crittertime
Active Member
Back in mid-March, I inherited some plants in the wake of my friend's breakup. The plants were gnatty, spindly, and stretched as all get-out. I gladly took them in as a quarantine project. I’m a novice gardener, and this is my first cannabis grow.
They were germinated in late-January in 1.75 gal pots in a mixture of Miracle-Gro Seed Starting Potting Mix and something else we can’t remember (in a white bag, peat moss based, maybe EarthGro). Under previous care, they were getting ~1cup of regular tap water once or twice a day in a humid house, sitting six feet beneath a 45w LED. They are believed to be King Louis or Cotton Candy Cane, or KingLouis x CottonCandyCane.
For the first two watering's, I added Miracid 30-10-10 at the full 1.5tbsp/gallon dose because the leaves were yellow and it was what I had. I actually think it did some good. Then I did all this research, got all sorts of supplies, tossed the unsuccessful plants, and babied the survivors. I aimed to build their weak, flimsy stems into strong stalks using an oscillating stand-up fan and a newly purchased 1200w LED light (Exlenvce brand) on an 18/6 schedule. My room was pretty humid at this time, ~60-70% humidity. I had fungus gnat problems for a long time, which I remedied with diatomaceous earth, fans, and yellow sticky cards. The soil was compact with poor drainage. I think I watered every 5-10 days, 1 gallon per pot, using Fox Farm Big Bloom and Grow Big at 25%-50% recommended doses. They grew strong, and I LST’d and supercropped them into an even canopy. It was so rewarding to see them go from pitiful to thriving. Last week’s watering, I used the FF and added 50% recommended dose of Cal-Mag to the water in an effort to remedy what I suspected to be a calcium deficiency.
I transplanted on April 15th. After taking them out, it was apparent that they were moderately root bound in their old plastic pots. There were still some fertilizer balls left from the Miracle-Gro soil. So I tapped off the bottom hunks of soil (maybe 40%) until the lowest two inches of roots were visible, before transplanting into 5 gallon Vivosun fabric pots with a new amended soil:
- 45% Recipe 420 Potting Soil
- 33% Perlite
- 20% Earthworm Castings
- 2% Bone Meal 4-12-0
After transplanting, I gave each plant 4 gallons of plain water at 5.8-6.5pH. I collected some runoff in jars, and then used that to water too. I meant to flush out nutrients. One of them, which received the most runoff of the 4, was drooping today from overwatering. Looking back now, I figure it's better not to re-water with runoff when trying to flush, as it kinda defeats the purpose. Ah well, hindsight is 20/20.
On April 16th, the grow tent came in the mail! I also found a house dehumidifier in my garage -- a god-send. The next day, I switched to a 12/12 light schedule out of fear the plants would outgrow the tent if left in veg for too long. Now the canopy is an even 16 inches, and the plants are straight chilling in their 5x2.5ft Plant House, at a stable 78F and 50% humidity.
The nighttime temperature I've seen has been 68F, so hopefully I can get the nugs to be a pretty purple.
Today, I have identified signs of fungus gnats and other unknown pest damage. I used the garden hose to spray off whatever I could. Read: https://www.rollitup.org/t/identify-this-bug.1013167/ I have also taken off the plant ties to reduce stress after transplant + shifting to the 12/12 light schedule.
As it stands, I'm not sure how "hot" or nutrient dense my new soil really is, so I plan to play it by ear. I’ll water normally at 6.5pH and I think I won’t add nutrients until I see symptoms of deficiency...
I'm super excited to see how my hard work will turn out! Open to all comments, advice etc!
<3 crittertime
They were germinated in late-January in 1.75 gal pots in a mixture of Miracle-Gro Seed Starting Potting Mix and something else we can’t remember (in a white bag, peat moss based, maybe EarthGro). Under previous care, they were getting ~1cup of regular tap water once or twice a day in a humid house, sitting six feet beneath a 45w LED. They are believed to be King Louis or Cotton Candy Cane, or KingLouis x CottonCandyCane.
For the first two watering's, I added Miracid 30-10-10 at the full 1.5tbsp/gallon dose because the leaves were yellow and it was what I had. I actually think it did some good. Then I did all this research, got all sorts of supplies, tossed the unsuccessful plants, and babied the survivors. I aimed to build their weak, flimsy stems into strong stalks using an oscillating stand-up fan and a newly purchased 1200w LED light (Exlenvce brand) on an 18/6 schedule. My room was pretty humid at this time, ~60-70% humidity. I had fungus gnat problems for a long time, which I remedied with diatomaceous earth, fans, and yellow sticky cards. The soil was compact with poor drainage. I think I watered every 5-10 days, 1 gallon per pot, using Fox Farm Big Bloom and Grow Big at 25%-50% recommended doses. They grew strong, and I LST’d and supercropped them into an even canopy. It was so rewarding to see them go from pitiful to thriving. Last week’s watering, I used the FF and added 50% recommended dose of Cal-Mag to the water in an effort to remedy what I suspected to be a calcium deficiency.
I transplanted on April 15th. After taking them out, it was apparent that they were moderately root bound in their old plastic pots. There were still some fertilizer balls left from the Miracle-Gro soil. So I tapped off the bottom hunks of soil (maybe 40%) until the lowest two inches of roots were visible, before transplanting into 5 gallon Vivosun fabric pots with a new amended soil:
- 45% Recipe 420 Potting Soil
- 33% Perlite
- 20% Earthworm Castings
- 2% Bone Meal 4-12-0
After transplanting, I gave each plant 4 gallons of plain water at 5.8-6.5pH. I collected some runoff in jars, and then used that to water too. I meant to flush out nutrients. One of them, which received the most runoff of the 4, was drooping today from overwatering. Looking back now, I figure it's better not to re-water with runoff when trying to flush, as it kinda defeats the purpose. Ah well, hindsight is 20/20.
On April 16th, the grow tent came in the mail! I also found a house dehumidifier in my garage -- a god-send. The next day, I switched to a 12/12 light schedule out of fear the plants would outgrow the tent if left in veg for too long. Now the canopy is an even 16 inches, and the plants are straight chilling in their 5x2.5ft Plant House, at a stable 78F and 50% humidity.
The nighttime temperature I've seen has been 68F, so hopefully I can get the nugs to be a pretty purple.Today, I have identified signs of fungus gnats and other unknown pest damage. I used the garden hose to spray off whatever I could. Read: https://www.rollitup.org/t/identify-this-bug.1013167/ I have also taken off the plant ties to reduce stress after transplant + shifting to the 12/12 light schedule.
As it stands, I'm not sure how "hot" or nutrient dense my new soil really is, so I plan to play it by ear. I’ll water normally at 6.5pH and I think I won’t add nutrients until I see symptoms of deficiency...
I'm super excited to see how my hard work will turn out! Open to all comments, advice etc!
<3 crittertime
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It blew my mind to think about how I've been feeding the top water of a suspension all this time! The color and consistency of the Fox Farm was so different after shaking, and my feeding solution was a murky color rather than the transparency I was used to. Can't make that mistake again.
I'm in the process of learning how to remove metadata from my photos before uploading them...