My Crohn's Disease has met it's match!

[n00b2112]

Hello,

There are so many websites that offer information and advice regarding medical cannabis. I have checked into several and have found 420 to be the best overall in my opinion. I chose 420 to be the one that I am going to stick to.

I don't want to type a huge story so I will try to keep it short. I am 52 years old and have been dealing with crohn's disease since I was 14. I have tried every medicine for crohn's including three of the biologicals over the past 35+ years. They all made me sicker in the end. Steroids and immune suppressants have trashed my bones and immune system, and remicade, humira, and cymzia caused so many severe infections that I had to stop. I have had so many bowel resections that I am down to about half of my intestines left. I also had a illiostomy that failed and had to be fixed and reversed.

About three years ago I decided that it was time to either stop living or get better. For the sake of my kids I looked in to medical marijuana as a last chance. I now wish that I would have had this option in 1976. It was a complete miracle for me. I used to think that medical marijuana was just an excuse for people to use it. I was soooo wrong!! Not that I think it is wrong to use it non medically, I just didn't know any better. It turns out to be the best and only medicine that actually works for this disease with no serious side effects for me. Actually, I enjoy many of the side effects.

At first I wanted a doctor to tell me it was a good thing to try, so I flew to Portland and got my card for Oregon and Washington. Michigan is pretty close to where I live and they accept cards from other states. Before that I just had to get what I could on the street. That was enough to know that it helps crohn's, so I went for it. Now I actually have a choice of strains and the information to get idea's of what other people think.

I went on social security disability about 12 years ago after loosing my job that I worked at for 17 years. Since I have been using cannabis, I have taken no other medicines and not had any surgery. I almost feel normal most days now. I use only marijuana in different forms and delivery methods. I just started growing to save some money and have pretty much any strain available to me. I live in a backwards state so I am doing what I can to stay under the radar. I made a small cabinet in my basement for now. I decided to go hydro even after being told to start with soil at first. They were right, but I have learned allot even though it was frustrating when things weren't looking so good.

I attached a couple pics of the small set up I built. It seems to be working out pretty well now that I have learned a few things. Not only can I grow my medicine, but I enjoy the gardening part way more than I would have expected. It makes every day into a day I want to get up and get going. I had allot of problems with depression before the marijuana as well as anxiety. Wouldn't you know it took care of both of those problems as well as the crohn's disease.

Thanks for reading my post.

 

[Antics]

Hey, welcome to

You have one hell of a nice set up there. Simple, efficient, and effective. I love it!
And especially congratulations on finding a treatment that works!

I used to think the same thing as you, I had used Cannabis in my younger years, and I thought "Medical Marijuana" was an excuse, until I started researching. And holy shit was I ever wrong. Just like you, I found that Cannabis can treat numerous ailments, from simple things, to more complex and serious ailments.

And I also enjoy the side effects as well, as do most people. You'll also find this site to be more relaxing to hang out, as the majority of people here are either older, or very mature. The down side to that, is mature people have responsibilities, so sometimes it takes a little time to get a reply lol.

Do you mind if I ask which delivery method(s) you're using to treat your crohn's? Are you Smoking? Vaping? Concentrated Oil?

It will help other people with Crohn's if they can read what your daily regimen is, and it gives them a great head start to finding comfort again.

Thanks for sharing your story, it's always nice reading about the positive impact a simple plant can have on someone's life.

 

[n00b2112]

Thank you for the compliment on my set up Antics . I read so many books and did lots of research on the internet before I started building it. There are a few things I am going to change before next grow. The answer to your question is yes, I use oil to eat and vape, smoke and vape bud, and I also use these really good brownies and sometimes I get some salted caramels. They are made with canna butter that has been made with about a gram per serving of chem dawg. There are many strains that I would like to try growing. I have some feminized white widow and some durban poison seeds to try next. Wish I had more of a room but it would be hard to keep stealth going big. I checked out some f your pics. Nice.

 

[Antics]

Thanks for the info, and compliments on my grow!

I found a ton of things I wanted to change after my first grow as well, and now into my second grow, I've found a few more things I'd like to change a bit too.

As long as the changes you make improve yield, quality, or both, or make your life easier when caring for the plants, the changes are worth making.

Your setup is much better than mine though, you have the ability to Veg and Flower at the same time, which cuts down the time time between harvests.

And I just noticed the larger plant on the left side... At the bottom of the picture, just left of center it looks like you might have a calcium deficiency? How is that spotting looking today?

 

[n00b2112]

You have a good eye. I have had the spotting from the start. I think that I finally have that fixed. I misted with some epsom salts and added some extra micro nutes to the regular nutes I have been using and it went away pretty quick. They look beautiful now that they are day 9 into flower. I kind of flipped out when I first saw the rust colored speckles. Being so new at this has caused some anxiety due to lack of experience, but I am still glad that I took the chance. I can only gain more experience by trying and sometimes failing. I have two mother plants on the right side of cabinet and am now attempting some cloning. I would like to have some rooted clones ready to go when flowering cycle is finished on current grow. I don't really care much if the first clones don't root so they probably will. Having no expectations seems to mellow me out some. I will place some pics in gallery as they get sticky (hopefully) and throughout the rest of the grow. Thank you for your input.

 

[Antics]

Ah man, never flip out. A cool head always prevails. If anxiety strikes, a little smoke or vape will calm your nerves.

If you ever come across something you're not sure of, you can always ask on the forums. There's always someone willing to help.
You might also be interested in making a grow journal. It helps keep track of when you've watered, fed nutes, defoliated, etc.. And it's a cool way to show off your hard work, and share your methods that you use to make your plants look good.

You're going to have a nice short time between harvests by cloning, and constantly rotating veg to flower. I have heard some folks suggest a length of time to keep a mother plant, but I can't recall the time right now, but it's something to keep in mind. It has to do with hormone levels within the mother plant.

You might find some helpful cloning tips in here:
How to Grow Marijuana Everything You Need to Know

 

[n00b2112]

Starting to Flower - 420 Magazine Photo Gallery

 

[Antics]

To add pictures to your post, just click the My photos tab at the bottom left of the text window when you post your updates or whatever. It'll open a new window and show you thumbnails of all your uploaded images, and you can simply click a picture and it automatically puts the link into the text box.

Looking good though!

 

[n00b2112]

Thanks for the tip on posting photos. I sure have learned a lot on my first grow. Already planniing the next one. I could really use a larger grow area. I am going to try posting a pic to try ir. I will post more later into flower.

 

[Antics]

lol what the hell, is that one plant? If so, that thing is beastly man!

Lots of budsites too, you should have a nice harvest on her.

I learned the most on my first grow too. I'm finishing my 2nd grow now, and the fun doesn't change. It's still exciting watching them grow, and looking forward to testing out my work after the cure is finished.

I changed a few things after my first grow too, and I might change a few things for my 3rd grow. But I'll tell you one thing, growing it is the most addictive part about Cannabis.

When you're ready, get yourself a grow journal started. The folks here LOVE seeing other grows. It's a nice way to see other strains, see what techniques you're using, and seeing how well it all works for yield. I've seen a ton of things in other folks journals that I decided to try on my own grow.

 

[n00b2112]

I think I screwed up. Not sure what is happening. 40 days into flower and some leaves are turning brown and looking thinner. I have been having to add 2 gallons of water to reservoir every day. I think there are too many roots in my tank. It is literally full of roots. I will use a larger res. for my next try. I think that I am going to flush these starting now so at least I will be able to harvest something from this grow. Even if it is a bit early I would rather have something than non-flushed buds that taste like shit. I am going to make changes before next try. I am converting both sides of cabinet to flowering chambers instead of going the perpetual harvest clone route. If I only had more space!! Sometimes I forget that it is not legal here and just want to convert my entire basement to a grow room. It is tempting but not now. Thank you Antics for your help and support. I don't trust people easily, but for some reason I trust you. I don't know much about how to use this website but would like to do a journal for my next try. I have some feminized white widow and Durban poison seeds ready for the next one. I may use soil in one side of cabinet and hydro in the other side. I have two large plants that I was going to use as mothers, but I may just flower them after I harvest what is in there now. I have had both of them under 24 hour light the entire time and it looks like they are starting to flower?? I am wondering if the seed company sent me auto fem beans instead of just fem.

 

[n00b2112]

Here are some current pics.

 

[Antics]

You trust me? I'm a new grower too brother! I'm finishing my 2nd grow now, so believe it or not, you're not far behind me at all.

And I see we have a lot to cover here.

Roots: you want LOTS of them, but crowded roots can be a problem. I've been watching guys growing hydroponically to learn, so I can't really advise you on the best sizes of containers and things yet. But so far you're learning from your first grow on your own, and that's a great start.

Don't panic about the leaves yet! Try to run them the full time until harvest. Early harvests reduce yield, as well as potency. We'll do our best to get you all the way through.

If they're flowering under 24 hour light, it definitely sounds like an auto. I prefer an 18/6 light schedule since I read that the plants produce hormones during the dark period. So I keep it simple with 18/6 then 12/12 for photo period plants to flower. Autos can stay on 18/6 the whole grow (or 24 hours if you prefer).

The website is pretty easy to use when you get the hang of it. If you have specific questions how to use it, ask away!

Growing help:
How to Grow Marijuana Everything You Need to Know

Website tutorials for various things:
Member Resources

Website help/feedback:
Website Help & Feedback

Now when you run into a problem, first thing, never panic. In most cases it's easy to fix when you notice these things early. You have some problems showing up on your leaves. First thing to do every time this happens is check your PH. Make sure it's in the correct range for Hydro, or Soil, depending what you're growing in. Which in this case you're growing in hydro, so you want your PH 5.5-6.1, with 5.8 being ideal.
If you were growing in soil, you'd want your PH to be 6.3-6.8, with 6.5 being ideal.

BUT this is a general guide, some strains will like it more, or less acidic. So as your grow progresses, just listen to what your plants are telling you.

Nutrient chart:

Plant deficiency chart:

Assuming your PH is okay, going by that chart, it looks like you might have a Zinc deficiency. And a slight calcium deficiency. Calcium isn't on that chart, but you can see examples of it, and other problems here: Cannabis Plant and Pest Problem Solver: Pictorial
And here: Plant Abuse Chart

So check out your PH first, if your PH is good, then look into supplementing some nutes. If your PH is out of range, correct it and keep it steady, then wait a few days to see if the problem stops advancing, or if the problem continues.

 

[n00b2112]

Thanks! I know that I do panic when something goes wrong. I have been picky and the ph has always been 5.8 - 6.2 except the past five mornings it has been 5.4 when I first checked it. I always make sure it is 6.0 - 6.2 before lights go out at 7. It has also been going through a gallon of water every dark period. I am going to get some suppliments tomorrow and try. I do have a bottle of general hydroponics micro nutes. I will see what is in that and if it contains zinc, mag, and calcium. I know that you are on your second grow it is just helpful to have someone that is ahead of where I am at that reads alot and knows more than I do. I have read quite a bit but get overwhelmed easily. I don't feel that I failed no matter what happens. I will change some things and give it another go. It will just be nice to not have to pay someone for meds eventually. I look forward to that day. I will let you know how it turns out.

 

[Antics]

Well if you're keeping your PH up there, that could explain the Calcium deficiency. Calcium is absorbed between 5.0 and 5.8. 6.1 and 6.1 locks out calcium completely.

Keep your PH around 5.8, it'll help with calcium uptake, if there's any present in your solution.

 

[n00b2112]

Thanks again! I did not realize that about calcium. That is a good chart. What is the lowest that ph should read? I didn't mention it before but these plants have not liked nutes from the beginning. One big mistake I made this time was I started out using the nutrient powder that came with the hydro equipment. I think that gave it a bad start. I have never had the ppm over 450. When I switched to fox farm solutions they perked up quick but never wanted very much and I was afraid of over feeding anyway. I will keep my ph @5.8 and maybe they will eat more. Those pictures I took were accidentally taken with LED on. They don't look quite that bad. They sure are sticky and smell awesome. It almost looks like the leaves close to the buds have been varnished. I don't know if that is good or bad. Thanks again for helping me out. Wish I could share a bit with you.

 

[Antics]

For hydro you want to keep it around 5.8. If you look at each colored bar, it represents a specific nutrient, and the length of the bar shows the range at which that nutrient can be absorbed by the plant. 5.8 is the only number that all nutrients can be absorbed. At 5.9 you lose Calcium and Manganese. at 5.7 you lose Phosphorous, and Magnesium.

If the plants are showing sensitivity to nutes, just reduce the concentration. If the directions say, for example, 1 tablespoon per gallon, Try using 3/4 or even 1/2 of that dose. PPM is new to me, and not something I'm familiar with measuring, so I can't comment on proper levels, or problems that may arise from it being too high or too low.

For nutes I like a 2 part or 3 part nutrient system that allows varying levels of each to be mixed, which should be custom tailored for each stage of growth. For example, in flowering, your plants don't need as much Nitrogen, so the nutrient mix should reflect that and have a lower level of Nitrogen.

Lots of people take pictures with the LEDs on, don't worry about that

Sticky is a good thing! That means she's producing tons of trichomes, which contain the Cannabinoids that we need to treat our various ailments.

The varnished look is a tough one. I can't find any definite examples that reproduce if for specific problems or deficiencies. It could possibly just be the lighting.

You can pay me back with 2 things:
First, take care of yourself and get better.
Second, spread the word and help others learn about Cannabis, or help others with their own grow problems, questions about using Cannabis to treat ailments, etc..

That's all I want brother

 

[n00b2112]

Thanks again! I have had my Ph @ 5.8 for the past 3 days. I also started giving them a bit of trace mixture in addition to foxfarm tiger bloom. To my surprise the ppm readings tell me they are eating more since the lower Ph. I accidentally bumped a switch on my light timer and the lights were on for 24 hrs before I noticed. I think that may have confused the bubblegum plants because they look like there are more leaves growing out of the buds. The northern light didn't seem to care. The buds on them are getting pretty nice. I should receive my 420 scope Wednesday so I can check out the trichome color. I would guess that I will be cutting them in about 10 more days. I will absolutely do what you ask. It has become one of my main reasons for still being here. I will post in a while and let you know how things are going.

 

[budnoob2]

In hydro it's a good idea to let the PH drift as well - adjust it down to ~5.5 and let it drift up to ~6.1 before bringing it back down again.

 

[Antics]

Any time you have questions about something, post pictures and we'll help you out the best we can!

And I agree with budnoob. I do the same thing in my soil, I adjust to the low range, and let it creep back up before adjusting again.