the junior version

 

[Schwer]

Day 55 - Nearly 2 weeks since flip...

... and the stretch is real.

My GDP's were struggling to keep up with the BBK's, so Little Peggy in the middle has been upgraded to 3 pot risers (I need a damn milk crate) and the other two GDP's (top center and top right) received a two inch boost with some inverted drain pans. That has evened out the canopy a bit more... for now.

I love seeing all of those smiling faces. They are smiling right? .... and talking?

Raising the lights is now practically a daily affair.

Good times!

For anyone curious about my current watering and feeding, I have to water every two and a half days when the pots are light AND the plants start showing me clear signs on the bottom 50%, i.e. drooping leaves. I don't know if that's best practice, but it has helped me avoid overwatering for the duration of the grow and the plants seem happy. I check the tent often so I don't let them go too long when they do need the water. If it seems like my soil dries out quickly that might be because I have raised fabric pots and two fans under the canopy for air flow.

Anyway, I mix up 6 gallons of RO water with 1 tsp of mag sulfate per gal (my plants have been looking better so I haven't messed with this yet) and give the plants 3 liters per pot. Every three waterings I include .5 teaspoons of Recharge per gallon. I did a top dress of fish bone meal (~1/5 cup per pot) in the first week of flower and I will do another next week during the 3rd week of flower per my Stoneingtons feed chart. I'll also be doing another top dress of EWC in week 4.

Edit: Oops, forgot temps and humidity. Lung room and tent humidity have been holding in the mid 50's despite all of the crazy storms we've had this week. Light-time temps have been about 82F per the temp sensor near the canopy, and low to mid 70's during lights-off.

And what the hell, here's the light info too. I'm still trying to keep the lights about 20-24" off the canopy and I think I'm at 82% or so on the GC Master Controller. According to my meter the plants are getting between 750 and 1000 PPFD across the canopy.

 

[Lilolme]

Day 55 - Nearly 2 weeks since flip...

... and the stretch is real.
View attachment 1157890

My GDP's were struggling to keep up with the BBK's, so Little Peggy in the middle has been upgraded to 3 pot risers (I need a damn milk crate) and the other two GDP's (top center and top right) received a two inch boost with some inverted drain pans. That has evened out the canopy a bit more... for now.

View attachment 1157891

I love seeing all of those smiling faces. They are smiling right? .... and talking?

View attachment 1157889

Raising the lights is now practically a daily affair.

View attachment 1157892

Good times!

For anyone curious about my current watering and feeding, I have to water every two and a half days when the pots are light AND the plants start showing me clear signs on the bottom 50%, i.e. drooping leaves. I don't know if that's best practice, but it has helped me avoid overwatering for the duration of the grow and the plants seem happy. I check the tent often so I don't let them go too long when they do need the water. If it seems like my soil dries out quickly that might be because I have raised fabric pots and two fans under the canopy for air flow.

Anyway, I mix up 6 gallons of RO water with 1 tsp of mag sulfate per gal (my plants have been looking better so I haven't messed with this yet) and give the plants 3 liters per pot. Every three waterings I include .5 teaspoons of Recharge per gallon. I did a top dress of fish bone meal (~1/5 cup per pot) in the first week of flower and I will do another next week during the 3rd week of flower per my Stoneingtons feed chart. I'll also be doing another top dress of EWC in week 4.

Edit: Oops, forgot temps and humidity. Lung room and tent humidity have been holding in the mid 50's despite all of the crazy storms we've had this week. Light-time temps have been about 82F per the temp sensor near the canopy, and low to mid 70's during lights-off.

And what the hell, here's the light info too. I'm still trying to keep the lights about 20-24" off the canopy and I think I'm at 82% or so on the GC Master Controller. According to my meter the plants are getting between 750 and 1000 PPFD across the canopy.

I have read that the little dry periods between waterin allows the roots a chance to recieve a little extra oxygen which they love

 

[SweetLeafGrow]

I have to water every two and a half days when the pots are light AND the plants start showing me clear signs on the bottom 50%, i.e. drooping leaves.

Strive to get a feel for when they need water BEFORE they get droopy. You're doing it right and most likely learning the feel of the weight at different times. By now you know when they are needing water without seeing the droop. It's not the end of the world if it happens but from what I have read, it still stresses them out some. There were times, through the experience of my own grow, when I watered late in the day because I knew if I waited til morning, they would be droopy on the lower leaves. I think it's important to avoid this if possible.

 

[Tracyfri]

Day 55 - Nearly 2 weeks since flip...

... and the stretch is real.
View attachment 1157890

My GDP's were struggling to keep up with the BBK's, so Little Peggy in the middle has been upgraded to 3 pot risers (I need a damn milk crate) and the other two GDP's (top center and top right) received a two inch boost with some inverted drain pans. That has evened out the canopy a bit more... for now.

View attachment 1157891

I love seeing all of those smiling faces. They are smiling right? .... and talking?

View attachment 1157889

Raising the lights is now practically a daily affair.

View attachment 1157892

Good times!

For anyone curious about my current watering and feeding, I have to water every two and a half days when the pots are light AND the plants start showing me clear signs on the bottom 50%, i.e. drooping leaves. I don't know if that's best practice, but it has helped me avoid overwatering for the duration of the grow and the plants seem happy. I check the tent often so I don't let them go too long when they do need the water. If it seems like my soil dries out quickly that might be because I have raised fabric pots and two fans under the canopy for air flow.

Anyway, I mix up 6 gallons of RO water with 1 tsp of mag sulfate per gal (my plants have been looking better so I haven't messed with this yet) and give the plants 3 liters per pot. Every three waterings I include .5 teaspoons of Recharge per gallon. I did a top dress of fish bone meal (~1/5 cup per pot) in the first week of flower and I will do another next week during the 3rd week of flower per my Stoneingtons feed chart. I'll also be doing another top dress of EWC in week 4.

Edit: Oops, forgot temps and humidity. Lung room and tent humidity have been holding in the mid 50's despite all of the crazy storms we've had this week. Light-time temps have been about 82F per the temp sensor near the canopy, and low to mid 70's during lights-off.

And what the hell, here's the light info too. I'm still trying to keep the lights about 20-24" off the canopy and I think I'm at 82% or so on the GC Master Controller. According to my meter the plants are getting between 750 and 1000 PPFD across the canopy.

Schwer everything looks amazing! Canopy looks pretty even w tons of bud sites that will stack. First grow evah? You wouldn't know it. You've got a good way about you bro nice job

 

[Schwer]

I have read that the little dry periods between waterin allows the roots a chance to recieve a little extra oxygen which they love

Strive to get a feel for when they need water BEFORE they get droopy. You're doing it right and most likely learning the feel of the weight at different times. By now you know when they are needing water without seeing the droop. It's not the end of the world if it happens but from what I have read, it still stresses them out some. There were times, through the experience of my own grow, when I watered late in the day because I knew if I waited til morning, they would be droopy on the lower leaves. I think it's important to avoid this if possible.

I've been wondering about whether or not I've been waiting too long, especially because by time I need to water I really need to water within several hours and that doesn't always give me a morning or even afternoon window.

I think I'll take your advice, @SweetLeafGrow, and try to get to them before the droop while still given them that dry period @Lilolme was referring to.

 

[Schwer]

Schwer everything looks amazing! Canopy looks pretty even w tons of bud sites that will stack. First grow evah? You wouldn't know it. You've got a good way about you bro nice job

You are far too kind, @Tracyfri. PM me later and let me know how much it will cost me for all of those nice things you said.

 

[Tracyfri]

You are far too kind, @Tracyfri. PM me later and let me know how much it will cost me for all of those nice things you said.

First ones on the house

 

[Schwer]

I watered this morning right after lights-on which put me about a half a day ahead of my usual schedule. Only one plant was showing any signs of leaf droop but all of the pots had that volleyball feel and I could pick them up with one hand. Well, all except Peggy but she's on her own schedule.

The soil was MUCH less hydrophobic during this watering, presumably because I didn't let the soil dry out as much this time around. What a joy compared to my previous waterings.

Once again I mixed 6 gallons of R.O. with a teaspoon of mag sulfate per gallon. I used Recharge for the previous watering so I didn't add it today and I'll skip it for the next watering as well. I'll stop using it completely after about four weeks of flower. Its officially the third week since flipping so I also gave them another top dress of ~1/5 cup of Fish Bone Meal per pot.

 

[AmokNewb]

I watered this morning right after lights-on which put me about a half a day ahead of my usual schedule. Only one plant was showing any signs of leaf droop but all of the pots had that volleyball feel and I could pick them up with one hand. Well, all except Peggy but she's on her own schedule.

The soil was MUCH less hydrophobic during this watering, presumably because I didn't let the soil dry out as much this time around. What a joy compared to my previous waterings.

Once again I mixed 6 gallons of R.O. with a teaspoon of mag sulfate per gallon. I used Recharge for the previous watering so I didn't add it today and I'll skip it for the next watering as well. I'll stop using it completely after about four weeks of flower. Its officially the third week since flipping so I also gave them another top dress of ~1/5 cup of Fish Bone Meal per pot.

I used to use yucca wet when I fed with GH nutrients in coco, it is a wetting agent to help with hydrophobic soil. Advanced nutrients which I am using until harvest already has an agent or I would still be using it. I would recommend trying it with your waterings. Might help with that and also promote nutrient uptake. It is organic as well.

 

[Schwer]

I used to use yucca wet when I fed with GH nutrients in coco, it is a wetting agent to help with hydrophobic soil. Advanced nutrients which I am using until harvest already has an agent or I would still be using it. I would recommend trying it with your waterings. Might help with that and also promote nutrient uptake. It is organic as well.

Awesome, thank you. I will be checking that out for sure.

 

[Schwer]

I'm home all day while some gents are outside doing a bit of plumbing work. I guess that means I get to spend more time in the tent. I promise there will be no smooching... only photos of my photos.