Spring is almost 6 months away, 6 plants wont fit in a 4x4 space vegging that long. Being its your first grow try 2 or 4 plants in. 4x4, they’ll almost be done in spring and you can start fresh with the other seeds. Don’t put all you eggs in the first basket. You’ll get better and learn a lot with each successive grow. Best of luck!
My First Growing Lamp
- Thread starter SensibleSal66
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Backyardigan
Well-Known Member
I soak my seeds in a mason jar with a epsom salt water mix, wrapped in a black shirt (for 20hrs). I tuck it into my propagator box with a heating pad a few shelves down to keep warm during the winter temps. Stuff the seed into a wet paper towel after soak, put it in a ziploc or mason jar in my case for 2-3 days for the tap root to grow out an inch.
I actually started my first grow in a memory foam bed box, in my closet... where there's a will, there's a way.
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- #23
SensibleSal66
Well-Known Member
Thanks for the replies,I will follow your recommendation of only growing up to 4 plants . I just hope none of them die. It's just that I'm so new to this whole thing .
Mdlroad
Well-Known Member
Best to start with a few. If 1 dies learn and sprout another
Phytoplankton brings up a really good idea. You could start 2, 3 or 4 plants now and get a feel for the whole growing routine from planting seeds to watching the flowering stage looks from when it starts to about half way through. You might even want to take a few cuttings and try and see if you can get a clone or two.
If starting now it allows time to experience just how fast these plants can grow if they have enough light, water, nutrients and the proper soil. Just a suggestion but since you are planning on growing outside next spring it would be best to do the winter practice grow in a decent quality soil mix.
There is a Growers Forum on this message board. Clicking on that will open up a list of sub-forums or child-forums and several of them will have threads on outdoor and/or soil growing. Going through them checking out the discussions will give a lot of insight on what to expect before it actually happens. It is a lot easier to take the time to research now so that if a problem pops up you will be prepared. One of the worst things is to have a problem start and the grower not recognize it until it is to late and that delay can cut into both quality and quantity.
I found it easy to spend time asking a web search engine questions and then reading what I found. (I found a faster way to find threads here on 420magazine by going through google instead of the built in search function.) It was a lot easier to do this research while relaxed and end up be prepared for the problems just about every grower will encounter at some time. When I noticed the first Fungus Gnats, the first Spider Mites, the first signs of Powdery Mildew, etc. it was nothing more than another stage of the growing hobby and adventure.
I was here then left and came back and you have so much good info. Def start small and work your way up. You don't want to get overwhelmed and be new at this. Then the whole indoor to outdoor transition...you can get some good practice in with a handful or less of some starter plants. You don't want to put yourself into 6 plants you don't have to space for nor or too sure how to care for. Better to take it slow, gain confidence and go big come spring when your feet are wet. I know I said it before, but look up journals in progress related to your choice of medium, and environment and even seed choices. See what works for people and what doesn't. Take hella notes. Good luck again!
Take notes is a good idea. I use a desktop computer and and created several 'folders' which are filled with small files of my notes plus links to interesting and/or informative web pages on Marijuana growing, plant problems and pests, and "how to" explanations.
Perfect! I'm old school and still write em down but thanks Smoking, a lot of people even do spreadsheets and the like here, break it down into different stages of growth, and contexts like you just said...it is super helpful Sal, to have those points of quick reference. Like Smoking said, when you encounter an issue, which you will lol, you just refer back to your notes and say oh yea, that's what they said to do here...makes your growing life so much less stressful and easier to manage the hiccups and relish in the beautiful moments
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- #29
SensibleSal66
Well-Known Member
Thanks all. Will do. At least I have a " growing coach" friend from Michigan who's a very successful grower. Taking notes is an excellent idea.
When do you think I should start my seeds(germination)? Thinking sometime the first of the year.
When do you think I should start my seeds(germination)? Thinking sometime the first of the year.
When will you be set up and read up?
Does this mean that you are also from Michigan?
Depends on what you want to do with the plants. Are you going to be planting photo-period or autoflower plants? Are you going to grow them inside to harvest? Or, are you going to eventually take them outside where they can stay until harvest?
Something to think about if you are planning on growing outside as mentioned. A lot depends on if you are growing photo-period varieties of the strains you selected. I don't know of many areas in the continental US that will allow you to plan on putting photo-period plants that are several weeks old outside as early as April or early May. It is not the temperatures; it is the length of "usable daylight" which is different than the length of daylight. The days are not long enough that early in the season.
I can pretty much plan on seeing one or more threads in the spring from growers who started plants inside and then planted them outside in April and the first half of May. They notice that the plants have started flowering and it is not even summer yet and they now wonder what are they have to do to save all their work.
Marijuana plants react differently to the length of usable sunlight than the usual gardening plants like tomatoes or peppers or petunias.
The above is very true! One year I decided to get a "jump" on the season and bought clones in late April and put them outside, 3 of the 4 started to flower, two re-veged, but it set them back a good 4-6 weeks, the third continued to flower and I got a 8 inch tall clone bud. Now I don't put plants outdoors until June at the earliest. A very good strain to grow outdoors is Mimosa, they are very quick finishers, 8 weeks from flower (mid August) to amber, done in mid October, really cuts down the chances of bud rot. It also gives a good yield, with some LST, I got 24 oz. from two plants.
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- #33
SensibleSal66
Well-Known Member
No/ I'm from Connecticut. My online friend is the one from Michigan.
Thanks for all your advice. I'm trying to take internal notes but their overfull and spilling out.
Now I have to write them down. LOL
I know the feeling. To much info that needs to be stored so I write it down while I am in the room in the basement. Then later the same day I type it up into one of the files I keep on the computer.
Things like the dates a seed was planted is one a piece of blue painter's tape and stuck to the side of the pot. Each time the plant is transplanted that date is on another piece of tape and put under the other dates. When the plant goes into the flowering tent I copy all those dates to a computer file. No more guessing or saying "It has been flowering for about 3 weeks."
I am a believer that the best thing is to research everything needed for the style of grow, especially any problems that might come up later. The links to the web pages are all on the computer and if some problem does show up there are a lot fewer surprises. It is a matter of just a few clicks and I am refreshing my mind on what to do. Easier to catch problems before they are out of control.
Hello and welcome aboard. I would soak them for 24 hours in distilled water( good sink bad float) and then after that use paper towel method in a Tupperware container kinda creates its own humid environment.
You only need a "special" germination method if you have questionable seeds. A good, healthy seed only needs moisture and warmth to take off . . . the same as all the vegetable seeds we plant in the spring. We sow them in the dirt and feel confident they will grow . . . cannabis is the same except, for some reason, we seem to think we have to jump through hoops to get them to grow. If I have to do more than plant it, keep it warm and moist to get a plant out of a seed, then I know I have weak or bad seeds. As for sprouting on/in a paper towel, it works but if they sprouted in paper they would have sprouted in dirt . . . and no need to handle them and possibly damage the new baby by trying to put it in the dirt. An added bonus is no helmet head babies . . . a seed planted 3/4-1" deep will shed the "helmet" naturally as it turns and pushes its way upwards. The only time I use a paper towel is when the humidity is very low and I'm starting in bigger pots, then I have placed a paper towel or two over the entire surface of the media and kept it damp until I see the new plant begin to push the towel up. then remove the paper or tear a hole in it for the plant to come through.
Nine Toed Hippie
Well-Known Member
Welcome to 420. Don’t let the flood of knowledge overwhelm you. Relax and enjoy the ride! You’ve got a great team behind you in the members who have posted above. Im just here for the free donuts.
NTH
NTH
Thanks for addressing that....I didn't want to tell him as a newb myself that 8 to start was a over zealous goal....doable...but could be filled with joy and/or headache, reading it started stressing me out haha
Do you mean grow-nuts...cuz I searched this while thread and didn't see a donut....and now I'm hungry
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- #39
SensibleSal66
Well-Known Member
UPDATE: Hey everyone!! Just started to germinate my first seeds. So excited! I put 2 seed in a small jar on top of wet paper towels wrapped in plastic on top to create moisture with top lid on also and put it in a dark warm place.
Here is the jar. I'll post them when they sprout. Attention: This jar is not the actual jar, just an example.
Here is the jar. I'll post them when they sprout. Attention: This jar is not the actual jar, just an example.
