dolly's aussie ghetto grow...

Time to start my first grow journal!

My set up is completely and utterly ghetto.. it's my first grow and i'm definitely doing it in style! I have got two seeds - no idea what strain, they came out of some buds we had a few years back - germinated one in paper towel under a bowl under my kitchen sink and named him* newy. I bought this tomato grow thing from kmart for $4 to plant it in however it had holes for two seeds - so i planted another straight in the packet and germinated it there - her* name is mate.
(*= not sure of sex for sure yet, i just like to name things)

I have it sitting at my back door at the moment in a spot that gets the sun no matter what time of day it is.

I'm not worried about my neighbours in the slightest because i'm pretty sure if they're not just dealing meth, they're making it here as well. My only issue would be if they stole it! (or because of them this unit block got raided..) but I'll be bringing my babies inside next week as I have a 400wt HPS with shade & ballast coming my way - I will be constructing a frame for the light to hang from and will be able to make it higher as needed. I haven't completely designed my ghetto grow set up yet but it is getting there..

The sad thing is... I'm pretty sure I *may* have sent newy to an early grave due to being overly keen with the watering. Lesson learnt! I will back off over the next few days and as it will be hot outside so hopefully there is some hope. We'll see. I've got around 10 more seeds to play with, but hopefully I haven't killed him. And hopefully the bushfire smoke in the air doesn't have a negative impact either.

I was planning on getting secondary lights when they grow if needed. I've done a lot of reading on this site - to the point where I completely and utterly confused myself but it's all starting to sink in now.

Lets see how it rolls eh.

I will post pics of how they're looking tomorrow when I get home from work.

Questions

1. Is it correct that I will need to have my light/reflector 4 foot above the top of the plant, or is that too close?
2. With watering - especally at this stage - when the top is dry give 'em a little - yeah??
3. With a 400wt HPS light how many plants will that realistically cover? I'm just planning on running the two this round but wouldn't mind having a threesome next time..

Thanks
...dolly

1. When plants are young (seedlings) you will need to keep the light (400 hps) about 24" above the top of the plant. As they mature you can bring it to within 18" provided you have good ventilation. With an air cooled light you can get even closer.

2. Most people water when the medium is dry down at least a knuckle deep. I lift my pots and use the weight to determine when to water. After a while you will just know by lifting. They will feel almost as light as air.

3. It depends on the size of the pots and plants - I can fit 24 square pots under mine (400 watt hps) and that is about my limit.

1. Depends mostly on heat. 4"-12" away is desired for 400w HPS, cooling/fans required. You'd need some serious cooling for 4" away, like a cool tube.
2. Not top exactly, an inch or two beneath the top.
3. Depends on your space. Easily 6-8. Up to 16 or so reasonably. With a light mover... 48 or so.