Getting Started.....

[Weed+Physics]

Dont worry about it, I should have been more specific and believe me, I stay on top of my school stuff, why do you think I included physics in my username?

Anyway, it seems to me that for starters, I will need that light (I think it is a 400w HPS, but not sure), a few 1 gallon buckets, fox farm organic soil, and some kind of nutrient pellet to get it going? I will use a 18/6 lighting schedule and I think I know how to water; soak completely and then resoak later after top 2in dry and pulling away from sides. To get the seeds to germ, do i wrap them in wet paper towel or something (a friend did this once i think)? And after they have germed, do I put them directly into the 1 gallon buckets?

I cant really trust my house's thermostat, it is an old place (1920's) and it is cold as balls outside. I was going to use a space heater to keep it warm, but I don't know how reliable that will be....also, would you recommend the upper end of 70-80 degrees for better yield?

 

[JBonez]

Dont worry about it, I should have been more specific and believe me, I stay on top of my school stuff, why do you think I included physics in my username?

Anyway, it seems to me that for starters, I will need that light (I think it is a 400w HPS, but not sure), a few 1 gallon buckets, fox farm organic soil, and some kind of nutrient pellet to get it going? I will use a 18/6 lighting schedule and I think I know how to water; soak completely and then resoak later after top 2in dry and pulling away from sides. To get the seeds to germ, do i wrap them in wet paper towel or something (a friend did this once i think)? And after they have germed, do I put them directly into the 1 gallon buckets?

I cant really trust my house's thermostat, it is an old place (1920's) and it is cold as balls outside. I was going to use a space heater to keep it warm, but I don't know how reliable that will be....also, would you recommend the upper end of 70-80 degrees for better yield?

the optimum temp for flowering is 78 degrees, so yeah upper end of the spectrum.

i start my seeds in soil, i water the soil (ff) poke a hole, and drop the seed in about 1cm deep. i use plast waterbottles to lock in humidity and warmth, the seeds love it, click my link in my sig and you will see an example in the first few pics.

just monitor your temps, you will be fine.

 

[JBonez]

my diy for starting seeds got deleted, but my seeds have germinated 100% every time, all the fancy smancy paper towel and cup o water business is pointless really. my seeds are breaking surface in less than two days, maybe its because its the way nature intended, i dont know.

here ya on the school business, i wish i would have done better, and physics is something ive taken great interest in, after grad, go figure. But i still found English more interesting ultimately, so i majored in that.

 

[Weed+Physics]

So should i fill up a plastic bottle halfway with soil and put them in? If so, then how do I transfer them safely later? Also, I have come across a lot of posts talking about soil pH and what not, but I dont know what to be looking for or how to look for it. Finally, I am not worried about my visitors smelling anything so much as I am worried about people outside; my closet is on the same side of the house as the sidewalk, but it is on the second floor.

(btw, i am learning a lot more by asking questions than all of the forum surfing i have done)

 

[JBonez]

Nah, just get some water bottles ( i used Fiji brand, i like the shape) cut the tops off, turn upside down and put them on top of the soil where the seeds are, this keeps it very humid,100% and warm, two things that seeds need to sprout fast.

CLICK HERE FOR AN EXAMPLE

 

[JBonez]

on the subject of ph, weed grown in soil likes a ph between 6.3 and 7.0, nutrients will drop the ph, you have to adjust the ph after you add nutrients.

Use distilled water, it is supposed to be neutral at 7.0, but its not, my distilled water has a ph of 5.5, i add nutes, then adjust with ph up until my ph is about 6.5, then i feed or water accordingly.

 

[Weed+Physics]

That is pretty ingenious with the fiji bottle....
The pH issue is probably the one for which I have the least knowledge.
Where can I buy a soil pH tester and the proper nutrients (and what they are) and pH up? Is it similar to the pH tester used in pool maintenance?

 

[JBonez]

That is pretty ingenious with the fiji bottle....
The pH issue is probably the one for which I have the least knowledge.
Where can I buy a soil pH tester and the proper nutrients (and what they are) and pH up? Is it similar to the pH tester used in pool maintenance?

ingenious, lol, thanks, but it really is just a more simple version of a propagation dome, same principle, but this way you dont have to transplant.

not sure about the pool ph tester. You can get the little chemical testers with the paper strips, but they arent accurate enough for me, i just nutted up and bought a 200.00 ph tester that measures ph, temp, ec/tds.

i just dont believe in skimping on the supplies, but really, any digital ph meter that can be calibrated is all you need. If you go online, where ever you are, google a hydro shop in your area, your in college, so you should be in an area that is not otherwise sparse in population, indicative of a larger city where you would be most likely to find a hydro shop.

hope that helps

ps, im not going to say what the best nutes are, i like Botanicare pureblend pro Grow and Bloom formulas with a phosphorus enhancer supplement made by them as well, but thats for the flowering state, when you start growing, start a grow journal, we can coach you on from there when we can see your pics and what you have going on. This hobby IS TRIAL AND ERROR, you will not gain enough advice from anyone to do it perfectly, things will go wrong, your leaves may die, and you may get an infestation of critters that eat pot plants, but you will never be able to do anything to ultimately prevent that until it happens, just prepare for the worst and expect the best, you WILL learn as you go, you really have to see it through first hand to grasp it, but your first grow will be a breeze once you get the hang of it.

 

[JBonez]

Wow, there actually might be a place around here that works.....
I am in a small town so that was a surprise. Thanks for your help JBonez. I will probably post some more a bit later......

Cool cool, gotta run myself, cya round, and try and search for what you want to know, the site is good, but i googled my concerns, check other grow sites for different variations of questions and answers, ultimately this site is best around imo, you will learn, just give it time.

later

 

[jusblazebaby]

you cannot begin growing in a clear fiji bottle, ive learned that, the roots need darkness. so rather than putting them in a clear bottle you should start them off in like a colored garbage pale from the .99cent store or something dark around the sides, brown or black. when you grow in something clear like that it's almost like the roots are in a tanning bed. hope it helps, i jus holla'd because i just made that mistake my thread is, (Ghetto but awsome check it out and im changing the way i have it setup soon. hope i helped you out dude.

 

[Kupunakane]

Yo Ho Weed+Physics,

I'm sure that you will have realized by now that you will encounter many different thoughts on growing. You will hear everything from how to sex your beans by placing them one way or the other, all the way to spraying vodka on your buds to make them better, But not here, we know better.

I am one of the older fellows here, and have been farting with horticulture for many years now, and one thing I know is certain, and that's that it is a weed. LOL:rofl:

Germinating your seeds can be done all sorts of ways, but it really boils down to you. You can hurry the germinating along by using the paper-towel method or you can just plop a seed into the very container that your going to grow it in.
A good size container should be a three gallon one. smaller than you might think.

A 400 watt HPS would be great if you can vent the heat, and remember that when the lights go off, the temps in that room will most likely drop also from what I hear that your space is old and perhaps drafty.

You seem to be willing to fine tune things, so the closer that you can get to temps being 76*-78* degrees the better. I also think you will find that growing is rather addictive. I'm hooked, and if the rest of these folks here boned up to it they will tell you the same, their hooked into it too. LMAO
Good Luck in all your endeavors

smoke in peace
KingKahuuna

 

[JBonez]

you cannot begin growing in a clear fiji bottle, ive learned that, the roots need darkness. so rather than putting them in a clear bottle you should start them off in like a colored garbage pale from the .99cent store or something dark around the sides, brown or black. when you grow in something clear like that it's almost like the roots are in a tanning bed. hope it helps, i jus holla'd because i just made that mistake my thread is, (Ghetto but awsome check it out and im changing the way i have it setup soon. hope i helped you out dude.

you really need to do this.

1. Scroll up
2. Reread everything i just wrote,
3. Good advice tho.