The Grow Journal of The_Reverend

[The_Reverend]

Woah! Don’t be too blown away by the creativity of that title!!

Hello everyone, and thanks for checking out my grow journal. I’m brand new to this entire process, so I should have lots of trial and error in the upcoming months for you all to sit back, smoke up, and get a good laugh at if you want to follow along.

To take you on a bit of a journey, I have severe depression and anxiety issues which is what led me to cannabis in the first place. after 20 years of meds/therapy and not much relief, I decided to give this amazing plant a try to see if it would help. that was about 7 years ago. Since then, I have become a believer in this plants amazing ability to span the wide gap that the meds and therapy left.

However, my state has very limited medical applications for cannabis, and to get to the point, I am not eligible. Unless the laws change (which it is looking like they will in the next few years with any luck), I have had no choice but to get my supply via the black market. I’m sure I’m in good company here when I say that’s not something I’m overjoyed to have had to do. As you all know, there are a fair amount of risks involved which really do not help my original issue of anxiety.

I’ve spent the last few years weighing these risk factors against the idea of growing my own. but never really thought it would be feasible to grow my own. A few friends have also been kicking around the idea. one of which, just got a grobo and is in the process of their first grow. So far, it’s just a seedling.

However, in talking with them, I realized the biggest concern I have is of course the smell. I live in a city where it is very common to smell Cannabis pretty much at anytime of the day throughout the city. That is not to say it’s legal here, per se, but my city has a fairly hands off approach. I have a 2 story, 3 bedroom Old School town home/row home, and I know for a fact many of my neighbors are tokers. My landlord is pretty hands off, so I’m really only concerned about the odd event that the landlord may make a visit for the odd problems.

I am planning on having this set up on the second floor in one room with a grow tent. The tent I have selected is a 36" x 48" X 72" which will be housed in a room 8’ x 8’ x 8’. I have ordered a 6 inch fan 440 CFM, and a 6"x18" carbon filter. My plan is to grow 1-4 plants.

I’m also considering adding a second fan/filter for outside the tent in the event that the smell does get too intense, and/or the LL has to make a visit.

I’d be lying if I said I’m not a little nervous about this whole process, having never grown before and with certain factors being outside of my control. However, I’m sure I’m also among good company here who have also felt this anxiety before growing their first time.

I have already ordered my first batch of seeds this week from ILGM, the Blue mix pack. I am waiting for them to arrive. In the meantime some of the equipment I have ordered has arrived already, but some is still on the way.

As a side note, I have also ordered some other equipment to set up a full hydroponic garden for herbs, vegetables, and pretty much whatever I can grow. With all the insanity 2020 has brought, I’m trying to become as self sufficient as possible, including my “medicine”.

My goal, with any luck, is to try to clone, and of course, ILGM will be my place for any seeds I need, as I’m sure my early cloning attempts will fail miserably.

if you would like a run down of the equipment I have purchased, here you go:

VIVOSUN 2-in-1 48”x36”x72”

Main Chamber:

DWC SELF-Watering Bubbler Kit with 4 grow sites
VIVOSUN 6 Inch 440 CFM Inline Duct Fan
VIVOSUN 6 Inch Air Carbon Filter with Reversible Flange 6"x 18"
VIVOSUN 6 Inch Noise Reducer Silencer for Inline Duct Fan
VIVOSUN 6 Inch 8 Feet Black Non-Insulated Flex Air Aluminum Ducting
VIPARSPECTRA 600W LED Full Spectrum Lights with Bloom/Veg
SkyGenius Battery Operated Clip On Oscillating Desk Fan, Portable Rechargeable Mini Personal Fan
TaoTronics 4L Wi-Fi Smart Cool Mist Humidifier
VIVOSUN pH and TDS Meter

Top Secondary Chamber for Seedling/Clone Propagation:

MIXC 1020 Flat Trays with Humidity Dome Germination kit for seedlings/clones
Durolux DL822N T5 HO 2Ft 2 Fluorescent Lamp 7" wide
VIVOSUN 10"x20.75" Seedling Heat Mat and Digital Thermostat Combo Set

Bottom Secondary Chamber for Early Veg:

MAXSISUN 600W LED Grow Light, Full Spectrum LED

MISC:

Rapid Rooter Plant Starters, 50 Plugs
pH Control Kit For A Balanced Nutrient Solution
Flora Grow, Bloom, Micro Combo Fertilizer set, 1 Quart (Pack of 3)
Botanicare Hydroguard Bacillus Root Inoculant, 1-Quart
HydroDynamics Clonex Rooting Gel, 100 ml
ClonexClone Solution Clone & Seedling Nutrient, Quart
Smart Power Strip Wifi Smart Plug and App Control
Apollo Horticulture Stainless Steel 1/4" Adjustable Grow Light Rope Hanger
Countertop Portable Universal 5-stage Reverse Osmosis RO Purification Water System with DI Deionizing Mixed Bed
Digital Wireless Microscope USB WiFi 50X to 1000X 8 LED Lights Compatible with iPhone, iPad, Android Smartphone, Mac, Windows

There you have it. That is my journey thus far. I welcome any feedback/suggestion/criticisms you may have. I look forward to posting more in the near future.

The_Reverend

[RandomlyRan]

Welcome I will be watching!

[The_Reverend]

Entry 2:

I have to say, I’m really glad I found this forum. The community here is amazing; both helpful and friendly. It has done a lot to alleviate the anxieties I’m having with this project.

Also, reading more about the specific fan/filter configuration I’m planning, and hear from others with experience, it sounds like I shouldn’t have any issues with smells inside or outside.

Equipment has been constantly showing up these past few days, some of it for this project, some of it for the general urban garden project I’m also working on.

I have also decided to try my hand at curing with the latest (and hopefully last) batch I picked up yesterday. I have the full QP curing right now in 2 mason jars. I’m not sure it’s going to do anything, but I’m fairly certain these street dealers aren’t curing properly, so it can’t hurt.

At this point, I’ll definitely feel better when all the equipment finally arrives.

[pptrsha1]

as a landlord i can tell you the last thing i ever want to do is go in a bedroom. keep fire extinguishers and smoke alarms current and if you dont have a bug problem you wont get caught lol

[The_Reverend]

Just had terminex come through the other day, had a bit of an ant problem on the back patio. Bugs shouldn’t be a problem. I think the smoke alarms are hardwired so no problem there. I’m thinking with the door kept locked, I should be ok. Plus, if anyone asks, I have a bitcoin mining rig in that room which is very sensitive to dust/heat, etc.

Thank you for the reassurance.

[RandomlyRan]

Off topic but a buddy is telling me about a new crypto currency he’s mining and idk wtf that means lol. I did Bitcoin for silkroad a few times but never mined it.

[The_Reverend]

It’s kind of a weird process that I don’t really understand myself. Luckily mine is only theoretical if someone wants to know what’s in my room. That’s what I’ll say is behind the door.

[RandomlyRan]

See i was preparing you for their nosey follow-up questions lol

[The_Reverend]

I like it. Keep me sharp.

[The_Reverend]

Entry 3:

I finally got the tent assembled. I bought one of the 2 in 1 tents. I sealed off the main chamber from the 2 secondary chambers and hung the lights. I have them all running off smart power strips so I can control them remotely. I also put the humidifier inside the tent in the main chamber. I have my propagation dome sitting in the top secondary chamber with a T5 light hanging above it about a foot or two. the bottom secondary chamber has my veg light. I’m not sure if I’m going to keep the setup this way, but I"m going to try it out to see how it goes.

One thing I need to do is figure out a better way to hang the lights so I can get them higher. The lights hang pretty low with the hanging set up that came with the lights.

I just need the fan, the silencer, and the pH kit and the seed before I can get this thing rolling.

[RandomlyRan]

Does your light have the metal wire hanging kit? If so you can undo one end from the carabineer and loop it thru the carabineer back to the clip on the other end at the light. If that hangers 12" long that cuts it to 6"

[The_Reverend]

I will give this a shot tomorrow.

[The_Reverend]

Ok, I lied. I did it already. Great suggestion.

[The_Reverend]

Entry 4:

Two things. Most of the essential equipment including the seeds should be arriving shortly. I have the tent almost ready to go at this point. Since the seeds will take a bit before it needs to be fully operational, I have time to complete the main chamber, which really just needs the ventilation system hooked up. The propagation chamber is ready, and that’s really the only thing I’ll need for a little while.

Second thing, and this isn’t something necessarily having to do with the growing process, but as I said before my anxiety was going through the roof over this entire things. However, I realized a few things about my anxiety:

First, cannabis has helped me basically do a 180 in life. I put a lot of effort into my own issues with depression and anxiety (and issues with alcohol) prior to it, but it wasn’t until I started using cannabis as a form of treatment that I made any real progress.

Because of that, and because also I believe firmly that there should be no laws restricting cannabis use, especially growing your own. I have looked at this issue from so many different angles and it always comes down to this; the biggest “problems” that come from cannabis are almost all due to it being illegal. If it was legal, 95% of the problems it can cause would not be present. Alcohol is far worse…my own experiences can attest.

So, with all this considered, I realized that if things go badly for any reason, this is a battle I’d be willing to fight. I have a Lawyer friend who is BAR certified in my state and is pro-cannabis. I have already mentioned my plan, and he is willing to defend me if things come to that point.

One thing I have learned in life, ALWAYS have a contingency…ALWAYS. I cannot stress this enough to anyone who may be reading. If nothing else, the peace of mind it will give you will be worth it to have a fall back for your fall back for your fall back.

Ok, I believe I lived up to my name here. I’ll stop preaching now.

[The_Reverend]

at 4:00 PM today I put the first little girl down for a nap. I put her in a Rapid Rooter pod, sprinkled a little water on it to moisten it up a bit, and set it on my head pad set for 75 F. I didn’t put her in the dome yet, I will wait until she sprouts. I didn’t turn on the propagation light yet either, I’m not sure she’ll need light until she sprouts.

Anyway, here goes!

[The_Reverend]

Entry 5:

Since putting the first seed into the pod yesterday, I spent today getting all my cables cleaned up and organized in the main chamber. I was very glad when my zip ties arrived but I’m still waiting for my fan to set up the rest of the ventilation system. I have a decent set up that allows me to adjust the light easily, I can keep the cables out of the way and yet have the length to move with the light. I still have a few more adjustments to make but I think the set up will be pretty clean in the end, thanks to the zip ties.

I have a feeling zip ties may be a form of currency if the world economy ever falls back to bartering.

I also set up two cameras, one in the room facing the tent so I can monitor who comes and goes, and one that is aimed at the seed pod so I can keep an eye on the seed while it hopefully sprouts.

[The_Reverend]

Entry 6: I checked with my endoscope to see if there was any progress because my camera can’t really get in the position to see inside the cocoa pod. I’m happy to say she germinated. I guess now I just wait until the roots start emerging. I don’t think I need to do anything until that point. I’ll have to consult the guides to see what they say.

I guess I’m doing something right, anyway. 2 days and I have life.

[The_Reverend]

Entry 7: I had a little bit of a worry today. First, I don’t like the way I have my camera set up in the current state. The pictures are a little blurry, but it at least gives me an idea of how she’s doing. I was a little concerned about the temp/humidity levels. Today before I left, I sprayed down the whole chamber and gave her a little bit of water and left. But when I started checking, the hygrometer was showing around 35%. I had the windows open, but it was a low humidity day. It started to look like she was wilting a little. so after a lot of moving and re-arranging, I was able to move the humidifer into the small chamber I have the seedling germinating. I went from almost 90 Degree, 40% Humidity to 80 Degrees and 75% Humidity.

[The_Reverend]

Entry 8: It’s been a little over a week since I started this process on it’s way. So far things are looking good. I have the humidity thing figured out, I have my ventilation system up and running. I got the RO system hooked up and working, and I got the DWC filled and ready to go.

So far, the biggest challenge seems to be getting the pH right. Part of my problem was underestimating how important this is and therefore not getting a quality meter. I bought a set from Vivosun with a TDS/EC and a pH meter for thirty dollars. Now I’m seeing why it’s so cheap. I think it read the pH once accurately and then more or less stopped returning to zero. I tried recalibrating it, but that wouldn’t even read the pH correctly in the calibration solution.

Anyway, I bought a higher end meter that should be here tomorrow. I also have another Humidifier coming because I underestimated how much of a pain moving the one I have from chamber to chamber would be. I have the space for both.

I also set up a light schedule for the 3 lights that I can change from 18/6 to 12/12.

At this point, my next obstacle is going to be the nutrients. I think I understand when to use each one. I also bought some Revive. It was suggested I add Hydroguard, Cal Mag, Revive and the Shock solution along with the nutrients.

I checked yesterday and a few roots have emerged from the pod so as soon as I get the chiller set up, which arrives today, and the pH squared away, I’m going to transfer her to the DWC. The Humidifier and the new pH meter are both slated to arrive tomorrow, so with any luck, I’ll be able to transfer her to the DWC tomorrow evening.

I’m happy to say that the Ventilation System isn’t as loud as I thought it would be. I was able to set it on high and still be in the room with it. I actually forgot about it after a few minutes.

I noticed a second pair of leaves developing on her already. I’m excited to see how long it takes for them to grow out.

So far, I think I’m on the right track. Here are a few pictures I snapped this morning

[The_Reverend]

Entry 9: Day 9 and I just transferred her to the DWC in the main chamber. I have the light about 2 feet above the seedling. I also got a new pH meter. It was worth the price. I have everything set up and running, with the exception of the second humidifier. That’s more for convenience.

I was able to get the pH to 5.9. The chiller is keeping the water at 65 degrees. I think the humidity is going to be the hardest thing now with the larger tent space. Then again, when she starts growing that may not be as much of an issue. I have my hygrometer set up beside her so I can monitor closely.