jawbrodt
Well-Known Member
LOL, Thanks man, let me try this again.....
Favourite seedshop/growshop, and also favourite website/usefull link regarding our hobby.
I haven't ordered any seeds yet, so I can't really say, with any certainty.
Here's a good link to help with plant deficincies/problems.... http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=11688
What is your favourite commercial strain (you guys seem good at what you´re doing so I would like to know what you actually relax with, and grow for yourself)
Aside from bagseed, I've only grown Crystal and Velvet Ice, both of which were excellent strains.
A bottle producing co2 (carbon dioxide, obviously with a s-lock (water lock) or similar) in the room, benefit or waste of time?
If you have enough light intensity, CO2 is definitely of benefit. Once you start getting below 6,000 LSF(lumens per square foot), you'll start losing the benefits of supplementing CO2. Also, CO2 is effective in higher temps than normal, up around the mid-80's, or so.
What is your favourite germination method (most of us would like to know in simple words, and with lowcost materials), cotton is my way, stupid?? And when to put them in their future grow media?
I like to use the good ol' 'paper towel and dinner plate' method. As long as the 'very important' temperature, is right(around 80*), I get germination times of 36-72 hours, 4 days at most. Also, too much water will drown your seeds, 'moist' is what you're looking for.
What is the minimum you could grow 1m2 (square meter) (give it in 1 square foot if more usefull in the community) on? Wattage that is.
I'm not sure what you're asking? Yield? A good average would be about 150-200 grams/meter2, higher as you gain experience. I'd go no less than 400 watts, which'll put you just under 50 watts per square foot. A 6000 or bigger, will be much more effective in covering that area. Also, light placement, is the determining factor with yield, not wattage. If the light is too far away, all the wattage in the world, won't do you any good. Light intensity decreases dramatically(inverse square law) with distance, and a light meter is a very useful tool, in setting up your lights. It'll eliminate the guesswork, and can be bought for around $30 on Ebay. Well worth the money, IMO.
Lights in general, how do you rate LED, CFL (low energy bulbs), HPS (High Pressure Sodium), MH (Metal Halide) and CMH (Ceramic Metal Halide)?
LEDs? Well, I'm still not convinced that they are technologically advanced enough to replace the HIDs, except for a select few, which are pricey. If I was considering switching to LED, I'd do some research, looking at other grows, finding the LEDs that actually provide acceptable results. Alot of them are crap. Also, don't believe the hype that 126 watts of LED can replace 400-600 watts of HPS/MH, because it's bullshit. You damn near need equal wattage to get the same results, so don't let the advertisements fool you.
CFLs can provide excellent results, if you do your homework and set them up properly, and most important...use enough intensity.(at least 3000 LSF) More = more. Again, distance from the plant, is critical, or most of their intensity will be lost. Tube fluoros work well too, especially for vegging small to mid-sized plants(2' or less). Not so good for flowering though, due to lack of light penetration. But, they work well for SCROG, which was developed specifically for them.
If you want guaranteed results, go with HPS/MH. Simple and proven.
CMHs show great promise, having more red than HPS and more blue than MH. I can't wait to try them someday.
Most go for HPS/MH, what is the mimimum wattage, and what is optimal for a m2?
For HPS, you'd be stretching the limits of a 400 watt light, and a 600+, would be the best choice. As for MH, I wouldn't go any lower than a 600, because a 400 just doesn't have the intensity to cover that much area. 30" x 30" is pushing it. Trust me, I checked mine with a light meter.
Your best tip/philosophy on growing?
Don't be afraid to water them. A healthy plant is a 'water-processing machine', and should be watered heavily, each watering/feeding. As long as you let them dry out once a week,(approx.) you'll have nothing to worry about. Small plants(8" or less) are more suceptible to overwatering, because they don't process as much as the larger plants, especially if they are in a large pot. Smaller pots, can be watered heavily, as long as they are allowed to dry out afterwards. Also, you want to water when they get to that point just before wilting. If they begin wilting, you've waited too long, and need to water a tad sooner. Picking up the pots and feeling their weight, is the best way for you to fine-tune this process. Like everything, it takes time to get the hang of it, but is well worth the patience.
A Stoned Edit:lol
Also, last, but certainly not least.....light intensity is the fuel behind the whole grow, and goes hand-in-hand with it's spectrum. Plants do best when they have the optimum level(the absolute most they can possibly use) of intensity, of each of the specific color spectrums they require, or at least...can make use of, to some degree. For example(so even the stoned, will understand.lol
),...for blue light, lets say that if cannabis is only able to use/absorb/process the wavelengths between 655 and 665 nanometers, I believe that a plant can achieve at it's absolute peak health and vigor, if this need is met,if it receives the absolute maximum intensity that a plant can process/use of each individual wavelength, 655, 656, 657, etc... Basically, light is everything, the single most influencial/beneficial aspect of growing, in determining the final quality, and yield, at harvest. The closer you can come to delivering those absolute "optimum light levels", the better your plant will perform. Plants are able grow, and grow well, under only one wavelength of red, and one wavelength of blue,(and many variations) light, like LED lights are designed. What I'm dragging out into a freakin novel, 
is that spectrum is very important, as is intensity. And, since LEDs don't fully cover all the useable spectrums of light, they're total piece's of crap.LOL 
Ha, j/k LEDs are likely the next 'wave of the future', but IMO, aren't quite there yet, technology-wise. Take the extra money you were going to spend on them, and buy a killer HSP/MH setup, complete with the best of the best,(including top-notch ventilation, CO2, heat control, etc...) and still have money left over.(sad, isn't it?LOL) I'll wait until the developers get it perfected, then jump in, after I've been completely convinced, that they can produce finished plants that are nicer than, or at least equal to,(if I'm switching to LEDs for their other benefits) those that can be grown under the 'top of the line' HIDs. There are some models that are getting close, but aren't there yet, not that I've come across, yet. So, for now,...I'll sit back and wait until my HIDs are obsolete, and outperformed.
Watering in general, should you let the soil dry out or not? And how often do you give nutes? 1 out of 2 etc etc?
See above, about the watering.
I like to give nutes about every 5-7 days, approximately. 'Reading' your plants, is a good skill to learn, and will let you know exactly what you plants require, as their is no universal feeding schedule. Again, this takes time and experience, as each strain is different.
How to give nutes? Begin with, up to?
It's pretty universal to start with 1/4 strength, step up to 1/2 strength, then see how you plants are reacting, before moving to full strength. I think I pretty much covered the rest, in my response above.
Optimal growth temperature?
74* for bloom, and 78* for veg. With leeway, of course.
How "devastating" is it if your 12/12 (lightcycle in hours) plants get accidental light?
Well, the more "accidental light" they receive, the more they are at risk. If they are in the last 1-3 weeks of flowering, they'll be late enough into bloom, to have any real problems develop. Unless, it's a huge mistake, which could start to revert them back to veg, delaying harvest, and hurting yield.(airy buds)
Now, a couple of questions on very basic things that newbies get very diffenrent answers when asking.
When talking about 1st node to calculate lst (low stress training), topping and more. Which is the one to start on in your opinion?
I never really used LST, except to control tops that have grown taller than the rest, so I can't give any definite advice. If it were me, I wouldn't worry about the nodes too much, I'd wait til they were about 6" tall, then start, and let the nodes do their own thing, naturally.
Chop off leafes, or never touch them except for when they die/fade away?
No. I believe that if leaves are dying/yellowing, there's a good chance that the plant is using them for energy(due to the medium lacking some nutrient), and if you chop them off, the plant will be using other heathly leaves for energy. IMO, fix the medium, and let the leaves go. They'll fall off on their own. There's no need to chop them off, just to make your plants look prettier, even though it's tempting.
When will I see the preflowers, when will I know the sex?
If you know what to look for, a plant that's growing healthy will show sex at 4-5 weeks of veg, under normal veg hours. That's a good skill to pick up, saving time and grow space, by eliminating the males early. Study, study, study.....
Topping them, when? Node?
That depends on what results you're looking for. Your imagination is the limit, so just keep in mind that the plant will split in two, at each place it's topped.
Lst, when? Node?
I don't believe that the node is important, I'd wait til it's around 6" tall, then start with LST. Everything else will happen on it's own, almost magically.lol
Yield, what is minimum if you go trough a flowering stage?
Well, all my plants were around 3' tall, topped 2-3 times, and I average about 70 grams per plant. I never really experimented with any other sizes, so I can offer any more info, than that.
Male plant, pros and cons throwing it away. What could it be used for?
Trash 'em, unless you plan to use the pollen for seed breeding. Don't bother making hash out of them, because they have very few trichs, and it isn't really worth all the effort. You could chop them and use them for compost, but that takes alot of time too, and isn't any benefit, if your medium is already properly 'seasoned'.
best PH for soil?
I shoot for about 6.5, and don't panic as long as it stays within 7.0 and 6.0, give or take a little.
best NPK ratios for container gardening?
Hmm...all I can say, is to use the proper ferts according to the stage that the plant is in. If it's in bloom, use ferts designed for bloom, and vice-versa.
And finally, worst stressfactor for a plant? Except for drowning it, thats no stress, thats execution
I'd have to say that overfert is what I see doing the most damage in growing, and the most common mistake. Remember...more food doesn't equal bigger plants. They only process whatever they require, and can't be force-fed.
Pheew, this time I was smart enough to 'copy' my response, so I don't lose it again. I'm a terribly slow typist.
