Simple nOOb instructions for growin' da dankness - Cannabis.com Forums Message Boards - Medical Marijuana, Cannabis Club, Dispensary, News

**stinkyattic** · #1 (**permalink**) Aug-03-2007, 09:46

I slapped this together for someone who I gave cuttings to.
It doesn't cover room setup, but just basic plant care.

Care of new rooted clones:
These cuttings have been rooted and vegging solidly for at least a week to ensure that they are strong enough to survive outside the controlled environment in which I've been keeping them.
Their basic needs are pretty simple. You can go directly to a full-strength nutrient solution, since I've been watering them already at half strength. For lighting, they have been under a pair of 40w, 4-foot, T12 'cool white' flourescent shop lights. You may continue vegging them under similar lights, or put them under your HIDs, or outdoors. If they go outdoors, keep them out of direct sunlight for the first couple days, and protect them against rabbits with a chicken wire cage.
They are also ready to be topped, trained, or flowered as a single-cola plant. If you pinch the tops, allow at least 2-3 weeks for recovery before initiating flower. Outdoors, avoid topping after the first week in July. Yield can suffer.

**stinkyattic** · #2 (**permalink**) Aug-03-2007, 09:47

Soil:
The soil that I think is the easiest to deal with is the Agway 'manure and humus' product. It's $2.50 for a 40 lb bag. One of these bags, mixed to a total ratio of 2:1 soil : perlite (approximately a regular-sized bag of perlite also from Agway), will give you plenty of light, rich medium that will not interfere with your fertilizer regime the way a pre-fertilized soil such as Miracle Gro will. This compost mix is also already pH balanced for cannabis, and buffered around 6.8, ideal for your new plants. Re-using soil is not recommended since pests and eggs and salts from your previous grow can harm future plants. Your garden plants will LOVE it though!
Fertilizer:
For fertilizer, you have a lot of choices, but the ones I have really been impressed by are the Botanicare PureBlend Pro line, and our locally-produced Cornucopia. PureBlend is not OMRI listed organic, but is so heavily organic that you really can consider it the same deal. The 'Grow' formula is fantastic, and you will find it tough to make mistakes. Cornucopia Bloom is a very very good product for indoor cannabis culture. It has unusually high levels of the micronutrients that cannabis thrives on, specifically Sulfur. Use it at a lower concentration than what the label recommends- about ¼ to ½ of the intended concentration is plenty. I have also been happy using the Cornucopia Bloom as a grow fertilizer, simply by the addition of some fish emulsion to boost up Nitrogen. There are scores of supplements on the market, and these should be used with caution. The safest are carb boosters such as Sweet, and unsulfured molasses. The most dangerous are the super bloom high Phosphorous products, which, while they can improve yield with proper use, can also burn your plants if overapplied, or used when there is already excessive fertilizer in the soil. I generally avoid these, as you will have more than enough yield already for personal use. The combination of molasses plus Sweet or TopMax (an OMRI listed carb synthesizer), though, is a real winner. Increased available carbon to the plant stimulates the production of resins and terpenes, allowing the plant to produce both medicinal and aromatic compounds to its genetic potential.
Water:
Check your tap water to see if it is suitable for use. Soil growers will rarely have tap water problems, and the high humus content of this compost further negates any pH imbalances, but it is a good thing to be aware of. Water between 6.5 and 7 is generally acceptable for soil use as long as hardness is not excessive.

**stinkyattic** · #3 (**permalink**) Aug-03-2007, 09:48

Initiating the flower cycle:
As you are most likely aware, cannabis is a photoperiod-sensitive plant which needs 12 hours of uninterrupted and complete darkness to bloom. You will need a space that has no light leaks, yet can still be ventilated, to flower properly. Anything from a converted armoire or closet, to one of the purpose-built grow tents on the market, can achieve this.
When you have decided that your plants are ready to flower, basically, that they are about half the size at which you can finish them, stop feeding your Grow fertilizer. You need to reduce the amount of Nitrogen in each feeding by half or more. Put your lights on a timer set to 12 on, 12 off. For efficient use of electricity, most people run their lights at night to take advantage of the cool night air and reduced kwH rates from the utilities company. It is very important that the dark period not be interrupted during the flower cycle, as it can lead to reduced yield, revegetating, and the Dreaded Hermaphrodite. If you absolutely must check the plants at 'night', use a GREEN light, as it is far less usable to plants.

**stinkyattic** · #4 (**permalink**) Aug-03-2007, 09:48

Stresses and problems:
Things that can cause stress and eventual hermaphroditism among your plants, and the ways to prevent them, include the following:
-Light leaks. Check during the dark period to be certain no light is coming through cracks or ductwork.
-Heat stress. Keep temperatures below 85 F at all times. 75 or thereabouts is comfortable for your plants during their lights on cycle. Spikes up to 95 will not kill the plant, but are a source of stress. Night temperatures should be only 10-15 degrees F less than day temps. Low temps are also dangerous, and if you grow in a cellar, lift your plants up off the floor on shipping pallets or a table.
-High humidity. Humidity more than about 50% runs the risk of mold in your buds. Again, cellars can be dangerous. An application of Kilz oil-based primer on exposed moist concrete is a way to help kill and prevent mold that is already present. Old carpeting can also harbor mold spores. Moldy buds are dangerous, can cause respiratory ailments, and should NEVER be smoked under any circumstances.
A rootbound condition. Allow about a gallon of soil per foot of main stem that your plant will finish at. A plant flowered at 1 foot will be very happy in a 3 gallon pail with PLENTY of drainage. Holes drilled up the sides of the pot are wonderful to help aerate the roots, prevent root rot, and aid in uptake of nutrients. A plant that has been aggressively trained and pruned will naturally need a larger pot- just use your instinct when choosing pot sizes. Free pots can be found out back of the Hadley Garden Center on Rt9 in Hadley MA in a large wooden crate. They should be thoroughly bleached before use. The square white pots sold by Liquid Sun in Putney VT are IDEAL for flowering indoor soil-grown plants, and I typically finish a trained plant at 24” in a pot like that.
Fertilizer problems. Overuse of supplements can stress your plants to the point of herming. When you try out a new one, apply at a dilute rate to see how your plants react to it. High temperatures will make any undesired effects much more severe.
Identifying and dealing with herms:
Hermaphrodite flowers will show a tiny, ~3mm long, creamy-yellow growth that looks like a banana set in amongst the calyxes. This is a male flower, called a 'herm' or 'nanner' by growers. It contains pollen with no Y chromosome. The pollen is usually viable, and will lead to a seedy crop. The offspring will be virtually ALL female; however, this is STILL not a very desirable thing to have happen in your garden!!! You can easily pick the male flowers out with a pair of tweezers or your fingernails if they are long. Check regularly. In a smaller home grow, the option of throwing out the whole plant really isn't one you have to take. Go through weekly and comb the female buds for herms. If a plant shows any, remove them, and tag the plant so you know to check it more regularly. Fix any cultural problems you may be having. Overripe plants will also start throwing nanners on you, so be careful how long past the harvest date you go. A fine mist of clean water will render pollen non-viable, but avoid adding moisture to the buds and the air surrounding them, as mold may form.

**stinkyattic** · #5 (**permalink**) Aug-03-2007, 09:49

Pest control:
You may encounter pests in your grow at some point, thrips and two-spotted mites being the most destructive, but prevention is simple. The oil of the Indian neem tree, has, among others, the property of being EXTREMELY distasteful to common garden pests. A spray made of one teaspoon Neem concentrate (Green Light brand is OMRI listed for organic farming) per quart spray bottle, with lukewarm water and a drop or 2 of dish soap, makes an effective (but smelly!) preventative spray. Trust me, use the neem. You don't want mites. They are pure evil. Mist lightly once or twice a week, never to the point of runoff, as overapplication CAN suffocate the plants. You will see that the neem has adhered when after a few applications your plants take on a more healthy, glossy appearance. Never apply neem after the 3rd week of flower, as it can leave distasteful residues on your buds. If pests DO appear, there are several options at the grow shop. I prefer bug bombs, set off 4 days apart, to kill pests. Pyrethrin sprays are also wonderful and very safe to use. Again, allow plenty of time before harvest when you are using chemicals on your plants. If you have an insect problem, do NOT flower until you are confident that it is under control.

**stinkyattic** · #6 (**permalink**) Aug-03-2007, 09:49

Harvesting:
A typical cannabis plant bred for indoor cultivation will average around 8 weeks from when you turn back the lights to harvest. Strains that run as fast as 6 weeks or as long as 12 are not uncommon, but the bulk lie in the 7-9 week range. A couple weeks before harvest time, you will notice that the creamy white pistils are starting to turn brown. Be careful not to confuse brown pistils from natural ripening to premature ripening due to heat stress. When most of the pistils are brown, and production of fresh white ones has slowed, start checking the trichomes, or 'crystals', with a 30x magnifier. They start off clear, and the plant will have a sparkly look in bright light. As it ripens, the trichs cloud, and the appearance of the buds becomes more frosty or hazy. When almost all of the trichs are cloudy, your harvest window has begun. Harvesting early will maximize the cerebral effects of the strain you are working with, while a later harvest, when the trichs are starting to turn amber and the THC is degrading, will give you a more body-oriented stone. This is nice for painkilling (muscle pain in particular), anti-anxiety, and anti-insomnia purposes.

**stinkyattic** · #7 (**permalink**) Aug-03-2007, 09:50

That's it. Simpler than you thought. I'll add a seedling one when I feel like it

**Psycho4Bud** · #8 (**permalink**) Aug-03-2007, 11:18

Another sticky for Stinky.......excuse me while I get a wet wipe.

Have a good grow!

**stinkyattic** · #9 (**permalink**) Aug-03-2007, 11:51

I might as well do the seedling one here, too.

Stinky's Seedling Survival Guide

I know everyone is all big on the wet paper towel thing. I'm not.
There are a couple legitimate reasons for this.
First, to check them, you have to disturb them.
Second, that tap root can SHOOT out. It has tiny hairs on it that can get stuck to the paper towel, and it's tough to plant the sprouted seed without damaging it in this case.

I prefer to do it this way:
Take a glass test tube of the sort that good cigars come in. Put the seeds in it. Add just enough water so that they barely float, but are not covered. Put the stopper back on and lay the tube sort of diagonally on its side in a dim and slightly warm place (a cardboard box on top of your fridge is just about perfect).
The seeds should 'pop' in anywhere from 24 hours to a week, depending upon temps, seed age, and husk thickness.
When you see the tip of the taproot sticking out about 1-2 mm, it's time to plant. The taproot is white, but may have a dark tip. This is normal.

Plant your seeds in small containers to start. You will be transplanting them very soon. Bathroom-sized dixie cups with a bunch of holes in them are fine, as are the nursery 6-packs that fucking petunias come in. Fill right to the top with a seedling starting soil. It must be of very fine texture. Happy Frog soil is said to be excellent for seedlings too, but I haven't tried it yet. The point is to have a fine, light soil with no added fertilizer in it. If you go with a box store seedling mix, fill the pots and FLUSH them before use.
Seeds should be planted no more than 1/3 of an inch deep. The taproot should face DOWN. You may put the pots under a propagation dome until the cotyledons emerge, but as soon as you see them, remove the dome- at this point they are vulnerable to damping-off, a fungal disease that is incurable and deadly.

I prefer to put my young seedlings under a small T5 flourescent fixture, but in the past I have been perfectly happy with a T5 flourescent shop light fitted with cool white tubes. They should be no more than 2 inches from the tops of the plants. Give them 18 or 24 hours of light. I like 24, but it is up to you.
At this point, it is very important not to let the soil dry out. The plant has a VERY limited root system! I like to water with one of those cheap plastic ketchup dispensers they have at diners. This allows me to control the water stream very well and not disturb the plants.

DO NOT FERTILIZE YET!!!!!

Soon you will see a pair of longer, serrated leaves coming out. These are the first 'true leaves' and may be considered your second node. (Node= point on the plant where leaves or side shoots ortiginate)
Now you just wait.

When there are 5 sets of true leaves, you are ready to transplant and fertilize. The 5th set should have 5 or even 7 fingers on it. This plant is no longer a seedling, it is an immature plant in the vegetative stage.

You will need a larger pot to continue growing your little plant, and better soil than those seedling starting mixes! The agway manure, humus, and perlite mix I mentioned above is perfect to use now. For pots, one that is 4" in diameter, or about a quart, is the right size for this next growth stage, which will take you right up to the point of sexual maturity and eventual sexing.
Let the soil dry out a little bit. Fill your pot a little more than half way with soil. Place the seedling IN ITS POT into its new home to check the levels- the soil surface will be not more than an inch below the rim of the new pot, and the plant should never be planted deeper than the node that the cotyledons appeared on.
Once you are satisfied with the levels, turn over the seedling and support the stem and soil with your fingers. Tap it sharply and the whole root ball will slide right out into your hand. Place it in the new pot, fill around it with the fresh soil, and give it a light watering with a solution of 1/4 strength grow fertilizer with superthrive.

This is now a happy little plant! You can put it back under the shop lights, or under a MH (don't burn it!!).

If you want to pinch your plants, you may do it now. Just pinch off the very freshest bit of the new growth- the smallest set of leaves that are being produced. Side shoot development will now speed up.

**stinkyattic** · #10 (**permalink**) Aug-03-2007, 12:13

Every grower will want to clone at some point. Either you have some crazy plant you want to keep forever, or you just want to cut some time off your grow cycle, this is how to do it without the expense (and frustration when it doesn't work) of a commercial cloning machine.

Materials:
One package of composted tree bark cloning plugs- I use 'Rapid Rooters'. They are very good and have fungicidal properties. You want that, trust me!
One bottle of Dip-N-Grow concentrate- there are lots of cloning solutions, powders, and gels on the market. Don't waste your money, this one is by FAR the best, and it is cheap. Follow the mixing instructions for softwood cuttings. I think the ratio is 1:20.
An exacto knife with a fresh blade
A clean cutting surface- a pad of sticky-notes is GREAT, and I also like to use beer mats, you know, those little bar coasters?
A small pair of sharp scissors
A propagation tray and dome, either new, or if used, wash out and then sterilize with Scrubbing Bubbles foaming bathroom cleanser. Hit every surface. Allow to sit 15 minutes. Rinse it off. Trust me, that stuff was like MADE for growrooms.
Some nursery 6-packs that can hold your rapidrooters upright. Run them through the dishwasher before use, or clean as for the tray and dome
Lighting- I use a single CFL hung right over my dome. You can use your shop lights. Don't use a MH! It's too bright
A spray bottle. The ones that hair polishing products come in, that give the FINEST mist, are ideal. Your girlfriend will be pissed if you dump out the contents though, so ask first.
In the winter, if your house is wicked cold, you also need a seedling heat mat, but if you are above 68 degrees, you are fine- the light gives off a bit of heat too.

Prep your mother. She wants no Nitrogen for the week before taking cuttings, so feed her with a bloom fert and superthrive. About a half hour before use, water her well with plain water.

Pick a shoot that has a growing tip, preferably the most vigorous one on the plant, plus a couple small fans leaves right at the growing tip, and then further down the stem, another node whcih you will be stripping off in a moment.

Make a clean cut with your scissors about an inch below the lower node. Now, working quickly, lay the cutting on your sticky note pad or whatever and cleanly slice off the lowest leaf flush with the stem. Just below that, make a cut at a 45 degree angle and IMMEDIATELY dunk it into the dip n grow. Leave it there for about 10 seconds.
While the cutting is in the dip n grow, take your rapidrooter and slice another hole in the top. The one from the factory is too big for cannabis. You want no air around the cut stem, and good contact with the medium. Just plunge your exacto blade in there. Now gently push the base of the cutting in there. The stripped node must be below the plug surface.
Take your scissors and cut all remaining leaves down to only 1 inch long. You may write the name of the plant right on a leaf with a black sharpie. I use a code 3 characters long to identify strain and plant ID.
Put it in the 6 pack to stand upright, place under the dome, put the dome under the light, and make as many more as you want.
Don't crowd your plants. Air flow now, like at all other life stages, is important.
When you are finished making cuttings, fill your rinsed spray bottle with tap water and thoroughly spray the inside of the clear dome. I don't like to spray the cuttings directly, as water sitting on them can encourage rot.
Keep an eye on them and if they do wilt, mist them.
Also do not let the plugs dry out!!! They should not be sopping wet, but give them a few drops of water every so often.
In about 2 weeks they will be showing upwards growth and be ready to transplant. Treat them as you would a seedling being transplanted for the first time, but a light mist with wilt-pruf or even neem oil helps prevent any shock from going into a drier environment.

Forwhat420 · #11 (**permalink**) Aug-03-2007, 14:57

stinky im not new on here but im new to surfing on here.. im getting more respect for you by the hour..

**stinkyattic** · #12 (**permalink**) Aug-03-2007, 15:32

Thank you, thank you.
I'll be here all week with shows at 5:30 and 9:30.
Don't forget to tip your bartender, and check out the buffet in the Tiki Room.

stinkbudd · #13 (**permalink**) Aug-04-2007, 19:01

I been looking for a better way to germinate seeds other than the paper towel method (even tho my husband swears by it ) and I love your idea about the test tubes/cigar tubes. But how do remove the seeds once they get their tap root? I don't think my tweesers are long enough to fit down in there. How do you do it without distressing the seed?