Norlovestogrow
Member
Grow Diary - First Installment
Hello fellow growers!
Welcome to the first installment of my grow diary. After finishing my first-ever grow and taking some time to reflect on what worked and what didn’t, I decided to jump back in for round two—this time with a bit more knowledge. I hope you enjoy following along on this journey, and I hope someone can learn from my mistakes, and maybe I'll learn some more. Please feel free to comment and discuss. I might regret this later, but since this is my first grow journal, ignorance is bliss!
Lessons Learned
Looking back at my last grow, I identified a few key lessons that I promised myself I’d address before starting this new one:
I had three main goals for my grow space:
Pictures with Explanations
Here’s a look at my setup during different stages of the grow. You’ll see some slight changes as I get the pictures up and taken.
Let's start with testing and proof of concept:
A closer look at the inside tent pipes:
[Place holder Stage 2 finalizing]
Seed Information and Other
Hello fellow growers!
Welcome to the first installment of my grow diary. After finishing my first-ever grow and taking some time to reflect on what worked and what didn’t, I decided to jump back in for round two—this time with a bit more knowledge. I hope you enjoy following along on this journey, and I hope someone can learn from my mistakes, and maybe I'll learn some more. Please feel free to comment and discuss. I might regret this later, but since this is my first grow journal, ignorance is bliss!
Lessons Learned
Looking back at my last grow, I identified a few key lessons that I promised myself I’d address before starting this new one:
- Root Space: A 5-gallon bucket seemed like a good idea at first, but as the plant grew, it caused problems—especially when dealing with a high-yielding plant. Watering and lifting a plant that’s holding 600 grams of buds is no joke. So, I decided to upgrade to a recirculating system with a 10-gallon capacity.
- Grow Space: While Sea of Green (SOG) works for many, it doesn’t really fit my style. I’ve learned that less can be more. This time around, I’m focusing on just one seed in a much larger space.
- Nutrient Line: I’m sticking with one nutrient line and including some supplements. I’ve also decided to reduce PPM levels by at least 20% from the feed charts.
- Record Keeping: Keeping a detailed diary throughout the grow is a must. It’s going to help me track progress and learn from both successes and mistakes.
I had three main goals for my grow space:
- Reservoir with Tubing/Pipes: It must have a reservoir that was attached via tubing or pipes, and I had to have them on hand (no more costs).
- More Space to Grow Evenly: I wanted to make use of the two levels of scrogs (time to cut my LST teeth).
- Odor Control: Almost 100% odor control, with kids and a wife and people coming over, it’s super important that there be as little smell as possible.
| Component | Details |
|---|---|
| Tent | 2-in-1 D436, 4x3 (3x3 grow space, 1x3 shelving), Vivosun |
| Light | 400W Farmlite (16-hour light cycle controlled via a smart plug) |
| Water Pump | 35W VIVOSUN 660GPH Submersible Water Pump (2500L/H) |
| Air Filtration Kit | Vivosun R6 6″, Inline Fan R6 with Variable Speed Controller, Carbon Filter & Ducting Combo (Max CFM: 400) |
| Air Pump | Pawfly Aquarium 160 GPH Air Pump with 4 outlets (adjustable, quiet) |
| Air Stones | Two 4-inch stones in the reservoir, one 8-inch stone in the grow tote |
| Totes | Two 10-gallon totes (from Home Depot/Mastercraft) |
| Return Pipe | 3-inch ABS pipe (recycled from home supplies), about 4 feet |
| ABS Fittings | 2 CC bulkheads, 2 90-degree male/male fittings, 1 90-degree female/male fitting |
| In-Pipe | 0.5-inch CPVC pipe (recycled from home supplies), about 5.5 feet |
| CPVC Fittings | 6 90-degree fittings, 1 T-junction, 1 on-off ball lever |
| Scrogs | 3x3 trellis (Temu – testing quality), two |
| Nutrients | Future Harvest with supplements (using the autoflower grow chart with a 20% reduction in PPM) |
| Rooting Medium | Started with Jiffy rooter pucks (2 failed seeds), now using a leftover rapid rooting plug by GH for the third attempt |
| Seed | Pineapple Haze autoflower |
| Grow Basket | 8-inch CC |
| Water Level | 10 gallons but will increase to 12-15 gallons come mid Veg. |
| Medium | Clay (Hydroton) |
Here’s a look at my setup during different stages of the grow. You’ll see some slight changes as I get the pictures up and taken.
Let's start with testing and proof of concept:
: This is a proof of concept mid-way during the build. I wanted to get an idea of spacing before I started to clean up the wires.
: This is the inside of the grow tote. I intend to extend the pipe to the front of the tote to keep those nutes mixing (I had not added the stones in this one).
: Here is the reservoir tote during water testing. The bulkhead on this one was leaking, but after a quick sanding, we got a good seal.
A closer look at the inside tent pipes:
[Place holder Stage 2 finalizing]
Seed Information and Other
- Autoflower Grapefruit Haze: Grapefruit Haze Seed Info
- Conditions:
- 22-24°C
- 70-85% humidity
- Distilled water
- Seeding Dates:
- Seeding date 1: August 17th (no movement), Jiffy puck.
- Seeding date 2: August 24th (still early), Jiffy puck but with less water and slightly higher numbers.
- Seeding date 3: August 31st (hopefully don't need), GH rapid rooter plug.
