Here's my plan (closet setup)

[StonyGeoff]

Greenacres, I've been using MG 1/2 strength mix with watering for most of the plants life. But a few weeks ago I dosed her with a double-strength mix for 2 maybe 3 feedings over the course of a month! Very big mistake! I assume the burnt tips on the leaves are a result of nute-burn. I've flushed the medium since and all new growth seems fine. Now I'm going back to using half-strength mixes with each watering, which should be less often than before (which was weekly .. too much) because now I'm using the wet/dry watering method (thanks Moose). Next week I may even invest in some nice organic high P nutes for her I'm on a very limited income at the moment, so I can only spend up to around $30-$50 each fortnight on supplies.

Grandma, further down the track I'd love to get some MH and HPS cranking! But I simply cannot afford the upfront costs of buying any large lamps at the moment. Now mind you, I haven't actually priced what a 400W HPS would cost me upfront, even second-hand, but I can guess it would be more than AUS$30. The computer fans are only to supplement the next few weeks until I can upgrade to some nice bigger ones I feel that a couple of 4" computer fans providing minimal ventilation are better than no fans at all, until I get the cash together for larger ones.

Moose, thank you as always mate. I used windows paint to resize the photos this morning and I had no problems uploading and displaying what you see above this post.

 

[StonyGeoff]

The Closet

Lighting Rig

 

[FreakNature]

i have used those purple lights before and i felt they sucked, but thats just my opinion they may have worked for you. and i`m curious to know what math you used to get your air flow numbers in liters when most fans and messurements are cfm. isn`t liters used to measure liquid and air cubic feet per minute? (cfm). just curious.

liters per second (minute / hour) is the metric version of flow. 300 lps - 635.664 cfm

I too would just opt for the cool white version of a fluorescent tube in lieu of the purple "grow lamps". The standard fluorescent tubes work great if you keep them about 3" from the top of the plant.

 

[StonyGeoff]

 

[grandma]

I too currently use white fluorescents in a Phototron unit and have great vegetative growth, but I'm going to put it under a 400 watt HPS to bulk out the flowers. Stony Geoff's plants look great, but in my experience, buds won't puff out to full potential. But for a unit that costs $30 to set up, and and produces possibly enough for one or two light smokers is the kind of thing that keeps the country running.

Also, if you don't have the heat from a HPS or MH, (and a re growing in soil) then you probably don't need to buy another fan.

re: LPS/CFM, Google calculator can convert litres per second to cubic feet per minute in the format:
"cubic feet per minute to liters per second" =
1 (cubic feet) per minute = 0.47 liters per second

so

500 ((cubic feet) per minute) = 235.97 liters per second.

Keep well,
Grandma.

 

[grandma]

This is my first grow for the last three years. I have used soil and perlite with a bit of hydroton for my medium. I also have parsley growing in their, but I guess I'm just showing my grandma status...
My friend who gave me the tron swears that he got great buds from it. It's looking pretty good so far. The reason that it is so bushy is because I turned the light to 12/12 to sex the plant. This should make budding very prompt when I turn the light back to 12/12 again soon.

 

[StonyGeoff]

Interesting little box grandma How old is she?

 

[StonyGeoff]

I have 2 questions for anyone who feels they can answer them

Firstly:
My lighting and my ventilation fans are both running on a 12/12 timer. So my fans shut off every night at 8pm for 12 hours along with the lights. Should I connect the fans up separately so they are running 24 hours a day? I figured I could only have the fans running while the lights were operating because when the lights aren't switched on the plants aren't photosynthesising so why should they need the extra air-flow?

And Second:
This morning I noticed the leaves around all the big colas (the ones closest to the flowers) are getting really shiny and reflective under the light. I'm not sure if this is because all the little trichs that are forming (and have been forming for a few weeks now) or if this is the resinous layer appearing on the leaves themselves, for protection. My grow area doesn't have a humidity reading as of yet, but it's really quite dry I can tell you, being a closet inside a house in a room, with no ventilation coming from outside.

Ok I'll see if I can borrow my ex-girlfriends digital camera again so I can upload some pics. My mobile-phone camera works fine, but is of poor quality and cannot seem to send photos to my email inbox (according to the service provider I shouldn't have any problems doing this, but whatever..)

 

[StonyGeoff]

I flushed a few weeks ago and about the top almost inch I'd say has dried up. She doesn't look thirsty, but I reckon I'll give maybe 1L of water with 1/4 strength nutes and see how she goes. And I'll try and track down another double-adaptor so I can leave the fans on 24/7

Cheers green acres

 

[StonyGeoff]

90% of the leaves are just kinda flat. The bigger fan leaves near the bottom are drooping, pretty much all the leaves just sort of jutting out flat if that makes sense, and maybe 2 or 3 sets of leaves right at the very top of the plant are angled slightly up towards the light.

Just thought I would mention I'm using a bloom fert 20,11,9 is this too high in Nitrogen for flowering? Should I perhaps try and switch to a fert which is more in the 5,10,5 range?

edit: Actually now I'm looking closer there are quite a few leaves that seem to be "drooping" IMO

 

[StonyGeoff]

Wow I thought so lol. Thank you All part of the fun learning process. I'll have to get some correct bloom ferts next week on payday.

 

[StonyGeoff]

The red circle at the top is my exhaust fan, the red circle to the right & at the bottom is my intake fan. The red line indicates the part which is not in view, which is open (no wood blocking the space in between each compartment.

edit: I've just plugged in a power-board behind the closet, the fans are now set to 24/7 and lights 12/12

I think in the last few days since I've had the closet setup, even with the fans being off at night, I've noticed more smell coming from her at night than during the day when lights are on..

 

[StonyGeoff]

Where the red line is it's just a pole.

 

[StonyGeoff]

No worries at all mate I'll be very interested to see how she does now with fans going 24/7! And I definately need a high P fert as soon as I can! Which will probably be next week Monday or Tuesday. Cheers for your help mate!

 

[StonyGeoff]

Like toaster I too am worried about when to harvest. I'm ordering a 100X microscope tomorrow which should be here in 7-14 days time hopefully. There are now trics appearing on every flower on the plant. I will post some pics on friday for ya'll to see ;-)

Even though I cannot tell the colour of the trics with my cheap magnifying glass, I'm confident that if I can't check them under a microscope for 2 more weeks, it shouldn't really matter. Once I post some pictures in 2 days time I hope someone will be able to re-assure me that everything is fine and to just sit tight and wait for my microscope!

Yee-haa!

 

[StonyGeoff]

Photo time

Day 132

Intake fan and power supply

Exhaust fan (tiny ain't it)

In 3 days time I plan to buy 2x 100W equivilent warm-white CFLs & 2x 100W equivilent cool-white CFLs to add to the lighting rig. Considering at the moment I'm only running 4x 75W equiv. warm-whites, installing the extras will more than double the light output. I'll probably have to upgrade the exhaust fan to a larger size, cos that one in there now is really small LOL. And maybe install an extra intake fan.

I visited a hydro supplies store the other day, and the sales-person talked me into leaving with a $20 bottle of "Nulife WeightPLus Potassium" lol. It's ok because it's highly concentrated Potassium and Phosphorus, you only mix 1ml of this stuff with 1 Litre of water. So it will last a very long time. That should see me right till harvest.

Next grow I'll be starting a journal from scratch with some clones, using half soil and half perlite in my closet space. Still, looking forward to when this lady is ready for harvest, it's been a long 5 months and intensive learning experience. And the help I've received from 420 members has been priceless. Thank you all

 

[Smokin Moose]

Watch yer watering. The burnt leaf tip and curl down are a sign your medium is too wet. Wet/dry cycle is a must.

 

[StonyGeoff]

I will Moose I thought the leaf tips were a sign of nute burn from the double-dose of MG she received a few weeks back? Or do both nute burn and over wet mediums look very similar?

Throughout this grow I've learned that my medium does not drain well at all.. And I doubt it holds air pockets very well either. Not to mention I think the pot is way to big for the size of the plant It was originally outdoors which is why I went for such a large pot. My next grow I'll be using half perlite, half soil, perhaps 12/12 from clones using the SCROG method. Haven't really decided yet. Gotta get this harvest outta the way first.

Ha ha it's funny I'm looking forward to starting my next grow almost more than smoking this harvest. Growing, it seems, can become just as addictive (even more so) than smoking the herb itself!

 

[Boss]

Growing is more addictive by far ;-)

Definitely let it dry between waterings, I know it's tuff!

No more N, Looks like some Epsom salts may help a bit.

 

[StonyGeoff]

I do have some epsom salts I watered her last night with some of my high concentrate Potash & Phosphorus solution, so she's soaking wet at the moment. Boss what would you recommend with the epsom salts?
Also what will magnesium sulfate do for her? (I'm asking cos I'm lazy and can't be bothered looking it up lol)

edit: I could always mix up a 1 Litre solution with epsom salts and some Nulife WeightPLus Potash, and let the extra Litre of runoff drain out the bottom of the pot and discard it?

PS, I'm cutting out the N completely right up until she's ready for harvest and I can start my next grow. I'll be sticking to my Potash & Phosphorus solution with each watering, that is until pre-harvest flushing. But I'd like to get hold of some worm castings just to help a bit with each watering aswell. Unless doing so won't really be of much use at this late stage of flowering..