A few months ago, I planted a seed. I never used any lights or anything for it. It grew to about four feet tall and then I noticed a bunch of white spote on the leaves. A month after that it dried up and died. So, I am starting over. I planted a bunch more seeds, but I don't want the same thing to happen to them. What can I do to prevent that? What were those white spots? And do I have to use lights? Thankyou in advance for all your help!
You will be sure to find all the info you need throughout this site. if this is to be your first succesfull grow, you'll need some equipment. winter is almost here so sunlight might not be a sufficient light source for a complete grow. a metal halide is suggested for vegetative growth, but is not absolutely nessecary. You can use flourescent lighting, but do not expect excellent results, if you do use them, get the cool white tubes, and if you must use them for flowering than use a warm white, as this is reder in the light spectrum, and is the kind plants make more use out of in thier flowering cycles. a high pressure sodium (HPS) is reccomended for the flowering stage. they sell whats called a conversion bulb, so if you purchase a metal halide ballast, you can use a HPS conversion bulb without the need for a second ballast. these light kits can go up into the few hundred dollar range...and I suppose it is worth it if your looking for a decent yeild...quicker. But it cant be absulutely neccesary. check out my other threads, this is my first grow, and I went with two 40 watt CW tubes, the pictures will show you where they are at now and what they looked like at seedling stage, Ive made it to flowering without much trouble, and shes producing as good as i can expect from the conditions Ive provided... also get a timer to put your lights on a steady schedual. 24 hours of light from seed to seedling, then switch to 18 on 6off untill youre ready to force the flowering stage (your plant may climb 3 times the size it was when forced, in a short amount of time, so beware.)...at that point switch your timer to a 12 on 12 off period, during the dark period you must be absolutely certian that there is no light leaking in to your grow room, this can cause your plant to become stressed, confused as to what your trying to do and might produce a hermaphrodite plant. not exactly desirable, so make sure there is no light leaks just to be on the safe side. also, you want to make sure if you are using flourescents, to keep the light about 2 inches from the top of the plant at all times, otherwise, they will stretch and become enlongated, perhaps even topple over from their own weight, keeping a fan on them will cause their stems to become hard and strong and can help to prevent a plant from falling over.....lots more info can be had from surfing this site, I hope this helps you out a bit and gives you enough to get started, I assume you have the basics as you gre one before. have fun. Ave atque vale. Keep us updated on your grow.