Sorenna's Secret Garden - Photos - Indoors - Soil - LEDs

[Sorenna]

UPDATE: Day 29

Happy Christmas everybody!

The girls are doing lovely. The toppings are already having quite an effect, Im happy to say. I havent done anything in there in the past couple of days, just watching them grow. Im very pleased with the way things are going at this point. All 3 of them are looking good. Im especially happy with Miz Kelly. She had me worried I dont mind telling ya. haha But shes got it now. Soon, she will find herself in a big girl home just like her siblings.

As the time draws nearer I cant help but wonder which will be actual girls and which will be a boy. Or maybe my steadfast positive thinking will result in three girls. Yes, I know, I can dream, cant I? lol Thats a lie. I dont think I have room for 3 of them, one would have to be culled.

Anyway, here they are:

Kelly

Jill

Sabrina

I posted a picture of each girls cut. Jills looks particularly promising, but still too soon for my inexperienced eyes to tell the result of her FIM. Sabrina, Im fairly sure she got just a plain ol topping. hehe

Oh, I almost forgot. I measured the distance from the top of the tallest plant, which is Jill. She is 12" from the light. Thats too close, isnt it? I think I made need to do some rearranging. lol I need a light that is adjustable. I wish I was handy with constructing stuff, but Im not.

Thats it for me. See yall next time!~

 

[Radogast]

Your girls look Mah-velous

As for the boy/girl question, it usually takes until about 22" tall for my girls to show pre-flowers. If you don't veg that big, you won't know until switching to a flowering light schedule.

Yasmine showed balls under 16/8 light at about 18" tall, but he was built like a stubby fireplug.

 

[Radogast]

Many people adjust the height of their lights by buying ratcheting hanger cords.

In cae you don't know what I mean, here is a photo Rope Ratchet Light Hangers Individual-1/4 in. - Perfect Gardens


THey are easy enough to use that sometimes I raise the lights just to look at how the girls are growing.

 

[FeralA9X]

looking real nice in here sorenna, hope you had a fun xmas day and was not too hectic lol, been run off my feet here but now finally to check on my girls for the first time in 3 days :O
With my girls they were vegged for around 6 weeks before i changed from soil to hydro, about another 3-4 weeks under MH and i was just starting to get preflowers before i switched to 12/12, I would think anywhere between 2-3 months of veg would be a rough estimate. Otherwise, as Rad said, you wont really see anything until changing the light schedule.

 

[Sorenna]

Your girls look Mah-velous

As for the boy/girl question, it usually takes until about 22" tall for my girls to show pre-flowers. If you don't veg that big, you won't know until switching to a flowering light schedule.

Yasmine showed balls under 16/8 light at about 18" tall, but he was built like a stubby fireplug.

Thank you, Radogast. Im not sure how long Ill veg them. Ill flip them when they have good, solid branching structures. Its kinda fun guessing what they might turn out to be. Much like finding out what ones own kidlet is before or when its born.

Many people adjust the height of their lights by buying ratcheting hanger cords.

In cae you don't know what I mean, here is a photo Rope Ratchet Light Hangers Individual-1/4 in. - Perfect Gardens


THey are easy enough to use that sometimes I raise the lights just to look at how the girls are growing.

Thank you so much for showing me these doodads! Wonderful. I can use these.

looking real nice in here sorenna, hope you had a fun xmas day and was not too hectic lol, been run off my feet here but now finally to check on my girls for the first time in 3 days :O
With my girls they were vegged for around 6 weeks before i changed from soil to hydro, about another 3-4 weeks under MH and i was just starting to get preflowers before i switched to 12/12, I would think anywhere between 2-3 months of veg would be a rough estimate. Otherwise, as Rad said, you wont really see anything until changing the light schedule.

Yeah, I know I wont truly know until the flip, but still fun to speculate. Im fairly certain Im not going to veg them for 3 months. I have room for a tiny secret garden, but I do not have room for a miniature forest. lol Jill is already pretty beastly, in my opinion, not that Im complaining.

 

[Radogast]

Thank you, Radogast. Im not sure how long Ill veg them. Ill flip them when they have good, solid branching structures. Its kinda fun guessing what they might turn out to be. Much like finding out what ones own kidlet is before or when its born.



Thank you so much for showing me these doodads! Wonderful. I can use these.



Yeah, I know I wont truly know until the flip, but still fun to speculate. Im fairly certain Im not going to veg them for 3 months. I have room for a tiny secret garden, but I do not have room for a miniature forest. lol Jill is already pretty beastly, in my opinion, not that Im complaining.

Time for extreme harvest planning !

Your tent is how big? 2' x 4' x 6' high ?

At how far below the light does the light reach all walls of the tent?

 

[Sorenna]

Hi, Radogast. My tent is 24" x 48"T x 60"W. I had my light so it was adjustable, but I used a small chain that I had used for an earlier setup, its super long. I just wrapped it around the poles that fit across the top of the tent. It was not very secure and it made me fret. Now, I just have it attached to the same poles across the top, but Im using a single, large carabiner. It far more secure but is no longer adjustable.

Right now I have an inverted laundry basket and an inverted milk crate to bring them closer to the light, but Jill needs to be lowered, Im pretty sure. Its my understanding that 12" is the closest they should be, ever. I think 16" is a much better number. Short of chopping 4 inches off the milk crate, Im gonna have to put her on the floor, which means I will have to lower the light.

I dont really understand your final question, Im sorry. The light is 39 inches from the floor, currently. There is approximately 1' of space between the light and the side tent wall, on each side. This approximately 6" of space between the light and the front and back sides of the tent. The light is a Mars-Hydro Reflector series 96 x 3w.

 

[FeralA9X]

Yeah, I know I wont truly know until the flip, but still fun to speculate. Im fairly certain Im not going to veg them for 3 months. I have room for a tiny secret garden, but I do not have room for a miniature forest. lol Jill is already pretty beastly, in my opinion, not that Im complaining.

hehe, I didnt plan on vegging for so long either, I actually still have the red diesel outdoors in veg, has been in veg for about 3 months now and showing her sex all over but still has another month or so before flower.

Hi, Radogast. My tent is 24" x 48"T x 60"W. I had my light so it was adjustable, but I used a small chain that I had used for an earlier setup, its super long. I just wrapped it around the poles that fit across the top of the tent. It was not very secure and it made me fret. Now, I just have it attached to the same poles across the top, but Im using a single, large carabiner. It far more secure but is no longer adjustable.

Right now I have an inverted laundry basket and an inverted milk crate to bring them closer to the light, but Jill needs to be lowered, Im pretty sure. Its my understanding that 12" is the closest they should be, ever. I think 16" is a much better number. Short of chopping 4 inches off the milk crate, Im gonna have to put her on the floor, which means I will have to lower the light.

I dont really understand your final question, Im sorry. The light is 39 inches from the floor, currently. There is approximately 1' of space between the light and the side tent wall, on each side. This approximately 6" of space between the light and the front and back sides of the tent. The light is a Mars-Hydro Reflector series 96 x 3w.

I agree with rad, the ratchet hangers are priceless, well they cost about $10 for a set lol but i use them for everything, makes it simple for moving the lights up and down but i also find them really handy to support ducting and fans etc, before i bought them i was also using a chain, setup some hooks or a carabiner and used the chain links to adjust my height.

heres a small diagram of what rad meant on his last Q:

 

[Radogast]

Hi, Radogast. My tent is 24" x 48"T x 60"W. I had my light so it was adjustable, but I used a small chain that I had used for an earlier setup, its super long. I just wrapped it around the poles that fit across the top of the tent. It was not very secure and it made me fret. Now, I just have it attached to the same poles across the top, but Im using a single, large carabiner. It far more secure but is no longer adjustable.

Right now I have an inverted laundry basket and an inverted milk crate to bring them closer to the light, but Jill needs to be lowered, Im pretty sure. Its my understanding that 12" is the closest they should be, ever. I think 16" is a much better number. Short of chopping 4 inches off the milk crate, Im gonna have to put her on the floor, which means I will have to lower the light.

I dont really understand your final question, Im sorry. The light is 39 inches from the floor, currently. There is approximately 1' of space between the light and the side tent wall, on each side. This approximately 6" of space between the light and the front and back sides of the tent. The light is a Mars-Hydro Reflector series 96 x 3w.

The question can be ignored, it was an attempt to define how close to the lights you plan to grow.
I am imagining the 'box inside the box ' where your girls can actually grow. For your light, that is probably 2' x 3' of floor space

At 39" above the floor, if your soil line is 8" above the floor, and you need 12-16" clearance, your maximum plant height is 15-19".
if you could raise your light up to 44" above the floor, you could have a maximum plant height of 20-24"

If you follow the wisdom of allowing cannabis girls to double their height during flowering, At 39" you want to flower when you can no longer keep them under 7-10" tall. Every inch you can raise that light really counts. In my theoretical 44" above the floor that would be postponing flowering until 10-12" tall.

Is there any way you can use your tent on it's side? That would give you space to grow 12" taller girls.

 

[Sorenna]

No need to turn it on its side. lol Im an idiot. Its 48" WIDE and 60" TALL, not the other way around. So I reckon I already have that 12 extra inches to work with.

I bought myself a little more time by trading the milk crate for a small igloo cooler that Im not using for anything else right now. Its only like an inch shorter, but maybe Ill have enough time to go buy some of the strap thingys to make the light adjustable.

Thanks for taking the time to help me.

 

[Sorenna]

hehe, I didnt plan on vegging for so long either, I actually still have the red diesel outdoors in veg, has been in veg for about 3 months now and showing her sex all over but still has another month or so before flower.



I agree with rad, the ratchet hangers are priceless, well they cost about $10 for a set lol but i use them for everything, makes it simple for moving the lights up and down but i also find them really handy to support ducting and fans etc, before i bought them i was also using a chain, setup some hooks or a carabiner and used the chain links to adjust my height.

Thank you for that diagram. I understand the question now, but how in the h e double hockey sticks does one measure that?
lol

 

[FeralA9X]

Thank you for that diagram. I understand the question now, but how in the h e double hockey sticks does one measure that?
lol

You could go all out buying meters etc but with all my lights so far i have seen a definite point in the tent where light becomes very weak, almost like having a light shade on a lamp leaving a shadow ring around the room.
I usually just hold my hand under the light and move it around to check everything has full light coverage, a measurement is not really needed but once you work this out measure the distance from the light to the tops, this then roughly is the distance you want to keep the light above them.

 

[Radogast]

No need to turn it on its side. lol Im an idiot. Its 48" WIDE and 60" TALL, not the other way around. So I reckon I already have that 12 extra inches to work with.

I bought myself a little more time by trading the milk crate for a small igloo cooler that Im not using for anything else right now. Its only like an inch shorter, but maybe Ill have enough time to go buy some of the strap thingys to make the light adjustable.

Thanks for taking the time to help me.

You aren't an idiot !
An idiot would be the one who bought a 48" tall tent to grow adult cannabis plants .... unless they had a really good plan.

The 2x4 tent floor is a much better match to your light. The 60" height is much better for growing enough to advance your health.

Thank you for that diagram. I understand the question now, but how in the h e double hockey sticks does one measure that?
lol

You could go all out buying meters etc but with all my lights so far i have seen a definite point in the tent where light becomes very weak, almost like having a light shade on a lamp leaving a shadow ring around the room.
I usually just hold my hand under the light and move it around to check everything has full light coverage, a measurement is not really needed but once you work this out measure the distance from the light to the tops, this then roughly is the distance you want to keep the light above them.

What FeralA9X said: look for the shadow cast on the wall.

My rules for the overhead CFL bulbs: If the plant is almost hitting the light, lower the plant. If the canopy is not fully lit, raise the light.

With your recommended 12-16" above the canopy. You should have full coverage for at least 2'x3' of the 2'x4' area - just check the ends of the long side to see where the shadow is cast.

 

[Sorenna]

Ugh. Its been a very long night for my girlies. We are having an ice storm, power out for hours, on for 5-10 minutes and the off again for hours. They are probably shivering in their pots, completely bewildered. I hope it doesnt affect them. Im not sure what to do about my lights now. Since they have been off a good portion of the lights on time, I was wondering if I just skip lights off today and resume their normal schedule tomorrow by turning the lights off at 2pm like they are used to.

*cries* Power went off again even while I was typing that message.

 

[Radogast]

Ugh. Its been a very long night for my girlies. We are having an ice storm, power out for hours, on for 5-10 minutes and the off again for hours. They are probably shivering in their pots, completely bewildered. I hope it doesnt affect them. Im not sure what to do about my lights now. Since they have been off a good portion of the lights on time, I was wondering if I just skip lights off today and resume their normal schedule tomorrow by turning the lights off at 2pm like they are used to.

*cries* Power went off again even while I was typing that message.

They are not in flower so light schedule is not critical. I'd say give them some extra light to catch up to their normal 2PM dark time.
Sorry about the cold. According to book knowledge, they should be totally fine above 55 and mostly fine above 40.

And remember to take care of yourself. Plants are happier when you are happier

 

[Sorenna]

Okay, scratch that. Its been a very long week for my girlies. They were without light and heat for 4 days. I do not know what that will mean for my grow. Personally, I think theyve been hibernating. They are just as green and relatively unaffected as they were but they havent grown much at all. They are still spiffy in color and the posture of their leaves. Ive opened their tent to give them some extra "right now" heat.

I am not going to take any pictures right now. I will take some tomorrow. Its still quite cold here. Im waiting warm up so my fingers will do what I tell them, when I tell them to do it. lol

We just got home after 3 days in a FEMA shelter. It was not fun, but we were grateful to have had a place to go. Our home is all electric, so we had no heat and no way to cook. They set up a place here in town for those in the county who were like us. Now the power is restored and I can cook and life goes on again as before. (Im hoping)

Thats my update for now.. its Day... *scrolls up to check and count*... 35 UPDATE. Whoops. Messed that up. Oh well, everything else is too. ha!

 

[Radogast]

Bless you Sorenna - our 5AM power failure only lasted 45 minutes . I am very grateful for the fast restoration of power.

 

[FeralA9X]

Thats not good news at all Sorenna the main thing though is that you and your family were safe through it all and had somewhere to go.
Im sure the girls will be fine, being in veg they should be very resilient, the main thing i would watch for is if they start showing signs of flowering due to the extended dark but i would personally just keep them in the veg cycle

 

[OlderGrower]

Hi Sorenna,

As far as being concerned about the light issue, and the temp fear not. I know everyone will tell you that 55 degrees is the danger point and even as low as 40 but truth be told, plants out in the wild can survive in temperatures even lower. So long as your grow tent did not reach a temperature where it was possible to frost, they may be extremely stressed out but they should be ok. Now as for the light, when my problems started out here in Oregon with my brother and his wife, I knew I was not going to have time to do my grow #2 and #3. While I did get #2 into the flower tent, I turned the lights out on my veg tent. That was over 2 weeks ago. The only time the lights have been on in that tent has been while burping my jars from grow #1 and while I have been PHing my water and feed for the flower tent. The lighting in the back room here is bad so I open my doors on my veg tent so it gives me better light to work in. Granted most of the plants in my veg tent are dead dead dead now, but I do have 1 plant that is struggling to stay alive. Why I have no idea, I think I watered them maybe 2 times over the last 2 weeks if that yet one just refuses to die.

My point is this, MJ is a weed and weeds have a strong desire to live. I am sure if you give them a little TLC they will bounce right back and continue on.
Once everything settles down completely I will be starting another journal, actually 2, one will be short lived and called, "How to kill your garden in 2 weeks" but the other will be my current grow #2 and the preparations for grow #3.

I am glad to hear your ordeal is over for now, hope it was and is your only ordeal this year.

Oh and consider me subbed, I will just grab a chair over here in the corner and enjoy your garden

 

[Sorenna]

Thats not good news at all Sorenna the main thing though is that you and your family were safe through it all and had somewhere to go.
Im sure the girls will be fine, being in veg they should be very resilient, the main thing i would watch for is if they start showing signs of flowering due to the extended dark but i would personally just keep them in the veg cycle

No, not good news, but I really think they will be okay. I do not believe it ever went below freezing for even a short period of time, in the house, in the tent, though it was only that outside. Ugh. It really did suck for us, so Im sure it did for them too. Ill take pics tomorrow. They dont look too bad -today- maybe tomorrow they will show me different. The stress to them is what will worry me from now until harvest or culling, whichever comes first.

Continuing with the veg cycle is my plan. GMTA! Ha. Either that or I just dont know a single other thing to do. They are showing no signs of preflowers, or pistils, or balls, or anything like that. So thats a plus.. I hope. Oh yeah, I forgot to say in my fubared update that I believe my FIM on Jill may have been totally, or at least partially successful. Sabrina definitely just got a topping.

Thanks for poppin' in.