First Grow

[Brandon137]

Hey guys I'm currently growing 4 plants:

Two Purple Skywalkers 35~ days into veg 42 since germination
One lost coast hashplant and one dinamed cbd 33~ days into veg 38 days since germination

Equipment list:

Fusion hut 4x4x6
Mars hydro reflector 96
Sunsystem 150w currently not in use
4 inch fan and carbon fiber
Small desktop fan
Small humidifier
Ph pen

Growing in fox farm ocean forest. Using
General organics bio thrive haven't really fed them to much just started feeding the bigger 3 plants about a ml to 1.5l of water ph'ed to 6.5 the bigger 3 are in 5 gallon grow bags and the smaller one is in a 1.3 gallon and it gets about .5ml to 1l ph'ed to 6.5.

I live in northern Ontario and have been fighting the cold so much so that when the power went out for 8hrs I boiled snow on the bbq and transferred it to my tent just to keep temps above 13deg celcius. when I'm home the temps inside of the tent are in the low 20's and when I'm out or sleeping anywhere from 14 to 17 ish deg celcius. Humidity is around the high 40's to low 50's. When the carbon filter wasn't running and I had my light set to 24/0 the temps were in the low to mid 20's at all hours and humidity was at 80ish +/-15%

My lighting is set to 20 and 4 I split the 4 in two for morning and night so the tent doesn't get to cold over the full 4hr time period. And I'm currently only using my led set to veg and bloom as of late last week. Prior to that I simply just used the veg setting. Light is at ~19 inches from the top of my tallest plant the bigger 3 are approximately 6 inches tall now. Pics below are from today.

So my question is when should I flip to flower I have done some reading and from my understanding I should flip when my plants are half there desired height. So I'm thinking I would like to flip them at 12ish inches, but my concern is that they will be to bushy or out grow their pots before then. I'm also getting impatient and really want to get smoking my own affordable weed and get away from the over priced popcorn bud that just crumbles in your hands the ocs is selling (I should note not all of it is popcorn just most and all of the weed I've received is most definitely dryer than I like to see).

 

[ColoradoHighGrower]

Pop more seeds now, maybe top your girls a little, and then flip in a couple weeks

 

[Brandon137]

Pop more seeds now, maybe top your girls a little, and then flip in a couple weeks

I forgot to mention I've topped all plants once except for one of the purple Skywalkers that I've named psw#1 which has been topped and then topped the two mains a second time. Are you suggesting I top even more so i also have been doing some lst mostly on the dinamed cbd left front. I will see if I can get some better pics tomorrow. I also plan on repotting the cbd into a 5 gal this weekend. As for popping more seeds I need to save for a new light for this purpose I was thinking a cheapo light fixture with one of those 30w led grow bulbs. If I go that route how long can i keep them under that light before the plants are to big for it? Also I should mention that the psws are regular and the rest are feminized

 

[Brandon137]

And thank you for your response!

 

[Brandon137]

Lost coast hash plant
I've topped this plant once had have done a bunch of lst purple Skywalker #1 (psw#1) has been topped once and lst to one side and some branches have been tied down Dinamed cbd has been topped once and lst to one side this one has been trouble since day one started with a stuck seed shell and then some sort of deficiency that I believe to have been a nitrogen deficiency new growth looks good and seems to really be bushing out now

 

[ColoradoHighGrower]

Sounds like you're on top of things in the lst/structure department. They look a wee bit small for flipping yet, so the longer you wait, the more you will harvest. Your preference really. They could be flipped now, if you wanted to. Growing is a bit of a patience game really. If you flip now, you're anywhere from 9-11 weeks from harvest, and then maybe 2 more weeks before you can enjoy your first splif. If you veg for another month, add just 4 weeks to those timeframes, but possibly double your harvest.

If your talking about a new light for a separate veg area, t5s are cheap and work great too. I use a 315lec for veg and flower, and it rocks. Makes super frosty nug! I don't think cheap LEDs are worth it, from what I've read, but never tried. I use a few 24 inch t5s for clones/seedlings, and they can get pretty big under those while still in solo cups.

 

[ColoradoHighGrower]

Here's my clone/veg cabinet:

 

[Brandon137]

Purple Skywalker #1 (psw#1)
This one was the first to sprout out of the two psw's so far I've topped twice and done a bunch of lst to this one it's really bushing out I just watered and fed her today 2l of water to 1.5ml of bio thrive ph'ed to 6.5

 

[ColoradoHighGrower]

Also, btw, i noticed it looks like you're watering your girls like you would a regular house plant (just giving them a little water, enough to wet some/most of the soil). If so, that will lead to salt/nutrient buildup, and possibly ph issues in your soil. Everytime you water, you should be completely soaking your soil until you get about 20% runoff. Then let them dry out really well between waterings. Feel the weight after watering, and then wait for the pots to get really light before the next watering.

 

[Brandon137]

Sounds like you're on top of things in the lst/structure department. They look a wee bit small for flipping yet, so the longer you wait, the more you will harvest. Your preference really. They could be flipped now, if you wanted to. Growing is a bit of a patience game really. If you flip now, you're anywhere from 9-11 weeks from harvest, and then maybe 2 more weeks before you can enjoy your first splif. If you veg for another month, add just 4 weeks to those timeframes, but possibly double your harvest.

If your talking about a new light for a separate veg area, t5s are cheap and work great too. I use a 315lec for veg and flower, and it rocks. Makes super frosty nug! I don't think cheap LEDs are worth it, from what I've read, but never tried. I use a few 24 inch t5s for clones/seedlings, and they can get pretty big under those while still in solo cups.

I also have a trellis net I could hang it's got 4 inch squares I could set that up would that be a good option for myself? Seems like I have more ties than branches lol
I think I will wait I've gone this far what's a few extra weeks one question my light power is about 350 watts between the two lights do you think they will also support that much growth?

And yes I was talking about a separate make shift veg room just dont tell my wife she will lose it if she finds out I want to use one of the closets lol

 

[Brandon137]

Also, btw, i noticed it looks like you're watering your girls like you would a regular house plant (just giving them a little water, enough to wet some/most of the soil). If so, that will lead to salt/nutrient buildup, and possibly ph issues in your soil. Everytime you water, you should be completely soaking your soil until you get about 20% runoff. Then let them dry out really well between waterings. Feel the weight after watering, and then wait for the pots to get really light before the next watering.

Ok I will give them more water I was worried about overwatering so far I haven't had any run off I will give them significantly more water from hear on out

Thanks for your advice it's much appreciated

 

[Brandon137]

Your cabinet looks awesome! What are you growing currently?

 

[ColoradoHighGrower]

I also have a trellis net I could hang it's got 4 inch squares I could set that up would that be a good option for myself? Seems like I have more ties than branches lol
I think I will wait I've gone this far what's a few extra weeks one question my light power is about 350 watts between the two lights do you think they will also support that much growth?

And yes I was talking about a separate make shift veg room just dont tell my wife she will lose it if she finds out I want to use one of the closets lol

Lol- lips sealed! I love scrog style growing. That's what i do, because i allows you to completely fill your space with just a few plants, and helps support colas and keeps the canopy level. Your wattage is fine, if a decent grow light/spectrum. Do one or a couple runs with your current lights and see if you want to upgrade later. Try to optimize temp/humidity to set a baseline on the lights performance.

 

[ColoradoHighGrower]

Your cabinet looks awesome! What are you growing currently?

I'm currently running Greenpoint Seeds Jelly Pie and Blizzard Bush, and have one Durban poison. The photo of the veg cab is my current grow. About to harvest next week!

 

[ColoradoHighGrower]

Watering is always a point of confusion for people, because people always say to not "over water." What they mean is don't water too frequently. Basically, you can't give a pot plant too much water in one go (within reason), but you can easily water too frequently. The roots need air too, so you need to let them dry out each time before the next watering. I'm usually around 5-6 days between waterings, depending on size of plant and associated transpiration rates. Just keep feeling the pot to get light weight, and even let the plants get a little droopy of thirst. You'll be amazed at how quickly they perk up after watering. Gotta run, will keep checking in to see how things are going. Have fun!

 

[Brandon137]

Ok I will throw it in when I transpl

Watering is always a point of confusion for people, because people always say to not "over water." What they mean is don't water too frequently. Basically, you can't give a pot plant too much water in one go (within reason), but you can easily water too frequently. The roots need air too, so you need to let them dry out each time before the next watering. I'm usually around 5-6 days between waterings, depending on size of plant and associated transpiration rates. Just keep feeling the pot to get light weight, and even let the plants get a little droopy of thirst. You'll be amazed at how quickly they perk up after watering. Gotta run, will keep checking in to see how things are going. Have fun!

Sounds great I will be setting up the trellis net after I transplant the cbd tomorrow I'm thinking about 10" from top of canopy that way I have enough room for watering. Speaking of watering I've been watering every second day and feeding every other watering I will increase my water dose I'll just keep on going till I get run off. I was also wondering if you have had any experience with c02 enrichment? I've been thinking about getting one of those bottles. Also your garden looks exactly like what I'm aiming for looks amazing!

 

[ColoradoHighGrower]

Every two days is too frequent. Go by the weight approach, and you'll be amazed at how the plants respond. They look overwatered currently (drooping leaves). That may have stunted your veg growth a bit, but hard to say. I usually do a light feeding every watering, and then go just ph'd water (no nutes) last ~2 weeks of flower before harvest. I wouldn't worry about CO2 yet. Most people use it when flowering under 1000w HPS, mainly due to the heat (co2 let's you grow at higher temps) and can help with maximizing weight of harvest. However, it is tricky to do right, and there are a lot of other factors you should focus on first, that will likely have a bigger impact on your first few grows. Once you get things dialed in, then you can start adding co2, etc. Use the netting to train your branches by slowly lowering it a few inches at a time, as the plants grow into it. Just keep bending the branches down and spread your canopy out. Some people use it to train the plants before flipping. Others use it after flipping to train the canopy during the stretch phase (2-3 weeks after flipping lights to induce flowering, your plants will explode and almost double in height).

 

[ColoradoHighGrower]

Here's a photo of my last run i did, just before flipping. Three plants filled a 6x3ft area:

 

[ColoradoHighGrower]

Here's what a thirsty pot plant looks like (i let them go for maybe 2 days too long between waterings here):


And this is about 15min after watering them (not fully recovered yet, but you get the idea):


This is the next day:

 

[Brandon137]

Every two days is too frequent. Go by the weight approach, and you'll be amazed at how the plants respond. They look overwatered currently (drooping leaves). That may have stunted your veg growth a bit, but hard to say. I usually do a light feeding every watering, and then go just ph'd water (no nutes) last ~2 weeks of flower before harvest. I wouldn't worry about CO2 yet. Most people use it when flowering under 1000w HPS, mainly due to the heat (co2 let's you grow at higher temps) and can help with maximizing weight of harvest. However, it is tricky to do right, and there are a lot of other factors you should focus on first, that will likely have a bigger impact on your first few grows. Once you get things dialed in, then you can start adding co2, etc. Use the netting to train your branches by slowly lowering it a few inches at a time, as the plants grow into it. Just keep bending the branches down and spread your canopy out. Some people use it to train the plants before flipping. Others use it after flipping to train the canopy during the stretch phase (2-3 weeks after flipping lights to induce flowering, your plants will explode and almost double in height).

Awesome thanks I did notice a stunt in growth about a week or so ago over watering in the sense of to frequently is what you believe happened? If so that makes sense to me I've tried the lifting the pot method and I am starting to get a hang of it or so I thought. sometimes I get worried they will get to dry when I leave for work if there already kinda dry and will just water to be safe. Loving the examples just goes to show how resilient these plants are. Hopefully next week I will have a better handle on my watering.

How much weight on average can you pull from your 6x3?

Our current consumption is about 7ish grams every week or two but will increase once we get a stock of our own home grown. Were trying to conserve right now.

Again thanks for the advice much appreciated!