First CFL Grow Using 30 Watt CFLs

[donpaul.p]

below is the buds from the bottom of the nl x bb i harvested a week ago, this will all be added to my trim box once its dry

below is the reserva privada sour kush 2ltr dwc hempie, this is nearly 4ft tall or slightly bigger

next we have the 2 autos, the bigger auto is the auto blueberry and the other is bluematic

below is the ak47 cross uk cherry cheese female, this is starting to flower as i have no room for it so flowering it off to get some seeds from it.

next we have the 2 afgan skunk clones, the bigger clone is getting the fish tank water, both where the same size but the one getting tank water is now bigger and fuller that the other

below is the ak47 cross uk cherry cheese male, hoping to use this to get some seeds of this strain.

below is the afgan skunk hempie dwc without air stone

now im not sure what caused this but i had the top of the hempie covered with newspaper to stop them little flies getting in, then when i pulled the paper off i noticed short spikey roots had started growing and their not even in the soil, so clearly it seems the roots grow in the dark if their in a growing medium or not

below is a special kush under glr

now this below is either a kush or nl x bb, wont know till its in flower what it is but by looking at it i think its more a kush

so thats what i got going on, the new hempie test is still not growing, just waiting for seed to sprout then the test can begine
the hempie test im doing is with seedism's big red femenised seeds, looks like a nice plant and the buds look pretty big when i checked out the strain

 

[spring2012]

Man I do not know what to say. The pics look awesome! I hope one day I can get my babies to do that! I keep reading and learning!!

 

[donpaul.p]

thanks mate, im only getting results like this due to all the help and advice i get from this site,

 

[donpaul.p]

Milz' Incrediblecan someone offer some help on this growers journal, he got some problems, its only 1 page to read so its all on the first page

 

[miwa]

you seem surprised roots were growing under the newspaper...did you forget clones in a cloner are not in a medium and they grow roots...

 

[Green Knight]

Looking good mate - a nice selection of different strains

 

[donpaul.p]

i know mate, but the stem has not been getting any water sprayed on it, so i think with the top covered with a piece of newspaper it must of made it humid enough to grow roots, so even without water been sprayed on the stem it grew roots, so does this mean we can root cuttings just by giving them dark and nothing else, i know we use pumps and air stones to keep them moist but i had not watered through the top in weeks, so it must be just humid enough and warm enough for roots to start growing, this happened on both my hempies, and they was the only 2 that had the tops covered,

more testing to be done on clones me thinks,
ive just built my bubble cloner so im waiting on one of the veg plants to get big enough to take a load of clones from, i want to try the fridge clone again and see if things change, im hoping that when they come out the fridge that using a dome will stop them wilting like the others did mate, my water clones wilted just as quick as yours when i placed them in some compost without a dome, i thought they had enough roots to survive but clearly not as they wilted in less than an hour, so i think cloning in water and moving them to compost is a bad idea, unless i clone in water then place them in compost with a dome over the top, i wonder if this is what the fridge clones needed.

it reminds me of the time when i took cuttings and placed them strait in soil with no dome, they wilted just as quick, but this is how i cloned years ago with the jack flash, i cut cuttings and put them strait in pots and they all rooted, but guess i was very lucky as i never used domes and they all survived and grew, but now when i tried that they wilted and died, so now any clones i take that go strait into soil have a dome over the top, every cutting i take grows roots using this method, i can clone into soil with 100% success as long as its got a pop bottle as a dome and misted 2 or 3 times a day then they root and grow with no problems, it takes around 10 to 14 days to be able to leave the dome off, but when the dome is on the leaves go really hard and rubbery and growth is very deformed, but once the dome is off it sorts itself out within a few days.

but the water clones that had got roots wilted as soon as i put them in soil, so does this mean they will struggle in soil or do i still need to use the dome over the top as well, im just trying to find a way of making decent clones so i can put them in the fridge and try the fridge method, this would be better for me as i can keep my numbers down but no i have got cuttings in the fridge that will be viable, so if i got bored of a strain then i could still take clones and keep them in the fridge and grow something else in between,

 

[donpaul.p]

thanks green night, i try as much as i can so i can find what i like, the problem is the last time i grew special kush i was not to impressed with the buds, but the special kush that was a clone from the one before is totally different, the buds are more solid, they are super sticky, when i roll a joint all the papers stick together and rip, but where i am we mix cigaretes backy with bud then roll it and smoke it, so i sprinkle a tiny layer of tobaco out of a cig then break up the buds to put in then cover with a thin layer of tobaco again, doing this solves the sticky problems and allows me to roll a spliff, even the smell and taste is a lot better and it really gets me feeling couch lock very quick and thats what im after to help with sleep, but both the kush and fruity chronic juice that i harvested 2 weeks ago is the best bud ive had in a long while, its stronger than any of the cheese i can buy on the streets.

ill keep trying different strains till i find what i like, i just found a stash of seeds that i forgot about, i was cleaning out a draw and found some regular seeds that i never new i had, such as big bud#2 and blue mystic, not sure what the strain is like ill have a read, plus i found i had more fem seeds than i thought i had so i got plenty of seeds and different strains to try,
if anyone has tried blue mystic then give me a shout and let me know whats its like and ill go plant the seeds.

ive had a bit of an idea as well, im thinking that these hempies the dwc hempies grow like crazy and get really big really quick, well im wondering if i got some auto seeds and grew these out as hempies would i get a bigger yield, if i did then i would not lollypop it, and looking at how these hempies have been growing with no lollypop and they have only had 7 days of veg then under 12-12, so them hempies above one had 1 week of veg and they are 3 times the size of the plant that i vegged for 30 days, so clearly the dwc really does give them a boost, if these hempies was in normal pots then i think they would only be 1ft tall at the most, but been in hempies and using dwc method it allows them to grow as quick as they can, so im wondering if i got some autos and grow them in a dwc hempie, would i then get the massive growth i get with none auto hempies, this might be a way of getting a bigger yield out of autos, does anyone think it would work, i know autos flower due to age but the rapid growth in the dwc should give them a huge boost and increase the yield,

i tell you what, ill order an auto and try it, i can ask all the questions i like but i wont really know until i give it a try, so thats what ill do, plus i cant wait to get these plants out the way so i can get my dwc scrog set up, i got the perfect bucket and lid, its a big bucket but i dont need to fill it all the way up as long as i mount the net pot properly, so i just need to get some ph up and down, an ec tester and possibly some h2o2 what ever that is, so im just getting all these plants out the way then i can give the dwc scrog a go, i have still got room to grow hempies and autos, im thinking about leaving 1 foot of room in the hps room so i can do the scrog at the back and hempies and autos at the front, this would make my scrog, 3.5ft from side to side, and 2 foot or slightly bigger from front to back, im thinking of a V scrog to get the best light

 

[Green Knight]

Gut feeling says it would work in the sense that the less restrictions an auto has the closer it can get to its full potential, but I'm not sure autos yield that much anyway. As you know I'm growing an auto at the moment for the first time. I have to admit I'm a bit surprised at how quickly it's started flowering, and how small it is. I know it's going to keep growing and will get bigger but it's in hydro so has minimal restrictions but I don't think I'll get much yield compared to a photo that I can work with a bit more to get the most out of it in the space I've got.

I'm looking forward to you starting a scrog though. From what I've read I think that's the way forwards with limited space and I'll watch with interest as I'll be starting one myself after the auto.

 

[donpaul.p]

im about to try a dwc scrog as i should hit 4oz per scrog if i keep everything right, ive grown a couple of autos now and id say the average is around 20g per auto, the most ive had is 1oz and 1/8th but i did harvest it 3 times, i harvested it once and put the small buds back under and it kept growing and throwing out new branches so i got a bit more off that auto.

the problems is the lighting schedule, autos can be grown under 24-0 from start to finish, this should give them the most growing time, but i have my doubts, i only say this due to the power cut i had a few weeks back, now the power went down for over 24 hours, and when it came back on all my plants had grown more in them 24 hours then they did all week, so clearly they grow more in the dark than the do in the day time for short periods, so would it increase the yield with autos if we grew them at say 18-6 or even 12-12 or glr.

theirs so much to test and try, the big bang autos is the best auto for yield, a couple of growers on here have grown it and both got over 4oz per auto, so for yield id say that give big bang auto a try if your looking for bigger yields, i was looking for some purple buds so chose purple strains, so thats what i got growing now, but all the autos ive grown have grown the same, all started flowering around 2 weeks old and grew slowly till harvest, none reached more than 1ft in height, but im growing in soil with no perlite added, but i will be adding some when the smaller plants go into bigger pots, or for future grows, so i need to try and work out whats best with autos, they dont flower due to lighting schedule so they will grow under any schedule, but would giving them more night time give them the boost we need to increase yield, so would 12-12 from day 1 boost them to get bigger.

the reason i say this is due to the way my 12-12 from seed grew, now when i planted the seeds and vegged them properly i got no stretching, but when i put seeds 12-12 from seed then they stretch like crazy like the hempies im growing now, and just to show this i took clones from the hempies and these are under veg and not stretching and growing as normal, so i think their needs to be some more testing doing, and with the auto strain not been stable its a bit hit and miss, so ill order some auto seeds and try some as hempies and some 12-12 from seed and see what happens

 

[CanuckGal]

Man you are really making me want to order some big bang autos...

 

[donpaul.p]

ask x, he is the one that grew several big bang autos and he got over 4oz per auto, so clearly that strain is either stable or prefers the conditions we give them, one thing to remember though is that most autos grow in mountains and cold climates, plus they have very little night time due to where they come from, so would adjusting the temps imrpove yield, problem is they would need a seperate cooled room then, but they do grow in cold climates so if this is what their used to then it might change the results, but the plants they are crossed with are from warm climates and have good night hours, so its hard to say whats best.

i mean are the best grown under 24-0 till finish or 18-6 or anything in between, i know none auto plants grow like crazy in the dark as i found out when i had a power cut, so would this be the same for autos, it would need some testing doing, problem is that every auto strain is different so what works for one might not work for another.

but after ive seen for myself how well plants grow in a dwc hempie, i have taken clones form the hempies and growing them in soil,. and neither of the 4 clones are growing as rapid and as big as the mother plant it came from, these clones are grown in pots using soil, so clearly the 2ltr dwc hempie gives them some sort of boost, so im going to give a 2ltr dwc hempie a try with my next autos, maybe then they will increase in size and give the yields we are looking for, i think x grew them hydro so thats possibly why he got his so big, but id have to check his journal to make sure he used hydro to grow them

 

[Xlr8]

ask x, he is the one that grew several big bang autos and he got over 4oz per auto, so clearly that strain is either stable or prefers the conditions we give them, one thing to remember though is that most autos grow in mountains and cold climates, plus they have very little night time due to where they come from, so would adjusting the temps imrpove yield, problem is they would need a seperate cooled room then, but they do grow in cold climates so if this is what their used to then it might change the results, but the plants they are crossed with are from warm climates and have good night hours, so its hard to say whats best.

i mean are the best grown under 24-0 till finish or 18-6 or anything in between, i know none auto plants grow like crazy in the dark as i found out when i had a power cut, so would this be the same for autos, it would need some testing doing, problem is that every auto strain is different so what works for one might not work for another.

but after ive seen for myself how well plants grow in a dwc hempie, i have taken clones form the hempies and growing them in soil,. and neither of the 4 clones are growing as rapid and as big as the mother plant it came from, these clones are grown in pots using soil, so clearly the 2ltr dwc hempie gives them some sort of boost, so im going to give a 2ltr dwc hempie a try with my next autos, maybe then they will increase in size and give the yields we are looking for, i think x grew them hydro so thats possibly why he got his so big, but id have to check his journal to make sure he used hydro to grow them

Hey guys and gals!

I only grew one Big Bang Auto, (journal in my signature links) but it did yield over 4z and was an amazing plant. I did grow it in a single DIY hydro bucket, that was a combination of Drip ring (waterfarm style) and DWC methods. At the time, I only found one other journal done on the strain, and it also yielded over 4z for that grower (journaled on another site). Big Bang, and Big Bang Auto were the most popular Dutch strains going for a while, though, so they seem to know how good it is. It yields well, tastes a bit like green apples on the inhale, cotton-candy on the exhale -- and is just a really wonderful strain and high. Mostly indica effects, but there is some "up" to it as well. I'll grow either the auto, or more likely the non-auto version again, for sure. The seed was a freebie (what a nice freebie!)

Big Bang Auto

 

[miwa]

those last photos i posted are clones out of the cloner put in pots of pro-mix...i also took a plant out of a pot..washed the soil off the roots and started a DWC...it didn't even wilt...

 

[spring2012]

DonPaul,
Good info! It brings up another question for myself. How do you feel about Autos in a 12/12? The only reason that I ask is I am thinking about ordering some non autos and going 12/from seed. This will allow me to share the space.

 

[Goldengoose7]

Everything is looking great!

Keep it up DP!

 

[spring2012]

donpaul,
I went through Herbie's yesterday and name dropped as you suggested! Great customer service! Picked up a Big Bang Auto and 4 others. Thanks for the tip!

 

[grogreen]

now i know what they are, not seen many of them in the pet shops and aquatics i go to, but i do recognise them from somewhere, are they worth some money then, i got fish like mollies, pleks, coreys, sharks, upside down catfish that are totally upside down, i got glass fish that are perfectly clear and you can see right through them, i got cat fish, neons, and many more, to many to name, but not got none of them discus fish, i was going to get a marine tank and get the kids some nemo fish or clown fish as most people know them as, but them marine tanks are hard work, you have to have skimmers and stuff to take the crap out the salty water, lot of hard work and the fish are usually tiny, but i do like the sea horses, so i may get a marine tank yet, was going to get piranha for my coffee table fish tank because this coffee table tank is pretty big, i struggled to get it in my flat, the delivery bloke wasnt to happy as he had to carry it up 2 flights of stairs as it was to big for the lift,

when your ready for that marine tank DP get in touch with me, Ive had saltwater aquariums the past 6 years, i could definitely offer a few pointers in that category, I have a 210 gallon and 90 gallon salt aquarium. And just so you know, not all marine fish are small, you can buy clown fish the size of your fist, and puffer fish the size of your head if you wanted to, just gotta know the right supplier as for taking care of the tanks its not as much work as you think, the skimmer you clean maybe once every two weeks or once a month and should do a 20% water change at the same time, your dealing with lots of water with your plants anyways, wouldnt take much to mix a couple buckets of saltwater up before you water your plants and by the time your done watering your plants your saltwater will be ready to add to your tank. Geez sounds like ive done this before.......

 

[grogreen]

i got a seperate tank with convicts in it, now they breed like crazy and water temp makes no difference, trust me i tried it, the problem is you can only have convicts with convicts, the reason why is they got big teeth like piranha and shred anything, when i clean the tank and use a scraper on the inside of the glass, they rip it to pieces, i had a plek in their with them and they shredded him to pieces as well, in a few hours so took him out and he grew his tail back, i make sure i keep my fingers well out the way, they eat anything, burgers the lot, they aint fussy, if it moves and got a heart beat then they eat it, if it hasnt got a heart beat then its an easy lunch for them, getting rid of them is the problem, i bought them from a pet shop and they wont have them back, finding owners who want them is pretty hard going

believe me I know what you mean about this I had a huge carpet anemone i purchased from a local fish store, and the thing is, only the clown fish can touch it, anything else it will swallow them whole, well my fish and shrimp would swim by it and the clown fish living in it was an irritable old bastard and he would pull things into it, i lost thousands of dollars worth of livestock because of that anemone and when i tried to take it back, the pet store refused to take it. check this video out youll see what i mean, the more the trapped fish or critter moves the more the anemone attaches itself and pulls it in, this is a hadoni carpet anemone eating a powder blue tang white carpet anemone eating live fish (powderblue tang) - YouTube
(carpet anemone $20, powder blue tang $100= MAD)
or even better yet this shows just how fast the attack and death is of a random unsuspecting victim by this anemone

 

[fish cake]

hey gogreen I feel you about watching such a beautifull fish becoming lunch. I bought a firefish for a tank I was leasing on the weekend. so I thought I would put it my reef tank till monday and transfer it to the rental tank. I had a dwarf turkey fish in there that never bothered any of my clowns or my damsels. after I got him aclimated I let him go and watched that turkeyfish swim right over and woosh dinner time $45 dinner for that stupid fish.