Tylersays - First Grow w/ First Grow 2.0 Featuring the A-U-T-O-matic Experience

I’m gonna start by posting this first - it will be easy to reference for future uses that way.

What strain - **ILGM New York Diesel and Super Skunk**
Method: **FFHF, have FF Trio, FF Bloom Trio and Sledehammer, CalMag Supplement**
Vessels: **4gal plastic low/wide landscaper pots**
PH of Water  **6.3-6.5 going in, upper 5's coming out**
PPM/TDS or EC  **900-1100 going in, super high coming out, 3000+**
Indoor  **2x4x6 Spider Farmer tent**
Light system  **Spider Farmer SF-2000, SF-1000 combo, 2000 - 202.3W±5%@AC120V 196.7W±5%@AC240V 196.6W±5%@AC277V, 1000 - 100.5W±5%@AC120V 98.8W±5%@AC240V 98.39W±5%@AC277V**
Temps; **Day - 76-79F, Night - 68-69F**
Humidity  **Day - 55-60%, Night - 70-75%**
Ventilation system - **2 pole mounted fans, 4" SF carbon filter/exhaust (6" AC Infinityw/Controller OTW)**
AC - **Lung Room consistent 70-ish and 50% humidity**
Co2 - **No**

As I stated in the header - the boring part is over! Seeds sprouted in mid-June and went into the 4gal with FFHF on the First of July. I’m in the 5th week of veg.
I originally started with 4 in the tent - 2 NYD and 2 SS.
Out of fear I waited until it was possibly too late to do any training or LST. The third plant was done on the 29th of July. At this point I discovered the second Super Skunk was not going to be easy to LST as the first bend I went to make resulted in a snapped branch. I taped it up as well as I could and after a closer inspection of the plant I decided to vote it off the island. The stems and main seemed a lot stiffer than the other SS. I have to blame the soil. I ran out of HF after filling my outside pots for the grow out there and I had to substitute with crappy MiracleGro Performance Organics. It’s NOT supposed to have the slow release nutes and I didn’t notice any of those little beads when mixing in the perlite. But side by side you could see the difference in the plants. At any rate, she’s doing great on the back deck and has nearly doubled in size this week. It seems hanging with the big girls has given her that “engine that could” desire to grow. LOL!

This thread will focus on the indoor tent grow, although I may show off the other ladies on occasion!
Like now!!

The 2 bushy ones are Granddaddy Purple, the thinner one and another that’s hidden are NYD. Can’t see the booted Skunk in this photo. I’m quite happy with the way things are progressing out here!

Back to the inside grow -

Here’s where I stand. The 3 plants have been flattened and trained out and just about cover the footprint wall-to-wall.

The canopy is almost level all the way across and I raised the lights to where it’s 21" +/- from the highest top and 26" +/- from the lowest. The last plant that was trained, and also has the lowest growth, is in the center.

**I think at this point my main question is - Should I trim out some of those larger fans to expose the younger, smaller shoots into more direct light? **(just wanted that to stand out from the fluff! LOL!)

These things are BUSHY and I’ve pretty much run out of places I can tuck them where they’re out of the way. And at this point I do have leaves touching the dirt. i did pull a few of those today while watering.
Obviously I won’t be doing a traditional SCROG but I plan on using the net to support the stems and buds as they grow up and through.
I have close ups and profiles of each plant if needed/wanted for reference.

They have been getting mainly distilled water with Calmag and Ph’d to the 6.3-6.5 range - I’m getting better at hitting the target! We got screwed out of 12 cases on our last order and I had to do treated tap water with CalMag and Ph’d to range for 2 waterings. They’re currently drinking about a gallon every 6 days.
I’m wondering if the thick leaf coverage isn’t slowing down evaporation too. It just seems like plants this large should be drinking more than that! Lord knows I do! LOL!
I have not started the FF trio yet. At week 5 they’re not really showing any deficiencies yet. Apparently I got a couple of bags of VERY Happy Frog. LOL!

Any questions I can answer for you or if you need any additional views I’ll be glad to help.
And I thank you in advance for yours!!

@Syndrix @MadamCalamity @grizZz @SilvaBack203

I’m sure I’ll think of more as soon as I hit reply! LOL!

BTW - Both NYD are showing full on pre-flowers and I’m pretty sure the remaining SS will be showing in a day or two. I see some suspicious activity in there!
All the outside girls, bar the recently added SS are showing. :grin: :smiling_face_with_three_hearts:

Thanks Agin for any help you can offer and Happy Growing Everyone!!

13 Likes

Been kinda waiting for this as I’ve followed your outdoor grow….

Homie those look ferkin awesome and yea I’d trim em up if they’re that healthy just wow

5 Likes

Yey! I was wondering when you were going to set up your journal. Set to watch!
I would definitely do some trimming if I were you. Your girls are looking great sir!

3 Likes

Thanks for the replies.
It just kinda looked like common sense, which that, and reading here, got me this far, but I really wanted some confirmation of what I was thinking I should do.
The nodes on the NYD are stacking pretty closely and vertical grow seemed to stall, that’s why I raised the lights. I didn’t touch the dimmer which is at about 65%.
Being that I raised it, should I maybe back it off to maybe 60%?
I’m figuring another 5-6weeks max on veg?
The pre-flowers just boomed overnight! Thursday and Fridays inspection I started noticing a few here and there. After the drink on Friday by yesterday they were spreading like Covid in Florida! LOL!
No joking Florida - just go get the damn shots!

5 Likes

Hell yea. Definitely watching it. All the ladies are beautiful

2 Likes

I got you set to watch, looking forward to seeing your plants progress.

1 Like

Lord - has it really only been 7 days? Fells like 2 weeks at least since I updated!

I’ve added a 2.3x2.3 tent to the set-up. Currently using it to force flower a dual potted set of GDP that were left over from my distribution to friends. My buddy killed 2 of 5 he got, my niece did much better as hers are all alive and thriving! LOL! He wasn’t gonna get these girls!
At any rate - ran out of FFHF and these girls are in MiracleGro Performance Organics - not the greatest soil - but we don’t have a local source for FF so in a pinch…On the plus side it doesn’t have the timre release pellets but does claim it feeds for 3 months. They seem to be doing well with the FF nutes they’ve been getting. Currently they’re getting Cha Ching and seem to be doing well.

About a week and a half of flowering in the tent.

I’m hoping there’s not a whole lot more stretch - this is a short tent!!

The tent was originally bought as a “tobacco barn” for drying/curing. Then I realized it might be perfect to run a couple of auots in while I’m doing photos in the 2x4. Plus I can play with these extra GDP’s.
I have some Northern Lights Autos on the way from WSE. They’re bonus for doing a bank transfer for the Grape Ape fems I ordered. LOL!
NO MORE SEEDS!!

The official “before” photo:

The official “after” photo:

Basically just took the fans and no shoots. Did a little more lst, but honestly there’s no where left to spread them out to in the tent.
I watered and fed the day after. I read an article about forcing stress and bigger rebounds after a stress period. LOL! Sounds as reasonable as any of the other crazy stuff I’ve read concerning growing weed.
They definitely needed the drink.

They’re still in veg obviously probably another month, at least.
So each got 3ml CalMag, 30ml Big Bloom, 10ml Grow big, and 3ml Silica Plus.Following @MadamCalamity turned me on to the silica supplement. Once I did some reading I saw the truth of it. (Yes - I’m getting psyched for Dune! LOL!)
I tried to get the Botanicare Silica Blast but Amazon wouldn’t ship to me for some reason! Really - is it because I’ve bought a ton of chemicals from Amazon this year? At any rate this one would and OVERNIGHT to boot!! From where? Amazon!! WTF Amazon?

The plan is to let them have a week to recover. At that point I’ll have a better handle on which shoots are gonna be producers and which will be a waste. And much like a cancer, I’ll cut it out and leave the strongest behind. The trunks on these girls are every bit as big as the outside girls. I may be doing a lot of water toting but I don’t think it’s inconceivable to get 30-50 good budsites per plant.

I’ve switched to tap water too! Again - reading will get you into trouble! LOL! Guy made a compelling argument and appealed to my thrifty side. I’m treating with sodium something or another to instantly get rid of the chlorine then adding my nutes. I had to use ZERO Ph adjustments today as they all came in at the 6.4-6.5 range right off the bat! Easiest mixing I’ve done yet!!
We still will have crazy amounts of distilled around if the need arises, but the outside girls aren’t showing any issues after almost 2 weeks of 2gal every other day. It’s hot out there!

I guess that kinda sums up where the inside ladies are at.
I have to admit - I love/hate the training. It’s fun to see what you can get away with and really, in effect, make the plant better, but if you did that to your kid, you’d be in jail! LOL!
I know they’ll recover soon, but they just look so beaten and defeated afterwards. LOL!

The outside ladies just suffered through another hot week. 90+ every day since, what? Saturday? Sunday? We’ve had a few short showers, but aside from a foliar wash/drink there’s not much actually making it into the pots. I’m only culling fans outside as they drop. I do plan on cleaning the larf off in the next week or so. No sense wasting nutes and energy on non-producers.
The deck is so crowded it’s hard to get a decent picture!

A couple of recent ones -

These are the Granddaddy Purples. Love my girls!

I’ll get some good pics of the NYD and the Exile on Skunk Street tomorrow and put them up.
Exile on Skunk Street is really growing.

Happy Growing Everyone!!

9 Likes

Totally forgot to mention the biggest change of the week - Upgraded the exhaust to the AC Infinity 6" with the controller in the 2x4!! YAY! Much better and MUCH quieter! Not a single complaint about a headache after a late night trip to the bathroom! Double YAY!!
Because of that I’m able to let it run through the night and tame the humidity spikes I was getting during lights out, when you want them the least!

Moved the 4" exhaust to the small tent and it’s perfect for that space.
I always suspected the 4" was too small for the 2x4 so I’'m glad I upgraded.
I now have “negative pressure” in both tents.

It’s a ways off, but what HLG would I be looking at for a complete grow in that 2.3x2.3 space @dbrn32 ?
I’m currently using Spider Farmer SF-2000/SF-1000 combo in the 2x4 and am happy with what I’m getting so far - haven’t burned higher than 65% at this point…but HLG is an undisputed leader so just thinking…
I’m sure SF would say SF-1000 but honestly I don’t think that would cut it for 2 autos.
Maybe I can squeeze the 2000 in there, use the 1000 for seedlings and clones and upgrade the 2x4 with a HLG…THAT sounds like a plan! LOL!

So, in conclusion, get a bigger exhaust than they recommend!

BTW - the AC Infinity sensor is pretty close to the Govee hygrometer in the tent - within a couple of inches - and the readings are consistently withing a degree or two temp wise and a % or two humidity wise.
Based on that I’d recommend the Govee to peeps. It’s cheap and I believe, fairly accurate.

Happy Growing Everyone!

4 Likes

Your inside ladies are amazing. Really filling everything up. You gonna have your hands full

3 Likes

No great options for that space unfortunately. Imo the 135 kit is just big enough for the 2x2 space and your slightly larger tent would want a slightly larger light, but everything else is more designed for a 3x3.

If you don’t mind paying for slightly larger, you can check to see if chilled tech x3 mini will fit. Or do something like qb 260 kit.

1 Like

I think the 260 (not XL) would fit great. The double panel heat sink is just shy of 2ft long. It’ll be more light than you need but it comes with a dimmer so just don’t go full blast. :rofl:

1 Like

@Tylersays SouthernStates in C’ville has the HF, and so does “TheFifthSeason” beside SettleTire on Preston :wink:

1 Like

Guess i should have added CALL southern states first. they were out 3 weeks ago and that’s how i know Fifth Season has them but they should have gotten more pallets in by now at SS. Lady at 5th season is a couple dollars more per cube but i like supporting LOCAL business and she’s a “mom & pop shop” and VERY knowledgeable and willing to help :slight_smile:

she’s just WAYYYY too high on the HLGs though :wink: you can do better locally elsewhere or online WITH shipping, lol. can’t support her there. Their HLG 100 is 199.99 there for instance

@TheVirginian - Yeah - I found out, about a week after transplant, about The Fifth Season. And also Blue Ridge Hydro in Roanoke. From where I’m at C’ville would be the shorter drive. Plus it would give me an excuse to hit up Bodo’s! Mmmmm!!!
And maybe Crutchfield to just peruse the warehouse section. I’m a sucker for discounted HiFi equipment!
Did I date myself saying “HiFi”? LOL!

Just read your new post while responding - I definitely don’t mind spending a couple of extra dollars to support local business - and would do so gladly, if I had a local source.
I almost rode up there the other day for the silica supplement, but then I was reminded of prior commitments so had to go with Buzz Lightyear and Co. with that overnight delivery. Still a mystery why I couldn’t get Silica Blast and had to get Silica Plus…weird!

@dbrn32 and @Graysin - Thanks for the tips! As I said, I’ve got a little time before I’m able to actually do anything in there…though I might just find another way to dry/cure as I’m anxious to get those NL beans growing! LOL!
I’ll change my mind 1000 times before I pull the trigger! LOL! In the long run it might make more sense to use the 2000 in the smaller space and upgrade the larger tent - which I’m already trying to figure out if I can find the space to upgrade to a 4x4! LOL!
In some ways the buzz from growing is more consistent and longer lasting than the buzz from smoking.

Well, it’s a close second! LOL!

Thanks for the tips fellows!! I’ll be following up with more questions when I decide what to do.

Trying to figure out something I can hang my grill cover on to use as a backdrop to photograph the outside ladies. It would help to isolate each plant in the jungle that is my deck currently!
Like going to the Sears Portrait gallery vrs Olin Mills! LOL!

Last day of the heatwave!! YAY! 95 today - 80 tomorrow!

@AEAgain - I started this mainly about the inside ladies, but will be touching on the outside ladies as well(NOT like Cuomo!) if you’d like to follow along and check things out occasionally.
Don’t worry - I’m still lurking around EVERYWHERE! LOL!

Have a GREAT DAY and Happy Growing Everyone!

5 Likes

Grab 2 broom stick and make a lil stand for the picture with the grill cover

2 Likes

LOL, i’m 50 so no worries on “carbon dating yourself” in here with me, hahaha. I still have a TUBE Amp, Sansui, 500W house amp, 4ch that STILL sounds better when those tubes warm up, than most of the digital Dolby Surround, blah blah. LOL, you cannot beat that warm rich sound an old tube, or solid state even HiFi equipment put out :wink:

2 Likes

What a difference a day makes!

They bounce back so quickly!
And they seemed to really appreciate the food!! Being right at the edge of the HF nutes I wasn’t sure but now I’m glad I did.
It’s gonna be hard to cut any shoots - but in order to get the best I know I have too!

11 Likes

Tried to get some decent snaps of the girls…er, Ladies…LOL

New York City Diesel - small

New York City Diesel - LARGE


Had to zoom out for her! LOL

GDP, NYD, NYD…

Exile on Skunk Street -


She LOVES the sun!!

The GrandMAMA Purple!

Tylers Angels!

So far no rain today but they each got 2gal H2O, no nutes.
Exile on Skunk Street got 1gal with CalMag. Still limping that soil by…

Everyone responded well!

10 Likes

image

3 Likes

My what tall ladies you have there!!!

1 Like