Auto-Feminized?

[420Brother]

Hello guys, this is my first post so let me introduce myself. I've been a happy stoner for about 4 years now, recently i had some major cash drawbacks (dealing with unreliable sources) and i decided to start growing my own stuff instead of buying whatever i find. I am dealing with chronic pain problems so i prefer indica dominant strains.

I've done a lot of research on the subject and what it seemed to be easy, turned out to be one of the most complex things i'm about to do in my life.

I'm thinking about starting on some Autoflowering-Feminized seeds for my convenience so i don't have to sex the plants and harvest sooner. Alltho i have half of the thing figured out, there are still some things that confuse me a lot so i thought -

"hey, this looks like a friendly place, where people know their stuff so why not give it a go and ask for some advice from the pro growers"

so to cut to the chase, these are some of my major concerns:

1) What soil should i use?

I know a lot of people like to create their own "formulas" and mess around with soiless mixtures / perlite / coco / sand etc etc but since i'm new to this i dont have the experience to make these kind of choises and generally im lost on this issue. So any suggestions about what to use best for Auto-Fem seeds would be greatly appreciated

2) What light should i use?

[a] Searching around told me that you Veg under MH and switch to HPS for Budding, but since i'll be using Auto-Fem seeds, wouldn't it be better to use an HPS start to finish?

Should i use 1000watt or 600watt bulb? My grow space will be approximately 2x2 meters (i plan on growing 4 plants)

[c] How many hours of light should i expose my plants to? from what i read around, some people say 24 hours through the entire life of the plant for Autoflowering seeds but i've also seen people say that even Ruderalis needs some hours of darkness and they suggest a 20/4 cycle.

3) How to control the Tempeture / Humidity of the grow room properly? the space i will be using to grow doesnt have air conditioning and i was thinking about using some Fans and maybe do the O.G humidity trick with a coffee machine, is that ok or am i going to have a bad time dealing with it?

that's pretty much what's troubling me and right now regarding this issue, i'll be updating with photos/reports once i actually set the whole thing up.

thanks in advance to anyone that takes the time to read my post and/or help me figure it out keep it blazin'

 

[Antics]

For a first grow, use the K.I.S.S. system. Keep It Simple Stupid.

Autos are good first plants, but I personally prefer photo period plants since I can train them more without the risk of 'lost time'.
Photo plants are NOT as complicated as they seem. If you can buy a $5-$10 timer, you can grow photo period plants.

Soil? Plain potting soil plus perlite worked for me.

Lights: If you're looking at HID systems, then you have the money for an LED. Check out the wide selection of LEDs our sponsors carry: Sponsors : 420 MAGAZINE ® Most of these lights have been PROVEN in grow journals here, so you know what you're buying. You'll also save money on electric for the light, and the fans needed to cool down HID systems. I have a 100x3 LED light coming in now that I picked up for $105 shipped. Some LEDs are cheaper to buy than buying all the HID setups, fans, ducting, etc.. Then you have real high end LEDs that cost more. It's all about what your lighting budget is, and the electrical budget along with it.

Being Autos, I still suggest MH for Veg, and HPS for Flower. Or for CFLs or LEDs, I like a full spectrum grow.

For Autos I suggest 18/6 all the way through. I've read that the plants produce hormones during the dark period. For photo strains I suggest 18/6 and 12/12. But there are other more advanced light schedules that require a digital timer, like GLR for example.

An exhaust fan, circulation fan, and LEDs will work fine. Humidity there are a handful of ways to adjust that, so it's all a personal preference thing.

And yes people definitely know their stuff here, but it's also a more mature crowd, so we have jobs, families, and all that fun stuff, so sometimes it takes a little longer to get a reply, but it's worth the wait from the help I've gotten.

Because of this site, I was able to go from 1/2 ounce TOTAL harvest on 2 plants, to over 1 ounce on 1 plant, and another 1.5 ounces+ on another plant yet to be harvested. And that's just with CFLs.

And to give you a quick idea how well LEDs are working, check out this journal: 2' x 2' DWC Scrog With Jock Horror Under 48 x 3W Top LED Reflector

He's using a Reflector series from TopLed. 48 total LEDs, 3 watt chips. And he's only using one of those lights.

Before you jump into buying HID, at least look into LEDs. Most people growing with them claim their yields are either on par, or better than growing with HPS/MH.

And last but not least, welcome to

 

[420Brother]

Thank you for your reply Antics and for welcoming me, it was quite fast actually so that tells me you guys are definitely putting time into it.

i've seen people grow with LEDs and given the opportunity i'd do that too, but as silly as it sounds my budget is high enough to afford all that stuff i mentioned above but if i go a little over it i cant make it work, and from what i've seen from the links you gave me, a simple LED growing system goes for around 250euros, which is totally reasonable for it's beneficial effects considering all the heat problems you dont have compared to an HID system and the large audience of people sayin LED growing is going to be the new thing.Even if i could afford it there is no way i'd find something like that in my country and trying to import an LED growing system is gonna raise flags,i guess i just wanna go simple and learn in time.

i was thinking something more like a grow tent near a window so i dont need to invest for an exhaust fan, 1x 400watt MH bulb + 1x 400watt HPS bulb, a metal reflector to place on top of the bulb and some good soil mixture to keep my roots flowing smoothly.

If i successfully harvest 4 plants that way i should be able to crop something around 200g maybe? i dont rly know, im just starting out and my mind is overwhelmed with information and different techniques. I guess im just confused on how to get the best out of my starting budget (which is a little over 200eu), keep in mind that i dont actually pay the electricity bill myself so i got that going for me but at the same time i don't wanna raise any unwanted attention to it.

Nevertheless, Thank you for taking the time to read my post and actually respond to it, i greatly appreciate it and hope you have a great day

any advice is always welcomed.

 

[labexperiment]

Welcome to 420.

I believe our sponsors ship with discretion so there are no flags raised, some of the L.E.D. sponsors are active on the forums so hit one up and ask them.

If you read through the soil grow journals I believe most still add nutrients as soils usually only have enough nutrients for about 5 weeks((unless it is custom soil blend)double check this to be sure), something to keep in mind. Basic nutrients should run you about 40 euros. Hempy is another growing style that I hear is pretty easy to use.

You will more then likely need and exhaust fan to move out the warm air, and a circulation fan, both can be found pretty cheap in the U.K.. If you go with MH/HPS you will definitely need an exhaust fan as they generate quite a bit of heat.

Is buying in steps an option? So you do not have to get it all at once, but over a few months.

Do not forget we have some DIY projects you can check out to save yourself some money. Just use the search function at the top of the page.

A 30 year grower built these boxes and get 1 LB per plant in them, using T-8's and T-12's but is upgrading to T-5's now.


Hope this does not make your decisions more difficult.

 

[devils letuce]

Welcome to 420.

I believe our sponsors ship with discretion so there are no flags raised, some of the L.E.D. sponsors are active on the forums so hit one up and ask them.

If you read through the soil grow journals I believe most still add nutrients as soils usually only have enough nutrients for about 5 weeks((unless it is custom soil blend)double check this to be sure), something to keep in mind. Basic nutrients should run you about 40 euros. Hempy is another growing style that I hear is pretty easy to use.

You will more then likely need and exhaust fan to move out the warm air, and a circulation fan, both can be found pretty cheap in the U.K.. If you go with MH/HPS you will definitely need an exhaust fan as they generate quite a bit of heat.

Is buying in steps an option? So you do not have to get it all at once, but over a few months.

Do not forget we have some DIY projects you can check out to save yourself some money. Just use the search function at the top of the page.

A 30 year grower built these boxes and get 1 LB per plant in them, using T-8's and T-12's but is upgrading to T-5's now.


Hope this does not make your decisions more difficult.

wow i like that box.lights from every angle.simple project . 1lb per plant using florescent.damn

 

[420Brother]

damn thats a fine looking growing closet using them fluorescent bulbs, and yeah buying in steps is definitely an option, as i was considering to start with just the tent / soil / exhausts / MH / seeds and after 30 days (payday) purchase the rest of the stuff i need like nutrients / switch the bulb to HPS etc, Autos are very sensitive to Nutrients (so they say) so it is recommended to start feeding it after approximately day 30, and even then the dosage has to be controled heavily, even the slightest nutriecient burn should be an indicator for you to stop.

i've decided to go with 20/4 hours of light/dark since Ruderalis comes from simillar climate. maybe im wrong about that still searching on it.

btw i found out that some HPS bulbs produce dual spectrum light (both red and blue) which makes them perfect for vegging and flowering, they are called AGRO HPS and i was wondering if thats a good choise for Autos?

*PS* that growing closet actually has the perfect size for Autos as most of them wont reach any higher than that (at least the strains im ordering) and also looks like a cheap but well made design so it puts me in thinking

*PPS* why is ballast the most expensive thing through the entire badget? it's not even a digital one.

for anyone that's wondering on what i'm starting, it's going to be northen lights / blue cheese / blueberry / AK-47

As i said on my first post i mostly consume to deal easier with chronic pain diseases and prefer indica dominants but like so many other people im stumbled by the goverment cause they wont let me legally grow it or use it so the heck with them.

for your advices

 

[labexperiment]

Blueberry is a good choice, but you may have to help the seedling out of the husk as the strain seems to have some issues with germination. At least every blueberry I have germinated. And if you can find one move to a digital ballast, just for the quiet and efficiency with electricity, they use 20% less electricity and are almost completely silent. Weather you go digi or not the ballast will interfere with other electronics so keep it at least 10 feet from cable boxes, phone modems, etcetera. Or build a Faraday cage for it.

 

[420Brother]

yeah true that @labexperiment .. the budget is way higher than i had in mind to actually harvest a quality crop plus i dont have that much of a room anyway so i might just drop it for now and keep dealing with local underground sellers till i have the money to support a pro grow room setup.

i actually thought i'd make it work for around 200 euros (which is my monthly unemployment check) but turns out i need something over 500 hundred just for a descent grow room with the right lighting / soil plus some quality seeds, it would also be time consuming to grow a full cycle (which is the main reason to why i chose Autos in the first place) so im greatly discouraged and thinking about giving up on this whole idea.

i'm definitely gonna grow like a pro in the future tho. I could start saving for couple of months and spend the new year on some bad-ass Fems with no ruderalis in them.

i love you all guys for helping me out tho, just the experience i gained from going in depth on this subject is valuable enough to stay around and read what you pro growers are up to and maybe give my humble opinion around basic stuff i've learnt.

btw. just for future referrences, what should an LED grow light setup cost me, and how many watt should my LED grow system be for a 2x2 space? i've seen LED grow lights start from a little over 200E (130watt) and reach up to 1.5k E (730watt). i understand that the light spectrum they produce is both blue and red which benefits the plant through both of it's stages but wouldnt it be just cheaper and better to get a 400 watt ballast for 50E and spend another 50E for 1x MH 400watt + 1x HPS 400watt bulbs? i dont get why such low watt LED grow system costs more than an entirely stronger HID system. yeah i know it's less noisy to the point where it's quiet and has it's own fans and shit, but thats the fancy stuff, it still remains a 130 watt light supply that'd just be a little more "convinient". i dont know, maybe 130watt of LED growing lights equals to 400watt or even more of HID systems, i dont really know how to compare the 2.

 

[labexperiment]

Check out Positive Grape he has a great little plant going to really cheap. It was a good way for him to start, maybe it will inspire you. I would rather grow his way then not at all.