First grow ever, have some questions

Hello everyone,

I've recently started my first ever grow. Before asking my questions I'll give some info about my set up.

Firstly I have two areas, both of which are grow tents.
Veg Tent
Size: 2' deep x 3' wide x 5' tall
Light: 150w HPS
DIY low pressure aeroponics set up
DIY cycle timer on the pump (1:20 on 4:20 off)
Rez: 27 Gallon Roughneck Tote (only use 10 Gallons of water though)
Running Canna Aqua line of nutrients.
Temps: Lights on max out around 82F Lights off around 73F, Rez max's out around 74F typically is around 71F
system holds 21 plants

Flower Tent
Size: 3' deep x 3' wide x 7' tall
Light: 400w HPS
DIY low pressure aeroponics set up (still needs to be built)

Okay, so I had a bunch of seeds collected and decided to try this whole growing adventure. I did a bunch of research and then built my aeroponics system and got some rockwool and a hydro dome and got started. Ten days later I had a bunch of sprouts growing and had roots showing so I take the best 21 sprouts and put them and their rockwool into 3'' net pots with hydroton and transplanted them to my aeroponics system. They have been in the system for 12 days now and I thought they were doing great but now I'm not sure.




As you may be able to see in the pictures, some plants are growing faster than others and due to this I'm worried that the small ones might get no light due to the big ones hogging it all. Also I'm now wondering if 21 plants is to many, though I am going to be spreading them out in the flower tent since it is way bigger. As they grow they are starting to touch each other. So first question, does it matter if some are not as tall as the others. Second question, how close is to close in terms of space available to each plant.




Next questions are on the second set of pictures. Some of the plants are beginning to show strange signs. Some of the plants have their leaves curling down and they look droopy, not wilted or anything, just droopy. Also on some leaves I'm noticing discoloration. Some of the plants have a pale green color at the very tip of some leaves. Some leaves are not as deep of a green in the center as they are on the outside of the leaves. One plant has single leaf that the tip is almost black and dry to the touch. And finally another plant has yellowing and curling of one of the first real leaves (not the seed leaves but the ones after that) almost like that leaf is dieing.

Now I could just be being paranoid but like any new parent I think I am being over protective. Do I actually have anything to worry about?

Side note, the PPM of the res is currently 1114 ppm.

Also, sorry about the black lines in the pictures, some reason they show up, no clue why. Only happens when I'm taking pictures of the plants, I figure it is due to the HPS light.

Nice post, plants, and setup. I'm sure you'll get more informative answers from others but 21 plants is a heck of a lot for the tent. I have one the same size and wouldn't come close to that number. I'm thinking around half will be male, so that's a good thing for you, but even 10 is a lot for that tent.

I use an aeroponic bucket for clones and it's running all the time. Maybe it should be on a timer like yours..? I don't know for sure.

CalMag is my cure-all for yellowness. I don't think you mentioned pH, so that could factor into the problems. 5.5-6.3 is healthy. Some people only go by ppm's though, and I never watch ppm's.

I don't know what's causing the black lines either but my hps doesn't cause them. They're not bad though, the pics look good. People will tell you that hps should be used in flower, and they're right, but hps will work fine for veg as well.

I think with 10 plants you're going to have a majorly overloaded jungle in there but it looks like a fun experiment. I wouldn't get rid of any plants at this point. I'd let all the females keep growing and fend for themselves, rather than kill them.

You might consider splitting them up at some point, putting 1/2 in the other tent, and flowering both tents at once. You'll have a ton of weed to last you through the next grow, which I think you might do with much fewer plants.

I see the drooping and someone might have a good solution for you, but I have to say, those plants look very green and healthy. My plants would just have to tough it out.

The number of plants depends on the length of time the plants are allowed to grow before flowering.

In any case, 21 for that setup is just way too many. Not to mention it is your first grow, and youre growing hydroponically. A lot of things to keep track of.

How long are you planning on growing them out before flowering?


and the drooping is most likely due to a small root system that cant use all of the water it is being given. It is acting as if it is overwatered. This will get better as the roots grow and fill out.

I was only going to let them veg for another week, maybe two. I was going to put them into 12/12 once they are 12-18 inches tall. The flowering tent is 3'x3'x7' so I was thinking that the plants would be sufficiently spread out once transferred to the larger tent. Was I wrong with this assumption?

djevik said:

I was only going to let them veg for another week, maybe two. I was going to put them into 12/12 once they are 12-18 inches tall. The flowering tent is 3'x3'x7' so I was thinking that the plants would be sufficiently spread out once transferred to the larger tent. Was I wrong with this assumption?

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Yes.

21 12-18" plants in a 3x3 tent is way too many.

I wouldnt put more than 9 in there at that size.

djevik said:

I was only going to let them veg for another week, maybe two. I was going to put them into 12/12 once they are 12-18 inches tall. The flowering tent is 3'x3'x7' so I was thinking that the plants would be sufficiently spread out once transferred to the larger tent. Was I wrong with this assumption?

Click to expand...

Whoa buddy. You won't have enough room for that! I veg to about 18" in my 5' x 10' x 7' and I only have 13 plants in there right now, I could fit more but 21 would be pushing it even in my room for that much veg. I could probably max about 24... 8 per 1000W, but I wouldn't be able to move around the room to water/feed/prune. I'm not even sure my equipment (fans, a/c, humidifer, swamp cooler, etc.) would fit in the room with that many plants in there.

I guess it depends on how bushy your strain gets, if it's a single-cola type strain that grows straight up... you will be able to fit more in there... but I still don't see 21 plants in a 3' x 3'... that's ~0.4 sq. ft. per plant.