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Hello hello! I wanted to post a little recap of my first grow which I like to reference the differences between "my very first time" and "YEAH now I'm a MAN! ie. second grow"
Now I will be honest, these are all photo strains, but these lead me to my first auto on my second grow (in progress), and my third grow will be strictly autos.
Seeds:
Bag seed from random decent bud.
Strains (non-feminized):
(unknown)
Germination Method:
Paper towel method. Paper towel method. Soaked paper towels and wrung them out, folded them into squares, placed seeds on squares and put into bottom drawer of my dresser (dark and consistently warm.)
Grow Tent and Equipment
Grow tent - My grow tent is a 4 foot by 4 foot by 6.5 foot tent with three 6" intake/exhaust ports with several mesh windows with flaps that close on them.
Lights - A 400W MH/HPS switchable w/ reflector
Cooling - One 6" 240 CFM inline fan as an intake fan and one 6" 240 CFM inline fan as an exhaust. No duct work. Just stuck them in the port socks on the tents. Despite not using ducts, the fans kept the tent VERY cool while the 400W MH was being used; but admittedly the room the tent was in is a very cool room to begin with.
Smell - Nothing. First grow, bag seed, figured "it's only four plants, how bad can it stink?" Oh man. Served that one up with a slice of dumb ass.
Soil - Miracle Grow with a LOT of perlite.
Nutrients - Tried Miracle Grow plant fertilizer (the blue granules.) Burned the CRAP out of the leaves. Tried toning it back; less burn, but started reading and realized how much growers HATE miracle grow. Decided to quit with the MG fert and read up on SuperThrive. Ordered a bottle, and have used it ever since. Awesome stuff.
The grow:
Once the seeds sprouted and had developed some roots in the peat pots; I transplanted them to 2 gallon pots. I have a pretty good sized back yard with LOTS of foliage, so I set the plants outside for a maybe two or three weeks to soak up some sun (this was about mid June.) Once they started sprouting some tell-tale leaves, it was time to go inside.
Put them in the new grow tent and flipped on the new 400W lamp with a MH bulb. It didn't take long to notice some of the differences between having the plants grow outside and growing inside in a controlled environment. Like the difference between having a HOLE SPIDER trying to take over one of your plants outside and NOT.
Let them veg for a good month or so on an 18/6 light cycle. I could REALLY start to smell them during late veg. At close to 18", I switched over to the 400W HPS bulb and switched to 12/12 lighting to induce flowering.
During the next few weeks; I decided to move my tent downstairs to help with the heat (I think August heat is a killer ANYWHERE.) During this time, I decided to switch over to a 1000W HPS light and I added another 240 CFM inline fan.
This is where I learned a few things. Around 82 degrees ambient temp with my 400W MH in the middle of hot humid august with my fans going. Could definitely be better. Could definitely be worse. Slapped that 1000W light on going "oh boy oh boy I can't wait to see how they like this!" Came back a few hours later and 105 deg F in my tent! OH MAN! WHAT DID YOU DO?! DANGER DANGER! WHY!? Switched back over to the 400W until I could sort out my heat issues. Ended up ordering some 6" flex duct and another inline fan to help vent out the heat from the 1000W. After the new inline fan and duct work; now it stays around 82 deg F with the 1000W on. Still could be better; but it beats 105 deg!
This is where I learned a few more things. Spider mites LOVE heat. Oh spider mites. You silly harlot. I've heard the stories of you but never knew the hard fisted touch of your tiny little fingers! And my intake duct is right next a perfectly ground level window! Joy of joys!
I looked up a lot of remedies and cures and tried a few different things; ordered up some Doktor Doom Spider Mite killer. I sprayed the CRAP out of my plants with this stuff. I don't know if that was the thing to do. It claims after 24 hour you're okay to harvest, but man... let me just say something here. Don't spray this IN your tent. Don't spray this IN your basement. Take your plants outside if at all possible or a garage. Because of there were any spider mites in my LUNGS... well they are probably dead NOW. Nasty fumey stuff.
Anyways I knocked out the first infestation with the spray, but I didn't get all the eggs and they came back. I could see them slowly working their way up the plants. I had read so much and talked to so many people that have "spider mites killed all my plants" stories that I panicked and decided to do a real early harvest. Plant were totally not done but I didn't want to lose them to Charlotte's Web (willburrrr!)
So I sprayed them again real good, waited 24 hours, and started my disappointingly early harvest on plants that were not ready.
I learned a lot on this 1st time grow. Cleanliness, heat, proper nutrient feedings, quality of substrates, odor control, patience.
It seems to me when it comes to growing, it's better to be proactive to something then reactive. Better to prevent than try to fix. But a learning process for us new guys, that's for sure!
Anyways, here are some of the pictures shortly after the 12/12 switch.
View attachment 134181
View attachment 134182
View attachment 134183
Now I will be honest, these are all photo strains, but these lead me to my first auto on my second grow (in progress), and my third grow will be strictly autos.
Seeds:
Bag seed from random decent bud.
Strains (non-feminized):
(unknown)
Germination Method:
Paper towel method. Paper towel method. Soaked paper towels and wrung them out, folded them into squares, placed seeds on squares and put into bottom drawer of my dresser (dark and consistently warm.)
Grow Tent and Equipment
Grow tent - My grow tent is a 4 foot by 4 foot by 6.5 foot tent with three 6" intake/exhaust ports with several mesh windows with flaps that close on them.
Lights - A 400W MH/HPS switchable w/ reflector
Cooling - One 6" 240 CFM inline fan as an intake fan and one 6" 240 CFM inline fan as an exhaust. No duct work. Just stuck them in the port socks on the tents. Despite not using ducts, the fans kept the tent VERY cool while the 400W MH was being used; but admittedly the room the tent was in is a very cool room to begin with.
Smell - Nothing. First grow, bag seed, figured "it's only four plants, how bad can it stink?" Oh man. Served that one up with a slice of dumb ass.
Soil - Miracle Grow with a LOT of perlite.
Nutrients - Tried Miracle Grow plant fertilizer (the blue granules.) Burned the CRAP out of the leaves. Tried toning it back; less burn, but started reading and realized how much growers HATE miracle grow. Decided to quit with the MG fert and read up on SuperThrive. Ordered a bottle, and have used it ever since. Awesome stuff.
The grow:
Once the seeds sprouted and had developed some roots in the peat pots; I transplanted them to 2 gallon pots. I have a pretty good sized back yard with LOTS of foliage, so I set the plants outside for a maybe two or three weeks to soak up some sun (this was about mid June.) Once they started sprouting some tell-tale leaves, it was time to go inside.
Put them in the new grow tent and flipped on the new 400W lamp with a MH bulb. It didn't take long to notice some of the differences between having the plants grow outside and growing inside in a controlled environment. Like the difference between having a HOLE SPIDER trying to take over one of your plants outside and NOT.
Let them veg for a good month or so on an 18/6 light cycle. I could REALLY start to smell them during late veg. At close to 18", I switched over to the 400W HPS bulb and switched to 12/12 lighting to induce flowering.
During the next few weeks; I decided to move my tent downstairs to help with the heat (I think August heat is a killer ANYWHERE.) During this time, I decided to switch over to a 1000W HPS light and I added another 240 CFM inline fan.
This is where I learned a few things. Around 82 degrees ambient temp with my 400W MH in the middle of hot humid august with my fans going. Could definitely be better. Could definitely be worse. Slapped that 1000W light on going "oh boy oh boy I can't wait to see how they like this!" Came back a few hours later and 105 deg F in my tent! OH MAN! WHAT DID YOU DO?! DANGER DANGER! WHY!? Switched back over to the 400W until I could sort out my heat issues. Ended up ordering some 6" flex duct and another inline fan to help vent out the heat from the 1000W. After the new inline fan and duct work; now it stays around 82 deg F with the 1000W on. Still could be better; but it beats 105 deg!
This is where I learned a few more things. Spider mites LOVE heat. Oh spider mites. You silly harlot. I've heard the stories of you but never knew the hard fisted touch of your tiny little fingers! And my intake duct is right next a perfectly ground level window! Joy of joys!
I looked up a lot of remedies and cures and tried a few different things; ordered up some Doktor Doom Spider Mite killer. I sprayed the CRAP out of my plants with this stuff. I don't know if that was the thing to do. It claims after 24 hour you're okay to harvest, but man... let me just say something here. Don't spray this IN your tent. Don't spray this IN your basement. Take your plants outside if at all possible or a garage. Because of there were any spider mites in my LUNGS... well they are probably dead NOW. Nasty fumey stuff.
Anyways I knocked out the first infestation with the spray, but I didn't get all the eggs and they came back. I could see them slowly working their way up the plants. I had read so much and talked to so many people that have "spider mites killed all my plants" stories that I panicked and decided to do a real early harvest. Plant were totally not done but I didn't want to lose them to Charlotte's Web (willburrrr!)
So I sprayed them again real good, waited 24 hours, and started my disappointingly early harvest on plants that were not ready.
I learned a lot on this 1st time grow. Cleanliness, heat, proper nutrient feedings, quality of substrates, odor control, patience.
It seems to me when it comes to growing, it's better to be proactive to something then reactive. Better to prevent than try to fix. But a learning process for us new guys, that's for sure!
Anyways, here are some of the pictures shortly after the 12/12 switch.
View attachment 134181
View attachment 134182
View attachment 134183
Hey that's a pun, isn't it 
