Newb to growing, somebody take me under their wing

[stides]

Hi there I just started growing for the first time and this site has been extremely helpful and firstoff I would like to thank you for that. Now I have a couple questions. My little guys are currently 10 days old and I been following your guide for how to germinate them in the shotglass and water, have placed them into cups and they have started to grow.

Now I have been growing them by the window because I did not have a proper grow light. I had a 1500W hps light system that I acquired in the past, I tried to use it in the closet that im growing but I found out pretty quickly that 1500w's for a 1foot by 3foot closet is a little too powerful. The walls got so hot, I swear any longer and they would of started on fire. Anyways I have a 150w (1/10 the power) grow light on the way that should be delivered here within the next week.

My first question is will it be harmful to the little guys if i move them from the window to under the 150 HPS system in my closet?? Ive been reading a lot about changing light levels can shock the plants. Is this going to be a problem or are they still young enough to be ok??

My 2nd question is nutrients. I have no idea where to start with this? Can you give the newbie grower any tips on what nutrients to buy (brand name, chemical makeup) that I should be feeding these little plants? Im so out of the loop on this one and everything I read confuses me. Maybe you could simplify this a bit for me.

Thx for taking the time to read this post, your site rocks!

 

[UKgirl420]

hello and welcome to mp first of all
second your babies will be just fine under the hps just remeber to start with the light aboout a ft and ahalf a way and slowly lower till your babies are comforytable with it
third as for nutes there are lots to choose from ,,,i prsonally use ,,bio bloom and bio grow ,,they are organic ,,,but a lot like fox farms, canna ect best looking around and seeing what siuts your price range,,,goodluck with the grow eace:

ps start up a grow journal ,,you will get lots of help and advise just remeber to put it in your signature so its easy to find

 

[NYC_Diesel x Jack_Herer]

first of all, don't call them guys!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! you do NOT want guys! LOL You probably do not want them to start flowering yet so you want the HPS on them anywhere from 18-24 hours a day. When you want them to flower (start producing buds), you switch that HPS light so that it is 12 on and 12 off.

 

[Terminal Head Clearance]

If you move a plant from indoor lights... to.. outside under the sun you have to be careful because they will get sunburned from the suns UV rays. Moving from a window under lights is no problem. Plants like humans and camels can get sunburned.

1 x 150w in a closet grow is great. I grew 8 ft sativas in an area under the stairs with less.

I did a lot of experimentation with lighting.. bending.. fertilizers.. household chemicals.

I even tested pine sol for some root bugs at one time. Yes it was scientific. I used clear plastic cokde liters.

 

[Terminal Head Clearance]

As for fertilizers. Sorry, to tell you it depends on the soil or medium your growing in. Until thats determined.. you will be ok using 1/4 yes 1/4 of recommended dose for now.

I suggest, for simple easy reasons, that you go to choose store ... and buy African Violet Mix.. its pH adjusted and has some small ferts that will last about 3 months till you flower. Just water with water while vegging. Add a nitrogen once a month maybe.

Oh and get a bag of lime and add a cup for each 3 bags of African Violet Mix to 2 perlite.

 

[stides]

first of all, don't call them guys!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! you do NOT want guys! LOL You probably do not want them to start flowering yet so you want the HPS on them anywhere from 18-24 hours a day. When you want them to flower (start producing buds), you switch that HPS light so that it is 12 on and 12 off.

Lol ur right about calling them guys!! 18-24 hours?? I never knew you could leave them on 24 hours straight? Everything Ive read so far has been saying 18 hours on/6 hours off. Whats the benefits to having on 24 hours?? Do they grow faster? Do you have to water more often?

 

[stides]

hello and welcome to mp first of all
second your babies will be just fine under the hps just remeber to start with the light aboout a ft and ahalf a way and slowly lower till your babies are comforytable with it
third as for nutes there are lots to choose from ,,,i prsonally use ,,bio bloom and bio grow ,,they are organic ,,,but a lot like fox farms, canna ect best looking around and seeing what siuts your price range,,,goodluck with the grow eace:

ps start up a grow journal ,,you will get lots of help and advise just remeber to put it in your signature so its easy to find

Thx for the welcome and the tips! I will start a grow journal! You can watch me trial and error my way to free(hopefully) buddha!

 

[stides]

As for fertilizers. Sorry, to tell you it depends on the soil or medium your growing in. Until thats determined.. you will be ok using 1/4 yes 1/4 of recommended dose for now.

I suggest, for simple easy reasons, that you go to choose store ... and buy African Violet Mix.. its pH adjusted and has some small ferts that will last about 3 months till you flower. Just water with water while vegging. Add a nitrogen once a month maybe.

Oh and get a bag of lime and add a cup for each 3 bags of African Violet Mix to 2 perlite.

Ok the soil im growing in is called Miracle-gro potting mix and its numbers say 0.18-0.10-0.10. Maybe you could start off by telling if this is a good soil and secondly, what the heck those numbers mean? Is this comparable to african violet mix?

Whats lime? Like the fruits? Lol im honestly this clueless. Can you explain what lime is and how you add it to the soil?


PS: sorry for the triple post, im just tryin to get my post count up so I can post pictures.

 

[NYC_Diesel x Jack_Herer]

Yes you can leave them under 24 hours of light, some prefer 16, some prefer 18 or 20, but there is nothing wrong with leaving them under 24 hours of light and I leave all my plants under 24 light untill I flower them, this way I don't have to bother with another timer and my temps never fluctuate at all. Some people argue that plants need to rest, but I have seen no studies done that show benefit one way or the other.

Miracle grow potting soil will do in a pinch, but it certainly isn't great soil.

 

[dirtyolsouth]

Hello,

Welcome to MP and growing!

Running higher wattage HID lighting is entirely possible in the confined space of a closet IF you can provide adequate ventilation for your light and closet overall. Look into "Cool Tube" style of reflectors that are meant to be used connected with high velocity inline fans that pull the heat off of the bulb and route it into the attic or outside. This type of ventilation does make some noise but if you don't ventilate and you have a successful flowering the odor will SCREAM out your hobby to everyone who enters your house. And that brings up using an activated charcoal filter inline with your ventilation gear. I'd suggest stopping by an indoor garden store in your area to see how this type of system works. In larger rooms most people run a separate fan for pulling air through the charcoal odor filter and another for pulling hot air from the lights. I grow in a 2' x 4' x 8' closet and use only one kick *** inline fan that sits up in my attic and pulls air out of the room through a charcoal filter mounted up high in the closet then routed with 6" ventilation duct through my 6" cool tube reflector and then out of the top of the closet into my Ostberg 630cfm fan. This fan really does a great job. I thought I'd have to feed A/C into the closet but the fan pulls in enough cool air through the cracks in the door to keep temps in the mid 70's - only 2-4 degrees warmer than the ambient house temp.

I know that you hardly know where to begin but there is so much to cover we hardly know where to begin telling you what to do. If you really want to learn how to do this I'd suggest spending some time looking through all the "grow guide" resources available online or maybe even pick up a book such as "The Cannabis Grow Bible" or "Indoor Marijuana Horticulture." You'll learn so much more and it will be easier to piece all the info together. There are so many factors to consider that you could post questions for years before you pick up the info that a book or comprehensive resource will give you in just a few days of reading.

We're glad to help but there is SO much to learn that you'd get a much more rounded education if you read some of the great info that's already out there on growing our beloved herb from years of experienced growers.

Rock on and good luck!

Peace!

 

[dirtyolsouth]

Liming With Garden Lime – How, When And How Much

The universal solution for raising soil pH is liming with garden lime. Most vegetables, and all garden gnomes, prefer a slightly acid or neutral soil pH of 6.5 on a scale of 1 to 14 with 7 as neutral. Many soils are too acid to grow a great garden. Start with a soil test, and if your soil is below 6.5 adding lime is the answer.

When and How

Liming while plants are growing may harm those plants, so wait until after the garden season. It is best to add garden lime in the fall and let it break down over the winter. Planting two to three months later will allow the soil pH to adjust.

Lime (which is alkaline) and fertilizer (which is acidic) do not play well together, so add them to the soil at different times. The exceptions are manure or organic matter. These can also be added and worked in during the fall or winter.

Sprinkle the lime over the soil surface and rake it into the top couple of inches, letting it naturally work down to the root zone by spring. Do not till it deeply into the soil, it will leach down soon enough.

A soil test will tell you how often to lime, but usually every couple of years is sufficient.

What type?

The most common lime used in the garden is agricultural lime or ground limestone (calcium carbonate). It contains about 50% calcium, another essential plant nutrient . Once available only as a powder, pelletized lime is now offered as well. It can be dispensed from fertilizer spreaders and isn’t as messy to work with.

Some gardeners prefer dolomite lime, which contains maganesium as well as calcium. Magnesium is an essential nutrient, though needed in smaller quantities than calcium. I alternate the use of agricultural lime and dolomite, to get a better balance of nutrients.

Never use hydrated or slaked lime, sometime called quicklime. While this substance has many commercial uses, it is much too caustic for the garden.

How Much?

Starting a new garden? Test the soil. A comprehensive soil test will reveal, among other things, the soil pH of your native soil. It will also indicate how much lime is required to raise pH, usually given in pounds per acre or per 1000 square feet.

Thereafter, you can test the pH yourself with a simple inexpensive meter. Do not add lime unless the test reveals a need. Usually application rates are 2 to 3 pounds per 100 square feet of garden area, every couple of years to raise the pH from 5.5 to 6.5. Never apply more than 5 pounds per 100 square feet at any one time.

Bringing the pH level of your garden to a near neutral range will greatly increase your harvest.

 

[PencilHead]

Do you have an indoor grow shop in your area? This is a big question and will determine who on this board could help you. I use Fox Farm soil and the complete 6 nute schedule, but I'm in an area that's broke out with gro shops. Luck and peace.

 

[stides]

Do you have an indoor grow shop in your area? This is a big question and will determine who on this board could help you. I use Fox Farm soil and the complete 6 nute schedule, but I'm in an area that's broke out with gro shops. Luck and peace.

Yea I live in the City of Toronto, (a pot liberated city with plenty of hydro shops). I just have no idea what to buy. Its always so complicated!!! I wish someone could just tell me what to buy, how much of and how to use it. I know it sounds lazy but I just want to learn how to do it right once, then I promise Ill never ask again!

 

[Hick]

Yea I live in the City of Toronto, (a pot liberated city with plenty of hydro shops). I just have no idea what to buy. Its always so complicated!!! I wish someone could just tell me what to buy, how much of and how to use it. I know it sounds lazy but I just want to learn how to do it right once, then I promise Ill never ask again!

stides.. your best option.. "IMHO".. is to peruse the grow journals, find something/someone with a 'very' similar setup as yours. See what worked and what didn't for them.
Once you have a distinct direction your are heading, the easier for th members to advise, help you.
You have a huge advantage over many of the members here, just by being in a city with good garden shops at your access. You are lucky to have access to soils, nutrients, ect. taylored to MJ cultivation.
dirtyosouth has good advice, but is obviously working from a non-mj friendly environment, where the custom taylored items aren't readily available.

 

[Super Silver Haze]

if you want to do it right first then it all begins with YOU. it doesnt matter what nutes and feeding schedule someone tells you to use the end quality is dependent on your knowledge. if you are too lazy to acquire the base knowledge of growing then you will never be satisfied with the end product. stick with buying.

 

[stides]

if you want to do it right first then it all begins with YOU. it doesnt matter what nutes and feeding schedule someone tells you to use the end quality is dependent on your knowledge. if you are too lazy to acquire the base knowledge of growing then you will never be satisfied with the end product. stick with buying.

Im not lazy at all my friend! Ive spent hours reading boards and text files trying to figure this stuff out. My problem is everything I read is different and if youre new to this stuff it's really overwhelming! Thats why im asking just for something basic and easy to follow the first time I grow, then I can branch off and start learning from that and trying my own things!