First Time Journal – Start to Finish

[Q19Z6TC1]

Greetings, my fellow growers. This is my first time logging a Start-journal here, and I am excited to piece together everything I have learned in one place. A little background on me: I live in the Midwest, so there is that… lol. I have had two “successful” grows, one indoor, for which some of you helped me with, and one outdoor (G13), which had to be cut down a bit early, as the weather here is not very forgiving in October. But hey It is getting me by for the time being; it didn’t have enough time to come to full ripeness, and she got pollinated (so not a total loss).

Now, I say “successful” in quotes because, to me, success is not producing a subpar (underdeveloped) product that is riddled with seeds (unless I am farming seeds). To me, a win is healthy, strong, vigorous plants that produce the desired effects (medicinal properties). I am not totally yield-driven, as I can only produce, consume, and keep so much legally.

Now, with all of that being said, I do have a couple of things figured out. My main goal and ultimate outcome is that I would like to be able to set up a successful perpetual grow cycle. My intention is to gain your knowledge and convert it to experience, and at the end of the day, to learn from you who have been successful over, and over, and over, and over, and over again, and then apply those methods to my own personal garden so I can follow the same thing over and over.

For my germination techniques, I have used the following methods, and all have been successful each time.

• Wet paper towel

• Rapid Rooter and Root Riot plugs

• A glass of water

• Direct sow in a solo cup with soil

• Direct sow in a 1-gallon pot with soil

• Direct sow in a seedling tray with soil or plugs

• I have successfully germinated seeds by just throwing them out in our grove on a rainy day in the spring.

Again, I do believe I am past the germination issues I have been challenged with in the past.

Here is where it all begins for me.

I have a 2×2×4 Vivosun tent flipped on its side. Inside the tent I have:

• Grow dome

• Seed mat

• Small oscillating fan

• Small humidifier

• Single T5 HO 25-watt fluorescent light

• Seedling/clone tent environment:

• AT = 68–72°F

• RH = 50–70%

• Lung room roughly the same

• Germination/seedling light:

• T5 HO 24-watt fluorescent

• Six inches from top of seedling canopy

• (I have LED grow light strips for the dome.) It seems to me the seedlings do better under the T5, but I would love to properly learn how to use the LED light strips without burning up the little girls (height/intensity/stages?).

• Light cycle:

• 18/6 hours

Depending on how I germinate will dictate how I start (aka direct sow in soil or not).

• Veg tent: 2×2×6

• Flower tent: 4×4 with custom height to fit the room

I have tools and equipment to aid environments, measurements, etc.

I have different nutrients: FF Trio, GH Trio, different mycorrhizae products, Cal-Mag, magnesium sulfate, silica, etc. (all the basics to have a successful grow).I have Happy Frog soil, HP mix, and coco (which I have not tried to grow with yet).

I think we can venture more into those tents once I get past the seedling stage. I will post pictures as well. I do have some plants going now, and I have opened a support ticket to help with the sick ones in the 2×2×6 veg tent, which led me to create this journal.

My main goal here is, again, to learn your techniques and put them to best practices in my own garden. So I am going to drop one seed to officially start this journal.

(Side note:) I can only grow 8 total, with only 4 flowering.

I currently have:

• 3 in flower – 2 Jamaican seed and 1 Skunk #1 (3-gallon Ocean Forest)-They are severely stunted.

• 2 sick ones in veg – 1 Strawberry Cough and 1 Super Lemon Haze in Happy Frog

• 1 clone – Super Lemon Haze (HP mix) (healthy so far)

• 1 seedling – in a soil cup with HP mix

My question to any of you experienced growers that have been successful is simply this:

Can you share with me how you would start this new seed, as if it were yours to start, a step-by-step process? I am willing to procure what is needed if I need to, but I do feel confident I have enough inventory choices to get her off the ground.

I am going to use a feminized Blue Dream seed that I picked up from this very site (ILGM).

Who is up for the daunting task of teaching me? And what questions do you need answered from me before we begin? (Pay no mind to the G13 Seedling in the PIC-It’s an experiment)

[Jaysittinback]

Good morning, ,nice collection of supplies yiu have.
I’d soak the seed 24 to 36hr and put in soil 3/8" or 10mm deep, sprouted or not.
I would use the Happy Frog in a soil cup.
In the HF I would mix around 20 or 25% perlite to fluff it up, its not the fluffiest soil but its easy on seedlings.
The soil cup - many holes bottom and sides.
Dome for about a week and when dome comes off the humidifier keep it above 50% in there. Higher humidity is ok too.
High 70s or about 80F and steady not too much temp swings. 18/6 schedule. (24/0 works too).
I done good with watering after 5 to 7 days, or around the time the dome comes off. That is variable based on how dry your starting mix was, what type of soil, temps etc.
There’s a start. I dunno if I should be getting ready for work, its a blizzard out there…

[Retiredoldguy]

morning growmie… welcome to growing… watch the forum posts and find out who you may want to follow and learn from… everyone grows a bit different so take what you think will work for you and go from there…you don’t learn it all in one grow…

[Reed71]

@Q19Z6TC1 welcome to the family my friend you have found the right place to be happy growing

[Growdoc]

@Q19Z6TC1 , welcome! You’ll like Blue Dream, I’m growing it currently to select clones from for another breeding project. Mine are 3 weeks form sprout.

Best of luck, your in the right place to learn more!

[Jaysittinback]

Hey I haven’t used HF or OF. But the consensus is clear. It only takes a bit of reading.
But that’s a start and from there you can proceed a few different ways. I don’t know them products so can’t coach very well from here. But I’ll leave you this, if I ever have the opportunity to buy FF soil mixes I’d pay attention to the packaging date or expiry date. I wouldn’t buy soil with damaged packaging or sat wet a long time. Good luck growmie happy growing

[Budbrother]

Off to a great start. The plant is stretching for light, so it needs the light closer. With T5’s you can get really close and sometimes even touching seedlings. I’d also move seedling into the center of the tray/bulb. Move the light up as needed to control the node spacing. Does the heat mat have a temp controller?

[Q19Z6TC1]

OK, good to know on the light height, and intensity. Yes the mat does have a temperature control and thermostat.

[Q19Z6TC1]

NICE!! This is exactly what, i want to be able to accomplish, Health, vigorous plants. What soil are you using for these ?

[Q19Z6TC1]

What is thee general consensus for soil around here?

What is your soil of choice and why?

[Mucluc]

I use Happy Frog in the top 1/3 of a 7 gallon fabric bag and the bottom 2/3 Fox Farm Ocean Forest because it was recommended here. I originally started with just the fox farm ocean Forest but it did seem to be a little hot for the young plants. That’s why I mix them now.

[Growdoc]

I am in Promix BX with 50 % added perlite. I’ve grown in soil, coco, inside, outside, Promix is my happy place in mediums.

[Budbrother]

@Q19Z6TC1

Yes the mat does have a temperature control and thermostat.

What’s it set to? Does it have a probe that you can place into an empty cup for it to regulate 70-75°?

@Q19Z6TC1

What is your soil of choice and why?

I build my own but my recommended are BaS 3.0 and Coast of Maine Barharbor Blend. The Build a Soil - BaS 3.0 is made for reuse and not for salt usage, but you asked

[Q19Z6TC1]

Gotcha, Yes it does have a probe, it is currently set at 73deg. Tell me more about what you mean to place in a empty cup to regulate? I have the probe setting in-between the bottom of the tray and on top of the mat.

[Budbrother]

The probe goes into the soil about an inch above the bottom of the cup. You want the root temp measured. Place a cup with soil in it and use that since you don’t wanna disrupt the roots in that.

[Q19Z6TC1]

OK, that makes sense to me, Do you ever put the probe in the same cup as a seedling or do you just use the “dummy” cup?

[Budbrother]

If I have a whole tray, then I usually put it in a dummy cup in the center of the tray full. If not you can just use a chopstick and poke hole for the probe. I figured the dummy cup was easier than disrupting tender roots you have now.

[Q19Z6TC1]

@Growdoc Do you germinate directly in your HP mix? If so do you moisten the soil prior to sowing?

[Growdoc]

I start in a shot cup of water and peroxide, soak 24 hrs and go to paper towels with all the water wrung out til it’s just moist, not wet. Usually have tails next day and I’ll prepare my solos of Promix and perlite, then precharge it with 300-400 ppm of nutes and soak the cups to runoff. I do this the day they go in towels. Next day they are planted and domed and put under lights and environment set for 78-80 degrees and 70 percent humidity. I don’t touch them for 4-5 days and only give a bit of water before they dry out totally. They will have roots out the bottom after a week and get watered to runoff after that .

[Q19Z6TC1]

Thank you for the step by step. What nutes are you using to pre-charge? I have read conflicting statements about this “pre-charge” on the Promix…