First Grow With Pics, Got A few Questions

Discussion in 'First Time Marijuana Growers' started by putitintheair, Jan 18, 2010.

  1. Hey GC,

    I recently started my first grow and could use a little advice. I apologize in advance for the poor quality pictures.

    I'll start by describing my setup. I have 7 plants growing, ranging from one week since sprout to just planted germed seed today. I used seeds I found in a bag of juicy fruit. All my plants appear to be healthy so far, one has a small burn on the right leaf from touching the light before i could adjust it.

    I have the seedlings in a 2' by 2' cabinet in plastic beer cups, but am planning on transplanting and relocating to a larger grow area soon.

    Soil: I planted in 3 parts "Pro-Mix Ultimate Organic Mix", 1 part perlite, 1 part vermiculite, 1 part worm castings. Not sure of the ratio of the soil mix, on the bag its components are listed as sphagnum moss(65-75% volume), sea based compost, limestone(for ph), and perlite.

    Lighting: 2 x 15w(60w equivalent) 22" CFL with t8 bulbs, labeled as "grow light" at the store.
    2 x 42w(150w equivalent) 6500 CFL "daylight" twister bulbs.

    I know this isnt a lot of lighting, I am planning on supplementing with more CFLs for now or an HPS if I can get my hands on one in time.

    I have been watering with distilled water to ensure a ph balance.

    I havent fertilized yet but am planning on getting some fox farm solubles.

    No fan or circulation system yet, I open the door and put a circular fan on them during the day. At night with the door closed I've got readings of at least 27 degrees C/80+ F at the plant level, is this too hot for the plants?

    I have several questions for anyone knowledgeable out there, firstly I am planning on transplanting to new pots and new room soon, I am wondering if I should use the same soil mix, or if there is anything else I could add to it that would be better. I would prefer using FF ocean forest but am unable to get it here and shipping is too expensive for that much weight. Also should I transplant once to one gallon pots/5" or 6" pots or use intermediate sized pots before going full sized?

    Also any comments on my lighting setup or suggestions on how I could improve it? I know what I have wont be sufficient for vegging/flowering 7 full sized plants.

    The new space I will be moving them to is an off-white colour, I am considering mylar or repainting to increase light reflectivity, but I'm not sure if I can afford mylar. Would anyone recommend using tin foil at all? I've heard it can burn plants but I know a lot of people who use it.

    One final question, how much should I be watering at this stage? I've been giving them a good water every other day or so and making sure the soil is slightly moist for sprouts.

    Anyway I really appreciate the help guys, GC has been invaluable to me so far, I look forward to getting some legit advice.
     

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  2. The soil will be fine, once you get some nutes it will level out nicely. If you can invest in a nice EC meter and PH meter and test the runoff every so often.

    A lot of people don't like foil, but really for CFLs and low-heat lights it works. Once it starts getting high heat and HIDs it becomes worse, just be sure to use the dull side. White paint is cheap and more reflective, so if you can repaint that would be the best afordable option. You can also buy the emergency blankets from the store for a couple bucks and use those instead of Mylar, and some of the automobile windshield relfectors work as well. So for about the same price as foil or slightly more you can get something far superior.

    I've used those 22 inch flourie sticks to good success. I like to hang them vertically on the walls once I get a bushy plant under HPS lights in the flowering stage, they help the sides stay even and give it a little extra boost. There's 10 hanging on my current setup for an added 200w / 15000~ lum increase.

    Make sure your soil stays damp but not soaking and you should be fine. Good luck!
     

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