Well in a nut shell after many years of interest I have finally decided to start growing outdoors. I have been reading up as much as I can (through grow bible, word of mouth, etc) on how to get started. I'm located in Toronto and will begin growing within the next couple of weeks (it is currently beginning of may). In this post I will tell you what I have as far as necessities to start growing (seeds, soil, etc). I will also let you know what I have started to do step by step so that you will be more familiar with my situation.I have purchased seeds already; The seeds I currently have are as follows: 9 seeds (3 of which are germinating) the strain/breeder is Doc Bush Seeds Phat Kush * Phat Albert X Purple Kush* non feminized, 5 OG Kush seeds non-feminized, 5 Jamaican Kush non-feminized, just purchased 5 Feminized Dutch Passion Strawberry Cough Seeds (pricy). The 3 seeds that Ihave started are just a test since it is my first time growing (put the seeds in a folded J-cloth purchased from walmart the blue and white one thats antibacterial which has been dampened with steam distilled water I found at my local drugstore and put it in a glad ziplock freezer bag to retain moisture). Yesterday I purchased around 25 rockwool type discs *dont know what their called* from my local hydroponics shop in which the guy advised me that once my seeds germinate within a couple days I will soak the discs in water and drop the germinated seedlings in the discs & put them in a plastic tray by the window so they could grow bigger before I put them in small pots and transfer them outside I was also told that once they start growing larger I will have to transfer them to bigger pots before they flower in which I will have to get rid of the males at that part of the flowering stage. Already Purchased Premier BX Promix/Micorise Pro from my local Rona Home& Garden.Step by step I am trying to further my knowledge so I can get this going. I will continue to post and asks questions in this thread aswell as updating this post on the regular as I progress to the next steps! I hope the weather is sufficent enough for the plants to fully develop considering its just starting to get warmer here. As far as the summer months, July & August do get pretty hot. From semptember to late october it gets alot cooler moreso at the end of oct. Is window light sufficient enough for the plants to grow before I take them outside? If I don't have a fan is it possible to simulate wind to the plants? As far as germinating, is this the right way to go about it (as mentioned earlier)? Are the nutrients/fertilizer going to be expensive (as I have already spent too much money on seeds)? Any advice/help/feedback is much appreciated!
Window light will work, but a CFL setup will be good for night time, you need constant light in the veg time. As far as nutes, get ready, they are usually expensive (how much so is based on brand and how big of a plot or pot you have for the plants....it is one of those things that you will always seem to be spending money on if you plan on growing consistently or on a medium-large scale. good luck and enjoy it , the benefits from a good harvest far outweigh the nute costs... -DC
I have a spot chosen yes, I wanted to grow with pots. First from a small pot & then transplant to a bigger pot once the plants start growing larger. Do I need a light setup during Veg stage or is window light sufficient enough before I put them outside. Right now Im germinating the seeds, what should I do after Germination?
If you can, get them under a few T5's for the seedling and Veg time. It really is the best way to go. I would plan on, if possible, starting in cups-->then move to small pots--> then big pots when you move outside. Transplanting is always scary, but if your careful, youu be fine. Also, you could always use the BOG method and just transplant by cutting the bottom off the smaller cups or pots and staking them on top/not fully buried in the bigger pot. I have used the method well for outside but you need to stake the smaller pot well. Lemme know if u want more details
I would get some fluors for veg like a 4 bulb T5 6500k Fluorescent those would do you good, of a small 250 or 400 watt mH
Also where can I get the Fluorescent lights from are they going to be expensive? As far as fertilizer/nutes are these going to be expensive as well. I'm on a very tight budget and dont have that much more to spend.
^^the lights will be relatevely cheap and CFL's will be really cheap but the fixtures may be a few dollars each..and YES, as i said, NUTES ARE EXPENSIVE. Tty not to skimp and absolutely get a two part Veg/Bloom set of nutes. as far as the transplanting method, yea ill do it tomorrow, i may have the name wrong, but basically you cut the bottom off you pot before you plant and tape it back together. Then,when transplant time comes, you remove the bottom part, place the pot into a hole that is a few inches deep, so you are only burying the part of the pot that is open now, then you put several stakes through he first pot and into the new one, for stability (eventually the roots will do this better then any stakes) there are some downsides but for outdoor growing, it takes away alot of the transplant shock risks and keeps the plant more stable with outdoor conditions being potentially crazy, Ihave some pics from a past grow when I did it. In this case, a pic will be all you need to understand. -DC
What are CFL's exactly? So basically I still need to get lights/fixtures as well as some nutrients also.Don't really have that much cash left (didnt know it was going to be expensive like this) I guess it's too far to turn back Hopefully $150 will cover these costs because thats all I have left. Thanks for the input I am truly greatful!
$150 should cover it...GO READ THE FORUMS!!!! search for CFL (compact fluro lights) and growing or something. No need to ask questions when they have been adressed 10,000 times already...i wanna help but its frustrating hearing questions that are readily available. Go do some searching and reading, post up the things ur still stuck on tomorrow. -DC
I understand & will now take the steps to do some research for CFL's regarding the proper lighting before I put the plants outside, I will also research some good nutes to use. Sorry for asking so many questions, didn't mean to frustrate you. I will most certainly search around on this board for answers. If I have any more questions that I can find in my searches I will post them hear. In the mean-time feel free to post pics regarding the pot sizes/transplanting so that I can get a better visual image. Now on to Germinating!
^^^My man, great response and I will reward you with mucho advice and ideas in the next day or so. Im not frustrated, I just would be if you kept asking questi0ns and werent willing to look ar0und...You will be amazed how much you can learn out there in forum land. Wen you come up with a plan, post it up here to get advice as well, always a good idea to check you plan with people in the know. Good luck and keep up the info search...I started a journal in the begining and would just jot down anything I read and though important...It is still one of my best sources. I can not recommend anything more then a pen and paper journal and just read and write anything you can find. IT wil be very helpful now and in the future(until you have it all memorized, which will come), I promise
You don't need lights and can grow them all outdoors. Don't do a window sill grow as they plants will be stressed (indoor light and outdoors light schedules). I use big CFLs (600w) to start 30+ plants, that way when they go out they're nice little bushes. Read more and ask more specific questions. After germlination place 1/4 inch in soil, pointy side up if sprout isn't out yet, if it is, plant the root down and let the head out.
Respect goes out to GreenThumb, Da Cultivator, Corto All of you info is helping me out so much & I really do appreciate it! Will continue to research as far as CFL lights + nutes go. Are the feminised dutch passion strawberry cough seeds good to grow outdoors considering it is 75/25 sativa over indica? What grows better outdoors sativa or indica? It was either I chose The Strawberry Cough Feminized or I could've gotten LA Confidendial (which is OG Kush+something else) and LA Confidential is a full indica. Did I make the right choice because I dont think I can return the seeds
Haha that's too much! Strawberry cough not sure but Sweettooth and LA Conf. are both excellent outdoor strains. I never grew either but the thing is use 20 gallons airy soil, manures, kelp and guano at bottom for example, in upper part castings (no burn). Read 3rd link underm ysig it can help you. I would buy a 300 w cfl (one bulb) and grow 10 feminised 10 regular. A month under 16 hours. Fans on 24 hours. Check temps (20-28 celsius). Air out room every other day max (to change air). 10 days in 1/2 solo cups, 2 weeks in solo cups, 2 weeks in 1 l or 2 l pot. Take out and plant. No they won't hermie or flower under 16 or 18. They could under 24 though. Good luck.
Ok I will def look into that, as far as the seeds go Im stuck with the strawberry cough and will start germinating these as well as the other seeds I have so that I can start my first outdoor grow! Thanks for all the tips
Ok I just started to Germinate 6 of the Phat Kush Seeds, 5 of the Jamaican Kush Seeds, 5 of the OG Kush seeds, and 2 Feminized Strawberry Cough Seeds. How long will they usually take? I put them all in damp paper towels in beetween 2 plates to keep moisture & put them in a dark place. Also in a ziplock bag over the plates Once they have germinated I'm going to put them in one of those jiffy pot things with the seed facing up and I'm going to let them all veg with a light that my friend is going to lend me (he's going to be putting his plants outside within the next coule weeks). When they get bigger I'm going to then transplant them to small pots with the soil BX Pro Mix. I'm also going to purchase some fertilzer/nutrients to use for the first plant cycle during vegatative growth. After that when they are big enough I'm going to bring them outside and transplant to a 15 Gal pot. What do you guys think?
In a couple of days I was told to check the seeds to see if they have started to germinate. Will post update! Should I start a grow Journal in the forums with pics? Would this be a good idea Could someone confirm if Im taking the right steps to get this going. Thanks for your time
If you want to start them in your window, make sure its a Eastern facing window(Correct me if im wrong?) because you want the morning to afternoon sunlight, it is best im told..... And you must find a way to create wind or the stems will be too weak for outdoor winds.... my tomatos all died because I started them inside, by a window, and they had no fan blowing to strengthen the stem. After I stuck them outside they all bent over and broke. Another thing is you may want to put a lamp on them as soon as the sun sets(one CFL bulb will do, hopefully 23 w + go for the 40 w cfl.) for an extra hour or 2, as the light schedule is 14/10 currently and they wont grow quick at all, and may start flowering even... though i highly doubt it. And when you put them outside(transplant them) if they strected, put atleast half the stem deeper into the ground(or pot), so they dont bend or break, that half stem will just grow roots underground anyways........Anyways i like to ramble on... Good Luck man!