Whats up everyone?! I am pretty damned psyched to be posting my first grow journal about my first grow here on GC. I have been reading threads and posts for months now and it's finally time to start on the road to self sufficiency! As written in the title, I have literally nothing that is needed to grow right now. Funds will be coming in shortly and I have some prep work to do, but I am going to post my progress from planning right on thru curing. I'm getting an early jump partially to get confirmation on my plans, partially for the community to have another grow journal that starts from square zero, and partially for my nerves . So, with no delays... Planned End Product: Juicy delicious nugs from 1 - 2 plants compliments of Attitude Seedbank Vision's Northern Lights (feminized) and Dinafem's Royal Haze. Conditions: A 2-family home in suburbia (slightly more urban than sub), 2 cats, 1 closet 5'x2' 2"x8' with sliding wood doors in a well air-conditioned room, and 1 slightly nervous wife. Money isn't really an issue, though I'm not trying to go crazy here. But I'm definitely not a DIYer by any means. The Equipment 2'x2.5'x6' Gorilla Grow Tent GrowBright 4" inline fan & carbon filter combo for exhaust: HTG Supply 2x 90W Lighthouse Hydro LED growlights One 125W 6500k (veg) and One 125W 2700k (flower) CFL placed between the LEDs. Two 27W 2700k CFL placed under canopy during flowering A generic rotating fan for circulation inside the tent Timer for the lights A 6-plant Bubbleponics setup: Stealth Hydro Thermometer/Hygrometer for the tent pH Meter My only DIY, Newbiegrowr's ONA bucket for piece of mind: GrassCity So, it all comes together like this. The tent will be inside the closet in the center so there is ample room on either side for intake and exhaust. I will keep the closet sliding doors open apprx 2" on either side & locked with hook locks to prevent the cats from getting inside. I'm able to lock the cats out of the room entirely when tending to the crops, so that won't be a problem. I figure the 2" will be enough to allow intake air from the room to enter the closet and exhaust from the tent to exit the closet (which is by no means airtight in the first place). The ONA-bucket will be placed near the exhaust point of the closet to capture those remaining dank molecules that escaped the carbon filter. The noise levels aren't much of a concern during the summer b/c we keep the a/c running and fans going in the room not to mention our neighbors aren't suspicious or nosy in the least, though they do come up to chill once in a while (NOT 420 friendly!). It would be rather suspicious if we started denying them all the time. But I've heard between the carbon filter and the ONA-bucket, smell will not be an issue at all. I want to use LED lights for my piece of mind as the heat and power drain are much lower and I hear you can get some pretty nice yields with the better models. I was checking out several different methods of hydroponics and I was reading that this bubbleponics method really puts out some great yields. Again, as I'm not much of a DIYer (and my wife has little faith in my abilities ), I wanted an all-in-one. The gentlemen on this very helpful page suggested the one listed in the equipment section. Please let me know if you've heard otherwise! My plan for the drying / curing phase is to do them in the tent itself. This is all for personal use only and my wife and I aren't heavy tokers. Hence a continuous stream of plants really isn't my goal. I figure the drying phase is about as stinky as the last days of flowering, so I want to make sure the smell is equally under control (hence the drying in the tent). I need you guys to give me some input on that. Is it OK? Are there special procedures I should follow to dry in the tent to prevent mold? I could always dry in the closet just outside the tent but then the carbon filter isn't doing anything. Well, that's my plan. Before I start ordering, I have to get another influx of cash, so we have some time. But I'd like to get some community feedback on this plan. I'm pretty much married to the idea of LED lights, so other than that, is there anything you guys would change? Thanks for the input!!! Peace -1-
all sounds great and good luck. my one thing would be the stealth hydro steup. while it is easy to get a premade bubble pot, I bought the 4 pot system and had to eventually make a second 1 because the 2 female plants outgrew it right around preflower. couldn't imagine how it would look now. check my sig thread for pics. but hey, it is premade and they are good quality, but those roots will be super packed once u get into full on growth.
Damn! That's some crazy rootage you had there, bro! But if I read correctly, you vegged for 40 days. I'm only planning on a 2 week veg (maaaaybe 3). Do you think it would make a difference if I'm using a 6 plant setup but only for 2 plants? Thanks for your quick feedback!
yes, I did veg longer, I think it was 36 days, and that is a good point. you should be fine, keep the plants on the corners. just keep an eye on them and keep roots separated. they kinda gravitate to each other and tend to intertwine.
Great stuff. I will keep one on the left-rear corner and the other on the right-front corner. Will def check for root gravitation . Thanks again for your feedback.
I haven't used a ONA bucket, I use a big Shaklee air ionizer right outside of my room to catch anything that might escape the carbon scrubber. I also exhaust outside, not sure if you can. How about into a crawl space? I haven't used a tent either, so I'm not sure about the smell. With only 2 plants, it shouldn't be too tough to manage. Here's a journal you might want to look at, he hasn't been around for a while, but used LEDs. http://forum.grasscity.com/indoor-grow-journals/827734-first-grow-leds-coco-hempy-pots.html Good luck, I also live in urban/suburb, have a bunch of neighborhood kids & their parents in my home all the time. My wife didn't like the idea at first (she doesn't use it), but once I dialed it in, she's now impressed. I also have a few air fresheners around the house & a bottle of Fabreeze at the ready. BB in this thread can prolly answer all your LED questions. I'll be buying some soon for my veg closet & will reference him. http://forum.grasscity.com/indoor-grow-journals/1172938-exotic-strains-perpetual-grow.html
Thanks for the tips and links, Chubbylove. Knowing that the carbon scrubbers and ionizers (which we also have) work so well even without the powerful ONA bucket gives us more piece of mind. As for a pseudo-update, I'm finishing my last graduate class ever this Friday and will be celebrating by getting my PO box for receiving seed orders and visiting the hydro shop to build my ONA bucket. I've heard the PO box may not be necessary, but better safe than Bubba's cell mate!
Subbed. Looks good. You exhausting anywhere other then back into the closet? Attic/even under the house would be 10x better then right back into the closet
No worries greatkitsune. The grow won't actually get underway for a few weeks. I just finished the last final I'll ever have to take for grad school and I have to get some $$ together to get all this equipment. I look forward to your input! pun650, unfortunately, I cannot create any openings or holes where we live. Venting back into the closet is what I have to do. But I'm going to keep the sliding doors on both sides open 2" to allow air flow. I might position a regular vertical room fan like this: to pull air out of the closet. I figured going LED and supplementing with a couple smaller CFLs would be very low heat so the slightly inhibited intake/exhaust wouldn't be as big an issue. Should I be more concerned? Air will certainly be getting in/out of the closet. Like I said before, it might be a few weeks before the grow actually begins as I am gathering the loot for all this equipment! By the by, is it actually bad to have seeds sent to the address where you grow or is that over-cautious? I'm not sure I have many options on how to get the seeds other than to have them sent where I will grow. Any suggestions for this?
Sweet deal, JohnnyB. Good to have you aboard! Does anyone have any opinions on the whole "don't send seeds to the same address that you grow at" philosophy? I have very limited options with regards to this as I hear PO boxes won't do anything to shield you since you need 2 forms of ID (PatriotACT) and our neighbors are nosy (hence packages delivered to the nearby abandoned house will probably be grabbed by a nosy and inquisitive neighbor). I probably won't ever have an order that is > $100. Is it really all that dangerous to have seeds delivered to your house? I want to place my order, but I would like some feedback on this issue before I do so. UPDATE: I have changed some of the equipment I'll be using. I decided to go with 2 Taotronics 90W LED lights as they have very solid reviews. Will be supplementing with a single 85W CFL between the 2 LEDs (6500k during veg, 2700k during flower) and 2 more 35W 2700k CFLs placed under the canopy during flowering. I've been reading that a little CFL lumen action helps the yields greatly. Also removed the RO system. Couldn't sell the wife on it! Picked up the stuff for the ONA bucket today and will be following Newbiegrowr's tut closely tomorrow (after Mom's day breakfast of course ). Definitive date for the grow to start is first week of June. Sorry for the wait, guys. Taking the wife on vaca and delivery for everything may take a bit of time.
\ I think its best to get the vacation done so there will be no worries about who can look after your grow while you're gone. I might have have that problem when i go on vacation this summer myself lol bummer but I'll figure it out. I'm sure you're well prepared, can't wait to see pix
Great to have you with us, Magic Man 7! Yeah, I figured I shouldn't start a grow and then disappear during her first 2 weeks of life. That is probably a bad idea for any gardener (let alone a first timer)! Any opinions or thoughts on having seeds delivered to the address where they will be grown at? Any suggestions on possible solutions? (No trustworthy neighbors and the abandoned house is out of the question). Will using a prepaid visa gift card w/o my real name work fine? Thanks in advance!
Attitude has wonderful stealth shipping options. Mine went to someone else's house and they thought i just ordered a t-shirt lol. They also use usps, which to the best of my knowledge needs a search warrant to open anything under 2 pounds. I would check out attitude though they do a really nice job of packing and shipping, they have pick n mix, and don't forget the freebies they just throw at you.
Thanks, yabastaa. I've been checking out Attitude for a while now. Sounds like I'll be getting from them using stealth shipping option.
Welcome to the journal, flrdotcom! Finished the ONA bucket today. Visiting the local hydro shop tomorrow for the Soil Moist Polymer and ONA concentrate. Hoping they have Gorilla Tents (was thinking about upping my tent to one of those bad boys). If so, I will be picking one up, too.