Newbie Questions please save my garden

I set up my grow room as you can see in the pictures. I have a 400W MH light for the veg phase and a 400W hps for the flowering in a cooltube. This is my first ever grow so i searched the forums and all over the net for a correct setup and i think i got it right with the ventelation. I have my filter in the tent, Connected to the cooltube and on the other end of the cooltube i have the fan connected so it sucks the air out of the tent. I have problems with the temp in my tent, it varies alot between 25c to 30 c and a humidity around 40%. i know it should be at 50% atleast but i have just ordered a humidity controller so i can get it in the right range. Atm im just using a bottle and a sail.

Anyway how much should i water these small dudes? The information i can find is that they don't need much water in the beginning. But i find the dirt completly dryed out after a couple of hours in the small jars. The big pot i think i overwatered since it's still abit wet and i gave it water 3 days ago, i just spray them abit with water 2 times a day in this stage since im scared to overwater them.

The biggest baby plant is 5 days old, The small ones are 2 days. (from seed ) . Is this normal growth? And how close should the lights be when it's a small 60x60 tent with a 400w MH lamp? I find different information everywhere and it drives me crazy. Some people says it dosen't matter to adjust heights when you run a 400w MH in a small tent.

I moved the plants to the veg tent under the lights right away when they popped about 3 cm over the dirt. Is this correct? They popped in night so they seem to grow really really fast. Anyway im excited to get this going and learn about growing since i love it already.

Please don't laugh at me

Ps: Sorry for the big pictures, Not well with computers so diden't know how to make em smaller.

Hello Lileveil86

Tent looks like a nice place to learn how to grow. The one thing that worries me is the light coming out of it in a few of the pictures. The flaps might have just been open, and if thats the case its ok - just be sure its 100% lightproof when its closed up. You dont want any light on your girls during the night cycle.

Whats your soil like? From the pictures it looks like dirt from outside with some hydroton balls on top. So long as the soil in your area is good for growing other flowers/vegetables that should be fine, but you may want to mix in some Perlite to help aerate the soil and let hit hold some more moisture. Im no master at mixing my own soil, so I cant comment much more there. Personally I use Fox Farm brand soils since my local soil is so crazy. Lots of clay and sandy areas here >.>

Watering shouldnt be a huge deal. Water until the soil is damp, then let it go until you can push your finger into the dirt a bit and have none come back with you when you take it out. Basically, dont overdo things I killed several of my first plants by overwatering or underwatering - now I start in red Solo cups from seed and water once every two days or so. Soil will stay wet that long in my setup.

If you notice your soil is drying out way faster than that and are worried, you could also get a plastic humidity dome to put your girls in. That will help them retain moisture, and will also raise the humidity if thats something you are worried about. I never got too scientific with it in that regard - just worried about general plant health as they grew.

Also, are you misting the plants? Be careful if so, water droplets on your leaves can magnify your light and burn holes in your plant. Im not super experienced, but I watered the soil only. Plus, later on in life introducing water to the buds could help to cause mold if you're not careful. I could be wrong by doing that, but everything worked out fine on my end.

Lights can be close to your plants, but make sure the heats not too much. General rule of thumb, if the lamp burns your hands after several seconds its too close for your plants. Be sure to keep an eye on this too, because theres going to be a point where your plants take off - its really easy for them to get close to that light in the span of a day lol.

My advice is to take it easy and let the plant do its thing! Learn what you can by watching and helping them along, and always remember that too much love can be a bad thing. Looking good so far though!

Thank you so much for your reply . Im using soil that is well known in my country by weed growers so it should be the best around here atleast without mixing yourselfe.

Well does the night cycle matter so much if there is abit of light during veg? I heard it's only during flowering it's extremly important.

About watering again, Should i water the plants untill the water drip out on the plate at the bottom at this stage or is that to much? Should i just spray the dirt wet for now or what?

And about the lightning if i put it closer it gets abit hot around the plant. About 32C. Is the distance i have now to much or should i bring it closer?

Also the fan i have on the floor in the tent i have them blow air right at the plants, People say that it makes the stem much stronger. It's really windy in there and the plants are blowing back and forth, Is that to much wind? I don't see any harm made to them yet thou. I have ordered a wall fan that i will install instead of that big thing on the floor i hopefully get it this week.

Also i invested in a moisture controller so i can control the moisture better. It's really hard to control atm and is dipping between 40-50% I have to refill water 2 times a day in the bottle with the sail to keep it at a good range.

Sensie Seeds said that this plant is ready to harvest in 60 days and that i need to keep a close eye to the plants since they will explode in growth just over a night when they start to get some roots. When can i expect to see a strong stem? It's so small atm im so scared that they will break =(

If the soil is known to work well with weed then you should be fine I would do a test though and add some Perlite to one container on your next grow and see if it helps! Usually it really helps to add air to your soil, which your roots need, and the rocks also hold moisture.

You're right in assuming light leaks are most deadly during flowering, but im sure that it can stress your girls during the veg cycle too. If I understand right, the plants sort of 'shut down' up top during night, and the roots go into full swing. If theres enough light to keep the topside going, it can hurt your plant in the long run. Just watch your plants though - you will be able to tell pretty quick if they dont like something lol.

Now for watering! I usually water enough to make some leak out of the bottom of the drainage holes. My five gallon containers can take four quarts I believe, and they will leak a bit by the end of it. I would suggest getting a measuring cup and filling it to certain amounts each time you water until you find that sweet spot for your pot sizes. Water it till it drains, then leave it be until you can put your finger in the soil and feel that its starting to dry out.

Lights - I wish that I could give you an exact range, but I feel like I would be wrong lol. The hand test is your best bet - the plants can be as close to the light as your hand can comfortably be. If they get closer, they may burn. May be a bit of work during the veg phase since they grow so much so fast, but once things slow down some it should be easier for you to keep your light positioned. I grow with LED, so I dont really have any other tips/tricks for light heat >.<

Wind is really good for your plants, and you're right in saying that it will make your stem stronger. Think of it as weight training. There is a trick to it though, and thats to make sure its a fan that turns from side to side. If you blow directly at the plant all the time it can bend your plant, and it can also cause your leaves to shrivel. As your plant does its thing during the day the leaves 'sweat', and fanning it constantly can cause them to dry out. Thats why everyone says to get the oscillating fans. Barring that, you might just face the fan at a wall near the plant to give it a good breeze.

I cant comment on humidity too much since I dont have a meter I just kind of fly by the seat of my pants on that front lol.

As for plant and stem size, trust me, they will get bigger soon. When they are babies these plants seem very week, but once you get about two or three weeks in you should have a few nodes built up and a strong stem! Like I said though, make sure your fan gives the girl a break so she doesnt lean to one side - im sure even if that happens things will be ok, but it could cause problems.

Also, if you're really worried about the strength of this plant, check out this thread

https://www.rollitup.org/t/the-main-lining-thread.542308/

That should show you want you can do to your girls, and how strong they can be! It just takes time for your girls to beef up.

wow thanks so much for the answeres, This forum rocks =)

I now put the plants closer to the light. But the heat is a problem and i don't know how to fix it. Thing is i dont have an intake fan just yet in the tent (still waiting for it). So during the light phase i have the vent holes open on the tent and the door outside open to get fresh air in. However it gets cold after a while to have the door open so i can only have it open for a couple of hours. I have everything setup in a walk in closet and it's not much ventilation going on in there, The door to the closet is in my bedrrom and i have my bedroom that i open a balcony door in some hours during the light period. As you can see on my pictures i have the fan that blows the air outside the tent on the roof so it sucks the air out. I know that suck the air out is not the best way but i can't really fit the fan in there. Any suggestions on how to set it up propely? Or is it fine? My temp varies alot in the tent, Sometimes the meter have shown 32C. But then again the fan inside the tent is moving and blowing air on the plants so is this temp really the actual temp that the plants gets? Since the wind has to remove some of that heat from the plants.

I will get some Perlite tomorrow and use them on the smaller plants when i move them to a bigger pot. I made the mistake to put that bigger one in the big pot to early so it got really messy when i was trying to get it to the bigger one into the pot . Now i know that i should wait untill the plant has developed a good root system. I guess i will make shitloads of mistakes before i succeed but if i could only get the temp right at all times it would make my life so much easier so i don't have to worry about the heat all the time.

The lamp is not giving out so much heat since it's a cooltube and i have my fan suck the air out and still it is pretty cool, i know it's not ideal to have the fan suck the air out but i can't really fit my fan inside the tent. Any suggestions on how to connect it the right way?. I can saftly place my hand right under it thou and hold it there without burning my fingers. I have to put my hand on the glass to get burned. So that shoulden't be the problem.

Any tips and tricks are welcome =) I will keep you guys posted on my progress and hopefully i will learn alot in the process

Cheers guys

So 4 days since my post i have made some changes to the grow room to get the right humidity and temp. I invested in a humidity controller and some extra fans. During light my temp in the grow tent is exactly 26.7 celsius and during lights off 24.7 celsius. I know that 24.7 is abit low but do you guys think it will harm my plant to much? this is my first grow so im not really to scientific about it. The big plant has some yellowish/brownish spots as you can see on the picture. However this girl had it rough from the start since she was the first i planted and i made alot of mistakes so maby she took a hit then. Strain: Skunk 1# Automatic.

Please come with inputs on how you think they look and if there is something wrong with em. im in the learning process =)

Hi, Oldman here.
Autoflowering plants are a whole different plant sort of.
Don't give a lot of nutes maybe 1/4 strength and once
every 2 weeks, don't over water they like their feet kind of
dry. They will flower in 24hrs of light so when you see the
buds start stop nutes for a few weeks then go to flowering nutes
I would rec. Fox Farm Tiger Bloom along with FF Big Bloom.
In the last two weeks of flower just water.
It will take longer than the breeder says more like 10 weeks
but you can tell by the color of the trichromes they should
be 20-30% amber ( they start clear then milky then amber )
Also get some cal/mag. it is really going to need it.
Good luck, and check the Autoflower thread on RIU.

Stop spraying them. When you spray them it discourages them from searching for water by growing HUGE roots. Also water around the edges of the pot to encourage root growth. Always add some to the middle as this is where your roots are but mainly the edges. You need to watch that big fan. It may be too powerful with such little girls. Temp can drop 10c at night so don't sweat that. Personally I'd run it 24 hr lights on as with auto they flower when they are ready. Watch the nutes. 1/4 - 1/2 strength max. Looks like you're growing in a coco/rock ball mix which is awesome. Just add 10% of your pots capacity when you water. That rule has served me really well. Good luck bro

10L pot = 1L water. Just to be clear.

Every time the medium is dry 1" down. Easy.

anything over 25c slows photosynthesis so stay below it. Until flower. The. Turn it up to 28ish and the plant panics and covers itself in resin to prevent itself from drying out. It thinks it will but with RH at 60% it won't. Little mind fuck for the plants but very beneficial to u