Do I have everything I need?

Discussion in 'First Time Marijuana Growers' started by Thrackwar, Apr 11, 2012.

  1. #1 Thrackwar, Apr 11, 2012
    Last edited by a moderator: Apr 12, 2012
    The title says it all. I am growing for the first time and want to make sure I have everything I need to get started correctly. I also have some questions on the items I need still. Hopefully someone can help me out.

    MY setup is:

    Grow Tent 22x36x63 w/flange
    400 watt Digital HPS (HPS bulb and MH conversion bulb)
    Maxwing reflector
    Bubble Boy Single Shot DWC
    3" Rockwool Cube
    6" Inline duct fan
    Digital Themometer w/humidity
    PH Tester (drop kind) (Upgrade?)
    1L bottles of Jungle Juice Grow,Bloom, and Micro
    Small fan
    Seeds (duh!)

    Here are where my questions start. I need to grab ph up and down still but I was wondering about the other Nuts I bought. I read some iffy reviews so I don't want to screw this up. What is the best items I can use incombination? Should I be looking to grab rapid start, big bud, voodoo juice... ect. I know there are a bunch of different options and I have read throughout the forums, so I am looking for something that will work with the setup I have specifically.

    Couple of other questions I had:

    I purchased a CFL Daylight 23watt from Home Depot and figured I would use this on my one seedling for the first week or so, then switch over to the better lighting MH/HPS. Does that sound right?

    I plan on growing in the basement where it is a little on the moldy side. Is this going to be a huge problem if I have the tent off the ground a bit and not touching any walls? It is really the only place I have to grow so I need to make sure it won't kill the plant before I even get started.

    Lastly with the Bubble Boy, it came with the air pump and such, but do I submerge the net pot into the water or do I put it a few inches down and water it daily until the roots reach the water? Probably a dumb question but the intructions just say to fill the bucket 2-3" below the rim which would mean the net pot would be submerged a bit. Hence my confusion.

    Thanks ahead of time and sorry for the lengthy post. Looking forward to some suggestions!

    Edit: My responses to people don't seem to be going through, I will give them until tomorrow, if they don't show, I will retry. Thanks for the info so far guys
     
  2. it certainly sounds like you have every thing you need :)

    good luck with the grow
     
  3. #3 tplat, Apr 11, 2012
    Last edited by a moderator: Apr 11, 2012


    If your gonna go with a DWC set up then I would suggest a PPM/EC meter. As for seedlings I just start them out under a couple of daylight CFL`s for the first week or two but I dont do hydro yet but would most likley still start them under the CFL`s till they get their first or second set of 3 bladed leaves. As for your net pot question I would like to know as well. We havent got our DWC set up going yet, waiting on plants to get big enough to pull clones off of. But in our bubble cloner we have the water within a few inches of the net pot so it may be the same concept and when the roots are in the ogynated water their big enough to transplant. For meters I like Bluelab, their a little more expensive but you get what you pay for, Hanna is also another good brand. Bluelab meters tend to have a longer warranty then most.

    http://www.google.com/products/cata...T4PrBaOTiQKu5oD3BA&ved=0CFgQ8wIwAA#scoring=tp

    http://www.getbluelab.com/shop/Bluelab+Truncheon%AE+Meter.html
     
  4. Nice. Thanks, I will look into getting one of those.
     
  5. Add a little experience, and you're pretty much there!

    Yes, I would definitely upgrade your pH tester. You could combine it with tplat's recommendation of TDS/EC...I have the HANNA 9813-6, it's a handheld that does pH, temp, and EC or TDS (I grew up with TDS, so I haven't bothered to learn the EC conversion!). That HANNA isn't cheap, but sounds like the Bluelab warranty may be worth looking into.

    Nutes: I've only ever used General Hydroponics Flora Series (not an endorsement, just saying that's all I have experience with). It's a three part system, but there are additives available and I've played with a few here and there. I'd suggest whatever line you choose to go with, stick to the basic recipe the first time out. Start playing with additives once you've had some successes. The basic line of any major brand is going to grow nice plants, tweaking success will come with experience!

    Lighting: I agree with waiting for a second set of three blades. Then start the HID lamp farther away than it will ultimately be...move it closer incrementally over a week or 10 days.

    Moldy basement: That could be an issue. A humid environment could give you problems in flower. Is there room in the tent for a small dehumidifier? A dehumidifier will create heat, so that may create problems as you solve others. Maybe a larger dehumidifier for the whole basement? I say proceed keeping an eye out for mold in the tent or powdery mildew on the plants. Maybe someone with some wet basement experience will come along and be of greater help.

    DWC/Bubble Boy: I'm primarily ebb & flow, but I built a couple DWC buckets for peppers and lavender (seriously) last spring. The DIY I followed said the water level should be a couple inches below the bottom of the netpot. Understanding that the bubbles from the airstone create a mist that hit the netpot/roots, my concern was wondering if that was enough before there was much root development...turns out, it's fine, but eventually a whole train load of roots wind up down in the aerated water anyway. Since you're starting with 3" Rockwool, I'm guessing there will be no hydroton? If that's the case, the Rockwool will def stay wet from the mist.

    Good Luck!
     
  6. Drop the drops and get a digital ph meter, imo.
     
  7. Very nice info guys. Thank you all so far. I will now get a digital ph and ec meter. Also I am going to run all the equipment to get temps and humidity. That way I can get a better grasp if the basement will cause a huge issue or not.

    I was putting my tent together tonight and ran into another question. I plan on using the personal fan to blow on the plants and I also bought the inline duct fan I mentioned. When I was installing the duct fan, do I put the airflow out or into the tent with that? Do I need another one to bring in/or take out air depending on which way the inline duct fan goes?

    Lastly @CasualObserver, I do not believe I have a hydroton. Mostly because I am not sure what it is. I believe I will plant the 3 inch rockwool into the expandable clay, put the water level 2 inches below the net pot and just check it everyday. If I find the under side of the rockwool wet from the mist, I won't water. If not then I will water it a little as needed to keep it moist until the roots hit the water.

    I plan to start a grow journal but mainly want to make sure everything is set before I start. Since I am only utilizing 1 plant to start, would like to get it right the first time and not have to start over.

    Thanks again guys
     
  8. There are a number of growers here who have set ups in their basements. You want the inline fan to pull air in and push the hot air out up high. Hydroton is little clay balls used in alot of hydro set ups. Do a few dry test runs with everything running and that will give you an idea if you are gonna need another fan.
     
  9. [quote name='Thrackwar']The title says it all. I am growing for the first time and want to make sure I have everything I need to get started correctly. I also have some questions on the items I need still. Hopefully someone can help me out.

    MY setup is:

    Grow Tent 22x36x63 w/flange
    400 watt Digital HPS (HPS bulb and MH conversion bulb)
    Maxwing reflector
    Bubble Boy Single Shot DWC
    3" Rockwool Cube
    6" Inline duct fan
    Digital Themometer w/humidity
    PH Tester (drop kind) (Upgrade?)
    1L bottles of Jungle Juice Grow,Bloom, and Micro
    Small fan
    Seeds (duh!)

    Here are where my questions start. I need to grab ph up and down still but I was wondering about the other Nuts I bought. I read some iffy reviews so I don't want to screw this up. What is the best items I can use incombination? Should I be looking to grab rapid start, big bud, voodoo juice... ect. I know there are a bunch of different options and I have read throughout the forums, so I am looking for something that will work with the setup I have specifically.

    Couple of other questions I had:

    I purchased a CFL Daylight 23watt from Home Depot and figured I would use this on my one seedling for the first week or so, then switch over to the better lighting MH/HPS. Does that sound right?

    I plan on growing in the basement where it is a little on the moldy side. Is this going to be a huge problem if I have the tent off the ground a bit and not touching any walls? It is really the only place I have to grow so I need to make sure it won't kill the plant before I even get started.

    Lastly with the Bubble Boy, it came with the air pump and such, but do I submerge the net pot into the water or do I put it a few inches down and water it daily until the roots reach the water? Probably a dumb question but the intructions just say to fill the bucket 2-3" below the rim which would mean the net pot would be submerged a bit. Hence my confusion.

    Thanks ahead of time and sorry for the lengthy post. Looking forward to some suggestions!

    Edit: My responses to people don't seem to be going through, I will give them until tomorrow, if they don't show, I will retry. Thanks for the info so far guys[/QUO

    Ok I am up figured I'd try and help. A 23 watt will work fine, I'd use at least 4. That will work the first couple weeks then put her under the 400 watt mh, pending on temps will be pending on how high you keep the light. As for the basement if its as bad as you say I'd throw pallets down then a piece of ply on top of that to make it even. Bleach and throughly clean the whole area. Wait a couple days then set up your tent. Seedlings cfl's and good to go. As for the dwc you need to make sure they have long enough roots before you put it in the bucket. Then for the first week I keep the water all the way to the pebbles. ONce the roots have dropped I lower the water a couple inches below the pot just make sure the roots are touching the water. Sorry if I rambled this LSD has got me pretty toasted. Your on the right track. Good luck buddy.
     
  10. Oh and grab the fox farm trio and use the other stuff in conjuction. Get some superthrive, cal- mag and you would not belive the wonders of liquid karma. GET IT! You will love it. Other then that you got it buddy. What kinda genetics you runnin?
     


  11. Also if he can close it off for a day and vent it out maybe some fungicide bombs, their not cheap but I heard they work good. I would also recomend at looking into a suphur burner or atleast some Green Cure to routenely spray his plants to help prevent mold problems. I had two set of mother plants I got off of budtrader and both developed powdery mildew. Once a plant get PM its got it for life. There are products that one can use to keep it at bay in veg but it can become a serious problem in flowering.
     
  12. So I will run a test run with the inline pointing out up high near the light. I will used the 6" personal fan to simulate another fan on the bottom, just to get an idea.
    I will have to grab a couple splitters to get to 4 lights. I thought one would be fine for one plant. Guess I under estimated that haha. Great idea for the basement. I plan on doing the pellets and plywood to keep it up. Thanks for the heads up on the DWC method I should use. I will start it out the way you mentioned.
    Hmm. That's where I get confused. If I get fox farm and use jungle juice, won't it be over kill? I guess I have to read up on nuts more. Superthrive, I looked into, will look into the others you mentioned as well. As far as genetics, I actually managed to get a bunch of seeds due to promos from attitude. So I will probably start with one of the free seeds as a test/first run. Either, G13 Labs Cheese, or one of EVA Seeds (Jamaican Dream, Monster or TNT Kush). One of those since they were free. Saving my G13 Purple Haze ones for when I get better at growing :)

    Not sure I can do a bomb in there. Trying to be pretty descreate about the whole thing. I will look into Suphur Burner and Green Cure. If you have any other suggestions on what could prevent mold, I will take them!

    Thanks again guys.
     
  13. I think these guys have covered your questions nicely...on the inline fans, if you'll just be using the one, have it installed high and pulling hot air out. If you'll be using some kind of carbon scrubber, pull through that on the way out of the tent (there will need to be a passive opening down low to allow cool air in). Even better may be to have one pulling cool air in down low AND have the exhaust up high. The personal fan for circulation in the tent is a good idea, too.

    Def start a journal and keep us posted!
     
  14. Thanks! I actually just got my seeds today, so I pretty much am ready to go. Just one slight problem at this point. I have a vacation planned for two weeks at the begining of June. So I don't think I will actually be able to start until I get back. Sucks but I would hate for them to die while I am away. This forum rocks!
     
  15. I must've made an order around the same time you did and expect many of those same freebies if not today, certainly tomorrow!

    Two weeks is a pretty good stretch, I understand your hesitancy ...I'll be going out of the country for 8 days toward the end of this month. I'd really prefer to have my seedlings a little further along and set them to flower when I go, but I'll switch to 12/12 regardless and have sex beginning to show when I return....or a bunch of dead plants! Such is life. A 30 gal nute rez is a little more forgiving, but it's no guarantee!
     
  16. Doing some more research, I am going to pick up some neem oil to have incase I start seeing some mold. Also I was looking at getting an air purifier. My thought is to put an air purifier on the bottom of the tent near the incoming fresh air to help with the mold. Unless they make one that can be mounted on the grow tent. That would be ideal.
     
  17. DO THE CHEESE!!! She is very forgiving and loves nutes. It takes a lot to burn her if you get a certain pheno. I am about to take one down sunday. Now I did get one pheno the was a little finiky, but her smoke is gonna be incredible as well. Cheese is def good for a beginner. Are you set on doing dwc? If not consider soil and smart pots, they are much much more forgiving. But thats all up to you buddy. I'm gonna be subbed. Sounds like you got just about everything. Get the trio of ff. And it comes with a schedule and tells you exactly what to do. I always go under what they say at first, then slowly increase till I get the tinyest burn. This way I know her limits, and know how far she can go. Only feed nutes 2 a week or every other watering. But even in only water waterings I use superthrive sometimes liquid karma (depends if she looks like it could help her or not cause that shit is a cure all) and I give her some epson salt here and there. Just a teaspoon per gallon though. This way you don't have to buy cal- mag. Epson is much cheaper.
     
  18. Hey Thrack!
    I was curious so I jumped on the Google myself. My thought was for some sort of UV sterilizer on your intake air, then I found this site: You've Got Mold!. Looks like your air purifier (HEPA) will be able to reduce mold spores, but UV would be pretty useless. Above all, this and a couple other sites say the fix is in drying the source of moisture. I don't have a basement or any experience with one, but if you can get the humidity in the room just below 50% with a dehumidifier, it seems the majority of your mold concerns would be abated.

    I have a 50 pint dehumidifier which does a bang up job in my garage when I leave the RO unit unattended and its rez overflows. Running a line to drain is a lifesaver vs. emptying the bucket twice a day! I don't know about your budget, but if you could throw a few hundred at a 70 pint dehumidifier, you may be able to head it off at the source rather than chasing the spores that never stop coming!

    I keep a little Neem oil on hand, but use it only during veg and for the occasional fungus gnat (doesn't do the trick by itself, but it helps). You definitely don't want to spray your buds with any kind of oily goo!
     
  19. ]]

    Neem oil.... Yes. Only spray a couple times in veg, and then they will be fine come flower. Just as a preventive. I'm sure you'll do fine buddy you just have to remember its your first grow. K.I.S.S.
    Keep it simple stupid. Once you get past the first and have tried cloning and feel more comfortable, then I'd ease into advanced techniques. Ya need light, good medium, venilation, good genetics, and good nutes. Thats it. Everything else is just extra. I hope And yo I'm not tellin you what to do. You do what you think and are capable of. I'm just here to answer a few questions you have asked, but my no means am a a pro. I just have some expirience under my belt, and love to spread any knowledge I know to other new people because thats what the city is all about. Everything I have acomplished is cause of a lil hard work, and the city for sure. Couldn't done without these fellas.
     
  20. Cheese it is! I would prefer to stick to the hydro over the soil after this spending spree I just went on...

    I just bought the rest of the stuff I needed, I hope!

    Fox Farm 3 part
    Small size liquid karma
    PH up and down
    Serenade
    Bluelabs EC/PPM Meter (as recommended)
    Bluelabs PH Meter
    Neem Oil
    Smaller Rockwool 1" cubes
    Superthrive

    Lastly I am hitting up home depot for a decent dehumidifier. Hopefully that will help with the mold.

    I plan on checking temps and humidity in the next few days, so I will keep you updated. I will also start a new thread when I actually start test growing. I am going to try to grab some bag see to test on before my vacation so when I come back, I will be ready for the good seeds.

    Once again, thanks guys for all your help.
     

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