Hey there fellow puffers, I was in need of advice and help, so I hope I came to the right place. Well, my brother and I, started a little project on getting the finest dank weed we could possible get. He had some experience with a previous plant, but now we want to make it the best we can. That said, we have some questions... 1) Watering: a) How are we supposed to water the plants? We were watering the plate on the bottom of the ceramic/plastic vase in which the plant is in. Are we doing it wrong? b) How do we flush the plants, in order to remove (in case we need to) salts and extra nutrients? c) How do you check if the soil PH is OK and if the Nutrients are in the right amounts? (I've read several posts in stickys but Im not sure I understanded it correctly) 2)Lighting: a)We have a 250W Halide and a 250W Sodium. We were told that the Halide is used for the first 4-6 weeks, the vegetation phase, and that we introduce the sodium one, replacing the halide, when we want the plant not to grow anymore and start flowering... Is this correct? b)Currently we have the light hovering at about 25 cm (4") above the plant... Is this an OK height? c) We are giving the plants 18 hours of halide and 6 of darkness... is this allright? 3)Ventilation: a)We are out of resources to be buying a fan to keep the plants cool, but we noticed that is not too hot inside the closet where the plants are... It may be around 90F (30 C). Is it neccesary to have a fan? We could let the doors open if we want to, so could that be a good resolution to the lack of fans? 4)We got 4 feminised bubblegum seeds (Nirvana Bubblelicious feminized (5 seeds)) What are your thoughts about the strain? Finally, we share some pics of the plants and of the location of them, for you to see and critique and maybe detect something thats wrong, etc... Thanks so much, please take a min to reply, its VERY important to us...
water the plants from the top. water will soak thru the soil, and will dry on it's way up... so once you stick your finger in an inch or two and it's dry, go ahead and water again. every couple days or so maybe? flushing means to over-water so you get lots of water running thru and out the bottom. this "washes" the nutrients out of the soil. ph kits are used on this over-water that runs out to test how acidic it is
well, it's not a big deal, the plant will actually absorb some nutrients... but there's a danger of water drops sitting there and not drying, which might magnify the light into burning the leaf maybe blow the plants off afterwards or something, I know this isn't an issue outside because it would dry, but can be an issue inside if it's humid and stays around too long
Thanks for the reply, we are going to start to water it from top. Anyone else who wans to reply these questions? Thanks!
You can mist the plants. Just shake from the stem to get any excess off. Like someone said previously, make sure there's no big "droplets" sitting on the plant. Happens more towards where stem meets leaf and on new top growth more than anywhere else. That new top growth with be yellow from the center if water is left on it. That'll make you think about nutrient deficiencies, which wouldn't be the case. This is from experience. Not a book. This I've read, but have had no problem: Misting your plants heightens the chance of mold and pest infestation slightly, but you should be taking preventive measures for this anyway. I have had a problem with gnats wanting to rest on my leaves after them being misted, but I can't say for sure if it was from misting, or they just got in, and were there.
[quote name='"MrArarat"']Hey there fellow puffers, I was in need of advice and help, so I hope I came to the right place. 1) Watering: a) How are we supposed to water the plants? We were watering the plate on the bottom of the ceramic/plastic vase in which the plant is in. Are we doing it wrong? b) How do we flush the plants, in order to remove (in case we need to) salts and extra nutrients? c) How do you check if the soil PH is OK and if the Nutrients are in the right amounts? (I've read several posts in stickys but Im not sure I understanded it correctly) 2)Lighting: a)We have a 250W Halide and a 250W Sodium. We were told that the Halide is used for the first 4-6 weeks, the vegetation phase, and that we introduce the sodium one, replacing the halide, when we want the plant not to grow anymore and start flowering... Is this correct? b)Currently we have the v hovering at about 25 cm (4") above the plant... Is this an OK height? c) We are giving the plants 18 hours of halide and 6 of darkness... is this allright? 3)Ventilation: a)We are out of resources to be buying a fan to keep the plants cool, but we noticed that is not too hot inside the closet where the plants are... It may be around 90F (30 C). Is it neccesary to have a fan? We could let the doors open if we[/quote] Well check tha runoff wen you water to get an idea of ph. A fan is a big necessity helps promote growth prevents stale air/ humidity. Plants growth stops at 86 degrees so u have an issue there try placing ice water near them to keep cool and a simple desk fan will work. Also while in flower plants usually double in size. Remember dank doesnt come cheap bro. Any other questions ill try n help my best bro
If possible next time could you re size the pics to be a little smaller? I love watching grows just starting out.
Thanks my friend, super clear answer... thanks for taking the time to reply Maybe you could give me a hand with the other questions?
Mmmm so its really necessary I see.. Well, I will try to get one ASAP, but in the mean time we are going to let the closet doors open. Im almost sure that temps should be around those parameters... I will try to get a temperature meter too... I you would like to keep helping, we have several other questions... (Check the first post) Love to you.
Heat is going to be an issue for you...you want your temps under the lights to be no more than 80F.... I run LED's which run cool by nature, my canopy (under the lights) stays around 78F and 74-75 in the closet. I simply have a box fan blowing in air from the room the closet is in, and then I have a $5 clip on fan blowing directly onto the plants for maximum air exchange in keeping things cool and moving. Air exchange is very important, but those temps are going to have to come down. If it's 90F in that closet, then you're pushing 100F under that light.
Hmmm Ok, got that... But actually, where I live (Argentina) right now we are in winter, so, the closet doors are open and the chilling winds from winter cool the place down... Anyway, I really dont know how much temp is in there, it was my guessing... I will know when i get that meter that i want to get... Thanks for the reply, fellow lover of weed.... Perhaps you could help us by replying the other questions we have?
Biggest thing bro is make sure to give enough time between each watering always lift your pots to get a dry weight n wet weight to tell or an inch down. 20% runoff when watering. Good luck
Thanks for replying! We are using the finger method now... Anyway, the containers have holes in the bottom, so you pretty much tell when the container has no water, because the plate in the bottom is dry...
it's not do-or-die...but yes. that is, you can still grow with a hps, and you can still flower with a mh, it's just not 100% optimal. damn, that's close, but if it's not too hot and they look okay, keep at it. I've had a hps that close to plant tops and they did fine, just as long as you watch that heat. yep, that's still "veg" state, so you're good. 12on and 12off is what you will change it to, to switch the plant to flowering/blooming, when it's ready. as thepotroast said, 90f is pretty crazy, especially when you get the light going. get it under 80f if you can, and a way to measure the temps *at the plant tops*. and you definitely need flowing air through and around the room and plants...an oscillating tower fan would be good to hit all the plants yet not be so powerful that it gives them wind damage. looks like you're going to have some fun!
I'm looking at your grow again and I've got some suggestions that may or may not help. It looks as if your growing in a cabinet or closet. Im looking at the floor and it appears to be wood. What is underneath that floor? Is it possible to put a grille or holes or something to pull in cooler air from there? You can get fans anywhere. Old computers, scrap yard, yard sale, etc. If you don't have the resources then get creative. Look online, around your neighborhood, what ever you can. If its you and your brother than that's two sets of eyes scouring for what you need. Also what is the top of the closet or cabinet like? Is that wood to? Vent into the space above if possible, the hottest air is going to be way up there. If your trying to hide this from your parents or some one in the house then i would advise against all of this and wait until you have your own place. I'm hanging around hoping for the best for you guys.