My Indoor / Soil Grow

Here is my grow. I am hoping this helps the other newbies (I've been out of the game for awhile but I have grown in the past so...). I will try and post as many pics as possible. All feedback is welcomed.


I'll be going with 2 Blueberry (femised), 2 White Widow (femised) and 4 Skunk #1 (not feminised so we will have to sex

The Grow room and hardware. A locked closet in my home. 6 feet by 7 1/2 feet.

My Hardware.
1 140CFM Squirrel Cage Exhaust Fan - Ties into a 4 inch drier hose to a drier vent outside the home.

2 oscillating fans. One for the crops, the other placed near an intake vent to replenish air sucked out by the exhaust fan.

1 ART2 recycling timer. This is setup to the exhaust fan and oscillating fan setup near the vent. It is a device which you can set when you want a device to turn on, and how long it stays on for.

For my application, the Exhaust fan and ocsillating fan turn on every 11 minutes and stay on for 4 minutes. This means I am getting rid of stagnant air 4 times per hour.

2 lamp 4 foot T5 High Output FLUORESCENT with grow spectrum fluorescent 6400K BULBS. This lamp is hung using decorative chain so that it can be easily adjusted.


400w BOTH HPS+MH GROW LIGHT 400 watt Sodium and Halide. This little baby is nice. 1 ballast allows you to use both a 400W MH and a 400W HPS interchangeably.
The room is completely draped in Black and White poly plastic sheeting. (please no aluminium foil or glossy white paints)





Other useful gadgets.

A pH meter is a must. One that measures soil as well as liquids. Don't forget the storage, cleaner and calibration chemicals. Also a Digital Humidity and Temperature Indicator is very useful. A basic NPK soil test kit is also a good idea.

More tomorrow.

It's best when adding various organic materials such as bat guano, worm casting, etc., to mix with soil and let sit 3 - 6 days before planting the germinated seedlings. We want to make sure our mix is well aerated and drains properly. When putting it in your hand and clenching, we want it to break up easily upon touching. (Never plant in straight potting soil because it doesn't drain well)

Here is the mixture I use (by Volume)

60% Fox Farm Ocean Forest Potting soil
15% Perlite
10% Building Sand (not beach sand). Masonary sand will also work. People also say Kitty Litter but I've never used it.
10% Mexican Bat Guano NPK (10-2-1)
5% Worm Castings NPK (1-0-0)

This is a very nice moist mixture combo that retains water but drains nicely.

We are looking for a pH for the soil of about 6.5, slightly acidic.

One note of caution if your using a commercial fertilizer or potting soil. Never use anything that says "time released" or "slow release" on it. One common thing you will find is a chemical called Polyon, which is a slow release nitrogen element. Nitrogen is great for Vegetative grow, but not for Flowering. The fact that it's time released will be a problem down the road. (this is soil, so once it's in there, it's not coming out). Also, stay away from specific "for flowering plants" potting soil, or for Cactus soil, etc. Just an FYI.

We will be using 3cm and 4cm clay pots to start.

Other chemicals we will be using (I use the fox farm stuff).

Fox Farm Grow Big, Tiger Bloom and Big Bloom
You can't go wrong with these in my opinion because they contain some nice sub elements needed for our grow. Also, they are 95% organic.

We will mix it up now and let it sit for about 5 - 7 days outside, covered. Another note, something else I like to do is if you get a good rainfall, open the cover and let the mix get a decent soaking. Rain water is a nice touch and once we plant our seedlings, we won't be watering for about 5-7 days other than spraying the surface to keep it moist.

One of the most common grow kills is overwatering and overfertilizing. Something to keep in mind.

We'll mix it and I will see you guys after germination.

Now that we have had our soil mixed for a couple days, we need to break out our chemistry sets to make sure everything is where it should be.

SOIL

Here is our soil, and as I mentioned before, when putting it in your hand and clenching, it should stay together but break up loosely. The key here is we want good water retention, yet good drainage and consistency so our roots will have no problem getting through it.





WATER

Now, the next thing we need to is the get our watering medium together. We are using a spray bottle for misting and a watering can that we will be mixing our Fox Farm Big Bloom nutrients with. I take it from the outside hose that comes directly from the well (indoor taps run through a water softner and ionization thing) so it's cold as hell. Once were done, we will put all of the waters in our grow room and let them get to room temperature. But first, we need to make sure our pH is cool. I like to have the pH for my water between 6.2 and 6.5. The pH of the water coming out of my well is about 5.9. I used a couple drops of TechnaFlora pH up to get myself to the desired level.



The reason I like to keep it at the lower limit (close to 6.2) is when I add the Big Bloom, it will raise the pH about .20, so once mixed our pH should be right around 6.35 - 6.4

***Here is a tip If you are using city water, let it sit open for 24 hours or so. City Resevoirs can add various chemicals (chlorine is a big one) to the water. The chemicals should evaporate in about 24 hours or so, then do your tests and use the water.

Next comes the pH of the soil. To do this, we'll mix 2 parts distilled water with 1 part sifted soil mix (we don't need to worry about the perlite or building sand as they won't effect the tests. It just makes things a little easier to work with.) Put it in a container and shake vigourously. Let it stand for an hour or so. Using a syringe, suction enough of the water at the top to obtain a pH sample (2 tablespoons will do). We want the pH of our soil to be between 6.3 to 6.9, slightly acidic. Ours came in at 6.51 (PERFECT!!! You've gotta love Fox Farm Ocean Forest, guaranteed to be right on all the time)


We are also going to break out the soil test kit and doublecheck the pH, and NPK values. While the NPK isn't a numeric reading, it does give you the general levels of (N)Nitrogen, (P)Phosphorous, and (K) Potash

Our range is 0 (depleted) to 4 (surplus)

We want slightly more Nitrogen in Veg, but we also want sufficient quantities of PK.

I don't know why I couldn't get an accurate representation in my pic below, so I arrowed where everything measured. N=4, P=3, K=3 Perfect.








I germinated the seeds this morning (revised, I am now doing 3 White Widow, 3 Blueberry, 3 Skunk#1). More in couple days.

Peace

Hey guys,

Just an FYI if any of you newbies are running out to buy a pH tester.

Be sure and buy a cleaning solution, a storage solution, a 4.01 buffer solution and a 7.01 buffer solution.

The buffer solutions allow you to properly calibrate the pH meter.

On the one I have, which is like $50 US dollars (including all of the solutions), has 2 trim pots on it which can be adjusted. One is to adjust to 7.0, the other 4/10 pH.

You simply dip it in the cleaning solution, wipe it off, and put it in the 7.01 buffer solution. Adjust the trim pot using a screwdriver till it reads 7.01.

Dip in the cleaning solution, wipe it off, and repeat with the 4.01 buffer solution adjusting the 4/10 pH trim pot until it reads 4.01

Voila, it's calibrated.

WORDS OF WISDOM

NEVER JUST BUY A PH METER AND ASSUME IT'S CALIBRATED.

ANOTHER THING. DON'T TRY AND MEASURE THE PH OF THE SOIL BY STICKING THE PH PROBE INTO A PILE OF DIRT. SEE THE ABOVE POST TO DO IT PROPERLY.


Here is the one I use. (not shilling for Hanna. Nice product, reasonable price)

HANNA instruments® :: Testers



Peace

OK, we will be planting our germinated seedlings tomorrow. One last thing I've done is mix up a batch of Fox Farm Big Bloom (2Tbl >> 1 Gallon Water) an added 24 ounces to the soil mix. I then mixed the soil thoroughly. Seeds go into soil this time tomorrow, and if all goes as planned, we'll be puffing some White Widow, Blueberry & Skunk in exactly 100 days (seedling to drying to smoking).

More tomorrow.

Peace

DAY 1

In the soil. We planted our seedlings by poking a hole in the soil approximately 3/4 of an inch down and placing the germinated seed root down in the hole. Place the seed approximately 1/4 inch from the surface and cover with soil.

Now we are experimenting here a bit. The 3 White Widows and 3 Blueberries are going under the T5 Fluorescent light while the 3 Skunks are going directly under my 400W Metal Halide.

Now, here is a nice trick for all the newbies. If you notice, the container all the way to the left is not labeled. This is because it contains only soil (no seeds). Many first time growers have what I call a "Water Fetish". When planting your seedlings, fill a container (same size) with just soil.

When we plant our seedlings, the soil is nice and moist. When we put it under the lighting system, the top of the soil will dry because of the heat of the lamp. However, maybe a 1/2 inch down, the soil will retain its moisture. Water Fetish occurs when people see the top of the soil is dry, so they water, and water, and water and drown the plant killing the root system.

If you get an inclination or are panicked that the soil is to dry, put your fingers in the soil of the soil pot. I would say, at this point, I won't even check the plant's moisture level for 5 days minimum.

The only watering that needs to occur at this point is a couple of sprays from a spray bottle (just plain H2O) to keep the top of the soil moistened until our seedling breaks through. A couple pumps 2 times a day. Moist not wet.



More in a couple

Peace

Sorry for the delay in posting. I've been busy as a Mofo. Here we are at Day 3 pics. Welcome to the world. I had to re-pot into all clay because the cat is facsinated with green pots and pawing at there contents. For some reason she leaves the clay pots alone. WTF!!!!

Any way, I will try and catch up and take some new pics.

Remember 3 Skunk#1, 3 White Widow and 3 Blueberry

It's been about 5 years since I've smoked or grown, I forgot how much I enjoyed it.

Welcome to the World Girls.....



Oh Yea, we'll be repotting once again soon. We'll take our leftover existing soil mix (about 3 gallons) and combine with a new batch of soil mix (leaving together for about a week)

The org. mix

60% Fox Farm Ocean Forest Potting soil
15% Perlite
10% Building Sand
10% Mexican Bat Guano NPK (10-2-1)
5% Worm Castings NPK (1-0-0)


The new mix

55% Fox Farm Ocean Forest Potting soil
15% Perlite
10% Mexican Bat Guano NPK (10-2-1)
10% Building Sand
5% Worm Castings NPK (1-0-0)
5% Jamaican Bat Guano NPK (1-10-0.2)

We are also watering every 5 days or so (rotating H2o and Fox Farm Big Bloom (2 Tablespoons per Gallon H2o))

keep it up man.. im just starting my first grow.. i will be getting the clones in about 2 days so im going to try to keep on the same page as you...

keep posting.. love the info!

3buds

how did the t5s do.

Hey Trapper,

1 more week under the T5. So far I love it. 10K Lumens and 92 Lumens / Watt. Lots of Blue light.




This is the one I have. 2 lamp T5 High Output T-5 five grow light 6400K BULBS - (item 180037774566 end time Aug-07-07 07:48:27 PDT)



Plants are not stretching at all (short and fat like I like them). They are about 4 inches above the tallest plant. Very little heat.



8/8 they will be repotted and go under the 400W MH for one week.

8/15 we flower under 400W HPS

Can't Wait

one2threeBUDS4 said:

keep it up man.. im just starting my first grow.. i will be getting the clones in about 2 days so im going to try to keep on the same page as you...

keep posting.. love the info!

3buds

Click to expand...

Hey 3Buds,

Be sure and do a grow journal and I'll check it out.

Peace

Sorry for not posting so long but I have been really busy. OK, here we are 13 Days into flowering. We currently have 7 healthy female plants. 1 Skunk was a male found 9 days into flowering. 1 Blueberry didn't make it (the Blueberry seeds were pretty old to begin with).

That leaves 2 Skunk, 3 White Widow and 2 Blueberry



We started to flower when the plants reached 18 inches. The largest plant is currently a skunk which stands over 3 feet, the others are about 2 feet right now.

We transplanted from 1 gallon containers to 5 gallon containers before flowering. A good rule of thumb is 1 gallon / foot. If you think your plant will end up around 4 to 5 feet, then use a 4 to 5 gallon pot. We also flushed the plants at that point.

*** FYI How to flush a plant
It's a good idea to flush your plant before flowering to remove any salt buildups which can occur in the soil. This is known as nutrient lockout.
Lockout occurs when the plant cannot access a nutrient or a group of nutrients.

To flush your plant, add 3 x the size of the grow container worth of water.

For example, if your growing container is 1 gallon, add 3 gallons of water to the plant (not all at once. Add, let it drain, add more, let it drain, etc..)

The water which drains from the pot should be clear, not yellowish brown when your done.

It's also a good idea to prune the bottom leaves at the stem (I generally remove the bottom 8 inches. This will help airflow to the plant)

Now I haven't topped any of the plants as this will be head weed and I like big cola buds

Anyway, I wanted to take some pics of a male vs female plant, but I just didn't get around to it. If anyone has any questions, feel free to post them.

Wow!! my first post but I love your technique!, I as you are getting back into growing after a 20 year layoff....my how things have changed...Im still indoors and have learned a ton from this website, but I must say yours is one of the best posts I have read.
Thanks Bro,
SOCAL

Nice thread.. Very informative.. Keep it up.

https://www.rollitup.org/hydroponics-aeroponics/19376-4th-week-flower-pics.html

Ok, here we are at day 30 into flowering. I am still watering twice weekly, once using nutes, the other with just water. Many flowers busting out all over. The plants are anywhere from 3 to 4 feet now.

Skunk



Blueberry




Now we have to start giving some thought to the harvest. We kind of have to plan when we think our plants will be ready so that we can stop giving the plants nutrients a week or so before harvest. Water is fine, but we don't want any residual chemical tastes from the nutes we have been using. Ideally what I like to do is pick a day in the future where I think the plant will be a week to 10 days from optimal THC / CPD levels.

For example, Skunk #1 optimally flowers in 45 - 50 days. I will pick a day in the future, in my case October 17th. That day will put us at day 45 of flowering. No more nutes after that day. October 17th I will flush the plant with H20, an ideally, we'll harvest 7 - 10 days after. I use a pocket microscope to determine the optimal time based on the Trichomes. If you don't want to get involved in learning about Trichomes, capitate glands, etc, a good rule of thumb is when 2/3 of the white hairs on the cola bud begin to turn amber brown, its time to harvest.

Bud development continues to flourish. Next watering cycle we will start using Fox Farm Cha Ching for late flowering. We are now 81 days into the process, home stretch if you will. I have attached new pics.

Skunk



White Widow


Blueberry


All of the Above



Tip ### Spider Mites ####

Day 30+ is a good time to start daily inspections for spider mites, a common weed killer. Inspect your plants daily, starting at the cola and working downward. Look for webs stretching between leaves.

If you have spider mites and are looking to get rid of them without chemicals, here is a simple solution. Pick up one of those variable setting nozzles for your garden hose. Make sure you get one with a mist or fine mist setting. Take the plant in question outdoors and starting from the bottom, use the mister and hit the bottom sides of all of the leaves (1 - 2 min). Next, saturate the entire plant for a good 3 - 4 minutes. You are not watering the soil, just a good foliar drenching. After 3-4 minutes, let the plant dry a bit and use a clean spung to remove any remaining webs. Continue to monitor and repeat as necessary. (I like to avoid using pesticides on my precious buds)

Nice frosting on your WW.. Keep the pics coming..