New Grower 1st Grow..Here We Go!

[headyladybudz]

Alright so I started a new thread for my "official" grow journal..I am on day 8 now. I soaked my seeds on 2/19 and 5 of the 6 sprouted 6 days later..Still no signs of 6th..Have one left..might soak tonight and plant that girl and potentially take out the other I guess if she is not gonna sprout. (still in denial )

I am trying to get consistency down with water/lights. I have a 400 Watt MH running at the moment 20/4. I also have a HPS bulb that I plan on switching to for flowering.

My temps are high 80's..which I feel is alright
My humidity however is hella low 16-20
I have been trying ways to get it up some, all of which really aren't doing much. When the light is off it goes to high 20s but with light on its real low. I am potentially going to invest in a humidifier.. I am totally open to advice on this topic.

I have a large fan outside the tent on and a small on the floor inside. I usually have the tent door unzipped a bit.

I have an inline fan/filter that I plan on getting started soon. I think I finally figured out how to have it through the vent towards top of tent.

They all look like they're doing well. I added more soil yesterday to help support stems..they've already grown probably close to another inch today so I am considering adding a bit more..still lots of space before pot is full. I am just really anxious and want to try to do everything "right". I have noticed a few gnats and put up these sticky pads on sides inside tent. I also saw a few going into the soil :-(

I bought some sand last night bc it was advised to me that a layer of that on top of the soil would divert anything from going into soil...Anyone had experience with that?!?

Well here's a few pics..Room and 3 of the 5 girls..The 2 are looking good to me but the one isn't really up to par as the other 4. The 2 I did not take pics of look the same as the 2 nice looking ones pictured..Well if anyone has any comments/concerns I am open to all.. :Sharing One:

 

[Grim Reefer]

Hello nice set up, what strains are you growing?
About the gnatss, i had a problem with them recently i tried putting 3 -4 inchs of perlite on the top layer of soil and it didnt help, Im sure sand is better. I would advise getting an additive called gnatt off, its organic and has a good bacteria that kills the eggs that the gnatss leave in the soil. you need to get this problem sorted quickly as a female can lay up to 200 eggs in something like 2-3 weeks they will hatch and then you will have a problem. the Larvae feed off the roots of the young plant and can stunt it. keep sticking up fly catchers too. Im going to sub for this grow if you dont mind? good luck.

 

[headyladybudz]

I've got 5 Cream Caramels going..Came with 2 freebies..The first I tried was a DinaFem Amnesia but still no signs of her..I've got a DinaFem Critical left so I'll probably try and get that going soon. Ahh that freaks me out about the gnats..I've got to at least try the sand until I can get a bottle of that or close to that. I was just at the shop looking at products and they had and a few seemed legit.

 

[AndyBotwin]

I use mosquito dunks to wipe out the gnats:

I put them in my 5 gallon buckets where I bubble my water so it gets in the soil with every watering/feeding. Knocks them right out and avoids the need to spray anything on your plant.

 

[Grim Reefer]

Sorry for freaking you out. It will be fine once you keep on top of it. A bit of that sand on the top layer of the soil 2-4 inches i think and make sure to get some of the gnatt off or similar product and after a few feeds of that the problem will be gone.
Just keep the soil checking they like to come out after you water the plants so stick around and check out the soil when you water them.

 

[headyladybudz]

Andy-those seem interesting but how exactly do you use them? Goes into your water? Work for gnats even tho its for mosquitoes?

Briain..I'll def be on the look out especially after watering..Hopefully get this resolved soon

 

[AndyBotwin]

Andy-those seem interesting but how exactly do you use them? Goes into your water? Work for gnats even tho its for mosquitoes?

Briain..I'll def be on the look out especially after watering..Hopefully get this resolved soon

Yep, they work great for fungus gnats and probably other critters too. They contain BTI, which is a natural bacteria that kills the larvae. You just let it float in your water for a while before giving it to the plants, and you can also break it up and put some on the surface of the soil. When you first use it there will be an increase in activity as it drives them out of the soil, and then in a week or so the adults finish dying and there's no babies to take their place. Perfectly healthy for the plant and it doesn't do harm to the microherd in organic grows. Lots of folks here on AFN have used them with success.

 

[auto_mate]

May be no good for gnatts bit i have found that a bug zapper really pays off sitting just outside grow area, ive heard it go off a few times and it makes me smile everytime (bastard bugs stay the fuck away from my plants). Only set me back $30 and best thing is that it attracts the bugs that would have otherwise gone for ur plant lights and no chemicals.

 

[headyladybudz]

Auto-I don't know if you have to plug in a bug zapper but i am trying to keep electrical items to a minimum. My space is pretty tight outside of tent and with how much I am in there doing whatever, a zapper might be over kill. I've got those cheapo sticky ones hanging and they're already driving me crazy with locations. I think Im gonna try those dunks...hopefully that with added sand until I get those will do the trick!
Andy- Where'd you find those??

 

[AndyBotwin]

Andy- Where'd you find those??

If you're in the US, a store like Home Depot or Lowe's will have them in the lawn and garden area. Not sure about other countries. They're on the internet also if you search for "mosquito dunks".