Hi all,

I became interested in growing the sacred herb this summer (I've always wanted to grow and made a few haphazard attempts when I was a teenager back in the eighties but with ridiculous incandescent lights and crappy soil) and I'm not exactly sure why the sudden urge to grow kicked in. I think I accidentally stumbled onto someones YouTube grow and became enthralled with growing weed immediately.

Anyway, tried to grow some plants outside in June and things were going alright but I had started too late. The beans took a long time to sprout (no germination, just threw them in some half decent soil from my vegetable garden) and growth was slow. It took about a month to get five nodes and the plants were about 9" tall. I realized my containers were too small and the roots were getting crowded so I transplanted the girls. The transplant didn't go well at all. My soil was too dense and heavy and I was over-watering. Within a week both plants died. Believe it or not they had pre-flowers and were developing tiny buds! I wound up smoking the little buds/pistils and it actually got me very high, a Sativa high, very creative and energetic.

I stumbled upon GreenPassion about the same that I transplanted and have been coming here ever since. The people here are great and the information is top notch.

This second attempt at growing has been up and down. First off I'm using semi-schwagg bagseed because that's all I have at the moment. I plan on buying some good seeds in the next month or so (depending on cash flow) and will definitely be growing Northern Lights since it is a good newbie strain. I'm also going to try something besides NL but haven't decided exactly what that will be, maybe some OG Kush or another Indica dominant strain that will grow fat and bushy (I have height limitations).

I started out my seedlings in Rapid rooter plugs after having very bad luck trying to sprout in a mix of pearlite/vermiculite (70%30% respectively). The Rapid Rooters were awesome. Within 48 hours I had sprouts! Oh yeah, I germinated in coffee cups with a bit of distilled water and SuperThrive. As soon as my beans cracked I dropped them in the RR plugs, put the plastic dome on top of the propagation tray and placed it in a dark area. The only mistake I made was placing the seeds in the RR plugs a bit too shallow. Besides that everything was good to go.

Once the seeds sprouted I moved them into miniature Hempy cups, (20 oz. Coke bottles) same soil(less) mix of pearlite & vermiculite. It's been a little over two weeks since putting the sprouts in the miniature Hempy cups and growth was slow and the plants were puny. I became frustrated because of the slow growth and puny results so I did some researched and decided to build myself a DWC Bubbler. I figured even if my genetics are lame a hydro setup could only help things out.

Fast forward to two days ago (September 29th). I finished building my DWC Bubbler on Saturday and transplanted the seedlings out of the Hempy cups and into my Bubbler. The roots were actually in decent shape (very white and healthy looking) and they had just reached the res in the Hempy cups. I probably would have seen a growth spurt if I had kept them in the cups. I still have one seedling in a miniature Hempy so I'll find out very soon.

I'm using a 14 gallon RubberMaid container (dark blue) 3-1/2" net pots and Hydroton as the medium to hold my babies in place. I filled the res with plain water (Ph'd to 6.0) and waited 24 hours for signs of life or signs of death. I was pleasantly surprised when I woke up the next morning. The seedlings were looking a bit perkier and there were no signs of stress. My temps have been at a fairly steady 82.6 degrees and my res in hovering around 69-70 degrees. I know the res temps could be better but I'm not sweating it just yet.

I added a weak nutrient solution yesterday (one seedling out of the five plants I have is a new sprout so I didn't want to overdue the nutes) and I awoke to some very nice growth this morning! Excellent! I added another weak shot of nutes this morning and four drops of SuperThrive to keep the roots growing healthy. I don't have a PPM meter yet so I'm playing it very loose at the moment. I'm trying to keep my Ph between 5.5 and 6.5, (GH test kit that cam with my PH up & Down) 6.0 being the sweet spot. As long as the Ph is between these numbers I'm not going to tinker with the res and try to get a specific number. Less is probably more in my case.

I'm using FoxFarm GrowBig (6-4-4-) for veg. I bought the nutes before I really knew exactly what to buy. From reading up on the subject I should have purchased the FF Hydro (3-2-6) but I wasn't thinking straight when I was at the Hydro shop. I've been told that what I have will work fine so I'm not really worrying about it too much. I added two doses (about two tea spoons) the other day and another this morning. I'm trying to go slowly so I don't wind up frying my girls. I have Tiger Bloom for flowering and I might add to my nutrients at some point in this test grow.

I have seedlings growing in RR plugs and pearlite and one seedling in a Hempy cup to compare growth and I'm already impressed with the growth that my seedlings have shown since I put them in the Bubbler. The seedlings in the bubbler are almost twice as big and it's only been two days! I plan on adding a pump and an irrigation hub so I can turn my DWC Bubbler into a Bubbleponics system.

I apologize for the lack of pics. I have to find some batteries for my digital camera. As soon as I find the batteries I'll slap up some pics. I have some pictures of the plants before they went into the bubbler so I'll be able to show a "before and after" comparison.

This is really just a test run. I plan on buying some quality seeds in the next month or so and doing some lighting upgrades also. I'm using CFLs for veg but want to buy a HPS for flowering. I also plan on getting a decent inline fan and a carbon scrubber but things are tight for me right now. If I was working with quality genetics I believe my plants would be 400% larger with much more lush growth.

Thanks for reading and thanks to all the people (Hatch, Toke, Jangel, Michael, Jigsy, Lumix and many other good people) who were kind enough to help me out. I'm going to continue this grow journal for the benefit of other newbies and I hope some experienced Hydro wizards will stop by and offer me some help and advice from time to time.

Thanks again and remember...**** the System!

-the Corsican.

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My grow journal: http://www.greenpassion.org/f24/cors...st-grow-15533/

"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." - Edmund Burke.

"If at first you don't succeed, it wont hurt to smoke a little weed!"

Sounds Good. The best of luck with your new adventure.. I shall stay Tuned In & Up....

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Cheers!!!!! Shinningwind
current log @ HGS
Shinningwind's Outdoor Adventure/09

Thanks,

Appreciate the interest!

-the Corsican.

Best of luck with your grow. It sounds like it will evolve nicely the way you want it to go. Can't wait to see some pics of the little ones too!

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Thanks Lucky!

As soon as I can dig up some batteries for my camera ( I think I have some lying around I just have to find them) I'll take some pics to show the difference since the transplant. I really wish I had good genetics, things would be going a lot better for me I think. I'm still halfway between a Ghetto setup and a solid setup. I need money, money, money for equipment!

-the Corsican.

__________________
My grow journal: http://www.greenpassion.org/f24/cors...st-grow-15533/

"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." - Edmund Burke.

"If at first you don't succeed, it wont hurt to smoke a little weed!"

You are such a good student! I am sure you will have years and years of growing under your belt in no time....

Love to see your pics when you get them up.

All the best of luck to you on your grow!

peace

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Life,
j-angel

aka GP purrie kittie attack cat!


My Little Grow LST'ing w/Hardware

My Outdoor Odyssey 2008 BONSAI MUMS

My Little Grow Indoor To Outdoor 2009

Thanks Jangel,

It's a bit frustrating having to grow with low-grade bagseed. It wouldn't be too bad if I had some high-grade seeds or some bagseed from some dank bud but unfortunately I have to use what is available to me. Either way though, a lot of people think it's not a bad idea to start with bagseed, that way if things go bad you learned on free seeds and not the expensive heavy weight seeds. I'm learning and gaining experience from doing things this way so I shouldn't really complain. I just need a bit more patience and I think I''ll do fine.

Thanks for the kind words and the encouragement,

-the Corsican.

__________________
My grow journal: http://www.greenpassion.org/f24/cors...st-grow-15533/

"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." - Edmund Burke.

"If at first you don't succeed, it wont hurt to smoke a little weed!"

You know what? Many growers have been pleasantly surprised by their haul from "plain old bagseed". But it stands to reason:

Chances are the weed was grown enmasse, without particular care given to the buds and if there are seeds, that shows it right there because they did not take out the males or hermies.

Most are grown outdoors or in mexico. No particular light system or specail nutes for the plant given.

Never harvested at the right time, when the trichomes show you it is perfect.

Never cured to perfection...as one member said recently :"what you do after harvest is art" (damn stoner brain forgot the rest of the quote)

But you get the drift. It makes a huge difference how we cater to our plants. So do not discount the humble beginnings of your seed stock. Many growers have been very happy with thier results.

Peace

__________________
Life,
j-angel

aka GP purrie kittie attack cat!


My Little Grow LST'ing w/Hardware

My Outdoor Odyssey 2008 BONSAI MUMS

My Little Grow Indoor To Outdoor 2009

Hey Jangel,

I definitely don't look down on bagseed, just "this" or "my" bagseed. It's growing slowly and is puny and I'm doing everything right. My temps are decent, good air flow, proper Ph, etc., etc. It could be the way I started them out (read the first half of my grow journal) but since transplanting into my Bubbler things are looking up. It looks like a Sativa Dominant strain to me (Mexican just like you said) because the leaves are thin. There could be a little Indica mixed in but I doubt it.

If I had started with the knowledge I have now, a little more equipment and good seed I think things would looking very sweet right now. I just got a little good news too! A friend might have an extra 400w HPS to give me! I'm praying and keeping my fingers crossed! Someone was holding his grow gear for him and it's been a long time so no guarantees on that front. Either way, it's the thought that counts right?

-the Corsican.

__________________
My grow journal: http://www.greenpassion.org/f24/cors...st-grow-15533/

"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." - Edmund Burke.

"If at first you don't succeed, it wont hurt to smoke a little weed!"

I predict this will be a well written informative journal, You do have the passion for growing the weed,, Your doing great, just have patience and soon you will be telling us how fast and beautiful they are growing.. So happy growing to you, we'll be looking forward to your pictures

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Good luck Brother. It's interesting, I had a similar epiphany about growing about eight or nine months ago. I also had F'd around in my teens with some seeds and really didn't put much time into it. Of course, this vast wealth of knowledge wasn't here back then, at least not as accessible as it is now. It's always good to have practice seeds, and when you do get some pedigree, you'll have that much more hands on to work with. What a difference a few months makes, let me say from my own experience. I will be watching how things turn out, and cheering along. The system's already ****ed, but what the hell, run it again. Happy growing!

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"A word to the wise is infuriating."
"No man is so foolish but he may sometimes give another good counsel, and no man so wise that he may not easily err if he takes no other counsel than his own. He that is taught only by himself has a fool for a master."
"In a closed society where everybody's guilty, the only crime is getting caught. In a world of thieves, the only final sin is stupidity."
"Buy the ticket, take the ride."
- The Immortal Hunter S. Thompson

Hehe!

Thanks brother Jigsy. Funny how synchronicity works huh? Thanks to you too Deb!

-the Corsican.

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My grow journal: http://www.greenpassion.org/f24/cors...st-grow-15533/

"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." - Edmund Burke.

"If at first you don't succeed, it wont hurt to smoke a little weed!"

This is great, Corsican!

Welcome aboard, tho i always thought you were already a pro until a more recent post.
You sure have the attitude for it.

HaHa we sure have come a long way from those old days of sprouting some seed, then watching them all keel over cause they stretched so much.

Very smart to practice with bagseed at first but wow i am totally amazed at the beauty of some of these top strains. I am sure you will be pleased when you try them.
I am probably not alone in this... wish i could just send u some seeds right now through the internet

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I am an herb!!

Yeah Really,

Sure would be nice to catch some good genetics from other growers. Maybe at some point in the future but for now I have to make do with what I have. Back when I was a teenager that's exactly what happened. And the one plant I decided to keep turned out to be a male!

Definitely not a pro, wish I was though. In good time hopefully. I can't wait to get my hands on the sweet beans.

-the Corsican.

__________________
My grow journal: http://www.greenpassion.org/f24/cors...st-grow-15533/

"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." - Edmund Burke.

"If at first you don't succeed, it wont hurt to smoke a little weed!"

I finally got some time to do an update so thanks for being patient with me (like anyone was waiting around to begin with!)

I'll keep it simple for the most part. The first set of picks show the girls on transplant day (from Hempy cups to my DWC bubbler). The pics that follow will show the major difference in growth. Keep in mind that these plants were in Hempy cups for about three weeks and hardly grew an inch! As soon as I threw them into the Hydro setup they began thriving.

I started one plant from seed that went into the DWC and it is much healthier and vibrant looking because it was never tortured in a Hempy cup!

Anyway, here are the pics, enjoy!









And after transplanting into the DWC unit I built:

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My grow journal: http://www.greenpassion.org/f24/cors...st-grow-15533/

"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." - Edmund Burke.

"If at first you don't succeed, it wont hurt to smoke a little weed!"

Wish Ya Luck!

I finally got some time to do an update so thanks for being patient with me (like anyone was waiting around in anticipation!)

I'll keep it simple for the most part. The first set of pics show the girls on transplant day (from Hempy cups to my newly built DWC bubbler). The pics that follow will show the major difference in growth. Keep in mind that these plants were in Hempy cups for about three weeks and hardly grew an inch! As soon as I threw them into the Hydro setup they began thriving and grew like wildfire.

I started one plant from seed that went into the DWC and it is much healthier and vibrant looking because it was never tortured in a Hempy cup!

Anyway, here are the pics, enjoy!









And after transplanting into the DWC unit I built:















And finally, my pride and joy, the little seedling that could! From sprout to the present day (eight days of growth):










And I thought it was my bagseed that was slowing me down! Apparently there was nothing wrong with the genetics at all. The leaves are fatter then my thumbs and getting bigger every day. The pics are a bit deceiving. The plants are about the size of my fist (and I have large hands ).

I'm in love with hydro. If these plants would have been started in my bubbler they would be five times larger!

Thanks for stopping by,

-the Corsican.

P.S.,

Never paint plastic with whatever paint you have lying around the house. It doesn't work very well. One drop of water and it begins to bubble and peal off. Go out and buy some paint specifically designed to adhere to plastic if you plan painting the top of your DWC bubbler.

__________________
My grow journal: http://www.greenpassion.org/f24/cors...st-grow-15533/

"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." - Edmund Burke.

"If at first you don't succeed, it wont hurt to smoke a little weed!"

Hey there Corsican they are looking gr8t. What a difference since the last update way to go.

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Yeah,

I'm freaking amazed and seriously stoked! I can't wait to see what they look like in the next seven days!

Thanks for the nice comments,

-the Corsican.

__________________
My grow journal: http://www.greenpassion.org/f24/cors...st-grow-15533/

"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." - Edmund Burke.

"If at first you don't succeed, it wont hurt to smoke a little weed!"

Oh yeah they will look sweeter in another week for certain. And the whole bag seed thing there have been some gr8t finds in bag seed along the way. Here's to some good bud for you.

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