Few Questions About Soil and Water

Hello.
Im new here and im new to growing. Also, english is my second language, so forgive me for my grammar.
I tried growing a while ago, but failed. Now that i have upgraded my grow box and got some more seeds, i want to start again, and i hope that you could help me.
Im going to grow Nirvanas Short Rider (autoflower) in a PC case, using 125w CFL 2700k bulb for vegging and 125w + 25w + 25w 6500k bulbs for flowering. Im on a very tight budget.
I have read guides and stickys, but still - if any of my question have been answered, please post a link to that topic.

• What kind of soild should i use? I have soil for growing cactus (ph 5.5-6.5) is that ok or should i get some other? I live in Europe, so miracle grow and other popular brands are out of the question.
• What about water, is tap water ok, after its been left in open bottle for few days for chlorine to evaporate? There is no way for me to get a ph tester.
• What about watering seeds after i plant them? How much and how often should i water them? Im going to use 1 liter pots (0.26 gallons). Is it better to start in a 200ml (6.7oz) cup and transplant seeds after they break ground?
• Is my light sufficient for two plants? And should i use that vegging bulb for flowering too, is 125 watts of the wrong spectrum going to increase buds on my plants?
• Can i successfully germinate seeds using paper towel method in a dark, dry place that is 18 degrees warm (64 °F) or should i place that towel somewhere more warm? Also, how long that white seeds tail should be when i plant that seed?

Thank you for your help, i hope ill be smoking some homegrown bud soon.

Lot of questions, I will try to answer some of them at least. The temp to germ the seeds should be close to 80 farenheit. I got em to pop at 70 degrees or warmer. As soon as you see the tails come out, put it in soil. The tails can grow into the paper towel if left to grow for say 1 inch or so. Moist paper towel folded over seed in plastic baggie, with baggie closed except 1 inch for a little air.

You are vegging with 2700k? That is flower spectrum but is fine to veg with. I do veg and flower with 2700k no probs. I think you have enough light for 2 small plants. The more light in flower the better, and 6500k is ok for flower. I would put the 125 watt cfl in center, between the 2 plants hanging vertical for flower. Veg with it overhead tho. If you flower with cfls overhead of plants, be sure to put some reflectors on them to throw more light down. If you do not, you are wasting half of your light. Could hang the other cfl vertical around the plants. The soil sounds good, make sure it drains well. Blood meal and bone meal are cheap nutes. All you need too.

I use tap water left to sit and ph adjusted, no probs there. I think you could find a cheap ph drop test at a swimming pool shop. I have a cheap drop test for $7, works ok. Just a bottle of ph test solution and you put 3 drops into a bit of water you want to test. Vinegar or lemon juice for ph down and baking powder for up.

1 liter pots are so small, I do not see the point of starting in smaller cup. For watering, you want the soil to be moist constantly for first few weeks. Not dripping wet but moist. After a few weeks you can let it go a bit dry between watering.

Not clear if you have one 125 watt cfl or two but 1 plus the other cfls would be enough for 2 small plant. 2 would be even better. About 100 watts per plant is enough for 1 foot plant. You want the lights within 1 inch of the plants or even closer. They do not penetrate far. When the plants are just coming out of soil you can keep the light a few inches away to avoid burning.

bacdafucup said:

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[*]Can i successfully germinate seeds using paper towel method in a dark, dry place that is 18 degrees warm (64 °F) or should i place that towel somewhere more warm? Also, how long that white seeds tail should be when i plant that seed?

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I'll answer just this one as the other guy covered most of your questions adequately.
You want a warmer spot than that, on top of a hot water heater tank is good. Around 80 F is a good number.
You plant as soon as the troot tip shows. pointed end up about a 1/2 of an inch deep the soil gently pushed down over it.
A warm spot will speed up sprouting too. No light is needed 'till they popout of the soil.

Thanks for answering, you have helped a lot.
After doing some more research i have decided to go with 5.7liter (1.5 gallon) pots. Should i plant in my 1 liter pots and repot later or should i go with the large one from the beginning?
To be clear about lights - i have one 125w bulb of each spectrum + some low watt 2700k bulbs to hang on the side to help buds grow bigger. So ill use 125w 6500k + 175w 2700k for flowering. Those bulbs are really cool, i can hold my hand as close as 0.5 cm and feel no heat, so i guess it will be ok to be that close for plants aswell.
I have completely lined my PC cases growbox'es inside with tinfoil, so i guess that should take care of reflecting the light.
Cheapest ph water test i could find costs ~30$, bit to much for me at the moment, but ill keep looking. What about bottled drinking water, could that be of any use? Not mineralised, not carbonsed, plain water.
Thanks in advance.

I would go with the 1 liter first and up pot later, as it is easier to monitor moisture level in smaller pot. If you are going organic, there is not much need for ph testing. I did need it, as the tap water I have is over 8 ph, even tho I am organic.

Maybe you could just ask the water provider of your area what the ph is, they might know. 6 to 7 ph is fine. I would not waste money on bottled water, my opinion. You have more than enough light for 2 small plants, might need a small fan to move heat from them. You can put books or similar under the pots to get plants close to lights, and later remove them as the plant grows.

^Wise choice in going bigger with the pots,...that was my main suggestion, after reading about the 1-liter pots. Yeah, they'd work, but'd be a hassle, and hurt your harvest. You should do pretty well in the 1.5 size.

Hello. Im happy to tell that I finally planted my seed today.
Germinated yesterday, took ~36hrs for that white tail to pop out.
Seed is in soil in 1L pot and under 125w 6500k bulb since this morning (I have ~+8hrs timezone).
If this one sprouts with no problems, then ill plant another one just like this next to it.

@the owner of the forum. The paper towel method works 100% if done right,it worked for me
get the seeds, get ur paper towel fold it in half, place the seeds and fold them again.
water the towel but dont let it get soaking wet. get a ziplog bag put em in there,i use my gucci shoe box they worked for me

Hello.
If anyone cares, my plant seems to be growing quite nicely, has almost shed its seed shell.

that soil is to acidic, will cause lockout eventually

i have the same seeds in the mail right now
when the shell comes off the fun begins.
if it has difficulty shedding its shell, which it probably shouldnt, spray it with water and it will come off. (not too close to the light)
if anything i would increase space from a PC to a closet? or a rubbermaid tote, i use one of those for my first grow.
also, ventilation is key, along with air circulation. old computer fans wired to cell phone chargers work for small grows, and there cheap at 2nd hand stores.
good luck

I have two of those 8cm fans - one blowing air in, one sucking air out, wired to power unit from old hair clipper.
Also i plan on building a new growbox from plywood. I hope it will be done by the time my plants outgrow their current grow space.
Thank you for pointing out that i might have a ph problem.
What would be best solution at this point? Asuming that i can get my hands on some dolomite lime, would it help?

whenever you get soil add 1 cup to every 1 cubic foot of soil, and if you wanna add it to your already existing plants just sprinkle on top of your soil and water as usual

Could you tell, if my plant is doing ok? Hasnt shown any progress in last few days.
Soil is moist, temp is ~80 degrees F, light is on 20/4
Here are some pictures: (sorry for bad quality, pics were taken with my phone)

Also, is says on the package, that my soil contains something called PG-mix. Internets tells me, thats it is full of nutrients: http://www.frontierag.co.uk/frontier/pages/page.jhtml?page_id=14700081&section_name=100003
could that harm my plant?

bacdafucup said:

Also, is says on the package, that my soil contains something called PG-mix. Internets tells me, thats it is full of nutrients: http://www.frontierag.co.uk/frontier/pages/page.jhtml?page_id=14700081&section_name=100003
could that harm my plant?

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Well, it could, but that all depends on how much is added. Does it give any number values for the amount of fert in it? Your coteyldons(first set of leaves) don't look burnt or anything, so it's tough to say if the soil is too 'hot'. I'd guess "no", judging from what I see in the pics. Does look like something is slowing it down though, possible drainage, it's tough to tell how wet the soil is, below the surface. Perlite can go a long way, in a dense soil like that.

Nope, no detailed info about pg-mix on packaging, also no info on the internet since its a local brand.
Soil is moist all the way through, at least how deep i was able to stick my finger in.
Could repotting to soil that has no nutrients help, assuming that this soil is burning my plant? Since its pH is too low, i would have to add dolomite lime, which would add to the risk of nutrient burn, am i right?
If i fail at growing this plant, i have only one seed left and there is a risk that it might not germinate which would mean no weed for a while for me so i really want for this to work out.
Thanks in advance.

id try CAREFULLY removing the seed pod, i use tweezers for this.
looks healthy though true leaves are starting too come out.
the pot you have it in? is it clear ? does it have holes for drainage ?

So i went ahead and transplanted my plant to another pot, same size, but drilled more holes at the bottom for better drainage, used another soil too.
This one seems to have better drainage, is ment to be used for growing all kinds of flowers and has pH of 6.2-7.2
Answering Jason2011:
Plant has looked the same for 4 days already, like growing just stopped. I carefully removed seed pod, used my fingers tho.
Pot is clear, but this one has large sticket on the side covering ~ 1/4 of its surface area. Still, i dont thinks it makes any difference, by the time roots comes even close enough to the side of the pot, plant will be transplanted to a larger pot.
Gonna check on it tomorrow.

bacdafucup said:

Since its pH is too low, i would have to add dolomite lime, which would add to the risk of nutrient burn, am i right?

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Nah man, I wouldn't think adding dolo. lime would increase the risk of nute burn.