1st Time Stealth DIY Cabinet Grow- Hydro/T-5/LED Pineapple Express & Kannabia Special

Re: 1st Time Stealth DIY Cabinet Grow- Hydro/T-5/LED Pineapple Express & Kannabia Spe

Hydro, thank you for the help. Yes, I do have a fan blowing over the tops of the plants which takes some of the heat off of the light and does create some good circulation. I'm aware of the importance of PH and have been trying to maintain proper PH, but my understanding (which could be incorrect!) is that an out-of-range PH will create nute lockout. Since I'm not using nutes yet, I don't believe PH would be the cause of the yellowing. I do think it may be overwatering since I had the edge of the cube right under the drip ring for the last few days. I'll see what happens now that I've moved the light up, trimmed the cube down, and put the plants away from the drip ring. Thanks again & best wishes for a great New Year!
 
Re: 1st Time Stealth DIY Cabinet Grow- Hydro/T-5/LED Pineapple Express & Kannabia Spe

Been watching your babies.... keeping good thoughts going your way! I think it could be too much moisture, but I am just a newbie so hope what you have done will do the trick!! Looking forward to seeing them take of like my kush did!
 
Re: 1st Time Stealth DIY Cabinet Grow- Hydro/T-5/LED Pineapple Express & Kannabia Spe

Thanks for the good thoughts, guys! I need all the good karma I can muster for this first grow! :)
 
Re: 1st Time Stealth DIY Cabinet Grow- Hydro/T-5/LED Pineapple Express & Kannabia Spe

Mr. Krip said:
STARTING DAY #10

Looks like Pixie's yellowing is getting worse. The only issue I can think of at this point that may still be causing this is over-watering

I'm open to ANY/ALL suggestions on what else I can do for Pixie to make sure she's happy! :)
Click to expand...

Krip,

I think you are correct about the over-watering. The yellow leaves look like they're starting to rot. One bit of advice that I don't think was mentioned yet in this thread is that you don't really want to start your seeds in a hydro system. The reason is the same as when you are growing in soil- you need to control the moisture level when the plants are young and most sensitive- so you dont want the pot to be too big. Those STGs are like sponges and I think your girls are waterlogged; too much water and not enough O2 for the baby roots.

What I do is germinate my plants in the super starter plugs in a small seedling tray with a dome (can buy at Walmart). If I'm doing hydro and I have the system set up I just put the seedling tray right on top. I can keep an eye out to make sure that they stay moist and humid but never waterlogged. I move the seedlings into hydro or soil when I see the roots poking out of the plugs and they're ready to do some serious drinkin' :MoreNutes:.
 
Re: 1st Time Stealth DIY Cabinet Grow- Hydro/T-5/LED Pineapple Express & Kannabia Spe

JCool, thanks again for your help and keeping an eye on me!

Actually, there are many growers that start their seeds directly in the waterfarm and have fantastic results. The water coming out of the waterfarm is highly oxygenated and allows for this (if you PM me, I can send you a link to some great waterfarm grows). That being said, I don't know of any of them that are using STG - virtually all are in hydroton. The STG media is supposed to be non-wicking and leave available air space, but obviously, I can't argue with the poor results, thus far, and do agree that it was most likely overwatering.

I also think you are correct that I didn't let them germinate long enough and I "overdid" it on the STG.

For example, basically as soon as they sprouted from the cube, I put the cube in the STG insert, the insert into a netpot, and the netpot into the waterfarm. That's a hell of a long way from putting a seed directly into the waterfarm!!!

I started realizing that there's no reason I could not have placed the STG cube directly in the waterfarm WITHOUT the insert and WITHOUT the netpot. Before I do this next time, I will also wait for the taproot to be growing out of the STG cube.

I'm definately making a lot of noob mistakes early on but am gaining a lot of confidence that my next grow will go much better.

In fact, I almost started to germinate more seeds, but before I do, I want to continue with Pixie & Lucy and see what else I can learn before killing more babies.

So...read on to see what we've done....
 
Re: 1st Time Stealth DIY Cabinet Grow- Hydro/T-5/LED Pineapple Express & Kannabia Spe

STARTING DAY #11

OK...if you read my previous reply to JCool, you'll see I think I didn't really wait long enough to germinate before overdoing it with cubes, inserts, netpots, and the waterfarm, so, in an attempt to save my babies, I did some MAJOR surgery this morning and luckily, there were no real complications.

I removed the inserts from the netpots and began cutting away the inserts.

Lucy was totally a non-issue since her taproot hadn't yet grown through the cube, so I removed her completely from the insert and put the cube directly in the waterfarm.

She started leaning over yesterday, but the stem isn't crimped and looks healthy so I'm not worried (yet!) about the leaning - it seems like it's more of natures LST.

Here's Lucy in her new home:

Lucy_2011-01-04_01.jpg


Pixie also had no complications during surgery. She did have a nice taproot growing out of the bottom of the cube, but there was airspace between the cube and the insert (another possible rookie error!) and the root was not yet growing into the insert, so I was able to do the same thing. I removed the insert/netpot entirely and put the STG cube directly in the waterfarm.

Here's Pixie's taproot growing through the bottom of the cube (sorry for being a little blurry, I could not get the camera to focus on the small root!):

Pixie_2011-01-04_03.jpg


And here she is in her new home:

Pixie_2011-01-04_01.jpg


Pixie_2011-01-04_02.jpg


I'm really hoping to see Pixie turn around quick now!
 
Re: 1st Time Stealth DIY Cabinet Grow- Hydro/T-5/LED Pineapple Express & Kannabia Spe

Thanks for all the good wishes guys and sorry for the late update today...very busy and won't be able to post pics until later but it's not going well :phew:

Pixie is going quick...in an effort to try to save her, this morning I moved her to the bubble cloner...put the taproot through the bottom of the netpot and am cranking a ton of air in there to see if I can save her.

Part of me really want to start another seed, but that would be like giving up on her and not ready to do it yet, but when you see the pics, I may need to do it soon.
 
Re: 1st Time Stealth DIY Cabinet Grow- Hydro/T-5/LED Pineapple Express & Kannabia Spe

Mr. Krip said:
it's not going well :phew:
Click to expand...

Krip, I didn't want to bum you out earlier but those plants were toast a few days ago. They may possibly survive after heroic efforts but when a plant goes through trauma like that as a seedling it will take a long time, if ever, to grow vigorously. I am speaking from the perspective of somone who has nurtured f*cked-up plants for weeks only to eventually toss them in the garbage and start over.

Mr. Krip said:
Part of me really want to start another seed
Click to expand...

That is a great idea, but... What have you learned? What are you going to do differently? Lay out your plan for us, we're here to help. :goodluck:
 
Re: 1st Time Stealth DIY Cabinet Grow- Hydro/T-5/LED Pineapple Express & Kannabia Spe

JC, thanks for the support bro. I actually started germinating ONE more seed right after my last post realizing I don't have the time to lose. If either of the two make it, I'll be happy flowering one for my first grow.

Most of my plan was expressed in my last response to you and includes soaking the seeds first, better placement in the STG cube, longer time in humidity dome, waiting for taproot to develop more before moving to hydro, and putting the STG cube directly in the waterfarm without all the other stuff. Also, I don't know if it was a factor, but there was hygrozyme & superthrive in the water I was using as a foliar spray that may have caused some burn so will mist with plain H2O next time.

What have I really learned? That you guys make this sh!t look a lot easier than it is! :D

It's supposed to be a weed! I have good luck keeping the unwanted weeds alive in the regular garden, I figured this would be easy! :surf:

I'll keep this journal going until it turns from a kill journal to an actual grow journal! :grinjoint:


Peace!
 
Re: 1st Time Stealth DIY Cabinet Grow- Hydro/T-5/LED Pineapple Express & Kannabia Spe

Sorry to hear you're having a rough go of it Mr. Krip. It sounds like you know what to avoid next time and I'm sure you'll have better luck. I wish I could recall where I read "Treat it like a weed. Less is more".

R.I.P. little girls. Time to make room for some REAL life!:thumb:

I'm staying tuned!
 
Re: 1st Time Stealth DIY Cabinet Grow- Hydro/T-5/LED Pineapple Express & Kannabia Spe

Mr. Krip said:
Most of my plan was expressed in my last response to you and includes better placement in the STG cube,
Click to expand...

One thing that I have struggled with on the germination side is the placement of the seeds in the rockwool/STG/super starters. The taproots are so fragile and easily damaged. Another challenge is placing the seeds with the correct orientation- I can't always tell which end is the pointy end (should point up) and as a result have planted my share of seeds upside down.

I am going to start from the beginning with this well-posted method used by many sucessful growers. This may be redundant for some but it thought it would be worth going over the process I follow from start to finish:

- Soak 24 hours in any type of water other than tap.
- Soak a paper towel in non-tap, fold into quarters, place seeds in the seam of the last fold.
- Place wet towel in a ziplock baggie.
- Place on a plate in a dark place. If you have a heating pad set it on low and place it under the plate.

If the seeds are viable they will have 1/4" - 1/2" taproots in 48 hours using this technique. Now let's take it to the next level. The following is my personal technique for taking the sprouts from taproot to seedling:

- Cut the rockwool/STG/Super Starter in half so the cut disects the hole in the top. The cut does not have to go all the way through- I keep the halves attached.
- Lay the media on it's side and spread it open like a book.
- Using a tweezer (grabbing the seedhead, never the taproot) gently remove one of the seeds from the paper towel and place onto the media with the seedhead in the bottom of the "hole" and the taproot pointing down into the media. Dont worry if it is curled and pointing to one side or the other.
- Fold the media closed and close snugly by wrapping with a twist tie or some thin wire (I work in telecom so I use individual strands of solid core CAT5 wiring). The goal is to have the halves closed firmly enough to "hug" the taproot so it makes good contact with the media.
- When looking at your media from the top after this process you should be able to see the seedhead in the bottom of the hole. If any root can be seen then I re-open the media and reposition the seedhead.
- DO NOT fill in the hole or cover the seedhead! The top of the seedhead should be exposed.
- Media is soaked with non-tap water and placed in seedling tray w/ dome to retain humidity. You should not need to water again! Place tray under low-intensity CFL lighting (I use single 25w CFL) set on 18/6 schedule for normal plants, 20/4 for auto-flowers. If you're using another area or timer try to sync with the schedule that you are going to use in production so you don't have to alter the cycle later.
- Seedlings will sprout and open within 24 hours. Once first set of leaves begin to grow the taproot should be visible at the bottom of the media.
- Remove wire / twist tie wrap. Plant media in soil or hydro system. Continue to use non-tap for first week, do not soak or let dry out.

This works very well for me, I hope it helps you. :goodluck:
 
Re: 1st Time Stealth DIY Cabinet Grow- Hydro/T-5/LED Pineapple Express & Kannabia Spe

Yo Krip Happy New Year!! :smokin2:

I was MIA due to some new year festivities, starting up some new little girls I see? It seems no matter how much you plan, there's something that goes a little off track. You're setup is badass though it WILL produce!! Just throwin a little love your way.

:goodluck: RoorRip
 
Re: 1st Time Stealth DIY Cabinet Grow- Hydro/T-5/LED Pineapple Express & Kannabia Spe

I totally agree with Decrim CA. Those nutriens are awseome, easy to use. Your setup looks great, where are you putting them when your babies get big?
 
Re: 1st Time Stealth DIY Cabinet Grow- Hydro/T-5/LED Pineapple Express & Kannabia Spe

JCool, much thanks for the detailed info. It will help a great deal on this go around I'm sure. I'm gonna figure out how to give reps in a minute and give you some! I am gonna try your technque with splitting the STG cubes. I don't work in telecom, but the office has a lot of rubber bands! :)
Also, I think I may have planted Lucy with pointy side down, but she did seem to sprout OK.

TheW1sest, thank you too, brother...I need all the love I can get right now!

I checked the babies this morning and both plants looked horrible...Lucy not as bad as Pixie. Here is Pixie right before I through her in the garbage and started germinating a 2nd seed:

Pixie_2011-01-06_01.jpg


If you look closely you can see there's some fuzzy white (what is probably) mold growing on her. I don't know if that's what was killing her or the result of her rotting but it wasn't pretty.

I was so upset I didn't even take any pic's of Lucy, but she looks like crap, too. No noticable mold, but no noticable growth, even looks a little shriveled and leaves starting to brown at the tips.

On the bright side, aside from the learning experience, I can see the taproot starting to emerge from the 2nd PE seed that's germinating since last night, and the LSD seed I started this morning has sunk and is starting to open, so it looks like I may get the opportunity to try to kill two more! :)
 
Re: 1st Time Stealth DIY Cabinet Grow- Hydro/T-5/LED Pineapple Express & Kannabia Spe

If there is a chance of mold on those babies, I would carefully clean up around them and toss them in a sealed bag. Wipe all surfaces with a bleach solution. Just in case.
 
Re: 1st Time Stealth DIY Cabinet Grow- Hydro/T-5/LED Pineapple Express & Kannabia Spe

UPDATE: Both new seeds are germinating fine using JCools technique. The new PE seed has been moved to an STG cube and the LSD I started yesterday is now in paper towels in a plastic bag on a heat mat.

I made sure the STG cube was only moist & not saturated with distilled water. I put it in a small plastic container on a thin layer of the STG hail media (so light didn't get at roots) and covered with plastic wrap that I cut some slits in for air. I have this under the T5's which are about 15" above the container. Temps are right around 82*F.

I expect the PE to sprout today or tomorrow and the LSD to be a day or so behind.

I was planning on keeping the sprouts under the humidity dome (plastiic wrap) longer than last time, but see that it possibly should be removed as soon as they sprout so as not to induce mold. Maybe this was part of my problem last time? Any opinions on this?

I think that before I put them in the waterfarm, when they're ready, I'm first going to move them to the bubble cloner and let their roots hopefully explode a little quicker, since it will take longer for the roots to hit the res in the waterfarm.

Obviously that stage between seedling and veg is pretty delicate so all guidance I'm getting here is greatly appreciated!

Danielle - I didn't mean to ignore you & thanks for the advice and compliments! Assuming I get my babies big (lol) they're going in the same cabinet that is pictured and described on the first page of this journal:

cabinet_open1.jpg
 
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