So you want to grow Marijuana, your ?'s answered here.

[TJ2008]

first off thank you for taking the time to answer all the newb ?'s.

ok i have a bunch of questions here......

1. i just installed my 400W HPS lamp above 25 plants that are about 2 1/2 weeks old.
they seem to be thriving under the HPS although it does give off ALOT of heat and the soil dries quickly. right now the lamp is about 18" off the top of the pot. should it be higher?

2. are there any benifits to providing a 18/6 light schedule over a 24/0? other than electric costs?

3. right now i have my light and 1 or 2 fans running off a 15 amp surge protector. are there any fire hazards i should be aware of?

4. i live in a small apartment growing in my closet...........does my 400W + fans send off any "alarm" that im usisng to much electricity to my renter?

5. my ballast gets pretty hot.......im pretty sure there nothing i can do about it but could this be one of the benefits of not having a 24 hour light schedule?

thats all i could think of for now.....il post picks soon of my progress.

thankyou for you help!!

[ocitown]

Originally Posted by JoeRocket2

I was under the impression that the range for soil is 6.2-6.8 with 6.5 being best.

When I go to a 75/25 mix do you think my PH will normalize a bit as far as the adjustment swing goes?

Also, I am using a small clip-type fan on low that makes my plants "dance" a bit, not swaying by any means, but more than just a wiggle......is this about correct? I'm having no issues with it that I know of, just better safe than sorry!

Since there are many elements which are locked in and out within the "normal" soil growing range,i really feel letting the PH fluctuate throughout a grow allows ALL elements a chance to up-take into the plants.Although i do shoot for the 6.5# and when its .1-.2-.3 or(.4 sometimes)off i go for that so i know all elements will get to my plants and this method also helps keep the chem. used to a minimum.

Oscillating fans are IMHO the best to stimulate and simulate nature.

[jcj77d]

Originally Posted by JoeRocket2

I was under the impression that the range for soil is 6.2-6.8 with 6.5 being best.

When I go to a 75/25 mix do you think my PH will normalize a bit as far as the adjustment swing goes?

Also, I am using a small clip-type fan on low that makes my plants "dance" a bit, not swaying by any means, but more than just a wiggle......is this about correct? I'm having no issues with it that I know of, just better safe than sorry!

it is in that range, as u can see in the chart. + its good to let your ph shift w/ in that range so all nutes & micro nutes can be used. the 75/25 should hold a ph better, b/c there is more soil to hold nutes, etc. & yes u got the fan right, u just want a little dance, & the leaves shaking too.

[jcj77d]

Originally Posted by ocitown

Since there are many elements which are locked in and out within the "normal" soil growing range,i really feel letting the PH fluctuate throughout a grow allows ALL elements a chance to up-take into the plants.Although i do shoot for the 6.5# and when its .1-.2-.3 or(.4 sometimes)off i go for that so i know all elements will get to my plants and this method also helps keep the chem. used to a minimum.

Oscillating fans are IMHO the best to stimulate and simulate nature.

u beat me to it & took the words out of my mouth, great minds think alike

[jcj77d]

Originally Posted by TJ2008

first off thank you for taking the time to answer all the newb ?'s.

ok i have a bunch of questions here......

1. i just installed my 400W HPS lamp above 25 plants that are about 2 1/2 weeks old.
they seem to be thriving under the HPS although it does give off ALOT of heat and the soil dries quickly. right now the lamp is about 18" off the top of the pot. should it be higher?

2. are there any benifits to providing a 18/6 light schedule over a 24/0? other than electric costs?

3. right now i have my light and 1 or 2 fans running off a 15 amp surge protector. are there any fire hazards i should be aware of?

4. i live in a small apartment growing in my closet...........does my 400W + fans send off any "alarm" that im usisng to much electricity to my renter?

5. my ballast gets pretty hot.......im pretty sure there nothing i can do about it but could this be one of the benefits of not having a 24 hour light schedule?

thats all i could think of for now.....il post picks soon of my progress.

thankyou for you help!!

1. as long as the plants arnt stretching for the light, & the light isnt burning them your fine. to guage the right distance, put your hand at the top of your plants & lower the light until it burns your hand after 1min, then raise it till it doesnt burn.
2. an 18/6 will give u a better female to male ratio (myth), a 24/0 will give u a busher plant w/ tighter nodes.
3. there are always a fire hazard, but no u should be safe, b/c if u overload the surge protector it should shut off. w/ 1 400w & 2 fans u should be around 5-6amps, go here to see power usage http://www.powerstream.com/Amps-Watts.htm
4. i dont think anybody will complain about more money, by useing more electricty, & if the do, just say u leave your cpu on all the time, most cpu's have between 300-500w power supplies.
5. sure its always as good idea to let your equipment "rest" hear & there, but thats totally normal, my ballast get hot as well, i just take a cpu fan & let it blow on the ballast to help cool it.

[jcj77d]

im out for the day, my leg is KILLING me bad. i have a titanium rod (jacobs rod) down the middle of it, from knee to hip. so im gonna go chill, smoke & relax. i wish my wireless was working

[JoeRocket2]

Originally Posted by jcj77d

it is in that range, as u can see in the chart. + its good to let your ph shift w/ in that range so all nutes & micro nutes can be used. the 75/25 should hold a ph better, b/c there is more soil to hold nutes, etc. & yes u got the fan right, u just want a little dance, & the leaves shaking too.

This chart rocks!!! The 1st time I saw it I was thinking that varying the PH from the low to high end (with experience) would give you the best nute uptake.

Thanks for the visual....works every time!

[JoeRocket2]

Originally Posted by jcj77d

im out for the day, my leg is KILLING me bad. i have a titanium rod (jacobs rod) down the middle of it, from knee to hip. so im gonna go chill, smoke & relax. i wish my wireless was working

I can't even imagine the pain dude....hope ya feel better!

[ocitown]

Originally Posted by JoeRocket2

This chart rocks!!! The 1st time I saw it I was thinking that varying the PH from the low to high end (with experience) would give you the best nute uptake.

Thanks for the visual....works every time!

Your thinking is on the $$$$.

[n1ck 210]

would it be beneficial to surround my growspace with walls and cover them in Mylar? currently my growspace is in my garage and against only 1 wall. maybe I can make some walls out of cardboard or something. also, if I do this, about how many sq feet should I make the space if I am using a 400W MH/HPS combo light and plan on growing 4-6 plants at a time?

thanks

[jcj77d]

Originally Posted by JoeRocket2

This chart rocks!!! The 1st time I saw it I was thinking that varying the PH from the low to high end (with experience) would give you the best nute uptake.

Thanks for the visual....works every time!

Originally Posted by JoeRocket2

I can't even imagine the pain dude....hope ya feel better!

Originally Posted by ocitown

Your thinking is on the $$$$.

yep, no prob. & im feeling better today, those metal rods can hurt like a sob sometimes.

[jcj77d]

Originally Posted by n1ck 210

would it be beneficial to surround my growspace with walls and cover them in Mylar? currently my growspace is in my garage and against only 1 wall. maybe I can make some walls out of cardboard or something. also, if I do this, about how many sq feet should I make the space if I am using a 400W MH/HPS combo light and plan on growing 4-6 plants at a time?

thanks

u can buy some of that styrofoam insulation they use for houses its cheap & u can make walls out of it & either paint it flat white Or use mylar, & a good space would be about a 5' x 5' area, even a 4' x 4' would do. a 400w will cover an area of about 4.5' x 4.5'

[n1ck 210]

thanks

another question, for the fluoro tubes I am using right now for my sprouts, is a higher or lower color temperature better?

also, I have already ordered a 400W HPS/MH light and it should be here any day now. When should I switch to the MH light?

[jcj77d]

Originally Posted by n1ck 210

thanks

another question, for the fluoro tubes I am using right now for my sprouts, is a higher or lower color temperature better?

also, I have already ordered a 400W HPS/MH light and it should be here any day now. When should I switch to the MH light?

for veging, u want your fluoros to be 6500k-5000k, & for flowering u want 3000k-2100k, but its nessary to use those temps, some ppl use mh all the way through, & some use hps all the way through. id wait till about wk 2-3 b4 u use the mh, & when u do, u need to start off w/ the light up high & gradually lower it daily until they get used to that high intenceidy light.

[dichev]

Hi,
I have one q about my flowering box. I want to flower 12 plants and I want to know how many wattages do the lamp have to be if it's HPS