White Widow Autoflower (ILGM)-First Grow

RedBeardGrows Grow Diary: This is my first grow. I initially thought I would get set up and running with much less gear but after reading and studying up I wound up with the setup below. I was really torn between the SF 1000 and the Mars Hydro TS1000 and wound up going with the Mars. I think I may have bumped up to at least a 2000 if I had read all the diaries I have found since ordering. From what I've been able to learn since then, a single TS1000 might not be the most ideal for a 3x3. My plan is to finish this grow and maybe pick up a second TS1000 or something a bit beefier for my next run. I had originally ordered my seeds from Growers Choice. I’d seen some good and questionable reviews from them but since they shipped from “west coast” I wasn’t too stressed as I could at least get up and running ASAP. I waited over a week with no “processing” updates or anything so I reached out to their customer service. They told me they were out of stock and it’d be likely another week or 2 before they shipped. This left a pretty rotten taste in my mouth. Most other sites will at least have the courtesy to inform you if a strain is sold out. After a bit more research I found ILGM and after looking at a bunch of the diaries, they fit the bill between speed and quality. Cancelled with GC and placed an order on Wednesday and my seeds arrived Saturday. Props ILGM for the speedy delivery! I soaked 3 seeds for about 26 hours and then popped them into the soil. Within 48 hours 2 of the 3 had popped (Dot and Wacko) [named my plants after the Animaniacs]. The 3rd seeds just never came to life (RIP Yacko). Only difference was that I took the humidity dome off about a day before the others (since I am keeping tent humidity around 70%). Maybe I won't do that again next time. The initial adrenaline and antsyiness has definitely subsided as the week has gone on and I’m still trying to figure out my routine. I set my medium up so my first feeding will not be until week 4 and until then i'm just watering when dry. I’ve been leaning on the “water less” side of the water amount sliding scale since I’ve read it's easier to fix an under-watering issue than an over-watering issue. The leaves don’t look droopy or sad to me yet so I think I'm riding that sweet spot. I’ve also set up a Raspberry Pi to take time-lapse photos but since it’s only about 3 days worth of growth, it’s not interesting enough to add this week but I’ll be doing a weekly time-lapse with each weekly update in the future. I’d love any tips or advice as the grow continues. PARTS Tent(3x3) : CoolGrows 36"x36"x72" Lights: MARS HYDRO TS 1000 Pots: WINNER OUTFITTERS 6-Pack 3 Gallon Grow Bags/Aeration Fabric Pots with Handles Strain: White Widow Autoflower SeedBank: I Love Growing Marijuana Fan: Vivosun 6 Inch Inline Duct Fan with 6” x 18” Carbon Filter Medium: Mother Earth HGC714837 Coco Plus Perlite Mix For Indoor and Outdoor Nutes: Down to Earth Organic Vegetable Garden Fertilizer 4-4-4, 5lb Down to Earth Organic Rose & Flower Fertilizer Mix 4-8-4, 5 lb Water PH Tester: Apera AI209-T PH Control: General Hydroponics HGC722080 pH Control Kit For A Balanced Nutrient Solution Soil PH Tester: Veroyi Soil pH Meter, ST01 3-in-1 Heater: Lasko 755320 Ceramic Space Heater 8.5 L x 7.25 W x 23 H inches Humidifier: TaoTronics Cool Mist Humidifier, 4L Ultrasonic Fan: Lasko 2510 Oscillating Tower Fan, 36 inch, Sliver White Medium: 3 x 3 Gallon pots filled with Mother Earth Coco/Perlite Fertilizer: Initial mix = 4-4-4 @ 75%(13.5 tbsp) / 4-8-4 @ 25% (4.5 tbs) 4-4-4 -For new plantings, add 1-2 tbsp per gallon of soil and mix thoroughly OR add 5-10 lbs per cubic yard. For established plants, lightly mix 1-2 tbsp per gallon into the soil surface once each month during the growing season. 4-8-4 -For new plantings, add 2 tbsp per gallon of soil and mix thoroughly OR add 5-10 lbs per cubic yard. For established plants, lightly mix 1-2 tbsp per gallon into the soil surface twice each month during the growing season. STRATEGY: 3 Autoflowers - White Widow Autoflower (ILGM) -60% Indica 40% Sativa -Up to 19% THC -DGAF <1% CBD -8 Weeks Flower -4-6 Oz / 3’ x 3’ [week1]Germination: (Temp = 72-77*F / 70-90% Rh) -24 hour soak in DCW (Dechlorinated Water) un PH’d -Plant in medium approx ¼ inch with shot glass of same water -Humidity dome (janky equiv) 6/20/20-Saturday @ 4:00 Pm. -3 seeds into spring water and placed in tent (dark). -Temp - 77*F -Rh - 54% -Will let sit for 18-24 hours then plant in medium. 6/21/20-Sunday @ 6:45 Pm. -Seeds planted -Temp 76*F -Rh - 70% -Lights - 24” (Full Strength) -Gave Names: Yacko, Wacko and Dot. (Yacko and Wacko were both larger seeds) 6/22/20-Monday @ 11:30 Am. -refilled Humid with 6.7 Ph water. @ 07:30 Pm. -Refilled Humidifier with 6.4 Ph water. -Removed Humidity dome from Yacko 6/23/20-Tuesday @ 3:00 Am. Added ph 6.5 water to humid @11:30 Am Added ph 6.5 water to humid @7:30 pm Added ph 6.5 water to humid @9pm Removed 2 other humidity domes 6/24/20-wed @ 4:30am Added ph 6.5 water to humid Gave small squirt of water to the kids. @12:30 Pm -Added ph 6.5 water to humid -tiny little squirt of water -Worried about Yacko… it looks like hes trying to sprout the wrong direction -Dot and Wacko are looking great! @11:10 pm -Gave each 3 second squirt of water 6/25/20 - thurs @4:00am -added ph 6.5 water to humid @11:30 am -added ph 6.5 water to humid @7:15 am -added ph 6.5 water to humid -watered 2-3 second squirt all 3 kids ------------------------------------------------- Set up timelapse raspberry pi Reached out to r/autoflowers for insight into Yacko. Consensus was to let it be and wait a day or two. 6/26/20 - Friday @3:15 am -added ph 6.5 water to humid @2:00 Pm -added ph 6.5 water to humid @7:20pm - watered 3-5 second squirt of ph 6.5 water around each @11:30 Pm -added ph 6.5 water to humid 06/27/20 - Saturday @1:30 pm -added ph 6.5 water to humid -added too late, well was dry -set to medium output @7:30pm -gave 5 seconds water to all 3 6/28 - Sunday @ 3:00 Am -added ph 6.5 water to humid @ 7:00 pm -Gave the kids 50-75 ml water each -began measuring water like an adult

RedBeardGrows [week2]Veg: 6/29/20 - Monday @3:00 Pm -Added Ph 6.5 water to humid @6:55pm -100 ml Ph 6.5 water each plant -circling wider with my bottle 6/30/20 - Tuesday @ 1:40 PM -Added Ph 6.5 water to humid -Cleaned base of the humidifier. Going to do this weekly. @ 2:00 Am - Wednesday -Gave Wacko and Dot each about 50 ml Ph 6.5 water. -I initially checked the pants at around 7:00 Pm. I’d like to set a fixed daily time to water or at least check if they need it. My schedule is: ON@6:50 PM to OFF@12:50 PM the following day. 7:00 Pm seems like a good time but I digress. When I checked the medium around 7, it appeared dry but when I checked an inch or so down, it looked and felt moist enough so I decided to maybe wait until tomorrow. However, when I popped my head in to check the humidifier (@ 2:00-ish AM), I decided to look at the soil again since it had been roughly 7 more hours with light. Medium seemed dry so I watered. I also gave the same to Yacko… I’m still holding out some shred of hope. I kinda feel like a dog who keeps licking her stillborn pup to wake it up. Now I’ve made myself sad. I have 2 more seeds of the White Widow I could pop, but I’ve been hoping to avoid dedicating another spot in our smallish apartment to a whole drying tent set-up. The plan was to grow the kids in the tower and then use it as the dry tent as well. I think I’m going to let Yacko’s passing be filed in the “Well, it's my first time” folder of worries and focus on getting the most out of the other two as I can. Since I was already unsure if I was pushing it with 3 plants in a 3x3 with the TS1000, 2 seems like it can only improve the situation. @3:45 Am -Added Ph 6.5 water to humid 7/1/20 - Wednesday @ 5:05 Pm -Added PH 6.5 water to humid -I was a little late on this refill but luckily I caught it early. Seems like the middle power setting last about 12 hours and keeps an average of 70% Rh (judging by the Govee). @ 7:00 Pm -Checked the kids for and decided not to water. Medium still seemed very moist about half an inch down. -Moved Wacko and Dot a bit to be more centered under the light. Also moved the heater to be more evenly between them after noticing Dot’s top layer of medium looked more dry than Wacko’s. Dot has been closer to the heater up to this point so it makes sense she’d be a bit more dry. @10:45 Pm -Took Daily pix - So… to be straight…. I went a little nuts last night. I pulled Yacko out of the soil and checked it out. I’m honestly kicking myself for not documenting with photos or video but I did it on a whim so hopefully my play-by-play will suffice. I sifted through the medium and found the seed and there was a very short taproot but it looked like something had choked the middle of it, almost like the spot had a tiny rubber band around it too tight for too long… and then leading into the seed it was all green. Green seems good so I stuck it back in the soil and watered. Today, it almost looks like there might have been some movement/growth (pic included). Lick… lick… lick… lick… 7/2/20 - Thursday - Watered about 150 ml of Ph 6.5 water to each plant. -This is more water than i have been giving up to this point. I'm a little curious about how root development works… As in how to correctly moisten the soil around the plant as it grows without oversaturating the medium and causing problems. I haven't been able to find much specifically about daily increasing recommended starting points. I'm guessing this has to do with the fact that every set-up is different. We’ve started keeping some patio plants (non-cannabis) and I've been experimenting with water quantities with them. The medium is only about 4 inches deep in the patio garden and I have yet to see 200 ml or more penetrate and moisten 4” down. This leads me to wonder if I've been underwatering and potentially hampering root development. - I have started to notice spider webs inside the corners of the tent. I’ve ordered some concentrated mint essential oil which I plan on applying by spray bottle to the tent floor and openings every few days once it arrives. -Directions state to mix it down into some water with a spray bottle. - Im not really sure how spiders can impact a grow but I fucking hate spiders and would rather not have them around so I’m doing what I “non-toxically” can. -Went to the garden store and picked up a bag of worm castings and a bottle of neem oil. Outside plants seem to be susceptible to mites and or leaf miners so I got it to have on deck in case anything gets a foothold in the tent. Airflow is pretty good but anything can happen. -Added better mount for time lapse camera. 7/3/20 - Friday -did not give water today. Soil still seemed very moist below scratching distance so I opted to wait a bit and then give a bigger dose of water tomorrow. - Mint oil and tea brew bags arrived today. - I went a little nuclear with the mint… The bottle is pretty small so instead of mixing it down in a spray bottle, I dabbed it on some cotton balls and tossed 3 of them in my tent. I’ll save the rest of the bottle to mix with water to re-moisten. 7/4/20 - Saturday -Recalibrated PH meter -Watered 200 ml Ph 6.4 water each. @ 5:00 Am -Soil Ph meter reading pretty close to 7. Will begin water mix down to 6.0 Ph to bring the soil down to 6.5. Meter hasn’t been moist enough up to this point to be able to rely on it. Water seems to have finally penetrated down deep enough to get a reading. -Watched the time lapse for the first time. The plants seem to be doing most of their actual growing at night time. Each day it looks like they just jump up from one frame to the next. -Read that green spectrum light does not impact the plants. Will read further into this and I may try to get a green light inside the tent to get footage at night. (50/50 that i’ll actually do this) 7/5/20 - Sunday @ 8:00 Pm -Checked plants. Still moist from yesterday’s watering. Will likely not water today. Pretty mellow day as far as the plants are concerned. I changed added water to the humidifier and clamped down the camera mount a lot. @ 10:30 ish Pm -Took height shots. Wacko has definitely pulled ahead and is looking much more full than Dot. Still planning on using 6.0 water tomorrow in an effort to bring down soil Ph to around 6.5. Reading that I maybe should have rinsed the medium… Also reading that It can cause problems. Kinda stuck now so i’ll do the best with what I’m working with. My Setup: Tent(3x3) : CoolGrows 36"x36"x72" Lights: MARS HYDRO TS 1000 Pots: WINNER OUTFITTERS 6-Pack 3 Gallon Grow Bags/Aeration Fabric Pots with Handles Strain: White Widow Autoflower SeedBank: I Love Growing Marijuana Fan: Vivosun 6 Inch Inline Duct Fan with 6” x 18” Carbon Filter Medium: Mother Earth HGC714837 Coco Plus Perlite Mix For Indoor and Outdoor Nutes: Down to Earth Organic Vegetable Garden Fertilizer 4-4-4, 5lb Down to Earth Organic Rose & Flower Fertilizer Mix 4-8-4, 5 lb Water PH Tester: Apera AI209-T PH Control: General Hydroponics HGC722080 pH Control Kit For A Balanced Nutrient Solution Soil PH Tester: Veroyi Soil pH Meter, ST01 3-in-1 (Also wasted money on this one) Heater: Lasko 755320 Ceramic Space Heater 8.5 L x 7.25 W x 23 H inches Humidifier: TaoTronics Cool Mist Humidifier, 4L Ultrasonic Fan: Lasko 2510 Oscillating Tower Fan, 36 inch, Sliver White Medium: 3 x 3 Gallon pots filled with Mother Earth Coco/Perlite Fertilizer: Initial mix = 4-4-4 @ 75%(13.5 tbsp) / 4-8-4 @ 25% (4.5 tbs) 4-4-4 -For new plantings, add 1-2 tbsp per gallon of soil and mix thoroughly OR add 5-10 lbs per cubic yard. For established plants, lightly mix 1-2 tbsp per gallon into the soil surface once each month during the growing season. 4-8-4 -For new plantings, add 2 tbsp per gallon of soil and mix thoroughly OR add 5-10 lbs per cubic yard. For established plants, lightly mix 1-2 tbsp per gallon into the soil surface twice each month during the growing season.

RedBeardGrows WEEK 3 Veg/Pre-Flower 7/6-Monday Pretty mellow day as far as plant care is concerned. Waiting until tomorrow to water 7/7 - Tuesday @1:AM - 200 ml 6.0 Water to both plants -Added water to humid 7 / 8 - Wed @10:20 am - refilled humid @7:10 pm - Set humidifier to its “low” setting. -PISTILS!!!! Both plants have started showing pistils! What a great day :D -Thinking about removing the humidifier soon since they are clearly into veg and racing toward flowering. -Dropped heater setpoint to 75 (down from 79) 7/9 - thursday @3:00 Am - topped off humidifier (only half had been used, low setting for the win) @12:15 Pm -Been noticing really poor airflow through the tent. It’s gotten to the point where it appears to be bowing out. This seemed crazy since I messed up and got the 6” vivosun fan instead of the 4”. If anything it should be super overkill, but even on the highest setting i couldnt get negative pressure. I started looking at the pieces of the fan and noticed a TON of white buildup on the carbon filter. (it was also ALL OVER the sock-pre-filter-thing but that's white so i couldn’t see it). Turns out we have pretty damn hard water and by using that in the humidifier, it was leaving all kinds of residue and buildup on the filter. Luckily all I had to do was vacuum the filter and pre-filter and the neg pressure is back. 7/10 - Friday @12:45 Am -Gave 250 ml PH 5.8 water to both plants. -My soil meter (the cheapo) is reading above 7.0 soil ph. This is making me very nervous. The plants don’t seem to be showing any deficiencies and the meter may be just off but I’m going to continue to use water closer to PH 6.0 for a bit to see if I can move the needle. -Coincidentally, we are going into a heatwave and a night or two ago the tent got up to over 90*F for several hours and I’ve noticed yellowing on a few of the tips. -I’m sticking with the idea that the yellowing has to do with heat and not a nutrient problem as the new growth seems to look just fine. @9:15pm -Added water to the humidifier. 7/11 -Saturday @ 5:50pm -Added water to humidifier. @9:30pm -Gave 150 ml 5.8 Ph water to each plant 7/12 - Sunday @9:15pm -LST!!!!! Finally able to start LST today. Plants are roughly 6” each and look plenty ready for some training. I used some thick gauge wire and anchored them in the medium. The medium isn’t very densely packed so some needed to go deeper than others. The plants seemed to take to it very well and there were no issues with breakage or anything like that. -I’m a bit concerned I've been underwatering the outer edges of where the root ball is developing. Since it’s been so hot lately i’m going to increase water for the plants to make sure they get moisture throughout more of the medium to encourage fuller root development. -Made the call to remove the humidifier as the pistils are really getting going. PARTS Tent(3x3) : CoolGrows 36"x36"x72" Lights: MARS HYDRO TS 1000 Pots: WINNER OUTFITTERS 6-Pack 3 Gallon Grow Bags/Aeration Fabric Pots with Handles Strain: White Widow Autoflower SeedBank: I Love Growing Marijuana Fan: Vivosun 6 Inch Inline Duct Fan with 6” x 18” Carbon Filter Medium: Mother Earth HGC714837 Coco Plus Perlite Mix For Indoor and Outdoor Nutes: Down to Earth Organic Vegetable Garden Fertilizer 4-4-4, 5lb Down to Earth Organic Rose & Flower Fertilizer Mix 4-8-4, 5 lb Water PH Tester: Apera AI209-T PH Control: General Hydroponics HGC722080 pH Control Kit For A Balanced Nutrient Solution Soil PH Tester: Veroyi Soil pH Meter, ST01 3-in-1 (Also wasted money on this one) Heater: Lasko 755320 Ceramic Space Heater 8.5 L x 7.25 W x 23 H inches Humidifier: TaoTronics Cool Mist Humidifier, 4L Ultrasonic Fan: Lasko 2510 Oscillating Tower Fan, 36 inch, Sliver White Medium: 3 x 3 Gallon pots filled with Mother Earth Coco/Perlite Fertilizer: Initial mix = 4-4-4 @ 75%(13.5 tbsp) / 4-8-4 @ 25% (4.5 tbs) 4-4-4 -For new plantings, add 1-2 tbsp per gallon of soil and mix thoroughly OR add 5-10 lbs per cubic yard. For established plants, lightly mix 1-2 tbsp per gallon into the soil surface once each month during the growing season. 4-8-4 -For new plantings, add 2 tbsp per gallon of soil and mix thoroughly OR add 5-10 lbs per cubic yard. For established plants, lightly mix 1-2 tbsp per gallon into the soil surface twice each month during the growing season.