I have spent nearly two weeks consuming tons of valuable information and getting to know some of the great people here at AFN, and I have decided it's time to stop dragging my feet and get to work on my first grow journal.
@Mañ'O'Green and @St. Tom , Thank you guys for explaining how everything works around here, and motivating me to get this thing going.
@damien50 , Thank you for the awesome tutorial on how to start a grow journal. I'm sure I wouldn't have made it this far without your illustrations.
A little bit about my equipment and circumstances.
currently, I'm really short on space and cash so I am going to make due with what I have on-hand for the time being. I will make additions and upgrades as I go and I'll share that info when something changes.
I'm going to be starting my seedling's under two 24" single bulb t-5 florescent fixtures, and a 12w led. I have a 80w 48" two bulb t-5 that I have to get out of storage.
I intend to pick up a Mars-hydro TS-600 in time to make the flip; If I can scrape up a little more in time, I might get the TS-1000 instead.
(The goal is just make it til tax time so I can get a proper tent set up). Until then, I'll be growing in a small space in the living room.
About the genetics / Disclaimer
I'm germinating 3 seeds. 1x Moui Woui, 1x Gran Daddy Purp, and 1x seed from a bag bought locally.
Because commercial cannabis cultivators and dispensers are held to strict guidelines that require them to track their products from seed to end-user, there is about a 90% chance the seeds are what was stated on the package. Also, because they were from commercial growers, it's probably safe to assume that they are photo-periods.
I just hope they are feminized. As for the unknown seed, the bag it came out of was lime green and ridiculously frosty so I'm hoping for more great smoke. Also, it was the only seed out of at least a dozen bags, so I'm really hoping it's not a dud or a dude.
I placed the seeds in a damp paper towel, and put the paper towel in a zip-lock bag. I zipped the bag nearly shut, then I blew it up like a balloon and closed the bag.
The bag was then wrapped in a heat pad and placed in a dark place.
@Mañ'O'Green and @St. Tom , Thank you guys for explaining how everything works around here, and motivating me to get this thing going.
@damien50 , Thank you for the awesome tutorial on how to start a grow journal. I'm sure I wouldn't have made it this far without your illustrations.
A little bit about my equipment and circumstances.
currently, I'm really short on space and cash so I am going to make due with what I have on-hand for the time being. I will make additions and upgrades as I go and I'll share that info when something changes.
I'm going to be starting my seedling's under two 24" single bulb t-5 florescent fixtures, and a 12w led. I have a 80w 48" two bulb t-5 that I have to get out of storage.
I intend to pick up a Mars-hydro TS-600 in time to make the flip; If I can scrape up a little more in time, I might get the TS-1000 instead.
(The goal is just make it til tax time so I can get a proper tent set up). Until then, I'll be growing in a small space in the living room.
About the genetics / Disclaimer
I'm germinating 3 seeds. 1x Moui Woui, 1x Gran Daddy Purp, and 1x seed from a bag bought locally.
Because commercial cannabis cultivators and dispensers are held to strict guidelines that require them to track their products from seed to end-user, there is about a 90% chance the seeds are what was stated on the package. Also, because they were from commercial growers, it's probably safe to assume that they are photo-periods.
I just hope they are feminized. As for the unknown seed, the bag it came out of was lime green and ridiculously frosty so I'm hoping for more great smoke. Also, it was the only seed out of at least a dozen bags, so I'm really hoping it's not a dud or a dude.
I placed the seeds in a damp paper towel, and put the paper towel in a zip-lock bag. I zipped the bag nearly shut, then I blew it up like a balloon and closed the bag.
The bag was then wrapped in a heat pad and placed in a dark place.
Day Two Above Soil
It's been five days since my last entry, and I apologize for the delays. I wanted to get some cool photos of the freshly germinated seeds, and do a "day one" update but life happens. So it's day two above soil and a few things have changed, all for the better so far.
First of all I'm happy to announce that there has been 133% germination rate! I know, I know, 133% how is that even possible?
Well, the morning after putting my three seeds in the paper towel to germinate, I went to check on them, and was happy to find that two of the seeds had sprouted their roots. The third seed (the grand daddy purp), although no root was showing, was split open and I could tell the root would be popping out within the next couple hours. at this point I started preparing my starter pots to make a new home for the seedlings.
This is when my girlfriend reaches into her purse and produces a bloated zip-lock baggie. She opens the bag, folds back the paper towel, and sure enough there is a Moui Woui seed with a root about a quarter of an inch long laying in front of me. She went on to explain that she knew I had been planning to start my grow and she wanted to surprise me. She said she had put three seeds in her purse to germinate two days prior to me germinating my seeds. Two of the three seeds she had selected to germinate were small, pale, and very immature. She knew the odds of them germinating were slim at best, but was curious if they would do anything at all. So now I have four happy little seedlings, instead of the three that I had anticipated.
This worked out well. I had three starter pots filled with Miracle-Grow potting mix, and a red solo cup that is now home to the extra Moui seedling.
Because I'm short on space, the original plan was to let the three seedlings do their thing and the Largest would be selected for a new home in a 3 gallon pot. The smallest would be selected for the solo cup challenge, and the remaining plant would be put into a 1.75 gallon pot. However, now the two larger ones will be put into 2.5 gallon pots, the smaller of the three will be put in a 1 gallon pot, and the extra Moui will live out its life in the solo cup.
All of the newly planted seedlings were put in their starter pots, and placed in a tote under a single 24" t-5 florescent light to sprout. I left them for about 16 hours and when I returned I was happy to find all four plants had broken ground. The three in starter pots were less than a half inch tall, two had shaken off their seed husk and were unfolding their first set of leaves. The Moui sprout in the solo cup was standing about 2 1/2 inches tall, but had yet to shed its seed husk.(which I have since removed both of the remaining seed husk). But to my surprise, the plant to the far right already has 2 sets of leaves! while the three other plants only have their first set of smooth, round leaves.
Before removing the seed husk
There has since been a change in lighting as well. A family member had a tote lid that had been cut, and had chicken wire zip-tied to it. He used this as a lid for a tote that he had been incubating chicken eggs in. Luckily, the lid fit my tote perfectly. He also offered to let me use a pair of his 24" led lights instead of my florescent fixture. This works well, seeing that his led's were easily ten times brighter than the decade old t-5 I was using.
This one gives a better comparison between the size of the solo cup seedling and it's sibling behind it. All of the others are about the same size as the smaller one.
After removing seed husk
First of all I'm happy to announce that there has been 133% germination rate! I know, I know, 133% how is that even possible?
Well, the morning after putting my three seeds in the paper towel to germinate, I went to check on them, and was happy to find that two of the seeds had sprouted their roots. The third seed (the grand daddy purp), although no root was showing, was split open and I could tell the root would be popping out within the next couple hours. at this point I started preparing my starter pots to make a new home for the seedlings.
This is when my girlfriend reaches into her purse and produces a bloated zip-lock baggie. She opens the bag, folds back the paper towel, and sure enough there is a Moui Woui seed with a root about a quarter of an inch long laying in front of me. She went on to explain that she knew I had been planning to start my grow and she wanted to surprise me. She said she had put three seeds in her purse to germinate two days prior to me germinating my seeds. Two of the three seeds she had selected to germinate were small, pale, and very immature. She knew the odds of them germinating were slim at best, but was curious if they would do anything at all. So now I have four happy little seedlings, instead of the three that I had anticipated.
This worked out well. I had three starter pots filled with Miracle-Grow potting mix, and a red solo cup that is now home to the extra Moui seedling.
Because I'm short on space, the original plan was to let the three seedlings do their thing and the Largest would be selected for a new home in a 3 gallon pot. The smallest would be selected for the solo cup challenge, and the remaining plant would be put into a 1.75 gallon pot. However, now the two larger ones will be put into 2.5 gallon pots, the smaller of the three will be put in a 1 gallon pot, and the extra Moui will live out its life in the solo cup.
All of the newly planted seedlings were put in their starter pots, and placed in a tote under a single 24" t-5 florescent light to sprout. I left them for about 16 hours and when I returned I was happy to find all four plants had broken ground. The three in starter pots were less than a half inch tall, two had shaken off their seed husk and were unfolding their first set of leaves. The Moui sprout in the solo cup was standing about 2 1/2 inches tall, but had yet to shed its seed husk.(which I have since removed both of the remaining seed husk). But to my surprise, the plant to the far right already has 2 sets of leaves! while the three other plants only have their first set of smooth, round leaves.
Before removing the seed husk
There has since been a change in lighting as well. A family member had a tote lid that had been cut, and had chicken wire zip-tied to it. He used this as a lid for a tote that he had been incubating chicken eggs in. Luckily, the lid fit my tote perfectly. He also offered to let me use a pair of his 24" led lights instead of my florescent fixture. This works well, seeing that his led's were easily ten times brighter than the decade old t-5 I was using.
This one gives a better comparison between the size of the solo cup seedling and it's sibling behind it. All of the others are about the same size as the smaller one.
After removing seed husk
Week 1
It's been 7 days above soil now, and there's not really much to report at this point. The Moui in the solo cup, and the Gran Daddy Purp are showing the most vigor, however they all appear to be just fine. There was a little yellowing in the leaves of the ones I helped out of their shells, but that has since cleared up and they are all a nice shade of emerald now.
Moui Woui
Gran Daddy Purp
I'm a little concerned about drainage, on day 3 I gave them about two oz of water each and got about a half oz of run off. They are in solo cup sized containers, so this shouldn't have happened. After giving it some more thought, the bag of potting mix was left outside for about a month, so it was most likely pre-saturated by rain and humidity even though the bag was unopened. I haven't watered in the last 4 days to allow the soil to dry out a little, but the way its looking they might not get watered again for another 3 or 4 days because the soil is still damp on the surface. I considered putting a heat pad under them to help the drying process a little, and I should have added a fan a day or two ago. At the moment I don't have a fan suitable for them but i'll be getting one in the next couple of days.
Also, I'll be picking up some Neem oil, the damp soil will attract unwanted bugs, and can cause mold and mildew so I want to stay ahead of any potential problems as best I can. I saw a flying insect on the side of the solo cup the other day, I'm not sure what it was. It had the same body shape as a mosquito, only it was about 4 times the size. It was also a light tan color and had transparent, but visible wings. the last thing I want is larva in my soil.
The unknown seedling is the runt of the litter. I'm not sure if it's genetic, or if it's just being a little more fussy about the over saturated soil. The leaves are ragged at the tips and don't seem to be expanding much (the first set of real leaves, not the smooth lobe shaped cotyledon leaves).
left to right: Gran Daddy Purp, Moui Woui, Unknown, Moui Woui.
Unknown- runt
Also, I put them back under the florescent lights, the red and blue led's were driving me crazy trying to get pictures, also I replaced the t-5 bulb with a t-8 and plan to add the second one soon (my second bulb blew).
Thank you all for fallowing along, I know this is the boring part of growing but I'll keep the updates coming. At this point I'll probably update weekly unless there's a problem or a change in equipment. see you next time.
Moui Woui
Gran Daddy Purp
I'm a little concerned about drainage, on day 3 I gave them about two oz of water each and got about a half oz of run off. They are in solo cup sized containers, so this shouldn't have happened. After giving it some more thought, the bag of potting mix was left outside for about a month, so it was most likely pre-saturated by rain and humidity even though the bag was unopened. I haven't watered in the last 4 days to allow the soil to dry out a little, but the way its looking they might not get watered again for another 3 or 4 days because the soil is still damp on the surface. I considered putting a heat pad under them to help the drying process a little, and I should have added a fan a day or two ago. At the moment I don't have a fan suitable for them but i'll be getting one in the next couple of days.
Also, I'll be picking up some Neem oil, the damp soil will attract unwanted bugs, and can cause mold and mildew so I want to stay ahead of any potential problems as best I can. I saw a flying insect on the side of the solo cup the other day, I'm not sure what it was. It had the same body shape as a mosquito, only it was about 4 times the size. It was also a light tan color and had transparent, but visible wings. the last thing I want is larva in my soil.
The unknown seedling is the runt of the litter. I'm not sure if it's genetic, or if it's just being a little more fussy about the over saturated soil. The leaves are ragged at the tips and don't seem to be expanding much (the first set of real leaves, not the smooth lobe shaped cotyledon leaves).
left to right: Gran Daddy Purp, Moui Woui, Unknown, Moui Woui.
Unknown- runt
Also, I put them back under the florescent lights, the red and blue led's were driving me crazy trying to get pictures, also I replaced the t-5 bulb with a t-8 and plan to add the second one soon (my second bulb blew).
Thank you all for fallowing along, I know this is the boring part of growing but I'll keep the updates coming. At this point I'll probably update weekly unless there's a problem or a change in equipment. see you next time.
Week 2
Alright guys, I think today is about week two now. They are getting ready to take off soon. The runt is growing a little goofy and it got it's 3rd node plucked today in hopes of it getting some leaf coverage. It might be a little early for topping but I doubt it will hurt it at this point. Anyway here they are:
Left to right. Gran daddy purp, moui woui, unknown, moui woui.
Here's the runt that's growing goofy.
Solo cup moui
GDP
The second moui
Left to right. Gran daddy purp, moui woui, unknown, moui woui.
Here's the runt that's growing goofy.
Solo cup moui
GDP
The second moui
Week 3
Ok guy's, I've been away for quite a bit now. My laptop died on me and I was hoping to get it fixed by now but it hasn't happened, so I'm going to attempt to catch up on my missed updates on the mobile platform.
This is week 3, time for transplant. Everything except the solo cup maui gets a new home.
Maui
From left to right: gdp, unknown, maui, solo cup maui.
Unknown seedling
Gdp
I apologize, I would like these to be more organized but it's much harder to manage these on the mobile platform
This is week 3, time for transplant. Everything except the solo cup maui gets a new home.
Maui
From left to right: gdp, unknown, maui, solo cup maui.
Unknown seedling
Gdp
I apologize, I would like these to be more organized but it's much harder to manage these on the mobile platform
Week 4
The GDP is now big enough to start training her down. (Actually it's a little overdue).
Week 5
Everything's still going well and getting bigger. It's now time to start training down the second maui.
Week 6
Everything is still growing bigger and bustier but this is where I start to notice some issues. I'm starting to see what looks like cal mag problems and a little burning on some of the plants.
Week 7
GDP is getting bushy! Everything still going fairly well and they are getting plenty of new growth. Seeing some curling around the edges of the leaves. I let them get a little too close to the lights so I raised the lights a bit and gave a few folier sprays to help them bounce back.
Week 8
Things seem to not be getting any better or worse at this point. The plants aren't showing growth as rapidly as before and my leaves are still curling at the edges and seem pale between the veins.
Week 9
Things have gone from ok-ish to catastrophic. The leaves are showing drastic deterioration and no signs of recovery. Many leaves have wilted and feel soft and squishy and are pulling of very easily. I fear I may not be able to save the larger maui or the unknown plant. I had to remove almost all the fans from them because of the damage. The solo cup is the only one still looking fairly vibrant and healthy.
