Absolutely new to growing.

Hello to all.

This is my first post in this forum though I am an avid reader. This is my first time growing also so I will be grateful for any help and advice.

So, I purchased seeds just a couple of days back (after years of research) - Master Kush was the choice. As I live in Asia I expect that seeds should take at least 21 days to arrive. Not wanting to take any chances I also purchased a germination kit. Anybody who has used this before please help me! i need to know whether to use normal tap water (the qlty of tap water in my country is not good at all - not fit for human consumption). In context, should I use Distilled Water or Bottled Mineral Water. What is the difference between Distilled and Mineral Water anyway? And should water be lukewarm for germination? Some of these questions have probably been asked and answered in other sections so I apologize in sounding repetitive.

As I expect to grow outdoors I wanted to get some things cleared out. Will growing outdoors in any way result in a higher probability of Male Plants developing? And How can I stop this? I read somewhere that increased amount of Light can influence the plant to be female but I am not sure about this.
Do you think it is advisable to grow the Plant under artificial light for some time and then transplant it outside? Say when it gets about 1 foot tall.

As for Nutrients - Now, the selection of nutrients that you get in the USA or Europe is not available here so what is my alternativ. The local fertilizer company has no idea about N-P-K. They just claim to sell 'regular' fertilizer. Some of my friends who own estates (growing tea/coconut) have advised me to use Manure (i.e. Cow Dung) - a natural fertilizer. I am seriously thinking of this but I do not want to add manure too early in the plant cycle. I have heard storied of over-fertilization. SO, When is the right time to add fertilizer or Manure? Should I again wait for the plant to reach a height of about 1 feet (ft).

Grow Medium - Is large pot preferable? Or should I start off with a smaller pot?

Basically the two areas of concern to me are Nutrients and Light. I will be growing in my garden and it is of a fairly decent size. There is a fair amount of shade so is that going to hinder the plant development. I will cut down the trees if I have to.

I live in a tropical country so rain will be an issue at somepoint during the growth cycle. As the plants will remain in large pots I can always move them around. Will this cause undue stress to my plants.

A thousand apologies for the long post. I will be extremely grateful to anyone who can give me some pointers.

Many Thanks,

thecalculator


PS: Posted this again. sorry for the double post admin.

Hi

You're going to need a lot of clean water around ph 6.8-7.

For germination, soak the seeds overnight first. Put the seeds in small separate containers, and keep them in a sunny warm humid area, perhaps covering with a dome.

When they sprout and get bigger put them in one gallon pots. Leave them there until they have roots out of the bottom and are around 8-10 inches branching out.

Artificial light until a foot tall will help keep bugs from eating the small plants.

If your not using NPK based nutrients, then I recommend mixing your soil with plenty of good stuff to last its life.

Manure, guano, worm castings, whatever. Don't worry about nute burn with these organic soil ingredients.

When they outgrow the one gallon pots, transplant them to 5-15 gallons, water thoroughly when dry, allowing soil to dry out between waterings.

Find the sunniest spot you can, and cut down trees if you have too.

Rain would be a problem if it continued for week+ , or at the end of the flowering cycle.

If you know it's going to rain a lot, move what you can.

Don't be afraid to trim the lower and smaller growth to allow for good airflow.

Thanks for the reply.

"For germination, soak the seeds overnight first. Put the seeds in small separate containers, and keep them in a sunny warm humid area, perhaps covering with a dome."

- But I always thought seeds should be germinated in a warm, DARK, place. And what is the point covering with a dome and then placing them in a sunny area. Is placing them in a cupboard or on top of a fridge (covered by a bowl) okay.

I purchased a germination kit from Nirvana. Are we both talking about the same thing? Have you used one before?

-What can I expect from Master Kush in terms of yield. Is it reasonable to expect 400-500g in my first grow, under the same conditions?

as i said before, i live in a tropical country. temperature is between 25-28 degrees celcius. Rain in monsoon intervals (seasons), enough sunshine. However, we do have mosquito problems as well as other threats from pests. Perhaps building a net around the plants may help?


"When they outgrow the one gallon pots, transplant them to 5-15 gallons, water thoroughly when dry, allowing soil to dry out between waterings."
- Can I start with a 15 gallon pot or will that be too much fertilizer? I guess the roots will also have to be firmly grounded too.
I just dont want to kill the plant or stunt its growth by transplanting the plant (as i have no idea how to do that). i saw some videos on you tube but it is easier said than done. Roots can get damaged, the plant can crumble, etc.
SO: when the plant germinates and roots begin to pop out from under the bag - can i plant it straight into a 15 gallon pot filled with manure and other good shit.

Thanks,

thecalculator

What up thecalculator!?

Now I will answer what I can, I have been studying this shit for so fucking long now, and in a week or so I will put what I have learnt into practise, finally after buying myself some feminised white widow seeds . Anyway from what I have learnt here are my opinions.

In regard to the germination fase, I have always read that they must be left in a DARK place also, checking once or twice a day to see if the seeds have opened up. It seems pretty hard to go wrong with a germination kit though. Then once they have split (little white tail poking out, looks kinda like a little sperm hahaha) you transfer to soil, this can be nutrient based, with the NPK solution, or manure I believe, guano I have heard is very good, and shouldn't be hard to find in asia (Well, it depends what part of asia I guess, but I am guessing vietnam or thailand or indonesia, seeing as you said it is tropical?)

If you put the seedling straight into a big bucket, I don't think you should have any problems, as you don't want to be making to many transfers and in turn putting the plant under stress, I personally will germinate, then put seedling into a small disposable plastic cup (about 400ml) and then into a bigger pot once its roots have grown out, about 15 litres, and not transfer anymore. And that seems to be the most common way of going about it. I have also seen people simply cutting the plasitc cup open, and transfering the plant (still in the soil) straight into the bigger pot, and just digging out a similar sized hole out of the medium in the bigger bucket, inserting the plant and soil, that way roots don't get exposed and less chance of damaging them.

If the water there isn't good enough for human consumption then it is deffinately not good enough for your plants, either boil your water and let cool before use, or buy bottled water, obviously buying is a more expensive option.

The temps you spoke of are perfect, just watch the humidity, I live in Brazil at the moment, and temps here are very similar, it just gets so fucking humid here it's not funny, so looooooots of ventilation is necessary. I am not entirely sure on outside growing, as I have studied up mostly on indoor growth as that is what I will be doing. But what I have read about outdoor, is that you have to plant in the right season for the plant to prosper, so monsoon season is probably not a good time to start, or finish, if possible. Research on google or whatever and check up on best seasons and time of year to grow, you will deffinately find something helpful.

Anyway, hope I could help a bit, as I said, I only have book knowledge for now, but that will change soon enough, so if you don't trust my advice I totally understand. And maybe wait for someone else to confirm or give some other ideas later on.

Anywho, good luck bro! I wish you the best.

Green

Hi again, good questions!

I will say that I prefer to somewhat follow nature's patterns, but will change conditions to the best.

For germination, if it is in the soil or a peat pellet, it will be dark under the soil. The little light it may receive helps direct it in the right direction, as does the heat.

If it is in water in a clear cup, then keeping it in the light would confuse it, as it is receiving bright light from all directions. Same with a paper towel in the light.

A cupboard will be fine, I use sunlight for the heat and natural feel of it, as long as it is under some soil.

About going straight into a 5-15 gallon, there are some pros and cons.

First of all, the roots will not have filled the entire pot yet, and while the bottom of the pot dries, the top where the roots are will already be dry. So the plant will look like it needs water, but the bottom of the pot will still be wet, resulting in possible mold/rot.

The pro are that you don't have to transplant.

Here is what I recommend. I would not go higher than an 8 gallon pot, because wet 15 gallon pots are a bitch to move in an emergency.

Once they germinate, plant them either directly into a 5 gallon pot and they should be fine, or,

Into a one gallon, and if you're interested I'll tell you how easy transplanting from a one gallon can be below:


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Transplanting from a one gallon

Once the plant has reached 6-10 inches in the one gallon, and has roots out of the bottom, you can transplant.

Begin by letting the soil dry out, then give it a thorough watering.

You will transplant the day after watering, as this helps hold the soil together best.

To transplant, simply hold the pot in your hands and firmly roll it between your hands to loosen the outer soil, all the way up and down/around the pot.

Then hold the stem at the base with two fingers around it, turn it upside down and hold it for a sec.

Then with your other hand, tap or push the bottom of the pot, maybe a light shake, until it comes out and you are holding the soil ball upside down.

Then gently put it in a bigger pot that you previously prepared, already filled with half soil. Then fill in the rest of the soil, lightly press down the edges.

Give it a little water and your done!

Good luck!

i am going to buy the pots today. i think i will follow your advice mgk regarding the pots.

have you grown MK before?

Thanks for the advice Green.

The weather in Brazil I think is very similar to ours. A lot of sunshine and no winter right. I guess MK should perform well under these conditions. Cant wait. I keep checking my mail to see if the order has arrived. lol. and its only been 4 days since i ordered. I want to start my first grow so bad.

-anyhow, let me know how your grow is coming along. Are you going to grow outdoors? or Are you planning to grow still? How many plants? What kind of nutrients can you get? , just do what i did bro. order the seeds and start the grow.
BTW, how is the weed in Brazil? Can you post some pics of weed you get there. I will try and do the same from here.

About Master Kush, I haven't grown it.

But I think it gets kinda tall n big with thick buds.

Watch for humid conditions with dense buds.

Try and top one to create branching, and if you like it do it again in the future!