Starting to think about my next grow, want input

[bluecanoe]

Okay, my last grow was sad. I harvested all of 1/4 oz. It was okay stuff. The taller plant died, it evidently wasn't photoperiod because within a week of switching to 12/12 it was dead as a doornail, kaput, DOA, no hope. I still have my clones. One is getting yellow around the leaves, but still no visible roots in the drain holes, but they are alive at 5 weeks. Still wondering if the mom didn't do anything will they??? Should I waste my time, $$, energy?
I've ordered some new seeds from a different seedbank, 3 auto Jackpot seeds (they claim it's easy to grow and will knock your socks off, but that's what the other company said about the Northern Lights) The seeds are feminized, and I will get 2 mystery feminized seeds. It'll be a few weeks if I'm lucky and they don't get stopped at customs, so I have time to get my stuff together.

My grow tent, if that's what you want to call it, is about 2 ft deep, and 4ft tall. I plan on using homemade soil, 50% compost, 25% sand and 25% vermiculite. I plan on feeding from the veg stage, unless I need to start sooner like after germination, since there are no nutrients added to the soil I plan to make, other than what's in the compost.

I don't think I'm going to grow all 5 plants at once. Plus the 2 clones if they live will make 7 and that's too crowded for my space. I figure 2 clones (if they live) and 2 Jackpot seeds. I have smallish lights, how much cfl wattage or led wattage do I need/should I have to promote max growth for the size of my little grow space? Should I split between cfl and LED or just use one?

Because they are autoflower do I start them out on 24/0 light schedule or do I go 20/4...another person on another forum said 20/4 or 18/6. I know these last plants did NOT like less than 24/0.

Random ramblings from a curious soul. Any help is truly appreciated.

[GanjaGed]

My 2 cents, and that's over priced.

I'd run either the 2 clones and save the seeds, or ditch the clones and go with 2 of the Jackpots and save the others.

Reason: Your tent and light situation sound like 2 plants will be pushing it. Also you want to get at least one run in with the Autos before mixing strains, unless you know the growth pattern. Running the 2 Jackpots or clones you'll have some uniformity. You can always try the unknowns later once you feel comfortable with your garden. Plus you want some back ups, just in case.

If you're growing Autos the range is 18/6 to 24/0 depending on strain and grower preference. Also on Autos NEVER go to 12/12. Run the same light schedule all the way from seed to harvest. Though I suppose going up on the light period wouldn't be bad, but that's a guess. Someone with experience growing Autos would know better than I.

Good luck! I've got some auto seeds coming that will be my first ones when I grow them.

[POKEDSMOT]

Sage advice on space and plants. 1 plant with training would be better space management than 2 plants.

[bluecanoe]

PokedSmot, I decided that I was going to let these plants do what they wanted to do. No topping, no training no nothing except food, water and light, and the plants aren't supposed to get that tall, but after this past grow I don't know what to expect. They could be giants!! I've watched videos and read articles about LST but don't know that I feel comfortable with training. As for the when and how.
Right now I'm just thinking and asking for advice, and gleaning as much info as I can get before the seeds come in. I may change my mind and just grow one plant and learn a new technique, training! I'm open to anything right now. I want a perpetual grow and honestly one plant at a time would be more beneficial to me, the seeds would last longer, if I germinated one at a time when the older plant went into flower....just a lot to think about while I'm waiting. It would be wonderful to have a never ending supply of medicine. Thanks for the ideas.

[ZigZag]

Good advise, go with it and enjoy the rewards!

[Guest]

Hi mate, I would personally avoid using sand in my medium. As i don't think it will be too beneficial for drainage. Try using coco or replace with more vermiculite.
Light is important. I use a 300W Galaxyhydro LED which works great. I also have a few home made CFL fittings around the 'tent'. Cool white (blue light) and warm white (red light) bulbs are interchanged during the grow based on which stage im at. Blue - Veg, red - bloom.
My auto had great gains at 20/4. I have personally seen great yields with 18/6 also, thats upto you.
Humidity is something you may also want to consider controlling.
Ventilation, especially air being exhausted out is also somethig to look into.

As for your clones being 'yellow' around the leaves, this seems like a nutrient deficiency. If you describe the symptoms more specifically you may receive a more accurate solution. If only the tips of the leave/s have the yellow tinge evident it could be 'over fertilisation'.

Hope i helped!

[bluecanoe]

I will reconsider the sand in my soil, and will add more vermiculite. The LED light I used the last time had both red and blue and seemed to be okay but it's not very strong, I need more light. Humidity is not an issue, the room I grow in is very humid, and I live in the south where humidity keeps us old women looking 25! But we are getting a dehumidifier soon to make sure the humidity is kept at the right %. I have ventilation, ceiling fan that runs 24/7, floor fan, and daily open the window to let in fresh air.
The clones might be needing some fertilizer, I was afraid to do anything but keep the soil damp so I didn't fertilize them. Other than the yellow around the leaves they look healthy, but like I said in the last post, I'm leery of them because the plant I took them off of didn't do anything. We have a wooded area behind the house so I might think about sticking them in the ground back there if they root to see if they will grow....if they do Yay! If they don't, no great loss. Thanks for the input.

[Lotusyde]

Using silica sand is a mistake I've made that introduced moisture problems to the soil and bugs thereafter

[bluecanoe]

No silica sand, gotcha! Thanks.

[OzBud]

putting an auto on 12/12 won't kill it, it just won't grow to its full potential. There's another reason for the death that you need to investigate.

As for how much light you should give autos, I personally do 24/0. You can see the results in the grows in my signature. 20/4 is pretty common as well. 18/6 is slightly less common for autos and I wouldn't recommend going any lower than that.

[bluecanoe]

The plant was not happy for a while before I put it on 12/12 schedule. We were thinking it was a photo plant because of the lack of flowering, that's why I put it on 12/12. It had been fine, tall and lush, covered in pistils. it got too close to the light because of the dwarf plant that was growing beside it, I was unable to adjust the light to accommodate the height so it got some light burn and I pulled it away from under the lights, but it was still getting light. As soon as I harvested the dwarf, I raised the lights and the light burn didn't ease up. I watered when it needed it, fertilized as I had been. Maybe the light burn was just too much for it to recover from. Both plants were really persnickety plants, if you didn't hold your mouth right when you watered them they took offense. I've never grown anything so funny (not haha funny) in my life. I'm blaming the seeds. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!! LOL!

[GanjaGed]

"Both plants were really persnickety plants, if you didn't hold your mouth right when you watered them they took offense. "

So great!

[berrypilot]

🌱 Hey, not sure if this is helpful, but there's a page on GWE about figuring out why your yields were bad. I went through it a few years ago, and it made me realize that my limiting factor to better yields was not enough light. 🌱

[bluecanoe]

Thanks Berry, I am upgrading my lights to a 300W led, and plan on using some cfls as well. I am on a minimal budget so I get as I can. But plan on ordering the light this week.

[berrypilot]

🌱 What type of LEDs were you looking at? 🌱

[bluecanoe]

I don't know a name off the top of my head, it's on amazon. I am going to a grow store Thursday when I am in a city big enough to have one. I don't have a lot of $$ to spend, so I need to get the most for my money. Do you have any suggestions? I've looked at the UFO lights, getting two 150W, but then I've looked at the flat ones with fans. Any input is appreciated. Thanks!

[oldjarhead100]

hey Blue . while reading your posts it made me wonder if you watered to much .most plants no matter what strain wont die from less light but will die quickly from root problems, I grow in soil and would suggest that you add more vermiculite and perlite as well as some lime ,if needed .my mix for soil is 3 shovels compost, 3 shovels promix,1 shovel of peatmoss,vermiculite,perlite then I add one cup plant tone(organic fertilizer) and 1 cup lime. if I have them I will add kelp meal,wormcasting, but all you really need to do is check to make sure your soil PH is right and you water PH is right when you water. You didn't say what you used for water so if you use tap are you letting it sit open overnight to get chlorine out . My ph meter went haywire and I lost about 10 plants in all, I've overwatered and killed a couple but I never had one die from switching my light to 12/12. just something to think about

[bluecanoe]

Jarhead, I watered when the soil was dry to my first knuckle and sometimes waited til it was dry to the second knuckle, just to make sure I wasn't over-watering. I use tap water, we have hard water where I live and use a filter on the cold water side for our cooking and drinking, because if we don't it tastes like the river or whatever it's pumped from! I let the water sit, even when using the filtered water that takes out the chlorine.
I plan on using more vermiculite in my next soil mix, and years ago when I had tons of potted plants in the house I always put a layer of gravel on the bottom of the pot to make sure I had good drainage, I've thought about doing that this time as well. For some reason I forgot I did that....a senior moment perhaps!
I checked the ph on my soil several times and it was fine, never checked the ph on the runoff as I didn't ever water enough to have runoff, should I water till I have runoff? If so, I will water til I have runoff on the new grow.
Thanks for the input. I'm needing all the info I can get.

[Mr.furley]

Hi bluecanoe,
Sorry to hear about the quantity on your last grow, some is better they none. The statement on GWE that sticks in my head the most is " once you get your first grow under your belt " it will get easier. I'm happy to see that you are already planning out you next grow and moving forward.I have a couple of questions for you,
1) do you have any pic of you grow space/light? Pic help.
2) what kind of/wattage led light did you using and are you going to upgrade it?
MJ plants will grow big, Bader, and more with more light up to a point and if you do not give them enough it can hurt your yields/size. You mentioned putting your clones outside, that's a safe bet if it's a safe place. You would be giving them the great light in the sky and not wasting energy and money in case it was genetics. As far as a 2X4 grow I would agree with PS, one plant and GG, two is pushing it.

[bluecanoe]

I can't put my clones outside, it's not safe. If I put them anywhere it'll be at the very back of the yard near the woods and if the cops find them I know nothing--could have been the meth heads who used to live next door! I still have them under an led light 24/0, waiting to see if they take root. I need to fertilize them since one is starting to yellow around the edges and someone mentioned they might need nutes. I really don't want to waste my time on clones that were taken from a non-productive plant, they might be the same, but curiosity is killing me!
I am upgrading to a 300W led with some cfls thrown in for the different stages, someone mentioned blue for veg and red for flower. My wonder is do I get a red/blue led light? Or just white?
If I get the red/blue led do I need the cfls?
And I left a number off the size of my space, it's 2dx3wx4h, but still small. I think two plants will be too much now that I've finished one grow. I do have room to expand if I need to.
I'll have to take pics. It takes me a while since I have tons of running to do since my husband was in a terrible car wreck 3 weeks ago....having to drive 100 miles one way to doctors, lawyers, etc....so when we get home I collapse, but thankful he's alive.
Thanks so much!

[Mr.furley]

Ha, yah tweezers do weird stuff. I'm the same, it didn't work so I must not give up I can do better.
I Just threw out 6 clones, did know the strain of the plant, it's been getting hot, still have week on this grow, which means more starting veg time, plus I have some new seeds. So I made the call to just end it for them and start a new after the heat. I would have to say that what ever happened with your last grow could be going on with your clones.
As far as the led lights go I'm in the dark, someone with experience need to answer all your questions about them. But what I do know is the in your space led could be to much ( this again is a question for a led expert) but cfls do a great job in that sized space with 1 maybe 2 plants top and LST plus they are very inexpensive. I veg my plants under cfl ir does great, they are a couple of growers on here that have amazing harvest with them.
Check them out
9's

http://forum.growweedeasy.com/forum/growing-community/72965-9-a-garden-update

Jeg

http://forum.growweedeasy.com/forum/growing-community/84704-jeg-s-journal-2

Just something to consider since your planning your next grow.
Sorry to hear about all the stress and hard time your family is going through with the help in this forum and the website you should be growing soon.
Read here to.

http://www.growweedeasy.com/cfl-coco-coir

[bluecanoe]

Thanks Furley, You've given me a lot to think about. Since I am growing in a small space, I might be better off and cheaper investment using the cfls. I can do that cheaper than buying a new led light., just a run to Home Depot.
I want the max harvest I can get per plant/harvest so I need to take a step back and reconsider my next grow. At least I have time to eenie meenie miney moe my decision! That's how I make most of my important decisions in life. LOL!
Lately though have been having my doubts....everything I have planted since the harvest has died. Literally. I tried to germinate spearmint seeds, not one germinated. I got some catnip to repel mosquitoes outside, it was beautiful in the kitchen window, I transplanted it and it's dead. My passion flowers were crowded in the pot they were in, I transplanted them into the ground and they are dead, a plant that grows wild in the country is dead....Today I found that my aloe vera plant has root rot and it's not been watered in a while! And my peace lily has brown spots on the leaves. I have nursed this plant back from one leaf to a full lush plant....the only funeral plant I have left from our son's funeral and now it's acting weird. I think I need to just drop back and punt. Take a break, stop trying to grow things until my seeds come and then only plant the clones and if they live HOORAY!!! If not it's no big loss.
Sounds like time for meditation and self-care before I start another grow.
I appreciate that response.

[Mr.furley]

Good evening BlueCanoe,
IV be thinking about you, your family, and your house plants all day, been sending good vibes to you and yours.  
There's a great deal of good ideas and great advice for you on this thread and a lot of will people to help.
I have been so impressed with this forum. the amount of help a person can receive and im equally impressed with the GWE website it has everything one needs to know grow weed easy. I think I speak for most here when I say I've read it front to back a hundred times and still go back and find information.
Do take a minute for yourself to do some meditation you seem to have a lot going on sometimes a moment to clear out the cobwebs is all one needs
 if you need any help just ask this place will get you/ keep you on the right track for a successful Gro. 
I look forward to seeing you next grow.
Mr.Furley

[oldjarhead100]

Blue sorry for your loss and happy your husband is still with you 3 years ago I had surgery that went bad and I went septic. was in a coma for 28 days and then it took another two months to get home had to learn to do everything again. my wife was driving back and forth every day to see me out of 78 days she came 71 of them. ok back to the point. there seems to be a root problem going around your house is there a common denominator between house plants and MJ plants ? this is a tough one but we can figure it out eventually lol. your using compost for soil whats the ph in the compost?

[bluecanoe]

Old Jar Head, glad you are still here with us. They say what doesn't kill us makes us stronger but I call BS on that.
As for my black thumb lately, I don't know what it is. I think the aloe vera was in the wrong soil, should have used something with more sand...it is after all a succulent. The spearmint seeds were a fluke I think, if I had dug a hole in the yard, they might have germinated, or they may not have, I'll never know. After I transplanted the catnip and it started to die, I read on the instructions (good to note here that it's best the read the instructions BEFORE you plant a new plant) that it didn't like direct sun, and well, I put it on the back patio, the place that's hotter than 47 hells with full western sun and no shade, by the time I realized, it was baked and not in a good way!
I think my peace lily will be okay, I'll trim the brown leaves off, and just keep doing what I've been doing. I've had the plant for 6 years, brought it back from one leaf like I said, and hauled it from one house, to my friend's house and then to my sister's house before we bought this house....it's pretty hardy.
It does seem like something's going on though. The passion flowers were germinated in the house, then put in soil in a pot to grow larger on the front porch, south facing. Once they got crowded I got them something to climb on and planted them in the SAME soil they had been growing in and they died. But, I can't work in the yard like I used to, and might have half-assed it, even though I really, really wanted those flowers!
I got two more plants (different kinds) today to plant in the yard, for the pollinators and I will see if they die too...if they do then I give up. At least on the outside plants...our soil around here isn't great although our house is built on what was an old cotton field.
I'm dumping all the soil that is in the house, from the failed cannabis plant, ungerminated seeds and catnip and starting new. I also have a suspicion that me having my son's picture hanging over the grow area is a jinx. He was super straight, taught by Officer Nipper to Just Say NO and turn your parents in if they smoked marijuana. So I'm going to move his picture to another place, even though I know he'd want me to be happy and having medicine without narcotics makes me happy. I'm not usually superstitious but there's too much going on not to be.

[D.A.A.S.69]

Hey Bluecanoe, I hate to hear about your loses and all but your gonna get it right when you get your seeds in. You have got a good attitude, I know you can do it. As for lights ,I read an article by Nebula talking about cheap lights that work good ,an I said what the hell an got one an i couldn't be happier with the way it works, didn't cost but 89 bucks GH300 led. My momma used to tell me I wasn't holding my mouth right was why I wasn't catching fish like she was , just like you said. I live in the South an i bet you do too, don't know though. I do know that we will be glad to help you anyway we can. Good Luck stay in touch.

[bluecanoe]

Thanks D.A.A.S. It is what it is when it comes to losses....I can't change any of it, I can only change the way I react to them. I miss my son, more than anything, and he wouldn't want me growing cannabis, he was too straight. He had over 40 surgeries and I used to have to force him to take a pain pill when he needed it.
So is your LED light red/blue spectrum? I was going to head to Home Depot and see about getting the cfls and the metal hoods that clamp so I could use them. I just know that the smallish LED light I had for my first grow was not big enough, and that's probably one of the reasons for a crappy harvest. The other was more than likely the soil mixture. So I'm starting over from scratch. I'll check out Nebula's article about lights. Thanks for the heads up.
You're right, I am born and raised in the south so I do have some oddball sayings. I tell my husband he's not holding his mouth right if he can't get something right! So from now on. I'm holding my mouth right!!

[Jason]

I did my first "grow" in soil in a 5 gallon bucket. I did everything wrong that is possible to do wrong,. Root ball was the size of a small cantaloupe after about 8 months. Bad soil, no pH monitoring, over watering, poor selection of nutes, bad light schedule , etc. Gave up on soil and got a $70 Water Farm and started studying GWE site. Got a clone, harvested 90 days later and got about 4+oz of superior quality. I was hoping for more, but my two cheap 300W LEDs just aren't the ticket. Got another Water Farm for a second grow and 315W CMH. ($200). The CMH light rocks. Beginning of week 8, the plant is 36" tall and covered with buds. I FIM'd and it's working.
I suggest hydro and decent light.

[bluecanoe]

Jason, I've thought about hydro but for some reason I don't think I'm capable of doing it although I've watched it on YouTube and it seems pretty straightforward. I'm going to try one more soil grow and if it blows then I'll take the seeds that are left and start hydro. Thanks!

[D.A.A.S.69]

Damn right Jason ,fixing to get me an 315 almost got it 2 weeks ago, but had car trouble an had to get it fixed first, which one did you get ,bulb come with it.? Can't complain bout my led though, just about to harvest in a week or so ,planning on getting least couple ozs ,dry , looking that way anyway.

[Weed Pharma]

There is lots of good information here- so I will just ad, how I would proceed with the info provided.

Growing is so much about the environment- but you don't have to be exact for success.-just within ranges for the most part.

I suspect the water Ph (is high) and has to be brought into range for the stage your plant are in-

I would simply veg the 2 clones over the hot summer- try your hand at LST if they start to grow vigorously. <-- I do this each summer rather than fight high heat/humidity
It's a skill that you will end up using to get you out of a bind in future gfrows, too.

Save the seeds to grow after you get the best conditions you can.

[bluecanoe]

Thanks Weed Pharma,
I have tested the soil PH and it was fine, but not the runoff water PH, I've never really watered them hard enough to have runoff, guess I should huh? And then I will definitely start testing runoff PH. I am supposed to have some work done on the house fairly soon and I can't have anything growing while it's being done because it'll be inspected before the work begins and after it's finished and I can't take the risk of someone seeing/smelling something. So I might just do what you suggested and work with the clones until after the work is completed and no one will be coming into my house. The clones, are Northern Lights so they don't have a very pungent smell, even the one that flowered didn't have a telltale smell. And my grow is sort of mobile so I can move it and put things in front of it to keep prying eyes from seeing it during inspection. I'm resourceful, I will figure something out!
I truly appreciate all of the information that has been imparted on this thread, it's a lot to sort through and make a decision, but I have time since the seeds haven't even shipped yet.
Peace!

[D.A.A.S.69]

Bluecanoe, I lost my first girlfriend I met in middle school in 1964 when I was 13 years old ,we have been together ever since she past away of breast cancer 3 years ago ,so I know about losses, she did everything, that's why I don't know nothing about posting pictures an stuff like that. But if I was you and wanted to grow just some personal pot cheap I would use KindSoil it's a supersoil cause its got everything in it, all you need is a PH meter and water and read Nebulas articles about led lights that are cheap like mine is 89 bucks, but pick out what you want ,also read what she says about supersoil. Good Luck if you need something holler, I know you know what that means. I live in the Magnolia State.

[bluecanoe]

My sister and her husband are heading back down there either tomorrow or Wednesday. He had cataract surgery and had a complication and had to stay a few more days than he wanted. I'm one state north of there.
My issue is 1) finding a store where I can buy it. Home Depot near us doesn't carry it and 2) ordering it is a pain in the butt because most businesses won't deliver to a PO Box and we don't have mail delivery to our house...we are in the boondocks. I have to go back to the city this week and found an indoor grow store that is on the way to the chiropractor so we will stop in there and see what they have and the prices. Our time is so limited when we go to the city it's a drag, rush to get there, see the chiro, rush from chiro to maybe grab a bite to eat, rush to the medical doc, or atty, or cemetery or wherever we have to go and get back on the interstate before 2 pm or else we are going to sit in a parking lot of an hour or two....just a grueling trip that we've been forced into making because of the wreck. So I do as much as I can online to make our trip as smooth as possible.
I'm so sorry for your loss. I honestly believe that if I weren't here my husband would not have even contacted the insurance company yet....it's my fault, I did it.