My first season of growing

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

HemperFi

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 27, 2011
Messages
2,014
Reaction score
95
I am about to finish up my first winter of cultivation. It began last Oct. with me thinking I knew what I was doing, and has progressed to a point where I believe I have barely scratched the surface of what I need to know to grow this magical plant. I have been humbled by Mites, power problems, and simple ignorance. I expect it will be a couple more seasons before I actually know what I am doing.

The Mites were by far the worst thing I had to deal with, but I managed to eradicate them from my tent by my second grow. I got them in the mail from my cousin in Oregon who sent me a couple of clones. They just put the root ball in a baggie and tossed them in a box full of packing material. I got them a few days later and didn't even consider that they might be infested. I used some stuff I found at the Hydro store called SNS217 and Floromite I got on ebay. The combination of the two worked great, and I recomend the treatment. Spider Mites damaged my grow, but they also damaged my mind -- I was so naieve -- I had no idea something as horrible as the borg was even possible. They sapped my plants, and they sapped my enthusiasm, and for a while there I was about to give up -- I guess that is the secondary effect of getting Mites -- I have regained my desire to grow again, and I learned a lot about bugs and myself -- life goes on...

The one thing I did get down concerning growing is cloning. I studied for a long time and then took bits and pieces from many sourses to work out my own style. Basically, I use Rapid rooters in a domed cloner with some 1/4 strength GH three part nutes in the bottom of the tray. I scarify the clones and dip them in powdered hormones and then stuff them in a rapidrooter pod that I have also dipped a stick with the cloning powder. I put them in the cloner, spray them with water and ignore them until the next time they are sprayed with water. (once in the morning and once at night) I don't even look at them foe a week or so, but when I do they are busting out with roots. I have thrown away so many finely rooted clones to know I can clone.

Almost every other aspect of growing is a work in progress for me. I had good soil this year, but I'm not satisfied with what I put together and will change up some things next Fall. Mostly I just want the soil to drain better and dry up faster. Now, even in 1 gal pots I only have to feed/water once a week. I'm believing the faster the soil dries out the more control you have with the nutes you are using.

I am satisfied with my flowering tent set-up. I have a standard 4x4 tent with a 600w HPS light. I live in the desert so a 1000w light might be difficult to keep cool when it gets to be 115 outside. The 600w light does a good job, and I believe for the space it is fine. There is a carbon filter connected to a cool tube connected to a 560 CFM vortex fan going out the tent to a vent outside the boat -- works good so far.

I live on a boat on a lake, so I use the lake water instead of the city water for the plants. I have never checked the ppms of the lake water, but I'm thinking it come prenuted some and is full of organic matter the plants enjoy. I do have to adjust the PH down some, but it is working great.

I started out using 3 gal pots which I am now thinkng are a pretty good size pot for an indoor grow. But with my dense soil I was only able to feed every couple of weeks. I began to worry about root-rot and funguses and the like. Next Fall I will use the 3 gal pots again, only putting two gals of my new soil mixture in them. Like I said -- a work in progress.

I am sold on the General Hydrophonics 3 part nutes. I did mix some wrong and fried a beautiful plant, but I have learned to pay attention while mixing nutes -- and knowing how many gallons I have in the bucket :)

I am still up in the air about how long the light should stay on during the vedge stage of growth. I know MJ doesn't NEED a dark period while vedging, but I'm not sure it wouldn't do better on 18/6. It's all about the stretch, and I'm thinking some strains could do with a little stretch during vedge. I haven't done it yet (18/6) but I am thinking about it seriously because in all the plants I've grown (not that many compared to most of you) I haven't been able to get a plant to grow more than about 3 feet tall -- even with sixplus weeks of vedge and the preflower stretch in the tent. I want some bigger plants...

I learned how to fem plants, and I believe it does wonders for making a plant produce maximum yeild. I want to try HST (High stress training) but I believe Femming is a better idea than LST (low stress training). But what do I know -- not much.

Everything I DO know come from this forum and my own blundering, zigzagging trial. I am most grateful for all of the excellent advice and instruction I have received from the good people in here -- I believe I have the basics down now -- I just need practice, and I can't thank MP enough. What a great hobby....

I know there are aspects of this hobby i am leaving out, but i am high on weed I have grown myself right now, so give me a little latitude :)

sorry this is so long -- I know how bothersome it is to actually read -- deal with it :)

Peace
 
Sounds like a good year in my opinion. I've dismantled whole grows to eradicate spider mites and through the years they have made me disenchanted with the whole process of growwing. Now with new beans and a clean room, I know exactly WHERE my girls have been and know that they are 100% bug free.

Sorry bout your experience with the Cheese, bud. Sounds like the Satori will be stellar tho. :aok:

:peace:,

7greeneyes:)
 
Glad you are sticking with it....it seems to be a never ending learning experience and I am okay with that. Mites do suck monkey balls though....:D
 
Was a good year 7. I learned a lot. disenchanted is a good word for what I was feeling. I'm already looking forward to putting some beans in dirt and watching the majic happen though -- even tho it won't happen until sept or oct. :)

I'm not sure "monkey balls" is strong enough, Hampster -- I don't know what is -- something really, really evil tho...
 
Congradulations on surviving your first trip around the learning curve. It is indeed an awsome and aggrivating hobby that we are all addicted to doing. I only wish I had your "short plant" problem during my first trip around the learning curve. All mine wanted to grow through the roof and out the seams of the building, and into the lights and fans, and out the doors :) I hope your next grow season is less eventfull and more "fruitfull" :)
 

Latest posts

Back
Top