DocBud's Hempy Grow

[Doc Bud]

Hello everyone.....I had a thread called First growre-grow....but now, since I'm actually growing, I thought I'd update the thread.

Grow room: 9x8x8. Dry wall, insulation, no windows. Smooth concrete floor, painted white.

Vents: 8" CAN fan w PHAT filter exhaust. 6" Fan w/ HEPA filter, intake.
AC
1000watt light, Hydrofarm reflector.
Co2: coming next week
BCNL producer:coming on Monday.
Nutes:FoxFarm trio, Botanicare CalMag.
Water:RO
Medium1 perlite/vermiculite, 10litre buckets.

I'm growing 5 clones I got from a friend: 2xblue dream, White Widow, Flo, Jack Herrer.

The clones:

White Widow prior to transplant: 4 days ago.

White Widow today:

Jack Herrer

Below is Blue Dream

Pic's taken after spending 17.9 hours under MH, about 36 inches from plants.
I had not watered when I took the pics.

Questions:
The perlite was slightly damp and inch below the top. Am I over watering?
Or, because the roots haven't reached the bottom yet, am I underwatering?

Nutes: 1tsp Grow, 2tsp Bloom, 1 tsp Cal.mag per gallon. PH'd to 5.9/6.1.

 

[Doc Bud]

If anyone is reading this, I'm not sure what to do:

After I watered.....no more than once per day....the plants perk up. then, I came back later in the day, after 18 hours under the light and their droopy again.

Temps don't get higher than 80, RH is 30-50.

So, am I over watering or underwatering?

Here's a nice little piece I got today:

 

[Setting Sun]

If anyone is reading this, I'm not sure what to do:

After I watered.....no more than once per day....the plants perk up. then, I came back later in the day, after 18 hours under the light and their droopy again.

Temps don't get higher than 80, RH is 30-50.

So, am I over watering or underwatering?

If they were in soil, it would probably be overwatering, but the hempy buckets complicate it because the drainage is much better and until the roots hit the res, you need to water them as you've been doing.

What I would do is to stop watering altogether over 24-48 hours and see if they perk up or wilt more. Even if they're underwatered, they look healthy enough to handle that.

I'd check on them whenever possible also, just to catch things early if they start to get too dry.

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, seed packs

 

[Doc Bud]

If they were in soil, it would probably be overwatering, but the hempy buckets complicate it because the drainage is much better and until the roots hit the res, you need to water them as you've been doing.

What I would do is to stop watering altogether over 24-48 hours and see if they perk up or wilt more. Even if they're underwatered, they look healthy enough to handle that.

I'd check on them whenever possible also, just to catch things early if they start to get too dry.

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, seed packs

Thanks! I'm gonna do just that.

I can't wait to grow those seeds:
10MK ultra
10 violator Kush
5 blue cheese

However, my goal was to not kill all of these clones before I grow some really good stuff. Now, I've gotten so attached to the little girls, I don't want to kill any of them.....I want to love and cherish them right into old age.....about 3 months from now.

 

[Setting Sun]

Thanks! I'm gonna do just that.

I can't wait to grow those seeds:
10MK ultra
10 violator Kush
5 blue cheese

However, my goal was to not kill all of these clones before I grow some really good stuff. Now, I've gotten so attached to the little girls, I don't want to kill any of them.....I want to love and cherish them right into old age.....about 3 months from now.

A lot of the quality of the final product comes from environment, and with your setup, those clones could provide you with some really good smoke, regardless of genetics.

Might as well let your learner clones return some of that love .

 

[Doc Bud]

A lot of the quality of the final product comes from environment, and with your setup, those clones could provide you with some really good smoke, regardless of genetics.

Might as well let your learner clones return some of that love .

I just had 2 hits of Hindu Kush....my wife's meds, got 'em from a mobile dispensary.

Smooth, earthy....and now I'm feeling warm, slow, and happy......

Yeah, I intend to do much better than "not kill." My room wasn't completely built and I got 'em for free, so I wasn't quite ready to grow....but they perked up again 5 hours after I watered.

We'll see. They're growin.

 

[Setting Sun]

I just had 2 hits of Hindu Kush....my wife's meds, got 'em from a mobile dispensary.

Smooth, earthy....and now I'm feeling warm, slow, and happy......

Yeah, I intend to do much better than "not kill." My room wasn't completely built and I got 'em for free, so I wasn't quite ready to grow....but they perked up again 5 hours after I watered.

We'll see. They're growin.

I just smoked some GDP that I got from an online dispensary and I'm feeling likewise Beautiful purple nugs.

Are you giving them full strength nutes?

 

[Doc Bud]

I just smoked some GDP that I got from an online dispensary and I'm feeling likewise Beautiful purple nugs.

Are you giving them full strength nutes?

Right now I'm dosing half of what FF recommends for this stage of growth. I'll 'up em Monday, I just needed to get this first week over with no major problems.

 

[Tunes420]

Whats up Doc....bet ya never heard that before LOL....clones are looking great....nice set up and some super genetics as well. I think you will be pleased with the hempy buckets....i have had good luck with them. So much good luck with them i am going to keep going with the style of hempy buckets. I did find for me the vermiculite keep things too wet. And as Setting Sun pointed out to me has a ph value it threw me off slightly when i first started. I will be starting two more journals using this style (bucket with some reservoir)But changing from vermiculite to hydroton rocks for faster draining and aeration. Will be following journal brother grower and if ya have any questions ...ask away i am new but may have experienced something you are wondering about

 

[Doc Bud]

Whats up Doc....bet ya never heard that before LOL....clones are looking great....nice set up and some super genetics as well. I think you will be pleased with the hempy buckets....i have had good luck with them. So much good luck with them i am going to keep going with the style of hempy buckets. I did find for me the vermiculite keep things too wet. And as Setting Sun pointed out to me has a ph value it threw me off slightly when i first started. I will be starting two more journals using this style (bucket with some reservoir)But changing from vermiculite to hydroton rocks for faster draining and aeration. Will be following journal brother grower and if ya have any questions ...ask away i am new but may have experienced something you are wondering about

Tunes....thanks for the reply. I'm still lacking confidence at this stage of the grow. I've done my homework, have a good environment (RH on the low side but still OK) and know what to do intellectually. I've just got to put it in practice.

I watered again---even though I said I wouldn't----because they were drooping.....and they perked up and I have lots of new growth. These babies are NOT going to die just yet and actually look pretty good.

How often is it normal to water when the roots are seeking the bottom? Daily? More often?

What did you find the optimal PH for water/nutes going in?

For today's watering:
PPM 470
PH: 5.9
1tsp gro-big
1/2 twp big bloom
1/2 tsp Cal/Mag

 

[jcool09]

Hey Doc, was jus browsing grow journals and saw that yours was recent and active. Nice variety of clones and some great genetics to bring online when you're ready. May I ask where you ordered your seeds from and how was your experience? I recently received an order from AMS but would be willing to try an alternative vendor for my next order. I was reading about your wilting plants and I think the issue is related to new transplants with shallow roots. When you water the root zone is able to absorb the water and perk up the plant. That to me is proof positive that a lack of water is the culprit. I think additional waterings are in in order during the light cycle to keep the plants from stressing. Another thought is to shield the medium to minimize the evaporation.

Very impressive start. BTW I feel that asking for help and keeping an open mind serves me better than confidence when growing. Keep up the good work and keep us posted.

 

[Doc Bud]

Hey Doc, was jus browsing grow journals and saw that yours was recent and active. Nice variety of clones and some great genetics to bring online when you're ready. May I ask where you ordered your seeds from and how was your experience? I recently received an order from AMS but would be willing to try an alternative vendor for my next order. I was reading about your wilting plants and I think the issue is related to new transplants with shallow roots. When you water the root zone is able to absorb the water and perk up the plant. That to me is proof positive that a lack of water is the culprit. I think additional waterings are in in order during the light cycle to keep the plants from stressing. Another thought is to shield the medium to minimize the evaporation.

Very impressive start. BTW I feel that asking for help and keeping an open mind serves me better than confidence when growing. Keep up the good work and keep us posted.

Hey Jcool, thanks for stopping by!

You're right about the underwatering.....I watered 3 times yesterday, and the plants looked amazing when I checked them this AM. I basically watered, caught the runoff, tested it for PH and TDS....everything within spec, and re-watered with the run off, keeping the medium moist. I used a moisture meter, and sure enough, things were quite dry in the middle of the pot....but lovely water at the bottom. The roots are seeking nirvana, and should reach the bottom in a couple days.

The plants have nearly tripled in size, lot's of new growth....pics tonite.

C02 going in this week, I've got the generator and PPM controller now, just need the time to hook it all up.

Seeds: I used DrChronic.com I paid a bit for them, but they came in 5 days, exactly as advertised. My friend who is a pro-grower buys through them. I don't have anything to compare them to...but I placed the order online, got a confirmation in minutes....was told they'd been shipped....and received them in a plain, unmarked envelope.....perfect.

Check back later tonite or tomorrow and I'll have pics.

 

[jcool09]

Seeds: I used DrChronic.com I paid a bit for them, but they came in 5 days, exactly as advertised.

That's what I like to hear. I just ordered some fem'd Super Lemon Haze X5. You don't know who you can trust with all of the ads out there. Thank you for the referral.

 

[Doc Bud]

Lessons learned:
Trust the roots...they'll grow till they hit water.
Put small clones in smaller pots at first. I put mine in 10 litre pots....long way for those roots to go.

Neat trick: foliar feed epsom salts, use a fan about 8 feet away from the plants and spray the water into the fan's flow. A nice fog hits the plants....they love it.

Here we are 7 days after transplanting. I believe 3 of them have roots in the res. the other 2 either need more time, or had damaged roots during transplant. But they're all gonna make it!

Nutes: 1/2 strength FF grow and bloom. 1/2 strength Cal/Mag. PH 5.9ish.

Pics!

Below is my problem child

these roots hit bottom. Blue dream

Below is White Widow

This one is the least healthy of the five

should they be bushier? Any comments?

 

[Setting Sun]

They're looking appropriately bushy to me, doc!



+rep if I can

 

[Tunes420]

I watered everyday till i saw new growth and then i knew root hit bottom....then it was every 2-5 days depending on how quick they used it. And I still water from the top.....my rocks turn a bit green....but it is hard to over water them.....which i really like....also I do a lot of spraying with water. (veg)
I have been trying to keep my ph at 5.5 going in

 

[Setting Sun]

I watered everyday till i saw new growth and then i knew root hit bottom....then it was every 2-5 days depending on how quick they used it. And I still water from the top.....my rocks turn a bit green....but it is hard to over water them.....which i really like....also I do a lot of spraying with water. (veg)
I have been trying to keep my ph at 5.5 going in

Did you guys rinse your perlite before using it?

I tried hempy with a couple of 2-liter soda bottles, but I had rinsed it to get rid of dust and smaller particles, and I didn't dry it before filling the soda bottles. It felt really soggy and heavy.

I had lots of algae on top, and my seedlings were stunted so bad that I trashed the whole grow.

 

[Tunes420]

I strained both vermiculite and perlite before use. The algae was easy for me to control i simply took 1/4 inch top layer off(green) and replaced with new....also now that i don't use vermiculite I don't see algae as much. Great point to bring up SS

 

[Setting Sun]

I strained both vermiculite and perlite before use. The algae was easy for me to control i simply took 1/4 inch top layer off(green) and replaced with new....also now that i don't use vermiculite I don't see algae as much. Great point to bring up SS

Ok, but do you let the perlite dry after the rinse or plant directly into it wet?

 

[Doc Bud]

Ok, but do you let the perlite dry after the rinse or plant directly into it wet?

Here's what I did:

Put on dust mask. Outside, on a windy day, slowly pour the perlite into a big Rubbermaid tub from about 3 feet high. The chunks go in the tub, the dust blows away. Same with the vermiculite.

Then, wet down the stuff in the tub with PH'd water, mix and you're done.

I don't if I was right or wrong....but I did know I didn't want to hassle with straining the perlite.

Now that my Producer is here, I'm going to have to strain a lot of hydroton.....