My First Grow!

[Nekrow]

Unfortunatly when I began my first grow on my own I wasnt aware of the wonderful forums here at Grasscity or else this might be a grow-log instead of a summary.

My set up:
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A wooden box about the size of a closet, custom built for the grow
Lots of ducktape
Safety blankets
6" computer fan which I mounted in a cornor
3 4' Fluoroescent fixtures (6 total lights at 3,400 lumens each)
3 2' fixtures (3 lights at 1,750 lumens each)

Schultz Plant food 10-15-10
Vigoro Plant food 10-10-10
Schultz Orchid food 19-31-17
Scotts Topsoil
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At first I didnt have much luck for reasons still beyond me. Plants seem to have exibited some nutriant issues, eventually the first few plants died. Luckily this was a bag-seed grow and I had plenty of time and seeds. Eventually 3 took off. Rather then start more, I decided to focus on these three and spend as much time learning as I could, rather then try to manage a slightly larger crop and risk ruining it.

I frequently spent hours in the grow room, which in the end was just large enough to fit me in the two female plants. Often Id read a High-Times magazine, or brainstorm and often, read philosophy. I kept air circulating by hooking up the fan so it was on with the lights and left the door to the room slightly open during the light hours.

I used cheap fluoroescent tubes from Walmart. Ecolux, to be exact. The 4 foots where mounted vertically and the 2 foots suspended above the plants. Looking back, I would have liked to have more light from above. Total lumen count was somewhere close to 25,000 effectively making my chamber into a home made phototron without the huge price tag.

I vegged them for at least 3 months, maybe longer. One was a male so I cut him down, as I wanted my babys to stay as dank as possible, didnt know anything about the genetics and had plenty of seeds for starting more in the future. I gave one plant which was more or less indica a slightly different bit of nutes the the other plant, which appeared to be more sativa like.

Once I started them flowering I switched the nutes around and started giving them the Orchid food, as it had a good amount of the required nutes. I continued to give them the nutes I was before except in smaller amounts.

I cut the sativa down around the 60 day mark but left the indica flowering for another half month.

After harvest total yield was a little more then 2.5 ounces from two plants.

Here are two pictures, one of each top bud. For some reason I am having touble uploading here, so I uploaded them to imageshack instead...
http://img475.imageshack.us/my.php?i...scf1290lg9.jpg (Indica - 4 grams)
http://img475.imageshack.us/my.php?i...scf1321ad6.jpg (Sativa - 8 grams)

Now, Ive heard people talk about the inferiority of weed grown under fluoros but Id have to say that it was some of the dankest pot I have ever smoked. I enjoy some of the best BC's rather consistantly and have amokes strains like AK-47, Timewarp and Cronic several times. A couple of my friends who got tastes also agree.

All in all I am pretty pleased with how it turned out, for my first time on my own. Prior to this I had grown two plants with a good friend, but growing my own allowed me to learn a lot. I didnt get the yield I was hopeing for, but what I did get proved to be some of the most tastey, delightful smoke I have ever had. The high from both plants was just pure bliss.

Next time I will be switching over to MH an HPS lights and better nutes, as well as CO2 enrichment (via dry ice, I think), a better air circulation system, good seeds and cloning. (Id like to try my hand at breeding. imparticular. Ive been reading up on my growing knowledge for years, and with a grow under my belt I am ready to tackle much more then before. Blueberry AK, anyone?)

Anyway, my newest grow is already happening and I am trying it outdoors this time. Perhaps I'll have more details about that soon.

Regards and Happy Toking,
Nekrow

[Nekrow]

Bump

Id really like a couple opinions, if not just on the pictures.

[Aquilani]

Hey I'm in the middle of my 1st grow..

I have to say that bud looks very nice and sticky, especially considering the flouros. The sativa is real pretty. But wow...3+ months of veg? For such a modest yield, you must be patient!

[gambino]

Nice looking plants.
If you were to grow with fluoro again, i would say why not try a SCROG.
This way you can uitilize all the light a fluoro has, over such a large surface area, aswell being able to keep the light(s) very close to the plant.

[Nekrow]

Yeah, I'll deffanilty be using a more advanced technique if I grow under fluoro again. But, Id really like to go HID and really get some weight to make it worth while.

[Hypeshot]

HID system are the way to go if you want yield , but dont think that floro grows wont get the job done. Scrog is probably the best way to maximize a floro grow seeing as how the light does not penetrate very well. Your buds look nice ,and frosty , K+ on a succesful harvest. It's time to get that second grow going, start them under the Floro , and if you feel like it switch to HID halfway through, GL bro.

[T.Bug]

High Nek! those looked awsome for a first run. you must of really done your home work! congratz on the harvest!
Peace, bugout