New grower, first indoor 250W hydro, any input appreciated.

[merl1n]

Hey Space,

The growth splurt is large eh? But you get used to it and manage things in a way to minimise the effect. First grow, I ran out of upward space, had bits of string running all over the place trying to pull growth down to get it away from the lights. DOH. Next grow I turned 12/12 sooner.

People will tell you '....oh my cloning method works 100%...' but Ive tried a few cloning techniques and I aint ever had a 100% success rate, no matter which method was used. So its a trial and error thing, you'll find a method that works for you and you stick with it. So I don't get 100% success, probably more like 70-80% but here's what I do.

I ONLY take clones prior to turning 12/12. Never after turning. You want clones to veg and develop roots. By taking them when the plant is in 12/12 or flower cycle it has to switch back and stress the new clone out heaps. By cloning whilst still in grow cycle and keeping the clone in that 18/6 cycle its stressed less. 

I use 100mm square rockwool cubes as my medium for clones. I soak the cubes in a pH adjusted 1/2 strength nute mix. The cubes absorb heaps of liquid. I pick them up and give them a gentle squeeze, so no nute is dripping from the base of the cube. Using the end of a pencil I push a hole in the centre of the cube

I use Clonex Purple as my cloning fluid. I was advised that the purple works best by a former grower and it works for me, so that's what I use . I pour some Clonex into a Coke bottle lid.

I use a new scalpel to take the cutting and I always include a nice tip on the cutting. I take the end of the cutting and with the scalpel Place an X in the end of the stem. I then scrape the green bark on about the last inch of the stem leaving stringy green threads of the bark in place. I have opened up a cube of a developing clone previously and where I have stripped the stem and covered in clonex the roots are encourage to grow from.

I then dip it in the clonex. I make sure the whole area I scrap is coated in clonex. By covering the whole area I scraped with clonex I'm sealing it from bacteria immediately, so less chance of infection. I then insert it into the rockwool cube.

I keep the cube wet,( that's more damp than soaked) for about a week. If the top of the cube is dry then I wet it but not so its dripping out the bottom. You don't want rotten roots from it being too wet. I place it under 100 watt incandescent light. Roots start to penetrate the base usually within the week, when the base of the cube is full of nice white roots I plant.

Now that's what I do, I always take more than I need. That is to compensate for my inevitable fatalities. I use rockwool cos its sterile, where I'm not sure that peat plugs would be, others here might know. I use a 100 watt rather than 400watt for clones cos I want to nurture my babies. Not fry the little buggers into submission

 

Hope it helps

Merl1n

Edited December 8, 2013 by merl1n

[DoctorWho]

That stretch in early flowering is amazing isn't it   Don't freak out at all though, you've almost perfectly filled that screen and over time as you clear the massive leaves out mold will become increasingly unlikely to set in.

 

As merl1n said no cloning method is 100% effective all the time but as long as a few conditions are met you'll get a very high rate of rooted cuttings.  They need a humid environment, warmth, light and something to root into thats wet.   I personally like keeping them very humid in the first week misting them every 6 hours or so and at around 30c.  I find that my 42w CFL is more than enough to root cuttings but I've also used the corner of my vege tent with a 400w hps with good results too.  I've used a few different mediums to root into and found that coco has given me the best roots but for other growing mediums rockwool cubes are the best to root into as they don't spray coco all over the place.   Apart from that you just need to keep the nute strength low and your ph in check and you should get a bunch of rooted cutting.  I do however recommend taking 2-3x what you need so you can ensure survival.  Its always better to bin unneeded cuttings than wait two weeks for more.

 

Best of luck with the grow and keep up the great work

[See]

Another root it fan here,   tried others, as well as clonex purple

Root it wins, best I have used.

[hashwizard]

Thanks for the Root it recommendation Trainwreck, Frankie, See.

 

Good tip on putting root gel direct into the hole Trainwreck. I did the same with rockwool but not as easy now that I'm using coco to clone. YOU may not need a heat mat not all of us have a green thumb, I will take all the help I can get    My cloning improved once I got a heat mat but that was used in the cooler months. I'm taking a couple of cuttings from some girls I'm turning under a CFL for the summer, as an experiment without the heat mat to see if it's unnecessary in the warmer months.

 

I've been thinking about perlite Merl1n, SpaceMonkey [so much so that I bought a huge bag of vermiculite? Don't ask me why, Idk.] & I'm leaning towards a 50/50 mix of perlite & coco. Perlite for it's aeration & drainage qualities & coco so I can still hand water only once a day.

Did you experiment with mixing perlite with other mediums before trying 100% perlite Merl1n?

Looks like I'm going to be trying vermiculite in the mix until it's gone. It also seems dusty so I'll rinse it first.

 

SpaceMonkey, your girls are looking nice. If she's too crowded & little light is reaching below, you can try thinning some fan leaves. Many disagree with this method, but sometimes it's necessary. [some strains hate being thinned & don't replace the pruned leaves] Take off a few of the large fan leaves near the top to let the light penetrate below. Try to pick 'old' leaves. I've done this many times. One crop was 3 SuperSkunk & one 'cabbage' [unknown variety] in an expanded clay flood & drain with a 400w. It was that thick I pruned the leaves several times up to the last month of flower. I got over 4oz of dried bud per plant.

Your right to increase your nutes at this point.  Make sure there's N in your bloom nutes, many don't & will argue it's not necessary. With some strains it's not, but I've found that my girls look the best at harvest when I've included N.

Edited December 9, 2013 by hashwizard

[merl1n]

As I run recirc system coco doesn't meet my needs, not without some sort of filtering for the crap from the coco. And once washed perlite is much cleaner IMHO.

 

Merl1n

[SpaceMonkey23]

Thank you all so much for your input, particularly those who spent so much time typing out long and detailed replies. I greatly appreciate your advice. 

 

Cloning: 

 

I'm quite experimentally-minded, so I'm going to try a few methods for rooting cuttings. So far the peat plugs didn't work well, but I'm thinking that I might have better luck with a heat mat under them, which I might try in future. I'm currently trying the water cloning method (just in straight rainwater). I might also try a 50/50% coco coir/perlite mix. It's hard to know if the cuttings need air or water or what when they are rooting, since some people swear by water cloning (ie. no air) and some say perlite or dirt or coco. I assume that pH 6.5 is right for cloning? 

 

Scrog Grow:

 

I'm reluctant to remove fan leaves unless absolutely necessary, since they seem to be important to the plant. However, I can see that it might be a sensible move down the line rather than lose the entire crop to mold. 

 

I tell you: It's like Ghana or the freaking Amazon in there above the scrog screen. I can't imagine what it's going to look like when the buds come up. The stretch internodes seem a bit long, which makes me wonder if I'll end up with popcorn buds. I just can't imagine them being filled with buds. If so, then it will be packed to all hell in there come harvest time. I'm scared to even think about it..!  

[SpaceMonkey23]

So... I ran out of room.  

 

 

Look at that shit. It's like the goddamn Amazon in there... 

 

I really can't believe how much these girls have stretched (and yes, they are all showing female pistils which is awesome!). Next time I will be ready for it. No matter how much people described the stretch, I still didn't expect it to be so dramatic. 

 

The plants are now touching the light, and actually reaching the top of the wardrobe itself. I'm not too fussed about this. Since it's my first grow, I'm treating it as a learning experience. Because the light is only a 250W HPS, it is not burning them too badly. Nevertheless, there is some slight bleaching on the fan leaves that are pressing against the cooltube. 

 

 

A few fan leaves are crispy, but not many. Regardless, there are lots of healthy looking buds coming up all over the place. 

 

 

These photos were taken at about 2 1/2 weeks after flowering began. 

 

Clones

 

Nothing. Absolutely no luck whatsoever. I have no idea what I'm doing wrong. Can't get a single one to strike, whether it is via the water method, or in peat plugs, or rockwool. I am stumped. Fuck it. I'll grow from seeds for the next few grows and keep experimenting. Thanks to everyone for your input. 

Edited December 19, 2013 by SpaceMonkey23

[jez1]

wow        that really is a lot...

 

Once those tops start budding up bigger its gunna kill you seeing it burnt on the light... even after the stretch I reckon you get a few more cm's of bud going higher.

 

In my opinion I would take steps now cause its only gunna get worse. Maybe just tie down. Awkward weird shaped buds are better than burnt ones

[Train Wreck]

Hey spacemonkey, Give Root it and easy plugs a go. I know I recommended them before.

 

http://www.ebay.com....465063c3&_uhb=1

 

http://www.ebay.com....ccde5485&_uhb=1

 

I have had more success using these two products together than any other method I have used.

Over the years I have tried out quit a few

Others methods have worked for me, but not with the same consistency.

The gel is put into a hole in the plug, a nozzle is provided for this. The cuttings is placed into the hole and the gel seals it.

You keep the plug damp, not soaking wet. I use a seedling/cutting dome for humidity.

The plugs are also pre-treated for growing cuttings. May be another reason it works so well.

You can cut the tray up so you can use as many plugs as you want at a time...........

 

 

 

[crunk]

holy shit mate hahahhahaha i just pissed myself looking at the change! haha that's seriously insane mate. Congrats i guess though? goodluck with managing!