So. CA MMJ Patient About to Embark on First Grow

purpdaddy said:

man i got that same tent but the one a lil smaller than that one,but they lookin damn good Kat..keep ME posted!

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Thanks PuRp, I've really been reading up like crazy, always preparing for the next step. You know I'll keep you posted! I also still have that last PM saved; I've not forgotten you, just been really wracked up this week. (BUT, my new bed arrived which is already helping, AND my spa should be fixed by the end of the week, meaning I'll once again have actual THERAPY in my own home, and THAT will enable me to start driving to PT again! WOO HOO! Remission, here I come!!!)

I thought it was the same tent that you have, aside from size. At first I thought that 2'x4' would be a bit large, but I wanted the one that's 7' high so that I wouldn't have to worry so much about plant height and therefore have to top/prune constantly. I like that it's 4' wide now though; there's plenty of room for the fan and anything else I need in there, plus I think that it being twice as wide is helping to keep away the excessive heat problem; more room, more air circulation with less hassle. Or so I'm guessing. LOL (I got mine on eBay: approximately $90 after shipping! Actually, I got my GH FloraNova from the same eBay seller.)

Ischemia said:

as long as u post in RIU u will not have a problem, these guys are insane on there help.

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Indeed! RIU has had answers to every question I've had, before I even had to ask anything. Everyone I've encountered here has been beyond pleasant, not to mention extremely helpful and supportive. So long as you read up on what's what here at RIU, and pay attention to the successes as well as the mistakes, every grow should be very successful barring "natural disasters" and all that jazz.

SICC";2427056]Lookin good kat said:

im with ya on that one ma nig.!Luv to see other people succeed sfter the correct guidance hAHA

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You can say that again! Refer to my reply to Ischemia above.

Wednesday, April 29....
Topped the clones in the AG (breaks my heart to see them so small again, but they bounce back quickly and then FLOURISH and get all bushy 'n' purdy!). The tops were sooo healthy & happy, I just couldn't bring myself to toss them.... meanwhile, one of the four cuttings in the BP was showing a bit of root beneath the rockwool cube, but the other three weren't, and they were so yellowish (turned yellow before I put up makeshift humidity domes), so I removed them and put in the two tops from the AG after trimming, with humidity domes placed over them immediately this time! (I've not needed to do this when putting new cuttings in the AG, only in the BP so far. But it's very easy to place a clear plastic cup over them and secure them with a couple of tiny pieces of duct tape, so it's no hassle at all. I'd rather reserve the AG for one or two mothers and germinating seeds.)

Thursday, April 30....
Cleaned out the AG's reservoir, and upped the GH nutes; I forget the "cycle name" for the dose right now, but it's 2 tsp per gallon of the FloraNova. (They are SO DARK GREEN now that I'm using GH! Just.... WOW!!! Photos just don't show how dark they are, unfortunately.) Got two chain dog leads from the store next door to my house for $1 each, and hung the BP light reflector with those; no more shoe strings! While re-hanging the lights, also moved the BP to the left of the grow tent, so now I can do daily maintenance on both the AG and the BP from one chair instead of getting up and down & moving the chair around to switch between the two. THEN transplanted the two larger plants (the "previous" mothers) from the AG to the BP; I figured why put them outside next month, when they can grow out completely in the BP? It was so easy to rig the AG sponges to fit into the BP too.... bought a four-pack of 4" planter pots for $1 next door, heated up an old & worn-out steak knife that was ready to be thrown out anyway over the stove, and then used the red-hot knife to cut a hole in the bottom of two of the 4" pots; just the right size to drop the AG sponges/holders into it. So now my AG just has the two clones I just topped; no more gigantic root mass in that tiny reservoir! I placed another 4" planter pot into the empty hole in the BP filled with water, to help keep humidity up where it's supposed to be.

Friday, May 1....
Removed the humidity dome from the center cutting in the BP; it's producing more roots by the hour (several are now touching the water, so I'll be able to remove the irrigation tube from that one soon), the plant itself isn't dry anymore, and there's again a lot of green & almost no yellow; it's also starting to show a little bit of development of new little shoots. The clones in the AG are fully "recovered" from topping, are dark green, and new shoots are also growing by the hour.

I almost took photos again today as there's noticeable development since yesterday, but I've been doing that for several days now, and I've already got so many to post that it's unreal! And this is after "weeding out" which ones to post! Still haven't remembered to get batteries for my digital camera, so I've been using my video camera for still shots this week.... it shoots great video, but the stills don't have great resolution. (I found a battery charger with eight each AA & AAA batteries on eBay for less than $15, and I'm getting ready to order that. I'm so tired of buying new batteries all the time, and my old charger died last summer.) So, less quality photos for now, but the progress shows all the same.


1-4: Before/after topping the two in the front of the AG.

5-8: Right after transplanting from AG to BP.

9-10: First roots to show in the BP!

11-12: Much more visible roots, just one day later!

13-15: More BP shots from yesterday.

16-17: Setup complete. (For now. LOL)

18-20: Just for the hell of it....
Mischief (A.K.A., Missy) was sitting and loyally waiting for me to be done and come back to the living room, and it was so cute I just had to take a shot of her. She's just a silhouette, but I liked the effect. (She's still young, just turned 2. She's finally starting to fill out a bit now. She's a Lab/Akita mix, and quite the attention whore. LOL) Right then I noticed one of my turtles hunting (the other one was "hiding" in the plants behind, you can barely see him), so I got a shot of her going after a fish and then another after she caught it and was resting up.



And that's (finally!) it for now.... stick a fork in me, I am done!

SlickRickMcgee said:

Cool grow. Looked your band was having fun! Awesome, rock out!

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Thanks, Slick! Yeah, we had a blast and a half that night.

Katatawnic said:

Thanks PuRp, I've really been reading up like crazy, always preparing for the next step. You know I'll keep you posted! I also still have that last PM saved; I've not forgotten you, just been really wracked up this week. (BUT, my new bed arrived which is already helping, AND my spa should be fixed by the end of the week, meaning I'll once again have actual THERAPY in my own home, and THAT will enable me to start driving to PT again! WOO HOO! Remission, here I come!!!)

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klmmicro said:

Very nice looking grow. Keep up the great work!

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Thanks, klm! The worst of the work is finally over, now there's only maintenance left to do. I should have my first harvest done shortly before T's deployment is over.... this has been helping to distract me from that.

purpdaddy said:

DAmn kat thry really lookin good man!Glad to hear you gettin your GYMNASIUM together!LOL..naw man nobody should have to suffer and you really gotta do what u gotta do in the shape u in so i dont blame ya a bit!!
i told ya that the GH line is the shit!

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Thank you, PuRp.... your feedback & advice have been most helpful! GH is the fuckin' bomb!!!

Gymnasium, LMAO! Indeed, no one should have to suffer, but between all that T's done to help me get back to some form of remission (buy me a new bed, his parents giving us their spa, T paying to repair said spa, paying up front for physical therapy, and all the dough he's spent on helping me get my grow setup) and the fact that going back to gardening has been a great distraction from the deployment shit.... things are really looking up. He'll be home for his 2 week R&R in two weeks, and I'm so jazzed.... the spa should be fixed by then, which is perfect timing as we've got a lot on the calendar while he's home, and I'll be needing it in order to get through all of it! After his R&R is over, he'll only have two more months left of deployment, so we're almost done with this whole ordeal!

Let's see....
$180 AeroGarden
$400 Bubbleponics
$40 GH FloraNova
$90 Grow tent
$10 Misc. items
--------------------------
$720

If I get only 2 oz. dried per plant my first harvest (and according to Roseman I should get at least that much per plant w/the BP, if not much more), from four plants.... my yield/payoff will be equivalent to $2,400 if I were to buy the 8 oz. of bud!

In other words, as MasterCard says.... priceless!!!

Katatawnic said:

Thank you, PuRp.... your feedback & advice have been most helpful! GH is the fuckin' bomb!!!

Gymnasium, LMAO! Indeed, no one should have to suffer, but between all that T's done to help me get back to some form of remission (buy me a new bed, his parents giving us their spa, T paying to repair said spa, paying up front for physical therapy, and all the dough he's spent on helping me get my grow setup) and the fact that going back to gardening has been a great distraction from the deployment shit.... things are really looking up. He'll be home for his 2 week R&R in two weeks, and I'm so jazzed.... the spa should be fixed by then, which is perfect timing as we've got a lot on the calendar while he's home, and I'll be needing it in order to get through all of it! After his R&R is over, he'll only have two more months left of deployment, so we're almost done with this whole ordeal!

Let's see....
$180 AeroGarden
$400 Bubbleponics
$40 GH FloraNova
$90 Grow tent
$10 Misc. items
--------------------------
$720

If I get only 2 oz. dried per plant my first harvest (and according to Roseman I should get at least that much per plant w/the BP, if not much more), from four plants.... my yield/payoff will be equivalent to $2,400 if I were to buy the 8 oz. of bud!

In other words, as MasterCard says.... priceless!!!

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Katatawnic said:

In other words, as MasterCard says.... priceless!!!

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purpdaddy said:

depending on how long you vegg for and topp or ways to increase your yield,.youll get way more than 2 oz.!
And i bought that damn grow tent and cant use it!Gets too damn hot and i aint bout to start buyin more fans and ducting shit..

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purpdaddy said:

depending on how long you vegg for and topp or ways to increase your yield,.youll get way more than 2 oz.!
And i bought that damn grow tent and cant use it!Gets too damn hot and i aint bout to start buyin more fans and ducting shit..

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You did mean "way more than 2 oz.".... per plant, correct? (Just checking! lol)

The two I transplanted from the AG to the BP last week sprouted on Feb. 12 & 20. I topped them twice plus took several cuttings from them, which is why they're so bushy for just a "bagseed" grow. I just topped the clone that's showing roots last night (of course after I took photos LOL). The other two cuttings are much healthier so far than that one was before it took root, so it's still all a guess as to which one will go bye-bye. (I'm not going to flower more than four plants!) I figure I've got at least another two weeks of vegging; all depending of course on the progress of the clones.

So far I haven't had a problem with heat. What I've been doing is opening up the tent during "air conditioning hours" and by the time the lights are glaring on the TV screen at night, it's cool enough to close it up again. When it's time to go 12/12, I'll time it so that the tent can be opened up during the afternoon/evening when it's the hottest time of day, then during the cooler hours it'll be closed up for total darkness. I've bought quite enough shit already! I do need a new fan for the tent because I've got a very old one in there right now, and the squeaking is driving me bonkers!!! (WD-40 won't do shit for that fan anymore. LOL) Also, it only runs on high, which is why I have it pointing at the back of the tent instead of at the plants; they don't need a tornado! But that is IT.... nothing else is going to be bought for this grow, dammit!

DaYooper said:

Priceless indeed!! Awesome setup you have there. I am also a huge fan of the GH series. I am doing the advanced for my first grow and have followed it to the tee with great results thus far. I purchased a grow tent too and now wish I would have gotten the 72" one instead. Oh, well I will get it next time.

Keep up the great work!

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Thanks, Yooper! I was going to just do my first grow with the AG, but once I discovered the BP that was it, I was hooked! I told T that I was going to put some dough away for it here and there, but the second half of his military sign-on bonus came in (he enlisted 3.5 years ago) and that's when he transferred me the money for everything in the setup I've got now. I figured I'd be pretty lucky to get one to two ounces from my first grow, but now that I've got so much more than the AG, I'm positive that I'll no longer have to buy my MJ after my first harvest. WOOT! That'll save us a lot of money monthly, so T said that we're better off to just get a setup that'll allow me to yield enough for my pain management, and then the basic expenses of maintaining my indoor garden will be so much less than what it's been costing to buy the MJ.... that alone makes all of the current expenses beyond worth it. Pricless, even!

I got the 84" tent because I don't want to work on keeping the plants' height under control quite so much. I've got that extra 2' over the more common 60" tent if necessary.

FoxCompany426 said:

Yeah man, I know what you mean about the tent. I'm gonna use it for clones later on, it'll be great for that.

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The tent indeed works great for cloning! Although the AG is quite good for that too. Down the road, I'll be getting another BP (or else a Stealth DWC bucket or two) to keep mommies in one and veg/flower in the other. Then my AG will be strictly for cloning. If only the rest of my house was as organized as my makeshift grow room! Oh well, three more months and I won't be fending for myself anymore, so thankfully the house will get back into shape soon enough!

sadiesue said:

Looks great, Kat!! I'm rooting for that 2oz + per plant. Glad you got yourself something to keep you occupied while T is gone!! Enjoy the 2 weeks R&R! I wish you all the best! My hubby has MS and it robs him of alot of energy and watching him doing his best to get around and do the daily things we all take for granted breaks my heart. He's done PT, but it really didn't help him...but everyone responds different and again I hope you have better results!! We've found the MJ really relieves that neuro pain and general stiffness he has....not to mention a better frame of mind. I know I'm having a blast gardening myself!!!

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(She said she's "rooting".... huh huh huh!)

Yeah, I occupy myself with this a lot; I get really tired of just the TV and computer to amuse me, and the occasional book when I'm able to focus enough (meaning slightly less fatigue). MS is one of the top suspects for what's going on with me, so I've a good idea as to how your hubby lives. It breaks T's heart too.... we were best friends for ten years before we got involved, so he's watched my body deteriorate from being very active/athletic to barely able to get around my own house most days. (You and T would probably have a lot to talk about.... it's so difficult to watch someone you love be sick and not have the power to fix it!) Have you heard of the "Spoon Theory" article? (It's quite well known around the 'net nowadays with people who have Invisible Diseases and those who care for them, so there's a good chance you have.) Every day of my life is spent counting spoons, and even T has gotten to often asking me how many spoons I have for the day. And WOW, but the MJ relieves my neuropathy (as well as muscle stiffness/pain, migraines, depression, mania, anxiety.... and just about all of the countless other symptoms) more than anything else has even come close to helping! I took Lyrica for a while, but the little relief it gave me didn't last more than a few months; I've heard this has happened with many people. It works wonders for a lot of people long-term, but no dice for me. When I say "PT" I don't literally mean PT, though. I get laser treatments (it heals the daily wear and tear of cells about 66% faster than they heal on their own), and massage therapy. It's done at a PT clinic, and it's just easier to say "PT" than it is to say "laser treatments and massage therapy," so there ya have it. It doesn't take it away, but it does help a little. (Well, it IS a form of physical therapy, just not the kind that makes you exert yourself and then end up recovering from the damn therapy for the rest of the week! LOL) I do have a couple of exercise contraptions that I use for loosening up my muscles each day that I'm able to use the suckers, but that's all I can do with them. At least they help keep me a bit more mobile though.... my wheelchair and cane currently only get used for trips that take a lot of walking (i.e., we're going to a play this month at the Pantages Theatre, a beach vacation on Memorial weekend, and an AC/DC concert in September; all of which will require the wheelchair and cane in order for me to go at ALL), and we're hoping that they remain reserved for only the "big" trips for a very long time! So long as I have my MMJ, my spa (which should be fixed in about a week), my "PT" and my man, I can handle most of it without having too many Pity Parties.

picklejr2 said:

Kat, looking great girl. nice green, full, and great space you are working with i really enjoyed great learning materials in here. Good luck, seeya next time.

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WOW! Someone referring to "learning materials" in my thread?! Although I've gardened a good 25 years of my life (yeah, I'm OLD, lol), I've still been learning as I go along with my first MJ grow. Next time around won't take as long, not only because I'll have everything I need up front but also because I'll have learned a lot from this one. I just found your thread and subscribed.... you should have a link to it in your signature, then it's easier to find. I'll read up on it when I'm done here.

Just really got a detailed look at your avatar.... LMAO!!!

As I mentioned earlier, I topped the clone in the BP that took root last week. Yep, she was ready to top this soon!

Meanwhile, my son is getting ready to grow outdoors (like me, he has bipolar, chronic headaches/migraines, and some chronic body pain although not nearly what I've had since childhood which is hopeful for him!), so I took a couple of cuttings yesterday to help him get started more quickly. They're now in my AG.


BTW, first time my video camera has gotten so close to the actual shade of my plants (in the AG only though).... can't wait for the charger/batteries to arrive so I can go back to using the camera with good resolution for stills.

I got tired of being blinded by the lights, so I finally got smart and started keeping shades and a hat next to my plants. GO Packers.... them's my boys!

And yes, this is manic rambling. If I proofread, I'll end up adding rather than deleting.
So I'll just sign off and go use my vape. That usually tones down the mania at least a bit, if not completely.