New.. Tips and Experience needed!

[HunnyRocker]

Hey everyone .. Im just starting to get into growing pot since ive been smoking it for a while and well .. id like to smoke it for free so this is what i have going on atm... I bought soil for the pots . . and miracle gro for fertlizer .. and a 18" 18 watt florecent light .. i plan on growing 3 - 5 plants and atm my seeds are in a damp paper towl in a baggy trying to sprout.. so i was wondering if this will work? i have an attic and its fairly hot .. like room temperature + 20 degrees at least. but it gets cold at night .. now i dont know if a fan would work to cool it down and have it on a timer so at night it will be off so its just regular outside wheater. any tips and is my lighting ok and anything else would help me out .. thanks

[bombbudpuffa]

You should go to the lighting section, as well as this one and read as much as possible.

[LilExperiment]

I suggest not to grow in the attic, the perfect temp should be 72-78 degrees and not more...and just a fan is really not gonna cut it if its so hot to begin with...do you have anywhere else you can grow and it would not be so suspicous ?(if thats what ur worried about)...I think you should look into growing in maybe a closet that you can easily install a vent it. thats what I did and Im a first timer to, and my 3 lil babies are doing just fine....

ps, what type of florecents are you working with?

[HunnyRocker]

it just explains whats good to use .. but im kinda on a small budget so would my 18 inch flourecent light that produces 18 watts good enough? if i leave it like 1 - 2 inches from the plant?

[HunnyRocker]

its just like one of those light fixtures u can buy from wal-mart with a switch on it .. i dont have the spec's on the bulb but i was wondering if it would work .. if not should i buy this 3 bulb package deal which they all give out 1750 lumen's each and just buy a shitty fixture to hold them all and wire it to a plug and use that instead.. and i dont really have a cupboard in my room.. mothers a organized freak and all my funiture has to match so if i brought something random in the house she'd go A wall .. ( btw the attic is cold at night .. its just hot at like .. 1 till 7

[triprey]

You are going to need a lot more light than that. The CFL's are a great way to start on a low budget. Do what bombed said and go to the lighting section to learn as much as you can about CFL's. Pay attention to discussions about lumens and kelvins. Lumens are how much light is put out by a bulb and Kelvins (K) are the light spectrums (color range) the light has. You need about 6500K for veg and 2400K for flowering. You will just be wasting your time with the light you have now. Good luck and I hope this helps

[bombbudpuffa]

HR, you should read, read, read before starting your grow. It seems like you don't even have the basics down yet and you're going to kill anything you start at the moment. You need 50 watts or 3000-5000 lumens per square ft of lighting. You're going to need air exchange in your room or ventilation. You have to keep your room between 65-75 degrees. Theres a lot more, I suggest you read. All the questions you've asked have been asked lots of times and the info is here, you just have to read.

[HunnyRocker]

i have read .. im just asking .. now i got a new light fixture it has 2 lights running side by side at 34 watts a piece so that should do it .. and il hang them 2 inches above the plant and move them on a string everytime it grows.. im going to try it in my attic with a fan blowing because it only gets real hot in there for a little while like3 hours and the rest is nice a cold and it has a million vents that leads to fresh air outside becuase its right there at my roof... so ill just put a fan blowing nicely for air travel and the vents will go right outside.. and ive read a lot on the forums but there is no step by step instruction on exactly everything.. and ive read otehr sites .. i think the best thing for me to do is just get some experience .. anywawys the seeds have sprouted lil tiny pieces so im going to plant them shortly .. wish me luck!

[bombbudpuffa]

Good luck!

[HunnyRocker]

have another quick question ... i set it all up in my attic but there is a lot of insalation and its not just that stuff that u put in ur wall its like particles .. hard to explain .. its almost like fake snow but its insalation .. anyways .. i was wondering .. shoul di be worried about a fire happening? what are the odds? i have a fan blowing directly on the plants and the light very softly so it wont smother it but it will drop the temperature becuase of the heat of the room.. and my electrical plug in has ply wood under it .. ( like where the extension cord plugs in the light and fan ) .. i just wnat to be able to sleep at night .. please respond honestly!

[booradley]

If it is really insulation, it should be pretty flame retardant.

Have you considered running your lights at night? doing that will keep it warm at night and cooler during the day.

[bombbudpuffa]

Hey, HR, why not just use a closet? It would be a lot easier to maintain.

[HunnyRocker]

i would except my mother is one of those neat freaks and every piece of funiture has to match everything else .. so this is basically the only area i can do it .. running th elights at night is actually a really smart idea.. since it is cool in there and that will warm them up .. so it shouldnt catch fire from a spark or anything like that i guess since its flame retardant?

[bigbudsbruddah]

i would except my mother is one of those neat freaks and every piece of funiture has to match everything else .. so this is basically the only area i can do it .. running th elights at night is actually a really smart idea.. since it is cool in there and that will warm them up .. so it shouldnt catch fire from a spark or anything like that i guess since its flame retardant?

Your mother is aware of what you are doing correct? If not STOP GROWING!!!! You don't want your parents getting in trouble because you are trying to get a free high. When you get your own place then grow.

[KingKahuuna]

Yo-Ho HunnyRocker,
I think that I am reading of some upcoming problems for you dude. You want experience, cool, but if you were aboard a flight with me and we had planned on doing some aerobatics, I could not, and would not release you to fly unless you had the mind set and the basic knowlege as to what you are doing. You were right to ask about the idea of a fire, and I have seen good answers for you here, but you seem a bit resistant to some of this.

I know you might want to tell me to go kiss off, but we all would like to help you to not grow poorly, or have disasters that cause you to get turned off to the idea of your own grow ya know ? We are on your side, and have lots of good things that you really do want to consider. Some of us older fellows have been around growing for many years and we pick up on what works and what doesn't. I am 52 and there are older guy's than me here, and smarter, and been growing like thay are mad scientists or something. Look at BombBudPuffa, his turn around time is amazing, and he is getting the grow down to artwork, Then you got so many other wonderful folks here that are fantastic growers it's not funny, look at their pics, and remember none of these folks would burn you or lead you wrong.

Security is always paramount even here, so here we can start if your interested. What you need is an at home stealth setup. starting small is cool, but look over your situation carefully. Can you put up a locking file cabinet in your garage or your closet, or somewhere where all peeps in the place will leave it alone ? I have seen some great pics of a growbox done inside a file cabinet and obviously it can be locked.

Attics are at best not the best choice, but there are always exceptions to the rule. Basements, closets, and garages are something to think on.
Here is your checklist:
1. Find a good spot for your grow
2. determine how many plants you will grow at one time.
3. What materials will you need to build a box, or go with what is existing.
4. material checklist is open ended, modifications always happen.
5. gather your supplies and materials, remember lights and vents.
6. build your setup.
7. Don't germinate till your 100% ready

and go one step at a time. I know what I am talking about as I am still finishing up the lighting details for my growbox , and I wanted something growing awhile now. Life has taught me to go easy and carefully.
I guarentee that there will be plenty of help for you, and remember the only stupid question is the one that doesn't get asked. Read as much as you can and then let's talk.
smoke in peace
KingKahuuna

[HunnyRocker]

wow great advice .. i have been reading a lot .. but it gets sort of confusing with all the short forms of words.. but maybe i should take down my set up then? or maybe i shouldnt grow here at all .. my mother doesn't know that im doing this but i would rather grow my own the buy it.. a filing cabnet sounds good but ventilation doesn't and neither does the smell .. maybe i just ran into it fast and should take down my set up? i dont want a fire so thats a real headache for me at the moment .. so maybe its fait . what do you sugest .. i take it down and rethink everything and a better spot to grow or should i leave it up and see if it will work please guide me . Thanks for everything aswel. From everyone.

[bigbudsbruddah]

HR ur only option is to take it down. Respect your parents and don't do things in thier house that they don't want your doing.

[newgrowth]

It's just a matter of time before Mom finds out about your grow, and just because you are in the attic doesn't meen you are safe from that. What happens when a electrician or a cable guy or someone in the family needs to get into the attic ? However if I was going to do it I would use a enclosed grow box up there with a bathroom ceiling fan feeding cool air into the box from the main part of the house and use flexible duct to vent to the outside of the attic, CFL's would have to be used, Personally I would wait until you had your own place , I waited many years until my kids were gone to college to start my first grow, but now I have a grow room and my first grow is 4 weeks into flower. Do it when you have your own space and then you can dedicate a room for it and do it right.Just think about how sweet that first bud will be then...

[triprey]

HR

What they said. :goodposting:

Take it down and wait till you are ready and have your own place. :aok:

[KingKahuuna]

HMMMMmmmm,
Everyone is correct. I am a parent too, and I also waited. Honor your parents first cause it would kill you to see your mom in handcuffs. Crap what a nightmare scene that would be. Cops all over, and her in tears, and Dad just starin at you, run fast, run far would be your new motto.
If you can hold out, next year you could do an outdoor stealth grow.

smoke in peace
KingKahuuna

[scoot1073]

Thats some good ADVICE.....

[HunnyRocker]

thanks guys.. i unplugged it just recently.. i think i rushed into it to quickly and i need to learn more .. and all i did today was worry about my mom and my house catchin on fire so i could sense it wasn't time for me yet.. im still going to keep an eye out for some nice things to grow in etc .. im just gonna have 1 plant beside me under this reallly nice light at my comp desk and if my mom asks anything .. then oh well.. i just wana see if it will work :) i do appreiciate all the honest answers etc.. thanks all