Day 47 and all still seems to be rollin along. Another 3 weeks of wondering, worrying, wanting and waiting. LOL

My defective fan controller has been received, checked out, and a replacement is on it's way! This morning I hear a clicking noise and it turns out that one of my oscillating room fans has crapped out! Seems that I am constantly buying something..... Not bitchin, just hoping it will be worth it... I know equipment will fail and I can't have a spare everything....or I'd build a second system and have a bigger garden...hahahaha

The girls are doing good, not seeing any real reason for concern... The buds are slowly gaining a little size and the overall plants seem to have gained a little height. I have my lights raised to the max...so my next worry will be the tips getting too close and bleaching if I don't do a little LSTing this weekend. I will measure before starting, but willing to bet the tallest has hit 40"!!! I am seeing a few leaves droopy and falling off from the bottom of the plants....and I do mean falling off(by themselves...lol). But given the height of my girls and the penetration of the LEDs....who can't do the math?

Wish me luck in the next couple to three weeks....

Looking at the calendar, I decided I needed to start prepping for the next grow. I am thinking my girls are slow, so I am allowing 3 more full weeks to finish, then a week of cleaning, flushing, mods & re-assembly. Last night I went into the mother tent and filled my 36 site cloner, from ONE STRAIN of mothers. I now have it in a separate area, under it's own HO T5, on a timer, set for 18/6. Still not sure what strain it is, but at least they will all be the same....and it may help me narrow down which of the 3 it is?? But should at least make for a more manageable grow....

I am thinking about the week of 8/19 is when I will shoot for starting....still debating whether to do half or whole...but at least I have half started...

Happy!

Day 49...WOW! Getting close. Only 2-3 weeks to go...and all seems well... Ph has been at 5.8...ppm is 1090-1100. RH has been 50-53%. My replacement fan controller came and is already installed...so ambient temps will be easier to hold. The girls seem happy....if they will just fatten up those buds we will both be happy!

I've started planning and prepping for the next attempt. I decided rather than battling with the huge monsters I'm gonna go the other way. Thinking I am going to fill every site and flip to 12/12 when 6-8". Hoping that will limit the largest to 20-24" at finish and be most all bud. This weekend I took 80+ clips from the first set of mothers (so I know they will all be the same strain) and filled two 36 site cloners. If I can get 60 to sprout I will be ready for 2nd round in about 3-4 weeks.

If I get all my stuff done I will try to snap a few pics under CFL this evening....

Happy

If you're filling every site you might want to flip sooner to avoid overcrowding. How far is each site from center to center?

I think they are 7.5 c-c.

I will flip them sooner if needed...I want small, compact plants....large enough to be crowded, but not over-crowded and to have a descent yield... If the tallest finish 15-18" and are mostly bud that would be great. So maybe 6" for the largest when I flip em?? And as luck would have it, I think that this is the fastest, largest growing strain of the 3..... so maybe 5"??

As long as they have roots dropping from the net-pot, can ya flip them too soon?

Happy

7.5" on center is pretty close. I wouldn't go over 6" and, no, as long as the clones come from a mature mother they can be flipped as soon as they are rooted. Many SOG growers do just that; root and flip. Some veg for a few days...some don't.

Because I know these girls grow big, I am not taking chances.....they will go to 12/12 as soon as they have roots....

That's actually not the worst thing that you could do. If you find that you have too much open canopy that way, then you can veg that strain a little longer next time to fill in the open area but overcrowding is worse, imho.

I think that high density SOG *may* be the best way to get the most out of LED lighting.

Please explain High Density SOG.
I have a 2.5X3 grow area, will be using the SS400, should be here next week.
I am planning a 4 plant SCROG in 3 gallon Smart Pots, but it is not to late to change.
Will need your help!

SME, I am glad you got your COW up and going again, I am have a hell of a time with my bins due to the heat.
I have harvested about 4 gallons of casting to date, not near enough.

SOG = Sea Of Green
ScrOG = Screen Of Green

They both basically try to achieve a mostly level and full canopy to maximize yield by getting as many flower sites under the intense light as possible.

The biggest difference is the number of plants and veg time which leads to the pros and cons of each method.

A SCROG grow uses one or more *larger* plants that have been vegged long enough to train the branches and flower sites under a screen to provide an even and full canopy.

A SOG (either low or high density) uses more, *smaller* plants but little to no veg time to achieve the same thing. A low density SOG will have about 1 plant/sqft (in flower) whereas a high density SOG will be more like 4 plants per sqft...in flower. It's basically a bunch of main colas with a few side flowers.


A SOG has less/no veg time and eliminates the screen training and most/all of the pruning required by SCROG but you need more plants which also means more cloning and potentially more risk if johnny-law visits you.

A SCROG uses less plants which means less risk (depending on state laws and number of plants) and less cloning but you have to work more to train and prune and you have a bigger expense for the longer vegging time.


*I* believe that HD SOG is probably better under LED because of the reduced plant size so the LED penetration issues are minimized.


There are pros and cons for virtually every growing decision we make...

I just passed the 7 week mark and the girls are doing good. Buds are gaining some size...except the lower parts of the plants, which I knew was going to happen because of their size....but they are loaded on the upper two thirds! Now they just need to swell up...and I think they have a lot of promise.

Having the magnums hanging at opposite ends seem to be helping...now only the depth is lacking, but that is understandable...live & learn. I have ZERO experience with HPS, but would they penetrate a thick, 40" tall grow?

Anyway, two and a half weeks to finish on the calendar, not much to do but watch & wait.....anxiously!!

Happy