First Grow - 4x2x6 400W

[liltoomuchguy]

Just started my first grow ever yesterday! I'm super excited to document the process!

Here are some details:

Strains: 2 Girl Scout Cookies and 2 Blue Dream
Growing State: Clone/Veg
Pot Size: 1 gallon fabric pot -> 7 gallon is the plan
Light size and details: 400w MH/HPS non-air cooled. I got the 400W Apollo Horticulture kit on Amazon. I'm getting 600w air-cooled reflector, ballast, and MH/HPS lights soon from friend for free soon
Tent size: 4x2x6
Growing Medium: Fox Farm Ocean Forest
Nutrients: Botanicare Pure Blend Pro Grow, Botanicare Pure Blend Pro Bloom, and Botanicare Cal-mag

Yesterday I was able to transplant clones into their 1 gallon fabric pots (minus one because I didn't have enough). I figured I would plant the smallest/weakest one into a solo cup for a few days before getting another 1 gallon pot. I filled the bottom 1.5"-2" with perlite, and filled the rest up with the FF OF. After compacting the soil a bit with the clones inside, I put about 1.5 solo cups with of water into each pot. The plant in the red solo cup received much less water. Growing in the closet until my tent gets here.

What are thoughts on these clones? Some of them seem a bit big, is that normal? Also, I'm trying to decide what kind of training to do, so any feedback on that would be great! I will definitely be doing LST, but need to read up on some of the more "complicated" ways to train the plant.

 

[AnimaSola]

I don't follow links, you'll have to upload a pic to the gallery or use the mobile app to show us a pic, sounds like you are on the right track.

 

[liltoomuchguy]

done

 

[AnimaSola]

They look pretty good, they look like they probably could have stayed in the humidity dome for a few more days. You could foliar spray them with water and a little Epsom salt at lights out, clones love magnesium. I would wait until they were big enough and top them and root the top for my next round, then if it's the bomb you can keep it around.

 

[liltoomuchguy]

They look pretty good, they look like they probably could have stayed in the humidity dome for a few more days. You could foliar spray them with water and a little Epsom salt at lights out, clones love magnesium. I would wait until they were big enough and top them and root the top for my next round, then if it's the bomb you can keep it around.

Interesting, I'll have to get a spray bottle and some epsom salt. I do have some cal-mag too, should I use that in the spray or just for feeding? And if I spray with epsom salt, I assume I can hold off on cal-mag for another week or so? The grower said these clones were very young, so I could see how it could potentially be a humidity thing for why they're looking kinda sad.

Someone mentioned somewhere else that it looks like I might have russet mites... What are your thoughts on this? Should I do some preventative maintenance for mites? I didn't dip clones into a "sterilizing" solution after I got them.

 

[3fingerdSean]

Your going to have an amazing grow. Your plans are so good and I'm subbing this thread to see how the BotCare performs. If you haven't ever smoked GSC your in for quite a treat. Its a seriously strong high. Give em lots of sunshine till your lights come in!

 

[AnimaSola]

If you have calmag I would just use that, Epsom foliar is more for when you have a deficiency or you don't have calmag. Calmag as far as I know is not good for foliar, just for feed water.

 

[liltoomuchguy]

Well, day 3 just started. Finally got my tent and carbon filter, everything is setup now. I see that some areas of the plant are looking a little questionable. I'm wondering if I'm already having a pest problem or maybe it's just stressed?

Planning on watering after I post this with some cal-mag. Some parts of the soil are a bit wet, but might be gone tomorrow so I figured I'd do it now. Finally got my pH kit, so I'll test my tap water for pH.

 

[AnimaSola]

I've gotten to where I just grab the pH down and squirt about 3ml in it without checking the pH first, then I add a few more ml at a time until it's close to 5.8

 

[liltoomuchguy]

Results of tap water pH test

 

[liltoomuchguy]

Just got done watering and feeding my girls.

Running Botanicare lineup, specifically did cal-mag(2-0-0) and pure blend pro grow(3-2-4). Starting on their week 1 schedule, ran a little less than 15ml/gal of the grow formula and around 1.5ml/gal of the cal mag.

 

[3fingerdSean]

Do you have an RO filter on your tap water if that's what you will be using?

 

[3fingerdSean]

Also 5.8 is way too acidic for soil you will lockout phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, and start to lock potassium as well. Perfection in soil is 6.5, so aim for that in the runoff. Also tap water will cause problems without an RO filter. Chlorine & Chloramines to name a couple, also its notorious for causing lockouts. A good foliar spray is yucca extract, B vitamins, fulvic acid & kelp through week 2 flowering. Tiny doses for foliar. Never trust feed charts from any company. They are designed to sell more not enhance plant health. Start with 1/4 strength anything and go up slightly.

 

[liltoomuchguy]

Do you have an RO filter on your tap water if that's what you will be using?

Well I didn't originally plan on it, mainly because I am so overwhelmed by all the other aspects of growing. But after your comment and the one below, I will look into it. Will a Brita suffice?

Are there any alternatives? Looking at systems on Amazon, they definitely aren't cheap.

 

[3fingerdSean]

I would just go with some bottled water from the supermarket this grow. That way you can read into different RO systems for your home. Since I rent I just do bottled. The only alternative is to add 45mg of pure vitamin C powder to each gallon of tap h20, that will remove the chlorine & chloramines, but will not keep the lockout issues at bay. So again, Id say go bottled. I wouldn't trust a brita for my plants.

 

[AnimaSola]

I water seedlings straight out of the pur tap filter with no ill effects.

 

[3fingerdSean]

Yes but h20 quality differs town to town. Unless you review the latest water report and test whats coming from your tap you could be at severe risk of ruining your crop. Some ppl have good tap h2o others dont.

 

[liltoomuchguy]

Okay, so I just brought home some more supplies including some filtered water (says either by distillation or RO) and a mister. Looked at my girls and they're looking strange...

Symptoms include:
Spots of leaves
Tips of some leaves curling/starting to turn yellow and brittle
Lower leaves drooping

Does anyone have any ideas

 

[3fingerdSean]

Clones right? Well they are trying to establish roots, if you water em too much your drowning them. Droopy leaves and stress spots is a sign of it.

 

[3fingerdSean]

Also don't forget we obviously trust whats in out nute bottles n bags but not whats written on em. They want you to feed feed feed and do more more more each time. That's not the right way to go about it. The right way is to feed water feed or feed water water feed. Also don't trust their mega doses with your plants. Start with 1/4 dose and work up slowly as YOU judge the plants growth and thriving. If you see the plants grown fast then yes its safe to incrementally up the dosage. But what they want you to do often makes plants sick and starts nute burns that require flushes and recovery time that affects yield at harvest. Get you some diatom earth and BT & use those at the start of every grow. Occasionally do a 1:4 3% hydrogen peroxide/h20 drench to aerate the root mass and prevent disease. It also repels fungus gnats. Feed ur microbes with blackstrap molasses the whole grow. If you start reading about composting now and preparing to compost it will save you thousands over the years to come as you wont be spending on potting soil every grow. Rather your making your own supersoil as you go. Composting is easy. Buy a 12 dollar carson microbrite scope for pre harvest. We already talked about h20 and ph so your gonna be ok. When to water or feed? Start picking up your pots. When the pot becomes light and dry that's the right time. But if its slightly fluid heavy don't. This will keep you from having the problems your starting to have now. Some weeks the plants suck it down some they just kinda sip it down. Let them live their life without excess pressure. Use a watering can that emits a shower, you don't want huge flood channels thru ur soil that go str8 to runoff. When you see the trichs are 75% cloudy thru ur scope well after the 12/12 switch start a 2 week flush of str8 h20, still doing it the right way though. 2 days no light Then chop & hang the entire plant upside down for a week no fan directly on it, then trim it up nice and put ur buds in a 32oz mason and open and roll it 2x a day for 30 days. Day 31 put a 62% Boveda pack in there and at that point your smokin. Also never ever put scent changers or hiders near your plants or in the grow room. Open the windows near them once a day to give them a fresh exchange of co2. Man ur gonna be solid I know it. Just post a smoke report for me ok?