First Grow - Critical Mass X Northern Lights Auto

[disco survivor]

This is my Auto grow at 25 days (from the day the seeds went into the sandwich bag for germination)

 

Quite a few years ago I visited a good mate of mine who's a professional grower (Tomato's and Cucumbers under glass). He explained their growing system, growing medium and watering/ feeding regime which I adopted straight away and have never looked back. I'm using exactly the same system for my first cannabis grow as the characteristic of a cannabis plant seem very similar to a tomato plant (Indeterminate). The growing system my mate uses is an inverted "T" set up. The growing pots are open ended and sat on a prepared bed of the same growing medium. The reasoning behind it relates the height of the plant when fully mature. At 6 ft tall, an Indeterminate tomato plant needs a very stable and secure root system. To achieve this, the plants root system will first extend deep into the soil before spreading out (inverted "T" similar to a patio umbrella base). If the plant is restricted in this activity, it's been proven (onsite comparison testing as well as published data) that the yield from the plant will be reduced. They used to use just the prepared bed method (in the form of commercial grow bags) that allowed the roots to spread but not penetrate deep enough and found that adding an open ended growing pot on top of the bed (or grow bag) increased yields by 25% on average.
I'm going to propagate one of the plants and run a test grow to see if this growing method does make any difference (one grown in a fabric pot and the other using the inverted "T" growing set up). 

As for feeding, I'm using a combination of Miracle Grow liquid vegetable feed and a basic liquid tomato feed (50:50) and watering an hour before sunset, twice a week. There is a very important reason for watering just before nightfall but I can't remember why.

Not sure the image is any help regarding where you should be in the growing cycle as I'm not growing the same strain as you.  

 

[jiujitsupigface]

1 hour ago, disco survivor said:

This is my Auto grow at 25 days (from the day the seeds went into the sandwich bag for germination)

 

Quite a few years ago I visited a good mate of mine who's a professional grower (Tomato's and Cucumbers under glass). He explained their growing system, growing medium and watering/ feeding regime which I adopted straight away and have never looked back. I'm using exactly the same system for my first cannabis grow as the characteristic of a cannabis plant seem very similar to a tomato plant (Indeterminate). The growing system my mate uses is an inverted "T" set up. The growing pots are open ended and sat on a prepared bed of the same growing medium. The reasoning behind it relates the height of the plant when fully mature. At 6 ft tall, an Indeterminate tomato plant needs a very stable and secure root system. To achieve this, the plants root system will first extend deep into the soil before spreading out (inverted "T" similar to a patio umbrella base). If the plant is restricted in this activity, it's been proven (onsite comparison testing as well as published data) that the yield from the plant will be reduced. They used to use just the prepared bed method (in the form of commercial grow bags) that allowed the roots to spread but not penetrate deep enough and found that adding an open ended growing pot on top of the bed (or grow bag) increased yields by 25% on average.
I'm going to propagate one of the plants and run a test grow to see if this growing method does make any difference (one grown in a fabric pot and the other using the inverted "T" growing set up). 

As for feeding, I'm using a combination of Miracle Grow liquid vegetable feed and a basic liquid tomato feed (50:50) and watering an hour before sunset, twice a week. There is a very important reason for watering just before nightfall but I can't remember why.

Not sure the image is any help regarding where you should be in the growing cycle as I'm not growing the same strain as you.  

 

Thanks for that information, The T method sounds interesting. I'll have to try this with my tomatoes and cannabis next year. I definitely feel like I'm a bit behind but I did transplant and also fry the seedlings within a few days so they likely needed to recover from the stress of this.

Once you've cropped, I'd be very interested to see the root system that has developed!  

I'm not sure what to expect with this strain as I can't find any diaries for NL x Critical. I have around 20 spare seeds so it would be good if I could give some of these away to someone who knows what they're doing! That way I could compare results etc. 

[disco survivor]

Just now, jiujitsupigface said:

Thanks for that information, The T method sounds interesting. I'll have to try this with my tomatoes and cannabis next year. I definitely feel like I'm a bit behind but I did transplant and also fry the seedlings within a few days so they likely needed to recover from the stress of this.

Once you've cropped, I'd be very interested to see the root system that has developed!  

I'm not sure what to expect with this strain as I can't find any diaries for NL x Critical. I have around 20 spare seeds so it would be good if I could give some of these away to someone who knows what they're doing! That way I could compare results etc. 

Will definitely post images of the root system when I've finished the grow

[jiujitsupigface]

Day 27:

No 2:
She is growing nicely, not much to report here. I'm not sure If I should be planning on some type of support for her? I read this on a different site - "Due to the weight of its humongous colas, its branches may bend and break as it dances with the wind."

 

 

No 3 (Day 13):

Progressing nicely although still looking skinny compared to No 2 at this stage. 

 

 

Questions:

1. I'd like to LST No 3. From research, I think it would be best to do this when she is roughly the same size as No 2?
2. When should I be adding nutrients? I'm using Biobizz all-mix so I know I'm okay for a good few weeks. What signs should I be looking for? I'm going to use Biobixx grow, bloom and top max (unless anyone advises against them)

[jiujitsupigface]

Day 32:

 

No 2:

 

She's still growing, although somewhat slower than before. More than likely due to the crap weather we've been having. I've noticed some white spots on the leaves, any idea what these could be? They look like eggs in the picture but they aren't. I can't see any signs of pests and nothing has changed with their care.

 

 

No 2 Spots:

 

No 3 (Day 18) :

 

Still growing and also suffering from the same white spots.

 

[OldFord]

Hi mate ,  im struggling a tad to see today but looks to be capsid bugs just having a little munch        More a PITA than detrimental to the plant !

 

A few sprays of your choice bug spray and she should leave things alone        

 

The plants look healthy and coming along ,  the new growth seems happy ,    keep pushing on and all the best with them mate. 

[jiujitsupigface]

16 hours ago, OldFord said:

Hi mate ,  im struggling a tad to see today but looks to be capsid bugs just having a little munch        More a PITA than detrimental to the plant !

 

A few sprays of your choice bug spray and she should leave things alone        

 

The plants look healthy and coming along ,  the new growth seems happy ,    keep pushing on and all the best with them mate. 

Thanks mate, that's a relief to hear! Do you have any recommendations on what to use/not use? I've seen mixed comments on here when searching. Ideally, I'd like to keep it somewhat natural. I read that garlic spray is great but I worry it would be detrimental to my veg plants in the garden. I also have neem oil on hand from when my monstera had a bad thrip infection. If I can avoid neem oil that would be good as the smell triggers some form of PTSD  plus I read that it can affect the taste of the smoke but I assume that is if you apply whilst flowering.

Thanks in advance. 

[OldFord]

32 minutes ago, jiujitsupigface said:

Thanks mate, that's a relief to hear! Do you have any recommendations on what to use/not use? I've seen mixed comments on here when searching. Ideally, I'd like to keep it somewhat natural. I read that garlic spray is great but I worry it would be detrimental to my veg plants in the garden. I also have neem oil on hand from when my monstera had a bad thrip infection. If I can avoid neem oil that would be good as the smell triggers some form of PTSD  plus I read that it can affect the taste of the smoke but I assume that is if you apply whilst flowering.

Thanks in advance. 

 

My Mrs does lots of flower / plants  / shrubs / fruit  / veg in her tidy section ,  im in the untidy / wild section behind my workshop ,   she swears by Richard Jacksons products and i can see the effects as her plants look on point,  quite a few growers on here seem to be using it too.

I find the richard jacksons  bug & mildew spray .... poss now called protect & nourish !    To be quite effective , all natural and leaves no taint 

The Flower Power & easy feed from the same range seem very effective , all my roses get it and my lillies ,  basically all my smell defence plants and all seem good.   

RJ has his own site and qvc shopping ch regularly feature it and can do some wicked deals on/ off.   

[jiujitsupigface]

3 minutes ago, OldFord said:

 

My Mrs does lots of flower / plants  / shrubs / fruit  / veg in her tidy section ,  im in the untidy / wild section behind my workshop ,   she swears by Richard Jacksons products and i can see the effects as her plants look on point,  quite a few growers on here seem to be using it too.

I find the richard jacksons  bug & mildew spray .... poss now called protect & nourish !    To be quite effective , all natural and leaves no taint 

The Flower Power & easy feed from the same range seem very effective , all my roses get it and my lillies ,  basically all my smell defence plants and all seem good.   

RJ has his own site and qvc shopping ch regularly feature it and can do some wicked deals on/ off.   

That's some great information, thank you very much! I'll take a look for some RJ products! 

[jiujitsupigface]

Day 37:

 

No 2:

She's continuing to grow nicely, I've started some LST and she looks to be responding nicely. She's also starting to smell beautiful! 

 

No 3 (Day 23):
She's growing rapidly, at a faster rate than No 2. I will be looking to LST her in a week or so.

 

[jiujitsupigface]

Day 44:

No 2:
She's continuing to grow well. The weather appears to have slowed down the growth but I kept putting the plants in and out of the greenhouse over the weekend as and when the sun was shining. This morning she seemed to have shot up. Either that or from the nutrients I've started to use. I ordered a two-pack of Biobizz Grow and Bloom but they accidentally sent me a three-pack, meaning I also have some Top-Max. I'm going to follow the Biobizz schedule but feed only half the recommended dosage and adjust if necessary. Yesterday both plants received a half dosage of Grow.

In other news, I think she's started to flower! 

LST appears to be going well.

 

 

 

Are these pistils starting to form? assuming they are, am I right to start feeding with the Biobizz Bloom and Top-Max?
 

 

 

No 3 (Day 30):

She has also seen some LST and is responding well. I gave her some Grow yesterday so I will keep an eye on her and adjust if necessary.




Thanks for reading guys. As you can probably tell, I'm just winging it for my first grow! It definitely has become addictive, I'm already planning next years grow 

[jiujitsupigface]

Day 51:

 

No 2:

She's continuing to grow well. Because she's started flowering I've begun to add Biobizz Bloom and Top-Max along with the Grow (all at half doses). Other than the obvious difference in size, the only change appears to be the colour of the leaves. The images don't show it as well as in person but the centre of the leaves are a brighter green with the outside being darker. I'm not sure if this is to be expected. I can't see any signs of nutrient burn.  

I've also given her a thorough coating of Richard Jacksons Bug & Mildew spray. Thank you @OldFord for the recommendation.

 

 

No 3 (Day 37):

More of the same here. She's younger than her older sister but she started flowering a few days after No 2 so she is receiving the same nutrients.

 

 

I'm hoping for some nice weather soon! This rain is a killer! They are protected by the greenhouse but the humidity must be crazy!

[OldFord]

All coming along nicely mate         Every chance you get ... throw them out iin the elements , lets the wind at them and helps build up a tougher plant & stringer laterals.

 

Leving in situ may lead to lesser development on the lats , meaning they may struggle with the weight of whats to come

 

Strart removing any fans blocking air or light  ,  not all , just any offending that will increase your odds on a win       And your def winning !!

 

All the best with them mate

[jiujitsupigface]

1 hour ago, OldFord said:

All coming along nicely mate         Every chance you get ... throw them out iin the elements , lets the wind at them and helps build up a tougher plant & stringer laterals.

 

Leving in situ may lead to lesser development on the lats , meaning they may struggle with the weight of whats to come

 

Strart removing any fans blocking air or light  ,  not all , just any offending that will increase your odds on a win       And your def winning !!

 

All the best with them mate

Thanks for the reply mate, I'm glad to hear that they're coming along well. Everywhere I look I see other people's grows that look to be performing better than mine.

Prior to all the rain, they were spending all day out in the open but I'm lucky to be able to give them 30 mins without a downpour at the minute. I'll definitely try to kick them out of the greenhouse as much as possible, the Critical Mass part of the strain can apparently contribute to some heavy buds so good point regarding the weight! Worst case scenario I suppose I could always add in some canes or a scrog.

Slugs appear to be helping me with the removal of fan leaves  but I'll take a proper look at the weekend when I adjust the LST.

Thanks for the advice mate.  

[disco survivor]

@jiujitsupigface Got any of these (cabbage White Butterfly) around the garden? If so and they are literally bouncing off plant leaves (not resting on them) then they are laying eggs. I've had an issue with cabbage white butterfly on the cannabis plants. Caterpillars sample parts of the leaf (leaving holes in the leaf) then fall off (presumably some toxicity in the leaf). However, some stay on the plant and devour a good part of the leaf (some form of resistance?). I did some research and cabbage white butterflies are becoming an increasing threat to organic hops farmers (hemp family). Looks like you have a couple of other pest issues as well, one of which looks like leaf miner. Is your green food/ garden wheelie bin anywhere near your greenhouse? Diptera (flies) are a major source of leaf miner grubs.