Howsjosh's LED Soil Grapefruit, Strawberry, Blue Dream, Blue Widow Grow

[ItsNatural]

I would be pulling my hair out if I had to pay 70 for a bag of soil... I think last time I bought soil (last grow) I saw some amazon bloom from earth juice but didn't want to pay $23 for a bag vs $13 for FFOF..... My mom would only be pissed about me growing if I didn't share when she's around...


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Oh, trust me. Im not exactly happy about paying $70 for a bag of dirt. Which is why Im gonna try to find a place that sells it somewhere, hopefully in a 100 miles range. And then buy a truck load and be done for a bit. I wish they would just change the legal status on cannabis here. Im starting to get tired of worrying.


As for the mom thing. Mine wouldnt get mad. I just dont trust her to keep her mouth shut. I love my Momma, and shes a great person. But she likes to talk. And she likes to make brags and shit. "oh, you should smoke some of the stuff ItsNaturals got. Can you believe he grew that himself?" Or " ItsNaturals isnt gonna want any, he grows his own." or just something along those lines. And not to strangers. People we know and for the most part love. But It helps me in NO WAY, to have ANYONE, know I grow my own smoke. I dont sell any, so I dont need the word out. I dont need anyones help, I have google. And the biggie. That I personally think gets alot of people. I dont need people to envy me or think Im cool. And I try my best not to purposely make people jealous. Because while there will always be haters. Showing off something just so you make that person want what you have, just to make them Jelly, You get NOTHING from it, And there really isnt any benefit. There is really only 2 outcomes. Either they get Jelly, and just deal with it, Or try and do the same. Either way, they deal with it without affecting you. OR, the most likely scenario, they dont want to try themselves, but also dont want you to have it, so they plot and plan on how to take it from you. Either by stealing so they have it themsleves. ( anything from weed to a job) or just plot to make sure neither of you have it. Or they just secretly resent you. and act a little shitty until they can celebrate your downfall. Either way, it has a negative outcome which DOES affect you.
So I tell absolutely NO ONE about my grow. Hell I get nervous being on this site sometimes. LOL

Anyway sorry for the mini rant. I just think its an important statement for anyone that will read your journal. Your girls look lovely by the way. I havent ever used the Amazon Bloom but have thought about it a couple of times because I use the whole EJ line. But it was just a better deal to go with the FFOF if I remember correctly. Plus FFOF has always done me right so far.

 

[howsjosh]

Well went to the grow store today and bought a bag of FFOF and they ordered a bag of earthjuice amazon bloom for me I guess they get all their earth juice stuff from right down the street lol.. that soil cost me double what the fox farm is but I wanted it and if I wouldn't have gotten it I would probably be slightly bummed so I'm pretty excited about that I also got a huge bag of perlite for like $14 it's 4cu feet... I also bought a bigger saucer than the ones I have for when I transplant to bigger pots... did a little defoliation on the girls... started to get to crazy on Barbie so I stopped myself... I'm loving the little humidifier I set it at 50 but keeps the humidity around 53-55 I did have it at 55 but the humidity was getting above 60... here are some pics...

Size of bag of perlite vs 1.5cuf bag of soil

The group

Bonnie I didn't trim

Grace I trimmed the most

Summer I trimmed some but not a lot

Barbie I started to trim to many fan leaves so I stopped myself

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[Jurf]

Hey man. Just found your journal. Gonna sub and ride along.

Im gonna be doing my first grow quite soon, have invested in a good bit of equipment and plan to get started asap. ETA Probably in a week or just over. I have a question though and was wondering if you could fill me in.

WIth regards to your lights. You said theyre 200watts of LED a piece. I invested in just one Mars II 400w, with a true wattage of just under 200watts I think, and was under the impression that this would be GG for just a couple plants, as I read that about 50w per square foot is ideal?. Am I wrong, or are your lights slightly exceeding whats necessary?

 

[howsjosh]

You are correct I am at about 60 watts per sq ft and that is slight overkill... in veg I'm only using 300 watts until I put them in flower then I will switch in the bloom switches and use the full 600 watts...

If you haven't been welcomed yet welcome to 420 I'm glad you found my journal... i would love to have you follow along... are you going to start a journal when you get started?.. I would love to follow along and try and help out where I can... I'm pretty new to growing also but I've done a good amount of research my last grow was kind of a failure but I learned a lot from it...


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[Jurf]

You are correct I am at about 60 watts per sq ft and that is slight overkill... in veg I'm only using 300 watts until I put them in flower then I will switch in the bloom switches and use the full 600 watts...

If you haven't been welcomed yet welcome to 420 I'm glad you found my journal... i would love to have you follow along... are you going to start a journal when you get started?.. I would love to follow along and try and help out where I can... I'm pretty new to growing also but I've done a good amount of research my last grow was kind of a failure but I learned a lot from it...


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Hey man! Thanks for the general kindness. It's gonna be great to have you on my team along my grow. I know I am definitely going to need all the help I can get. No matter how much I've been reading etc, I know my inexperience is gonna lead me into situations where peoples' help will be the business. Im gonna be stalking the hell outta your journal hahah

 

[howsjosh]

It's good to do your research but it never truly prepares you... Patience is key in growing which drives me crazy... since I'm going to put some of my plants outdoor I'm always thinking hurry up and grow... but not too fast because I have to wait till may to put some of you outside... Growing can be fun and aggravating... I cannot wait till flower lol...


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[howsjosh]

Day 23: when I looked into the tent this morning I noticed Barbie was thirsty so I gave her half a gallon of water with some of the god silica... I really need to get a ph meter because I hate the little test strip things so next time I get paid I might order one...

Couple pics of Barbie

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[Jurf]

Looking very nice man! Did you trim some of the lower leaves? Looks kinda top heavy, like lollypopped

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[howsjosh]

I just don't like how that one grows I took a bunch of fan leafs off one side but stopped myself from taking the rest... all the inside nodes are blocked by the fan leafs... but I've topped it semi recently and I will see where it goes from there... the other plants are shaped much better and it was easier to see what I needed to do to them to get light in More places and clear up in general for air flow... I didn't cut anything off Bonnie because she didn't seem to need it


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[Jurf]

I just don't like how that one grows I took a bunch of fan leafs off one side but stopped myself from taking the rest... all the inside nodes are blocked by the fan leafs... but I've topped it semi recently and I will see where it goes from there... the other plants are shaped much better and it was easier to see what I needed to do to them to get light in More places and clear up in general for air flow... I didn't cut anything off Bonnie because she didn't seem to need it


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DUDE! I have the perfect technique for you if you wanna help that under growth get some light exposure. I saw a user caller FlowerNose do it, she has two awesome journals up and running.

The technique is called Ponytailing, dunno if you heard about it. But apparently it places like barely any stress at all on the plant, compared to LST. You basically use a light-weight wired, or something similar to wrap around the upper fans leaves and loosely tie them up.

Ahh its hard for me to explain. Im gonna link you to the page on her journal wher eshe does it.. SHe nailed it man and got some excellent growth. As long as you're still in a veg phase, you should really benefit from trying it out. It looks very very easy to do as well.

FlowerNose's Electric Fruit Auto Grow Journal 2017

On that page of her journal and on the next you can see how she does it. She really nails it man. Both her journals are worth checking out! Im gonna be growing white widow, which should be fairly suited for that kinda training, what with its wide fan leaves likely to block the lower growth.

Anyway, wish you the best man! Im watching this journal like a hawk haha

 

[howsjosh]

That's a good idea I've seen that done before so I know what you are talking about i should have thought of that I'll give her journals a look and thanks for looking out... that plant is my blue widow...


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[howsjosh]

Day 24: when I checked on the girls this morning Grace and Bonnie were thirsty... so I ph'd my water and it looked acidic like 6.0 or less so I found some ph up I had and put a little bit in there and it went way up so I poured some of the water out and poured in some more water from a water jug that has also been sitting for a few days... checked the ph again and it was around 6.5ish (still using the stupid strips). Which I wanted it a little higher than so I could level the ph of the soil out better but I watered anyways about half a gallon each lots of runoff but the ph of the run off was like 6.0ish so I think when I pick up my amazon bloom soil (which I guess won't be there until Thursday because it had to be shipped from out of state) I will pick up a ph meter and probably some earth juice ph up... some pics of the girls that got watered...

Grace

Bonnie

Side note: grace is looking like she is starting to lighten up using some of that excess nitrogen... Also, after the recommendation of Jurf I decided to "Ponytail" Barbie which method Jurf found from Flowernose... gotta give credit where credit is due

Some pics of that

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[howsjosh]

Alright sorry I have been slacking guys I guess I've just been lazy... ok 2 days ago I watered Summer with half a tsp of calmag in a gallon of water I gave her about half of the gallon... I unfortunately didn't take any pics this time... Today Barbie was really thirsty so I gave her just a little bit of water just enough so she can get buy till I transplant tomorrow that had 1/2 tsp calmag in a gallon. I also picked up my bag of Amazon Bloom, a blue lab ph pen, and another large saucer for the other big pot that I am going to be transplanting in... So Tomorrow I am going to transplant... My plan is to put Grace in the 8.5 gallon pot, Barbie in the 7.5 gallon pot, Summer and Bonnie will be put in 4.5 gallon pots... I'm going to mix 1 gallon FFOF, 1 gallon of Amazon Bloom, half a gallon of perlite, and 2 tsp of mycorrhizae ... If I decided to change my ratios I'll let you guys know... I've noticed a mag def in Grace and Bonnie... Summer looks like she might starting to get the mag def also she looks like she is getting a little cal def... Tomorrow when I transplant I'll take pics of the plants and the equipment etc....

I decided to put Grace in the 8.5 gallon pot because she already seems the biggest and she looks like she could be a beast so I will be putting her outdoors... I'm putting Barbie in the 7.5 gallon pot because I don't think she will do well under the scrog net in flower... or even in veg really but we will see what happens... I was thinking about putting Summer outside but I really like the plant she always seems pretty happy and she is growing bush style so I think she will do well under the scrog and will be in a 4.5 gallon pot... Bonnie is already pretty much doing what I was planning to do with the scrog net so she is just a good candidate so stay inside in a 4.5 gallon pot... I cant wait to transplant I think I'm going to wake up early and try and get it done as soon as possible so they have the rest of the day to relax and get situated...

 

[howsjosh]

Day 28: Today I transplanted everything it took forever... I decided to pretty much do even parts of FFOF, Amazon Bloom, and perlite... after reading the ingredients on Amazon bloom I found out it's made with coconut coir... so I now have a soil coco perlite blend we will see how she grows... all the transplants went pretty well the strawberry Cough clone had some roots... none so far on the grapefruit clone... the root systems on Barbie, Bonnie, Grace, and Summer didn't look as developed as I had hoped... I took some pics of the new stuff and the plants before and after transplant and some tent pics after I got them all back in there it's pretty packed with stuff now... whenever I put the scrog net in it should be interesting... I can't wait to see them a week from now... but enough with all that here are some pics

Blue lab pen

Amazon bloom

Grace

Barbie

Bonnie (I guess I forgot after transplant pics)

Summer (also forgot)

Tent pics

 

[howsjosh]

I said on its naturals journal how my plants were starting to look yellow under the led but when I had them out to transplant they were just a lightish green... When I looked in there today they were already starting to darken back up so they probably just used up the nutes in the soil... Now they are transplanted I think they might pick up the pace... oh and I almost forgot yesterday I did a little more defoliating and I think they look a bit better... I will have to take pics soon... tomorrow maybe...

 

[howsjosh]

Day31: Well... it's been a month now... The girls seem to be getting darker green again looking nice and healthy... They have been growing quite well I noticed... I'm not sure when I will have to water and I don't think I want them to get as dry as they have been between waterings... I think their roots weren't as nice as I would have liked because they were too dry... Enough with all of that here are some pics actually if you would please scroll up to Saturday 4/1 and look at those pics first then scroll back down... I'll wait.... ok...

The Group

Grace (Grapefruit)

I think she has grown like 6-8 inches since I've topped her... and I defoliate her a little bit a couple of days ago to get more light under the canopy

Barbie (Blue Widow)

I defoliate her a little more a couple of days ago my roommate says she looks like a Christmas tree. I think she has grown like 3-4 inches since I have topped her

Bonnie (Blue Dream)

I might have cut a couple leaves off her but I pretty much leave her alone and let her do her thing... sometimes I push down the 2 main stems kinda like lst minus the tying Down

Summer (Strawberry Cough)

I don't think she is growing as fast as the others right now and she has some kind of lighter splotches on her and a couple rust spots I'm pretty sure I've given her some cal mag at some point I'll keep observing her

Strawberry Cough clone

I actually cut 2 leaves off this the other day because they were right on top of the soil and kind of ugly but she has already grown new sets of leave

Grapefruit clone

I don't even know if this thing is alive but we will see... I didn't see roots when I transplanted it...

 

[howsjosh]

Ok I lied grace grew 5" and Barbie grew 2"... the tape measure told me the truth...

 

[ItsNatural]

Whats up Josh These ladies are looking really nice. Super healthy looking. Transplant looks to have went well. And you look to be set for a big harvest. If it were me. And its not. lol So take it with a grain of salt as I dont know all your plans. But I would take Barbie, and bend her over and tie her down. I think you could possibly double your yield. But again, I dont know your plans with her. But I would bend her over as far as she will go comfortably, tie it, and everyday for the next week or so I would slowly keep bending her until she was almost at a 90. Then I would start spreading all her branches apart. Like I said though, take it with a grain of salt. Im no expert by any means and for all I know, that may be the dumbest advice a person could give. LOL Your doing a great job, so just stick with your gut. And do you.

 

[Jurf]

Nice update dude! Plants look really nice. Glad to see the colour has come back too.

How far are the plants from your lights now man?

 

[howsjosh]

Whats up Josh These ladies are looking really nice. Super healthy looking. Transplant looks to have went well. And you look to be set for a big harvest. If it were me. And its not. lol So take it with a grain of salt as I dont know all your plans. But I would take Barbie, and bend her over and tie her down. I think you could possibly double your yield. But again, I dont know your plans with her. But I would bend her over as far as she will go comfortably, tie it, and everyday for the next week or so I would slowly keep bending her until she was almost at a 90. Then I would start spreading all her branches apart. Like I said though, take it with a grain of salt. Im no expert by any means and for all I know, that may be the dumbest advice a person could give. LOL Your doing a great job, so just stick with your gut. And do you.

That was the best transplant I've had so far as far as no muck ups went really smooth... I think I kinda under watered believe it or not... the roots looked really dry and thin unlike my first grow where they were everywhere thick white and beautiful... I think they are enjoying their new soil mix now because they look better than ever especially Grace... As for Barbie she is going outside in May so I might try and keep her under the scrog net once I get it in but that's about it I can't wait till her and grace go outside they are going to become beasts I would transplant them into the ground but I think it would be too difficult... Thanks for the thought though... Bonnie on the other hand I might tie down her 2 main stems at some point but she might just do their thing with the scrog net she already pretty much grows how I want her to... so I guess I hope they will all just grow under the scrog net how I want them to or at least with a little assistance... oh and my net has 3.5" squares...

Nice update dude! Plants look really nice. Glad to see the colour has come back too.

How far are the plants from your lights now man?

I keep them 30"-36" above the canopy I think they do pretty well at that height... honestly I would rather be too far away than too close... but they don't seem to stretch and have good node spacing...