Pheno Hunt Test Run 2x4

Hello everyone! I quit growing for a few years due to personal situations, but I am back! I am starting over fresh and all I have is my old seed collection and lots of prayers
I'm tired of buying over priced dispensary junk, time to grow my own to save a little. I will be attempting to pop a bunch of different varieties in hopes of finding some keeper moms, so two weeks ago I began sprouting (trying really) my old seeds in hopes I can find some good old school smoke I used to grow tent years ago. So I began and hadn't been having great luck. I tried the solo cups dunk, giberellic acid, hydrogen peroxide and water, paper towel method, ally old seeds will just pop a Taproot and then die. So I have been letting the seeds float on top of the solo cup water for a few days, rinsing them with peroxide then into the paper towel. After a couple days still nothing. Did some research and realized it's probably a combo of me drowning them and the old seeds need longer to grow but get mold in the paper towel. So I take the seeds from the seeds pack, put it in solo cup with a small amount of hydrogen peroxide just to clean them off initially, then add water to top the cups off, leave them for a few days to absorb water, then into the paper towel. A couple finally sprouted, so now with the rest I have been trying to keep them in the paper towel lightly moist and if the get mold I wash the seed with peroxide and give it a new paper towel. So far I have about ten sprouts. The goal is to get at least 50 to sprout and being regular seeds we will start to cut the weaklings and non-keepers, males out as we go along. We will narrow it down to basically find a mother of each cross to keep.
Once I get the amount of seeds to sprout that I need I will update you all and let you know what strains we have for sure!
Right now the seeds that did/are sprouting are just on my desk under an LED desk light until this week. I have to go to my storage and dig out all my grow gear and lights. I just figured if I start sprouting then now they may take time being older, and if they sprout it will force me to dig out my tent lol... Well we got survivors! Hahahaha

What is everyone's thoughts on the best carbon filter? AC Infinity, Mars, Spider Farmer? Thanks!

Welcome back to the game, sounds like you've been through it! I feel your pain on the dispo weed, it's what got me back into growing too. Good luck on the pheno hunt, I'll be watching for updates. That's a good idea to start the seeds now, gives them a head start. What kind of lights you running?

LoganBaker said:

Welcome back to the game, sounds like you've been through it! I feel your pain on the dispo weed, it's what got me back into growing too. Good luck on the pheno hunt, I'll be watching for updates. That's a good idea to start the seeds now, gives them a head start. What kind of lights you running?

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Thanks for stopping in! Yeah it seems all the weed at the dispensary looks dank and each strain looks different, but they all taste the same.... Like Bounty the quicker picker upper lol
Honestly everything is up in the air for now I have to wait to see what all sprouts and then go from there. I was planning to do a 12/12 from seed in the 2x4 which I will probably still do a sog in there for sure but now that may be from clone after a little hunt so everything is even as far as the canopy goes. I got a Partactworks RA2000 and a Growstar Cree COB S1200. I have a few other lights as well and tried to get a 2x2 tent for veg but ended up buying a 1 1/2 x 1 1/2 hahaha
So now I have to figure out a small enough light for that and still search for a 2x2...
The show must go on!

Nice what strains do you have going?

I really like my AC Infinity Cloudline fan/controller with carbon filter for what it's worth. You can swap out the old carbon easily with their newer filters too (just have to buy any bulk carbon).

DOCTORDOOB said:

What is everyone's thoughts on the best carbon filter? AC Infinity, Mars, Spider Farmer? Thanks!

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I have the AC INFINITY 6inch setup with thier oversized filter no complaints.

Welcome back to growing! As for carbon filters, Spider Farmer carbon filters use highest grade, granular Australian activated charcoal, which gives you better adsorption and superior carbon porosity to Air Filtration. Our filters scrub air better and have longer lifespan.

Nuggz88 said:

Nice what strains do you have going?

I really like my AC Infinity Cloudline fan/controller with carbon filter for what it's worth. You can swap out the old carbon easily with their newer filters too (just have to buy any bulk carbon).

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Too many lol
Jet Fuel Gelato
TK91
Rainbow Dosi
Dogwalker x Dogwalker
Cookie dough x Dogwalker
Garlic Breath x Garlic Breath
Garlic Breath x Desconocida Kush
Sugar cookies x Dogwalker
Rare Darkness x Dogwalker
Montana Silvertip x Garlic Breath
Pink Champagne
ATF
White Fire Alien x Dogwalker
White Fire Alien x Garlic Breath
Orange Cookies x Garlic Breath
Platinum Animal Cookies x Garlic Breath

and a few more. I started trying to germinate them all and my cat keeps eating them so I finally put the tent up to keep him away... And I just started 80-90 more seeds two nights ago. Of the first germination round I start over 100 and he ate more than half, I tried to sprout more, he ate half... I ended up with about 40 but they were stretchy from not being in the tent and my cat messing with them. So I narrowed it down to the best 12, tossed the rest that were stretchy or strangling behind and I am just waiting on the 80-90 to sprout. I also have another batch of about 50-60+ that didn't seem like they were going to do anything, but I watered the soil this morning and broke it up a little so it won't be compacted and about an hour later I noticed about 5-7 new sprouts coming up. So I'd say in about two more weeks we should know for sure what strains will make it and be moving forward..
I will have to check out that fan and filter and see the reviews, thank you for the suggestion!

FmSwayze said:

I have the AC INFINITY 6inch setup with thier oversized filter no complaints.

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I will have to check it out! Is the fan quiet? I was thinking run one exhaust fan and one filter on a splitter outside the tent pulling from two tents the 2x4 and the 2x2, but reading online it sounds like if the carbon filter is outside the tent pushing through the filter it allows room for smell to leak and also shortens the filter life... Do you just run yours inside the tent pulling through the filter? Thanks!

Spiderfarmerled said:

Welcome back to growing! As for carbon filters, Spider Farmer carbon filters use highest grade, granular Australian activated charcoal, which gives you better adsorption and superior carbon porosity to Air Filtration. Our filters scrub air better and have longer lifespan.

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Nice! I will look into it... Is there a life expectancy on the carbon filter? I mean obviously it won't work forever, but I guess what I am trying to ask is, does it activate the second you open the package so like if I buy it and keep it on a shelf for a couple weeks until I am ready to flower and then install it would it not work as good once I use it? Should I wait to start flowering to order one or would you say always have a filter just keep up on maintaining it's freshness? Thanks!

You can expect about a year out of your carbon filter, obviously depends on how much air you’re pulling through it. I actually made a post about them a couple weeks ago asking which brand is best.

My most recent brand of filter was the AC Infinity 6”. It’s quite thick & heavy and it seems like the best one I’ve used so far. The new one I bought last week is called The Original Can Filter, the guy at the grow shop recommended it but when I got it home and out of the box it seems very thin and light and you can shake the charcoal around in it. I’m assuming it will be junk but we shall see!

Oh and by the way that’s a shitload of seeds you’re starting! Definitely going to be watching this thread

Larf_Man said:

You can expect about a year out of your carbon filter, obviously depends on how much air you’re pulling through it. I actually made a post about them a couple weeks ago asking which brand is best.

My most recent brand of filter was the AC Infinity 6”. It’s quite thick & heavy and it seems like the best one I’ve used so far. The new one I bought last week is called The Original Can Filter, the guy at the grow shop recommended it but when I got it home and out of the box it seems very thin and light and you can shake the charcoal around in it. I’m assuming it will be junk but we shall see!

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Larf_Man said:

You can expect about a year out of your carbon filter, obviously depends on how much air you’re pulling through it. I actually made a post about them a couple weeks ago asking which brand is best.

My most recent brand of filter was the AC Infinity 6”. It’s quite thick & heavy and it seems like the best one I’ve used so far. The new one I bought last week is called The Original Can Filter, the guy at the grow shop recommended it but when I got it home and out of the box it seems very thin and light and you can shake the charcoal around in it. I’m assuming it will be junk but we shall see!

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I will check out your post. Thank you for the info. I'm thinking you are right about the AC Infinity. I personally don't know but I was just reading reviews online and it seems everyone kept saying the other brands just didn't work.

Still having trouble getting going but I am learning and realizing I am just acting too brand new
I was over watering the soil and the seed were starting to germinate and when I watered them they shifted to the bottom of the cups under all the soil. I didn't realize until a week of nothing breaking ground. So I took a spoon and dug around to find all the seeds and see what was happening. When I originally watered them they had already sank too far, then as the top soil dried I had been misting it with a spray bottle and they were so over watered the soil was too heavy for them to move. I fixed them now

Today a few of the other seeds I am trying to germinate have cracked and started shooting out Taproot, so I got a bunch transplanted and fill the little tent with a less intense light, and I used dry soil from the bag and put the seeds in the soil barely covered them and lightly misted the top but not as much as before so the less intense light should help the top soil not dry as fast and them not being drenched should allow them room to breathe and grow and also be not so much that they have to come up to break soil in search of it... Here is the tent today...

So things seem to be going reeeallly slow
Between me picking things back up like a noob and feeling like I am learning everything all over again, but also the fact the seeds are old and slow LMFAO

SO FAR I have about 14 that have broke soil, and have two sets of leafs. But the leafs look crinkly like the plants are PISSED
I still have 64+ cups with seeds in them that are all being stubborn. The seeds crack and the Taproot emerges but they don't have enough strength to break up out of the top soil. So I have been having to dig seeds back up and readjust them because a lot of them grow about two inches but just spin in a circle under the soil

I wish I could have just started and things would go good. But I guess that's just my luck!
If I didn't have bad luck I wouldn't have any..
I have so many seeds and strains and I had plans from the beginning but all that is being thrown off by this... So I don't even care what I end up with at this point!
Whatever sprouts and grows I will work with...

DOCTORDOOB said:

Today a few of the other seeds I am trying to germinate have cracked and started shooting out Taproot, so I got a bunch transplanted and fill the little tent with a less intense light, and I used dry soil from the bag and put the seeds in the soil barely covered them and lightly misted the top but not as much as before so the less intense light should help the top soil not dry as fast and them not being drenched should allow them room to breathe and grow and also be not so much that they have to come up to break soil in search of it... Here is the tent today...

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hey bro i just germinated a bunch of seeds after not growing for a while also so i understand the worrying about the seedlings popping. next time i think you should water your soil with that mister before you plant the seeds. And then just water when it looks like the top is gettting on the dryside.
https://www.mandalaseeds.com/Guides/Germination-Guide . check out that germination guide i guarantee it will help you.
also if you have problems with overwatering look up Air-pots Prop - really helpful for overwatering.

Prof Cecil B Heimerdinger said:

hey bro i just germinated a bunch of seeds after not growing for a while also so i understand the worrying about the seedlings popping. next time i think you should water your soil with that mister before you plant the seeds. And then just water when it looks like the top is gettting on the dryside.
https://www.mandalaseeds.com/Guides/Germination-Guide . check out that germination guide i guarantee it will help you.
also if you have problems with overwatering look up Air-pots Prop - really helpful for overwatering.

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Thank you! I will check that out.

So last night I went through and threw out about 50 that weren't taking off and only kept the 44 that are showing new growth. I realized I had the light too intense too close and was over watering them. Being they are old a lot didn't have the energy to break soil I had to help them. Then with the over watering and light too close they were stuck they couldn't grow. So I cranked the fan up to high, backed the light off a foot+ and I also gave more dark periods here and there and they dried out, and are starting to bounce back! Some look fine, some look stunted or mutated, and they are all starting to grow new growth. The are short and stacked, they mostly have four sets of leaf, but couldn't grow because the light too close. And they ones that couldn't handle all the excess water basically stayed just cotyledons until I let them dry out, now I can see the first sets of leafs starting to form and emerge