4 Things Every Newb Should Know!

Just some info for new growers to think about. This is in no way a list of the only things that you need to know to start growing but with what feels like a daunting list these are very essential to any new grow.

1. When choosing your first plant to grow don't focus on yield, or potency go for one that's hardy. When looking through seed strains make sure to put an easy to grow strain at the top of your list. A strain that is resistant to bugs, heat stress, and nutrient defficiency will help you learn faster than one that gives excellent yield but requires a myriad of special circumstances to grow.

2. Don't tell anyone EVER, even if its a legal medical grow! Excellent way to get your crop seized or stolen. Compliments help but its the fact they don't even know I grew it myself that puts a smile on my face.

3. K.I.S.S. yup, that old adage really does work. I have yet to see anyone repeatedly fail at growing when they keep things simple. It is the best place to start. You dont need hydro, c02, controllers, and expensive equipment to start. Build up to all of that as you go and you cant go wrong. Once you have a symbiotic garden you can start upgrading.

4. Temp, temp, temp... keep it under control and you will also simplify your job in other areas. Bugs, stretch, equipment falure, and secrecy are just some of the things affected by temperature. Make sure to include this in your design.


Life's A Garden, Dig It!

Please no flames. Just trying to help beginners with important aspects.

I hope you dont mind but ive got a few i'd like to add.
5. If your using soil and it doesnt have any ph controls already mixed in dolomite lime is extremely helpful with keeping the ph in range. Just mix it in with your soil.

6. If you are Using soil mixing 1/4 of your containers size of pearlite will really help drainage. Which is very important.

7. It is not a good idea to mix any sort of time release fertilizers with your soil. Organic additive like worm casting are ok, just dont go overboard.

Read Read Read, more info you know the less likely you will have probs, but you are def right keep thing simple, basics are very important, don't love your girls to death like me, i topped a fuckin seedling, by accident and that was from looking at it all the time, it dropped and got topped!!!! leave it to do what it does....and yes it is alive it came back I don't know how but it did.....and I probably should not say this but it is 5 weeks old now and has only first set of leaves????wtf. I know....should have killed it but I can't and it is still growing, now I leave it and it is growing finally....ever here of a seedling that is 5weeks old? I haven't. Maybe it will become a fn bonsai of some shit!

lime73 said:

Read Read Read, more info you know the less likely you will have probs, but you are def right keep thing simple, basics are very important, don't love your girls to death like me, i topped a fuckin seedling, by accident and that was from looking at it all the time, it dropped and got topped!!!! leave it to do what it does....and yes it is alive it came back I don't know how but it did.....and I probably should not say this but it is 5 weeks old now and has only first set of leaves????wtf. I know....should have killed it but I can't and it is still growing, now I leave it and it is growing finally....ever here of a seedling that is 5weeks old? I haven't. Maybe it will become a fn bonsai of some shit!

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Thats a sign something is terribley wrong. Either with your setup or your current growing methods like watering and that sort of stuff.
The plant should of recovered long ago. give me some detailed info on it, temps, ph,watering how much and often, temps, what kind of soil? what kind of light? how far away? how large is your pot its in? do you have a fan blowing on them? u didnt try to fert it did you?
I'm sure once we figure out what exactly it is we can help you and within a week or so it should take off on you and start growing better.

imho you get what you put into it money and effort wize.

venacular said:

Just some info for new growers to think about. This is in no way a list of the only things that you need to know to start growing but with what feels like a daunting list these are very essential to any new grow.

1. When starting a garden grow more than one strain weed out the bad performers and keep what works for you. Doing this can save you time and a headache later. You need to find what works for you. Others will tell you which is easiest but everyone grows differently. So give yourself options.

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Sorry, but i disagree. To start with a newb grower really dioesn't have any experience in identifying what is and what isn't the good and bad performing plants, which have characteristics to look out for etc. Your thrid point however is correct, keep it simple, and throwing a handfuil of strains into the grow on your first go is not going to keep it simple, different flowering times, diofferent nute requirements, feeding schedules etc.

Yup, you sort of contradicted yourself with that whole "multiple strains" idea, but I see a lot of good advice so +rep for starting the thread...

SLB

contradictions already pointed out

new growers should start by getting the gardening for dummies book and growing a tomato plant from begining to end indoors under whatever lights. Now you have the basics

decide how (what style) you are going to grow and find growers here that are doing it read as many grow journals that you can find (using that style) and compare what they are doing

ignore the myths and do not worry (or even consider) yields, like puttin the cart in front of the horse won't get ya anywhere, simply concentrate on growing a plant from begining to end and keepin it healthy

read, research and plan before you start, get an idea of "how" you want your garden setup and get er done completely before dropping seeds, nothing worse than coming here asking for help cause it is dying and when asked what is your ph, answer I don't have a way to test it? or I don't have a humidity meter?

be prepared to improvise, what works for one grower may not work for you, no 2 gardens are the same

What OP said about temp is true but also need to understand the relationship between temp and humidity, paying attention to temps only without understanding the relationship with humidity will/could cause problems down the road.

tip top toker said:

Sorry, but i disagree. To start with a newb grower really dioesn't have any experience in identifying what is and what isn't the good and bad performing plants, which have characteristics to look out for etc. Your thrid point however is correct, keep it simple, and throwing a handfuil of strains into the grow on your first go is not going to keep it simple, different flowering times, diofferent nute requirements, feeding schedules etc.

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My point in growing different strains is meant to help a beginning grower understand that not all marijuana grows the same. Also I didn't mean grow 30 different but instead like 2. The idea is to see that the way your growing is killing one type but thriving for another. You should always strive to grow what grows well for you in the beginning and not what you need to change to grow. You could be growing one type you got from a seasoned friend who has no problems but gives you the feeling you made a big mistake in trying. Almost no beginner will identify plant problems but almost all beginners can look at two different plants and say "that one looks great but the other is not doing well" even if both are not doing so great.The fact that the different strains do have different requirements is the beauty of the rule. If I give my plants one type requirements and than find a strain that grows within those I will learn a lot faster than constantly changing my room to fit the needs of the strain I'm growing.

My point is that for a newb, this does not keep it simple. It adds another layer of possible complication onto the grow. And from what i've seen on the forums, newbs will in fact do the opposit and get paranoid and see near EVERYTHING as a problem and create a thread and be told that everything will be ok etc.

tip top toker said:

My point is that for a newb, this does not keep it simple. It adds another layer of possible complication onto the grow. And from what i've seen on the forums, newbs will in fact do the opposit and get paranoid and see near EVERYTHING as a problem and create a thread and be told that everything will be ok etc.

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Point taken. Thanks for helping out the newbs cause thats what were all here to do.

dnkfrmthasoilz7 said:

imho you get what you put into it money and effort wize.

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That's for damn sure. You can't grow serious dank unless you drop a little bit of cash into it. My first grow I tried to plant in native soil and use the sun. It was good, but I needed many soil amendments. The next grow I spent some cash on amendments, and I took stellar care of them. I yielded well over an lb from 2 plants.

Don't expect large yields from soil you dug out of your yard and two shop lights.

venacular said:

1. When choosing your first plant to grow don't focus on yield, or potency go for one that's hardy. When looking through seed strains make sure to put an easy to grow strain at the top of your list. A strain that is resistant to bugs, heat stress, and nutrient defficiency will help you learn faster than one that gives excellent yield but requires a myriad of special circumstances to grow.

Life's A Garden, Dig It! View attachment 1125554

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Ok, so I updated #1 to make it less confusing. i guess I just went about it the wrong way. My first ever grow, I grew 2 different strains. I ended up getting rid of one of the strains part way through the growth stage as no matter what I did I was constantly dealing with its issues. So I thought of the two strains as a check and balance but ultimately the one I kept was just the easier to grow strain. By removing the more finicky strain I cut my stress level and work load way down.

I was thinking of this from a beginners point of view where they have only a finicky strain to grow but they would never know that because of the lack of knowledge. Anyway, keep on keepin on!

venacular said:

Ok, so I updated #1 to make it less confusing. i guess I just went about it the wrong way. My first ever grow, I grew 2 different strains. I ended up getting rid of one of the strains part way through the growth stage as no matter what I did I was constantly dealing with its issues. So I thought of the two strains as a check and balance but ultimately the one I kept was just the easier to grow strain. By removing the more finicky strain I cut my stress level and work load way down.

I was thinking of this from a beginners point of view where they have only a finicky strain to grow but they would never know that because of the lack of knowledge. Anyway, keep on keepin on!

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I went with 4 strains my first grow. I was too busy tinkering with that, keeping the feeding on track, and generally just trying to grow them to be able to do much diagnosis of any burns etc. I lost one due to a crap ph meter and got good results off the others, think about 2oz per plant. I know now that it would have been easier just to learn to get plants from seed to jar before i got cocky we live and learn, it's all productive at the end of the day.