For this grow, I am using Happy Frog organic potting soil in conjunction with GH synthetic nutrients (nutes). The soil is going to be prepped in a large plastic container which I used to fill three 5 gal fabric pots each, and then mixed with pH balanced water until the soil was damp. Also the bottom of the pots will be filled with about 2 inches of perlite to help assist with drainage and prevent overwatering
The soil pH was tested prior to starting the prep work, and it clocked in very low around 4.7. The goal is to feed for a few weeks to help balance out the soil pH to ensure that the medium can provide optimal growth
I am using two grow tents… one which was self made for seedlings/clones, and the other is a Vivosun GT 60x32x80 (5x3) which will be used for the mid-late veg/flowering phases of the grow. Each phase will outline the grow environment being used
Additional notes outlined below:
HF soil was slurry tested on a 1:1 ratio of soil and water. Sat for 30 hours and the soil tested at 4.7 pH / 945 PPM
Water used tested at 7.0 pH. Treated with pH Up until desired pH was met at 7.7 pH (Target is 6.2 pH - using higher pH water to balance soil)
Took three 5 gallon grow bags and added HF soil up until around 2 inches from top
Dumped each grow bag of soil into a large container. Mixed in pH treated water to begin prepping the soil (Activate microbes & balance soil pH)
Added 2 inches of perlite to bottom of bags. Then filled remainder of bag with mixed soil
Will check in 6-7 days prior to transplanting seedlings
**NOTE - I’m kinda new to this forum thing and didn’t realize you couldn’t edit a previous post. So for what it’s worth, the tail end of prep week is also my germination process
I manually created a seedling tent on my previous grow, and now keep using it for seeds and clone development. For the seedling tent I have it configured with the following:
Took two large home depot boxes and joined them together using tape
Wrapped all of inside with mylar wallpaper to add reflective material
Carved out 3 boxes to insert PC fans for air flow
Installed the Monios-L LED lights (two 4ft lamps) across the top of the enclosure. Placed about 18" above soil pots
Placed tarp in front of open space on boxes to help maintain humidity. Small aquarium humidifier being used when needed to keep humidity over 70%
The goal here is to germinate the seeds in rapid rooters. Once a root is shown on the bottom of the RR tray, the seeds (along with the RR they are contained in) will be transplanted into the soil pots
I also cut three 1L soda bottles to help further retain humidity for the sprouts once they pop up from the soil. Would like to ideally have it close to 75-80% for the first couple weeks, then gradually decrease humidity through veg period
Additional notes outlined below:
Setup grow tent for germination / seedling growth. Temp reading at 84 F and PPFD at 18 inches above soil surface is around 250-260 range
Water used tested at 7.0 pH. Treated with pH Up until desired pH was met at 7.7 pH (Target is 6.2 pH)
Took three rapid rooters and dunked in bowl containing water w/H₂O₂ (Also after adjusting pH to 7.7)
Soaked thoroughly until air bubbles no longer appeared, then gently squeezed and placed in rooter grow tray
Added seeds into rapid rooters for germination
Placed hydrometer into tray for monitoring
Sprayed water on top of enclosure and placed soil tray in tent
Leaving lights on for 24 hours until sprouts emerge from rooter soil
Hello and welcome.
Your “filled remainder of bag with mixed soil” did you add anything to your HF. I never used HF reading its heavier than OF and could use more drainage. Is the perlite just a bottom layer. I would like to know how this performs, drainage etc… happy gardening.
So no for this grow I didn’t add anything other than some pH balanced water to pre-moisten it, help begin activating the microbes, and ultimately work to get the soil pH balanced enough so the plants don’t suffer later in the grow
I added perlite on the bottom for drainage… but don’t just individually rely on that to protect from overwatering. I’m going to cover that further in the topic as I get more time to update, but ideally I’m dunking my plants in a nute solution and letting it angle drain to help keep the soil from creating salt buildup that might prevent the ability for it to uptake nutrients correctly
However when I do a top feed with a watering can, if I do overwater it will drain into a tray. That’s where the perlite plays its role
Thanks Growmie!!! I’m just a cannabis custodian and ILGM genetics does the test lol here’s a link to my journal hopefully it can help you out during the grow or make you laugh. Whichever one happens mission accomplished!!! Done deals lil heaven : garden of weeden
Welcome to the group! I’ll tag along for the grow. I grew some Chocolope two grows ago…love that buzz in the morning. I also am watching your journal over on the Grow Journal site. Good luck!
Let The Grow Begin - Veg Week 12023-10-23T04:00:00Z→2023-10-29T04:00:00Z
So with a success rate of 100% germination… week 1 of the grow begins!
I know there are always some discrepancies amongst growers determining what exactly is the seedling stage and vegetative stage. For me, personally it’s just easier to consider a 1-2 inch sprout in veg in terms of how I track feeds. But others may see the first 2-3 weeks as a seedling. In that retrospect, I usually consider when the 3rd node of growth appears, it is then officially veggin!. I’d love to get more feedback on that from others on how they label this stage of the grow
Anywho… doing some reading I see that the higher the temps, the better early on to help assist the sprouts with establishing a rooting system and growing as optimally as possible. I setup some 20oz sprite bottles by removing the labels and punching some holes on top to create a de facto humidity dome to help further retain some heat and humidity. Totals fluxed around 80-85°F and around 75-80% RH.
Did some light watering throughout the week by slowly circling around the plant and not directly on them in hopes to have the roots “search” for water to spread out and establish itself in the soil
Early on I observed some fungus gnats flying around the plants. Next feed I used mosquito bits and fed them to the plants since I am not yet adding any nutrients for my feeds. This should hopefully fend off any larva that are trying to get laid in the soil. Also installed some yellow sticky pads to kill off the adult gnats
Grow Environment Specs:
`NOTE - I’m basing the temps/feeds on an average. Any anomalies will be noted accordingly
Plant Height: 1-2 inches
Day Temps: 78°F
Night Temp: 69°F
Watering Volume: 3 cups per plant
Watering pH: 7.8
Watering PPM: 65
Lamp Height: 16 inches
Additional notes outlined below:
Tap water w/H₂O₂ used tested between 7.0 - 7.2 pH. Treated with pH Up until desired pH was met at 7.7 pH (Soil runoff target is 6.2 pH until week 5). PPMs are quite low ranging between 65-70 PPM
Checked soil weight within pots. All pots appeared to have dry soil up to an inch down. They all weigh around 13 lbs
Slowly watered top of soil. Left bottles over plants to avoid directly watering over them. Misted remaining dry areas on top of soil with a spray gun containing water w/H₂O₂
Final weights on all pots after watering were roughly a little over 15 lbs. Will monitor plants and water accordingly
Observed water droplets forming on sprouts due to excessive humidity. Added extra ventilation holes on top of domes to resolve this
@Riskguy thanks man yeah I remember you from the other journal. The admins for ILGM apparently told me that the site is going to be shut down soon. I logged off the site one day and since then I have not been able to gain access back to it
They basically advised me to just start a new one… and here we are lol
I def have some more recent pics. I would be posting here more frequently… but unfortunately I’m limited in my updates and responses to people on this thread (Not my rules, but I gotta play by them lol)
I’m currently in week 3 of bloom. This is where I’m at:
welcome to the Canna-Fam!! Chocolope has been one of my favorites so far. Great taste and a get it done high 
Here’s my lil ladies
here’s a link to my journal hopefully it can help you out during the grow or make you laugh. Whichever one happens mission accomplished!!! 
