Preparing for autoflower grow indoor

[Gaston676]

Hello everybody, i will be getting 2 autoflower seeds (kraken strain) next tuesday and i want to get ready with the room setup (will be indoor grow)

1. Lights, i was thinking going with 2 CFLs per plant at first and, if everything goes well, adding 2 more per plant in a later stage, to have them covered. What do you recommend?
2. Ventilation, got a good fan for this.
3. Watering, please tell me how to water the seedlings correctly once planted. I will germinate them in a glass of water in total darkness, as i got good results with this method before (but ruined it by overwatering and using a too big pot with bad drainage after sowing the seedling)
4. Pot, what size you recommend? I dont want to use party cup and transplant, i want to plant the germinated seed right into the final pot, i was thinking something medium sized.
5. Soil, i need sugestions regarding what is the best soil for autos
6. I will not be using a tent, since i have a full room at my disposal for this endeavor, is it ok?

Thanks in advance

 

[Alienwidow]

Get big cfls if your doing cfls, not the 13s or 23s or whatever size they make. I like the 150 w equivalents. Four of those per plant will give you decent results. Or even better..take all the money youd spend on those silly lights, and get the right tool for the job, a 400w hps
That will give you the results you want and you wont end up having to buy lights twice to try and get the results you want.

As for pot size..ive done a little auto flower reading and some say go straight to a 3 or a 5 gallon pot. I dont agree. Others say transplant away. Ive only done one ever. I transplanted it and it gave me 150 grams so i dont think it hurt it. But, to answer another one of your questions at the same time, the best "soil" impo to grow in, is soiless. Soil with no food in it can be fed quite a bit. It makes for bigger plants. Hope this helps.

 

[dgthumb]

Hello everybody, i will be getting 2 autoflower seeds (kraken strain) next tuesday and i want to get ready with the room setup (will be indoor grow)

1. Lights, i was thinking going with 2 CFLs per plant at first and, if everything goes well, adding 2 more per plant in a later stage, to have them covered. What do you recommend?
2. Ventilation, got a good fan for this.
3. Watering, please tell me how to water the seedlings correctly once planted. I will germinate them in a glass of water in total darkness, as i got good results with this method before (but ruined it by overwatering and using a too big pot with bad drainage after sowing the seedling)
4. Pot, what size you recommend? I dont want to use party cup and transplant, i want to plant the germinated seed right into the final pot, i was thinking something medium sized.
5. Soil, i need sugestions regarding what is the best soil for autos
6. I will not be using a tent, since i have a full room at my disposal for this endeavor, is it ok?

Thanks in advance

Check out my grow log.
I've got a 2x4x5 tent. In it I have 2 large 150w CFLs, 1 150w HPS. So you're gonna be able to do much more with lighting then I am.

I just keep a flap on the bottom and one on the top open for ventilation.
I've always planted straight to the final pot, thought this will make your first few watering a bit tricky, don't want to water to often or to much (this skill will develop with time). I have a seedling that sprouted about a week and half ago, haven't watered her yet. My others that are more developed get a few cups of water about every 3 to 5 days.
Right now I'm loving the 2 liter nursery pots, and so are my babies. (my advice, go with bigger rather then smaller, less chance of being root bound especially if you have the extra space)
Soil, yea again check out my grow log. I came up with a fabulous recipe that my current autos are loving. Best part I don't "need" to feed them, probably could but eh I'm slightly lazy.

Hope that helps.

 

[Gaston676]

Get big cfls if your doing cfls, not the 13s or 23s or whatever size they make. I like the 150 w equivalents. Four of those per plant will give you decent results. Or even better..take all the money youd spend on those silly lights, and get the right tool for the job, a 400w hps
That will give you the results you want and you wont end up having to buy lights twice to try and get the results you want.

As for pot size..ive done a little auto flower reading and some say go straight to a 3 or a 5 gallon pot. I dont agree. Others say transplant away. Ive only done one ever. I transplanted it and it gave me 150 grams so i dont think it hurt it. But, to answer another one of your questions at the same time, the best "soil" impo to grow in, is soiless. Soil with no food in it can be fed quite a bit. It makes for bigger plants. Hope this helps.

Thanks for your advice!

 

[Gaston676]

Check out my grow log.
I've got a 2x4x5 tent. In it I have 2 large 150w CFLs, 1 150w HPS. So you're gonna be able to do much more with lighting then I am.

I just keep a flap on the bottom and one on the top open for ventilation.
I've always planted straight to the final pot, thought this will make your first few watering a bit tricky, don't want to water to often or to much (this skill will develop with time). I have a seedling that sprouted about a week and half ago, haven't watered her yet. My others that are more developed get a few cups of water about every 3 to 5 days.
Right now I'm loving the 2 liter nursery pots, and so are my babies. (my advice, go with bigger rather then smaller, less chance of being root bound especially if you have the extra space)
Soil, yea again check out my grow log. I came up with a fabulous recipe that my current autos are loving. Best part I don't "need" to feed them, probably could but eh I'm slightly lazy.

Hope that helps.

Thanks dgthumb, i will check it out!

 

[dgthumb]

Thanks dgthumb, i will check it out!

No problem man, if you got question feel free to search, ask, research. The folks here are friendly.

 

[yeatster]

I have taken the direction, on watering seedlings, from a guy who grows monster autos.

I use 3 gallon pots and feed 175ml of tap water directly at the root(I like a small squeeze bottle for this). I go slow, allowing the water to travel as far to the bottom as possible, which sends the taproot en route. Good for about 3 to 5 days. Repeat.

The trick with final pot is, imo, to treat the plant like it lives in a small pot. As she grows, spread the water distribution as if up potting.

 

[tekdc911]

soil .... i usually go 1/1/1 organic soil , perlite , coco or peat

the reason i add some soil to the mix is for the first few weeks when they are crazy nute sensitive its bland and i feed when i see the green start to lighten

 

[jmcdaniel0]

everyone so far has had really good answers. i grow mine in solo cups, plant in three gallon bags. under a 600w or 1k watt hps, i have both, i havent seen a huge difference in either one. It will be cheaper to grab a cheap apollo or i grow fixture off of ebay. way better results. cfl's just dont have the power and the cost difference just dont warrent buying them.

 

[Gaston676]

Great answers indeed, the watering part is for me the hardest part to wrap my head around, there are so many opinions in that matter...
I will be using a sodium light 600w, with a fan blowing very lightly, as i dont have an extractor for the heat.

UPDATE: Tomorrow i get the seeds and they are: Jack Herer and Chocolope, both auto

I ask the grow shop about watering, they told me:

Plant the seedling after germinating (glass of water) in the soil, let a little part of the upside of the seed to be visible and throw just a little soil over it, almost not covering completly.
Watering: spray above just a little.

I was thinking going straight into final pot...what do you think about this? Or should i use small cup and then transplant? What about watering, specially in the early stages, before the seedling sprouts

 

[jmcdaniel0]

i have went straight to pot and transplanted. they both gave equal results. i just find it easier to pick up the solo cup and tell how dry it is. i just water enough to keep it damp. for germinating i use the paper towel method but both work just as well. after that i put the sprouts in a peat starter disc that has been soaking in a solution made up of water and just a bit of root starter. the peat cubes soak up a lot of water so i really dont have to water alot. that light will be all you need for autos. from start to finish. make sure to start a journal so we can follow along.

 

[yeatster]

If you have an ex

Great answers indeed, the watering part is for me the hardest part to wrap my head around, there are so many opinions in that matter...
I will be using a sodium light 600w, with a fan blowing very lightly, as i dont have an extractor for the heat.

UPDATE: Tomorrow i get the seeds and they are: Jack Herer and Chocolope, both auto

I ask the grow shop about watering, they told me:

Plant the seedling after germinating (glass of water) in the soil, let a little part of the upside of the seed to be visible and throw just a little soil over it, almost not covering completly.
Watering: spray above just a little.

I was thinking going straight into final pot...what do you think about this? Or should i use small cup and then transplant? What about watering, specially in the early stages, before the seedling sprouts

If you have an extra pot, you can fill it with the exact amount of dry medium and keep it around for a reference, giving yourself an idea when to water.
Better yet, I know a guy who uses a bathroom scale and weighs before, after watering, and everyday in between to guide when to water.

 

[Gaston676]

If you have an ex


If you have an extra pot, you can fill it with the exact amount of dry medium and keep it around for a reference, giving yourself an idea when to water.
Better yet, I know a guy who uses a bathroom scale and weighs before, after watering, and everyday in between to guide when to water.

Thats a cool idea

 

[jmcdaniel0]

Thats a cool idea

never thought of that...

 

[Gaston676]

How important is the ph level on the water? is it a non negotiable condition to have a correct ph water? It seems kinda costly for me to get a ph meter device and ph down solution...
Also, when watering i have seen that people use a root solution (dont know how you exactly call this in english) and something else to feed in the seedling-sprout stage and vegetative and later in the flowering stage they use other solutions...what you think about this?

 

[jmcdaniel0]

Well a cheap ph meter really isnt a bad investment. Luckily my well water is 8.0 ph so i dont need alot of adjusting. this is what I have.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00N7432II?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s01

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00TYW6Q58?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s01

as for the root solution I have used this for years.

http://www.amazon.com/General-Hydroponics-Rapid-Start-Branching/dp/B005H79552/ref=sr_1_15?s=lawn-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1457401805&sr=1-15&keywords=root+stimulator

As for nutes, this is what I am using right now, but there are many many many tried and true brands

http://www.amazon.com/General-Hydroponics-Flora-FloraBloom-FloraMicro/dp/B0024NDVRA/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?s=lawn-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1457401921&sr=1-1-fkmr0&keywords=genhydro+root

 

[Gaston676]

Well a cheap ph meter really isnt a bad investment. Luckily my well water is 8.0 ph so i dont need alot of adjusting. this is what I have.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00N7432II?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s01

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00TYW6Q58?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s01

as for the root solution I have used this for years.

http://www.amazon.com/General-Hydroponics-Rapid-Start-Branching/dp/B005H79552/ref=sr_1_15?s=lawn-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1457401805&sr=1-15&keywords=root+stimulator

As for nutes, this is what I am using right now, but there are many many many tried and true brands

http://www.amazon.com/General-Hydroponics-Flora-FloraBloom-FloraMicro/dp/B0024NDVRA/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?s=lawn-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1457401921&sr=1-1-fkmr0&keywords=genhydro+root

What do you mean by nutes? Is it nutrients?

 

[jmcdaniel0]

What do you mean by nutes? Is it nutrients?

Yes sir that is correct. I have used fox farm, gen hydro, miracle gor(do not recommend) Dyno Gro, And many others. Fox farm works well, but is pretty darn expensive, even online. The stuff i linked seems to work just as well, and was the same price for double the amount.

 

[Gaston676]

Yes sir that is correct. I have used fox farm, gen hydro, miracle gor(do not recommend) Dyno Gro, And many others. Fox farm works well, but is pretty darn expensive, even online. The stuff i linked seems to work just as well, and was the same price for double the amount.

I will have to see what they have in my local grow shop, i am in Argentina and Amazon is having problems with customs here, also i dont want to wait 20+ days to get the stuff...

What should i be looking for in nutes and root solution?

Also, when do you start using each one? i guess root solution is used in the first watering after transplanting from small pot to final pot right?

Can i get away without checking ph? I will use tap water left in the sun for a while to let the chloride and municipal aditives evaporate...but a ph meter is kinda off my budget.
Thanks in advance!

 

[jmcdaniel0]

sure you can get away without checking ph. honestly i didnt do that until recently. my plants were having an issue and i wanted to rule that out. as far as adding nutes, auto are, in general, very sensitive to nute burn. some strains are better than others. the instructions on when and how to use them are on the bottles. i woulnd feed after atleast two weeks from when the seed pops the dirt. i have some plants just starting so ill try to get you som pictures. when you do feed,, i would start out at 1/4 or 1/2 strength, and slowly move up until you find where your plants like it.. Never been to Argentina, heard it was a pretty place. When i was in the military i got to travel all over. been to cambodia, laos, iraq, afghanistan, france, estonia, finland, egypt, bahrain, turkey,syria, china, and korea... not all of those were sight seeing trips though.