raratt
Well-Known Member
They haven't had nutes in two weeks, they get molasses and water now.
First Grow
- Thread starter raratt
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raratt
Well-Known Member
Harvested #3 today (short week I know), need more coffee before I trim her up. Pried all the "clear" covers off of my T8 led bulbs, they were making the light blurry so I thought it might be better to run them like a strip light instead. Cut 1" pieces off the end of them to support the connectors on the ends. Came off relatively easy. Clones are blooming, I'll get some pics up later.
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raratt
Well-Known Member
Lights moved to the new location in the room so they are getting side lighting now also. Put a shelf bracket in to tie a bud drying string to, buds from #2 are dry. I know they look stretchy but it is what it is. They will keep me occupied until after the holidays when I'll get some different clones that are sweeter and more likely for the wife to share with me.
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Rushin
Member
Nice....I followed along your entire grow, looks like something I want to do too....I'm retired and on a pension and allow myself an allowance....seems to be taking way too long to get set up....I've been smoking for 50+ years (I'm 65) and now due to legalization (prohibition 2.0) here in Canada, we're permitted to grow 4 plants per household. Thats works for me as I'll be the only one using my product, maybe too much product, if yield is any thing like yours was....I built a cabinet out of aluminum angle pieces 3'x4'x6' I've used reflective 1" foam board for the walls and floor....bought a 4" inline fan and a Can-lite carbon scrubber, even though its legal to grow I still don't want the smell to get out, pretty sure I'm the only one in our neighbourhood that smokes or will be growing for that matter (bunch of old farts). I'm looking at a 315w CMH at a local Hydro store for $300....some advice on what you would have wished you had for your 1st grow....you used soil, would you go that route nxt time? ...thanks for any advise in advance...
Rushin
Member
raratt
Well-Known Member
I'm happy with using soil, I know after harvesting that I need bigger pots though. I have read good things about the 315 CMH's. The full spectrum T8 bulbs I bought for $100 for 5 were highly overrated in lumens by the manufacturer in my opinion. The 6K T8's seemed to do well and I mixed in the full spectrum when flowering. Total cost for lighting was $168, I'm retired (60) on a tight budget also. I kept adding more lights in response to the way the plants were growing and what fixtures I could get for free or nearly free. I took a 4 decade vacation from smoking due to my job but as soon as it became legal here I decided why not. I have the first legal grow in my little redneck town. I am allowed 6 plants total, indoor only, with a max ceiling height of 8'. I wish I would have paid more attention to the smell/taste of the plants I bought other than the medicinal uses. Chemdawg 4 is a really skunky diesel lemon smelling type that I'm not a fan of so much, which is why I'm just flowering out the clones I made. This grow site has a lot of good information: https://www.growweedeasy.com/basics They cover most everything you would want to know. On Rollitup there are some very helpful people, and some well meaning people that don't come across well when they type to you, and then there are the people that the way they do it is the only way on the earth and anyone who disagrees with them should be drawn and quartered...lol. I don't let myself get dragged into drama, too old for that shit. I feel that whatever way that works for you and whatever you are comfortable with doing then do that. I'm in this as a new challenge to my gardening skills and a new type of growing I have never done before. I'm just happy to get to a harvest without killing them in the process. If you want to send questions to me you can start a conversation with me and I'll share my limited knowledge with you,such as it is...Good luck on your growing!
raratt
Well-Known Member
They are in jars still curing. Easy enough to trim all the fan leaves off and I cut the branches where I would have a branch to hang them with. A good sharp pair of scissors or small clippers works for the sugar leaves. You need to have some alcohol and a paper towel around to clean the resin off the scissors though, they get sticky. I know I'm sacrificing yield by using less powerful lights for flower, but I have what I can afford at the moment. I'm hoping to get more the next time, they didn't reach their potential.
Rushin
Member
How about auto flowers, seems perfect for a small space, especially with LST and/or a scrog, with the 315w I've seen some utube grows that are impressive....definitely not a new grower, I'm leaning towards that light, if theres a heat issue I would vent it, actually worried there won't be enough heat in the area the cab will be in, my thoughts are a warm room maintains an ambient temp in the cab....does venting the cab back into the room the cab is in, make any sense or I'm I over thinking this....I always do
raratt
Well-Known Member
I vent my room into the garage it is in, and I really don't have a heat problem from my bulbs, just trying to control smell. I don't need a neighbor complaining and getting shut down for a "public nuisance". I have zero experience with auto's, I have the capability to go buy clones at a retail shop so I skip the seed thing.
Rushin
Member
Controlling smell is #1 priority ....even though its legal to grow up to 4plants, I don't want to be singled out as 'that old guy that grows weed' in the neighborhood.....so did you pickup a ph tester? I was looking at a controller for fans and lights, expensive but seems like an essential part....anything else? Speed controller for the fan?
raratt
Well-Known Member
Need a timer for the lights, I bought one at my neighborhood Ace hardware $16. I picked up some test strips for aquariums to check my tap water pH occasionally, some people swear by a TDS meter to measure dissolved solids in their water. I can see where it would be crucial to have in a hydroponics setup but I haven't purchased one. I did buy one of the three way meters that check for soil moisture/light intensity/soil PH, about $10 on Amazon. I mostly use it for checking when to water the plants, seems to work well enough for that and from what I know my water is the soil pH seems to be correct on it also. I just plugged my exhaust fan into the wall and let it run, I don't see a need for a speed controller in my situation, if you find you need one after getting set up you can always get one later. I run my lights 18/6 on/off for veg and 12/12 for flower. Don't use a soil with nutes in it already because you need to control what nutes the plant get depending on what stage they are in.
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Rushin
Member
We have pretty bad water here, been using that water filter you keep in the fridge, has its own TDS meter.....I just checked it on water out of the tap...16.8 ppm or 168, I didn't actually see a decimal point....any special soil? ....what nutes did you use?...cal mag?...PH up-PH down....tea....molasses....epsom salts?
What I would like to do is talk my wife into letting me grow in the garage....but she's totally against it, thinks the moisture will cause damage, can't seem to convince her its only 2 maybe 3 plants in a cabinet not dozens like an illegal grow op from before legalization. I'll steer her that way in the new year (ya right, who I'm I kidding) thats only a few weeks away....
What I would like to do is talk my wife into letting me grow in the garage....but she's totally against it, thinks the moisture will cause damage, can't seem to convince her its only 2 maybe 3 plants in a cabinet not dozens like an illegal grow op from before legalization. I'll steer her that way in the new year (ya right, who I'm I kidding) thats only a few weeks away....
raratt
Well-Known Member
I have a whole house filter under my sink on the cold water line. My city uses well water and they list what is in the water yearly, I haven't really been concerned about it, I think pH is more important. My water is 6.8 which is acceptable to keep from locking out nutes, 6.5 is optimum in soil, the pH chart I sent you covers the acceptable range. I used Kellogs raised bed soil I bought a Lowes, a lot of people swear by the "supersoil" they mix themselves, I have been contemplating mixing some up myself. The quantities of ingredients are on this site somewhere if you search it up. I had some Orchid food laying around so I just used it but any balanced nutes will do IMO. I try to stay away from urea as a source of N due to it needing soil bacteria to break it down into usable nitrogen. The orchid food is 24-14-13, a bit high but I only use 1 Tsp every other watering or so, it ran about $6 for a pound. A good soil will sustain the plants for quite awhile without ferts and when you start using them use 1/4 of the full amount listed on the bag/bottle, can't take it out once it is put in. Soil will also maintain pH better and I see no reason for epsom salts. An older friend told me about using molasses during the last part of flower, I did because I didn't think it would hurt anything and it might help? My room is a real room with 2X4's and insulation in my garage locked up with the doors of the garage locked up also. I found some cheap paneling type stuff for the inside walls and I had some extra building materials laying around I patched together.