Getting started

[Dislike]

Hello All,

First off i wanted to say thank you all for the great information that is here.

I first came here with plans to have an indoor garden (lettuce, tomatoes, peppers etc)
And since a lot of indoor growing is mostly MJ, i have used the information for that..

Then the itch got me, and i wanted to start MJ, i ordered Auto Blue Mystic from Nirvana, which i got yesterday, and i am getting more and more excited.

First grow (or attempts) is going to be the freebies they send you (10 Reg Seeds) going to germ a few and see what i get, and hope one is a female..

The funny thing is i have not smoked in probably 15+ years, and even now i have no urge or plan to do so, no real idea what i'm going to do with the finished product.. Its just the plant as always been a very interesting.

On that note, the women would kill me if she found out.. regardless of legality



Anyways I have purchased the following,
TopGrowLED Mars II 600w
PRO-MIX Ultimate Organic Mix
Perlite
Timer
Temp/Humidity monitor
Oscillating fan
Yo-Yo's
General Hydroponics Go Box Starter Kit
General Hydroponics Ph Control Kit
Soil Tester
Water PH Tester

And i'm sure of more..

So a few questions from post-newbies.. I really wanna do some Non-Auto grows (allow me to clone, etc) but i want something that is lower oder, so the carbon filter will mask it 100%, My first thought was Northern Lights, but i wanted something else as well. Any opinions?

Also one place i thought about growing is only 21" high, is it even possible to grow in something that small? FIM'ing and Topping of course (except the Auto of course..)

 

[hockeybry2]

sounds just like me haha... lemme know how those freebies work out and the mars II...thinking about the reflective series from top grow with veg/flower mode switch. Also thinking about getting some beans from nirvana...white castle and crystal look delightful..

 

[Dislike]

I was thinking about the reflector as well. Although Sara from TopLED states they are better, and everyone i have seen that has both, love the Mars 2.. The 5w diodes have a better penetration.
I plan to get the reflector as well. I also want to get the 192x3 reflector for the real garden stuff. And plan to get a 43x3 reflector for the veg/clone portion (once i get some good strains going).

Still trying to decide on what i am going to grow it in.

 

[hockeybry2]

the 192x3 looks sick.. should be perfect for 2-4 plants...I plan on doing mostly scrog, so I think the 3w penetrance should be fine... I'll prolly end up getting a small t5 for clones as well. I'll have to let you know how it goes when I actually do it lol.... moving in a few months so I'm currently on hold :-( In the meantime I'll just live through everyone else!
-B

 

[Dislike]

Yeap. I've been on hold for about a month.. And have maybe another month to go. I expect to f up. But I'm the type that trys to learn everything I can prior to doing something..

And want to make sure I start with everything I think I need.

So tempted to start them now and throw them with the ghost peppers. Haha

 

[Dislike]

Okay, So i started my first seed (freebie from nirvana), its in a cup of water now.

I figured i am sure i will mess it up, so might as well get the first grow over. and learn from it.

One question i have, since i have no idea what it is going to be (strain wise) for a small first grow, would ona gel be enough to keep the odor eliminated?

I plan to get a filter, however as a fall back encase i do not get it in time?

 

[rillos]

Okay, So i started my first seed (freebie from nirvana), its in a cup of water now.

I figured i am sure i will mess it up, so might as well get the first grow over. and learn from it.

One question i have, since i have no idea what it is going to be (strain wise) for a small first grow, would ona gel be enough to keep the odor eliminated?

I plan to get a filter, however as a fall back encase i do not get it in time?

I wouldn't use any gel it will taste horrible in the weed. Just my two cents.

 

[Icemud]

Okay, So i started my first seed (freebie from nirvana), its in a cup of water now.

I figured i am sure i will mess it up, so might as well get the first grow over. and learn from it.

One question i have, since i have no idea what it is going to be (strain wise) for a small first grow, would ona gel be enough to keep the odor eliminated?

I plan to get a filter, however as a fall back encase i do not get it in time?

Hey, hope you don't mind me chiming in, I might be able to help you a little, or at least lead you in the right direction...

As far as your odor, well not your personal odor, but the odor of growing cannabis...LOL Its going to get stinky. Now to most that aren't familiar with the odor it smells like a skunk walked by, in a close proximity to the room you are in. I've never grown auto's but I can assume they are just as equally stinky in late flowering. So here is what I suggest,

I want to mention, things like Ona, and other air fresheners, mostly are just covering up the scent, not eliminating it. So to completely eliminate the smell, I would recommend a carbon scrubber. Carbon actually traps the odors as they pass through, not just cover them. I looked over your questions so far and didnt see you mention what you were growing in..(tent, room, cabinet, other..) so I don't quite know exactly what to suggest, but I did notice that you did not mention any ventilation type fans or anything for your environment (besides the oscillating fan).

If smell is a concern to you then you are going to need some kind of environment to grow in that is sealed to some extent like a cabinet, room, grow tent because you are going to want to be able to not only control the smell leaking out into your residence, but also you will want to control the environment such as temp, humidity and other environmental controls. Now with this being said, in your growing environment you need air exchange, not just moving air, but the air to cycle every so often. I can't remember the numbers but I think that it is that you should have a complete air exchange about every 5 minutes or so I believe.

So for this you will need an extraction fan, some flexible ducting, and I would highly recommend getting a large carbon scrubber. This will allow you to put the scrubber in your grow environment, (near the ceiling is best), and you will be able to not only filter the air of scent as it exits your grow area (best if vented directly outside, or to a secondary air treatment area where a ozone generator or extra filtering or masking may be used, and then outside).

This will allow for your grow area to get a nice air exchange (air ducts or holes or intakes will have to allow air to come into your grow area, best if somewhere low under the canopy level. This also will keep your grow area from heating up, yes LEDs run cooler than HID lights, but they still run warm, and this eventually will heat up your grow area without some kind of air extraction/ventilation.

Hope all this helps...


If you decide to mask the smell on top of the carbon scrubber....(I do this too) I wouldn't recommend the Ona Gel. Its very expensive and only really lasts about 2-3 weeks long (for the $20 jars). Ive used it a couple times and it never seems to mask the smell very well, and only seems to be detected by my nose(the ona smell) for like a week.

For masking I now get those little car freshener cans that you see by the gum in the checkout line at the grocery store that cost a buck. (The auto air freshener cans). I usually go with Cherry since it is pretty strong. For the cost of buying one jar of Ona, I can buy 20 of those things, each lasting about 1 weeks depending on how wide you open the lid. I also have a few of those Glade Plug in oil scented things plugged in randomly around the house, they are expensive as well and basically will cost you about 6$ every 2 weeks, but they do also help mask the smell fairly well.

Well Good luck to you, definitely let me know when you start a grow journal as I would love to follow along and see if I can help, and if not, cheer ya on!

 

[CO Finest]

Very nice intro. Looks like a awesome grow about to go down.

 

[ColoradoKid]

Dislike, to . We are glad that you are here. New Member Start Links has some great links to things that may be of interest to you. If you have questions then you amy find the answers in Frequently Asked Questions. If you do not find the answers there then you can post a question there because it will get more exposure and more answers. I have grown Auto Blue Mystic from Nirvana and it is a very low odor strain. I prefer low odor strains personally. Their Northern Lights is low odor and their Bubblelicious is low odor also. All 3 of those strains are very good smoke and medicine. Icemud's advice is good. The problem with mystery seeds is you never know what they are or how much they will stink. I have never grown a plant that smelled like a skunk until my current grow. My White Widow smells like a skunk in my house. I don't bother with odor control and just let them rip. Good luck with your first plant.

 

[Dislike]

Hey, hope you don't mind me chiming in, I might be able to help you a little, or at least lead you in the right direction...

As far as your odor, well not your personal odor, but the odor of growing cannabis...LOL Its going to get stinky. Now to most that aren't familiar with the odor it smells like a skunk walked by, in a close proximity to the room you are in. I've never grown auto's but I can assume they are just as equally stinky in late flowering. So here is what I suggest,

I want to mention, things like Ona, and other air fresheners, mostly are just covering up the scent, not eliminating it. So to completely eliminate the smell, I would recommend a carbon scrubber. Carbon actually traps the odors as they pass through, not just cover them. I looked over your questions so far and didnt see you mention what you were growing in..(tent, room, cabinet, other..) so I don't quite know exactly what to suggest, but I did notice that you did not mention any ventilation type fans or anything for your environment (besides the oscillating fan).

If smell is a concern to you then you are going to need some kind of environment to grow in that is sealed to some extent like a cabinet, room, grow tent because you are going to want to be able to not only control the smell leaking out into your residence, but also you will want to control the environment such as temp, humidity and other environmental controls. Now with this being said, in your growing environment you need air exchange, not just moving air, but the air to cycle every so often. I can't remember the numbers but I think that it is that you should have a complete air exchange about every 5 minutes or so I believe.

So for this you will need an extraction fan, some flexible ducting, and I would highly recommend getting a large carbon scrubber. This will allow you to put the scrubber in your grow environment, (near the ceiling is best), and you will be able to not only filter the air of scent as it exits your grow area (best if vented directly outside, or to a secondary air treatment area where a ozone generator or extra filtering or masking may be used, and then outside).

This will allow for your grow area to get a nice air exchange (air ducts or holes or intakes will have to allow air to come into your grow area, best if somewhere low under the canopy level. This also will keep your grow area from heating up, yes LEDs run cooler than HID lights, but they still run warm, and this eventually will heat up your grow area without some kind of air extraction/ventilation.

Hope all this helps...


If you decide to mask the smell on top of the carbon scrubber....(I do this too) I wouldn't recommend the Ona Gel. Its very expensive and only really lasts about 2-3 weeks long (for the $20 jars). Ive used it a couple times and it never seems to mask the smell very well, and only seems to be detected by my nose(the ona smell) for like a week.

For masking I now get those little car freshener cans that you see by the gum in the checkout line at the grocery store that cost a buck. (The auto air freshener cans). I usually go with Cherry since it is pretty strong. For the cost of buying one jar of Ona, I can buy 20 of those things, each lasting about 1 weeks depending on how wide you open the lid. I also have a few of those Glade Plug in oil scented things plugged in randomly around the house, they are expensive as well and basically will cost you about 6$ every 2 weeks, but they do also help mask the smell fairly well.

Well Good luck to you, definitely let me know when you start a grow journal as I would love to follow along and see if I can help, and if not, cheer ya on!

Of course i don't mind! Glad you did.
I am definitely familiar with the smell of normal shit weed that i would get as a kid, however i am not familiar with quality stuff, let alone a lot of it on a flowering plant. So i may be thinking its more than it really is, but from stories on here, that probably is not a bad thing.

You are correct, i did not mention anything as far as enclosure or ventilation. As that is still up in the air. I originally was going to do it in a 13D"x26W"x21T,

Then quickley realised that is way to small. LED alone needs 18in from the canopy..

So am currently going to get a 32x32x63 Grow tent 37cu/ft,

With plans of building a cabinet

I am growing in my basement, so i can be a little colder than the rest of the house, so having to much circulation is my problem, as it will probably be 65-70 in the basement. More air i move, the colder the tent will be. (Any idea on this issue?)

With that 5 min to clear room, you see that isnt going to be an issue, since it is only 37cu/ft. Even a small 4" fan is about 150cfm, throw a scrubber that takes about 20% of the cfm, you are still at 120 cfm, which is 3-4 cycles per min. No way the LED is going to help warm up that room.

So i thought about getting a 120mm computer fan, finding/making a braket to mount a 4x12 scrubber to it. and get maybe 50cfm?



@ ColoradoKid,

Yes i picked Blue Mystic, based on the low smell, originally i was going to get NL, but this was even less than that. NL is defiantly going to be one soon, Also thanks for the Bubblelicious idea as well i wondered about that.

I wish i could just let it smell, i personally love the smell of bud, however the women would kill me. LMAO

Look forward to your Grow CO Kid

 

[budnoob2]

This will be fun to watch, that is if the wife doesn't kill you first Happy growing!

 

[Dislike]

This will be fun to watch, that is if the wife doesn't kill you first Happy growing!

Haha. Well the first seed pop'd. Its now sitting in a 1.5 rockwool cube. Hope to see it pop up in the next few days.

 

[budnoob2]

just be careful not to end up in a 6x3 rockwool cube yourself

 

[ColoradoKid]

just be careful not to end up in a 6x3 rockwool cube yourself

You crack me up! Reps to you bro.

 

[Dislike]

What are your guys thoughts about the mass produced grow boxes,

IE, Kush Cabinet Stealth Grow Box | Hydroponic Grow Boxes

I want to build a custom 48x24x80, however that is going to take some time. SO in the mean time i was thinking about getting the above box, for my purpose of just growing to grow, do you foresee any issues with this?

 

[ColoradoKid]

The only problem I can possibly see with that box is that it is only 36 inches tall. When you put lights in it the height your plants can grow to is limited. So they will need to be trained not to be tall girls.

 

[Dislike]

Correct. I knew I would have to do that. And it will probably only be for the first grow. Or maybe used as a veg/clone box. Or depending on what I do. Maybe let the ghost peppers hang out once I have no use. Lol

 

[Icemud]

What are your guys thoughts about the mass produced grow boxes,

IE, Kush Cabinet Stealth Grow Box | Hydroponic Grow Boxes

I want to build a custom 48x24x80, however that is going to take some time. SO in the mean time i was thinking about getting the above box, for my purpose of just growing to grow, do you foresee any issues with this?

I see this as a waste of money! You could piece together a better system for much cheaper, and make it exactly how you want it. This unit doesn't have a carbon scrubber either so smell will definitely be an issue. Also the CFL bulbs in this unit look to be in a fixed position. CFL bulbs have to be close to the plants, so this solution might work, but wont be optimal for the price.

Here is what I would suggest for around the same price.

2x4 growtent $100
build your own aero cloner/aeroponics unit (same as one sold, but you can build for like $30)
carbon scrubber and 4" fan $150
a bunch of CFL bulbs, fixtures and timer: $50

so for the same price you can have a better grow area, with carbon scrubber, which will offer you more flexibility, room to grow and more customized options.

 

[Dislike]

I see this as a waste of money! You could piece together a better system for much cheaper, and make it exactly how you want it. This unit doesn't have a carbon scrubber either so smell will definitely be an issue. Also the CFL bulbs in this unit look to be in a fixed position. CFL bulbs have to be close to the plants, so this solution might work, but wont be optimal for the price.

Here is what I would suggest for around the same price.

2x4 growtent $100
build your own aero cloner/aeroponics unit (same as one sold, but you can build for like $30)
carbon scrubber and 4" fan $150
a bunch of CFL bulbs, fixtures and timer: $50

so for the same price you can have a better grow area, with carbon scrubber, which will offer you more flexibility, room to grow and more customized options.

You are 100% correct. I wanted something that didn't look like a tent..

I have a 78*78*78 tent for the veggies. However after thinking about it. I am really considering getting a 4*4*8 tent.

Also. I decided to start one of the blue mystic. Since like someone said might as well start with the low oder one. And also know what it is that's growing...

Still waiting for the random crap seed to pop out of the cube.. I can see the stem down there. Has maybe 1/8th of an inch to go. And just started to germ the blue. So that will be a few days.