Okay, I would like to first off introduce myself to Grasscity. I have been on your forum for about two years but I never signed up until recently. I smoke about Half of a ounce a week of high grade weed. Its too expensive and I need money for other things. So I decided i would do a micro grow. Kinda like a pc box grow, but just in a custom box Im going to build. I have been reading up a whole lot, but still have some questions. I thought if i make this thread and update it as I go it would help me a whole lot in the long run. I have seen the help that you guys can provide for others and I'm all ears to any knowledge you would like to share. So far i have bought, -4 60W bulbs -Zip ties -mountable sockets for the bulbs -A custom box im building -Reflective Lining for the box -Carbon Filters -Cups and pots to hold plant -Thermometer I need -Soil (PLEASE HELP WITH WHATS THE BEST TO USE) -Nutrients (PLEASE HELP WITH WHATS BEST TO USE) -Mini Intake Fan -Mini Fan for air circulation -Ph tester Also, I know very little about hydroponics ( but is interested). Does anyone know any cheap methods? I have seen a pc grow on this website where he used a hydroponics system that was a starter kit he bought. Also where could I purchase something like this. If you took the time to read this, thank you so much. If you would put the time in to give me any advice or to answer any questions i asked that would be awesome. I will post lots of pictures once everything gets going. *EIDT* I NOW HAVE PICTURES OF MY BOX
Are the bulbs 13 actual(60w equiv) watts each? If so I would use 23w-42w actual bulbs. Soil- Roots Organic and Foxfarm Ocean Forest are great soils. I would start with soil, hydro is difficult and overwhelming for beginners Nutrients- Foxfarm Nutrient Trio is cheap and effective. Advanced nutrients is a great brand as well PC fans should suffice for a micro type grow
Soil is highly Debatable but don't buy cheap or soil with time release furts it will make it harder on u trying to get it on a good feeding schedule. With nutes there are thousands of combos and brands.
Welcome to GC! I don't want to discourage you at all, but I think you should know what you are getting into. This shit has a way of taking over your life. I see you mentioned smoking about 1/2 ounce a week. You will be able to supplement your smoke, but with a microgrow, no way you will be able to perpetually yield an ounce a month, every month. Something else to look into would be autoflowering plants. They are great for those who don't have multiple enclosures to be able to run multiple light cycles. The plants tend to be smaller, which is good. The seeds tend to be more expensive, but in the short term, it is a lot cheap than setting up an entire new room. Just something to consider. Growing media - I started out using soil + perlite, but now I use this- Grower's Gold 1.5 cu. ft. Indoor Growing Mix 1312300 1.50 CF at The Home Depot. It is a coco/sphagnum peat moss mix. I add perlite and dolomite lime and it is a great mix. The plants love it. It has good drainage and I end up using it over and over. This is called a soilless mix. Nutrients - There are sooooo many nutrients out there that it isn't funny. Personally I've used General Hydroponics, Technaflora, and some products from humboldt. The general hydro Flora series is a great mix of price and effectiveness. It should be around $40 or less for all 3 bottles (which allow you to mix the right nutrient solution depending on the plants life cycle) and that is a great deal. I would venture a guess that any of the big names in weed nutrients can give you a great result if you do it right. Note: I don't think I have ever followed the instructions on the bottles. I always go less(like 50% strength), or else it seems to be nute burn city. This is something that takes trial and error. Every plant is different, so it is better to start weak and get stronger. You got a timer?
Thanks to everyone who replied. Beeze- I know this is going to be really hard. But I see no other option at this point if I want to try to keep up with my smoking habits and not spend all my money. When the next season starts, outdoor growing will probably be an option for me and I will be able to expand. *As for hydroponics. I was asking a friend about it who grows, he said "a hydroponics system would be hard to initially get set up and get everything running right, but less maintenance in the long run." I am very skilled with assembling things and making things work, its the growing part I haven't got down yet. Don't get me wrong, I have my common knowledge of plants, but marijuana has me stumped. Also, So far Im using bag seeds.(I know sexing from these are random) What preparation needs to be done to the seeds before planting them?
Gotta disagree with your friend. All organic soil is much easier in the long run. No testing pH, or adding bottled nutrients, just plant and water. Hydro takes a bit of upkeep throughout your grow, it sounds pleasing to the ear but IMO.. Hydro<Organic Soil. Keep in my mind when I say organic I don't mean bagged soils, I mean organically ammended soils. You can germinate or just plant right away, about 1/2" under the soil
I think one of the reasons people choose to do hydro would be due to a high plant count. Soil isn't that big of an issue when you are talking about a few plants or more, but if you get 30+ plant operations going, being able to get your growing material out of the tap, (and an even more important point, disposable down the drain later) can be a huge advantage. Also, hydro can be easily automated. I enjoy spending time with each one of my plants.
When you said "organically amended soils", what do you mean? Im about to start growing in my closet and Im just trying to figure out if i should use hydro or just a pot with the plant in it...which "organic soil" would you reccomend using? and how many times a day would you have to water a plant in organic soil?
Here's a link to an easy organic soil mix: http://forum.grasscity.com/organic-growing/1116550-easy-organic-soil-mix-beginners.html
Okay so I finally finished my box. Only thing I need now, is to decide whether to use soil or hydroponics. But I'm leaning towards soil as of now. Any comments or tips on the box before I start putting plants in there? I have two True 13w lights that are representing 60w lights ( or so the package says) I have two more I could put in there if i need to. At the top i put a mini fan to blow directly over the plants. Directly under it is a carbon filter, and i have a exhaust port i also covered with a carbon filter. ( Smell control WILL BE an issue) Also, For the space I have to put the box, its going to pretty much take all of the space up. I probably wont have room for expansion if i need it. Do you think the box is tall enough to grow a plant in? its 28'' wide and 19'' tall
Your height restriction is going to be tough. Best way I can think is to LST as much as possible, even in flower. Once you factor in the height of a planter and then add the height of the plant...
That is true. And later down the road i might be able to expand a little bit but not too much. But so far. Does everything look promising other then the space issue. I spent a long ass time on this box this afternoon, im really looking foward to getting the ball rolling. I read a 88 page book today on growing with soil and i think i have decided to just start with soil on my first attempt. Im germinating some seeds right now. 2 of them are bag seed, and the other 2 are bag seed but they came from some really good kush. Im only going to have one plant but I went ahead and tried 4 seeds just incase some didnt work. Also should i start off using a solo cup, or could i go ahead and put it in the pot im going to harvest it in. The book i read included pictures and a description of what to do from day one to harvest day. The person in the book planted it in a half gallon bucket i think i remember and kept it in that same bucket until he harvested.
One thing I would do is cover all the plastic on your box (the outside) with something like black duct tape. We can see the box glowing with your light on, and while the outside light isn't as concentrated as the inside light, you might experience issues when in flower. There are a couple of issues that are non-negotiable when growing MJ and one of them is the light schedule. The timer makes this easy, but part of the light schedule is making sure that it stays dark for the entire dark period. Light leaks will ruin you- especially in flower. Someone previously mentioned about the true wattage of CFL's. For awhile, what you have will be ok, but once the plant gets rooted and starts vegging, you'll want more power. 4 or 5 well placed 23w CFL's should be ok for a single plant. Be wary of the heat that will build up in that small container.
The attic its in is 100 percent dark all the time. The only light my plant will be receiving is from the bulbs. I bought the soil today and the store i went to didn't have any small bags of perlite so I bought vermiculite. Should work the same right? I got a couple seeds germinating right now but none of them have popped yet. But whenever one of the seeds is ready I will plant it.
Vermiculite works similarly to perlite. If I were you, I'd try to pick up a small bag of perlite in the near future and add it in when transplanting. If you don't it wont be the end of the world, but a couple bucks and your mix is set. soil/perlite/vermiculite is what I ran when I first started and the final product was pretty nice. What method of germination are you using? Is it in a warm place?
Breeze- I looked at a video online that said to place seeds in moist paper towel and put it in a ziplock bag with air in it ( I guess to act like a green house) so far it's been about a day and none of my seeds have poped. But they were all dark brown with black spots on them so I'm going to wait a little longer.
Yep. Make sure it stays moist and I know people who will put it in a warm, dark spot. I had a friend who would take an empty DVD case, fit a moist paper towel inside, then put a couple seeds into the paper towel. He would place this on top of his stereo, and that heat worked much like a seedling heating mat. Some seeds pop really quickly, and others take a few days. One of the hardest parts about growing weed is learning how to cultivate patience inside of yourself.
Breeze- Your right. I have a big issue with patience, but I had already learned that patience and some rational decision making is the key to be successful at most things. Should I start these off at 12/12 sense i have such a limited grow space. I'm not looking to get a pound or even 2 ounces. I just want to have a successful grow in that box. Expansion of the box is possible, but it is going to be very difficult, I feel like once everything gets growing big it will be nearly impossible to expand without hurting the plant or the box itself.
Also, my temp In the attic is about 60 durring the day and probably around 40 at night. In the box with the lights on its about 68-70, but when the lights cut off I'm sure the temp is going to drop. What's the lowest temp the plants need to be exposed to.