OZ's First Indoor Grow

[Oscarzuma]

OK, I'll start a grow journal to document my first indoor grow. My backstory is a history with outdoor guerrilla grows. Almost all grown from clones, I have a lot of experience with cloning and running a nursery, but I've never finished a plant inside except for a couple tiny windowsill plants in my early 20's.
My seeds are fem photos from Royal Queen Seeds, Critical, Watermelon OG, OG Kush, and Runtz. All are listed at 7-9 week flower times. Monday (March 11) I soaked the seeds for 30 hours. I put them in paper towels and sat them on a heating pad on Tuesday evening. This morning, checked the progress after about 36 hours. Watermelon and Runtz were ready for the soil, tap roots going through the towel in Runtz's case, very hardy looking. The other 4 seeds are sprouting, but need a little more time to transplant.
Everything is under fluorescent lights and tented in plastic. I'm growing in Promix HP. By the end of the month, everything should be in the tent and ready to grow. The plan is to go into 3 gallon bags as soon as they outgrow the solo cups.when I flip to flower, the excess will be uppotted to go outside. I may not actually put any in the ground, well see.

 

[greenmobster440]

Awesome, no doubt ya got experience. I bet you do fine indoors. Not a bad gig indoors. Controlling the environment is a huge advantage.

I'm in for the show. I bet ya rock it.

 

[Oscarzuma]

I had two OG Kush seeds fail to launch, next two popped first day but are a week behind the others. Critical seeds also very slow to grow, while the runtz and watermelon seem fine. The 9 lb hammer/Dosido's cross is back to growing after being stressed. It's on the Jack's routine and hasn't gotten too large. Important that it not outgrow the 2x4 tent and crowd out the starter seeds when they go into the tent. Figured it's time to post a couple pics.

 

[Oscarzuma]

9lb/dosi cross was needing a bigger home so it went into a 3 gal fabric pot this morning. The Promix HP with some dynomyco added seems to work well.
One of the seedlings never sprouted, went digging for it and found the root pointed up. Shifted it right side up and I'll cover it and hope for the best. The fastest babies are getting second sets of leaves while the OG's that are a week behind are catching up quick.

 

[Oscarzuma]

I'm wondering how soon you move the seedlings into the tent under the big light? I run a Marshydro tsl2000 that's dimmable. It's on dim mode now, about 45%, putting out 500pffd at plant level with only the older plant on a table in the tent. Seedlings are under two fluorescent shop lights for now on a heating pad.

 

[greenmobster440]

They'll be fine under the bigger lamp. I run my lamps full blast and keep them a bit over 2-3' below. If they start to stretch I lower the lamps but for the most part they respond well and get better light. I rarely pull out a light meter. I just watch the plants. Not the most technical answer but it's my two cents..lol

 

[Thomas81]

good luck on you’re first indoor grow bud .

 

[Oscarzuma]

About 2 weeks for oldest seedlings, OG is just over a week old, they seem to be handling the tent OK. I gave the older 4 girls a light feeding. As the OGs catch up, I'll ramp up the light intensity gradually and then the growth should take off. The tsl2000 light is on dim mode at 80% or so to take it easy on the little girls but still get some light to the bigger plant which is raised to less than a foot from the light. The big one has recouped from uppotting. The topping has led to an almost quadline structure. Plenty of new nodes and they're close together. Hopefully, I'll have a little bush to put outside in May.

 

[greenmobster440]

And off ya go. Looking good sir.

 

[Oscarzuma]

I'm having a little problem getting my nutrients and watering regulated. I'm hoping the bigger pots will help. The last two seedlings will get uppotted today after company leaves. I've got some yellowing on lower leaves and in one case it goes a little farther. I'm using Jack's at half strength (1/4 tsp per gal) on them with each watering. The big plant gets full strength Jack's and seems healthy as a horse. Any suggestions?

 

[greenmobster440]

Adjusting up a little doesn't hurt. Some use up to 5grams. The manufacturer suggest up to 8. So if ya bump it up a bit ya should be okay. Some folks even mix the veg n bloom. All sorts of ways to go.
I've bumped it up to 1/2tsp and it was fine.
I use the 1/4tsp gal mix every time and it seems jacks takes a plant near N tox. I had slight tip burn the whole way now but no ill effects.

 

[greenmobster440]

I'm seeing some magnesium deficiency in that bigger plant. Purple stems and leaf has dark veins against some yellowing . Dead ringer for mag. Ya feeding any Epsom salt? 1/2tbs gal. Give it a try a few feeding and see what happens.
Jacks Classic doesn't have calcium either. You need some calmag or calcium nitrate. In flower they will definitely need the calcium.

 

[Hippie420]

Yep. Sound advice.

 

[Oscarzuma]

Since the pots are bigger now, I'll be watering less. I'll bump the Jack's up to 1/2tsp and add cal mag next feeding. The seedlings have been on a more diluted dose until they went into the bigger pots. I've only added cal mag once, guess I'll need to work it in on a schedule for a bit. The lighting makes the plants in pics look lighter green than irl, but I have noticed the purple stems and wondered if it was strain specific or a deficiency of some sort. The leaves are darker in person. Next pics I'll use natural light and try to get a more representative example.
I'm only 3 weeks in. Now that everything's in final veg pots, I'll try to get a rythmn going with the feeding.

 

[Jan Borrego]

I use the 1/2tsp of Jacks starting at 7-10 days depending on when they need water. I start all mine on a one gal plastic pot with Mykos in it. In the beginning I just use the spray bottle to get the soil wet without washing them away. Then as seedlings I use a bottle with a squeeze top.

 

[greenmobster440]

Since the pots are bigger now, I'll be watering less. I'll bump the Jack's up to 1/2tsp and add cal mag next feeding. The seedlings have been on a more diluted dose until they went into the bigger pots. I've only added cal mag once, guess I'll need to work it in on a schedule for a bit. The lighting makes the plants in pics look lighter green than irl, but I have noticed the purple stems and wondered if it was strain specific or a deficiency of some sort. The leaves are darker in person. Next pics I'll use natural light and try to get a more representative example.
I'm only 3 weeks in. Now that everything's in final veg pots, I'll try to get a rythmn going with the feeding.

I don't worry much when I see purple stems in flower if it's a purple strain but if I see them in veg stage it's an issue. That big plant looks great.

 

[Oscarzuma]

This morning I fed them all with 1/2 tsp/gal Jack's. I dosed the big girl with calmag as well. I uppotted the OG's into three gallon bags. Real Grower's Recharge seemed to help the last time I repotted, so I gave everything a shot of Recharge. 7 plants plus a couple solo cup seed experiments have the floor of my 2x4 covered. Can't wait until the bottom's covered in green.

 

[Oscarzuma]

Upping the nutes seems to be helping the young plants. Discoloration is disappearing, they seem to be taking off and need water about every 4 days. The big plant still has purplish stems but seems healthy. It's drinking every two days. Jack's and calmag on everything today. Probably top the bigger of the young plants this week. In a month, stuff can go outside and the tent becomes a flower room for a couple plants. OG's are almost a week behind the others, they are on the left. Watermelon in back and runtz in front. The 9lb/dosido is the big plant and was really thirsty this morning for this picture.

 

[Oscarzuma]

I FIM'd the Watermelon and runtz plants over the last few days. It didn't seem to pause the growth in any of them. The OG's are next, the internodal spaces are very tight in them. I may leave one uncut for outdoors. More LST on the 9lb/dosi, she's getting fat. The big girl may outgrow her space before my preferred schedule, but no real issue. I'm subtly working on the missus for a 2nd tent to make things easier. If this grow turns out like I hope, fresh buds in July may help convince her.

 

[Hippie420]

Looks like she needs some calmag/epsom's salts. Might just be the light or my monitor.