First ever grow attempt

[Cannabalistic]

This was never meant to be a serious grow, we just wanted to have a go with the resources we had available.

We found some seeds in a recent batch we had and decided to try germinate them which was a success using damp cotton wool pads,

we planted the seeds in small pots using soil from a plant pot we found in the back garden lol.


I lined out a kitchen cupboard with foil ! and bought a lamp holder which i fitted with a 100watt incandescent bulb (they stretched, suprise suprise)

cost so far:- 2 pounds 50 pence for the bulb holder.

after realising i was wasting my time with the normal bulb i checked all the bulbs in the house and found a 20watt CFL which i decided to use instead.
at this point i transplanted the seedlings into 2 litre pop bottles which i cut in half. I also made a reflector using a beer can and added some pc fans which i wired to a nokia phone charger.

after a couple of days under this setup they seemed to be doing ok (ish)

I purchased a 200watt envirolite as we plan on a serious grow eventually but it will be a case of buying things bit by bit over the next few months.

I cleared out and foil lined a closet that is 20"W x 30"D. The height i can adjust easily up to 5 feet.

the following pics are taken after a couple of days of their re-housing.

Thanks for looking. any comments or advice is greatly appreciated on this amateur grow.

 

[creamm]

Hi Cannabalistic and welcome to 420 matey
You need to change your pots to some that arnt transparent mate as roots dont like light.Also from my reading i have gathered foil is no good also as it creates hot spots i think the best solution is to just paint the inside mat white.And for now the best advice i could give you is research research and more research after all your on the best site for info imo.
regards..creamm

 

[bubblebagman]

Creamm is right, this is a great site for info.....Best thing for you to do is maybe check out some other "grow journals". It's a good way to find some new ideas, Or to even see other peoples mistakes. I'd rather learn from someone elses mistakes than my own lol.......+rep for luck on your grow.

 

[Cannabalistic]

Thanks for the replies

Yeah, i have been reading loads over the last few weeks, but it's information overload at the moment, so much to take in.

like i said i am trying to keep cost down for this attempt but gradually want to build up my equipment for something serious, I dont mind waiting another year or so to get the right equipment for the task.

next week i will get some mylar and re-line the inside of the cupboard, i did read if you must use foil to use the back of it which i have done, so hopefully no hot spots.

i will also be adding a proper desk fan so i can pull those pc fans as they are a little clumsy and dont seem to create a great deal of airflow.

Cheers.

 

[bubblebagman]

just one note on the air flow....Cool air should come in from the bottom....And the warmer air should be vented out of the top...mylar can be quite costly....for cost purposes just paint the cupboard for now with a white high gloss paint...You could use mylar...but I prefer the black and white plastic cause its mold resistant...Good luck bro!

 

[Cannabalistic]

Tomorrow i will get some Bio Bizz nutrients and start feeding them now they are 2 and a half weeks old,

Also going to buy a decent fan.

I covered the transparent pots (2 litre pop bottles cut at the waist) with cardboard as advised.

when i removed the covers on saturday to water i could see the roots right at the bottom of the pot and also along some edges, does this mean i need to transplant them into bigger pots now?

If so i will also get some pots and some more soil.

Cheers

 

[Bee23]

They look great! Looking forward to see the whole journey.

 

[Cannabalistic]

 

[t0mt0k3]

See, I would definitely grow my own plant, but I have little room for it. I have to wait until Spring so I can use my outdoor spot. For now, it's just waiting.

 

[bubblebagman]

Cannabalistic are you monitoring the Ph? You're plants are looking like they need some nutes.

 

[Cannabalistic]

hi bubblebagman,

Unfortunately i have no ph tester available at the moment, however i will buy a cheap ph testing kit on tuesday (limited budget still)

I transplanted into the lager pots which i filled with multipurpose compost that says it contains enough nutrients to last 4 weeks (this soil is mixed with the original soil after the transplant)


I also bought some bio bizz - Bio Grow 8.0-2.0-6.0 last tuesday and mixed 1ml to 1 litre of water, i fed the plants about 200ml each and then on wednesday the lower leaves were yellow and on one of the plants there is brown patches on the lower leaves, i was worried about nutrient burn and thought i may have overdone it even with 1ml of bio grow.

I wish i had a better camera to show the details of what i mean!

now i am worried about the next feed as like i said i though i would be overdoing it with the new soil + bio bizz.

but now you say it looks like they need nutes i am unsure of what to do.

any advice and feedback is always much appreciated.

Cheers.

 

[nbk380]

your lookin good! make sure you get tha chemicals to adjust your PH when you get the tester or it's pointless!

 

[bubblebagman]

hi bubblebagman,

Unfortunately i have no ph tester available at the moment, however i will buy a cheap ph testing kit on tuesday (limited budget still)

I transplanted into the lager pots which i filled with multipurpose compost that says it contains enough nutrients to last 4 weeks (this soil is mixed with the original soil after the transplant)


I also bought some bio bizz - Bio Grow 8.0-2.0-6.0 last tuesday and mixed 1ml to 1 litre of water, i fed the plants about 200ml each and then on wednesday the lower leaves were yellow and on one of the plants there is brown patches on the lower leaves, i was worried about nutrient burn and thought i may have overdone it even with 1ml of bio grow.

I wish i had a better camera to show the details of what i mean!

now i am worried about the next feed as like i said i though i would be overdoing it with the new soil + bio bizz.

but now you say it looks like they need nutes i am unsure of what to do.

any advice and feedback is always much appreciated.

Cheers.

Yeah you should really look into some PH testing strips. Don't feed your plants anymore nutes yet...If your PH is off, your plants wont absorb the nutes....fix your PH first. Then let your plants absorb the nutes. Just for reference I keep my PH between 6.4-6.7.

 

[Be Irie]

Also, just a word to the wise, the cheap ass PH strips is just a generalized reading and not very accurate. I was using strips and a cheap ass soil PH thingy that was saying my PH was 7.. I kept having problems with the plants so I bought a nice digital one ($100 bones). When I PH'd the tap water with the cheap ones it said 7, when I PH'd using the digital it was 8.5....So just be careful when using a cheap one and if something goes wrong with the plants then that is probably why...

 

[Cannabalistic]

thanks for the advice guys, i will do an update + pics tomorrow after i have been shopping ,

Peace

 

[Dweeden420]

By no means am I an expert on the subject, but I have found in my limited experience, that the more knowledge you have about the subject, the more money it is going to cost. Keep up the good work

 

[bubblebagman]

By no means am I an expert on the subject, but I have found in my limited experience, that the more knowledge you have about the subject, the more money it is going to cost. Keep up the good work

LOL.....That is true...But once you have the proper equipment there's nothing to worry about other than dealing with the frustration of having to harvest(I hate trimming plants)

 

[happiehippie]

grow baby grow !!!!!!!!! you'll get the hang of it, looks kool so far man. keep up the good work man. what is the light sched. , with such a limeted space try the 12/12 from the get go. There is a thread about this someware in here that will show you the way of the 12/12 light deal. They get about 1 foot tall and nothing but bud.....SWEET !!!!!

 

[Cannabalistic]

Thanks for the comments.

pH sorted.
fed some nutes..

Peace.

 

[Cannabalistic]

After some grow room mods here is a picture update.

They seem happy enough.

Added passive intake holes 3 x 5"

Also 4 exhaust fans, One @ 3 1/2" Three @ 3"

Sealed with light proof plastic and velcro.

Doors Closed

Inside Temp ranges from 75F to 85F when sealed.
Humidity 30 - 45%

Shot from the centre intake hole.

Thanks for looking.