Here's My 1st Grow

[AuntieKush]

Hi everyone Auntie here with my first grow.

A little bit of backstory: one of my close friends has been growing for a long time, but had to take a pause recently, so he gave me a bunch of his old gear. I inherited the tent, ducting, exhaust fan, plywood platform, and a watering kit (haven't set that up yet).

I had the tent sitting around for a couple of weeks, and just finally got around to getting the Mars Hydro TS 3000 lights, a Pulse grow monitor, and 9 clones (I paid for 8, but got one for free ).

The strains I'm growing:
3x Gelato #45
2x Wedding Cake
2x Cherry on Top
2x Sweet Thang

Does anyone have experience with these?

I'm growing them in soil - I used Fox Farm Ocean Forest, a bag of perlite, and a little bit of dolomite lime. I didn't have enough pots, so I had to wash out some of my old pots and transplant some of my random other potted plants. I really hope I cleaned them well enough not to have introduced any pests.

Here they are all potted up:

Here's my tent setup:
It's in my garage behind a big ol tapestry.

I've got it venting out to a perfect port that goes outside of my garage into the yard:

Here's my light & my pulse. Don't mind the box fan in there, I'm getting a couple of smaller clip on fans in a bit.

And here's how things are looking:

They're on approximately 18 hours on / 6 hours off. I still have to fiddle with the timer a bit more.

Some questions - are they going to be okay at ~ 50% humidity and about 70-80F? I'm considering getting a humidifier while my babies are so little.

What do you all think? Any pointers and feedback?

 

[SOG001]

The environmental factors are perfect in my opinion I'm currently at 44% humidity and 77 degrees. I did start out lower at 25 % and 70 for a while however I am growing in coco a form of hydro I have grown in fox farms before and you are starting out on the right path good job my latest grow is in my signature keeping it simple check it out

 

[AuntieKush]

The environmental factors are perfect in my opinion I'm currently at 44% humidity and 77 degrees. I did start out lower at 25 % and 70 for a while however I am growing in coco a form of hydro I have grown in fox farms before and you are starting out on the right path good job my latest grow is in my signature keeping it simple check it out

I've heard some good things about coco - definitely on my to do list after I get some soil growing experience.
`

 

[SOG001]

I've heard some good things about coco - definitely on my to do list after I get some soil growing experience.
`

I'm gonna pull up a seat if you have any questions feel free to ask if I can't give you a good answer I'll direct you to someone who can

 

[AuntieKush]

Hey everyone,


Wanted to update you all on what I've been up to.


I was a little worried about my humidity being too low for such little plants, so I put a humidifier that I had around the house in there.

The capacity was a bit low and it required refills too often, so I bought a top-fill humidifier instead.

I've gotta say the little babies are looking much happier! Here's some shots:


The setup:

New growth:

Here's what things looked like while I was fiddling with the humidity. Seems like it's paying off though, the plants really seem like they're taking off.

I'm getting some new fans (to get rid of the box fan) and a couple of inkbirds to really get things nice and tropical in there for my babies.


I guess I should top them once they're all looking happy? Any tips?

 

[Pbass]

Wow charts and graphs! What the heck is that? Plants do look great, cheers @AuntieKush

 

[AuntieKush]

Thank you all for your tips and I'm looking forward to learning & growing together more!

 

[AuntieKush]

I'm gonna pull up a seat if you have any questions feel free to ask if I can't give you a good answer I'll direct you to someone who can

I guess my only question for now is how do you feel about coco vs soil?

 

[AuntieKush]

Wow charts and graphs! What the heck is that? Plants do look great, cheers @AuntieKush

Thats from my pulse grow monitor

 

[SOG001]

I guess my only question for now is how do you feel about coco vs soil?

In my opinion coco is easier and provides a much better yield with no loss in quality my best yield from 6 plants was 4 pounds

 

[BedroomFarmer]

Coco is really great but coco and soil are two different animals. Coco works very well treated like hydroponics with daily watering and a lower ph range and probably wouldn't be organic as you would need to feed nutrients every water. I think There are organic bottles available but not sure the results used in coco.

Looking great

 

[bobrown14]

I guess my only question for now is how do you feel about coco vs soil?

Coco is a soil-less medium. You are currently in a soil medium. I;m guessing maybe cause you have experience growing plants in soil??

The difference between the 2 are vast. I wood say 180 degrees opposite.

Hydro or soil-less is really a "Hands on" approach to gardening and also you need to purchase expensive fertilizer and keep purchasing, testing water cleaning etc. It's a lot of work.

Then there's the quality of the final product never ending argument/debate vs organic soil thing.

You're not that far away from organic soil.

Your soil will run out of steam at some point. You will need to up-pot to a larger container going into flower or use fertilizers.

Suggest looking into what it takes to grow organically vs Soil-less vs soil + fertilizer.

Most folks that I know that switched to organic soil are still growing that way. I always grew in organic soil so when I started growing weed and saw all the different gear people were using it got a little daunting. I thought I was growing some form of special plant that defies science. Its just a weed.... with not that much special needs.

GL with your grow - looks like you are doing perfect and I love that tapestry.

Gelato is a nice plant and final product will be delish... not all that easy to grow tho. Listen and watch what your plants are saying. You will know when you need something. They will let you know.

 

[AdaminCO]

This is a good VPD chart to follow. Keep
in mind that this refers to leaf temp, not ambient. Optimal LST is 75F according to some studies I’ve read.

 

[bobrown14]

Great chart notice there's plenty of room for variance.

I like to keep my temps close to 70F and rH @ less that 55% MAX.

Too low like 30% RH wont hurt the plants but too high above 60% RH and you'll be treading on molds thin ice realm. Mold sucks worse than lower humidity.

I would only use a humidifier IF my RH was lower like 30% or lower.
Reason is that you need to keep that humidifier CLEAN. Use vinegar to clean it with so you dont get Bytritis (bud rot) or PM (powdery mildew). These can be very difficult to deal with as are other pests.

Another tip - try growing from seeds next round. Cuts bring along all sorts of issues. You're depending on the person that grew those cuts to be perfect. Its not a perfect world. Grow from seed and make your own cuts from the goodies you grew from seed. Its the safest way really. I've learned my lesson and more than a few times.

Whats that old saying... if you don't remember history, your doomed to repeat it, something like that.

 

[AuntieKush]

In my opinion coco is easier and provides a much better yield with no loss in quality my best yield from 6 plants was 4 pounds

Woowww off of how many watts of lighting?

Coco is a soil-less medium. You are currently in a soil medium. I;m guessing maybe cause you have experience growing plants in soil??

The difference between the 2 are vast. I wood say 180 degrees opposite.

Hydro or soil-less is really a "Hands on" approach to gardening and also you need to purchase expensive fertilizer and keep purchasing, testing water cleaning etc. It's a lot of work.

Then there's the quality of the final product never ending argument/debate vs organic soil thing.

You're not that far away from organic soil.

Your soil will run out of steam at some point. You will need to up-pot to a larger container going into flower or use fertilizers.

Suggest looking into what it takes to grow organically vs Soil-less vs soil + fertilizer.

Most folks that I know that switched to organic soil are still growing that way. I always grew in organic soil so when I started growing weed and saw all the different gear people were using it got a little daunting. I thought I was growing some form of special plant that defies science. Its just a weed.... with not that much special needs.

GL with your grow - looks like you are doing perfect and I love that tapestry.

Gelato is a nice plant and final product will be delish... not all that easy to grow tho. Listen and watch what your plants are saying. You will know when you need something. They will let you know.

I'd prefer organic since i'll be consuming the stuff for sure, and as far as "hands on", I feel like soil is hands on enough for me. Thanks for the compliment about the tapestry. I love it!

This is a good VPD chart to follow. Keep
in mind that this refers to leaf temp, not ambient. Optimal LST is 75F according to some studies I’ve read.

Thank you!

Great chart notice there's plenty of room for variance.

I like to keep my temps close to 70F and rH @ less that 55% MAX.

Too low like 30% RH wont hurt the plants but too high above 60% RH and you'll be treading on molds thin ice realm. Mold sucks worse than lower humidity.

I would only use a humidifier IF my RH was lower like 30% or lower.
Reason is that you need to keep that humidifier CLEAN. Use vinegar to clean it with so you dont get Bytritis (bud rot) or PM (powdery mildew). These can be very difficult to deal with as are other pests.

Another tip - try growing from seeds next round. Cuts bring along all sorts of issues. You're depending on the person that grew those cuts to be perfect. Its not a perfect world. Grow from seed and make your own cuts from the goodies you grew from seed. Its the safest way really. I've learned my lesson and more than a few times.

Whats that old saying... if you don't remember history, your doomed to repeat it, something like that.

Definitely going to look into seeds. I got these clones because they were VERY local and well reviewed...

 

[bobrown14]

Organic is about as easy as it gets for growing. Its hands on then water for the win leave the plants alone. A proper soil mix is key. Its not difficult, mix once grow plenty.

I use whats called "coots mix" can look that up feel free to ask me questions whatever you need. There are plenty of other soil mixes that work.

Its organic growing. I can pick a flower and literally puff it the next day after letting it hang and somewhat dry, smooth as silk. I vape too so lots of flavors.

Regarding yields. I grow for quality first second and third, the yields will follow. They always do.

If you decide to grow organically in soil, you have some time to research your mix IF you want to mix your own. Lots of local Plant Nurseries will also have soil mix in bulk and in bags. Don't need to purchase anything aimed at cannabis plants as they are usually BS and over priced. The local nursery wants your repeat business and will do what it takes to make a proper soil mix. They cater to professional landscapers so quality is key.

 

[SOG001]

Woowww off of how many watts of lighting?
I have 600 watts of Cob lighting It's a DIY light I built using 8ea 3500K Cobs and 4ea 4000K. The 4000K is a blue dominate spectrum for veg and for flower I switch the 4000K for 1700K The 1700K is a red dominate spectrum. They are driven with two Meanwell drivers at 1400 miliamps each I'm on my fourth grow with them



I'd prefer organic since i'll be consuming the stuff for sure, and as far as "hands on", I feel like soil is hands on enough for me. Thanks for the compliment about the tapestry. I love it!



Thank you!



Definitely going to look into seeds. I got these clones because they were VERY local and well reviewed...

 

[AuntieKush]

Hey ya'll! Auntie here with an update,


So I got some more new gear (again)! I'm starting to think that growing might turn out to be more expensive than smoking! Lol. Anyway, I got some inkbird controllers ($70 on amazon), some cloth pots, clip fans (still looking for some better ones than these), magnet hooks and little metal plates.

The magnet hooks & plates are to hang all of my stuff in the tent. Here's how the inkbirds are hanging. There's a metal plate on the other side of the tent that the magnet sticks to.

It's getting pretty messy with all of these wires everywhere. Any tips on what to do about them?

Here's how my babies are looking. They grow up so fast, it's mind boggling.

And a couple of closeups:

And here's how things are looking. Hint: they're looking pretty good!! Didn't realize growing would be this fun.

They're getting big so quickly. I'm planning on topping them soon. I'm also considering getting bigger pots (5 gallon). They are in two gallon pots right now. When should I repot?

 

[Bionic Chronic NZ]

Nice setup man... everything’s looking on track. Awesome

 

[bobrown14]

Looking good there.... love those magnets we use them.

Clip fans those 9" ones - I have about 10 of em. Use them 24/7 until they burn out and I have backups. I run a larger box fan at the soil line to help with transpiration (helps plants grow bigger).

I try and keep my grow room clean as possible so keeping the floor space clutter free makes it easier for a cleaning. Something we do every 3 weeks or so. Grow rooms get dirty and with dirty grow space well you get the i-deer.

Topping.... I suggest you read up on this process and ask yourself "why" do you want to "top" your plants.

IF you answer is yields - its not going to get you that in fact it will be the opposite.

IF its to control height - you haven't grown out these strains before (that I know of) so how wood you know they will get too tall?

My suggestion on topping is don't do it unless you have a valid reason. Because someone told you to do it well ask them why.

Google "Apical Meristem" read what its function is and then decide if you want to remove it.

There are other methods for training plants. The removal of an apical meristem is very drastic. Yes its common in the cannabis world but thats about it. Its Bro Science at best. I put it up there with "flushing".