I had planted about 20 seeds, individually in small jam jars about a month ago. I have no lights, I'm doing this outside, and one plant has grown above the rest. Tho i think i over did it with some plant food (resulting in death for the other 3 stongest plants) this one is still standing with only a few brownish/yellow tips on the lower leaves. I have never in my life tried to grow... I dont know what i should do with these "bad spots"? The plant is still growing (its about 6 inches tall and starting to look like actual marijuana). Anyways. Since then I have pretty much gotten rid of all the other plants (at least 12 of them) because they just seem to not flourish like "my little star" has. This last week it has been getting in the low thirties at night, so i bring them inside and keep them in the dark and locked away from my cat, she seems to be really interested. And actually now that i think about it, are cats a threat? Because the neighborhood cats have been in my backyard alot lately. THey wont purposely pick out my plants to eat will they? I mean, they dont even smell yet. No worries because i have like a million other seeds to learn with. I have two different kinds, both about mid-grade to slightly above... Okay with all of this being said, I just need a freind or personal mentor- It's really hard for me to learn just by reading all these threads and books, I don't always have the time to filter through it all. I have lots of pictures I can share, and would appreciate all the help anyone can give me... Since I'm doing this outside, could i expect them to harvest by late october? Keep in mind i started in march. I love my babies and i just want the best for them. Here are some things i worry about: Other plant seeds from trees and such falling into my soil Animals and birds picking at them Nosey fucking neighbors Rain water? Dirt getting in my water i leave outside to purify...? Changing soil, because i went from an Organic Expert Grow to some cheap ass dollar store soil (which just looks like dirt). It seems like my seedlings grow in the first mentioned soil and the other stuff just sucks...But does it matter or im just over-analyzing? Im a waitress so i dont make alot of money where i live, i can barely afford to care for myself much less my lovebabies. I am a typical female, I mean i seriously just sit in the sun with my plants to make sure thier okay...I over fed them and over watered them already, so ive learned that lesson. man, i just need help. For those of you with a myspace myspace.com/hannahfunderburg someone...please...teach me... Praise Ja!
You should post some current pics of the plants. If we can see pics then it makes it easier to see what's wrong. How often do you fertilize and what type is it? Do you test the ph of your water? Are you using tap water and if so, do you use an air stone? Yes the type of soil definitely maters, and you should tranplant out of the dollar store soil asap. Look for orangic soils with no fertilizers in them. If you can, look up where your nearest local hydroponics store is, and they will have the best soils there for growing. Look for a kind called Fox Farms. It's more expensive, but it's the best for your plants and it will pay off with your harvest. Don't let your plants get below 55, this is when growth will stop. It's good that you've been bringing them in. My cat never bothers my plants, but I'm sure it varies from cat to cat. They are meat eaters though, and would probably only play with it instead of eating it. For other animals a fence around the plant would be good.
Okay, thank you... a few more questions- I want to bring them in to grow now, so I'm trying to find some lights. I know that wal-mart has Lights of America grow lights- will these work? I mean I'm so poor, I need to keep this at a low budget adventure. So, today the temperature got to mid 40's and I was at work so I could not bring them in- It was also cloudy alot- I got home around 4pm (i put them out at 11am) and brought them in. did i damage them? I have pictures on my myspace.com/hannahfunderburg (under 'family photos')- I terminated about 13 plants last night and have One left, she is about 6 inches tall. This one also has small yellowish/brown tips on lower leaves... i really want to know about these walmart grow lights.
it's 9pm, i just got back from the store with one 75w grow light (the Lights of America brand)...I went out to the shed, mounted it on the wall and lined a laundry basket with tinfoil (???) and I also have those reflective window things for your car, the silver folding thingies??? Will those offer any help? The light is about a foot away from the plant... i dont know what I'm doing. Good news (I think) is that the light is hitting the plant at all angles. I have a box fan and a window to keep the air flow going in the shed... man, any help would be great
Sorry I couldn't have told you early, but I think that you got an incandescent bulb instead of a flourescent. CFL's (flourescents) are the spiral bulbs that people normally use to save electricity because they put out more light with lower wattage. Also, tinfoil can create hotspots from the crinkles in it, and also doesn't reflect as much as just flat white paint or stuff called mylar that a lot of people use for growing. When you get the right kind of bulb you want to keep that thing like 2 inches from the plant. The fan is good for fresh air and to make stronger stems.
Hannah - Do us all a favor and take those pics off of myspace if your giving personal info out on that site... it looks like your myspace account is first and last name. Granted you aren't doing a large-scale op but it was all over the news recently about the kid who got busted because he had plant pics on his myspace. The mylar sunscreen for the car works great - aluminum foil works OK - mylar would be better. That 75W is a floro right? If so, I would bring it to with 6 inches of the plant and then work it closer until it is a only a few inches away from the tops. Also, try to keep the plants in temps between 60s-80s... you will stunt their growth if it gets much colder. What kind of soil are you working with? If it is too heavy then you need to add perilite, vermculite or gravel to create more pockets of air so you don't drown the roots. Lastly, I am by no means an expert but feel free to PM me if you have questions. I am growing hydro but have read about everything twice and can help you out with the basics or if you are 2nd guessing yourself. You can see my grow from the link in my signature.
dude those were just outside, you wouldn't want a cfl at 6inches, they will stretch like crazy because they aren't use to the lower amount of light. On my grow I keep my cfl's maybe a 1/2 inch away... just enough to give them some room to grow. Good advice otherwise
I haven't seen pics but I didn't want her to toast the sprout... especially since it is already burned. Dex is correct though... I try to keep my CFLs no more than 2inches from the plant.
oh gosh thanks so much! the light i have is a 24 inch flourescent with a 75w output where do i get this mylar?
You can buy mylar online in a roll - its not super expensive. Right now your money would be better spent on more lighting... trust me once this plant matures it's going to need WAY more light.. Also, you really want the compact floros -spiral things- fit into normal sockets. They are WAY better than floro tubes... unless they are high-end T5s (which yours are not). Most will say white paint is better than aluminum foil but keep the sun screen because it is mylar.
man, im so scared... i just dont want it to die, i love my baby. i wish i had photos of how big it is now and the leaves and stuff. thanks for all of yalls help<3
Biggest newbie mistake is over-watering. You want to stick you finger down into the soil (try to avoid the roots) to see if it is really dry. After a while you will be able to 'tell' when your baby needs h20.
Here are some other things I've been thinking about, I dont have them in 3 gallon pots and I'm not really sure about exact procedures on seedlings and sprouting time...and Also, I put my plant under the light at 830pm for the first time after only having sunlight from 9am til about 7pm... So when should i put it into darkness??? and for how long???
First off, read up on the grow guides, sticky posts, and links I put in my sig and some others have in their sigs as well. A lot of your questions are answered there, I know it is a lot of reading but well worth it. I agree you definitely want to spend your money on lights right now rather than mylar, if they are going outside eventually anyway. Get "daylight" bulbs, not "warm" or "soft" light. Those LOA at Wally World are fine and cheap. If you look on the package or the base of the bulb somewhere it should say 6500k, that is the color temp, or a fancy way of saying it is a bluish light, the right spectrum for vegetative growth. You don't need the warm lights which have the right spectrum for flowering, your plants will be outdoors under Ol' Sol for flowering. If you are putting them out by day and then finishing off the light indoors, try to go straight from sun to artificial light with very little dark in between. Try to give them at least 16 hours of straight light each day. You do have to worry about critters for an outdoor grow -- rabbits, deer, etc. And yes, keep your cat away, it will eat the leaves too. Looks like you took someone's advice here and removed your pics, I don't see them, so try to upload them straight here to GC. There is a forum here at GC just on outdoor growing, troll around in there and keep reading, you'll pick up a lot of tips that way. Good luck.