Flaahgra's First Grow - Dinafem Blue Kush - Organic - Scrog - 250W HIDs

Flaahgra

Flaahgra

New Member
I'll start with this intro post then get on with the journal

This is my first attempt at growing after doing research for over 4 years. I don’t pretend to know everything, but if I compare what I do know and my gear to grows my friends did in the past, I think I should get at least a decent results from this. Doing two Dinafem Blue Kush from seed.

My gear is :

SJ Darkstreet rev2.5| 2’x2’x5’
cheapo 250w mh 6500k (veg)/Hortilux 250w super hps (flower)
Lumatek 400 dimmed to 250
Vortex 4” 175cfm + odorX carbon filter
17.5”x6” cooltube
Fan control, Digital thermometer, timer for lights



Problems I've had with the setup are having only 2 straps for the fan and filter, so I made a ghetto tape strap in the middle. Could only get semirigid 6" ducting... had to squish it. Despite all these inelegant modifications, air still flows perfectly.

Being winter, I’m “fortunate” for having low temps; even with the fan on lowest speed, I can adjust it between 20-26C at around 2.5ft from the lights, though humidity is rather low at 29-35%. Night temps can get somewhat low too, around 15-17C, but that might be fine for this strain (see below). I'm exhausting straight into my room, but my intake is over a trap door leading to a cold room attached to this room so it draws in cool air (ballast is in that room and barely emits heat). The air from the exhaust is a lot cooler than the one from my house vents when the heat is on, I guess this Vortex is a good one.

Soil and nutes

For the 3.5" pots and 1 gals, I have a mix of about half Promix potting soil, a quarter each ewc and perlite, and some lime.

The organic mix is a big batch of the above with added Espoma Tomato Tone, Alfalfa and Kelp meals, plus some glacial rock dust, moistened and left to cycle until final transplant. I might add a thin layer of final mix to the bottom of the 1 gal pot to get it ready for the final pot.

As for teas, I do have extra alfalfa, kelp and ewc and other things on hand but I'm not 100% sure about them on this 1st grow. I got fish bone meal too but it smells so much I don't know if I will use it lol.

Strain:Dinafem Blue Kush - I chose this strain because it's supposedly good for scrogs, which I think would be the best way of growing in my space. The flavors/smells and THC content as well as the fact it's kush are other things that pushed me to chose it, and supposedly can turn purple with a temp drop so that would be cool (as long as it's not bad for the plant).

Procedure: Already explained which pots I will use and the transplants, other than that I will top when they're old enough, then do a 4 way LST before the scrog. I still need to make the net, will do so before they get too big. Starting the seedling right under MH, read that it's OK. Will probably keep MH a week or two into 12/12 then switch to HPS. I've heard you can switch back to MH in the last 2 weeks before harvest to get lower yields but increased potency so I might do that if it looks like yield is already going to be good. The Hortilux has added blue so maybe not necessary. Other stuff is going to be dealt with in the next few weeks, just working on getting these seedlings going right now.

Goal: Produce my own ganj, tired of relying on dealers even though most of them are friends. Don't think I'll ever go over 4 plants in the location I am now, but would like to be able to yield enough to supply me till or close to the next harvest. Also there's little info out there on this strain right now, so I'm hoping to contribute something to the growing community by writing this. Glad it's on this site because the How to grow section taught me alot of what I know.

OldManClemens has a great journal and the only one I could find on this strain right now, on this very forum: [PakaCordova's First Journal For My First Grow - Dinafem Blue Kush - Soil - Nov 2014]], scrogging it like I will but with some differences in the lights and nutes (excluding that he has two tents for a perpetual:)). Be sure to check it out if you haven't and are going to follow this one.

The first journal post will be up soon :volcano-smiley:

 
If that is a 4" filter and fan inlet outlet, go to your local Lowes home depot Rona and get a 4" gear clamp remove the tape and any adhesive from the flanges, they should slide together with the gear clamp on the outside, tighten the clamp down. This will make a ridged connection between the fan and the filter. you will then be able to use the two straps more effectively and it will be more gooder... And More Awesomer at the same time.
 
So up to yesterday...

I put them both in a water glass in the dark last Monday, and on Wednesday they were germinated; put them in about 1/4" soil and gave them and light dark cycle with my desk lamp. They came through after the 3rd dark cycle (Saturday morning), one of them taller.



Within 12 hours, the taller one lost it's shell and started the cotyledon, meanwhile it's sister looked like it wasn't gonna make it. Gave it a bit of water before bed and prayed.

 
Jan 25, 2015 (Day 1 of journal)



Well it looks like both will make it for now as the lesser one's lost it's shell too now and is starting the cotyledon. The good one's really taken off starting the first leaves. Wonder if it's different phenos or if one is just better than the other one and I should clone that one? Also yes Chemist I'm going to get some clamps as soon as I can.
 
Nice setup, you should try to increase the humidity for your seedlings, just put some clear plastic over them. Dont overfeed and keep the light as close as it will not burn your plant. Time will tell, good luck! :Namaste:
 
Thnaks for the plug to my journal. Hopefully I can lend a hand if possible along the way since I already took this Blue Kush for a test drive. One thing you might want to consider since your space is already very limited, check out how I set up my scrub box. It will give you a LOT more vertical room in your tent.

Multi Tent Scrub Box How To: multiple tents with one fan and one carbon filter

This will let you place your fan and filter outside of your tent and will allow you to let your plants get taller if needed.

Good luck on this grow, I will be watching every step of the way :blunt:
 
OldManClemens said:
Thnaks for the plug to my journal. Hopefully I can lend a hand if possible along the way since I already took this Blue Kush for a test drive. One thing you might want to consider since your space is already very limited, check out how I set up my scrub box. It will give you a LOT more vertical room in your tent.

Multi Tent Scrub Box How To: multiple tents with one fan and one carbon filter



This will let you place your fan and filter outside of your tent and will allow you to let your plants get taller if needed.

Good luck on this grow, I will be watching every step of the way :blunt:
Click to expand...

wow man thanks for the link to the multi scrub box that's awesome.
 
OldManClemens said:
Thnaks for the plug to my journal. Hopefully I can lend a hand if possible along the way since I already took this Blue Kush for a test drive. One thing you might want to consider since your space is already very limited, check out how I set up my scrub box. It will give you a LOT more vertical room in your tent.

Multi Tent Scrub Box How To: multiple tents with one fan and one carbon filter

This will let you place your fan and filter outside of your tent and will allow you to let your plants get taller if needed.

Good luck on this grow, I will be watching every step of the way :blunt:
Click to expand...

I can get the light pretty high with all the stuff there now but if it's ever a problem I'll make one for sure. Your setup definitely is pro, I can't mess with too much shit where I am now unfortunately.

Also for humidity, I've tried putting clear Tupperware over the seedlings, having a bowl of water by the exhaust, then close to the light, but I think it's just the air from the intake that's too dry. I've read that humidifiers sometimes don't work either, not sure about getting one. Both seedlings are doing fine right now, soil does get dry somewhat fast but I also haven't watered till runoff yet, scared to drown them.
 
The humidity in my tent is low in the winter, like 12%. I have a Vicks Ultrasonic humidifier and it pumps humidity up into the 60% max range. Depending on my exhaust fan speed and humidifier control setting, I can have the tent steady at pretty much any level. I have to re-fill the reservoir every morning though but it keeps the plant nice and hydrated and tent humid. Definitely recommended if you have very low humidity.
 
Something dumb happened earlier... I had the 3.5" pots on an overturned 1 gallon... came to find the taller seedling's pot had fallen, face first with a bunch of soil burying the seedling!!!! Luckily when I fished it out of that mound, its root were all clumped in a soil ball (couldn't even see them) and the stem was wobbly but still solid enough to hold itself after replanting it. It's even grow alot since, with the first leaves now as big or bigger than the cotyledons. I just put the pots IN the one gallon instead and lowered the lights so that doesn't happen again.

Looks like it's growing about as fast as OMC's for now, should maybe have went cfl for the 1st week or so to cut costs. Here it is after the incident:

20150127_152959.jpg
 
Jan 28 (Day 4 of journal, one week since seeds planted)

Both growing differently, the tall one bends in all kinds of directions as it pushes up while the other stays straight and level.

I think I forgot to say in the intro post that the final pots will be 3 gallons with the organic mix. If they stay in the 3.5"s long enough for my mix to cycle properly I might add more to the 1 gallons than just at the bottom, we'll see. All of you into organics lemme know what you think about my mix and if I should make tea/sprays/top dresses with the leftover or if water only is OK? Been looking for simple tea recipes but it all seems pretty complex and made with ingredients I'd have to order from far again.

 
cool grow>subbed up.

I know a few tea recipes. if you have worm castings, and molasses you can make compost tea. If you have kelp and or alfalfa you can make an excellent botanical tea. If you purchase some seeds like any legumes or corn or barley you can make a sprouted seed tea, organic popcorn from the grocery store is cheap.
sounds to me like you have everything on hand already to rock a real organic grow.

I don't mind sharing if your so inclined to learn the ways of the force. :)
 
top dressing can be great, but is not always necessary. Mulch is a very important part of the system.

compost teas are a great way to introduce/boost the population of beneficial soil microorganisms in your container. I would start with one of those.

And contrary to what you can find on the web: here is what a good compost tea (act, aact, call it what you want) should consist of:

aerated clean water,
vermicompost(worm castings),
molasses
 
For your question of phenos - always clone all plants starting from seed. When at least one clone of each is growing then bloom the two original plants and after harvest decide which is best. Don't pick one early then find out after that the other one produced better bud. Phenotypes can be very different and you want the best. With femenized seeds I would usually grow at least 4 to have a good chance of getting best ones. With male/female I would grow at least 6 (what I did with Jack's smack). I am actually hoping to get at least one male so I can do a little breeding ;-)
 
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