1st time grow for a super newbie

Ok this is my story, ive never really been around marijuana that much at all and dont really know anything about it, but i needed a new hobbie because i was super bored. lol. so i went to a friend and got some seeds and bought some soil ond pots and stuff and just started doing everything that this site said. but i think i may have over did it a little. . i have 21 sprouts under 1 basic flourecent light. watering well and following all the instructions, but the biggest problem is MONEY MONEY MONEY. i want to buy all the good stuff but i just cant afford it. my plants are at like day 5 or 6 of sprouting and they are growing pretty raphidly. how many plants do you guys think i can manage?

I'd recommend only doing 2 for your first grow. All depends tho on your space and how many watts of lights u can come up with. I just picked up a 25 watt 6000k Growing CFL at Walmart for $2.50, so might wanna try there.

O ye, And whenever you get time just hop on the site and browse the forums or read some of the grow FAQ. It will help you ALOT.

Good luck man, I just started growing too. Cant wait to see yours

dude! 20! I had that many under 6 40w tubed flourescents! 10 were males, 1 died, so now I have 10 left! but even with 6 tubes, my babies are way underlit. Cfl's are your bet bet, but really 4 plants max (once you find females) are good for your first time. It's not like tomato plants, pot needs daily nurturing and care. I am running 3, 4 foot tubed flourescent fixtures with cool whites! (not the right lite for flowering, but it's all I have at the moment) butit can be done, see my setup, crude, ugly but it's working!

thanks for the input guys, i just bought another light today from walmart. its just called a grow light (thats what the box said). ive already mounted it and it is 10 times brighter than my other one and only $10. Another question i have is ive noticed that my plants are pretty stretched looking and the ones with bigger tops are starting to lean. i put a brace beside the biggest ones and tied the down. I run 24 hour light on the right now would that have anything to do with it? Should i run 18/6 or stay with 24?

I think your plants are leaning because the lights are too far away. I keep mine at 1-2 inches away. Not really sure about the leaning tho...having a fan blowing on them will simulate wind and make them grow bigger stems which should help support them...hope I helped

yeah thanks man. my lights are probly about 2-3 inches away and im working on purchasing a fan. do you know anything about my lighting time situation? im wondering if that may have something to do with it? but thanks for the advice man.

Ive read that it depends on the strain whether you should do 24/0 or 18/6, But I also heard with CFL its better to do 24/0 since CFL's dont give out that many lumens.

Mine are on 24/0 and there growing pretty fast.

yeah ive heard that too. idk though i guess ill just keep 24 hour on them until they get bigger. i came in today and checked and found out good and bad on my situation. the good was that the new light seems to really be helping because i can see that the plants are looking better and my two plants that i staked up are looking better but that good feeling was washed away when i noticed that 2 of my youngest plants seem to be in very bad shape. Idk what is wrong they looked great last night but today they are laying over the pot, and right in the middle of the stem it is much more narrow than the rest. You got any idea what that could be anybody? i would hate to loose 2 of my babies. .that would be horrible

ok heres some plants and the problem

Im gonna guess that your over watering them. How often do you water?

edit: Oh yea, my plants are like the exact same size as yours , wieerrrdddd

im watering about every 3-4 days. and that is crazy lol how many plants do you have?

Roots absorb the water so when they are young not many roots so no need to water as frequent. Just feel your dirt and keep it moist try spraying you plants when the top of the dirt starts drying instead of a full watering. Then about every 5-7 days give them a good watering. And another thing that is a pain in the ass but really worth it is pH'n your water. Its really worth it and you can buy a cheep kit for like 6$. They are not as good as the digital but if you take your time a read it right it helps a lot.

2ndGenerationSkunk said:

im watering about every 3-4 days. and that is crazy lol how many plants do you have?

Click to expand...

I only have 2, first grow and not a very big grow area.

yeah i have a PH meter that was cheap. my usual water is around neutral (which i know isnt as good) it is like 6.9ish. but it hasnt rained in a while here so i use spring water from a creek. lol. . free water

lol thats cool. as i said beforte i think i went a little overboard. i have 19 now ive had 2 die. but all the others are looking great. the only thing is that my setup isnt that nice and doesnt really go along with what the people on here say i should do with lighting. but this is my first grow and its just for a hobbie so i guess ill just keep on doin what im doin. lol

ive got a couple of pics of my setup. . its kinda ghetto though but i will post them later