Budget growing cfl white widow , here we go again!

drbudwannabe

Well-Known Member
Hi guys i finished another run of the white widdow so its time to crank it up again!IMG_2387.JPGView attachment 2097604


after a bad run with clones im left with an empty flower chamber:(DSCN5450.jpg





so i cut some new babies off of my momma plants in the 1 gal bagsDSCN5441.jpg






i thought i would try to go from the very begining and do my best to do day by day updatesDSCN5451.jpg



so here are a few shots of the cabinet so you know what im working with , i hope to have some followers on this grow and im ready to help show some beginers just how easy this can be so more people start growing. Here is a quick rundown of my setup so everyone can see how i get plenty of meds with minimal cost and effort!


Cabinet is a walmart closet $99

i built the light hoods from heating ducts bent to the shapes i need $20

i run 16 26watt cfls in the flower hood and 4 in veg. $50-$75

fox farms ocean forrest soil $30-40

1 gal grow bags $.15 each

10 gallons spring water $10

fox farms 3 bottle nute set $38

fans $5 each

i use spring water so no ph or filtering required (keep it simple) i try to cut clones 1 month before harvest so i can keep rolling but my last set went to crap because my tap water sucks , and i was too lazy to go get spring water! I always over cut my clones usually double what i need incase of weak cloning and the extras go into the woods for fun or i give them to patients in need . 24 hour light in veg and 12/12 in flower . Any questions or comments feel free to speak up ! Im starting the rooting today 3/30/12 in a gentle soil with very light nute count i cut clones on 45 dip in roottone and stick them in plastic cups with the soil mix . I cut holes in cups so they can sit in water to get water from the bottom to promote natural rooting , i also spray 2-3 times a day with a drop of super thrive and 1/2 tsp grow big per qt. DSCN5440.jpgDSCN5442.jpgDSCN5444.jpgDSCN5446.jpgDSCN5447.jpgDSCN5448.jpgDSCN5451.jpg
 

drbudwannabe

Well-Known Member
Hi guys sorry for such a long delay i had another issue with my clones :( i think i was keeping my clone soil too wet so the roots were really slow to take off . I finally got 4 rooted clones after almost 30 days but im not sure if im going to use them ?? I like to start with strong clones and my little babies were drowning so i chopped a fresh set !

In the pics you will see the 8 clones that are 30 days old (only 4 rooted) .

I switched out my soil to a much lighter faster drying mix in a better cloning tray with a dome . I am also now trying clonex gel on 12 and my good old take root powder on the other 12. The new tray allows more air flow to the bottoms and with the new mix things should really speed up. Its a bit of a "clone off" to see if the gel really is as good as they say it is ! When i started i used nothing just water and soil and i always had close to 100% rooting but my last few attempts with the powder were not really a fair evaluation because i was using new soils with too much water and i think it will be much better now. So sorry for the late start , i know it is killing me to see the flower side of my cabinet empty and dark so i took 24 fresh clones using sterile tools and a great rooting soil mix and we will see how it goes! The strongest and fastest 6-8 will go into flower 2 weeks after roots develop .then 1 mont before flush and harvest i will cut the new clones so i dont have this down time in my next cycle!!!




IMG_2572.jpg
the 4 on the left took almost 30 days to root i cant believe they didnt die!
IMG_2573.jpg
nice roots white and thick but it took a month!
IMG_2574.jpg

IMG_2575.jpg
they seem ok but prob not a good idea to start with such slow rooting clones , so off to the woods they go :)

IMG_2576.jpgIMG_2577.jpg
new setup with 24 fresh clones , all started as growth tips for single cola "lolly pop" style flowering



IMG_2578.jpg
my mother plants are really bonsai looking now to promote more growth tips for the next round


IMG_2579.jpg

and every indoor farmers worst fear ...nothing in flower side :(

sorry for any delays i hope i can get things rocking and rolling, thanks for hanging in there east coast pro!!
 

Attachments

drbudwannabe

Well-Known Member
Wll im shockd! My $4 5 yar old rooting powdr sems to be keeping the clones more peppy than the $25 gel! I know its early but i cant believe how much different they look.


IMG_2591.jpg



IMG_2592.jpgi am spinning them 180 each day incase the bulbs are not all the same age. They were all cut and planted exactly the same and i alternated powder, gel after each tray to make sure it was fair and even.


IMG_2593.jpg
things are goofy in the veg cab since i have my moms and 4 old clones 30 days from planting (one in 1 gal bag in center bc roots came out of the cup. And then there is the new "clone off " babies.

IMG_2594.jpgIMG_2595.jpg


IMG_2596.jpgit may be hard to see in the pics but the gel clones are soft and droopy while the powder clones look perky and fresh

i guess the gel clones could look weak because they are already trying to grow roots so the energy is being used below the soil not on the foliage . I know my clones usually get their ugliest right before rooting ! Since my moms were getting goofy looking from lack of light and air i needed to thin them out so the clones came from all over the plants , top-middle-and bottom i mixed them up really good and tried to cut all growth tips around the same age.

Its still boring right now but stay tuned for clonex vs take-root powder results , and i may buy another cabinet to start the perpetual harvest or led light testing or perhaps another attempt at a hydro/mist bloom room. Either way i would have 3 flower chambers going and that sounds good to me!

I am going to get some fem seeds soon to ad new flavor to the indoor farm. And suggestions on hearty strains that thrive under cfl lighting? I want something fruity and something really strong smelling (skunk) i had sour deisel that was great from holland but the seed banks are not selling the exact strain i like .

Also who has bought fem seeds recently and had them shipped to the usa? I am hearing scary things about radiation being blasted through our mail that comes from outside the country! The seeds are said to not grow , grow slow and become hermaphroditic because of the high level radiation.

Anyone with personal expierence with a seed bank recently please tell me where you order from and what you think!

Dr
 

Attachments

drbudwannabe

Well-Known Member
well i guess its true what they say about the gel, its fast and worth the money! i put 12 cuttings in the old shultz take-root and 12 in the clonex cloning gel. about half of the gel cuts have rooted at day 9-10 and none of the powder clones are showing any roots. a few things i have learned while sorting out my cloning issues : temp, 75-85 degrees seems to be the best temp for fast rooting . i also mixed up a new cloning soil that has a fast drain and dry time so the roots are getting oxygen. 80-100% humidity keeps the girls fresh , this is the first set of clones i have rooted with almost no wilting and yellowing . also the new cloning tray with the dome is great, the "green house" also has a tray that holds water about 1/4 inch from the bottom of the cloning trays so the roots have something to reach for. none of this is new news or anything special but its a very simple and i like to keep things simple so just about anyone can grow like me! there is really very little maintenance involved so even a busy grower can easily pull this off ! i pulled the dome every day or two and sprayed a fine mist of spring water and the little babys never even really sagged!

IMG_2682.jpg
these are the nicest looking 10 day old clones i have ever seen!


IMG_2684.jpgIMG_2687.jpg
some pretty nice roots for just over a week!

IMG_2688.jpg
here you can see hearty white roots almost 3" long and growing around 1" every 24 hrs!



IMG_2689.jpgIMG_2690.jpg
nothing coming out of my powder dipped cuts...


IMG_2691.jpg
really they look pretty much the same as the day i cut them.


IMG_2692.jpgIMG_2693.jpg
here you can see the humidity the dome builds up , i raised the tray to the top of the veg chamber directly under the lights to get the temp up and they are by far the healthiest cuts i have ever taken..

i will pick up some FFOC in the next day or two and get them in their gallon grow bags for an additional 10-14 days of veg before moving them to the flower chamber !

stay tuned for progress reports , once they hit the bigger grow bags they will blow up and i will be back in action!


the spare cuts from the clone off will be placed outdoors in some random spots i like to see how they do with the natural sun light and rain.
 
Top