PC Case CFL Grow: Easy Ryder (AK47 x Lowryder #2)

[feelingreen]

Hello there, I've been debating whether or not to post a grow journal for a while now, but I've been taking pictures of my two baby girls and recording this grow in a notebook since the beginning, so I might as well.

I guess I'll start by posting some pictures, since I've taken a bunch, then get more so into the grow.

My girls are named Faye and Samus, and Faye is the one that's typically shorter than Samus (she's the one stuck in the seed in the beginning - both her cotyledons were straight in there). This is my first grow, and I've been having fun learning so far.

To begin, I'll post days 1-13 (from sprout). Did I post the pictures right?

EDIT: More info on my grow -

Soil/Fertilizer/Nutes
Composted bark, spaghnum peat moss, some perlite, added earthworm castings to top layer.

During veg. used Mexican bat guano because it's high in Nitrogen, with a bit of Jamaican/Indonesian (high in Phosphorus) now and then (I mix it in as a tea, typically between 0.5-2.5 TB, depending on the stage of growth), but exclusively now that the girls are flowering. I added 1 TB organic unsulphured blackstrap molasses after around week 2, and their growth, especially stems, seemed to respond really well.

On my current regimen I typically feed them molasses (0.8-1TB, though some recommend less, they haven't had any issues) every 4-5 days, let the molasses flush out of the soil a bit so it doesn't build up. So far, I typically give them their guano brew (which I sometimes mix in with the molasses, if it works out ok) every 2-3 days, but I sometimes go for longer stretches, when I know they have plenty of nutes (right now they're growing like weeds, though, so hungry plants call for more nutes).

Light
4x 23w 6500K CFLs for vegging
4x 23w 2700K CFLs for flowering
-I made this more of a transition, and switched out the two 6500K bulbs on the side first, had it like that for a few days when preflowers started coming in
Cycle: 20/4, might switch to less light

 

[dsam]

looking good man!! what are you using for nutes? are you growing in coco? are you going to go to 12/12 early? great looking plants!

 

[dsam]

sub'd +rep!

 

[feelingreen]

Here are days 14-19 (by the way, the girls' pistils popped in overnight and were a [nice] surprise on day 19, the morning of the 4th of June).

Oh and sorry, got kinda lazy with the names of the pictures after day 13 let me know if you have any questions.

 

[feelingreen]

I'm going organic, my soil is primarily peat moss + compost, so for have used earthworm castings(N), Jamaican(P)/Indonesian(P)/Mexican(N) bat guano, and organic unsulphured blackstrap molasses (K)... and that's about it.

Edit: probably not going to go to 12/12 early, Easy Ryders are autoflowering and will do (at least are supposed to) under any light schedule, although some strains or just funky phenotypes will require 12/12 or simply a shortened lights on period (like 18/6 instead of 20/4). I've had them on 20/4 since the start, as is recommended for ER, but I might switch it to 18/6. I wouldn't really do anything lower than that, maybe 16/8, cause with how short the lifespans of these plants are, you want to maximize the amount of light your plants get.

At the same time, although some say you can grow them 24/0 all the way through with success (and you can - I've seen it), having a lights off period is important for several reasons: It's natural for the plant, allows them to cool down (especially good for ERs and other plants in the Lowryder family, which tend to prefer cooler temps., overall they grow more Indica/Ruderalis even though they have a pretty strong Sativa heritage, too), and is involved in the metabolic processes that your plant needs to stay healthy and keep on growing. In fact, I'd say my plants' biggest growth spurts are always when I check them after the lights off period is over. Still, though, I'll prob. stay 20/4, unless I notice the girls aren't packing on weight like I'd like them to.

 

[feelingreen]

And here we are, current, at day 24 from sprout (I accidentally wrote 22 in the title, crap)

The lights might look like they dim as it goes lower, but I can assure you when everything's going it reaches down - a little too much, it's like this strain goes through this magical growth spurt right around the time it starts flowering and stuff's bursting out everywhere. It's looking like they're going to outgrow my case (and everything else I've thrown at them), but right now this is as big as I can go. Any suggestions? This is my first grow, so I still have quite a bit to learn.

 

[feelingreen]

thanks for the +rep dsam, +rep back

 

[feelingreen]

does anyone know something I could do to slow down my girls' vertical growth? they're getting taller than expected, and soon I won't be able to move my lights up anymore. if I could I would let them get as tall as they'd like, but unfortunately I don't have that option. I have the lights right up to the canopy, even if it means I have to move it often, just so they don't have any more reason to stretch

 

[bong face]

looking good, its gonna get tight in there reeeal quick. sub'd

 

[feelingreen]

thanks, i know, i'm worried i might have to have a friend adopt one of the girls if they get too cramped

 

[Foolet]

Holy shit dude, your ladies have been huge from the beginning. WOW, I feel like my ladies are so little.

 

[Skunky411]

ok well if you don't want them to outgrow the case you have a few options.
1: Cut them right back and start a sog plus this will also increase your yield
2: Start LST right now you have already left it to late but you might be able to save yourself
3: You could take them out of the pots and put a tray of soil down that way you make the most of the space you have

Hoped I have helped and REP on the grow man good luck

 

[dsam]

looking great!! cant wait to have mine up and going!!!

 

[feelingreen]

I noticed it first on the fan leaf of one of the plants, the third node from the top of the plant. Around a day and a half later, I noticed it on the same leaf on the other plant, and now it has spread to others. Additionally, I've noticed some slight yellowing on the lowest leaves.

The spots are rust-colored to dark brown, opaque from the underside, one of the leaves with the spots looks sort of dry, with darker patches filling in the interveinal areas, more noticeable from the underside, as well. It's looking like it might be a pH problem, but I've also been having issues with airflow, since my plants have grown too big for their case and the two intake CPU fans I have at the bottom don't seem to be doing as good of a job pushing air up through the canopy to the exhaust fan. Some spotting on the tips of the newest leaves, as well, and other smaller leaves. Also, I noticed that when I've been watering, a few little dark flies have flown up from the soil, but never more than one or two, and I haven't seen any larvae, nor any pests on the leaves themselves.

I don't know what to do, they seemed so healthy.

 

[feelingreen]

Crap, tested runoff from my watering this morning, pH ended up being 5.5. Hopefully I'll be able to get it higher. : /

 

[seedlingstartah]

you can also try supercropping where you would squeeze the main stem slightly an the branches will drop an heal up to stop verticle growth

 

[dsam]

looks like a nitrogen deficiency... recheck your bloom nutes and make sure you are getting enough N in there.

 

[feelingreen]

ok well if you don't want them to outgrow the case you have a few options.
1: Cut them right back and start a sog plus this will also increase your yield
2: Start LST right now you have already left it to late but you might be able to save yourself
3: You could take them out of the pots and put a tray of soil down that way you make the most of the space you have

Hoped I have helped and REP on the grow man good luck

+rep, thanks for the suggestions! I started a little LST - had to, to get them from growing into the bulbs and getting burnt, both of them are now taller than the lights, which are raised as high as they can go (the case is 26.5" tall).

 

[feelingreen]

Hm, supercropping. How long do you think that would set them back, as far as growth goes? +rep, thanks for the help, there's so much out there to learn

 

[feelingreen]

looks like a nitrogen deficiency... recheck your bloom nutes and make sure you are getting enough N in there.

I wonder if maybe N is locked out due to the pH being off - I've decided to lay off the nutes until the pH is back on track, but if those lower leaves stay slightly yellow, or if it worsens/progresses, I should definitely look into something with N. Recently got some organic bone meal, NPK ratio 6-9-0, but not sure if I should add it (I don't think I could mix it into the top layer of the soil, either, as suggested, because of the roots). Other than those leaves, though, the spotting seemed to be getting the worst, but its progress seems to have stopped now, thankfully, after doing a minor flushing with some pH'd water.