Howdy y'all...Newbie Here

Howdy y'all- I've been reading as much info on here as my eyes can take for the last two weeks so I hope I don't ask any stupid rookie questions.

This is my first go round with growing and I must say it's really fun! I originally got into it for the $ but I can see this becoming a fun hobby.

I have 4 little ladies, 3 NL+Big Bud and one other guy but I cant remember the letters, it's something like CDA or CDB but I'm not sure, 3 letters for sure that ends in Aor B. They're all doing pretty well. I got them as 3" tall clones in a papertowel with pretty good roots.

I potted them on 8/11/09 in 6"ers in FF Ocean whatever with MG Perlite (I know...Mistake #1 but it's what my buddy had) When I transplant I'm going with regular perlite. They're under a 4' fluor with 5600K tubes on an 18/6 cycle.

I've made a couple mistakes so far but I learned a lot from them so it's all good I guess. First my buddy fert burnt them a little while transplanting so I've gone with straight water since (haven't tested PH yet but it's filtered tap water left out for at least 24 hours). Next I gave them a good watering on 8/18/09, they shot up about 3/4 inch overnight but wilted shortly after. I realized I had aeration problems so I poked some holes in the soil and they stood right up. Most recently (last night) I put the fan (non-oscilationg) way too direct on them (newbie LST became HST) and the closest one wilted right over. I pointed the fan at the wall and she's coming back around: however I also had to water again this AM so I hope I don't have a compound issue with the wind damage and another aeration issue. I poked some more holes in the soil about 30 minutes after watering to launch a preliminary attack so we'll see how it goes.

Only one question I haven't been able to answer through research so far....Is it normal for my 1 week old ladies (since I got them) to be 6 - 6 1/2" tall and already be showing sex and pre-flowering? They each have 5-6 nodes with lots of nice leaves. The latest layer from today is even starting to get a little "fuzzy" looking. They look just like the pictures in the FAQ with the little "V" shaped sprouts at the node with 2 milky white looking hairs. I got pretty stoked when I noticed them on all the plants but it seems a little early from what I've read. Most of wat I can find says it should be around 4 weeks from seedling but not too much info on Clones (Probably because they can vary soo much). If they are that far along do I need to transplant soon? I can see a few roots on each through the holes in the bottom of the pots.

Thanks in advance for looking at my post...Feel free to offer an info you'd like.

RS

Update: Woke the ladies up from their nap and they're standing nice and tall, they've even grown about 1/2". Looks like I'm out of the woods on my latest Phuckup.

if you got roots seein daylight its def time for transplant

2nd Update: I just can't seem to stop overwatering! I lift the pot....Feels light, soil looks dry, kinda pulling away from the sides. I water until I see a couple drops come out and the ladies droop right over within a couple hours of watering. I've been pokeing holes in the soil and I think my perlite mix is ok. Maybe just need some more patience.

As i tell everyone you can water (when its time) as much as you want as long as there is good drainage on the bottom of the pot!! You can dowse a gallon of water on them and most of it should come out through the bottom!! Make sure you have good drainage!! This is how they flush the soil in the last two weeks of flowering!! Just a suggestion!!

Sorry to correct you allgrownup but I dont think you are thinking about the right kind of flush in teh last two weeks of flowering, in the last two weeks of flowering you dont water with nutes so the plant will use up the nutes it has in the soil and in the plant to avoid a chemical tasting bud.

The flush you are thinking of is good if you have nute lockout, used the wrong nutes, poured something bad into the dirt etc.

Both called a flush, both for different purposes and different net results.

No offense meant, just trying to make sure the newbie is on the right track.


RustyShakleford,

As for the new ladies, what is your humidity?
Humidity is very, very, very important for new seedlings, you can dry them out in no time. The higher the better.

PH is the other thing to concern yourself with. 5.5 is a generally accepted good level. Everyone has varied opinions so dont take mine but do some research.
Trust me, if you are going to do this and are enjoying, spend the money and get a digital PH meter, you will definitely be using it. I know I thought it was an extravegance, but its WELL worth the money.

For research, the RIU search function isnt as effective as google, I havent used RIU search since the first week I started. Try this google query and just add the terms you are looking for after what is already in the search box, you will get great material to read this way.
http://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&q=site:rollitup.org+-"View+Single+Post"&meta=

Hope that helps, I'll try and keep and eye on this thread if you have more questions and help you out where I can.

Do you have pics of your ladies you could post?

TKG

allgrownup311 said:

As i tell everyone you can water (when its time) as much as you want as long as there is good drainage on the bottom of the pot!! You can dowse a gallon of water on them and most of it should come out through the bottom!! Make sure you have good drainage!! This is how they flush the soil in the last two weeks of flowering!! Just a suggestion!!

Click to expand...

The Kush Guy said:

Sorry to correct you allgrownup but I dont think you are thinking about the right kind of flush in teh last two weeks of flowering, in the last two weeks of flowering you dont water with nutes so the plant will use up the nutes it has in the soil and in the plant to avoid a chemical tasting bud.

The flush you are thinking of is good if you have nute lockout, used the wrong nutes, poured something bad into the dirt etc.

Both called a flush, both for different purposes and different net results.

No offense meant, just trying to make sure the newbie is on the right track.


RustyShakleford,

As for the new ladies, what is your humidity?
Humidity is very, very, very important for new seedlings, you can dry them out in no time. The higher the better.

PH is the other thing to concern yourself with. 5.5 is a generally accepted good level. Everyone has varied opinions so dont take mine but do some research.
Trust me, if you are going to do this and are enjoying, spend the money and get a digital PH meter, you will definitely be using it. I know I thought it was an extravegance, but its WELL worth the money.

For research, the RIU search function isnt as effective as google, I havent used RIU search since the first week I started. Try this google query and just add the terms you are looking for after what is already in the search box, you will get great material to read this way.
http://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&q=site:rollitup.org+-"View+Single+Post"&meta=

Hope that helps, I'll try and keep and eye on this thread if you have more questions and help you out where I can.

Do you have pics of your ladies you could post?

TKG

Click to expand...

Its ok to correct me if i am wrong but i hear a lot of people on here saying that in the last two weeks of flowering people flush their soil to get rid of all their nutes that are in the soil because you dont want any during the last two weeks. Just what i have heard from around here! No offense taken though...I love the advice and convo!!

Thanks a bunch for the advice...I was beginning to think nobody was reading my thread.

I've already invested too much this week to put a good PH meter in the budget but it's definately on my short list. I figure for now I'll just run to lowes and grab some test strips to at least give me an idea and make sure it's not toxic. I'm also going to switch to RO water from the grocery store.

My humidity it between 35 and 40% steadily. I was giving a few sprays a day of water on them but with the drooping when I water I though they were too wet so I stopped...Should I continue??

No pictures....Don't want to leave a digital trail...I know...I'm paranoid. I'll try to see if I can google a picture that looks similar.

Again, thank you for the help.

Hey everyone.

I got a question about my system. I got a 400 watt hps lightbulb and cant find a decent lighting fixture with a socket big enough for the bulb.

Does anyone where to purchase one, online or in-store?

fierycoco said:

Hey everyone.

I got a question about my system. I got a 400 watt hps lightbulb and cant find a decent lighting fixture with a socket big enough for the bulb.

Does anyone where to purchase one, online or in-store?

Click to expand...

htgsupply.com has everything kinda hps ya need n more..

allgrownup311, when they talk about flushing in the last two weeks of flowering, that means you just water them with water, no nutrients at all in the last two weeks to allow the plant to absorb any chemical nutrients that are still in the plant and soil, that is to avoid your bud tasting like chemical fertilizer, which is basically what nutrients are. You could "flood" them but all that will do is create wasted water and make a mess. Just water them normal amounts with no nutrients for two weeks, trust me, this is a must for most strains or you will taste the chemicals.



RustyShakleford, my guess is that your plants look wilted and dry because they are wilted and dry, your humidity is low, I have the exact same problem where I live, 40% is high for me in the summer, 15% in the winter is brutal. Best bet is uses a humidity dome, seeds generally are rooted in a 80-90% environment and you need to let them grow big enough and slowly reduce the humidity as to not shock them.
I start my clones in a small seedling thing I got that is made for Jiffy Pots but I use rockwool cubes, i did some testing and they work better for me. Then once they reach the top of the dome, I transplant them into 16OZ beer cups and put the cutoff bottom of a water bottle or pop bottle over them till they are too big for it, once they get to be 3" or more they are usually strong enough to withstand the humidity change but might require a couple hours on, couple hours off etc to help them transition.

Humidity is key for them as they will lose less water through their leaves if its humid enough until the roots are fully developed to start absorbing water and nutrients.

Rusty, there are always so many new threads created its sometimes hard to get a question answered, but hang in there, lots of folks on here will help. Keep my name and PM me if there is something you have a question about and no one is answering you. As for digital footprint, too late brother, unless you are setup properly RIU "could" already have your IP address, which is more useful than your digital photos, unless maybe you were going to pose beside your girls. LOL.
Either way, it is as safer than crossing the street, but always your call. Dont worry about a picture close, you wont know the difference between issues yet I dont think.



fierycoco, hijacking someone's thread is never a good move, people will see you do that and not want to help you out. Its a kin to interrupting a conversation. Your bulb CANT go in a regular socket, it MUST go in a proper ballast, if you dont buy a 400Watt HPS Ballast, your will destroy the bulb and have to buy another one. No harm, no foul, but next time, try starting a new thread.



Good luck all, happy growing.
TKG