Dirt to Dank: Week 7--They grow up so fast + Water quality
We've made it. We are now in WEEK 7 of the Dirt to Dank Grow!! A couple of new and amazing things have happened this week.
First, if anyone remembers any of my earlier posts, setting all my plants inside that tiny space was getting cramped, and the plants, I think, were feeling it. Luckily, I have an associate who has allowed me to re-locate my production to their spot, providing me with greater room, and even a built-in exhaust fan!!
Check it:
Here are some pics of another phenomenon I've been experiencing with my plants during this grow: cannabis's own version of Morning Wood!!
Isn't that funny? It's usually in the mornings, when I go check on the girls and see if they want breakfast, they all have their leaves all spread out and fanning up like this
I just find that so amusing :)
After reading up on the phenomenon, it appears it is exact;y that: Happy plants!! And they seem to be doing very well (knock on wood.)
Like I said, we are now into the 8th week of veg (next Friday will be 8 weeks exactly since germination), and the plants are right on schedule. I have planned to "make the switch" when the girls get 1 foot tall, and they are just at around 10 inches now. (I have also been reading about multiple growers who swear by vegging for what seem to be very long times--one guy said 10 months vegging! But I would imagine the yields were ridiculous.. Perhaps someone else can interject with their experience here...)
I have steadily been adding lights when and where I can (as you can see, the wires everywhere and lamps lying around don't make for the most visually appealing, or frankly most efficient set-up, I know... I'm currently working on improving that by building some light set-ups I've seen others use on youtube. Hopefully that will clear things up a bit in there..)
I did want to make just a brief comment on a topic I mentioned in last week's post that I would talk about today, so, I am.
Water
The topic of water may sound like a relatively mundane one, compared to all the other issues that go along with cannabis cultivation: lights, nutes, timing... But, from everything I've seen and read, making sure that liquid which is so vital to your growing buddies--H20--is properly tempered to your plants, and even more importantly, has its pH levels within an acceptable range is crucial.
Some folks take this to the "extreme;" buying distilled bottled water and feeding their plants with it. (Hey, if you have the extra cash, why not?)--but for me, it's too easy to just get it out of the tap... BUT--here's the catch--not everyone's tap water is the same. Luckily, my tap water is within the acceptable range for cannabis--somewhere between 5.8 - 6.4 range of pH. (Don't know about other areas, but I got my water tested for free at the local Petco pet store. Technically, the service was for aquarium water, but, hey ;)).
So my pH is fine-- but does that mean my water still ready to go straight from the tap? Not necessarily. And I emphasize this again because I feel like it's an overlooked issue. Many people's water (I know mine) contains relatively high levels of chlorine.
While (probably) fine for human consumption, marijuana is much more sensitive to this chemical. To remedy this, I am sure to leave any water intended for the plants sitting out for 48 hours ahead of time. This is a simple and effective way to allow any excess chemicals to evaporate from your water, leaving it nice and fresh for your plants. I'm also mindful that the water I give them is room temperature, or, as close as I can get. In other words, not burning hot or freezing cold.
It would be my own personal estimate that most of the "issues" I have seen with my grows had something to do with either improperly pH'd water (or soil--soil pH is another topic, but, to test your soil pH, simply take your plant after it has been watered, and gently squeeze the plant to get a small amount of "run-off" water at the bottom, then test that with your strip) or just straight-up over-chlorinated water. With the latter problem probably being the more insidious of the two. So check your water! (Any comments or suggestions regarding water quality would be much appreciated!!)
So there is my little "rant" for the day...
I'm about to light up a phatty of one of this guy, DJ Short Blueberry's, ancestors .... Peace
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Great little set-up you have there. Are you using all CFLs?
I would like to suggest you consider maybe a small HID for when the girls flip to flower. 150 - 400 watts isn't that expensive and will make a world of difference come harvest time.
Also, you don't want to overlook light-leak. Right now you could be on 24/0 and it doesn't matter so much, but when you flip to 12/12 again it's going to be a lot more important. Have you tested your set-up to see if light is coming out.
Good rule of thumb, if you can see light coming out then it may also be leaking in during the 'night' periods.
Lastly, have you considered training and topping these ladies? I couldn't tell from the photo if you've done it yet. But you could seriously fill that room with either a number of single cola plants or train out those four large ladies into a beautiful dense canopy.
Either way...work to fill the space you have to work with.
Those plants look super healthy. Good luck on the rest on the grow.
@massmedicinals
Thank you, @massmedicals! All great points. Yes, light leak is at the top of my list to watch for. See that curtain to the right? Funnny story, my mother actually hand-made it for me, for this precise purpose lol. I told her I needed something light proof, etc. There are small slats in the edges to help it "adhere" to the wall better, and it sits past the ground in order to prevent underneath leakage. But nothing's perfect (this was the first cannabis curtain my she'd ever made... Do I hear a new product? I can see it now... anyway. :). But the room this spot is adjacent to is also quite dark, so that helps. Again, thanks fo rthe reminder because I think that may have been one of the contributing factors to my last grow's, shall we say, "issues" toward the end.
On the topic of "topping," I have never done it, and just realized recently that it was probably something I should do. That must be how these folks are getting these huge yields; one cola just wouldn't be able to. But, this is only my second grow ever, and I figured that might be a bit too complicated for me. I'm still amazed daily at how well the plants seem to be doing thus far--I don't wanna mess it up! I've also been curious about cloning, namely because I don't have any more seeds (these plants are all from seeds I very strangely found in bags of commercially purchased buds in the NW US) and was thinking it might be an option. What are the chances of topping harming the pant? I know technically speaking, "harming" the plant is pretty much the idea haha, but you know what I mean. I just don't know too much about it--but I guess now's the time to learn haha.
And to, finally, answer your first question, I was actually just considering the other day at the hardware store whether to add a different form of light. I am intrigued by HIDs, but don't they require a whole other set-up? Hoods, ballasts, etc.? Again, all new to me. I was also looking into maybe adding some LEDs, but after researching it (there's seemingly relatively little done on that front from what I oculd tell), it didn't appear mixing LED with CFLs would work (or something. I don't see why not, but idk).
Okay so you brought up a number of topics. I am going to try and address each one below.
Light leak
You mention that the room with the alcove growing area is quite dark then you might be okay. And this is good. As long as you realize that this room ideally will not be used for 12 hours of the day you should be fine. I would still make that large room as light proofed as possible. And if you're going to be going into that room during the night cycle, you again need to look into other steps beyond a pretty light proof curtain. Or you're going to risk a hermie.
Topping
Here is a link to my grow: https://steemit.com/cannabis/@massmedicinals/day-72-just-under-2-weeks-post-super-cropping
The plants were either topped a couple times, FIM'd, and or also super cropped. So essentially chopped and trained.
There are a lot of websites and tutorials out there on this subject. It may require a little more time in the vegetative phase, but the end result are more bud sites and maximizing light reaching those areas.
HID
https://steemit.com/marijuana/@massmedicinals/one-simple-grow-tent-design
Here is one set-up we used for a couple grows. I'm not saying get a 600W HID with filter and fan. But that entire set-up cost under $700 and could put out over a 16 ounces of flower alone (not including extract and edibles) every 4-5 months.
A 150 W HPS/MH air-cooled hood is going to be well under $100. And if you have a fan in the grow room you're already equipped to remove the hot air from the room.
Obviously do you own research and these devices are capable of getting very hot, so you need to ensure you are careful setting thing up. For the safety and wellbeing of your plants as well as your house.
Buying Seeds
Buying seeds is really simple. Here is a link to a review I made of an international seed vendor: https://steemit.com/cannabis/@massmedicinals/cannabis-seed-vendor-review-seedsupreme-com
I have an affiliate link you can use to help me get rewards if you purchase through them. Seeds are getting easier to buy in the US as well. I liked this vendor because it was easy to purchase.
This vendor also provides a lot of freebie seeds with purchases. Which is a great bonus. But there are lots of other seed vendors outside and within the USA that ship discretely and quickly.
Cloning / perpetual harvest
Cloning is a great way to go. But if you don't have space or the equipment it might not be right for you. Since you started growing at your place then moved to your friend's location. I would say you could leverage your spot for clones or seedlings, and when they are ready to flip to 12/12 you bring them to your friends place. Transporting small plants is not terribly difficult.
Happy Growing!!!
~@massmedicinals
Thank you very much for your response. Now I am paranoid about light leaks. But I guess that's somewhat par for the course ;) I took a look at your grow: Nice work! Those are some super-bushy and leafy greens! Now I see what you mean about "topping," and it makes a lot of sense. Though withought having done anything "extra" to my plants, I am pretty happy with how "bushy" they are. Much better than my first grow. I am almost startinhg to wonder if some of these seeds I started with were "autoflowering," due to the fact that they are showing HUGE "preflowers," and the "female parts," the wispy "pistils" are getting crazy long on a couple of them--especially one of the Pink Panther sativas. I alos think this because I have barely fed the plants, and even still a couple of them have shown signs of what I believe to be over-nutes, particularly N. While my DJ SHort BB is probably my leafiest so far. I think I am just going to switch this batch over to a 12/12 this coming week, which will be just over 8 weeks veg-time for these plants, and go from there.
I really like your setup, btw. I like the tent because it looks very compact, neat and clean. Just the plants, and the lights above, filled with a sea of foliage :) Although, I would wonder in this set up, are you able to really get great light to the sides/ underneath of plant? To all those "extra" bud-sites you are cropping??
I had came across some interesting info during some recent researches, and one person had mentioned his confidence in "side-lighting," or, instead of having the main light source being concentrated above, having it spread all out, around and even under, the idea being to hit the undersides of leaves. It sounded quite intriguing to me, and I am building some lights which I hope will enable me to pursue this goal. we shall see how it goes!!
Thanks again
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