My second windowsill grow. Hoping to learn from the mistakes of my first one...
- Thread starter MonsterMagnet
- Start date
MonsterMagnet
Active Member
Maybe. My first grow was called Arthur & he/she provided a pretty reasonable yield for a first attempt (it wasn't an auto though).It's bad juju.Why not
Got any other weird superstitions you'd like to share?
MickFoster
Well-Known Member
It was a joke my friend.Got any other weird superstitions you'd like to share?
MonsterMagnet
Active Member
MonsterMagnet
Active Member
Another thing I did...some simple sheets of glossy card I've had lying around...
Hopefully that only adds to the potential sunlight exposure
Hopefully that only adds to the potential sunlight exposure
MonsterMagnet
Active Member
DAY 24...
Things are going well. Transplanting doesn't seem to have stressed any of the plants out as they're growing at the same rate as the un-transplanted one. I think the addition of white reflective paper is really helping too. Anything to get light all around them.
Because I keep moving them around the flat they're getting plenty of direct sunlight, up to 32 degrees at the moment. 1.5 hours in the morning, then around 5 hours up until early afternoon, then probably another 3 into the evening. So, around 10 hours in total
I've just started LST on one of them, and I removed a large leaf that was covering the fresh leaf shoots...
You can't see it but there's plastic-coated wire bent into a hook that's pushed into the soil, holding the plant down between node 2 and 3.
The large pots seem to retain a lot of water & the top layer is still wet so I've only given the big pots 1/2 a litre of water in the last 4 days. Some of that actually ran through. Before that they'd had a good soak (just over a litre each).
I bought some nutes (Bio-Grow) to feed them next time they get water. I can save the Bio-Bloom until the flowering stage. The soil I'm using is supposed to have "up to 4 weeks worth" of nutrients so it should be perfect timing in around 4-5 days. If we get really hot weather (like today) I may need to water them a bit earlier. I'm deliberately taking it easy, keeping an eye out for any sign of wilting or discolouration.
According to the data sheet the 3 Northern Dragon Fuel plants start flowering around the 70 day point so I've still got plenty of time to watch these babies grow. The Glueberry OG will probably start a little earlier, at around 60 days.
It'll be interesting to see how the Glueberry develops. At the moment it's the smallest (which could just be a trait of the eplant) and it was a freebie so I'm not expecting anything spectacular. Who knows?
Things are going well. Transplanting doesn't seem to have stressed any of the plants out as they're growing at the same rate as the un-transplanted one. I think the addition of white reflective paper is really helping too. Anything to get light all around them.
Because I keep moving them around the flat they're getting plenty of direct sunlight, up to 32 degrees at the moment. 1.5 hours in the morning, then around 5 hours up until early afternoon, then probably another 3 into the evening. So, around 10 hours in total
I've just started LST on one of them, and I removed a large leaf that was covering the fresh leaf shoots...
You can't see it but there's plastic-coated wire bent into a hook that's pushed into the soil, holding the plant down between node 2 and 3.
The large pots seem to retain a lot of water & the top layer is still wet so I've only given the big pots 1/2 a litre of water in the last 4 days. Some of that actually ran through. Before that they'd had a good soak (just over a litre each).
I bought some nutes (Bio-Grow) to feed them next time they get water. I can save the Bio-Bloom until the flowering stage. The soil I'm using is supposed to have "up to 4 weeks worth" of nutrients so it should be perfect timing in around 4-5 days. If we get really hot weather (like today) I may need to water them a bit earlier. I'm deliberately taking it easy, keeping an eye out for any sign of wilting or discolouration.
According to the data sheet the 3 Northern Dragon Fuel plants start flowering around the 70 day point so I've still got plenty of time to watch these babies grow. The Glueberry OG will probably start a little earlier, at around 60 days.
It'll be interesting to see how the Glueberry develops. At the moment it's the smallest (which could just be a trait of the eplant) and it was a freebie so I'm not expecting anything spectacular. Who knows?
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MonsterMagnet
Active Member
My first attempt at LST seems to be working but do you think I should remove any more leaves?
It's quite a busy canopy now.
I've hardly watered any of my plants in a few days, even though we've had solid sunshine with temperatures between 28 & 34! Amazing weather but the soil is still wet on top. I've looked a bit more into it & I gather peat-based soil has very high water retention so I can just bide my time, right?
It's quite a busy canopy now.
I've hardly watered any of my plants in a few days, even though we've had solid sunshine with temperatures between 28 & 34! Amazing weather but the soil is still wet on top. I've looked a bit more into it & I gather peat-based soil has very high water retention so I can just bide my time, right?
AJ’s_stash
Member
If your soil is damp don’t water. You putting that paper over the soil is keeping the sun from hitting/warming the soil and evaporating moister. I wouldn’t cut more leaves….they’re like solar panels for the plant….the less leaves the less photosynthesis=less growth.
MonsterMagnet
Active Member
Some random thoughts & observations...
● I don't think the transplanting has shocked the plants enough into stunting growth. The healthiest one is actually one of the transplants & not the one in its original pot. It's hard to see if the same can be said for the trained plant as its shape is different. It seems to be growing nicely though.
● The above mentioned, un-transplanted plant can handle nutes nicely. It's only been top-dressed with the fancy soil I bought & it dried out much quicker than expected so I gave it a nute-rich drink the other day.
● Although I get the logic behind people trying to persuade me to get a lamp to boost these plants, I'm sticking to sunlight only, this time around. If & when I pay for a lamp I'll invest in a full kit (tent, fans, irrigation system) to do it properly. I'm not gonna through 40€ at some junk from China that might not do the job properly.
● I discovered today that our tap water has a pH level of around 8. Fortunately I've hardly used it but I'm keeping a lemon handy for the next watering session.
● I don't think the transplanting has shocked the plants enough into stunting growth. The healthiest one is actually one of the transplants & not the one in its original pot. It's hard to see if the same can be said for the trained plant as its shape is different. It seems to be growing nicely though.
● The above mentioned, un-transplanted plant can handle nutes nicely. It's only been top-dressed with the fancy soil I bought & it dried out much quicker than expected so I gave it a nute-rich drink the other day.
● Although I get the logic behind people trying to persuade me to get a lamp to boost these plants, I'm sticking to sunlight only, this time around. If & when I pay for a lamp I'll invest in a full kit (tent, fans, irrigation system) to do it properly. I'm not gonna through 40€ at some junk from China that might not do the job properly.
● I discovered today that our tap water has a pH level of around 8. Fortunately I've hardly used it but I'm keeping a lemon handy for the next watering session.
AJ’s_stash
Member
I bought a $30 dollar multi spectrum LED off Amazon with a timer and it’s been working great. Started my outdoors plants this year with it and have been growing this Purple Urkle x C99 cross(aka my little bonsai) on my kitchen counter and it’s been killing it. Plant is around 8 weeks old with LST, defoliation, and topped once. Hand fed her the first time last night and she is very perky!!! If you’re interested I’ll send you the link….no doubt you’ll get a bigger yield with this light, cheers
MonsterMagnet
Active Member
My problem is more about setting something up that my wife will tolerate! Hehehe!
Does anyone have any experience with something like this... https://tinyurl.com/4pvs5mw3
It would actually work in two different ways, as a grow lamp & as an actual corner light when I'm not growing.
It has a timer. Its height is adjustable. It has a dimmer. It's cheap & it has good reviews (but obviously, weed isn't mentioned).
Unfortunately it's not energy efficient at all. I have no idea how much it would cost to run, even though LED lighting is considered a cheap way to go.
I DO NOT want to get one of those fugly, rectangular hanging lamp grid things. Not unless it's concealed in a tent (which ain't happening this time around).
EDIT - This one might be better... https://tinyurl.com/365vbut2
Does anyone have any experience with something like this... https://tinyurl.com/4pvs5mw3
It would actually work in two different ways, as a grow lamp & as an actual corner light when I'm not growing.
It has a timer. Its height is adjustable. It has a dimmer. It's cheap & it has good reviews (but obviously, weed isn't mentioned).
Unfortunately it's not energy efficient at all. I have no idea how much it would cost to run, even though LED lighting is considered a cheap way to go.
I DO NOT want to get one of those fugly, rectangular hanging lamp grid things. Not unless it's concealed in a tent (which ain't happening this time around).
EDIT - This one might be better... https://tinyurl.com/365vbut2
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MonsterMagnet
Active Member
DAY 29...
It's over 7 days since I watered the plants in large containers. The top layer & over an inch down is still far from dry but I'm getting twitchy as they're big containers. Should I really still hold off watering?
I've removed the white reflective paper for now, to see if it helps to air the soil a bit more...
The Glueberry OG is top right.
I thought about bottom-watering to see if the plants are thirsty. It's easy to drain off if none is being drawn into the soil & roots.
Also, in another thread... https://tinyurl.com/365vbut2 ...any opinions on this 100w lamp?
It's over 7 days since I watered the plants in large containers. The top layer & over an inch down is still far from dry but I'm getting twitchy as they're big containers. Should I really still hold off watering?
I've removed the white reflective paper for now, to see if it helps to air the soil a bit more...
The Glueberry OG is top right.
I thought about bottom-watering to see if the plants are thirsty. It's easy to drain off if none is being drawn into the soil & roots.
Also, in another thread... https://tinyurl.com/365vbut2 ...any opinions on this 100w lamp?
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MonsterMagnet
Active Member
DAY 37...
Quite a change since I last posted. Lots of growth (notice the 30cm steel ruler), particularly Jeff (untrained Northern Dragon Fuel) and Jim (untrained Glueberry OG). They're the largest, so far. Steve (Northern Dragon fuel using LST) is also starting to fill out but it's hard to tell if the growth is equal to the other 2 due to the different shape. Janis is the runt, unsurprisingly, staying in the small pot. It's probably too late to transplant to a bigger pot as all but the LST'd plant are showing early signs of flowering The small pot was always an experiment & it'll be interesting to see what the difference in harvest will be...
Does anything look wrong? Particularly with my first attempt at LST? I just pinned down two branches this morning to encourage more growth in and around the bare area of the pot. It looks pretty good to me.
The same with the other 2 tall plants. They don't seem over-stretched & are starting to develop nicely. I'll need to switch to taller canes soon & actually attach them loosely in a couple of spots up the main trunk to stop them falling, or leaning too much in one direction.
I've reluctantly buckled to the idea of supplementary lighting (which was discussed in another thread).
My idea is to buy this LED lighting system... https://shop-weedness.de/?a=6393&lang=eng
...I'd prefer to keep cost under the 100€ mark but might end up going for higher wattage. Unless someone has better recommendations for something in the EU I'll stick with it. I know it's a bit pricey compared to AliExpress stuff but the quality is great & a lot of the cheaper stuff comes from China & worries me, what with being unregulated. I'm reading stories about fake specs, melting components, failing cables & the potential of house fires!! (although that was more from dubious bulbs, not LEDs)
As I'm working with a small indoor footprint I also came up with a neat solution for hanging & moving the plants. There aren't many adjustable stands out there & I'm not hanging the light from a ceiling as it'll be moved between two rooms at one point (my mum's visiting & sleeping next to my grow space!)...
It's an adjustable clothes rail
The 3 large plants will sit perfectly at the bottom & there's plenty of height available if they decide to shoot up (which is likely).
Lastly, I'll be switching food, from "growth" nutes to "bloom" nutes. The little pot is thirsty as it has standard potting soil & only the top layer is dressing with better, peat-based soil. The other 3 have hardly drank in the last 2 weeks. Maybe 1 - 1.5 litres, tops! I think today might be a good time to give them a healthy watering.
Any thoughts?
Quite a change since I last posted. Lots of growth (notice the 30cm steel ruler), particularly Jeff (untrained Northern Dragon Fuel) and Jim (untrained Glueberry OG). They're the largest, so far. Steve (Northern Dragon fuel using LST) is also starting to fill out but it's hard to tell if the growth is equal to the other 2 due to the different shape. Janis is the runt, unsurprisingly, staying in the small pot. It's probably too late to transplant to a bigger pot as all but the LST'd plant are showing early signs of flowering
The small pot was always an experiment & it'll be interesting to see what the difference in harvest will be...Does anything look wrong? Particularly with my first attempt at LST? I just pinned down two branches this morning to encourage more growth in and around the bare area of the pot. It looks pretty good to me.
The same with the other 2 tall plants. They don't seem over-stretched & are starting to develop nicely. I'll need to switch to taller canes soon & actually attach them loosely in a couple of spots up the main trunk to stop them falling, or leaning too much in one direction.
I've reluctantly buckled to the idea of supplementary lighting (which was discussed in another thread).
My idea is to buy this LED lighting system... https://shop-weedness.de/?a=6393&lang=eng
...I'd prefer to keep cost under the 100€ mark but might end up going for higher wattage. Unless someone has better recommendations for something in the EU I'll stick with it. I know it's a bit pricey compared to AliExpress stuff but the quality is great & a lot of the cheaper stuff comes from China & worries me, what with being unregulated. I'm reading stories about fake specs, melting components, failing cables & the potential of house fires!! (although that was more from dubious bulbs, not LEDs)
As I'm working with a small indoor footprint I also came up with a neat solution for hanging & moving the plants. There aren't many adjustable stands out there & I'm not hanging the light from a ceiling as it'll be moved between two rooms at one point (my mum's visiting & sleeping next to my grow space!)...
It's an adjustable clothes rail
The 3 large plants will sit perfectly at the bottom & there's plenty of height available if they decide to shoot up (which is likely).
Lastly, I'll be switching food, from "growth" nutes to "bloom" nutes. The little pot is thirsty as it has standard potting soil & only the top layer is dressing with better, peat-based soil. The other 3 have hardly drank in the last 2 weeks. Maybe 1 - 1.5 litres, tops! I think today might be a good time to give them a healthy watering.
Any thoughts?
MonsterMagnet
Active Member
DAY 44...
I reckon they're all past the halfway point now. Jim, the free Glueberry OG (2nd from left) has virtually caught up with Jeff (1st left) so it seems to be a race between the two of them. They're 70cm tall now.
Steve, the bushier one, is doing fine too. Interestingly the LST seems to have delayed flowering. It's only just started whereas all the others are about 10 days in. I'll have a growlight set up in the next few days to give them 6-8 extra hours of light overnight. Hopefully that'll reduce stretching, which I don't think is too bad...or is it?
Little Janis is cute but leaving her in the starter pot was always gonna make her the runt. Still, I'm interested to see how the buds come along because they're bigger on her than the other plants.
They're getting about 0.75 litres of water (with Bio-Bloom added) every 3 days. Janis drinks less but every day, if it's hot. Her soil drys up way quicker than the peat-based stuff.
Any suggestions on lollipopping, or should I leave them as they are?
I reckon they're all past the halfway point now. Jim, the free Glueberry OG (2nd from left) has virtually caught up with Jeff (1st left) so it seems to be a race between the two of them. They're 70cm tall now.
Steve, the bushier one, is doing fine too. Interestingly the LST seems to have delayed flowering. It's only just started whereas all the others are about 10 days in. I'll have a growlight set up in the next few days to give them 6-8 extra hours of light overnight. Hopefully that'll reduce stretching, which I don't think is too bad...or is it?
Little Janis is cute but leaving her in the starter pot was always gonna make her the runt. Still, I'm interested to see how the buds come along because they're bigger on her than the other plants.
They're getting about 0.75 litres of water (with Bio-Bloom added) every 3 days. Janis drinks less but every day, if it's hot. Her soil drys up way quicker than the peat-based stuff.
Any suggestions on lollipopping, or should I leave them as they are?
amneziaHaze
Well-Known Member
maybe the dude just likes to smoke other dudes.i would give them some trap names like adrianMaybe. My first grow was called Arthur & he/she provided a pretty reasonable yield for a first attempt (it wasn't an auto though).
Got any other weird superstitions you'd like to share?
MonsterMagnet
Active Member
Trolling aside, can anyone offer any constructive criticism? At this crucial stage I'd like to know if everything looks OK.
The LST could've been done better but I'll know how to do it differently next time.
The LST could've been done better but I'll know how to do it differently next time.
DudeTheDevin
New Member
Looks like the best window grow I've ever seen, can't criticise.
MonsterMagnet
Active Member
Thanks!
I'm moving them around the flat 3 times a day but it's paying off. They're flowering all over the place so these next few weeks are gonna be critical to how much of a yield I get.
My 150w grow light showed up so here's my rudimentary set up for some suppementary lighting...
This isn't actually the spot where they'll sit but I may still be able to have them close to a white wall, to help reflect a bit of the light towards the lower regions. But, honestly, this is as good as my set-up's gonna get.
I'm a little confused about the effects as there's no switching between red, blue & white. It's all or nothing.
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MonsterMagnet
Active Member
I've been incredibly luck with the weather & there's no sign of the heatwave ending. It's been fluctuating between 25 & 35 for the last few weeks & they absolutely love it!!
They act as a perfect sun shade in the afternoon, through to around 8:30pm when the sun drops behind the neighbouring buildings...
They act as a perfect sun shade in the afternoon, through to around 8:30pm when the sun drops behind the neighbouring buildings...