Indoor bLuEs Closet CFL/250w mh+hps Grow

[bLuE]

Welcome to my grow journal! Like many others I did weeks of research before starting my grow, and i'm a firm believer that "knowledge is power". The actual germination date is 4-23-2012, but I waited a little while to start my journal because honestly there is not much to talk about as the seeds are germinating and before they really break through the soil. (And i'm pretty sure you guys are tired of seeing just pictures of dirt before they ladys break through :thumbs:.) Let me start by giving a little information on my grow...

The Medium

• Miracle Grow Organic Soil
• Miracle Grow Perlite
• 3 Gallon Pots

Mixed at 3/1 Soil/Perlite


Lighting

• Two DIY CFL Fixtures. (pretty much two 6 outlet power strips with three "Y" connecters each for a total of 12 duel spec CFLS (6) 27,00 - (6) 6,500k)
• 250watt MH
• 250watt HPS

Nutes

• FoxFarm Big Bloom
• FoxFarm Grow Big
• FoxFarm Tiger Bloom

Seeds

• 3x JointDr Easy Ryder (Low Ryder #2 + Auto AK47)
• 1x Chem9 (Photo Period) *Free*

When feeding the ladies I use tap water. I fill a couple 1 gallon jugs at let them sit out for AT LEAST 24 hours to rid the water of any chlorine that was added. I also got a fish tank air pump that I put into the jug that i'm using next. I figure after 24 hours sitting uncapped with the air pump going, by the time of the next watering, everything should be good to go. And as for the nutes I use the FoxFarm Soil Trio. To be honest I planned on just using PH'ed tap water on my first grow, until I did a little research and found out that people sell smaller quantity bottles on eBay. Which was PERFECT for my situation because after lighting, mediums, the seeds themselves I was starting to run low on funds for the grow. http://www.ebay.com/itm/160792871141?var=460069081911&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649#ht_2125wt_1037 That's the link for the guys store, I happen to live close to the NY area so for an even $10 i'm able to get 2fl of Grow Big, Big Bloom and Tiger Bloom within 3 days and FREE SHPPING This is GREAT news for new growers such as myself!

Here are a bunch of pics of the grow from the beginning....




:dance::clap:

 

[bLuE]

And although it is early in the vegetative stage I did have a question. I've noticed that the "seedling leaves" or whatever they are officially called. (the first leaves to make it though the soil, they don't look like typical marijuana leaves, they are more smooth and round) I've noticed that they are turning yellow and seem to be falling off. I'm assuming that this is natural because they where a nice bright green until recently. There are no other signs of nute deficiency or anything like that, but i did notice shorty after my first water with FoxFarm nutes. I know that there where nutes in my soil and that autos are sensitive early in their life so I didn't start the nutes until into the 3rd week and even then started at 1/4 recommended feeding to prevent burn. Anyway here is a decent pic of what i'm talking about... Is this normal?

 

[realcarlos]

Welcome to the site blue
A lot of people have trouble with miracle grow products and medical cannabis. Apparently miracle grow does not flush correctly
As for the little yellow leaves that is normal

 

[bgrt]

i have had that on a few and i think it happens eventually on all, i wouldnt worry unless it spreads up further.

they look healthy to me though a little stretchy, if height is gonna be an issue for you i would get those lights a bit closer otherwise they will end up pretty tall, either way you can LST them(tie them down basically) if it becomes a problem. with cfl's you can get them pretty close to the plants without problems.
:thumbs:
how often do you water? the stalks look thin close to the dirt i think that is a sign of overly wet medium but cant remember, just curious.

 

[bLuE]

i have had that on a few and i think it happens eventually on all, i wouldnt worry unless it spreads up further.

they look healthy to me though a little stretchy, if height is gonna be an issue for you i would get those lights a bit closer otherwise they will end up pretty tall, either way you can LST them(tie them down basically) if it becomes a problem. with cfl's you can get them pretty close to the plants without problems.
:thumbs:
how often do you water? the stalks look thin close to the dirt i think that is a sign of overly wet medium but cant remember, just curious.

Yeah I did some research on the yellowing on those first leaves and found it to be pretty normal. I know that those little first leaves act as a source for food and to find light, but since the new growth from the top is a nice healthy green I'm just going to assume it's the ladies getting rid of what they no longer need. And as for the stretching, yes they did stretch a little on the switch from CFL to 250w MH because I made the rookie mistake of putting too much distance from the plant to the MH light. At first I was going to add more soil+perlite to correct the problem and get them where they should be, but after much thought I've decided to just let them be and to correct the problem further down the line with L.S.T. because the grow closet is about 8 feet high, height really isn't an issue. And as for the watering i'm still looking for that magic number of days in which they need water, but for the most part i'm learning the weight of the pots after watering and the weight dry to determine the perfect time to water. But if I had to put it into a number, I've been watering them every 3+ days. In the beginning I was going crazy (as I've learned most do) with watering because I was impatient and wanted to make sure they had enough water. Now I've learned that less is more in this situation. Currently my strategy is to make them start seeking out water before I actually water them to promote healthy root growth. And about the Miracle Grow products not flushing correctly, I've heard and read into this. Most of my research turned up that Miracle Grow nutrients are the main culprit for this. I actually wanted to use FoxFarm Ocean Forrest for my soil, but it's unavailable in my area. And I have read that autos tend to burn when placed right into FoxFarm soil, but then again I have seen many journals where they got great results using FoxFarm soil. I plan on flushing extra well just in case either way.

 

[bgrt]

ah good stuff, you seem to have it under control anyway. just incase you hadnt known, it was hard to tell the height from those pics. easy ryder is lovely stuff if you havent grown it before, im growing two myself at the moment very resinous.

i cant find any decent soil around i know the feeling, here nothing has labels/ingredients just a vague write up about how great it is and its hard to get soil delivered most dont seem to send outside of their country.
anyway looking good, keep it up.

 

[greenthumper]

Everything is looking good man :smokebuds:

 

[bLuE]

Some more recent photos from 5-15-12, they are all coming along very nicely. Well, all but one are really taking off. But I've been watching her, she's defiantly growing. I guess she just happens to be the runt of the group. I guess we'll see.


(don't mind the drooping... pics where taken right after a nice needed watering)



:dance:

 

[JM]

everything looks good mate... sounds like you're pretty much on point....



Looks just fine... those 2 little cotyledons? no worries!

:dance2: :booya:

 

[bLuE]

5-20-12 Update

Most of the ladies grew a couple inches the past couple days.

The "runt" of the bunch had a growth spurt and started to fall over. I decided just to use a little rope and pick her up and point her away from the light so it'll straighten itself out...




Another thing I noticed was some yellowing on the bottom leaves of the photo period plant.


It was a freebie from Attitude and I had already germinated it with the Easy Ryders before I realized it was a photo rather then an auto. But my plan is to leave it with the Autos while they are under the MH. But when I switch to HPS I might take her out and keep her as a "mother" plant for clones after my auto harvest. I have many 6,500k and 2,700k CFL's still that I was planning to use for the undergrowth. But after some more thought, I was thinking to just section a part of my closet out for the mother plant and keep her under the CFL's in veg until after the E.R. are done. Then take about 6-9 clones to start my next grow.


Well that is my long term plan as of now, as always I've love to hear feedback about anything I plan on doing or info about the yellowing bottom leaves of the "mother" plant.:thumbs:


:dance: