Its my very first time growing, of course Im nervous because its so much info to take in. Any advice or recommendations are welcomed. So far I’ve already decided what plant and what tent I’m going to use. I’ll be growing in my closet(room is in the basement so its a tad big chillier). I’m thinking of going with a 2x2 since it’ll be a closet grow and i’m a novice. I’ll be growing a wedding cake autoflower( getting seeds from ilgm) I’m stumped on the type of soil and nutrients to start with. Also, I dont know what kind of lights (wattage) to get. I’ve been trying to find a complete kit for the size tent that I am looking to purchase just so that I dont shop at multiple places and just get everything at once, but no luck. any help would be appreciated.
Just some food for thought, if you've already got a closet, and it has a door, or some type of door could be easily fashioned, that would kill the need for a grow tent. A lot of people start growing in a small prebuilt space in the house to save the $$ spent on a grow tent. If it's an option, it's one I would look at. From personal experience growing in my basement, and dealing with that colder, damper, less than comfortable climate, temperature control will be your best friend. Have you stuck a hygrometer in the area you plan to grow in? What kind of temps does it see with just the house doing it's normal heating? There's not a whole lot you need, any good light you buy will come with some hangers, clips, and probably a hygrometer. Can never have too many of those. As for lights, I can't recommend much, other than saying the newer chip on board style fanless LED lights seem to be a good way to go, and one board would light up a 2x2 quite nicely. Tons of options, but the best light won't make or break it for a new grower, it'll be all about figuring out what your expectations and budget is, and how good of a grower you become. There's lots of different soil options, few popular brands amongst this forum. It will all depend on what you prefer after trying some out. I will say that a lighter fluffier soil might do you better if you're growing in a slightly colder area, will help with keeping the pots drying out quick enough. Best of luck and hope your adventures go well.
thanks for your reply. I live in dc(its legal to grow here) but I still kinda wanted to keep the smell to a medium so i figured a tent would do the trick. i noticed you mentioned temperature control, which would be the best way to achieve that? And would that all depend on the strain I’m growing?
I just figure if you're growing downstairs in an area that gets a snowy cold winter, cold temperatures might be a problem. Control would depend on temperature. Go ahead and get an idea of what the climate is like in that closet, and go from there. If it's already not too cold or not too dry you might be in luck.
Have fun and stay positive through the challenges you'll face, your plants enjoy your emotional support too. Never stop reading/researching. Dont immediately, blindly believe all the things you read. Nutritionally start off with base nutrients (MAYBE a PK boost). Then add supplements youre interested in as you become more experienced. Reason being is to have that foundation so you can better analyze whether a supplement is worth it. If going soil, ide suggest supersoil/living soil. Bagged soil like ocean forest and happy frog is doable but I believe it to be inferior and full of impending problems. But theres probably soil out there that's better than those. I dont think theres anything better than supersoil/living soil/no-till and I haven't even done it yet. If your lights are leds and have UV, take it seriously and cover up when you work on your plants. Eyes, skin, hair. Even without UV or specifically LEDs, my eyes get kinda fucked with by the sheer light intensity of many lights. Might just be me. But I really dont think any of it is healthy. Document and take pictures during each grow, dont leave it on your phone, transfer them to your journal or a folder on your computer. If you dont have a pc, use a junk phone you can keep at home. It's just tacky/risky to carry proof of your grow around, even if it's legal in your state and even if you can say "it's my friends". Be observant of your plants and what you do to them at all/any times. This will help you analyze problems that come about. Too many realize theres a problem when it's far too advanced. You're already late once you start seeing a problem, so catching it asap will judge how well your plants bounce back. Dont let this rush you into making a bad move tho. 'What could go wrong, will go wrong' is a good approach. Be prepared for bugs if ur soil. Understand the water you'll be using. Its pH, its ppm, maybe even get it lab tested if it's from the hose. Dont waste your time on non-fem seeds. The idea of spending time/effort/money to have a plant just be a male is infuriating to me personally. Be clean and wipe down your grow area multiple times in each grow and between grows. Be VERY aware of ANY chemicals you use near your plants during flower. Ide say during any stage of growth. For example, if you're spraying alcohol, cleaning walls, you dont want that getting all over your buds. Even down to cutting string(if you ever use string for supporting), you might get a bunch of string hairs on your buds and never know the better without an eager eye. I dont think theres any such thing as "overthinking". Its what thinking about many factors does to someone that is the true culprit. This is probably only scratching the surface. Cheers, welcome to growing, its fucking awesome but hard work. Oh that could be one, try to reduce work load and effort while achieving the same goals/standards.
Some solid solid advice right there. Especially about being observant and documenting things. Changes and adjustments can take a while to show effect, so it's good to keep track of what you have and have not done, and any changes you make along the way. It's fun to look back on.
If you shop around for each individual item I guarantee you will save so much money. I'm a newbie too but still in my opinion getting a kit is a waste of money and won't be tailored to your specific needs.
Like any pre gathered kit of anything, you pay more to have the "hard" work done for you. They aren't a waste of money by any means, but they aren't the best way to spend your money.
I grow in my basement all winter, found running the HPS is cheaper then running heaters, and as for being damp in the winter....never happen. My temps range 62 to 81 and RH is 28 to 40% max. And that's after lights off been watered and foliar fed. I've found winter growing in basements the hardest thing to have is a high RH. During drying I have to run humidifiers just to reach the 70%rh. It's really no fun once the cold sets in and realize it's too damn dry.
It's winter where I live, and I have a wood stove downstairs for heating, so naturally you'd think it would be really warm, and really dry. However the woodstove is across the house so all I get by the time it gets to my closet is dry cold air. Vise versa, if the woodstove hasn't been running, or it's rainy or mild that day, humidity in the basement climbs way into the 60's easily, but still cold. I agree, basement growing in a winter climate can be tricky.
Well now im rethinking my whole setup guys . The advice is good, now Im researching the best strains to grow in cold conditions. Growing seems so complicated yet easy at the same time. I def look forward to saving money, good weed is becoming expensive these days
i know, most if not all of the kits ive looked at included a carbon filter. Bottom line i just dont want my plant sitting in the closet, it’ll be easier for me overall to use a tent.
Don't sacrifice on climate. Climate is the number 1 factor in a successful grow. Cold temps with the lights off will always yield a slower growing plant that is more prone to mold, pests, and general problems along the way. Anyone will say that getting a comfortable climate going will go far further than just trying to get some cold tough genetics.
If you decide to grow an autoflower, they can burn easily, so be careful with nutes. Begin with 1/4 of the published amount. Will a 3x3 fit in the closet? If so, that would give you some room to put a radiator heater inside to keep the plant toasty.
im thinking about switching to feminized seed so that i can have a higher thc %. Also do you think a 2x2.5 would be able to fit a small radiator? I doubt my closet is wide enough for a 3x3. i ordered my hygrometer today to see what temp my closet is.
How big is your closet? Feminized seeds just guarantee sex, it doesn't really dictate the end THC percentage, that comes down to genetics and how well it was grown. Advertized THC % from a breeder is just the maximum achievable under perfect conditions.
Agree with this. Drying is the biggest challenge for me in my basement in the winter. I use a small radiator style heater in the tent, otherwise it drops to around 65 at lights out. Once flowering starts i allow the lower temps, but keeping humidy up in the winter is almost impossible for me.