Beccabuds Photon Follies: An Ongoing Adventure In Tiny Closet Gardening

[BeccaBuds]

Hi everyone! This is my new perpetual cannabis grow journal for my tiny closet garden. The closet is 22" X 34" X 66", the floor is covered with a neoprene tray (15 gallon overflow capacity) and the walls are lined with aluminized mylar Space Blanket. I've historically used 3 gallon plastic grow bags and 4 gallon square buckets, and gotten great results.

For openers this time, I will be growing just one plant, a BCN Critical XXL Auto, and it will be grown in a 10 gallon fabric pot. It's breeding history is (Kritikal Bilbo X Critical Mas) X Auto Critical Mas and the seed was breed in Barcelona. This medium THC (14%-22%) Hybrid is said to be a massive yielder with an 11 week life cycle, start to finish. The seed was a freebie from CaliSeedStore.com and came with my recent order from them. I've never grown an auto before so this is a 1st for me.

​

The seedstockers web site says the plant can go it's entire life with minimal additional nutrients in a 5 gallon container (and has pics of what to expect). I'm using a 10 gallon fabric pot atop a pot elevator, full of FFOF. I just tilled in a cup of Geoflora Veg this morning, sprinkled on some Dynomyco and watered, so it should go ape-shizzle in this oversize pot. The seed is slated to hit the dirt Tuesday or Wednesday, days the Farmers Almanac says are good for planting above ground crops. She should be ready for harvest in mid-November. Here's her pot under the Bestva Pro 2000W LED lamp that will be photon bombing her 20 hours a day...

 

[Tokin Roll]

Nice start to your new journal @beccabuds

I will follow along if your don't mind.

Stay safe, and grow well my friend,
Tok..

 

[BeccaBuds]

Welcome @Tokin Roll This is going to be interesting- according to the info this plant should thrive even with just regular watering and nothing else. I am going to use Terpinator and (if needed), both Geoflora Bloom and Massive. Need to order more Terpinator and Geoflora Bloom as I just about used up both last grow. This is the second grow in this soil so I think the ferts will be needed.

 

[Tokin Roll]

I think you are right about this being interesting journal to follow.

I have been looking for an XXL strain that isn't auto; I have a big project coming up.

Stay safe, and grow well my friend,
Tok..

 

[BeccaBuds]

The Bean is on the Scene!!!

​

Those tertiary divisions are 1/64" so she is petite at 5/32" lengthwise, but is a very healthy looking little seed. In a moment I'm going to place her on a paper towel, mist her with Hydrogen Peroxide, dunk her in sterilized water overnight and then straight into that giant pot of soil about 1/4" deep. While she's germinating I'll cover the soil with a piece of clear plastic bag so it stays moist. I'll cut out a 1" hole in the middle for her to grow through after she breaks the surface. Once the plant is established the bag will be removed.

 

[BeccaBuds]

Are there any non-auto XXLs, @Tokin Roll ? I don't think I've ever heard of one. I kind of figured it meant big for an auto, not displaying those scrawny cannabis ruderalis traits.

 

[Roy Growin]

Hello @beccabuds - I wanna follow this one and see your pics

 

[BeccaBuds]

Hi @Roy Growin Welcome! The seed is soakin', hope the smoke is chokin!

 

[Roy Growin]

 

[BeccaBuds]

The seed had cracked open this morning so I put it in the soil. I could see healthy plant tissue viewing the seed with my loupe. Not quite out of the shell but definitely a viable seed. I've decided to name her "Selene". Happy B'day, Selene!

 

[BeccaBuds]

The seed is now officially a seedling, barely beginning to break the surface of the soil this evening. Looks like it's already dropped it's shell. Soil is covered with a plastic sheet to keep things moist while she's young. Once it starts to push up I'll cut a hole in the plastic for it to temporarily grow through.

​

The lamp, set to 75W, is 21" above the soil and set for 20 hour days. Soil temp is running 80F under the plastic.

 

[BeccaBuds]

Selene has cleared the top of the soil so I made a hole for her to grow through. One of her cotyledons looks like something chewed on it or it was born with some kind of rot. The latter is my guess so best to get it into lower humidity right away to stop it. I may spray it with some 1% Hydrogen Peroxide if it persists. The two 1st true leaves both look healthy though. I've seen this with older seeds before so maybe that is why it was a freebie.

 

[BeccaBuds]

24 hours later and still barely 1/4" tall. Necrotic tissue now forming on second cotyledon. Selene is not looking well. First true leaves have filled out a little but too slowly. I'm convinced now it's old seed. Put it back under a humidity dome and I'm going to give it a few days, see if it survives since I only had the one seed. So far the XXL is extra extra small.
I have some Auto Do Si Dos seeds I can try if Selene doesn't make it.

 

[BeccaBuds]

Selene is not doing well. I'm not sure why I haven't pulled her and started over. The other day I misted her with a spray bottle and she fell over, so I knew there had to be some kind of root problem. Carefully stripped back the soil to find the root terminated just a half inch down with a weird bulbous end. Replanted it deeper, covered the root, misted it well and replaced the humidity dome. Amazingly, it isn't dead and the leaves have gotten a (tiny) bit larger, so today I mixed 500mL of General Hydroponics Maxi Gro nutrient solution, proofed it down to half strength and adjusted it's pH. I'll foliar feed her for a few days with a spray bottle. Probably wasting my time...

 

[CaptainLucky]

Hi everyone! This is my new perpetual cannabis grow journal for my tiny closet garden. The closet is 22" X 34" X 66", the floor is covered with a neoprene tray (15 gallon overflow capacity) and the walls are lined with aluminized mylar Space Blanket. I've historically used 3 gallon plastic grow bags and 4 gallon square buckets, and gotten great results.

For openers this time, I will be growing just one plant, a BCN Critical XXL Auto, and it will be grown in a 10 gallon fabric pot. It's breeding history is (Kritikal Bilbo X Critical Mas) X Auto Critical Mas and the seed was breed in Barcelona. This medium THC (14%-22%) Hybrid is said to be a massive yielder with an 11 week life cycle, start to finish. The seed was a freebie from CaliSeedStore.com and came with my recent order from them. I've never grown an auto before so this is a 1st for me.

​

The seedstockers web site says the plant can go it's entire life with minimal additional nutrients in a 5 gallon container (and has pics of what to expect). I'm using a 10 gallon fabric pot atop a pot elevator, full of FFOF. I just tilled in a cup of Geoflora Veg this morning, sprinkled on some Dynomyco and watered, so it should go ape-shizzle in this oversize pot. The seed is slated to hit the dirt Tuesday or Wednesday, days the Farmers Almanac says are good for planting above ground crops. She should be ready for harvest in mid-November. Here's her pot under the Bestva Pro 2000W LED lamp that will be photon bombing her 20 hours a day...

Good Luck

 

[BeccaBuds]

Yea, @CaptainLucky , I'm going to need it with this Critical XXL... After nursing it for more than a week it just isn't doing much and I think it is now pretty much certain it will never have the vigorous, fast growth needed to achieve the advertised characteristics. Gave it another foliar feeding this AM and will continue that.

I am becoming very impatient, however, so in an effort to get a proper plant growing, I selected the fattest Auto Do Si Dos seed out of the five CSS sent, treated it with hydrogen peroxide and have it soaking in water overnight before putting it in soil.

​

I really like these little plastic containers for soaking seeds. You can use a loupe to easily see when they crack open.

 

[CaptainLucky]

I Yea, @CaptainLucky , I'm going to need it with this Critical XXL... After nursing it for more than a week it just isn't doing much and I think it is now pretty much certain it will never have the vigorous, fast growth needed to achieve the advertised characteristics. Gave it another foliar feeding this AM and will continue that.

I am becoming very impatient, however, so in an effort to get a proper plant growing, I selected the fattest Auto Do Si Dos seed out of the five CSS sent, treated it with hydrogen peroxide and have it soaking in water overnight before putting it in soil.

​

I really like these little plastic containers for soaking seeds. You can use a loupe to easily see when they crack open.

I always use Ed Rosenthal’s method you line a matchbox with fine grit sandpaper and shake for a minute. Mix 1oz. of 3% peroxide in 1/2 cup of water, wet a paper towel and place seeds on the p.towel, fold p. towel to cover seeds and put in a zip lock bag, put in a dark place and check daily.

 

[BeccaBuds]

Selene is no more- it's tiny leaves were all dryed out this morning so I pulled it. There was no new root development so it was a dud from the git-go... almost 2 weeks wasted. Sigh...
On a happier note, the Do Si Dos seed has cracked open and looks to be pushing out the beginnings of a root. Sterile soil in a 4" pot is ready for it.

 

[BeccaBuds]

7 days in the pot and Do Si Do is Do Si Didn't. Still watching and hoping but it should have sprouted by now. The window for getting another harvest in before years end is rapidly closing.

 

[BeccaBuds]

Two attempts and two duds. Tired of this bull so I picked 3 big golf ball mystery seeds from fall 2019 and started them in a paper towel in a plastic bag soaked with 8mL of 1.5% Peroxide. That was on Sept 19th. All three of them sprouted...

Yesterday one seed showed 1/16” white root so I planted it in a 4” pot and covered the soil with plastic. Pot wet weight is 300g on my 10kg scale. Today it is starting to clear the soil but hasn't fully opened yet.

The other two seeds sprouted and quickly formed roots by this afternoon. I planted them directly into the 10 gallon pot offset from the center 6 inches and opposite each other. The first in the 4" pot will soon get transplanted to the center, and whichever turns out to be the best female wins. The other two will get chopped.

I'm kind of wondering if my seed shipment from CaliSeedStore.com was examined with a high powered x-ray machine in transit. Maybe they are all dead seeds. All I can do is try sprouting the rest of them.

On a happier note, I've grown these mystery genetics a couple times and the plants are always vigorous and fast growing. In a 10 gallon pot with a single plant I should get a huge bush.

Time for a bowl of Afgoo in celebration of their birth!