Few questions

Have been learning a lot since being back here!

However, I do have some questions I am still curious about.

1) Can I use the same soil that has been outside during the winter? I brought tons of fox farms for a plant bed. Would this be good to use?

2) How long should I keep babies under CFL until I can switch them to the HPS?

3) Their seems to be some debate to this one. Can I grow start to finish with HPS or should I switch to MH?

4) I'm going to be doing a 5X5 setup and just about 16 plants, should this be plenty of room?

5) Can I grow different strains in the same grow room or is this not recommened?

6) Once the seeds have sprouted, should I put seedling in a big pot right away or should I grow it in a smaller pot for the first 3-4 weeks?

7) Where can I find information about temperature, humidity and so forth? I can't seem to find a good read. I will be doing this indoors with a 1000WHPS light. I do have a dehumidifer/humidifier, fans, and AC unit what else do I need?

Any other tips/advice, please feel free to leave for a new grower.

Thanks!

1. I wouldn't, you never know what could of crawled into the soil. Unless you can bake it first.

2. As long as you want, there is no right time to switch to flower. But if you have a HPS available...

3. No debate really. HPS can be used for the full grow. You'll only see marginal benefits using a MH. I personally use both MH/HPS for Vegetative and Flowering respectively, only because I'm cheap and don't want to buy more bulbs.

4. 5x5? With your 1000 HPS 16 Small plants should be feasible.

5. Yes, you can also grow different plants too. The only thing you need to avoid is a male plant.

6. I grow my seedlings in several pots. I start them in a small cup and when I see roots poking out the bottom of the hole I move them up into a slightly larger container. I believe this encourages healthy root growth and leaves me with a nice solid root ball. When done right transplanting will not hurt your plants at all.

7. The Internet, literally. Unless you buy an official grow book you'll be hard pressed to find a single source of information that will cover all your bases. Use the internet, read books, and talk on forums. Look every for knowledge and collect every little bit you can AND DON'T FORGET...doing something yourself is the best way to learn.


MY BIG TIP: Don't go worrying about your plants over every little thing. Unless a condition you describe is affecting more than 30% of your plant do not worry, it's going to be fine. I've beat the shit out of mine this last grow but they are the biggest I've grown yet.

I would re-use the soil. Leave it in the direct sunlight for a few days first.

Is your 5 X 5 really a full 5 X 5 of usable grow space? If it is, running 16 plants will give you 1.5625 square feet per plant. You will make just as much running four nicely topped plants in the same space. That is 6.25 square foot per plant.

As far as different strains, look at finishing times and stretch when deciding. You want them to be as close to the same height as possible. Many folks run clones for this reason. Well, that and they can make copies of their best plant over and over again.

If you are using pretty small pots, go ahead and transplant into them as soon as the roots have filled your cup. Or were you asking about planting into the final pot? I've gave up sprouting my seeds before planting. I just put them pointy end down into some good potting soil, cover and water. Has worked fine for me so far.

there will be a lot of bugs in the soil . i have done it when i was broke .

Organic or synthetic?