First Time Grow - Advice Needed

[xGanjaFarmer]

Hey everybody, I recently decided to try my hand at growing since I'm sick of spending my hard earned money. So since this is my first grow I need lots of feedback.

I started off by germinating a bunch of bag seeds and planted like 20-25 in separate red party cups to see if any of them sprouted. I used Miracle Grow Seed Starting Mix. I started with a single flour lamp over all of them and after most of them sprouted most of them are dead. I now have 10 plants left, 3 of them looking ill, and 2 of them in the same party cup. They are sitting in a cardboard box covered in a garbage bag so the water doesn't leak through. This tray is then sitting in a big plastic tub. I got rid of my flour and got 2 - 26W 6500k CFLs.

I have a few questions, when should/should I transplant them. If so, how big of a container should I transplant them into, I want them a good foot to a foot and a half tall. Second, Do I need more lights? I know I need some 2700k of w/e for flowering, but that's not for a while. Another thing i've been wondering is how long do they need to veg for. Finally, what kind of nuts should I use? I have seen a bunch of differant types thrown around, but I don't know where to find any of them.

All advice is welcomed!

EDIT: How do I know if I am over watering them? I feel like that is how I killed most of my babies.

 

[newb101]

i use fox farms trio and seems to be workin fine for me you can get it for cheap on ebay or google it. also i would get more light the more the better! i would transplant them into 1 gallon then into 3 to 5 gallon pots you can count on about half being male so you will have more room once you start to flower them and have sexed em.

 

[xGanjaFarmer]

I finally found my camera, so here's some pictures. They look tiny compared to any other plant at almost 4 weeks.

I also had a question about one of my plants, in the third picture, it's kind of blurry but down at the bottom of the stalk it gets smaller and is brown, what is that?

 

[xGanjaFarmer]

So I decided to wise up and invested in a bunch more lights, I now have 8 26W CFLs in 5 reflectors. I also finally found socket splitters so I can fit multiple bulbs in the reflectors.

Also, what # nutes should I use for veg? I got some 15-30-15 but somebody said that was no good..

 

[P. STONIE]

it probably about time to transplant especially the 2 in the same cup you don't want the roots to tangle and get that light closer to the plants they're stretching

 

[Jeremy.]

How far do you keep your lights from the plants? They look a little stretched out. But good otherwise.

 

[xGanjaFarmer]

How far do you keep your lights from the plants? They look a little stretched out. But good otherwise.

I started with a single shitty flour light for like 16 plants, so that made them stretch like a mo fo.. But now all the plants have CFLs within an inch or so. I am going to transplant the 2 in the same cup but I dont know how to go about doing that, if their roots are tangles I don't wanna kill them both.

 

[P. STONIE]

just fuckin cut the cup take the dirt in your hand and gently pull it apart mm by mm then get you pot fill it with dirt make a little pit and burie the roots in the direction they'd grow pack it water and the soil will settle into the roots

 

[micro.grower]

from one veteran newb to a new newb.. you want nutes with a higher n than p or k... you wont need to raise your potassium or phosphorus(i think that is how you spell it) till flowering... also... like the guy above me said... transplanting is simple... your biggest concern should be to try to minimize root damage... are you leaving your lights on 24/0 or 18/6? unless you have a timer, keep them at 24/0... as far as how long you want to veg really depends on you... you say you only want a plant that is a foot and a half... that means depending on your strain or type of strain (indica, ruderalis, or sativa), your plant will usually double to triple in size from the time you start flowering... i feel it would be safe for you to start your flowering at about 7inches or so... from personal experience, mine didnt show sex till its fifth node (each pair of shoots are nodes), so if you want to veg it till it gets up to that, it should save you some time on determining sex... i may be wrong about the fifth node, but both plants i flowered from seed didnt show sex till this point... use this info or do your own research on the matter... i am just saying what worked for me... also.. i would not even attempt to flower until you get a timer (if you dont already have one)... your light setup seems fine... however you will need the lower 2700k for flower... at least my suggestion... or get a good mixed spectrum for both (but preferably more 2700k)...if you cant tell what spectrum it is, 2700k is more red, where as the ladder choice is more blue...
i am really not sure how much you know about growing (like i said, i am a newb myself working on my first grow), but i have done alot of research before i ever attempted to even sprout one... i will say that some people (like myself) learn better from personal experiences and fuck ups... so if that is the kind of person you are... jump in head first... if not read some more... as far as watering, it is alot easier to over water than underwater... one of the biggest killers to newbs is overwatering.. so be careful... learn how to read a plant and know when it is asking for more water... if you pay attention to them, you will know when it is time... in vegging, i only watered mine once or twice a week during veg... now it is more like every other day... however, all this has the power to change depending on your exact soil mix (i go more perilite to prevent overwatering... the perilite mixture will change with time and experience)... read as many journals as possible, so you will have something to compare the health of your plant to... read the plant hospital section and see how they diagnose plant problems... if you are having one of these problems with your own grow, see if the remedy given will work (90% of the time, RIU is rite)... we are all newbs at first, and like a said at the beggining, i am a newb as well.. i just consider myself to be a veteran newb due to me coming close to finish off my first grow... any other questions, pm or post on my thread in my sig... hope most of this helps... i will subscribe to your thread to help out with what i can... if you ask me, i will answer to the best of my knowledge...
peace and stay green or at least keep smoking it...lol.. deuce deuce...

 

[micro.grower]

and about the cup size, i am growing out of 16 ounce party cups... preferable to get clear one and a red one... plant your plant in the clear one.... poke drainage holes, and keep in red cup to hide the roots from light... this allows you to monitor your root growth easily... i have seen 3 foot plants grown out of these cups... not saying bigger containers arent better... it really just depends on how much room you have... i think i mite grow one in a shot glass... just to say i did...

one more pointer and i will shut up... dont pinch anything off till you harvest unless you want to sample one of your buds later on in flowering... granted you still have a good way to go, but yeah, leaf doesnt get you high unless it is leaf from a flower... dont smoke leaf till it is trim, and you may not even want to do that... i have seen some kick ass trim recipes ou mite wanna look into... way down the road... good luck broseph...

 

[xGanjaFarmer]

thanks microgrower for all your support, I only have a few healthy big plants so I just kept the two in the same cup (too scared 2 kill both of them). but I figure ones probably going to be a male,so once I see thier sex ill just chop him down. also, my lights are on 24/0. since I started with one flour, then moved too 2 CFLs, now I have 8 CFLs and still adding so the plants are really lovin the light! also, I found some 300W equivilants that are 2700k so i'm gonna grab 4 of those and 4 26W 2700ks for flowering. Hopefully the plants will really like all that 2700k and make me some sexy dense noogs.. I just wish I could find some 300W eq. that are 6500k.. I know it's my first grow, but I'm trying to get a couple ounces off of a few plants, is that possible? is so how tall would they have to get?

I am also going to start giving them nutes in maybe.. a week or two? does that sound right? Hopefully I can find some nutes that are high in N, I have a 15-30-15, but I read that's its no good except for flowering.. any comments?

 

[xGanjaFarmer]

This is officially their once month from when I planted their seeds..

Also, I was way to drunk last night and forgot to smoke an L so when I woke up this morning it was sitting on my desk.. so decent. So I smoked it while taking these pics.

I planted all these plants at the same time and some of them are just doing so shitty.. either drooping or straight up just not growing

EDIT: Actually, I think some of these may have been planted a week later.. so that may be why they are so small.

 

[xGanjaFarmer]

So I woke up this morning and the wierdest thing happened, in 1 of my pots there is a litttle ass seedling that started growing, wtf?

 

[micro.grower]

maybe a extra seed got mixed in your soil, if ot i have read somewhere about people getting "twins"... which is sorta cool, but you are prolly gonna have to figure out the stronger one and kill the weakest... from what i have read about twins, they both compete for both nutes and water... so if you decide to grow them both, you will have to pay close attention to both plant needs... you could veg both of them and use them for clones... that would prolly be your best bet if the seed was not accidently placed in the cup... also... cermaic pots suck in my opinion.. the seem to absorb the nutes and leave this dusty powder coating on the outside of those pots... just personal experience... you would prolly just be better off using some dixie cups... they seem to work fine...
i would however seperate those two big plants now than later... you have a less likely chance of them going hermie if you seperate now before they flower...
as far as getting a couple ounces... you have a long time of vegging... i would reccomend around two months each... i have NEVER gotten an ounce off my micro setup, so the two months thing is just an estimate from reading journals on this site...
with your nutes... start at quarter strength and see how your plants respond... slowly adjust up from there with every week of veg and see how that works... your lights seem great for flowering... i would tone down the lights a lil bit till you actually flower them and work on getting some 6500k cfl's for now... it seems like you have enough sockets setup to go with a mixed spectrum as well... just more of a blue spectrum for your vegging... in my experience... they seem to grow faster during veg with them... any other questions? i will be here to answer them if ya got them...

 

[scwascwa]

u always want bigger containers because u can always tie your plants down from keeping them from gettin to tall if u leave them in those cups u will regret it reducing your bud growth and much more

 

[micro.grower]

scwascwa has completed a grow so i guess his opinion is through more experience than i have... so give his ideas a try... and if it doesnt work as well for you, try another technique... it is all trial and error for me... you mite learn a lil differently than i do...

 

[scwascwa]

have u tried bigger pots micro im pretty sure u would love ur results u can still grow small plants in bigger pots

 

[micro.grower]

i would love to try bigger pots, but in my size box, it is almost impossible... i only have rite at 3.5 inches of depth to work with... and almost every other pot (beside my dixie cups) out measure 3.5 inches width... when i build a bigger box, bigger pots is def what i will go for... i just dont beleive in giving advice for something i havent tried... the only truth i know is what i have experienced... but like i said, you could be very well rite... i am not arguing your statement at all... in fact i do believe you... i just dont know from experience...yet... lol...

 

[scwascwa]

well u should only grow one plant in a bigger pot so that you could yeild more because one more dense and fuller plant should yeild more than a couple small ones u catch my drift

 

[micro.grower]

gotcha scwascwa... i totally understand, but using more than one plant can help me to have a perpetual harvest...