Ive been doing alot of research and I have not started growing yet but i want to make sure i have everything set up right. Any suggestions on what kind of cannabis i should start off with? I am ordering a 2.5x1.5'x3' Mylar Grow Tent Clone Room 30"x18"x36". I will be growing in the grow tent which will be placed inside of my closet. My closet is 42" x 22" x 72". I am going to be putting it in my closet because i have roomates that live with me and i dont want them to know what i am doing. To get rid of the smell i am planning on getting a carbon filter. Im a little bit confused on the lighting i should use to start off my plant. I wanted to start off with a "Quad-band 225 LED Grow Light Panel Hydroponic Plant Lamp Blue Red Orange White". The light panel size is 12" L x 12" W x 1-1/2" H. However alot of people start off with CFLs and i dont want to give the plants to much light. What would be a better option? Do they need 24 hr lighting to start off with? Thanks in advance
most people use t5's or cfl's to start...I just used a cheap 48" shop light with one blue spectrum and one red bulb and that got 6 females to 12 inches before i went under the MH...also I always do 18/6
Bad idea to try to grow with others in the house that you want to keep a secret from them. First, you will get caught -- there just are to many strange sounds, odors, and activities associated with growing. Plus, you put them at risk without them even knowing about it. And I'm just guessing that you are in a rented apartment, which also is a bad idea. Read up in the security sub-section. Growing MJ requires stealth and a serious attitude about the risk you are taking and also that you are not putting on others. You need your own, secure place to grow.
Hi, I use CFLs for vegging and HPS for flowering. Here's a link for some info on lighting. It explains everything. The Green Pages - Lighting
The house is owned by me, so they are taking no responsibility. My options are between CFLs or LEDs do to budget. For lighting is it required to use different wattage for veg and flowering, if not, what would be recomneded for my setup, CFLs or LEDs, and what wattage?
In a 2.5 x 1.5 space i'd go with about 200 watts of cfl for vegging and a 250watt hps for flowering. I don't know anything about led, all i know is some people say they work great and others say they don't work at all. If you don't want to use hps for flowering then i'd get 300/400 watts of cfl in there.
Awesome. Sounds great, thanks a bunch. Last few questions. Can I give my plants too much light? Is there a minimum amount of time for vegetation? Lets say the plant grows half the height I want, can I begin to flower or do I have to wait a minimum ammount of time to flower? What kind of yield can I expect per plant with properly maintained plants and CFL lighting? Any recommended strains for a first time grower? Thanks a lot, I'll start my grow journal right after day 1.
You can give your plants too much light, but this won't happen unless you put a 600-1k watt HPS in your small tent. There is a limit to how much light a plant can use, going over 10,000 lumens per square foot will not increase growth rates. 3-7000 lumens is ideal, with 3000 as a minimum and 5000 as something to aim for. You can veg for as little time as you want, the only problem is that the plant must be mature before it flowers. This can take 3-6 weeks. This is a problem if you are growing from seed. Clones taken from mature plants can begin flowering immediately if necessary. Mature plants will show signs of sex at the internodes, but this does not mean they have begun to flower. I usually flower after about a month, and my plants are usually all mature by then. Some don't flower immediately and can take an extra few days. The yield really isn't something anyone can tell you. My 2nd grow yielded well over double my first grow and my 3rd grow yielded well over double my 2nd grow, with the same space and light. You will be able to answer that question yourself after some time and you will learn how to improve your next yield. The easiest strains to grow are usually the well known ones. They are usually well known because of how easy they are to grow, greater yield or shorter flowering times. White widow and northern lights are examples of strains I think grow very well, but there are many more.