LED Grow Light Forum

Hey all, I'm back for my third journal! After my 2nd journal here, the LA Confidential, I wasn't able to document my Kush grow due to serious back complications that kept me pretty heavily medicated....thankfully my girlfriend was kind enough to take over for me, with amazing results. Silver lining and all.

For those who aren't familiar with me, I'm a medical cannabis user who only grows Indica, usually from seed, and love the high CBD strains. I grow in a Fox Farms soilless mix, 50/50 Ocean Forest and Happy Frog to start with. Over time, I have amended this with earthworm castings and dolomite lime....For my last 2 grows, I did a thorough weeklong purge with pure RO, harvested, pulled out the root ball, and then reused the mix...this is the third grow this way.

I use a 2*3 closet in a spare bedroom with the SS400, and depending on the time of year, I use a humidifier, a de-humidifier, a ceramic heater, central air and 2 fans to maintain a very steady temperature and RH. I have an in-closet shelf set-up, which is very nice for keeping the canopy at the right level under the light...for me, I like them between 12-18 inches away.





This grow, I have selected the following Indica strains...back from my first grow, a tasty Blueberry



Returning from my last grow, CBD Magma, a sweet, very heavy bud producer with high CBD and high THC..



Also from my last grow, Critical Kush...very aromatic and a heavy stone. Great for sleeping...



And finally, a new lady called Fruity Chronic Juice...so far she's looking a little weak...



I began 13 days ago using the warm, wet paper towel in a Tupperware container method until the seeds sprouted, which took 5 days to get to a healthy size, ready to plant. Last week, I planted them in my mix that was soaked with water and SuperThrive, and covered them in plastic wrap to maintain moisture. I removed the wrap after they grew enough and began misting them with pure RO. This is what they look like 8 days after sprouting. Yesterday, I began watering them with 1/3 strength Pureblend pro grow, CalMag and Superthrive in RO...they look pretty happy to me, other than the Fruity Chronic Juice seeming a bit slower to get going.

I do have a question about the UV lights...I noticed this last grow that the visible "frosty" trich development seemed to drop off a bit...do these UV tube lights need to be replaced after 1 year of constant use, or are they ok as long as they come on?

That's about it this time, thanks for visiting! Any comments, questions or associated thoughts always welcomed!
Thanks, ICB

ICB,

glad to see one of the old crew back!

i'll be checking out the grow for sure. i think i read on a reptile site that these 10.0 UV bulbs last for 12 months and have a range of 22 inches. i've seen them for around $15 online. now that you mentioned it, i need to swap mine out for some new ones that I have.

good luck! i've got a journal going in the non CLW grow log. got one pretty close to harvest.

RKY

Welcome back ICB!

Replacing the UVB bulb at least once a year sounds like good maintenance to me...

Hey Guys, thanks for the views and the welcoming comments..I am going to order the lights from CLW tomorrow, thanks for the recommendation. It does makes sense....speaking of that, don't they say that the actual LED's last 4-5 years before beginning to lose strength?

I love weekly journaling, comparing the amazing growth from last week. I believe an experiment I made this time worked well. When I initially planted these, I only half filled the containers...after the pictures last weekend, I removed each plant, filled the bottoms of the pots with soil mixed with Superthrive, light food and RO, and sat the plants back in with a little fresh soil around and on them as well.

They, well, seemed to have appreciated the attention!

Family Shot at day 21


Blueberry..very lush, already aromatic!


CBD Magma


Critical Kush...no need to top this baby, as she seems to split 2-3 times automatically...2nd time I have seen this strain do this, same seed package.


Fruity Chronic Juice...still the baby of the family, but finally showing some promise!


Feeding full strength every other day starting tomorrow...first topping in about 3-4 days I think...

Feedback, thoughts and comments welcomed as always !
ICB

Those look nice and healthy!

Hey All, time for my weekly update. Day 28 today...temps steady around 80, RH steady between 55-65...Feeding every third day. I topped the Blueberry and the CBD Magma today as they were starting to get tall.


I didn't need to top the Critical Kush, as this genetic line bushed out again into 3 stalks as I hope you can see here...


Here is the Fruity Chronic Juice...staying very low and bushy, very dense with the absolute minimum vertical growth between nodes...can barely even see into it. I cut some back today, and saw that the sprout came out at an angle...maybe that is why it is growing slowly? Should I try to adjust this when I re-pot these next week?



Finally, I inherited an orphan from a friend...a Purple Wreck or Purple Wrecking Crew? Took awhile to get used to the light, but she seems to be coming around.


Finally, these are the tops...CBD Magma on the left, and Blueberry on the right...I am going to see if I can get them to root and will keep them as mothers, as I really like these genetics. They are sitting in water dosed with Superthrive...I will add the rooting hormone to them in the next day or two and put them into soil.



Any feedback, thoughts, recommendations or questions welcomed as always!
Thanks,
ICB!

I do see what looks like some margin curling/rams horn, keep an eye on the basics: pH, RH, temps, etc...

Thanks SME...good eye, you saw it before I did for sure. Today is day 37....After a review of everything, I found it to be a combination of numerous little things accumulating to really become a major issue. The runoff was too hot, my RO filter was going and the "RO" water I had recently used hadn't been perfect, and they were getting root bound.

They got worse before getting better...I replaced my RO filter and transplanted them four days ago into their final 5 gallon pots...I also did a full flush followed by a mild (1/3 strength) feeding...and they are now looking a lot better. Some nute burn on 2 of the plants, mostly on old growth...the rest look good (I think?)...

In this family shot, you can see they are all about 11-12 inches tall with a pretty even canopy so far...obviously the 2 weeks after I flip will be the true test.


Blueberry is looking good, except those 2 old leaves on the lower right


The Critical Kush looks the worst to me...still quite a few yellow leaves and tips


The Fruity Chronic Juice remains extremely short and dense, with dark green, super wide flat leaves...


The Purple Wrecking Crew clone I got from a friend, has successfully made the transition despite some stretching, and is showing pre-flowers...


For some reason, I don't seem to have a picture of the CBD Magma...weird...but she's looking really good...

I plan to flip to 12/12 this weekend...around day 42 from planting the sprouted seeds.

Thanks for the views, and as always, questions, thoughts and feedback welcomed!
ICB

Hey ICB,

Good luck on your grow, looking gr8 right now.
I have a grow going, not as far along as you hope to be going 12/12 mid Sept.
Keep checking on ya, later

GR

Overall they look fine and it seems like you have it handled. Keep on keeping on.