daTenshi
Well-Known Member
Yummy! I can already smell them!!! 
Sweetsue's First Grow - Stealthy Trio of Autos Under CFLs
- Thread starter SweetSue
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- auto cfls closet growing
- Thread starter
- #482
Yummy! I can already smell them!!!
It's funny how I don't often notice until I go out and come home again. The most delicious perfumes from them - mildly fruity from both.
daTenshi
Well-Known Member
Swear I could smell the distinct tasty yummy~ness since they were just a little leaf old
SoilGirl
Well-Known Member
Wow they're really starting to flower! I have to try an auto some day. I just have to. 
And I have to mimic nhteatime... hope that poultice does the trick, I too have very little faith in conventional medicine... I've been learning a lot about our healthcare system ever since my Dad had his work accident... and much of it (if not all of it) is throwing pill after pill at you, racking up the bills and overcharging you... (overcharging is an understatement... they literally mark up simple pills like ibuprofen during emergency visits by 10,000%, and for other services a 1,000-2,000% mark up is standard, obnoxious!! if you ask me, hospital 'price masters' ought to have lynch mobs after them for how many unnecessary deaths they cause, but I digress..)
I'm so glad you're able to grow medicine for him, and medicate yourself in the process. I think that (especially if you get a strain high in CBD and other cannabinoids besides THC) growing will be a better solution for the both of you than the pill train. My dad's been on SO many pills.... he literally has 30 or more different bottles to go through, every day! And is he/was he getting any better from them? Certainly not noticeably to me or him. I honestly want him to drop the blood pressure, blood thinner, seizure, anxiety, depression, pain, ... actually, you know what, I want him to drop all his medications besides vitamins/supplements. I don't think they're helping him. They may even be mixing badly and hurting him. I believe if my dad's going to have a life long enough to meet me or my sister's kids one day, it will be because of homegrown grassroots medicine, especially cannabis, and I bet he'll die before that if he keeps on the pill train, along with our family's life savings.
Since he started his daily cannabis leaf juice, and stopped drinking alcohol, its been Miles of improvement. I take it seriously that he swears by his CBD juice now haha. I know people act like I'm ridiculous when I say "cannabis is a miracle plant" but... I believe it can and will be one of the most important medicines of our society soon, and every day as we learn more about it, I'm looking to be correct.
Stay strong Sue! All my love to you and Dale.
edit: lol I have a tendency to make things about 'me' - wasn't trying to do that there lol I promise!
-I just can relate to the 'endless cascade of medical problems' situation, since that's where my dad is. its just a domino effect. one I really want to derail >.< and I think its finally 'coming off the tracks' ... in no small way because of cannabis.
And I have to mimic nhteatime... hope that poultice does the trick, I too have very little faith in conventional medicine... I've been learning a lot about our healthcare system ever since my Dad had his work accident... and much of it (if not all of it) is throwing pill after pill at you, racking up the bills and overcharging you... (overcharging is an understatement... they literally mark up simple pills like ibuprofen during emergency visits by 10,000%, and for other services a 1,000-2,000% mark up is standard, obnoxious!! if you ask me, hospital 'price masters' ought to have lynch mobs after them for how many unnecessary deaths they cause, but I digress..)
I'm so glad you're able to grow medicine for him, and medicate yourself in the process. I think that (especially if you get a strain high in CBD and other cannabinoids besides THC) growing will be a better solution for the both of you than the pill train. My dad's been on SO many pills.... he literally has 30 or more different bottles to go through, every day! And is he/was he getting any better from them? Certainly not noticeably to me or him. I honestly want him to drop the blood pressure, blood thinner, seizure, anxiety, depression, pain, ... actually, you know what, I want him to drop all his medications besides vitamins/supplements. I don't think they're helping him. They may even be mixing badly and hurting him. I believe if my dad's going to have a life long enough to meet me or my sister's kids one day, it will be because of homegrown grassroots medicine, especially cannabis, and I bet he'll die before that if he keeps on the pill train, along with our family's life savings.
Since he started his daily cannabis leaf juice, and stopped drinking alcohol, its been Miles of improvement. I take it seriously that he swears by his CBD juice now haha. I know people act like I'm ridiculous when I say "cannabis is a miracle plant" but... I believe it can and will be one of the most important medicines of our society soon, and every day as we learn more about it, I'm looking to be correct.
Stay strong Sue! All my love to you and Dale.
edit: lol I have a tendency to make things about 'me' - wasn't trying to do that there lol I promise!
-I just can relate to the 'endless cascade of medical problems' situation, since that's where my dad is. its just a domino effect. one I really want to derail >.< and I think its finally 'coming off the tracks' ... in no small way because of cannabis.
You are so totally rocking this grow. Great job.
very nice , plants look super 
- Thread starter
- #487
The other day, while watering the aloe, I suddenly realized that this pot was the current source of my fungus gnats. Today I finally attended to that concern. I sacrificed my favorite brownie pan (to be honest, I don't often bake brownies or cakes any more - they make it significantly more challenging to keep Dale's blood sugar under control) to set up a SWICK reservoir for the pot. Letting the soil wick up the water the plant needs cuts back on the gnat problem. My hope is to completely eradicate the little buggers from the plants.
The pan was filled with perlite and filled with water to a bit more than an inch below the surface. The aloe vera is in a hard pot, so it needed to be settled into the perlite to make contact between the soil of the pot and the saturated perlite, and the water level had to be at least 1" below the bottom of the pot.
The pot was put in place and a light top dressing of neem/ kelp/crustacean meal was sprinkled over the surface and then topped off with about 1 1/2" of Worm Power vermicompost. I don't have any aloe vera powder yet, so it was watered in with regular water. I'll report on the effect of this process after a few days. I haven't figured out yet what to do about the ones who have set up house in Dale's Nepenthes collection. Next month I need to order some active mosquito dunks. That should do it all around. I should have some sticky traps on hand as well.
This lone aloe leaf is the beginning of a majestic aloe plant. It should be much happier and healthier now.
When I get aloe powder next week I plan to do the same IPC top dressing with both girls. Now, let me go and get some popcorn soaking.
The pan was filled with perlite and filled with water to a bit more than an inch below the surface. The aloe vera is in a hard pot, so it needed to be settled into the perlite to make contact between the soil of the pot and the saturated perlite, and the water level had to be at least 1" below the bottom of the pot.
The pot was put in place and a light top dressing of neem/ kelp/crustacean meal was sprinkled over the surface and then topped off with about 1 1/2" of Worm Power vermicompost. I don't have any aloe vera powder yet, so it was watered in with regular water. I'll report on the effect of this process after a few days. I haven't figured out yet what to do about the ones who have set up house in Dale's Nepenthes collection. Next month I need to order some active mosquito dunks. That should do it all around. I should have some sticky traps on hand as well.
This lone aloe leaf is the beginning of a majestic aloe plant. It should be much happier and healthier now.
When I get aloe powder next week I plan to do the same IPC top dressing with both girls. Now, let me go and get some popcorn soaking.
SAMtheAPman
New Member
I've read on this forum of people doing 24/0 for autos and saying that the flowering/life cycle is related to number of hours of light in total. So doing at 24/0 cycle will mean a quicker harvest. I personally think letting them sleep some is a good idea though.... Could the drooping just be because they've used up all of their water?
- Thread starter
- #489
I don't think so Sam. They wick the water up from the reservoir, so the supply is constant. I, like you, believe they need down time.
- Thread starter
- #490
You're like me in that respect. Be yourself with me. It's ok. Many of us here deal with the same fustrations and every once in a while we have to vent. I'm glad your dad gets relief. Love you SoilGirl.
- Thread starter
- #491
Thank you Rad.
Much of the credit goes to the soil. I can take credit for building that soil, but this recipe is living up to its hype. I'm being spoiled.
ClosedCircuit
New Member
Your girls look like they are about to start putting on some serious weight real soon!
Yeah, sue,
Your grow is doing fantastic!
Question: do you know what the difference between a SWICK and a SIP is?
I think I should do something to make watering easy indoors during summers when I'm often gone for a week or so at a time.
Maybe a water res and blumats.
Or either of the above. I haven't really looked into into it and would be months away from anything other than hand watering.
Your grow is doing fantastic!
Question: do you know what the difference between a SWICK and a SIP is?
I think I should do something to make watering easy indoors during summers when I'm often gone for a week or so at a time.
Maybe a water res and blumats.
Or either of the above. I haven't really looked into into it and would be months away from anything other than hand watering.
- Thread starter
- #494
A SIP (Sub-Irrigated Pot) has a water reservoir with some type of wicking that is either implanted into the bottom of your growing pot and hanging into the reservoir or made of columns of wicking medium. The water travels up that wick (usually a rope or piece of cloth, often a container with sphagnum peat moss) and hydrates the soil. This approach can leave dry spots in your growing medium if not carefully planned out, for instance if the wick is too small for the size of your pot. The obvious advantage is the ability to have a massive reservoir when you're gone for longer times. The most effective ones I've seen use multiple columns of sphagnum peat moss. This choice is fairly common for outdoor use and you can find numerous examples in permaculture YouTube videos.
A SWICK (Self-Wicking) has a reservoir that is filled with the wicking medium that your growing pot sits on. This allows the entire bottom surface of your growing pot to be exposed to the surface of the wicking medium, allowing for a more uniform wicking process. I use perlite. One can also use pumice, larger pieces of lava rock (sold for landscaping), or even another pot filled with a wicking medium (think your soil mix) and sitting in a reservoir filled with water. The key here is to always maintain the water level at least one inch below the surface of the wicking medium (or the bottom of the grow pot if you are using hard pots and must sift them deeper into the wicking medium to make good contact). You don't want your growing pots sitting in water. This approach is particularly effective with fabric pots.
To assure the effectiveness of a SWICK you need to add about 25% more organic material (I used sphagnum peat moss) to facilitate wicking. Gravity keeps the system from becoming waterlogged and you never have the pot going dry. The size of the reservoir can be whatever you desire, as long as the bottom of the growing pot has full contact. The reservoir basins can accommodate as many pots as you can fit on them. Cover the surface of the wicking medium with weed blocking fabric to keep algae growth down.
Be prepared to break off exiting roots. I can't do that now because my plants have grown into weighty bushes that are not easily moved. It's not really necessary to remove the roots because eventually you'll harvest and they will die of their own accord, but they entangle themselves in the perlite and can make a mess. I'm not really concerned with that, but it will be interesting to see what they've become after harvest, when I can lift the pot again.
The plants obviously appreciate being able to dictate water needs on their terms. Growth has been explosive. I know the soil accounts for much of this, but the continual availability of water is more in keeping with the natural order of things. This can be done with any plant living in a healthy, organic medium. I believe a SIP system can be done with any soil medium.
Thanks for the rep points SoilGirl.
Thanks for the thorough explanation, sue.
- Thread starter
- #496
Daily Update: Day 51 (THC Bomb Auto) & Day 50 (Buddha Magnum Auto)
The Buddha is standing firm on her stature but the Bomb went up another 1/4" to measure at 20 1/2" this morning.
I added another power strip and one more 23W 2700K bulb, shifting them around to give each plant their own set in front. I also reconfigured the side lights to one bulb of each spectrum on each side. This brings us to a total of 390W and 26,400 lumens. There are now ten 23W bulbs illuminating around the plants (6 warm, 4 cool) and four 40W bulbs (warm) over the canopy. I think this is where they will stay from this point on.
When you hang your lights around the plant like I do you run the risk of crisping up some leaf tips. I've done my fair share of this offense. This morning I was trying to figure out how to get the Bomb closer to the lights without burning her. There was one leaf that defied tucking. Suddenly I looked up and spied the S-hooks hanging from the grid and realized the solution was right there.
Thusly weighted down the leaf is safely away from the light, yet still close enough to get full and beneficial illumination. It worked so well that I applied the same technique to the front to lift a leaf away from a light by fastening it to a higher leaf.
Problem solved with no stress to the plant. Why didn't I think of this sooner? I could have spared many a leaf.
Here's a view of the total light array as it now stands.
I have a temporary screen placed in front to reflect most of that light back into the plants. Next week I'll be putting together better individual screens.
From above the Bomb is a mass of flowers and developing buds.
Buddha appears to be lagging in this respect .....
..... but that's because she's so densely structured that you can't see into her interior. Move a leaf aside and you can see her flowers filling up every available stem area.
The Bomb's interior is much more open.
The Bomb's main cola is tall and full.....
..... where Buddha's is more squatty but also more massive in girth.
After topping off the reservoirs ( Buddha is still taking on a cup more every day than the Bomb) I took the time to toss some water into my bag of mulch and give it a nice stir. It smells so wonderfully earthy inside this bag.
I wanted to end today with a special shot that is not cannabis related. Dale has a collection of Nepenthes plants (a carnivorous pitcher plant species) and this year we had one bloom. This is a first for us. It's been slowly blooming for the past couple months and this last week the stalk burst those blossoms wide open to reveal the most amazing sight.
I mean, how cool is this?
That's all I have for now. You all have a nice day. Lest I forget, atrain and daTenshi, thank you both for the reps. I'm just glad to be a positive influence in your own successful grows.
The Buddha is standing firm on her stature but the Bomb went up another 1/4" to measure at 20 1/2" this morning.
I added another power strip and one more 23W 2700K bulb, shifting them around to give each plant their own set in front. I also reconfigured the side lights to one bulb of each spectrum on each side. This brings us to a total of 390W and 26,400 lumens. There are now ten 23W bulbs illuminating around the plants (6 warm, 4 cool) and four 40W bulbs (warm) over the canopy. I think this is where they will stay from this point on.
When you hang your lights around the plant like I do you run the risk of crisping up some leaf tips. I've done my fair share of this offense. This morning I was trying to figure out how to get the Bomb closer to the lights without burning her. There was one leaf that defied tucking. Suddenly I looked up and spied the S-hooks hanging from the grid and realized the solution was right there.
Thusly weighted down the leaf is safely away from the light, yet still close enough to get full and beneficial illumination. It worked so well that I applied the same technique to the front to lift a leaf away from a light by fastening it to a higher leaf.
Problem solved with no stress to the plant. Why didn't I think of this sooner? I could have spared many a leaf.
Here's a view of the total light array as it now stands.
I have a temporary screen placed in front to reflect most of that light back into the plants. Next week I'll be putting together better individual screens.
From above the Bomb is a mass of flowers and developing buds.
Buddha appears to be lagging in this respect .....
..... but that's because she's so densely structured that you can't see into her interior. Move a leaf aside and you can see her flowers filling up every available stem area.
The Bomb's interior is much more open.
The Bomb's main cola is tall and full.....
..... where Buddha's is more squatty but also more massive in girth.
After topping off the reservoirs ( Buddha is still taking on a cup more every day than the Bomb) I took the time to toss some water into my bag of mulch and give it a nice stir. It smells so wonderfully earthy inside this bag.
I wanted to end today with a special shot that is not cannabis related. Dale has a collection of Nepenthes plants (a carnivorous pitcher plant species) and this year we had one bloom. This is a first for us. It's been slowly blooming for the past couple months and this last week the stalk burst those blossoms wide open to reveal the most amazing sight.
I mean, how cool is this?
That's all I have for now. You all have a nice day. Lest I forget, atrain and daTenshi, thank you both for the reps. I'm just glad to be a positive influence in your own successful grows.
- Thread starter
- #497
You're welcome CO and thank you for the reps. I should have left SoilGirl that note on her next post, but I didn't think you'd mind. She was on my mind at the moment.
I sometimes wonder if you realize how much of a positive influence you've had on my life.
ClosedCircuit
New Member
I know you have answered this before but I couldn't find it...what are you using for your cover crop?
Also with your wicking irrigation system, are you just pouring water into the perlite and then waiting for the plant to take it all up? Was just wondering if it was that simple or if there was anything automated. I saw you explain it COorganics but still had that "technical question
Also with your wicking irrigation system, are you just pouring water into the perlite and then waiting for the plant to take it all up? Was just wondering if it was that simple or if there was anything automated. I saw you explain it COorganics but still had that "technical question
- Thread starter
- #499
I know you have answered this before but I couldn't find it...what are you using for your cover crop?
Also with your wicking irrigation system, are you just pouring water into the perlite and then waiting for the plant to take it all up? Was just wondering if it was that simple or if there was anything automated. I saw you explain it COorganics but still had that "technical question
My cover crop was a gift of unknown seeds, mostly clover. I don't know what the larger-leaf plant is, but it makes a nice addition to the Geo Pot worm bin for added moisture, so I keep it growing. SoilGirl has a much more interesting cover crop that she got from BAS.
The SWICK is indeed just as simple as pour water into the perlite until it reaches a level just below 1" from the surface of the perlite or pot bottom, depending on how the pot is situated. Because my perlite is enclosed in the bags I made out of weed blocking material I actually push the bag away from the side and pour the water in. It honestly couldn't be easier.
Thanks sue.
I'm glad to help ya out.
I believe your cover crop blend is Dutch white clover and a type of mustard green that I can't remember.
I'm glad to help ya out.
I believe your cover crop blend is Dutch white clover and a type of mustard green that I can't remember.