First Journal plus intro, come one come all ;)

Ok, first I would like to thank RIU as well as all the innovative members that are here as I would have never considered taking on this endeavour without this place or the members. Yes, I have read all "stickies" and have been trolling here for some time.....I may ask a few questions that have been answered before but believe me that I am asking for either clarification or for the purpose of spurring discussion as I feel I know a fair bit but others on this board are god-like in their cannabiskills.
I will be adding a bunch of useless information on this journal, probably obvious stuff for most of you but I figured the more I add the more I will learn...so the theory goes.

I am (was) a medicinal user that was forced to move to a state where it isn't looked so kindly upon. Economy, health care and the wife's law school tuition has forced us from paradise to hell....a story for another day...

So, on to the space/plans and what my needs are medicinally speaking.

The space:
Since I have been a home owner most of my life this (for me anyway) is the sketchiest part of the project as I am now a renter . The space I have chosen to live/grow is as secure as a rental can be with a landlord who doesn't care what we do in the space as long as we clear any electrical work prior. The building is about 25,000 sq feet with only 5 people living there (our space is about 3500 sq foot or so), must have a key even to enter the building and it is in a area with no other residential. Landlord gives a 48 hr notice if he needs in, prior tenant was there 5 years and never had the landlord visit as he made all repairs/upkeep and I plan on doing the same.

There is plenty of electrical including 4 different 220 outlets, 18 foot ceilings and all brick walls so cleaning, space and electrical are all a non issue. My wife is 110% supportive and has allowed me carte blanche as to the garden's location and size. I have decided on a space that butts up against a wall of southern facing windows as it will provide easy ventilation as well as stealth air discharge.
The size of the actual spot I have planned is about 20 feet wide by 15 feet deep and I will go to the ceiling in height (10 foot room ceiling with 6 foot or so of false space above for scrubbed air discharge). Yes the size is large for medicinal purposes but will only produce enough for personal use as the rest of the space will be used for other plant matter I consume daily (micro greens, wheat grass, sprouts...). I have already constructed the frame of the room out of conduit and klee klamps and will wrap the inside with panda film and the outside with a thick hemp drop cloth. Landlord already saw the frame/poly and tarp and "knows" it is for my spray booth and woodworking area.....got to keep the dust out of the living space <space reserved for photos>

Lighting:
Currently I have a 400 w set up that is left over from when I grew years back (pre mmc being issued) which I plan on replacing with a newer digital ballast as well as adding a second light as well (yet to be determined). I also have a bank of T-5's (4- 4 foot 8 bulb units) that I use for my other greens. I will borrow 2 of the T-5's for the mother/clone area to start with until I can afford to buy a few more as they are still a bit pricey.<space reserved for photos>

Air scrubbing/filtration:
I will be building a complete exhaust system for the lighting as well as the room. Thank you to panhead for inspiring me to build my own carbon filter....I already have the carbon ordered and will hit up a home improvement store this weekend for the rest of the materials. I also have a ozone generator that will be used if needed and will be housed and wired up in the "attic" portion of the room. For ducting I will be using "hard type" where possible as I have a ton of it on hand. As for the cage type fan I am still yet undecided and would love any input in this area...hell all areas
With the location I chose I can easily add an A/C unit as I have easy access to windows and fresh air, hope it doesn't get to that point but the option is there for sure.<space reserved for photos>

Grow Medium:
I currently have 4 females that are in Hempy style buckets that have been in a veg state for the past 3 months and are dying for a break in the light schedule. I plan on running a mini SOG so every few weeks I will have a smallish harvest....so keep this in mind . I intend on staying with the hempy buckets but I am torn between hydro and good ole soil for the balance of the plants.....maybe I just go with the flow and see what I like. I have zero experience with cannabis and hydro but have been using it extensively for my micro greens over the last few years. Soil is tried and true but it is also a consumable I would rather avoid as hauling 20 bags of soil up the freight elevator every few months probably isn't the smartest option....my back is in agreement....bag the soil....literally. So I guess it is hempy's and hydro....parts list to follow Any and all input welcomed as to the actual grow medium you prefer and why....for my micro greens I use a coconut hull based roll (36" wide by 100ft roll) which works great as they only grow for a week to ten days before harvest. So

Nutes:
Would really like some advice here as the nutes I use for my "other greens" will not work. Yes, some of the components will work (Worm tea, sea bird guano, sea kelp, etc.) but would prefer to have a ready mix or something that is fairly straightforward. My worm casings and "black gold" I will most likely lose access to as I think my wife will draw the line at having a worm farm in the loft but I am still working on her . So feel free to chime in on brands that you use and above all why you have chosen them. This is an area I really need to buff up on and want to learn so any and all tips are welcomed.

Initial stock:
4- Mystery clones that a club member gave to me before we left....he will let me know what they are when I need to know....guess it will be a surprise Somehow they survived a 2500 mile trek and are now residing in a makeshift wardrobe.
I am currently looking at a few options for new genetics....probably from seed but isn't a priority atm.

Extra's:
CO2 Tank (Big sucker, old school soda pop machine version) Free
2-Old school glass bake rounds (will use for hps) Free


Wish List/Need to buy:
Misc. hydro fittings (ordered)
1 or 2- T-5 setups to replace the borrowed ones (wating to see if I need 1 or 2)
Digital ballast (for existing 400 w) will order with other lighting
New HPS system (still deciding) will order with other lighting
55 gallon blue food grade drum (Found source local) still need to buy
Nutes
CO2 Regulator (Still researching)
Find local supplier of 4 cf perlite bags I know of 1 place but they are not nice people
More stuff to be added.....

I will try to get photo's up for all above sections as well as put a section up of stuff I am researching so that others may benefit. (This weekend sometime as I haven't found the box with the camera )

Open to any and all advice, questions to spur thought....etc. This is something I am committed to as I have no club to fall back on and refuse to go back to the pharmaceutical solution that is pushed on us daily.

Well, better late than never I guess.
The move has taken a toll on me as we (the wife really) has had more projects for me than I care to admit. New place, new ideas, honey-do list....those that are married will understand

Needless to say my projects have taken a backseat to everything else so I have not got my set up the way I had initially planned.....all good though.

I modified my plans a bit as far as the room construction is concerned, I will start a new thread for the construction and set up in the coming weeks. Initially I planned on a homemade grow tent type deal but have decided that I want more space to play with, go figure. The current set up is a 3 foot by 5 foot by 6 foot frame with black poly and emergency blankets....this is for flower. It was thrown together in a few hours as a quick fix as my initial stock (clones) had been in veg state for far too long.

The fencing type door you see serves dual purposes....not by choice of course. First purpose is to keep the temps down a bit, the new room will have a/c (already have a 12,000 btu ready to go) but I need to make a light trap for it so I figured I would wait for my new room construction. The second purpose is to keep predators out.....worse than deer or rabbits I give you Emily, The all powerfull destroyer of cannabis.

She likes to get her buzz on anytime she has the opportunity so I needed a temp solution until the other room is finished. It has worked thus far and has helped with the temps as well.

My current veg area consists of 4-T8 flouro's and 2-T5 flouro's, will get photos up soon....currently behind a mound of boxes from the move
I am currently using fox farm products for nutes and soil as well as a concoction of kelp, worm casings, bone and blood meal and fish emulsion. With the new room I will be going 100% organic, would have for this grow as well but I have just had too much on my plate....K.I.S.S. theory.

The girls:
Well, both of the bigguns are mystery clones that a club member gave me before I moved....I have begged and pleaded for him to clue me in as to what the strain is but he won't budge, supposed to be a suprise....I guess beggars can't be choosers
Both survived the trek cross country with little stress....talk about a rush. Driving 2000+ miles through numerous jurisdictions with clones in tow probably wasn't the brightest idea but LEO wasn't the wiser during the few incidents we had (I have a lead foot ). They resided in a small igloo cooler during the trip...great travel companions...no bathroom breaks


They were kept in veg much longer than my liking but all is good. I had to use a bit of bondage on them to keep them manageable but they seemed to like it....naughty, naughty girls. Currently they are 30 days in to flower.
The first girl was a bit droopy as she was craving some water.

The next round of girls will be going in to the new room once it is complete, these are going to be fun.


These are a cross between a strain my brother grows in Tamasopo, MX. and a strain he aquired from Oaxaca,MX. He has been growing this strain for 5 years now but always outdoors.....should be a fun ride to see what these ladies do. Due to location we don't get to see each other often but he was nice enough to bring me some stock when he came up in May.

And for the plant abuse specialists.....this started creeping up over the last day or two, flushed them good and PH is right in line....not sure if it is a deficiency or lock out....only one of the girls is affected and it so happens it is the one with a smaller pot....hopefully the flush does the trick.

Any advice is more than welcome.....
Sorry for the long post, promise to keep future updates short and sweet......

32 days in flower

Not much to update, buds are starting to swell a bit. When the lights went on today I noticed a few branches laying sideways due to weight so they have been tied up. Girl 2 was thirsty again this morning so don't mind her droopiness.

Girl 1 Mystery Clone







Girl 2 Mystery Clone








Will post photos of the girls next in line later today, batteries died on the camera

Couple of quick pics....day 33





Will take better photos tomorrow when they get their feeding.

Day 36 of flower

Couple pics, if anyone has an idea on the last pic feel free to chime in. I flushed her a few times over the last 5 days, seems that it isn't progressing at this point but would still like to know what it is. PH is currently at 5.8, I am using FF products.

looking good my friend

the only thing ive seen that was similar to that last pic was bugs on the bottom of the leaves... sry i couldnt be much help

and i must say that emily looks like a FIERCE cat
is that one of those ocelot mix?

TodayIsAGreenday said:

looking good my friend

the only thing ive seen that was similar to that last pic was bugs on the bottom of the leaves... sry i couldnt be much help

and i must say that emily looks like a FIERCE cat
is that one of those ocelot mix?

Click to expand...

Well, its not a bug of some sort....been fortunate that I haven't even had a gnat problem.....haven't seen a bug since the grow started.

Nah, she isn't fierce....only to the plants She is an Asian leopard cat from Malaysia. She is a real sweetie but she likes to talk and be vocal...thus the picture with her mid chirp....guess chirp is the right word...not a meow and not a bark, kinda in between.

lol same with my kitten shes adorable but if i let her anywhere near the plants its a death sentence she broke my biggest one in half last year lol.

im sure shes an awesome cat its just that in that certain pic with the eyes all yellow and in mid chirp

i would love to have a cat like that though the spots are awesome

the only other thing i can think of is just a really weird start to nute burn or something and the only reason i say that is cuz of the burnt looking tip

TodayIsAGreenday said:

lol same with my kitten shes adorable but if i let her anywhere near the plants its a death sentence she broke my biggest one in half last year lol.

im sure shes an awesome cat its just that in that certain pic with the eyes all yellow and in mid chirp

i would love to have a cat like that though the spots are awesome

the only other thing i can think of is just a really weird start to nute burn or something and the only reason i say that is cuz of the burnt looking tip

Click to expand...

I was thinking a bit of nute burn myself....hope that is the case as I have flushed her good so all should be well. What puzzles me is the variegated look of the leaves ....will continue to keep a close eye on her.

Well, last night one of my biggest fears came true, visitors of authority with no notice. About 3 a.m. the fire alarms in the building went off....not normal fire alarms but the kind that are put in industrial buildings as that is where our loft is. 4 sirens on each floor and emergency strobes going off everywhere.....needless to say I was almost resigned to spending the week in the slammer. Within 2 minutes we had a ladder truck and 3 firetrucks out front of the building along with a farm's worth of pork doing what they do best....nothing. They evacuated the building, minus me and the wife as they didn't know we were still in the loft, and proceeded to do a floor by floor search.
As soon as the alarms went off I shut down all my lights, fans and equipment for both my veg and flower areas and covered it all with a huge blue poly tarp. Yes, this was my only plan to make everything "stealth" as we don't have visitors and the landlord does not enter our place....ever. Within a minute of the trucks arriving we had 4 burly fireman at our door asking us to evacuate the building as they needed to search for the source of the "fire". Immediately I objected and told them I was not leaving my cat as she is an endangered species (which is true) and I did not trust them to make sure she didn't bolt. Didn't work My wife got furious and told them that they could not afford to lose her as it would be six months of salary for them to replace her and a public relations nightmare if they lost an endangered species....they caved in finally kiss-ass. After a few minutes of them grudgingly wandering around our place checking walls for heat they came to the big blue tarp. Just as one of them were about to lift it my wife said "Unless you want to be responsible for what is under there you shouldn't mess with it". To my amazement it actually worked as he smirked and muttered something under his breath as he walked away.
Turns out the people that moved in above us had cut the wires to the alarm system thinking they could wire it to provide power (think heavy duty wires). Don't know what the idiots are up to but I am pretty sure they won't be here much longer....good thing as they almost compromised my grow.
What I have learned from this experience:
1. There will always be outside variables that can compromise your grow
2. My new room needs to be completed sooner rather than later so that it is hidden and lockable.
3. Trying to steal power is never a good idea
4. I can move pretty quick in the dark
5. My wife can be a real bitch if she wants to be....no offense honey but I have never seen you like that before.....she thought quick and really sold it.
Hopefully today will be uneventful....

Few quick shots to end a crazy day......

Thank you to my clone donor....got a few clues as to what they are. Emailed him the link to this journal so he could read the drama/see his babies. Told him that I thought that they were 2 different strains....I was correct. That is all I could get out of him so the mystery continues. I do know that 1 finishes earlier than the other.....one is still putting on weight and size and the other is already showing signs of finishing up. Thanks again mate....if you read this register and say hello.......on to the pics.

First girl (early finisher)




Second girl



Group shot right before lights on



Veg area.....bad shot but you get the idea

Well, seems I screwed my dates up, these are actually 47 days in not 36. I somehow saved a text file with the dates wrong..... Good thing is they will be ready sooner....relatively speaking
Day 47 Flower
Girl 1





Need more practice and need to be sober next time I take the trich shots....some cloudy, some clear with a touch of amber starting to creep in.






This girl probably needs another 3 weeks or so at least, keeps piling on the girth and still look all bulbous and white.
I switched the first girl to h2o and molasses for the next week and then will see where we stand.
I will be ordering my new lights and ballasts this week sometime.....going to check the local hydro store and see if they can come close to some of the online pricing. I decided to go with 2 600 watt digitals and ditch this 400 completely or maybe use it for veg.
Talked with the alarm guy today (was here repairing damage neighbors caused, see previous posts), they weren't trying to steal power. Turns out they stripped the wires out (10 gauge stuff) and were using it for car audio. Alarm guy didn't buy it....says them kids are up to no good....reminded me of scoobie doo.....God how I wish there was a legal "get rid of idiots day", I would be a mass murdering fool.

Day 53 quick update

Both girls are looking fine, threw in another 10 girls in to flower today....will start a new journal for them.
Girl 1 is on schedule to be harvested at the end of the week or early next week and has had nothing but water and molasses. Girl 2 will go another 2 weeks or so....few photos until a proper update:

Day 55 of flower:

Both girls that are at 55 days of flower are receiving just molasses and water and then a good 5 days or so of straight water....tomorrow starts the first day of the flush. The two strains look totally different and both smell different as well. The first girl has a coffee type smell, real pungent stanky girl. The second girl has real dense large buds that have relatively no smell until you brush up against her. It smells like earthy cat piss with a hint of citrus....best I can describe it.

The two smaller clones are in their 11 day of 12/12 , they were thrown in the flower room as soon as they were rooted. The other 10 are in their second day of 12/12 and were from seed and vegged for 16 days.

Girl 1









Girl 2











11 days 12/12


2 days 12/12


Group shot in flower

Quick update: Day 57 of flower

Girl 1 will come down today, trichs are about a third each of amber,cloudy,clear/cloudy. She needed water yesterday but I knew I would be chopping her today so I held off. I was told she should finish at 50'ish days...which would probably have been right on the money if I had her under something larger than my 400 watt. I have a clone of her in the veg area that I will put in to flower within the next week or so with an additional 600 watts.
Pictures of chop will be posted later...

Girl 2 looked like she would be ready late next week....now I am thinking 2 to 3 weeks. She keeps piling on new growth so I am just going to let her do her thing.

Quick update: Day 59 flower

Girl 1 has been partially harvested, let a few other colas go a bit more....will post pictures post complete chop.

Girl 2 is still producing new growth, I trimmed a few lower fan leaves, which I normally do not do, as this 400 is not doing a great job of light penetration. I have new lights/ballasts on the way so it will not be an issue in the future. I was going to throw a couple of T 5's I have in there to help a bit but decided my body wasn't up to the task so she will have to do with what she is given. Still think she is at least 10 to 14 days away from harvest...just playing it day by day at this point.

what ever happened with your grow?

brianc01088 said:

what ever happened with your grow?

Click to expand...

It finished off fine, I just got really busy and didn't update the finish. I will try to find harvest photo's, total weight off the two was just shy of 200 grams.
I have another grow going now and will soon start another journal.