What are common mistakes made by first time growers?

[TorturedSoul]

i see pistols coming out and turning brown but there are no buds or flowers showing

<SCRATCHES HEAD> Err... Where are the pistils coming from then, lol? (And also, why are they turning brown so early?

But in general... pictures help others diagnose problems.

Also, I'm having alot of trouble getting my seeds to germinate, i have tried every type of medium, i pre soak for at least 24hrs in sterilized water, i make sure my hands are clean when I'm working, iv tried starting them in the paper towel, with a baggie, Soil potting mix by miracle grow, Rock wool, germination box with heat pad, with light and without light and out of a package of 10 G13 Haze seeds i have tried 7 of them and only 1 has sprouted and it looks like its ready to die, I'm going crazy because not only was i looking forward to trying this rumored amazing strain but i paid $170.00 for them so it sucks when i watch them lie dormant.

Odd. All of those methods work. Did you get the seeds from a reliable 'bank? Either there's something going wrong that you haven't mentioned, or your seeds are no good. Can you more specifically describe the methods you've used?

 

[KLR1ST]

I notice you said 10% run off during soil watering, how would you contain this runoff? If watering once every week or until the soil is dry at the top, is this how the 10% is absorbed back into the plant?

 

[miwa]

Great info...only one question...i keep seeing 40w per sq...i thought i should only be concerned with lumens and temp....

 

[sully508]

yes that is very impotant. light=energy for your plant. the right temp and ph make growing and soil conditions optimum. you need it all.

 

[Bonehead]

Great info...only one question...i keep seeing 40w per sq...i thought i should only be concerned with lumens and temp....

40 watts per square foot is the minimum light you should use. I like 60 watts per sq ft. as a base of measurement.

 

[miwa]

ok...per sq ft......that sq. ft.....is that LxW or LxWxH ?

 

[Bonehead]

ok...per sq ft......that sq. ft.....is that LxW or LxWxH ?

That is L x W

There are alot of companies that make the grow huts. A common dimention is 4 x 4. 4 x 4 = 16 x 60 = 960

A 1000 watt High Pressure Sodium would be the right choice.

 

[TorturedSoul]

ok...per sq ft......that sq. ft.....is that LxW or LxWxH ?

Already answered, but I wanted to mention that in addition to the area measurement of L*W, the volume measurement - L*W*H - also has its uses in the hobby of growing cannabis. It's useful for figuring the size of your exhaust fans & intake vents and also useful if you add supplementary CO2 to your space.

 

[miwa]

ok...thanks TS for that info...i'll keep that in mind

 

[Eeko]

I'll add one of mine....not knowing the difference between a teaspoon and a tablespoon. Found out yesterday that I was overnutting by 2.something times all year. Never any nute burn issues......always was wondering though why my plants were so green!

 

[TaylorMade420]

how long should germinated seeds placed in soil quarter inch from top of soil take to sprout? also should they be placed under light or kept in dark till then, any help is much appreciated.

 

[miwa]

wowww.....thats some answer.....plants don't use light until they break ground...keep soil warm and moist...should be up in 3 days

 

[The303Stoner]

Hello, I am a first time grower and i am having problems with flowering, i started growing Northern lights Blue Strain, i wanted to have a good sized plant before i began the flowering phase so i waited until the plant was over 20" tall before i began the 12/12 lighting system, now in the beginning i was running a 150W HPS bulb and some florescent bulbs 24/7 as well, Then i recently switched to a 600W HPS, now its been more then a month since i began the 12 hours of night per day and i see pistols coming out and turning brown but there are no buds or flowers showing, i changed the fertilizer mixture according to the directions,using FloraGro/Flora Micro/Flora Bloom, i change the water every couple weeks and still i feel disappointed in the progress.

Also, I'm having alot of trouble getting my seeds to germinate, i have tried every type of medium, i pre soak for at least 24hrs in sterilized water, i make sure my hands are clean when I'm working, iv tried starting them in the paper towel, with a baggie, Soil potting mix by miracle grow, Rock wool, germination box with heat pad, with light and without light and out of a package of 10 G13 Haze seeds i have tried 7 of them and only 1 has sprouted and it looks like its ready to die, I'm going crazy because not only was i looking forward to trying this rumored amazing strain but i paid $170.00 for them so it sucks when i watch them lie dormant.

Please help if you can,

Mean Dean

whoa dude sorry you paid so much for bunk seeds. your plant might have rudilus (someone correct my spelling) in the genetics and is a bunk mutant.

 

[sully508]

id say the flowering will be delayed due to the increase in lumens. from 150 to 600watts. its getting more light now then during veg.

 

[miwa]

Well said...:focus:

 

[GodSpeed]

New to hydro;

I would say not soaking there chosen medium to the correct ph causing weeks of head aiks from rising ph leading to a multitude of problems.

Easy fix soak your medium in the correct ph for 24hours before planting!!!

 

[TorturedSoul]

New to hydro;

I would say not soaking there chosen medium to the correct ph causing weeks of head aiks from rising ph leading to a multitude of problems.

It's a good idea for rockwool.

Isn't a factor with hydroton, perlite, or vermiculite. I'm not sure about coco coir.

 

[GodSpeed]

It's a good idea for rockwool.

Isn't a factor with hydroton, perlite, or vermiculite. I'm not sure about coco coir.

My first hydro grow was with hydroton and I didn't leach it first I had BIG problems with ph rising above 7 after starting my 2nd grow with hydroton being soaked I encounter no problems at all same with vermiculite.

 

[voltron]

if your getting males then there all male. i doubt your gonna get a female.
unless ordered from a seed bank as reg. seeds . bagseed is all male or female. for the most part. bagseed was not crossbred to make female or male but because pollen by a male or hermi.
i just grow female and check for herms..
its worth an extra 20.00 bucks. or buy 10 reg. seeds and you should have 5 female give or take one.

sully, I am still a noob with two successful grows under my belt, both of them came from bagseed that was ok and my plants were all ladies no seeds. One I grew in a 5gal dwc with cfl's and the other in a hempy with cfl's. Not to mention the one I killed by being a noob and overnuting in hindsight she may have been salvagable just really burned in veg. But they all came from bagseed... so if you are a rookie at growing or a vet that doesn't want to order on line from 420 sponsors then at least double the amount of seeds for germination and grow them to you sex them and throw away the males and keep healthiest/strongest females if you have too many for space. As long as you have good germination techniques and a suitable growing environment than its possible to get females from your bagseed! Once you have your environment right and can grow within it then stepping up to fem seeds from online bank will surely enhance the quality of medicine.

note: had to throw away 2 males after sexing, females showed couple days later.

 

[GreenDollars]

what about the part where it says indoors plants can be completed in 2 months. Id like to know how..?

I started indoorsw ith seeds. one month from seed into two months flower. 3 months.