My first grow - journal w/ pics

[Midzy]

Hiya zeebs. I av upgraded my light from an old 400w to a lumitec 600 the same as yours and was wondering what your whole yield was from this light? I dunno if yer av been watching my posts on this grow but i am impressed wiv the light so far.......it runs much cooler on super lumin setting then my 400 ever did.

[ZBeebs]

Hiya zeebs. I av upgraded my light from an old 400w to a lumitec 600 the same as yours and was wondering what your whole yield was from this light? I dunno if yer av been watching my posts on this grow but i am impressed wiv the light so far.......it runs much cooler on super lumin setting then my 400 ever did.

Sorry for the delay in responding, I didn't notice your post. I got 396 grams out of 9 plants in a 4ft by 4ft tent, 600 watts as you know. Also got a significant amount of bho (enough that I've been smoking a bit every day for the better part of 2 months and still have plenty left, and 2 more tupperware tubs of trim in the freezer to process).

During my grow, I started out with it on 400 watts when they were small, so as to keep temps down and save a couple bucks. When Uncle Ron finally convinced me to run the lights 24/7 during veg, I then went to 600 watts. About a week later, I switched it to super lumin setting, which is supposed to add 10%, so 660 watts. I didn't notice any temp changes from using super lumens, but by then I had temps under control.

[Midzy]

no worries mate and thanks, You did really well and for a first attempt you did exerlent. I enjoyed your grow almost as much as you

Lookin forward to your next one

[rizzlablu]

bump this should be a stickie loads of gd info to be had on here

[ZBeebs]

Some things I've learned since then...get a good PH pen...the cheap ones don't work for long...and when you get one, make sure you calibrate it properly and then check calibration often. Having PH outside normal ranges can cause all kinds of problems that can look like nute deficiencies...and if you don't fix the PH problem you can never fix the nute issue.

Germinating the seeds on a plate instead of directly in soil might speed things up by a day or two...but more than that, you know you've got viable seeds when you see they've cracked...when they go directly in soil, until they sprout through the soil you don't know whats going on and it's tempting to push the soil around to see whats up...thats probably a no-no...

Take curing seriously. I did with this grow, and it all turned out pretty great (if I do say so myself!) But on my next grow I didn't pay as close attention...didn't burp jars as much / monitor the humidity levels in the jars...and sure enough, I've had to trash some (including the nicest looking cola!) due to mold.

If you haven't read this thread about curing (http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=156237), do it now. If you follow the directions it's foolproof.

[Uncle Ron]

Some things I've learned since then...get a good PH pen...the cheap ones don't work for long...and when you get one, make sure you calibrate it properly and then check calibration often. Having PH outside normal ranges can cause all kinds of problems that can look like nute deficiencies...and if you don't fix the PH problem you can never fix the nute issue.

Germinating the seeds on a plate instead of directly in soil might speed things up by a day or two...but more than that, you know you've got viable seeds when you see they've cracked...when they go directly in soil, until they sprout through the soil you don't know whats going on and it's tempting to push the soil around to see whats up...thats probably a no-no...

Take curing seriously. I did with this grow, and it all turned out pretty great (if I do say so myself!) But on my next grow I didn't pay as close attention...didn't burp jars as much / monitor the humidity levels in the jars...and sure enough, I've had to trash some (including the nicest looking cola!) due to mold.

If you haven't read this thread about curing (http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=156237), do it now. If you follow the directions it's foolproof.

Nice follow up...
Good point about pH tester, and I would add that an EC (Electrical Conductivity) measuring device be used as well.
So many methods of germinating... yours does makes sense, and more importantly it works for you.
Sucks that you had to trash bud due to mold. As you learned (the hard way) that burping is a MUST DO! Shag off the responsibility and bad things happen...
Simple method of curing:
1st Week - open container(s) every 12hrs for 30min.
2nd Week - open container(s) every 12hrs for 15min.
3rd Week - open container(s) every 24hrs for 15min.
4th Week and so on... if used as storage, open when taking out bud, otherwise keep closed. Very slow cure...
Beware of bud turning to dust. If over-dry, place something like a plant leaf or fruit rind (moisture is the key) and the bud should be reconstituted in a day or so...

Thanks for sharing Z...

Happy farming...

[Panog]

As we speak about it, what is exactly the use of the EC meter ?
I mean, I kinda understood that EC tells you how much the plant is gonna eat from the nutes in the water, but for example if you have a recommended EC of 2, and if your water has an EC of 3, how do you bring it down ?

[Boner]

As we speak about it, what is exactly the use of the EC meter ?
I mean, I kinda understood that EC tells you how much the plant is gonna eat from the nutes in the water, but for example if you have a recommended EC of 2, and if your water has an EC of 3, how do you bring it down ?

I have one but don't use it but I believe the EC is all to do with how many nutes you add, so to bring it down you add less nutes. (this is my guesstimate so it may well be very wrong)

[Panog]

Yeah so it's not that important is it ?

[ZBeebs]

I haven't messed with an EC meter yet. My understanding is that tells you how much nutrients you have in solution...and if you know the threshold your plants can take, you can make sure you never over feed...But my understanding could be wrong...what you're actually measuring is the electrical conductivity of the water...

[Panog]

Okay so basically I'm good if I stick to the Canna Coco chart on their website (this thing was so helpful for my first grows)

[Boner]

Okay so basically I'm good if I stick to the Canna Coco chart on their website (this thing was so helpful for my first grows)

This is why I've never bothered, I've found sticking to the 'Normal feeding' for new plants is fine, you can adjust your feeding schedule to suit each plant when flowering clones.

[Uncle Ron]

I understand why some or probably most wouldn't bother with an EC measuring device esp. if following manufacturers directions. There are many materials that don't come with directions, such as raw materials. One can research and or inquire as to what has worked/is working, but to fine tune the amounts that are available to plants, I would think this is a must have device (esp. raw materials).

From research (mostly reading, some talking), this also comes in handy when growing with certain types of hydo systems/methods. Checking the EC on a daily basis is a must, as is the pH.
I've only grown in soil with fertilizer/nutrient kits from BioBizz and Atami. I choose to measure the EC mostly as part of the learning process, and unfortunately have had to use a device to resolve fertilizer/nutrient issues. Learned the easy way the problem wasn't with the EC, it was the pH.

pH, what a bitch!!!
My pH stick broke, cheap piece of shitte! Had to start using the back-up, drops with colored chart. Better than nothing, just.
Hydro is sounding better every day...

Again, thanks ZB...
Happy farming...

[Cisco]

I believe EC like PH is essential while doing hydro ?

[sam]

As we speak about it, what is exactly the use of the EC meter ?
I mean, I kinda understood that EC tells you how much the plant is gonna eat from the nutes in the water, but for example if you have a recommended EC of 2, and if your water has an EC of 3, how do you bring it down ?

A EC(Electroconductivity) meter is used to measure the amount of fertilizer in your feeding solution. Example if your recomended fertilizer EC is 2, first you have to measure the water you are using and then ad 2 to that reading. Water reads 0.8 and needed Fertilizer is 2.0 so your feeding solution should be 2.8 when mixed. Fertilizer changes PH so always adjust your EC first then get your PH right and always use purified water not tap water I do not care what anybody says it makes a big differance is final product.
Here is a example of real EC guidelines when using proper fertilizers
Germination till first true set of leaves 0.4-0.5
first set of leaves to third set of leaves 0.6-0.7
third set of leaves to fifth set of leaves 0.7-0.9
First week of flowering 1.2-1.4
second week of flowering 1.6-1.8
third weed till flush 1.8-2.2
I use an EC & PH meter everyday 10 months out of the year on a decent sized hydro gro so if anyone has any hrdo questions I will do my best to help.