New Grower My first grow ever!

[low_and_slow]

Are you sure those are 4 gallon pots? They look like my Hydrofarm 10Q pots. Also, remember to fill your pots to the top! You only want about 1.5" of space from the edge, the more soil = more roots = more yield = better drought resistance!

I would leave the fan on 24 hours, the airflow will help exchange gases in the tent and provide a steady stream of CO2. If you don't have an air filter, you will certainly need one by week 6, five plants will get to stinkin' QUICK!

Awesome setup though, sounds like you're on the right track! Go easy on the molasses in the last 4 weeks and cut it out altogether during the final 2 week cleanse, the minerals in the molasses can make your bud taste harsh if you don't cleanse it out during the last few weeks of growing.

As far as height, I would start the light at about 24-30" above the top of your soil, then leave it in place until the plants grow up to the 18" mark. Raise the light with the plants as they grow, keeping the light around 18" until they start throwing off pistils and enter the preflower stage. Once there, you can let them grow to the 12" mark. For me, once I know the plant has stabilized and stopped its flowering stretch, I keep my 600w HPS at about 8-10" off the tops of the highest colas. I get a tiny bit of light stress on the highest branches, but the rest of the plant does great, so it's worth it to me as my bottom shelf buds will actually be usable. I don't lollipop autoflowers, so I need all the light penetration down low I can get.

 

[Minmatar]

Low and slow, tags on the pots say 16q. Maybe the actual volume is different? I filled what I thought would be enough but the water caused them to settle. I will add a touch of soil to the top a little later and saturate the whole pot a second time as it has been almost 18hs since I did the first saturation. Also I do not understand the term "lollipop" with growing? Thanks for checking in and offering help too! =)

My catch trays are a little flimsy, and I will not forgive myself for buying the cheaper ones. I was thinking that they are just going to catch water, I forgot that I would be picking them up all the time... =/ I have heard you can get a burnt sugar taste if you do not flush the molasses out good, I would like to avoid that scenario =)

Something else I wonder about is that I have read that autos can go 90 days(some supers longer i guess), but I see that feeding schedules go to a week 6 flush. How do I adjust for actually going longer, or is going longer when things tend to go perfectly? Taking the timer off the fan will be a nice change that I can be happy with, I am still trying to work out the fans for moving low air, I just got one in there this morning working on placement for the second.

 

[Muddy]

Nice to see you getting your grow started. Your set up looks very good. I would also suggest you run your exhaust fan 24/7. If you find you're having trouble keeping your temperatures consistent in the tent you can always add a variable speed controller so you can slow the fan down and keep a bit more heat in the tent. Regarding the humidity, anything in the 50-60% range is good for veg. Once they go into full flower, then try and keep it a bit lower, 40-50%.

Regarding the height of your light, do start it high during veg and then watch your plants. Raise or lower the light to maintain node spacing of about 1". Once they go into full flower, then lower it more. Hold your hand at the top of the canopy, palm down, for about 30 seconds. If it feels too warm on the back of your hand, it's too hot for the plants. Be cautious about what you see/hear from Dr. Autoflower. He was discouraged from posting here on AFN for passing out misinformation.

I was just going over some notes and bumped into another couple questions. If I am to keep the inside of my grow area around 75-78 degrees F, what should I try to keep the humidity at, and how to lower the humidity of the room? Would it be best to keep the exhaust fan running all the time or only while the light is on? I am using a 20-4 light schedule in my basement. The room the tent is in also has my furnace. With the light running in my tent the past couple days the temperature of my basement has been ranging from 70-73 degrees F. Light height question. I watched Dr. Autoflower's videos on youtube. In one video he goes over a variable height for 400w lights starting at three feet and going down to twelve inches by week two. I hate to question his info as he seems to know what he is doing, but I have to ask; Do other growers use this technique, and what do you think? Thanks for reading =)

 

[low_and_slow]

Okay, yeah they make a 16Q pot, you're right on...4 gallons.

Lollipopping is when you remove the bottom folliage on a plant to focus growth energy on the top colas and bud production.
[video=youtube;UjfsYoMN7mI]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjfsYoMN7mI[/video]

 

[Minmatar]

Muddy,

Thanks for stopping in Muddy I hope that I don't totally fry my first go at this. A lower light will keep the spacing shorter I assume? This really is the first time I have grown! =) I will take heed with the info I get outside of this site and make sure to get a second opinion on stuff, as I will do the same with I doctor I will also do with my meds.

low and slow, thanks for the video on that. I can understand how that would be a good technique for photos. Do you avoid doing this on your autos to keep stress and stunting to a minimum? I will have to get my lights into their beginning position above the pots here as they are just a touch too high.

I topped up the soil in the planters and added some water ph at 6.4, the runoff was also 6.4. To appease the ocd parts of me I pose you a question: If you had to pick a number for your pH water and food, what would it be? Does the pH change from the time you mix it to say 30-40 minutes later? I have been using distilled white vinegar for dropping the pH of my water.

 

[low_and_slow]

Ideally in that setup you want to adjust your feeds and your water to something in the 6.3-6.8 range...that's the sweet spot growing in soil or semi-soil. That being said, I would target 6.3 - 6.5 because it will allow for better absorption of trace minerals that need a lower pH. If you're putting in 6.4 and it's coming out 6.4, don't worry about anything.

To answer whether or not water will change pH over time once the nutes are mixed, yes, it will, but really not by a huge margin. I usually mix up a solution of nutes, then add a pre-determined amount of up or down to do a "pre" pH balance. I, for example, that 1mL of up is required when I do my waterfarm hydro res change. I add the ferts and the up, then stir vigorously for 2 minutes, then walk away for 30 minutes, then come back and stir vigorously again, then check it. If it's where I need it, I'll use it, if not, I'll add 5 drops of pH adjustment fluid, stir, walk away for 30 minutes, stir, check it, repeat as required. Takes a while, but the better you can dial in the pre-pH balance step, the easier it is to get it spot-on.

I know Muddy has experimented with pH's that are in the high 5's during early veg, in an attempt to get the plant to really drink up the trace minerals and develop a vigorous, strongly branched structure. In something like ProMix that probably works pretty well, as there is added lime already in the mix that will buffer the medium as the nutrient solution is absorbed. Maybe he'll chime in with his experience in that arena.

 

[Minmatar]

Ideally in that setup you want to adjust your feeds and your water to something in the 6.3-6.8 range...that's the sweet spot growing in soil or semi-soil. That being said, I would target 6.3 - 6.5 because it will allow for better absorption of trace minerals that need a lower pH. If you're putting in 6.4 and it's coming out 6.4, don't worry about anything.

To answer whether or not water will change pH over time once the nutes are mixed, yes, it will, but really not by a huge margin. I usually mix up a solution of nutes, then add a pre-determined amount of up or down to do a "pre" pH balance. I, for example, that 1mL of up is required when I do my waterfarm hydro res change. I add the ferts and the up, then stir vigorously for 2 minutes, then walk away for 30 minutes, then come back and stir vigorously again, then check it. If it's where I need it, I'll use it, if not, I'll add 5 drops of pH adjustment fluid, stir, walk away for 30 minutes, stir, check it, repeat as required. Takes a while, but the better you can dial in the pre-pH balance step, the easier it is to get it spot-on.

I know Muddy has experimented with pH's that are in the high 5's during early veg, in an attempt to get the plant to really drink up the trace minerals and develop a vigorous, strongly branched structure. In something like ProMix that probably works pretty well, as there is added lime already in the mix that will buffer the medium as the nutrient solution is absorbed. Maybe he'll chime in with his experience in that arena.

Much thanks as this was exactly what I was looking for! I am mixing in a couple of 5 gallon buckets, I am since thinking that I would like to get a 10-15 gallon tank to do it so I know that things are more consistent! I think I will hold off for my light's morning cycle to begin tomorrow morning and get this started!

 

[KindredSpirit]

If anyone could tell me the maths for testing runoff that would be great as I umm see to have lost it :faceplam:

My ingoing pH was 6.0. My runoff was 6.1. I feel like grade school again with the "Jack has 5 apples, Tom has 2 oranges, what kind of car does Jill drive?

Hey Minmatar, looks like a sweet setup you have! :thumbs:

As far as testing runoff: Determine the difference between the starting pH of the solution that went in and the pH of your runoff.

If your runoff pH is higher than your starting pH, use this equation to determine your soil pH:
Soil pH = Runoff pH + Difference

If your runoff pH is lower than your starting pH, us this equation:
Soil pH = Runoff pH - Difference.

For example, say your the starting pH of your solution before it goes in is 6.5 and the pH of your runoff is 7.0. The difference is +0.5, so using the above equation:
Soil pH = 7.0 + 0.5
Soil pH = 7.5

If your starting pH is 6.5 and your runoff is 6.0, your difference is -0.5 and using the above equation:
Soil pH = 6.0 - 0.5
Soil pH = 5.5

Look forward to following along on your grow! :smokebuds:

 

[stylez]

Welcome Minmatar. Good luck with your first grow.
One love

 

[Minmatar]

Thanks kindred for making the math more understandable! I am so excited to get something in the ground and going that it almost feels like my birthday is coming!
stylez, thanks for the good vibes I will have an update in the morning after i pop some pop some of these magick beans into the ground. I am hoping that I can get some good experience with the mystery pack so when I order a hand full of Purple Jems or Mi5 I know that I can give them their best chance.