Hi guys. First timer here. I've read "grow basics" by Jorge Cervantes but it mostly deals w indoor so I'm kinda spotty in a few areas. A quick background on my situation and my ladies. My crop is (5) white widow, (1) NYC diesel x cheese, and (1) power plant (all feminized). I plan on having them inside for at least 4 weeks then transplanting them outdoors in an area where I'm not too worried about traffic. I already have my planting spot plotted and have laid down some high phosphorus fert but am wondering if I should use 5 gal buckets instead of in the soil. If I were to move them to buckets instead of the ground should I just use a good potting soil (fox farms forest)? My plants (6 days old) r growing in my closet under (2) 17 watt fluorescent lights with the lights about an inch above the leaves. One of the white widows hasn't shot up yet either (what should I do?) Is that sufficient lighting for 6-7 seedlings? Should I up my lighting if I will be growing indoors for 4 weeks? They seem to be looking good but I'm not sure if they r stretching or not. One has a slightly purple stem too. I plan on starting to feed them during the 2nd week of veg growth but am not 100% on what to fert with. If anyone has any forgiving and easy foods I would appreciate it. I live an hour away from any type of garden store and am making a trip this weekend so any help would be appreciated. (I plan on buying "grow" nutes and "bloom" nutes, preferably the same brand) Another question I had was about topping. If there is a good thread that explains topping in simple terms I would greatly appreciate it. I've looked around and everything seems somewhat complicated. My main focus of these babies is low and bushy growth and I have no idea how to top. Also I was thinking about keeping a mother and getting a few clones. Is that a good idea for a first time grower or should I wait til next grow? Will the clones transplant well outdoors? These are all probably basic questions but I am very interested in botany and would like to make this a hobby and not just a money making scenario. Thanks in advance anyone. I really appreciate it.
I think they look alright, they are stretching a bit but so long as you don't raise the lights too much, and you plant outside soon they should grow out fine. Buckets as opposed to straight in the ground all depends on your area. Buckets will limit the plants height and root ball, probably keeping them around 5ft if you stick to the 1 gallon of soil per foot rule. If you're planting directly into the ground than they could get huge, or they could stay only a few feet, depending on how well they like the soil. If you plan to go in the ground, dig a hole and fill it with potting soil of your choice, cause then the plants will have a strong main root system in the rich, nutritious soil that you've put in there, and they can grow outward from there if they want. You could get anywhere from 5-8 foot, maybe taller depending on the genetics doing it that way. If height is an issue for security, do buckets. If you're going for max yield, plant straight into the ground.
Awesome info guys. Skunkarific- should I dig the holes and put the potting soil in ASAP to get the ground prepped or wait until I'm ready to transplant?
Personally, I'd wait a bit. I doubt it makes a huge difference, so just do it whenever is convenient.