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ReikoX's First Grow

ReikoX

Knight of the BlackSvn
2015.09.18

I think next grow I will trim after they dry for a few days. The drying seemed to happen too fast in 2.5 days. Humidity was an issue at 30-40%RH. I tried to raise it by using containers of water and air stones, but could only get it to max out at 47%RH.

The main stem was snapping and they were dry on the outside so I cut them off of the main stem and put them in jars with some cheap Pet Co humidity gauges. If they are too humid after a few hours, I will move them to paper bags to dry some more.
IMG_20150918_110108.025.jpg
Still haven't weighed anything, but looks like I may hit the 2oz goal or at least close to it.
IMG_20150918_162519.300.jpg
Humidity went above 70%RH so they went back into the bags for another day.

I had quick dried a small bottom bud of each plant and brought it over to my brother's house. We sampled all and agreed "Two" was the keeper. We will repeat this in a couple of weeks after the cure.

2015.09.19

IMG_20150919_124746.830.jpg
Back into the jars. I went ahead and weighed it now, will see how much gets lost to moisture.
Stamah 16g + 17g = 33g
Dutch 14g + 16g = 30g
Two 19g + 16g = 35g
Total 98g.
The light is about 105 actual watts, if this is the final weight then I will be at .93333 grams per watt. We will see in a couple of weeks.

This far exceeded what I thought I was going to get (around 1 1/2 oz) and the quality is there. They are not hard dense buds, but they are potent and spell lovely.

2015.09.20

Checked on the cure today. Dutch is only at 50% RH. Her airy foxtail buds dried way too fast and it looks like I missed the "cure zone". Stahma and "Two" are both at 60% RH a little low but should still cure.
 

ReikoX

Knight of the BlackSvn
Reflections

Reflections

2015.09.21

In this section I'm going to go over some of the things I think I did wrong this grow, or things that I would do better next grow.

The build:

I wouldn't use the sound board next time, I would use MDF. It's more expensive, but the loudest sounds came from the exhaust, not inside the cabinet. Perhaps if I run the exhaust outside it would be quieter? Or maybe I need to look into building an muffler? As it is now, it's loud but can't be heard with the door closed to the room.

The false bottom on the cabinet didn't stop the light as much as I had hoped. I should have taken the time to do a proper light trap.

I didn't install the thermostat circuit. I don't think it mattered too much because the low temps never went below 77*F so I doubt it would have even kicked in. I need to get this installed before winter though.

I needed more light. The build was originally designed to use a 250w MH/HPS light. I got a really good deal on the 180w LED so I bought it without doing any research. I think the LED performed great, but the specs are MAX wattage not ACTUAL wattage. So basically I went from 250w to about 105w. A second light will get me to 210w and I can lower them closer and still get full coverage.

Vegetative growth:

I started my grow too early. I started my plants as soon as I got my card, but the cabinet wasn't even close to being ready. In a way it was a good motivator, but in the end it just ended up adding more work. I had build a small tote to veg, that cost some money and time

I started way too many plants for my first run. I wasted a lot of effort and money (soil, containers, nutrients, etc) on them. Everything got too crowded and I ended up tossing a lot of plants after veg.

I need to transplant sooner. I have waited too long on several of the plants before transplanting and they were getting root bound.

I needed to get them under the screens sooner. Because there were so many and how long it took me to build them, the plants were not under the screen at all during veg. They should have been in the pots sooner and trained under the screen as they grew instead of being bent, twisted and shoved under there.

I needed to top them more. I only topped once (Uncle Ben's Topping), but for under the screen I should have topped them three or more times.

I needed to veg them longer. I got too excited and flipped them when they were on the small side. Instead of waiting and flowering the clones like I planned to determine sex.

I started the THC Bomb seeds WAY too early. Again I got excited.

Flowering growth:

I could have taken longer to flip them to 12/12. I had the accidental 24 hours of darkness and then just switched to 12/12 after.

I had a period where I didn't feed for a while, then I overfed toward the end. At the end the tips of the leaves were getting a bit of nutrient burn.

Harvest/Cure:

I should have left more fan leaves on the plant after I harvested. I harvested and completely manicured the buds. It was easier to trim that way, but it caused the buds to dry WAY too fast.

I needed to dry my buds slower. They went from cut to in the jars in three or four days. The end product is OK, but I think it would have been better if dried slower.

I missed the cure on my lighter fluffier plant. It dried too soon and got into the jars at 50% RH.
 

Cur

Member
Dude, amazing grow. And I love the post mortem. You, sir, are beyond beginner. If I could give rep I would. Hat's off, sincerely.

Just the way your cab was built, the way this journal was put together, and the way you had meaningful reflections on what you could have done better... it all makes me think you are some type of professional in your "real world" life. Engineer, maybe? Whatever it is you do, I imagine you are very successful at it. Attention to detail all the way.
 

ReikoX

Knight of the BlackSvn
Dude, amazing grow. And I love the post mortem. You, sir, are beyond beginner. If I could give rep I would. Hat's off, sincerely.

Just the way your cab was built, the way this journal was put together, and the way you had meaningful reflections on what you could have done better... it all makes me think you are some type of professional in your "real world" life. Engineer, maybe? Whatever it is you do, I imagine you are very successful at it. Attention to detail all the way.

Thanks man, you hit the nail on the head with the Engineer deal. I've worn many hats in my day, but mostly software.

Reading "First Grow" journals really helped me out. Learned a lot of what could go wrong and what to expect. So I wanted to give back so to speak. This site is a treasure trove of information and I probably would never had the confidence to grow without it.
 

Cur

Member
Thanks man, you hit the nail on the head with the Engineer deal. I've worn many hats in my day, but mostly software.

Reading "First Grow" journals really helped me out. Learned a lot of what could go wrong and what to expect. So I wanted to give back so to speak. This site is a treasure trove of information and I probably would never had the confidence to grow without it.

I would give you all the reps... so... many... reps... if I could give them at all. Alas, I cannot.

But that's awesome about your job. I've known a handful of engineers, mostly chemical eng. and then one or two automated systems eng. and they all had the attention to detail you've shown. And honestly, this is the kind of thread that big brother would hate. They want to make it out to be like MJ rots your brains, and folks can't do anything worthwhile as long as they partake. This thread, and a notable number at icmag, just destroys that idea.

I wish more grows had an "after action review" like yours did. Good luck on your next one!
 

guanito

Active member
Great set up ReikoX.

The only answer for a quiet fan is a speed control.

Keep up the great work.
++
 
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