First grow - Creme de la Chem

[o0644]

Hello,

This is my first grow ever. I'm using wood pulp seed starting pots. Started the seeds right in the soil. First one IIRC visibly sprouted a week ago, about another week after planting the seed. Planted about an inch deep on some random natural potting mix that has visible wood chips on it. When it dries out it takes a while for water to drain. Pools up for maybe a minute. But then it drains fast. One of the cotyledon leaves is stunted, and had some damage. I think that's the one the seed shell was attached to? Maybe I had underwatered. Should I be concerned?

Yesterday I also planted another seed that was maybe half the size of the other Mephisto Creme de la Chem auto seeds I got, but in Roots Organics Greenfield. And only a centimeter deep.

I am using the compact AC Infinity tent kit, 2x2x4. Light on setting 3 out of 10. Temperature ranges from 70 to 80, VPD up to 2, mostly around 1.7, or under 1 when the light is off. Just using water now, no nutrients or insecticides. Just ordered some neem oil, diatomaceous earth, 3 gallon fabric pots, pH control kit, dyna-gro foilage and bloom, AgroMagen Si-Tech monosilicic acid.

Automation settings
Light: VPD mode low at 1.2kPa, level range 3 to 6, on 8pm off 2pm. So light goes to 6 if VPD goes below 1.2
Fans & filter: on mode 8pm-2pm at level 1

Any suggestions for right now? I guess buying a humidifier? I just spray water about 3 times a day now, and water maybe every other day. Would it be too long to wait until the bottom of the pots are no longer damp?

Is it small for a week? Do you count days starting from planting or from sprouting? Thanks

[Rootsruler]

Welcome o0644!

Next time try and use a soil or potting mix that is specific to cannabis for your seedling. I like to use clear and red solo cups for sprouts. I plant the seed in the clear solo filled with dirt and slip it into the red solo like a sleeve. This way you can just slip the clear cup out of the red cup and see how your roots are developing. Poke holes in the bottom of both cups for drainage.

Your media now should be ok but you probably would run into deficiencies or lockouts down the road if you had used it for your main pot. Some of the more popular cannabis soil mixes are Fox Farms Ocean Forest, Happy Frog, Roots Original, etc. My preference is Roots Original. Since you haven't up potted your sprouts yet you still have a chance to do this. I would also buy some mycorrhizae and bacterial inoculant. The mycorrhizae I use is from a company called Xtreme Gardening. It will help supercharge your root system. I use Advanced Nutrients Voodoo Juice to inoculate the soil with good bacteria to help in breaking down the organic matter in the soil among other things. Using these two products will set up your rhizosphere, the area where root meets dirt, to be able to assist your root system in getting food transported into your plant in the correct ratios that the plant is wanting.

Amazon.com : Xtreme Gardening HGC721205 Mykos Pure Mycorrhizal Inoculant Organic Root Enhancer, 2.2 lbs, Black : Patio, Lawn & Garden

Amazon.com : Advanced Nutrients Voodoo Juice Fertilizer, 250 mL : Patio, Lawn & Garden

Use the mycorrhizae when you transplant your sprout into your 3 gal cloth pot by dusting the hole the plant will go in with the required amount specified in the instructions. The Voodoo Juice bacterial inoculation can be watered in as it comes in liquid form so the next time you water you want to add it into your mix. VJ should be used the first two weeks so you want to try and get it watered in on your next watering.

VPD reaching 2 is quite high. That'll stress your plant out. Did you buy the ACI kit that includes the 4" fan with speed control or did you spring for the digital controller? If you're going to buy a humidifier, which I suggest, go with ACI's T3 for your size tent. I have 2 of them. One for the 2 x 2 and one for the 5 x 5. The T3 has a probe you can hang to monitor the humidity levels in the tent so you can set your humidity threshold and it will automatically maintain the level you want.

CLOUDFORGE T3, Environmental Plant Humidifier, 4.5L, Smart Controls, Targeted Vaporizing - AC Infinity

I would also suggest you download a light meter app so that you can accurately monitor how much light you are giving your plant at the stage of growth it's in. I have an android phone so I use Tent Buddy but if you have an Iphone you can use Photone. The Tent Buddy app gives suggestions as far as light intensity in whatever growth stage your in and will calculate your DLI(Daily Light Integral) and PPFD(Photosynthetic Photon Flux Density) to the guide you to the proper light intensity your plants need at the growth stage they are at.

The Daily Light Integral of Plants (growlightmeter.com)

What are PAR, PPF and PPFD, and why should you care? - Light Science Technologies

I assume you're using ACI's Ion board as a light? You want to keep your light intensity as consistent as possible. IIRC, you are adjusting it throughout lights on to try and hit VPD numbers? Don't worry about VPD in your size tent. VPD is more relevant in a larger room and much harder to maintain in such a small space. That's not to say ignore it but don't chase it! Set your parameter ranges to the following:

Seedling/Clone - 72° - 78°/65% - 75%RH
Early Veg to Late flower - 75° - 82°/55% - 65%RH
Late flower to Harvest - 72° - 78°/45% - 55%RH

When you mix up your feed solutions add the MSA (mono silicic acid) first and mix it in well. You'll also need to pick up some cal/mag as eventually you'll need it. I like using CaliMagic. The MSA and Cal/Mag should be mixed well into your solution before you add base and whatever other amendments you want to add so that the fertilizers don't precipitate.

Read this post. It'll explain what's happening under the soil and how and why you should pick the correct media and pot size:

Watering cannabis explained by Aqua Man - GrowWeedEasy.com Cannabis Growing Forum

Link to the 2 grows I currently have going. Check them out. I posted specs and stuff that may be useful to you. I grow photoperiod plants:

2 x 2 Mystery ScrOG - GrowWeedEasy.com Cannabis Growing Forum

Roots Fruits - GrowWeedEasy.com Cannabis Growing Forum

[o0644]

Thanks.

This strain is an autoflower. "as wide as she is tall", "medium sized automatic". I also have some 5 gal fabric pots, but I was worried that my 4' tent is too short. I guess I could put the carbon filter outside the tent if it gets too tall.

I also have a gsc photo seed I'd like to turn into a mother bonsai eventually.

The Roots Greenfields I used for the 2nd plant has mycorrhizae, seems a few people here have had luck with it. It has less perlite and pumice than the Roots Original, maybe higher water capacity but still good drainage. Does the Dyna-Gro Foilage Pro not have enough Ca(2%)/Mag(0.5%)?

The ACI kit I bought includes the IONBOARD S22, the controller 69 with sensor, 4" inline fan, 6" oscillating fan.

Didn't know about the light meter apps, that's cool. Changed the light to just on mode.

[Bluey]

Welcome o0644

You can train your plants to stay low and spread out but 4' is very low.

What roots said and yes you obviously need a humidifier to get the VPD right down. Very important to have high humidity at this stage. Do you have them under ventilated domes?

[o0644]

I put a glass cup over the seed ("2nd plant" earlier) that hasn't germinated yet. I'll look for something ventilated.

The T3 humidifier would take until almost April to get here. I guess I'll buy a cheap one online for now. Then I wouldn't need domes? Thanks

[Rootsruler]

That's weird. I just checked on the ACI site and they have T3 and T5's available. The T9 is huge. I use the T3 in my 5 x 5 and it's more than enough. I can see getting the T9 if you leave for chunks of time and need to automate it as you won't be around to replenish the res but otherwise I would say T5 should be more than enough.

[Bluey]

I have a 6ltr generic Chinese made 55W humidifier. Its an ultrasonic mister. It can do 3 mist settings, warm mist, currently the hygrometer is spot on and maintaining 70% RH in a room of a bit over 600 cu ft. with outdoor ambient RH at close to 20%...it drops as low as 60% in the room after 10 minutes of the AC running but holds it steady there and will be back at 70% within 5 minutes of the AC shutting down. It ran flat out yesterday for about 10hours. Needs refilling about every 24 hours to maintain 70%RH .

You have the option to turn all the lights off. This one can't be automated via the power outlet but works great via the controls.

Cost me US$50.00

[o0644]

Weird, they all say pre-order at acinfinity.com for me

[OldManGrower]

Like 10,000 lawyers on the bottom of the sea, it's a good start.

[o0644]

The small seed I planted 4 days ago sprouted! I cut a gallon jug of water for a dome. Poked a few holes.

Got some humidifier. Thought it'd let me set it to a specific relative humidity, nope. Auto mode is hard coded for 80%. So I set it on low mist and use the inline fan to control VPD. Turns on when it reaches 0.7. I can't seem to do it based on RH

Still no nutrients, just using water. I ordered Voodoo Juice.

I watered the older plant slowly on the edges until it started dripping/getting on the tray, is that too much? Maybe it's not "very easily" so maybe I'll water less but every day. Since the roots have reached the bottom.

Thanks again Rootsruler for all the suggestions and reading material

[shadycon]

If these pots are anything like 'Jiffy pots', throw them away. They don't deteriorate. As shown in your photo the roots are looking for holes. With only 5 holes you will get a piss poor restricted root system. I know from experience!

[Bluey]

I tested the cardboard cubed shaped ones once outdoors as seedling starters. Useless as above. Throw away as above.

[Radeon]

Same. Stay away from Jiffy like pots. Learned my lesson. Could not figure out why my plants didn't make it and found out when I emptied my pots. Cups didn't dissolve and plants choked to death.

Buy a proper light meter. Phone ones are so unreliable. Some require the use of a diffuser if you have an IPhone or you'll get a false reading. You use it more than you think you would. Guessing light intensity is like guessing ph.

Soil, I use DNC water only and supplement with Roots Organic Terp Tea Bloom. Zero issues. Its soil specifically made for cannabis by a cannabis grower. The guy even takes calls if you have questions.

If anything goes wrong, don't panic! I did it my first grow and I've seen others do it. Cannabis is a very hardy plant and a spot on a leaf is no reason to shoving nutes down its throat. Do your research before you start playing doctor.

[Bluey]

I've used Jiffy pellets to germinate seeds alongside paper towel method. I used the ones that come in a tray of a dozen or so and at the same time alongside germinating other flowers and garden variety plants.

I got zero germination in the Jiffy's on the cannabis and really low levels on the rest. I won't use them again.

[Radeon]

Yeah, stay away from these fu@kers! Said right on the label just plant in the soil and it will dissolve. Don't tell you they WONT be in a couple days but weeks. No no for fast growing cannabis. And to germinate, I use the paper towel method. Never failed me. I've also germinated in soil and had no problems but I like knowing when they pop. Sometimes the speed at which they pop can tell you about the future plant, especially with different pheno photos.

[o0644]

Yeah they were jiffy pots, glad I posted here. Threw them all away. 2/14 I cut up and tore the jiffy pot in the older seedling. Transplanted the younger one to a clay pot I had laying around. Almost got it without issue the first time, but I had too much soil on the new pot, so ended up with the seedling and soil falling apart on my hand, exposing the taproot. Still growing after three days.

Mixed 2 drops of Si-Tech into 1L of water, mixed, then 2mL of Voodoo Juice. Added too much acid, it got to a pH of maybe 4, then got it to around 6-6.5. Hopefully it didn't kill the bacteria. Might not have to add any pH up or down next time. Though the solution seemed basic to start with, then I may only add 0.1-0.2mL of pH down next.

[Bluey]

When pH'ing your nute mix in small quantities I do the following.

I mix my nutes as usual in a small container, say a quart or half gal container. I test the EC and the pH.

If the pH needs a small adjustment I pour maybe 50ml into another open container then add a drop of up or down to that as required.

I then mix the 50ml container and slowly add a bit at a time to the larger nute mix, testing it each time till its spot on.

Adding a drop of up or down straight to the larger container is almost impossible to get it spot on when doing small amounts of nute mix.

[o0644]

Too early to try LST? Might've damaged the stem a bit.
Might put up a trellis net in a bit.
I hope the younger seedling sort of catches up eventually.

[o0644]

Two plants in the same tent at the same time, same strain. Should I not try any training with the younger one in the clay pot?

[Rootsruler]

A little but she seems to be none the worse for it.

[Going2fast]

Creme de la chem won't require a net. She's naturally stout and difficult to lst as you have found out. Great evening smoke to though. She was a parent of Braapzai. Tight hugs so have your humidity low late flower.

[o0644]

Ahaha awesome, I ride dirt bikes too, though I haven't raced yet. Right now I have VPD at 0.9 - 1, temp ~80F, humidity outside is usually <50%.

[o0644]

80F, vpd ~1, humidity 70%. Day 20 since sprout of 1st plant, day 8 of 2nd

I untied it. Was kind of worried about the leaves touching the soil.

Excerpt from description page - "She definitely benefits hugely from some leaf tucking/manipulation in order to get those lower branches up from under the canopy but once you do, the many secondary branches form a platform equal in height, with just the main cola poking out above... density is well well up there, it can certainly pay dividends to clear out some lower growth and lower branch nodes".

So the last sentence is about defoliating? Should I try leaf tucking, and maybe some defoliation once it begins to flower, or before?

Haven't watered the older plant in 4 days, soil still moist 1" below. Think I watered 600mL.

[o0644]

I'd start the photo, but I'm moving in 4 months. And the AC here sucks, and the tent is kinda small. May start it July or August.

I guess all the leaves growing in the middle of the stem are because I tied it down earlier? Hopefully it's not a big deal. I'll leave it alone then