This is my 1st post. I have read in 2 days these 31 pages. Yeehoo.
I will have card soon and looking to grow indoors. I guess next for me is finding on here what is the best option to grow for me. 1) Soil I am thinking. 2) Organic for sure. 3) 6 plants for 1st run. 4) What do you seasoned growers think should be the lights and wattage for 6 plants in 5 gal containers in soil?? (7 gal would be fine). 5) cutting and pasting all the great info into a one-place ebook for myself to go to quickly. 6) Patience and Love.
Thanks all thus far on what I have read and learned!!
This is what I learned on my first grow (half way through now)
1 - Get lights with decent hoods that can be vented. It will be cheaper than dealing with the heat problems from cheap hoods.
2 - Put a filter over your air intake immediately. Just because there's snow on the ground, don't assume you wont get pests. Stockings will work in a pinch, but mite/thrip screens are better because they don't rip.
3 - Finding a fertilizer with Sulpher or Molybdenum are almost impossible to find. Dyna-Gro is the only brand I've found with all the minor nutes. It's chemical based though, and I've been told tha mixing organic & chemical nutes is bad.
4 - If you're sold on going organic, then Fox Farm Ocean Forrest is the bomb, but it's too hot for clones & seedlings. Use something with little to no nutes till the plant out grows the 16oz cup, Fox Farm Light Warrior I hear is good.
5 - Mycorrhiza, get some, mix it in with your soil, use it every time you transplant, treat your girls with it regularly. And plan on needing 10, 15, or 20 gallon containers before your done, your roots will need the extra space if you use Mycorrhiza from the first day.
6 - Lady Bugs, I'd suggest releasing 3,000 or more after you Lady Bug Proof your grow room. They'll keep unwanted pests, that can piggy back on your clothes to get to your plants, from colonizing. They're a good preventative measure but they're not 100%.
7 - I'm growing 7 plants and two 400w bulbs have done me good. If you can afford it, two 1,000w bulbs, 1 MH & 1 HPS would be best. And you can get by with one 400w HPS. But for the fastest grow, 1,000w is the way to go.
8 - Under no circimstances should you add anything to Fox Farm Ocean Forrest if you decide to use it. If anyone tells you to add any nutes when mixing your pots, don't trust another word from that person. (You can add Mycorrhiza as long as you find a product with very low nutes, like 0.1 - 0.2 - 1 for instance)
9 - You don't want to overwater or underwater. But while you're learning, it's better to underwater than it is to overwater. Overwatering can cause root rot.
10 - Grow stores are more expensive than nurseries 99% of the time.
That's all I can think of off the top of my head. Hope it helps.