johnnytsmitw
Active Member
I built a simple hood like yours and it's alot brighter. I've read several places that a fan helps with stretch and keeping height down?
Dirty Weed Proof of Concept
- Thread starter johnnytsmitw
- Start date
Am I Norml
Active Member
fans toughen up the stems and make for a much stronger plant but watch out if the breeze gets too strong on them it will stress them enough to slow growth... if you wanna keep the height down then just keep the lights close and it will make for some killer short nodes
a technique i like for keeping height down is super-cropping .. might want to look into that...it works good
IAm5toned
Well-Known Member
use cfl's
86w per plant, of the 86w 43w should be 2700k, the other 43w should be <4300k. lamps should never be farther than 8" from the plants, plants should also always have a fan on if the lights are on.
that is something i learned over 3yrs of growing in closets. take it or leave it, i dont care.
86w per plant, of the 86w 43w should be 2700k, the other 43w should be <4300k. lamps should never be farther than 8" from the plants, plants should also always have a fan on if the lights are on.
that is something i learned over 3yrs of growing in closets. take it or leave it, i dont care.
johnnytsmitw
Active Member
My fan is low strength and about 8" from my two tallest seedlings. And it's hooked up to my light timer. I've got 6 CFLs going right now. All at 6500k though. I can't do more than 8 lights at this point in this space unless I get more creative with the lay out. Not much has changed from my last picture posting. The leaves are getting bigger but no more stretching 2 inches a day. Oh and my lights are 1-3 in from all plants.
One of them, I used a paperclip to bend I over a little. This one I may just quit on bc it's looking very week. These seeds are from dirty swag though. I wish I knew someone local that had something better to grow with but that isn't something I could just post on craigslist looking for. So far blue mystic looks nice. Only grows to about 2ft and has low smell.
I was thinking of buying some of the chicken wire and building a tubE to go around all the plants and mounting another 2-4 lights on it to have lights on the sides as well.how does that sound?
MatanuskaValley
Well-Known Member
buy some seeds from speedy seeds thats what I do, as far as anyone knows you just get an envelope in the mail.
if you want a strain that grows easy and has big yields this is one I am growing now and very happy with.
http://www.speedyseedz.com/index.php/paradise-ice-cream-female.html
Or the titan of ease and yield the super F1 Hybrid
http://www.speedyseedz.com/index.php/ceres-northern-lights-x-skunk-1.html
johnnytsmitw
Active Member
Thanks for the seeds tip.
I am thinking about going out and buying a tall box that will slide into the space I am working with. I had to remove my hood because I think its getting too hot inside my closet. my Girlfriends mom is visiting and we use the extra room for guests. so I had tack up some blankets inside the closet to muffle the noise and stop the light from leaking out. I hope this is what is causing my heat issue.
Couple things I am concerned with
Should I be supplementing my miracle grow at this point with any other type of nutrients? I went to an organic greenhouse today to pick some brains and they told me that working with miracle grow can make it tricky to do extra nutes. he suggested I stick with this grow just using miracle grow and then switch to organic soils and nutrients. I am still a complete noob though so I think I chose wisely with miracle grow this time around. I wish I had put some perlite or mixed in some gravel though. I will repot these bitches when they get to about three weeks old.
Secondly, I have seen some people using a drip system to water. I will be going out of town thursday for four days and not sure if these ladies will be ok with no water for that long. I plan on unplugging the fan during this time because I have noticed it dries up the soil pretty quick.
and lastly and least importantly at this point is when to start chopping/LSTing/flowering. I know I am too early at this point to do anything but I have read several different opinions. I want my plants to be relatively short because I am working with CFLs in a small space I was hoping to get less than three feet in height by the end.
I read through this guys thread and am going to try to start moving my grow to mimic his as much as I can afford. he is about a week ahead of me and is about to switch to his flowering. https://www.rollitup.org/cfl-growing/303155-new-cfl-grow-using-miracle.html
The book I have downloaded off piratebay says I should be able to tell the sex of the plants during the 2-3 week. It is pretty ambiguous but from what I have read elsewhere I wont be able to tell sex until I start to flower. is that correct?
I am trying not to stress out but also think ahead about a week or two so nothing unexpected shows up.
so updates: the ones that were planted on the 27th are starting to show some new growth. hopefully this means I will see a node soon. the one I dropped and her sister are just now starting to open their first leaf set. color looks good from what I can tell. hopefully I will have a new digital camera in the next couple days for more detail.
I am thinking about going out and buying a tall box that will slide into the space I am working with. I had to remove my hood because I think its getting too hot inside my closet. my Girlfriends mom is visiting and we use the extra room for guests. so I had tack up some blankets inside the closet to muffle the noise and stop the light from leaking out. I hope this is what is causing my heat issue.
Couple things I am concerned with
Should I be supplementing my miracle grow at this point with any other type of nutrients? I went to an organic greenhouse today to pick some brains and they told me that working with miracle grow can make it tricky to do extra nutes. he suggested I stick with this grow just using miracle grow and then switch to organic soils and nutrients. I am still a complete noob though so I think I chose wisely with miracle grow this time around. I wish I had put some perlite or mixed in some gravel though. I will repot these bitches when they get to about three weeks old.
Secondly, I have seen some people using a drip system to water. I will be going out of town thursday for four days and not sure if these ladies will be ok with no water for that long. I plan on unplugging the fan during this time because I have noticed it dries up the soil pretty quick.
and lastly and least importantly at this point is when to start chopping/LSTing/flowering. I know I am too early at this point to do anything but I have read several different opinions. I want my plants to be relatively short because I am working with CFLs in a small space I was hoping to get less than three feet in height by the end.
I read through this guys thread and am going to try to start moving my grow to mimic his as much as I can afford. he is about a week ahead of me and is about to switch to his flowering. https://www.rollitup.org/cfl-growing/303155-new-cfl-grow-using-miracle.html
The book I have downloaded off piratebay says I should be able to tell the sex of the plants during the 2-3 week. It is pretty ambiguous but from what I have read elsewhere I wont be able to tell sex until I start to flower. is that correct?
I am trying not to stress out but also think ahead about a week or two so nothing unexpected shows up.
so updates: the ones that were planted on the 27th are starting to show some new growth. hopefully this means I will see a node soon. the one I dropped and her sister are just now starting to open their first leaf set. color looks good from what I can tell. hopefully I will have a new digital camera in the next couple days for more detail.
Am I Norml
Active Member
i love mirical grow for my grows...why get all flipped out about fertilizers when one ion of nitrogen is the exact same as another ion of nitrogen...all that really matters is the amounts of NPK and mirical grow has the right amounts in its general purpose mix to keep them fat and sassy...
i also love using molasses and African violet blooming food (eyedropper liquid bottle) for my bloom cycles
i keep the PH at around 6.5 for my water (all distilled by my distiller DIY) and i feed full strength every other watering.
and fuck those big lights for small spaces...just a heat problem waiting to happen ...
use 2000-3000 lumins of CFL's per square foot and in small spaces you will get just as good coverage as a HPS without heat and high electric bills
and i grow 3 crops a year of some shit that will make you forget how to get up to take a piss
johnnytsmitw
Active Member
i love mirical grow for my grows...why get all flipped out about fertilizers when one ion of nitrogen is the exact same as another ion of nitrogen...all that really matters is the amounts of NPK and mirical grow has the right amounts in its general purpose mix to keep them fat and sassy...
i also love using molasses and African violet blooming food (eyedropper liquid bottle) for my bloom cycles
i keep the PH at around 6.5 for my water (all distilled by my distiller DIY) and i feed full strength every other watering.
and fuck those big lights for small spaces...just a heat problem waiting to happen ...
use 2000-3000 lumins of CFL's per square foot and in small spaces you will get just as good coverage as a HPS without heat and high electric bills
and i grow 3 crops a year of some shit that will make you forget how to get up to take a piss
Thanks man. Ive read through several of your posts on the ghetto growers thread and your opinion on nutes. I am glad I didnt spend the $75 the other day on Tiger Bloom and the other nutes I was looking at. I did buy an $8 bag of mixed guana castings and rabbit droppings. guy at the garden store swore by it.
So I have some new pics, finally got a charger for my camera. The two little pots that have two plants in them are the ones that sprouted before I had the CFLs and they seem to me to be very stretchy. in fact I tried to start training one with a paperclip and it crunched and hasnt been moving today. The sprouts that came up on the 3rd are looking a better height. hopefully I can keep them short. I bought a couple pots that will be the home of whichever two I decided to save. more on that later I guess.
I think I am going to go buy this box tomorrow and make my grow area more confined in the closet. http://store.uhaul.com/product_detail.aspx?id=8698
Saw another guy who did something similar and it looked legit. And my broke ass def cant afford buying an actual grow tent. I move in 5 months so this is only temporary anyway.
I am going out of town for four days on Thursday and am starting to worry about these guys drying up and dying. I will have the fan off and I think I will move the setup to my bathroom where there is better air circulation. I might water them a little heavy and put something over the soil so it doesnt evaporate out???
my temps are getting up to 88 when the closet door has been shut all day is why I worry.
anyway, how do they look other than the one I accidentally probably aborted? not sure if the color is good.
Attachments
secretforestgarden
Active Member
Hey there man, MatanuskaValley referred me to this thread and I like what you're doing but I'm gonna try to help you for most yield for fewest dollars w/in your budget. Take or leave my advice but I think I can help you out! Get ready for a long post w/ a lot of quotes. Here we go.
Now, you can get an analog Springfield brand thermometer for $1 at Walmart. I like analog; they're accurate and cheap. And the one there is a nice size. Perfect. It's nice to know your temp--that's a semi-major issue--not as major as light cycle or anything but pretty major. 70F-80F for soil w/out CO2 supplementation and 80F-90F with CO2 supplementation. You'll see all sorts of ranges from different sites and threads but this is a pretty general idea and a decent one to follow. If you're 84F w/out CO2--for this grow--don't freak out. If you got room for higher temps: off to Walmart or 1000bulbs for more lights.
Now, timers. I hope you're using one. Human error happens and you don't want hermies (which equal shitty or no weed). Shop around. Prolly find one for under $10 at Walmart.
Next, nutes. You've got Miracle Gro soil. You don't need any unless you flush it like crazy and wanna start over w/ advanced nutes. You're gonna wanna flush in a few weeks anyway (water with pure water--using double the amount of the size of your pots--and allow drainage to run off and don't reuse it). This washes out toxic salt buildup that results from the roots using nutes--especially chemical nutes--like Miracle Gro. You could kill your plants if you get too much salt buildup. Seriously. BUT IF MIRACLE GRO WORKS FOR YOU, USE IT!!! Everybody's situation is wildly different and I don't wanna knock another fellow grower (hey, we're all friends!) unless I know he's gonna really gonna hurt himself.
So, lets say you're 5th cousin dies and leaves you a few bones in his will. You can buy nice nutes now! I like organic, some don't. For chemical a lot of people swear by Advanced Nutrients and they seem to have the dankest R & D department. Expensive but killer. For organic, I like Fox Farms liquid nutes: Grow Big for vegging and Big Bloom and Tiger Bloom for blooming. Buy Tiger Bloom first because Big Bloom is just a bloom supplement while Tiger Bloom is a primary bloom nutrient. Got it. Good. Do research if you wanna know more. (I'm not trying to sound terse or cocky or know-it-all-ish or like an asshole--I'm using short sentences to cover a lot of ground!)
Next, more on nutes. If I recall, Miracle Gro provides nutes for around 2 months? Don't hold me to that. But, anyway, most people veg for around that long. Some don't veg at all and start flowering right away. Some veg for months and months (i.e. mother plants). Anyway, after some 2 months you're gonna want to start to add nutes again. You don't need to buy expensive nutes if you cannot afford them. (I'm not gonna be snobby--I've been tight on cash!). So, you've got options. A general nute is going to give you too much nitrogen and you don't want too much nitrogen for blooming for a couple of reasons: 1. Nitrogen lowers the bioavailability (a plant can only consume so much mass in one day--so you want it to consume the right things and not everything!) of Phosphorus and Potassium--which are the most essential macro nutrients for blooming--makes the difference between nice yields and disappointing yields--seriously 2. Nitrogen should be used up for the most part in floweing to avoid bad taste--and you're homegrowing--hooray for good taste! So, you've got options. You want a lil' nitrogen during flowering, a lot of phosphorus, and a medium-high level of potssium (Tiger Bloom is 2-8-4). So, again, you've got options. Regular supermarket molasses (<$3 for a bottle) is 1-0-5 (for unsulphured which is most common). Use anywhere from a fraction of a tsp. to multiple Tbs. per gallon as a supplement to other nutes. This also is a carbohydrate which is great for the "micro herd" of microorganisms in your soil. You've got guano and castings, if i recall, which I believe have those microorganisms in them. Plus, carbohydrates are sugars which = sweeter-tasting weed. Sweet! Organic Miracle Gro Blood Meal is (6-9-0 which is good for blooming) and <=$7 per bag at Walmart. It's slow release so up to a few tablespoons per gallon of soil (mixed throughout or on top of the soil) is perfectly acceptable w/out much/any burn. There's ton of cheap nutes out there online and at garden stores, tractor supplies, and Walmart so learn about micronutrients and macronutrients so that you can read those labels so have fun experimenting! What does this mean? You can mix bone meal and molasses to get an acceptable level of bloom nutes (w/ a little bit extra N--but not the end of the world--I know I said differently earlier--but, hey, we're going cheap!) Look for more nutes at Walmart--read up on threads and read the label and use your noggin. It can be done. I have faith in inventive home growers. One more thing on nutes. You added that eggshell which has calcium which is an important (immobile?) nutrient. Good job. Just don't add any more because you don't wanna lockout P and K. Great!
You got mylar. Best choice. It has the highest reflectivity per dollar. Pros use that stuff. Done.
For future grows: (I'm skipping around now). SpeedySeedz is good but I'm not sure if they deliver to the U.S. Don't hold me to that though. Not sure where MatanuskaValley lives. I trust him more than most anybody on this site so I thoroughly trust his judgement and I bet SpeedySeedz is excellent. I just haven't used them. I love Attitude Seedbank: some of the lowest prices (when they have special deals going they are hands down the cheapest--$15 for 5-packs of award-winning strains and breeders), HUGE selection, AWESOME stealth shipping options, you always get free seeds on top of your order (ususally feminized!) from renowned breeders, decent shipping prices, pretty quick shipping, and I've always had great customer service and I've always gotten my seeds! Lots of excellent seed banks/shops though so do what's best for you!!! Always do what's best for you.
Next up, soil amendments. I'd add up to 50% pearlite (only a few bucks a bag at Walmart) for drainage and air to roots which is VERY important. Vermiculite does similar things but I haven't used it so I won't speak to it.
Watering. Water when the top few inches of the soil becomes dry. You don't want the soil always wet, nor always dry. Roots need both water and oxygen--so in soil you alternate having periods of having one or the other being the prominent compound being delivered to the roots--that's how soil works. Make sure you have drainage!!!! I cannot stress this enough as especially w/ cheap chem nutes, salt buildup is a dangerous issue.
Oh man, I've typed a lot. I'll work on wrapping this up. Hopefully I didn't talk about things you already know about. You seem like a smart dude.
If you have additional basic questions, post them here. Wanna go advanced?: lights?, LED?, HPS?, MH?, SCROG?, SOG?, grow boxes?, stealth?, filters? ona block? (use it!!), wiring/electrical questions?, nutes?, equations?, soil?, hydro? (I cannot answer those), temps?, humidity?, UVB?, airflow?, stealth cooling? (I know that shit well), seeds?, feminized?, hermies?, males?, LST?, light physics?, lumens?, coverage?, side lighting?, movers?, ballasts?, advanced spectrum theory?, plant problems?, pests?, etc.--------post them here!
I am sorry about the poor grammar and spelling. I know this forum can be colloquial but I usually try to stick to the King's English for clarity, readability, and precision (hey, there's a lot of science in this hobby!) but I just went flying on my keyboard for this post.
Alrighty! I am closing this out and I hope you didn't think I hijacked your thread and I don't wanna sound belittling!!!
Happy growing and happy to answer questions,
secretforestgarden
Buy bulbs from http://www.1000bulbs.com/ They generally have the best prices. Buy only <=2700k or >=6500k COLOR TEMPERATURE CFLs for simplicity's sake and for best yields. You don't want anything in between because these spectrums are closer to the green spectrum which the plant cannot use (as evidenced by the reflected green light as seen by human eyes)
You said you got roughly $50 at this point to invest. Let's make the best of it. Humidity is generally a minor issue/upgrade topic. There's tons of things of higher importance before worrying about humidity unless you're at the extremes which causes risks of mold, disease, dead plants, etc. Humidifiers and Dehumidifiers would put a big stress on your budget and you shouldn't worry about that until you've perfected most other things: like you're using H.I.D.s
Now, you can get an analog Springfield brand thermometer for $1 at Walmart. I like analog; they're accurate and cheap. And the one there is a nice size. Perfect. It's nice to know your temp--that's a semi-major issue--not as major as light cycle or anything but pretty major. 70F-80F for soil w/out CO2 supplementation and 80F-90F with CO2 supplementation. You'll see all sorts of ranges from different sites and threads but this is a pretty general idea and a decent one to follow. If you're 84F w/out CO2--for this grow--don't freak out. If you got room for higher temps: off to Walmart or 1000bulbs for more lights.
Now, timers. I hope you're using one. Human error happens and you don't want hermies (which equal shitty or no weed). Shop around. Prolly find one for under $10 at Walmart.
Next, nutes. You've got Miracle Gro soil. You don't need any unless you flush it like crazy and wanna start over w/ advanced nutes. You're gonna wanna flush in a few weeks anyway (water with pure water--using double the amount of the size of your pots--and allow drainage to run off and don't reuse it). This washes out toxic salt buildup that results from the roots using nutes--especially chemical nutes--like Miracle Gro. You could kill your plants if you get too much salt buildup. Seriously. BUT IF MIRACLE GRO WORKS FOR YOU, USE IT!!! Everybody's situation is wildly different and I don't wanna knock another fellow grower (hey, we're all friends!) unless I know he's gonna really gonna hurt himself.
So, lets say you're 5th cousin dies and leaves you a few bones in his will. You can buy nice nutes now! I like organic, some don't. For chemical a lot of people swear by Advanced Nutrients and they seem to have the dankest R & D department. Expensive but killer. For organic, I like Fox Farms liquid nutes: Grow Big for vegging and Big Bloom and Tiger Bloom for blooming. Buy Tiger Bloom first because Big Bloom is just a bloom supplement while Tiger Bloom is a primary bloom nutrient. Got it. Good. Do research if you wanna know more. (I'm not trying to sound terse or cocky or know-it-all-ish or like an asshole--I'm using short sentences to cover a lot of ground!)
Next, more on nutes. If I recall, Miracle Gro provides nutes for around 2 months? Don't hold me to that. But, anyway, most people veg for around that long. Some don't veg at all and start flowering right away. Some veg for months and months (i.e. mother plants). Anyway, after some 2 months you're gonna want to start to add nutes again. You don't need to buy expensive nutes if you cannot afford them. (I'm not gonna be snobby--I've been tight on cash!). So, you've got options. A general nute is going to give you too much nitrogen and you don't want too much nitrogen for blooming for a couple of reasons: 1. Nitrogen lowers the bioavailability (a plant can only consume so much mass in one day--so you want it to consume the right things and not everything!) of Phosphorus and Potassium--which are the most essential macro nutrients for blooming--makes the difference between nice yields and disappointing yields--seriously 2. Nitrogen should be used up for the most part in floweing to avoid bad taste--and you're homegrowing--hooray for good taste! So, you've got options. You want a lil' nitrogen during flowering, a lot of phosphorus, and a medium-high level of potssium (Tiger Bloom is 2-8-4). So, again, you've got options. Regular supermarket molasses (<$3 for a bottle) is 1-0-5 (for unsulphured which is most common). Use anywhere from a fraction of a tsp. to multiple Tbs. per gallon as a supplement to other nutes. This also is a carbohydrate which is great for the "micro herd" of microorganisms in your soil. You've got guano and castings, if i recall, which I believe have those microorganisms in them. Plus, carbohydrates are sugars which = sweeter-tasting weed. Sweet! Organic Miracle Gro Blood Meal is (6-9-0 which is good for blooming) and <=$7 per bag at Walmart. It's slow release so up to a few tablespoons per gallon of soil (mixed throughout or on top of the soil) is perfectly acceptable w/out much/any burn. There's ton of cheap nutes out there online and at garden stores, tractor supplies, and Walmart so learn about micronutrients and macronutrients so that you can read those labels so have fun experimenting! What does this mean? You can mix bone meal and molasses to get an acceptable level of bloom nutes (w/ a little bit extra N--but not the end of the world--I know I said differently earlier--but, hey, we're going cheap!) Look for more nutes at Walmart--read up on threads and read the label and use your noggin. It can be done. I have faith in inventive home growers. One more thing on nutes. You added that eggshell which has calcium which is an important (immobile?) nutrient. Good job. Just don't add any more because you don't wanna lockout P and K. Great!
You got mylar. Best choice. It has the highest reflectivity per dollar. Pros use that stuff. Done.
For future grows: (I'm skipping around now). SpeedySeedz is good but I'm not sure if they deliver to the U.S. Don't hold me to that though. Not sure where MatanuskaValley lives. I trust him more than most anybody on this site so I thoroughly trust his judgement and I bet SpeedySeedz is excellent. I just haven't used them. I love Attitude Seedbank: some of the lowest prices (when they have special deals going they are hands down the cheapest--$15 for 5-packs of award-winning strains and breeders), HUGE selection, AWESOME stealth shipping options, you always get free seeds on top of your order (ususally feminized!) from renowned breeders, decent shipping prices, pretty quick shipping, and I've always had great customer service and I've always gotten my seeds! Lots of excellent seed banks/shops though so do what's best for you!!! Always do what's best for you.
Next up, soil amendments. I'd add up to 50% pearlite (only a few bucks a bag at Walmart) for drainage and air to roots which is VERY important. Vermiculite does similar things but I haven't used it so I won't speak to it.
Watering. Water when the top few inches of the soil becomes dry. You don't want the soil always wet, nor always dry. Roots need both water and oxygen--so in soil you alternate having periods of having one or the other being the prominent compound being delivered to the roots--that's how soil works. Make sure you have drainage!!!! I cannot stress this enough as especially w/ cheap chem nutes, salt buildup is a dangerous issue.
Oh man, I've typed a lot. I'll work on wrapping this up. Hopefully I didn't talk about things you already know about. You seem like a smart dude.
If you have additional basic questions, post them here. Wanna go advanced?: lights?, LED?, HPS?, MH?, SCROG?, SOG?, grow boxes?, stealth?, filters? ona block? (use it!!), wiring/electrical questions?, nutes?, equations?, soil?, hydro? (I cannot answer those), temps?, humidity?, UVB?, airflow?, stealth cooling? (I know that shit well), seeds?, feminized?, hermies?, males?, LST?, light physics?, lumens?, coverage?, side lighting?, movers?, ballasts?, advanced spectrum theory?, plant problems?, pests?, etc.--------post them here!
I am sorry about the poor grammar and spelling. I know this forum can be colloquial but I usually try to stick to the King's English for clarity, readability, and precision (hey, there's a lot of science in this hobby!) but I just went flying on my keyboard for this post.
Alrighty! I am closing this out and I hope you didn't think I hijacked your thread and I don't wanna sound belittling!!!
Happy growing and happy to answer questions,
secretforestgarden
johnnytsmitw
Active Member
Great info man. Thanks for all that. Youve reaffirmed some of the things I have been picking up on about nutes. My girlfriend decided to start an herb garden when I decided to start my "herb " garden... I didnt even plan that..Hey there man, MatanuskaValley referred me to this thread and I like what you're doing but I'm gonna try to help you for most yield for fewest dollars w/in your budget. Take or leave my advice but I think I can help you out! Get ready for a long post w/ a lot of quotes. Here we go.
Buy bulbs from http://www.1000bulbs.com/ They generally have the best prices. Buy only <=2700k or >=6500k COLOR TEMPERATURE CFLs for simplicity's sake and for best yields. You don't want anything in between because these spectrums are closer to the green spectrum which the plant cannot use (as evidenced by the reflected green light as seen by human eyes)
You said you got roughly $50 at this point to invest. Let's make the best of it. Humidity is generally a minor issue/upgrade topic. There's tons of things of higher importance before worrying about humidity unless you're at the extremes which causes risks of mold, disease, dead plants, etc. Humidifiers and Dehumidifiers would put a big stress on your budget and you shouldn't worry about that until you've perfected most other things: like you're using H.I.D.s
Now, you can get an analog Springfield brand thermometer for $1 at Walmart. I like analog; they're accurate and cheap. And the one there is a nice size. Perfect. It's nice to know your temp--that's a semi-major issue--not as major as light cycle or anything but pretty major. 70F-80F for soil w/out CO2 supplementation and 80F-90F with CO2 supplementation. You'll see all sorts of ranges from different sites and threads but this is a pretty general idea and a decent one to follow. If you're 84F w/out CO2--for this grow--don't freak out. If you got room for higher temps: off to Walmart or 1000bulbs for more lights.
Now, timers. I hope you're using one. Human error happens and you don't want hermies (which equal shitty or no weed). Shop around. Prolly find one for under $10 at Walmart.
Next, nutes. You've got Miracle Gro soil. You don't need any unless you flush it like crazy and wanna start over w/ advanced nutes. You're gonna wanna flush in a few weeks anyway (water with pure water--using double the amount of the size of your pots--and allow drainage to run off and don't reuse it). This washes out toxic salt buildup that results from the roots using nutes--especially chemical nutes--like Miracle Gro. You could kill your plants if you get too much salt buildup. Seriously. BUT IF MIRACLE GRO WORKS FOR YOU, USE IT!!! Everybody's situation is wildly different and I don't wanna knock another fellow grower (hey, we're all friends!) unless I know he's gonna really gonna hurt himself.
So, lets say you're 5th cousin dies and leaves you a few bones in his will. You can buy nice nutes now! I like organic, some don't. For chemical a lot of people swear by Advanced Nutrients and they seem to have the dankest R & D department. Expensive but killer. For organic, I like Fox Farms liquid nutes: Grow Big for vegging and Big Bloom and Tiger Bloom for blooming. Buy Tiger Bloom first because Big Bloom is just a bloom supplement while Tiger Bloom is a primary bloom nutrient. Got it. Good. Do research if you wanna know more. (I'm not trying to sound terse or cocky or know-it-all-ish or like an asshole--I'm using short sentences to cover a lot of ground!)
Next, more on nutes. If I recall, Miracle Gro provides nutes for around 2 months? Don't hold me to that. But, anyway, most people veg for around that long. Some don't veg at all and start flowering right away. Some veg for months and months (i.e. mother plants). Anyway, after some 2 months you're gonna want to start to add nutes again. You don't need to buy expensive nutes if you cannot afford them. (I'm not gonna be snobby--I've been tight on cash!). So, you've got options. A general nute is going to give you too much nitrogen and you don't want too much nitrogen for blooming for a couple of reasons: 1. Nitrogen lowers the bioavailability (a plant can only consume so much mass in one day--so you want it to consume the right things and not everything!) of Phosphorus and Potassium--which are the most essential macro nutrients for blooming--makes the difference between nice yields and disappointing yields--seriously 2. Nitrogen should be used up for the most part in floweing to avoid bad taste--and you're homegrowing--hooray for good taste! So, you've got options. You want a lil' nitrogen during flowering, a lot of phosphorus, and a medium-high level of potssium (Tiger Bloom is 2-8-4). So, again, you've got options. Regular supermarket molasses (<$3 for a bottle) is 1-0-5 (for unsulphured which is most common). Use anywhere from a fraction of a tsp. to multiple Tbs. per gallon as a supplement to other nutes. This also is a carbohydrate which is great for the "micro herd" of microorganisms in your soil. You've got guano and castings, if i recall, which I believe have those microorganisms in them. Plus, carbohydrates are sugars which = sweeter-tasting weed. Sweet! Organic Miracle Gro Blood Meal is (6-9-0 which is good for blooming) and <=$7 per bag at Walmart. It's slow release so up to a few tablespoons per gallon of soil (mixed throughout or on top of the soil) is perfectly acceptable w/out much/any burn. There's ton of cheap nutes out there online and at garden stores, tractor supplies, and Walmart so learn about micronutrients and macronutrients so that you can read those labels so have fun experimenting! What does this mean? You can mix bone meal and molasses to get an acceptable level of bloom nutes (w/ a little bit extra N--but not the end of the world--I know I said differently earlier--but, hey, we're going cheap!) Look for more nutes at Walmart--read up on threads and read the label and use your noggin. It can be done. I have faith in inventive home growers. One more thing on nutes. You added that eggshell which has calcium which is an important (immobile?) nutrient. Good job. Just don't add any more because you don't wanna lockout P and K. Great!
You got mylar. Best choice. It has the highest reflectivity per dollar. Pros use that stuff. Done.
For future grows: (I'm skipping around now). SpeedySeedz is good but I'm not sure if they deliver to the U.S. Don't hold me to that though. Not sure where MatanuskaValley lives. I trust him more than most anybody on this site so I thoroughly trust his judgement and I bet SpeedySeedz is excellent. I just haven't used them. I love Attitude Seedbank: some of the lowest prices (when they have special deals going they are hands down the cheapest--$15 for 5-packs of award-winning strains and breeders), HUGE selection, AWESOME stealth shipping options, you always get free seeds on top of your order (ususally feminized!) from renowned breeders, decent shipping prices, pretty quick shipping, and I've always had great customer service and I've always gotten my seeds! Lots of excellent seed banks/shops though so do what's best for you!!! Always do what's best for you.
Next up, soil amendments. I'd add up to 50% pearlite (only a few bucks a bag at Walmart) for drainage and air to roots which is VERY important. Vermiculite does similar things but I haven't used it so I won't speak to it.
Watering. Water when the top few inches of the soil becomes dry. You don't want the soil always wet, nor always dry. Roots need both water and oxygen--so in soil you alternate having periods of having one or the other being the prominent compound being delivered to the roots--that's how soil works. Make sure you have drainage!!!! I cannot stress this enough as especially w/ cheap chem nutes, salt buildup is a dangerous issue.
Oh man, I've typed a lot. I'll work on wrapping this up. Hopefully I didn't talk about things you already know about. You seem like a smart dude.
If you have additional basic questions, post them here. Wanna go advanced?: lights?, LED?, HPS?, MH?, SCROG?, SOG?, grow boxes?, stealth?, filters? ona block? (use it!!), wiring/electrical questions?, nutes?, equations?, soil?, hydro? (I cannot answer those), temps?, humidity?, UVB?, airflow?, stealth cooling? (I know that shit well), seeds?, feminized?, hermies?, males?, LST?, light physics?, lumens?, coverage?, side lighting?, movers?, ballasts?, advanced spectrum theory?, plant problems?, pests?, etc.--------post them here!
I am sorry about the poor grammar and spelling. I know this forum can be colloquial but I usually try to stick to the King's English for clarity, readability, and precision (hey, there's a lot of science in this hobby!) but I just went flying on my keyboard for this post.
Alrighty! I am closing this out and I hope you didn't think I hijacked your thread and I don't wanna sound belittling!!!
Happy growing and happy to answer questions,
secretforestgarden
Anyway, she is going all organic and growing things that are generally to expensive like basil and lavender. They seem alot more complex than bud espescially organic. But I will be seeing how she does going organic and then try to get on that track if it goes well.
I have been looking through both speedy seeds and Attitude as well as a couple others. The Nirvana bank is cheapest regular priced but I may wait and go with the Attitude when they have a special, all this is dependent though on my making it through this first grow.
I am going to repot into 10" pots when I get 4-5 nodes going. Hopefully I do not have much height at that point. I want to get more into LST and perhaps topping but not sure if I should try something potentially deadly my first go round. LST seems the easier method but I have not seen a guide that uses pictures or lay terms to explain FIMing or topping. I have a pretty good idea what the process is but not sure if I would be comfortable doing it.
I do have a timer setup and a fan and am running 20/4 right now. I think I posted a box from Uhaul that will slide in perfectly into the corner of the closet I am using for when I go to flower. http://store.uhaul.com/product_detail.aspx?id=8698 I have pretty much got the design and airflow figured out for it. Walmart has a 6in one speed fan that I think would be sufficient and I do not have to worry about rewiring a computer fan. Another fellow in a cheap grow thread like this one was doing something very similar and the initial growth looked good. I may have to use 2 8" pots for that though. That is only about a gallon of water and I have read a gallon a foot is a good rule to use. This is all a little bit ahead though. atleast two weeks.
I plan on repotting them with a mixture of sand perlite and river rocks with the miracle grow and perhaps some of the local river mud to help with drainage. At that point it would make sense to do the flush. I remember reading or seeing on TV to bake soil from rivers in the oven for a while to kill off any parasites but I have not rechecked that.
I got a cheap humidity and thermometer all in one at walmart and a ph kit. I am seeing a high of 90degrees and a low of about 74degrees with humidity in the high 40s with the fan on. The big jump worries me and makes me nervous about stress and ending up with all males. I try to keep the closet door open and the window open as much as possible when I am home but I have class for 6 hours each day and will be going out of town for 4 days this week and would probably be pretty pissed if I came home to cooked spinach looking plants. Basically I do not know if circulation is good enough in my closet. ph is good at 6,5 atleast.
I try not to put up long posts myself but I still have alot to ask and see so many conflicting information on the boards.
So far though I think the plants I started under the CFLs are looking very good. they are getting their initial leaves opened up, probably opened up all the way tomorrow. I had a POS fluorescent tube for my first sprouts and they are very stretched, so I keep the fan on them primarily, in hopes they will thicken up and slow down on the upward direction.
Once again I appreciate your thoroughness and proper grammar. I try to do likewise because so much is already lost through forums. Well, off to bed. A little baked, hope this helps give you all an idea of where I am and isnt just rambling.
MatanuskaValley
Well-Known Member
Man ask yourself what are you going to do with those free seeds? The thing with Attitude is they are a huge conglomerate and if anything goes wrong you are screwed.
Speedy seeds has his own threads and thousands of posts on Rollitup!
He is here for us and we should support him. I made all the same mistakes you are, u-haul box, I got a big bag of free crap seeds I wont grow because I realized it is better to grow good strains due to the time it takes.
Get a grow tent and a hps. every dollar you are spending now will have to be spend again to grow the kind of quality weed that you buy. I wasted so much money. I bought so much stuff to grow sub quality weed I could have spent that money to get the stuff to do it right.
I tried to give you this advice from the get go on the cfl but I understand you read the threads where people are talking them up its easy to believe.
anyways,
Your cfl weed will not smoke like the weed you buy. look at my flower grow journal in my signature, you can read through and watch me make all these mistakes and then correct them.
Speedy seeds has his own threads and thousands of posts on Rollitup!
He is here for us and we should support him. I made all the same mistakes you are, u-haul box, I got a big bag of free crap seeds I wont grow because I realized it is better to grow good strains due to the time it takes.
Get a grow tent and a hps. every dollar you are spending now will have to be spend again to grow the kind of quality weed that you buy. I wasted so much money. I bought so much stuff to grow sub quality weed I could have spent that money to get the stuff to do it right.
I tried to give you this advice from the get go on the cfl but I understand you read the threads where people are talking them up its easy to believe.
anyways,
Your cfl weed will not smoke like the weed you buy. look at my flower grow journal in my signature, you can read through and watch me make all these mistakes and then correct them.
Am I Norml
Active Member
that was good i like that lmfaooooooooo
you have to take into consideration that he doesn't want to spend too much on his grows just yet and he is working hard to get his technique down ...
he needs good guidance instead of advice to blow hundreds of dollars on lights and nutes...he needs to get a few grows under his belt first and find his style..and CFL's allow for a more forgiving situation than a HPS does
oh and just as a side note : just because you don't know how to use cfl's to get good weed...don't dis them....i have been pulling a pound a harvest out of my closet for the last 5 years of my 15 years experience...if they don't work then God must be blessing my grows and tending my rows because they sure work for me and Ive used MH and HPS ... i wasn't impressed ... of coarse tho im not a dealer per/say.. i only sell enough to cover my production costs and most of my weed goes in my own head...and i don't like schwag
Peace
MatanuskaValley
Well-Known Member
I just blew a bunch of money on stuff to grow subpar weed, if I can help someone avoid this I will, if not, no worries the great thing about advice its free and take it or leave it.that was good i like that lmfaooooooooo
you have to take into consideration that he doesn't want to spend too much on his grows just yet and he is working hard to get his technique down ...
he needs good guidance instead of advice to blow hundreds of dollars on lights and nutes...he needs to get a few grows under his belt first and find his style..and CFL's allow for a more forgiving situation than a HPS does
oh and just as a side note : just because you don't know how to use cfl's to get good weed...don't dis them....i have been pulling a pound a harvest out of my closet for the last 5 years of my 15 years experience...if they don't work then God must be blessing my grows and tending my rows because they sure work for me and Ive used MH and HPS ... i wasn't impressed ... of coarse tho im not a dealer per/say.. i only sell enough to cover my production costs and most of my weed goes in my own head...and i don't like schwag
Peace
Aminorml is welcome to his opinion, but know this he, follows me around these forums to contradict my posts. Notice he's talking to me not you.
I know people have success growing with CFL but my point stands.
It is not the same.
And this guy is not getting a pound a harvest from his closet with CFL's.
Hey AmInorml talk to the thread originator not me. I don't give a shit what you think.
Am I Norml
Active Member
i follow you around ...like your really that interesting...lol might want to go back to page 2 and see who posted first in this forum buddy...if anything you followed me here a hour later then my first post...might want to get your facts right...
and as for contradicting your posts.... telling someone relatively new to the game to go out and blow hundreds of dollars on equipment when they really don't know what their growing style is yet...is just plain foolishness .. the best advice in this game isn't to always throw money at it ...
MatanuskaValley
Well-Known Member
I try to help the people who originate threads. You find people trying to help others, and then try to contradict them to make yourself seem superior.
I will admit I am not the know all, end all of growing.
That is the difference between me and you.
@Johnny- I spent a ton of money I didn't need to and was only trying to help you not make the same mistakes my friend. I am going to unsubscribe because this negative hater "am i norml" drives me nuts he wont stop harassing me now until I leave.
peace
secretforestgarden
Active Member
Absolutely valid, MV. Like I said, everybody has their favorite seedbanks for multitudes of reasons and I don't wanna knock any single one as long as it meets the needs of whomever is buying. I'll admit, I didn't know about all the threads on SpeedySeedz--if it works for you, awesome.
johnnytsmitw
Active Member
I understand that with more money invested that I would get a higher yield of a better strain but the thing is I just cannot afford it right now and my space is limited. The box I linked slides into the space I am using now with only an inch of clearance in one spot. I am a poor college student. And not the kind that says theyre poor and gets a fat deposit from dad every week. I am supported completely by loans and grants from good ol uncle sam. My budget is so tight that I had to give up going out to the bars (i only spend about $10-15 dollars when I go out bc I know the specials) for the next two months at least to fund this new hobby.
"Ghetto Growing", as its called, is my style though. I never pay for anything I can get for free, or over pay when I can get something just as good for cheaper. Like I said I am on a shoestring budget and the shoestring could be used to sew a small pillow. So, I appreciate where you two guys are coming from. I can tell you each know what you are talking about and if I had the room and money I would definitely go for a setup that would take advantage of it.
That said, keep it coming guys. I can sift through the site for hours but the information from people that take the time to personally respond to my queries is much more responsible for the decisions I make.
still looking for any opinion on what to do, if anything, when I go out of town and have to leave them unattended for 4 full days. ??
minor update on the seedlings : new growth coming in strong on the older ones.
"Ghetto Growing", as its called, is my style though. I never pay for anything I can get for free, or over pay when I can get something just as good for cheaper. Like I said I am on a shoestring budget and the shoestring could be used to sew a small pillow. So, I appreciate where you two guys are coming from. I can tell you each know what you are talking about and if I had the room and money I would definitely go for a setup that would take advantage of it.
That said, keep it coming guys. I can sift through the site for hours but the information from people that take the time to personally respond to my queries is much more responsible for the decisions I make.
still looking for any opinion on what to do, if anything, when I go out of town and have to leave them unattended for 4 full days. ??
minor update on the seedlings : new growth coming in strong on the older ones.
Am I Norml
Active Member
what i usually do under my pots when i have to be gone for a few days is i put plates or runoff catchers under them and if the pot is relitivly small i just give them alittle extra runoff water that will sit in the plate and kinda wick back up into the pots kinda makes it a extended watering .. just don't go hog wild about it and you should be fine for 4 days no sweat...
oh and johnny... im a member of the ghetto growers group....i know EXACTLY what your talking about....until you find the style you want to grow all the time ...its a waste to pour your money out needlessly
johnnytsmitw
Active Member
One plant is "cupping". I think this must be a watering issue. but could also be a nutrient issue. And one of the 6 plants is starting to spot a little. I dont know if the resolution on these will be good enough for any feedback. soil on top is pretty dry but I can see moisture in the bottom of the cup. I have been really worried about over watering, which seems to be a common beginner mistake. Some posts say to flush a little bit when this starts happening and to increase waterings.
What do you sages of the cannabis internets suggest?
also included is the big stretcher that I wrapped around a paperclip. I accidentally crushed the stalk but new growth is still coming in.
Thinking about taking the fan off them for a couple days while I'm on my holiday and can have the door to the closet open. relative moisture is around 60 in my apartment with the windows open because of rain so maybe that will help.
Anyway, take a gander.
What do you sages of the cannabis internets suggest?
also included is the big stretcher that I wrapped around a paperclip. I accidentally crushed the stalk but new growth is still coming in.
Thinking about taking the fan off them for a couple days while I'm on my holiday and can have the door to the closet open. relative moisture is around 60 in my apartment with the windows open because of rain so maybe that will help.
Anyway, take a gander.
Attachments
secretforestgarden
Active Member
http://www.plantastic1.com/
Bought four of these (16oz each) and plan to use them when I go on spring break--haven't tried them yet but I'll post in my grow journal when I do. Link's in sig. This is the best, cheapest option I have found so far.
good luck,
secretforestgarden