Blue Mystic Auto's (help!!)

First post on here, so go easy on me!
I'm new to growing marijuana, and from everything i have read, a CFL set up is going to work best for me.
Any experts out there want to answer some questions for me?

1) growing 3 plants at a time, recommended wattage and bulbs?
2) best types of soil for indoor growing?
3) any recommended "step by step" or "day by day" threads...a tutorial if you will?
4) a list of essential supplies? (ph tester, charcoal filter, mylar lining)

any advice would be appreciated, i have received my seeds from nirvana; Blue Mystic Auto Feminized seeds (5 count).
all i need to do now is make my closet set up, and germ them suckers! just need a little guidance

Well i am a outdoor grower so i really cant help you with your indoor set up. But i have the same seeds as you, from the same place and all. Mine are doing good, there starting there 4th week and there about 1.5 feet and have many hairs already, so your in for a good crop. Anyways theres a forum on this website about auto flowering plants that will help you. Click on forums at the top, scroll down to autp flowering strains. I believe its the first post but its called life cycle. Its really great to read and get to know the cycle. Hope this helps and sorry i couldnt help with your light situation

While I wouldn't reccommend CFL's after my personal experience, they WILL work, they just aren't going to give you those heavy, dense buds that an HID light will. After they've successfully germinated, and you've got your 2nd set of true leaves, it is time to start hitting them with the light. For the first 2-3 weeks, or until you see pistils develop (they look like little white hairs), you will want to use a 6500K bulb. I would shoot for approx 100 ACTUAL WATTS per plant, BARE minimum. Forget what the bulb claims is the "incandescant equivalent" because that number isn't important. All you care about is the color, and the actual watts. As far as color, you will see a "kelvin" rating on the packaging. They range anywhere from 2700k-6500K, the difference being, the higher the number the whiter the light will look. The lower the color, the more red/orange the light will look. A 6500k bulb is most comparable to a Metal Halide bulb if you're familiar with HID lighting, and the 2700K is closer to the High Pressure Sodium lights. Anyways, enough rambling - to keep it simple - get several small, or a couple of large 6500k bulbs to start out with... make sure the actual watts adds up to at least 100. I wouldn't reccommend transplanting your autoflowering plants, because you don't want to stunt their growth in any way, especially since they've got such a short veg period. If you have the space use a 3 gallon pot from the jump. This will also take one more variable out of the grow that you could fuck up (transplanting). Next - go with a high quality soil. You will likely have to visit a specialty shop, like a hydroponic store or find it online. Some quick suggestions off the top of my head - Fox Farm Happy Frog (im using this now - good stuff), F.F. Ocean Forest, anything from Humboldt Nutrients, etc. DO NOT USE MIRACLE GROW, even if your buddy tells you it works, it's not the BEST for your baby, and can actually cause lots of problems down the road. Your next issue will be fertilizer - again - I'm going to stick with Fox Farm, because that's what I'm currently using and it's doing great. Plus they have a great feeding chart that comes with the nutrients that will keep you from guessing and burning up the plants. I use Fox Farm - Big Bloom, Grow Big, Tiger Bloom, Open Sesame, Beastie Bloomz, and ChaChing. I know that sounds like a lot, but it really isn't, especially when you go to looking at some of the stuff from Humboldt or Advanced Nutrients. And don't get overwhelmed - you don't have to get everything at once - you could start out with just the Big Bloom & Grow Big then get the other bottles as your babies progress. It is also a good idea to get a bottle of Cal/Mag - this is great to add just to make sure all the nutrients you feed the plant are able to be absorbed & keeps you from having lockout & defficiency problems down the road. Back to your closet/room - make SURE you have good ventiliation. You don't have to worry about concealing smell in the beginning, but you do have to keep the temperatures down, and keep the air circulating. Get a hygrometer (temperature/humidity gauge) from WalMart for like $10. If possible, keep your temps between 65-75 do NOT let it get more than say 82-85 degrees because the plant will slow/stop growing. Humidity during veg should be between 55-62%, and under 55% once you start flowering.

You can get all the advice you want to read on sites like this, but it's up to you to grow your plants. You CAN give them nothing but water and get buds at the end, or you can give them 16 different bottles of fertilizer each time and still end up with buds. It's a matter of how much time you want to fuck with them, and how much money you want to throw into it. It's a weed. It will grow like crazy in the wild with no human intervention. We try our damnest to replicate mother nature - everyone has their little secrets and every company has the newest and best formulated fertilizer. Just stick to the basics in the beginning - proper watering, proper levels of food, proper lighting, proper heat/humidity and you will be just fine. Don't overthink it too much or you'll go crazy.

thanks so much MDEVA, this helps a ton i will try my best not to over think everything, and start basic!

No problem man. I would honestly suggest just visiting a good Hydroponic shop & asking them to get you setup. They *should* know what they're talking about, and lead you in the right direction. Then get back on this site and read all of the "sticky" posts you have time for. They are the ones moderators feel are solid information that should stay at the top of each forum so that new and experienced growers alike can reference them quickly. Good Luck. BTW - I'm no pro, far from it, but I did my research, spent a little money, and have a really nice crop to show for it. I am happy with my results. However, my first go at it was pathetic. I ended up with some weed I would have rather not smoked, lol. I didn't do any kind of research before starting that grow, and my end product paid the price.

MDEVA said:

No problem man. I would honestly suggest just visiting a good Hydroponic shop & asking them to get you setup. They *should* know what they're talking about, and lead you in the right direction. Then get back on this site and read all of the "sticky" posts you have time for. They are the ones moderators feel are solid information that should stay at the top of each forum so that new and experienced growers alike can reference them quickly. Good Luck. BTW - I'm no pro, far from it, but I did my research, spent a little money, and have a really nice crop to show for it. I am happy with my results. However, my first go at it was pathetic. I ended up with some weed I would have rather not smoked, lol. I didn't do any kind of research before starting that grow, and my end product paid the price.

Click to expand...

I've looked at your journal pic of your plant like 8 times, just thought I'd add that lol.

Lol, glad to hear that. While it's a little embarrassing to admit, this is my first real grow. I tried running a CFL grow in the same closet, and the smoke was terrible. I didn't even have any drainage holes in the pot I used. Didn't flush. Used only molasses and some cheap ass fertilizer that I got at a big box garden store. But, I decided that was NOT good enough and I did my research. I checked and double checked everything anyone told me. There are lots of people who WANT to help, the problem is if they pass along bad information (even with the best intentions) they do more harm than good. Also just because someone on here has a high reputation or post count, doesn't mean they are an expert. Maybe they are an expert, but the advice they give isn't applicable to ur grow and it ducks you all up. Even a guy at the hydro shop I use gave me bad advice the other day. Do listen to people, but just make sure to second guess them (respectively) if something doesn't sound right, or sounds too good to be true.

its taken me ten years growing, and im still trying to figure it , but they get better everycrop. grow grow and grow...lol

I feel like you are all weed growing jedi's, and i'm learning the way of the force.

UPDATE 7/23/12

Okay, i've ordered supplies.
They are as followed:
-400W HPS bulb w/ ballast and air cooled hood
-Nutes: Fox Farm Trio
-Digi Temp and Hygrometer
-Ph Tester
-Closet Grow Cab(will fit 3 plants)
-6" inline fan w/ carbon filter

My seeds are already here, once supplies arrive i plan on buying soil and planters to put my seeds in. I expect my stealth op to be up and going in 2 weeks!
Any advice while i'm waiting for my set up?

Glad to see you went with the HID lighting. I think you will be happy with the decision. What are the dimensions of that grow cabinet? The reason I ask is because there are reccommended minimum & maximum wattages on HID lighting, just the same as with CFL bulbs. I have read (and someone please correct me if I'm wrong) that 50 watts per square foot is GREAT. I wouldn't go over 75, or too much under 30. Being that your hood is air cooled, you should be able to keep it very close to your plants. I have a 250 watt air cooled HPS in an 8' sq closet and it has done very well. I would go ahead and start researching different types of soil while you're waiting for delivery on the other supplies. Since you've got the F.F. Nutrients I would suggest one of their soils. I used the Happy Frog. I've heard that the Ocean Forest works great, but it is pretty high in nutrients and can be harsh on seedlings & transplants. Another thing to look into would be adding some beneficial bacteria to your soil. Do some research on Hygrozyme, MycoMadness, or White Widow and see what you think. You'll also want to decide whether Perlite or Vermiculite will be best for your grow. To be honest, I don't know what the arguments for each one is - I went with Perlite because dude at the hydro shop reccommended it. Seems to work just fine for drainage. While you're at it - you might also look at a root innoculant. I used Humboldt Roots and was really happy with it. Mix everything up really really good and get the soil really moist. Once you fill up your pots, water it one last time until you see a little bit of runoff in the saucer, and then it's ready for a seed or clone. I can't wait to see what you end up with. It sounds like you're ready to rock & roll buddy.

the grow tent is 36"(L) x 20"(W) x 63"(H). the light is dimmable from 150w to 400w. I plan on getting fox farm happy frog, and planting in 3 gallon buckets right from the start. I don't feel comfortable enough transplanting. Perlite does what exactly? same with humboldt roots, whats that do? also the bacteria, how's that work?! haha, i plan on keeping it real simple for my first grow!
Since i should be germing my seeds in the next five days, i'm doing as much research as i can about the grow cycle of the plant. I'm not sure what wattage to use for sprouting, vegging, or blooming. Also, i don't really know what light cycle i want to use. They are "auto flowers", so they should start budding on their own, but i still want to keep it on a 18/6 or a 20/4 cycle. I'll be doing three plants, hoping to yield at least an ounce on each plant. Thank you so much for all this information, its really helping me get ready to do this!

If your not going to transplant then i would not use Happy Frog, it's more for seedlings and small clones. I would do a 50/50 mix of fox farm ocean forest, and roots organics soil, works very well for me. I also will put in a small bag of ancient forest soil, its what i like to call the money soil mix.

In horticultre, perlite can be used as a soil amendment or alone as a medium for hydro or for starting cutting. When used as an amendment it has high permeability / low water retention and helps prevent soil compaction.

Humboldt roots just helps your roots grow fast and strong, i never used it, but I've heard good things.

I would also recommend smart pots, they make it so you can't over water the plant makes it easy for a 1st time grower.

Perlite pretty much keeps air in the soil so the roots can breathe, right? I will be picking that up with my soil, I fully intend on using a 3gal smart pot from the start.
My nutes and ph meter got here yesterday, my light gets here today! my tent should be here in 3 days, along with the filter and fan. will post pics when i set up my grow room!
thanks to all of you for all the help, couldn't even consider attempting a go at this without all your awesome advice!!!

Glad u found what you were looking for. Like turbocobaltss420 said perlite helps keep ur soil from compacting real tight. You will tell a big difference in the way water drains thru the pot if you add perlite... Vermiculite would work too. I'm not sure if there are guidelines posted anywhere that say how much to mix in, but I used a pretty good amount. I think it was either 1lb or 2lbs. Also, you might want to do some research on using that ocean forest soil. I've never used it myself but did read where lots of people claimed it burnt up their seedlings. My understanding was that it's best used when transplanting an established plant, but again, I'm no expert so make sure you do some homework on it. Good luck, can't wait to see pictures after you get all setup!

Yes FFOF is hot on seedling, but i've done it in the past, they are just not happy the first week. OP transplanting small plants is easy you can do it trust me, start in happy frog move over to FFOF or whatever your going to use.

I've read pretty much everywhere on rollitup that transplanting autoflowers is a bad idea, due to how fragile they are. Since their cycle is so short, switching from Happy Frog to Ocean Forest mixed 50/50 with Roots Organic would take away 10% of their life cycle due to the stress the plant experiences when switching soils. So i'm going to be planting in a 2.5 gallon bucket from the start. I plan on germing using the shot glass and distilled water method(seed sinks to bottom of glass), and putting them on a 18/6 light cycle for the entire grow (assuming they're true autoflowers).
@turbocobaltss420--- I'm nervous about killing my seedlings, but i want to go with your suggestion and do a 50/50 mix of Roots Organic and Fox Farm Ocean Forest. Do you think its okay to do buddy?! Have any other soils you'd recommend?

Everything is here but the grow cab, so i'll post pictures in the next 3 days and show you how i set it up(advice and opinions appreciated).

Sorry man I forgot I was in the auto section. Since auto's are a pain to transplant, happy frog maybe your best bet, just remember that it's a bare soil so you will need to feed the plants. I Think ocean forest may be to hot for super small seedling same with roots organics. I did transplant my auto's, but it was a pain in the ass.

Its all good, haha I'm going to use Fox Farm Happy Frog 3 seeds in 3 seperate 2.5 gallon pots. Here's pictures of my carbon filter(odor scrubber), my 400w HPS MH dimmable light and ballast, and my nutrients (Grow Big, Big Bloom, Tiger Bloom). My cab should be here tomorrow. Super excited!!! Will post with it all set up next!

where did you buy your fox farm trio mine were never in clear bottles those aren't factory that's for sure? But im digging the setup.