Best Setup for First Time Grower

GreenLantern23

GreenLantern23

Member
Hello! I just ordered my first seeds from Herbies (10 THC Bomb, 2 Afghani, and 1 Northern Lights/Big Bud Hybrid).

I have been researching first-time grower methods for nearly 3 days. Frankly, I'm a bit overwhelmed.
I was interested in Hydroponics, but I believe that would be too complicated for me at first.
I'm considering indoor growth using a grow tent and soil, but I am also considering outdoor growth because we own several acres of land. Right now it is about 75, but around July we reach temperatures that exceed 100 degrees F and it is always very windy.

I've read mixed reviews on certain items whether it be you don't need to test pH in tap water, you always need to test pH no matter what, don't use this type of soil or that kind of potting mix...I'm at a standstill as far as decision-making goes.

In short I have a lot of great access to natural resources out here, so I don't want to go 'mad scientist' if I don't have to. I would like to use a greenhouse and pot the plants. Any suggestions, how-to's, or product recommendations?
 
GreenLantern23

GreenLantern23

Member
I'm placing my order tonight for all my equip lol.
Is Virtual Sun a good brand? Does brand even matter?
It's that or Apollo. Was going to get the iPower but the place I'm buying it from doesn't have it.
 
xSwimToTheMoon

xSwimToTheMoon

Well-Known Member
Brand matters to an extent. You get what you pay for with lights. I'm not familiar with those brands however. are they led lights?

I just use a simple ballast/econowing xl with a 400w hps. I have 4 plants under that now, and I'll never have to screw around with any other additional lighting hopefully, until I upgrade.

Other types of light will work, but I haven't used them. Hid lighting is pretty noob friendly imo.
 
TheChemist77

TheChemist77

Well-Known Member
ive got virtual sun digital ballasts and cool tube reflectors,,they work great!! been running the virtual sun bal and ref for 3 years w/ no problems..i like that the ballasts are air cooled, no fan to break...just replace bulbs every 8 months..
 
GreenLantern23

GreenLantern23

Member
Welp I just spent $850 bucks on equipment lol. Would've only spent half of that, but I decided to buy a $400 storage shed so I would have a place to keep everything. I plan on putting a lock on that sucker - a BIG one. Overrall I think I did well. I hope I have beginners luck.

The lights are HPS/MH. I didn't like the sound of the other types of lighting.

I bought:
Virtual Sun 400W HPS MH Air Cooled Reflector Magnetic Grow Light Kit 400 Watt
HYDROFARM Active Air 6" In-Line Fan w/ Mounting Bracket | ACDF6
Inline Fan Speed Controller - HYDROFARM ACSC Duct Fan Speed Adjuster 15AMP
Fox Farm Ocean Forest Potting Soil
48x24x48 Grow Tent

One question though - I just went to the store and bought regular old plastic pots to start off with. Will that work or should I return them? I figure with the Ocean Forest and my soil meter I will be good to go as far as maintaining the plants. I didn't buy any pH or extra nutrient liquid. I didn't think I would need them using soil and Ocean Forest at that.
 
GreenLantern23

GreenLantern23

Member
My dad committed suicide this past October, but right before he died he made moonshine. So, in his honor, I will grow some pot! Hahaha.
 
707humboldt

707humboldt

Well-Known Member
You definitely need to ph your water every time you feed or just plain water no matter what your substrate or growing method is. Nutrients absorb at different ph levels so for soil you want them to be in the 6.2-6.8 range. Fox farm ocean forest is a great soil, you don't have to feed for the first few weeks with it. I use a 66% ocean forest/ 33% perlite mix.
For nutes i use botanicare. Great stuff, mostly organic and its good for beginners. Harder to burn/over feed than a lot of the other stuff out there.

Just my opinion and personal experience
Good luck!
 
GreenLantern23

GreenLantern23

Member
707humboldt said:
You definitely need to ph your water every time you feed or just plain water no matter what your substrate or growing method is. Nutrients absorb at different ph levels so for soil you want them to be in the 6.2-6.8 range. Fox farm ocean forest is a great soil, you don't have to feed for the first few weeks with it. I use a 66% ocean forest/ 33% perlite mix.
For nutes i use botanicare. Great stuff, mostly organic and its good for beginners. Harder to burn/over feed than a lot of the other stuff out there.

Just my opinion and personal experience
Good luck!
Click to expand...
Thanks! What kind of pH do you use?
 
Kind Sir

Kind Sir

Well-Known Member
Im on my first grow, but theyre flowering very well now and I never used ph up\down as I see a lot say not too with soil. I just let tap water sit out a day or two, mix it up and add dynagro protekt (it has benefits from silicone, and brings ph up.)

They say the ph up \ down can cause problems in soil.

I also use ocean forest soil

3 gallon smart pots

House and Garden nutes

Phantom II 600W Ballast (Solid)
Hortilux eye hps bulb
Ipower MH bulb

Apollo tent (4x4)

Temps: day-night 80\70
RH: veg- 40-55 flower- 35

Top and LST
 
707humboldt

707humboldt

Well-Known Member
I currently use botanicare ph down because i use botanicares pure blend line. I have in the past used earth juice natural ph down. Both work well, the earth juice is a little harder to measure out because it is crystals that are super concentrated. The botanicare is a little easier, its not as concentrated and its in liquid form
 
Kind Sir

Kind Sir

Well-Known Member
My tap water is good quality so im lucky. Check your ppm out.

Tap is generally higher ph, my nutes bring my ph down pretty good, so adding protekt seems to help.
 
707humboldt

707humboldt

Well-Known Member
Been growing for 15 years, you definitely have to ph even for soil. The plants will still grow, but you will not get the same results as correcting the ph before watering. It does not cause any harm to ph for soil. Not that i have ever noticed any way. Just check your runoff as well and adjust accordingly

PH'd water and nutes to between 6.4-6.7 every time produced 2# per light AAA....
IMG_3844.jpg
 
weedenhanced

weedenhanced

Well-Known Member
GreenLantern23 said:
Hello! I just ordered my first seeds from Herbies (10 THC Bomb, 2 Afghani, and 1 Northern Lights/Big Bud Hybrid).

I have been researching first-time grower methods for nearly 3 days. Frankly, I'm a bit overwhelmed.
I was interested in Hydroponics, but I believe that would be too complicated for me at first.
I'm considering indoor growth using a grow tent and soil, but I am also considering outdoor growth because we own several acres of land. Right now it is about 75, but around July we reach temperatures that exceed 100 degrees F and it is always very windy.

I've read mixed reviews on certain items whether it be you don't need to test pH in tap water, you always need to test pH no matter what, don't use this type of soil or that kind of potting mix...I'm at a standstill as far as decision-making goes.

In short I have a lot of great access to natural resources out here, so I don't want to go 'mad scientist' if I don't have to. I would like to use a greenhouse and pot the plants. Any suggestions, how-to's, or product recommendations?
Click to expand...
I use Dutch master gold nutrient I've grown in soil and hempy with just perlite all using same nuts and using 400w hid mh and hps and 600w hps and mh light allways pull decent amounts
 
xSwimToTheMoon

xSwimToTheMoon

Well-Known Member
I add some lime to the ocean forest and use seed starter soil at first btw, op.

the dolomite lime I have is (I think) supposed to help buffer ph longer than the oyster shell they use in ocean f.

But def always ph. Especially if you have aspirations of going hydro in the future, like me!

Good habbit at the very very least.
 
707humboldt

707humboldt

Well-Known Member
Kind Sir said:
Just what ive seen, cant say its correct. Glad youve grown for 15 years, good job.[/QUOTE

When a lot of these other people say not to ph soil, what problems are they saying it causes in the soil?

Just said that as a reference that I have been adjusting the ph for my soil gardens for long time and that its definitely important. Didn't want green lantern to use a bad piece of information and not get the fullest potential out of his garden as he could. Ive seen a lot of ph related issues on this forum with people using soil not properly adjusting their ph and their plants were showing signs of deficiencies. Even though the nutrients were there in the soil, the plants couldn't use them because the ph was off.

Didn't mean to offend you, just my personal experience.
Click to expand...
 
SPLFreak808

SPLFreak808

Well-Known Member
GreenLantern23 said:
Welp I just spent $850 bucks on equipment lol. Would've only spent half of that, but I decided to buy a $400 storage shed so I would have a place to keep everything. I plan on putting a lock on that sucker - a BIG one. Overrall I think I did well. I hope I have beginners luck.

The lights are HPS/MH. I didn't like the sound of the other types of lighting.

I bought:
Virtual Sun 400W HPS MH Air Cooled Reflector Magnetic Grow Light Kit 400 Watt
HYDROFARM Active Air 6" In-Line Fan w/ Mounting Bracket | ACDF6
Inline Fan Speed Controller - HYDROFARM ACSC Duct Fan Speed Adjuster 15AMP
Fox Farm Ocean Forest Potting Soil
48x24x48 Grow Tent

One question though - I just went to the store and bought regular old plastic pots to start off with. Will that work or should I return them? I figure with the Ocean Forest and my soil meter I will be good to go as far as maintaining the plants. I didn't buy any pH or extra nutrient liquid. I didn't think I would need them using soil and Ocean Forest at that.
Click to expand...
Your MH/HPS was a good choice. Your soil was a good choice and it will last you 4-6 weeks in veg depending on how hungry your plants get. I would recommend fox farms big bloom to help keep your soil amended with organic compounds a little bit longer. Get some extra dolomite lime and perlite mixed into the soil for veg, then when you transplant for flower development you can mix in kelp meal,bone meal,perlite & dolomite lime with your bigger container of ocean forest. Also epsom salts is great to have on hand when using ocean forest. As for PH'ing your water you can either 1. ph after nutes mixed and forget about runoff. Or you can check your ph-in vs ph-out to see where your soil pulls the ph level, if you water with a ph of 8 and it comes out at 6 then you also wont have to ph because as the soil dries the ph will rise back up. Either way your plants will get its nutrients. If your using chemical ferts then yes i would always check ph. Good luck. And i am definetly tuned in!
 
J

jkwrestling13

Well-Known Member
Your setup is very similar to mine, and I am on my first grow as well. I have 4 plants under 1x 1000 watt and will be adding an aeroponic setup soon.

My advice, read up on topping and LST. It will be very beneficial to you. My plants have been vegging for 2 months and they are busy as hell and almost 2 feet tall.
 
GreenLantern23

GreenLantern23

Member
Thanks guys! Btw I am a female :) I just like superheros, weed and beer.

I just pulled up Dolomite Lime - it's from Grow More, correct? Amazon is showing it as discontinued by manufacturer. I will have to order a bag or 2 before they run out.

So really there are a number of products I need to keep on hand, not just the base fertilizer and plant foods? I have Fox Farm pulled up right now (I was about to order their 3 pack of Big Bloom, Grow Big, and Tiger Bloom). They have great reviews - a definite must-have in my opinion. I will get the General Hydroponics pH Control Kit, as well. I will test the pH after I add the nutrients. That seems to make more sense since the pH will change.

When using several different products, how do you all manage them effectively? Do you have a schedule or is it used as needed? Can you use one product and use a different one a few hours later, or is it all dependent on how the soil/plant is receiving the nutrients at the present time? I have a fear of over watering my plants - that's why I bought the 3 type soil meter. Maybe it will make sense once I sleep on it. I had never thought of mixing the Ocean Forest with another fertilizer, but it makes sense why you would do that. I just read that Happy Frog is good for seedlings, so I will be purchasing some of that as well. (Again) I just read that planting them in a solo cup w/ holes at the bottom at first is better because of oxygen levels. I will do that as well.

I have been reading www.growweedeasy.com and I swear I learn something new every 5 minutes...and there is a LOT of information there.
 
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