Beginner's Single-Plant Grow!

[julik]

Hello friends! My name is J and I'm a university student and cannabis enthusiast who has recently gotten into the growing world somewhat by accident. I found a seed in one of my batches of bud, and for shits & giggles decided to see if it would germinate (I had tried this before, but the seed turned out to be a dud so I was a bit disheartened) and to my excitement it did!

The pictures I've included were taken a bit more than 2 weeks after the initial cotyledon leaves sprouted out of the soil. As you can see, the stems, veins, and undersides of the leaves are all a beautiful deeppurple color- I'm hoping this is a genetic trait, as it seems to be universal among all of the plant's growths. The edges are also slightly tinged a dark purple, which I initially thought to be nute burn, but it also seems to be universal among all the foliage and the plant seems happy regardless.

My setup is located in my bedroom closet. Although my closet has a window, I've covered it up and I have the plant on a 20/4 lighting schedule. There's an oscillating fan running pretty much all the time in the grow space.
The soil I'm using is (as I later found out) definitely not ideal for growing cannabis: I used Miracle-Gro soil specialized for succulents, cacti, and citrus plants. It was what I had available within an arm's reach, and as an eager beginner I neglected to do my homework ahead of time. The soil has decent drainage and a reasonable NPK ratio of 6:4:2, but it also contains slow-releasing nutrients which led me to have to flush the soil on two different occasions. I also have not begun to monitor my soil pH yet, but I plan to buy a pH testing kit soon.
I'm currently using one 'daylight' 42-watt (100w equivalency) CFL bulb and another 25-watt 'soft white' CFL as I await my other 42w in the mail. The plant seems to be very happy with the lighting setup, although if it keeps getting bigger at its current rate, I'm probably going to have to order more bulbs!

So, my questions for the public are these:
-Should I risk shocking the root system by transplanting it to a different type of soil, or does it seem happy in the current medium? Should I invest in supplemental nutes or will the soil supply enough?
-Is the purple tone indicative of a deficiency or illness of some sort, or does it appear to be a genetic trait that I don't need to worry about?
-What else can I do to keep the lil' fella happy and healthy while it lives in my closet?

Thanks for reading, and I'm excited to dive into the world of growing cannabis!
-J

[Chefbjy]

As you have already discovered miraclegrow is not suitable for cannabis therefore you may have nutrient problems but looks fine if you can get it in some decent medium you could be fine with a soil that contains enough nutes to supply it for a few weeks. I use nutes in my medium and so do a lot of indoor growers it's what the plant needs. I suggest trying to get as much of that miracle grow off the root ball and putting it a medium that it can thrive on or you're just going to run into problems. As for purple tones some plants do have genetics that produce vibrant colors. Definitely not a good medium I'm sure most will agree with that.

[D.A.A.S.69]

Yeah, don't wait, get her in some good soil-coco, soon. Nice little young plant, but she will not do well in that MG.

[Campesino]

I also have not begun to monitor my soil pH yet, but I plan to buy a pH testing kit soon.

In most set-ups you pH test (and adjust) the water (going in and coming out) not the soil per se.

Agree with others that medium should be changed. May be fine until flowering, but time release nutes will shock and even kill a flowering cannabis plant.
Almost all grow mediums will require that you add nutes of some sort and not just depend on what's in the medium. This site has all the info you need, spend some time reading all the relevant tutorials! And don't be afraid to ask questions or for advice.

[julik]

Thanks for all the replies! Sounds like I should go get some real soil. I'll do some more in-depth research into what sort of soil and supplies I need, and definitely will start out with the right soil next time.

[Chefbjy]

http://www.growweedeasy.com/basics

[julik]

Update: Just ordered some coco coir, a pH testing and modifying kit, as well as another bulb- gonna go out and get some perlite and nutrients from my local gardening store within the next few days!

[Canuck147]

Get something with calcium/magnesium in it.

[Chefbjy]

Awesome just take care of it and follow the guides, I'm sure it will peak your interest if you're enthusiastic about cannabis. There is always more to learn and it's a great experience in my opinion. I have always tried to grow and never would have been successful if not for this web site. Sure I could have gotten lucky and followed another inexperienced growers advice but the tutorials guides and troubleshooting columns gave me the knowledge to be confident about growing cannabis.
Wise man say there's always someone who knows more.

[alltatup]

U go girl!!! On the right track!

[9fingerleafs]

I grow with CFLs and you’re gonna need at least five bulbs to flower a single plant. Think about getting some more for he future

[julik]

I grow with CFLs and you’re gonna need at least five bulbs to flower a single plant. Think about getting some more for he future

For sure! I'm trying to buy them as needed while the plant vegetates and grows larger, so as not to hurt my sensitive college student wallet I've employed some other lower wattage CFLs I had laying around the house as well.

[julik]

Update, part two!

So, I had to transplant the lil guy not once, but twice. Initially, it was in a large 5 gl pot with poor drainage (partly due to my failure to mix enough perlite into the medium) and this caused pH problems and further root damage in addition to trauma from the transplant. Needless to say, it was not doing well for a while. I thus decided to buy myself a smaller, 1 gl felt pot and retry on the coco mix. After several days in its new home, it began to maintain an even pH and perk up a bit.

The first picture below is how the plant looked immediately after its second transplant. The spotting is due to the leaves having gone limp in response to pH issues, which actually was so severe below that it caused me to have to defoliate the bottom several leaves. However, after I had finally purchased all the appropriate nutrients I needed and began my feeding regimen, you can see that the plant is doing quite well now and is growing its first set of green, healthy, seven-fingered leaves.

In desperation during the plant's sickness, I ordered a set of 5 White Widow reg seeds from Nirvana. They should be here in a couple weeks! Excited to try my second round, and to do it right from the beginning

I'll keep the photos coming as it vegetates. Peace!

[alltatup]

These plants are built to last! You'd be amazed at what they can survive, but yours is definitely looking MUCH happier!!!

[Waltermelon]

My biggest suggestion would be to pick up a really cheap 300w no name led panel from Amazon. The last one I got for $40 free shipping. After you spend all the money on CFLs, you'll wish you got the cheap led off the jump. CFLs work, but with the heat they generate, and cost you'll wish you spent an extra $20 on a proper light.

[9fingerleafs]

i have never tried it, a friend went to the desert and got me one as a gift.... i once also tried to grow one from seed but it only survived a few months

[Waltermelon]

It's not too bad to grow if you can forget about things for 3 weeks at a time between watering. I get most of mine from succulent corner .com or .org or some . Something. They come from Belgium or some other European nation that's not quite as backwards as our great nation. It's definitely worth the $50 a dose it costs. Just don't plan anything besides wandering around the forest for about 18 hours, make sure there arent any big predators around and clean water to drink. If you don't do those things, it could turn out to not be such a good time.

[julik]

Thanks for the suggestion! I may look into LEDs for my next plants, especially if i feel ambitious about my second try and decide to sprout several at once. CFLs are a bit of a pain to set up and adjust

[al70]

Keep goin, yer ok/ first grow is a bad dream, you're plants look OK, let dry a little,, first inch, then light water with 1/2 nute,, just a litle water, let her go huntin for nutes, goodluck

[julik]

Thanks for the well wishes! It seems happy and healthy at the moment, fingers crossed.

[julik]

Quick update! Though they seem to be growing vigorously, i'm thinking that the upper leaves' discoloration may be a product of transplant trauma, nute burn, or just genetics (or maybe D. all of the above?).

[D.A.A.S.69]

Good Morning julik, if that's your only problem, with the top leaves a lighter color, you don't have any problems, she looks healthy to me, and you have also ,done a nice job, starting from the beginning ,with this plant.

[julik]

Some fast pics after a weekend out of town. Looks like she's doing well

[julik]

I may be wrong, but I think she's sprouted her first preflower! I can say 'her' with some confidence now, since it looks like she's a girl! Again, this may just be me getting too excited- feel free to correct me.

I also received my White Widow seeds in the mail today, and have started germing a couple of 'em! Fingers crossed!

[Camk]

Ummm keep an eye on that it looks male to me but hopefully I'm wrong

[Campesino]

Agreed, more concerning than reassuring, but too early to tell

[Camk]

i hope not i hate being the bearer of bad news

[julik]

I think there is a small pistil emerging from it, but it's hard to tell. I'm gonna wait several more days and see if it gets larger or more prominent. It's also hard to get a good photo of it- maybe i should invest in one of those cheap magnifiers for my phone camera!