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
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