Shadowman's First Grow

[shadowman]

Howdy neighbors, Welcome back. A brief update, I was successful with my clone. LF2 had 7 fat, strong and white roots protruding through the rapid rooter so I transplanted it into a solo cup for about 10 days then I'll put it in a larger pot. I think I'll get some rapid growth because it stayed strong and had a rich vibrant green color with no drooping. I may hold off on flowering Medi1 and LF1 for another month to see if LF2(clone) gets significant growth, I may flower it with Medi1 and LF1. On the other hand, The Little Frankenstein tends to have slower growth than the Medijuana so I may see where Medi 2 & 3 are at in another month and flower them with Medi1 and LF1. Decisions decisions. I have my light fixture for the grow box setup and ready. It's a modified "Tamir" cfl light fixture. It puts off lots of light, it also puts off lots of heat so I will be getting some inline 440 cfm fans to bring in fresh cool air and exhaust stale hot air. Otherwise, everything is going fairly smoothly, no major concerns. Here's some photos.
Temp/Humidity

Clone, LF2

Seedlings

 

[shadowman]

Medi1

LF1

I almost forgot, I found this little pest today, it's the second one in a week that I've caught and expired. Anyone recognize it?

Modified "Tamir" cfl light fixture

Have a Great Day everyone and by all means, "Keep The Green Side Up"

 

[shadowman]

The lights I put together for the grow boxes Have 9 bulbs, 6 6500k and 3 2700k, the total comes to 216w and 13,425lm per light. I should get excellent reflection off the Mylar with the size of the box (24" x 20" x 48").

 

[Chinnubie]

Wow, Medi 1 looks GREAT! Tons of bud sites, you've done a bang-up job with her. Are you going to put a net over her? Gonna have to hold all those colas when they start coming up. Clone looks awesome as well.

Have to be a little careful there are a lot of New Yorkers on this site. Don't want to get their panties in a bunch.

 

[Tamir]

Yooooooo.... That I like!! That's in the wardrobe? Thought it would be too close to the edges. The Mylar will give off nice reflection but please remember our box is CARDBOARD. Watch the temps watch how close the lights come to the box. Yea I may add a few if those triple cfls when I revamp her. Damn I love 420mag!!!!!

 

[KingJohnC]

I almost forgot, I found this little pest today, it's the second one in a week that I've caught and expired. Anyone recognize it?

The insect you have photographed appears to be a fungus gnat and is harmful to cannabis. For soil insects I use diatomaceous earth on top of the soil as a barrier, it cuts them as they move through it. I bought my diatomaceous earth from an animal feed store, do not use the type meant for pool filters. Mosquito dunks can also be used as a soil drench for fungus gnats. Sierra Natural Sciences also makes a soil drench called SNS-203 for fungus gnats and other soil insects.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diatomaceous earth

https://www.homedepot.com Mosquito Dunks 6 Pack

https://sierranaturalscience.com natural pesticides sns-203

 

[danknessdude]

Just to add a bit to Kings statement. The adults will be attracted to yellow sticky traps. I put an LED flashlight illuminating trap, turn off grow light and shake the branches. They will go airborn in defense and naturally fly towards trap. Turn light back on after 10-20 minutes. Wont hurt plant cycle. You can make a thousand traps buy purchasing construction paper and spaying with high tac 3m spray. Cheaper than 7 bucks for 5 traps. Please note the larve do the damage at root level. Adults really do no harm other than procreating at an alarming rate.

I recently came across a mite infestation. I've always relied on yard safe spray neem solution that is good to use up until harvest. I recently switched to Safer brand endall. It has a small amount of pyrethins in it which is nasty stuff but man one treatment and I cant find a mite moving and the eggs yellowed and died overnite. Unlike most sprays it is deadly to all stages. I highly recommend a good washing 24 hrs after use.

Damas Soil cover is second to none. It will eventually kill off the gnats. and prevent future eggs from falling into soil. Most larve live in top 2 inches.

Cheap mans recipe for gnats (when purchasing remedy is not an option): Double sided tape cover entire planter. Be sure to seal around stalk. Do this every day for 2 weeks and the gnats leaving the soil get stuck on the bottom, the eggs falling from the leaves get stuck on the top and dehydrate. Bag and discard.

PS bugs suck!

 

[Chinnubie]

I've been soooooo lucky not having to deal with pests. Bugs do suck, especially mosquitoes. I'm with Tamir, I love 420Mag as well! Wife's off to work, house to myself ALL day, .

 

[Cannabis 1]

Looking great buddy!!! I think that bug is a flying ant.

 

[MaggiesFarm]

Looking great buddy!!! I think that bug is a flying ant.

Geez, I've been fishing those damn ants out of my pool for a couple weeks. Every afternoon about the time I get settled in on my raft with a cold beer, the hoard of kamikazes come out of the sky to die in my pool skimmers.

 

[shadowman]

Wow, Medi 1 looks GREAT! Tons of bud sites, you've done a bang-up job with her. Are you going to put a net over her? Gonna have to hold all those colas when they start coming up. Clone looks awesome as well.

Have to be a little careful there are a lot of New Yorkers on this site. Don't want to get their panties in a bunch.

Thanks Chinnubie, I appreciate the vote of confidence. I removed all the bamboo from Medi and am letting her relax before flowering her. I'm not going to use a net on this one but I have 1/8th in. dia. doweling that I can use to support any branches that can't handle the load (I hope I have to use all of them).

"Have to be a little careful there are a lot of New Yorkers on this site. Don't want to get their panties in a bunch."

I have no problem with anyone just because of where they live or for what sports teams they follow and support. With that said (you knew that was coming, Right?), I doubt Yankee fans will get their panties in a bunch since most of them keep them around their ankles.
I digress, Thanks for coming by and your support my friend.

 

[shadowman]

shadowman Disclaimer: I in no way, shape or form am trying to purposely anger, sadden or annoy anyone and all my comments are for entertainment purposes only. Just some good old fashioned ribbing. I can also take it as well as dish it out so if you are unfortunate enough to be a Yankee fan, feel free to take a shot at me. I'm no better than anyone else. I am a Blues hockey fan(this should get a few laughs), a Chicago Bears fan(careful what you say)(just kidding), and a Minnesota Twins fan(didn't grow up in Cardinal Nation) but since I've lived in Cardinal Nation for the last 25+ years, I'm also a Cardinals fan. Now that I've bared my soul, feel free to take a shot if you feel like it. Otherwise, May all your dreams and desires come to you and your loved ones.

 

[shadowman]

Yooooooo.... That I like!! That's in the wardrobe? Thought it would be too close to the edges. The Mylar will give off nice reflection but please remember our box is CARDBOARD. Watch the temps watch how close the lights come to the box. Yea I may add a few if those triple cfls when I revamp her. Damn I love 420mag!!!!!

Hey Tamir, it does get warm however, the Mylar helps shield the heat from the cardboard and is covering all cardboard, floor and ceiling as well. I wanted to make sure I had enough watts for 3 or more plants as this will house my vegging crop until the tent is available after flowering Medi1 and LF1. I should be flipping them in the next week or so and figuring 7-9 weeks for flowering and bud production. I want atleast a couple of plants to be ready for flowering after a quick clean-out of the tent when I harvest my 1st Crop. I'll take clones of the second crop (that is in seedling stage now) before I put them into flowering mode. This strategy will give me a harvest every 8-10 weeks if all goes well. Have a good one.

 

[shadowman]

KingJohnC: "The insect you have photographed appears to be a fungus gnat and is harmful to cannabis. For soil insects I use diatomaceous earth on top of the soil as a barrier, it cuts them as they move through it. I bought my diatomaceous earth from an animal feed store, do not use the type meant for pool filters. Mosquito dunks can also be used as a soil drench for fungus gnats. Sierra Natural Sciences also makes a soil drench called SNS-203 for fungus gnats and other soil insects."

Diatomaceous earth - Wikipedia earth

Home Improvement Made Easy with New Lower Prices | Improve & Repair Mosquito Dunks 6 Pack

Sierra Natural Science | Science Engineered natural pesticides sns-203

danknessdude: "Just to add a bit to Kings statement. The adults will be attracted to yellow sticky traps. I put an LED flashlight illuminating trap, turn off grow light and shake the branches. They will go airborn in defense and naturally fly towards trap. Turn light back on after 10-20 minutes. Wont hurt plant cycle. You can make a thousand traps buy purchasing construction paper and spaying with high tac 3m spray. Cheaper than 7 bucks for 5 traps. Please note the larve do the damage at root level. Adults really do no harm other than procreating at an alarming rate.

I recently came across a mite infestation. I've always relied on yard safe spray neem solution that is good to use up until harvest. I recently switched to Safer brand endall. It has a small amount of pyrethins in it which is nasty stuff but man one treatment and I cant find a mite moving and the eggs yellowed and died overnite. Unlike most sprays it is deadly to all stages. I highly recommend a good washing 24 hrs after use.

Damas Soil cover is second to none. It will eventually kill off the gnats. and prevent future eggs from falling into soil. Most larve live in top 2 inches.

Cheap mans recipe for gnats (when purchasing remedy is not an option): Double sided tape cover entire planter. Be sure to seal around stalk. Do this every day for 2 weeks and the gnats leaving the soil get stuck on the bottom, the eggs falling from the leaves get stuck on the top and dehydrate. Bag and discard.

PS bugs suck!"

Thank you KJC and danknessdude, I appreciate the info and will be taking care of those ugly little bastards very soon. I sit for a couple of hours at a time looking over the plants, looking for pests and where I need more light penetration and the such. I haven't noticed anything else as of yet but I'm not waiting for another sighting to react. "Nip It!, Nip it in the Bud" one of my favorite actors, Don Knotts a.k.a. Bernard "Barney" Fife.

 

[shadowman]

I have a air vent within a couple of feet of my grow boxes so I'll be redirecting the air-conditioning and pump it into the boxes to keep the temps down and that should take care of any overheating issues that might have otherwise been a problem due to the 9 bulb light fixture I'm using in them. If I keep the box buttoned up, the temp gets over 90 degrees. For now, I've been leaving the front panel open during lights on, this keeps the temp at around 80. I close it up during dark time and it's in the 70's. One of the advantages of growing below ground level. Once I get the A/C pumping into the boxes, I'll be able to keep it buttoned up whenever I'm not tending to the crop. In the mean time I'm rearranging the basement to clear out the entire room to convert it to a grow room and eventually I'll end up with half my basement as a grow operation. I'll be growing veggies as well as MJ and some melons too. I've got a love affair with peppers, especially the hot variety. I recently acquired a Ghost Chili Pepper and would love to cultivate some of those bad boys. I recently made a large pot of chili and used the Ghost Pepper along with hot pickled Asparagus and all my usual ingredients. It turned out absolutely wonderful in my opinion. When the lights come on in about an hour, I'll be taking some pics and updating the journal with visual aids. Have a great day everyone and I'll be talking with you soon.

 

[Chinnubie]

Wow, your up early. I usually start reading journal around 5:30-6 in the a.m. and most folks are sleeping. Anyway, great disclaimer and being a Blues fan has it's own kind of trouble the other teams are pretty decent organizations on the surface so I'll leave it at that. The half-basement is exactly what I was thinking of doing as well, looks like your gonna get a jump on yours before I can get to mine. Your wife won't mind you taken up half the basement with your 'WEED"? I had to buy mine a new car to get a 2nd grow, she's a hard negotiator when she knows I want something. Damn women, can't live with'em, can't live without'em. Everyone knows I'm KIDDING! You know some people just can't take a joke. B A R is the big Yankee fan if you wanted to know. Here I go again rambling and what-not, I am looking forward to Medi flowering she's going to look great and I hope you have to use all of your dowlrods as well.

 

[Radogast]

Leave those Yankees fans alone, abuse only makes them stronger

I love the consistent temperatures of growing in the basement, as well as the concrete floor where I can spill dirt and water

 

[MaggiesFarm]

Big Blues fan here since the days of Red Berenson. Watched Bernie Federko for 40 games in KC before he got called up. Playoffs are always so frustrating.

 

[Chinnubie]

Maggies' Farm you are a fan, wow Bernie Federko and Red Berenson those name bring back some old memories of the original Checkerdome, God I loved that place during a hockey game, back when you could smoke and throw beer on Blackhawk fans. Great days indeed. This is what I usually looked like when we went to games. The stories are boundless. Thanks Maggie.

 

[MaggiesFarm]

My first trip to a StL Blues game (had already seen many KC Blues games) was vs Pittsburgh in '69. My dad took me, dinner at Stan & Biggies before the game. Walking into the Arena and seeing the ice was awesome. I was used to the dump KC played in, old rodeo barn. I always hated the Blackhawks, now I find them tolerable.