Silk Road forums
Market => Rumor mill => Topic started by: PlutoPete on March 02, 2012, 07:58 pm
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Now that a number of peeps have my magic beans I thought I'd start a review/advice thread.
I'm confidant that following my methods everyone can grow really cheap bud with little or no effort.
I've been getting a lot of messages asking me questions and I often end up writing a novel in reply :)
Most questions are answered in my guide so I thought I'd post it here to save me repeating myself endlessly.
I'll try and get my act together to post an online gallery of pics somewhere but until then it's text only.
GERMINATION
Lightly sand seeds by placing in matchbox lined with sandpaper and shake, this scarifies the surface of the seeds and enables moisture to penetrate, this greatly speeds up the germination process.Soak the seeds in a glass of water in a dark place for a day or so, or until they split.Seeds can also be started in cotton wool or whatever manner you’re used to. Another way of starting he seeds is to “crack” them, this is a method I use now because it usually gets results in 24 hours. Cracking does carry a slight risk of squashing your seed so be careful. To crack your seeds you have to get a scalpel and cut off the very tip of the seeds, then gently squeeze along the ridge of the seed until you hear an audible crack, then soak as normal, this is a good way to synchronize your planting as they’ll all sprout at roughly the same time.
Cut the top off 2L pop bottles, punch drainage holes in the base and fill with growing medium/ compost . This enables many plants to be placed under the lights, If space isn’t an issue use 6L square hydro pots
Plant seeds one per bottle, lightly cover with compost, replace cut off top of bottle to make a mini greenhouse.
Final height of plant is dependant on early root development, so the deeper the pot the better.
If growing outdoors its best to start in pots until sex is determined, then plant in sunniest position possible, make sure there is no danger of frost and hope for 2 months of sunshine. 3 crops per year can easily be achieved outdoors. Many native animals love the taste of weed so make sure to protect from mice, rabbits, cows, goats etc. Deer won’t eat your crop but they will destroy it by trampling and rolling in it, a bit like a cat with catnip.
LIGHTING
Best lighting to use are CFL ecolights, but almost any kind of light will do, the brighter the better, light spectrum is unimportant to this strain so expensive growlights are just a waste of money. Normally people would use CFL bulbs for cuttings and seedlings only because the light only penetrates a short distance, but that is all that is needed for autoflowers and the combination is super efficient. Matal Halide and Sodium bulbs waste a lot of their energy producing excess heat, and plants have to be kept a fair distance from the bulbs to avoid burning, CFL’s can be almost touching the plant. Lights should be hung on chains so they can be raised or lowered for maximum efficiency.
When the seeds pop up wait until the first leaves appear before putting under the lights, remove the bottle top.
Lights can be kept on 24hr/day, by not turning off ecolights or fluorescents their lifespan is extended many times, this is because it avoids the thermal shock normally experienced by the bulbs when turning off and on. I have 2 lights that have been on permanently 24 hours a day for almost 5 years, with little or no drop in yields, this is an enormous saving on bulbs with a normal lifespan of 2 or 3 crops.
Keep lights as close as possible to plants without burning, with CFL’s this literally means centimetres from the plant, the bigger the gap the less the efficiency.
FLOWERING
From day 14 after sprouting males should start flowering, remove from growspace immediately and keep on windowsill well away from the females till needed for pollination or destroy if not needed for breeding.
On day 21 females should start flowering. Growth rate is really fast at this stage so check the plants regularly to make sure they are not touching the lights.
FEEDING & WATERING
Feed with tomato feed or similar, following instructions on bottle but be careful not to overfeed, start with half strength nutrients. Do not use expensive feeds like “Canna” etc, they are designed for regular plants and not autos, if you must use them make sure to use half strength or less.
If leaves start to curl or get discoloured use google to identify the problem, usually over or under feeding and watering.
Get used to the weight of the pots, if they feel light water them, if they feel heavy don't.
HARVESTING & CURE
After approx 2 months after sprouting plants should be ready for harvesting, buds are ready if about 75% of the white hairs have changed colour. If you have access to a microscope a more accurate timing can be got by examining the trichomes, clear trichomes will change to milky white and then amber, peak ripeness is when most trichomes are milky with a few amber.When ready to harvest cut off all shade leaves and discard, small leaves around the buds are smokeable so keep them separate.
After trimming the leaves off cut the stem of the plant and hang upside down somewhere dark and dry until dry. Make sure air can circulate.
Best potency and taste is achieved by storing the dry buds for 2-3 months in airtight containers before smoking, this is the hardest part of the whole process but makes a massive difference to the quality of the smoke. This is the bit most commercial growers miss out in the rush to sell, and is also the reason most patient growers beat the commercial stuff hands down on quality.
BREEDING
If seeds are required select the best looking female for breeding, wait until about 5 weeks from sprouting before pollinating to allow enough bud to develop, you will get one seed for every 2 white hairs
to pollinate remove the female from the growspace and place with males on windowsill, males should be fully flowering now and dropping pollen at the slightest touch. Tap the males over the female so you can see pollen falling, you should be able to do this twice a day for 2-3 days. The white hairs should start drying and shrivelling up once they are pollinated
Put the pollinated female back in the growspace when the white hairs start shriveling up, it’s a good idea to give her a good spray of water to get rid of any rogue pollen before returning to the growspace.
Seeds will develop and after approx 4 weeks should be visible bursting from the buds, allow another fortnight to make sure they are all as ripe as possible before harvesting. If in doubt leave another week or two.
Harvest as before but make sure you have something underneath to catch any seeds that may drop while drying
When the buds are dry remove the seeds, one female should provide hundreds of seeds.
TIPS
Once you have a supply of seeds start staggering the planting to provide constant output. Because autoflowers flower irrespective of photoperiod seedlings can be grown in the same space as fully flowering plants so eliminating the need for a separate growspace for seedlings.
When males are identified and removed fill the space with new seedlings.
Yield per plant when growing in 2L bottles averages about 14g, small ones will be only 7g but bigger plants will give yields up to 2 ounces, large plants will need the buds tying up as they get very top heavy and are liable to fall over, especially in the tall thin pop bottles.
Less than one square metre of growspace is enough to keep most people self sufficient for ever :)The advantages of Autoflowers over standard plants is unmissable, the incredible growth rate and early flowering when combined with small pots and Ecolites equals maximum efficiency and minimum cost.The ability to flower without regard to photoperiod removes the biggest problem for weed growers, setting the right amount of darkness to induce flowering is no longer required, enabling lights to be kept on 24hr a day which vastly prolongs the lifespan of the bulbs.
Any additions to the guide gratefully received, especially if you grow my seeds under diferent conditions, hopefully we'll end up with tips for every setup imaginable.
I've just germinated a dozen seeds to do a photo diary, all 12 germinated and putting out leaves as we speak.
I've been blown away by the friendliness of this place, hope I can add to the vibe
Love and Sunshine
PlutoPete
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awesome - just the info I have been looking for. cost of hydroponic kit/electricity was putting me off giving growing a whirl.
thank you! excited about grabbing some of your seeds and getting horticultural.
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Pete, I've been looking online at cfl lights and they range from single 125W to twin 300W bulbs under a single reflector. are several less powerful lights better than one strong one? I'm hoping to use less juice than using sodium lighting whilst obtaining similar results, or is that unrealistic?
do you have an online grow diary, showing how you work?
damn, sorry for all these questions
firing at you :)
thanks.
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Questions are good, always happy to answer :)
I use the 125w cfl's, I have two tiny grow spaces, one under my kitchen worktop, where the dishwasher is supposed to go :) has a single 125w cfl. The other space is in a cupboard and has 2 x 125w cfl bulbs.
I use the first space to bring my seedlings up to the sexing stage, the first 21 days basically.
The second space is used for flowering my ladies, 2 bulbs spreads the light more than a single bulb, and enables each bulb to be raised or lowered depending on the plants height, because my method means all ages of plant can be grown together this enables them to stay close to the bulbs.
I'm trying to get my act together to upload some pics somewhere, watch this space.
My method gives better yields per square metre per electricity dollar than any other method i've tried or seen, less than $7 per ounce is easily achievable.
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This is a great guide man, thanks. I have never tried this so bear with me if I sound stupid. The only thing I am wondering is how to set the lights up, like yourself I will be working from a small space. I don't really know anything about the lights at all, is there a link you give that shows the exact kind that would be good? Of course a picture of yours would be great but I would understand if you don't want to post a link to that on here.
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You can find the lights here
http://www.growell.co.uk/eco-lights-compact-fluorescent-lamps-cfl.html
They aren't the cheapest supplier but they are very reliable. Other benefits of cfl bulbs over hps etc is that there is no separate ballast and so much less fire risk and less stuff to break.
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I personally would not say CFL lights are best for growing Auto flowering plants. Autoflowering plants do not follow the usual light cycle of 12/12 to start flowering, they flower according to their age. if you trying to flower an auto under 12/12 light you will produce much much lower yields than if under 18/24 - 24/24, to produce larger yields with auto's you need to provide them with more light. This is not always cost effective though, some mathematics can provide you with the answer to how many lumen you need your lights to produce per square meter of grow space.
CFLS you would be best having a blue spectrum while your plants are growing, then use red spectrum lights once they start to flower. different light spectrums effect growth differently.
Blue Light powers chlorophyll production, powers cell actively, energies the stomata movement and makes the plant follow light.
Red Light makes sugar from CO2, powers chloroplast production, signals light and dark times among other functions.
edit: also when growing in plastic bottles, be sure to black the bottles out, root do not like being exposed to light, this is not natural and will do damage to your plants.
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My plants are bred to perform under 24hr lighting, I would never recommend 12/12 for autos.
I have done comparison testing with blue and red cfl lights and I can tell you that my plants don't seem to care what is used, in the early days I swapped bulbs for flowering but I don't bother now because it made no difference. The light spectrum given off by my bulbs must have changed over the years because they have been switched on continuously for almost 5 years, but again my plants don't seem to mind.
I've got a pic up now showing my seedlings in their space
http://xfq5l5p4g3eyrct7.onion/view.php?image=45153f35aafdbc9c5dcf0b162d3197ed.jpg
and a pic of my other growspace, with the older girlies
http://xfq5l5p4g3eyrct7.onion/view.php?image=a71d46e7e9b7a9123e4da665c15d058e.jpg
here's one of the Trichomes on a young lady, note they are clear and not cloudy or amber, this shows she isn't yet ready for plucking.
http://xfq5l5p4g3eyrct7.onion/view.php?image=5e887b1a324ee0f71115e3f2a4999753.jpg
Whoops, didn't realise what a crap pic that is, I'll look for another :)
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In floral stage marijuana responds better to a orange/red spectrum whether it's an auto or not, that is fact!
edit: just because auto's do not follow the light cycle to flower does not mean they do not react differently to different light spectrum.
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That may be fact for new bulbs, but my plants are quite happy as you can see. These bulbs are way, way past their rated lifespan so I doubt very much that they give off the spectrum they did when new. In the second pic I posted the left hand bulb is a blue bulb and the right is a red bulb, I arrange the youngest plants under the blue light and the older ones under the red, but that is just habit from growing regular strains, my comparison grows showed no difference in yields.
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Thanks for all the help mate :D
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Excellent thread and guide, be good to see some pictures
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quality information - thank you Pete :)
looking forward to viewing the pics - who needs dishwashers anyway!
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Excellent! excellent!!! I was just about to start a little storage area project and this easy method/strong seeds is exactly what a novice like myself needs! Keep it coming and I guarantee you will see monetary rewards
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Cheers for the guide, Pete. used to do a decent grow myself many years ago (until the filth nabbed me ::)) but can't wait to grow a small bit for myself when your seeds become available again. What sort of air system do you have in your minirooms? What's the stink problem like?
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New batch is almost ready :)
I don't have any air system at all, though i sometimes add a fan during hot weather or when i'm making seeds. The girls are pretty rot resistant though so that helps.The smell gets stronger as it gets warmer, but because of the small scale all i do is sprinkle some essential oils on a bowl of pot pourri :)
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Any advise for getting rid of spider mites?
It's getting to the point of throwing everything away and starting over with all new equipment, can't seem to get rid the little bastards no matter what I try.
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Spider mites are the spawn of the devil, without doubt the hardest pest to handle.
I've found only one product that works, but I only use standard garden centres for supplies, not specialist hydro shops.
The one that works for me is called Bug Clear, there are a number of versions and the one in the red container is the one you want.
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New batch is almost ready :)
I don't have any air system at all, though i sometimes add a fan during hot weather or when i'm making seeds. The girls are pretty rot resistant though so that helps.The smell gets stronger as it gets warmer, but because of the small scale all i do is sprinkle some essential oils on a bowl of pot pourri :)
You don't use any kind of air intake/exhaust system at all, Pete? I'm amazed. How do you ensure the fresh air gets in then? Do you just use ordinary garden centre compost as well? This is stealthy stuff indeed :)
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i grow on a small scale, two spaces less than a square metre. One space under my kitchen worktop only has a curtain and is in no way sealed, normal air circulation is fine most of the time. The other space is in a cupboard, again most of the time no fan is needed but if it gets too hot or if i'm making seed i'll use a fan to stop moisture building up in the buds from transpiration, this is usually only necessary if its a hot summer.
You have to remember that autoflowers produce a lot less leaf material compared to regular weed plants and i use low power lights with little waste heat so it's not as strange as it appears at first to regular growers.
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Thanks for the replies, Pete :) What are the sacks of lavarock (if that's what it's called, can't remember) for that the flowering plant pots are standing on? Is they just for drainage or something?
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Yip, they're clay balls, I use them for drainage but to be honest i've found no advantages in using them really, i thought it would make the pots more secure and give somewhere for the roots to go, but it makes the pots unstable in practice.
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Do you find they need special heating during the winter, Pete? I can't imagine those cf lights would do the job, especially down in the roots? Also if I remember, autoflowers are no good for cloning. Is this right? Cheers
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No special heating needed any time, as long as it's above freezing they'll stay alive but growth slows down at low temps. Weed doesn't need heat to grow, it's usually an expensive by product of the lighting.
You're right about the cloning, autos don't really have a veg period, though i have seen cuttings taken from a flowering auto it isn't practical and you're quicker popping a few seeds.
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Cheers for the replies, Pete. The seeds are in the cart, just waiting for the btc to come through ;)
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I got a 10 (13 actually !) pack of petes devon maid seeds as a free sample
Put 5 into peat pots 3 days ago, 4 out of 5 germed allready ! I fully expect the 5th to pop tomorrow hopefully !
I soaked them overnight in a cup of water, then into pre watered seed raising mix and a sprinkle of dry soil on top
Ive seen a few pics on the clearweb...looks VERY tasty , cant wait to try the finished product !
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Well for some, Souledout. Some of us had to pay for our seeds :)
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Indeed ! petes a generous guy :)
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wow, this sounds too good to be true! just bought some bitcoins, will order tomorrow :D
i used to look for some auto seed to try out, but most of them are feminized..
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Underway ;D I'll post some pics when they get a bit bigger.
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I'm thinking about doing a simple outdoor grow for my first time and was wondering if there are any differences to the guide that I should be aware of for an outdoor grow. I was planning to plant the seeds in a secluded area of the forest with a decent amount of sunlight in a humid subtropical climate.
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The most important thing about an outdoor grow is protecting from pests. Everything from slugs and snails to mice, rabbits and cows will munch your plants if they get the chance.
Best to start them in pots and wait until sexed before planting out in a nice sunny spot, this way you won't get unwanted pollination.
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I did a grow a few years ago using nothing but one bag seed, Miracle Gro "Moisture Control" soil, water, a timer, and one CFL light. I think the cool one (vegetating) was like 40W and the warm one (flowering) was around 60W. Once the plant was big enough, I stuck it in a light-sealed cardboard box with a hole cut in the top for the reflector. The box was white on the inside too, which certainly helps. Anyway, this thing ended up kind of whispy with a low calyx:leaf ratio, but it was certainly smokable and yielded around 6g dry even after I took half the side buds early to sample them. It also went purple, although that's certainly due to cold temps and a P definition. I literally used zero nutes. I think it flowered for 10 weeks too. Either it was very sativa dominant or the shitty lighting prolonged the process. In case of the former, I have no idea how this worked at all.
If I can do it, so can anyone. It literally took like no effort at all and cost almost nothing. You may not be selling your harvest to a dispensary, but it sure beats paying for inferior mids and brick weed. I could easily have sold this stuff for $100/quarter locally as it was better than any other mid grade shit around here. It's also fun and educational. The joke that is prohibition really hits home when you grow your own plant and truly realize that it's just that, a fucking plant that's been around before we ever were.
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Totally agree Sourman, the satisfaction from getting stoned on your own labours is priceless, as is the glow of pride when your friends compliment you on your fine bud :)
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These seeds look fantastic but I was curious how strong the weed actually is? How is the high and how long does it last etc? And have you experimented with crossing it with any other strains? If so, how did it react?
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I've been smoking this strain for 5 years now every day, and it still gets me stoned :) Taste and flavour are more important to me than big yields, and if it didn't taste good I wouldn't grow it.
I'm not claiming it's the strongest smoke in the world, but it's better than most of the bud sold in this area and my friends say they prefer the taste of mine to anything else :)
I've experimented quite a bit over the years but I don't have the space now, my Cornish Giant strain was a popular one 20 years ago but now I have to stick with indoor growing.
These will cross well with any stabilized autoflower, and with a bit of experience non autos can be crossed to create new auto strains like this one.
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Any grow updates from anybody on these? Ive just got some :]
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I've just updated the guide to include "cracking", this is the method I use to start my seeds and while it carries a slight risk of squashing your seed it is a good way to synchronize your grow as they'll all sprout within 24 hours this way.
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hey pete, loving the pics and the possibility of 24 hour light and short growing time,WTF! but alot of research and hearsay from growers has put me off lowrider/auto flower plants because of the trichome development, especially under a microscope cant compare to bud grown on hydro with HIT lights...
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Believe me there is nothing wrong with the trichome development on these plants :)
http://s791.photobucket.com/albums/yy198/plutopete/extreme%20macro/
I've nothing more recent because I broke my digital microscope :(
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i take it all back bud,lovellly pics, cant say whats nicer: the bud or the art!
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You're too kind :)
I've just been checking out prices of new microscopes, and the new ones are twice as powerful as the one i used, new pics soon :)
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just noted on another board that you've sampled some of the Gardella, 6/5 pete? got some working its way to me soon too :D
we uk smoker just love the hash it seems :D
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Oh these microscope pictures !
My little babies are about 8cm high now and came out of the earth 1 week ago.
Im really looking forward to smoke these b*tches !
(Hope they are b*tches and no jerks)
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I'm looking into getting a box of microscopes to sell on here if i can get them cheap enough, they're an excellent tool for a grower :)
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I was wondering how an outdoor grow will affect the grow and potency of the weed. This time of year where I live I get about 14 hours of daylight, I figured I would get lower yields, although I would have the advantage of planting them in a larger amount of soil. I live in an area with clay soil so I would dig a sizable hole for each plant and put some fertilizer in, how large should the holes be? What would be the best way to move the plants, ie for breeding and pollinating...? Are males completely useless for smoking (lol)?
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Outdoors you'll get slower growth probably due to less light. You'll probably get bigger plants overall though because you can give them a bigger area. I would still grow in a container of some sort, bags are good to grow in because they're easy to move around, avoid rigid pots as they're less versatile. Growing in bags makes it easier when it comes to breeding too as you can move the plants around.
Males aren't completely useless for smoking, but because the males flower so soon they have hardly any growth, much better to pull them asap so the females don't get pollinated, the extra growth from the girls easily beats a couple of male leaves :)
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Hey PlutoPete,
great thread you have here. Only grown once before and those plants got eaten by fucking rabbit 4 weeks in.
I think though you have given me enough reason to give it another go but take my work inside.
Always been a bit anxious about growing inside due smell and the heat generated.
Do the cfl bulbs really give off precious little heat.
Also I know you have addressed the smell issue before, but if i were to also start a 1m^2 grow area would the flowering plants fill that room with their sweet sweet smell :P
How many plants to you find you can fit in that kind of area?
Thanks in advance.
And big respect to you sir for breading such beauties.
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My main growspace is only 70cm x 75cm and i can get 8-12 flowering girls in there :)
I have a smaller growspace where I grow them for the first 3 weeks until sexed.
Smell really depends on how hot the plants are, I only have to worry in hot summers but the small space means it's not a great matter to mask the smell.
The smell is greatest when harvesting.
I still get a lot of people telling me it can't be this easy or everyone would be doing it :)
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Thanks for the quick reply.
So do you have just 1 bulb in your main grow space?
I think you shall be receiving an order from me very shortly. :)
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I have 2 x 125w cfl lights in the main space and 1 x 125w in the seedling space, but I'm considering trying out some LED lamps i saw advertised.
I use 2 x 125w rather than 1 x 250 because its easier to spread the light evenly.
you can see the space in some of these shots
http://s791.photobucket.com/albums/yy198/plutopete/Greenery/
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I made the mistake of starting these in small pots then transplanting, the two females I have so far are both stunted. Im gonna let them flower out anyway because they smell GREAT ! Im getting a real candy smell when i give em a sniff !
Ive planted some more of the seeds I had, straight into the final pots this time, I trying 2 litre milk bottles to see if I can get the same results as PP,s getting in those photos !
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I made the mistake of starting these in small pots then transplanting, the two females I have so far are both stunted. Im gonna let them flower out anyway because they smell GREAT ! Im getting a real candy smell when i give em a sniff !
Ive planted some more of the seeds I had, straight into the final pots this time, I trying 2 litre milk bottles to see if I can get the same results as PP,s getting in those photos !
It seems to be if the taproot gets obstructed then the plant almost stops growing, hence the pop bottles to give extra depth compared to a similar diameter pot. I've been thinking of using drainpipes to make really deep pots to see if it makes a difference.
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Ones 15cm tall, and the real short ass is about 12cm. Im about 2 weeks into flowering now so they still may have a little stretch left hopefully.
How should i be feeding these as well, Ive using a root stim (canadian xpress) but nothing else up this point, should I use any additives (ive got phat bloom/ooze bloom/earth juice catalyst)
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If you use specialist cannabis feeds make sure you start with it well diluted, it's really easy to overfeed the plants and cause nute lock.
I use organic vegetable or tomato feed and seaweed extract. Quite a few of my friends are adding a tablespoon of mollasses to their watering, it's supposed to sweeten the taste, not sure if it changes the flavour but it does seem to give heavier buds, but it's hard to compare different growers stuff as it all changes a little bit depending on the grower even if its all my seeds.
The only other additive i ever use is superthrive, when i remember to give them a few drops around sexing time they always seem to respond well, and it helps replace any trace minerals used up because of the small pots.
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Ok I might stick the to bat guano and seweed then ! Ive used molasses before so Ill give that a try to.
Ever use epsom salts, If so what do you think is a good dose in those little 2 ltr pots ?
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Epsom salts is a good remedy for yellowing leaves. the magnesium gets used too fast,especially in small pots, and epsom salts restore the levels. Only use it once or twice if the leaves are going yellow, and only use a teaspoon per gallon of water.
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Ive got to sat these are easy to sprout as well, Ive just popped another 4 by just sticking them into some wet compo mix and sticking them under a 250W HID lamp, 3-4 days later and there out of the soil !
Im going to do a seed run next.
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I'd just like to comment on cracking the seeds when germinating. My autoflowers sometimes won't crack themselves, the seeds seem to have a really hard shell. What I do is soak them in water for 24 hours. Then I pop them in my mouth, and maneuver them between my teeth, so that I am applying pressure directly to the seed's seam. You are alot less likely to crush the seed this way, I haven't found any other tool that I can control with as much precision as my teeth. Sometimes when I do this the tap root instantly shoots out 1/8" or so, like it was spring loaded in there, trying to get out. I go ahead and put them in soil at this point, and within 24 hours have a 1" tall seedling.
If I don't do this some of them will never crack open, they'll just end up rotting.
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Yea, thick shells seems to be common with autos, first time i've heard of cracking them in the mouth though :)
You really do learn something new every day :)
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Try it out, after one or two you will be amazed at how easy it is. Soak them first.
That's the best way I know to check if buds are finished drying or not too. If you bite the stem, and it cracks, it's ready for cure. If it isn't dry it will feel soft to your teeth.
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I'll definitely give it a shot, don't know if I'll be gentle enough with false teeth though :) ;D ;D
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Wow. I am very interested in these seeds. I have been obsesssed with autoflowers since I heard of themm. Grew a large auto strain once, they died during a move, but they looked shitty, tall and lanky.
How tall do your plants get? Whats the average yeild per plant/per area?
I might make these my next purchase as we are running out of summer here.
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and 7$ an ounce!!! Holy hell, that blows my last crop's 30$ an ounce out of the water.
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Maximum height is about 50cm, I aim for 14g per plant in 2L pots, with about 12 plants in a space 70cm x 75cm :)
Under perfect conditions I get about 6 Oz every 6 weeks, though yields have been dropping a touch lately, I think my lights are finally deteriorating after being switched on for over 5 years :)
The actual cost could be lower than the £5 a week I quote, my whole electricity bill is approx £12 per week for my whole flat, and I''ve got 2 tanks of Lizards with heat lamps as well :)
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Fair play on the thread Pluto. Always been interested in growing but I know fuck all about it so a very enjoyable and informative read indeed. :)
+1 Karma.
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Hi plutopete, your grow looks great and I'm becoming very interested in these auto-flower seeds of yours. I'm looking into getting my own little set up running first and wondered if I could ask a few cheeky questions?
I noticed you use the big soda bottles, but I've read elsewhere that light penetrating through to the roots could be harmful, is this true or does it not matter?
I was also curious about ventilation for the plants. I'd only have a small grow area as well, will I need a small fan moving air around constantly? Or maybe just air vents or something? I know it's not a good idea to have a fan directly on the plants, but how much air flow do they need to survive?
hey moksha
im a grower myself and i can answer your questions first off clear pots are never that good as the light can kill some of the roots and stop the plant using all the room and soil available which will result in a smaller yeild also you always need an osculating fan to keep the air fresh and shake your plants a little as this makes thicker stronger plants but if you have the fan to strong it will shock and even burn ur plants but they will show you by bendins and curling their leaves so if you see this you need to move and or turn down you fan and as for ventilation if your in a small box more than likely it will get to hot if your using a hps lightso venilation will be needed also most auto flowering plants dont really smell that strong so you shouldnt need filters
hope i helped you
peace and good growing to every1
p.s
as a rule i never use less than 10l pots with autos as the pot size really does change the size of the plant iv seen plants finish with .5g because of small pots and iv pulled 4ozs from 1 auto in a 30l pot took 14 weeks from sprout to harvest. also i have never put autos in at lease than 18hours light as this can really reduce the overall harvest amount but im seeing so auto breeders calming 14 to 28g plants going 5 to 6 weeks from start to finish on 12/12 think this could be my next experiment lol
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I have 2 x 125w cfl lights in the main space and 1 x 125w in the seedling space, but I'm considering trying out some LED lamps i saw advertised.
I use 2 x 125w rather than 1 x 250 because its easier to spread the light evenly.
you can see the space in some of these shots
http://s791.photobucket.com/albums/yy198/plutopete/Greenery/
i bought an led mate and trust me when i say CFL all the way leds are shit expensive dont bud for shit and give the plants spots on the leaves that does clear up when put under a hps but iv seen myself and a friend use leds and another friend used a cfl and il just say both leds are back in their boxs and cfl is still running
god bless HPS
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Hi plutopete, your grow looks great and I'm becoming very interested in these auto-flower seeds of yours. I'm looking into getting my own little set up running first and wondered if I could ask a few cheeky questions?
I noticed you use the big soda bottles, but I've read elsewhere that light penetrating through to the roots could be harmful, is this true or does it not matter?
I was also curious about ventilation for the plants. I'd only have a small grow area as well, will I need a small fan moving air around constantly? Or maybe just air vents or something? I know it's not a good idea to have a fan directly on the plants, but how much air flow do they need to survive?
Always happy to answer questions about my ladies :)
What you've read about light penetration to the roots is quite right, I have a black plastic cover that protects the pots but it isn't on in the photo's. I use pop bottles so I get as much depth as possible while still being able to fit many bottles under the lights, I've recently discovered 3L Cider bottles so I'm going to give them a try next :)
You will get bigger plants using bigger pots, with experience you can decide the best option for your space, I prefer many small plants as I get a bigger overall yield for my space. The bigger the plant the less use cfl lights are as they have limited penetration.
Fans are good for your plants, moving air helps strengthen the stems and helps avoid mould. The amount of airflow needed depends on the heat, my setup is quite happy without fans as long as I open the door regularly. My setup is pretty low heat so I don't get much smell most of the year.
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I have 2 x 125w cfl lights in the main space and 1 x 125w in the seedling space, but I'm considering trying out some LED lamps i saw advertised.
I use 2 x 125w rather than 1 x 250 because its easier to spread the light evenly.
you can see the space in some of these shots
http://s791.photobucket.com/albums/yy198/plutopete/Greenery/
i bought an led mate and trust me when i say CFL all the way leds are shit expensive dont bud for shit and give the plants spots on the leaves that does clear up when put under a hps but iv seen myself and a friend use leds and another friend used a cfl and il just say both leds are back in their boxs and cfl is still running
god bless HPS
It's the cost that has put me off till now :)
Were the ones you tried the old style or the newer "super" led's?
The ones I'm looking at are £130 each and I'll need about 12 for what i'm planning so you can see my hesitance, I can do the same space with 5 or 6 cfl's :o
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Cheers guys, karma love all round.
I think those were the two main reasons my other little plant failed, admittedly it was a really poor effect (I didn't expect the seeds to crack and then decided to have a go), but yeah no air flow and a small clear container while it was vegging.
I was going to start out with some Top 44 or Master Kush seeds until I have my method down pat, then move onto auto flowering strains so I can stagger them throughout the year, should grow to the same general height as your autos. Any idea how much bigger my plants would get with a 10-12L pot as greek suggests?
If you're starting with non auto's remember to make sure your space is lightproof, any light leakage in the dark time messes up flowering.
In a 10-12L pot I would be hoping for 50-60g per plant.
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Pete, what is the brand of shop bought soil that you use? Do you mix it up with any drainage agents or manures etc before planting?
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I'm a cheapskate, I buy whatever's on special offer:)
The best thing to mix with it is Perlite or coarse sand, or both, 50/50 with the compost.
Most composts have enough nutrients to do the first few weeks so I don't add any feed at first.
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Wow, i am very impressed by the responses and question asked. I was just wondering, how much ventilation do i need? Will the plant stink much? how high should i keep the CFL lights away from the plants? I am new to growing and i would like some advise. Cheers.
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Ventilation, and amount of smell, both depends on how hot it is. I live in a temperate climate and my growspace is a small cupboard, but the heat only gets too much in the middle of summer and opening the cupboard door is usually all I need do but a fan is always good to use if you have one.
The CFL should be as close as you can get it without it burning the plant, this is usually as close as 2-3cm with 125w CFL bulbs, but give new seedlings a lot more room, 15cm or so.
Auto's are absolutely ideal for new growers because they don't have to worry about timers and light leakage and things like that, just raise the light every now and then and that's it :)
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Hey pluto,
Getting ready to start my grow in a month :)
Cannot wait. Was wondering if you had tried more advanced growing techniques with your strain such as scrog, topping and lst?
Positive results? Higher Yields?
Also I know you have mentioned the smell is not too much but come harvest time is it ridiculous?
Thanks for your time
Thanks
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Autos aren't really suited to scrog etc, because they lack a vegetative stage, the only technique I've tried that helped was lst, but i think you'd be better pruning off the bottom branches and letting all the energy go into the top cola :)
Weed always smells the most when you harvest it :) but it's never been a real problem with me because i harvest only a plant or 2 at a time each week. If my rotation gets messed up with a seed run then I'll use a citrus air freshener and a few incense sticks :)
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Perfect thanks mate. Cant wait to grow some of your plants.
Come July I should be good to go :)
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Iam so happy i bought them on 420,now they are about 12 inches high,only with love and sunshine :)
Nearly one month to go,iam so excited.Hope its dry before i go to the Festivals this Summer :D
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Here's a pic of a couple of my girls :)
the first is turning into a giant
http://xfq5l5p4g3eyrct7.onion/view.php?image=a71965952f273db2ac8f3e280eca8b32.jpg
She's 66cm tall and still growing :) i think she's almost halfway through flowering.
The second pic is 2 of her sisters, same age and shorter but full of buds :)
http://xfq5l5p4g3eyrct7.onion/view.php?image=7302c986f67f5f4ce8cf4fe51e5e1c14.jpg
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They are looking beautiful pete, how much long till the chop do you think? How high a grow space do you recommend for your Devon's?
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I normally expect maximum height to be around 50cm-60cm
The girls in the pics have been flowering for approx 18 days, so about 24 to go :)
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Not long now. Lucky man. Thanks again for the advice, really helpful
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Hey,i just made a PhotoSet of my 2 lovely Dwarfen Lady´s
(Especially of my first lady ;) )
They are now in their 3th/4th flowering week
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/715/dsc04401eg.jpg/
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/15/dsc04402ao.jpg/
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/252/dsc04404n.jpg/
Now iam waiting for the development of some nice buds :)
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Looking very good mate, please keep us updated on how they do.
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Hey derfuchs, I got my cfl closet set up germinated 6 of my DM seeds in paper towel until I had about a quarter inch taproot. Put them in pots now and waiting for them to pop through the soil. How long did the process take for you, germinating then first having them come up. Looks great by the way...definitely keep us updated!
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a cfl closet,nice iam thinking of this for the second run !
i dont know how long it actually took for them,but i remember that i was waiting a day or 2.
sadly 3 didnt made it out of the earth.but i didnt waited for the full germintation :(
that was some beginner mistake :(
iam also very interested on how they do,because my cupboard plans :)
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I've just uploaded a few new microscope shots that I've just taken :)
http://s791.photobucket.com/albums/yy198/plutopete/extreme%20macro/
The new pics are the first dozen, you can see the trichomes are developing nicely, the shots of the underneath of the leaves are from lower buds and they still have lots of trichomes growing :)
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Hello PlutoPete,
Waiting on my bitcoins to transfer before buying 5 of your lovely seeds. Couple of questions as I prep my grow room. I intend to use CFL lights, for a batch of 5 plants, what and how many lights would be suitable? I'm assuming 10l plant pots would produce even larger yields, would this be advisable? I will be using loft space and it won't be possible to get the area completely clean and disinfected, is it of upmost importance that the whole area is completely clean? and if so how could I get around this?
1st time grower, very excited to start smoking my own produce and making weed economically viable! £20 for 1.4-5g no more!
Thanks for your time
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Beware, once you start you'll be hooked for life :)
At the moment every 5 pack contains 14 seeds :)
Number of lights depends on your space, I use 2 x 125w cfl lights in my main space which is only 75cm x 70cm.
Yip, big pots equals bigger yields, but less space under the lights. It's always the big decision, trying to decide the balance of pot size with number of plants.
While a perfectly clean environment is preferred, it is by no means essential. Plants will grow fine in an attic, cleanliness is mainly to avoid plant diseases getting introduced to your plants, and there shouldn't be anything like that in your attic.
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5 packs contain 14 seeds!?!?!?!
I...Must...BUY!!!!
Still enough sun left for a crop of seeds!!
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5 packs contain 14 seeds!?!?!?!
I...Must...BUY!!!!
Still enough sun left for a crop of seeds!!
Lol, yip 14 in every pack :)
You guys have given me an awesome business here and I'll always do whatever I can to keep the buyers happy :)
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You can find the lights here
http://www.growell.co.uk/eco-lights-compact-fluorescent-lamps-cfl.html
They aren't the cheapest supplier but they are very reliable. Other benefits of cfl bulbs over hps etc is that there is no separate ballast and so much less fire risk and less stuff to break.
personally i wouldnt buy anything from growell ever again they totally compromised my position as they will yours eventually if you are using mail order !
they list what is being delivered and from where on the delivery documents so if like in my case they ask your neighbor to take delivery then no.28 now knows i have ordered 600w hps lamps water pumps and sacks of batmix from a hydroponics store !!
of course you may like to take the risk of going to there heavily cctv surveyed london store that they advertise on a massive billboard along the side of the M4 ffs
BEWARE discretion is NOT there middle name and as far as im concerned there a bunch of totally incompetent fuckwitts
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You can find the lights here
http://www.growell.co.uk/eco-lights-compact-fluorescent-lamps-cfl.html
They aren't the cheapest supplier but they are very reliable. Other benefits of cfl bulbs over hps etc is that there is no separate ballast and so much less fire risk and less stuff to break.
personally i wouldnt buy anything from growell ever again they totally compromised my position as they will yours eventually if you are using mail order !
they list what is being delivered and from where on the delivery documents so if like in my case they ask your neighbor to take delivery then no.28 now knows i have ordered 600w hps lamps water pumps and sacks of batmix from a hydroponics store !!
of course you may like to take the risk of going to there heavily cctv surveyed london store that they advertise on a massive billboard along the side of the M4 ffs
BEWARE discretion is NOT there middle name and as far as im concerned there a bunch of totally incompetent fuckwitts
Cheers for the info, I won't recommend them again.
I find most grow supply websites are overpriced and give shoddy service, I think i might look into wholesale suppliers and sell them myself :)
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For anyone curious about the taste and effects of my ladies, you can now acquire a sample right here on the Road :)
http://silkroadvb5piz3r.onion/silkroad/item/d213b4d1dd
I hope to see a few smoke reports soon :)
I can't tell you all how buzzed I am to see this listing, full circle from seed to bud thanks to Silk Road.
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Looks like some really nice bud. Wish I had some coins. How is your grow coming on Pete? Almost harvest time?
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iam so excited about the reviews of this one :P
but iam also excited because i will harvest in 2 weeks :)
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Looks like some really nice bud. Wish I had some coins. How is your grow coming on Pete? Almost harvest time?
I think i've got about 14 days to go, the last couple of weeks always takes sooooooo long :)
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I germed all 14 of the seeds I receieved, pete has done a great job guiding me and helping me out. I have 4 Blue Himalaya Diesel that are 61 days along as well and almost finished. I was really pumped to get the Devon Maid strain by plutopete under CFL's. I use a 200w Feliz 2700k, and a 125w feliz 6500k.
Anyway I am perplexed that only 1 of the 14 seeds germed and popped through, 12 popped a 1/4in. tap root using paper towel method, I then planted in Fox Farm Ocean Forest which always works great. 2 weeks later I have 1 very nice 3 in. tall very wide (hopefully girl) under lights. The other 11 are now gone they sat in the Fox Farm and didnt budge, looked at a few and they were gone.
I was really excited about growing this strain, I was going to breed a seed plant to continue planting DM.
I just ordered 5 of Nirvanas NL autos and 5 Dinafem Critical + auto. Wish I didn't have too.
Maybe I screwed up ? and pete is a great vendor and very helpful but my germ rate to plant has never been 7%
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That perplexes me too,
The fact that you got 1/4 tap roots shows that the seeds are fine, so it's a puzzle why they haven't developed.
The only things I know that could cause your problem is shock or pests, although i've only read about shock affecting plants, never experienced it myself. I did get infected with fungus gnats once through using bad compost, the larvae chewed all the tiny filaments on the roots and the seeds just didn't grow, but if this was the problem you would know because the adult fungus gnats would be evident flying around your plants.
Maybe somebody else on here knows what the problem could be?
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I germed all 14 of the seeds I receieved, pete has done a great job guiding me and helping me out. I have 4 Blue Himalaya Diesel that are 61 days along as well and almost finished. I was really pumped to get the Devon Maid strain by plutopete under CFL's. I use a 200w Feliz 2700k, and a 125w feliz 6500k.
Anyway I am perplexed that only 1 of the 14 seeds germed and popped through, 12 popped a 1/4in. tap root using paper towel method, I then planted in Fox Farm Ocean Forest which always works great. 2 weeks later I have 1 very nice 3 in. tall very wide (hopefully girl) under lights. The other 11 are now gone they sat in the Fox Farm and didnt budge, looked at a few and they were gone.
I was really excited about growing this strain, I was going to breed a seed plant to continue planting DM.
I just ordered 5 of Nirvanas NL autos and 5 Dinafem Critical + auto. Wish I didn't have too.
Maybe I screwed up ? and pete is a great vendor and very helpful but my germ rate to plant has never been 7%
i would agree if 12 popped a tap root the seeds are fine, must be something youve done ? probably to wet its very easy for the root rot to set in :/
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I've updated the album of microscope shots with some new pics
http://s791.photobucket.com/albums/yy198/plutopete/extreme%20macro/
the first 22 are the new pics :)
it's enough to get you drooling at the mouth :)
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nice pictures pete,i got some new one too.
my plant should be in the 8th or 9th week now,i should really take notes
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/707/97959787.jpg/
microscope picture
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images...enanntsbz.png/
headbud
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/825/17484988.jpg/
not pictured are 2/3 green yellow leafs at the bottom :(
the stigmas at the top of the plant seem more ready than the bottom ones,can you give me an advice when to harvest ?
thanks in advance :)
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nice pictures pete,i got some new one too.
my plant should be in the 8th or 9th week now,i should really take notes
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/707/97959787.jpg/
microscope picture
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images...enanntsbz.png/
headbud
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/825/17484988.jpg/
not pictured are 2/3 green yellow leafs at the bottom :(
the stigmas at the top of the plant seem more ready than the bottom ones,can you give me an advice when to harvest ?
thanks in advance :)
Bummer, can't see the microscope shot :(
Looking at the trichomes is the best way to judge ripeness, when they just start to turn amber is generally considered best time. Because the top buds ripen fastest people sometimes harvest them first and lower the lights to give the lower buds a bit longer.
Don't worry about leaves discolouring from the bottom, this is normal as the plant uses up the nutrients in the leaves they yellow and fall off.
I had to harvest 2 of my ladies early to make some room for their little sisters to get jiggy with the boys, i've got to try and stop smoking long enough to build a bigger growroom :)
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I germed all 14 of the seeds I receieved, pete has done a great job guiding me and helping me out. I have 4 Blue Himalaya Diesel that are 61 days along as well and almost finished. I was really pumped to get the Devon Maid strain by plutopete under CFL's. I use a 200w Feliz 2700k, and a 125w feliz 6500k.
Anyway I am perplexed that only 1 of the 14 seeds germed and popped through, 12 popped a 1/4in. tap root using paper towel method, I then planted in Fox Farm Ocean Forest which always works great. 2 weeks later I have 1 very nice 3 in. tall very wide (hopefully girl) under lights. The other 11 are now gone they sat in the Fox Farm and didnt budge, looked at a few and they were gone.
I was really excited about growing this strain, I was going to breed a seed plant to continue planting DM.
I just ordered 5 of Nirvanas NL autos and 5 Dinafem Critical + auto. Wish I didn't have too.
Maybe I screwed up ? and pete is a great vendor and very helpful but my germ rate to plant has never been 7%
i would agree if 12 popped a tap root the seeds are fine, must be something youve done ? probably to wet its very easy for the root rot to set in :/
I would like to say in my defense as a grower that I do know how easily root rot can happen but I personally have never had the problem and I didnt with these. I germed 10 more Blue Himalaya Diesel that i ordered. All 10 had an 1/8th - 1/4 in. tap within 24 hours using the paper towel method. Put them all in FFarms soil and 9 of 10 have popped through and have there first set of green leaves now.
So I am 90% so far with the BHD. The one DM that is growing is a female as it just started shooting a few pistils. Will post pics very soon.
I dont know, Short Stuffs seeds were just so plump and again not knocking the Devon Maid seeds, but were about 3x the size and they looked to be about bursting out of there shell before germination. Good luck to all the growers.
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this thread has definitely confirmed why i need to grow my own. Pete, your seeds seem perfect for anyone not interested in committing themselves to a 'serious' grow op!
you'l get my order when i get some coinage.
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Good advice Pete, I'll be sure to germinate them like that!
I'll be growing these outdoor in 6L pots with good compost. I'll keep everyone posted with pictures :). How will I maximize bud? I don't expect to get much from outdoors but it should bud nevertheless :D. Please remember I'm a beginner so any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Jabba
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Good advice Pete, I'll be sure to germinate them like that!
I'll be growing these outdoor in 6L pots with good compost. I'll keep everyone posted with pictures :). How will I maximize bud? I don't expect to get much from outdoors but it should bud nevertheless :D. Please remember I'm a beginner so any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Jabba
That's always the big question, how can i maximize the bud :)
I would trim off the lower branches so all the energy goes into the cola, you won't get more bud but the bud you do get will be better :)
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i think they take a bit longer outdoor ....
nevertheless,beautiful plants !
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today i noticed little bananas all over my plant !
both are hermaphrodites ...
i decided to wait and watch if the bananas grow and spray pollen,then i would yield the plant
pete,did you encountered this problem before ?
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Nice thread man!
Just thought I'd share this. E-Z mode nutrition for your plants........and they absolutely love it!
http://hightimes.com/grow/subcool/5728
You will never look back after trying this I promise.
If you're in the US you'll have no problem finding the stuff needed. If in the UK and want to try it send me a message and I'll send you a UK modified mix. :)
today i noticed little bananas all over my plant !
both are hermaphrodites ...
i decided to wait and watch if the bananas grow and spray pollen,then i would yield the plant
pete,did you encountered this problem before ?
This is usually down to environment problems. If you post the specs of your setup I can give you some advice. To grow decent weed is easy. To grow GREAT weed can take months of dialing in and adjusting.
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my specs are simple,its in my room under a velux window,may there is some heat under the window when sun is shining hard.
maybe it has to do with the change of watering ?
i watered before with pipedwater and half a week ago i started with rain water
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my specs are simple,its in my room under a velux window,may there is some heat under the window when sun is shining hard.
maybe it has to do with the change of watering ?
i watered before with pipedwater and half a week ago i started with rain water
Hmmm, have you been feeding the plant a nutrient solution? rain water is better for the plant but the change wouldn't cause hermies. Id say it's either nutrient problems or air flow. If that window isn't open the air will get stale fast. It will be hard to find what is causing the plant stress as your not using a controlled enviroment. Not to worry though, your stuff will still be some nice smoke :)
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this is what i want to hear :)
yeah iam planning for a wardrobe grow,that will be a controlled enviroment
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Thanks for the input kinks :)
I would agree that it is down to environment as i haven't heard of any other instance of hermaphrodites with my strain.
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this is what i want to hear :)
yeah iam planning for a wardrobe grow,that will be a controlled enviroment
My advice to you is to get one of the smaller grow tent's. So much can go wrong with a D.I.Y setup its only worth trying if you have another good setup going IMO. They're quite cheap and you could pick up a 150w hps for cheap enough too. CFL's work great too, especially if things like heat and electricity usage are issues. If you use the soil mix i posted in this thread then all you will have to do is water for the plants whole life cycle. And you will have some A++ bud's to smoke to your heart's desire.
Harvest should be between 100-150 g's off of a 150w hps. Plenty to smoke for yourself between harvest's.
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I hate to be an ass, but this grow thread has ADD and is mediocre at best. Anyone who's interested in growing should just make a rollitup.org
What's the harm in people discussing growing here?
Ive got quite a few grows under my belt and I think I could help out some people with their grows. Also this thread is for people growing the OP's strain.
This is the Silkroad community, not the rollitup community.
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I realize this isn't rollitup. But this is a mangled and confusing thread. I'm not a shill for rollitup. but it's a great and educated community, most of it's users would laugh at some of the shit on here. ;D
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I realize this isn't rollitup. But this is a mangled and confusing thread. I'm not a shill for rollitup. but it's a great and educated community, most of it's users would laugh at some of the shit on here. ;D
Get some of them to post on here then :)
We're always open to constructive input from other growers.
I'm not saying that my grow method is better than any other, I'm saying it works well with my seeds :)
I've got a big bowl of bud in front of me that cost almost nothing and anyone following my guide can do the same :)
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I believe you're doing the community a service with your answers, but there are so many different things going on here I can't follow it. This is like 7 rollitup threads combined. I love fellow growers, and I've got no room to talk because I'm not growing, but there's just so much going on here it's hard to follow with my ADD.
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this thread should be for specific questions, pictures, reviews & grows from Pete's seeds; just because it turns into a general Q&A for ganja growing doesn't mean that people shouldn't ask questions here. there's plenty of old school growers with great info for people new to GYO.
leave it be!
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this thread should be for specific questions, pictures, reviews & grows from Pete's seeds; just because it turns into a general Q&A for ganja growing doesn't mean that people shouldn't ask questions here. there's plenty of old school growers with great info for people new to GYO.
leave it be!
+1 Agreed
I think this thread has been invaluable for someone looking into growing such as myself and Pete has some top class knowledge about his plants.
Keep it up
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Any pics of your last harvest pete?
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I'm afraid I didn't have my camera handy at the time :(
I've just taken some microscope shots of the dried bud though
http://s791.photobucket.com/albums/yy198/plutopete/extreme%20macro/
and this is an onion shot of what i have left :)
http://xfq5l5p4g3eyrct7.onion/view.php?image=ed1ea6f7ea59077c7888da668676c917.jpg
You can see i don't manicure the buds much as it's just for myself
Remember the strongest light these buds have seen is 125w :)
Love and Sunshine
Edit: Forgot to say the new trich shots are all labelled "Dry" :)
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Nice work Pete, some lovely looking nuggets.
And sick lighter ;)
So close to starting my grow now :)
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I know I'm going to be accused of a dick measuring contest... but check out my couple pics.
3x3 grow tent rig 6 fans, two extraction fans, three light spectrums 1200 watts of HPS/MH/CFL:
http://xfq5l5p4g3eyrct7.onion/view.php?image=de8ec72509e121039f72980d9e0baf58.jpg
My old friend, Pakistan Kush, organic, cured for two months. Perfect trim. My masterwork:
http://xfq5l5p4g3eyrct7.onion/view.php?image=b490b7b585d36f172389a9e352e9de53.jpg
My old stash:
http://xfq5l5p4g3eyrct7.onion/view.php?image=45c06b3d53f6919f2512c6be13ad8b13.jpg
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Some great looking green there vinny. Well played sir
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Lovely setup you've got there Vinny :)
What does it cost to run a room like that?
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I've just added some pics of some seeded buds to my greenery album :)
http://s791.photobucket.com/albums/yy198/plutopete/Greenery/
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What does it cost to run a room like that?
Check out this link mate:
http://www.uk420.com/growroomtools2.php
It's a useful tool for calculating lighting costs and coverage. Ignore the fan section though, it doesn't take heat gains from lighting into account.
I will say to everyone who is thinking of growing, get a proper fan and filter. The peace of mind is well worth the money. One whiff in the wrong nose, and it's game over. :'(
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What does it cost to run a room like that?
Check out this link mate:
http://www.uk420.com/growroomtools2.php
It's a useful tool for calculating lighting costs and coverage. Ignore the fan section though, it doesn't take heat gains from lighting into account.
I will say to everyone who is thinking of growing, get a proper fan and filter. The peace of mind is well worth the money. One whiff in the wrong nose, and it's game over. :'(
Thanks for that link, it's pretty handy :)
Wish they had more options in the lighting bit though
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It costs a shitload of money to run ~1000 watts of light and eight different fans. What I created was madness.. That was easily the materials for two grow tents combined into a supertent.
madness.
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Ordered 10 seeds listing, received 28.
21/28 germinated after 5 days, that was when I potted them so it may turn out to be a very high success rate. I'm extremely happy with this order considering the potential returns if I continue to breed.
Thanks Pete, great vendor, more than willing to help a noob like myself out :). I'll keep posting pics as they progress but don't expect much as I'm a first time grower and the weather in Ireland is brutal!
Jabba
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Hey Pete, i would just like to know how much dried weed you get from each of your plants on average?
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I average about 14g per plant in 2l pots.
My yields have been dropping recently though, I suspect because my lights have been on for almost 6 years now :)
I've just swapped one of my 125w cfl's with a 250w cfl and I can see that the current crop is looking much better, so i expect my yields to increase this time round.
14g sounds like a small amount, but remember that I can fit a lot of 2l pots in my tiny growspace, I currently have 9 girls flowering and 2 seeded girls in my main space 75cm x 70cm :)
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Ah, so a 250w light would be ideal? Should the light be red or blue?
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You can get dual spectrum bulbs that have red and blue, so they're probably the best
I got a blue bulb as that was what i replaced, i'll probably get a red one next to balance things out.
My old bulbs as i've said have been on continuously for almost 6 years, so any light would probably show improvement :)
One thing showing very clearly at this stage is that those under the white bulb have much shorter space between the internodes
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I just loved the light spectrum of my grow. Metal Halide mixed with High Pressure Sodium and 2700K CFL's. Just like natural sunlight. Incredible. You should get a 400HPS mate. Cheapest and one of the most efficient systems. Just perfect with a MH as well. A ballast that can run both is wonderful, digital of course. Les than $200 on Amazon. I had to pull the 300 or so watts of CFL's out because of heat issues and the temps decreased by 12 degrees down to a good 75*.
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I just loved the light spectrum of my grow. Metal Halide mixed with High Pressure Sodium and 2700K CFL's. Just like natural sunlight. Incredible. You should get a 400HPS mate. Cheapest and one of the most efficient systems. Just perfect with a MH as well. A ballast that can run both is wonderful, digital of course. Les than $200 on Amazon. I had to pull the 300 or so watts of CFL's out because of heat issues and the temps decreased by 12 degrees down to a good 75*.
You cannot seriously claim that a 400hps is efficient ;D
You say the temps decreased by 12 degrees when you removed 300w of cfl's, how much would they have changed if you turned off the hps?
Excess heat is waste, expensive waste.
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400w hds are inefficient they use to much power and give out to much heat, 600`s are the most efficient especially with the new digital eco ballasts available nowadays.
14g is a very small yield for any plant im sure in my 1m sq grow area with its 2x aircooled 600w sodiums i could yield a min of 2 oz per plant in fact in 20+ yrs i have never yielded less from any strain indica/sativa or ruderalis autos the most ive had off 1 plant was mr nice critical mass which yielded just under 15 1/2oz :)
i also change my lamps most crops i would never use them for more than 2 crops
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reading this thread if you have never grown before and only read articles and books is a fucking godsend.
i know were specifically talking about pete's lowriders on the majority but the fact that most he thread is just a coupla old growers talking about different methods and whats worked for them in such an informal way is amazing, thanks guys. cant wait to plant my first seed =]
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I see a problem with your logic. I had a cool tube. A 400 HPS will put off around 50,000 lumens. A 600 HPS will put off around 90,000 lumens, so yes, it is the most efficient. I crammed that tent full of lights. 42 watt CFl's put off more heat than you think. I've used CFL bulbs for a grow and they performed very poorly. I had them inches from the plants. The HPS/MH/CFL grow was spectacular. I had well over 120,000 lumens in that 3 x 3 tent.
In my opinion CFL's are best suited for very small grows and by no means are the best bulbs for a larger grow.
agreed !!
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400w hds are inefficient they use to much power and give out to much heat, 600`s are the most efficient especially with the new digital eco ballasts available nowadays.
14g is a very small yield for any plant im sure in my 1m sq grow area with its 2x aircooled 600w sodiums i could yield a min of 2 oz per plant in fact in 20+ yrs i have never yielded less from any strain indica/sativa or ruderalis autos the most ive had off 1 plant was mr nice critical mass which yielded just under 15 1/2oz :)
i also change my lamps most crops i would never use them for more than 2 crops
14g isn't a small yield from 2l pots, and because i cram a lot of pots under my lights my overall costs are roughly £7 per ounce of bud
I have a friend that grows top shelf strains under 1000w and his costs are roughly £55 ounce
My setup is perfect for cfl's because the plants are small, any bigger and the cfl's wouldn't have the depth of light penetration needed for good growth, I'm not saying they're best for larger grows.
I've shown many, many people that have failed in the past to grow decent weed that they can grow a good smoke for very little cost very quickly, some of those growers have gone on to grow regular strains with bigger lights etc but most are very satisfied with their little low tech cupboards replacing the neighbourhood dealer :)
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I have a friend that grows top shelf strains under 1000w and his costs are roughly £55 ounce
Either your friend is lying to you, or he's a terrible grower. Assuming 12.5p per kw/h, a 1000w should only cost around £105 for an entire cycle (assuming 10 weeks, some strains are done in 8 or 9). Unless he only pulls 2oz per harvest, he's lying about his costs, or just terrible at maths.
Not counting my clone/mother area, my last 400 grow cost me around £3.11 per oz, and there is still room there for improvement. This is lighting costs only, the other stuff adds up as well, but not by all that much.
12 hours x 400 watts = 4.8kw per day
4.8kw x 70 days = 336kw
336kw x 12.5p kw/h = £42
Last harvest was 380 grams (roughly 13.5oz)
£42 / 13.5oz = £3.11 per oz.
CFLs are good enough to grow with, there's no question about that, but they are far less efficient than HIDs. There's a reason that 0.5gpw is considered a good grow for cfls, but for HIDs 1gpw is the benchmark. HIDs just put out much more light, which equals more weed per watt, provided other factors are kept in check (airflow, watering technique, nute balance etc).
This is not to say that £7 per oz weed is a bad thing, just to be clear. Only that £55 per oz is not likely to be the experience of the average hps grower. £5.50 maybe, but not £55.
Edit: Just noticed this post:
You cannot seriously claim that a 400hps is efficient ;D
You say the temps decreased by 12 degrees when you removed 300w of cfl's, how much would they have changed if you turned off the hps?
Excess heat is waste, expensive waste.
400s are less efficient than 600s but both are far more efficient than CFLs. Here's the thing with heat:
A watt is a watt.
All lighting forms will put out a similar amount of heat into the growspace, per watt burned. Light itself is heat, of sorts, but that's a seperate discussion. Anyway, 250 watts of HID will put out a similar amount of heat as 250 watts of CFL. The difference is the type of heat produced. With CFLs, the heat is generally convected, and spread out over a larger area, which means it can be more easily transferred by moving air. HIDs produce more radiant heat, and from a more concentrated spot (think match vs radiator). This means that they feel very warm close-up, but overall, the amount of heat output is similar, per watt used.
In any lighting system, every watt burned is turned into two things: useable light, and "waste" heat. Since hids produce more useable light than cfls, they must therefore produce less "waste" heat. The type of heat that HIDs produce can be problematic, but only if you put them too close to plants without adequate air movement.
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Double post...ignore.
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Cheers, I hope I don't come across as a dick about this stuff. I love reading about so-called "ghetto grows" on forums, and my early grows and setups were very similar to Pete's. There's something satisfying about setting up a grow on a shoestring budget, and still getting results.
There's generally one problem with ghetto grows though, and that is smell. It is the thing that ends many growing careers prematurely. You should never just "wing it" where smell is concerned, unless you own your own house, live in the middle of nowhere and never get visitors. With this in mind, the cheapest form of guaranteed smell removal is a carbon filter, and a powerful enough fan to pull air through it. Good airflow isn't just about removing heat, it's a prerequisite for smell control (and also contributes heavily to yields, plant health and defense against various nasty shit that can affect the grow).
Once you get it in mind that a fan/filter is necessary, rather than optional, it makes sense to go with hps, since the smallest centrifugal fans (4") are ideally matched to a 250 watt light, and if you're burning 250 watts anyway, you may as well get the most bang for your buck in terms of useable light, since the fan can easily keep it in check anyway.
The only time I would use cfls over hps is in extremely height-restricted spaces, and even then I'd probably use an array of household cfls, rather than the bigger grow bulbs, since those fuckers are pretty bulky. I would have to be severely height-restricted to even consider cfls though, since i've done some pretty impressive scrogs in just a couple of feet of height in the past with hps.
Apologies to all for going into lecture mode lol. I'm just trying to pass along my (fairly limited) knowledge, not trying to criticize or anything.
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Sounds quite high-tech in comparison to some i've seen (and done lol). My first grow was 3x20 watt household cfls just hung in the cupboard under my stairs, with a desk fan pointing at them. I think I yielded about 6 grams lol. I used the same lighting for my second grow, but added white (cardboard lol) walls around the plants, and a PC fan for extraction. I tripled my yield just by doing that. :D
I eventually got a 250 HPS (stripped down flood light), a cheap fan and filter, and a wardrobe, and from that point on, my grow has not only paid for itself, but funded it's own upgrades. ;D I wasn't quite ready for the amount of weed I got from that first HPS grow. I was fucking gobsmacked, to put it bluntly.
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Will be putting a order in tonight! Not had a grow going for a while. Got a space similar to pete's and a 250w CFL. I have several rolls of mylar sat around. So will hopefully get a very basic setup sorted by the end of the week. Looking forward to tending to them!
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On page 6 I talk about only getting 1 of 13 or 14 seeds to germinate and come through the coco I'm using. I also have germinated and started or had just started 1 female HBD, 2 Auto Big Bang. 1 auto white cheese and I just dropped and popped now 3 Kush Van Stitch.
My germination rate on the 7 seeds since the Devon Maid 1 for 13 has been 7 for 7. I dont know whats up with that, I know how to germ., but anyway I have to say I switched from a big CFL and reflector for the flowering of the DM. I then started catching the Auto bug (thanks pete:). Anyway I switched to a 150 HPS for 2 weeks, then I went all out, bought a 2 x 4f tent, inline fan and carbon can. Bought and am using a 250HPS now. I thought I was cool with the CFL but I caught the HPS bug and it is amazing the difference I've seen.
The Devon Maid that did make it is a female and is just growing a thick hard frosty cola plus 2 others due to some LST I have done with her like crazy. Packing on the buds daily. Just thought Id update, Im at day 58 and think I should give her another 2 weeks. W'll try and post a pic.
Thanks pete
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The Devon Maid that did make it is a female and is just growing a thick hard frosty cola plus 2 others due to some LST I have done with her like crazy. Packing on the buds daily. Just thought Id update, Im at day 58 and think I should give her another 2 weeks. W'll try and post a pic.
Thanks pete
Yes! Upload some pictures. I would love to see what the Devon Maid looks like.
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Same here would love to see some of the pics of that, especially the yield :)
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hi,iam finally posting my review (kinda) i yielded about a month ago and iam really happy that i bought these seeds ! really some magic beans.
i had two females each 30cm high,they yielded half an ounce together,its okay i didnt expected to get big yield
i was very pleased to bring this to the festivals,got much compliments for it !
well the high is good and not too strong,feels kinda healthy (especially the feeling to smoke 100% weed and no additives)
now,i know you are waiting for it :)
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/208/dsc04415c.jpg/
overall iam so happy about it - its just a plant !
iam looking forward to to let the blackmarket be black market and grow my own cannabis,thank you plutopete :)
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hi,iam finally posting my review (kinda) i yielded about a month ago and iam really happy that i bought these seeds ! really some magic beans.
i had two females each 30cm high,they yielded half an ounce together,its okay i didnt expected to get big yield
i was very pleased to bring this to the festivals,got much compliments for it !
well the high is good and not too strong,feels kinda healthy (especially the feeling to smoke 100% weed and no additives)
now,i know you are waiting for it :)
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/208/dsc04415c.jpg/
overall iam so happy about it - its just a plant !
iam looking forward to to let the blackmarket be black market and grow my own cannabis,thank you plutopete :)
Hey derfuchs, Sorry if you have mentioned this before but would you mind giving a quick description of your grow set up ( space, light carbon filter?) Really want to start my grow soon but as ever finances are holding me back. Want to do it really basically with just a couple of plants but my main concern is the smell. I smoke in my house so a tiny hint of bud isnt the end of the world but is I dont want the neighbors getting a fat waft of grade when their having their morning coffee :P
Great effort on the bud btw. Looks good to me
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From my experience two plants doesn't give off to much odor defiantly no more than smoking. Especially the smaller auto-flowering plants. I only ever use a small fan on my setup no carbon filters or de-odorizers and the smell isn't noticeable until you are up close to the plants.
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From my experience two plants doesn't give off to much odor defiantly no more than smoking. Especially the smaller auto-flowering plants. I only ever use a small fan on my setup no carbon filters or de-odorizers and the smell isn't noticeable until you are up close to the plants.
Thanks alot for the heads up. + 1 Encouraging news indeed. I always find growing is one those things I fantasize with the idea, but never have sufficient finances to fully commit to. It just has to be done :P
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hi,rightonion my setup was just
a window (southside),water,earth,love and very liberal parents ;)
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hi,rightonion my setup was just
a window (southside),water,earth,love and very liberal parents ;)
Ha fair enough mate, my hat goes off to you. Smell in my room isnt a massive issue I just dont want my whole house ponging and it seeping out the windows etc. Guessing 2 plants should be ok then with no filter
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hi,rightonion my setup was just
a window (southside),water,earth,love and very liberal parents ;)
7g per plant on a windowsill is pretty good, and definitely cheap to do :)
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rightonion, don't take the chance mate. I hate to be a party-pooper, but smells are one of the main causes of getting caught. A budget fan/filter setup can be had for not much money, and I recommend that you get one before you start growing. Even if it means skimping on everything else, including lighting costs, you should make airflow and smell control your number one priority.
Certain living conditions may mean that this advice can be ignored by a few of you, but on the whole, it is a bad idea to grow without odor control in place.
Now, I don't recommend this route myself, but I'll throw it out there as an alternative: You can DIY a small carbon filter setup for very cheap, using aquarium activated carbon bought from a pet store, and PC fans to pull the air through. There are a few designs on grow sites, using things like mesh pencil holders, pairs of tights etc to hold the carbon in place.
Now, the problems with this approach, and the reasons I don't recommend it are:
PC fans are not rated to handle restrictions. They may have impresive CFM numbers on them, but add any kind of restriction (bends in ducting, bottlenecks, big-ass lumps of carbon etc.) and they will slow to a crawl, or burn out quickly. This can be overcome, to some degree by stacking multiple fans on to of each other, but this has to be done carefully, and will take some degree of experimentation to find a good balance that works. Spacers must be added between fans to account for turbulence, and the fans must be fairly matched in performance. The most effective designs I have read about require at least 4 fans to overcome the CF restriction whilst still providing enough airflow to make them worthwhile.
Aquarium carbon is not the same air carbon for air filters, and it not as effective in filtering smells.
Manufactured filters use vibrating machines to pack the carbon in place properly, and reduce chances of clear air paths through the filter. It is very unlikely that you could achieve as good of a result using DIY methods.
Manufactured filters have specific ratings, generally matched to the average fan of the same duct size. When using diy solutions, you have no way of knowing whether your airflow is acheiveing the minimum contact time required for proper filtering.
Since it seems that people will always ignore the advice to use proper fan/filter setups (as did I when I first started lol), I urge you all to at least use some form of DIY setup. Any filtering is better than none at all, although doing it properly is the best way to achieve 100% smell removal, and by the time you have finished the whole DIY experimentation thing, you will have wasted money that could have been used for a proper setup from the start.
I've just got out of bed and hit the weed straight away, so the above probably just came out as a rambling pile of bollocks. ;D Hopefully some of you catch my drift though. Smell removal = Important lol.
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What sort of height do these grow to?
Really tempted to give this a shot, wardrobe is the only thing I cant beg, borrow or steal tho.
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They average approx 12 - 18 inches in a 2l pot 9 inches deep, so allow 30 inches with the pot.
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:D
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I was wondering if anyone has tried this strain with hydro or aquaponics. I've got very bad luck with some afghan/ww growing outdoors. Very slow growth and also some eggs on the back of the leafs killed my last plant. Two of them died of extreme heat, all day sunlight on a terrace killed them. Just got your Devon Maid seeds and I am going to just start one outside to see how it goes.
I've got 13 hours of daylight, and probably 5 of direct sunlight. If moving the pot, I can go up to 7 hours of direct sunlight.
I cannot grow in cabinet yet because the temperature here is always about 33-34 C, I don't know how high I would get if in a cabinet, even with CFLs and fans. My cabinet location can only be outside in a balcony where there is no sunshine, but still the temperature is a concern.
Just considering what are my options when the temperature lowers a bit in the coming months.
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For everyone worrying about height issues you can simply lst, top, or even fim the plant to keep it short and bushy. Hell you can even scrog it.
Also as a better light source then cfl's would be a t5 fluorescent bulb system. If you want to get the best light spectrum possible without heat issues then go with aquarium bulbs for your t5's or get an led system.
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If I was to grow 2 plants in a cupboard with no extractor fan, what would the smell be like? As in, would it be comparable to simply having a 1/4oz baggie in your cupboard?
Also, you said you just covered the smell with potpourri, was that enough to cover it? Cheers
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If you have the space in your cupboard it's a good idea to brew some beer or wine, the fermenting produces CO2 for your plants and the yeasty smell covers up the weed, and you get some booze :)
The smell from 2 plants wouldn't worry me in the slightest, a joss stick or air freshener would be enough.
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I was wondering if anyone has tried this strain with hydro or aquaponics. I've got very bad luck with some afghan/ww growing outdoors. Very slow growth and also some eggs on the back of the leafs killed my last plant. Two of them died of extreme heat, all day sunlight on a terrace killed them. Just got your Devon Maid seeds and I am going to just start one outside to see how it goes.
I've got 13 hours of daylight, and probably 5 of direct sunlight. If moving the pot, I can go up to 7 hours of direct sunlight.
I cannot grow in cabinet yet because the temperature here is always about 33-34 C, I don't know how high I would get if in a cabinet, even with CFLs and fans. My cabinet location can only be outside in a balcony where there is no sunshine, but still the temperature is a concern.
Just considering what are my options when the temperature lowers a bit in the coming months.
I was just about to ask the same thing. I'm doing my first batch in soil under fluorescent plant/aquarium lights, but in the long run I might do hydro. I'm super excited!
And the brew closet idea is good! I might have to get back on the home brew wagon.
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Just put them in a cup of water or get a paper towel moist and put it in that between two plates.
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What are you using as your medium?
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What are you using as your medium?
Soil.
Its quite cute that some UK seeds flew round the world to grow in Austrailian Soil. ^ __ ^
that im in the UK and smoking Canadian weed right now is a testament to SR and its majesty.
i know you only get enough for your personal supply pete, but if you ever started selling the devon maid buds on SR, im sure you would make a killing & continue with your legendary vendor status!
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What are you using as your medium?
Soil.
Its quite cute that some UK seeds flew round the world to grow in Austrailian Soil. ^ __ ^
that im in the UK and smoking Canadian weed right now is a testament to SR and its majesty.
i know you only get enough for your personal supply pete, but if you ever started selling the devon maid buds on SR, im sure you would make a killing & continue with your legendary vendor status!
+1 :)
I give praise to Ganesh every day for bringing me to SR, it's an awesome feeling to know that you've introduced 100's of new growers to the craft :)
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are you growing any UK specific strains moksha? UK cheese has got to be tasted to be believed. true one hitter quitter stuff.
only gripe about it is that no other weed gives me such a filthy stone-over. its a heavy fat bastard fo'sho. tastes unbelievable though, which is why we keep coming back.
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I'm going to start my auto grow. Very soon!
I'm going to make a New thred. I will post the link on there!
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******* NEW BATCH READY MONDAY ***********
Thanks for all the inquiries guys, I get such a buzz knowing my seeds are appreciated so much :)
The new batch are looking the best ever, and one mother has got me quite excited :)
This mother seemed to be producing odd shaped seed pods, but after harvesting it turns out that these odd shaped pods have 2 seeds in instead of one, I've never seen this happen before and I'm hoping it will mean bigger buds from the offspring.
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Anybody needing to contact me while SR is down you can email me at cyberhippy@tormail.org
I can also be contacted at sales@planetplutoheadshop.co.uk
The first batch of seeds will be ready for packaging tomorrow, hopefully SR will be back by then and I can get them listed :)
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Sounds Nice :)
i had a little CFL set up with an aeroponic unit which i built that housed 20 clones (which had to be trellessed)
;)
i used some organic nutes ( at half strength) and was able to pull out 13 oz.'s from those 20 clones, which never got over 20 inches tall :)
Awesome Thread PlutoPete ;)
i'd give ya +1 Karma if i could :P
Peace,
ChemCat
8)
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I got my seeds few days ago. Three of them split yesterday and i put them into soil.
If they start to grow I'll make few pictures.
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Hey,
How long yours took to pop out from soil?
They have been in soil for 3 days. I lightly removed the surface soil from the one pot and the seed haven't grown a bit.
Do they have to have root before going into soil or they just need to be split?
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Sorry i haven't kept up to date with this thread, I lost all my bookmarks when i updated tor :(
I like to have a bit of root showing before i plant them, but i don't know if that's any better than doing it just as they split.
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build an aeroponic clone machine ;)
4 days till fully rooted and time to place in the soil or soil-less growing medium
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just stumbled across and quite happy i did.
pluto i see your seeds are a cross breed of lowryder,now i was once told you could plant a lowryder outside and it would pretty much get everything it needs to grow and flower from the area its in,is that true?or good old porkies?
as you can tell im not experienced in the grow world what so ever,just enjoyed the occasional smoke.
if possible could you give me some info on how you would grow your seeds outdoors?
cheers theman
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Hi Man,
I suppose that's kind of true as auto's don't like too much feeding, but then most weed plants will grow if you plant them outside :)
You'd be best starting the seeds off indoors and planting out once they're sexed, so the first 3 weeks keep them on a windowsill and remove the males as they appear.
Don't plant out until after the last frost has gone, because they're only outdoors for 6 weeks of flowering you can grow 3 or 4 crops during an average summer :)
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cheers pete really want to give it ago,just not ready to attempt an indoor grow just yet
would you any recommendations on how to tackle bugs?
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Just stumbled onto this thread best read in a while. Unfortunately I could not see your grow set-up pics Pete could you upload some more. I have done a little indoor and outdoor and would love to see your set-up as it sounds completely different to ways I have done. I have a mate who builds his own LED lights for growing and for fish tanks and the light they put out is just as good as a strong halogen globe but with even less watts used than a fluro and they do not put out heat downwards onto the plants so your plants can go close to the lights. These home built lights are much better/brighter than the bought ones.
+1 Pete good job
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Try these links
http://s791.photobucket.com/user/plutopete/library/Greenery
http://s791.photobucket.com/user/plutopete/library/extreme%20macro
I'll try and get an onion gallery up :)
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Can't wait for my seeds to arrive. Still putting together the grow cabinet though. Have you had any experience or success re-generating these after harvesting? If I end up with any males, it will probably be easier to just pull some seeds but I'd like to just keep the cycle growing and keep the seeds in reserve- can't stand when a plant dies on me even if it's supposed to.
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You can't re-veg autos, nor can you take cuttings. Autos have a fixed lifespan no matter how they're grown, unlike regular weed.
This has it's plusses and it's minuses, on the plus side they will flower after 3 weeks no matter what and they can thrive under 24hr lighting, on the minus side you can't take cuttings and you can't reveg.
If you are going to make seed it's best to keep the male away until the female has developed a decent bit of bud worth fertilizing, otherwise they pollinate too early and you get a tiny amount of seeds.
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pete, really appreciate this thread - i grew in the late 60s so that should give you an idea of how long in the tooth i am. What seed strains do you currently have available - tried to read your dealer page but only saw a number of accessory items, i'm interested in your auto line
appreciate
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has anyone had any contact with plutopete in the past few days?
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I received eleven beautiful seeds on saturday. I tried to germinate five of them so far. Four are already planted as you will see. The last one takes a bit longer it seems, never mind that :)
This is my first autoflower grow, this is overall my first grow with artificial light. Everything I have read about the strain had been very promising so far so I decided to give it a shot, especially because it looks really easy (low costs) but you still have an intimate relationship with your plants :)
My set-up is, ehm, based on good economics. I use one 60W CFL bulb (24/0). I might upgrade my lighting soon, I'm thinking of 2x125W like plutpete suggests. I will also get bigger bottles, but that's the ones I had (3x 1,5l and 1x1l). I will replant them very soon so it won't be too much stress for the plants.
I simply use a cardboard box as a "grow space". I put some wood on the bottom as well to level out the box. I will put a plastic tray in there soon.
As you can see, pete, you're spreading the love all over the world :)
Here are some shots:
https://anonfiles.com/file/ce0ca35b2708ff6b86c79907846c64b1
https://anonfiles.com/file/b0b5455302a93a6b0e9386da63f7865d
https://anonfiles.com/file/32da4b33b900099bdc5f73fcf634ec44
https://anonfiles.com/file/80e160510b0d056fd8c9e366e38a88f3
So, what do you think? I really hope this works out :)
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just got an order in from pete - ordered sunday, here on friday, and that's crossing the atlantic - incredible speed on delivery
but the stealth was amazing - doubtful, even if inspected, anyone would have been the wiser - you'd have to order to understand, but my hat is definitely off to pete on that
got half the seeds in a medium now (wet paper towel) - and hoping to move them into the home made pots (empty vinyl 1.75L scotch bottles).
if i get the balls, i'll post some shots
tks pete, for a super smooth transaction
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I received eleven beautiful seeds on saturday. I tried to germinate five of them so far. Four are already planted as you will see. The last one takes a bit longer it seems, never mind that :)
This is my first autoflower grow, this is overall my first grow with artificial light. Everything I have read about the strain had been very promising so far so I decided to give it a shot, especially because it looks really easy (low costs) but you still have an intimate relationship with your plants :)
My set-up is, ehm, based on good economics. I use one 60W CFL bulb (24/0). I might upgrade my lighting soon, I'm thinking of 2x125W like plutpete suggests. I will also get bigger bottles, but that's the ones I had (3x 1,5l and 1x1l). I will replant them very soon so it won't be too much stress for the plants.
I simply use a cardboard box as a "grow space". I put some wood on the bottom as well to level out the box. I will put a plastic tray in there soon.
As you can see, pete, you're spreading the love all over the world :)
Here are some shots:
https://anonfiles.com/file/ce0ca35b2708ff6b86c79907846c64b1
https://anonfiles.com/file/b0b5455302a93a6b0e9386da63f7865d
https://anonfiles.com/file/32da4b33b900099bdc5f73fcf634ec44
https://anonfiles.com/file/80e160510b0d056fd8c9e366e38a88f3
So, what do you think? I really hope this works out :)
Nice +1 karma to you kind sir.
Got my order earlier from pete and i'm going to start my journey tomorrow.
Bit hesitant because i'm a bit unsure about my soil.
But i'm studying for days now..i feel confident.
Will also let you guys know how it goes.
PS: BIG ass images C13 :D
Looking good! 8)
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Thank you :)
What soil do you plan to use? I'm thinking of going with a soilless mix next time, seems more hygienic for the plants microclimate. (atm I just use ordinary cheap garden-center pre-fertilized soil)
Haha, BIG ass images indeed. I just reviewed them, I should probably change the size next time, they're way too big :D
I will update this post later today with new, fresh pictures. A lot happened since last time, but I don't know if it's all for good (the plants had a rough time because it was so hot here the past few days)... We'll see.
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I'm thinking of posting a complete grow journal on autoflower.net once my plant has harvested. Would anyone be interested in that?
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That would be great, would love to see that journal. Could you post on here if and when you upload it
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Coolio, I'm on day 42 so once It's all completely done I'll drop the journal in here. I pretty much have a picture at every stage (almost) too so hopefully that should give any new/potential growers an idea of what to expect
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Thanks a lot mate, I have been toying with the idea for so long now, But i have never quite found the balls to do it, mostly due to my present situation. What is your set up? Indoor outdoor? I would have to go for a stealth small scale grow so just been weighing up the aggravation of set up + expenses vs the reward :) but hmmmm the sweeet rewards ha
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okay - got a problem hoping pete or someone here has seen and can throw me some suggestions
got some seeds from pete, and another seller as well, germinated all on a paper towel under a pc of saran wrap, they all germinated fine (i sanded the tips and edges with an emory board) - the roots were maybe 1/8" to 3/16" when i moved them into some miracle gro potting soil (it's all the local hardware store had) and watered the soil well. Absolutely nothing popped above the soil - seeds had been dropped into holes about 1/2" deep, and covered with loose soil. That was 3.5 weeks ago, so i've given up on them. And i had been real gentle handling the germinated seeds, used a pair of tweezers but never really gripped the seeds, more like used the tweezers under them like chinese tongs (or whatever those chinese eating sticks are called).
BTW, i got a Hanna PH200 ph meter, and used distilled water at PH of 6.2 - 6.3
Only thing i can figure on that attempt, there had to be something in the soil - also i had sterilized the soil in the oven (we used to do that to kill any spores, insects etc - cooked it at 170F (with an accurate thermometer) for about 1 hours
alright, on this second attempt (i had held back 5 of the seeds from the two orders), i ordered some of the Grodan Rockwool, small cubes 1.5" cubed, watered them with the same ph regulated distilled water & drained them per Grodan's instructions. For those that haven't used them, the rockwool cubes have a small depression that runs down pretty deep in the center of each cube - real handy to germinate a seed. I sanded the seeds again, dropped them in the holes and wham, they took off, within 3 days had a couple breaking above the surface of the cube. They've only been in the cubes 5 days, and One of them, i noticed tonite, the white tap root has a white fuzz growing on it - looks like a mold (the holes or recesses in the wool are big enough to see down there with a flashlight. The "white mold" looks like a white hairy sausage skin, it's that even all the way around the root, and even you could say looks like a white hairy condom pulled up from the bottom tip to just below where the stalk is showing green.
Did a little research on the net, found this is a common mold, but my concern is it will or can easily spread - apparently creating a mini-greenhouse is a major culprit once the spore gets in there, ie it loves high humidity conditons etc
the recommendation on the net that i'm leaning toward, indicated baking soda (approx 1 tbsp to a gallon of water), and/or high akaline water (PH 8.0) is the way to treat (there are also some chemicals, as well as un-pasturized milk is supposed to work.
Anyone have something sure fire - i've got 5 seeds in those cubes, and figure if i can get 3 or 4 to survive AND my female rate is 2 out or 3 plants, i'll be a happy camper.
btw, pete's stealth shipping still amazes me - super job, i mean really super
thanks in advance
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okay - got a problem hoping pete or someone here has seen and can throw me some suggestions
got some seeds from pete, and another seller as well, germinated all on a paper towel under a pc of saran wrap, they all germinated fine (i sanded the tips and edges with an emory board) - the roots were maybe 1/8" to 3/16" when i moved them into some miracle gro potting soil (it's all the local hardware store had) and watered the soil well. Absolutely nothing popped above the soil - seeds had been dropped into holes about 1/2" deep, and covered with loose soil. That was 3.5 weeks ago, so i've given up on them. And i had been real gentle handling the germinated seeds, used a pair of tweezers but never really gripped the seeds, more like used the tweezers under them like chinese tongs (or whatever those chinese eating sticks are called).
Had this same problem with a few also so got one grew and it ended up being male :( going to give it another try soon hopefully i figure something out.
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i went ahead and used an eyedropper to hit it with some distilled water with some baking soda mixed in - the baking soda was kinda heavier than the 1 tbsp to a gallon ratio, more like 1/8 teaspoon to 3 ounces, but damn, came back couple hours later, and the white fuzz had totally disappeared but the small, (tiny actually), cotylodon (not sure i got that spelling right) leaves looked like they were wilted - so i hit it with some distilled water that had been regulated to PH 6.2 and this morning it's looking back to normal
one of the other recommendations on the web was to use akalinized water, ie PH 8.0 - what i used was probably Ph16+
but all's fine this morning
btw, i went thru a couple of PH meters - the cheap ones on amazon are a joke, could never get a consistent reading, even when using the test solutions (they sell bottles of water adusted to a few different PH standards, 7.01 PH seems to be the choice folks use to calibrate their PH meter. I went with a HM PH200 digital meter, and even it, between uses, needs some calibration. Regulating the PH was something we never did, back years ago, but i saw what it did (in terms of beneficial) to my lawn.
And, for the record, only reason i went with a digital meter - testing the water that runs out of a pot with those color chart tests isn't very good, when the dirt affects the color of the water and therefore the test
fwiw
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24 hours later, seedling treated w/baking solution is doing fine
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Hey fellas!
I'm myself blessed with sprouted seedlings of 2 days old.
Pete instructions are super.
I lightly sanded the seeds like Pete describes.
But i have not soaked them over 12-24 hours.
Probably did 6 TOPS if it wasn't less.
Also i do not bother with germinating in papertowels.
I have germinated directly into the soil from my soda pop bottles.
(Next run will be in a bigger pot to maximize yield if i do well with my current first time grow.
I did this after reading the instructions from mandalaseeds website that have convinced me.
They give plenty of reasons why they do not reccomend it and i love how they try to stick to the basics.
They also don't try to promote fancy smancy stuff in regards to soil and other equipment in their guide pretty much like Pete himself and this particular strain.They explain how cannabis has always grown in nature and why certain popular recommandations could potentially harm the germinating of seeds/growth of plants.
Will update with picture in a few days..
Hope i'll pull this off..fingers crossed :).
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okay - got a problem hoping pete or someone here has seen and can throw me some suggestions
Did a little research on the net, found this is a common mold, but my concern is it will or can easily spread - apparently creating a mini-greenhouse is a major culprit once the spore gets in there, ie it loves high humidity conditons etc
btw, pete's stealth shipping still amazes me - super job, i mean really super
Hey Tbart,
check the guide i mentioned before out :
http://www.mandalaseeds.com/Guides/Germination-Guide
Be careful where you get information on the net.
There's alot of parrots talking out of their asses out there.
Like in any business if they're are not trying to sell you snake oil ,they will try to promote certain products as if they were indispensable/irreplacable.
Like the toothpaste business ;D.
I also love their soil guide,i'm not familiar with the one you mentioned as i'm from the eu..but mandalaseeds guide recommended universal potground.(they go into detail with what it should contain,details are adapted to EU and USA :)).
I truelly recommend to stick to information that "keeps it real" :D and just stick to the basics.
Check/download videos too.Youtube has appearantly many good stuff but with petes reccomendations and tips from the mandala guide you should be good.
Btw with your soil ,did you saturate it with water day before putting your seeds in them?
That's a little thing i picked up from the jorge cervantes dvd's.
I read some experienced growers deem the dvd's inferior to his books.
other then the usual promotion of fancy smancy products it is pretty ok..thou very basic.
Good if you are a visual learner,helped me understand pete's guide and others better.
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This may not be the place but fuck it i cant find a review thread....
About a month ago i bought scales and other supplies from PlutoPetes there was a minor problem with the scales never asked for a refund i asked how do i fix it it's prob just setting or something and the stand up vendor he is said sorry about that give me your address and a reship made it fully functional best customer service going...
Also recently i have been in a bad situation nutting to do with SR or any vendor and i asked PlutoPetes and he was very helpful and helped me out went out of his way for me tbh i like people like this genuine threw business man keep it brother and thanks again