cweed.me

Author: cweed

  • Attempt 2 – part 2

    After 22 hours of soaking in the water and HP solution, I moved three seeds to the soil that I’ve been messing with for the last day. It is still reading 7 in most places, even though I put several times more than the instructions said to. I’m starting to think I just got some crappy soil at this point, or something I’m adding is canceling out. I have four more seeds to continue germinating another way while I research soils some more. I may just have to have some of the fancy stuff shipped I guess.

    One of the Dream Queen seeds sank when I moved them, so I planted that one. You can’t germinate a sunk seed. Also, since it dropped, there is a good chance that means the

    I’m leaving the other Dream Queen in the water, along with Blueberry Muffin. Super High Life and Banana Melt I moved to a paper towel on the heating mat. The Banana Melt had a tap root, so hopefully I didn’t kill it moving it. I’ll check them about 12 hours from now when I get up for work.

  • Attempt 2

    Just kind of winging it on Attempt 1 has left me with one pathetic looking seedling. So this time I’m going to prep the soil better, and possibly just start the seeds in soil instead of a paper towel.

    So, for right now I’ve got four shot glasses which are soaking the seeds in a 0.5% hydrogen peroxide and water solution. This is where I made my first mistake last time. I soaked them in 4 parts water and 1 part HP, instead of 5 parts water and 1 part HP. I’m not sure if that is the cause of my issue, but it certainly did not help.

    I’ve got the heating pad set to 72 right now.

    Soil

    Here is a gallery of the soil products I bought to adjust the soil PH and feed the little twats.

    The base soil is testing at PH 7.1. I’d like the low 6’s, so I’m adding acidifier. My container is 12 QT – 15 1/2 x 11 1/4 x 5 1/2. Filling it about 2 inches, I’ve got the calculations below:

    (15.5/12)*(11.25/12)*( 2/12) = 0.1666 cubic feet

    The soil acidifier says a lot on the back, but the only somewhat help thing they say is “Apply 12lbs per 100 square feet for each one point reduction in soil PH desired.

    (12*454g)/100 = 54.48g per sqft.

    *0.1666 cubic feet = 9g of product.

    So I added 11g of the stuff because it was a little more than 2in full, and I’m adding some other stuff. I also added a couple cups of earthworm castings, a couple tbsp of the plant food, and some perlite to regulate moisture.

    An astute reader would probably realize(as I did an hour later), that the acidifier gave measurements in sqft, but I calculated things in .166 cubic feet. So, in square feet I actually have .94, which changes my calculations for the acidifier quite a bit. For the moment, I’m letting the soil chill for a while, and I’ll test again to see how much more I need to add.

  • Lighting

    I moved my seeds to the tent before work today, so I can test things out. The heating pad is still set to 75, but it doesn’t’ appear to be as effective in this cold and dry basement.

    The sensor on the fan is only reading 69f after the heating pad being on a few hours. The light is on at 100% for the past 30 minutes. It’s not looking like the light will add much heat. I may be ordering a heater/humidifier.

  • Germination – Sanitize

    I’m running out of vacation time so the plan to wait until I have everything is toast. Since I’m growing his weed, I’m using a germination technique he wrote about on his blog.

    The first step is to soak the seeds in 5 parts water, one part hydrogen peroxide. A pill organizer makes a perfect container for this. Then keep them on a heating pad set to 75f for 12 to 18 hours. I purchased a heating pad with a temperature probe designed for seeds on amazon for like $15. I’ve read several articles and forums on this subject and half the people say the sanitize step isn’t needed. I’ve sprouted seeds before, but I just took some seeds and left them in a paper towel for a couple days. That was with shitty mexican brick-weed, and I’m not trying to grow that, so I’m listening to the experts.

  • Seeds

    I did hours of research before deciding to go with Humboldt Seed Company for my first grow. Basically it came down to reputation. They have been in business since 2001, with the legalization of medical in California. There are several large breeders online, and since the seeds contain less than 0.3% THC, they are completely legal to sell. I did find some posts talking about finding breeders on instagram and waiting for a “drop”. I looked into one of the recommended breeders in Missouri, and while the seeds are half the price, the transaction itself seemed more trouble than it was worth. Cash only, no shipping until they’ve received your cash in a nondescript birthday card with no return address sort of shit.

    Strains

    I have a 3.3×3.3 tent, so I think I’ll try and do six plants this first time, maybe. The site guarantees germination, but I’d rather have a backup seed incase I kill some. The subject of determining how much space you need is complicated indeed. This may come back to bite me in the ass considering how many times I read “and if you’re growing multiple strains together this may complicate…” whatever. So, I’ve gone with a Sativa dominant, Indica Dominant, and a designer hybrid strain by Ed Rosenthal called Super High Life. The kit I have came with a timer, so I went with feminized photoperiod plants.

    Hybrid – Super High Life

    Flowering Time: 55 days

    link

    Sativa – Dream Queen

    Flowering Time: 45 days

    link

    Indica – Blueberry Muffin

    Flowering Time: 45 days

    link

  • Research

    Just a place to organize links.

    Information about kit

    Youtube video about a Marshydro kit very similar to the one I bought.

    Video on how to setup a grow tent kit.

    Automation

    ESPGarden – GitHub page where a person made their own garden software with the ESP32.

  • The Setup

    I purchased this kit from Grow Lights depot.

    • FC-E3000 LED Grow Light (300W)
    • 3.3’x3.3′ Indoor Grow Tent
    • 4” Inline Fan
    • 4” Carbon Filter
    • Clip Fan
    • 25′ Duct Tube
    • Timer
    • 4 pcs of 5 gallon Grow Bags
    • Plant Nets
    • Hygrometer
    • 6-inch Scissors
    • Glasses
    • 3 Duct Clamps