Hello fellow Grasscity users, I am trying to grow my first plant ever and would like to be successful in the process. I was recently given a plant by a good friend of mine but i literally have no idea how to grow it the best. All I know about the plant is that its 3 weeks old. I want to grow it in my attic and I really do not want to invest in expensive equipment (hopefully no more than 80 bucks) I went to home depot already and purchased some Miracle Gro Organic Gardening Soil but that's about it. So I have a few questions; What other equipment do I need? Is it just lights? or do i need to purchase nutrients etc.? if so are there any specific brands that I should use? As far as lights go what would be recommended? Im only planning on growing 1 plant maybe 2. Also, I would like to use the most power efficient lighting possible (dont want to pay high electricity bills for 1-2 plants) (links of retailers or specific models would also really be appreciated) What kind of pot is recommended? 2 gallon, 4 gallon? etc. Also would anyone be kind enough to briefly run through the growing process? like i mentioned before the plant is only 3 weeks old and I believe its a sativa. What should I be doing and expecting for the next few months? Anything else i should know?? Thank you guys so much!
just a few friendly pointers go to home depot and buy the following two shop lights (light sockects with reflectors) about 8 bucks apiece two splitters (allows you to use 2 lights per socket) lets say 3 bucks after tax each 4 42w CFL's (most 42's i've seen are 2700k) about 8 bucks each That'll put you back about 70 bucks with taxes, maybe alittle more. you could do better with lights, but I would just set up for flowering. I suggest you read as many stickies as you can. Anything you can learn will only benefit you. This would be more of like an emergency setup I guess. IDK
I agree with Kaostheroy about lights but what size pot is it in now how tall is it ? What does its over all health look like ie.. are leaves straight out do they curl and in which way are they curling, what color is stalk and leaves, is it even. scrap back 1 in of soil whats in it? is it dry? Also knowing the branch configuration I would have a idea of overall vitallity
If you can get some different soil it would really make things easier 4 u. Some sunshine or some blackgold. Other than the lights already suggested I would say a timer, an oscillating fan maybe some plastic for light bleed and smell issues...
i wouldn't even get those lights, or even start flowering it right now. it's only 3 weeks old, wait at least another three. you with one plant, just get 3-4 at LEAST 26 watts (100 equiv.) 5700k (DAYLIGHT) lights. they'll have around 1500 lumens, which is what's really important. they're about 8 bucks a piece at home depot. don't use miracle grow, if you don't have a hyrdo store nearby, i bought Scotts home potting soil from home depot, and they're doing great! put the plant under 18/6 right now, maybe a week of 20/4, then 2 more weeks under 18/6. then start flowering, that's when you'll want those 2700K soft white ones, even throw in a couple of your 6500's! your plant will love the different light spectrums! then you want a 12/12 for roughly 6-9 weeks for flowering then you can harvest!
kaos theory is right about the lights. You can walk out with the y adapters free of charge if your nifty ;] 4 42 watts should be plenty to get a nice yield/product
I understand you just bought some potting soil, to save yourself alot of future problems do not pot in that alone it won't drain right and its a begining of a nightmare. The soil is a buffer between you and the plant and can cover for your mistakes so it needs to be robust shall we say lol Perilite is a granite rock ground into pebbles, it has a pourus surface to hold some moisture but mixed in a high enough ratio to soil it will let all excess water drain and not damage roots by sufficating them . When the root is sufficated it will soon show misleading signs of nutrient lockout or excess nutrient and your best tool to confront soil issues is flushing (pouring water through soil until 1/3 of pot volume comes out of pot) the soil but the orignal problem was excess water from lack of drainage and now you just made the whole thing worse by watering again. After you have proper draining soil what ever you do that "doesnt go as planned" can be flushed out and start over. I would be more than happy to help with all your questions I can but there are alot of people here more experienced than I so multiple sources of information will get you the best results. The people that will give you the best information on specific's will ask specific information from you first because it all depends on everything else. For instance you might ask me well how much of the perilite do i put in the soil mix ? Depends, I have heard anywhere from 10% to 50% and what I figured out is that they are all right because it depends. The reason I would use 10% is im useing other soil additives that do the same thing and more would just remove more food source for no gain. If for work or travel took me away from plants for extended periods I would use only 10%perilite to hold maximum food and water between visits. Why would you use 50% ? Well I'm doctor Jeckle and Mr Hyde late at night when the lights come on in the flower room i sneek down MMUUHaha and open the cabnit ya you know the one and take out my latest creation it is just glowing in the beaker maybe pulseing alittle I mix it with water... cough cough where is that PH tester ah hell with it. Sorry i'm getting stoned and carried away here lol But when you add your latest creation to your plant and you have to run for the garden hose its ok it will flush out faster than you can whisle Dixie
You are very correct sir, I should have pointed that out at the begining. I had a long battle with a swarm of gnats that came in my bag of MG organic soil during this grow.. Shit is horrific.. you can still use as a last resort. If you transplant, and all you have is that MG organic shit. Put it in baking pan and bake at 350 degrees for 25 min. will kill any damn bugs that will come in it.
That is a very effective way of sterilizing your soil but you need to do it ahead of time because it kills microbes as well. Not sure on how long it takes to regenerate to active healthy soil. But after sterilizing they say to keep it exposed to air ,damp and above 72deg I think 350 might be too high because its over kill.I had to go look it said 200deg for 30 mins
I belive i read those instructions somewhere on these forums.. I dunno, alotta reserch was done... trust me.. these gnats would not go the fuck away... they were burying through 2in of sand to get to the dirt... they were dicks... 350 is good it does kill microbes, and does take most of the organic aspect outta the soil.. like I said, last resort. but about the bold, your 100% correct. Above 72 degrees.. It will take awhile for the soil to cool down to begin with. I would just spray with a bottle,and throw damp papertowels on top.
thanks alot guys the info is real great, the plant is currently in a red party cup and i still haven't opened the soil so hopefully i can exchange it at home depot. i know it might be kinda silly but can anyone explain to me the different stages of the plants growth? flowering etc.. also how can i tell if its a male or female?
Thats legit man. look I could tell you, or someone on here could.. But you should read yourself.. There are plenty of stickies on here about vegative growth and flowering. its whats best man..
I finally got that pic to open new window so i could see your girl. My eyes are getting bad by the day seems lately. In my most humble opinion mind you. I see lack of light her whole life I see phosphorus/potasium not in balance with nitigen i would look for PH being high for to long. Watering too often will do this and small pots require frequent watering. The PH needs to cycle in PH about every 2 weeks thats why every lable you read about watering and feeding say 2 weeks that just now clicked for me lol What my understanding is nitrigen is mostly available at 6.6 -7.2 PH and phosphorus and patasium are more available at lower PH 6.2-6.4 also a note microbe activity highest 6.6 PH so you cycle between 6.2-6.8 in the 2 week cycle and all nutrients are consumable at a balanced rate. Soil becomes acidic from microbe activity its their waste product and the increaced acidity (lower PH) helps disolve solids into somthing the microbes then can use that high acidity breaking down the solids is toxic to the microbes but assists them as well so its not sustainable for the microbe and at this low PH nitregen is locked out. The frequnet watering didnt allow PH to fall low enough to assist microbe in P-K production but let PH stay high for nitrigen consumption. Deep green leaf weak stalk and stem. Thats my story and im sticking to it !
I hear ya bud if you don't get every last one of them it was a waste of time. I have a spry for ya after there already swarmen around your head lol 1/2 cup tabaco soaked in warm water over night strain pour liquid in spray bottle add 1-2 drops anti bacterial soap 1 tea spoon listerene shake well. spry soil of each pot until moist, next day once more just to be sure. you can say a few words for the dearly departed at this time lol You can use this on the whole plant only if you hydrate leaves first. I don't hear much here about folige feeding but I do it and i have found that when you get the hang of it it makes a noticable differnce key is temp air circulation and pre hydrated leaf you have to make sure the leaf is well hydrated you can tell by how fast water disapears after spraying. Also insects like spidermites like warm dry climate keeping humidity levels up discourages them
You wont know male or female until you change the light cycle to 12hrs of light and 12hrs of uninterupted light. timer is required