Newbie with a Rough Situation but a Hopeful Plan. Please Help!
- Thread starter Robweed
- Start date
MrDank007
Well-Known Member
Rob, sorry I have been out of pocket.
As far as organic soil/nutes ... Fox farm is the fav on this site (hydro shop/$). I'd say no nutes for the first month or until you go to flower with your setup. It's pretty well mixed and for a first grow, I would say just go with what's in the bag and keep it simple. Make sure you drill drainage holes in those buckets.
As far as your CFLs: 6500k for veg (18 hrs on 6 hrs off) and 2700k for flower (12 hours on/12 hours off) is the most accepted. You may want to throw a 3-1 mix in each way (1 2700k bulb for every 3 6500k bulbs during veg/opposite during flower) for added spectrum.
Unless you are going to raise and lower the shelf or the plants you need your lights mobile. CFLs probably won't melt anything, but it is best not to have them touching anything. They are fragile and break easily...full of mercury and other badness. For you, I suggest a cheap bathroom vanity (home depot $12) and to put y splitters in it unless you want to make your own fixture. Hang it with some light chain and s hooks. CFLs need to be 2-3 in off the top of the canopy due to their poor penetration. If you leave them far off the plants, you will have stretchy, thin, crappy and weak plants. You are going to want to keep your plants short, LST whatever...keeping the light close will help keep em short and bushy. Remember, they will will double to triple in height when you switch to 12/12. They take off! So budget height early on.
Watering: You should stick your finger 2 inches the dirt and water if its dry...avg is every 3 days. In the seedling stage, you may want to get a cheap sprayer and just mist the top of the soil every day to keep it moist (don't overdo it). Don't mist the leaves as it creates a magnifier and burns them. If you get a little on them it is ok, just don't mist the foiliage as a practice.
As far as organic soil/nutes ... Fox farm is the fav on this site (hydro shop/$). I'd say no nutes for the first month or until you go to flower with your setup. It's pretty well mixed and for a first grow, I would say just go with what's in the bag and keep it simple. Make sure you drill drainage holes in those buckets.
As far as your CFLs: 6500k for veg (18 hrs on 6 hrs off) and 2700k for flower (12 hours on/12 hours off) is the most accepted. You may want to throw a 3-1 mix in each way (1 2700k bulb for every 3 6500k bulbs during veg/opposite during flower) for added spectrum.
Unless you are going to raise and lower the shelf or the plants you need your lights mobile. CFLs probably won't melt anything, but it is best not to have them touching anything. They are fragile and break easily...full of mercury and other badness. For you, I suggest a cheap bathroom vanity (home depot $12) and to put y splitters in it unless you want to make your own fixture. Hang it with some light chain and s hooks. CFLs need to be 2-3 in off the top of the canopy due to their poor penetration. If you leave them far off the plants, you will have stretchy, thin, crappy and weak plants. You are going to want to keep your plants short, LST whatever...keeping the light close will help keep em short and bushy. Remember, they will will double to triple in height when you switch to 12/12. They take off! So budget height early on.
Watering: You should stick your finger 2 inches the dirt and water if its dry...avg is every 3 days. In the seedling stage, you may want to get a cheap sprayer and just mist the top of the soil every day to keep it moist (don't overdo it). Don't mist the leaves as it creates a magnifier and burns them. If you get a little on them it is ok, just don't mist the foiliage as a practice.
Ok so I should get a bag of fox farm organic without nutes in it? Should I use any sort of fertilizer or nutes? And if so, do you recommend any? I want to try to keep it organic.
Also, I read that misting the foliage with water was good because it keeps the spider mites off and hydrates the plant. I think I saw it in a high times video.
I got my lights all hooked up already in the pictures above and the nice thing about that shelf is that the bottom piece slides up and down and locks so I can keep my lights in one place and just slide my plants to where they should be.
Also, I read that misting the foliage with water was good because it keeps the spider mites off and hydrates the plant. I think I saw it in a high times video.
I got my lights all hooked up already in the pictures above and the nice thing about that shelf is that the bottom piece slides up and down and locks so I can keep my lights in one place and just slide my plants to where they should be.
MrDank007
Well-Known Member
Don't mist, you'll regret it. You'll burn the leaves and increase the likelihood of mold. It's unneccesary.
Fox farms soil (site leans towards the ocean forest) is all organic and comes good to go for at least 30 days without adding nutes, which is probably all you are going to veg for. Which means all you really need is the fox farms big bloom nute bottle (all fox farms is organic) for flower. There are other soils and nutes that some may argue are better for the money, but FF is widely accepted and I wouldn't rack your brain too hard on a first grow if you don't have to.
I would wait a little longer than you think you need to when nuting and start off using half the reccomended dose, cause nute burn is a biotch. Work your way up gently and be conservative on a first grow. It's better to use no nutes than get in a cycle of burn, lockout, flushing, deficiency and trying to play mad scientist to fix your plants.
Fox farms soil (site leans towards the ocean forest) is all organic and comes good to go for at least 30 days without adding nutes, which is probably all you are going to veg for. Which means all you really need is the fox farms big bloom nute bottle (all fox farms is organic) for flower. There are other soils and nutes that some may argue are better for the money, but FF is widely accepted and I wouldn't rack your brain too hard on a first grow if you don't have to.
I would wait a little longer than you think you need to when nuting and start off using half the reccomended dose, cause nute burn is a biotch. Work your way up gently and be conservative on a first grow. It's better to use no nutes than get in a cycle of burn, lockout, flushing, deficiency and trying to play mad scientist to fix your plants.
there seem to be quite a few different preferences for perlite percentage
from about 5% minimum(and up)
for a straight up soil grow, maybe no more than 25%, though some do use more than that
i use a 1/8 proportion, more than that i've found you get some floating perlite issues when you water
from about 5% minimum(and up)
for a straight up soil grow, maybe no more than 25%, though some do use more than that
i use a 1/8 proportion, more than that i've found you get some floating perlite issues when you water
Ok cool.
Now me and a buddy were talking tonight and the subject of the cops tracking your ip address came up. Tracking people on here. Tracking content of searches.
Is it actually possible for them to do that and use that to bust you or obtain probable cause for search warrants and arrests?
Now me and a buddy were talking tonight and the subject of the cops tracking your ip address came up. Tracking people on here. Tracking content of searches.
Is it actually possible for them to do that and use that to bust you or obtain probable cause for search warrants and arrests?
that does get discussed here quite a bit, don't seem to be many arrests based on grow logs
it doesn't hurt to connect to the site via a proxy, that makes it difficult for you to be tracked
unless you get very loose with personal information, the danger here is very small
there have been a few cases of busted people having their grow logs produced as evidence in their arraignment
but the bust started from other info, talking about your grow usually
no smell, no tell, no sell
it doesn't hurt to connect to the site via a proxy, that makes it difficult for you to be tracked
unless you get very loose with personal information, the danger here is very small
there have been a few cases of busted people having their grow logs produced as evidence in their arraignment
but the bust started from other info, talking about your grow usually
no smell, no tell, no sell
MrDank007
Well-Known Member
I'm using fox farms ocean forest and it is squishy at first with some minor floating issues. It comes pre mixed. I'd just keep it simple and leave alone.
There is always a nagging paranoia about posting, but you don't hear much about it. If I get busted for posting about 2-4 plants, well I'll be the very suprised....
There is always a nagging paranoia about posting, but you don't hear much about it. If I get busted for posting about 2-4 plants, well I'll be the very suprised....
Carne Seca
Well-Known Member
I know of some growers that mix it with light warrior and perlite. I use straight OF. Haven't had a problem yet.