very first plant- learning experience

[LaserKittensGoPewPew]

Hey everyone, this is my first and only plant so far. I won't be growing multiples until I buy my HID light and have a more complete knowledge on how to grow.

I was just staring at the bag of seeds that I have collected whenever I happened to get some in my weed. So I just couldn't stand it any longer and germinated one in a wet paper towel and zip lock bag. 5 days later the tail was 1/4" and coiled like a spring. I found an old pot with some dried up dirt in it. I added water and mixed it up until it was all wet again and dropped the seed into a small hole and covered it. To my suprise within a day it popped out of the ground.

I had no idea about lighting and all that so I robbed a fluoro from around the house and started using it. I have no idea how this plant managed to survive, but it did.

It stretched out horribly and couldn't support itself.

 

[LaserKittensGoPewPew]

I built a brace for it and got the fan going on it almost all day long and late into the night. Sorry didn't take pictures of it, but the stalk started to strengthen up. I took the plant out of it's pot, added some shultz moisture plus potting soil to the soil that was in there and mixed it all up. Then I put the plant back into the pot because it was the biggest one that I had available. I took away the brace and it was able to stand on its own.

I also reworked that ghetto hood and added another light up in there. At this point it was using a 27w and a 25w fluoro. Both were 2700k and bad for trying to veg. Any sunny day that broke over, I put the plant in the window sill. I'm still doing that and it's helping out.

 

[LaserKittensGoPewPew]

I went away for a week for a paintball tournament in LA. My mom took care of the plant for me while I was away. Putting it in the window sill during the day and at night putting it under the ghetto hood with the fan on until she went to sleep. This is what I saw when I returned.

 

[LaserKittensGoPewPew]

These pictures are from 3 days ago. Looking pretty sad and droopy after I turned the fan off. I might have it on too high or something. When the fan is off it perks up, but I want to strengthen the stalk.

 

[LaserKittensGoPewPew]

robbed some lamps from around the house to add under the hood. I also bought 4 27w 5500k bulbs and 1 42w 2700k bulb. All that home depot carried. I wish they had the 42w in a 6400 or 6500k, but they didnt. So I figured I'd go with 4 5500k and 1 2700k just to give it a little balance. Under the hood I have something like 7800 lumens now. I need to build a box or something for it and buy some mylar. Right now I have a lot of wasted light. These pics are from last night and today.

The plant is about 2 1/2 weeks old. It's not doing so great, but it's getting by. I have no clue what the soil ph is at because I don't have a ph meter or the money to buy one yet. I've been watering it with 7.0 through this insane filter system that we have. So yeah....This is plant #1. As my knowledge base expands I hope to be able to grow some really nice, healthy plants. Gotta start somewhere.

By the way...Think it might be time to start LST?

 

[Bubby]

It would've been easier to start lst as it started growing, so you could work at a nice curl in the stem or something. But it'll work great now too, just do it gradually. Does it stay by the window, or under those lights during the day?
Looking good

 

[LaserKittensGoPewPew]

Whenever the sun is up like it is in the last pictures I put it in the window from 7am and move it to another room around 12:30 where it stays until around 5. I have to do that because the sun changes position around my house. Once the sun is down it goes under the lights until 1am. I'm doing 18/6 right now.

I don't think starting LST now should be a problem really. I can just put enough stress on it to not break it but start training it to bend down. We'll see. I'm not sure if I want to do LST or just let the thing grow upwards yet. Space really isn't an issue. I have my whole room to set up in if I needed to.


edit: well I topped my plant this evening. Here's some pics. Hopefully I have two healthy main stems in about a week.

 

[DrGreenThumb]

check this out for your LST needs bud

http://www.marijuanapassion.com/foru...ad.php?t=10402

(HEY TBG, thanks for that link)

 

[Bubby]

GreenThumb means: http://www.marijuanapassion.com/forum/showthread.php?t=10402

 

[Dizoelio]

Looks alright. Good luck on your first plant. I am also on first grow. Get some Superthrive dude, it's cheap at Walmart, only takes a couple of drops but that thing will start to grow faster and healthier.

Not to late to LST. I had same setup as you first few weeks, just got my hid.

Hope she's a lady on your first grow.

 

[LaserKittensGoPewPew]

thanks, I hope it is a lady. I have a feeling it's going to be a male or hermie though.

some pics from 2 days ago and today.

 

[schlendrake]

Looking good kitty keep up the good work.

 

[rickhunt]

i dont think its good to put a plant by the widow like that for evry one to see.i can see the road.

 

[LaserKittensGoPewPew]

Indeed...Where that house is on the left is where the street comes to a dead end. So only that house and the house next to mine has a view of my window. But yeah I think about that a lot. It's there till around 1 and then it gets moved to another room that faces my backyard and woods so there's no one there that can see it.

 

[LaserKittensGoPewPew]

few more pics I snapped before putting it to bed.

edit..looks like it has some fat leaves. Anyone know what type of strain these traits belong to as far as indica/sativa?

 

[rami]

looks like a sativa to me...good luck onn ur grow..

 

[frankpeterson]

Lookin nice keep up the good work. ***! Don't have it out in the open on the window like that.:rant: Say how come you put it on the window anyways? Good job man, except for the window move.

 

[Magoo]

Laser-----> Keep it up, hey if ya don't mind... how moist do you keep your soil? I might suggest to let her dry up a little and see if she doesn't perk up for ya...

Frankpeterson-----> have a friend of a friend of a ..... who let a plant on his sill the whole season and no-one said a word.... hehehe lucky I guess..... eace:

 

[LaserKittensGoPewPew]

eh...I throw it up in the window so it takes in the sun's light. Every morning the sun rises and shines directly into the window above my bed. That's on th side of the house. Then around noon it moves around to the back of the house and I move it to the office window that faces a thicket of woods. It would be hard to spot what it is from the outside. I walked out there to see what the view is like and it's pretty high up. All you really see is the white pot. I guess I could keep it under my cfls all day and night, but I'd much rather use the sun's light. As the plant gets bigger though I won't be putting it in the window anymore.

edit- magoo

yeah a lot of those pictures were taken after I had just turned off the fan. I think I might have had it up too high and was stressing it out a bit much. I water usually every 4 days or until the soil is dry about 1 1/2 inches down. Those last pictures are just after being watered.

 

[LaserKittensGoPewPew]

Here's some new pics from today. This is the window at the back of my house for those people who will tell me about putting it in the window. No one is going to notice it. Also took some close ups of where I had topped the plant last week. The secondary leaves are also starting to grow in. It's 5:00 and it is a little cloudy outside which is why it looks so dark. All day though it's been getting hit with beautiful sunlight. It'll be going under the cfls in a little bit though until 7am. I bumped up to 24 hours of light from 18/6. I hope this doesn't mess things up too badly. Well anyway, let me know what you think.