LA's Shooting For The Stars Journal: My Effort To Grow Pro!

Getting there, just a thought if you have the two tents at the same location you could wire up a relay switch to only use one set of ballast for the lights on a 12/12 for both tents, no good for the LEDs but will save money on ballasts as those lumatex 315 aren’t cheap and with two more fans you could heat the off tent with the on extractor fan and vice a verser keep your juice bill down, this is what I am setting up atm as the bills are killing me ps those parabloics shades look the dogs with vert bulbs max light very sweet, good luck.
 
Hey Blaze i spotted you dropping in
Bud basher if i gave a crap on running costs id deff be looking to do all that lol.
Luckily im not paying any bills. This whole setup is at my grow buddy's place. I provide all equipment, genetics and knowledge etc and he pays bills.
Then as for paying for ballasts. Never gonna happen.... I simply refuse to buy grow stuff. Even the quantum boards i was going to get. Ive basically turned down hundreds of pounds worth of boards because they wanted me to buy drivers....

Now some might think im full of myself?? Yet more folks who journal their grows should realize the power we carry. Were walking talking advertising and many companies now acknowledge this. So as long as im generating publicity for products, why would i ever pay for it lol.
Just so folks know ive never received any payment or money from any of my sponsors. I just get free shit for great exposure.
My only money earnt in all these years is from my published articles and ebook.

Anyway that wasnt at anyone lol, just explaining why ill never pay for equipment. Anyone can do it for sure.
 
In for the ride.

Thanks for the explanation, I was wondering why it has taken so long for you to gather equipment, but now it makes sense. You need to reach out to companies, sell yourself as valuable advertising, and reach agreements with them in order to obtain your new equipment rather than purchasing it.

As far as different locations go, Uruguay, South Africa, Canada, and some of the States in the US are the only legal venues I can personally think of. State side, most states have plant limits.

I'm not sure of any veganic nutrient solutions outside of creating your own, however I know roots organic has a good reputation as a company.
 
Hey Apbeast

Yeah its just main points of equipment that i try and source through the industry. Run of the mill ill occasionally still part with cash for. Rarely before, now im wanting to build this spot outlay is inevitable.


Scrogdawg
lol, im still due to do about 5 diff podcasts, ive just been real slack at getting them done...
 
South Africa is not fully legal yet, although we've taken a big step in that direction. They've decriminalized it, and given parliament 2 years to come up with the necessary legislation. They've said you can cultivate, possess, and consume for personal use in privacy. They didn't bother to give any guidelines as to what constitutes personal use though. So it's a massive gray area now which will surely be exploited. They also went so far as to point out that privacy extends beyond your private residence. That is a big win for sure.
 
So folks a few teething problems weve had...

Our room is only a few inches larger than my new tent. Its got one little window and thats it. So with both lamps up 100% temps have run high. Thats running an intake fan and out fan through my controller.
Ive had a rework of airflow etc and i think temps may now be handled due to correct ventilation setup now. Running temps are 28 steady now, so were getting there.
Plus my pal gave 2 feeds of our new nutrient line snoops premium without a ph pen. So weve had some ph issues, heat issues and low humidity.
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Tent

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Controller

As ive space and girls almost ready, 6 peppermint geist are being potted up and moved into the big tent tomoz
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Roots

Im loving these cmh lamps and reflectors if they're a bit hectic for me after led lol. My plants are scared shitless of them, and thats at double the hanging distance I want. Proper droopy and canoeing foliage. As said enviromentnand ph balls ups also will be part of it. Anyway now all will be ph'd and air sorted so temps will stay spot on, So im hoping in another 10 days ill be able to pull the trigger on flower switch.
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Droopy

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Ballast

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Babies

This bunch is a few black dog kush and the rest are geist grow og x trinity. 1 out of this bunch is to become my stock plant for my next grafted sculpture.

Cheers and much love my 420 fam
 
Light Addict said:
Honestly it just takes perseverance. It all started for me here on 420. All i did was journal and win a few titles. Yet heres the rub, 420 titles and content do carry some weight in the industry. These gain you sponsors that aids building of all this. Then get yourself to the canna expos and cups. Become a regular face at events.
The industry is quite small still really with the same faces at each event. This shows commitment, then as long as folks see a passion for the plant and not just cash, you stand out and then label's knock at your door, simple really, but now after 6-8 yrs of growing ill be able to give the big dream my best shot....
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Love your story and view LA

I came here and pennywise gave you nothing but mad love . I followed along your tip spreading and many other threads and appreciate the history your leaving here for us. Best luck on your new journey my man.
I will continue to share what I teach and I’m very happy to follow along here .
 
Sooner or later (sooner rather), you will need to look at proper AC. Unless I missed something, and you already have or are going to get?
 
Yeah blaze look like ill have to put my hand in my pocket soon.... Gutted lol. Although if you think im not contacting a few brands on the off chance of a freebee you dont know me
Im still umming and arring over 90 quid for drivers for 6 quantum boards i could have. Im tighter than a ducks ass.
 
Hey Mr A ☺
Yeah its been a while fella. Your always jetting off somewhere i see...

Im just starting to build up again and im looking forward to going bigger and bigger. Just usual life stuff like work gets inn the way..
 
Light Addict said:
Yeah blaze look like ill have to put my hand in my pocket soon.... Gutted lol. Although if you think im not contacting a few brands on the off chance of a freebee you dont know me
Im still umming and arring over 90 quid for drivers for 6 quantum boards i could have. Im tighter than a ducks ass.
Click to expand...

LOL! I should take notes then. I'm far too quick to throw money at a problem.
 
So just as it seemed the girls were turning a corner and flowering was to come shortly, Ive now spotted that ive my first ever issue with the dredded spidermite......
Im so invested and reliant on this next crop its daft. I need to move house asap with a 1 yr old in a one bed flat its cramped. This was going to be my path. Now im shitting it that i wont get a crop at all.
No webs yet just leaf damage. Ive got some mite killer by SNS thats all natural and another bottle on the way. Ill also cover pot surface with drenched paper towel and ill also use some molasses or treacle doubed around the base of stem to cut them off from climbing once sprayed off.

Anyone with experience please chime in and let me know if im totally screwed or if they can indeed be beaten????
 
I do battle with them regularly. They are easy to kill if you know which products to use. I've found the organic products to be lacking in this department, and quite hard on the plants due to repeated treatments. How far are you into 12/12? I assume it's still early days by your post above. If so, get your hands on products with these active ingredients:

- Milbemectin
- Amitraz

Trust me on this... don't fuck around with mites. Kill them quickly, and be done with it.
 
Light Addict said:
So just as it seemed the girls were turning a corner and flowering was to come shortly, Ive now spotted that ive my first ever issue with the dredded spidermite......
Im so invested and reliant on this next crop its daft. I need to move house asap with a 1 yr old in a one bed flat its cramped. This was going to be my path. Now im shitting it that i wont get a crop at all.
No webs yet just leaf damage. Ive got some mite killer by SNS thats all natural and another bottle on the way. Ill also cover pot surface with drenched paper towel and ill also use some molasses or treacle doubed around the base of stem to cut them off from climbing once sprayed off.

Anyone with experience please chime in and let me know if im totally screwed or if they can indeed be beaten????
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How big are the plants LA?

On smaller plants, I have started doing a Neem bath dip. I fill up a 5 gallon bucket, add 5-7 tablespoons of Neem oil, stir well. I took a flat piece of foam and cut a notch out where I can slide it around the stem of my plant and I can now turn the pot upside down and the foam keeps your medium from spilling out. I dip the plant vegetation completely in the bucket. I have even put a couple 2x4 boards on the bucket and just set the plant there upside down for 5 minutes. After the dip, I shake off all the excess and let her dry completely outside of the tents under regular room lights for 24 hours. (good chance to clean your tent as well so no stragglers repopulate the plant.

I have had 100% success getting rid of spider mites with the dipping method.

You can also spray with a mixture of ISO alcohol and water on any other days you would like. Use a mixture at a 9:1 ratio of water to 70% ISO alcohol. Spray the shit out of the underside of the leaves with as much pressure as you can get without ripping the leaves. I like to cover the top of my pot when I am doing this so I don't knock them off the plant and they land in my soil and climb back up and start chomping away.

You can also treat the plants with Azamax as a root drench and a foliar spray. They work well....but I don't use it in flower unless as a root treatment.

Honestly man, the dip has been my savior this year. Twice I spotted them in my veg tent and I have kept them at bay. I won't move a plant into the flower tent with ANY sign of mites.

Lots of a ways to skin a cat. Be warned though...if you do the dip method....DON'T PUT THE PLANT back in the tent for at least 24 hours. The Neem will burn the shit out of it if you do. Might even be best to do the dip before lights out.....then do another dip with just plain water the first thing in the morning and try to rinse any residue off. Might actually be better. The method works awesome for stomping them out immediately.....but there are dangers with it if you aren't careful. Good luck man. They are manageable if you stay on top of them.

Discipline is key too. I change clothes and shower if I am doing any work outdoors. Cleanliness in the room and air flow are key as well man. Keep fans blowing under the canopy and the mites hate wind.
 
I've never had to do battle with mites, lucky for me, but my brother is currently battling them. He is using my sns products, rotating both sns204 and sns209. Using one as a foliar and the other as a soil drench and then swooping them round. He also has sns217 spray.
It's still early days but the signs look good. Treatments needed every 2 to 3 days and you will eventually break the cycle.
:passitleft:
 
Van Stank your a star for sharing your dip method. My plant are quite big but will fit in a big bin.
To my common sense your method is the most foolproof. Spraying plants is hit and miss but a total plant dip solves that issue. Combined with a paper towel barrier at soil level (kept damp with bug spray) and another environment clean owwn i reckon i can get em slaughtered.....

Now excuse my possible stupidity lol. But i obviously dont want a ready mixed neem spray as im diluting into a bath. So when i google neem i get either the pre mixed stuff or pure neem oil that doesnt come under any gardening criteria.
So my question is; is there a specific sort of neem oil suited, or can i just grab any pure neem oil and repurpose??
Sorry for being a bit thick folks, but im broke and in a hole. This grow has to come in ok, else im rather screwed, so dont want to cock anything up here.

Cheers in advance folks
 
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