First grow - Do I really need a proper fan set up?

[KeyserSuzi]

Hi guys, am really excited about startin my first ever grow and although I've done a lot of reading (especially on this site - seems like a really nice and helpful community) I could do with a bit of advice.

Its payday today, so I've ordered my seeds ('The Church' - cheap n has good reviews but apparently smells rather strong) and I'm off to buy all the kit in a few hours. I think I'm sorted on what light to get etc - I want a decent 400w hps if possible, but realise this is gonna leave me a bit skint.

What I really wanna know is, do I need a proper fan/extractor setup in the beginning, or can it wait till next month (next payday)?

I'll be growing 3 plants in my sliding wardrobe (its conveniently white inside, and am gonna fashion some form of pull down plastic covering for the door), and was thinkin of just chopping a hole in the side (somehow light proofing it mebee with layers of mesh or some such) and putting a cheapy office type fan there for now till I can afford something decent. Will that work, or will it ruin them before they've even started? I live in the North of the UK where it is typically dingy, cold and horrible, so only the heat of the light will b a problem.

I can't even think of an affordable way to do extractors/filters at the moment - I live in my own detached house so I don't think neighbours will detect me, but I might need to intercept my parents from visiting for a bit if the smell is too much. From my reading I'm under the impression that it should be ok until the flowering stage, so I'm figuring I've got a couple months to work something out cos ideally I don't want my whole house stinkin of it (more so than it usually does due to me smokin it every night).

Also was rather taken with the thread on LST training and think I might try that - is this a really bad idea for a newb? It seems fairly straightforward and do-able, but then the only thing I've ever tried to grow before is chives and they died a miserable watery and mouldy death b4 even sprouting.

Any advice would be much appreciated - I'm goin shoppin in 4 hours so pls stop me if I'm abt to do something daft...

[gr1dlock]

Dude, in the begining just put a ocialating fan in your grow box to stimulate wind and this will toughen up your seedlings. You don't need to buy an intake fan and carbon filter until the later stages(when the smell comes).

Just make sure you get one before they start to smell your whole house out, because they will.

You can also get de-ordourising gel this would work quite well for a small grow of 3 plants. You might want to look into it - it is called ONAgel.

Happy shopping/growing.

Peace.

[jackaroo]

you could also look into odor eating lights- i've never used them myself but they come highly recommended, and a book i have about growing bud also mentions them

[KeyserSuzi]

Cheers for the swift replies, my mind is now at rest. So a cheapy fan will do, and I'm better actually puttin it in the grow space than goin choppin holes in the wall for it? Sounds good to me - I'm probly better leavin the carpentry till I I've got all the stuff for the final intake fan/extractor set up and have the grow room up and running.

The ONAgel looks canny and cheap enough, so might look into that. Dunno about the odor eating bulbs, as they seem to be fluro and I wanna go HPS. Shall see what they have in the hydro shops - I just wanna be prepared when I go so they don't use their patter on me and try to sell me a load of costly junk I don't need/will ruin me.

Cheers

[gr1dlock]

ONAgel would be a great start and possibly do the trick through out your grows aslong as you keep your grow to roughly 3-5 plants, some strains let off more odour than others but the gel really does neutralise odours!

Keep it real, small and don't get greedy and i'm sure you will do just fine. Please keep us updated on what you buy and how you set up. Theres alot of seasoned growers on here that will be able to help so that you get the best possible yeild.

[KeyserSuzi]

Here's how it went - got a 400w hps no problem, but when I asked for a timer too they told me I needed to get a serious heavy duty one or it would keep blowing up. So I spent £30 on that ($60? I dunno American money), got it home and then found out it was just an adaptor thingy to plug a timer and the lights into, with no timer grr. Have sent my ex (who was very kindly ferrying me about) back to the shop with it, to see if I should have had one included. If not no biggie - I think I can pick one up for about £10 ($20).

Am still waiting on my seeds as the site sendin me em took my order but then sent me an email sayin they were 'temporarily out of stock' grr. I should hopefully get them on Saturday.

I got plant pots (little peat ones and big 12" ones to do my LST training in) but am not too happy about the soil I got. I was all prepared to get soil specially for tomatoes (as advised in one of the stickies), but when I got to B&Q they had no soil, was all labelled compost, which I'm sure is a completely different thing. We asked a man though and he said that compost WAS soil?? Also none of the bags had NPK ratios on them, which rather caught me out - they must sell it differently over here. They did have some form of planter thing for tomatoes, but as it was made by Miracle Gro I stayed clear of that, have seen many people saying never to use their stuff. So anyway my ex was gettin a bit annoyed with me by then so I ended up just gettin B&Q peat based multi purpose compost for plants and seedlings (no further description than that available) - please let me know if it will kill them!

Got some fertiliser too, although I know I shouldn't use it for the first few weeks. Was the only one they had with higher Nitrogen - is 6%-2%-4%. Is called B&Q Organic Living Fruit & Vegetable Food Concentrate. I also got lots of cheapo bottled water, a few sparkling as well, which I thought was rather clever as it is made fizzy with CO2 isn't it? Again, please tell me if this is a rubbish idea.

Am gonna fashion a pull down cover to go inside the door of the wardrobe out of black and white bin bags and duct tape (couldn't find plastic sheeting in B&Q and was getting stressed). Also got a 9" oscillating desk fan and a funky spray bottle / watering can combo (which I am most chuffed with), and to tie down the plants for LST training I got these things that look like pipecleaners made with artificial fur - will these be OK or are they likely to go mouldy? I thought they might be good as they are soft and so shouldn't 'hurt' the plants.

Have just noticed on the soil bag I need gravel to go in the bottom of the pots for drainage. I didn't think of that, so might have to go back to B&Q after all. Is there anything else I am missing that I would need in the first month of a plant's life?

Am gonna start building it all tonight - will post some pics when I am done. Thanks for the tips so far - keep em coming please

[Retaardvark]

You can get away without a fan as long as it's not too hot in your grow area. Just make sure you have an intake and exhaust hole or duct.

[gr1dlock]

Sounds like you was a little excited, you probably should have waited out - I live in the UK also. I don't know why the guy told you that you needed a heavy duty timer.... he has pulled your pants down.

Soil - CANNA coco soil is fabulous and cheap at £10.99 per 54kg.
Your good to go with your HPS lamp, i use floro's 'cos I love them!

Nutes - There is an awesome selection of solution out there and it is a matter of each to their own, I personally like to use the 'bio-bizz' selection it works well with my mediums and the way i like to grow.

Sounds like your looking forward to your grow, this is great I hope it all goes well for you and make sure you inform us!!!!!!!!!

Take it eazy
peace.

[CnS]

How big is your grow area? Did I miss that? I think you will be ok with just a fan untill you have to seal it up and make it light tight.

Check my journal. I use a 400 and had a ton of heat probs!!! My cab is in a closet and untill I made some changes i was running 90+ degrees, with FANS!!!! after the changes Im at 76-78!!!

Your grow space will determine if a fan alone will do the job!

HPS gets REAL HOT REAL QUICK!!!!!

[jackaroo]

I can't imagine that sparkling water would be any good for plants- they're designed to take CO2 in from the leaves, not the roots

[KeyserSuzi]

MY SEEDS CAME TODAY !!! Am just about ready to start, but despite all the good advice I still have many many questions:

I've got 3 seeds soaking in a cup right now, soon to go in between wet paper towels. The seeds are feminised ones from Green House Seed Company - now should I believe them that they are indeed female and will all grow (looking good so far - have sunk in the water), or should I do the other 2 as backup?

I'm a bit worried about what to do in the first few days of sprouting, as I only have the 400w hps (no CFL's). Should I leave them on the windowsill for the first few days or put em straight under the hps and hope they don't fry?

My grow room (which is 1.5' by 4' by 6', btw) is set up inside my wardrobe with 9" office desk fan and improvised bin bag covering over the front. Have shut 2 people in it (with their consent, of course!) and they confirm it is light tight. At present I have no intake or exhaust, but the wardrobe is not air tight. The timer converter thing I got conned into (10A PowerteQ Switching Unit) can have 2 600w HPS lamps plugged into it, and I am wondering about plugging the desk fan into the spare socket so the light & fan is synchronised. Is this an idea or will I blow the converter by doing this?

I want to install 2 PC fans as intake and extractor and have bookmarked the appropriate threads on how to make these & a DIY carbon filter (props to Rumpleforeskin and Kushman2020). I don't think I'll need them for the first month of the grow and can't really afford the stuff yet (cheap tho it is am totally skint after getting the hps), but am worried about what to do with the plants when I come to make the mods, as obviously I'll have to move them out while I'm in chopping holes etc. Will they be ok not under the light for the hour or so it will take, or will this ruin them? If so I'll have to bite the bullet and do it all now before they go in.

Also, my wardrobe is in my bedroom. I know this isn't ideal and am wondering if I should move out. I'll be able to deal with the smell/fan noise (I'm gonna have the light on by night when I'm in, in case of fire so I'm there to deal with it. And so I'm free to go in and meddle with them, naturally) and think the CO2 I breathe out while sleeping will be good for em, but am worried about my dog. She sleeps in bed with me and I haven't the heart to kick her out (she would just whine at the door all night anyways) but am worried about her bringing in bugs etc from the garden. If I give her a quick wipe down every night before bed and keep the grow room shut would this be enough to keep my plants safe or shouldn't I risk it?

Lastly, I remember reading that I shouldn't use as much ferts as the bottle says, but now can't find the thread telling me the ratio to reduce it by. It says 2 caps to 5L - would halfing this be ok to start with? I intend to start feeding them after maybe 3 weeks - is this about right? The compost/soil I have claims to have enough (unspecified) nutes for 6 weeks, but by then they will probably be about ready to start flowering!

I have done a bit of research and am still gonna try my fizzy water idea - some ppl think squirting it on the leaves works, so maybe I could try it with 1 as an experiment to see if it makes any difference.

Thanks again for the advice so far guys, keep it coming

[darookie2000]

Originally Posted by KeyserSuzi

MY SEEDS CAME TODAY !!! Am just about ready to start, but despite all the good advice I still have many many questions:

I've got 3 seeds soaking in a cup right now, soon to go in between wet paper towels. The seeds are feminised ones from Green House Seed Company - now should I believe them that they are indeed female and will all grow (looking good so far - have sunk in the water), or should I do the other 2 as backup?

I'm a bit worried about what to do in the first few days of sprouting, as I only have the 400w hps (no CFL's). Should I leave them on the windowsill for the first few days or put em straight under the hps and hope they don't fry?

My grow room (which is 1.5' by 4' by 6', btw) is set up inside my wardrobe with 9" office desk fan and improvised bin bag covering over the front. Have shut 2 people in it (with their consent, of course!) and they confirm it is light tight. At present I have no intake or exhaust, but the wardrobe is not air tight. The timer converter thing I got conned into (10A PowerteQ Switching Unit) can have 2 600w HPS lamps plugged into it, and I am wondering about plugging the desk fan into the spare socket so the light & fan is synchronised. Is this an idea or will I blow the converter by doing this?

I want to install 2 PC fans as intake and extractor and have bookmarked the appropriate threads on how to make these & a DIY carbon filter (props to Rumpleforeskin and Kushman2020). I don't think I'll need them for the first month of the grow and can't really afford the stuff yet (cheap tho it is am totally skint after getting the hps), but am worried about what to do with the plants when I come to make the mods, as obviously I'll have to move them out while I'm in chopping holes etc. Will they be ok not under the light for the hour or so it will take, or will this ruin them? If so I'll have to bite the bullet and do it all now before they go in.

Also, my wardrobe is in my bedroom. I know this isn't ideal and am wondering if I should move out. I'll be able to deal with the smell/fan noise (I'm gonna have the light on by night when I'm in, in case of fire so I'm there to deal with it. And so I'm free to go in and meddle with them, naturally) and think the CO2 I breathe out while sleeping will be good for em, but am worried about my dog. She sleeps in bed with me and I haven't the heart to kick her out (she would just whine at the door all night anyways) but am worried about her bringing in bugs etc from the garden. If I give her a quick wipe down every night before bed and keep the grow room shut would this be enough to keep my plants safe or shouldn't I risk it?

Lastly, I remember reading that I shouldn't use as much ferts as the bottle says, but now can't find the thread telling me the ratio to reduce it by. It says 2 caps to 5L - would halfing this be ok to start with? I intend to start feeding them after maybe 3 weeks - is this about right? The compost/soil I have claims to have enough (unspecified) nutes for 6 weeks, but by then they will probably be about ready to start flowering!

I have done a bit of research and am still gonna try my fizzy water idea - some ppl think squirting it on the leaves works, so maybe I could try it with 1 as an experiment to see if it makes any difference.

Thanks again for the advice so far guys, keep it coming

If you are going to spray them with carbonated water, make sure it has as little sodium as possible. Sodium should pretty much never be added in anything higher than trace concentrations (in other words, unintentionally or in small concentrations from the tap) because it's only used in very very small amounts by plants. When you feed, start off with 1/4 strength, then gradually increase it to assess tolerance (since you are using a strain that has been grown quite often, you may be able to find somewhere that has what "the church's" tendencies are.

[walshy69]

Hi Suzi
First grow myself so cant give any good advice, but thought I'd pop bye to say good luck seeing as were in the same town.
Have a good one, look forward to following your grow

[KeyserSuzi]

Are ya? thats mad - of all the wide internets, it is quite random that someone near me finds my thread. where u at? i'm in shields.

am abt a week into the grow - got my setup sorted and have built my fans etc (am damn proud of em, btw - pc fans powered by mobile phone chargers) - just need to get em installed which means makin holes on my wardrobe. which has inconsiderately thick walls bah. have tried and failed at drillin em, luckily have male pal with tools comin to help me out 2morra. I really need to get it sorted cos despite the office fan temps are at 36degrees c, which will murder my wee baby plants if i dont sort it asap! I had to pot em into the big pots under the hps tho, cos only 4 days sfter sproutin the roots were comin thru the bottom of the little peat pots n i didn't want em to get 'root bound'. will post photos of my setup (of which I am damn proud!) when my sis gets back off holiday with her decent camera phone, cos mines an old nokia brick n just isnt capable.

[walshy69]

Yup mad alright,
I'm in ******* so accross the other side of toon from you. Good luck with the cab mods, hope ur mate gets it sorted for you.
Will look forward to seeing your setup when u get the pics posted, I've switched my temp readings to F as most people on here seem to work on that scale.
Have a good one and good luck