First time grower - Looking for advice

Hey, first time grower here looking for advice.

I read the "How to grow marijuana" sticky, but with all the equipment and tips and so on, it seems like its more for people who are growing more than a single plant, like me.

My friend no longer wanted his plant, so he gave me it.

The plant is what he called, "Orange Dream", and is about 6 weeks old. It is currently sitting in a small room that is hotter than most rooms in my house. (Because it is layered in insulation.) I haven't checked how hot it actually is in there, though.

The light he gave me is a 75w florescent bulb. My friend told me 50w is good for a single plant, anyways. It is (what looks like) around 6 inches above the plant.

The bag of nutrients is just standard Miracle Grow.

I also have a small fan blowing a small breeze on the plant. There is also a timer plugged in that will shut off the fan and light for about 8 hrs during the night. Thats pretty much the only schedule its on.

So here comes a question or two, I suppose.

1) How often should I water it, and how much?
2) Is misting the leaves good or bad?
3) I read that for people with low funding, tinfoil is useful for reflecting light. How should I put it up?
4) What is the best temperature for the plant? How can I adjust the temperature? (The fan is also used for heating and cooling, but it doesn't work spectacularly.)
5) Does being around insulation affect the plant in a negative way?
6) How much longer until it starts budding?

At the moment, that's all I can really think of. I'd still like to know what else I can do to keep the plant healthy and make sure it grows well.

Also, sorry that the pictures aren't that great. One is blurry, one on its side. IMG_0522 was taken with flash, by the way.

Thanks for any help!

1. How large is the pot its in? (Then I can tell you how much and how often to water)
2. Misting the leaves is good. I mist mine about 2 times a day!
3. Some people say tinfoil is bad but in reality its not. People say it cause hot spot but that's just a myth. Tin foil just doesn't reflect light good enough. I would say get some mylar or have paint the inside of the grow area flat white with paint.
4. Temperature should be between 70 and 85 degrees F. It can be more but that starts stunting growth.
5. What do you mean around insulated exactly?
6. It will start to bud whenever you switch the lights to 12 hours on and 12 hours off.

read my goin loco (sig link) grow journal I only grew one plant to teach folks how

Mr. Sexybeast said:

Hey, first time grower here looking for advice.
1) How often should I water it, and how much?
2) Is misting the leaves good or bad?
3) I read that for people with low funding, tinfoil is useful for reflecting light. How should I put it up?
4) What is the best temperature for the plant? How can I adjust the temperature? (The fan is also used for heating and cooling, but it doesn't work spectacularly.)
5) Does being around insulation affect the plant in a negative way?
6) How much longer until it starts budding?
Thanks for any help!

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1) Water by weight. Pick up the planter. When it feels REALLY light then it's time to saturate. Once you get through a few grows you'll have a better idea about how much water a plant needs.
2) I always recommend against misting. It isn't necessary and most growers do it wrong. Clones need misting sometimes, but not healthy plants with strong root systems. Often times misting plants will create water drops that can magnify the light and burn small holes in to the leafs. Your not going to get much out of misting your plants, I don't mist (and I know many others that don't) and all our plants are healthy and vigorous.
3) Tinfoil is whatever. Generally speaking, flat white paint is much better than Aluminum foil. Also, the amount of light from a 75w bulb isn't really enough to justify reflection. You'd need to do some homework on the inverse square law, but all that foil wouldn't be better than just adding another 27w CFL bulb, and in this grow I don't think you need it unless your walls are dark colored.
4) Best temperature is mid 70's. Plants will be fine from low 80's to high 60's. Outside of that range and things get messy. Controlling temperature has everything to do with the intake air temperature. Most growers underestimate the value of air (an MJ plant is 80% carbon and it gets that from the air, not the soil) and you need to be exchanging all of the air in your space at least once every 5 minutes (I do about once every 2 minutes). The better the air exchange the closer the temperature will be to the intake. Keep your intake around 70 degrees and you'll be in good shape.
5) Exposed insulation fibers can find their way to your buds, hiding inside, and you could smoke fiberglass. Exposed insulation is all bad.
6) Depends on when you go to 12/12 lighting. My plants usually pre-flower after 6 weeks, and are in full budding 2 weeks after the flowering light schedule switch.

WeedxManxEli said:

1. How large is the pot its in? (Then I can tell you how much and how often to water)
2. Misting the leaves is good. I mist mine about 2 times a day!
3. Some people say tinfoil is bad but in reality its not. People say it cause hot spot but that's just a myth. Tin foil just doesn't reflect light good enough. I would say get some mylar or have paint the inside of the grow area flat white with paint.
4. Temperature should be between 70 and 85 degrees F. It can be more but that starts stunting growth.
5. What do you mean around insulated exactly?
6. It will start to bud whenever you switch the lights to 12 hours on and 12 hours off.

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1) I'm not exactly sure how big the pot is. I uploaded a picture for reference.
3) What, exactly, is mylar, and how would I go about setting it up?
5) Let me rephrase, though the question is probably not the best for this particular forum. I was under the belief that insulation can contain some hazardous debris, chemicals, etc. Is it potentially hazardous for the plant?

Also, another question: If I were gone from the location of my plant for around two weeks, what can I do to insure that the plant will not become dehydrated and die?

riddleme said:

read my goin loco (sig link) grow journal I only grew one plant to teach folks how

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I haven't had a chance to read it yet, but I certainly will later tonight. Thanks for showing it to me!

Snow Crash said:

1) Water by weight. Pick up the planter. When it feels REALLY light then it's time to saturate. Once you get through a few grows you'll have a better idea about how much water a plant needs.
2) I always recommend against misting. It isn't necessary and most growers do it wrong. Clones need misting sometimes, but not healthy plants with strong root systems. Often times misting plants will create water drops that can magnify the light and burn small holes in to the leafs. Your not going to get much out of misting your plants, I don't mist (and I know many others that don't) and all our plants are healthy and vigorous.
3) Tinfoil is whatever. Generally speaking, flat white paint is much better than Aluminum foil. Also, the amount of light from a 75w bulb isn't really enough to justify reflection. You'd need to do some homework on the inverse square law, but all that foil wouldn't be better than just adding another 27w CFL bulb, and in this grow I don't think you need it unless your walls are dark colored.
4) Best temperature is mid 70's. Plants will be fine from low 80's to high 60's. Outside of that range and things get messy. Controlling temperature has everything to do with the intake air temperature. Most growers underestimate the value of air (an MJ plant is 80% carbon and it gets that from the air, not the soil) and you need to be exchanging all of the air in your space at least once every 5 minutes (I do about once every 2 minutes). The better the air exchange the closer the temperature will be to the intake. Keep your intake around 70 degrees and you'll be in good shape.
5) Exposed insulation fibers can find their way to your buds, hiding inside, and you could smoke fiberglass. Exposed insulation is all bad.
6) Depends on when you go to 12/12 lighting. My plants usually pre-flower after 6 weeks, and are in full budding 2 weeks after the flowering light schedule switch.

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Thanks very much for the information. Do you know any posts that explain how to provide better air ventilation?

Do you have any other suggestions as to how I can improve my plant? I've attached more pictures.

Mr. Sexybeast said:

The light he gave me is a 75w florescent bulb. My friend told me 50w is good for a single plant, anyways. It is (what looks like) around 6 inches above the plant.

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Really, the more light you can get on it, the better your results. If you can add more CFL's or a lower powered HID, then it will most likely pay you back with a larger and more potent yield.

Mr. Sexybeast said:

The bag of nutrients is just standard Miracle Grow.

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Most MG is time release, and that makes it a lot harder to properly dose, especially if you are relatively new to MJ gardening. In the end you will probably see better results your first few tries by using more soluble liquid forms of fertilizers.

Mr. Sexybeast said:

1) How often should I water it, and how much?

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In general MJ likes it a little more extreme than many house plants. What this means is that usually you will see good results by doing a large watering, then letting the soil dry out fairly well. A decent rule of thumb is to let the soil dry out down to around 4" before the next watering. Of course, a smaller plant in a smaller pot would need to be watered more often.
Personally, I keep a close eye on my plants (check them several times a day) and I water the second I notice any drooping. they perk right up after watering, and seem to grow better than when I was keeping the soil more uniformly moist.

Mr. Sexybeast said:

2) Is misting the leaves good or bad?

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Depends. In flower it is not suggested to mist at all, it can lead to bud rot. In veg, as long as you aren't exceeding ~50% humidity it's not going to hurt anything. I'm not convinced it helps at all though. I live in a dry climate, and used to mist my plants every few hours. But I stopped after developing a fungus gnat problem and haven't misted since. I haven't noticed any real change in the plants as a result.

Mr. Sexybeast said:

3) I read that for people with low funding, tinfoil is useful for reflecting light. How should I put it up?

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Tin-foil is not the greatest for this purpose. In fact a flat white paint job is typically more effective. If you simply have to use tin-foil, make sure it is 100% smooth. If it is crinkled at all you run the risk of magnifying the light source, and burning the plant (just like you used to do to ants with a magnifying glass). Tin-foil also is not a great spectral reflector. Polished spectral aluminum (95% or better reflectivity) is really the best reflector, followed by flat white paint.

Mr. Sexybeast said:

4) What is the best temperature for the plant? How can I adjust the temperature? (The fan is also used for heating and cooling, but it doesn't work spectacularly.)

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It is strain dependent, but they can tolerate a wide range of temps on average. From 60 up to 100+. As a general rule, you will see the best growth in the 70's. If you are adding CO2 to around 1500ppm, then higher temperatures are needed for the plants to take advantage of the added co2 (doesn't sound like you add co2 though).
Far as decreasing temp, you can get AC units, or if the climate is dry, swamp coolers (or even cool humidifiers), can help. If AC isn't an option, then ventilation is really your only choice. You want fresh air coming in from a source low to the ground, and draw air from near the light, or the top of the grow area to remove the hot air. Keep in mind that the vast majority of your heat is coming from lights. Use the fact that cool air sinks and hot air rises to your advantage.

Mr. Sexybeast said:

5) Does being around insulation affect the plant in a negative way?

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Not that I am aware of. If the insulation material is toxic then it could.

Mr. Sexybeast said:

6) How much longer until it starts budding?

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You control this. If you want it to start budding, then switch the lights to a 12 on and 12 off schedule and make sure the area is completely sealed to light leaks for the 12 hours of dark. Most plants can grow for at least a few years in veg (assuming they aren't an autoflower), so it's really up to you. However, it is better to flower after the plant shows signs of maturity (such as alternating nodes). Most sources claim that mature plants produce higher THC levels than plants flowered before maturity (mel and ed claim 6-8 months old is usually peak THC content in flowering). The fluctuation between flowering at 2 months and at 6 is not huge though; there are many other things that will have a much greater impact on potency.

WeedxManxEli said:

3. Some people say tinfoil is bad but in reality its not. People say it cause hot spot but that's just a myth. Tin foil just doesn't reflect light good enough. I would say get some mylar or have paint the inside of the grow area flat white with paint.

Click to expand...

Taking a general parabola formula, and a little 2nd year calculus, you can easily see how this is incorrect. If you were to form the reflected surface into the right parabolic shape you can focus light just like a magnifying glass does. This is how most telescopes work. Getting this parabolic shape is not going to commonly happen by accident, and luckily tin-foil is a terrible reflective surface so the issue is minimized, but it can happen. I would have to call BS on saying this is a myth though...

So, by the sounds of it, adding a 27 CFL light, improving ventilation and air circulation, purchase some liquid fertilizer instead of using Miracle Gro, relocating it out of the insulated room, and following those watering tips would improve my plants yield. I still have a few questions, though:

1) During extended trips when I'm away from my plant (In my situation, I'll be gone two weeks) how can I keep it healthy and watered?
2) What other lights could I use to improve the plant?
3) What substrates or fertilizers should I use to keep my plant healthy?
4) How can I improve air flow/ventilation/circulation without demolishing my house and spending a fortune?
5) Any other tips or recommendations?

Sorry for what is probably a bunch of reposted questions. I feel like I'm overthinking this.

Ventilation is only created using fans. I personally own a 180CFM Blower (squirrel cage fan) and a 440CFM Inline fan. I run the 440cfm in my 10x12 area with a 1000w lamp. I run the 180cfm in a 2x4 tent with a 400w lamp. They both keep my grow rooms about 4 degrees above intake temps, which gradually increase over the day. Generally my plants start their day around 68 degrees and end their day somewhere around 80 degrees. A pretty constant increase of about 0.1 degrees every 10 minutes is normal in my grow when I do not run an air conditioner.

There really is only one way though, you need to exhaust your heat with a fan and probably using some ducting to allow it to escape far enough.

As far as the plant goes it looks like it got really stretched early in life, but then I realized that you have cleaned off the first 10 sets of fan leaves or so (I'm guessing because they looked sick). It looks healthy, extremely lush (to the point of blueness) but then I see a curled up and suffering leaf at the bottom of the plant. My though here would be calcium toxicity/ phosphate lockup. If your tap water is hard this could be a source of the issue. Run RO filtered water for a bit with your nutrients and see if that helps keep your growth healthy.

Otherwise it looks like a good stick. You might as well remove those lower branches at this point and just lollipop that bitch.

Mr. Sexybeast said:

So, by the sounds of it, adding a 27 CFL light, improving ventilation and air circulation, purchase some liquid fertilizer instead of using Miracle Gro, relocating it out of the insulated room, and following those watering tips would improve my plants yield. I still have a few questions, though:

1) During extended trips when I'm away from my plant (In my situation, I'll be gone two weeks) how can I keep it healthy and watered?
2) What other lights could I use to improve the plant?
3) What substrates or fertilizers should I use to keep my plant healthy?
4) How can I improve air flow/ventilation/circulation without demolishing my house and spending a fortune?
5) Any other tips or recommendations?

Sorry for what is probably a bunch of reposted questions. I feel like I'm overthinking this.

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You probably are over thinking it all. To be honest there really is a lot to know about producing excellent indoor. Outside you've got all the fresh air and sunlight the plant could need. Indoors you are working to replicate nature, and improve on it, and that takes quite a lot of knowledge and skill to pull of right. It's easy to do but it does take time to learn. You're going about it the right way dude.

1) Saturate the plant before you leave of course. Many growers employ timed drip systems, but this could run you more than $60, so if you're on a budget that might not work right. An outdoor guerrilla method is to take a gallon jug and poke a pin sized hole in it. Over the next two weeks the just leaks slowly, at least keeping the soil moist and the plant alive. Not ideal, but it works. There are also those Aqua Globes, I've never used one but I know a grower who did (for a week trip) and he said when he got back the thing was empty but that the soil seemed just moist enough. You might need a bigger aqua globe or DIY build something on the concept they use.
2) HID lighting will help a lot, but you have a ventilation issue already so steer clear of that. Just more CFL bulbs. Try to get up to 150w total and vary the spectrum. I get great results in flowering even with blue spectrum bulbs. In my own CFL cab I used two 27w 5500K bulbs, two 27 5000k bulbs, a 23w 2700k bulb and a 23w 2100k bulb. 154w total and really great results (the smoke of clones from a mother grown under CFL bulbs were 2x as potent as the mother was under a 400w HPS.
3) I like organic stuff. BioCanna, General Hydroponics Nectar and Rare Earth, the Organicare line, and Earth Juice I have all tried out. The dude at the hydro store talked a lot of smack about the Earth Juice but I think it's alright stuff. Stick to organics. Check out www.igrowhydro.com, they carry most of the competative brands. www.plantlightinghydroponics.com, bghydro.com, and plantitearth.com all have a good selection to choose from online.
4) I think I addressed this earlier, use an exhaust fan, like an inline fan or a blower. Even a duct fan would help. You need to just pull the air out and use a passive intake for air in. If the temperature of the intake air (air that is replacing the exhaust) is going to be over 80 degrees at any time then you're probably going to want an AC system. It's pretty easy to find portable AC systems on Craigslist for under $200.
5) Keep your expectations really low. Don't underestimate the importance of a good pH meter (Hanna Checker for $40). Stay as organic as you can in soil. Air circulation should just keep the leaves fluttering, not trying to blow your plant away, and the more fresh air you bring into the equation the better. A proper exhaust system can be found for $100 after fan and ducting and clamps.

A lot of people growing indoors underestimate the costs associated with their project. A conservative estimate is $500 to do it "right." I spent about $100 on my first grow and had mediocre results. I spent $800 to upgrade from there and got good results. I spent $1500 to upgrade from there and now I get great results. Next time around I'm putting another $1000 in to that $1500 room and will get spectacular results.

Every penny you spend will pay for itself. I'm producing meds at less than $2 per gram at this point, so even after spending a few grand over a few years I've still spent MUCH less than I would have at a dispensary or a dealer. Don't be afraid to invest. Plan out a saving schedule, $100 per month for a year or two and you're harvesting pounds before you know it. If you're starting young, then just think towards the future, invest wisely. And hydro products on Ebay are usually junk.

Snow Crash said:

Ventilation is only created using fans. I personally own a 180CFM Blower (squirrel cage fan) and a 440CFM Inline fan. I run the 440cfm in my 10x12 area with a 1000w lamp. I run the 180cfm in a 2x4 tent with a 400w lamp. They both keep my grow rooms about 4 degrees above intake temps, which gradually increase over the day. Generally my plants start their day around 68 degrees and end their day somewhere around 80 degrees. A pretty constant increase of about 0.1 degrees every 10 minutes is normal in my grow when I do not run an air conditioner.

There really is only one way though, you need to exhaust your heat with a fan and probably using some ducting to allow it to escape far enough.

As far as the plant goes it looks like it got really stretched early in life, but then I realized that you have cleaned off the first 10 sets of fan leaves or so (I'm guessing because they looked sick). It looks healthy, extremely lush (to the point of blueness) but then I see a curled up and suffering leaf at the bottom of the plant. My though here would be calcium toxicity/ phosphate lockup. If your tap water is hard this could be a source of the issue. Run RO filtered water for a bit with your nutrients and see if that helps keep your growth healthy.

Otherwise it looks like a good stick. You might as well remove those lower branches at this point and just lollipop that bitch.

Click to expand...

To be honest, every little bit of work done to this plant so far isn't mine. My friend gave me this plant and everything with it just today. I really shouldn't even say I'm a "first time grower" as I had nothing to do with the plant, other then trying to continue working with it from here on out. At this point, though, I'm going to grow some actual seeds once I have this plant bud.

Though I appreciate the advice and have an idea on how to improve the setup, I'll put it simply: I really don't know what to do with the plant.

Mr. Sexybeast said:

I really don't know what to do with the plant.

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you mean overwhelmed? Give it TLC and in the end, smoke it

Do ask if you have any more questions though

hey every one i am staring a grown right now and i am growing the short stuff auto mix i have four of those one blue hymila deisal and two road runners and one sour snow first time for theses strains for me besides i grew the sour snow and it was awsome any advice for me i am growing in hydro and in 3 5 gallon buckets and useing a 6oo watt hps and going 24 or of light
any info that is help full would be greatly appresated peace

valuable thread indeed...
have a lot to know... feeling noob after read the thread...
great thread actually...

When you mention seeds. From your plant? you'll need a male plant to pollinate your female plant. The female plant without a male plant will make a stronger better bud w/o seeds.

You have to seal that pink insulation up. especially when the sticky bud starts. That insulation has little fiberglass hairs in it. (same stuff that makes you itch when working with it). If your were to smoke it. (fiberglass does not burn) it won't take much inside your lungs to fuck you up. Just use plastic and duct tape to cover and seal it in.

Keep the light(s) as close as possible. 4 to 6 inches is safe. CFL'S give off more light from the sides escecially with a reflector (DYI) over it. You may have to adjust the light or raise/lower the plant. Also where they sell your miracle grow, They also sell Schultz "bloom" cheap and last forever. Use it when you see buds starting. use both only as directed. Good luck. They are fun to grow/watch.

O-yea She will need a name. LOL

so any body got any adavice

stoneyguy84 said:

so any body got any adavice

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yeah start reading