Newbie preparing for a grow, Any tips?

Ok, So basically I'm beginning to get a SMALL grow box set up (Suitable for 2 maybe 3 plants) and I'm just wondering, what are the main things I have to remember? So far I'v researched Ph Levels (I Should be a pro at this after maintaining my Jacuzzi Ph balance levels for 6 years <3), Nitrogen levels, Potassium levels, Germinating, transplanting, lighting (Seems expensive ) and from what I can workout, their the main things I need to know. Oh and watering, I'v done research on this & I believe once the seeds are actually growing I shouldn't water them again until I can stick my pinky about 1/2 inch deep and feel it's completely dry or almost dry.


Now, This is going to seem stupid, But my mate hooked me up with 23 seeds, the only problem is he doesn't know which ones are Northern lights & Which ones are Northern lights #5 X he only knows that their both in there (No idea what their crossed with, just quoting what he said, I'm a smoker, I don't care about the name or how they look as long as they burn good so no idea).


Few concerns I have;

• How can I check the Ph, Potassium & Nitrogen levels without spending $100's on instruments?
• Is this setup ok for a small grow? Are the lights powerful enough to keep the plants alive?
• What is the likely cost for the initial period (18 on 6 off) of lighting? (If it's too high I'll just sell the seeds to some dumb guy and let him kill them as my bills already over $400)
• What are the chances the heat of the light bulbs will melt/burn the plastic?
• If I made a carbon filter will it keep the stink levels down? (It's bad enough listening to my neighbor bitch and moan when I smoke on the balcony)
• With a Box that size, Will I need adjustable light heights or is it close enough to keep them growing once the first 2 leaves break? (I'm just going to use a Blue fluorescent light thing my mate gave me, he said use it when growing the seedlings so I guess I will :S)
• If I don't soak a seed to germinate it will it eventually become useless or are they all good until Germinated?

Sorry for so many questions, Both me and my friend are first time growers, I didn't even plan on it except he had left over seeds after planting 30 pots and gave them to me. Also, how can I convince my mate that him spending $3,000 on a setup for his garage was way to much? My most preferable method would be to have nice buds and all his plants dye but thats a bit mean.


thank you for any help


(I'v read this thread but it seems to indepth, I don't want to start a drug farm, I just want to start a small personal marijuana plant or 2)

i stopped after the seed part.....

the probability of these seeds being any good are slim.....
i may be completely wrong but the seeds most likely have come from a plant that went hermie... which means most the seeds will also be hermie (females that grow seeds without pollination)
if the seeds are however crossed from mating male/female.... then the seeds are a 50/50 shot at male/fem.... this for first timers can also be irritating

my reccomendation would be to spend a few bucks on some female seeds for your first couple grows....just to get the feel of things, and you kno your definately gonna get rewarded! ...growing random seeds will cause you to have to quickly learn sexing....this will be harder as you have no knowledge of what they look like (maybe other than pictures). and if u dont catch the males in time.....your females wil get pollinated and become useless.

...ill read the rest now lol

....

What are the chances the heat of the light bulbs will melt/burn the plastic?

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what plastic?

If I don't soak a seed to germinate it will it eventually become useless or are they all good until Germinated?

Click to expand...

i had seeds stored in a 35mm film case for over 15 years and they all grew fine! ...as long as they dont get too hot or cold theyl last forever!

just going to use a Blue fluorescent light

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i dont think this will work for flowering? vegging should be ok tho....but im no lighting expert!

Haha, Yeah I was a bit unsure of planting them as well, The main issue is Australias strict import laws, the chances of actually getting premium seeds imported from overseas without them being intercepted and a pretty $500 fine in my mailbox are pretty slim. I Can tell the difference between a male and a female to a certain extent, If need be I'll just do a lot of research on the 2 types of plants on Northern lights I guess, What can the major appearance differences be? It's only different strains, Not an entirely new cannabis breed.

The blue Fluro isn't for flowering, My mate said I should set it to about 1-1.5 inches above my cups when getting the seeds to sprout and then raise it to about 2.5 inches for about 2 weeks and then transplant. I have to be Honest, I know jack all about growing, weird really when I use to be around a grower quite a bit. I just intended on using those coil bulbs once I transplanted and got them into the actual growing box :S Is that wrong?

(Hold on, I'll try and find a type of plastic on the tubs, didn't even think about that, just ripped the stickers off and put them in the corner xD

Edit; I Apologise for the double post, I presumed it would have the auto-merge anti-spam plugin.

vegging will be your main task......
if you veg with the specified time but your lighting is no good, then your plants wont grow as fast as they should, ....so at the required 4 weeks veg, your plants growth may only be at week 1 still.
also ppl say "veg to 16 inches tall" ....this may sound simple enough...but if your light is too far away then 16" can be acheived in a couple of days! this will no way be ready for flowering.
if you start flowering to early then you will drasticly reduce your bud! ...so make sure your veggy plant looks pretty bushy before u flower! google some images, theres some great grow journals here too (look for the completed ones or youl be looking forever) .

i think the light u mentioned are the cfl light? im only familiar with hps lights. but yes, cfl lights are fine but youl have to check the wattage and lumens to see whats best for your setup.

males v fems.........
males grow balls...females bud! once you see each side by side you can clearly tell the diffrence, and will always be able to tell wenever you see a male afterwards! ..the problem is catching the males before they throw out pollen! ....1 tiny spec of pollen can ruin your crop!
males show within the first 2 weeks of flowering! so keep a very close eye on them....

i understand the laws of aussieland....u guys are crazy on plant stuff gettin in the country! and i agree no way would seeds get in through the mail!
i thought you could find weed growing wild there? ....if so then maybe you could try planting wild, and simply cut down the males as they appear! that way youd end up with 7ft plants and a nice sack of bud

Haha, No such thing as "Growing Wild" there's people who grow MASSIVE crops in the bush or just plant 4 or 5 plants here & there, But the issue is in the area I'm in everyone walks around the bushland areas looking for the Shrooms so They'd more then likely be found & Ripped out before they flowered, I have to be honest, I'v found Marijuana plants when out shroom hunting before, only difference is I didn't rip it out, The twit mate I was with did, apparently he doesn't click that it's not going to flower if it's not in the ground xD. & I Agree with the Veg being the main issue, I already know how to start the flowering it's just I don't want to end up with 1 of those 10 leaf 2 bud 10 ft tall plants if you know what I mean. I Also understand that Weed (Most plants in general) will grow for the light, I Guess what I could do is weld up a slider for the tubs and make the lights adjustable so I can move them from the bottom to the top? or maybes put Alumium foil or mirrors up the sides of the tubs so the light is as equal as possible? Would this cause it to veg as a bush instead of a tree?

The grow box seems to be pretty efficient from the end results in that DIY Guide I'm just curious if it's good from transplant to harvest or if I should buy some more tubs and make different ones for each stage. (I Have a 4 car garage so space isn't an issue xD, Just don't want to be done with anymore then 2 plants as with any luck if I'm caught I'll have a nice copper who will give me the kind option of an official warning instead of the Federal charges. Also, If I grew them bush I doubt I'd let them get to 7ft, From understanding Marijuana plants can grow up to 1KG/m2 when planted in the bush? That right there is like 5 years in prison xD I'm just looking for like 2-3ounces and heck, If I enjoy the growing I might sell 2 ounces and invest in some better equipment and start sending my mates to the shoes over the lines (Not literally but you get the jist, I hope)

These are the tubs I'v got

I Can't find anything for plastic type, though it does have P.E written on the bottom? Not sure if that's a plastic type :S

I'd germinate all the seeds at once. If you get 5 or 6 you'll be lucky, and if 3 of them sprout you'll be lucky. If one of those is female and matures, you'll be lucky.

Genetics is (almost) everything. You gotta start with good seeds. We have people here from Aus that get seeds. While you're doing the above I'd simultaneously be researching where yuou can get seeds. BTW, Nothern Lights is a great strain, espec for the beginner. See if you can get seeds from Nirvana, and get Northern Lights fem from there.

ps I notice that Nirvana does have Aus Dollar in it's currency conversion, meaning they do ship there.

Yeah but on another cannabis forum there is a thread about people complaining about Nirvana & Attitude's seeds 95% of the time being intercepted, I'm considering Bonza but I'll look for some more reviews of Nirvana's success rate to Australia. It's not so much the seeds getting intercepted and confiscated that I care about, It's the fine that comes with it

agreed with the above.(solid info always)illegal smile
i use nirvana to. they good all round getics for the price. get a few phoenos but thats to be expected. out of the 30 ww fem seeds. 29 out of 30 cracked. can post pics if needed. i used root riots to crack mine. i swear by them. no paper towels. just straight into the root roit.pointy way up inside a propagator straight under a fluorescent light(the RR keep them dark till they crack. temps 75 to 85 humidity 80 plus. crack everytime

no how old is the thread. i live in the uk. my order get to me in 4 days. ive orderd 8 times now all got through. but thats the uk

Theres a thread on this forum going back to 2009 and theres posts on OzStoners about Nirvana orders vanishing and receiving Customs letters instead dating to December, 2011.

Edit; my bad, They're both on rollitup.

i ask becasue back in 2006 2008 nirvana where having some troubles. but since then they have become qiute a reputable seed bank and shipping/delivery is one of there strong points

also every seed bank as it troubles with shipping. its the nature of the beats. i can find growers/breaders complaining about most seed banks on google.

Hmm, I'm presuming you have experience with Nirvana then, It states that they ship every order with a free gift to ensure it reaches it safely? Can I ask, Is the free gift some type of cheap hat or something? Just it would be pretty obvious if they sent it in a grinder or something (As much as im sick of half the weed I grind going through the stupid screen)

no the gift can very frist order i got a wallet. love it. use it for work. at xmas i got a flashing Santa hat. at the min what there using id rather not say as certain poeple read these forums to if you get my drift
the only down side is they dont do any crush proff shiping

Yeah I get you with the prefer not to give them all away, Just wanted to make sure it wasn't anything blatently obvious like grinders or fat papers xD. Well If I order 10 & 5 get crushed, I only really need 1-2 to germ for now.

Dang, When I tried to register Australia isn't an option on Nirvana, I Guess I'll try attitude.