1st "real" grow.. Advise from experienced ppl appreciated

Sims da smoker (Qboro)

Well-Known Member
pretty much i started growing with about 300 bucks worth of equipment and that was including the light and ballast. cost me 50 bucks to make a flood and drain table from homedepot and about 50 bucks on nutes and about 200 bucks for a light. a fan i had laying around the house and i was in business. the light could have been cheaper if i went online but i was a newb and didnt have r.i.u. yet. also craigslist is a cheap place to find good equipment in ur area for cheap. also look at amazon and ebay but ask a few of us on here before u actually make an ebay purchase cus most peeps on ebay give out shitty info in the product descritions.
Yea.. That's pretty much what I started with.. Not all at once, I bought the light & ballast for $125 and soil, nutes,ph tester, etc. I bought little by little. I figure I'm somewhere between $300-$400.. I want to upgrade & I prob will (just got a new job today) but I will def have to wait and see what happens with my current grow, if I can't get quality buds y invest more $??
 

Sims da smoker (Qboro)

Well-Known Member
In my opinion you should get some mylar. (reflective material) and some cardboard. what i do, because I only have one tent, is i cut the cardboard into strips, think of them as four walls, and line the mylar on the cardboard,. tape it on to it. and then when you have your plants vegging put the mylar walls up and it will reflect the shit out of the little light that is there. Dont keep raising the CFL on them because they will continue to stretch towards it. CFL's are not too hot and can keep pretty close to plants. I am currently flowering with 400 hps, and vegging at the same time with a reflector hood bought from home depot and a typical household CFL. now here is the trick, i only do this while its lights out for the flowering ladies. when its lights on i throw the vegging plants back in the tent. and repeat. I am getting good growth. i started 12 seeds, not knowing which will be males/females, a week after i began flowering the current grow. i figure from germination to seedling to vegging to showing signs of flower should be between 4 and 6 weeks. so if my flowering ladies will take 8 to 10 weeks and i start seeds 1 week into their flower, in say 5 weeks (when new seeds ready to begin flower) my flowering ladies will be at 6 weeks flowering beginning the 7th.(so 3-4 weeks left till harvest) so I will throw the ready to flower seeds in to flower with the almost done ladies. lets say they take 4 more weeks, that means by time they finish my newly flowering seeds will be starting their 5th week of flower. So essentially after you harvest you will be harvesting again in 4-6 weeks.(month month and a half between harvests) keep in mind this is just my timeline. you can use the timings but start seeding sooner to decrease time between harvests. i would start the seedlings NOW. I hope this helps. it actually helped me by writing it all down. +rep for being innovative grower
Cool.. I like ur method & I understand everything except for 1 thing.. Y would u only veg plants when ur flowering plants are in "lights out"?? If u veg while the lights are on wouldn't this stop the risk of light leaks to your flowering plants? And how light proof is the cardboard?? I would think it would be hard to make something 100 % light proof out of that, I had a pretty time making an area 100% light proof out of panda film.. I kno.. But after running wires through and making an entrance that isn't impossible to get into.. It's really not 100%, atleast mine wasnt
 

wheels619

Well-Known Member
Cool.. I like ur method & I understand everything except for 1 thing.. Y would u only veg plants when ur flowering plants are in "lights out"?? If u veg while the lights are on wouldn't this stop the risk of light leaks to your flowering plants? And how light proof is the cardboard?? I would think it would be hard to make something 100 % light proof out of that, I had a pretty time making an area 100% light proof out of panda film.. I kno.. But after running wires through and making an entrance that isn't impossible to get into.. It's really not 100%, atleast mine wasnt
u should just build a box or buy a cheap tent off ebay. building would be cheaper but u gotta have the tools and knowhow.
 

Sean Tom

Well-Known Member
Lmaoooo.. Nah, no need for all that. & thanks. Not to get all mushy & shit, but I get this way when it comes to my marijuana. I really appreciate all the help & support, u really give me the confidence to continue my grow when I start second guessing shit.. I do have faith (I guess) in seed companies , hid lights, fox farm nutes etc. I mean I have to.. I invested a lot of time & $ n2 this. & before I did that I did a whole lot of research so it's not like I just went into this blind.. But every now & again I just have a little doubt.. & all I kno is commercial bought bud!! So even though I have seen all these threads of people with this amazing looking bud... I have never actually had a friend or known anyone who has been successful nor have I done it myself.. So I can't help but think.. Is this really what they say it is?? & am I really capable of making quality "high grade bud" and completely support my habit with only my home grown??? But I thought hard about this before I even made these investments & felt like I could accomplish this & my investment would b worth it.. So I guess I shouldn't be second guessing now. But anyway .. Thanks again

I too did a bunch of research before I began and its always the best. I recommend the Grow Bible by Jorge Cervantes. You can get it on amazon for less than twenty bucks, $10 if you get the kindle version, but I enjoy the colorful pics of the book. Anyhow, I just wanted to reassure you that the nice grows that you are reading of are indeed real. I got my script in October and began growing as a newbie and did very well. check out my first grow. All legit no lies.

& as far as me Lettin the white widow veg out it's top branches to 6 inches.. They were doing well , got to about 4-5 inches I'd say, but unfortunately I just topped all four of the tallest shoots before I read your response lol.. It didn't really matter tho because I had remembered u told me before to veg it out to 5-6 inches before flower. So I knew before going in to top that this would be extending my veg period a little. So after debating on it (I really wanted to top the cotton candy but didn't have the heart lol) I decided that it didn't matter if I topped right now because I still have to wait about another 5-6 days to get in the area that will be my permanent grow room.. Only then will I begin flower because right now my area is not 100% light proof. When my mh goes off at night, light from outside the panda filmed area can creep in through tiny spaces. It sucks because since this is in my bedroom right now the only way I can control this is by cutting off all the lights in my room. So basically until my permanent grow is ready I have to go to sleep when my lights go off. Or I have cut my lights of (ceiling light not mh) & leave the room until I'm ready to sleep.. I'm basically being held captive by my plants, I'm living on an mj grow cycle.. I wouldn't be surprised If I grew a cola from my head when I switch to 12/12 lol.

Simmy if you grow a cola it will be hella thick and coarse hairs on it like our fros. lmfao. Ill roll u up like shorty on scary movie. lol. Instead of a shorty we be like "cough cough, pass dat simmy"

& as far as the feed I decided to go with to help the fan leaf situation that cotton candy is experiencing... I didn't use the fox farm big bloom.. I instead used the sea minerals form advanced floriculture, it has most of the same ingredients as the fox farm big bloom but is a tad bit more concentrated tho.. If this doesn't work.. I will go to my last resort, flushing.. I think that maybe my cc might have a salt build up in the soil from me feeding & I fear it may be killing al the small "feeder roots" or something.. So if I see no improvement from the sea minerals .. I will probably flush next week or atleastcvefore I begin flowering

Personally bro I, every 3rd watering, use just water.(It helps to keep away stored up salts.) And every watering 10-20% overflow. (well not overflow but drain out the bottom.

On a side note I noticed something a little weird with my green love potion that started earlier this week, I never mentioned it because I just didn't think it was too important & I would simply keep an eye on it. I noticed a small black line on a fan leaf like somebody rubbed tar on it , or it looks kinda like someone took a black magic marker and made a line.. I saw another black line just like it appear about a day or two later... Now today both of those leaves with the lines have a spot or two on them thatclooks like it was bleached or something, it's a light yellow spot really but it's really pale .. Like if u spill bleach on a Colored shirt.. Idk, just something to watch I guess idk if I'm going to have access to a camera today, but if I do I'll try to take pics of everything so u can see

pics are always great.

& my my second batch of clones all look VERY healthy.. I still can't see roots in the plastic cups so idk if it really made a difference from the jiffy cups besides the fact that the plastic cups were bigger & so where the clones from the second batch which ivthink contributed to the overall health of this batch. Even though I can't see roots, I do believe these clones probably rooted about 3 days ago.. I have removed the humidity dome about a day & half ago & all 3 clones are heathy and the leaves are perked up like photosynthesis is already occurring. I have also been plucking at the stems every now and again to check & they feel pretty sturdy!! When can I place clones directly under metal halide light??
dont keep prying at them. just leave them alone. be the best doctor in the world. HELLA PATIENCE. lol. nah but for real you should leave them be. do not tug at stems or anything. if you wanna check for roots wait until the cup dries up a bit and then carefully turn upside down, supporting plant and dirt with your hand, and check for roots. I 'll tell you what I did when I used cups. I bought a pack of clear cups and a pack of red. Put the clones in the clear cups and then cut the holes in bottom. next place the clear cup inside the red cup. Anytime you wanna check for roots just pull the clear cup out and take a peek. A whole lot less stressful than tugging and constantly messing/stressing with the clones.

I sure hope this all helps. oh yea i wanna see. PICS PICS PICS PICS PICS PICS
 

Sean Tom

Well-Known Member
Cool.. I like ur method & I understand everything except for 1 thing.. Y would u only veg plants when ur flowering plants are in "lights out"?? If u veg while the lights are on wouldn't this stop the risk of light leaks to your flowering plants? And how light proof is the cardboard?? I would think it would be hard to make something 100 % light proof out of that, I had a pretty time making an area 100% light proof out of panda film.. I kno.. But after running wires through and making an entrance that isn't impossible to get into.. It's really not 100%, atleast mine wasnt
oh, what I am saying is while the ladies are flowering (lights on) i leave my vegging plants in with the flowering ones. but when its lights out i take my vegging plants out and move them to a separate part of my room and put up the mylar walls. and the idea is not for the mylar box to be light proof but to increase the amount of light from your cfl to prevent stretching of nodes. on another note, i bought panda and zippers and separated a portion of my room and yes a lil light comes through the zippers. but as long as its not on your flowering ladies than fuck it right? another good idea that ive tried before the panda are queen or king size black bed sheets and tacks to the ceiling and wall. sheets are so light they will not fall. and damn do they block light. black bed sheets
 

bombasticson

Active Member
Yea.. That's pretty much what I started with.. Not all at once, I bought the light & ballast for $125 and soil, nutes,ph tester, etc. I bought little by little. I figure I'm somewhere between $300-$400.. I want to upgrade & I prob will (just got a new job today) but I will def have to wait and see what happens with my current grow, if I can't get quality buds y invest more $??
Yo sim simma I been looking through this thread you are mos def a funny man. I'm a new to growing also and when i first started I was like im only going to spend minimum and then my first plant died from all types of sh!t. I started out with a 150 watt some foil, and one of the closets from walmart, I cut some holes for ventilation 2 duct fans one for intake and one for exhaust. So I decided to invest and the total you will want to spend for some decent grows is about 800$ - 1000$. If you want to have more control of the environment then a grow tent is a must, and that way you can have one for your mother, veg, and flower. I can almost guarantee that your first time around you will not have the sh!t you see on youtube but you will get high. And if you really want to savor your weed then you should get a vaporizer.
 

bombasticson

Active Member
And also you should really aim higher with how much bud you want from the plant and you will get better results 1oz per plant is low because the typical weed plant produces the least 10 oz and as high as 21 oz, check that out http://www.justfeminized.com/dutch-passion-strain-statistics-238-c.asp. I seen a couple grows online where ppl were pulling in like half an ounce to an ounce with a 150 watt. I had to get a 400 watter for my second grow and it did justice even tho I over pruned lowering my yield greatly and i still managed about 3 oz off of 2 plants. If you want you should look into xnutrients I personally think it is the best they have a basic program and an advanced program and either one is going to do you justice. I was buying nutes here and there and got tired of not knowing the exact amount to put and with xnutrients not anymore they tell you how much to use on their site and it works the same for soil grows.
 

Sims da smoker (Qboro)

Well-Known Member
oh, what I am saying is while the ladies are flowering (lights on) i leave my vegging plants in with the flowering ones. but when its lights out i take my vegging plants out and move them to a separate part of my room and put up the mylar walls. and the idea is not for the mylar box to be light proof but to increase the amount of light from your cfl to prevent stretching of nodes. on another note, i bought panda and zippers and separated a portion of my room and yes a lil light comes through the zippers. but as long as its not on your flowering ladies than fuck it right? another good idea that ive tried before the panda are queen or king size black bed sheets and tacks to the ceiling and wall. sheets are so light they will not fall. and damn do they block light. black bed sheets
Ok.. That's what I thought u meant.. I will prob do something similar.. Since I really have one good light (that cfl is b.s.) .. The hardest part tho I'd the creation of the box... Sounds simple, but I'm not the diy type of dude.. I can't fix or make shit.. I'm gonna just have to buy something .. I'll figure it out tho.. I really want a tent, but I don't want to spend a thousand dollars to make it operate.. So idk
 

Sims da smoker (Qboro)

Well-Known Member
Yo sim simma I been looking through this thread you are mos def a funny man. I'm a new to growing also and when i first started I was like im only going to spend minimum and then my first plant died from all types of sh!t. I started out with a 150 watt some foil, and one of the closets from walmart, I cut some holes for ventilation 2 duct fans one for intake and one for exhaust. So I decided to invest and the total you will want to spend for some decent grows is about 800$ - 1000$. If you want to have more control of the environment then a grow tent is a must, and that way you can have one for your mother, veg, and flower. I can almost guarantee that your first time around you will not have the sh!t you see on youtube but you will get high. And if you really want to savor your weed then you should get a vaporizer.
Lmaooo, sim simma?? U sure u not from my hood?? Lol. U sound like my boys.. Sim simma, yo simmity sims, simmy.. They call me whatever rolls off their tongue.. & as far as my yield expectations.. I'm not sayin I don't want more than an oz.. Shit, I'll take as much as I can get!! I just wanted to set a realistic goal for my first grow.. I didn't wanna start a thread saying "how long to veg for 1 lb?" lol, I kno that's what gets the veteran growers frustrated on this site.. And I would be satisfied with 1 oz per plant.. Not sayin more isn't better.. But if I can atleast get an oz.. I won't complain.. If I get less than that... I don't know how many more threads I'm gonna start on riu.. I would quit growing if I can't get that with a 400 watt light.. But only time will tell
 

berkman858

Well-Known Member
Lmaooo, sim simma?? U sure u not from my hood?? Lol. U sound like my boys.. Sim simma, yo simmity sims, simmy.. They call me whatever rolls off their tongue.. & as far as my yield expectations.. I'm not sayin I don't want more than an oz.. Shit, I'll take as much as I can get!! I just wanted to set a realistic goal for my first grow.. I didn't wanna start a thread saying "how long to veg for 1 lb?" lol, I kno that's what gets the veteran growers frustrated on this site.. And I would be satisfied with 1 oz per plant.. Not sayin more isn't better.. But if I can atleast get an oz.. I won't complain.. If I get less than that... I don't know how many more threads I'm gonna start on riu.. I would quit growing if I can't get that with a 400 watt light.. But only time will tell
It's good to have realistic, attainable goals. Once you get experienced you can push the limits of your genetics but for now I would just be happy with some nice, aromatic smoke. It's all about quality, not quantity.
 

bombasticson

Active Member
Lmaooo, sim simma?? U sure u not from my hood?? Lol. U sound like my boys.. Sim simma, yo simmity sims, simmy.. They call me whatever rolls off their tongue.. & as far as my yield expectations.. I'm not sayin I don't want more than an oz.. Shit, I'll take as much as I can get!! I just wanted to set a realistic goal for my first grow.. I didn't wanna start a thread saying "how long to veg for 1 lb?" lol, I kno that's what gets the veteran growers frustrated on this site.. And I would be satisfied with 1 oz per plant.. Not sayin more isn't better.. But if I can atleast get an oz.. I won't complain.. If I get less than that... I don't know how many more threads I'm gonna start on riu.. I would quit growing if I can't get that with a 400 watt light.. But only time will tell
Lol you can take the man out the hood but you can't take the out the man, we all do the same sh!t just in different ways. By the way you checked that site with the grow statistics?
 

Sims da smoker (Qboro)

Well-Known Member
dont keep prying at them. just leave them alone. be the best doctor in the world. HELLA PATIENCE. lol. nah but for real you should leave them be. do not tug at stems or anything. if you wanna check for roots wait until the cup dries up a bit and then carefully turn upside down, supporting plant and dirt with your hand, and check for roots. I 'll tell you what I did when I used cups. I bought a pack of clear cups and a pack of red. Put the clones in the clear cups and then cut the holes in bottom. next place the clear cup inside the red cup. Anytime you wanna check for roots just pull the clear cup out and take a peek. A whole lot less stressful than tugging and constantly messing/stressing with the clones.

I sure hope this all helps. oh yea i wanna see. PICS PICS PICS PICS PICS PICS
Wus goodie s.t.

First off , I got the pics coming 2night!!

Second, it's good to hear u assure me that the YouTube grows & riu grows are real , and really achievable, sometimes I just have a hard time believing my homegrown will match up to the local bud mans dub sack. But I'm starting to believe it really is going to come down to the curing, I'm going to make sure I dry and cure properly!!

Third , I'm def feeling my green love potion which I did not top.. It looks the best in my opinion.. & word.. We could def twist a few up like shorty from scary movie lol

And as far as u saying u use plain water every third watering.. Ur saying u have two feedings then water?? I feed every other watering.. Should I be feeding more?? And I would think I should still have some kind of flush (atleast a gallon of water per plant) during the life cycle , particularly before harvest

And I learned my lesson about the stem tugging.. I'll be more patient next time.. The clone I did the stem tug on was the only one that didn't survive so I was 7/8 on my first cloning attempt
 

bombasticson

Active Member
Wus goodie s.t.

First off , I got the pics coming 2night!!

Second, it's good to hear u assure me that the YouTube grows & riu grows are real , and really achievable, sometimes I just have a hard time believing my homegrown will match up to the local bud mans dub sack. But I'm starting to believe it really is going to come down to the curing, I'm going to make sure I dry and cure properly!!

Third , I'm def feeling my green love potion which I did not top.. It looks the best in my opinion.. & word.. We could def twist a few up like shorty from scary movie lol

And as far as u saying u use plain water every third watering.. Ur saying u have two feedings then water?? I feed every other watering.. Should I be feeding more?? And I would think I should still have some kind of flush (atleast a gallon of water per plant) during the life cycle , particularly before harvest

And I learned my lesson about the stem tugging.. I'll be more patient next time.. The clone o did the stem tug on was the only one that didn't survive so I was 7/8 on my first cloning attempt
I actually feed my plants every week you just gotta get the right mix and you flush plants 1 week.. you can just water with plain water and i also found out that when its time to harvest you should you should leave plants in dark for 24 hours.http://www.amsterdammarijuanaseedbank.com/Growguides/general-marijuana-info/drying-marijuana.html
 
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