My spur of the moment grow

I only grew a handful of times, I was able to make it to harvest but my weed tasted like hay so I decided growing wasn't for me and I'd just stick to buying weed on the street. Over the last few months, I've been overcharged, shorted, received mediocre seeded down crap etc etc so I decided screw this crap I'm going to take a stab at growing again, because smoking is supposed to relax you not be stressful. So I pulled everything out of storage and got started. So I had some old seeds about 17 of them I tried germinating them but only 2 successfully germinated and sprouted. The seeds weren't stored properly and were about 3-4 years old so I'm surprised even 2 sprouted. I had a few White Widow seeds, Pure AK, and a few other strains but the two that sprouted are the same strain Royal Queen's Royal Medic purchased from Herbie's. I bought some fresh seeds from Herbie's and have a few seeds germinating currently, but my two babies that sprouted 2/3/16 are doing fine, just a little lonely lol.

Tomorrow I will be watering my girls and putting them in a larger pot and switching over to an MH light. I currently have them under some CFLs. I'm using soil, a mix actually; Fox Farms Ocean Forest, Black Gold potting soil, Bat Guano, Sunshine Mix #4, perlite, and some Peat moss. The mix came about because I ran off and spent 60 bucks on Sunshine Mix #4 and actually don't like it but why waste 60 bucks. I started my seeds in Fox Farms Light warrior about 80% and mixed in about 20% of the soil mix. Tomorrow when I put them in a larger pot I will do maybe a 60/40 mix putting less light warrior in this time.

I'm growing in a 4x4x6 tent, I've never actually grown in the tent before. I was in a closet so there's a few differences to get used to, but I bought the tent years ago with the intent to upgrade. I bought a cool tube and a 6in hyperfan because i tried to battle the heat and lost and that's most likely why everything tasted like hay.

Temps are great with CFLs but my humidity has been low, but I dont need a hygrometer to tell me because I get nose bleeds from the dry air. I put a humidifier inside the tent and outside and it's been helping. My humidity has gone up and my nose feels better, win win.

A couple pics from yesterday. Everyday they are noticeably bigger.

So this was an oopsie from last week the plants have recuperated but still wanted to show that even though they are CFLs don't mist your plants with the lights on. Have not had this problem since I stopped misting my plants. Not sure if you can see it in the picture but there are some yellow spots on the 1st set of leaves and the leaves feel rough to the touch like they've been burned, and are curled under on both plants

Sweet. Welcome back to growing and riu!!

The reason your stuff probably tasted like hay is because you didn't dry and cure it right.

It's funny how alot of people spend so much time on the growing part and forget about the end game.

I'll be along to watch this one go.

kiwipaulie said:

Sweet. Welcome back to growing and riu!!

The reason your stuff probably tasted like hay is because you didn't dry and cure it right.

It's funny how alot of people spend so much time on the growing part and forget about the end game.

I'll be along to watch this one go.

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Thanks for the input I will keep that in mind, but the buds were crispy and felt dry when I was cutting the plants down. Temp stayed well over 100 degrees the majority of the time and the HPS light was too close to the plants. If you don't think light bleaching is real let me tell you, it is! That was why I bought the tent because a 600W HPS in my closet was doing more harm than good.

420GScookies said:

Thanks for the input I will keep that in mind, but the buds were crispy and felt dry when I was cutting the plants down. Temp stayed well over 100 degrees the majority of the time and the HPS light was too close to the plants. If you don't think light bleaching is real let me tell you, it is! That was why I bought the tent because a 600W HPS in my closet was doing more harm than good.

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Yeah those temps are too high. But regardless of say it was dried too quick and not cured. You want to cure for at least a week, the longer the better. Some buds I pulled out today are a few months old and damm its good smoke.

A couple pictures from today. I'm sure when I switch to the MH light they'll take off. I'm still waiting on my phresh filter it's supposed to arrive tomorrow. No smells yet ofcourse but since I have to set up the fan and cool tube might as well do it all in one wop. Nothing yet on my seeds that are germinating but it's just now been about 24 hours so I only check to make sure my paper towel is still wet.

I've been keeping the lights on 24/7 for now but when I switch lights I plan to do 18/6. I have anxiety about turning the lights off. The last time I tried to grow, the lights went out for 6 hours and when I turned them back on my plants were just about dead. Covered in powdery mildew and they never bounced back. That was when I finally just gave up. I'm trying to think back on what the heck I did wrong so I don't do it again.

420GScookies said:

A couple pictures from today. I'm sure when I switch to the MH light they'll take off. I'm still waiting on my phresh filter it's supposed to arrive tomorrow. No smells yet ofcourse but since I have to set up the fan and cool tube might as well do it all in one wop. Nothing yet on my seeds that are germinating but it's just now been about 24 hours so I only check to make sure my paper towel is still wet.

I've been keeping the lights on 24/7 for now but when I switch lights I plan to do 18/6. I have anxiety about turning the lights off. The last time I tried to grow, the lights went out for 6 hours and when I turned them back on my plants were just about dead. Covered in powdery mildew and they never bounced back. That was when I finally just gave up. I'm trying to think back on what the heck I did wrong so I don't do it again.

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Personally I would not run more than 18/6 for veg and 12/12 for flowering. Hopefully you don't have issues this run and of you do. Come back to riu for advice. There are some really knowledgeable guys here and some growers that have done one grow but know more than some that have grown 20 years lol. I've being growing on and off for years and are still learning new tricks everyday

Busy day I got my germinated seeds set up. They're under a humidity dome and over a heating mat. Two seeds were cracked and the tap root looked like it was starting to come out so I planted those as well. I have a kitchen utility cart that I'm using. I stuck one of those under the cabinet fluorescent lights on the top of the shelf and clipped on a couple CFLs. Seeds from Herbies, all feminized; 1 Premium Diesel, 2 Money Maker, 1 Skunk Afghani , 1 Bubba's Gift (free seed), 1 Northern Light


I got my tent set up with the cool tube, carbon filter, and hyper fan. And also moved my girls to a little bit larger pot. So far even with the MH light my temps are 75 degrees, loving this cool tube. But it's also cold since it's February so we'll see how the temps are when it warms up. Now I'm going to sit back and enjoy a well deserved smoke break.

Welcome back to growing! Hope you have good, non hay smelling bud this harvest. Looking good so far. How much did you pay for your tent? I'm looking for two 5x5 tents, each with a 1000 watt hps, 8" inline fan and carbon filter.

Joe Blows Trees said:

Welcome back to growing! Hope you have good, non hay smelling bud this harvest. Looking good so far. How much did you pay for your tent? I'm looking for two 5x5 tents, each with a 1000 watt hps, 8" inline fan and carbon filter.

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Thanks I hope so too. I am really looking foward to having a great harvest. I can't remember how much I paid since it was a few years ago. I got it off of Amazon but the tent I bought is no longer on their website. I don't recommend this one anyway it seems sturdy but the intake air flaps are hard to keep open. They should flip down instead of up imo. I've seen tents range from $150-250. I might buy a new tent in the future one that's more user friendly, but much more space than a closet so it's tolerable for now.

420GScookies said:

Thanks I hope so too. I am really looking foward to having a great harvest. I can't remember how much I paid since it was a few years ago. I got it off of Amazon but the tent I bought is no longer on their website. I don't recommend this one anyway it seems sturdy but the intake air flaps are hard to keep open. They should flip down instead of up imo. I've seen tents range from $150-250. I might buy a new tent in the future one that's more user friendly, but much more space than a closet so it's tolerable for now.

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Yeah don't skimp on tents. Get a quality one. They last longer. I use some German made tents. Homebox evolution range.

This is the one I have for flowering.

https://www.homebox.net/en/produkt/evolution-q120/

So I bought a bunch of these anti-vibration pads. Once I set the tent up with the fan I could feel the vibrations, doesn't bother me but I'm wondering what my downstairs neighbors are wondering. So I plan to put the pads under the tent. They are rated 50 psi so should be more than enough to quiet some fan vibrations most people seem to be using them to quiet the vibrations from a 600 pound compressor.

420GScookies said:

So I bought a bunch of these anti-vibration pads. Once I set the tent up with the fan I could feel the vibrations, doesn't bother me but I'm wondering what my downstairs neighbors are wondering. So I plan to put the pads under the tent. They are rated 50 psi so should be more than enough to quiet some fan vibrations most people seem to be using them to quiet the vibrations from a 600 pound compressor.
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What on earth are they for if you don't mind me asking

They are going to keep my neighbors from hearing any vibrations through the floor, well through their ceiling. They are 7/8" thick pads that absorb vibrations.

Nothing new to report. No sprouts on the seeds I planted Thursday night. They germinated quickly but seem to be slow emerging from the dirt. I'm hoping my heating mat under them isn't too hot, but my other two did fine with the heating mat, the soil feels warm but not burning up. Hoping to see some action with them soon.

My other two girls are enjoying the Metal Halide and their night time naps. I think I will give them their first dose of nutrients tomorrow. They seem to be coming along nicely. ~21 days since they sprouted

So it's been about a week and nothing on the seeds I planted. I put some new seeds in between a paper towel to start germinating. I think I put too much of my soil mix in the pots. I used mostly Light Warrior soil but will go all Light Warrior this time to make sure the soil isn't too strong. My other two girls got their first dose of nutes yesterday 2 tablespoons of Fox Farms Big Bloom and 1/2 teaspoon of Cal Mag Plus. They seem to be doing well and had a little growth spurt. I get more and more excited seeing them grow. Idk what I'm doing wrong with getting some more seedlings started but I'm glad I'm doing something right with the two I already have in the tent.

Update: After doing some reading on the forums, I think I planted the seeds too deep. I will be careful with this on the next set of seeds.

Loving my girls progress. They are looking good. I get excited everyday to see how much they've grown. The smaller one I actually didn't think was going to make it at first. The seed casing never came off and I had to remove it, which I was trying not to do, but I waited three days before I pulled the seed casing off so it looks so much smaller than my other girl. Not sure yet if growth is just delayed or if she will be a problem plant only time will tell.



My seeds that are germinating are cracked but the tap root hasn't extended yet. I'm sure they will be ready tomorrow. Definitely planted the last seeds too deep but what's weird is when I move the dirt around I can't find the seed at all in any of the containers. Scratching my head on that one.

I got my order in from The Dank Team I wish I had the room for more plants or I would definitely get some more seeds germinating. But I will already be tight on space with 8 plants assuming the 6 seeds I plant tomorrow actually sprout. From TDT I got Original Sour Diesel, Jack Cookies, and Cancer's Nightmare (medical) they also threw in some nice V-Day freebies like Rum Kush and Purple T-Rex along with a few others. I will definitely order from TDT again.

So it's been three days since I planted 4 more germinated seeds. Nothing yet.... Hoping they sprout soon. I was careful not to plant them too deep and I've been keeping the soil moist but not super wet. I had them on top of a heating mat but I ditched the heating mat today. I'm going to give them a few more days before I call it quits on them. I have 5 more seeds germinating. 3 Jack Cookies and 2 Original Sour Diesel. Going to try some seeds I got from TDT to see if I'm doing something wrong or my seeds from Herbies are just duds.

My two girls in the tent, I topped them yesterday and they seem to be doing okay. The leaves keep doing a weird cupping (upwards), keeping my eye on temps and humidity. My temps are usually under 80 degrees maybe 82 at the most. Trying to get my humidity up but 40% isn't terrible. Other than that not much new happening. I'm not sure why I'm having so many problems getting more plants in my tent. But hoping to get some more seedlings soon. Will definitely look into cloning since starting from seed seems to be an issue for me.

My 2 medical strains in my tent are doing okay. One of them had a really bad Calcium deficiency which means my pH probably needs to be fixed because it's not absorbing the calcium that's in the soil. The lower leaves were starting to get pale and had brown spots and the fan leaves were drooping and the stems red. I fed them today with some Big Bloom and Cal Mag Plus and both girls seem to be doing well. The one that was drooping looks much better. She almost looked like she couldn't support herself but wayyyy to early for that since there are no buds. I fed them a few hours ago and the stems are ready looking better. Last week thry had tbeir first dose of Fox Farms Grow Big, I noticed a couple leaves had nute burn on just the tiny tips of the leaves so I probably used just a tad too much. My ppm was 750 maybe drop down to 700 untill they're a little older.


..... After a month of trying to get some new seeds started I have wasted about 20 seeds. I decided starting in soil just might not be for me. I soaked some regular free seeds (because I'm tired of killing my expensive feminized seeds) in distilled water for about 18 hours. Some of the seeds were already cracked but my goal was really just to soak them. I soaked some rapid rooter plugs in distilled water and squeezed out the excess water. Popped the seed in the plug and put them under a humidity dome with three 45W CFLs. I'm hoping this will work for me because I'm going crazy trying to get some new plants started. I have my tent sectioned off but this will only work as long as all my plants are in Veg and under the same light cycle so I really need some new babies to catch up.