It's Been about 20 Years Since Last Grow

[Caw]

So, it's been about 20 years since my last grow. In college, a friend and myself had a great deal of plants growing in the basement of our apartment. Then, I went off and got married, gave it a another shot, but didn't make it too far. Got divorced, then gave it another shot when I bought a new house. But, got married yet again and the new wife wasn't having it. However, here in Missouri we have become a legal medical marijuana state. I hopped on the chance to get a card and cultivator license. The wife wasn't happy, but what could she do? I legitimately have issues with severe back pain. I was on Oxy for about 10 years before it really started affecting many aspects of my life. I had gotten up to 315 mg/day before I decided (on my own) it was time to quit. It took me 7 months to come off of that sh*t! My doctor was incredibly proud of me, as I came up with my own withdrawal schedule and stuck to it.

Anyway, here I am today reporting on the progress of my first grow in about 20 years...

I decided to try a hydroponic grow this time around. After about a month of planning, I bit the bullet and got all my supplies. I went with a diy 6 bucket, 2 reservoir, DWC system. I built my own tent using PVC and Panda paper - 5.5 X 4 X 7. I picked up the SF4000 for my light.

Here in MO, we are allowed 18 plants - 6 seedlings, 6 in veg, 6 in flower. I got some somewhat mature clones from a friend and ordered some seeds as well. In my mind I would switch all of them into flower at the same time. I quickly learned that my timing would be incredibly off. The 3 clones I initially got were a Mendo, a SW (can't remember the name) and "Z" a strain created by my friend. My friend grows in soil and when transplanting, I lost a huge part of the root system in his creation and it died a short time after. The SW got root lock and hasn't done so well. I got a one replacement (I can't remember the name, but it was new to him as well) and it also got root lock. I'll have some questions about the two with root lock later on. But, after some thought, I'm pretty sure I know what I did to cause it. The Mendo however, is doing INCREDIBLE. The feminized seeds had a 100% germination rate and are doing really well also - 1 Cinderella 99, 1 Power Plant, and a 1:1 Sativa CBD strain (7% each).

My friend insisted that I should veg the clones for a minimum of 3 more weeks. But, since the timing was so off, I ended up having to build a veg tent and put the Mendo into flower. The only other light I had on hand was a 20 year old 175 watt MH. I'm truly not happy with it and I ordered a SF1000 that comes in tomorrow, which I'll use for the 4 X 2 veg tent. I think I'm gonna use the 175 Watt for clones/seedlings over a tote I'm making.

I'm attaching pics of the Mendo and seeds which are about 3 weeks old.

 

[Caw]

So, I'm attaching pics of my "sick" plants. One is actually coming back and has new roots coming through (more today than in the pic). The other, when I was about to throw it away, I found it had new root growth as well, but not nearly as much and hadn't made it out of the clay pebbles. I had been top feeding them both hoping for a change.

My question:
The one that is bouncing back, can I take a clone from it? The one not doing so well, can I take a clone from it? Or, should I wait a bit longer? I actually want the space and would like to put at least the one that is bouncing back into flower after taking a clone from it. It smells incredible and it's just in veg. The wife even made me turn on the scrubber due to the smell coming upstairs.

My Cinderella 99 had a slow start and I wasn't sure it was gonna make it. So, I started another one. I also took a clone off of the Mendo and it's starting to show roots. So, I want the space in the veg tent...

Comments/suggestions, please

 

[Caw]

Here are pics of my diy DWC. It's Home Depot buckets with 6" net pot lids. Three buckets are connected to a 14 gallon reservoir, which are each tied together by 1 1/2" pvc using Uniseals. So, water comes into the first bucket (3_4" PVC) and feeds the other two through the drains. The drains for both rows are tied together and a water hose is hooked up to it that I drag to the drain in the floor. Works well, especially when topping off water.

 

[TOA]

What is the PH of the “sick” plants?


How are you testing?

Start there.

Don’t clone a plant that is already struggling, give it some time to get better.

 

[The Hemp Goddess]

Great building skills! Both the tent and the hydro system look great.

I'm with TOA (hey, how ya doing?)--make sure your pH is in line. If it isn't anything else you do is not going to matter.

 

[TOA]

Hello beautiful!

( I hope you have been doing fantastic!!)

Great building skills! Both the tent and the hydro system look great.

I'm with TOA (hey, how ya doing?)--make sure your pH is in line. If it isn't anything else you do is not going to matter.

 

[Caw]

Thanks.

PH has been kept between 5.8-6.2. It's checked with a meter. I've doubled checked with strips and a vial indicator.

What I'm pretty sure happened is that when cleaning the roots, the sink I used has separate hot and cold spouts. The Mendo went first. Before the water got too hot, it was luke warm and the roots cleaned up nicely. Then, I ended up going cleaning the other two plants with extreme cold, then hot, then cold, then....I can almost guarantee this is what caused my issues - shocking the root system.

I went ahead and cut clones from both plants, using the healthy newer growth from both plants. So far so good, but it's early. The one that has been bouncing back nicely is now in flower with the Mendo. I know, probably not the best idea and I probably should have waited. But, the root system is starting to boom and there's a lot of new growth that looks great. So, no true loss even if it doesn't work. It probably just won't have the greatest yield. I can always get more clones of both plants at any time, or other varieties - less than 5 minutes from my home!

Yesterday I topped my Critical Mango (CBD strain) and Power Plant. The Critical Mango was at the 6th node and easily chopped. The Power Plant may be FIM'd, which I guess isn't a bad thing. I just know I'll need to put these into flower earlier than the Mendo went. I can't afford to have them get as big/wide.

Also, the Mendo clone had rooted and went into a bucket.

No roots showing below on the Cinderella 99 seedling yet, but it's starting to show it's second set of leaves.

I'll add picks from today shortly. My daughter is using my phone where the pics are located....

 

[Caw]

Mendo pre and post

 

[Caw]

Seedlings and clones...missing the Power Plant which was topped/FIM'd

 

[Caw]

Cinderella 99 seedling, Power Plant FIM'd, Mendo stems TK put into flower day 2

 

[TOA]

Mendo pre and post

Those two plant are different.

Did you trim it?


They look totally different to me.

How are you testing ph?

We really need ALL of the info.


There is no way pic one and two are the same only after a “flush” with hot/warm/cold water.


Nevermind!!!! I just saw “trim” in the image txt.


Any pics before trim????


That’s what we need to see

 

[TOA]

Thanks.

PH has been kept between 5.8-6.2. It's checked with a meter. I've doubled checked with strips and a vial indicator.

What I'm pretty sure happened is that when cleaning the roots, the sink I used has separate hot and cold spouts. The Mendo went first. Before the water got too hot, it was luke warm and the roots cleaned up nicely. Then, I ended up going cleaning the other two plants with extreme cold, then hot, then cold, then....I can almost guarantee this is what caused my issues - shocking the root system.

I went ahead and cut clones from both plants, using the healthy newer growth from both plants. So far so good, but it's early. The one that has been bouncing back nicely is now in flower with the Mendo. I know, probably not the best idea and I probably should have waited. But, the root system is starting to boom and there's a lot of new growth that looks great. So, no true loss even if it doesn't work. It probably just won't have the greatest yield. I can always get more clones of both plants at any time, or other varieties - less than 5 minutes from my home!

Yesterday I topped my Critical Mango (CBD strain) and Power Plant. The Critical Mango was at the 6th node and easily chopped. The Power Plant may be FIM'd, which I guess isn't a bad thing. I just know I'll need to put these into flower earlier than the Mendo went. I can't afford to have them get as big/wide.

Also, the Mendo clone had rooted and went into a bucket.

No roots showing below on the Cinderella 99 seedling yet, but it's starting to show it's second set of leaves.

I'll add picks from today shortly. My daughter is using my phone where the pics are located....

Are you calibrating your meter? What meter are you using?

 

[Caw]

I'm probably making this harder than it is with my jumping around and multiple pics of different plants. So, I'll individualize...

To start, I got three plants/clones from a friend - (1)Mendo, (2) "Z" (his creation), (3)"SW" - I cant remember the name of this strain. The "Z" died in the first week. I got a replacement from him called "TKBI 1". Both the "SW" and the "TKBO 1" got root lock.

Here are pics of the "SW" from start to now. I have taken a clone from it in hopes of saving the strain, even though its not doing well. In the first pic, it's the one on the right.

 

[Caw]

Here is the other sick plant, the "TKBI 1), also a clone taken from it. It was the replacement for the "Z".

The last pic is it now in the flower room.

 

[Caw]

Here is the Mendo.

This one has been put into flower and already trimmed of the upper fan leaves a couple times. Its growing like crazy! Huge root system!

 

[TOA]

Ok I see what you got. The system is all linked together correct?


If the other plants can’t deal with what makes the Mendo happy- the solution is to either seperate the Mendo or other plants and make them happy or just clone the Mendo and run it by itself in every container you can on the system.


Some plants just don’t get along in a linked system.

When I would deal with that in an ebb and flow I would move them to a smaller tray and figure out what they wanted (if they were worth keeping)

If they were a different pheno of the same strain running multiple phenos (male or female breed runs) and acted weak to getting hit with higher ppm of nutrient for example I would just trash them.

 

[TOA]

You can try and tweak the ph by dropping it down to 5.4 and letting it rise and see how they all react. Let them get up to 6 or so.

See what range they all might react well to.

If you can’t make them all happy then it’s time to seperate or cut bait and clone.

 

[Caw]

Thanks for your advice.

I truly believe I put the root system into shock and that is/was the cause of the issues. The "sick" plants are doing better now. I checked this morning before coming to work and the SW (the one with severely curled leaves) finalky has a root coming through the bottom of the net. But yes, it was separated and put into an individual system. However, it's been fed the same nutrients as all the other plants.

Attaching pics from this morning.

1st pic is the TKBI with the Mendo in flowering.
2nd pic is of a small root coming through from the SW - curled leaf in veg tent. It's that tiny line in the middle of the bottom of the net.
3rd pic is of the TKBI's root system.
4th pic is of the SW in the veg tent.

The crazy thing is that all three plants are the same age. After the roots recover on the SW in about a week or so, I'll probably put it into flower as well.

 

[Caw]

So I went to visit my friend who I got my clones from. The BKBI 1 is bubba kush Billy idol. And I have somehow already forgotten what the SW is...it will come to me eventually.

The main reason for my visit was to ask about what to do with this Mendo that's "growing like a weed". I showed him pics and he just laughed. He admitted that he ran out of patience with it himself and jus cut it/them down before even finishing. He did say it is an extremely high yielding plant, " but just not what I'm aiming for." He showed me a bud from his BKBI harvest and it was VERY impressive - dense, sticky, stinky. He felt my putting mine into flower was fine, especial looking at the root system. Its looking happy now and tonight my wife complained about the smell again. Time to turn up the scrubber...

Attaching pics of 1) the root system of the Mendo, 2) the Critical Mango since topping, 3) Cinderella 99, which got topped yesterday, 4) Power Plant, 5) Cinderella 99 seedling, which is doing well.

 

[Caw]

1) Here is the top of the Mendo since doing yet another clearing of the upper leaves.

2) The BKBI today in flowering with the Mendo. It's really perking up and showing a lot of new growth

3) The Mendo clone, which will go into flower much earlier than the other.

4 and 5) a cloning dome I made yesterday. I found the idea on the web. A guy did one very similar but with Tupperwar, with smaller plastics. This was made out of two shoe containers from Wally world. They were just .88 each and the ties were laying around.