I've been surfing the Beginners Board here on GC for the last few days in anticipation and have gotten a lot of good tips. Like the title says, I finally got a hold of my seeds today. I'm excited to start but like an expecting parent I want to make sure I do everything right. I have already picked out a well ventilated 3 x 5 room and I have stocked it with a 150W HS light. I also stole a friend's extra Fox Farm 3 pack of nutrients and my roommate has a fish so I have access to pH tests and adjusting chemicals. I'm thinking of picking up some rescue blankets for the walls. However, I've read posts that warn about mold and creases in the sheet. Is paint better for this reason? Definitely open to suggestions. Also if you have a comments on how to make the setup better (on a budget). I'm also thinking ahead to soil. I just finished reading a great post on organic soils but I can just picture my-stone-self stumbling around a garden store for hours and would like to avoid the experience if possible (at least for the first attempt.) I have also seen a lot of post warn against the use or Miracle Grow Brand but not many suggestions on what retail brand to buy. Is there any brand that can be used on its own or is a mix necessary? If mix is necessary, can anyone suggest a simple recipe with easy to find ingredients? My biggest question right now is how to germinate. I'm planning on putting it on a plate between the folds of wet paper towels and wrapping it in on a cloth towel on the radiator. I figure I can keep the temp around 75 degrees with this method as my room temp is closer to 60 degrees. If anyone has a caution against this for any reason please let me know. Looking forward to your responses and to beginning the lives of my two little ladies, Celt
I just thought of another question. (Sorry I know its a lot to ask in one post) Can I start them in large posts after germinating or is there an advantage to starting with a small pot and increaseing size with the plant.
a 3' x 5 ' room is kinda stretching it for a 150W HPS, unless you only plan on growing about 1-2, maybe 3 plants. i would recommend a 400W HPS if you plan on growing more than that (try htgsuppy.com, cheap HPS). for soil, i would use Fox Farms Ocean forest , it already has everything you need in it (perlite,bat guano, worm castings,etc) and is all organic, ready to go out of bag. (htgsupply.com has this also, as well as your local hydro/grow shop). as for germination, i use the paper towel method (2 moist paper towels, put seeds inbetween and put in ziploc baggy), and every 12, or 24 hrs check on them and open up baggy to let new fresh air in.
A good way to germ that I found is to fold the seeds inside moist paper towels and put them in a shallow rectangular tupperware or similar container. Then I just set the container on top of my cable box. The plastic container just makes sure that no moisture drips into the cable box. I cover it loosely with saran wrap and the seeds pop pretty quickly. On your question about the pots, I would first plant the germed seeds in a container that is big enough to support the plants until you can sex them. Then do the final transplant to a 5 gallon or so container. That way you will waste less material like ferts and potting mix on the male plants.
Don´t use paper towels - the sprouts grow hairs into the towel which get ripped off. Plant direct into soil, keep them warm 75 - 80F and moist. They will pop in 1 - 5 days. I plant initially in 5 litre containers, ex-mineral water bottles. I keep them there until they show preflowers. Then the guys go on the compost heap and the girls are transplanted into 50 litre tubs.
I'd use white paint or mylar instead of a blanket for soil someone said it already fox farm ocean soil, its nice =) Germination is a piece of cake in the absolute beginners section there is a post called Germination 420 by Stylez1877 I used it and it worked like a charm.
I'm only planning on putting two under the light so I think the light should be strong enough. Will it be less efficient due to the extra space though? Should I consider construction a grow box to shrink the space?
I probably should have meantioned that I'm growing feminized seed so wasting fertalizer shouldn't be an issue. I have also read that they get shocked when you transplant them and may not do much growing for up to a week. Is my logic for starting them in large pot sound? I was definitely unsure of what size the pot should be. Is 5 gallons the right size for most plants? I know that impeeding the roots is a no-no.
The best way by far I have found to germinate seeds is to put them in a cup of water in a cool dark place and check on them a few times a day. They will pop very quickly this way. It is the only way that has ever worked for me actually.
you can just use mylar around your plants and it should reflect the light back to the plants very well , then you wont have too much of a heat issue as opposed to putting the light and everything in smaller, confined space.
I soak my seeds for 24 hours at 75 - 80F, they absorb water and the germination process gets going. Then into soil, 5 mm deep, keep them moist and warm, they pop in 1 - 5 days. And the root hairs immediately penetrate the soil and get started.
The general rule is 1 gallon per foot of plant. I guess you could say that the size of container you need depends on what strain you're growing, but for all practical purposes 5-gallon containers should work fine for growing indoors. I just use the 5-gallon buckets that you can pick up at hardware stores. I drill a bunch of 1/2" holes in the bottoms for drainage. Really cheap. Try to get darker colored plastic to help keep the light out. I found some dark green ones that are working out great. You can also easily find those clear, round plastic trays that will fit nicely under your buckets to keep water from leaking out on the floor. Any garden shop should have them and probably wal-mart too. As far as starting your seedlings in 5-gallon containers, I don't know if that's a good idea or not. Maybe somebody with more experience can help out here. I do see one potential problem with it though. When you water you generally add enough water until you get some seepage out the bottom and that's how you know that you watered enough. Seedlings and young plants are going to take a long time to use up all the water that you'll be adding to the large containers. That seems to me that it would give you a lot less control of your moisture conditions. You could also find yourself in the position of wanting to add ferts, but not being able to because the soil is already too wet, and could lead to over-watered conditions. That is all guesswork on my part for sure though. Personally, I do starter cups, then 1 gallon pot, then 5 gallon.
Thats a good point about watering. I haden't thought about it. I thing you convinced me to start small when it comes to pots. Thanks ATR
Ok mylar it is. How do I attach it to the walls. Do I need to glue it or will tape work fine? What type of tape/glue should I use?