Irish man's first grow.

You get back what you give. I was very fortunate to come across some valuble information, as well as killer genetics and some a+ equipment. i was lucky and progressed very quickly, and hope to help others get to where i got, as quick as i did.
as a fellow irishman, im obligated to help you. treat your plants with much love and you will get it back 10 fold. as far as 7 euro a week, thats ok. worm shits and bat shits can be gathered the old fassioned way. the worm shits pretty clean. bat shit however, is a little messy. when you come into cash, message me. ill send you a list of what you need for the best results. cheers, and im subbed for this, so if you need any help, let me know. and take a look on mandalas website, thier grow giudes and germ guides are verry helpful. and by the way, the first grow i ever did produced the stickyist and best tasting bud i ever smoked. read the mandala guide. it will prep you for almost everything. and deffinitly buy the dj short book. its a must have.

My babies are looking good! no complaints! here are my 2 Top Dawg nearing their fourth week. lil worried about the smaller one, seems a bit too small.. but she's green enough! And here are my 3 Royal Cheese Auto, they popped the soil just 24 hours ago! looking good!

Just then the furthest away auto seedling had a bit of seed casing that looked odd. like it was trapping it. EXTREMELY gently, I CAREFULLY removed it, luckily it came off with almost no help and the two leaves burst out into life! it was awesome!!! not sure if it was the right thing to do but it seems to be a lot healthier looking now!

Looking fantastic cloudy, very nice indeed, don't think you ever said what soil you are growing in, whats that you got the young uns sprouting in ?

I didn't mention because due to my extremely low budget (student with pennies) and a lil embarrassment... Seery's Multi purpose compost. 20 litres. Cost €1.49 in the local Dealz (Pound City owned) I gave it a good ridding though for the new auto plants Because the large bits of bark have me a littlel concerned.. I's literally all I could afford, and as it's my first grow I thought i'd give it a shot. I always considered this to be a learning experience, but I throw very ounce of love I can at them and am doing everything I can to ake them as happy as possible, without overly mothering em (feeding, watering kept in proper check) but so far i'm insanely happy with the progress!

Cloudiology said:

Just then the furthest away auto seedling had a bit of seed casing that looked odd. like it was trapping it. EXTREMELY gently, I CAREFULLY removed it, luckily it came off with almost no help and the two leaves burst out into life! it was awesome!!! not sure if it was the right thing to do but it seems to be a lot healthier looking now!

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When sprouting from seed this is something you must watch for. it is leathal. once the seedling has broke ground,and straitens up a bit, if the shell stays on, it will die. i am a master of removing those shells(lots of pratice). i have a pill bottle full of seedshells from seedlimgs i saved in this method. makes me happy to see how many i saved.

as for being a new grower, find a way to get dj shorts book. and consult mandala seeds germ and grow guides, they will help you more than anyone could tell you. these were the basis of my skill growing from a clost grower with one light, to a professional. im not going to say im the best(cause thats would be wack) however, with theese publications and my existing skill, i was able to start producing aaa bud, before which i was. a hobby grower a bud at best lol.

i started using mandalas guide before i bought their seeds, and i got dj shorts book and stil havent bought his seeds (YET).
good luck tho cloudy, you look to be off to ahealthy start. fwi, if you grow sativa dominant plants, you will want to tie them to a small stick, so they dont fall to a side(sativas have soft stems in early growth, and all stages in comparison to a indicas stem, relative to its height).

I opened a new soil thread. ill message it to you. it could possibly help you greatly. listen to kite high always on the threads(he is a wealth of useful info).

as a new grower on a budget, get some worms to make that soil healthy and forget making this whole thing complicated for now. No chemicals yet. Worms will give you just what what that plant wants. In my experience I have rushed and been impatient when it comes to sprouting but the best thing to do for a healthy strong plant (I only grow outside) is this...if your plant is not going in the ground, put the seed in the pot it is going to grow in to avoid shock and transplant. Push it in 1/4 inch and cover with that much soil. Pat it gently. Keep continually wet. That shell needs to soak and soften and the coty needs the slight pressure of the soil to help drag that shell off. A good strong seed will sprout. I know other ways work but I think people over do it at first. This is a gradual learning thing and the learning never stops. Find what works best for you without overthinking. Then once you have a great harvest without all the $$ spent for added ingredients, you can see for yourself that its not necessary. You need to get to know the plant and see how it grows without adding things. Then next year, get more scientific with it...clone for experimenting!

Cloudy,---student---not much cash -- feel for you man -- and I hate to introduce a bummer into your lovely grow, but when you pot them up you will have to think different soil of what will happen is the soil will become waterlogged when watering, because you got a peat based soil there isn't enough oxygen getting to the roots. My advice is for what its worth is you stick with the cheap peat based soil if that's all you can afford but when potting up time comes get some rough builders sand, gravel etc into that soil to give it some drainage/oxygen to the roots. Not trying to be a smartass but when I did my first grow 10 years ago or so I learned this the hard way, get some sand gravel etc ( the experts will tell you to use perlite etc to get the right mix ) but if cash is tight, improvise with gravel etc, wash it out before you add it to your compost, will need to investigate further but maybe 30% of your mixed soil should be this drainage material. You obviously have a good head for growing and will reap the benefits of getting peat based compost better. In the meantime mate, keep an eye open for yellowing of lower leaves as this could be one of the signs of both needing repotted up ( maybe to 6'' pots )and better soil mix. If you have a spare 15 Euros or so, even better would be to get some cheap proper soil to continue in Biobizz All mix is available at most grow shops and is usually a cheap starter compost and does a good job. Sorry mate to come across as a know it all which I can assure you I'm not, but getting decent soil mix is one of the basics and it will save you trouble later on if you think about these things. Good Luck

Oh Bilbo I know... I've been desperately desiring some perlite... it's the one main thing I truly need and haven't been able to afford... even though it's dirt cheap... but if my plants life is in danger i'm gonna have to ramp up my game and get hold of some somehow.... gravel eh.. i'll look into it! and yeah. i'll have a bit more money at the start of june so i'll be rereading all this advice and forking out for top quality stuff.

Whatever you do, get the djs book. and mandalas grow guides are free so go to the library and print that shit. you will be thanking me for it. i prefer djs methosds over most, but i dont use pre germ methods. why would i when sprouting in soil saves em having to be shocked, and what do you need a paper towel for seeds. i never seen mature needing paper towels. anyway, choose whats best for you.

dj's book is out of the question til I can afford it, but i'll get the mandalas alright! cheers!

On Thursday i'll be in a bit of luck! gonna get me some perlite for repotting all my babies! and i'm going to acquire another 125w cfl red spectrum bulb and fitting (no reflector this time) so I can continue and finish this grow knowing I did all I can for the budget i'm on. thinking of giving one of the autos to a friend. don't think I have enough light for 5 plants and don't want my girls to suffer for it.

Also tomorrow i'l post some pics of the girls. I was wondering how much further down the line should I start flower light cycle? the girls are starting to hit the sides of the wardrobe i'm growing in.. height isn't a problem, its 7 feet, but depth is ridiculous.. about 17"...

Here they are! the two top dawg exactly 4 weeks! And here are my three Royal Cheese auto, 4 days since the popped the soil!

Jeez Cloudy excellent stuff, despite my warnings of impending doom cos of your soil they still look fresh as a daisy, glad to hear your moving your game up a level with soil improvements and a better light etc. If you can produce lovely small plants with the conditions so far think of what you can do with better conditions , good grow and good luck...................PS .Noticed you asking when best to put them into flower, think your maybe 3 weeks away, I usually wait till ive got about 6 sets of branches growing out from the side of the plant usuall between a foot and a foot and a half high.

3 weeks it is! and yeah I can't wait to get stuck into a bigger better equipped grow! actually I can! having way to much fun with this one!

2am.. after it getting stuck into my head to add a fan, I finally did it, my budget notwithstanding. I wired an old DC pc fan to an old dc adaptor with good old electrical tape! conclusion! AIRFLOW! YES BOY! right then.. I think it's bed time......

my bigger top dawg baby was getting its leaves all tangled up in one another due to close growth. no idea if that's a bad thing.. but I gently separated them and made them all rest where they should.. plant looks a lil bit nicer now. little bit fuller and a whole lot less awkward.

WHOO! learning how to roll!!! so long Stranger status! god I hated that...

Cloudiology said:

Oh Bilbo I know... I've been desperately desiring some perlite... it's the one main thing I truly need and haven't been able to afford... even though it's dirt cheap... but if my plants life is in danger i'm gonna have to ramp up my game and get hold of some somehow.... gravel eh.. i'll look into it! and yeah. i'll have a bit more money at the start of june so i'll be rereading all this advice and forking out for top quality stuff.

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I have a cure for your woes. WASHED gravel. a user called space bhudda uses this. And its a great idea. gravel would be a pripe replacement for pearlit ( river anyone). when you get some cash tho, spring on a 107 L bag of peated soil. the shit i use os about 70 % peat moss. and get some root fungus before your plants start bloomin. man, you can turn that shitty soil into black gold. and like i said, gathering manure ( if youre in cork county i cant imagin having to travel far to find a farm). but if you do collect manure, make sure you double check how to use. everry shit is different. rabbits shit is great tho, long lasting, and its the coolest shit. no need to compost. stay away from chicken shit. ive never liked it. and bird shit is the grosest. mamals shit is never as nasty. except pigs.

ask a farmer, if you bring a bag and shovle i garentee they wont give a fuck if you take some shit.

not errthing in life has to be bought with money. Bartering or offering to do something mutually benifical usually is the best way to survive a tight budget