Most disorganised, last minute grow ever!

Cannacat

Well-Known Member
Hi guys, I've been lurking all week and finally decided that, while I'm learning loads from hovering in the forums, I'll get much more helpful, specific advice if just sign up and show you what I'm working with. I'd really appreciate any advice cos we're first timers on a major budget.
So, while we've been wanting to do this for a while, when it actually came about it wasn't exactly how I'd have wanted to go about it. The babies came Monday night, we got them under the light on Tuesday as we had nothing set up beforehand and it's all been a bit of a rush job. They have grown so much in just five days, every time I look at them there's new growth, it's so exciting!
The babies are supposed to be white widows. We were meant to get 6 but when they turned up there were another 5 extra that hadn't even been potted out, they were just bursting out of their little plug things, so they're the ones in the square black pots, the others came as is. They're in canna coco and the nutes I was given ready mixed in a plain tub so I don't even know what I'm feeding them, although I was told it's special food to go with the coco. The situation is not ideal but I'm making the best of what I've got. The thing is the person I got them from, the weed he grows is awful, like it's dried out flaky stuff with no smell, and I'm not happy about the idea of growing the same. But white widow shouldn't be turning out like that, surely? Some of the advice he's given seems a bit suspect to me, such as drenching with nutes twice a day. He's also said that the 2 lamp t5 I have them under is fine until flowering, and then I just need to add another to see them through until harvest. I'm no expert, but it sounds wrong to me and explains why his weed isn't great! Even with the very little I know, I do know they need a different type of light for flowering. So I'm relying on you lot to help me get my babies big and strong. I am already very attached to them, it's ridiculous, like when you see a baby in the street and start cooing? That's how I talk to my plants. I can't help it.
We are on a major budget here. It's kind of a picking up one piece at a time job. We're going to get a tent as they won't stay in my closet long, and I'm sure I'm going to need another light for vegging once they get bigger, this little 2 lamp T5 isn't going to keep 11 plants going long, I suspect. I'm concerned that I've ended up with double the amount of plants I expected and I don't really know what I'm doing cos I just want to the best I can by them all.
Also, the coco never seems to dry out. I'm being really careful about overwatering and overfeeding as I know they're big noob mistakes, but after the terrible advice I've been given I'm not sure how often I actually need to be feeding them, so thoughts on that are much appreciated. Thoughts on anything are much appreciated. I'd really love for my lack of preparation and being skint not to ruin my first grow!
 

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Cannacat

Well-Known Member
The light's just gone back on, doing 18 - 6, and the girls are looking good, I think! I love how I can see a difference every time I look at them, they're really coming along nicely.
Still worried about the watering/feeding schedule, being told various different things that all seem contrary to what I think is right, so any advice would be great, but other than that I think I'm doing ok. I refuse to put anything on them now until the topsoil dries, I don't care how insistent my well meaning advisor is that they need feeding, I'm just not doing it, I'd rather fix a deficiency from under feeding than overdo it at this point.
I've learned so much even in the last week, so I feel better about my under-preparedness than I did, I feel like I may just do ok.
And it's amazing to me how the maternal instincts have kicked in looking after plants, it's insane, I just want to nurture them and protect them. I don't know, maybe I have hormonal problems.
 

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Cannacat

Well-Known Member
Just checked the girls before I go out for the day, I hate having to go out and leave them, wish I could stay home with them all day. Maybe one day I'll be able to just garden full time! :bigjoint: They've filled out loads again overnight but some of the leaves seem to be curling a bit so it's gonna be a mad rush trying to work out what that's about before I go. Hope they're ok!:???:
 

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Cannacat

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Oh, and they're a lot greener than they were so I'm taking that as evidence that I was right not to water them yesterday :hump:
 

pope mitre

New Member
Your plants look good man, keep it up !
I suggest you to read Ed Rosenthal's Marijuana Grower's Handbook, it will help you a lot. Reading and exchanging ideas on forums is a great way to learn new things, but sometimes you might get wrong advices. Reading a book about growing, will help you a lot, doesn't have to be ed's, but that's what I've read.
Good luck with your babies!
 

Cannacat

Well-Known Member
Thank you! I'm reading lots, I'll look out for that book. You're right, there are so many differing opinions on every aspect that it's hard to know what's the best thing to do. I'm just figuring it all out as I go.
Your plants look good man, keep it up !
I suggest you to read Ed Rosenthal's Marijuana Grower's Handbook, it will help you a lot. Reading and exchanging ideas on forums is a great way to learn new things, but sometimes you might get wrong advices. Reading a book about growing, will help you a lot, doesn't have to be ed's, but that's what I've read.
Good luck with your babies![/QUOTE
 

growman3666

Well-Known Member
Plants look lovely my friend.I'll be watching. You will learn more here than you can imagine. There are very knowledgeable people who are more than happy to help with almost any situation. Don't hesitate to ask and it will be answered. I'll be around watching your progress :) .......GMan
 

Cannacat

Well-Known Member
Plants look lovely my friend.I'll be watching. You will learn more here than you can imagine. There are very knowledgeable people who are more than happy to help with almost any situation. Don't hesitate to ask and it will be answered. I'll be around watching your progress :) .......GMan
Thank you :lol: I'm sure I shall take you up on that... regularly! I'm so glad I found RIU!:blsmoke:
 

Cannacat

Well-Known Member
The girls have just had their first proper feed. I say proper, I used the mystery tub nutes but alternately sprayed them with water and nutes. I really don't want to overdo it, especially since I don't know what strength the nutes are mixed to. I wanted to do it now so they have a few hours to absorb it before the light goes off. I kind of squirted round the edges of the tubs with the nutes, my logic being that they'll have to stretch out their roots to absorb the food lol, I don't know. Also, I now know what the pots feel like wet so I'm not going to have that anxiety waiting for the coco to dry out again.
They're looking a tiny bit more yellow than yesterday but I think that must have been them starting to get hungry, it's definitely a different shade of yellow/green than they were last week when I thought they were overfed.
Mummy's babies are looking pretty good, I think. :bigjoint:
 

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Cannacat

Well-Known Member
Looks like the girls enjoyed their dinner yesterday, to my untrained eye they look fucking brilliant!
I'm sat here half dressed getting ready for work, simultaneously absorbing any info I can find on topping! I've read a few good guides, most notably Growman3666's is very simple to follow, but I want to know it all haha! I won't dare do it til I feel confident that I know what I'm doing so the next few days will be spent figuring that out so I can get them topped. Any tips for more good guides appreciated. Also, is there like an end date where it will be too late to get it done? I'll definitely do it the next few days but I don't know if there's a point where topping them will fuck it all up?
Anyway, that's all for later, but I can't go out all day without documenting the girls first!:bigjoint::peace:
 

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growman3666

Well-Known Member
Looks like the girls enjoyed their dinner yesterday, to my untrained eye they look fucking brilliant!
I'm sat here half dressed getting ready for work, simultaneously absorbing any info I can find on topping! I've read a few good guides, most notably Growman3666's is very simple to follow, but I want to know it all haha! I won't dare do it til I feel confident that I know what I'm doing so the next few days will be spent figuring that out so I can get them topped. Any tips for more good guides appreciated. Also, is there like an end date where it will be too late to get it done? I'll definitely do it the next few days but I don't know if there's a point where topping them will fuck it all up?
Anyway, that's all for later, but I can't go out all day without documenting the girls first!:bigjoint::peace:

I'll be back in a few to respond to this post I'm eating a delicious birthday dinner with family right now
 

growman3666

Well-Known Member
Looks like the girls enjoyed their dinner yesterday, to my untrained eye they look fucking brilliant!
I'm sat here half dressed getting ready for work, simultaneously absorbing any info I can find on topping! I've read a few good guides, most notably Growman3666's is very simple to follow, but I want to know it all haha! I won't dare do it til I feel confident that I know what I'm doing so the next few days will be spent figuring that out so I can get them topped. Any tips for more good guides appreciated. Also, is there like an end date where it will be too late to get it done? I'll definitely do it the next few days but I don't know if there's a point where topping them will fuck it all up?
Anyway, that's all for later, but I can't go out all day without documenting the girls first!:bigjoint::peace:

They are lookin happy and healthy right now, great job. They are also at the perfect age to top them and maybe do some training to them. I'd say let's just stick to the topping for now. Topping is so so easy and once you do it the first time and see how even if you were to cut the plant in half or accidentally cut the plant down to only two fan leaves and one node the plant would still survive. These are quite hardy things I tell you. Yes they have things they don't like but topping is not one of them. The only thing I can say is that some strains my act more sensitive to topping than others. Some take the stress with vigor and others seemingly take longer to respond in their deliverance of hormones and nutrients to the new focal growth sites. Overall they will all handle a topping like we handle a haircut and in the end your yield will benifit. There are times yes when you can no longer top and it's imperitive you don't. That's the minute you switch to 12/12. Topping in flower can create a lot of stress on the plant as it gets ready to produce buds. To much stress in flowering plant can and will cause hermis. Overall I hope I cleared some stuff up for you and answered a few questions. You will do fine with your first top there's nothing to worry about. If it would help ease your mind you can take a picture of where you plan to do the top on the plant pointed out by like a pencil or a pen that you can hold to show me in the picture where you want to cut. Well I'm off to bed now. I'll be stopping back on in, in the morning. Oh strains I've been waiting on will be in the mail tomorowso I'm gonna have a few updates in my journal as well :)
 

Joe Blows Trees

Well-Known Member
Your grow is coming along nicely. They're some good videos on topping on YouTube. I was nervous my first time and then almost became addicted, Hahahahahaha. I had one untrained, some topped once and some topped twice last run. Good luck! :weed:
 

Cannacat

Well-Known Member
They are lookin happy and healthy right now, great job. They are also at the perfect age to top them and maybe do some training to them. I'd say let's just stick to the topping for now. Topping is so so easy and once you do it the first time and see how even if you were to cut the plant in half or accidentally cut the plant down to only two fan leaves and one node the plant would still survive. These are quite hardy things I tell you. Yes they have things they don't like but topping is not one of them. The only thing I can say is that some strains my act more sensitive to topping than others. Some take the stress with vigor and others seemingly take longer to respond in their deliverance of hormones and nutrients to the new focal growth sites. Overall they will all handle a topping like we handle a haircut and in the end your yield will benifit. There are times yes when you can no longer top and it's imperitive you don't. That's the minute you switch to 12/12. Topping in flower can create a lot of stress on the plant as it gets ready to produce buds. To much stress in flowering plant can and will cause hermis. Overall I hope I cleared some stuff up for you and answered a few questions. You will do fine with your first top there's nothing to worry about. If it would help ease your mind you can take a picture of where you plan to do the top on the plant pointed out by like a pencil or a pen that you can hold to show me in the picture where you want to cut. Well I'm off to bed now. I'll be stopping back on in, in the morning. Oh strains I've been waiting on will be in the mail tomorowso I'm gonna have a few updates in my journal as well :)
Thanks man, thinking I might get it done this weekend. I think they're gonna need bigger pots soon too, they're growing fast, I'm not sure what size they'll need though? Although I haven't got space for repotting yet, not until we have a tent and the extra lights.
 

growman3666

Well-Known Member
My goodness I've been calling you bro anD brother this whole time and I just now noticed you are not a bro or a brother at all! ;) yeah you are ok wit what they are in right now for another week at least. Do you have any idea on the size tent you plan to get and the lighting? Also when? Thanks for the wishes. I had a great day despite working all day long. :)
 

Cannacat

Well-Known Member
My goodness I've been calling you bro anD brother this whole time and I just now noticed you are not a bro or a brother at all! ;) yeah you are ok wit what they are in right now for another week at least. Do you have any idea on the size tent you plan to get and the lighting? Also when? Thanks for the wishes. I had a great day despite working all day long. :)
What gave it away? Haha don't worry about it, I get it a lot online, don't think anything of it.
I don't know about all that kind of thing, my OH will be sorting it, I just look after the girls but the tent is gonna have to be a decent size to get them all in! We've got another light coming today, I can't remember if he got a 400 or 600 or what type it is but I'll know more later and I'm looking online now for another 600w to go with, then we'll be getting the tent next week when I get paid. So hopefully the middle of next week it'll all be sorted and I can just relax and watch the babies grow.:bigjoint:
 

Cannacat

Well-Known Member
So I'm looking into lights online, our plan has somehow just turned upside down so I've no clue what's happening now, but I'm looking online at lights and the cfls are cheap but I didn't think you could use them for flowering; can you get them in the different spectrum things? I thought I knew what I wanted, then I went on ebay....
 
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