Roomie
New Member
Hello! This is my second grow using the same strain, equipment and nutrients, but with a revised plan. My first grow produced exceptionally frosty buds with a wonderfully pure 'heady' high, but the size and density of my pot was MOST unsatisfactory. I spent hundreds of hours on what amounted to 90% popcorn buds and a McDonald's bag full of trim. I was so letdown and defeated that I honestly wanted to give up growing. No bueno. So, the point of this grow and subsequent grow journal, is to learn from my previous mistakes, document the process, elicit advice from knowledgeable growers, and hopefully increase the size of my buds twofold. Thank you for reading and please feel free to voice your opinion. Thanks~!
Strain: Unknown (w/ pics of previous grow)
Stage: One week old clones
Hydro: Suspended planter/covered flood & drain tray
Media: Hydroton in 5" netpots
Dimes: 2'x4'x7' closet, 2'x2'x6' flood tray, 25 gallon reservoir
Lights: (1) Advanced LED 300W Diamond Series
Temp: 76 degrees day, 56 degrees night*
Humid: 50-60%
Power: 5.8
Pests: None
Water: Flood every 3 hours
Nutes: Blue Planet Nutrients Elite 3-Part, Bloombastic
THE SPACE:
THE SYSTEM:
FIRST GROW (Wk 8):
As you can see, my first grow produced some exceptionally frosty dope, but at 8 weeks the buds were airy and small. Like I said, it was mostly popcorn buds and trim. Even though it got me really, really stoned, the buds were so small that I was embarrassed to share with my compatriots. Oh, dear...
Why did my first grow suck? Well, I have a few theories (and would love your input too). First, I believe the plants were root bound two weeks into flower. Vegging five plants for 30 days was too much for the size of my flood tray. The roots filled every inch of the space. I think this was the main factor in the lack of flower production. Also, I did not SCROG or properly trim my plants (see pics). 47% of the grow was a giant fucking mess of dark foliage in-and-around the screen. I'm assuming the mass of half-developed flowers subtracted significantly from the growth of the main buds. Finally, my nighttime temps would regularly drop more than 15 degrees, and I occasionally saw a 25-degree difference from daytime temps. I hear that's a no-no.
So, that is what I need to work on this time around. I've yet to confirm a final veg plan, but I have plenty of time to plot. I have to decide whether to go with less plants and the same veg time, or the same amount of plants with less veg time and a lower screen... What do you think?
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PRESENT DAY (clones at 5 days):
I use the DS300 for all stages of the grow. The LED is on 24/7 and about 33" away from the humidity dome. I keep the RH at 100% for the first three days, then taper down to around 70% until transplanting. Temp is a constant 76 degrees with a heat mat. The rockwool was pre-soaked in distilled water with a mixture of 2.5/gal Bloom, and I don't water again until day 7. I will turn on both LED switches after the first week of hydro, not after the first week of cloning (as the manual instructs).
I've found that the DS300 is not the best light for growing clones in a humidity dome. The clones grow fairly quickly, showing roots at 10 days, with 100% success rate, but the plants just don't look very happy throughout the process. Compared to my friend's clones under CFL, they just look pissed off. But I'm not going to worry about it too much, because as soon as they're transplanted into the flood and drain system, they immediately green up and shoot for the stars.
Okay, here we go!
Strain: Unknown (w/ pics of previous grow)
Stage: One week old clones
Hydro: Suspended planter/covered flood & drain tray
Media: Hydroton in 5" netpots
Dimes: 2'x4'x7' closet, 2'x2'x6' flood tray, 25 gallon reservoir
Lights: (1) Advanced LED 300W Diamond Series
Temp: 76 degrees day, 56 degrees night*
Humid: 50-60%
Power: 5.8
Pests: None
Water: Flood every 3 hours
Nutes: Blue Planet Nutrients Elite 3-Part, Bloombastic
THE SPACE:
THE SYSTEM:
FIRST GROW (Wk 8):
As you can see, my first grow produced some exceptionally frosty dope, but at 8 weeks the buds were airy and small. Like I said, it was mostly popcorn buds and trim. Even though it got me really, really stoned, the buds were so small that I was embarrassed to share with my compatriots. Oh, dear...
Why did my first grow suck? Well, I have a few theories (and would love your input too). First, I believe the plants were root bound two weeks into flower. Vegging five plants for 30 days was too much for the size of my flood tray. The roots filled every inch of the space. I think this was the main factor in the lack of flower production. Also, I did not SCROG or properly trim my plants (see pics). 47% of the grow was a giant fucking mess of dark foliage in-and-around the screen. I'm assuming the mass of half-developed flowers subtracted significantly from the growth of the main buds. Finally, my nighttime temps would regularly drop more than 15 degrees, and I occasionally saw a 25-degree difference from daytime temps. I hear that's a no-no.
So, that is what I need to work on this time around. I've yet to confirm a final veg plan, but I have plenty of time to plot. I have to decide whether to go with less plants and the same veg time, or the same amount of plants with less veg time and a lower screen... What do you think?
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PRESENT DAY (clones at 5 days):
I use the DS300 for all stages of the grow. The LED is on 24/7 and about 33" away from the humidity dome. I keep the RH at 100% for the first three days, then taper down to around 70% until transplanting. Temp is a constant 76 degrees with a heat mat. The rockwool was pre-soaked in distilled water with a mixture of 2.5/gal Bloom, and I don't water again until day 7. I will turn on both LED switches after the first week of hydro, not after the first week of cloning (as the manual instructs).
I've found that the DS300 is not the best light for growing clones in a humidity dome. The clones grow fairly quickly, showing roots at 10 days, with 100% success rate, but the plants just don't look very happy throughout the process. Compared to my friend's clones under CFL, they just look pissed off. But I'm not going to worry about it too much, because as soon as they're transplanted into the flood and drain system, they immediately green up and shoot for the stars.
Okay, here we go!
