Looking to start growing my own and need a good place to start

I’ve been looking for something different to do and growing marijuana seemed pretty interesting. I haven’t really had much experience with plants/gardening other than watering some flowers, so I need a good place to start. I’ve got a decent budget, so I’m not worried about equipment costs, though I’d like to do a little more research online before I get ahead of myself. Are there any good articles or video tutorials on just some basic knowledge of growing? Also, knowing where to buy seeds, equipment, etc. would be greatly helpful as well. Thank you!

It's rough to be standing on square one. So many decisions. The first thing you're going to have to figure out is soil or hydro. I would say get really into learning about coco. It's sort of like soil, it's sort of like hydro. It's relatively easy to use, plants grow fast and harvests are nice. Once you've got that down you can start experimenting with other mediums if you so choose.

Medium > nutrients > lights > equipment like PH and EC meters / fans / ect ect.

I think the first thing you should research is the difference between Hydroponic style growing VS Organically amended soil.

Hydro requires almost daily reservoir mixing and constant checks and balances to make sure their nutrients are perfectly balanced every feed.
This can be alleviated with relatively expensive automation but it can sometimes be a lot just dialing those automations in and they enough redundancy to avoid large failures etc etc. It starts to snowball fast lol.

Organic growing is both budget and beginner friendly imo. You preload the soil with dry dust like amendments only water plain water. There are a few things you can add here and there to improve the overall organic biology but thats general gist.

Understanding this first will help you shape the rest.

Growweedeasy.com Everything you need to know as a beginner, is there. You can just copy what's stated and grow dank buds.

First things first; figure out WHERE you're gona grow. ...shed out back? The garage? Me personally, i picked the closet of our spare bedroom, we never have guests anyway

Second thing. ..tent or "room"? As a rookie, i advise a tent.

Finally, shop for and buy your gear. And you're off to the races.

Moist.Farms said:

I think the first thing you should research is the difference between Hydroponic style growing VS Organically amended soil.

Hydro requires almost daily reservoir mixing and constant checks and balances to make sure their nutrients are perfectly balanced every feed.
This can be alleviated with relatively expensive automation but it can sometimes be a lot just dialing those automations in and they enough redundancy to avoid large failures etc etc. It starts to snowball fast lol.

Organic growing is both budget and beginner friendly imo. You preload the soil with dry dust like amendments only water plain water. There are a few things you can add here and there to improve the overall organic biology but thats general gist.

Understanding this first will help you shape the rest.

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Dude you mix up a two part formula and PH it. The PH will drift, so you have to check it before watering again if you mix up a large batch. All grow styles can have automations.

The only real benefit with soil is less watering. Mixing organic materials is easy to screw up, and if you do screw up, it's a lot harder to correct.

Tip: anyone who claims "organic soil" is easiest, ask them how many bags of shit they keep on hand, ask about top dressing and brewing teas. Also ask them how long until nutrients are available to the plant. I could go on and on...
Then look into drain to waste coco growing.

Greetings! I think you have come to a good place but you will need to do some homework. In a sense, it is sort of like a construction project to get what you need or want for a grow room (or rooms).
When I started, it was with a small 4x2x5ft. high box. Now I have 3 of them. they give me plenty of quantity with 2 grows per year to give me more than enough to smoke.

So, like stated above, decide where - and how much grow area you need and want. Then I would start with potting soil (like fox farm or roots organics or organic soil with a history of pot growing). But thats just me. It gives you wiggle room to make minor mistakes and learn by them and it is easy to move grow pots around and or isolate them if need be. And what size pots to accommodate the soil. 6 plants in a 4x4 area works for me and any number of plants in that area gives me a good yield.

I would start with a tent these days. Light is most important. I would go with good quality LEDs that are designed for pot. Then figure out how much light or wattage you need to cover your grow area.
This is assuming that you are gonna grow inside..........

And read. And follow at least this forum for a while. Check out the grow journal section. Put a plan together before you buy it. dont get "Burple" lights . They can work but draw too much electricity.

It can be as complicated or as simple as it needs to be. Be careful of making too much of a science with it when you start or it will overwhelm you. Get a marijuana growers guide and read it, even if it is older than I am (and I am really old)............
Experience will be your best friend but you can start here or somewhere like it and do just fine.

thats my 2 bits - welcome to the insanity




used potting soil goes to a compost pile in my back yard for gardening and lawn growing.......... It helps break down the clay soil you know just by adding the organic matter. I had a hard time finding coco at the local hardware store.............

ajihu said:

I’ve been looking for something different to do and growing marijuana seemed pretty interesting. I haven’t really had much experience with plants/gardening other than watering some flowers, so I need a good place to start. I’ve got a decent budget, so I’m not worried about equipment costs, though I’d like to do a little more research online before I get ahead of myself. Are there any good articles or video tutorials on just some basic knowledge of growing? Also, knowing where to buy seeds, equipment, etc. would be greatly helpful as well. Thank you!

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It's way easier than it seems, I got started researching two months ago & now ($2000 later) I have some month old healthy plants. Plus everything i need for the next year or 2 p.s. its super fun & addictive

You just gotta dive in. Every grow style is different. I’m growing in soil because I want my end product to be organic. Organic is a lot more difficult to achieve in hydro or coco.

lights are whatever you want. Most people are going to recommended LED. If I was starting out again I might venture into the CMH fixtures. high end LEDs are pricey. They will last a long time.

I fixated to much on lights when I started. It is just one piece of the puzzle.

lusidghost said:

Mixing organic materials is easy to screw up, and if you do screw up, it's a lot harder to correct.

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You can buy premixed nutrients and minerals from Build-a-Soil, or you can go the Gaia Green or DownToEarth route.
Ive done it with both Peat and Coco bases and the only issue ive run into was a micro nutrient deficiency which was fixed with 1 foliar spray.
I dont have to ever amend mid grow cycle and i dont brew teas.
At most i add some Recharge to a res once a month.

It really is much easier than hydro if you just set it up right.

FYI admendment and nutrient prices are on a rise. Buy what you need now before it hits us harder. It should settle again once Putin calms down.

Practice growing a different plant first? Personally, if I had no experience growing anything from seed, I wouldn't waste money on expensive seeds. The random pack of flower or veggie seeds at the local hardware store will run you a few bucks and give ample seeds to try your hand at growing.

All the same basic practices used when growing a common veggie like lettuce or tomatoes will apply to growing cannabis. Hell, you can even practice your cloning methods using tomatoes as they are extremely easy to clone.

You may find that you just don't have the patience for growing and it's better to find that out after spending $100 vs $1000.

BlandMeow said:

Practice growing a different plant first? Personally, if I had no experience growing anything from seed, I wouldn't waste money on expensive seeds. The random pack of flower or veggie seeds at the local hardware store will run you a few bucks and give ample seeds to try your hand at growing.

All the same basic practices used when growing a common veggie like lettuce or tomatoes will apply to growing cannabis. Hell, you can even practice your cloning methods using tomatoes as they are extremely easy to clone.

You may find that you just don't have the patience for growing and it's better to find that out after spending $100 vs $1000.

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Very true. If you aren’t able to grow a tomato then you’re fucked.

Creature1969 said:

Tip: anyone who claims "organic soil" is easiest, ask them how many bags of shit they keep on hand, ask about top dressing and brewing teas. Also ask them how long until nutrients are available to the plant. I could go on and on...
Then look into drain to waste coco growing.

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I'll second that...I just mixed up 140 gallons of organic soil, then it needs to all be lugged to the basement after it brews for a few months, and then after the grow it all needs to be hauled back out to re-amend.

If you are in need of exercise and have a place to make a big mess, organic soil is a good way to go, lol.

manfredo said:

I'll second that...I just mixed up 140 gallons of organic soil, then it needs to all be lugged to the basement after it brews for a few months, and then after the grow it all needs to be hauled back out to re-amend.

If you are in need of exercise and have a place to make a big mess, organic soil is a good way to go, lol.

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I have more soil than that in my single 4x8 bed and i reamend and mix all in the tent.

Why on earth are you lugging soil around like that.

Synchronicity said:

even if it is older than I am (and I am really old).....

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We "really old" folks think about the same.

Moist.Farms said:

I have more soil than that in my single 4x8 bed and i reamend and mix all in the tent.

Why on earth are you lugging soil around like that.

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Well I am growing in 8-10 g bags in a large grow room, and there's a HUGE amount of dust involved. I couldn't imagine mixing it in my home. Plus it needs to "cook" for a few months, not to mention some of the amendments stink for a while.

I don’t think anyone grows organic because it’s easier. It’s all preference. We can split hairs about yield, flavor, potency, genetics but at the end of the day it’s a a labor of love.