Greetings From Northern Ontario: Getting Ready For First Grow

[metcalfr]

wow you weren't kidding when you said beat to shit , ya i would put it together sooner than later just to make sure you aren't missing pieces or ripped , put a strong flash light inside it and turn the lights off outside to see if it has light leaks as this is important when you go to flower , unless you will be always running auto plants , they need total darkness if you go to a 12/12 light period for just feminized seeds , if you go auto then run a 24/0 light period they grow faster and bushier with the extra light . But it does use more hydro going 24/0 .

Thanks. I took pictures of the box just in case. I hope to put it together tomorrow or the following day. Interesting. I don't know if I have heard about running 24 on. I assume that at harvest you still put into 2 or 3 days of total darkness?

 

[metcalfr]

I set up the tent and she looks great. The only thing I haven't done is set up my light timer or my fans. I put the digital thermometer under the lights for a reading overnight with lights and fan set at 50 percent. I am germinating 3 seeds in paper towel. Anything that I am missing?

 

[NOOOBIENOT]

Hello , be sure when you run your test you do it with the door closed, is the fan you have mounted now sucking in fresh air or blowing out warm tent air i go the dollar store and get a pair of women's black pantyhose to put over the end of the fan to act as a filter it will catch a lot of dust etc , get a 2nd hygrometer and put it in the top of the tent , i just hang it with a zip tie , this way you know know what's going on in the top of the tent and the lower part this way you know your plants will be some where in this range as they grow bigger , but other wise looks like you have a really nice set up so far

 

[NOOOBIENOT]

Hey ! you will want to get your self some these along with a deep pot saucer for your pots , i highly recommend these as it keeps your pots out of the run off water when you water they are called plant elevators and azon has them in different sizes 12,14,16 , and get your self some cloth pots ,7-10 gallon size , be sure to put about 1/8 of a inch of just pure perlite in the bottom of each pot for better drainage i do this for soil and coco grows . then put your soil mix or coco on top of it

 

[NOOOBIENOT]

Hello build your soil pots now so that when you need to put your plants in them the organics has already started to do its thing of breaking down in to nutrients the plants can use , just fill your pots and give it a good soak , organic soil needs to stay moist not soggy just moist for the bacteria to do its thing ,i always add some kind of mycorrhiza to my soil when i put my seedling in., you can get this on azon , this brand is the cheapest and works great , great white works well too but it is alot more expensive

 

[metcalfr]

Hey ! you will want to get your self some these along with a deep pot saucer for your pots , i highly recommend these as it keeps your pots out of the run off water when you water they are called plant elevators and azon has them in different sizes 12,14,16 , and get your self some cloth pots ,7-10 gallon size , be sure to put about 1/8 of a inch of just pure perlite in the bottom of each pot for better drainage i do this for soil and coco grows . then put your soil mix or coco on top of it

Just question for you. If I have that much water running off wouldn't that mean I am over watering?

 

[metcalfr]

Hello build your soil pots now so that when you need to put your plants in them the organics has already started to do its thing of breaking down in to nutrients the plants can use , just fill your pots and give it a good soak , organic soil needs to stay moist not soggy just moist for the bacteria to do its thing ,i always add some kind of mycorrhiza to my soil when i put my seedling in., you can get this on azon , this brand is the cheapest and works great , great white works well too but it is alot more expensive

Will check this out for my next grow after this one. Too late.

 

[metcalfr]

Had the seeds on top of my fridge, but I don't think it was warm enough. No condensation. Moved to my receiver and I think we are good.

 

[Bill284]

Had the seeds on top of my fridge, but I don't think it was warm enough. No condensation. Moved to my receiver and I think we are good.

If you are trying to pop seeds in a zip lock bag you might have an issue.
I found it better to let air at them.
Seeds need perfect combination of heat,air and moisture to pop.
How long did you soak them in water first my friend.

 

[metcalfr]

If you are trying to pop seeds in a zip lock bag you might have an issue.
I found it better to let air at them.
Seeds need perfect combination of heat,air and moisture to pop.
How long did you soak them in water first

Hmm. I did not soak first. However I am making the assumption (I know I know never assume) That there should be more than enough moisture content. I can always crack the bag open.

 

[Bill284]

Hmm. I did not soak first. However I am making the assumption (I know I know never assume) That there should be more than enough moisture content. I can always crack the bag open.

I never soak for more than 18 hrs, as I read from a seed company it can kill them. Then they need oxygen heat and moisture. No air circulation in a zip lock. Just info i got from seed company. Happy growing.

 

[NOOOBIENOT]

correct no bag and just be sure the paper towel is super wet and never let it dry out at all and the seeds don't like light , you will need to check your seeds a couple of times a day and to add water to paper towel as for watering i always water till i start to see a small amount of water running from the pot as you don't want dry spots in your pots , water in circles around the outside edge and where the stem is , do this in a circular motion around the pot edges till small run off , hence the cloth pots and elevators i spoke of earlier .this will allow the pot to dry evenly and isn't soaking wet at the bottom -roots need air .

 

[metcalfr]

I think I'm going to find gardening both relaxing and stressful lol. Mixed up my soil. 40L 1 0 0, 10L worm castings, 10L perlite, just under 2 cups 2 8 4 and just under 2 cups of 4 4 4. Most of it went into 3 5 gallon fabric pots. Just have to be patient with germination.

 

[NOOOBIENOT]

Hello , yes that is very true i can be stressful at times but the reward is well worth it , this is one of those hobbies that learning the hard way is 60 % of the game , i didn't go grey from always having fun , my wife doesn't consume cannabis , she thinks I'm nuts for spending that much time in my grow room . be sure too add your gia green nutes to your soil every 2nd watering as they take a week or so before the become totally active in the soil , are you using tap water or r.o. water (distilled )?

 

[metcalfr]

I have added all of my soil, fertilizer already with worm castings and the perlite. Nothing else and then two top dressings of fertilizer through the whole life cycle. My water is tap water. It was fairly acidic at 7.7. I used vitamin c to dechlorinate it and bring the acidity down to 6.5. My wife doesn't consume cannabis either. She is a wino. I quit drinking almost 6 months ago. My wife luckily for me is very supportive of my new endeavor.

 

[NOOOBIENOT]

Hello , 7.7 is not acidic it is alkaline , anything over 7 is alkaline and anything below 7 is acidic , ph up for acidic and ph down for alkaline , what is ppm of your water that is very important (parts per million ) tells you how parts of all the other chemicals in your water as a total , you need a ppm pen and a ph pen to determine what your water quality is .vitamin c doesn't work it only changes the ph for a short period of time then the ph starts to change again , i use a product called tnb naturals , these work great for organic soils , they have a ph down and up , they are a powder , totally dissolvable , you only need a tiny pinch to adjust your ph and they don't kill your soil microbes either , get them on azon , 1lb bag of each is plenty for a lot of grows , tap water has a lot of shit in it plants don't like mostly salt and calcium ,lead arsenic etc this is what is making up the ppm of your tap water i use r.o.water that has nothing in it and i build my water usually only having to add some calmag , spring water or rain water work good too .

 

[MackMurder]

Hi everyone. I am a newb when it comes to growing marijuana. I have been lurking in several forums and have been following Mr. Canucks grow on youtube. I think I am just about ready to start. I thought I would do a quick write up as to my plans and if anyone has any input I would more than welcome it. I picked up a 2x4x6 spider farmer grow tent with the SF2000 LED grow light. It also came with ducting, filter, fan, four fabric 5 gallon pots and digital thermometer with moisture reader. I will also be purchasing a couple of smaller fans. I picked up a water ph tester with ph up and down to keep my water supply at around 6.5. I have pest traps so that I will know if I have any pests. I have vitamin C for de-chlorination of my water supply. I picked up a small pressurized water sprayer. I have a dehumidifier and heater if needed. I plan on installing GFCI receptacles for my power supply. I also picked up a soil reader for moisture content. I will try growing northern lights X big bud auto fem seeds. I am unsure how many I should try growing. I was thinking of 3-4 in case something happens to one of them. My plan is to use all organic. I am looking at using Gaia green living soil blend 1-0-0 with Gaia green worm castings, Gaia green 4-4-4 and Gaia green bloom 2-8-4. I plan on doing 2 top dressings during the grow period so that all I need to do is water, defoliate and train. My final plan is after my first grow I will reuse the soil for planting lettuce, peppers and cucumbers. I will then put the soil outside for flower beds and start fresh with new soil etc for the next grow. I would love any and all comments, criticism etc. Thanks everyone for your time. Cheers.

Welcome to the site

If you find a good super soil (stepwell-soil out of ontario) you should have enough microbes and ammendments in your soil to feed through an entire 4 week veg, 8 week flower grow cycle. (But if you buy into the compost tea hype and all that then you can always spend more on amendments and teas. )

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With our products we can show how to grow cannabis organically in our SS-W Super Soil. Avoid using synthetic bottle nutrients to get the health benefits from cannabis. Plants grown in an organic setting will help bring out natural flavours, smells and expressions.

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You don't need to ph your water with amended living soil. The microbial life life your soil acts as a buffer for your plants.
The microbial life and nematodes and all that shit eat ammendments. And poop them out and your plant absorbs their poop feeding itself.
Adding PH UP or down from what I've read kills your microbes.
If your trying to go organic. Makes no sense to PH up or down

Also make sure where you are your water supply actually has CHLORINE in it. If it's actually just chlorine then 24 to 48 hours let your water sit out over night and chlorine will evaporate.

BUT if it's CHLORAMINE in your water (which is in about 80% of all canadian cities) then evaporation or tablets will do nothing and neither will boiling for hours.

You will need a reverse osmosis system.
Now think about that first you waste 2 times or 3 times a such water as you preserve. And they can be expensive.

or u can go cheap route You can get a RO filter that screws onto your tap and gets rid of chloramine.

In a tent that small if your filling with plants and growing organic. Your soil will have to be kept moist to keep microbial life active which will in turn feed your plants.
This with foliage with create alot if humidity in the tent.
Path 1. Run a dehumidifier.
Path 2. Run 2 exhaust fans with environment controllers, one for humidity at nighttime and one for heat during the day
Path 3. One exhaust fan on a timer timer run every 3 minutes or so 24 hours a day to exchange air, replenish co2, keep heat down, and keep humidity down.

I grow in a tent 6'6feet tall. I veg for 4 weeks flower for 8. I top all my plants. And keep lights 18" away. I have powerful LEDs and HIDs tho. I've never run out of room in my tent..
You will have to top all your plants. To be safe especially if your growing sativas or hybrids.

I suggest topping over fiming. Fimming doesn't always work and plants still grow up through the main stem.
Topping eliminates the main stem.and forces your plant to use its secondary branches as main stems which now creates an even canopy. It now has to spend its energy growing 4 to 16 branches rather than 1 stem.

You can take the route of tying them down and lst just know now your entering a longer veg time and training time which your plants now feed more and deplete more of the soils amendments forcing you to add more nutrients and spend more money and trying to find this balance to keep them happy to the end without deficiencies.

You'll notice alot of people lst train.
If you have time to waste and money to spend and like small buds then by all means.
But if your trying to bang out 4 grows a year then keep it simple. Top once. Leave it at that.

Also for germinating seeds. Put them in a glass of water until you see a small crack the tip of a tail poking out. Immediately transfer them to soil (NOT SUPER SOIL) you will burn and stunt them. This is what germinated seeds do in super soil thats too hot.
Peat plugs. Or peatmoss. Or potting soil without nutrients is best to start in.

Transfer them to a tiny solo cup or a tiny planter with potting soil or peat moss that has no nutrients. Plant it 1/4" down. And let it do its thing. The longer the tail gets in water or paper towel. The more chance you damage it and seedling doesn't grow. Alot of people will tell you alot of different ways to germ but my success rate was 28 out of 29 last month with my method with 3 different strains.
Here's some pictures for you convenience.
Again this is just my method and since this is your journey feel free to take which ever route your comfortable with

(I transfer the seedlings to a solo cup filled with coco.
still organic. Impossible to overwater. Roots move fast and free. And then you could throw into organic soil. Again this is just a suggestion).

Good luck with whatever you choose. And if you have any questions don't be afraid to send me DM or hit up @Emilya
She's a wizard with living soils.

 

[RetiredRN]

Hi everyone. I am a newb when it comes to growing marijuana. I have been lurking in several forums and have been following Mr. Canucks grow on youtube. I think I am just about ready to start. I thought I would do a quick write up as to my plans and if anyone has any input I would more than welcome it. I picked up a 2x4x6 spider farmer grow tent with the SF2000 LED grow light. It also came with ducting, filter, fan, four fabric 5 gallon pots and digital thermometer with moisture reader. I will also be purchasing a couple of smaller fans. I picked up a water ph tester with ph up and down to keep my water supply at around 6.5. I have pest traps so that I will know if I have any pests. I have vitamin C for de-chlorination of my water supply. I picked up a small pressurized water sprayer. I have a dehumidifier and heater if needed. I plan on installing GFCI receptacles for my power supply. I also picked up a soil reader for moisture content. I will try growing northern lights X big bud auto fem seeds. I am unsure how many I should try growing. I was thinking of 3-4 in case something happens to one of them. My plan is to use all organic. I am looking at using Gaia green living soil blend 1-0-0 with Gaia green worm castings, Gaia green 4-4-4 and Gaia green bloom 2-8-4. I plan on doing 2 top dressings during the grow period so that all I need to do is water, defoliate and train. My final plan is after my first grow I will reuse the soil for planting lettuce, peppers and cucumbers. I will then put the soil outside for flower beds and start fresh with new soil etc for the next grow. I would love any and all comments, criticism etc. Thanks everyone for your time. Cheers.

Hey welcome! There are a great bunch of people on here with great talent at growing. I’m a newby also. Great plan you have. I would use the “lift the pot” method to know when to water instead of the moisture meter. I started out using a moisture meter and every time I stuck that into my plant soil I could hear the tearing of the roots as if she was crying in pain and so I stopped using it. After you water then lift the pot and see how heavy it feels then do the same when its dry and you can tell the difference.

 

[MackMurder]

Germinating

I’m a newby also. Great plan you have. I would use the “lift the pot” method to know when to water instead of the moisture meter. I started out using a moisture meter and every time I stuck that into my plant soil I could hear the tearing of the roots as if she was crying in pain and so I stopped using it. After you water then lift the pot and see how heavy it feels then do the same when its dry and you can tell the difference.

With all do respect that is poor advice for a brand new grower growing in amended living soil. So much can go wrong on your first grow especially in living soil.
Amended living soil the core needs to be kept moist so the microbial life can feed and stay active.
A moisture meter will tell You exactly how far down the moisture goes and is an invaluable tool to a new grower.
Your plant does not scream when the moisture meter stabs roots.
To keep mother pants alive you pull them out of their pots and take a saw and cut off half of their roots then replant them. They dont even flinch. It's part of keeping new roots healthy and getting rid of old ones. Roots are constantly dying and reproducing themselves throughout the entire grow.

 

[RetiredRN]

Germinating

With all do respect that is poor advice for a brand new grower growing in amended living soil. So much can go wrong on your first grow especially in living soil.
Amended living soil the core needs to be kept moist so the microbial life can feed and stay active.
A moisture meter will tell You exactly how far down the moisture goes and is an invaluable tool to a new grower.
Your plant does not scream when the moisture meter stabs roots.
To keep mother pants alive you pull them out of their pots and take a saw and cut off half of their roots then replant them. They dont even flinch. It's part of keeping new roots healthy and getting rid of old ones. Roots are constantly dying and reproducing themselves throughout the entire grow.
[/
Sorry if I offended you. It works for me and probably alot of others as well. Theres more than one way to skin a cat.