Sweetsue's First Grow - Stealthy Trio of Autos Under CFLs

[SweetSue]

It's my husband I was wheeling around Pigeons. He's recovering from a four-year series of medical emergencies that have made it difficult to impossible to walk freely, culminating in open heart double bypass in November. Hopefully, in another month he'll be strong and stable enough to walk again and we can pack the wheelchair up for a many years. For now we're thankful that I'm strong and healthy myself.

The living mulch in no way compromises the cannabis. The soil is rich in minerals, nutrients and organic matter. I will only add nutrients by way of top dressing with organic materials or the occasional application of an Aerated Compost Tea or an Enzyme Tea. The plants growing in living soil send messages to the micro community that lives in this matrix, which in turn make those necessities biologically and chemically available. We call it the soil food web (SFW). My job was to see to it that the soil has everything the plants will need.

What the living mulch does is keep that top layer of the soil alive, aerated and moistened, helping to stabilize the entire community. Any mulch is beneficial, but having both organic matter and living mulch is more of the natural system that keeps the micro community happy and thriving. You never let the living organic soil dry out. Dry soil = dead micro community = unhappy and unhealthy plants. Conversely, evenly moist soil = happy micro community working diligently to raise your plants to be all they can be.

It's a thing of beauty when it gets working smoothly. So easy. I could technically get away with just watering and good light from here.

Tomorrow's challenge is to get the watering system figured out. I'll be studying all day long. It gives me a nice distraction from this ridiculous, poorly-timed cold.

 

[Pigeons420]

Husband, right! My bad

Well that makes perfect sense! Thanks for the insight!

Edit: I read your signature about starting organically after my comment. Answered all my questions.

 

[SweetSue]

At approximately 7 PM the Bomb began to droop her leaves.

I've watched her do this consistently now for days. I believe that this may simply be her nature. I can't prove it, but that's what my gut tells me. If she were deficient in any way I might reconsider. From the feel of the soil I probably won't need to water again for a few days. I read somewhere today that a quality LOS only requires 1 oz of water a day for every gallon of soil in the container to maintain moisture levels until they head into the stretch. That was shockingly unexpected. Then, as you move into flowering, it's play it by ear.

I'm ordering the perlite in the morning. I've been reading through an extensive thread on another cannabis site on this SWICK system and watching videos of wicking beds and pots by vegetable gardeners all day, and have reached the conclusion that perlite will make the best wicking element for the job and I can have it delivered to my door. It will cost more that way, but my neighbor has a need for perlite as well, so he has offered to share the expense. That's a relief, not only financially but also from a storage perspective. Our tiny place is already filled to the brim with my gardening supplies. There's absolutely no place left to store a cubic foot of extra perlite.

What I'll be making is referred to as a SWICK, short for Self-Wicking, as opposed to a SIP, which is a Sub-Irrigation Pot. They probably call it that because you use a basin to hold the wicking medium instead of a pot with some type of wick, like a rope. It was fascinating how many different approaches there are to allow plants to pull up the water they need. I picked up some great ideas for my planned container garden for the balcony. Think of the ease of this: soil that raises the plant for me, worms that till the soil for me and a basin of perlite with water so that the plants can water themselves. My biggest responsibility at this point will be to keep the water reservoir filled and adjust the lighting for the best penetration beyond the canopy.

The Buddha began to emit her perfume today. She smells like a skunky bubblegum. Quite delightful, actually. I'm hoping they don't get too strong before I can afford to get a scrubber in place. As much as I love the smell of growing cannabis, I do have to consider the neighbors. Of course we live on the top floor of a small apartment building, the apartment below is a fellow gardener who has his own perfume concerns and the apartment behind us is almost always empty, so no one really cares at this point. The only concern I really have is the landlord, who never comes up here (except that on Friday he's installing a new stove, so thank goodness they aren't overwhelmingly odiferous). We're essentially the last house on the block, which really works for me. It feels so natural to open the door and be greeted by the perfume. Once I install the scrubber I'll need to close the closet up and control humidity. I read that the difference between a beginner and a seasoned grower is humidity control. Somewhere along the line I'll be prepared to see if that's as true as it sounds.

This grow is to show myself that I can pull it off start to finish. By the time I start my second grow I'll have all these details in line, and can begin the process of learning to increase yield. The Mycorrihizal community will be well-established by then, effectively increasing the root base exponentially. Looking forward to journaling that one.

Goodnight all. Be safe tomorrow.

 

[COorganics]

Sue, could they be drooping in the evening simply because they are growing to close to the lights over the course
Of the day? They sure are close to the lights. Maybe they should be with CFL's, just trying to help troubleshoot.

 

[SweetSue]

I don't think that's the case CO, but I've been moving the lights just a bit higher every day to see if it helps. With CFLs you want to be between 3-6" from the plant. You can get them within 1" and still not have problems. I've done it that way before, but every plant is so individual. It's possible I still haven't found their sweet spot. I'm going to revisit my favorite tutorial on CFLs and keep fiddling. Hopefully I'll solve it.

Thanks for the troubleshooting.

For anyone interested in using CFLs, this was the best thread I've found in my research.

https://https://www.420magazine.com/community/threads/cfl-light-tutorial.111680/

 

[SweetSue]

This cold is kicking my butt. I couldn't breathe laying down so I spent a good part of the night sitting up and wandering through the Internet. My travels led me to another cannabis site where I found an old thread dealing with an inventive way to suppress a fungus gnat infestation. Mosquito dunks!

Most growers not using living organic soil would simply let the pots dry out. That option doesn't exist for our soil because dryness means death to the micro community. I'd considered a dusting of diatomaceous earth under the mulch layer and had even found a good video on YouTube that helped me determine the best way to do so, when I found this gem of a thread. It had never occurred to me that the dunks are made of Bacillus thuriangensis , the bane of water and soil larvae. I was getting ready to place an order for some in another form when the light went off in my head and I realized we had a packet somewhere around the house, left over from our Sarracenia days. After looking around I finally found them. Woo Hoo!

The process is to take a section of one of the dunks and break it up into tiny particles and then sprinkle it onto the soil surface. It's not something you really want to handle, so I tossed one into a zip lock bag and busted up about 1/4 of a dunk.

From there it's a simple matter of sprinkle it onto the soil and gently water it in a bit. Now every time I water this will break down further and release more and more of the bacteria into the top layer where the larvae live. My understanding is that the larvae eat the bacteria but can't digest them, so their gut explodes and they die. Kind of like rats and Coke. It will take about 3 weeks or slightly longer to break the life cycle, but the end result should be complete elimination of the little beasts. In the meantime, I may do a light dusting with the DE to cut down on the adult population. I'm ready to be rid of them before it becomes a serious problem.

Take that, dreaded fungus gnat larvae!

The plants continue to grow like weeds. I could almost feel them smile, knowing the days were numbered for the larvae invading their soil. Buddha is making her move, at long last.

It's almost time to cut the project boards that block the sides in and move them back a bit to create more space in the closet. The lights were raised a bit more to keep ahead of the vertical growth. After reviewing Tulip's CFL thread I sat down and considered how to get additional lights into the space with the goal of bringing the lumens up to 10,000 per square foot. This space is 1'x2', give or take, so I'm looking for 20,000 lumens. It took a bit of thought, but I think I have it figured it out. I'll be making gradual additions over the next week or so. It will be so much easier after I get the LED next month.

 

[COorganics]

If that kicks their butts, I'll have to try it. I have had fungus gnats for years now. An ever present semi pain I'm the ass in my garden. Their in my worm bin mostly.
Big question: would BT harm worms/cocoons? This is why I still have gnats, because I'm scared to hurt my worms so I don't treat my worm bin. Any thoughts???

 

[SweetSue]

It's used against the larvae, and I don't believe it's harmful to the worms. Let me do a quick search.

Edit: a quick search sent me to a page from Colorado State University.

https://https://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/insect/05556.html

The bacteria is a naturally occurring bacterial disease of insects. The israelensis strain that these dunks contain are specifically geared to attack mosquitos, black flies and fungus gnats. The bacteria is not harmful to humans or other living creatures, worms included. Israelensis may adversely effect some no biting midges, but that doesn't really concern us.

Reading through this I'm hoping mine was still viable. It's been quite a few years since we purchased these and it's hard to determine what they mean by " reduced effectiveness after two to three years of storage". It's definitely been longer than two to three years. I think I'll give it a few weeks to see before I try to replace it. Patience is called for here.

I took the time to carefully sift it down through the mulch before watering.

I would recommend it CO. Think of a grow without fungus gnats! Purchase some fresh. The chief advantage of the dunks, IMO, is their affordability. If memory serves me, these cost less than $10 and a package would be enough for multiple soil batches.

 

[SweetSue]

For those using diatomaceous earth on their grows I offer this little find:

https://https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=K8GccmIDUT0

He took the time to find the bottle that most effectively puffs the DE powder where you most need it. Thankfully, my hubby has one of these bottles laying around that he uses to add water to his steam locomotive. How fortuitous.

I see DE used improperly all the time. Piles or layers aren't nearly as effective as a fine spray, and once you wet it down it loses its effectiveness. Better to use it finely dispersed. This is an affordable alternative to the expensive little puffers you can buy for DE.

 

[SweetSue]

I started my New Year's Eve celebration by giving the mulch layer with a fine dusting of diatomaceous earth to get rid of the current crop of adult gnats. I won't be watering at all tomorrow, so there will be ample time for many of them to traipse through. It had to be done.

Happy New Year everyone. May the best of this year be the worst of next.

See you next year.

Susan

 

[COorganics]

Thanks sue. I'm going to try it.

 

[SoilGirl]

hahahaha I love your journal - Dale's breakfast having to wait for your ACT cracked me up, and I keep trying to get through all of your material you post before replying - but by then you're posting a lot more material!! So just reminding you I'm still here, I'm still very very appreciative of your shares and efforts and just.. You rock Sue! Happy New Year!! So glad you joined 420 mag, you're really an AMAZING addition to the community.

 

[SweetSue]

Thanks SoilGirl. You'll enjoy this one.

I greeted the new year delirious with fever. Not my recommended method. I DID stay up to share a kiss with my magic man.

When I wasn't drifting in fever I was revisiting the excellent information on Tulip's tutorial on CFLs. I've been over and over it and I've come up with a CFL lighting plan for my tiny 2 sq. ft. closet grow with auto-flowering plants.

The plan is based on a desire to supply a minimum of 10,000 lumens per square foot. Keeping in mind that the available light actually reaching the plant is all about distance, it is to your benefit to increase those available lumens, if possible.

The most efficient CFLs are actually the 23-26 watt ones. The ratio of lumens to watts comes close to 70. Next down are 40-43 watts, which are about 5 points less at around 65. They don't generate much heat, so you can get them in as close as 1 1/2", meaning you can sometimes slip them right into the interior of the plant. After you get further than 6" from the plant you lose light efficiency. Each plant has it's own sweet spot for light distance. They'll let you know when it's "ENOUGH!!"

You want to remember that the light is emitted from the sides of the bulbs. No light value for the plant exists on the ends. Work for greatest exposure to the sides of the bulbs. You also want to begin a log of individual build usage (think about coding them with a sharpie) and replace them early or with each grow. The 23-26 watt bulbs are the most cost-effective choice and the easiest to find.

This approach obviously works best for the micro grower who enjoys the time necessary to keep adjusting those lights. I suspect there are quite a large number of us out there. I live in a tiny, comfortable apartment in an urban area and the hours I spend cultivating these plants brings me great joy and makes me feel like I've kept in touch with the planet. Lights are the primary key to success. I'm still planning to upgrade to an LED somewhere in the middle of this grow, but this information may help someone else develop their successful grow. I can tell you from experience that thoughtful use of CFLs can result in dense and potent buds.

I'm a visual person. I want my research to result in something I can represent with color. I want it to be concise and thorough. Here is my attempt at mimicking Mother Nature in the corner of our living room.

Sorry it's a bit fuzzy. I wasn't as steady as I thought I was when I took it.

There is a gradual and steady increase on both wattage and lumens as the grow progresses. At it's maximum potential you are only using 367 watts and getting 25,800 lumens. You need to let the plants dictate their limits. The spectrum gently shifts from cool to warm as the buds ripen. Attention is paid to the need for the whole spectrum throughout the grow. I plan to daily rotate the plants by 1/4 turn to facilitate maximum light penetration.

Although this is designed for a shorter auto grow it could easily be adapted to a photo-flowering strain.

I may finish this grow out with the CFLs. It would be helpful to have it as a comparison for an LED grow.

Some quick pictures taken this morning:

A group shot. Buddha Magnum on the left, THC Bomb on the right.

Buddha, at Day 26, is beginning to go vertical. Measuring in at 6 1/2".

From the top you can see how she's filling out the pot.

I had shots of THC Bomb too, but I erroneously deleted them from my phone.

 

[SweetSue]

Checking the pots this morning the message was loud and clear; it was time to water.

Watering is a relaxing pastime for me, sometimes taking hours to complete. I tend to think of it as a rainy spring day. I use the spray setting on the Chapin and water gently and frequently. Two passes, alternating between the pots, and at least ten minutes between the next pair of passes. In between, during those ten minutes, I study grow journals or research. Always feel the bottoms of the pots before beginning the next set of passes.

I get right down there in a deep squat so that I can see under the plant. It's important to me as a micro gardener to take the time to notice. You have the opportunity to get more intimately involved with the individual plant so why not? It's good exercise too, great for flexibility. You appreciate that as you grow older. While watering today I was thinking that using a fine dusting of diatomaceous earth allows it to easily wash in and compliment the silica content of your soil. Bonus!

When I could reach down and feel moisture percolating to the bottom I stopped. After a couple of hours drying in the breeze I applied a new dusting of diatomaceous earth. Always turn the fan off, give it a couple minutes for the air to settle and wear a mask. Let the DE settle for another couple minutes before kicking the fan on again.

The girls are looking sweet. THC Bomb is over 8" today.

 

[smithy8806]

youre autos are a week or 2 older than mine, im excited to see how much you get out of yours

 

[SweetSue]

I've put off cutting the side wall panels down. They're installing a new stove tomorrow, so the need to be stealthy has arisen. They're already rough cut to fit around the high baseboards at the back of the space. First step, measure and mark.

Grab a good straightedge and a cutting tool and cut. Carefully. With good light, in my case, coming over the right shoulder. In a small apartment one learns to work on a variety of surfaces. I found it easy to do this on the bed, using a box from dialysis supplies as a protective base. You work with what you have.

Sketch out the shape to fit those tall baseboards.

The end result.

All installed on the left .....

.... and on the right.

This is just tossed together using the most basic of supplies and tools. The wall panels are foam board sold at Michael's as project boards. With a sharp x-acto they cut like butter and can be shoved into spaces to fill irregular walls with relative ease. Their surface is a flat white that I feel has wonderful reflective properties. They make it unbelievably easy to adjust the width of the grow space while maintaining the smooth surface of the foam boards. I think the two panels cost me less than $5.

I'm done for the day. Still more to move out of the way for the stove delivery. The kitchen looks like a storage space. At least it will be clean and sorted through when it gets moved back. Gives me another chance to simplify my life and devote more time and energy to gardening.

 

[SweetSue]

As per the plan, today I added the second 2700K bulb to the center cord, increasing the light to 184W and 12,800 lumens.

I discovered that a quick solution to the cords swinging in the breeze was to attach a thin bamboo stake to the cord using a couple of wooden clothespins. It's not always necessary and the need for this changes as the fan is moved around, so this quick fix comes in handy.

At the moment I have two of the five cords thusly stabilized.

There is no sign of any adult fungus gnats in either pot this morning. I know, it surprised me too. What did that take, three days? One of the keys to success is maintaining that fine, dry dusting of DE as the existing larvae that haven't yet been killed by the bacteria make their way through their life cycle. I'll continue to update that daily. I'm hoping this approach was as successful as I had anticipated. It should send a ripple of relief through the growing community.

Busy day today and back-to-back trips to cardiac rehab planned today and tomorrow. After that craziness I need to take a good look at the possibilities of some LST for the Bomb. It might not be necessary though, if I can get the lights arranged to penetrate beneath the canopy. I'm not sure yet. Autos apparently don't like you to mess with them and mine are growing with nice, tight nodes, but there's some serious branching going on from all four sides.

 

[Pigeons420]

Morning Sue!

Great handy work! That's what's so enjoyable about this hobby, everyday brings new challenges and tasks that require us to work with our hands and see what we are truly capable of.

I've read a lot about LST on autos and I've found a mixed view. Some people say DONT DO ANYTHING. While others say that some LST is more than ok and in fact recommended. I am currently following a couple folks on here that ARE doing LST to their autos and getting great results. So, as I see them doing just that, I will be doing some LST to my autos to get maximum potential out of each cola.
With that said even people doing LST to their autos are doing it very lightly, just small manipulations, getting an even canopy.

Another challenge we can learn together

All the best in your travels. Stay warm and keep safe.

 

[SweetSue]

Morning Pigeons. The rule with autos is definitely use a light touch and be very respecting of their space. Get the soil right, give them adequate light and keep them at the right moisture level for my micro community to thrive and together we sit back and watch them grow. Easy peasy.

This morning, after giving them a quarter turn, I was doing a bit of leaf tucking to get more exposure to these monster branches that are developing.

Some of these fan leaves have finally gotten long enough to slip them gently beneath the smaller growth. Happily working along I suddenly noticed a flash of curly white in the upper nodes. Pistils!!!

The Buddha.....

..... and The Bomb.

Now the real fun begins - watching buds form and swell. How happy am I?

The new stove is in place and the need to be stealthy removed. While preparing to hide everything last night I decided to drop a probe into the space and see what the temps are running. Optimal is 70-80 degrees F with 50-60% RH. My tiny closet, which I keep wide open, runs around 70-73 degrees max and the RH comes in at a sweet 55%. Not bad for a low-key novice grower.

 

[smithy8806]

ahhhh dont you love when this moment happens.