First time, desk grow

Right..

so been reading the forum for ages now, and have decided its time. need a few pointers, seeds are Low Ryder 2's. A real newby and budget set up

Once you have used the wet tissue and plate method to germinate the seed, and you see a root, do you stick it in a small soil pot to start with (like a plastic cup), then when it starts to get like an inch tall, move it onto a 4x4x4 inch plant plot?

can i leave plants on the window cill at first, when are in seed and root form in the soil, or do i stick them straight under 18/6 light? even when there in soil? with no plant showing

Do you water them everyday? or only when the soil gets dry on top?

Can i swap between natural light and artificial, so keep my plants on the window cill in the day between 6am-5pm, then stick them in the cupboard of an evening 5pm-12am with the light on, then switch lights off at 12, or do they have to be always artificial or sunlight, not a mixture?

Did i need small fan in the cupboard, or let it vent naturally?

Would i need to start by having the light lower down, then slowly moving it up as the plants grow to avoid stretching, or can i just leave it at the top from the start?

here is the basic set up

http://i46.tinypic.com/fbxpjl.jpg

http://i47.tinypic.com/2lw5cw2.jpg

as there little autoflowering females, can i use the same light 200w 6400k (blue) for the whole grow,

or should i,

use a 200w 6400k for the first 3 weeks (or until first sign of bud) then use a 200w 2700k (red) until the end of the grow

OK first you want to move the light up as it gets taller you want to aviod it stretching and try to get a small fan in there as well as this will help create a stonger stem to support you plants, for my plants i do a mixture of atifical lights and sun light and they seem to love it

thats good to hear somebody say i can mix the light source, as ive been paranoid about putting them on the window cill then into the desk.

yeah, i will get a fan in there, will have to be very small, shall i have it blowing air up, so fan situated at the bottom, or blowing air down, so i fix it to the top?

I read an article where it stated that 2700k was best for auto flowers, i started mine for the first few weeks at 6500k, then switched to 2700k and have been running 20/4 ever since.

low ryders skip the veg stage, or damn near do so flowering light is supposed to be best.

first off, when you see the tap root get an inch or so transplant, i usually transplant into plastic cups first, and youi should keep them in their a little longer then an inch tall, i say keep them in their for a week or 2, then transplant into something bigger, the bigger the container the better, and it is best to transplate as less as possible and as soon as you transplant into cups put them under your light, on the 18/6 cycle u stated, even though they are not showing yet, they will soon.
you should never water everyday, ever. once a week is fine, i usually water mine 5-7 days. you want to get the soil as dry as possible beafore you water. when the soil is loose and dry it gets all that good oxygen to the roots, and when its dry the roots spread out looking for water, witch is good it expands your root mass. A rule of thumb with watering is stick your finger about 3 inches or so into the soil and if it is completely dry then water, but if it is moist even a little, wait. i try to wait till almost all the soil in the pot is dry.,
and in theory you could swap the light and sunlight, but i would try to keep them under one or the other at all times, i have never swaped my plants out like that, but i wouldent` recommend it, that might put stress on your plants. but it might be cool.
and yes you for sure should have a fan in their, possible 2, one for exausting the spent air out and one for circulating fresh air, but one would be cool, just keep it oscilating on your crop or always on them, you always want the leafs on the plant to be fluttering a little, or alot, as long as it isent blowing them over.
and your light should be a good distance away when you first put them under it from germination, and after they develope a little, i`d say a week or so lower them as close as possible, how close depends on your lights, you should sear4ch around and see what is the recommended height you should put them. another way to tell is put your hand under the light, and if it dosen`t make your hand really hot then your okay, if it does then move down.
and one other thing, since its such a small space you should try to limit the veg time so they don`t get overgrown for your space, or low stress train them.
hope this helps dude, if you need any more help just post back, i`ll subscribe this thread, and good luck.

The seeds are low Ryder 2's, autoflowering so no veg stage, I think i'm going to use the same light (200w) 2700k on an 18/6 cycle for until I see the first sign of buds then just 24/0 until the end of growing.

What do you recommend as the best way to germinate the seeds, wet paper towel and 2 plates method, or wet paper towel and glass jar, in a dark place, anybody got any preferance over the two?

a wet paper towel and a plastic sandwich baggie does the trick for me.

Keep in the dark yeah?

yes i put mine in a desk drawer

i always use the paper towel method, in a little plastic container, like for food storage. then i put it in a drawer and sandwitch the container in the middle of cloths.

Thanks guys I will be asking for the next lot of advice once the seeds are germinated,

Does the 200w 2700k sound ok for the whole grow though?

Or should I have a lower wattage, or brighter light, more 5000k which is very bright, compared to 2700k which is redish in colour

You dont need all that light so keep the bulb further away from the plant, Once you see the true leaves form, raise the plant a little closer to the light. As it ages, move it closer and closer so you do not get problems with stretching. goal is to have it as close as you can without burning the plant ultimately.

I am going to grow my next auto flowers in 2700k for the entire grow. so thats what i suggest.

A Man Called Dub said:

Right..

so been reading the forum for ages now, and have decided its time. need a few pointers, seeds are Low Ryder 2's. A real newby and budget set up

Once you have used the wet tissue and plate method to germinate the seed, and you see a root, do you stick it in a small soil pot to start with (like a plastic cup), then when it starts to get like an inch tall, move it onto a 4x4x4 inch plant plot?

can i leave plants on the window cill at first, when are in seed and root form in the soil, or do i stick them straight under 18/6 light? even when there in soil? with no plant showing

Do you water them everyday? or only when the soil gets dry on top?

Can i swap between natural light and artificial, so keep my plants on the window cill in the day between 6am-5pm, then stick them in the cupboard of an evening 5pm-12am with the light on, then switch lights off at 12, or do they have to be always artificial or sunlight, not a mixture?

Did i need small fan in the cupboard, or let it vent naturally?

Would i need to start by having the light lower down, then slowly moving it up as the plants grow to avoid stretching, or can i just leave it at the top from the start?

here is the basic set up

http://i46.tinypic.com/fbxpjl.jpg

http://i47.tinypic.com/2lw5cw2.jpg

Click to expand...

Your right about the germination method. Remember to be carefull with the taproot.
Also, it helps to soak the seed in water for 4-8 hours before placing it in the towels.

The main thing to remember during germination is being sterile. Infections are the main enemy in this stage.

Placing your plants outside means they are vulnerable to pests and other things.
A major benifit of indoor growing is that the plants are pretty safe from thoes things.

You should put them on 20\4 from start to finish.
Changing the photoperiod however, is bad. It stresses the plant.
Pick a photoperiod and stick to it.

Ruderalis have a veg period of about 3 weeks. After that they automatically move into the flowering phase without relation to the photoperiod.
In the first 3 weeks its better to give them 6500kelvin and then switch to 2700kelvin, but in the first 3 weeks they really don't need all that much light so you can skimp on thoes extra lights.

You always need a fan. Fans are good. You should keep your plants on contant gentle swing.

You can simply put something below the plant to make it closer to the light, and change it to something shorter as you go.

At the first 2-3 weeks the plant is in the seedling stage. It lasts until the 4th-5th node.
In this stage the main stem is thin and weak and the plant streches to the light if placed too far.
After that the streching is slower and the main stem thickens up as the plant moves to the vegitative state.
At the beginning of flowering the plant needs once again to be put close to the light. As after your 3 weeks as a seedling your already moving to flowering you'r plant should strech for the first 6 weeks or so, so keep your lights at a checked 1.5-2 inches from the plant.
Then they are pretty much set height wise and less maintainance is needed.


I'm paranoid about viewing pictures on other sites so I haven't checked them. You can upload them to this site, its easier too.

A Man Called Dub said:

Thanks guys I will be asking for the next lot of advice once the seeds are germinated,

Does the 200w 2700k sound ok for the whole grow though?

Or should I have a lower wattage, or brighter light, more 5000k which is very bright, compared to 2700k which is redish in colour

Click to expand...

you could pull of a crop with those lights, but i would defiently get as much as you cram in that desk without compromising the heat and humidity, and space. but in tight spaces like that you should read up on low stress training, to get as much out of a small space like that. but not sure how much you can go up in wattage for your spcae, just beacause i never grown or grow with CLF`s, i always stick to HPS lights, or MH

low rider 2's turned up today, not going to germinate until i have everything ready though, new 2700k light is on its way

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/200W-2700K-Bloom-PLUG-GROW-Lamp-Light-SL-Reflector_W0QQitemZ290375369641QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_HomeGarden_Garden_PlantsSeedsBulbs_JN?hash=item439bb883a9

200w 2700k 6 u cfl

do i need the fan on 24hr, or only when the light is on, for the 18hours, then off when its dark for 6 hours

If you have an air circulation fan you can turn it off when lights go out.
If you only have an exhaust you should have it always on. Plants breate in the "night" as well and you should give them fresh air.
If you have a carbon scrubber to help with smells you should always have the exhaust fan on to remove smell. Plants stink more in the "night".

Why would you buy a 200CFL and not a 150W or 250W MH?
Pretty much the same money, isn't it.

Wouldn't the heat be too much if he went with a 200 watt anything? I can barely pull off (3) 42 watt cfl's and keep the temps at 88