First Time Grower - Results Discussion and Seeking Guru Comments

I've recently started my first grow. It is indoors. I'd like to start a thread for newbies to talk about their first time experiences and results and maybe to get some comments from the gurus on the site. Like you, I've dedicated quite a bit of realstate time and money and I'm anxiously drooling over what is soon to be my first harvest!!! Let's share info and results and see how we can help each other out?

DESCRIBE SPACE AND OPERATIONAL SETUP

Main entrance is a locked door to a neutral room in a basement let's call it the processing center a.k.a. the laundry room.

VEG ROOM SETUP

Veg room is 10'x5' area partitioned off of the processing center with a locked door with the state certified patient ID clearly labeled on it. Room is lined with 6ml platic on walls and four feet high reflective insulation.

• Lighting: x2 8 3600k tubes Envirogrow T5s. Can operate at 4/8/12/16 tubes - 20/4 veg cycle.
• Temp: I keep it in high 70s in the veg room during day and high 60's to low 70's during night off hours.
• RH: I keep it high in the veg room - 55-60%

There's a drop like ceiling and I've mounted two bathroom exhaust fans each rated at 50cfm which empties the room in 3-5 minutes. The T5s and exhaust fans are plugged into a smart power strip which allows me to use the timer to trigger more devices. The lights and one of the two exhaust fans goes on and off together. There's an intake in the lower wall of the room drawing air in from the exhaust fans.




I have enough room to setup a table and to work within the room. I use this area to mix nutes and to perform transplants.




FLOWER ROOM SETUP

Flower room is a 14'x9' are partitioned off of the processing center. Lined with 6ml plastic on walls and ceiling with white board hung from the walls where the lights and plants reside.

• Lighting: x2 Raptor 8 1000 watt HPS - 12/12 light cycle.
• Temp: I keep it in the mid-70s
• RH: I fight with humidity problems often due to it being in a basement during the summer at present. I'm able to keep it around low to mid 50's.
• No C02 system of of yet - that's a winter project for me to reconfigure the entire room and adapt it to Co2 and that's a different thread
• AC = 12,000 BTU prtable (LG model purchased from Home Depot) - heat is being pushed out the cellar window. Triggered to go on and off with Raptors.
• Air purification is 1,000 CFM top shelf with 8" 650 CFM can fan pulling through the filter and pushing through the Raptors out the cellar window. Stays on not dimmed 24x7.
• Intake duct comes through the lower wall pulling air from the basement through a vented carbon filter purchased at home depot.
• I used thick rubber bungy cords to secure the filter and fans to the ceiling and it worked great with zero rattle and buzz. My furnace is on the other side of the wall and no one questions the fan noise.
• Ballasts and all wiring is mounted neatly on a mounting board.

SHOW SOME CURRENT RESULTS

Shots w/ HPS on:

Northern Lights end of week 6.

View attachment 2733462

Blueberry Cheese end of week 6

View attachment 2733460

Will post high res flash pics with HPS off later this evening/morning

Newbie comments welcomed!!!

Guru comments welcomed!!!

I'll continue to update throughout harvest - 1 NL coming out next week and a couple NLs and the BB the following week. Will be my first experience with flushing, drying and curing and I'll definitely post pics.

jesus i'm jealious of that set up how much did that all cost you roughly a couple k easily eh?

Yeah it wasn't cheap but it was worth every penny and I still find myself lacking in certain areas. Namely no Co2 setup atm. Outside of that I didn't cut many corners if any. It could use better humidity control for sure but then I'm not blowing a nut on a decent dehu when I plan to go Co2 very soon which will factor into my end-state humidity levels.

The meds are hard to see but I'm thinking they're almost done. Pulling them early as they are indicas about 40% cloudy atm with very slight hints of amber. 8 week strains getting pulled on week 7.

do you have any links on some of your equipment or did you buy it locally?

Purchased locally. About 5k gets you the two rooms built and all of the equipment in these pics, if you do it the right way. In my state, I can do a total of 12 plants per patient up to five patients and no more than 24 mature plants total and 12 in veg total. The setup in these pics gets me 6-8 plants at the size I am going for.

I'd like to double the raptors in the winter and add a Co2 system. Both will cause me to have to go to a much larger AC system and a different room configuration mainly for ventilation and HVAC changes. No less than 18,000 BTU (22k is better) wall mounted unit for 4x1000 watt HPS in the size space I'm in. I have a rough estimate from a local trusted HVAC guy. I'm not too anxious to commit just yet ... another 4-5k to double light coverage and turn on Co2 with a much higher monthly run rate. YOIKS!!!

Here's some high res shots with the lights out.

NLs




FROSTY NUGS!!!

BBs

Next pics will be right before harvest and right after chop chop. I can't wait... I'm sooooo tired of waiting and soooo happy I'm finally through the first cycle. The water is boiling!!!

Comments and discussion welcome. I'm on vaca and in the farming and posting mood in a big way.

wow your set up and plants look wooooonderfuuuul!!! if only i had that kinda start up! i use 2 rubbermaid buckets, one on top of the other with cfl bulbs inside, 4 fans and aluminum tape to line the inside! not in the flowering stage yet but im lsting them and its lots of fun
cant wait for them to show their sex!! oh man!!
id wish you good luck but you seem to have everything under control already

Thank you for the comments. I was fortunate to be able to start up as well I did ... all the home depot credit, home equity and personal savings withdrawals worked out well ROFL... I researched this room setup for over a year watching other friends start their operations... I got to see many startups and many mistakes and corrective actions before I built the room and started my program.

The results I'm showing are good by Google's standards how about yours?

Excellent grow, the buds look awsome. Well done!

I spent abt $75 on my set up....View attachment 2733719View attachment 2733720View attachment 2733721View attachment 2733722...now ur grow is awesome n all....but u were asking for honesty and standards......im jealous and I think i could do way bttr .....hahaha.....im jk man awesome set up nice plants...if thats ur first grow and ur first set up u did a good job.

My only advice is I woulda had one hps and one mh for flower...a mixed spectrum does wonders....give it a shot next time...thru all stages....50/50 mixed spec.

And instead of choppin a week early let em go a week longer.....imo....if u have the means to establish that kinda set up for ur first run surely u cldnt b pressed for weed.....right?

Thanks... I think ROFL I'm jealous of your results and your operational expense heh.

We'll see how this competes with $75 on my 10th grow Right now, the biggest investment has been the quest for knowledge and practicing the craft.

Cash would be worth more if it was printed on hemp IMHO.

Mr.Vega said:

My only advice is I woulda had one hps and one mh for flower...a mixed spectrum does wonders....give it a shot next time...thru all stages....50/50 mixed spec.

Click to expand...

THANKS!

Yeah I've been considering taking one of those T5s and hanging it sideways on the open side of the canopy to got more blue spectrum on the sides and under the canopy. I've been researching this and it seems quite viable and beneficial.

I've found after three veg cycles that I don't really need 16 tubes in veg room at the number and size of the ladies that are coming out of it so it's an option for me.

Mr.Vega said:

And instead of choppin a week early let em go a week longer.....imo....if u have the means to establish that kinda set up for ur first run surely u cldnt b pressed for weed.....right?

Click to expand...

Anyone doing this is "pressed for weed" specially after watchin the first cycle take almost 4 months not counting the time it to build the rooms and operation. Yeah anxiety is a factor but I didn't come all this way to pull early. I have some other posts in the harvesting forum asking simple questions around the NL strain.

I don't want to harvest an indica that is already known for blow out couch lock ... a week late just because that's what DJ Short says to do.

They're on week 7 with 40% cloudy trics (went from 20% to 40% in week 6) with very slight traces of amber. Swollen calyxes with 90% amber pistils.

I'm looking for what others say about pulling at the end of week 7 giving these floral-development observations, pics and consider the psychoactive aspect of the strain.

https://www.rollitup.org/harvesting-curing/690659-northern-lights-early.html

All comments and opinions are welcomed and thanks for your consideration in advance!

I'll have to admit that I admire all of you who can do this. I am afraid to start growing because I usually do something and I screw it. )

Great job!

A lot of cannabinoids develop in the final stages...I always go for an all cloudy touch of amber look when determining when to chop....I want little to no clear when determining when to cut....I dont listen to what other grower say really...I just learned abt trichomes and what their colors mean...clear (immature)...cloudy (fully mature)....amber (degrading)....only reason I wait for any amber is to insure its mostly cloudy w as little clear as possible....but trichs dont tel it all for me...to be honest I havent scoped my last 3 plants...calax swelling...pistils...fade of the plant...I watch all these things too

I'm letting the NLs go another week

Nuted week 8 today and they will get pH sugar water for 10 days. This puts me one week past my anxious date ... I guess it's still anxious

But I think by then they'll be 50% or more cloudy with a little more amber and just right for the strain. I'll link updates from another post here and we'll see if they've swelled anymore and how the trics look next Friday.

Cant go wrong w that

Nice Work M8.

Thanx for the share.

Peace and Great Grows

Asmallvoice