Peer Review

Whats up guys.

I'm 5 weeks into my first grow and figured since I'm still new to this, why not get the opinions of the locals.

I've read a some great posts and journals from our forum as well as sampled some local quality medicine while legal but not providing my own. Finally felt I knew enough to do a starter setup and hopefully I will get quality results. Quantity is not really an issue. If I find I need more I guess I could just grow more, I think we are allowed 12/12?

Although one wishes it was an overnight process, 5 weeks to out grow a 4x4 cabinet isn't that long of a time all things considered. I'm getting a 400-600W HPS asap and obviously they can't stay in there!

I appreciate any comments, reccomendations, etc. Like I said this is my first crack and I know vegging is the easy part. I switched to 12/12 right after the power outage. My plants are on a night time schedule to reduce heat stress and save a few cents. I figured giving them no light was better than giving them lighting when they were supposed to be sleeping. After no power for a couple days they stretched out literally 3 inches each and I just had a feeling I'd best switch them.

Bud

(Note: Picture 4/5, That plant was topped using LBH's topping tutorial. )



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Hey friend, your plants look great. I hope you throw up pictures when they are really flowering. If you are moving them out of that closet, I would highly recommend getting a 3x3 tent. They are slightly pricy but they make growing much more easier; especially in the long run. What nutes are you using? You might want to look into nutes for the flowering stage. Much more different. If you have like 30-45$ to spend, start with a nutrient starter kit. They are great. General hydroponics has an awesome line of starter nutrients. Personally, I use 3 different starter nutrients and a few side additives on my plants (22 nutes total).

Morning Turtle,

I appreciate the insight my friend! I hope some others hop in here as well!

I don't have too much time to research right now, would you happen to know the cost of a 3x3 tent off hand? That wouldn't be a bad investment as I have a damp basement that I'm in the process of Dry-Lock'ing. I have already planned ahead on how I am going to build my rooms with preventitive measures on keeping moisture out, the tent would be a nice second or third barrier. I'm definently going to bomb the heck out of it though after paint. I'm not taking no chances before the "kids" go down there.


Anyways, regarding nutes. Please don't dismiss me as noob straight away, but on the same note - I definently am. For more than 10 years I studied, raised, bred invertebrates. Scorpions to be exact. Many times weekly I had to tend to hundreds of adults, juveniles, mothers with children, etc. Each species with their own different need as far as husbandry depending on where in the world they were from and which niche they occupied. So I'm definently not new to reading (a lot) and I'm not new to daily care of living organisms that have "scientific" requirements. (Ie, you don't take them to McDonalds and plop them in front of the TV - Haha.)

Okay, so back to the nutes (now that you folks know that I am a noob but I'm not a complete idiot). Since I myself am a patient and really only need personal medicine, my intial philosophy was to keep everything as simple and "pure" as possible. Most of the medicine I obtain is semi-organic anyways - molasses, guano teas, etc. The only thing I've used besides amendments is basic Schultz 10-15-10 that I had laying around anyways. I waited two weeks and gave a 1/4 dose, another week and a half and 2 weeks and a full. I went very easy on the nutes.

Soil amendments though I was a little more rigorous with. I've used FFOF the whole time as I've read it's a great soil. When I first planted them all (I sowed them in soil) I used FFOF and organic lime. Then when the plants went into the 5 gallons I added more lime as well as a nice helping of blood meal and I also added more perlite.

I (still) have no PH tester, thus the entire time I've been using Poland Spring water. Why? Because I know it's got a pretty good PH and stable, low PPM. Plus if you buy gallons in bulk it's really not that expensive. I have "city" water - even though I do have a well (town regulations), so my tap water is junk. That cats won't even drink it. This is not my forever plan, but it will have to do for now! It's cost less than $20 so far.


So what should I do about flowering? I have looked into nutes lately but have not been able to settle into something. I would be interested interested in learning about using different rough salts and powers and making my own teas. I've got the space, etc.



I appreciate the input Turtle! Look forward to hearing from others. Hope to maybe meet some folks soon.

Bud

One more picture. A new plant topped in the last couple days once again using LBH's method! One of the best reads I think I've ever had on this site.



Bud



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Hello Buddy. I hope you didn't think I implied you were inexperienced by mentioning the starter kit nutrients. They are awesome for someone starting to use generic nutrients instead of making your own. If you are interested in making your own nutrients, you have lots to read about my friend. If you want something generic and organic, get the starter box by General Organics. It keeps your plant very healthy and happy if you use it to their directions at half dose. You can also add your own tea compost and fertilizers to the mix. I like that you are adding blood meal and lime, but in flowering when your plants show a deficiency, you need something much quicker to counter that nutrient deficiency, and generic nutrients do that and more. For the tent, if you go on eBay and write grow tent, you will find some cheap tents; around 130-180. I paid 350 for my tent but it was well worth it. Got a 4x4 secret jardin twin tent. It has both a veg room and a flowering room so it is verrrrry efficient in using up a 4x4 area. The flowering room is only about 5 feet tall but I only grow vegged indices or sativas from seed so my space works great.

Morning Turtle,

I didn't think you implied that at all my friend!! Until I get known around the community though I think it's easier to explain my past because it's not everyday you meet someone who's never even grown a vegetable plant - however has worked with 2-300 watt lighting setups, balancing relative humidity requirements and daily care of hundreds of live specimen. I just happened to study lethal animals rather than worked with plants. I've spent more time with my nose buried in peer review journals and my fingers in hummus/sand than I even want to admit. (Not to mention feeding specimen one by one, and usually having to kill their prey for them first because the crickets were bigger than the specimen themselves). Plus mating, seperating young, documentation, writing articles. Tending my garden this far has been so much easier! Plus you not working with hemostats!!

Ok back to the topic now that we cleared up me being a plant noob and a sceience nern. Haha.

I googled some of the GH nutrients... not a starter kit but just their website in general. It says it's fine for soil but labeled more for hydroponic. Which setup do you run? The blood meal and lime were just gimmes I guess. I've never grown ornate plants but I have transplanted them and read about it. I know it's common to add lime to just about any outdoor plant including tomatos. The blood meal I saw and had read about here on RIU so I figured why not. I've gone easy on everything though as you can see from how I did those Schultz nutes. I barely even got in a full dose feeding in the first 4 weeks.

I'm going to research a tent today. I think your right, it's my best bet. A twin would probably be even better as I planned on everything being side by side. Do the tents help keep (a little) moisutre out?


Will check back in later on today.

Bud

Hey there Buddy. It's fun to hear about your experiences with your lizard friends. I would definitely follow your thread if you started one about your weird and unusual experiences raising those guys. I have used general organics (GO) for mostly hydro, but I have plants in soil at the moment and they are about 9 days in and they will be getting GO later on. If you have a chance, read about BC nutrients as well. They are a little more expensive but are great for soil. I just bought a pack last week for 45$ for the line of starters.
The tent will definitely help keep moisture out as long as you have a decent setup of the air circulation. For my twin tent, I have a 700cfh fan sucking air out through a filter, and Have one single opening on the other side sucking in the same amount of air. The air in the tent is moving like a slow hurricane (cyclone motion) and the plants love it. Tents are also make it very easy to do a CEA setup (controlled environmental agriculture). But that's another setup on it's own. I'd love to explain it to you if you want to sound an extra 300-400$ but it is incredibly worth it in the long run.

Hey Mr.Buddy. I just saw a post saying you are from providence? I live in east side very close to Thayer street.