FIRST GROW - 400watt HPS - EASY RYDER

Use nutes when the auto's start to flower. A good 'beginner' nute is Miracle Grow All Purpose...it's in a yellow box. Only use 1/4 dose first, then work your way up, ever other water or every 2 waterings. Just watch your plant...if you notice any nute-burn, slow it down.

The big plant looks damn fine. The tips seem a LITTLE burnt on a few leaves, but if you aren't using nutes on it yet, don't worry much. You'll need some nutes soon, though, for the flowering...see the few lines up above You'll want to get it started on flowering soon if space is an issue. That plant will easily double, maybe even triple, in size before the journey is over.

Only water when the soil is dry (stick fingertip in soil 2+inches) and/or the plant tells you it needs water (ie, it's droopy). If you can feel the soil at the very bottom of the pot, that's a good way to tell too.

 

If you plan on transplanting once they sprout, then you'd be better off puting the solo cups under the 400wHPS now rather then waiting. That way you avoid any possible shock and they get the best possible light they can as soon as they can. You'll speed up growth in the first few days, too, compared to being under the T5.

If you have no other option than to wait a week, or whatever, then just do the best you can.

 

Mkay, well you have no choice but to wait to move them. No big deal...work with what you've got, ya know..

For the 2gal bags, don't bother putting the plants in there until they've outgrown the solo cups. That way you'll have a nice rootball already formed and it'll be easier to transplant. They'll love the big bags at that point, too. I'd guess they'll be about 2-3 weeks old when it's time to transplant.

 

Well, I did mention the Miracle Grow All Purpose food a few posts ago...it has a good N-P-K balance, good to use as an all-round fertilizer for a whole life-cycle. I'd suggest that or just looking around your local gardening store, maybe a hydro store if one is nearby, and finding one that best suits the plants needs.

There are plenty of threads around here regarding types of nutes to use, so just browse around, conduct a search or two.

You probably won't have to start nutes until it starts to flower...since it is an autoflower, you don't have a very long veg period. And you can't give a seedling nutes...you'll kill it, most likely. So hold off til it flowers, I think, and use the MG food or a nute made for flowering(high P and K values, lower N)

Don't spray the leaves tooo much...with a 400wHPS it's likely that the droplets will burn your leaves. With proper/great ventilation, though, you can avoid this.

 

They should be fine. If any don't sprout you know those plants probably wouldn't have made it anyway.

Don't dig them up, just let 'em go. The less you handle those seedlings/taproots the better of you'll both be.

They can take up to a week to sprout. If you don't see ANY signs of growth after a week, then it might be time to GENTLY dig in the soil and find out what's going on.

Keep the soil pretty moist for those seeds. Don't water it a whole bunch, but if the soil is dry to the touch about 1" deep, then it's okay to give a lil water. It's good to cover the cups with some saran wrap, too, just to keep extra moisture in. Seeds need that moisture to crack open more and speed up growth.

 

Well...that all depends on how much money and time you want to spend here. You'll need more supplies for the contained box, but it may be better in the long run...you can control temps, humidity, smell and light leaks much better.
In an open closet you'll have that smell linger around your house when flowers come. Granted, you will have more space...and those babies will stretch with a 400w. With a box you can always do some LST, though. There is also added security with a box, rather than just a closet.

If your box is big enough and your ventilation is sufficient, temps won't be an issue. You wouldn't really be wasting money on building a box...if it's done right, the thing will last for a number of future grows, and you can't put a price on that

I, personally, would suggest building a box. Not only does it seem more efficient (to me) in the long run, but it's a bit more personal/involved that just sticking everything in a closet. I like to be more involved/in control of my grows, though...dunno about you.

Hell, even if the temps are too high with the 400w, you can keep the box and throw some more plants in it, or some clones, under some CFLs. Just have the box in your closet next to your other plants that are under the 400w. I guess it all depends on how much space you've got, and security.

Give the EasyRyders some more time. They'll pop up sooner or later.

 

You talkin' about drilling a hole straight through the wall, like from inside to outside?

Before you start drilling holes in your walls, think about it for a second. Do you really want a clean-cut hole going from outside to inside? If you live in an apartment, DO NOT do it, period....if it's your house, just think about it...it'll need to be repaired at some point. You might hit some wires or something while you're drilling. You could get bugs/rain/snow/etc coming into that hole. Smell might linger through the hole as well. If you're comfy with it, go ahead. Just thought I'd bring up a few points.

+ having 20F wind blowing into a 80F area will cause some shock to any plants that are near the intake hole. Would definitely keep temps down if it works out, though.

 

No. That is a myth. Droplets are not like little magnifying glasses on a leaf. Distance from light is the only thing that will cause the leaves to burn (excluding nutes). Although using a poor-quality water high in dissolved salts can do some damage. As water drops evaporated from leaves, the salts left behind cause a leaf burn.

 

If you say so I've heard conflicting reports. I've seen very little of it on my own girls, but I've got decent ventilation and lower wattage, soo...I just thought I'd throw the potential for it in here. Makes sense, though, if the water isn't absorbed/evaporated fast enough, it'll cause a burn or a spot at the very least. Whatever though

 

Have your exhaust sucking air from the lightbulbs area to get rid of that extra heat. Let it blow out of the box, either into the extra closet space or out the door. Might want to have a carbon scrubber in the box or make a cheap-o carbon filter for the fans to take care of the stench, if it gets that bad. Search the forums for some ideas, especially the "Grow box/design.." threads. Exhaust > Intake, too.

Intake should be near the lower part of the box, opposite the exhaust, blowing over your plants. This, coupled with the exhaust fan, will distribute fresh air fairly well around the whole box and help dissipate heat.

PC fans are a decent item to use and easy to install, but you'll need quite a few. Otherwise there are cheap inline fans you can get at home-depot and whatnot, which plug into the wall and do a pretty good job. Or just search around for some small, quiet fans. I found a 15" tower oscillating one online that does the trick for a small op.

Just use what you've got, ya know, then go buy extra stuff you need.