YellowJuana Cake's Garden

YellowJuana Cake · Jan 6, 2010

I was going to do a manual journal, but this seems like so much more fun. I will admit this is my third attempt at starting my own thread, so let's hope it actually posts. Each time I have to re-do the journal I put less effort in. So I'll try just posting this little bit.

I am starting an indoor garden due to my outdoor flowering season not being long enough to support my taste for Sativas.

I have this little AK-47 mama that I'm taking clones from as I prepare my grow space. She was given to me by a friend who said she was grown from seed. Here's a pic of the AK:

Well, let's just see where this goes, eh?

YellowJuana Cake · Jan 6, 2010

Well, that gives me hope, and perhaps I'll figure out how to add more bits and pieces here just as my garden progresses.

I suspect it would be a good start to describe my space and what's happening in it. I have a flowering room that's 2.5x5x6-8' and then a baby room that's 2.5x4x1.5' and a mother room that's 2.5x4x4.5. I am in the process of preparing all three rooms, it will be a slow process.

Here are some pics:
Flower room being painted

Flower room as temporary home for AK mama:

Painting the baby room: (I'm not trying to be sterile, it's just that I didn't want paint on my hands LOL)

Rewired the shop light and got new bulbs. I'm so proud of myself for the wiring thing, though - it doesn't smoke or anything!

Got some bagseed goin' here in the nursery, now.

I was a bit disappointed that none of the fancy name brand seeds I was given were viable. I tried to germinate several of them, even labeled my containers, then discovered the schwag bag seeds were popping left and right! I tried again with the AKxSuper Silver Haze and something called Queen (trying to find the actual name) and was able to get 3 Queens and 1 AK cross to pop. We'll see how those come along and I'll post pics in a few days.

YellowJuana Cake · Jan 6, 2010

Okay, here I am again with pics from my recent cloning.

Since my garden is for medicinal use, I prefer to keep it organic. I had a friend bring me some willow branches from her tree, cut them into small pieces and allowed them to soak in water for 24 hours. I removed the willow branches from the water, and used that as my rooting compound.

I used a shallow pan with willow water and took my cuttings with the branches underwater. I have been told this prevents disease from entering the fresh cuts. I have never tried this method before, and other than making the process very awkward and difficult to do without another person's help, it seems sound in it's reasoning. I was unable to take a pic of the actual cutting of the clones because I needed both hands. I took three cuttings and trimmed the leaves and excess branches while they soaked in willow water for a few hours.

After all is said and done, the three new AK's were happy. I expect they'll be ready for the flower room by the time my slow ass gets it ready. :bigjoint:

YellowJuana Cake · Jan 6, 2010

Oh, and here's a pic of the three of them when they're all done and under the lights.

YellowJuana Cake · Jan 6, 2010

I found some mylar emergency blankets at the local Wally World for only $2.88 and I bought two of them. I may need one more after all is said and done, but for now, I'm pretty happy with that little low priced score. The flower room now has mylar. But it's still waiting for the light to arrive from HTG Supply. I am anxiously tracking it's progress toward my door!

I suppose that light won't do any good at all if I don't get the flower room closed off to light leaks. That will be the next project, I believe. In the meantime, the Mama AK and many seedlings are enjoying life with music and laughter and good company.

I would love to have input from others as long as it's positive. I'm growing weeds here for crying out loud, don't try to harsh on my mellow, mkay? :joint:

YellowJuana Cake · Jan 7, 2010

I've been waiting on my light from HTG supply for a week, now. As I watch the tracking online, I see it's been stuck in PA for 48 hours since it shipped. I shouldn't even :wall:

track it, anxiety is a bitch and don't ya know I'm counting on that stupid light to help me combat my anxiety. Hahaha.

In the meantime, I was pleased that 3 seeds from the Queen popped and I also managed to germinate one of the Ak/SSH seeds, as well. It's a small thing, but I've been growing bagseed outdoors for years and I'm excited about the fancy name brands I got my hands on. I sure hope they turn out as well as the bagseed varieties.

The 3 AK cuttings are doing super well and I'm awaiting new growth to start soon. I have excellent luck with cuttings and these 3 are proving no different than my past experience. I expect new growth in a just few more days.

I have to build a new spot to hang clothes in my bedroom and I'll be working on closing in the grow closet within the next week or so.

Thanks for reading, if you are, and feel free to leave positive comments or suggestions. Keep in mind that all of this is being done on a shoestring budget. Actually, the budget is gone since I ordered the light. :leaf:

YellowJuana Cake · Jan 11, 2010

My silly anxiety has been outrageous lately. Waiting on my light from HTG didn't help, but I digress. I was super stoked bongsmilie

when it arrived this afternoon. A friend and I had been working on the garden for a while.

We got a wall up to separate the two large spaces, 1/2 of the wall for the flower room and we hung the light in the flower room. I put all the plants in that room and they'll hang out there in veg until I get the other 1/2 finished and I'm ready to start flowering.

I can see roots on 2 of the 3 clones I made on the first of the month, and the 3rd isn't looking too shabby. I'm very pleased with the willow water as rooting enhancement and I am also going to plant some willow trees on my property so I'll have access to these in the future. :bigjoint:

Tomorrow I'm planning on obtaining some soil to make more clones and I'll also start a bunch more seeds. Also, looking for hardware to attach doors to the walls we put up today, as well as more wiring for the lights I intend to use in the Mother room.

When I have time, I'll post more pictures, I am getting them as we go.

YellowJuana Cake · Jan 13, 2010

I went to the garden center the other day and picked up some Happy Frog soil and some 2gal. potting bags. I forgot to get a fan :wall:

so I'll be using the one from behind the living room fireplace a while longer. My batteries in the camera are dead, so I hope to remember to get more today.

I used https://www.rollitup.org/advanced-marijuana-cultivation/151706-uncle-bens-topping-technique-get.html on 5 of my unknown seedlings so I end up with 4 colas if they're female. I turned the tops into clones for the mother room in case I like the strains. All 5 of them are now in 2 gal potting bags with the Happy Frog soil and will go into flowering as soon as I finish the mother room.

I also took another AK clone and the original 3 I took on the first are filling up their cups with roots. They'll all be ready for flowering when I get the mother room ready, too.

I mention getting the mother room ready because as of yet, I only have a flower room and a seedling shelf. I'm currently using the flower room for ALL the plants. I need to re-wire two or three more shop lights to use temporarily in there. :bigjoint:

Later today I hope to upload pictures of the progress on my grow space as well as new pics of all the girls. I suspect after a few more days they'll really start bushing out in their new containers, my potting cups were way too small - need the taller ones for the next go 'round.

Comments? Suggestions? Great - be nice, I'm poor, and this is just a weed, after all. ;-)

YellowJuana Cake · Jan 16, 2010

I finally got around to picking up some batteries for the camera. Sadly, I lost a few photo ops in the garden, but I'm happy to have more to post today. Since I last posted pics, I have gotten 2 gal. grow bags and Happy Frog soil.

I mentioned using https://www.rollitup.org/advanced-marijuana-cultivation/151706-uncle-bens-topping-technique-get.html and here are pics of the girls (I hope) that I topped above the 2nd true node to produce 4 colas.
These first two accidentally ended up together in the same starter cup and I couldn't separate them. My only hope is that they're both female and live happily ever after in this cramped space.

This is the weakest looking one with the skinniest Sativa like leaves, I hope she strengthens up with the new pot and better light. It's a bit fuzzy, this one.

Another one not forcing out the new growth as quickly as I'd hoped, but all is not lost, just yet. I can't expect them to do anything overnight, I suppose. :sleep:

After only 48 hours, this last one is looking pretty good and shooting out some new growth that promises to be my 4 colas!

Lastly, here's a pic of everyone shoved together today. I really need to finish wiring lights for the mother room and separate these girls so I have more room for flowering AND vegging!

At last check, I have AK47, AK47xSuperSilverHaze, some sort of Diamond cross, and some unknown bagseed varieties. Everyone loves the new light except the mama AK who thinks it's too warm. I keep her happy at the babies' expense, but they don't complain as loudly about minor temp variations. I am thinking about obtaining a T-5 light for the mother room in the future, but for now I just need to get some lights hung up in the mother room and switch the flower room to 12/12! I'm anxious . . . :bigjoint:

YellowJuana Cake · Jan 18, 2010

Wow! I'm pleased with the new soil I got and so are the plants if their growth is an indication of it's usefulness. I finally got everyone where I wanted them - mother AK in the mother room, all the girls I'm gonna flower are in the flower room but still on a veg cycle. There are some lingering clones and unknown bagseed plants that I have to sort out, but I'm not trying to stress myself out over things, so no worries.

I need to finish painting and caulking for light leaks and then hang some mylar in the mother room, but I did hang a light, finally, and moved the mama AK so I could really get going in the flower room.

In the flower room, I'm dealing with several unknown bagseed plants. I have 8 of them in 2 gallon bags and 5 of them are already topped. I used the tops to make clones and will flower the plants while the clones veg out in case I find something I like. I am as hopeful as any grower that they'll all be female, but if not, I'll be able to weed out the males from both rooms as they show signs of sex during flowering. (A personal thought regarding sex - I talk to all my girls and call them girls and tell them they're girls and plant girl thoughts in their pretty little leaves and tell them what gorgeous flowers they're destined to make . . . I may be a silly hippy girl, but I think that really helps make more seeds into female flowers. Of course, I also use lighting and temperature to my advantage, there. :lol:

)

So, here are updated pics from the flower room that's still in veg cycle.

These were taken 5 days after topping and transplanting on the same day. I think the girls are recovering nicely!

#1 and the weakest:

I'm glad to see that all the girls are recovering from the nute burn of the hot soil I put the seeds into after germinating . . . They seem much happier in Happy Frog soil.

#2

#3

#4

#5

I'm still waiting on unknowns 6-8 to get a few more nodes before I top them and make clones. They're enjoying their new homes, though.

Here's a pic of my AK x SSH - since it's the only seed of this kind to germinate, if it's a male I may have to try my hand at controlled pollination.

Lastly, here are a couple of AK clones doing well at 2 weeks.

I intend on switching to 12/12 light in the flower room as soon as I hang the other door and get the ventilation running. Right now, 1/2 of one side is covered with a blanket and there's a big box fan pushing air around. I have everything on an 18/6 cycle, but have separated the plants to different rooms.

I suspect many folks would wait longer and allow their girls more time to veg out, but I really want to get the harvest started. Since I'll have separate rooms for flowers and clones, as well as seedlings, I intend to keep plants cycling into the flower room every couple of weeks. I will start at least 6 girls flowering and put their sisters in behind them in weekly increments to keep a constant harvest cycle going. Seems reasonable to me, even with different strains, it'll work out fine. It's really different than the outdoor stuff I'm so used to, but hey, controlling harvest is gonna be SUPER FUN! :bigjoint:

Thank you for reading and I look forward to positive and helpful comments if you'd like to chime in.

YellowJuana Cake · Jan 23, 2010

My new favorite place to shop is the Garden Center over in town. I've made several trips to pick up this or that or just a few more potting bags, etc. The folks there are nice and they always hook me up with fun schwag like grow mags and stickers for my guitar case and stuff. It turns out they're quite knowledgeable and willing to share information, as well.

Today I am here with an update and new pictures. I worked on the mother room some more. I got a light hung, mylar on the walls and transplanted the last of the little ones into 2 gal. bags with a mixture of Happy Frog and Ocean Forest soil. I am considering my options for lighting in the future of my veg/mother room and the T5 is looking mighty nice.

I have a little curl on the leaves of a few plants and I suspect they are too moist, hence the change in mixing soils and I also added some chunks of clay tiles to the bottom of the bags to allow better drainage in the new ones I filled. Also, I moved the ones with curled leaves a bit further from the light and cut more holes for drainage. I hope they improve within a few days.

At any rate, the pics are attached this time instead of included here with the text. Enjoy, and feel free to leave any positive comments. :bigjoint:

YellowJuana Cake · Jan 30, 2010

I finally got around to cutting the boards I needed for doors to the flower room. I found some cheap hardware to hang them and got the electrical wires all running the way I wanted. The room is sealed up tight for light leaks and ready to switch to flowering. I intend to thin the crowd of plants in there and keep more of them in the veg room. I want to flower 4 plants to start, then add known female varieties at two week intervals :idea:

so I'll end up with a continuous harvest every couple of weeks. :weed:

As it should be . . .

Anyway, I stopped in today just to add pics of the progress. So, here are the 8 bagseed plants, the first 5 have been topped, followed by the three that I'll take cuttings from and then flower 'naturally.' The last two pics are of the Diamond cross and the AK47 X Super Silver Haze, and the two AK47 cuttings I took on the first of the month, app. 1 foot tall, now. Enjoy the pics, positive comments are welcome.

YellowJuana Cake · Jan 30, 2010

Just thought I would comment on how no one here at RIU has left me any comments. I got a message from one :hug:

kindred spirit, but as for the rest of the readers, they've had nothing to say. Or perhaps they've only respected my wishes and declined to comment due to the fact that I've asked for only positive :peace:

feedback. LOLzzzzz :joint:

YellowJuana Cake · Feb 1, 2010

Just a note that I started flowering today. The veg room has doors and is sealed for light, I added a fan for circulation and the temp and air flow are good when it's sealed tight, so I'm very happy and the girls are even happier.

I will add more pics of the progress tomorrow. Recently, I've transplanted to full 2 gallon bags and thinned out the crop for space. I chose which plants to flower and left extra space to cycle more plants in throughout the harvest cycle so I will eventually end up with a perpetual harvest.

Life is good. :weed:

YellowJuana Cake · Feb 6, 2010

Well, kids, here I am again with some pictures I just took this morning. These latest are from one week into flowering. I have a few plants under that light right now who aren't flowering, but just enjoying the light for a while during the day.

I'm flowering three unknown bagseed varieties and one AK47. Two of the 3 unknowns are accidentally stuck together in one pot, so I expect stunted growth if both are female. As I sex the plants out, I'll add new ones to the flowering room to stagger my harvest.

Anyway, here are the pics, this first one is flowering AK in the back and the Diamond Cross just veggin' in the front.

Next is a view of the rest of the plants enjoying the big light, some flowering, some not. Everyone just had a little rainwater drink on their leaves . . . they love it!

So, that's all for today, folks. Thanks for watching. I'm hoping to see sexual traits in the unknown flowering plants soon . . . more pics when that happens! :bigjoint:

YellowJuana Cake · Feb 12, 2010

I knew it was bound to happen, some seedlings grow into male plants, that's how life works.

I ended giving away 3 unknowns, one turned out to be male. Of the remaining 12, I've lost 6 to boyhood. :lol:

It happens.

I'm not particularly concerned due to the fact that I have a female AK to clone from. :eyesmoke:

This was the first I identified as male:

Too bad, because he was a healthy happy lil guy that really took well to the topping technique and would have produced 4 main colas. Oh well. A final salute:

Here's a boy who grew a cluster of pollen sacs in just 12 hours, amazing.

This morning I was taking a closer look at the remaining bagseed plant in the flower room and I see this on one branch (female):

And on the other branch, what quite obviously appears to be pollen sacs:

Lastly, here's a pic of the flowering AK47 at day 12:

Now . . . what to do with that hermie? LOL

YellowJuana Cake · Feb 21, 2010

Just a quick update with a few pics from last week.

This is the AK47 two weeks into flower:

I noticed a strange bug that I've yet to identify on the leaves of my Diamond, so I began a 3 week Neem Oil treatment mid-week. The girls really seem to love the extra attention. The bugs were so few and far between and caused minimal damage. I have not seen them since I first sprayed, but will continue the treatment as Neem Oil disrupts the life cycle of bugs and I don't want a new batch to hatch in a couple weeks.

The Neem Oil treatment also took care of the little bit of white mold on a few of the bottom leaves. That was more my fault than anything, I know better than to foliar spray in the evening before lights out, but I just went and did it a few times anyway, and that caused the mold to begin with. At first I thought I needed more air flow, but then I popped my head outta my butt. :dunce:

The Diamond cross turned out male and I'm so disappointed. It was the only seed of that kind I had germinate. I was trying to let him go for a while in the hopes I could move him to a secluded outdoor spot until the pollen sacs open and I'm able to collect pollen. Unfortunately, the temps in my area have taken a sudden drop, and it IS still winter, so I may have to bag that idea.

I have started using Fox Farm Big Bloom for flowering nutes on the flowering plants when they start week 2 or 3. This is in addition to molasses with every other watering.

So, that's the update, oh, veg room doing fine, clones coming along, etc. etc.

I'll be back with pics from week 3 in a few days.

:bigjoint:

YellowJuana Cake · Feb 27, 2010

Well, kids, I'm back with pics of the flower room.

This is the AK47 end of week 3 flowering:

Everything seems to be going as planned. There is another AK47 and an unknown sativa that tried to grow lumber, but I topped it, probably harvest that after the other AK. Oh well, I'll get the harvest times of my strains figured out eventually. :bigjoint:

Here's the Lumber bud just starting week 3 of flowering:

Lastly, here's the AK47 that's starting week 3:

I have a limited amount of space for indoor growing, I'm thinking of grafting several different varieties onto one mother plant with a strong root system. First, I have to build a plant with a strong root system.

I'll get right on that, with summer coming, I'm going to need to stop using the flower room soon!

Also, I have a little outdoor project starting soon and it promises to be great fun! Stick around, faithful readers. :blsmoke:

YellowJuana Cake · Mar 6, 2010

Today I've stopped in to upload a few pics from the garden. Nothing special. Just lovely little pics without labels or anything, all for the love of this plant.

Feel free to leave your positive feedback . . . . bongsmilie

YellowJuana Cake · Mar 14, 2010

So here I am again, kids, with a little update from my garden. I know, I know, I don't stop in often enough, but since I'm in charge, well, that's just how it goes.

I've been struggling to keep my mothers from getting all lanky without a good light, but I'll make do and then make new mothers when I get a better light.

Sometime next week I will also re-wire another light for my baby room as it needs to be in use, but I borrowed the light for the mothers. Anyway, I'm having a wonderful time with my little garden. :-P

I've mentioned the Lumber Bud a few times . . . called it that since I don't know the genetics and it's sativa dominant and tried to get lanky at the start of flowering. I topped it about one week into flowering, I think I stopped a 6 footer.

Anyway, soon as I topped it, it started producing buds and now this is what we've got:

This is about 4 weeks flowering. When you squeeze the buds, it smells like cat piss. I'm not kidding, straight up cat piss, not pungent, musky or any other pleasant way to describe some earthy aroma, it just flat out smells like cat piss. Anyone want to chime in with what kind they think it is, feel free, I'm curious who would want to grow buds that smell so awful.

Personally, I kinda like the name Cat Piss Lumber Bud, but that's just me.

The Cat Piss and the little AK in 2 gallon bags both got almost 2 feet tall before I could get them into flowering, now I'm running out of nitro a bit early, as you can see from the leaves. I am supplementing their bloom nutes with nitrogen and even though the leaves won't gain back their color, the plants will still produce some fine buds.

Here's the little AK at 3.5 weeks:

Lastly, here are the tasty pics of the big AK47 that's into her 6th week of flowering:

So, that's about that, then. See ya again, soon. :weed:

YellowJuana Cake's Garden

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