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toastybiz · #2 (**permalink**) 10-13-2006, 02:26 AM

It's OK if you don't know what you are doing, everyone starts there at some point. What boggles my mind is how many people go ahead and start anyway. READ! So much of the info you need is right here, just read the sticky posts at the top of each growing thread and also check the links in my sig and in a few others here.

Heat lamp = WRONG lamp. Your choices are fluoro tubes, CFLs, MH for vegging, HPS for flowering and passable for vegging

Foil = WRONG reflective surface. Use mylar or paint the walls flat bright white, reflects more light that foil believe it or not.

Know your soil. Know your fertilizer.

To your questions:

1) Use any unfertilized pure organic potting soil. I mix with one-tenth perlite and two-tenths worm castings. Don't use clay balls as a soil grow, those are for hydro, which is what your friend had. It works well but is harder to learn and not as forgiving for things like pH getting a little out of whack.

2) Light height depends on the light. If fluoros (including CFLs) keep as close as possible without the plant actually touching, so 1-1.5 inches. If HID (MH or HPS) turn the back of your hand toward the light at plant-top height and if you can hold it there comfortably for 30 seconds its fine. For 4 plants you could get away with a 250w light but you may want to step up to the 400w because once you grow 4 plants you will want to grow 6 or 8 down the road, it always happens. The only downsides are that the bigger light will generate more heat that will have to be dealt with and cost more to run.

3) They can be put into flower any time once they are vegged out. But the longer you let her veg the bigger your yield will be. I don't understand why people want to flower as early as possible -- if you would just wait another 2-3 weeks you could see your yield double. Having said all that, sounds like you could flower your plants now, minimum veg time I would even consider is 4 weeks but encourage you to think towards 6-8 weeks.

4) 12/12 needs to be completely pitch black dark, zero light, not even a little. Light-seal your cabinet before you switch to flower and then make sure you set the light cycle so the lights are on when you can tend to the plants so that way you NEVER have to fiddle with them during the dark cycle.

#2 (permalink) 10-13-2006, 02:26 AM
toastybiz keep it green Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 3,886	It's OK if you don't know what you are doing, everyone starts there at some point. What boggles my mind is how many people go ahead and start anyway. READ! So much of the info you need is right here, just read the sticky posts at the top of each growing thread and also check the links in my sig and in a few others here. Heat lamp = WRONG lamp. Your choices are fluoro tubes, CFLs, MH for vegging, HPS for flowering and passable for vegging Foil = WRONG reflective surface. Use mylar or paint the walls flat bright white, reflects more light that foil believe it or not. Know your soil. Know your fertilizer. To your questions: 1) Use any unfertilized pure organic potting soil. I mix with one-tenth perlite and two-tenths worm castings. Don't use clay balls as a soil grow, those are for hydro, which is what your friend had. It works well but is harder to learn and not as forgiving for things like pH getting a little out of whack. 2) Light height depends on the light. If fluoros (including CFLs) keep as close as possible without the plant actually touching, so 1-1.5 inches. If HID (MH or HPS) turn the back of your hand toward the light at plant-top height and if you can hold it there comfortably for 30 seconds its fine. For 4 plants you could get away with a 250w light but you may want to step up to the 400w because once you grow 4 plants you will want to grow 6 or 8 down the road, it always happens. The only downsides are that the bigger light will generate more heat that will have to be dealt with and cost more to run. 3) They can be put into flower any time once they are vegged out. But the longer you let her veg the bigger your yield will be. I don't understand why people want to flower as early as possible -- if you would just wait another 2-3 weeks you could see your yield double. Having said all that, sounds like you could flower your plants now, minimum veg time I would even consider is 4 weeks but encourage you to think towards 6-8 weeks. 4) 12/12 needs to be completely pitch black dark, zero light, not even a little. Light-seal your cabinet before you switch to flower and then make sure you set the light cycle so the lights are on when you can tend to the plants so that way you NEVER have to fiddle with them during the dark cycle. __________________ toastybiz Grandpa's grow guide ~ Vokal's grow guide ~ Diagnosing problems ~ Purilite's basic light guide Germination ~ Sid's do's and dont's ~ Buying seeds online head-to-head test Glossary of grow terminology ~ unoit's bubble hash method ~ Another hash method GC Forum Rules ~ NORML: MJ and the law Last edited by toastybiz; 10-13-2006 at 02:31 AM.