Seraphim's Coco-Hempy Bubba-Cheese & Blue Widow LED Grow Journal 2014

[Governmentchz]

re: Seraphim's Coco-Hempy Bubba-Cheese & Blue Widow LED Grow Journal 2014

Yes Seraphim, at the age they are now, they have not quite hit the bottom with any roots. Watering at this point is exactly how you're doing it, i.e. evaluating it constantly. Not too much extra effort, but monitoring twice a day or so will give good indication when to water. I look to water every 4-6 days at this point, soon going to 3-4 days as they hit the bottom res. At full-stride they get water every other day or so.

Don't worry about dumping out some solution when you check it. In fact, if they've gone a few days, I might tip more out just to help the roots drop and get the medium dry more quickly. I'm always a bit leery leaving nutes in the res for more than a few days without any roots in it to drink anyway, so a sort of purge.

 

[Seraphim]

re: Seraphim's Coco-Hempy Bubba-Cheese & Blue Widow LED Grow Journal 2014

...I might tip more out just to help the roots drop and get the medium dry more quickly. ...

Funny you should mention that I was thinking the same thing.

 

[Seraphim]

re: Seraphim's Coco-Hempy Bubba-Cheese & Blue Widow LED Grow Journal 2014

Training Day!
Today both clones begin LST.

Today also I fed Blue Widow for the first time with full nutes, Rhizotonic and Cal-Mag+. The reservoir on BW has not been showing water when tipped to the limit for several days now but the media was not yet what I would have considered dry. I fed because I saw some leaves acting funny (wavy around the sides, so I am thinking it's a PH issue or its lacking something, after all its just coco and perlite in there) and I know I have not ever really fed them. They have been watered with Rhizotonic and foliar fed Cal-Mag+ water but never really fed full strength nutes, which she got today.

Baby Auto Dark Devil also got a little something today in the form of Canna Start, Rhizotonic and a hint of Cal-Mag+

Given the state of the media for Bubba-Cheese, this clone was not watered at all today. It is also not showing sings of needing anything at all.

Since these little one's roots have not reached the bottom of their hempies and thus are not yet taking full advantage of it, and also because the mix seems to hold moisture longer than I currently want it to, I have decided to take the one time advise of my more experienced peers and go a step further by draining their reservoirs as much as I can right at water time. This way I am hoping the media dries out a little faster. I will stop doing that once they get a little older and is evident that the roots are at the reservoir.

Here is baby A.D.D. (Auto Dark Devil) at 7 days old

And here are the ladies in training...

Bubba-Cheese

Blue Widow

As I continue down this path, my view of how things will move forward keeps evolving as new information is digested. I am thinking that next time I may want to start my seeds in much smaller containers, like I would with soil. Something easy to take apart with regular scissors at transplant time. Then transplant to the final size hempy at a later, more developed stage. This way the plant goes into the 3.5 gal hempy with a more developed appetite than as a seedling or adolescent not yet ready to take full advantage of the hempy.

 

[Seraphim]

re: Seraphim's Coco-Hempy Bubba-Cheese & Blue Widow LED Grow Journal 2014

Barely a few hours post LST and they are already looking towards the lamp. I love how fast they respond; Black Widow faster and more dramatically than Bubba-Cheese but both certainly re-directed their growth upwards. I also did some minor trimming as needed to allow light to reach all those side shoots.

Today I went with a staggered lamp approach where each of the 2 lamps is at different heights (one at 34-36" and the other at about 28"). I think this will provide better complemented levels of intensity.

The 2' X 4' Grow Tent has been ordered. It should be here next week. I need to look into a veg lamp as I definitely plan on using these two for the flowering tent. Also need to start looking into the CO-2 system.

Of some concern to me is the fact that although I adjust the PH of the water going in after the nutes are added, I am not monitoring EC or TDS. My water going in and run-off test out at the low 6/high 5's PH using the manual method. However, a probe into the soil indicates the media itself is testing high in PH. There seems to be a disconnect between the media itself and the water flowing through it.

OK I just ordered the HANNA HI 98129 pH/EC/TDS Conductivity Tester Meter pen. It seems to be the only one with PH/CE/TDS and Temp to boot all in one device. That also should arrive sometime next week. I should have just purchased this up front. I thought I'd be able to get away without it and now I see it's much more comfortable to be sure of all your water metrics once and for all. Especially if you are venturing into a new media like I am into Coco.

 

[Governmentchz]

re: Seraphim's Coco-Hempy Bubba-Cheese & Blue Widow LED Grow Journal 2014

I should have just purchased this up front. I thought I'd be able to get away without it and now I see it's much more comfortable to be sure of all your water metrics once and for all. Especially if you are venturing into a new media like I am into Coco.

 

[Seraphim]

re: Seraphim's Coco-Hempy Bubba-Cheese & Blue Widow LED Grow Journal 2014

I really like the way that Blue Widow is taking to her training. You can call her a fast learner. Bubba-Cheese, on the other hand, is not such a fast learner. She's moving forward, just not taking to it as fast as BW.

Baby Auto Dark Devil

Blue Widow

Bubba-Cheese

On another note... Every day that goes by without this media showing signs of drying builds up on my concern. I know this is my first coco grow and such but is it me or does this media never dry? Bubba-Cheese was last watered on 8/1; today is 8/10. That's a week and 2 days without water and the media still feels too moist to water in my judgment. When I grew with soil I would let the soil dry pretty good before watering again. Is this not how it works with Coco?

 

[Napalm]

re: Seraphim's Coco-Hempy Bubba-Cheese & Blue Widow LED Grow Journal 2014

I'll be watching this one! I'm doing a 3x3 with 2 mars 400's around beginning of September. Any advantage to ordering direct from SmokeSara over the ebay shop?
Looking great so far Seraphim!

 

[Seraphim]

re: Seraphim's Coco-Hempy Bubba-Cheese & Blue Widow LED Grow Journal 2014

Thank you Napalm. And yes.. going through SmokeSara you get the best pricing and personalized service. I have found both to be very good.

 

[Obi Wan]

re: Seraphim's Coco-Hempy Bubba-Cheese & Blue Widow LED Grow Journal 2014

Hi Seraphim,

Very nice start to your journal. I am working on my first hempy grow as well. I'd love to follow along, maybe compare notes and see how these hempy's work out

Cheers!
/Obi Wan

 

[Seraphim]

re: Seraphim's Coco-Hempy Bubba-Cheese & Blue Widow LED Grow Journal 2014

Hello Obi Wan,

Welcome aboard! I'd love to have you along. (I need all the help I can get.)

What media are you using for your hempy? .... actually, I am heading over to your journal now. I should find all the answers there.

 

[Catman12]

re: Seraphim's Coco-Hempy Bubba-Cheese & Blue Widow LED Grow Journal 2014

Subscribed!

Hey Seraphim - I'm new here and on my first grow. It looks like you have a really good set up and plan! Great pictures

I am practicing on a random bag seed my friend gave me to get my feet wet. I'm using the Diamond 10W CREE LED from Advanced and it's working out really well. The soil doesn't dry out as fast as other type of lights, but yet it's a very intense light.

 

[Seraphim]

re: Seraphim's Coco-Hempy Bubba-Cheese & Blue Widow LED Grow Journal 2014

Thank you and Welcome aboard Catman12!!

Good call on doing the practice run on bag seed. I am glad I didn't start my choice beans yet. This is my first coco grow and I am seeing that there is definitely a learning curve.

I will be tagging along on your journal as well. Thanks again for stopping by!

 

[Seraphim]

re: Seraphim's Coco-Hempy Bubba-Cheese & Blue Widow LED Grow Journal 2014

Baby Auto Dark Devil has now been fed with the new A/N PH Perfect COCO Grow A+B** at seedling dosage per the instructions on the bottles. All three ladies were given a shower with mild Cal-Mag+ water. Now I keep an eye on the baby because now I find out if those brown spots were a deficiency caused by lockout or by the media actually lacking something. The media now has something in it from me feeding it. So, if the problem goes away I know that it was something that was missing in the media. If the problem persists, that indicates more of a lockout situation which would merit a good flush. I never really had this many issues with babies growing in dirt. They are too young to be giving headaches. It's clearly my lack of experience growing in this media. (coco)

** [ Last Friday I ordered Advanced Nutrients PH Perfect Sensi COCO Grow A+B. I know some folks don't like them but I have had good results with them in the past. ]

Here are the spots I am talking about on baby Auto Dark Devil...

Here is Bubba-Cheese at her 11th day since last water. Media still moist. I will keep monitoring it. By the way the humidity in my veg area right now is in the 35% range and temps hover in the 74* to 80* range. I

And now, the photogenic Blue Widow! She's a very good looking plant.. like a little bonsai tree.

And Baby Auto Dark Devil saying hello..

 

[Seraphim]

re: Seraphim's Coco-Hempy Bubba-Cheese & Blue Widow LED Grow Journal 2014

Close inspection via HD pictures reveals that the brown spots in baby Auto Dark Devil have not spread over night last night. It should not spread now that it’s been fed. I will continue to monitor very closely with HD pictures to make sure it does not spread. There also seems to have been a growth spurt last night of Auto Dark Devil. New growth is also evident on lady Blue Widow who’s lower limbs are taking off with the LST. If you recall, blue widow was fed with the canna adult plant nutes the last time water was given. She is growing and looking fabulous. Now the little one shoots forward right after feeding. Looks like the ladies are way more dependent on food when growing with inert media (newsflash!)

Today Bubba-Cheese was watered with A/N Coco Grow A+B. Nothing else was added to the water. The last time Bubba-Cheese was watered was 8/1/14; today is 8/13/14, that’s 12 days and I have a feeling she could have waited another day or two or even more. The bucket was light compared to a newly watered one and I know if I didn’t actually feed it, she would begin to show a loss of something soon enough because there was nothing substantial fed to it yet besides mild doses of cal-mag, Rhizotonic and Cana Start. This feeding today was her first actual feeding with real food if you will and at a decent dosage for her.

Thanks to my new instrument which just arrived today, I can tell that the water going in was logging the following metrics: EC=1330 PPM=630 PH=5.85 I love this new PH/PPM/EC pen!! I get x.yy granularity reading on my PH and I can adjust PH much more accurately = Peace of mind. As noted somewhere in my notes here, I drained the reservoir right after feeding; this was done by tipping as much as possible towards the drain hole to get as much water out of there as possible from the hempy reservoir. I do this to help the media to dry faster while the plants are small. Once they are bigger and can actually use the water in the reservoir, I will discontinue the practice.

I am already looking forward to my next grow so that I can put into practice what I have learned during this one already. Specially looking forward to using a lot less coco and a lot more perlite. This, I am almost certain, will contribute to faster growth rate in general.

 

[raisingcain]

re: Seraphim's Coco-Hempy Bubba-Cheese & Blue Widow LED Grow Journal 2014

Looking great so far cant wait to run a jungle of autos!!! Seen alot of folks on here from my home area, the foothills of Colorado!! Subbed up keep the good work my friend! have some reps!

 

[Seraphim]

re: Seraphim's Coco-Hempy Bubba-Cheese & Blue Widow LED Grow Journal 2014

Thank you raisingcain! I love it here in beautiful Colorado. Checking out your journal as well man.

 

[Catman12]

re: Seraphim's Coco-Hempy Bubba-Cheese & Blue Widow LED Grow Journal 2014

Close inspection via HD pictures reveals that the brown spots in baby Auto Dark Devil have not spread over night last night...She is growing and looking fabulous....

Glad to hear she'd recovered and is looking fabulous Seraphim...I'm keeping my eye on this one

Thanks to my new instrument which just arrived today, I can tell that the water going in was logging the following metrics: EC=1330 PPM=630 PH=5.85 I love this new PH/PPM/EC pen!! I get x.yy granularity reading on my PH and I can adjust PH much more accurately = Peace of mind....

I really want something like this and have been looking around for a while, but Oh boy, the cost - let me know how it works out

I am already looking forward to my next grow so that I can put into practice what I have learned during this one already.

I know what you mean - I have been thinking through some choices, I may add to my one lonely plant after I find out the sex

I appreciate your detailed reports - good example of a grow journal IMHO

 

[Scottay]

re: Seraphim's Coco-Hempy Bubba-Cheese & Blue Widow LED Grow Journal 2014

Those ladies are lookin pretty nice already bub!!

 

[Seraphim]

re: Seraphim's Coco-Hempy Bubba-Cheese & Blue Widow LED Grow Journal 2014

Thank you Scottay!!

 

[Obi Wan]

re: Seraphim's Coco-Hempy Bubba-Cheese & Blue Widow LED Grow Journal 2014