The ONE thing to do BEFORE you grow

vhawk

Well-Known Member
That ONE thing? It's spending about 4 to 6 hours reading.

Trying to fix problems after they happen is a lot more difficult than prevention.

Spent $100 on seed but only bought one crappy fan. Then shortly after that seed sprouts in waterlogged poorly draining over fertilized soil they wilt and fall over dead. At which point we try to figure out what happened. Go back to that one thing we should have done and it'll save time and money.

Maybe one makes it past the seedling stage, but those plants never seem to look like anything more then cannibis version of a Charlie Brown Christmas tree. So one pours more water on them after finally find them among the shadows, under the dim compact fluorescent lights. Then once they are stunted one finally goes and reads the forums to find out that you have to get a compact fluorescent light really close to your plant. And that more water doesn't solve most problems.

Maybe on that first grow a guy gets lucky and actually gets 4 or 5 sets of leaves. Then notices on his stretched out, magic Beanstalk looking plant, tiny red spiders having a party. They start throwing silk everywhere but never seem to turn into pretty butterflies. Those plants curl up turn brown and die. Then e take a picture and posted on the forums and wonder what went wrong. Guy puts his hand in front of the one cheap fan they bought and wonder if it's pushing any air. He realizes it set on high but you can still count the revolutions per minute.

Maybe we get a little farther into the grow without reading up first. Maybe now those two or three plants have filled up the tiny little closet they are in. And we figure plants love humidity, as you watch the walls drip condensation. The plants love it so much that soon they're growing what appears to be cocaine all over their leaves. And then they wilt and die. And then we spend some time reading on the forums all about powdery mildew.

I could go on and on but I'm wasting the time we should be spending reading what the experienced to growers have to say. 4 hours of reading before you germinate your first seed is the minimum. It will save you countless hours of wasted time, and wasted money. Growing is a great hobby for me. It keeps me from being intellectually lazy.

Hope this was worth reading. And thank you to all the experienced growers that have shared their time and efforts on this forum.

Vhawk

1st grow, swapped lights just for the pic.
Day 2 on 12/12, germinated on 1/5. Northern Lights #5. Little 2x4x6 tent. 400w HPS. Three 6 in clip on fans, one oscillating 10 inch fan suspended, charcoal in line filter, giant ass vent fan that pushes way more air than it probably needs. 5gal Smart pots on rolling pot stands to keep air flowing under. FF soil and nutes. + a little extra cal-mag. 20160215_101147.jpg
20160215_101147.jpg
 

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vhawk

Well-Known Member
I'm a professional new guy. And I spent a lot of time saying oh shit to myself after coming really close to making a bunch of mistakes. I got lucky to spend as much time as I did reading.
 

BarnBuster

Virtually Unknown Member
Ik right, Inda, just when I think i know some shit {{puffs chest out}}, I read someone taking it to the next level and beyond or proving what I "know' is right, wrong:)
 

Craig1969SS

Well-Known Member
That ONE thing? It's spending about 4 to 6 hours reading.

Trying to fix problems after they happen is a lot more difficult than prevention.

Spent $100 on seed but only bought one crappy fan. Then shortly after that seed sprouts in waterlogged poorly draining over fertilized soil they wilt and fall over dead. At which point we try to figure out what happened. Go back to that one thing we should have done and it'll save time and money.

Maybe one makes it past the seedling stage, but those plants never seem to look like anything more then cannibis version of a Charlie Brown Christmas tree. So one pours more water on them after finally find them among the shadows, under the dim compact fluorescent lights. Then once they are stunted one finally goes and reads the forums to find out that you have to get a compact fluorescent light really close to your plant. And that more water doesn't solve most problems.

Maybe on that first grow a guy gets lucky and actually gets 4 or 5 sets of leaves. Then notices on his stretched out, magic Beanstalk looking plant, tiny red spiders having a party. They start throwing silk everywhere but never seem to turn into pretty butterflies. Those plants curl up turn brown and die. Then e take a picture and posted on the forums and wonder what went wrong. Guy puts his hand in front of the one cheap fan they bought and wonder if it's pushing any air. He realizes it set on high but you can still count the revolutions per minute.

Maybe we get a little farther into the grow without reading up first. Maybe now those two or three plants have filled up the tiny little closet they are in. And we figure plants love humidity, as you watch the walls drip condensation. The plants love it so much that soon they're growing what appears to be cocaine all over their leaves. And then they wilt and die. And then we spend some time reading on the forums all about powdery mildew.

I could go on and on but I'm wasting the time we should be spending reading what the experienced to growers have to say. 4 hours of reading before you germinate your first seed is the minimum. It will save you countless hours of wasted time, and wasted money. Growing is a great hobby for me. It keeps me from being intellectually lazy.

Hope this was worth reading. And thank you to all the experienced growers that have shared their time and efforts on this forum.

Vhawk

1st grow, swapped lights just for the pic.
Day 2 on 12/12, germinated on 1/5. Northern Lights #5. Little 2x4x6 tent. 400w HPS. Three 6 in clip on fans, one oscillating 10 inch fan suspended, charcoal in line filter, giant ass vent fan that pushes way more air than it probably needs. 5gal Smart pots on rolling pot stands to keep air flowing under. FF soil and nutes. + a little extra cal-mag. View attachment 3609487
View attachment 3609487
Very much worth the time to read and relate to. By the looks of that grow that space will be filled with colas
 

researching

Well-Known Member
Reading and researching is paramount. And the key is to never stop. Am I good at what I do? I think so. But I will never rest on my laurels. Learning never ends and there is always something new and different. IMO 4 hrs doesn't even scratch the surface.

You typed a shit ton of words to say one thing...... RESEARCH! Lol
 
I'm a professional new guy. And I spent a lot of time saying oh shit to myself after coming really close to making a bunch of mistakes. I got lucky to spend as much time as I did reading.
Hey vhawk,

It's like Benjamin Franklin said " An ounce of prevention is worth more than a pound of cure"
Don't worry everyone makes mistakes, live and learn.
If I may offer a tip: Try introducing silica into your feeding schedule to strengthen your plants and make them more resistant to pests etc
 

researching

Well-Known Member
Silica is the shit! People ask me "how are your stalks so thick and rigid"? They are healthy, fed twice a day and SILICA.
 
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