So.. Me and my roomie decided that we wanted to try a hand at growing. And thanks to this forum and TONS of surfing, I have found quite a bit of info. But I am still a bit confused on some things. I am open to all tips and tricks of the trade that any of you cannabis lovers have to offer. For instance, when I germinate, what pots should I use from Veg on out? We're only wanting to plant 2 plants for personal use. Our weed men have been pretty low.. Also lights? Lighting cycles HELP! Or I'm sure I can find a forum. Can't wait til we start and share with you guys! You're pretty inspirational in a illegal kind of way lol. Thanks in advance!
Welcome to the city! Well first off comes seeds. Bag seed or are you buying them online? Next, is soil. Just make sure it has good drainage, doesn't have time release ferts, and is all organic. Stay away from Miracle Gro, Scotts, etc. You can germinate the seeds to make sure you know they still have life. When the taproot appears you can plant into party cups filled to the brim. Plant white taproot down and cover with a 1/4" of soil. When they are 2 weeks old you should transplant into a 2gal minimum pot. When they are around 1 1/2 months transplant into a 5 gal bucket w/ drainage holes. What are you growing in as far as a room? I recommend getting a grow tent from htgsupply.com or similar tents on Amazon or eBay. Make sure it is a reputable seller on eBay. As far as lights, you can use the more expensive lights like HID's (mh/hps) 250w with a few CFLs for bottom branches when they become larger. If you want to play it cheap you can purchase 4-6 40w CFL bulbs with Y splitters to reduce the amount of cords. Light schedules are made much easier with a timer. 18/6 or 20/4 are common schedules for keeping your plant in the veg stage. You can veg them for as long as you want. Usually growers veg for a month or until they want to flower. When you to flower you switch the lights to 12/12. The plant will double to triple in size easily do be prepared! Also, nutrients are important. You can choose Foxfarm Nutrient Trio. You should start at around 1 month at 1/4 strength. Anything I'm missing?
Also after sprouting your seeds with the paper towel method, you should sterilize your seedling's potting soil. Just take your damp potting mix and put it in the microwave until it is steaming hot (regular ovens work but the whole house smells afterwards!). Let it cool completely before adding your sprouts. This will kill the dreaded "damping off" fungus that kills millions of seedlings. You only need to do this with the first soil your seedlings are in- once a seedling has grown a bit, its bark becomes too tough for the fungus to attack. Granny
Wow! Thanks for the quick responses! We decided on getting seeds from Nirvana. Did some research on them and they seem pretty good. Gettin a package deal so they come with their own grow kit. The growroom is going to be a spare closet upstairs in the hall. Smaller than a standard closest.