first grow... please hold my hand....

room
12 ft x 10ft main + 2X8 ft closet

table
4x8 homemade with 3in slant to drain running outside
( can make a bigger one if needed )
electric supply
#6 wire on a 50 a breaker into sub panel
2 20 a ckts on mechanical timers 2 20 amp ckts on all the time

venting (current setup)
2 squirl cage fans(one is hydrofarm other is scavenged ) each approx .75 amps and unknown cfm
input is from under house, output is from top of light and to outside
both run at same time 15min on 15 min off, and use 4inch flex duct

temp is running 72-79 and humidity 30-40% right below plant canopy at the moment

plants 7 lavender supposed to be mainly indica red pots
4 white widow black pots
1 blue dream little one in the front
currently in soil in 2.5 quart containers
soil is 'roots organics' indoor/outdoor potting soil
no supplemental fertilizers have been used yet
hand water with tap water every 2-3 days

have not yet, but plan on installing mylar on back wall

will switch to 2 1k hps's for flower



(noob) questions:
when and how often to transplant
ya i know "transplant when root-bound" but does that mean,
i can see a few roots coming out the bottom, or does it mean a mass of twisted white
when you pull it up by the stem...
-is it ok to transplant after bloom starts
- tall vs short and wide pots for final location
- how big should the last pot be? 7 gal?

pruning
-prune the small branches forming at the base of the stalk?
- my largest plant is already 2x+ the size of the smallest,
top the big one, pull it over and tie it, or just set the little one on a block?

When to go 12/12
-so.. im gonna have 2 1k hps for flower and i have an 8 foot room. how tall should i let the girls get before i switch,
currently thinking between 2 and 3 feet?

Fertilizers
- go spend big bucks at the hydro store or get something from the local super-sized hardware store?
- mess with micro nutrients since im using soil,
- specific products or brands recommended
- should i fertilize with a low concentration every time, or a normal concentration every 2 or 3 times i water?

what is the next step
probably not going to be able to invest much more money into our medicine until tax returns lol, but
what are the next major upgrades or changes that you more experienced gardeners recommend like for example...
-co2 and a closed ventilation system for the lights
-air purification system (activated charcoal etc)
- go hydro if so is the deep water culture the way to go in an area that can loose power fairly frequently?

thanks in advance for taking the time to look at our post and give us advice

First of all, you look like you have your shit together so go to hydroponics. DWC buckets would be perfect since they can stand to lose power and not screw up.

2-3 feet is good for flower since they will stretch a lot.

I usually trim the smaller lower branches to keep the base of the plants tidy.

Once again, use good nutrients (general hydro, foxfarms, advanced, hombolt) in a hydroponic system to maximize yield. If you want to do it right (which it looks like you do), hydro is the next step.

Here are your major things:

Lights - 2 1000 w HPS you are good to go.

Ventilation - Looks good for now. You may need a filter to control smell later on.

Hydroponics - I consider it a must-have. Upgrade to a RO system when you can afford it.

CO2 - Really helps maximize your harvest. I use a tank and regulator, but a gas CO2 generator works great too.


I hope this helps!

(noob) questions:
when and how often to transplant
ya i know "transplant when root-bound" but does that mean,
i can see a few roots coming out the bottom, or does it mean a mass of twisted white
when you pull it up by the stem...
-is it ok to transplant after bloom starts
- tall vs short and wide pots for final location
- how big should the last pot be? 7 gal?

check fdd's post on rootbound plants, they don't exist. i transplant my sprouts into their final pots the first week of veg. i start em in dixie cups, and usually after a week roots are developed nicely, then i put them in their final container, anywhere from 3-5 gal pots. when i transplant this early i see absolutely NO stall signs. i prefer the normal sized grow bags.

pruning
-prune the small branches forming at the base of the stalk?
- my largest plant is already 2x+ the size of the smallest,
top the big one, pull it over and tie it, or just set the little one on a block?

I would pull it down and tie till the others catch up. unless you know what strains and pheno's your dealing with, i would leave them be and grow naturally b/f you start pulling tricks with em. if some are smaller than others, give em a booster seat.

When to go 12/12
-so.. im gonna have 2 1k hps for flower and i have an 8 foot room. how tall should i let the girls get before i switch,
currently thinking between 2 and 3 feet?

consider the size of your pots first, you'll get about a foot of growth for every gallon. remember, your plants will at least double or triple in size from the 12/12 stretch. i have a 6.5 foot tall grolab tent, my pots are about 12" tall, along with my 1000watt light hoods. thats about two feet plus about a half a foot of space between the lights and plant tops. that leaves me with 4.5ft. of room for growth, so i can't really veg much higher than 12-16 inches

Fertilizers
- go spend big bucks at the hydro store or get something from the local super-sized hardware store?
- mess with micro nutrients since im using soil,
- specific products or brands recommended
- should i fertilize with a low concentration every time, or a normal concentration every 2 or 3 times i water?

I've learned my lessons with other ferts, and now i stick with foxfarm, and organic bat guano. my feeding schedule is every other watering. some strains get less concentration than others, for instance, my northern lights girls are real nute sensitive, so they get about 25% of the recommended dosage...

WREK

plants have been under the light 20 days now havent really changed anything since first post, except for better insulating and painting the room
plants are in in 3 1/2 gal containers, and have been fertilized one time with 'duch master gold' a and b nutrients at 1/3 strength.

thanks for the comments thus far, definitely some good advice that i will take to heart.

just cruzing allong pretty much the same as when i started. plants are getting bigger, and i will transplant to the final (10 gal ish) pots in about a week

lavender is doing good, everything is about the same size, growing short and bushy.

the white widow has been a complete turkey however. of the 4 ww 2 of them are huge and spindly, so much so im thinking of either topping them or bending them down double when its time to flower. The other 2 ww's are little dwarfs, much smaller than the rest.

tallest ww is 30 inches and smallest is around 15. lavenders are all around 20-24 inches and have better developed stalkes and seemingly better root structure.