First-timer grow cheap start

this is my first ever grow. so i'm building as i go. i just planted seeds 9 days ago and this is where i'm at. i'm adding 2 more cfl's this weekend. regular seeds from random bags i could have anything ... regular potting soil, no nutrients yet if i even decide to use any.any and all input is appreciated.

Welcome to RiU

Tin foil = bad , May burn your plants .... white card / paper or paint is better .

Poke some holes in the bottom of the cups ... gentley .

Don't over water .... let them run a bit dry , water round the edge of the cup to encourage roots to go looking for water

Hope that helps a bit

thanks vento i'm gonna try the white paper. i have holes in the bottom for dranage i'm growing right now on a shelf till i get a box set up. they are on 12/12 right now i'm watering every other day. from here they are gonna go in their own 5 gal bucket. i'll post more pic's after i set up the white paper.

Be sure to add proper ventilation to your box. If you're trying to go cheap, I suggest computers fans for intake, or a passive intake, depending on the size of your box. If you're talking about using 5 gallon buckets, I'd go active intake. Use a bathroom fan, or two for your exhaust. You can pick one up at any hardware store for around $30-$40. What kind of soil are you using? I'd suggest spending a little on nutes. I'm using Age Old Organics Grow and Bloom, plus Fox Farm's Happy Frog Flowering. If you can only buy a Grow and Bloom, I'd suggest Age Old's. They have most, if not all the micronutrients you need: boron, zinc, manganese and a few more I can't name off the top of my head. You can get a bottle for $15 and it should last you a long time. You'll also need a Calcium/Magnesium supplement.

i'm using "earthgrow" potting soil. as far as ventilation goes i have yet to build a box so my plants are kinda open on a shelf i use a piece of cardboard with foil on the back to reflect light next to the plant but there are a huge spaces and gaps for plenty of air. here are more pics i didn't post but at same age as the old ones.

just make sure to switch over to 18/6 or 20/4 soon. Good luck.

yeah i was just wondering about that. when should i switch over so they can rest? after 2 weeks? they are 10 days old now.

rest for 2 weeks? Why would you want them to rest 2 weeks? One of us is confused haha. To clarify, a lot of people will germinate their seeds and then put them under 18/6 right when they break ground. They probably should have been under 18/6 for the last week if I am understanding your conditions correctly. Keep em at 18/6 as long as you want, most people switch to 12/12 (flowering stage) after 1 month or 2. Might as well switch em over right now, man.

i fix my punctuation yeah i can see where you would get confused. but you did pretty much answer my question anyways. thank you. i turned the light of asap and let them rest..... good thing too there is a thunder storm

no problem, I'll try and answer any questions you might have but I'm pretty new as well. You'll learn tons just by reading threads in the forum I've learned.

I have heard good things about using CPU fans for air flow in small boxes. i think i might use them since i have like 4 extra CPU cases around the house. but i have just one question. how do you power them? i'm no electrician.

I use an old computer power supply. But for you any 12 volt DC old charger will work well. I used an old linksys router power supply at my start. Try the second hand stores in your area or even the dollar store.

what ^he^ said. Phone chargers are a good choice. Ebay has phone chargers for pretty cheap.

alright i've gutted a dresser by taking out all the bottoms of the drawers but the bottom one. now i'm going to paint the inside white but i was wondering should i use flat or gloss spray paint. and should i even use spray paint? i'm not gonna be able to post more pictures till tuesday night

I hear everyone say flat paint but I'm not sure what the difference is, personally. I think spray paint should be fine. Just make sure to let it air out so the chemicals won't mess with your plants.

I went and bought a 2 dollar emergency blanket from wal-mart. Cut it up and taped it to the inside of my box. I know people say paint is just as reflective but I have a hard time believing that, looking inside my box will make you go blind! It works pretty fucking good. Man I wish I had as many seeds to start as you! I found a little baggie rolling around in a drawer with 3 seeds but only one of them broke soil.

Good luck bro, I'll be watching!

Well i picked up some flat white paint, at cheap $8 timer from wal-mart (cheapest one i could find that had grounding capabilities) and i'm adding 3 more CFL's which will bring the lum's up to 12,000. I'll post pictures of the box and of my progress mid week when i get a chance.

Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to post and help me out. i'm learning so much and really getting into growing. it's like a second job

doggierunner said:

Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to post and help me out. i'm learning so much and really getting into growing. it's like a second job

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It's fun isn't it? You haven't even smoked that shit yet! Think of the day you will have some fresh homemade marijuana you grew yourself, doesn't it just make your heart wanna go hug something?

what up doggie, check out my old grow, on the last page is the complete journal from seed to smoking, LoL. might help you out in a 1 page read, or check out the current grow also, all done in a u-haul carboard box. both links are in my siginture, just trying to help, later.

HistoryPuff said:

It's fun isn't it? You haven't even smoked that shit yet! Think of the day you will have some fresh homemade marijuana you grew yourself, doesn't it just make your heart wanna go hug something?

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My exact response even at the idea was "Yes it does!" With a huge smile on my face