KCMP Grow - 900W LED - Coco Coir - Spring 2015

KCMP

KCMP

New Member
Hello 420magazine Forums!

I just harvested my last (and first!) grow a week ago... so its time to start round two! I will be modifying my setup over the next few days by adding a new intake fan and additional charcoal filter to try to keep dog hair out of the tent and increase circulation.

The grow tent has moved out of my small closet and into an extra room which I hope will help with temp control. I have also added a humidifier (for veg), so we will see how that works after I can gather a few days worth of data.

Since I had some nutrient issues on my last round I decided to move to a Coco Coir and Perlite mix for better nutrient control. I am also constantly amazed by the buds at my local dispensary grown in this medium, so I figured it was worth a try.

This is a 100% legal Colorado grow

Strains: Golden Goat x2, Candy Kush, Purple Elephant, Pre 98 Bubba Kush
Current Stage: Veg: Start of Week 1
Grow Medium: Atami B,cuzz Coco Substrate & Therm-A-Rock Perlite (80/20 mix)
Grow Area: Indoor Tent, 24"48"x60"
Grow Container: 3 gallon Smart Pots
Lighting: Apollo Horticulture GL100 300w LED (actual total draw 510)
Ventilation:, 230CFM in, 460CFM out – Both with carbon filters
Room Temp: 65 - 80 F
Humidity: Ambient 25%
Medium PH PH: 6.0
Watering Schedule: As needed
Fert Schedule: Every other watering
Ferts used: Fox Farms Trio + Cal Mag
Pests: Currently NONE! The tent has been thoroughly sterilized.

My goal with this journal is to provide a much more detailed process of the grow compared to my last round. Updates will be posted Monday of each week.

Big thanks to Dusty Kiefers, Subnoise, and akisunni for their comments and advice on my last run!

Pics to follow shortly! After a few :volcano-smiley:
 
Here is a shot of the current setup.
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Clones were purchased from The Clone Store which has a wonderful 72hr return policy if any of them start acting up. As you can see the clones are already rooted and were immediately transplanted after a short car ride home. They will be moved into 3 gallon smart pots a week or so before the 12/12 swap.

I also plan on running my veg light cycle at 20/4 as opposed to 18/6 with the hope of encouraging more vigorous growth. I was rather disappointed at the size of my root system last round, so any tips to help increase root growth are appreciated. I am hoping that the more airy medium will make a noticeable difference.

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And here is an obligatory shot of my last harvest. Currently 1 week into the cure.
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Well after making a goal to be more regular with my updates I ended up skipping the first two weeks. Woops....

Nothing eventful to report the first week anyways. The clones began new growth after 2 days and started to shed the old nutrient deficient leaves. I managed to cause a touch of nute burn on my Candy Kush but it is contained to a single fan leaf. I guess I overestimated how much nutes to use with the coir. I am now at ½ strength FF trio and Cal Mag and everyone seems to be happy.

Overall I am thrilled with the new medium choice. At the beginning of week 2 I got the nutrient levels dialed in, at least for a beginner, and growth absolutely took off. Root development has been incredible and the Pre-98 Bubba Kush was so out of control I went ahead and topped it and how have 2 nice even colas starting to grow.

I also think that my fungus gnats were probably present in that batch of Home Depot soil I used in my last grow as they have yet to return.

Here is a photo after 2 weeks of veg during transplant into their flowering containers.
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Happy Roots!
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And here is a shot of the ladies in their new 5 gallon smart pots.
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I will start to lower the lights tomorrow to see what I can get away with. I am considering replacing the center fixture with a HPS for flowering or a higher power LED unit with specific flowering spectrum. These plants seem to love the Apollo fixtures in veg so I have a few weeks to figure it out.
 
Hey KCMP, great to see another Colorado grower! You can definitely count me in for this one, lookin' great so far my friend!

Do you mind if I ask where you got your clones from?
 
MaxYields said:
Hey KCMP, great to see another Colorado grower! You can definitely count me in for this one, lookin' great so far my friend!

Do you mind if I ask where you got your clones from?
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I got them from the Clone Store on South Federal. I had a few of their plants in my last grow and loved the results, so I decided to give them another try. Prices run around $12 per clone and I think they give you the 6th free if you buy five. Although their clones have worked out great I will be going 100% colorado proud on my next run and using seeds from Reserva Privada Colorado. I am really liking the look of their new sour series, and they also have some high CBD options for my roommate who is a med patient.

Glad to have another Colorado grower on the thread!
 
Damn, I definitely don't have that kind of time. Was that from a clone or seed? Unfortunately I am out of town for work during the Summer so it certainly cuts down on my veg time this round. I was first looking at only 4 weeks but I ended up with all 10 - 11 week strains so I think I may be able to get 6. Definitely don't want to rush the dry and the cure if I have to harvest in a hurry.
 
Okay everyone here is the week 3 (almost 4) update.

Coco is still working great compared to my previous soil grow and the plants were actually so out of control I decided to invest in a larger tent. Ended up going with a 60x60x80 Apollo Horticulture model.

I am now almost certain I want to add another fixture during flower but I am not sure which direction to go. I have actually considered purchasing 2 more 300w LED pannels so I can have 1 per plant.

Having the larger space allowed me to move the humidifier back into the tent and I am finally able to hit 40% RH. I also have added a large oscilating tower fan which seems to be working out rather nice.

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Other than the new grow area there is not much to report. After reviewing my calendar and Summer plans it looks like I will be able to veg for 6 weeks. I am planning to give both Golden Goats and the Kandy Kush a top in the next few days to allow the P98 Bubba canopy to catch up to them.

The only issue I am currently having is an epic battle between the 5gal smart pots and my plant roots. I first noticed that they were starting to protrude through the pots a few days ago and gave them a quick trim. Since then I have been removing about three to five 1/2" roots from the base of the pots daily. Any ideas on how to deal with this?

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Happy Friday!
 
TattooedJT said:
Looking good man! Those pots are air pruning pots. When the root hits the air it prunes it self and multiplies the root growth. I wouldn't trim them just let the pot do it's thing.
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Thanks for the tip. I knew that they are designed to air prune the roots, but I always thought that the lateral growth was supposed to start before they penetrated the pot.

I guess I will just grab some popcorn and watch em grow through!
 
Almost Week 4 update

Went ahead and gave the Golden Goats a FIM and the Kandy Kush a top today. Hoping they will slow vertical growth for a bit and allow the P98 Bubba to catch up to the rest of the canopy.

I am really loving this strain (the goat) and its innate growth pattern. I have yet to train these plants in any way (until today). Glad I decided to upgrade the grow space since they want to bush out so much.
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As of today all of my stems are a larger diameter than they were during my last harvest, hoping these ladies will turn into some real monsters.

On another note I wanted to get some opinions on using the FF trio with coco. Everything has been great so far and I have been supplementing with 1.5ml Cal mag per gallon. I just noticed a few rust spots on the Golden Goats, so I plan on upping the dose with tonight’s feeding. I am considering changing to a coco specific nute line for flowering, but wanted to see what everyone thought first?

I have been feeding at 1/2 the recommended hydro strength every other day and will be switching to daily feedings tomorrow. My only concern is salt buildup, as I have started to notice some white spots under the pots when I rotate them. Should I keep with the FF and add a weekly flush to the mix?
 
I thought I would throw up a few photos of the P98 Bubba Kush. Hoping to get 4 big colas out of this guy, but I was considering giving them all a FIM earlier today. We will see what happens.

4 happy tops.
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She is getting some pretty massive fan leaves!
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