first in a series of questions

hey all i am new to the forum and to growing. my dream is to have a clean and reliable source of super high quality marijuana for personal use. as this is my first grow room i expect bumps and setbacks as i build. I have a few basic questions that i am sure will be followed by more detailed questions as this process moves along.

i understand that i do need to read more and learn more and see a few more grows to make sure i have a solid idea of what i am doing but i guess my major questions are:

1. best soil/medium for a beginner.
2. best nutrient brands and watering schedule for clones.
3. how to isolate a part of a room for growing.
4. idiots guide to ventilation systems and how to install them

1. definatly go soil, go for FFOF if u can

3. get a growing cabinant or a grow room

1. not much on soil myself, but theres alotta variables, i heard fox farm is the best...or, if you want to skip the soil, do a hempy bucket grow with just straight perlite (found at walmart for 4 just a few dollars a bag)...its pH neutral, re-useable (no haulin heavy bags to and fro!) and provides excellent root aeration

2. again, diff brands work better/worse for diff strains...keep un-rooted clones ina humidity dome for 7-ish days till roots appear, then when potted they can be treated as young plants, water and fed as needed

3. if you want to save space, go to walmart and get a couple of those stow-away totes, they come from 15 to 50 gallon sizes...take one, flip it on top of the other, and drill holes in the edges of both and stick some kind of pin thru them so the top wont fall off...cut a hole in the side and stick a piece of pvc pipe (or watever you can find) and make sure it has an elbow..this will prevent light from comin in/escapin, and will provide air intake...cut another hole on the top tote and stick a computer case fan in there (this can be rigged to a wall socket by gettin a 9-12v phone charger, also from walmart, strip the ends off of this and the fan and hook the wires together)....go to lowes, find a 3-light fixture (like you would put over a bathroom vanity), screw it to the top tote, rig it to a wall socket similarly with a thick-gauge extension cord (though this NOR the pc case fan need to be hooked up to timers, if they need to be shut off for any periods do it manually) and stick some CFL's in there...line the insides of both the top and bottom tote with duct tape (the refective kind, not that dull gray shit) and boom, there you go....a home made growbox for under 100 bucks! and not only that, but its a box that wont make your power bill shoot thru the roof, and can be disguised fairly easily

4. ventilatin isnt a biggie...if your talkin ventilation for a room, just open a window or door n have a fan inside to circulate air....if its a light reflector ventilation, then take ducting and run it from ur light housing through and inline fan and out the tent/room/growspace

good luck!

captainx said:

hey all i am new to the forum and to growing. my dream is to have a clean and reliable source of super high quality marijuana for personal use. as this is my first grow room i expect bumps and setbacks as i build. I have a few basic questions that i am sure will be followed by more detailed questions as this process moves along.

i understand that i do need to read more and learn more and see a few more grows to make sure i have a solid idea of what i am doing but i guess my major questions are:

1. best soil/medium for a beginner.
2. best nutrient brands and watering schedule for clones.
3. how to isolate a part of a room for growing.
4. idiots guide to ventilation systems and how to install them

Click to expand...

Good questions.

First off, I would suggest you pick up some books on growing since those are going to have the most reliable steps and advice. Better than the boards in most cases.

1. Hydro is easiest, in my opinion.

2. Advanced Nutrients have always worked for me.

3. Again, read up on the boards and in books. There are many different thoughts on this. In addition, there are grow containers you can buy. They're uber expensive though.

4. That is a really big question. Again, I would suggest looking around these boards because a few people with much more time than I do (LOL) have written out some excellent advice and instruction sheets. Unless you're in really tight quarters, you can possibly get away without too complicated a system at first.

IMHO, start with soil and Plastic pots. Avoid clones unless you have supervision. Order seeds from nirvana.
One or two plants will not give you a giant harvest. Your goal is to deliver the plants in health to harvest.
Keep a log and find a way to over come any probs. Then go to fancier set ups. If you wish. There will be a learning journey.

5. lighting options that wont break the bank... i hear cfl = bad news and flouro's are not as effective as hps and led is overpriced... but for a first grow is it worth it to spend money on an hps?

conepuller2299 said:

1. definatly go soil, go for FFOF if u can

3. get a growing cabinant or a grow room

Click to expand...

ffof means fox farm ocean forest? ... are the miracle grow potting soils bad?

Go get any good potting soil. mix in 1/3 perlite. I like Blackgold soils, coco blend myself. But you want dirt. you can veg with cfl's But I would get at least a 400w hps. If you think your going to stay with it get a 600w. saves on up gradeing. Find some bag seed and start with those. No matter how and with what you start you'll have a learning curve and make mistakes.

I USE CFLs, have to go now send private message if need more help

links for 600w mh set ups and hps set ups? i can find stuff but i dont really know what i am looking at. mh is better for veg and hps is better for flower... i have money for both i just dont know what to get for a brand

captainx said:

1. best soil/medium for a beginner.
2. best nutrient brands and watering schedule for clones.
3. how to isolate a part of a room for growing.
4. idiots guide to ventilation systems and how to install them

Click to expand...

1. Coco\Perlite at 50\50 rate. Its a soil-less mix. Its way harder to overwater that way so your clear from the most dangarous newb mistake.
2. I use HESI but if I wasn't that cheap I'd change my arsenal to House And Garden. Both got a feeding schedual for every stage of the grow. You water every 2-3 days with coco\perlite. If your plants get droppy before your watering you need to repot to a bigger pot.
3. Get a closet. Whats more?
4. Pull air from below to above. Use the vent to suck air and a hole in the bottom to let air come in. It creates negative pressure, meaning smells doesn't leak through leaks and you'll be able to use a carbon filter to filter smells.
Bottom hole should be 20% bigger than the vent hole.
You want to change the air every 5-10 minutes AT LEAST. make your calculations.
Using long tubing and a carbon scrubber puts presure on the vent making it run slower. Add 20% power if your using those.
Get the air to come from one side to the other so all the room gets exchanged.
Get a revolving fan to create a breeze effect - it creates stronger stems and prevents all sorts of problems. You want your plants to move gently all the time.

Get a screen on the intake so insects stay out.
Get the holes light-proof.