Hey Buddy's BlackJack Auto Soil Grow Journal 2012

[Hey Buddy]

Hey Buddy,


I agree with pac-mon - not ideal to have droopy leaves.. I always think its best to give quite a bit less than suggested dose (and not on dry soil) of feed and work up... no shocks at this stage..!

I got my LEDs (2) direct from America... on one I had to pay import duty, the other not.. worth bearing in mind (they don't tell you that!).. But also worth shopping around... On e-bay I got a discount best offer..

Cool...Im digging all this info! I pulled the light up as far as it could go and as I now have 2 thermometry/humidity testers I saw that the floor of the tent was a bit cold (50F) so I removed the air duct that supplies fresh air and put it up higher so no cold air around the roots. Now they have started to perk up a bit. If they improve more then Im ok with the nutes. They each drank 3 or 4 litres of water yesterday. BioBizz recommend 1ml to every Litre so I put 1ml in with every 3 or 4 litres to be safe-so each Saturday is going to be feeding day. Next Saturday Ill give them 1ml to every 3 Litres....Im not sure if they even need Biogrow at this stage?

Can you tell me what exact kind of LED's you got and how much the import duty was?? I like the idea of knowing exactly what Im going to be working towards!! Im a bit of a robot when it comes to getting stuff done- Are you in the UK also??

 

[RedLeb]

Hey Buddy, I've got 2 x Blackstar 180w... 1 x Veg & 1 x Flower. I bought them to match the area I was growing in (30x20 inch) - but have since bought a 4X4 tent so would now prefer 240w ... the good thing is that can always add more.

I'm in England and I think the duty was about 10%.. not a lot of choice when its already paid for..

Be aware they do take a bit of getting used to though! The Veg LED is really good & easy, but I have had trouble with the Flower LED a couple of weeks into 12/12.. that's why I'm on to Autos for a while.

I get the idea they are really efficient, but need some technique to get the best out of them.. I've yet to sort the system properly..

They do say plants can cope with the cold so long as their roots are warm..

 

[Joesoap]

Hey buddy I had no idea you were Irish too, Cen chaoi bhfuil tu a mhac?
Gonna start off reading your journal from the beginning. Subbed. Check out my journal if you get a chance man.

 

[Hey Buddy]

Hey buddy I had no idea you were Irish too, Cen chaoi bhfuil tu a mhac?
Gonna start off reading your journal from the beginning. Subbed. Check out my journal if you get a chance man.

Ha ha, that's funny man. Now we can speak in code! I will definitely check out your journal Joe-soap- let me know what you think of my ramblings yeah? Sound-

 

[Joesoap]

Ha ha, that's funny man. Now we can speak in code! I will definitely check out your journal Joe-soap- let me know what you think of my ramblings yeah? Sound-

Lol yeah im a fluent Irish speaker anyway. Your looking great so far man, I grew autos but that was outside maybe 2 years ago , they were lowryder#2`s. I use tap water too I just buy the 5L bottles in the shop, use them, then keep the bottles to fill up with tap water. I let mine sit out for 24hr with the lids off to evaporate any possible chlorine, then I ph it to 6.5 and the girls love it.

 

[Hey Buddy]

Lol yeah im a fluent Irish speaker anyway. Your looking great so far man, I grew autos but that was outside maybe 2 years ago , they were lowryder#2`s. I use tap water too I just buy the 5L bottles in the shop, use them, then keep the bottles to fill up with tap water. I let mine sit out for 24hr with the lids off to evaporate any possible chlorine, then I ph it to 6.5 and the girls love it.

Savage. How do you PH the water? Im getting a ph tester but its just for soil...its taking its time to arrive! Im using the 5L bottles too....think I spent €40 on water the first time when I read I should flush the pots at least 3 times before planting.....cant afford em anymore- Ill do that so. Leave the lids off.

 

[Joesoap]

Savage. How do you PH the water? Im getting a ph tester but its just for soil...its taking its time to arrive! Im using the 5L bottles too....think I spent €40 on water the first time when I read I should flush the pots at least 3 times before planting.....cant afford em anymore- Ill do that so. Leave the lids off.

I have bottles of ph up and ph down, it's the ph Down I use as my water comes out at 7.3 out of the tap, usually 3 or 4 drops in a 5L bottle will bring it down to 6.5. Soil oh testers are handy but I think that a Ph pen for water is essential and if the ph of the soil needs to be checked I just check the runoff after watering.Are you near any hydro shops? I know it's cheaper getting stuff from the uk and that's where I get nearly all my gear but a ph pen and a bottle of ph down is a must.

 

[Hey Buddy]

I have bottles of ph up and ph down, it's the ph Down I use as my water comes out at 7.3 out of the tap, usually 3 or 4 drops in a 5L bottle will bring it down to 6.5. Soil oh testers are handy but I think that a Ph pen for water is essential and if the ph of the soil needs to be checked I just check the runoff after watering.Are you near any hydro shops? I know it's cheaper getting stuff from the uk and that's where I get nearly all my gear but a ph pen and a bottle of ph down is a must.

Ah I saw a bottle of PH down on someone's journal. Even though its called 'the garden of Ireland' there isnt a hydro shop near just in Dublin and they deliver so I'm making a list of everything I need for my next grow so Ill ad that in.Nice!

Gonna have a look at your wonderwoman journal- Im gonna start a new grow in 2 weeks so Im shopping around- I was gonna try Royalmatic Autos as Im after a short flowering time! What would you recommend?

 

[Joesoap]

Good idea buddy it's always best to get a few things to save on postage costs. I've never grown autos indoors but I hear that DrChronic seeds have some of the best (see hijack). I use a cfl to veg my plants and then use the 400w hps to flower them to save a bit on electricity, only reason I don't do autos inside is beacuse I would have to have the hps on for at least 18hrs a day which would rob me on bills.

 

[Hey Buddy]

Good idea buddy it's always best to get a few things to save on postage costs. I've never grown autos indoors but I hear that DrChronic seeds have some of the best (see hijack). I use a cfl to veg my plants and then use the 400w hps to flower them to save a bit on electricity, only reason I don't do autos inside is beacuse I would have to have the hps on for at least 18hrs a day which would rob me on bills.

Yeah I get ya. Im using HPS 24/7- think my setup is costing €17 every 2 weeks as Im counting the units. I want to get off HPS!! So as I was discussing above with Redleb & Pac-Mon the idea of using CFL & LED instead as high ESB bills in Summer is a no go for me so Im gonna buy a 250w blue cfl and start a closet grow in 2 weeks then when this batch is done in 4 or 5 weeks Ill move the new ones into the grow tent. I hope to have a 250W LED by then....baby steps is the only way to go-If I try make too big of a step Ill miss the train and fall thru the gap! Anyway I like autos so I wanna have a harvest every 4 weeks or so, so having a small grow setup like you to have em from seedling to preflower is a must. Gonna check DrChronic for that!!

 

[Hey Buddy]

ok day 36 & the tallest is touching 29 inches or 74cm

She takes up quite a bit of space. 24 inches across

This is the ladies after I shaved their legs-Left a few fan leaves hanging down as they look like arms at this stage-Anyone know if I can rotate a picture?

 

[Hey Buddy]

Day 37 and they were slightly droopy last night so I decided to give them a 6 hour break from the light and in doing so I stupidly turned off the a/c too. I woke up to find them covered in droplets. what a jip! So I spent the morning apologising to them by soaking up the droplets from each leaf on each plant. Hope it doesn't cause lasting damage. Its definitely one way to get to know your plants better.Lesson learned. Never turn off the A/c

 

[pac-mon]

lol any excuse to fondle ur plants.u done the right thing drying them of and can't c u having done any damage.
not sure about turning ur pic round could b a size thing

 

[Hey Buddy]

lol any excuse to fondle ur plants.u done the right thing drying them of and can't c u having done any damage.
not sure about turning ur pic round could b a size thing

Yes I am fond of fondling my plants! Trying to get the RH level down now. Its at 60% which is a bit high. I had it @ 50% the other day so that's my task of the day. Im ordering some gadget that absorbs the condensation from the tent this week.Quite cheap. Hope it does the job-

 

[Hey Buddy]

ok still on day 37 and they look real vibrant. Here is the smaller one that had me worried last week.Fully recovered and the 6 hours of darkness might have done them a world of good!They look like they are reaching for the light. I wonder should I give them 6 hours of darkness everyday now? I used some leftover soil from a seedling that died early on and topped up each plants pot so they got a fresh dose of bat guano, worm castings and any other nutrients that was in the soil....think it helped em-

And one of the biggest girl. She's touching 30 inches today and reaching for the light.

RH is 53% & temp is 25oC...cant wait for humidifier!!

 

[pac-mon]

I imagine some down time would do your plants good but that's only me going on what iv read about autos most seem to go with a 20/4 or 18/6 cycle.your call buddy but if they look like they liked it last night...

 

[pac-mon]

oh n meant to say they r looking good can c all the bud spots showing now

 

[Hey Buddy]

I imagine some down time would do your plants good but that's only me going on what iv read about autos most seem to go with a 20/4 or 18/6 cycle.your call buddy but if they look like they liked it last night...

Yeah I think Ill bring it down to 20/4 or 18/6.....its more natural + saves a few quid!

 

[pac-mon]

thought it was us Scots that were the tight 1's lol.I'd give them a week on 18/4 and c how they fair then maybe think about bringing it down to 18/6 for the final week or 2

 

[RedLeb]

Looking Good Buddy..

I've had mine on about 20/4 since they were planted (nearly 3 weeks), but they don't look quite as big as yours did (1st post)..

Could be the soil, could be the lights, could be the variety... but your lighting isn't doing them any harm that's for sure! and the extra hours could be giving them a boost, after all its photosynthesis that feeds the plant. I'm pretty sure that's why Autos have comparable yields in 2/3 the time of normal 12/12 flowering.

Really need some comparison yields.... but I agree paying the bills is a real bind...