Please Help Me With Growing 101 !!

[Mudman]

HELP !!
Could use any and all help and advise on a number of items. I have a bunch of issues and criteria that I have to consider. I will list them in no particular order.
*I have smoked for years, so I have a pretty high tolerance for good smoke.
*I have many medical issues, including, anxiety, chronic pain, Fibromyalgia and insomnia.
*Although I live in the U.S. right now, I also have a home in Brazil. I will be returning to my home in Brazil after the New Year (2013). Cultivation of MJ in Brazil for personal use is just now becoming legal. Depending on who you ask (weird I know..) you can grow up to 3 female plants.
*CONDITIONS-I will also be occasionally be visited by guests including my inlaws, who are "not-so-cool", if you know what I mean..yes its MY HOUSE, but I really don't need the aggravation. So...along those lines...I do have a small shed/outbuilding on the property on the building that I can use to grow a few plants in. Since I can only grow a MAX of 3 plants anyway, I was thinking of something like a modified PHOTOTRON or something along those lines.. I know that those things do get mixed reviews, but...What do you guys think? Any other similar options? Keep in mind that this is NOT an air conditioned space, and the outdoor temps can exceed 100+ degrees on a daily basis. I can employ fans and things, but heat will be an issue. That is why the flourescent & LED lighting of the PHOTOTRON seems like a good option.
*SEEDS-Now as I stated, I can only grow 3 plants at a time, so of course, I would want them to be FEMALES,as they produce buds, correct (?). I also need to know which strain(s) would be best suited for the unique conditions that I am forced to deal with. I need something that is:

A-A quick productive strain with a quick turnover, as I will only have 3 plants growing at a time
B-A strain that provides a strong high that helps to eleviate my intense, chronic pain. Helping me to sleep. Relieving my Stress/Anxiety and helping to sooth my Fibromylagia symptoms.
C-A variety that is preferably a rather short and wider plant as opposed to a taller plant. Bushy not tall. Stealth I guess...
D-I also would like to start out with something that is kind of "user friendly", as I am kind of a beginner. "back in the day", I used to grow mass quanitities of MJ in the Florida Everglades, but that was "quantity not quality":farm: LOL.
E-KEEP IN MIND THAT IT IS HOT IN BRAZIL. IT NEED TO BE PRETTY HEAT TOLERANT !F-If taste / flavor is an option, I am pretty traditional. Skunky, sticky...kushy kind of stuff...berry **** is cool too. I'm flexible .
LASTLY ~ (is that a word?) As far as ordering seeds...I never ordered seeds online...How safe is it? What kind of things do THEY do to insure that the Postal / Customs don't find my stuff? What precautions do I need to use to keep myself as safe as possible? I have checked out a few websites...ATTITUDE looked good...Any suggestions? How long can seeds be stored to be kept viable? As I can only use a few at a time, this is an issue for me. What can I do (if anything - to prolong their life...?).
I REALLY APPRECIATE IT GUYS (AND GALS). ANY HELP AND ADVICE YOU CAN GIVE ME WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED. ESPECIALLY IN REGARDS TO MY GROWING DEVICE AND STRAINS ! BE SAFE & GOD BLESS.
MUDMAN

 

[pcduck]

:ciao::welcome: To the Only Place:ciao::bolt::bong:

Most of your questions can be answered by checking out the stickies or browsing our forum. That was a lot of reading and I got bored when I got to the Phototron part. Soo I am not much help there.


:bong:

 

[OldDaddyFedder]

yes we have an exellent assortment of grow guides and information about that-its in the stickies-dang-I'm copyin the duck-lol
Welcome!!

:48:

ODF

 

[Locked]

Read through these>>>>http://www.marijuanapassion.com/forum/showthread.php?t=9396

Best place to start. When you have questions ask away, but first get the basics down. jmo

 

[The Hemp Goddess]

Ditch the phototron idea. First of all, they simply do not work. There are too many reasons that they do not work to go into it. Secondly, when you get as many fluorescent lights as you need, they will produce more heat than a HPS, cost more to operate every single month, and produce significantly less bud.

However, if your temps get to 100+, you are going to have to cool your space. If you cannot do this, you might as well not grow. It really doesn't matter what kind of lights you use, 100+ plus lights is too much.

 

[Mudman]

:ciao::welcome: To the Only Place:ciao::bolt::bong:

Most of your questions can be answered by checking out the stickies or browsing our forum. That was a lot of reading and I got bored when I got to the Phototron part. Soo I am not much help there.


:bong:

Sorry if I bored you. I have looked through the sight. I have a lot of application specific questions. Thought that you guys would be able to offer me some advice. Perhaps I am in the wrong place.

 

[Mudman]

Read through these>>>>http://www.marijuanapassion.com/forum/showthread.php?t=9396

Best place to start. When you have questions ask away, but first get the basics down. jmo[Thanks for your reply. Mud./quote]

 

[Mudman]

Thanks for your reply.

 

[Mudman]

Ditch the phototron idea. First of all, they simply do not work. There are too many reasons that they do not work to go into it. Secondly, when you get as many fluorescent lights as you need, they will produce more heat than a HPS, cost more to operate every single month, and produce significantly less bud.

However, if your temps get to 100+, you are going to have to cool your space. If you cannot do this, you might as well not grow. It really doesn't matter what kind of lights you use, 100+ plus lights is too much.

MUD

Thank you for the Info. SCREW THE PHOTROW...I'm not married to the idea...A tent or a cabinet is an option...
The cool light link was helpful. I have been looking into LED growlight options. I know that there are mixed reviews in regards to these. One of the obvious advantages of the LED's is that they generate very little heat. I CAN use an A/C unit if necessary, but it would almost be a 24/7 situation. Causing HUGE electrical consumption.
Again, I digress, does anyone have any suggestions for SPECIFIC STRAINS that would meet my criteria of being rather heat resitant, easy to grow, high yields, quick turnover, short bushy plants with heavy body highs ? Thanks MUD

 

[sMACkaddict]

maybe yuo should consider doing an outdoor/greenhouse grow? Might as well make use of the thing thats makin all that heat
You aren't going to find many people that have experience with your specific situation and have the perfect strain to recommend you...
check out seedfinder.eu for strains
I think theres even a seedbank in Brazil that I heard about... maybe they would be the right people to email about a heat resistant strain...

goodluck
sMACk

 

[sMACkaddict]

can't find anything about a brazilian seedbank...nevermind that

 

[Iams]

Read, Read, Read! and use the search feature. Almost all questions are answered if you read.

For every question I had that I searched for I was able to get answers to them and more information on questions I did not know or had thought up yet.

Welcome to the forums! Its a great resource.

Please don't take this as a turn off. The archives here are a great place to learn and you may get your answers to your questions faster than we can post replys. Plus you will get more info for other aspects for your grow.

Grow Great and Grow Green!

 

[HemperFi]

You will need a Sativa dominant hybred. you can vedge them under a T5 4 ft 4 bulb fixture. You will need to do a SOG (see of green). You will probably need to LST your plants and put a screen over them to keep them as low as you want. You can light them at night when the coolest when you decide to flower them out. Put a fan on them as soon as they sprout, and if you can swing it, get a small window AC for the 12 hours of light during the flower stage. Sativa strains come from equatorial regions, but are known to grow very tall. You can HST (high stress training) to make them into short bushes. I'm sure there is a lot of weed being grown in Brazil, and I am sure you can do it as well. Take some good nutrients back with you. General Hydrophonics Flora Nova three part nutes are very good and easy to use. I wish you luck, my friend -- you will want to buy Femmed seeds to assure that you get females. It would be way cool if you could send us updates and post some pictures here in MP. And I am no expert by any stretch of the imagination, but I will always be glad to offer any help I can give. I wish you well.

Peace

 

[Mudman]

THANK YOU HemperFi, That is exactly the kind of advice that I was looking for. I got a grip on everything that you told me. The A/C and lighting is no problem. Just a couple of questions:
As far as where I am going to physically grow them, since I'm only able to legally grow 3 plants at a time, do I need to allocate an entire room to growing or can I use some kind of tent or cabinet? I know that my obvious heat build-up issues are going to be a factor, but if I am cooling the room, wouldn't a tent or something be good? I'm just trying to think about being able to properly control the lighting cycles, and maintain darkness, you know what I mean?
As far as the strains, I know that the heat is going to be the biggest determining factor in how much if any product I am able to produce. That being said, I am just curious as to why you advised me to go with a Sativa dominant. Is this primarily because of the heat factor? I assume it is...BC I was under the impression that the Indica strains are a bit more user friendly for beginners, tend to grow shorter and more compact, generally have a much shorter flowering period (faster turnover -no?) and usually give you more of a body buzz ( I do have a bunch of pain issues).
Now of course, if your logic is that I'm not going to be able to grow ANYTHING in this crazy heat, and that why, I can dig it ! I can totally respect that. I hope that you aren't offended by my asking you these follow up questions. I just don't have a lot of room for error once I get down there. I personally have pretty unlimited financial resources, however Brazil is still a pretty uptight country, and it's not like you can bop on down to your local HYDRO store and pick up some supplies. And just about EVERYTHING that you buy thru the mail is OPENED / INSPECTED / TAXED / TARIFFED by the Federal Police. I'm sure that you've seen that show "LOCKED UP ABROAD"...well, I'm too old for a starring role on that show. LOL
So, I just want to try to make sure that I really have my sh*t together as much as possible and try to be as efficient as I can with my measly little 3 plants. While also trying to be as discrete as possible. Look forward to more of your "nuggets of wisdom"
Thanks Again to all. MUD

 

[Mudman]

can't find anything about a brazilian seedbank...nevermind that

I appreciate your advice. I wish that I could make use of the heavy duty Brazilian sun. I know that there are some serious grows in the Amazon. The only problem that I face is that, although it is legal to grow up to 3 plants for personal consumption, my in-laws there all the time, and they are pretty uptight. Locked away in my shed, They won't know anything...Yea, I could tell them to ram it, but I still have to live with my wife! :angrywife:

As far as Brazilian seedbanks, I thought about that myself. There is one place that I found, but that is really just a reference. I will have to check around when I get back there. I have scored some REALLY good smoke there, but as I have said, I can't afford to mess around with just some hit or miss action. Being limited to just 3 plants, I need to be sure that I have females,and that they are super HQ.
Tchau for now, MUDMAN over and out.

 

[Mudman]

You will need a Sativa dominant hybred. you can vedge them under a T5 4 ft 4 bulb fixture. You will need to do a SOG (see of green). You will probably need to LST your plants and put a screen over them to keep them as low as you want. You can light them at night when the coolest when you decide to flower them out. Put a fan on them as soon as they sprout, and if you can swing it, get a small window AC for the 12 hours of light during the flower stage. Sativa strains come from equatorial regions, but are known to grow very tall. You can HST (high stress training) to make them into short bushes. I'm sure there is a lot of weed being grown in Brazil, and I am sure you can do it as well. Take some good nutrients back with you. General Hydrophonics Flora Nova three part nutes are very good and easy to use. I wish you luck, my friend -- you will want to buy Femmed seeds to assure that you get females. It would be way cool if you could send us updates and post some pictures here in MP. And I am no expert by any stretch of the imagination, but I will always be glad to offer any help I can give. I wish you well.

Peace

For HST have you ever seen (or used) anybody used tape on the leaves? You just put a small piece of tape on the tip of the longest leaf and tape it to the outside of the pot thus gently bending the stem over. I saw a guy do this years ago. Seemed to work well. Just wondering. Thanx again. MUD

 

[HemperFi]

However you do it you don;t want the stems you crush to prohibit the liquids from going up into the plant, and yes, you can use tape to keep things flowing. It's just a way to keep them shorter and it produces a lot of bud sites on the plant. I suggest Sativa because I know it will take the heat better than the Indica you desire. You can tape the branch you break so it doesn't inhibit the flow of nutes going threw the plant. Growing only three plants at a time, you will have to start from seed every grow, so clones are out of the question. You will have to experiment my friend -- see how you can make it work -- I know you can do it...


Peace

 

[Mudman]

Yea, thats pretty much what I figured...as long as I don't kink the stems.

I figure on secreting a few diff. varieties of seeds in my next shipment of belongings, as it would be pretty crazy to carry them down with me on the plane. Mostly going to be working with seeds initially, but might try alternating back and forth between 2 mother plants and 1 clone and vice-versa. That way I still maintain 3 plants. We shall see how it shakes out.

Cruising around the sight, I saw that you seem to prefer DIRT over HYDRO... Any recommendations for my situation? Or pretty much 6 and 1/2? As far as a physical structure what do you suggest? Perhaps a cooled / vented tent?

I thank you for your time my friend. MUDMAN :cool2:

 

[The Hemp Goddess]

I would recommend an indica strain rather than a sativa dominant. Even with training, sativa dominant can get hard to control. And the sativa high tends to be a more up energetic high. If you are looking for pain relief and something for anxiety and sleep, I recommend an indica dominant plant.

You can buy tents for growing and a tent would probably be ideal for your growing situation. The size of the tent will depend on the size light you decide on (or vice versa). Then you do not have to cool the entire room, just the tent. Since you are only allowed 3 plants, I would recommend vegging for a couple of months so they get some size to them. You can still do the training that Hemper has mentioned. I personally have not found an Indica that will put me DOWN, however I am a very experienced smoker.

You may want to consider throwing 1 auto plant into the mix your first run so that you can have some smoke in 10 weeks or so, while the larger photoperiod plants are flowering. You really do not need to keep mothers. Many of us here take clones from clones. I really do not have room to keep mothers. Clones free you from having to smuggle seeds, which I imagine is really scary.

While I love hydro, unless you can keep your res temps in line (around 70), it will be hard to grow hydro, so you may want to start out with soil. You can buy chillers, but they are a little costy.

 

[HemperFi]

Mud, you can take any advice from the Goddess as gospel. I am growing in a tent in the back of my boat. In a 8x10 foot space I have a cloner, a small vedge area and a 4x4 tent. It is tight, but now, thanks to help from this forum, and the Goddess pounding the basics into my head, I have things pretty much dialed in, and my plants are doing real well. I suggested a Sativa hybred because of the heat issues you will probably experience, but if you set up a tent with the correct ventilation and some cool air flowing into a passive vent, you should be able to grow any strain you desire. I live in the desert and it is just now dropping below 100 degrees, but it is maintaining temps in the 70's and there is plenty of air exchange going on, and my plants are happy and growing splendidly. In a 4x4 tent you can grow three plants nicely and do any kind of training you wish. It's basically a matter of getting things dialed in. Light, soil, nutes, and air exchange are very important. It takes experience to know what is going on, but it isn't rocket science, and I am sure you can grow some very nice meds -- even in Brazil

Peace