First Grow: Are My Girls Looking, Okay?

[Green Growbot]

BTW...those photos are not the whole plant - just closeups of the top 8-10 inches of flowering colas. The whole plants are 34inches tall and while not extremely bushy, they do have plenty of other branches with bud sites now flowering.

Im on my first plant but Im disabled so all I do is study up on this stuff and play Call of Duty. I would agree w/ LDB they do seem over watered because like he said they shouldnt droop like that. It could also be that they just have poor drainage. Im assuming that they are in soil not hydro by the way they look. am i right? Do you have any pics of what you have them sitting in, soil type, 5 gallon bucket, that kinda stuff? I dont wanna highjack your post so ill start my own for questions but take a look at mine. She is a sensi Mango, 18" tall, (not sure what that is in cm) 78 degrees Fahrenheit (70 on the dark cycle) and avg 54% humidity. Im only using a 150w HPS for the WHOLE THING. I see mine are a little droopy too brcause of over watering AND drainage issues because I didnt buy good bagged soil because I didnt have the money so the stuff I used from outside was full of clay. Anyways, do they look good? Im sure probably needs trimmed but I have no idea where to start.

 

[Green Growbot]

I dont know if anybody is wondering by the pictures what the bucket is sitting in, well its a plastic organizer drawer. The air here is super dry! When I first hook up my hygrometer 2 weeks ago, the closet where she sits was only 29% humidity! So every 2 days I fill the drawer with about an inch of h20 and it seems to keep it between 50 and 55% now w/ the light evaporating it. Works well!

 

[manditroy]

Hey Green...The 'droop' in the first pics was because they had just been watered ('making it rain method' is similar to a flush). Anyway, those plants have been harvested for six weeks now, and I got over 4 ozs dry from them. Had a really good yield from CFLs and my first grow!

As for your humidity issues, putting the pan of water in the grow room will help - but mj does not like 'wet feet', so you should avoid letting your plant pots sit in the water for extended times. If you want to learn some useful grow info, check out these links to Uncle Ben's threads. He is a veteran grower that really knows his stuff!

https://www.rollitup.org/advanced-marijuana-cultivation/267989-uncle-bens-gardening-tweeks-pointers.html
https://www.rollitup.org/advanced-marijuana-cultivation/151706-uncle-bens-topping-technique-get.html

I dont know if anybody is wondering by the pictures what the bucket is sitting in, well its a plastic organizer drawer. The air here is super dry! When I first hook up my hygrometer 2 weeks ago, the closet where she sits was only 29% humidity! So every 2 days I fill the drawer with about an inch of h20 and it seems to keep it between 50 and 55% now w/ the light evaporating it. Works well!

 

[Green Growbot]

Well what did you think of my plants. How they look?

 

[manditroy]

Looking fairly good for being in clay heavy soil...keep it green, don't trim leaves (they're the food source for the plant) unless you are removing a dead leaf. If the plant doesn't need it, then it will drop off on its own, or with a slight pull. Read the pointers and tips from Uncle Ben - you will learn some valuable information!

 

[manditroy]

Here is my AK48 girl 2 weeks into flower. I have her top vegging still and plan to add it to the flower room soon, so it will be ready a month after the mom is harvested. She has 4 main colas, although two are smaller than the other two. This is my first female 4 cola topping, so I don't know if that is normal for some to be a bit smaller. I used my Blue Mystic pollen on one cola, so I hope to get a big seed supply of my own crossbreed strain. That should be some good stuff!


This is the Short Rider that is flowering with the AK. She's only 16 inches tall (AK is 26") but she has three colas going. I've pollinated the smallest cola in several places, so I can get a seed stash from her. The fourth cola was stunted for some reason, but that may be something to do with the strain being a short growing plant. I may keep to just a two cola topping on this strain next time.

 

[Green Growbot]

God damn! That bottom plant is only 16"?! Its got so many damn leaves it looks like a fern.
I am so worried,. I just did my nute flush on my plant and she already looks really saggy. Only used about a gallon of h2o but she looks really droopy. I know I said that I fixed the drainage problem but it is mostly clay after-all. i did have a good bag of soil handy so I had to throw about 8 handfuls in around the plant to keep her steady. She started to lean a little when I put all that water in there. Not bad but maybe a 1/2" over or a little more. I was just worried that id wake up in the morning and have her laying on her side or something. She seems okay now though. When I added the extra soil tonight it really wont hurt it I wouldnt think because when I potted her I left about the bottom 8" of the plant below the rim of the bucket for just this reason, like if she got too top heavy. (sounds like im talking about a hot chick) haha
Okay on another topic... This IS my very first one of these plants and Im wondering just how strong is this damn thing gonna smell when it starts to get buds on it? We live in a 1 bedroom apartment and im not supposed to be growing here. They never come in or anything Im just hoping that people walking by the apartment arent going to smell it. What do you think?

 

[manditroy]

Yeah, she is only 16 inches tall, and there are so many leaves that you have to hunt for her stems. I think it is a Short Rider strain thing, from what I've read...

A plant will often droop after a good watering, so don't be too worried about that - unless it doesn't perk up in a day or two. If you have decent drainage and avoid watering too frequently, you should be okay. I don't know about the Mango strain, so I'm posting a link to a mj-strain library page on it. If you're worried about smell, you need to plan for it sooner rather than later. Get a carbon filter or read up on how to make your own here on the RIU threads. There are plenty of pages about odor control...
http://www.kindgreenbuds.com/marijuana-strains/mango.html

-Mandi

 

[Green Growbot]

oh i get it... Mandi-Troy. I was thinkin it was just like a play on words like saying mandatory, but Troy. Anyways, im sure this is a big no-no but if I CANT get it to drain correctly over the next day or 2 is it POSSIBLE to re-pot the plant using better soil even though its 20" tall now or am I shit outta luck? I knew going into this that there are MANY things that you have to know to do this and I planned on this being practice and really not producing that much. I would just learn by my mistakes and be ready next time around but up until now she has had calcium, magnesium, bugs and drainage problems but you saw the pictures, I think ive done a pretty good job at getting her turned around after all that.

 

[Green Growbot]

Did you read up on the Mango?

Don't let Mango's slow start fool you - this variety will eventually rival the impressive size of many KC varieties, which are especially intended for outdoor grows. If you want Mango to stay at an average size in an outdoor garden, allow only 3 weeks of vegetative time and transplant outdoors as late as July in Northern latitudes. Mango can also be grown in an indoor garden, but needs a lot of space. If you want some monster indoor plants, allow seedlings or clones to vegetate for 3-4 weeks before changing to a 12/12 light regimen. Mango gardeners must rule with an iron fist if they want to manage the size of this plant, and it is important to start the discipline early. Accomplish this by starting the flowering phase about 1-2 weeks after the seedling has sprouted and proven vigorous. Once established, Mango plants will grow so fast, you can practically watch them change height in front of your eyes.

OH MY GOD! START FLOWERING AT 1-2 WEEKS!? I let her veg 30+ days! haha She was 13 inches when I moved her to 12/12! She is gonna be a monster! Ummm (worried) what kinda of size do you think im lookin at seeing? It says flowering time is 60-75 days, whats that mean if I let her get to 13" before i did 12/12?

 

[manditroy]

Well, they're talking optimum conditions when they say how big it will get...so you can't really expect to get that on your first try. It flowers for 9-11 weeks, and if its like most strains, it will do most of the stretching in the first three weeks of flower. If you had perfect growing conditions - soil, light, nutes, etc - you would probably be in trouble with letting it veg too long, but unless you have a real limitation in height in your grow room, you'll do okay. Most plants will anywhere from double to triple in height once they are done stretching, so even if she triples, you should end up just over three feet tall.

As for repotting, at this point it would likely be a big stress on her that you don't want to risk. You can remove some of the bad soil and replace with better quality, but you may do root damage if you dig around too much and that would set her back (or worse). I would advise letting it go as is, and maybe starting a clone of her that you can put in some better soil for the next grow.
-Mandi

 

[Green Growbot]

ok since this is my 1st plant ive never done clones before. What size does she have to be and would use personally use root solution or water or what. I can try and read up on how its done but whenever you have time give me some input on how YOU would do it.
wait! i am already growing a clone. If i make a clone of a clone itll probably turn out like shit wont it?

 

[Green Growbot]

AWESOME!!! I got up just now and went to go look at the plant to see if she "survived" and to my disbelief she looks amazingly healthy. I cant turn light on for another 20 minutes but I peeked in there with a flashlight and she dosent appear to be drooping or anything. How is that even possible?

 

[CHIEF PUFF PUFF]

Hey Mandi, I'm having fun with the seed trade, I need to replenish my seeds because I'm running low. The AK48 and the Short Ryder girls look good and healthy. I see they are going to be trees when done Looking good as always.

Well Chief, it's going to be another 6 weeks or so until I'm able to gather the seeds from my little experiment. I did about 4 or 5 buds this time, as I hope to get a big supply of the 'Hakuna Matata' cross of Blue Mystic and AK48. If the BM sprout I just started is a girl, I will knock her up too! I definitely want to get a nice stash of BM seeds to keep me going for a while. It will also give me some trading seeds to go along with my AK and SR extras...really liking this 'trade for new strains' thing we got going on!
-Mandi

 

[manditroy]

Glad shes doing well Green! You need to just let her do her thing sometimes... A clone of a clone isn't an issue (I have two of those going great now). Take a cutting from the bottom of her and choose your method. If you read up on RIU, you will get plenty of cloning ideas. I do have rooting powder, but I don't think it is really necessary. You should be able to root in water as well.

 

[Green Growbot]

hang on a minute I have to show you some pictures. It does have a problem of some sort and I need some advice. What it is/what to do.
Thanks for all your time and help by the way.

Ok, heres the pictures... Its really not as bad as it looks. The fan leaf that looks really bad is the only one, and then there are 3 or 4 with just the tips that look like that. Please tell me what this is if you know.​

 

[manditroy]

Well Green, to be honest with you, I'm not sure what the issue is...and I don't want to steer you wrong! I would suggest you open a new thread with these pics and ask for some help. There are some pretty knowledgeable growers here who will help you figure it out quickly. I must confess that although I've done a ton of reading here, and learned lots of info, I am only on my second grow. I would advise watching closely the ratings of the posters - and weighing their advice based on that. Someone listed as 'Mr Ganja' or with a 'reputation beyond repute' is someone who really knows his stuff. There may be smart growers that have just recently joined and therefore have had little time to gain a large +rep file, but there are plenty of people who will post advice without really knowing if they're giving GOOD advice. I try not to pass on something unless I have first hand experience with it, or I know that the tip comes from someone without question. The number of posts shown can be misleading too, as some members will read for weeks without making more than a few posts, and others will make dozens in just one day. Put more stock in what the two lines under the user name says, as those will reflect feedback from members who have been helped by the poster.

By the way, how far into flower are you? Are you giving any nutes - and if so, what? Be sure to mention this when you post to ask for help, as I suspect your problem is a nute deficiency of some kind (maybe cal/mg?). See what answers you get and take action when you get a concensus of what you're dealing with. Good luck!

-Mandi

 

[manditroy]

Hey Chief, at last look a couple hours ago, the NL looked like it was starting to peek a taproot out the crack. The MK seems to be close to the same. I'll bet I have enough showing to pop them into their seed starter soil by Friday night. I just did one of each for now, so I hope I picked girls. I'm trying to keep a perpetual grow going so I can have a harvest every 4 or 5 weeks. They can share the veg and flower rooms with my BM girl (she WILL be a girl - I won't have it any other way LOL).

Hey Mandi, I'm having fun with the seed trade, I need to replenish my seeds because I'm running low. The AK48 and the Short Ryder girls look good and healthy. I see they are going to be trees when done Looking good as always.

 

[Green Growbot]

@Mandi
I will get back to you tomorrow (march 11th) sometime ive just been busy today. Thanks again for your help

 

[manditroy]

Chief, the Northern Lights and Master Kush seeds put out their little taproots, just as I expected. I planted them in the seed starter soil Friday evening, so they should be doing their thing and popping in a couple days or so. I sure hope they're girls...

-Mandi