New Grower. What do I need/need to know?

[buddifersure]

I've been reading through a lot of the threads but it would just be easier for me to have all the info I need personally in one thread instead of digging through a shit ton of threads. I know, I'm a bit lazy. Also, until I get a new job (hours got cut at my current), I am a bit limited on funds for now so the cheaper (but still effective), the better for me. Please don't tell me not to bother growing.

I got some seeds from my sister, not sure what kind as she's just been collecting them for a while. I also got some pots from a friend that are 6 inches in diameter and 6 inches tall. I'll be growing in my closet. I am aware I need light, a fan, and obviously some soil. Here are my questions:

1) Lights: What kind of cheap bulbs work best? I've seen a number of different posts about them but I want to know what's been shown to work best. Also, how close should they be to the plant? And let's say I'm going to grow two plants, one in each pot, how many bulbs should I use? I've read a lot about 12/12 lighting but I've also seen some other variations so help with that would be cool too.

2) Fertilizer and soil: What kind of plant fertilizer works best? Should I even use plant fertilizer? Does it matter what kind of soil I use or can I just use dirt from the ground?

3) Don't really have the money or skills to build/buy a carbon scrubber so is there anything else I can do to prevent the plants from reeking too badly? It's more so the skills I don't have once it gets to the part where I have to hook up a fan. Trust me, it's just not a good idea for me. lol.

4) About how fast should my plants be growing if I'm doing a halfway decent job?

5) I've established the fact that I shouldn't water every day but I've seen a few different posts about how often to actually water. So how often and how much? Also, what should the ph levels be throughout growing?

Any and all good feedback is mucho appreciated. Bad feedback just makes me sad. I have not actually started growing yet because I would like to do this right and not over-do anything. Or under-do.

Thanks guys!

 

[0calli]

Of your looking for the noob friendly thread to ask and get answers and not put down by big growers go to doggie nuts armegedon more money than sense fuk it here's the link we teach don't preach but you have to show your learning as well but we will be glad to help you out anytime here is the link https://www.rollitup.org/general-marijuana-growing/425185-doggies-nuts-armeggedon-more-money-621.html#post6627036

 

[0calli]

We got all your answers from led to hps from soil to hydro

 

[HonestJim]

https://www.rollitup.org/newbie-central/937-how-grow-marijuana.html

This link is the how to guide from start to finish. Helped me a lot !!!

 

[stonemalone]

I've been reading through a lot of the threads but it would just be easier for me to have all the info I need personally in one thread instead of digging through a shit ton of threads. I know, I'm a bit lazy. Also, until I get a new job (hours got cut at my current), I am a bit limited on funds for now so the cheaper (but still effective), the better for me. Please don't tell me not to bother growing.

I got some seeds from my sister, not sure what kind as she's just been collecting them for a while. I also got some pots from a friend that are 6 inches in diameter and 6 inches tall. I'll be growing in my closet. I am aware I need light, a fan, and obviously some soil. Here are my questions:

1) Lights: What kind of cheap bulbs work best? I've seen a number of different posts about them but I want to know what's been shown to work best. Also, how close should they be to the plant? And let's say I'm going to grow two plants, one in each pot, how many bulbs should I use? I've read a lot about 12/12 lighting but I've also seen some other variations so help with that would be cool too.

i use a 250w hps, 4 weeks vegging in 20/4 then into 12/12 for 8-10 weeks

2) Fertilizer and soil: What kind of plant fertilizer works best? Should I even use plant fertilizer? Does it matter what kind of soil I use or can I just use dirt from the ground?

bio bizz all mix soil is pretty good and relatively cheap, do not use just dirt from thr ground

3) Don't really have the money or skills to build/buy a carbon scrubber so is there anything else I can do to prevent the plants from reeking too badly? It's more so the skills I don't have once it gets to the part where I have to hook up a fan. Trust me, it's just not a good idea for me. lol.

its gonna smell if your growing 2 plants, im growing 5 and they are only just 3 weeks into flowring and the room stinks so if you can build a cheap carbon fiter it would be recomended

4) About how fast should my plants be growing if I'm doing a halfway decent job?

each strain grows differently

5) I've established the fact that I shouldn't water every day but I've seen a few different posts about how often to actually water. So how often and how much? Also, what should the ph levels be throughout growing?

don't water everyday you only feed every few days and wait until the top of the soil is dry before watering again

Any and all good feedback is mucho appreciated. Bad feedback just makes me sad. I have not actually started growing yet because I would like to do this right and not over-do anything. Or under-do.

Thanks guys!

..........

 

[buddifersure]

Thanks guys! I really appreciate the comments =)

 

[themanwiththeplan]

I also got some pots from a friend that are 6 inches in diameter and 6 inches tall.


this is probably too small. id get 1gal pots if i were u. those plants will outgrow that pot in no time. unless you go 12/12 from seed.


1) Lights: What kind of cheap bulbs work best? I've seen a number of different posts about them but I want to know what's been shown to work best. Also, how close should they be to the plant? And let's say I'm going to grow two plants, one in each pot, how many bulbs should I use? I've read a lot about 12/12 lighting but I've also seen some other variations so help with that would be cool too.

Well. the best lights are HID (mh and/or hps) they give you the most lumens per watt (140 lumens per watt while other like cfls give 70lumens per watt). if this is a closet grow them you probably have to stick with cfls as an hps will probably give off too much heat unless you use little 150w hps lights. these systems can cost you $70.

if you want to go with cfls (which is what i started with before buying hps systems) then you're gonna watt 100w of CFLs (not equivalent but consuming actually 100watts of electricity total) per plant. so if you use 25w cfl bulbs you're gonna want 4 per plant.

they don't run very hot so you want to get them as close as possible without burning the plant which is generally 1-2inches away from the leaves.

if you use cfls use 4 of them at a time but spread around the plant. use 1 for the top of the plant and put the other three around the plant for better coverage and eliminate dark sides/corners.

cannabis flowers at 12hours of light/12hrs of dark. the other schedules you're hearing about (ie. 18/6, 20/4, 24/0) are intended for the veg stage. the veg stage is where the plant grows but buds do not. the longer you veg the more you should yield come harvest time.

so no matter what you cant flower and 18/6 unless you have auto's which is unlikely if its beans she saved from bags of bud she bought as most for-profit growers don't grow autos).

12/12 is what you set your lights at when you're ready to begin flowering your plants (ie. when the plant fills up with buds). id suggest vegging at 18/6 or better (20/4 or 24/0) for at least 2 weeks after the seedlings sprouts above soil as it wont be mature enough right away to start blooming/flowering. 1month is ideal but not necessary.

2) Fertilizer and soil: What kind of plant fertilizer works best? Should I even use plant fertilizer? Does it matter what kind of soil I use or can I just use dirt from the ground?

nutrients are a must. You plant wont produce much and will probably die if it doesnt get any nutrients at all. soil is also something not to cheap out on.

I suggest starting with fox farm ocean forest (or light warrior) and the fox farm trio of nutes (ie. grow big for veg, big bloom, and tiger bloom for flowering) fox farm's website has a feeding chart to direct you on how much and when to feed your plants. you want to give them nutes every other watering after the seedlings have reached at least two weeks old but not before or you'll burn them.

the ocean forest soil has nutes in it to supplement to the plant for the 1st two weeks.

the bottles of nutes and soil will run you probably $60 or so all together. fox farm carries other nutes but they aren't required for growing.

if you use that set up of soil and nutes you should have little problems and a good quality harvest. ive used it when i began growing...switched to try other brands but im back using exactly what im telling you to use.

also dont feed your plants for 10-14 days before harvest or your buds will have a shitty taste, smell, and poor burn characteristics.

3) Don't really have the money or skills to build/buy a carbon scrubber so is there anything else I can do to prevent the plants from reeking too badly? It's more so the skills I don't have once it gets to the part where I have to hook up a fan. Trust me, it's just not a good idea for me. lol.


i forget where on this forum but there are DIY carbon scrubbers that are pretty simple to build. they cost $20 or so in supplies and takes less than 30min to make it. look into on the forum. search "DIY carbon" and something should come up.

it matters on who you're hiding it from. if its just you and your sis living there then a scrubber isnt needed. if you have lots of friends over that you want to hide it from them you'll probably need one. you might be able to get away with ona gel possibly but have that DIY scrubber made just in case.

if you live with your parents or something like that then forget it (just saying)

4) About how fast should my plants be growing if I'm doing a halfway decent job?

hard to say. too many variables.




5) I've established the fact that I shouldn't water every day but I've seen a few different posts about how often to actually water. So how often and how much? Also, what should the ph levels be throughout growing?


how much and how often you should water depends on many variables. what types of lights you use, what your temps are, humidity levels, etc.

best way to check is the lift test. after a watering lift your pot up and notice how heavy it is...then lift and empty dry pot for comparison. when you pots get light....its time for a watering. its better to underwater than overwater anyday. so let your pots get light to the point where they are almost all the way dry before watering .if you water too frequently it'll hurt the plant.

MONITOR YOUR PH. if you don't you'll have loads of problems. in soil you want your pH between 6.3 and 6.8 ideally. get yourself a pH meter or a pH test dropper kit (dropper kit is only $5 or so in stores). check your tap water's pH before giving it to the plants.

if your tap's pH is 7 (like me) then you'll need some pH down and a dropper (not much pH down is needed to make a difference...ie one teaspoon would be way too much) to lower your pH to a desired range.

when adding in nutes check your ph after all the nutes are mixed into the water (not before). ff nutes tend to lower pH so when i mix in my nutes i never need to use pH down as fox farm has done that for me and always gets me down to 6.5 which is a good halfway mark.

i usually water my plants a good 1:1 ratio. so if you have a 1gal pot i'd give it 1gal of water every watering. a 3gal pot: 3 gal of water. this way you know youre fully soaking the entire medium (which is what you want).

dont water everyday or even every other day. go by how heavy or light the pot is as not all plants take up water as fast as the other even if they are the same size in the the same size pot.



i hope this helps you.

 

[Rj41]

2) Fertilizer and soil: What kind of plant fertilizer works best? Should I even use plant fertilizer? Does it matter what kind of soil I use or can I just use dirt from the ground?

nutrients are a must. You plant wont produce much and will probably die if it doesnt get any nutrients at all. soil is also something not to cheap out on.

I suggest starting with fox farm ocean forest (or light warrior) and the fox farm trio of nutes (ie. grow big for veg, big bloom, and tiger bloom for flowering) fox farm's website has a feeding chart to direct you on how much and when to feed your plants. you want to give them nutes every other watering after the seedlings have reached at least two weeks old but not before or you'll burn them.

the ocean forest soil has nutes in it to supplement to the plant for the 1st two weeks.

the bottles of nutes and soil will run you probably $60 or so all together. fox farm carries other nutes but they aren't required for growing.

if you use that set up of soil and nutes you should have little problems and a good quality harvest. ive used it when i began growing...switched to try other brands but im back using exactly what im telling you to use.

also dont feed your plants for 10-14 days before harvest or your buds will have a shitty taste, smell, and poor burn characteristics.

3) Don't really have the money or skills to build/buy a carbon scrubber so is there anything else I can do to prevent the plants from reeking too badly? It's more so the skills I don't have once it gets to the part where I have to hook up a fan. Trust me, it's just not a good idea for me. lol.


i forget where on this forum but there are DIY carbon scrubbers that are pretty simple to build. they cost $20 or so in supplies and takes less than 30min to make it. look into on the forum. search "DIY carbon" and something should come up.

it matters on who you're hiding it from. if its just you and your sis living there then a scrubber isnt needed. if you have lots of friends over that you want to hide it from them you'll probably need one. you might be able to get away with ona gel possibly but have that DIY scrubber made just in case.

if you live with your parents or something like that then forget it (just saying)

4) About how fast should my plants be growing if I'm doing a halfway decent job?

hard to say. too many variables.




5) I've established the fact that I shouldn't water every day but I've seen a few different posts about how often to actually water. So how often and how much? Also, what should the ph levels be throughout growing?


how much and how often you should water depends on many variables. what types of lights you use, what your temps are, humidity levels, etc.

best way to check is the lift test. after a watering lift your pot up and notice how heavy it is...then lift and empty dry pot for comparison. when you pots get light....its time for a watering. its better to underwater than overwater anyday. so let your pots get light to the point where they are almost all the way dry before watering .if you water too frequently it'll hurt the plant.

MONITOR YOUR PH. if you don't you'll have loads of problems. in soil you want your pH between 6.3 and 6.8 ideally. get yourself a pH meter or a pH test dropper kit (dropper kit is only $5 or so in stores). check your tap water's pH before giving it to the plants.

if your tap's pH is 7 (like me) then you'll need some pH down and a dropper (not much pH down is needed to make a difference...ie one teaspoon would be way too much) to lower your pH to a desired range.

when adding in nutes check your ph after all the nutes are mixed into the water (not before). ff nutes tend to lower pH so when i mix in my nutes i never need to use pH down as fox farm has done that for me and always gets me down to 6.5 which is a good halfway mark.

i usually water my plants a good 1:1 ratio. so if you have a 1gal pot i'd give it 1gal of water every watering. a 3gal pot: 3 gal of water. this way you know youre fully soaking the entire medium (which is what you want).

dont water everyday or even every other day. go by how heavy or light the pot is as not all plants take up water as fast as the other even if they are the same size in the the same size pot.



i hope this helps you.

Only bits and pieces of this are correct.. most of it is just someones opinion.

Nutes are necessary, but even in cheap soil you should be able to wait until mid flowering before anythings necessary.
You don't need multiple bottle bullshit fertilizers. Keep it simple and you'll have better, hassle free results.

You will only rarely have ph issues in soil, period. That is a fact, and there is no debating it.
If a person DOES get a soil ph issue, it's because they listened to some bad advise and caused it themselves.

There's really no need to check the nute ph when growing in soil, that's just silly. As I said, you shouldn't need nutes until flowering anyway. It won't hurt anything to do it, but it's not necessary.

Watering using 1 gallon water to 1 gallon of pot size is wrong. This means 5 gallons of water for a 5 gallon pot!?!?! That's just ridiculous.

 

[themanwiththeplan]

Only bits and pieces of this are correct.. most of it is just someones opinion.

Nutes are necessary, but even in cheap soil you should be able to wait until mid flowering before anythings necessary.
You don't need multiple bottle bullshit fertilizers. Keep it simple and you'll have better, hassle free results.

You will only rarely have ph issues in soil, period. That is a fact, and there is no debating it.
If a person DOES get a soil ph issue, it's because they listened to some bad advise and caused it themselves.

There's really no need to check the nute ph when growing in soil, that's just silly. As I said, you shouldn't need nutes until flowering anyway. It won't hurt anything to do it, but it's not necessary.

Watering using 1 gallon water to 1 gallon of pot size is wrong. This means 5 gallons of water for a 5 gallon pot!?!?! That's just ridiculous.

Everything you pretty much said is pretty incorrect unless we're playing the "exact word" game.

Idk how you grow your plants but you have to feed before the middle of flowering. thats why they make veg nutes. it is infact necessary unless you go 12/12 from clone/seed but it will still need a doses of Nitrogen which is plentiful in veg nutes. you might be able to TECHNICALLY get away with using all veg or all bloom nutes for both stages of growth but you're gonna end up with poor results. using 1 bottle of veg nutes and 1 bottle of bloom nutes is pretty much standard. the boost (ie. for example fox farm has big bloom) is optional and my opinion but not a bad idea. what you dont need is the carb boost and crap like that.

So ph problems are rare in soil and when they do happen its the growers fault? How so? What if where you live your waters pH is naturally too high or too low for? is that a "rare" problem w/ pH in soil thats the growers fault? I am FORCED to use pH down everytime i water as my tap is 7.0-7.3 on avg. If i were to give that to my plants eventually the pH would go too high in the soil.

how would that be my fault? granted he may live somewhere where the pH is perfect out of the tap but thats note everyone and he should be made aware of it instead of finding out the hard way later on? he should at least check his tap water pH. we all should. its foolish not to.

I have 6 plants that vegged for 5+ weeks in 5 gal pots. do you mean to tell me that I could have gotten away without any nutes till flowering? if i did my plants would have been spindly pieces of S**t.

 

[themanwiththeplan]

also i water 1:1 as im sure to soak the entire medium without "flushing" it or putting unnecessary stress on the plant. Why wouldn't i dump the same amount of water through the pot as there is soil? what harm does it cause? none as it wouldn't be considering over watering (ie. too frequently). giving a lot at once has no ill effects. if anything it could only have positive results. i shouldnt just water until i get a little run off. im watering to get a good flow of runoff. I want to ensure there is not a dry speck of dirt in the whole pot.

im not gonna just give 1gal of water to my 5gal plant. thats not enough why risk it?

the way i water now (with 5gal pots) ensures i only water my plants once every 5-6 days on avg. Not bad. if i only watered 1 or 2 gal in the same 5gal pot it would dry out much quicker.

 

[nick17gar]

I've been reading through a lot of the threads but it would just be easier for me to have all the info I need personally in one thread instead of digging through a shit ton of threads. I know, I'm a bit lazy. Also, until I get a new job (hours got cut at my current), I am a bit limited on funds for now so the cheaper (but still effective), the better for me. Please don't tell me not to bother growing.

I got some seeds from my sister, not sure what kind as she's just been collecting them for a while. I also got some pots from a friend that are 6 inches in diameter and 6 inches tall. I'll be growing in my closet. I am aware I need light, a fan, and obviously some soil. Here are my questions:

1) Lights: What kind of cheap bulbs work best? I've seen a number of different posts about them but I want to know what's been shown to work best. Also, how close should they be to the plant? And let's say I'm going to grow two plants, one in each pot, how many bulbs should I use? I've read a lot about 12/12 lighting but I've also seen some other variations so help with that would be cool too.

2) Fertilizer and soil: What kind of plant fertilizer works best? Should I even use plant fertilizer? Does it matter what kind of soil I use or can I just use dirt from the ground?

3) Don't really have the money or skills to build/buy a carbon scrubber so is there anything else I can do to prevent the plants from reeking too badly? It's more so the skills I don't have once it gets to the part where I have to hook up a fan. Trust me, it's just not a good idea for me. lol.

4) About how fast should my plants be growing if I'm doing a halfway decent job?

5) I've established the fact that I shouldn't water every day but I've seen a few different posts about how often to actually water. So how often and how much? Also, what should the ph levels be throughout growing?

Any and all good feedback is mucho appreciated. Bad feedback just makes me sad. I have not actually started growing yet because I would like to do this right and not over-do anything. Or under-do.

Thanks guys!

1- Cheap good bulbs: CFLs, get 6500k (bright white/daylight white) for veg, and the warm white (2700K) for flowering
2- Fertilizer: You either need this, or excellent soil. chances are you want a mix of each. ferts are measured in NPK (nitrogen Phosphorus Potassium). veg you want high N low PK, flowering, you want the opposite. you always want a little of trace elements (theres tons, the big ones iron, sulfur, magnesium, manganese, calcium, molybdenum...)
3- dont worry about a carbon scrubber til your in flowering (over a month after the first seed hits the dirt), even then, ya dont need it til theres buds growing (another month or so). making a DIY scruber aint too bad, buying an excellent one is like 100 dollars. look around, no rush tho
4- after 1 month, you should be around 1 foot, 2 months, 2 feet. etc... when you switch to flowering, the better you are, the faster theres nugs, and less stretching. from day 1 to harvest, 3 months or so, 1 in veg, 2 in flowering, you end up wiht a 2.5 ft tall plant or so. (this is a rough estimate, it depends on the strain, your lights, etc....)
5- in soil, you water as often as the plants need, small plant take forever to dry out their soil, while big plants can dry the soil in their pot over night. a 1 ft plant, id water every 3-4 days, a 3+ foot plant might need watering every other day. stick your finger in the soil, if it comes out dry, water it. if its got dirt stuck to it, its still moist.

pH: 6.3-6.8 for soil. 6.5 is perfect. thats where your plants can take in the most nutrients.


Listen, ya wanna do good: check pH often, have supplies on hand if shit hits the fan (spare clean water, bug killer, fungus killer....), dont over fertilize, dont think bad drainage is ok, and dont harvest too soon, start a journal, update it often and read everything you can on here.

good luck

 

[Rj41]

Everything you pretty much said is pretty incorrect unless we're playing the "exact word" game.

Idk how you grow your plants but you have to feed before the middle of flowering. thats why they make veg nutes. it is infact necessary unless you go 12/12 from clone/seed but it will still need a doses of Nitrogen which is plentiful in veg nutes. you might be able to TECHNICALLY get away with using all veg or all bloom nutes for both stages of growth but you're gonna end up with poor results. using 1 bottle of veg nutes and 1 bottle of bloom nutes is pretty much standard. the boost (ie. for example fox farm has big bloom) is optional and my opinion but not a bad idea. what you dont need is the carb boost and crap like that.

So ph problems are rare in soil and when they do happen its the growers fault? How so? What if where you live your waters pH is naturally too high or too low for? is that a "rare" problem w/ pH in soil thats the growers fault? I am FORCED to use pH down everytime i water as my tap is 7.0-7.3 on avg. If i were to give that to my plants eventually the pH would go too high in the soil.

how would that be my fault? granted he may live somewhere where the pH is perfect out of the tap but thats note everyone and he should be made aware of it instead of finding out the hard way later on? he should at least check his tap water pH. we all should. its foolish not to.

I have 6 plants that vegged for 5+ weeks in 5 gal pots. do you mean to tell me that I could have gotten away without any nutes till flowering? if i did my plants would have been spindly pieces of S**t.

This is what perpetuates all the confusion for new growers.
People that have fallen under salesmens spells, then apply a mixed jumble of soil and hydro information in their soil grow, and then under the assumption that they're doing everything right start giving advise to someone growing under different conditions than themselves.

It's going to be the op's first grow. They're on a budget. They're gonna use bag seed in 6 inch pots, not expensive seeds 5 gallon pots. Their plants will be small. Their plants will not be high yielding.
Using fresh bagged soil (even the $5 a bag Hyponex stuff which I use) and some Pearlite, and by keeping it simple, hell yeah they'll be able to make it to flowering without fertilizing.
All the while they will be avoiding nute burn, nute lockout, and all the other newbee fertilizing errors. At the very most they MIGHT experience a slight nitrogen deficiency, but that's simple to correct with an inexpensive all purpose fertilizer.

YOU DO NOT NEED ANY OF THE HIGH PRICED, MULTIPLE PART, NEED-A-CHART, FERTILIZERS UNLESS YOU'RE GROWING HYDROPONICALLY.
Do not believe the salespeople. They're supposed to 'sell' you stuff.
Everythings already in the soil. Additional nutes are only needed to supplement the soil during the grow. An intermediate level or above grower may not have to fertilize at all during their soil grow, but we won't get into that here.

A ph of 7 is neutral. If your water is coming out of the tap at 7 or there abouts, it is absolutely fine to use in soil with no adjusting. For hydro it is way too alkaline, but it's right-on for soil use.
The soil it's self will do any adjusting it needs all on it's own, (called Buffering). Unless the grower is over-doing it on additives, which is what ALWAYS happens when they unknowingly, yet deliberately over complicate things, ph should not be an issue in soil.

I'll say it again, PH should be a non-issue in soil. If you develop a ph issue in soil IT IS BECAUSE OF SOMETHING THE GROWER DID WRONG.

 

[Dont Fear The Reefer]

The simpler you can keep it the better. You don't need to spend a lot of money either. If you decide to use Fluorescent (CFL's or tubes) you can't have too much light! Keep us posted with pictures when you get started....

 

[anotherdaymusic]

1) Lights: What kind of cheap bulbs work best? I've seen a number of different posts about them but I want to know what's been shown to work best. Also, how close should they be to the plant? And let's say I'm going to grow two plants, one in each pot, how many bulbs should I use? I've read a lot about 12/12 lighting but I've also seen some other variations so help with that would be cool too.

Go with a 150wmh and 150whps, or cfls. Cfls are super cheap and you can buy bulbs from wal mart,

2) Fertilizer and soil: What kind of plant fertilizer works best? Should I even use plant fertilizer? Does it matter what kind of soil I use or can I just use dirt from the ground?

Go to a nursery and get a house mix of soil, or if you can find fox farm ocean forest, you will have an easier time. And they work great.

3) Don't really have the money or skills to build/buy a carbon scrubber so is there anything else I can do to prevent the plants from reeking too badly? It's more so the skills I don't have once it gets to the part where I have to hook up a fan. Trust me, it's just not a good idea for me. lol.

Maybe get some carbon filters out of the cat litter area or the carbon filters from small window a/c units. Or, there is activated carbon in the pet fish area, you can get creative with those easily..

4) About how fast should my plants be growing if I'm doing a halfway decent job?

after about 2 weeks, they will grow about a new shoot every other day, I'd guess. The first two weeks are dreadingly slow, then all the sudden, it seems like they double every three days in size..

5) I've established the fact that I shouldn't water every day but I've seen a few different posts about how often to actually water. So how often and how much? Also, what should the ph levels be throughout growing?

If you get happy frog (which is a soil made by fox farm) or fox farm ocean forest, it should have a very neutral ph. drop your water level to 6.5 before watering, the same with nutrient added solutions if you decide to do that. Your plants will absorb nutrients great.

Any and all good feedback is mucho appreciated. Bad feedback just makes me sad. I have not actually started growing yet because I would like to do this right and not over-do anything. Or under-do.

Thanks guys!

One other thing is i would recommend switching to larger pots, maybe at least a gallon for the plants to finish in or else you might run into a lot of root bound plants. This is all just what I would do if I were you. GL MAN!!!

 

[mr.bond]

Hi new grower,

I didn't feel like reading through everyones response already so i'll just add my own feedback. most of it is probably wrong anyway... lol. that seems to be a recurring theme on this site.

1. Lights - use some CFL bulbs in a simple socket. cheap, effective, easy. just watch out for heat stress from being too close to the bulbs. you'll want a fan on your plants anyway. Veg in 18/6, Flower in 12/12. Expect your plants height to roughly double when you switch to flower.

2. Soil/Fertilizer - go for some Fox Farm Light Warrior and coco chunks. got some basic nutrients in the FFLW to get the plants started, not too 'hot' (wont nutrient burn the seedlings), and the coco helps stablize the pH, enhance drainage, and provide a nesting ground for beneficial microbes. You will probably need to start supplementing your soil with nutrients after about a month. I'd recommend the General Organics GO Box. It has a nice little collection of assorted organic products for you to try, and it's only about $30. I highly recommend it. I would recommend larger pots as well, but you can always start your seedlings in the pots you have now, and transplant later. also, instead of a regular pot, use a Smart Pot. It's a breathable fabric pot that makes the roots explode! they are cheap. FFLW, $12. Coco chunks, $12. GO Box, $30. Smart Pot, $8.

3. Scent Control - If you don't have the money for a carbon scrubber, such is life. For you, I would try the ONA line of scent control products. They make an ONA Gel product that you can just place the container near a fan with the lid partially off, and it neutralizes the smell pretty well. They also have an aerosol/spray product that is similar. Cheap and effective.

4. Plant growth expectations - Soil plants can grow kind of slow compared to hydro, and there are many variables based on soil type, light type and conditions, etc.

5. Water Frequency - only water when the soil is nearly dry. this could be every day in flower, but in veg it might only be every few days. adding coco chunks into your soil mix will help with drainage so the soil isnt always saturated. you dont want to let the soil dry out completely, it will kill off the beneficial microbes. don't worry about pH. there are a ton of namby-pamby's on this site that preach pH like the second coming of jesus. but if you do an organic grow, and use something like the GO Box, you don't need to pH your water or food solution. its a waste of time. my opinion is if people are worried about pH while growing in soil, then they aren't doing something right. one final thing, check out this link -- https://www.rollitup.org/dwc-bubbleponics/361430-dwc-root-slime-cure-aka.html -- this is for Heisenberg's compost tea recipe. If you really want your plants to be happy, brew up some of this tea and give some to your plants. You'll thank me later.

Hope this helps... let me know if you have any questions.

cheers,
mr.bond

 

[mr.bond]

oh yeah, and don't use miracle gro. save that for your lawn. lol

 

[0calli]

Listen to what was said above don't have to buy super expensive stuff to start your fist is gonna be your learning curve I'm on my second and and started cheap and still going cheap with very dank results I only changed my nutes that's where I really invested my money and a ph meter and a ppm meter I highly suggest but if you would like to see how to do a good closet to grow and cheap here is a link to my thread I did for cheap growing

https://www.rollitup.org/grow-room-design-setup/473411-poormans-super-closet-muwahahahahahaha.html

 

[Rj41]

Hi new grower,

I didn't feel like reading through everyones response already so i'll just add my own feedback. most of it is probably wrong anyway... lol. that seems to be a recurring theme on this site.

1. Lights - use some CFL bulbs in a simple socket. cheap, effective, easy. just watch out for heat stress from being too close to the bulbs. you'll want a fan on your plants anyway. Veg in 18/6, Flower in 12/12. Expect your plants height to roughly double when you switch to flower.

2. Soil/Fertilizer - go for some Fox Farm Light Warrior and coco chunks. got some basic nutrients in the FFLW to get the plants started, not too 'hot' (wont nutrient burn the seedlings), and the coco helps stablize the pH, enhance drainage, and provide a nesting ground for beneficial microbes. You will probably need to start supplementing your soil with nutrients after about a month. I'd recommend the General Organics GO Box. It has a nice little collection of assorted organic products for you to try, and it's only about $30. I highly recommend it. I would recommend larger pots as well, but you can always start your seedlings in the pots you have now, and transplant later. also, instead of a regular pot, use a Smart Pot. It's a breathable fabric pot that makes the roots explode! they are cheap. FFLW, $12. Coco chunks, $12. GO Box, $30. Smart Pot, $8.

3. Scent Control - If you don't have the money for a carbon scrubber, such is life. For you, I would try the ONA line of scent control products. They make an ONA Gel product that you can just place the container near a fan with the lid partially off, and it neutralizes the smell pretty well. They also have an aerosol/spray product that is similar. Cheap and effective.

4. Plant growth expectations - Soil plants can grow kind of slow compared to hydro, and there are many variables based on soil type, light type and conditions, etc.

5. Water Frequency - only water when the soil is nearly dry. this could be every day in flower, but in veg it might only be every few days. adding coco chunks into your soil mix will help with drainage so the soil isnt always saturated. you dont want to let the soil dry out completely, it will kill off the beneficial microbes. don't worry about pH. there are a ton of namby-pamby's on this site that preach pH like the second coming of jesus. but if you do an organic grow, and use something like the GO Box, you don't need to pH your water or food solution. its a waste of time. my opinion is if people are worried about pH while growing in soil, then they aren't doing something right. one final thing, check out this link -- https://www.rollitup.org/dwc-bubbleponics/361430-dwc-root-slime-cure-aka.html -- this is for Heisenberg's compost tea recipe. If you really want your plants to be happy, brew up some of this tea and give some to your plants. You'll thank me later.

Hope this helps... let me know if you have any questions.

cheers,
mr.bond

I'm not knocking you Mr. Bond, but again, here's a perfect example of some great advise mixed in with confusion for a new grower.

The op's on a budget so people keep advising him to spend spend spend. FF products are some of the highest priced products on the market. How is any of that gonna help him?

Go box, smart pots......... unnecessary complications for new growers.

Teas? Totally inadvisable for new growers. I've seen loads of even intermediate growers screw up their grows when they mistakenly watered their plants with spoiled teas.
Before people jump all over me, YES teas can go bad. Look it up if you don't believe me.

The op's going to use soil but you're directing him to a hydro thread?????

Aah, phuck it.
I think everything I'm saying is falling on a forum full of deaf ears anyway.

 

[themanwiththeplan]

This is what perpetuates all the confusion for new growers.
People that have fallen under salesmens spells, then apply a mixed jumble of soil and hydro information in their soil grow, and then under the assumption that they're doing everything right start giving advise to someone growing under different conditions than themselves.

It's going to be the op's first grow. They're on a budget. They're gonna use bag seed in 6 inch pots, not expensive seeds 5 gallon pots. Their plants will be small. Their plants will not be high yielding.
Using fresh bagged soil (even the $5 a bag Hyponex stuff which I use) and some Pearlite, and by keeping it simple, hell yeah they'll be able to make it to flowering without fertilizing.
All the while they will be avoiding nute burn, nute lockout, and all the other newbee fertilizing errors. At the very most they MIGHT experience a slight nitrogen deficiency, but that's simple to correct with an inexpensive all purpose fertilizer.

YOU DO NOT NEED ANY OF THE HIGH PRICED, MULTIPLE PART, NEED-A-CHART, FERTILIZERS UNLESS YOU'RE GROWING HYDROPONICALLY.
Do not believe the salespeople. They're supposed to 'sell' you stuff.
Everythings already in the soil. Additional nutes are only needed to supplement the soil during the grow. An intermediate level or above grower may not have to fertilize at all during their soil grow, but we won't get into that here.

A ph of 7 is neutral. If your water is coming out of the tap at 7 or there abouts, it is absolutely fine to use in soil with no adjusting. For hydro it is way too alkaline, but it's right-on for soil use.
The soil it's self will do any adjusting it needs all on it's own, (called Buffering). Unless the grower is over-doing it on additives, which is what ALWAYS happens when they unknowingly, yet deliberately over complicate things, ph should not be an issue in soil.

I'll say it again, PH should be a non-issue in soil. If you develop a ph issue in soil IT IS BECAUSE OF SOMETHING THE GROWER DID WRONG.

still not true.

he could use 6inch pots if he goes 12/12 from seed but theres no way he's growing regular beans or autos in a 6inch pot. it'll become rootbound in no time.

i hear that they are on a budget but if you can't afford good quality soil and a good 2 part nute system (veg nutes and bloom nutes) then you shouldn't be growing. I suggested Fox Farm because its n00b friendly and if you follow their feeding chart it becomes hard to mess it up.

Also im not a salesperson. im just a member of the forums. Im just suggesting quality nutes and soil that he should be able to avoid. 1.5 cu ft of ocean forest or light warrior only runs $17-20 and the nutes are about $18 each in the store. If you can't afford that to get started in growing then you probably shouldn't be growing. sure he could use dirt from outside but who's to say the plants will agree with it? it could have bugs, an incorrect pH, etc. at least if he buys light warrior or ocean forest he's gonna have quality soil that'll be bug free and pH'd to the correct level and it comes with nutes 2 aid the plant its first two weeks of life.

Sure he can skip on veg nutes and only feed when absolutely necessary but most growers grow for quality and quantity. Why not start him off on the right path from the start. I don't only feed when the plants look sad...I feed em when they look healthy. I wanna give em a boost and push them to their full potential. Theres nothing wrong with that.

I agree that ff nutes aren't the cheapest but there are other 2 part nute systems (veg and bloom nutes) that run considerably cheaper but like i said I suggested them as they are pretty n00b friendly.

I learned with ff products and while ive tried others even after all these years of growing i find myself back to the ff line.

the soil doesnt buffer itself. dolomite lime does and YOU have to put it in the soil.

Also if my tap is 7.0+ then it WILL cause a problem down the line as in soil pH should be 6.3-6.8. if i continuously pour 7.0+ tap water into my soil its going to slowly (over time) raise the pH of the soil. What would be ideal is if my tap was 6.5 then i wouldn't need pH down and everything would be dandy.

Suggesting he doesn't need a pH meter because "its rarely a problem in soil unless its the growers fault" is ridiculous and you're just setting him up for failure. I listened to someone who suggested the same as you when i first started so i didnt buy a pH meter and by the time i hit the end of my first grow i had to run down to the hydro store and get one because my pH was out of wack because my tap is too high.

Growers of soil and hydro should stay on top of their pH at all times. its a good portion of what the problems are in the plant problems area of the forum. its very important to know your pH because if you begin to shows signs of a deficiency or such its good to know if the pH is on point or too high/low as pH problems can disguise themselves as deficiencies so you could have the poor guy dumping a ton of N into the mix thinking its an N deficiency (or what not) when its really an incorrect pH level.

 

[0calli]

Now you guys are really fucking his head up arguing no this way no but like this man you guys got boos written on what he should and shouldnt do al he wants is basic info lolo

do howevere you feel comfortable with buddy