First Grow Part 1 - Setup

[SilverCattona]

I was unable to find a splitter for the lights and walmart was out of emergency blankets. The metal part can come off if I want it to. I started adding tinfoil to the box, not sure if it's the right move though. Oh yea, walmart didn't have anything greater than 100w equivalent bulbs, and I bought the daylight ones instead of he soft white, though I have some soft whites laying around. I also added a lamp to add another light bulb. I just hope this is worth it, I could have used the money and just bought a bunch of good stuff.

 

[rillos]

Your CFL lights should be 6500k for veg and 2700k for flowering. Try home depot or Lowe's.

 

[SilverCattona]

The ones I got are 6500K, So they should be good for now, Right? I have some 2700K Laying around somewhere, I just need to find them. Also, Should I remove the tinfoil? I heard it can Damage the plants.

 

[rillos]

I'm not sure about tin foil never heard of using it, but you got the right lights.

 

[SilverCattona]

I'll upload a picture of what it looks like now. Could you tell me if you think it'll grow in these conditions?

 

[rillos]

Remember it's just a weed

 

[SilverCattona]

 

[SilverCattona]

How much should I water it and do I need fertilizer or is it optional? Just trying to cut costs because I'm in almost $80 of debt, which is Right near the edge of what I'm comfortable with ($100 at most).

 

[SilverCattona]

Oh and Rillos, Thank you. Thank you so much. You've really helped me.

 

[rillos]

No nutes now just water and if you have a PH meter make sure it's between 6.0-7.0. You will eventually need way more light but you should be off to a goo start. Oh do not over water your plants will tell you when they need water.

 

[ColoradoKid]

I feel stupid for asking this, But what's a sog?

SOG = Sea Of Green. That is several plants in small containers very close together. You get 1 main cola per plant without a lot of bushiness.

I don't know why but earlier today I got really sad that I'll have to kill 2 seeds and I started crying over the fact I failed to take care of them. I have to stop drinking catnip tea, It's doing weird things to me.

I can see where being sad about losing a plant is appropriate. The seeds are valuable. Losing a few is a loss of money. Fortunately, I have hundreds of seeds; so I kill my girls indiscriminately. To small, they die. Sickly, they die.

Here is a quote from another website, I forget the rules about links so I'm just going to give the name of the site, ------------, anyway the quote was :"After having one successful grow under your belt, I guarantee that the whole process will start making more sense." I sure hope so. Anyway, a strange thought crossed my mind earlier, I was wondering if it's possible to grow sideways. what I mean is if you found a way to keep the soil in the pot water it, and put the light above the pot opening could you grow it out horizontally, or would gravity or other factors make it impossible? Here's a little diagram:
L -------P
L is the light, -- is the plant, P is the pot. I'm not going to try it, was just wondering if it was possible, I think it'd be neat to see.

Something I recommend to all new grower friends who have never grown anything in their lives, is to grow a jalapeno plant or two before growing cannabis. It gives you a feel for indoor growing. Which is different from outdoor growing. And jalapenos are not illegal.

I was unable to find a splitter for the lights and walmart was out of emergency blankets. The metal part can come off if I want it to. I started adding tinfoil to the box, not sure if it's the right move though. Oh yea, walmart didn't have anything greater than 100w equivalent bulbs, and I bought the daylight ones instead of he soft white, though I have some soft whites laying around. I also added a lamp to add another light bulb. I just hope this is worth it, I could have used the money and just bought a bunch of good stuff.

I don't think tinfoil is good. A flat white paint is actually best. I know it sounds weird but it is true.

The ones I got are 6500K, So they should be good for now, Right? I have some 2700K Laying around somewhere, I just need to find them. Also, Should I remove the tinfoil? I heard it can Damage the plants.

I would not use tinfoil myself. I would replace it with some cardboard painted flat white.

Remember it's just a weed

Yes, but some strains are really really hard to grow. In addition to that, the way you grow can have a major effect on the outcome. I have seen the grows of one of my friends who absolutely won't pay attention to what I say to try to help him. He has spent several hundreds of dollars on clones and supplies. I think he has yet to get a single oz from all his efforts. So it is a weed, but a real fussy weed. Remember, if you treat it like a weed; you get weed and not fine cannabis. Feel free to quote me on that.

I would remove the shield. Just go with the bare bulb.

How much should I water it and do I need fertilizer or is it optional? Just trying to cut costs because I'm in almost $80 of debt, which is Right near the edge of what I'm comfortable with ($100 at most).

The biggest mistake is over-watering. The roots need air. You have to let the soil dry out a bit. But not so dry that the roots die. Stick your finger in the soil about an inch and a half deep and see if it is damp or dry. If dry then a little water is in order.

I was gone for a few days. Sorry I couldn't answer faster.

 

[SilverCattona]

I removed the shield and now there's 40% - 60% more light just from that! I removed the tinfoil, I'm hoping to get a shiny emergency blanket for the inside, I can't really paint at this point, maybe for future grows. I don't really want to put cardboard in there, I have to leave my apartment unattended for long periods of time and I want to minimize the risk of electrical fire. Especially since the lamp is plugged into a socket on the Hanging light and any small move makes it flicker and go off.

 

[ColoradoKid]

Just be safe and I am thinking that you will have fun growing your girl.

 

[SilverCattona]

Thank you, I had 3 last questions. What hours should I use for this stage? I was going to go 18 on 6 off but I'm wondering if I should increase it because of the lower power of the bulb, and, when should I use fertilizer? I'm going to get water soluble stuff another grower in my area recommended, and I plan to alternate days it get's fertilized, but I'm unable to get any until next week, and even then I'll be busy with schoolwork, and if I stick the seeds next to each other in the pot will they connect and grow as 1? Like some trees do.

 

[SilverCattona]

I found a mason jar the last tenants left here that was a good size for when I need to cure the buds, and from the smell of it it was already used for Marijuana anyway , I didn't want to risk putting chemicals in it, so to clean it I boiled my kettle and poured it in and swirled it around. I figured with the steam if I put it with my plant it might help the Humidity since the lights barely produce and heat and I'm pretty sure it's too cold for them, Since it's too cold for me in my apartment (My neighbors control the heating).

 

[ColoradoKid]

Thank you, I had 3 last questions. What hours should I use for this stage? I was going to go 18 on 6 off but I'm wondering if I should increase it because of the lower power of the bulb, and, when should I use fertilizer? I'm going to get water soluble stuff another grower in my area recommended, and I plan to alternate days it get's fertilized, but I'm unable to get any until next week, and even then I'll be busy with schoolwork, and if I stick the seeds next to each other in the pot will they connect and grow as 1? Like some trees do.

I think that 18/6 is good at this time. I am not familiar with that potting soil. Does it have any ferts in it to start with? If it does then I would wait. When your plant is just starting you don't want to use ferts right away. You should be good for a week with no ferts. When you do start then only use a little bit. It is very easy to burn young plants. I alternate water only and water with ferts. They won't connect together. I think that they will become root-bound in the same pot.

I found a mason jar the last tenants left here that was a good size for when I need to cure the buds, and from the smell of it it was already used for Marijuana anyway , I didn't want to risk putting chemicals in it, so to clean it I boiled my kettle and poured it in and swirled it around. I figured with the steam if I put it with my plant it might help the Humidity since the lights barely produce and heat and I'm pretty sure it's too cold for them, Since it's too cold for me in my apartment (My neighbors control the heating).

What is the temp in the space that they are in? I find that if I am comfortable then my plants are too. If I am to cold or to hot then they are unhappy also. Also what is the relative humidity in the space where your plants are?

 

[SilverCattona]

I think that 18/6 is good at this time. I am not familiar with that potting soil. Does it have any ferts in it to start with? If it does then I would wait. When your plant is just starting you don't want to use ferts right away. You should be good for a week with no ferts. When you do start then only use a little bit. It is very easy to burn young plants. I alternate water only and water with ferts. They won't connect together. I think that they will become root-bound in the same pot.



What is the temp in the space that they are in? I find that if I am comfortable then my plants are too. If I am to cold or to hot then they are unhappy also. Also what is the relative humidity in the space where your plants are?

I forgot to put my thermometer in, thanks for reminding me, I'll tell you tomorrow what it is. I used this soil: Premier Potting Soil 15L | Walmart.ca and I was going to use this fertilizer: Plant Prod All Purpose Fertilizer 20-20-20 1kg | Walmart.ca , I'm not sure how to check Humidity, um...It feels comfortably warm, the air feels a little heavier, if that makes sense. I had to move the box out of my closet as my neighbors could hear the gentle buzzing of the lights, so now it just faces the closet door, cause the door is white and is great at reflecting light around the box, when I find a emergency blanket it should work great and light right up, although it does shine light around my room at night, the buzzing of the lights is putting me to sleep. Damn that noise is relaxing, I started writing this over 20 min ago.

 

[ColoradoKid]

I forgot to put my thermometer in, thanks for reminding me, I'll tell you tomorrow what it is. I used this soil: Premier Potting Soil 15L | Walmart.ca and I was going to use this fertilizer: Plant Prod All Purpose Fertilizer 20-20-20 1kg | Walmart.ca , I'm not sure how to check Humidity, um...It feels comfortably warm, the air feels a little heavier, if that makes sense. I had to move the box out of my closet as my neighbors could hear the gentle buzzing of the lights, so now it just faces the closet door, cause the door is white and is great at reflecting light around the box, when I find a emergency blanket it should work great and light right up, although it does shine light around my room at night, the buzzing of the lights is putting me to sleep. Damn that noise is relaxing, I started writing this over 20 min ago.

The potting soil looks like it will work. The fert I am not real sure of. It is 20-20-20 which seems a bit on the high side to me. I would definitely only use a very small amount and very gradually increase it a bit by bit until you see a tiny bit of nute burn and then back it off a bit. It should be fine for your first grow. But 2 pounds of it is a lot. I think that you will want to change it out the next grow.

 

[SilverCattona]

I just checked the temp. It's just under 60F. I haven't bought any fertilizer yet, so is there a better one you can recommend? I just showed the 1Kg bucket because that's what showed up first when I searched it, I'd try to get a smaller one.

In other news, My roommate said he'll help pay, which works out for me. I don't really want to get into selling though, and my roommates helping because he wants to make a profit, So I'll just take the amount I would usually buy Marijuana with an give it to him until he's reimbursed, plus a bit extra and he should be happy. Oh! I have to leave the plants alone for the first time, but after seeing the temp. isn't hot enough to cause any damage, I'm feeling a lot better about it. I accidentally over-watered yesterday so I'm not going to water until the soil starts to feel dryer. Next month I'm going to Anime North (23-25), so I have to leave them for 2-3 days. If I over water them again, will they survive that weekend? I assume the plants would have started growing out of the soil by then, right? Also wondering if I can cover the box with a tarp, It lights up my room while I'm trying to sleep. I also saw a 500W halogen work light at walmart, Do you think that would work in the future?

 

[SilverCattona]

Almost forgot, Happy 4/20!