Day 1 - Preparation I ordered my seeds and they are in transition. -World of Seeds Feminized Afgan Kush -Lowryder Easy Ryder AKA Lowryder #2 x AK47 -Reserva Privada Cole Train Feminized I plan on growing 1 plant at a time starting with a Lowryder but I am clueless as to how to give my plant the best care. I went to my local hardware store and this is what I picked up, please let me know if i am missing something or if i bought something that can be harmful to my plant. -1 Sunlight lamp with Fluorescent Bulb 120v ~ 60Hz 30W Max, 6500k Daylight -1 Sunlight lamp with Quad Linear Fluorescent Bulb 27W 6500k Daylight -1 Electric Soil Tester - pH Analysis , Fertilizer Analysis -1 Miracle-Gro Citrus & Fruit Spikes -1 Jiffy Windowsill Greenhouse w/ 12 Peat pellets -1 Package Miracle-Gro Organic Choice Fertilizer -1 Box Miracle-Gro All Purpose Plant Food So how did I do on supplies? My plant is auto-flowering so what light cycle do I put it on?(It says 7 weeks from seed to harvest, Auto-flowering.) What is the best way to conceal the smell? Any help and tips greatly appreciated!
Miracle grow is definetly not the best brand for growing weed, ive learned that the hard way but as long as you stay away from their soil you should be fine. You dont have to worry about odour until the plant starts flowering, but when it does start to smell you could hang up some dryer sheets in your grow area. Its a very cheap and effective way to stop the smell from spreading somewhere else. For an auto strain the best lighting hours are 18/6, 20/4, or 24/0. Since its an auto you can keep it on one of those cycles for all of the plants life. Ive heard that 24/0 makes it grow faster, but if i were you id choose 18/6 its the most common and its always good for a plant to have a dark period.
If you can find it Fox Farms Ocean Forest. Like kerbob said don't use MG soil, you are pretty much better off picking any random soil at the hardware store than using MG.. But if you have the opportunity to buy quality soil then pick up some ocean forest. Soil is one thing you definitely do not want to cheap out on, but I understand it's hard to get supplies in some places. Also I think you're going to need to at least double your lighting Unless I'm misunderstanding this: "-1 Sunlight lamp with Quad Linear Fluorescent Bulb 27W 6500k Daylight" ^^ Does that mean 4 x 27W? If so then that should be enough for 1 plant, I think.. But if you only have 2 CFLs you're going to need more. For harmful to your plant.. Marijuana is resilient, it will grow under pretty harsh conditions.. But it won't grow well. The nutrients you have will probably be fine, but they are not ideal. For concealing the smell, if you are growing in an enclosed area (tent, closet, etc) a carbon filter works nicely, but can cost a bit.
Thank you for the advice! I didnt go to the store today because I didnt know what to pick up. Here is a link to the quad linear bulb i described 27 Watt Linear Quad Tube FML-27EX-N Light Bulbs If I were to buy 1 more light in addition to the soil, which would you suggest? Keeping in Mind I am only growing 1 plant, and it is a lowryder which is only supposed to grow to 1.75 feet. Me and my future plant thank you in advance
I don't know too much about CFLs but some soft whites (2700k) would provide a spectrum balance, anything over 25w should be fine I think Going with FFOF then?
Just checked my seeds location they just reached in the US borders and I am starting to panic a bit, the more I read the more I realize I am not prepared to do this right. The problem is this forum is filled with a infinite amount of information and I just dont want to end up doing all this to end up with a dead plant or a light yield. Is there such a thing as too much light? My plant will be out in the open with the 2 lights I described in addition to the light that is already in my room. But I hear I also need 2700k light as well? Let me know if I got this right. 1.When I get my seed I use the Paper Towel method 2.then moving it on to a peat pellet and placing it under my 2 lights in the window sill greenhouse with the soil you recommended. How long do I keep it in the greenhouse? I can take pictures when I get there but I need to get a idea of when to do so. Mostly I need to know about what to expect, and the do's and dont's of the first week of growing.
OK Completed my second trip to the hardware store. I got more lights 2 Philips 50w 120v R20 Plant Light Agro-Lite Philips 167098 50R20/AGRO Flood Plant Aquarium Terrarium Light Bulb at eLightBulbs.com I bought different soil Cedar Grove all organic made from earthworm casting home | Cedar Grove now am I set to start growing?
A hardware store is good of course. But for me. Working with a Hydrostore (even if your organic) really helped bring my understanding to the right level. He worked out a plan in my budget for what I wanted to do. Trust me..I had alot of crazy ideas before I walked in there, but a lot of my information was old. He's tried all the systems, and lets me know how people are doing it (in my city) right now and why. And because they (probably) do 80% of their business mail-order I get great deals all the time. So I get better options for my money, plus helpful consulting. Thats very important, and you just won't get eye opening options at a hardware strore. (Take Mylar for example: He can offer me 2 or 3 viable alternatives that all have their own pros and cons). He'll even set up and demonstrates products that im curious about. If you can find a Hydro store and build a relationship with them...it will blow a hardware store out of the water--trust me on this. However-I understand that it may not be an accessable option..I just recommend it ...if you can. Hardware is your third choice behind a properly stocked Garden store/Nursery imo In otherwords: The Hydrostore is the most important thing missing on your list
incandescent is pretty awful at growing herb... you want cfl, hid, or led... scrap anything you got that was miracle grow... it's horrible soil and nutes... the soil has bug, ph, and nute burn problems, and the nutes are generally time release... for nutes... i like the earth juice line, and it's good for beginners... some use the fox farms line... others grow with compost teas... depends on your preference... for soil, my mix is in my sig... feel free to check it out... FFOF is pretty good, sunshine is a good mix... promix is what i use... whatever you get, you'll want some perlite and vermiculate to dilute it with... for veg mixes, you'll want guanos or meals to beef up your soils... mexican/jamaican bat guano is what i use... alternatively, you can get blood/bone meals... i like the bat guanos cause you can use them as a top dressing and in teas easier... one of the most important components to mixing your own soil is earthwork castings, or worm shit in laymen's terms (some people seem to think ewc=chopped up earthworms, this is not the case)... they provide a good source of nutrients and microbial activity... great component for making teas, and have a good texture... if you mix your own soil, be sure to include them if budget allows... basically, look at my nute mix and soil selection... there's a reason i've used this shit for years... it all balances out with minimal pH correction
Can you tell me the exact specs on the bulbs i should be getting I went to the hardware store 2x already and I guess i got the wrong kind both times even though they say they are for plants. What kind of bulb? (no abbreviation please) Watts? Volts? Other?
Add me to your friends. When you have questions, post threads and ask people like me that volunteer to help you out personally. I can give you a step by step on how to grow your plant as you do it. It's a little overwhelming trying to read how to do it from start to finish before you even germinate. For step one, yes. Get your seeds and germinate them using the paper towel method. If you need any help with that, again, ask me. After your seeds germinate, put them in your jiffy box. We'll figure it out together. GC is a community, and this is what we're all about. I literally just finally broke down and joined this site, and I've learned more in a month here than I have in the 5 years I was involved with growing before that. We'd love to help you get to where you can say the same thing soon.
Click my picture, that'll take you to my profile. You can just leave a comment, or add me. Just click add to friends.
What he said could not be more true, if you have a hydro store even if it's an hour drive away it's well worth it. For a long time I did all my shopping at a nursery until finally after they got tired of me asking for all kinds of weird crap they asked what I was growing, so I told them, and they asked why don't I just go to a hydro store? My first day there was like a kid in a candy store. I understand the panic associated with growing, but tough it out! As scrd said GC is a community, we'll help you through! You should be prepared for a light yield your first harvest, though. The 2700k are for flowering, the 6500k daylight CFLs do not provide much autumn/fall/winter red spectrum light the plants desire in flower. Most people I've seen just find a balance of the two, but I've never grown with CFLs so I don't know if it's better to try and balance out the spectrum or swap out bulbs for flowering or what is best there. Undoubtedly someone else here does 1. I used soaking in superthrive but the paper towel method is the norm. 2. I've never used peat pellets but yes, that sounds right. It's good that you have a greenhouse for germinating, I associate that simple fact to my success in germination and cloning. How long to keep them in is variable.. I would plant them as soon as the taproot starts poking out the bottom, but I'm also used to rockwool so..dunno. AFAIK there is no such thing as "too much light" only too much heat which often comes hand in hand with excessive lighting... I have heard that plants prefer a very mild light during germination stages / when rootless, but I don't know the validity of that. You can however provide more light than your plants can USE..I'm not sure what that value is (particularly as light values are difficult to quantify properly) but to get there you would likely need HIDs anyways.
if you want to use compact fluorescent lights (CFL), it's best to go ahead and get a big one... Lights of America 100W Fluorex Replacement Bulb (92100B) that's what the bulb should look like... one 100w CFL is good to grow 1 plant from start to finish... you can get more lights or add some supplemental CFL's if you want to grow more plants, but the rule of thumb is 100 actual watts per plant... and don't even bother using anything under 24 watts (the 100 watt "equivalent") just buy both spectrums and switch to 2700k when you set it to 12/12 the 100w CFL bulbs DO NOT fit in a standard light socket, so you'll need a ballast to house it... i recently got a ballast with bulb included for $50... bought some plant hooks, a 4" octagon electrical box, some airplane wire w/ grippers, a porcelain lampholder with grounding outlet, and hacked up an extension cord... ran me about $65 total... just wire the ballast to the extension chord through the box... i popped a couple holes in the electrical box and ran airplane wire through each side... threw the hooks in on a stud in the closet, and the grippers allow me to raise and lower the light... or you could just put a bunch of hooks up and that'd work to suspend it without adjustable chords... http://forum.grasscity.com/general-indoor-growing/575623-just-upgraded-my-grow-box-grow-closet.html there's a pic of the setup so you see what i mean... it's also got a link to the light i used... but there's a bunch of ways to hang it... i wanted something i could pack up without much of a trace if need be... alternatively, they also sell converters for normal light sockets... Now, if you've got the money, a 600w HPS (these are also known as HID... the HID comes with three styles, the HPS, the Metal Hallide (MH), and the Mercury Vapor (MV)... HPS is for flowering but will veg fine as well, MH is optimal for veg, but doesn't flower so great, and MV runs too hot and is generally just useless) would be well worth the money spent... it'd be more in the $150-200 for a decent model, maybe a little more for a cooled hood (which is absolutely mandatory without great ventilation, cause these lights get HOT). You could grow 6 at a time through to flowering with a 600w HPS
or 8 I highly recommend an HPS for flower, but due to costs obviously it's pretty prohibitive. Aside from the costs Organic laid out they are also more expensive electricity wise, of course.. HID lights have the best (afaik) energy to light ratio but sometimes they are overkill for what people need (i.e. flowering only 1-2 plants at a time).
what up bro. i just purchased 10 afghani seeds from altitude and got a free female lemon kush seed. I dont really have a clue either as to what im doing... I had a few (20) reg bag seeds that i germed. got 8 pig talls and planted them. got three sprouts and 4 weeks later i have only 1 growing tall and strong (i guess). I bought the cheapest soil, using tap water and have a cheap aquarium light cfl 100wt over her. no ph testers, no nutes, i stuck that bean in the ground and letting it do its thing, need less to say, you get what you pay for right lol. looks light i need to step my game up this this new found hobby and my ladies on their way. im looking for a penpal grow buddy to share information as to what works and what doesnt. best regaurds -me
Hey I am all for creating a network to share information anyone that reads this thread feel free to add me. As for right now I am still waiting on my seeds to arrive but I think I am ready to start my sprouts. My biggest obstacle is my roommate / friend who has nothing against me growing but he is afraid that if I am caught he will get in trouble as well. So I have to figure out a covert way to grow it to satisfy his safety concerns or find a way to convince him that only I will get in trouble for it. (When we were younger our friend's house got busted while he was partying over there). However pending this problem I will return with pictures of my sprout and most likely I bunch more questions. Anyway if you want some help I have found people that are willing to help me and just post here if you want to opt in and I will pass any information I get on to other people via this thread. This is a great community and it is well worth your time to read what people have to say.
same as with my wife bro. sit down with him and make a contingency plan. draw out the what ifs and have a plan for those what ifs. once you have covered all possible aspects ie, COPS, other people coming over, transporting to even a fire, you MUST practice your actions to your what ifs. trust me on this, military experience! you dont want some bad shit to happen and run around like a stoned chicken with your head cut off! you want to be prepared for any and every thing and execute with perfection either way, if your growing then by law, so if your buddy! be prepared! im a 20 year old married man, i got alot to live for!no jail for me consider me opt in cool?