High Everyone, this is actually gonna be my second attempt on growing, my first was ruined due to my lack of knowledge. since than (which was like a month ago) i have been doing my research to assure a successful grow this time around, of course everyones input will be a great deal of help to me. i have a small closet space. so i will be limited to about two or three plants. i have four 100w cfl's at my disposal, should i use them all? if not how many should i use? once the seed have spouted i will plant them in a jiffy cup, than transplant into a 10' pot. i found some organic miracle gro (i know ff is the way to go but hey the soil and the food are free, compliments of mom) i know from my last grow that the soil will be able to supplement the plant for about three weeks after i transplant, so that buys me some time to get some ff products. as soon as my seeds spout and i get them in the jiffy cups i will start posting pictures. please feel free, once the pics are up, to point out anything that you might notice i am doing wrong, you inputs will be held in high regards. i look forward to meeting a lot of experienced growers and becoming one myself one day.
CFL's are pretty user friendly minus burns. Keep em about 2-5 inches away from them and move them as needed. Seeds take off quick. Start thinking about topping fimming lst etc now. with miracle grow soil watch the nutes, flush the hell out of it before you use it. Your seedlings will thank you later. good luck! and may you have a beautiful family of females.
Organic MG is actually not that bad. It's the pre-nuted stuff you gotta worry about, you know the soil with the small funny colored balls in it. Because you're doing a CFL grow, you really need reflectors. On the lamps but also reflective walls. Good ventilation is a must too, not only for the heat but also the health of your plants. Also, I suspect your CFLs are not 100 actual watts a piece. 4 100 actual watt fluros is not something a noob grower accidently has lying around. They probably are the equivalent of 100W incandescent bulbs. The actual wattage is written on the bulb itself. And take it easy with the water and nutes. Virtually all beginner soil growers overwater and overnute. I surely did. Good luck!
Get some holes drilled in the sides of your pots too, for lst, or you're gunna get a crispy plant, there mate. You don't need reflectors, just make sure the side is facing the plant. You could top now, depending on how tall they are.. well, just make sure they don't touch the lamp.
Topping is done before flowering. At least 1 week, maybe 2 and sometimes 6. Depends on how long you plang to veg/flower. He doesn't need to grow pot either. But, if he doesn't use reflectors his light effectiveness will suck ass. Badly.
if hes using cfl's the he can put them to the side of the planst and the walls will reflect the light back on the plants thus eliminating the need for a reflector
Most people do not want their plants to grow to the left or the right but straight up. Unless you have a ceiling adjustable in height, you'll need a reflector for the light on top. Also, reflectors will focus the light onto a certain surface whereas the wall distributes the light without focus, either flat or diffuse. There's no point in lighting up the ceiling. You can double the effectiveness of your lights using a silly sheet of metal wrapped into the right shape and size. Since light = yield and electricity is expensive and our budgets are finite, spending some time and maybe a few bucks only once make sense to me. I made my reflectors using empty beer cans!
i decided to start, no time like the present. i am germinating two seeds, as i stated previously i will start posting pics once i get them in a jiffy cup and they pop up. does anyone have am alternative to the jiffy cup method or am i good.
Beer cans work well and are plentyful for most college students and potheads alike! ... a 1$ turkey pan works well too.. Or a safety blanket.. CHEAP is the key word.. I am using a pizza box with aluminum foil covered with typing paper (Bright white!) to hold in heat since I am growing in a closet in a room I keep at 58-62 degrees. See MUAH's CFL grow. He didn't use reflectors, only white paper to cover anything that was dark colored. It's not 100% effective but your doing a cheap grow so I'm assuming your looking for a cheap bag not medical buds. It's all a matter of means. I can't put 200$ into a good grow situation, I can only make due with what I have. Solo cups, Milk Jugs, Boxes lined with garbage bags are cheap and just as effective as any 3$ pot you have to go out and buy. And for most of us, buying a pot at a store... looks strange with red eyes... Household hints (Nothing proven, just helpful hints for a cheap grow): 1 part rotten milk 4 parts water = cheap nitrogen (blooming) boost. You can use any milk.. rotten just seems to be you know... not a waste... Crushed eggshells (cleaned) make great "bone meal" Molasses is a great fertilizer (check with someone who knows this one better on how to use it) Keep your water in a container for at least 24 hours before using it on the plants and shake the bottle before pouring to add a little air to the water (best bet unless you wanna buy a ph tester) I dunno. that's my two cents. Like I said. Good luck. Be Smart. Have fun. It's all learning. I assure you that if your plants die, no one will hunt you down... unless you fucked with some serious mafia weed.... but we won't tell.
i read the forum on lst-ing but i still don't quiet get it, run that by me again, or a least point me into the right direction.
good new seed already popped, i put it in the jiffy cup under light. should have something in a week or two right.
Nitrogen helps plants use carbohydrates to gain energy, like certain foods we eat help us to gain energy. Nitrogen controls how plants take their form and how they function inside, and nitrogen helps plants make protein that help them grow strong and healthy. if you wanna know more... just google "nitrogen cycle"... It's basic biology... Adapted for cheap grows... It's one of those things like coffee grounds mixed in with dirt for violets will make them bloom better...
Basically you use either string or coat hangers or if you wanna get real cheap - dental floss... to bend the branches to allow the light to hit lower branches as well as the tops. Because you are making no cuts to the plant you eliminate a lot of stress to the plant. This will increase your yield in most cases, but it also increases the length of time in which you will need to veg under those cfl's.
being that it's my first grow i just want it to be successful without me messing it up. let me get the basics down with this grow than i will start experimenting. thanks.
My seedling is a couple of cm above the soil, i went ahead and got some emergency blankets to reflect the light, i have a 26w and a 27w cfl. and i am going to hook up the fan today. i figured that two was better than one so i germinated another seed, it popped and i planted it yesterday in a jiffy cup. how many more cfl's do you guys suggest i get. (pic's will up soon, just waiting for other plant to sprout) also how long should i keep the seedlings in the jiffy cup before i transplant.