Learning a Lot on First Ever Grow

ayr0n

ayr0n

Well-Known Member
lofly247 said:
Hi there everyone,
This is my first time growing and I am learning heaps. I've gathered so much off these forums and have finally had a go popping some beans. I have a small pc box, which was probably not the best option as I am not relying on the disguise of the PC. I am still hiding it well away at the back of a shed way down at the edge of the yard, and behind a fair amount of junk.
Its been a long time coming and I have worked stealthily away on the box and arranging an excuse to get power out there. I live with a family I love dearly but cannot unfortunately share such joys with. At all costs.

My excitement at seeing the first set of leaves pop out from under the soil, quickly gave way to some practical realisations about what I am dealing with. The space in the box is very small, but having never grown before, I'd be happy with merely a small joint if I can make it that far. Temps are an issue and smell will be later. The temps started high but I was able to address this with an additional fan and some ajdustments to the voltage. The variance is difficult to manage. The dark cycle is pretty cold, down to 10/11C however the light cycle is now mostly under 26/7C. There is considerable variance from the top to bottom of the box also.

My light trap is a variation on ScrubNinja's with smaller components.

The humidity is reading in the region of 70 but I'm not sure how to manage this down or if it is too much of a problem. I have a fan inside blowing the plants and the soil surface is drying out between waterings.

Seedlings are still very small but looking good and healthly in my noob opinion.
My lights are 2x 20 watt white CFLs and 2x 18 watt warm CFLs.

With odour, I am planning to vent out, but am unsure how that will go with PC fans.

The seeds i germed were 1x Crystal, 1x Lemon Skunk and 1x Free Seed. I did not label so I could have any combination and am crossing fingers for at least 1 female.

Like I said, I'm just happy to have some leaves pop. The next setup will be a heap simpler and more suited to the venue. Perhaps even a cardboard box.

Here goes
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I was thinking of going this route (pc stealth, etc), as I'm in a similar situation (family not too happy, but in my case they do know)...I ended up going the tent route, but I don't know how well that would fit inconspicuously inside your shed. Pretty excited to follow this...I'll be a month or so behind you - still waiting on some things to be delivered before my grow can start. Good luck man! Looking good so far ;)
 
lofly247

lofly247

Active Member
Hey Everybody,
I took a "work from home day" and when the rest of the family went out to the in-laws for the afternoon and night I got on with some crafty work. I finished up some hoods for my CFLs. I did a little reading up for the design, which is a aluminium can cut for each one. Pics will show the steps but there is a good tutorial out there somewhere also.

I figured rightly or wrongly that the aim of a CFL hood would be to maximise the use of the light that would otherwise be directed to the side or back of the bulb.
Much of this light seems wasted or unnecessarily bounced. The hoods are painted white because I heard bad things about the reflective capacity of alu can and oddly even looking at them I can tell a difference. The alu can seems to give you a picture of the light bulb and the white paint gives you a blast of warm glowiness.
I also finished off the attachment for the fan and carbon filter.
Filter 2.0 is ready for action, but I may not install it right away.
I am thinking tonight I flip the lights. I need to find out which one of those darlings is going to be my lady friend so that I can chop the other like a jealous lover. I have this question however.

Should I transplant both into a bigger pot now at the same time I flip the lights and then chop the male when he shows himself?

Or should I flip the lights now and transplant only the female into a bigger pot once I know? I hope there is at least 1 female. Perhaps I'll revive the PC case to get some 12/12 from seed going just in case.

All in all a good way to spend the afternoon. Even got a little work done.
 

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~Dankster~420

Well-Known Member
Nice.. :clap: I like the way you work.. haha Keep up the great work bro. + rep to you :clap:
lofly247 said:
Here is my prototype carbon filter. I would like to neaten up verson 2.0. I cannot track down two different size cups like is demonstrated in one or more posts. This design has a flyscreen outer shield. The ends are blocked with circular cut cardboard. Silicone held it to the PC, however the back of the new box has 2 fans that take out downwards into the filter as in the attached drawing.
The bad drawing should be a milestone for these forums, like first message or like.
Click to expand...
 
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~Dankster~420

Well-Known Member
You mind if I show off a little of my work in your thread :confused: if not thats cool, I completely understand. In that case if anyone is interested in my newest creations, feel free to join in on my LONG but full of great information thread here --> https://www.rollitup.org/p/10565550/

I will go ahead & drop a pic or two, and if its not cool I will come back & erase them.. :) You fella's have a great day..

Peace, Dank.


Kasif2 (1) youve been passed.png Trichcome production on K.A.S.I..jpg KASI.jpg
 
lofly247

lofly247

Active Member
Thanks Dank,
I appreciate the reps.
Those buds are a welcome addition to this thread.


~Dankster~420 said:
You mind if I show off a little of my work in your thread :confused: if not thats cool, I completely understand. In that case if anyone is interested in my newest creations, feel free to join in on my LONG but full of great information thread here --> https://www.rollitup.org/p/10565550/

I will go ahead & drop a pic or two, and if its not cool I will come back & erase them.. :) You fella's have a great day..

Peace, Dank.


View attachment 3169431 View attachment 3169432 View attachment 3169433
Click to expand...
 
KushDreams87

KushDreams87

Well-Known Member
what's up man im also a new grower my plants are 16 days old lol still really young but your plants are looking really good man keep up the good work im going to take a seat stay irie my friend and feel free to check out my babies a little younger then yours later man
 
4Life2style0

4Life2style0

Well-Known Member
Lookin healthy! And stealthy! :) I got 5 that broke soil this week and another three that are popping right now with the shell still on them all lol. I put mine outside for the seedling stage, then I am bringing them inside for what I am thinking is gonna be a 250 watt HPS flowering, as I want LED but to much $$ for now.

Do you not experience heat issues at all? I assume it would be because of the airflow you have in there!

And 6 grams every 6 months, did u read that right. I bet once you get a decent yield from your cabinet, you go through a lot more than 6 grams! :)

I am a noob too man! This is my 1.5 grow. Lol long story as my first one was suddenly ripped to her awful death. I'm here for the show buddy!
 
lofly247

lofly247

Active Member
Thanks 4Life2style0,
The only temp issues I have are low ones. Its in an shed outside with no insulation, so at the mo its getting pretty cool when lights are out. Since I moved it from the PC, and the weather has cooled further, even the lights on phase is pretty chile. I think that the airflow will be impeded once the carbon filter goes on. Testing in the PC showed I still got enough airflow from two fans on the filter and in this box I have the two fans slightly separate and a longer filter. Internally there are two fans pushing down consistently for circulation and overall temp regulation.
I dreamed up a scheme to put a couple of small rocks in there. Thermal mass to store heat during the lights on and release slowly at night. I've been told on this thread that 10 degree's diff is fine though, so I'm sure there's no logical reason to go sticking rocks in my grow.

Walked in to a very respectable small business marketing odour control to the pet industry. The product seems really decent as a complement to my carbon filter, and it was quite a laugh talking to her about my odour needs without actually naming it. I would have loved to turn round at the end of the purchase and said, "This is going to do wonders for masking the smell of the Phat Buds I'll have ripening soon enough"

Alas, I'm not in Colarado

Got some street art off a leaf for decorating the box
 

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losangeles

Active Member
Try to keep humidity down, research what's safe. You'll wind up w moldy buds if not careful. Also carbon air filters won't kill the smell by themselves, unless your lucky. You'll need serious negative pressure in your box to pull it off. My advice, be careful and if there's a lot of land hide it w another bush far away from people and leave it alone. Someone else mentioned it above. You can't get blamed for it if it's outside in nature instead of a shed. Depending on how long your strain takes, 7-8 weeks of flower up to usually 10-12 weeks, it'll be like having a burning joint in your box for no less than 2 months, inside a shed. Good luck, just make sure getting caught is worth the effort and yield.
 
lofly247

lofly247

Active Member
Thanks losangeles,
Humidity is a bitch. It's crazy in there at the moment. I'm wondering if my sensor is faulty. It rains a lot here and while the shed dosent leak I'm wondering if the damp climate is causing the box to pull in humid air. I have passive damp removal crystals in there to see if that will do anything.
Thanks for reminding me that bud stinks. My filter will be complemented by some odour gel. I found a good product for this because Ona is only available expensively shipped.
I guess I'm nervous about being caught but it will only likely be the wife that finds it and she stays out of the shed mostly. No other human traffic for a long way.
 
waterdawg

waterdawg

Well-Known Member
lofly247 said:
Here are some update picks. Stretching our legs in a new space. I'm not fussed about too big a yield at this stage, but thanks for egging me on anyhow. I smoke a very slow 5 grams every 6 months as it is. I have only ever experienced bought cannabis and a friends outdoor grow. Having a little good genetics grown myself will be an awsome thing.
I am still proving to myself that it can be done, and whether I can pull it off stealth like. Oddly I am working through season three of Breaking Bad with the missus after spending an hour or so most evenings building a longboard and checking up on my plants. There is always the chance I may have to sit her down and talk through the fact that I have used cannabis(for mood regulation) consistently since I met her, despite having gone underground somewhat.
The new cab is bigger but not by much. I am considering some hanging bulbs or a different orientation for lights on the other side for flower. I also want some individual hoods on those CFLs. I have an issue I need help with if you kind people don't mind:
They are both in a single pot. Rectangular, but I think not big enough for both. Is that right? I can't tell which is female at the moment so I am thinking to flip to flower, make a call on who the lady is and then pull the bloke and leave her to bloom or repot her into a larger dish and let her rip.

Stealth is good. Quieter than the PC case. I have odour control to attend to in the coming days. I have a modified pencil cup design that I keep meaning to photograph for you. 2 fans push through it reasonably well in the PC case so I am going to keep the design for this cab.
I would like to lengthen the filter by doubling with a second cut cup. I'm no expert but lengthening seems like a good way to increase the air-carbon contact time without impeding flow. Does this theory hold up based on your experience? There is a local company that has some odour control that may be similar to ONA, as I cant get ONA easily here.

Today at work, I picked up on an article on DJ Short spurred on by these forums. Nice way to end the day.

Thanks for watching.
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Hey I know its a fun hobby and all but if your only smoking a quarter ounce every 6 months why the stress? Why not just buy it? Just sayin is it really worth it? Not to bring you down, you've done a great job! Plants look good! And if it brings you joy then have at er lol.
 
Cobnobuler

Cobnobuler

Well-Known Member
Dank- the Rooster cartoons too much !! perfect analogy here. To the OP I too admire your perseverance and dedication to the craft your learning.
Its in your bones now man. All your gonna want to do at some point is expand into something that will give you decent yield. You gotta find a way to find your freedom to do so.
In the meanwhile, nice work your doing here. I have no doubt you'll be successful
 
lofly247

lofly247

Active Member
I started down this road because I was interested in the different qualities of the plant. The various effects of sativas, indicas, cbd etc. I could not experiment with any of this because I only know one or two people who smoke and they don't care about any of that. Also hunting around for other sources would compromise me somewhat. Now that I've started I've realised how stimulating all the other dimensions to growing are. The way I have always medicated is a few months on and a few months off so growing a small amount suits this ebb and flow somewhat.
I envy those who live in more enlightened nations or states than I do, but in the meantime I will have a crack at some homegrown and see how it goes.
 
waterdawg

waterdawg

Well-Known Member
I hear ya about quality as its hit and miss here. Yes wouldn't it be nice to have a few plants legally growing in your garden. I can only hope that someday it will happen here as well'
 
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