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Growing things….. I've always been a very green fingered chap and I thought I'd turn my skill to something useful, it can't be weed I'm afriad as I get regular visits fom my landlord.
Anyway I grow several different types of chillies, garlic (an experiment at the moment), tomatoes and cactii and was thinking of expanding my growing.
Everything is grown indoors with most under HID lighting and others (such as a few of the larger species of chillies are relying on light at the window although once a week they get supplementary light from a selection of CFL lights I have.
Anyway I have been experimenting with a couple of things and I have improved my cutting technique and I was thinking of maybe starting to sell plants over the internet.
The hotter chilli plants are notoriously difficult to start and if you were to receive a mature rooted cutting from a healthy (organic) mother it would save that hastle and also there are some I have that would make beautiful house plants.
I'm not wanting to make money out of it its more a fun thing than anything else but if it chips in for my electricity it would be wicked. I am also thinking of doing my own ranges of chilli oils, sauces and chocolates and suchlike.
Anyhow the question I actually have for you guys is.....can you think of any plants that people might want?
I have thought of salvia but other than that I can't really think.123
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Hash vs Marijuana for a Noob – Which is Better? Basically i'm new to the threads and there is this guy telling me that Hash is exactly the same as weed just in a different form sorta thing... Don't get me wrong, weed is something i know but have never gone near hash before so i don't really want to depend on 1 persons opinion over maybe consulting a few more people. Thanks in advance (Smiley Face)
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Plant Thinking of getting myself some tomato plants, but only a small scale set... Just wondering If anyone knew of a good breed to grow??
Any tips and help would be very helpful...12
Looking For A Good Grow Tent Setup I am looking for a grow tent about 4x4 feet that comes with lighting, fans, and its own ventilation system. I want to be able to grow about 6-9 plants at a time. Can anyone help?
Homemade Hash…. I've been making a pile of hash alternative at work.
We discovered that theres a plant called wild dagga that has similar effects to weed but nowhere near as strong. So what we did was extract the resin (the good bit) to make it 25x as strong. It was plenty strong enough but smoking it was difficult as it was like smoking tar from a bong.
So anyhow....I took a pile of it and melted it down and poured in a load of Powdered Thai Kratom, Powdered Blue Lotus and some of the original flower tips from the stronger Dagga plant (the Lions tail) to make it into more of a hashy consitency. I got that smoking nice in a bong and a pipe but the taste wasn't all that....so in went some easy puff bluberry flavouring.
Now I have a huge lump of what looks exactly like Afghani black but tastes like blueberries. The smoke is lovely as well nice and smooth and a pure body hit....so you can still function mentally but you feel so much more relaxed, the way I like my weed.
2011-2012 UK Hashish/Hash So guys what is the hash in and around your area like and how much is it going for?
Was looking for it for years for a good price and randomly bumped into some yesterday going to get a nice amount nice and cheap :)
organic grow vs chemical grow Ive currently been experimenting with different fertilizers/organic products to grow my smoke with but i cant make my mind up on which to use permanently. the seeds im using are white shark (fem) from green house seed bank and i grow 6 at any one time under 2 450w sodium lights. For soil ive used just some top quality stuff from the garden centre, been using a mixture of guano and horse manure for my organic plants and only watering it with rain water, the only chems these plants have had is a big bud formula but it makes such a difference i can't not use it :P. when this crops the bud is a little earthy and not compact buds but the smoke is so clean and pure and the high is a great energized/uplifting high but not as potent as when i grow with nutrients/chems.
my plants grown with chems are alot different. these plants i use distilled water and ph test them frequently, in the water i use a mix of nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium and a minute amount of magnesium, calcium and sulphur, during the vegetate stage i only use NPK with a little more phosphorous than the other 2. when it gets to the flowering stage i give it a little of the above ^^^^^^ and again i use the big bud formula and have to readjust the ratio's of the NPK and the others. as it gets to the end budding stage (around 2 weeks) i stop using all the compounds and flush the plant with rain water. the buds are alot denser and less scraggly and more coated in thc, however i can still feel a bit of harshness that is not there with my natural bud but the bud is better quality.
Should i stick with the chemically grown bud as its more chronic in every way or the natural as its better on your health and a cleaner smoke.
This is my 4th grow and this is all knowledge ive got off my friends, if you have any more that could help me get more out my plants that would be great, and if you know how to get naturally grown plants to produce dense tasty buds and good yields then you have to share this wisdom with me :D
fungi
ANY POT SMOKERS WANNA HOOK UP? LETS SHARE THE HAPPY TIMES AND DO SOME GARDENING MAN:D
Any pot smokers from norway? get on here now! everyone from world wide come and chat:D
i am spreading peace and love to every one
Tips for increasing THC content in your plants I've been doing some research online to find tips that increase the THC content of your plants.
Here's what i've come up with:
1. Water
Many studies have been carried out on the relationship of water and THC content and all seem to agree that when faced with low water supply and low humidity THC levels are increased.
2. Light
These [studies] showed that under conditions of high UV-B (280-315 nm) exposure, cannabis produces significantly greater quantities of THC.
3. Stress
I have also come across many tips about wounding your plant to increase THC. "Wounding" refers to maybe bending the stem a little or cutting it with a clean razor. I'm told anything above these wounds, will become stronger when it heals. "What doesnt kill you makes you stronger."
I dont know the exact numbers, but I know that those who do this, definitely see in increase in crytallized resin, stem and flower growth.
Any other tips are greatly appreciated. Anyone who finds anything contrary, PLEASE post and correct the mistakes. :)
Happy Growing!
Can you grow just buds? My friends grandfather told us one day, that he was at his ffiends house and he had buds growing on a stem from soil. has anyone else ever herd of this if so how?
Co2 or no Co2 Hopefully im posting in the right forum.Co2 seems like it should be in the advanced forum instead of indoor growroom setup but here it goes.
I recently upgraded and built a growroom in the size of 17x6x7. It's framed, sheet rocked, all legit, you name it. Right now its powered by 2 1000w lights, 1 240w Led, and a few CFL to light some of my top colas that already passed up my lights. Im using a 440cfm fan thats pulling through my carbon filter on the other side of my growroom and running through my lights to cool them at the same time. I also have a constant 220 cfm 6 inch intake venting fresh air into the grow room at all times.
I was thinking of adding Co2 but from what I know and research I think I might be wasting my money. I already have a Co2 tank full with a regulator. My question is should I scrap the intake and make my room more sealed and run Co2? And if so should I run my exhaust on a timer so Im not exhausting all that expensive Co2. Or run with exactly what I have and not change it? Or just keep it the same and add Co2? I don't have any experience with a room this size since I've just been growing indoor in tents up to this point. When I used the Co2 in my tent it seemed to help quite a bit.
I do plan on adding another light or 2 since it seems to be lacking in this large space and maybe another fan. Also I have a 9k btu ac unit running right now for a few hrs a day since its still hot where I live. My temps. are about 73-83 and climb up to about 86 if I don't run the ac at all
LEDs! Love them? Hate them? Discuss! I am doing my seedlings on 2x 40 watt t12's. But I am extremely interested in LED's. I ordered some lamps from Yescomusa but they were incredibly faulty and I had to send them back. While they worked though, they seemed pretty impressive.
I currently have 2000 red and 500 blue leds coming in the mail and the matching proto board and power supplies for them. I will definitely try to keep you all updated with this project but the real reason I started this thread is I wanted to try to get a good discussion going about LEDs.
Most of the information that I can find is producers trying to sell their products. I've only found one project of a guy who grew and fruited a few pepper plants on LEDs and all the other projects never seem to be finished. I'm not sure if they fail and then are too embarassed to post or what happens.
I'll start out with a few of the bonus's of LEDs. Please feel free to post more, or post some cons. Just keep the discussion intelligent please ;D
LEDs have pretty high efficiency. Current LEDs that are cost effective probably fall in the 60-75 lm/watt range. This is about half the efficiency of HPS but they have two distinct advantages over HPS.
1) they are a very directional light source. This means that you don't need to worry as much about having light reflected back at the plants. The vast majority of the light is already going straight at your plant. If it is set up correctly, mylar is hardly needed.
2) They produce a very specific wavelength of light. We can eliminate UV (which hurts the plants anyways), green, and IR wavelengths. Since we are only producing the few wavelengths we need we can eliminate all the power wasted in producing those wavelengths in HPS or other setups. There is some info pointing to IR being beneficial to plants but I haven't found anything conclusive and if that does end up being true, it's quite easy to add IR LED's to a setup.
Another advantage is our ability to independently regulate blue and red light. We can turn down red during our veg to get out plants to spread out or turn it up and turn down blue if we want them taller. We can also favor power to our reds during flowering since they like red better at this time anyways. Cutting some blue light could save us even more energy.
Long life. LEDs will last for a long time and when they do fail it's easy to replace the single failing LEDs.
Price. They are kind of expensive right now, but the pre made kits are coming down and if you buy LEDs direct from china you can get them at incredible prices. close to 250 watts worth for under a hundred bucks. Anyone with a soldering iron and half a brain can wire up their own boards. Once our project is complete I would love to post some pics and see some other people attempt a similar project.
It's getting late but I would love to hear everyone's feedback!
Fertilizing Wisely I thought i'd pass some info along that really helped me as far as feeding my plants. The info was taken from the Mandala Seeds website, so all the credit goes to Mike.
I never realized how badly i was overferting my plants until i read this. I've been following this for my last couple runs and it's made a HUGE difference especially in the finished/cured product.
He mentions the GH product "Ripen" in this post.. i never tried it so i can't really speak for it as far as any experience is concerned.
The numbers aren't written in stone.. variables such as lighting, strain and other environmental conditions may allow you to feed more or less depending.
Taken from: http://www.mandalaseeds.com/html/fertilizing_.html
Fertilizing belongs to one of the most important gardening duties. Yet many cannabis cultivators do not know when the right time is to fertilize, how much to use, or how often. This is in part also caused by the lack of information supplied by the companies selling the fertilizer. To further complicate matters the recommended dosages are often quite confusing and tempt customers to use large amounts of fertilizer! If cultivators lack experience or, despite a good amount of gardening knowledge, they cannot find the cause of certain plant symptoms, it is very likely that they are constantly overfertilizing the plants.
To put an end to this negative trend, and because our strains grow perfectly well with only small amounts of fertilizer, we would like to share important tips from our many years of cultivation experience. By following these guidelines fertilizing your plants can become a secure routine and not a matter of life and death for your plants.
Lets start with the small print on the bottles. What many do not know: the recommended EC value is based on osmosis water with an EC of 0,0!
Example: Ionic recommends an EC of 2,0 for flowering in hydroponics. From this value the cultivators must deduct the EC of their tapwater in order to calculate the actual recommended dosage. Let's say your water has an EC of 0,6. Then we calculate 2,0 – 0,6 = 1,4 EC. The recommended maximum dosage is therefore 1,4 EC.
Canna and other Dutch companies generally recommend even higher values. So the necessity of being aware of this formula is quite apparent. Although one really must ask how the plants should survive long term on values of 2,0 – 2,2 EC, most customers actually use such strong dosages in their grow because they are unaware of this essential information. The result is not only a waste of fertilizer in hydroponic set-ups. Plant care also becomes much more complicated and problematic. Regular flushings with water are necessary at such high EC levels. On the one hand the plants grow very fast (they stretch, get leafy, etc.), and on the other hand they develop complex symptoms of over- and underfertilization from the high salt content in the substrate. In the end massive overdoses of nutrients lead to a high risk of mold in the flowering phase, reduced levels of resistance against pests, lower yields, and possibly pose a health risk from radioactive traces in the cannabis (from phosphate).
Soil
For the cultivation on soil there is a common rule among cultivators to use 50% of the recommended dosages. Growers follow this rule without actually knowing what salt concentration they are feeding their plants with. For soil cultivation an EC meter is the most important tool to find out what the proper dosage is. This is why everyone who values their plants should not save on this rather moderate investment of 50,- Euros!
To demonstrate how important the EC value is we have tested 5 popular types of fertilizer. Only the fertilizer for flowering was selected because during this phase growers fertilize the most (after the motto: more fertilizer = more yield) and during this part of the life cycle plants become increasingly sensitive to excess salts.
Before we look at the results it is important to understand one thing: generally one should never fertilizer more than 0,8 EC on soil. That's why the first important step is to find out what the EC of your tapwater is. In this example we are using a 50-50 mix of osmosis water and normal tapwater to get 0,43 EC. Obviously, if you have a value over 0,8 in your tapwater you have to lower the EC value through filtration. For small gardens it´s sufficient to use a Britt Filter if you do not have the money to buy a household osmosis filter (approx. 150,- Euros). The Britt filter can reduce the EC value by 0,15-0,20. Another alternative would be to buy 5L bottles of mineral water when you fertilize. Good mineral water has approx. 0,25 EC.
Here are the test results on our water with 0,43 EC (measured on Hanna Dist 3 meter).
General Hydroponics
One Part Bloom
(N-P-K: 2-4-7)
Recommended min. dosage (Hydro): 8ml/1L or 1,5 EC
Recommended dosage on soil: "less" (?!)
Frequency on soil: every second watering
* 2ml/1L = 1,30 EC
* 4ml/1L = 2,00 EC
* 0,5ml/1L= 0,70 EC
The amazing thing about these instructions is the inaccuracy of the amount to fertilize on soil. What does "less" mean? If we were to use the common rule and mix 50% of the recommended dosage we still get an EC of 2,0! That would lead to immediate symptoms of overfertilization. Even at 25% of the dosage we are still in the danger zone. With 0,5ml/L or 6% of the recommended dosage we finally have a safe solution! This example shows how important it is to have an EC meter at hand.
Canna
Terra Flores
(N-P-K: 10-9-19)
Recommended dosage: 5ml/1L
Frequency: 1-3 x weekly
* 5ml/1L = 1,83 EC
* 2ml/1L = 1,05 EC
* 1ml/1L = 0,76 EC
Out of interest we tested the dosage of 5ml/L. If you were to give your plants this dosage they would not be very happy about it. Surprisingly, the manufacturer recommends this high salt level for soil cultivation – a level that is not even used in most hydro grows! The ratio of nitrogen and potassium is quite dangerous in this fertilizer. Both minerals are present in high amounts but flowering cannabis plants cannot store excess N and K as easily as phosphorous and magnesium. At 20% of the recommended dosage we can water with a safe nutrient solution.
Ionic
Bloom
(N-P-K: unknown)
Recommended min. dosage (Hydro): 7ml/1L
Recommended dosage for soil: 1,0 ml
Frequency: no info
* 3,5ml/1L = 1,62 EC
* 1 ml/1L = 0,81 EC
At least the manufacturer offers an EC value for soil cultivation. But, again, if you don't have an EC meter and mix 50% of the dosage the plants are overfertilized. At 15% we found the correct dosage. The downside is that the N-P-K values are not disclosed on the label which is below standard .
AlgoFlash
Flower
(N-P-K: 4-6-7)
Recommended dosage: 4ml/1L
Frequency: every second watering
* 2ml/1L = 1,38 EC
* 1ml/1L = 1,00 EC
* 0,5ml/1L = 0,75 EC
This concentrated and excellent fertilizer is a good choice for cannabis cultivation – but it is also dangerously potent. Even half the dosage is still too strong and it has to be diluted to 12,5% before we get the ideal value of 0,75 EC. If you have a higher EC level in your tapwater you can water with only 10% and get good results.
Feeding frequency on soil
Apart from the actual salt concentration of the nutrient solution the frequency and amount you water is an important aspect. Generally, cannabis plants prefer small but regular feedings. "Small" means in our case a moderate level of 0,6-0,8 EC. You can compare fertilizing to real mealtimes. People also get a stomach ache when they overeat. It's much healthier to eat small meals regularly. In the same way cannabis appreciates getting small portions of nutrients that can be "digested". So watering high dosages of fertilizer is like force feeding. But plants aren't pigs that have to be fattened.
With a nutrient solution of 0,6-0,8 EC you can't do much wrong unless you make a mistake with the feeding frequency. That's why it´s important to wait 7-10 days after fertilizing and observe the plants. How are they taking up the nutrients? Do they need a bit more or are they looking healthy enough? A slight deficiency can be easily leveled out (and does not impair flowering) but overfertilization causes irreparable damage. As you learn to observe the plants you will develop an intuitive understanding and can read small signs of nutrient deficiency that signal the best time to apply a mild nutrient solution.
How we fertilize during flowering
To provide the plants with many useful nutrients we first lower the EC level of the water to about 0,45 EC. With this level we either mix a nutrient solution of 0,55 EC and water with this solution every 5 days, or we mix a solution of 0,75 EC and water that every 8-10 days.
If we use this feeding plan during a typical 70 day flowering cycle a plant receives approx. 5 fertilizations with the maximum dosage of 0,75 EC. Why only 5 times? Because in the last 2 weeks of flowering you should stop fertilizing. Let the plants use up the stored nutrients in the plant tissue and soil naturally. In the last weeks before harvest the plants are practically "dying" and absorb only small amounts of nutrients.
Ripen
This product from General Hydroponics is a real "calorie bomb" with NPK: 0-6-5 and 2,5% magnesium. It's almost a complete fertilizer. In cannabis cultivation Ripen is a good choice for fertilizing extreme Sativas that quickly respond to nitrogen with unwanted stretching, leafy buds, and retarded flowering. Ripen assists in halting vegetative growth in tall plants quickly during pre-flowering. It can be applied in soil grows with quality potting soil during flowering to accelerate bud development and up till the final 15 days before harvest. Since it does not contain any nitrogen, use it during early flowering only if you have the plants growing in fresh soil and sufficient pot size, so that they have a source for their minimum requirements of nitrogen. The recommended dosage is very high (4-5ml/L) so please check your EC levels for the correct dosage.
What you should watch out for
The quality of the soil and size of pots decides a great deal about the nutrient needs of your plants. If you use strongly pre-fertilized soil it´s possible that your plants don't require any additional feeding till harvest! A good example are organic grows that use composted material with a high mineral content (like manure, etc.). Some manufacturers sell very potent soil mixes that are almost toxic in their pure form. An example is All-Mix from Plagron which has 2,4 EC! If your pots are too small compared to plant size or maturity you will find that your plants quickly suffer from nitrogen deficiency. Another factor is light intensity. A fluorescent grow cannot be compared to a sodium vapor grow. More light means bigger plants and higher nutrient requirements.
Watering amount
Not only the EC but also the amount of nutrient solution determines salt levels in the soil. The amount you water should not exceed the normal requirements of the plant. If a grown cannabis plant in your garden uses 500ml water daily then you should water that same amount with the nutrient solution. Never fertilize on dry soil!
Outdoor
Outdoors the quality of the soil, plant size, and climate play an important role in nutrient uptake. It's best to fertilize when warm/sunny days are predicted so that the plants can transform the nutrients directly into growth. Due to plant size the most common deficiency is nitrogen. This deficiency is easy to detect: first the leaves lose their leaf shine and become dull, then the lower sun leaves start to yellow, these symptoms gradually move upward and affect more leaves, in advanced stages the lower leaves dry up and die and the plant has yellowed up to the shoot tips. A flowering fertilizer with a good amount of nitrogen (like AlgoFlash) should be used when nitrogen deficiency appears during or after sexing. When a deficiency is already apparent you can use a higher EC of about 0,9-1,0 to compensate the low level of nutrients quickly.
The second most common deficiency is phosphorus which is required in large amounts for root and bud growth. Phosphorous is stored generously in plant tissue so that if you have a regular feeding plan the plants will get enough phosphorous to last till harvest even when feeding stops about 2 weeks beforehand.
Things to consider
Always purchase high quality fertilizer from reputable companies such as General Hydroponics, Hesi, Bio Bizz, Canna, AlgoFlash, Compo, etc. With these fertilizer brands you will have the guarantee of a product that contains high grade minerals and nutrients that are easily absorbed by the plants. As you can see, fertilizer is not expensive when used at the proper dosage. All of the fertilizers we tested can be used without problems as long as the dosage is correct.
Some growers claim that their plants are thriving on very high EC levels and have no problems whatsoever. There are mainly two reasons for this assertion:
1. These are strains that are genetically predisposed to grow under high amounts of fertilizer (in another article we will elaborate on this)
2. The cultivator does not recognize the negative symptoms/damage from overfeeding (this occurs quite often)
We hope that these guidelines will assist cultivators in growing healthy plants and harvesting generous crops in a more plant and environment friendly way. Mandala growers will especially benefit from these tips because our strains are very efficient in nutrient uptake and grow extremely well with only minimum amounts of fertilization. In the second part, coming soon, you can read what makes Mandala strains so vigorous and easy to grow.
Questions? Our support team will be happy to answer any questions that you may have. Please understand that we can only respond to customers growing Mandala strains.
Fertilizing during the vegetative period
Quick tips:
1. Use good size pots with quality soil instead of small pots & bad soil and fertilizing a lot to compensate for the lack of nutrients. If you give the plant enough natural nutrients in the soil then you don't need to fertilize for the first 25-30 days of growth.
2. Never fertilize seedling or plants that are only 10-14 days old if you grow on soil!
3. Do not stretch commercial soil with a lot of perlite/vermiculite/hydroton/coco coir etc. This only reduces the amount of available nutrients. Don't fill the bottom of the pots with stones/hydroton. The roots grow down and need a substrate that holds water at the bottom. Good potting soil like Compo Sana Universal already contains enough additives for a balanced air-to-soil ratio and roots get plenty of oxygen. If you are growing outdoors in very compact soil then you should add 20-25% perlite for a better air-to-soil ratio.
4. The same rules on EC levels during flowering apply here as well. Do not water with more than EC 0,8.
UVB light test i'm sure youve all heard or read about adding uvb to your grow room to increase the overall quality and potency off our plants, this sounds absolutly bang on. but the problem is finding information about using uvb on cannabis. we've been doing alot of reading recently and can find bits and bobs about how other people use them in there grows, but you have to look everywhere to find information that you know will work. so what we plan to do is test it our selfs, on our own plants and post information that will be useful to other growers. also at the same time we need your advice and info about any experiance you have had with uvb too, so we should be able to post some facts and info, growers can refer too
our grow currently is 2 week into flower, we are growing white rynho from greenhouseseeds and using advanced nutrients connoisseur with the full line of addatives, we are growing under 1 600w hps that is on a light rail. the uvb light we are going to use is a reptisun 10.0uvb 48"tube. it will be run on a arcada light system with the use of a refector. the uvb will be added this tuesday, we are going to attach it to the lightrail some how so it will be at the same level as the hps. we are thinking of putting the uvb on for a hour in the middle of the day, and work our way upto about 4-5 hour over the space of about 2 week.
does anybody have any useful advice befor we switch on the uvb? we are excited and nervous at the same time any advice on your own experiance would be great, ill post some pics tomoz to show you the setup
RDWC hydroponic purple erkle. LED! Alright guys, here I go on my first try on growing anything. I'm running a RDWC system with 2 purple Erkle clones on a 450 watt LED light. Here' a list of what i'm using;
450 watt LED 3 panel Grow/Bloom Light
Flora Series Nutrients
Cal/Mag
Silica Blast
MOAB - for flower
4x2x7 Grow tent
190 CFM inline fan w/ carbon filter
2 purple Erkle clones
Homemade Recirculating Deep Water Culture (RDWC) system I got the idea from a youtuber, here's what you need to build it;
45 gallon Tote
2 - 10' net pots
396 gph water pump
3w air pump 7.8L/min
2 - 1" Ball Valves (To allow/seal water Flow)
2 - 4" in round air stones
There is a secret addition to the water pump making it special. On the adapter that came with the pump I drilled a hole right where it reduces size and inserted some extra air line tubing an sealed it. I just ran the tubing upwards, open ended allowing oxygen to get in. Since the pump is pushing water through the adapter, when it reduces size it builds pressure. This pressure wants to pull from somewhere so it pulls from the air line, mixing oxygen with the water. This allows no dead zones and circulates the water well. It even has a special benefit with adding nutrients. Just grab the open air line tubing and put it into your nutrients and it will pull that through and mix it with the water slowly, steadily which is best for plants.
