My First Grow Journal...EVER! 600W MH/HPS Bubbleponics Cabinet Grow

[ellz]

No Title

07/29/2017:

07:20PM: Did some intense LST on the three faster growing plants today. They were getting cluttered together and reaching up to find light so I figured I would bring them all back down a bit and let them spread out more. I have attached some pictures of before and after. As for a quick way to do LST...I just used some plant wire ties and small strips of duct tape. I looped the tie around the plant, then pulled it down to the lid gently and taped it down. Viola! I also tucked the fan leaves under the nodes where needed.

 

[Graff420]

Hey that wire tie you can put 2 or 4 long pieces that you can use as an anchor so you dont have to use duct tape just use the wire tie attach it to one side of your res lid cut it long enought to reach the other side of your res lid the cut smaller sections as need to do LST and its anchored to the lid so you dont have to detach it when you remove the lid

 

[Graff420]

Lmao i just cleaned my room greatly and the tent and shop vaced everthing lol no more bugs atleast so far

 

[ellz]

Good idea as well, thank you!

 

[Daskahn]

So fancy lol

 

[ellz]

Thanks

 

[ellz]

No Title

07/30/2017:

06:30PM: Thought of a simple way to get rid of the flying bugs in the cabinet...fly paper rolls! Yep, simple, cheap and very effective if they stick to it! I hung one up above the light to see if it works. I also hung one outside the cabinet by the garage's inside light. The plants are coming along well. I think I will let them go another week and may change their light schedule over to 12/12. It all depends on how much bigger they are in a week. From the looks of things, they may be ready by then. Before my next grow I will likely build a net trellis out of PVC and nylon twine that can be placed over the plants and used to train the branches. I wanted to do it this time but I got in a hurry. I could try to put it in now but the plants may be too tall already for me to start it. I posted a pic of both plants below as well as an overall shot of the whole cabinet to show how big they are in comparison to the cabinet itself. You can also barely see the fly paper strip at the top right above the light. Thanks for reading! Tomorrow is nutrient change day so I will have more updates then.

07:45PM: Rotated both reservoirs about 75º to where the two net pots with plants were under the light and the fans were in the back. I think this should help both the plants get more light and the fans to pull in cooler air for the reservoirs. I also moved the vortex fan behind both reservoirs and it is blowing up to the light now. I have attached a couple more pics of the update below.

 

[ellz]

No Title

07/30/2017:

09:30PM: I am noticing some yellowing in the veins of some of the leaves on the Rug Burn OG plants. One of the White Poison plants was a bit faded looking as well. I have attached close ups of the leaves below showing what I mean. I am wondering if it is possibly light burn. I ordered a lux meter because the app I downloaded was a joke. I should have it by Wednesday but until then, I moved the light up by 2 clicks on each side to hopefully reduce the light amount since they plants have grown a lot and I have not adjusted the light at all since they started getting bigger. Any thoughts?

 

[alltatup]

Ellz I looked up yellow veins over on GWE; could it be this? http://www.growweedeasy.com/magnesium-deficiency-cannabis

 

[ellz]

Quite possible alltatup. That was another thought I had so I am getting some Cal-Mag tomorrow and adding it when I do my res change to see if that helps. Thanks for your input!

 

[ellz]

No Title

07/31/2017:

06:30PM: Did my weekly reservoir changes today. My awesome wife bought me a second 5 gallon jug last week which literally cut the time to do my res changes in half! Last time it took me 2 hours from start to finish and today it took right at an hour! Lovely! I introduced Cal-Mag into the mix with today's change. I added 25ml per 5 gal jug per the recommended schedule to see if that helps with the yellowing on the leaves. I have not used Cal-Mag before now so we shall see if it helps.
A note about how I add nutrients: I first start by filling my 5 gallon jugs with water. Next, I add the HydroGuard (10mL or 2Tsp per 5 gallons) and shake vigorously. Then I add the Cal-Mag (currently 25mL or 1Tbsp+2Tsp per 5 gallons) and shake vigorously. Next I add my base nutrients and my extra nutrients. I then shake vigorously one more time and test my pH. Then I pour the mix into the reservoirs if everything is good. Usually my pH was right at 6.00 but today with the Cal-Mag it was down to 5.87 which is still okay for most nutrients. When I do my top off, the pH will go up more than likely as I only typically add HydroGuard water that has been pH'ed down to between 6.00 and 6.20 to top off.
I believe this will be the last week that I do the 18/6 light schedule. I will most likely swap to 12/12 next Monday since they are growing very fast and by that point they should be about the right height for the final stretch. I will keep an eye on them but I think a month for veg is a decent amount of time. I am expecting flowering to take as long as 3 months so I am hoping to be harvesting by November that way the buds will be cured and ready for Christmas time! Below are pictures of both groups of plants on day 28. Thanks for reading!

Side question: Do you guys and gals reading think I should start removing some of the bottom fan leaves or no? I always see grows that look like bonsai and mine looks like lettuce right now! LOL.

 

[IanHale]

I'm not gonna say yes or no to defoliation of your fan leaves BUT I'm currently re-reading this article

http://www.growweedeasy.com/defoliation#picture-proof-veg

 

[ellz]

Very good article IanHale, thank you! I think I am going to let them be for now. Leaves are water storage so the more the better in my book. I have been tucking the bigger leaves under the small growth here and there to help get light to other parts of the plant and that has been helping a lot. I may remove the dead leaves at the bottom since they are dead, lol. Other than that, I think I will stick with the way I am accustomed to...and not pull leaves. That's how I grew before so better safe than sorry. Thanks again!

 

[IanHale]

No problem. I have an encyclopedic memory and when I read something it doesn't all stick but the location of the information does.

My little leaf tuck trick is to pinch the stems of fan leaves to make them more pliable and bend them down and under to expose the new growth to more light.

 

[ellz]

That is also a good idea.

 

[IanHale]

Plus the bends basically mark which leaves i will likely remove in the future

 

[ellz]

No Title

08/01/2017:

06:30PM: All is still running along smoothly. I adjusted my tie downs and tucked all the large fan leaves under the new growth. There are a lot of potential bud sites already but I may do one last round of topping on some of the taller branches. I will have a lux meter tomorrow to make sure the light values are good around the plant. I have tried to keep a level top to all four plants so that they receive equal light distribution. Below are some pictures from today. Thanks for reading!

Side note: Had to go to the dentist today and they numbed my lower lip. I can tell you that trying to hit a bong with a numb lower lip is like trying to thread a needle with no eye! And drinking anything is a real challenge! Luckily that should be wearing off soon...been a weird 3 hours!

07:30PM: Topped all four plants one last time to help them take the shape I am looking for. Places like the back corners by the fan have been cut to encourage multiple colas that will take up the unused space. I have attached a photo of both groups of plants after I topped them today and a picture of the cuttings that were left from that. I think I am going to juice them or make tea with them. I washed them really well and have them in a partially closed ziploc bag in my fridge.

 

[alltatup]

They look great, ellz! Let us know how the tea is!

 

[Daskahn]

Stole my idea did ya lol I'm glade I'm inspirational.. also let me know how your tea was( preparation would also be helpful) I wanna compare notes..

 

[Jibblerjoe]

Looks great.