My First Ever Grow

[sykemfs]

Ok so here it goes. This is my first attempt to grow. I will be honest and say that I was google'ing info on this topic for a while but did not find this amazing sight until I already started my project.



I germed 2 bagseeds by using the shot glass method. They split fast but the root was not growing but i can see it sticking out a bit so after letting it soak with no further growth I put them into soil to grow.

For my setup I am using my girlfriends armour since I can not do it at home. I used foil on the walls to reflect light. May not be the best choice from what I have read but I am a bit broke right now. I am using 2-40watt 48inch fluros, daylight spectrum (if i found this sight i would have used compact fluros), I have 2 1.5 quart pots with a mix of miracle grow seed starting soil (bad choice i know), mixed with some perlite and sphagnum moss. I did not measure exactly but kept the perlite and moss to a small amount. After planting the seeds i placed saran wrap over the pots and placed under the lights. So far no sprouts and I am on day 2. This is not the best set up just what I can do at the moment. I will have pics sometime today because the camera is giving me a headache. I also have 4 more seeds germing in a paper towel and 3 in a shot glass. Will plant those in cups with just the MG soil once they germ. I hope this gets rolling so I can keep up a journal and get some feed back.


By the way HAPPY BELATED 420 everyone!!!

 

[sykemfs]

by the way the PH of my medium is about 6.0. It needs to go up, correct? I heard baking soda works. Can someone give me a tip?

 

[DR. RESINTHUMB]

use dolomite lime for raising ph to 7...this also adds calcium and magnesium

 

[DR. RESINTHUMB]

try soaking in water for 20hrs after that out in between a paper towel...put this paper towel between 2 colored foam plates and put in furnace rm or top of fridge... i would use peat pellets to germ as this helps roots form 2without using a larger pot....would use peat moss, perlite,vermeculite and lime as a mix...really all i use and then water with a tsp of fish fert 5-1-1 every third water...this fert is strong so dont feed b4 they are about 6 inches or begin to yellow...jus my pennies worth

 

[sykemfs]

use dolomite lime for raising ph to 7...this also adds calcium and magnesium

thanks man, what would i do mix with the water? If so how much and how would I mix the parts?

I am thinking of scrapping the two seeds I planted in that mixture and replanting in smaller pots with just the MG medium. My lack of knowledge may have caused me to start a bad setup.

 

[lazy88]

its your first grow....go to walmart-get some bone meal.(its cheap) mix it super weak,like less than 1/4 strength and water your plants with it for a while..bone meal will up your ph..look it up!...and bone meal is good for your plants all threw the veg cycle as well...just remember,its better to under fert.than it is to over fert..ull be safer that way...
u dont wanna raise or lower your ph within mins..within days will make your plants get use to it.rather than shocking it.
and around 7 is where you wanna be.

and as far as germinating goes..if you got a coffee cup warmer that will work..(basically you just wanna keep the water,seeds,kinda luke warm and dark.).if you put them paper towels..fold it nicely..they can be a bitch to get out if one does crack and go wild..but you can just throw them in a jar of water,if ya like..within a couple days they should crack..but some can wait as long as 20 days to crack...once cracked..or while your walmart getting your nutes..pick up one of those lil jiffy puck trays..they work great,for seedlings and clones..pour a lil warm water,mixed with a couple small drops of peroxiode,a lil goes along way..it helps with root-rot. -over the pellets..they will raise,poke a lil hole in the top of the soil.stick your seed.root down in there.pinch the top a bit to make sure no light gets to it..spray the top of the lid.and stick your floros right ontop of them...as close as you can get to that tray...Keeps them warm...and if you still got your coffee warmer,stick that under the tray..the warmer the roots are once in the jiffy pucks..the better they will take root. it works the same principle as clones...
Im not a expert,but im not a beginner,take it for what its worth,dont make it anymore complicated than it has to be,ull learn as you go...Just remember to LEARN YOUR PLANTS...it will save so much time and worry...

 

[sykemfs]

its your first grow....go to walmart-get some bone meal.(its cheap) mix it super weak,like less than 1/4 strength and water your plants with it for a while..bone meal will up your ph..look it up!...and bone meal is good for your plants all threw the veg cycle as well...just remember,its better to under fert.than it is to over fert..ull be safer that way...
u dont wanna raise or lower your ph within mins..within days will make your plants get use to it.rather than shocking it.
and around 7 is where you wanna be.

and as far as germinating goes..if you got a coffee cup warmer that will work..(basically you just wanna keep the water,seeds,kinda luke warm and dark.).if you put them paper towels..fold it nicely..they can be a bitch to get out if one does crack and go wild..but you can just throw them in a jar of water,if ya like..within a couple days they should crack..but some can wait as long as 20 days to crack...once cracked..or while your walmart getting your nutes..pick up one of those lil jiffy puck trays..they work great,for seedlings and clones..pour a lil warm water,mixed with a couple small drops of peroxiode,a lil goes along way..it helps with root-rot. -over the pellets..they will raise,poke a lil hole in the top of the soil.stick your seed.root down in there.pinch the top a bit to make sure no light gets to it..spray the top of the lid.and stick your floros right ontop of them...as close as you can get to that tray...Keeps them warm...and if you still got your coffee warmer,stick that under the tray..the warmer the roots are once in the jiffy pucks..the better they will take root. it works the same principle as clones...
Im not a expert,but im not a beginner,take it for what its worth,dont make it anymore complicated than it has to be,ull learn as you go...Just remember to LEARN YOUR PLANTS...it will save so much time and worry...

thanks for the advice..i'm tapped for cash until i get paid but i should have enough for that stuff.. maybe i'll go that route instead of the MG soil..going to see if I get any sprouts by tomorrow and if I don't I think i'm going to scrap the first two seeds and start fresh..

 

[sykemfs]

hey is this setup ok? it was supposed to be hanging but had to switch to the closet..im considering bringing back that ballast and getting CFLS and hanging em. I see everyone with hanging cfl's but are those wired or plugged in? I just need some guidance here to set this up better i'm thinking it won't work well once i get everything going

 

[sykemfs]

ok so I wasn't able to talk to anyone so I went out and bought 4- 27 watt daylight cfls (actual 100 watts each) , and 2- 14 watt cfl's (actual 60 watts each), water ph test strips, a soil ph and nutrient tester that goes into the soil, and some dolomite lime...


the best part about coming home to set up was finding my first seed sprouted....barely out of the soil and looks a little bent over...i fed some water because it was a bit dry and tested ph
PH read 7

here's some pics of the set up and the first sprout you can barely see the lil thing but its there...could use some feedback now i know this is a crucial time...

 

[DownOnWax]

Actually you can use it at 6.0.

Marijuana likes a slightly acidic medium so 6.0 is actually pretty good. By the time you start adding nutrients then it should bring it up to 6.3- 6.5.

I keep mine anywhere from 6.2- 6.8 and have even had it as low as 5.8 without any ill effects.
Check out my grow, those plants are hitting 6.2 right now and are growing great!

The link is in my signature.

 

[huskerguy]

just a thought but u might want to keep it humid in there until that lil guy stands up straight, a few weeks ago i had a couple of sprouts and all but one was standing up, i took the humidity dome off and the rest all thrived but the one that was still bent over just dried out and died in like 2 days, granted it wasnt the healthiest of the sprouts, kinda yellow and sickly, but u might want to give yours another day in some humidity

 

[sykemfs]

just a thought but u might want to keep it humid in there until that lil guy stands up straight, a few weeks ago i had a couple of sprouts and all but one was standing up, i took the humidity dome off and the rest all thrived but the one that was still bent over just dried out and died in like 2 days, granted it wasnt the healthiest of the sprouts, kinda yellow and sickly, but u might want to give yours another day in some humidity

thanks,, i'll try that for a little bit

 

[sykemfs]

Actually you can use it at 6.0.

Marijuana likes a slightly acidic medium so 6.0 is actually pretty good. By the time you start adding nutrients then it should bring it up to 6.3- 6.5.

I keep mine anywhere from 6.2- 6.8 and have even had it as low as 5.8 without any ill effects.
Check out my grow, those plants are hitting 6.2 right now and are growing great!

The link is in my signature.

thanks for the help...how do i lower ph? i bought lime to raise it

 

[DownOnWax]

You can buy some Ph down or if you wanna use stuff around the house then lemon juice or vinegar.

The Lemon juice works really well actually

 

[sykemfs]

You can buy some Ph down or if you wanna use stuff around the house then lemon juice or vinegar.

The Lemon juice works really well actually

i can use the juice or vinegar...is it white vinegar and if so how do i go about using it? mix it with water?

also i have been reading different views on time of lighting during the seedling stage...what is the general agreement 24 or 18-10 and i have been keeping them on for 18 before the sprouts so if i stay with 18-10 should i keep the same schedule it was on?

 

[DownOnWax]

Yeah you just dillute it in water (white vinegar). Maybe a couple tablespoons or more depending on how much you want to lower it.

And you want to keep your lights on an 18/6 schedule for seedling and vegatative growth (at least I do). Some people will say to keep the lights on for 24 hours in total but I think that the plants need some night time to grow roots. Plus it saves energy, let's your lights cool down, and gives your bulb a longer life.

Then switch to 12/12 when the plants are ready to flower.

 

[sykemfs]

hey if this seedling isnt standing up tomorrow anyone have some ideas what it could be....temp is 80 i dont know the humidity yet need to get a hydrometer since home depot didnt have any small ones today...

 

[sykemfs]

ok well the putting the plastic back on helped... looks good so far..had some seeds germ so threw them into some medium...pelite and MG...think this is enough lights? couldn't measure the closet in time...4-27 watt daylight, 2-14 watt warm white, 2 48inch 40 watt daylights

 

[DR. RESINTHUMB]

alright my friend...being a newbie as i once was can cause you to overlove or overthink what you are doing...the lime gets added in with the soil at about 10% of mix....lime is a nuetral 7 and can never go up...lime also contains calcium and mg which are much needed nutes....you could either add some bone meal or earthworm castings for long term nitro as this is a lot better to do than get a 20-20-20 fert or such...i make my mix 40% peat moss-20% perlite- 20 vermiculite-10%earthworm castings 5% lime(small-fast acting)-5% myco fungi...thats about it after they are about 6 inches or so and leaves enlargen i will feed with 1 tsp to gal h20 of 5-1-1 alaskan fish fert,next water will be plain except add liquid karma(plant stimulant)this really works well for me...the thing is that everyone who grows should try to get into the mindset of a plant,because no plant wants some shitty ass miracle grow when it can have a fully balanced organic diet....if you are serious about potant herbs than thats what i would try to come close to...we as humans can sometimes overthink our approach and forget that sometimes its best to keep it simple

 

[LADYF**]

I use MG for all my plants and at the end of about 8 weeks I begin a introduction of nutes at a 1/4 st. every third watering..below someone said keep it simple and i think thats probably the best advice you can get.

This is a weed it will grow in just about any medium, the main thing ya wanna watch is temperature balance and watering and lights..also the lighting sequence... imo 24/7 for veg.12/12 the rest of the way...keep it simple.
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I use four 30watt 1750 lumen lights for four plants. I don't need a garden overflowing just enuff for two! keep the lights close to the tops about two or three inches as long as the lights aren't too hot!
Temperature and this is debatable 76/78 daytime night time don't let it fall below 68.
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A plant as long as it's relatively healthy will grow as much as 6 inches a day, ( so watch the height of the lights ) to me this is a hobby and a very much needed one, my Partner has MS so this is medical as well as anything
else < smiles>.
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Watering every three days of course it is better to be dry than too moist , so watch that!
As your grow gets more mature they will increase the water need As far as amounts and that ya just have to gauge yourself.
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Everyone that grows has a way of doing thier thing , so everyone will be different in thier advice but the basics remain
the same < smiles> sprout , water, temp,lights, nutes and ph balance!
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Good luck, i enjoy watching my garden, it has given me a zen for my yang,lol
This site has some super growers the best site i have found and a wealth of knowledge, listen to them and you will have a yield beyond your wildest dreams!
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