1st Grow - Northern Light - Journal (aka help me not screw up)

[KenneyHo]

First grow and I’m excited for the journey ahead! All feedback is welcome! Planning on Topping along the way and “light” training by spreading the
branches out as much as possible but not trying too many techniques for my first go round.

Day 3 in soil.

Tent: 32x32x63
Seeds: Northern Light - Feminized Photo (Nirvana)
Medium: FFOF in Coco Pots
Nutes: FF Big Bloom, Grow Big, Tiger Bloom (haven’t started)
PH: Meter ordered
Temp Hi: 86
Temp Lo: 81
RH Hi: 77%
RH Lo: 55%
Light: Phlizon Newest 600w LED (upgrading to a 800w COB LED) 18 Inches from soil
Exhaust: 4 Inch 190 CFM with Carbon Filter

[hycheese]

I got my NL autos from Nirvana too, just beware that they grew like the dickens and had to rip apart my grow area to give it more hight - 5 feet was not enough and even at 7 feet I still had to super crop them.

Double check your LED height requirements, mine recommended 40" for small veg and 20" in flower. I only do 40 watts CFL's for seedlings until 3 weeks or so then switch to LED.

[D.A.A.S.69]

hycheese, You ain't joking about the NLights from Nirvana, getting big, the ones I grew did the same thing, got huge, with humongous stalks.
But is some dynamite smoke, it's one our favorites of all of them.

[Potted]

Just don’t overwater seedlings at this stage,the temp is good for seedlings,I also use sandwich baggies as humidity domes it works out well. I usually remove them after thay have sprouted and spray with PHed water twice a day.
I beleave with that light your going to stretch those seedlings,u really don’t need all that light for seedlings,thay need warmth more than light try a cfl as hicheese suggested lt will save u $$$. Good luck, and welcome to the grow😎

[KenneyHo]

Day 4 In Soil.

Potted hycheese Thanks for responses and suggestions!

I see what you mean about stretching. 1st seedling is starting to stretch. 2nd seedling broke through the soil over night!

When you say 40w cfl, are you meaning actual or equivalent? And is the 40w per seedling?

Thanks again!

Tent: 32x32x63
Seeds: Northern Light - Photo (Nirvana)
Medium: FFOF in Coco Pots
Nutes: FF Big Bloom, Grow Big, Tiger Bloom (haven’t started)
PH: Meter ordered
Temp Hi: 86
Temp Lo: 81
RH Hi: 77%
RH Lo: 55%
Light: Phlizon Newest 600w LED (upgrading to a 800w COB LED) 18 Inches from soil
Exhaust: 4 Inch 190 CFM with Carbon Filter

[hycheese]

I use true 40watt CFL's at 6500k (daylight), the 2700k (softwhite) are best suited for flowering plants. I only use them because I had them as they are not common and would use the 23watt ones otherwise.

Your 600watt LED is actually rated at 108 watts and says 24" height for flowering, so you might want to get that light as far up as possible for seedlings.

[KenneyHo]

Thanks guys! I’ve moved the LED 30” for now. I’ve got 4 100-watt equivalent (23w actual) CFLs on the way. I’ve got the connections to set all 4 up over the 5 pots, unless that will be too much?

Thanks again! GWE Peeps are the best!

[D.A.A.S.69]

On young seedlings, all you need is 1cfl, they don't need much light at all.
Once they get a little larger, you can use 2.
HappyGrowing KenneyHo

[KenneyHo]

Added the CFL light and removed the LED. I might add some soil to top off the stretcher and give it some added support.

Thanks again for the help!

[KTM690]

Good luck Kenny I'm starting autos soon ill b watching this grow 4 pointers

[gold01ca]

Added the CFL light and removed the LED. I might add some soil to top off the stretcher and give it some added support.

Thanks again for the help!

now you're rockin' KHo, no problem adding soil to support any "stretchers"

[PRIMO]

Good start K, you could add your second light with no probs. Then in a week or so add some more of them, keep em close for less seedling stretch.

[KenneyHo]

Day 7 in soil.

3/5 Seeds have broken through the soil! Fingers crossed on the other 2. Received the PH Meter today and my filtered tap water read 7.7. Used some PH’d 6.2 water to bring it down.

Could the high PH be the reason for the other 2 seeds slow going?

Added more CFLs to give each seedling their own.

Shout out to all the Veterans!

Tent: 32x32x63
Seeds: Northern Light - Feminized (Nirvana)
Medium: FFOF in Coco Pots
Nutes: FF Big Bloom, Grow Big, Tiger Bloom (haven’t started)
PH: 7.7 1st reading, Used 6.2 PH’d water to bring it down
24hr Temp Hi: 80
24hr Temp Lo: 77
24hr RH Hi: 70%
24hr RH Lo: 57%
Light: 23w CFLs then 800w COB LED
Exhaust: 4 Inch 190 CFM with Carbon Filter

[Cocho]

KenneyHo Looks good my man! Northern Light is a GREAT strain. Super sturdy, forgiving, tasty and potent. Great choice!
Looking forward to see how this goes for you.

And if I was to give you an advice, that would be (from personal experience); When you feel like watering them, wait a few more days. Less is better (during both veg and flowering). All though, at the stage you're at now, a spoon of water now and then is enough

Happy growing!

- C

[KenneyHo]

Two questions:

1. At what point do you give up or go digging to see what happened after planting seeds in soil?

2. Does anyone else name their plants? My wife thinks I’m crazy but I’ve named mine, using the strains initials 😬 so far I’ve got Nina Lovehall (Love Jones shoutout) and Nathan Lane (I don’t think he would take offense). Still working on #3 🤣.

[LurkingInTheGrass]

LOL - when you have more than 2, you need to keep them straight. My last grow, I went Greek (alpha, beta, gamma)

I watched one guy on the tubes, he put Lego (always star wars lol) minifigs in the pots and ended up referring to the plant by those names

[LurkingInTheGrass]

Oh - I give it about 7 days before breaking open the rockwood (I germinate in glass/paper towel, before going to rockwood plug)

[KenneyHo]

Thanks LurkingInTheGrass !

[KenneyHo]

It looks like there is some slight discoloring on the northern most leaf. Any cause for concern? Thought it could be from the leaf getting wet while spraying the soil with water and the light being so close. Whatcha think GWE?

[Cocho]

KenneyHo I wouldn't worry about that to much no. It might be as you said; water causing the light to "burn" the leaf a little.
But then again... the first pair of leaves tend to do all kinds of crazy stuff. Some times they don't even look like cannabis until they get their third pair.
Be patient. It's easy to love them too much in the beginning. You want to do good, but in the end you end up doing the opposite.

Peace!

- C

[KenneyHo]

Thanks Cocho !

[KenneyHo]

Day 8 since first seedling broke through the soil.

Lessons learned over the past couple days:

Temperures went up to 88 due to the additional lights and not having the exhaust on. Exhaust has been on since and Last 24 hour range was 77-84. Went digging to see what happened with #4 & #5. #4 was still fighting and removed some excess soil from above her. #5 opened up but died. In both cases I buried them too deep and the soil was too compact. #4 broke through the soil this morning! The pictures below are of #1 - #3 (#1 biggest > #3 smallest).


Tent: 32x32x63
Seeds: Northern Light - Feminized Photo (Nirvana)
Medium: FFOF in Coco Pots, then 3-Gal fabric pots
Nutes: FF Big Bloom, Grow Big, Tiger Bloom (haven’t started)
PH: 6.7
Temp Hi: 88
Temp Lo: 77
RH Hi: 70%
RH Lo: 40%
Light: 4 CFL 23w actual for seedlings, then to a 800w COB LED
Exhaust: 4 Inch 190 CFM with Carbon Filter

[KenneyHo]

One of the ladies is a little droopy. Her stem is also more grey and the others more purple. I’ve moved the CFLs a little further up and I don’t think I’m overwatering. Water is PH’d at 6.7. Haven’t watered until runoff yet as not wanting to drown them.

Thanks for the help!

[KenneyHo]

The CFLs have been on 24/0

[KenneyHo]

Help! Woke up to her looking like this!

[Canuck147]

Probably cuz your lights are on 24/0 - If I was growing photoperiod plants, I'd run my lights 18/6.