WW Auto - Take 5

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Hello, welcome to my first grow journal to go along with my 5 attempt. I’d say 5th grow, but there wasn’t exactly a lot of growing going on unfortunately mostly due to my own incompetence :sob:. So I thought I’d start with the basic information on my set up. planning on starting tomorrow or Thursday depending on the tap root of the seed currently in a damp paper towel.

Strain; WW Auto from ILGM

Brand and type of Soil & Size of Pots: 5 gal fabric, 2/3 promix hp +mycorrhizae and biofungicide, 1/3 FFHF

How often do you water and how do you determine when to do so? planning on watering with a spray bottle twice a day until sprout and then start 15-20 ml as often as needed. Still getting the hang of watering. Mostly just trying not to over water and keep an eye on the leaves for drooping.

PH of water: 6.8ish

What is strength of nutrient mix? EC, or TDS: 20 ppm ish

Indoor or Outdoor: indoor

Light system, size and height from plants: I already know my light is too low on watts and the plant in there is old, currently about 4 weeks, likely stunted due to FFOF being to hot for seedlings.

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Temps; Day, Night: 75-73

Humidity; Day, Night: set at 50 AH, fluctuates between 50-70. The higher end is when the fan turns off when the lights are off.

Ventilation system; Yes, No, Size: Looking closer at the filter when talking the pictures, I noticed what appears to be white mold growing on it. Should I just throw it out and order a new one?

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Humidifier: yes

Co2; No

First off, before I get started, any suggestions on my set up? A second fan perhaps? How should I change my ventilation set up so it doesn’t get moldy again? Also, I just realized, my tent doesn’t have a way to take in fresh air, any recommendations on that?

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@Axemanjake23 @DoomSack @Myfriendis410 @blackthumbbetty @Cannabian @Konflict

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Definitely a fan to pull air out of the tent and a 2nd to pull air in. i normally put the fan pulling air out on top to pull hot air out. you need a keep an eye on humidity but you can really save yourself future headaches if you water only when the surface is dry. mold thrives in wet hot areas. if you water too much and it takes longer to dry, mold will likely take up residence. you dont want it. once it starts it can quickly wipe out your bud sites. i fought grey mold in the past and it always wins lol.

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Never have used pro mix and just now have a lady popping out of FFHF. Says to water with nutes in a couple of weeks so I’m guessing it’s close to a soilless grow so you will need to water more frequently but still weight check pot, finger test, etc to insure it’s not still wet under the surface. You can use passive intake for fresh air but def use an exhaust fan to create the passive air flow. Moving old/hot air out with fresh/cool air

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I was thinking a second fan would be needed, but I guess I’m not sure how the set up would look. I was kind of hoping I could just open one of the screen things and just point a fan toward the tent. Otherwise I guess I’d have to the out take go through the top and the in take come in through the bottom.

I think the outtake is working just fine, but maybe I should have it on 24 hours to keep the humidity from spiking? I’m guessing that’s how I got the mold because the soil gets pretty dry on top between watering. The soil beneath the surface is a darker color but it’s still dry as well. So I really don’t think I’m over watering.

Should I toss that filter?

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To create the passive air intake. You open the bottom flaps. Place the filter in the top of the tent. The suction created from the exhaust fan/filter pulls fresh air in the tent. I do put a fan around the middle flap inside and one outside but just cheap desk/box fan. Mold could be from a number of things. High rh during flower will create mold. Low air circulation inside of tent can cause mold. Endless. Best way is to do everything to prevent it. Watering habits and environmental control.
Also keep it cleans. Mold can start on old clippings laying inside the tent

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Do not turn your fan off at lights off. Cooler temps and high humidity invite mold.

Passive air intake works fine if you have a good vent fan. I don’t use intake fans, only passive intake.

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Yes, leave it on 24/7. Put the filter on when you have lower rh. Which is usually in flower when the filter plays the role of odor eliminator. High rh will clog filters and they usually don’t smell in veg

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Good stuff, I’ll open the screen flaps and point a fan in that direction and leave both of them running all day. I’ll also take the filter off as well, at this point there’s no smell anyway and order a new filter for later.

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Watering management: this is the most common method…

In a Solo cup use a neutral seed starter or coco or Promix. Clear Solo cup dome. First watering about 2 teaspoons into media. From then on spray mist the dome only, twice a day. This will provide all of the moisture the seedling needs until a tap root develops. Remember that the seedling derives all moisture from the air around it.

You will need 4 times the plug wattage you have now IMO. 120 watts of blurple will veg a couple of plants for a while but you really need more light. There’s no way around it. HLG Quantum Boards are the accepted standard for lighting right now. You would be advised to go to school on lighting.

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That sounds good @Myfriendis410 . My biggest concern would be transplanting it into the main pot, especially because she’s an auto. Could they still follow that planting it right in the main pot?

Question about watts, does the effective wattage matter or is it all about the actual draw? I was looking at this, sounded good…

https://www.amazon.com/Spider-Farmer-Dimmable-MeanWell-Spectrum/dp/B07TS82HWB

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Well for one thing, if you are using an inline fan, its possible to increase tent space by placing the charcoal filter outside the tent. If you decide to go that route remove the pre filter clothe to improve airflow as you will be blowing through the canister rather than sucking through it.

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If you are going to be spending money; the Quantum Boards that HLG produces are considered the top tier. Similar price IIRC.

Draw from the wall is the operative with cheap lights. µmol/joule is a better measure that is used in higher efficacy lights. These will also require far less power for the same level of light output.

The seedling remains in the Solo cup until taproot forms. The cup is used to form an impression in the final pot, the soil mass is gently tipped out and into that hole. Put the dome back on. This will cause less chance of an issue with an auto than if planted directly in a big pot.

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Found a couple of models. I was thinking somewhere in between these two in terms of price. Is the $500 really worth the extra money? Or is $150 good enough?

https://www.amazon.com/Horticulture-Lighting-Group-HLG-300/dp/B07887QTB6

https://www.amazon.com/Horticulture-Lighting-Group-High-Efficiency-Upgraded/dp/B07C59J8L2

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You need to calculate the square footage of your grow space and factor in what HLG recommends for that amount of space. You can’t cheap out on this; there is no replacement for adequate light. All of that said, you could do a fine job using MH/HPS (which is a lot cheaper) but heat management and electrical cost is more of a problem.

I would suggest you got to the HLG website when it comes time to order.

Also: you might want to stick your nose in this thread and talk to the guru there:

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Are you in a 3x3 @TripleB

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@imSICKkid here’s my tent, I was thinking the $150 light would be good

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Sure, I realize that. I’m willing to invest in this, I’d just like to avoid buying more than I need.

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I would suggest getting a 4 pack of the QB 120’s from HLG. And try to get them in 3k color spectrum. This will be the cheapest way you can go for really good light. It should cost around 220.00 to do the entire build but very worth it.

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And I can walk you through the build from start to finish. Doing more of a DIY style light rather then a plug and play light will save you money. Enough to justify having to strip a couple wires

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