Teddy's 1st auto grow

[BurningTeddy]

Hey all.

So this will be my 2nd grow ever. At least this time I'll know what I'm growing, and have my environmental conditions under control. No good at write ups, so bear with me.

For this I'll be using my 3x3x6ft tent with a 315w cmh. 5 gallon fabric smart pots. 5lbs of Kind soil underneath a top of Roots Organic Original.

I am germanating with the paper towel method. Only method I've ever used.

Starting with the shortest strain I have, OG Kush.

I'll have pics of the set up tomorrow, seed was just placed in paper towel this evening.

[Canuck147]

Good luck Teddy! OG Kush is one of my favorites - last two autos of that strain I grew, ended up both growing to five feet tall.

[BurningTeddy]

Thanks Canuck! I've heard a few phenos can get that big. Kind of hoping I get a shorter one but if it does happen I'll get more LST practice in. 4 feet is about my max height for the tent with this light.

[Canuck147]

That's exactly what I did, didn't cut any branches, just bent them over.

[Nartak]

I doubt you will need four feet if you manage to get the top as horizontal as you can (gradually not at once)!!

[BurningTeddy]

Set up pics.

I've got the Kindsoil and Roots Organic in the pot already. I've left extra room at the top of the pot for a 1/2 inch of sand. Fungas gnats were a huge issue on the last grow and the sand was the only thing that saved me after trying neem oil and fly traps.

Carbon filter isnt hooked up yet and I dont have my exhaust fan going out the window. Will be hooking all that up in probably the 2nd week of flower.

No movement on germanation yet but that's to be expected. Usually takes a few days using a paper towel.

[BurningTeddy]

Looking like I'll be ready to drop in soil tomorrow or the day after.

When pre soaking the smart pot do I saturate the whole pot then water in gradually larger circles as the seedling grows or just start with the circles and dont soak the whole thing?

[Canuck147]

Do the circle thing. I've never doused my pots.

Just don't put your seedling in dry soil. Moisten it but you don't have to saturate the soil.

[BurningTeddy]

OG Kush is in the soil. Moistened the center last night before bed in prep. Transferred from paper towel to a pinky knuckle deep hole. Watered maybe 2 ounces around it and cut up a 20oz soda bottle with some slits on top to keep the humidity up.

Edit: I was planning in having my GoPro going to get a timelapse of this plant but its timelapse video option only goes as high as 1 every 60seconds. Dont think I'll have the patience to look at over 1400 pictures every day. Any recommendations? It's a Hero4.

[BurningTeddy]

Well, we've broken ground! Actually broke yesterday but didnt have time to post.

Trying my best to not overwater although all that dry soil is making it hard lol.

I've moved my light up as to not burn the seedling. It's at 2.5 ft above the pot right now. About how many nodes should she have before I start lowering it?

[Canuck147]

Everything is looking great.

[BurningTeddy]

Lesson learned, dont mist the thermometer lol

humiditys been a bitch this time around.

[BurningTeddy]

Not much to update.

I've worked my humidity up to 50-60% reworking my fans and humidifier placement and brought my temps down to 73-80° by adding a very small desk fan in an intake hole. I think the cool mist humidifier and just proper airflow in general helped with the temp also.

Tomorrow will be 1 week since she broke soil.

[willistoned]

I did the humidifier thing for a few days and it actually seemed to make things worse. It brought the temps down to low 70s ℉ and RH only to about 50%. I noticed that the leaves were starting to wilt after a day. I don't know if it was from the cold temps, too much moisture directly on the plants, or what, but decided they were better without it. Just for shits & giggles I made a humidity dome out of a large Poland Spring bottle and the plants LOVED it. They sprang back to life and I was able to get the temps to the high 70s ℉ and humidity 55-60% inside the dome with a few small holes. I ran that experiment for a day and the plants were really thriving so I ordered some cloches online from https://www.gardeners.com/buy/medium...6/8593985.html. They just came this afternoon and they are awesome. I had to cut the lip around the bottom, but they fit perfectly inside my 3 gal fabric pots and have enough height to hopefully get me through the seedling stage. Just wanted to share that in case you need an alternative to the humidifier until they get a little more resilient.

[BurningTeddy]

Ya mines been about the same. 72-78° and 50-55%RH. Plant seems to be thriving though so those reactions could just be strain dependent. I'll keep that link for future strains though

[Nartak]

Try getting a "Humidity Dome for Seedlings" ,it has been great for me! I just put the Rooters in there and keep the lid on it under the light till the 2nd node starts forming!

[Chefbjy]

Hey BurningTeddy autos ain't so forgiving and time goes by real fast for veg with them. I'm assuming you're using a big light with the height you said it was at. It might start taking off now but next time try starting your seedling under a little desk lamp with a 60 watt cfl or led (household stuff). I can almost guarantee your plant would have been twice the size had you started it like that. I usually wait up to 14 days before I try to emulate the sun with my big lights. Good luck with the auto thing. I'd have to grow a lot of them to keep up with my photos 😉.

[Chefbjy]

Haha not a bad idea. I usually run mine under smaller lights for 24hours for a week or 2. But I believe plants need rest. A lot of people run 24hrs throughout. I switch to 20/4 before I stick em under the big lights. That's the cool thing about autos too. You can introduce other plants without worrying about flipping and losing light hours. ✌

[BurningTeddy]

That was the original goal. Start 1 every month in the same tent. Have an issue with light height though if I've got 1 at 4ft tall flowering and trying to get enough light to a 6 inch baby. I have been thinking of getting some supplemental COBS to get around that but I'm just not sure yet.

A little 1 plant veg box would work well enough I think and be cheaper.

[Chefbjy]

I've had to raise little plants on boxes and crates to compensate for lighting. I know the dilemma 😆.

[D.A.A.S.69]

BurningTeddy , good luck with your grow, and I think you might have had your light a little to low, for your young seedlings, like@Chefbjy said.
I got a 315cmh, I don't use it on seedlings though, but if I did, I'd have it at least 30inches away. For the first couple of weeks.
But your seedlings are growing roots right now, and in a day or three, she is fixing to start growing good, I bet.
What kind of lamp-bulb, you got in your 315cmh light ?
I know I love my 315cmh, it's got 4different settings, I can set it on.
But I ain't using it now, I ain't got my tent up, so I'm just using Led lights ,in a closet, till the weather cools off.
GoodLuck and HappyGrowing !!!

[BurningTeddy]

Thanks D.A.A.S.69. I've had my cmh around 30-36 inches away and have only just now started lowering it. Wanted to wait a week but you think I should wait longer?

The bulb is a Philips elite agro. Not to sure in the hood/ballast combo but it only has 2 settings: on and off.

[D.A.A.S.69]

Those Phillips are the best ones , to be honest with you, I've never used my 315cmh on seedlings, I do know that they are powerful lights though, but 30inches or so,ought to be fine, for a couple of weeks.
Seedlings don't need much light to grow.
But if your plant doesn't start getting taller, I would raise the light some more.
Did you get your OGKush auto from Seedsman?

[BurningTeddy]

I've lowered it today to about 24 inches. If it doesn't start growing up instead of down soon I'll move it back up.

I got the OG from Nirvana. Also have white widow and lemon haze autos from them that I'm doing next. Ww first then the lemon haze. Heard both can get pretty tall.

[BurningTeddy]

I love having noticable growth from one day to the next.

Thinking I'll keep my light at 24 inches until the 2 week mark then lower it about an inch a day down to its final spot at 18 inches.

Saturated the pot with about 1/3 to 1/2 gallon of water now that shes got some roots to drink with. Will only be watering once the top layer is dry a knuckle deep from now on.

I'm really hoping I dont see fungas gnats this time around. I'd rather not use the sand but we'll just have to wait and see there. Getting ahead of myself again.

I wont be topping this one but I am going try out some LST. Would you guys have any recommendations as far as stakes or something like a scrog net that I'd be able to bend/tie her down to? Maybe a tomato cage? I have issues attaching things to my vertical tent poles but can build some freestanding no problem.

[D.A.A.S.69]

GoodLuck at 24inches, You better keep a close eye on her, that plants mighty young to be getting that much light.
You got a lux meter ?
Or a Smartphone with a light meter app ?
Seedlings don't need but about 10-12thousand lux, if that much for healthy growth.
At 24inches under my 315cmh, my lux reading is 30-35thousand lux, way way to much for young plants.
Your plant needs more leaves, before it can use that much light.
But anyway good luck, and keep a close eye on her,

[BurningTeddy]

Killin it with the info D.A.A.S.69 thanks again. Just installed one and it said about 31k. Adjusted it to 12k and I'm back up to 36 inches. How many nodes would you recommend before I worry about starting to move it down again?

[D.A.A.S.69]

That's why your plant isn't any taller, that strong light, I bet you in a day or two, you will see her start growing good.
Let her grow a few days, until she starts growing good, then gradually bring your light down a couple of inches every 2-3days,My light don't ever get closer than 19-20inches. Even in flower.
I just hope your plant ain't stunted, from the light being to close, you'll know that in about a week,
GoodLuck

[BurningTeddy]

Had to break the sand out. 1/2 inch deep. Came back from a weekend fishing excursion to gnats all in my shit.

Growth is looking good.
Humidty and temp are good.

[BurningTeddy]

They killed me last time. Although I didnt catch it as early as this either, rookie mistake. Ended up trying Neem oil, fruit traps, sticky traps, peroxide mixture, and DE. Finally put some sand on top and they disappeared.

[D.A.A.S.69]

She sure looks like she's growing better, yeah them gnats are hell. They like that wet soil, How deep is that sand ?

[BurningTeddy]

Half an inch deep. A little higher on the outer edges.

[BurningTeddy]

Figured it's time for a decent update. We're 2 weeks from breaking ground.

I have been watering at about 1/2 a gallon every 2-3 days. No PH testing or anything just straight from my tap. Seems to be as much as it will hold right now before I start getting runoff.

Started moving my lights down yesterday. 2 inches a day will get me to 18 inches by next Wednesday. I'm at 32 inches currently.

Sand has done its job. I've only seen 1 fungas gnat since yesterday.

Temp and humidty are still being agreeable. Small intake fan behind the humidifier (which I had to make a kind of cap for because it was splattering everywhere on high) blowing into the back of my big oscillating fan inside. The small intake is also blowing directly on the plant for that gentle stem building breeze.

I have only 1 question at this point. I've heard/read your not supposed to have a direct breeze on a cmh bulb because it will screw with its color/output. Is this true? I'm thinking I'm gonna have to point my big fan against the wall of the tent once my light gets low enough to avoid this. You think that's still enough air movement or should I think about reorganizing?

[Redwasp]

You really need to get a ph test kit or ph meter and check your ph. Maybe I'm not seeing well but from those pics it appears to be "off color" some. The number 1 cause of that is using water that is not the correct ph. The number 2 cause is not enough nutrients especially nitrogen . But I would check the ph of your water first. You need to check it everytime.

Other things that can do it are lights to close, heat or cold (your temps are fine,) and underwatering or overwatering.