First post & first grow questions

[ISOknowledge2]

Ok so these are just generalized questions i have because Im about to do my first grow. I'm in the process of purchasing equipment, so what I feel I need to know or skipped over, forgot, etc throughout all my notes and research I've done etc. is asked below. HOWEVER i noticed throughout my quest for knowledge i need to let you know the setup ill be using first so here it goes. (oh and this is my first post btw so sorry if it's in the wrong place or w/e just on a quest for some knowledge here)

SO, was planning on going with a 4ftx4ftx80inch grow tent (diamond mylar inside) carbon filter fans etc i got regulateing air intake outtake etc down so no info needed that's calculated some where in my notes taken care of etc. So air will be golden and ill have rotateing fans etc for above canopy all that good good.

i was planning on trying a co2 concoction of water sugar and yeast in a 2 liter bottle shake it a few times a day, take cap off and let sit in the tent, replace concoction every couple days apparantly ppl do this and it puts co2 in the air from the yeast & sugar water mixing together (how much it puts in the air.. idk) so i figured hey ill try it any extra co2 it can get can only make the plant grow better right? and plants can use 5x the amount of co2 already present in the air and with total exchange of air in 1-3 minutes whatever co2 it does get couldn't hurt it could it? because i wont be buying a co2 tank an all that good stuff my first go at this. If this is incorrect and a bad idea PLEASE let me know.

now, ill be growing 4 plants was going to go with critical kush soil grow
says: Critical Mass with OG Kush. This is a powerful and extremely vigorous indica plant, yields huge amounts and flowers in just 8 weeks indoors. It grows to a medium height with great flower-to-leaf ratio.
Yield: 750gr/m2 (hopeing & praying but doubting & not planning on getting that much)
Height: 80-90cm
THC: 25%
CBD: 2.1%

(it doesn't recommend how long to veg this. I know usually once they hit about 1 ft tall they're ready to flower right? Could someone tell me about how long they would recommend vegging this)

so yeah i want 4 monsters cuz if im not mistaken ill prolly get around the same amount from 4 as if i grew 5 in the same area because of crowding light etc right? figure why have 5 plants 3/4 the size 4 plants could have been or 5 with this strain would probably be to much anyway or be pushing it at least id think

was going to go with 600 watt hps (air cooled hood yes ill be attaching fan(s) to it to cool it) for flower should i go with 1 or 2 fans? really think ill need 2 to cool it? was gona use a 6 or 8 inch ducting fan depending on the hood trying to find a nice priced one with the diamond mylar rounded like without a bunch of bends in the mylar (you know what i mean late here & medicated sry mind aint all there)

now heres where i really need your help

like i said 600 watt hps (for flower obv.)
and if you need to know phantom 600w ballast might go with a phantom II if they have 600 forget if they do when i looked i think so, pricey though

do i go with a 400w MH or a 600 MH or better question should i dim the 600 down to 400 during veg?
if so or if not either way how far should i keep it away from the plants while they are small just going into veg from seedling etc (i know pretty much as close as possible without heat bothering them for lumens etc during flower late veg etc) but i need a rule of thumb in inchs or something. Is it the same as HPS like 1ft-18inchs (depending on how cool you can keep it) Someone explain! and explain why or why not 400 or 600 MH. or should i bump it from 400 to 600 as they get bigger in veg?

oh and it'll be a 7200k mh bulb. Was the only one above 5x00k something i could find even though ppl say the 5x00k mh bulbs work fine, the cfls got like 6400 and when everyone talks about the light in veg you want like 6k an above kelvin so yeah found 1 mh bulb with 7200k throughout my searchs with good reviews planned on using that unless like i state below here i figure out how to find the equivalent of a cfl veg setup.

if you have a cfl VEG setup (not a half assed one either) you could explain briefly that could match the MH lighting lumens etc for veg that i stated above please let me know i've researched alot about cfls just seems like shit yields compared to mh hps in all the videos i saw and comparisons i've seen. Basically dumbed it down to in my mind cfl can be very nice for veg, can put light damn near on the plant but how many watts and how big of watt bulbs would you use for a full veg 4 plants in a 4x4x80in tent and how would YOU place them to maximize efficiency. From what I've seen on video's pictures comparisons etc hps flowering blows away cfl flowering. So not interested in hearing about that half of growing with cfls. I want the dense heavy bigger buds. Saving energy is not a concern in a sense seeing how regardless ill run a 600w hps during flower so i can run a 600 mh or equivalent in cfl for veg, because for at least this first grow and until i see how much it jumps my electricity bill im not vegging and flowering at the same time it'll all be done in the same tent.


my last and most important question which has me like scared. WHAT SOIL? I want to keep the soil as SIMPLE as possible. I don't want to by 20 different things and mix it because like i said this is my first go at this maybe like 2 or 3 things max which id imagine perlite/vermiculite would be one of them but yeah give a guy a direction for some SIMPLE starter soil (be nice if you left like a table for the concoction like 1/3 vermiculite 2/3 whatever etc.)

and if you have anything to tell me about my setup strain anything etc know that i am going to for biggest yield possible down to the strain I'm using etc. (with a semi cheap setup) thats why i went in on cfl flowering. However i've heard using a 1000 watt light would probably give me more yield even though you get more lumens from the 600. I have heavily thought about trying that first but im scared of the electric so thats why im going with a 600 in a 4x4 btw and because some have said 1000w might just be a little to big for 4x4 that its more 5x5 material. but if yeilds go right and this all pays off, electric isn't to bad, ill have a 5x5 or 6x6 with 2 600s or thats the plan if i have a green thumb. thx for all the help guys and sorry for this becoming a novel.

 

[AKgramma]

Re: first post, first grow, questions about veg lighting, soil, and other random thin

ISOknowledge2: My answer is just about the equipment.

Keep it simple for your first grow. Don't overthink the process and certainly don't put out a lot of money at first, until you have learned what your strain of MJ needs.

You don't need CO2 generation with a small grow. Just you checking on them every day or two and breathing on them, will give them all the CO2 they need, and there won't be any of the problems and dangers inherent in messing with CO2 generation.

Lights plus timer, one or two fans, and an enclosed area with a white or silver interior with passive ventilation are all the hardware (equipment) you need to grow a successful small crop. Give your ladies the largest pots (or rectangular bins) that you can fit in your grow area. Large rootball = large yield. Your 4 x 4 tent will last you a long time, space-wise.

Well-draining soil is a must. Get yourself some good off-the-shelf potting soil, sand, and vermiculite or perlite. Mix 1/3 of each so that the soil flows between your fingers without lumps or sticks. You should not have to add nutes to your soil for at least a month, until your plants are growing well.

You can add the other equipment if you have the money, and are going to increase the size of your grow.

Personal preference on the lighting. However, whichever system you choose, the general rule is that you will get more coverage with 2 smaller bulbs than one big bulb, because light intensity falls off dramatically the further away from the bulb you get. If you go with a system that puts out a lot of heat, you'll need to invest in an exhaust and intake system: basically fans and ducting. Your research will tell you what you need.

I hope this helps without getting into all the details that you can find in the information forums at the top of these FAQs.

 

[Fuzzy Duck]

Re: first post, first grow, questions about veg lighting, soil, and other random thin

6" fan for the air cooled hood should work pretty fine for a single bulb, it is when ya running more than a couple of air cooled hoods you use a larger extraction fan.

When yield is mention as 750g/m2 it is a reference to the SOG method aka sea of green where on average some 16 to 20 plants are grown per 1 m2 & easy done with a bit of practice.

CFL work fine for veg i use a 125w 6500k cfl for germination & vegging for up to 8 weeks, used it for 4 years know with out looking back... it is just cheaper on the electric bill than MH counter parts of a greater wattage.

Just hang em close to the plants like a few inches as the inverse square law of light effect makes em suffer at larger distances !

 

[ISOknowledge2]

Re: first post, first grow, questions about veg lighting, soil, and other random thin

6" fan for the air cooled hood should work pretty fine for a single bulb, it is when ya running more than a couple of air cooled hoods you use a larger extraction fan.

When yield is mention as 750g/m2 it is a reference to the SOG method aka sea of green where on average some 16 to 20 plants are grown per 1 m2 & easy done with a bit of practice.

CFL work fine for veg i use a 125w 6500k cfl for germination & vegging for up to 8 weeks, used it for 4 years know with out looking back... it is just cheaper on the electric bill than MH counter parts of a greater wattage.

Just hang em close to the plants like a few inches as the inverse square law of light effect makes em suffer at larger distances !

now when u say you use a 125w cfl for germ and veg is that per plant or how many do u germ & veg under that 125 cuz 125 to me just seems small i mean yeah for germ and seedling but after a going into veg a little ways wouldn't you want to add more?

 

[ISOknowledge2]

Re: first post, first grow, questions about veg lighting, soil, and other random thin

ISOknowledge2: My answer is just about the equipment.

Keep it simple for your first grow. Don't overthink the process and certainly don't put out a lot of money at first, until you have learned what your strain of MJ needs.

You don't need CO2 generation with a small grow. Just you checking on them every day or two and breathing on them, will give them all the CO2 they need, and there won't be any of the problems and dangers inherent in messing with CO2 generation.

Lights plus timer, one or two fans, and an enclosed area with a white or silver interior with passive ventilation are all the hardware (equipment) you need to grow a successful small crop. Give your ladies the largest pots (or rectangular bins) that you can fit in your grow area. Large rootball = large yield. Your 4 x 4 tent will last you a long time, space-wise.

Well-draining soil is a must. Get yourself some good off-the-shelf potting soil, sand, and vermiculite or perlite. Mix 1/3 of each so that the soil flows between your fingers without lumps or sticks. You should not have to add nutes to your soil for at least a month, until your plants are growing well.

You can add the other equipment if you have the money, and are going to increase the size of your grow.

Personal preference on the lighting. However, whichever system you choose, the general rule is that you will get more coverage with 2 smaller bulbs than one big bulb, because light intensity falls off dramatically the further away from the bulb you get. If you go with a system that puts out a lot of heat, you'll need to invest in an exhaust and intake system: basically fans and ducting. Your research will tell you what you need.

I hope this helps without getting into all the details that you can find in the information forums at the top of these FAQs.

Thanks bud the info about the soil definitely helped. What would be a good potting soil to go with then? Someone had mentioned pro mix organic or something like that, oh ill want to go with a soil that doesn't have bark or chips of wood in it right? that messes with something, 4get if it was ph it screws with or what, just remember hearing not to go with one that has bark etc. There was a good reason not too i just don't remember the reasoning at the moment.

 

[thebudking]

Re: first post, first grow, questions about veg lighting, soil, and other random thin

I agree, keep it simple, t5 for germination, run 600w in veg and bloom. Personally I wouldn't run soil, strait canna coco with about 4 cups of worm castings in a 5 gallon cloth pot, run canna coco nutes through the whole run with a pk bloom booster in week 3 only
Run one plant first to see how it grows and one plant for a first grow is alot easier to manage. That set up will do you well.

 

[AKgramma]

Re: first post, first grow, questions about veg lighting, soil, and other random thin

Thanks bud the info about the soil definitely helped. What would be a good potting soil to go with then? Someone had mentioned pro mix organic or something like that, oh ill want to go with a soil that doesn't have bark or chips of wood in it right? that messes with something, 4get if it was ph it screws with or what, just remember hearing not to go with one that has bark etc. There was a good reason not too i just don't remember the reasoning at the moment.

I go against the grain here and just buy what is available at the store. Being on a retirement income means I can't afford stuff labelled just for Cannibus, as it's way overpriced, usually twice over. Locally I can get Black Label, Miracle Grow, or the house brand at my grocery store. Black Label is only a tad more expensive than Miracle Grow or the house brand, but I like how rich it smells and feels. BL also carries the sand and vermiculite.

 

[Fuzzy Duck]

Re: first post, first grow, questions about veg lighting, soil, and other random thin

now when u say you use a 125w cfl for germ and veg is that per plant or how many do u germ & veg under that 125 cuz 125 to me just seems small i mean yeah for germ and seedling but after a going into veg a little ways wouldn't you want to add more?

Well i use a tent 60 cm by 60 cm by 160 cm for germination & vegging with the 125w cfl / reflector it covers the area quite well to be honest which could cover a slightly bigger area, bearing in mind i use a giant sized cfl E40 bayonet which Hps/mh use also.

This space / cfl covers 4 plants which i have vegged for up to 8 weeks from germination, ye i know ya think i'm totally under powered... it is mind blowing, it works well for me ! i've never looked back or wanted to change at present & yes i've read the discussions to which mostly appears related to domestic type of bulbs...

At best i may stick em in the flower tent for the last week or two if they get to large for that little tent but all very strain related & growth characteristics. ( standard bush grow )

 

[AKgramma]

Re: first post, first grow, questions about veg lighting, soil, and other random thin

Fuzzyduck: You should go with what works for you and adjust as you see the need. I am also a CFL-only grower because of the heat issues with other kinds of lighting, and because of limited space. I use a combination of daylight and soft white 100's, a mix of bulbs for veg and all soft white for flower. This has to do with the wavelengths required for each phase.

I have 6 100's for 2 ladies in flower and 15 100W mixed cfl's on two shelves in the veg tent. One shelf is taken up with my large motherplant, but will soon be accompanied by some small shrubs I ordered from a nursery. (They need to be planted now as they are bare-root and dormant, but need to be awake for spring planting)

In the veg tent, I have 4 of the Daylight bulbs timed to come on in the middle 4 hours of the day to simulate sun strength between 10AM and 2 PM. I also have this timer come on for 1 hour in the middle of the sleep cycle, with the rest on a 12/12 in order to save on the electric bill. This is called the "Gas Lantern" schedule. The break in the dark cycle keeps the ladies in waiting from going to flower. At least this is the theory. I'm experimenting!

edit: the watts refer to the output, not what they draw at the socket.

 

[Fuzzy Duck]

Re: first post, first grow, questions about veg lighting, soil, and other random thin

Ye i understand.

The 125w cfl 6500k i use is actual true wattage i emailed around awhile ago to cover some info up, which suggest this cfl is around 7000 lumen not that lumen has much to do with growing any ways !

I only use it for germination/veg on 16/8 but do switch to a 400w hps for flowering.


Ye i have come across GLR but not used it to date but have used DLR for flowering i didn't think much about that tho...