First timer

Hey, first timer looking for some advice on a indoor grow, I'll be growing jah herer (fem seeds from castle seeds) , similar to jack herer but easier to grow.... I started germination about 4 hours ago, and can already see the seed opening a little, so hopefully i can plant it by later tonight or tomorrow morning... I plan to plant it when the root barely comes out because i dont want to break it by accident... will be planting it root up

I'll be using fox farms happy frog, which initially i plan to soak in a red cup with room temp water (after i get rid of the cl and what not), let sit for a hr then soak again and will then plant my seed at about 1/2-1 inches from the surface, after about 2-3 weeks (may do this sooner depending on how fast the baby grows) i'll transplant the plant into a larger container and replace the soil, while keeping some around the roots to try and reduce shock...

I'll be giving it 18/6 hrs of light for the first 2-3 week (with occasional giving it 24 hrs if i am out of town or something), also i may play around with this since ill have two light source (one higher then the other) by turning off the closer light source for 4-6 hrs in a 24 hr period.... will prob start a 12/12 flowering phase around 1-2 feet...

for lighting initially ill be giving it a 22 watt fluorescent about 8-10 inches away, with another 15 watter on the ceiling (will try and raise the plant as close to this light as possible prob around 1-2 feet away)

When I start flowering i will be using a 42 watt fluorescent about 8-10 inches away, and a 22 watter on the ceiling (again will try and adjust plant height to keep it 1-2 feet away)


now i have a few questions:

Will this be enough light? looking at around 250 watts for flowering, at around 8-12 inches away... read that 100-150 watts per plant at about 2 feet is the min....

how often should i water the plant, i read that i should stick my finger in 2 inches and if i dont feel moisture to water them... is this right

do i need nutrients, i haven't bought any... but heard that the soil will work for about 3 weeks... and that i can add soil to a water bottle, filter it and spray that water on the plant after about a month, to provide addition nutrients, while maintaining ph.... is this okay to do about 1.5 months in after i have transplanted the plant to a larger container, would prob do this every 3 weeks

any tips

Seeds should be planted with the taproot pointing down. Also make sure you use a mixed spectrum of light 6500k and 2700k. And one more thing why don't you plant your seeds in the pots they'll grow up in and save the shock of a transplant. With respect to nutrients soil is good for 3 weeks then you will need nutes. I use the Fox Farms trio of Grow Big, Big Bloom and Tiger Bloom. Works great for me.

bullwinkle60 said:

Seeds should be planted with the taproot pointing down. Also make sure you use a mixed spectrum of light 6500k and 2700k. And one more thing why don't you plant your seeds in the pots they'll grow up in and save the shock of a transplant. With respect to nutrients soil is good for 3 weeks then you will need nutes. I use the Fox Farms trio of Grow Big, Big Bloom and Tiger Bloom. Works great for me.

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Thanks, i read the root should be up, or the plant needs to turn and make a loop around the seed before it comes out of the soil... also the reason i was going to transplant was because of money, i dont really have all that much to spend, and cant really buy extra nutrients... was almost not going to buy the fox farms, because it was nearly double the price of reg soil.... and figured by transplanting i give the plant a extra 3 weeks of nutrients, and it gives the plant a new steady ph to work with... also i dont know how effective spraying my plant with soil dissolved in warm water will be in terms of providing nutrients and figured that transplanting would be the most effective way of giving my plant what it needs to grow

Tarproot goes down. And I wouldn't recommend foilar feeding my plants too easy to get light burn from wet leaves. If you ph your water and feedings you shouldn't have to worry about your soil. Good luck

bullwinkle60 said:

Tarproot goes down. And I wouldn't recommend foilar feeding my plants too easy to get light burn from wet leaves. If you ph your water and feedings you shouldn't have to worry about your soil. Good luck

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Thank you for the help, hope everything works out

bullwinkle60 said:

Tarproot goes down. And I wouldn't recommend foilar feeding my plants too easy to get light burn from wet leaves. If you ph your water and feedings you shouldn't have to worry about your soil. Good luck

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not if you use a surfactant. i foliar feed every morning out doors in full sun at 80 something degrees and have never had "light burn"

FresnoFarmer said:

not if you use a surfactant. i foliar feed every morning out doors in full sun at 80 something degrees and have never had "light burn"

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my only understanding of surfactant, is from bio where it lowers the surface tension within the lungs... so i am assuming theres a compound you can spray on your plants to lower overall surface tension, the prob is i dont have extra money to spend... and this will be a indoor grow, what do you think about spraying my plants during the light off phase... will this stop burning from happening?

I've always been told to plant with the tap root up, he's right, the root will turn and plunge into the soil. Google it and find out for yourself.

shawn26 said:

my only understanding of surfactant, is from bio where it lowers the surface tension within the lungs... so i am assuming theres a compound you can spray on your plants to lower overall surface tension, the prob is i dont have extra money to spend... and this will be a indoor grow, what do you think about spraying my plants during the light off phase... will this stop burning from happening?

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3 words.....Palmolive Dish Soap

I wouldn't spray with the lights out because the stoma(what takes in the nutrients on the leaves) will not be as open......The stoma are most open at "wake up"(this is why i spray in the morning). Also spraying at night is asking for mildew issue's. And yes the dish soap will also lower the surface tension on your leaves......I get the green Palmolive(original) from the dollar store and it works fantastic. goodluck

FresnoFarmer said:

I wouldn't spray with the lights out because the stoma(what takes in the nutrients on the leaves) will not be as open......The stoma are most open at "wake up"(this is why i spray in the morning). Also spraying at night is asking for mildew issue's. And yes the dish soap will also lower the surface tension on your leaves......I get the green Palmolive(original) from the dollar store and it works fantastic. goodluck

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really spraying the plant with soap?... that sounds like it would kill the plant.... also i picked up a 42W daylight fluorescent (its about 6 inchs away) and am now using that for vegetation, once it comes out of the soil, ill also add a 20 W for the background... for flowering i plan on giving it the 42 W for 12 hrs plus i am try and give her around 6-8 hrs of sunlight through the window (hopefully this will be enough, since i just dont have the money to buy a $100 + dollar lamp)... though ill expect donation if anyone has a old lamp they no longer need

shawn26 said:

one more question, is a 1 gallon pot large enough for flowering (6 inch wide 7 inches deep)... growing in a red cup right now, then after around 7-12 inches I plan to transplant... by the way i am growing jah herer (its a easier verison of jack herer, stavia)

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you can flower in any sized pot. i recommend 1.5 gallons as a minimum but you can grow short plants comfortably in a 1 gallon pot

monkeybones said:

you can flower in any sized pot. i recommend 1.5 gallons as a minimum but you can grow short plants comfortably in a 1 gallon pot

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might just stick to this pot for flowering, esp since i don't really have a huge amount of light either... though if the roots start coming out of the drain holes, or i feel like it needs to go bigger, ill transplant

I was taught to plant the tap root down, I have done it for years and never had a problem with my root turning upsidedown. What do you mean it loops around the seed ?

went ahead and got a 3 gallon smart pot, for 7 bucks, hopefully 150 watts will be enough for flowering ( this is the bulb i have Feit Electric ESL40TN/D 42-Watt Compact Fluorescent High-Wattage Bulb, Daylight)

sorry for all the posts, but one more question can i extra nutrients from soil, like mixing 2-3 inches of soil in like 16 oz of water, then filtering and feeding that to the plant?

aight, guys this lil girl is starting, broke ground with her two little leaves about 6-7 hrs ago, pretty excited didn't think it would happen so fast