HYDRO My first post and my first grow!

[NickyChicks]

I may do all autos next grow but im considering running 2-3 autos and 2 photos, flip the photos once I harvest the autos. I still have some time to think about it. As for my plants, or my little forest as I call it... Thank you 😊 , the leaves are overwhelming sometimes. It's amazing how fast the plants grow. I'm doing my best to tuck them away and not pick too many unless they're really big . Looking forward to defoliating again lol!

 

[dphipps1020]

They're looking good, and nice selection. I know you probably won't be able to with the autos but maybe you can get some good size plants this time around. This could basically be almost considered a test run I think. Speaking of unruly plants, here's some pictures of mine. The 4 in the bigger setup may have to be separated soon so they don't get root bound. The one by itself has gotten pretty out of control. It can almost fill a 4x4' space already and is in desperate need of a trim. And she's drinking up all the water fast!

 

[NickyChicks]

That's quite the setup you got there inside that tote! Yeah this run is could be considered a test run, got my feet wet, learned a bunch of the basics. I'm hoping to have a decent yield from these girls, only time will tell. What strain is the larger plant in the pics?

 

[dphipps1020]

Thanks. It's a pretty simple setup really, some PVC a little glue and a water pump. Drilled the holes for my water to spray the net pots cause the misters clogged up too easily. By the way, no air stones in either setup. I know most of you hydro growers are like wtf, but yeah there's no air going in the water. I'm also out of CalMag right now so it's just the FF Flora trio and some Hydroguard in the water. The big blue ones are set up the same except they're connected so it recirculates. I didn't think that one all the way through cause with the fan that setup fills up my entire 4x4, not much room to move the girls around. Works a little better in the big one I think. The strain on 4 of the 5 (including the big one) hydro is Str8 Lemonade, the other is Blueberry Headband. The 4 were clones taken from a plant in flower right now. They would all be bigger except I had a mishap with my fan, it fell on them and topped a few of them. Salvaged what I could, resilient little buggers, and they've been fine since.

 

[NickyChicks]

Start of week 3 flowering. Lots of good things happening; pistils are popping, the smell is intensifying, and they are stretching! Last week only one of my solo cup girls was barely showing pistils, now all the girls in the tent are showing a bunch.
Yesterday I took quite a few leaves, I have been trying my best to tuck and bend as they would get in the way but it was too out of control. The leaves were sweating onto each other and rh was definitely on the rise in the tent. Looking forward to a nice defoliation session next week. It's cool to see the differences between strains and how their leaves grow. The chocolate Kush grows long lanky stemmed leaves while the northern lights, which sits right next to it, grows very bushy with stocky leaves. The green crack and the white widow look similar but different than the NL and CK.
I'm still amazed at how fast they grow, I've been using the zipper on the side of the tent as a visual measure of vertical growth. It's one thing to read it with the tape measure (they're about 15inches tall) but I like unzipping the side of the tent and seeing the difference.

 

[NickyChicks]

Just added a temperature controlled fan controller. Honestly don't know why I didn't invest in this earlier in the grow. RH was creeping up pretty high (almost 70%), I had the exhaust fan venting into my basement rather than out the window. I started venting it out the window which was great because RH dropped significantly now it sits between 33-41%. Problem with that is temperature dropped and was only getting to be 67°F and that with my fan on the lowest setting. I don't think I'll be having issues anymore with the controller. I'll be updating again tomorrow, big haircut day.

 

[NickyChicks]

Ha, maybe I spoke too soon. I think this controller is going to take some fine tuning. I didn't think humidity would rise so much so quickly, if I open the tent it's fine but once it's closed up, no good. For now I'm just going plug the exhaust fan back into the wall and mess with the controller tomorrow

 

[NickyChicks]

Alright it's been 3 weeks since the switch and today I gave the girls a good defolation. Again, I hope I didn't take too much. Pictures look like shit because of the light and really don't ever do the plants justice IMO, but it looks like I will be getting much more light to the budsites. Now hopefully the buds will really start to fill in and fatten.

Normally lights out at 7 but I ended up taking until almost 8, I ended up hitting the switch on the timer to keep the light on. I set the timer to turn lights on at 8am tomorrow so the girls get a full 12 of darkness. I'll switch it back to 7-7 tomorrow. Now will that extra hour of light today or the loss of 1 hour of light tomorrow be an issue?
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[dphipps1020]

I don't think the hour will make much of a difference. They look good so far to me with the cute little buds. I still have to defoliate mine too (big hydro one is a bit unruly and takes close to a 4x4' area now) and I'm dreading it a little cause it takes so long. They may look like you took too much but they'll fill out again in a couple weeks so don't worry too much there. You have a jewelers loup to look at the trichomes in a few weeks?

 

[NickyChicks]

I got a little trigger happy with the shears but the canopy was so thick before I was really worried about light penetration. I know it'll fill back in but I'm hoping I didn't stress them too bad. Yes I have a loupe but I also bought a digital microscope. Much easier to see with that, hooks up through the wifi right to my phone. The green crack has the longest flowering time, 63 days. That would put me at mid April for harvest, give or take (probably more take lol). March should be an exciting month in terms of bud growth.

 

[dphipps1020]

Definitely going to be a good month. I've got some that I'm guessing will be done about the end of the month maybe sooner, just in time for a 4/20 harvest! And some that probably won't be done until end of April, and by then I'm hoping it will be time to flip my other ladies. Probably going to have to move the hydro one into a tent on it's own to flower, she's about 19" tall and about 2.5-3' around already. Definitely going to need the room soon so I'll be happy to harvest again. Not to mention I'm already almost out of the last stuff I grew so I'm getting anxious cause I really don't like smoking dispensary weed any more. We do what we must though right? I'm excited for your first harvest though, once you smoke your own you won't want to go back. Be prepared to trim for longer than it took you to defoliate though. Unfortunately that part takes FOREVER!

 

[NickyChicks]

I wish my buds would be ready for 4/20 but either way I'm excited. 4/20 could potentially be a chop day which honestly would be great, falls on a Monday which is my day off. Sounds like after your harvests you'll be well stocked again!
I had my first trimming experience in the fall, it is a lot of work. This past spring I gave a dozen bag seeds to a buddy of mine and he gave them to his father because he wanted to give a go a growing. 11 germinated, 6 seedlings made it into the ground, 2 he put in buckets and all he did was water them, the sun did the rest. Ended up harvested 35oz. The trimming was no joke, we spent quite a few hours in his shed clipping away. Worth it though, he gave me 1/3 of the harvest, the smoke was ok given the fact he did bare minimum. I will definitely have a couple helpers when it comes time to harvest. Do you wet trim or dry trim?

 

[NickyChicks]

Geez, well I've been in denial for a few weeks because I thought it might have been pH fluctuations but I'm pretty sure I have pests. The leaf that looks eaten is what I had been seeing but it was a much more uniformed pattern right in the middle of the ribs. I'm not really seeing that anymore. However the leaf with the small little marks and glossy mark looks like thrip damage to me. Also when defoliating I found 2 of these things on the leaf stems this is the third. What is going on here? Probably going to make a separate post too

 

[SoOrbudgal]

Dang well you caught it that's good. Are they just in that one plant and branch so far?

 

[NickyChicks]

The eaten looking leaves are on a multiple plants but not all over just a couple leaves and I only found 2 leaves on one plant that had the small brown spots and the glossy looking mark. The little things on the leaf stems were on 2 separate plants one on each side of the tent. 😥

What could I do to resolve this problem? I don't want to damage or ruin my little baby buds that are forming so nicely.

 

[dphipps1020]

That was nice of him. I prefer to dry trim honestly, just seems easier to me than handling the buds trying to wet trim them. A different way you can do it too is to trim it a bit while you're flushing, or in the last week. I did that with one harvest and it made the final trim so much easier. Wasn't the greatest tasting because I'm pretty sure I harvested a little early, but it had a good high. Just keeps getting better with each harvest too so I can't wait for the next ones!

 

[Farmall]

Some questions may not have a definitive answer . I’ve done dry and wet trimming and it’s the opposite for me. Wet trimming I find easier to manipulate the leaves and stem by pushing or sliding them out of the way. When dry, those same leaves tend to crumble and create a more obscure view to the area in question. I also believe it may be less stressful when dry in that it is a two step process. You can cut it and hang then a few days Later, goin for the trimming and snipping bud. My 2 cents

 

[NickyChicks]

Farmall I've learned that's one of the beauties of growing. Multiple paths you could take to achieve the same end result. It's just preference on how you get there

 

[Farmall]

NickyChicks no doubt, but wet is easier 😄 (for Me). BUT, I am now interested in what you think...so when you get there, please remember FARMALL, FARMALL,FARMALL,FARMALL,FARMALL....👍

 

[NickyChicks]

Farmall you'll be first to know!