New to the game - Tips needed

[nyloki]

Not really sure how to use this forum thing all posters welcome. Wuss man im starting a grow soon and getting materials now let me now if im missing anything
For the soil i already have organic soil and 2 small bags of perlite. Thinkin bout gettin some peatmoss but dont now if i need it.
My room is gonna be 6x6 dont kno wether to get a 600w 1000w and thinking bout getting the batwing fixture if i put a portable ac in there wud heat still be an issue. Or should i jus go with a cooltube hood.

Also when it comes to buying seeds most places sell 10 origianal seeds alot cheaper then 6 feminized seeds

 

[Ripples]

Some advice... Start small... If you are buying seeds do yourself a favor and get feminized (worth the extra cost)... If you get 10 start by using 3 first... This leaves you 7 left to make changes and progress with growing... You should stick to the basics 1. Lights 2. Temps 3. Ventilation 4. RH 5. PH 6. Watering... Remember this is a weed, it will grow if you stay simple... All of the above are important and cannot be compromised if you want to succeed... There is plenty involved with the above but it's not that difficult if you keep things simple... The biggest problem I see with noobies is they feel they need go big, DONT! My suggestion is going 600 or 1000 is your decision, but with that comes different issues. Temps will be more difficult to control with 1000 but not a problem if you do certain things correct! Is this a tent or a room? Is money an issue? Getting started correctly is the key to succeeding. Just some things to ponder... Ask away my friend...........

 

[nyloki]

Im gonna be building a grow box. Money isnt really an issue but i dont wanna break the bank if i dont have to.i started off thinking bout getting the 600w but the guy i spoke with that sells the light said that for a room my size of 6x6x6a 600w wud cover it but a 1000watter wud dispurse the light better and in the end give me better buds. Dont kno wether or not to believe him cuz he is sales man trying to make a better sale at the end of the day. As far as my soil goes shud i add petemoss or the organic and perlite dote trick. And wut is the RH i kno a lil about the pH but this is the first time i heard of the RH. Sorry for all the ?s lol

 

[BuddroGreen]

RH = relative humidity you want higher RH when vegging and lower when in flower to keep PW(powdery mildew), molds away.

Another word of advice is if this is Hydro start with a good base nutrient, and don't get all kinds of additives until you have growing down and see how they grow and react to things. When giving nutrients as a noobie, less is more in most instances, always start out with 1/4 strength from bottle directions (most bottle directions are too strong). If this is soil someone else well versed in soil can help you out there, I'm a hydro grower.

Lights,nutrient strength & pH are probably the most important aspects, it all starts in the roots....Nutrients are the lock & pH is the key, take care of the root zone (rhizosphere) and give them plenty of light (35w/sqft LED) (50w/sqft HPS/MH)minimum, keep the RH @ 60-65% in veg, and RH @ 35-50% in flower. Make sure to bring in fresh air and remove old air, and keep temps in the 74f-82f range and you should be good.

 

[Ripples]

As far as the soil goes you could put some perlite and peat moss in. The object is to allow air to flow through the soil. As for the lights I agree a 1000 would be better for the size. RH means Relative Humidity... As mentioned above there are ranges you want to shoot for. Read up on all the basics I mentioned and still to that and you'll do just fine. I put some helpful links below...

How to Ask for Grow Support
How to Grow Cannabis - Everything You Need to Know!
Photo Gallery Guide - How to Resize, Upload & Post Photos

 

[nyloki]

Thanks u guys preciate it

 

[fanleaf]

1000W for sure!

 

[Rifleman]

Go with the 1000w lamp with an enclosed and ducted hood. A good digital dimmable ballast will usually give you settings of 600w, 750w, and 1000w. That is the set up I have and temps are a problem if growing in a dwc unless I duct in cold air. Even at 600w and the 6" inline fan at full power the tent stays around 82deg when the light is on. If you have any other questions feel free to pm me or contact me on my active journal. Good luck.

 

[nyloki]

Go with the 1000w lamp with an enclosed and ducted hood. A good digital dimmable ballast will usually give you settings of 600w, 750w, and 1000w. That is the set up I have and temps are a problem if growing in a dwc unless I duct in cold air. Even at 600w and the 6" inline fan at full power the tent stays around 82deg when the light is on. If you have any other questions feel free to pm me or contact me on my active journal. Good luck.

my grow is gonna be in soil and I live in the South do you think that the heat will be an issue with my grow box if so do u think putting a portable ac unit in the room do the trick or I would still have it duct in cool air still if so how wud I go about this jus put a inline fan with ducting at the bottom?

 

[Rifleman]

my grow is gonna be in soil and I live in the South do you think that the heat will be an issue with my grow box if so do u think putting a portable ac unit in the room do the trick or I would still have it duct in cool air still if so how wud I go about this jus put a inline fan with ducting at the bottom?

Not a soil grower, but I hope one will correct me if Im wrong, I don't think root rot is as big a problem in soil as it is in dwc. I use an inline fan and duct work. Depending on the season I pull air from or exhaust to my attic and basement. Think of it as a three story air exchange. In the summer hot air is vented upward while cool air is pulled up. Turn it around for the cooler months. Unfortunately a lot of this is stuff you will just have to try before you know what works. I suggest running your grow operation for a few days just like you had plants in it. Keep track of your temps etc, and have it all dialed in correctly when you start your seeds.

 

[nyloki]

Not a soil grower, but I hope one will correct me if Im wrong, I don't think root rot is as big a problem in soil as it is in dwc. I use an inline fan and duct work. Depending on the season I pull air from or exhaust to my attic and basement. Think of it as a three story air exchange. In the summer hot air is vented upward while cool air is pulled up. Turn it around for the cooler months. Unfortunately a lot of this is stuff you will just have to try before you know what works. I suggest running your grow operation for a few days just like you had plants in it. Keep track of your temps etc, and have it all dialed in correctly when you start your seeds.

Ok thats a bet i jus ordered my seeds today im stoked like a kid on christmas lol. I had tried to pm u but i dont have 50 post yet

 

[fanleaf]

Not a soil grower, but I hope one will correct me if Im wrong, I don't think root rot is as big a problem in soil as it is in dwc. I use an inline fan and duct work. Depending on the season I pull air from or exhaust to my attic and basement. Think of it as a three story air exchange. In the summer hot air is vented upward while cool air is pulled up. Turn it around for the cooler months. Unfortunately a lot of this is stuff you will just have to try before you know what works. I suggest running your grow operation for a few days just like you had plants in it. Keep track of your temps etc, and have it all dialed in correctly when you start your seeds.

Your probably right that it's not AS big of a problem but it does happen. Compact soil with improper watering and bad drainage will do it.

 

[nyloki]

Not a soil grower, but I hope one will correct me if Im wrong, I don't think root rot is as big a problem in soil as it is in dwc. I use an inline fan and duct work. Depending on the season I pull air from or exhaust to my attic and basement. Think of it as a three story air exchange. In the summer hot air is vented upward while cool air is pulled up. Turn it around for the cooler months. Unfortunately a lot of this is stuff you will just have to try before you know what works. I suggest running your grow operation for a few days just like you had plants in it. Keep track of your temps etc, and have it all dialed in correctly when you start your seeds.

Your probably right that it's not AS big of a problem but it does happen. Compact soil with improper watering andthe bad drainage will do it.

Fanleaf thats where the perliteand a few holes in the bottom of ur pot/bucket comes in handy am i right

 

[fanleaf]

Fanleaf thats where the perliteand a few holes in the bottom of ur pot/bucket comes in handy am i right

Absolutely! I'm currently using Foxfarm Ocean Forrest on 2 grows. The first grow I just used it straight out of the bag and I've had multiple nightmares keeping problems from getting out of control.

The 2nd grow however I Used Foxfarm Ocean Forrest and cut it with 10-15% light starter soil just to tame the nutes in the soil down just a hair. I then added 25% perlite (yes, 25%) and 2 tablespoons of dolomite lime per gallon of the soil mix.

The 2nd grow has been 100% flawless so far and it's 2 weeks into flower. Same strain and all just prepped the soil better. Not one single problem with this one!

I use Superoots Air Pots by the way. Theres literally 100's of holes in them at the bottom and sides.

 

[nyloki]

Absolutely! I'm currently using Foxfarm Ocean Forrest on 2 grows. The first grow I just used it straight out of the bag and I've had multiple nightmares keeping problems from getting out of control.

The 2nd grow however I Used Foxfarm Ocean Forrest and cut it with 10-15% light starter soil just to tame the nutes in the soil down just a hair. I then added 25% perlite (yes, 25%) and 2 tablespoons of dolomite lime per gallon of the soil mix.

The 2nd grow has been 100% flawless so far and it's 2 weeks into flower. Same strain and all just prepped the soil better. Not one single problem with this one!

I use Superoots Air Pots by the way. Theres literally 100's of holes in them at the bottom and sides.

Im learning a lil bit haha. But i c ppl talk about 5 gallon pots and wut not but when i went pot shopping they where labled as inches not gallons. Im thinkin bout jus gettin some 5 gallon buckets putting sum holes in it and callin it a day.
Also i c u said 25% perlite wut does that mean exactly? 25% of the bag of perlite or wut

 

[fanleaf]

Im learning a lil bit haha. But i c ppl talk about 5 gallon pots and wut not but when i went pot shopping they where labled as inches not gallons. Im thinkin bout jus gettin some 5 gallon buckets putting sum holes in it and callin it a day.
Also i c u said 25% perlite wut does that mean exactly? 25% of the bag of perlite or wut

5 Gallon buckets will work. Just drill 20-30 1/8 inch or slightly bigger holes in the bottom.
By 25% perlite I mean if you have 4 gallons worth of dirt I will add 1 gallon perlite and mix well. Then with that 5 gallons (4 dirt 1 perlite) I will add about 8 tablespoons of dolomite and mix it up well.

 

[nyloki]

5 Gallon buckets will work. Just drill 20-30 1/8 inch or slightly bigger holes in the bottom.
By 25% perlite I mean if you have 4 gallons worth of dirt I will add 1 gallon perlite and mix well. Then with that 5 gallons (4 dirt 1 perlite) I will add about 8 tablespoons of dolomite and mix it up well.

Ok ok i got ya the perlite but wuss the lime for. Have u ever smoked the ak47 strain b4? To me i put it up there with sour diesel and the headband strain it was hard to come by on a consistant basis. Did u get seeds from a seedbank or froma friend

 

[fanleaf]

Ok ok i got ya the perlite but wuss the lime for. Have u ever smoked the ak47 strain b4? To me i put it up there with sour diesel and the headband strain it was hard to come by on a consistant basis. Did u get seeds from a seedbank or froma friend

The lime helps keep the ph from dropping to low. dolomite has a ph of 7 and does well to buffer. My, and many others have experienced really really low ph using FFOF soil. I think the peat moss in the FFOF out lasted the shells and went way acidic on me or something. Using the dolomite has been great on the second grow and my soil ph will swing a little bit but stays 6.5-6.6ish most of the time.

I have had great AK47 and what was probably not AK47 but not so great also. Some of the best weed I've ever tasted was AK and the reason for my first strain. Sour Diesel is one I have not had.

 

[nyloki]

The lime helps keep the ph from dropping to low. dolomite has a ph of 7 and does well to buffer. My, and many others have experienced really really low ph using FFOF soil. I think the peat moss in the FFOF out lasted the shells and went way acidic on me or something. Using the dolomite has been great on the second grow and my soil ph will swing a little bit but stays 6.5-6.6ish most of the time.

I have had great AK47 and what was probably not AK47 but not so great also. Some of the best weed I've ever tasted was AK and the reason for my first strain. Sour Diesel is one I have not had.

Alright on the lime. But yea its a couple different sour strains out there but u have to try nyc sour diesel aka real sour. I think im gonna get my next bundle from there after checking those prices

 

[BuddroGreen]

Edited message...missed Fanleaf's post which covered 25% perlite.