first try

[rds_sk8er420]

Ok here we go my first grow , im growing in soil, under cfls.
I got 10 tapped seeds in small pots. under 4 cfls, with lights going 18/6.
not sure what strain the seeds are as they were from some DANK bag weed.
not looking for much on this one just a get go know the ropes deal.
no pics rigtht now as they are in the 6 part of the sequence right now.
im growing in a cabnet right now and they wont be all in the same cabnet for long.
Im planing on moving half to another half of my cabnet which is directly below the one they are in now.
Pics soon in about in an hour and a half im just waiting for light sequence.

INPUT IS GREATLY APPREACIATED AS THIS IS MY FIRST GROW AND AM WELCOMING YOU INTO MY SPACE AS YOU ARE ALL MOSTLY EXPERIENCED AND KNOWLEGABLE IN THIS FIELD SO MY HATS OF TOO YOU ALL.

[rds_sk8er420]

alright guys day 2, and i got my first sign of life in one of 10 pots but i have a feeling a couple are on there ay as they had some crazy tap roots as i planted them in there pots.

heres some pics, i have some more just b4 i turned the lights out. I now have atleast 3 thats are out with 4 little leaves, and i got 4 that are starting to look like the good 3, and 2 that i can see are starting to come out, and I got 1 that is no where to be found.


sorry about the blurry pic, this was the first one out and its one of the better looking ones.


I have these four cfl's daylight 42w each. but it says they 42w = 100-150w each. Its growing in a cabnet that has about 3 feet above it that i can move the shelf i mounted them on upwards.

once they start fighting for light, or if some dont make it that far, (considering it is my first grow), I plan on moving some down to a lower compartment for more space when needed.

input would be great!, am I doin good so far? do i need any nutes(not yet i beleive right?) those little brown organic pots are supposed to let roots grow through so you put the whole thing in another pot, anyone tried those and know if i should continue use or put them in the small black plastic ones? Ill get a pic of its packaging for my next post. aswell as im using pro-mix: potting and seeding mix.

one question though the backs of the little sproutlings seem to be a little black in colour am i trippin or is this something that happens and is going to go away after they become a little more mature??

[bluebox223]

not bad for a first time set up man your on the right track and hopefully with the help of the members here you will have a successful crop. check out my journal i try to incorporate useful info plus im using CFLs in a small cabinet too! click here to go to my grow journal as for nutrients that depends on what kind of soil you used and how quickly they grow. i would watch the plants closely and start feeding after the first week or two. use like 1/2 strenghth. do you have any ferts yet? how many lumens do those 42watters put out? i cant see clearly in the pics but are your seedlings green? that one looks yellow and you said that it is black on the back, do you mean the underside of the leaves? i have heard of stems being black and thats a sure sign of root rotting i think. maybe your wattering too much. feel free to send me a message if you have questions ill try to help as best i can.

[rds_sk8er420]

sry about the confussion but i checked the packaging and the wattage is actually 27w = 100w and the lumens per light is 1660 and as u can see i have 4 in there. thanks for the tip in wattering i actually kept the dirt moist every 8 hrs because it seemed very dry even when i put my finger in the side and underside and they too were quite dry. im gonna try and water less see if it might do something, as for the front they are nice and green other then the backs of the starting leaves being a purpleish more then black, as is its not completetly covered but it looks like it might start being fully covered in the color. ill take more pics when i turn the lights on in 4 hrs and come on with an update on how the leaves look. I do have pics of what im using that are being cleared right now. and i havent picked up any nutes at all, unfortunatly i live in canada and not too many of the things you guys use are availible here(and i cant order online lol), so what would i be looking for when i go to buy some?

[rds_sk8er420]

alrighty update time not much growth over night period, i raised my lights a bit as they seemed to really heat teh place up and dry out the soil.


heres what im using in the pots.


here the 2 1/4' pots im using.


here are the little ladys(hopefully).
any insights? the leaves are a little blackish purpleish on the tips of the back of the leaves some look like its coming up from the roots but doesnt look like it goes all the way down the root/into the dirt?

[RangerDanger]

Amigo, you would be well-served if you read at least 1 grow book.

Also you suffer from what a lot of beginners suffer from--over-management.
Growing buds is a months-long process.

P.S. you need ventilation. Marijuana needs fresh air, and ventilation is also needed for tempeture/humidity control.

[RJD2M86]

Ranger is right, with good ventilation you can keep your CFL's as close as 2-3 inches from your plants. They give off very little heat if the grow area's air is correctly circulated. Get some sort of fan for the plants in the near future, a small oscilating one would be fine.

[rds_sk8er420]

i have one air hockey fan blowing air into the box its hidden behind a light in the pix. its installed on the outside/back and there is a hole for it too blow in, but the air cools off so fast that the temp drops below 20c when the fan is only on for about 2 min and i restricted the blow of that fan to about 1/4 of it blowing in. aswell as i have read and watched movies and know that it takes months and was not expecting full grown plants in no time, i looked through journals and read tons of threads, only the dirt in my pots seems to dry out atleast every 12 hours, i mean COMPLETELY dry, BONE DRY, even when i put my finger in through the bottom of the pot in one of the holes, that dirt is completely bone dry. also i have a fan that i leave on when the lights are on, blowing into the front opening of my cabnet(leaving the door open a crack to let it blow in).


I made new holes in the bottom of those pots using a 2" finishing nail. I dunno i hope i could pick up a little fan from wal-mart put i dont got more the $10can to my name. I watered last night at 11pm cuz they were bone dry, this time fan running all night(larger one outside the door nice 22c temp inside), checked plants at 11am and dirt was bone dry again. I know im supposed to water every 2 daysish, but are they supposed to get to the point where they get completely dried out? id like to water once every 2 days and stop worrying about them but it seems one of them dried up and died so im down to 8 sprouts. maybe ill have to put them into actuall plastic pots and that will help them retain moisture.

[bluebox223]

i think youve got the right idea. if your soil really dries out that quick i would plant them in something else, if you have pots thats good but you could use plastic bottles if neccessary (i know how it is to be broke!) id poke holes for drainage but that should retain more water. those little 2" pots you have are too small thats why they dry so quick. try to use like a 2 liter bottle cut in half. when you water dont be shy, but dont turn the pot into soup either. i usually water untill i see water running off the drain holes of the pots and continue watering until there is like a half inch that has drained into the drip tray then i let them sit for like 10 minutes and they suck up the rest of the water. afterwards they are nice and spongy to the tough but not muddy. when you get some more $$$ i would suggest buying some perlite and mixing it in your soil. good luck.

[rds_sk8er420]

my soil mix does have some perlite in it but doesnt look like to much, ive read abuot ppl placing a layer of perlite on the bottom so it beaths better, im gonna go out and pick up some perlite asap just need the cash lol. but im gonna go ahead and move them to something larger and follow that water method so that i know they are getting the water they need and not being over watered. thanks for the help guys and i checked out another book on indoor marijuana cultivation, anyone know any good online books? cant really afford to buy, BROKE SUCKS LOL that why im trying to grow maybe i can keep some cash for something other then buying smoke lol could use some new clothes lol

[Eyeless]

hey man

you should try to never let your plants completely dry out... even if that means watering infinite times...(jks) but seriously...what you could do is fill those external plastic containers with a bit of water so when the smaller pot dries out it can suck up water from outside and never fully dries out.

with this being said don't overwater

P.S. you might not need to transplant just yet... i would keep them in the smaller pots for a few more days atleast to concentrate the root system in a smaller area before it gets root bound! efficiency is key

Roots rely upon plant aerial portions for photosynthates and various hormones, while plant aerial portions rely on the roots for water, nutrients, support, and hormones. The delicate balance between roots and shoots can be upset when the root system is too large or too small.

hope this helps

[rds_sk8er420]

thanks for the tip eyeless, i did end up moving the plants though as i lost 3 plants in total now to what looks like deprived water problems as they were looking like they had some green but then turned all wilty and just kept dien. the 7 that have kept goin are in a bit larger plastic pots that still fit in the 2l as those are goin to be the bottoms till i have to buy pots with bottoms lol, i dont have any bottoms for any tops. . any way the lights are off right now, so ill take some pics of the new look with the slightly larger pots and for once when i got home THE DIRT WASN'T DRY!

[Eyeless]

Originally Posted by rds_sk8er420

and for once when i got home THE DIRT WASN'T DRY!

nicely done

[skatterbrayne]

Reminds me of the tv room in Willy Wonka.
Lookin' good. Peace

[rds_sk8er420]

lmao i love that movie any ways i turned the lights on and finnaly for once the dirt was still wet and not dried out like it was the first 2 1/2 days, i got pics of the new look its only 7 plants now,coming soon im just waiting for clearence.