GreenBandit's Mini-Crop

[GreenBandit]

ok i planted my seedling 2days ago and got some sprouting action today, but there hard to see on these pics unless u look real closely...ill update the pics every week or so to keep everyone up to date on the growth of these babies

[GreenBandit]

hey u guys reckon i could place them even closer to the light ? ? ..its a 250w MH globe

[Goldie]

No, not just yet. Give them a few days.

[MarPassion]

Yes, be carefull with that. They can easily burn when they are so small. Better do it save for the first week and then experiment with distance.

[Goldie]

I would start it at 3`and lower it a bit each day. The plants will let you know if they get too hot.

[notthecops]

That looks like a decent sized room. How big is it? Are you going to be keeping those babies indoors? What is your plan?

[GreenBandit]

its not really that big of a space....60cmx90cm (LxW), the height is about 1.75 meters so there some room there for growth.

ye i plan on keeping indoors...probably veg for a month then start the flowering process...i have a 400w HPS for the flowering stage that i hope will work quite nicely...

hey how big u guys think these babies will get after a month under constant light (250w MH) ? ?...i'd like to get em to around 3' before flowering

[GreenBandit]

I would start it at 3`and lower it a bit each day. The plants will let you know if they get too hot. - goldie

i've got them about 10" away from the light atm with the fan constantly going

they seem in alrite condition, nice and green

might leave at this height for a couple of days and see how they go or is that a bad idea?

[Goldie]

Well, if they are tolerating it okay, then I`d say leave it where its at. I have just always read that you start your light well away, then lower it...

[mikey]

its not really that big of a space....60cmx90cm (LxW), the height is about 1.75 meters so there some room there for growth.

ye i plan on keeping indoors...probably veg for a month then start the flowering process...i have a 400w HPS for the flowering stage that i hope will work quite nicely...

hey how big u guys think these babies will get after a month under constant light (250w MH) ? ?...i'd like to get em to around 3' before flowering

well mine are a week old and they are already like 4 inches tall heres some go to my journal its titled "growing from seed" theres pics in there and they are only a week old (the plants)

[GreenBandit]

well mine are a week old and they are already like 4 inches tall heres some go to my journal its titled "growing from seed" theres pics in there and they are only a week old (the plants) - Mikey

how far have u been keeping ur light away from the plants?

also have u started fertilizing yet?

[GreenRabbit]

Put the top of your hand under the light, if it is warm or hot to you it is warm or hot to the palnt. If you feel 10' is close enough, back of a little for growth and your peace of mind. ;)

[GreenBandit]

ye just decided to be safe and put em about 2' away for now...noticed a tiny bit of yellowing on one of the leafs so its possible the plant is burning or just thirsty...we'll see how it goes

[Goldie]

Thats how its done - you put the light a safe distance away, and lower it as the plants will tolerate...this keeps from frying your seedlings.

[GreenBandit]

ok here they are 9 days from planting...

[GreenBandit]

u guys have any idea why the baby in the larger pot is growing much slower ...? ?

[Goldie]

Maybe its not getting enough water...

What kind of soil mix do you have them in?

[GreenBandit]

it's called 'Organic Coco Coir Growing Media'...basically it comprises bark pieces some soil and some other bits and pieces...it does dry out quite quickly but i've been watering them plenty so i don't think thats the reason why the bigger pot plant is growing slower...i've been putting 1 cup in the smaller pots and 2 cups in the larger pot evry 3-4 days...thats enough right?

[Goldie]

I think thats plenty of H2O. I dunno, maybe its just a runt or a slow - starter. I have read that pine bark is hard on seedlings - mine did much better when I put them in a different soil. They look good, though. Wait & see how they do.

[notthecops]

Seedlings that size, you can't really do to much for. If you're treating it the same as the rest, it's just a slow starter. Give it some time. You always get a 'runt' in the crop, I find.

[GreenBandit]

here they are at 2 weeks old...they seem to be nice and healthy, the ones n the smaller pots have started their 3rd set of leaves, but the other retard is still on his 2nd...take a look

[GreenBandit]

hey u guys think i should start fertilizing 2moro??...its been 2weeks

[notthecops]

Yup! I would have fertilized as soon as they sprouted myself. But I guess it all depends on what you're using.

[GreenBandit]

3 weeks later and the first problem arises...as u can see below one of my plants ain't doin too well and prob ain't goin to make it :( ...1 down 2 to go, at first i thought over-watering was the problem, but i think it could be a result of nutrient solution burn, others have suggested a lack of magnesium. I started fertilzing last week, when they were all in fine condition. I think when i first applied the nutrient solution some may have splashed onto the leaves, and combined with my 250w MH lighting, may have caused the foliage to burn. But just a theory based on some readings, truth is i have no idea wat to do so any advice would be much appreciated...

[Herbsparky]

Here's my take bandit. You say you are only watering a cup or two at a time....that's bad. It's best to moisten the entire medium and then allow it to dry out well between watering/feedings. This forces root growth. Sounds to me as if the root system is weak due to your watering technique and with the added ferts you sent them into instant shock....the root zone can't handle what you are giving it. I say water the soil WELL (no ferts)....let it dry to the point of pulling in from the sides of the pot then give a feeding. How much you feed depends on what you are feeding with so help us out with as much info as ya can. More details we have the better we can help without shooting in the dark as to what your problem MAY be.

[GreenBandit]

yeh my nutrient solution is supposed to be diluted with water so wat i planned on doing was continue watering every 3-5 days and evry 3rd water or so combine the nutrient solution with the scheduled watering...i only used a very mild/diluted portion of the fertiliser last week but maybe it was still too much...and Refugee wat do u mean by "let it dry to the point of pulling in from the sides of the pot then give a feeding"...pulling in from sides of pot??... thanks for ur input

[Herbsparky]

Bandit....soil expands with moisture and will shrink with a lack of moisture. When the soil dries out it will leave a gap around the perimiter of the pot itself due to shrinking. This is how i know it's time to water. I know this holds true for lots of potting soils, but maybe not for yours...I have never used the same soil as you have. Most important thing is to water till the soil is saturated allowing excessto run off and then giving the plant time to soak up all the water before adding more. You will notice a HUGE increase in your plants' health over the current method you are using.

[GreenBandit]

ok so wat ur saying is to pour say half a cup at a time and allow to soak through before adding the rest...makes sense...would u say they'd need more than a cup at 3 weeks old?

[Herbsparky]

You are sort of on the right track here, but not all the way there yet. ;) You want the entire medium wet....not just give them a little here and a little there. Dry medium does not absorb water a well as damp medium does so it does take soem time for it to absorb what it can hold. Trick is to wet the entire medium to it's saturation point and then allow the plant to use all the water in the medium before applying more.

[GreenBandit]

so i should keep the medium thoroughly moist all the time...??

i remember reading somewhere that u should wait until the top 2inches of ur medium has dried out before watering again...this is how i've been determining when to water my plants, i stick my finger in a few inches and check if the medium is still moist

[nobogart]

what refugee is saying is to water your plants realy well "saturate" the growing medium then wait (several days usually) untill the medium is pretty dry and repeat the process. you see mj plants like the medium to dry out between waterings.

[Herbsparky]

Bogart is right on the money. MJ plants will actually do better in drier soil than they will in wet soil. I'm simply saying that the cup a day method you are using now is not what you want to do. Water the medium completely to the point of saturation then allow the medium to dry out....reapeat. If the soil never dries out the roots will never have to 'seak out' water thus building a strong root zone. I don't use the top 2" rule myself as I found even then there can be a lot of moisture still in the soil. I use the heft method myself. I water to saturation then feel how heavy the pot is by picking it up.....I then do the same when the soil dries out and pulls in from the inside edges of the pot. I then know how it should feel when time comes to water again. The soil pulling in fro the inside edges is a giveaway too.

[mikey]

why do mine look so different?

[GreenBandit]

different strains maybe? or different lighting

[GreenBandit]

ok heres my last plant still hanging in there...its into its 6th week now but still under a foot tall. Just thought id post a few older ones to show just how far its come over the weeks...

also u guys reckon it's looking a lot better now? the leaves are still rather curled inward but no real discolouration..

[Goldie]

What a little beauty! And the pics are great - thanks! :)

[Diseased Strain]

Wow man. She's a little bush isnt she ? Lookin awsome. Keep it up.

You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to GreenBandit again.

[naimitsukai]

Hey nice going with your plants. looking good

[Hick]

Looking much better bandit.
Wha's the plan? When you gonna' put it into flower?..

[GreenBandit]

well i wanna get her to at least a foot tall, so probably another week or so before i begin flowering...ill keep u guys posted

[GreenBandit]

ok the time has come to flower :D , this plant has really shot up over the past week and is looking nice and healthy

also any other advice/warnings anyone can offer regarding care during the flowering stage?? This is my first time flowering a plant and after getting my electricity bill (+$200 :eek: ) i wanna make sure this plant produces something to cover the costs ...cheers

[GreenBandit]

...also would a 11on 13off light schedule speed up the budding process abit?

which light schedule is ideal?

[Diseased Strain]

I do 12 12 So I cant help ya on that one bro. But give them 24 - 36 hours of darkness before you start your 12/12 or 11/13. It will give them more time to build up the hormone they need to trigger flowering, faster. She looks awsome man. Kick ***.

[cincy boy]

yeah green she looks real nice man

[Hick]

I spent a winter flowering out in a heated greenhouse, once. My observations, with longer dark periods was that it really didn't seem to speed up the finishing process,(a 6 week strain still took 6 weeks to finish) yeild, it seemed suffered slightly, but trichome production seemed to increase.

[naimitsukai]

nice plant you got there bandit. lookin good.

[kevin]

12/12 is the best time for flowering. and don't let any light in while the light is off or have the light on several times a day. It will herm out on you and you will be a daddy If you need to look at them during the dark cycle then get a green light, they can't see it you will also get better results if you put more of the white plastic up on the walls. also get it out from under it you might burn the underside of the leaves. they are not as strong as the tops

just my $.02

[brainwreck]

did you know when you disturbe the lady's sleep, you can forge her to show if she's a true lady or a hermafrodite. if it's a pure lady and you have a good male, you can produce female seeds.

greetz

[kevin]

did you know when you disturbe the lady's sleep, you can forge her to show if she's a true lady or a hermafrodite. if it's a pure lady and you have a good male, you can produce female seeds.

greetz

actually to get female seeds the pollen comes from a hermi and a female and not male and female but you still have a chance of getting males out of it. They are advertized as female seeds

[brainwreck]

that's why most of the breeders of female seeds, test 1000's of plants before they have the best results.

greetz

[GreenBandit]

here some more pics of my plant...definately a female, not in the best condition thou...as u can see from below some of the leaves are yellowing and curling on the edges...any suggestions??

growing vertically at an amazing rate...at this rate it will prbably out grow my grow space within the next 4weeks...i've been on a 11on and 13 off light cycle...so u guys think i should just stick with 12/12??

[Weeddog]

Nice plant you got there. I would go with the 12/12 on the lights. your plants will double or tripple in size during flower. you may have to tie the tops down to keep them out of the light.

[GreenBandit]

thanks weeddog, but do u think there anything to worry about in regards to the plants health? anyone?...notice how there's various yellow patches and how some leaves are browning and curling?? just want this girl to produce some quality bud

[Hick]

actually to get female seeds the pollen comes from a hermi and a female and not male and female but you still have a chance of getting males out of it. They are advertized as female seeds

"Feminized" seeds, not "female" seeds. And conciencious breeders don't use hermerphrodite pollen. Hermies procreate hermies.
First female plants must be tested. They are stressed, usually by irregular lighting schedules. The plant must not hermi under stressfull conditions, this determines that it is, what they call a "True" female..A chemical is then used to reverse the sex(gibberlic acid or silver thiosulfate). The pollen from the "reversed" stamina flowers is then gathered and introduced to the pistilate flowers of another "True" female. The resulting seeds are "Feminized", far more likely to creat females.

[GreenBandit]

here she is 3 weeks into flowering...starting to grow some nice buds...

it doesnt appear as bushy anymore because i pinned most of the larger fan leaves to the main stem to allow more light to reach the bottom branches

only abit over 2ft tall unfortunately, think it will grow much more??...

couple of other questions:

1. any tips for increasing bud sizes?
- ive been using this female hormone solution which is supposed to help produce bigger buds

2. when should i stop adding nutes?

[Hick]

ive been using this female hormone solution.. :eek: :eek:
for human females?...Don't use crap like that. Get nutrients designed/formulated for plants. Low N and high P for flowering.
Cutiing off all nutes around two weeks before you plan to harvest, improves bud taste and quality.

[GreenBandit]

nah the hormone solution is specified for weed...its meant to increase likelihood of getting female plants...also it boosts the amount of hormones available to the plant during flowering, hence bigger buds...well thats what ive been told

[cincy boy]

god I want to start growing again soo bad

[GreenBandit]

well just about done..estimating around a 32g yield...better than nothin hey

[Hick]

CONGRATS!!! bandito.

It only gets easier and better as your experience grows

[DoobieBro1]

Nice plants. Looks like a ph or nute defic. or too much nutes can cause nutrient lock out. next time you may wanna refigure nute mixes. generally you shouldnt mix full stength, tds meters are nice.:cool:

[GreenBandit]

i just figured the buds were sucking up all the nutes out of the leaves, hence the yellowing...oh well just another week to go

[joey]

If it is the end of flowering, some bottom fan-leaves will turn yellow from the depletion of N.