Hello,
I have decided to give growing a shot and have reviewed a lot of the content on this forum including the grow faqs and such. I do, however, still have a number of questions that may have already been covered but do not appear in one place, so I apologize in advance if these questions have been asked a number of times previously.
First off, I plan on giving my first shot using CFLs. I understand HPS lights are better but for now I'm not dumping two hundred dollars on a light. I have two choices really, a closet in a bedroom and a fridge in the basement. The fridge still works and I'm not ready to cut fan holes in it yet so I am probably going to go with some rubbermaid tubs for this first shot and graduate to the fridge if I like the results.
As for strain, I ordered 10 skunk #1 seeds from the website listed as recommended, and assuming they arrive with out a police escort I will be using those. So begins the questions.
1. How long do I keep the seedlings in veg state? Is it a set amount of time or do I wait until they are all a certain height prior to switching to a 12/12 schedule?
2. I have read soil and nutrient threads with a number of replies, I'm wondering if anyone has anything they recommend that can simply be purchased at wal-mart or home depot in one stop as far as two different types for veg/flower.
3. The web page listed "8/10" for time to harvest, is that eight to ten weeks? What's the best way to know when it's time to harvest?
I figure I can fit two to four plants in a pair of rubbermaid tubs stacked with 6-8 CFLs and a cooling fan at the top (saw a design on another forum) that should bode well for a first grow, and produce reasonable yeild. I have gained understanding as to the "how" for everything except feeding/watering schedule for the most part. Let me list my assumptions below and you guys can comment on them.
A. Soil: a non-time release formula with no nutes, organic is best, HD sells scotts which some people use and may be a good bet.
B. Pots: Start off with a small pot and graduate to gallon size once they start getting big.
C. Watering schedule: I'm not really sure when to start watering, I'd assume every couple of days as the soil gets dry.
D. Nutes: Don't feed any nutrients until the seedlings are at least four weeks old, then start a balanced diet of something along the lines of 15-15-15 or 20-20-20, then switch to 10-xx-xx (where xx is higher than the first number) for flowering.
E. Males: Check often for male plants during flowering and remove once sex is determined. What can I do with these plants, should I just toss them?
Am I missing anything else, or are there any obivous mistakes? I'm trying to be as informed as possible prior to starting out so that I make the least amount of stupid mistakes.
Thanks!
I have decided to give growing a shot and have reviewed a lot of the content on this forum including the grow faqs and such. I do, however, still have a number of questions that may have already been covered but do not appear in one place, so I apologize in advance if these questions have been asked a number of times previously.
First off, I plan on giving my first shot using CFLs. I understand HPS lights are better but for now I'm not dumping two hundred dollars on a light. I have two choices really, a closet in a bedroom and a fridge in the basement. The fridge still works and I'm not ready to cut fan holes in it yet so I am probably going to go with some rubbermaid tubs for this first shot and graduate to the fridge if I like the results.
As for strain, I ordered 10 skunk #1 seeds from the website listed as recommended, and assuming they arrive with out a police escort I will be using those. So begins the questions.
1. How long do I keep the seedlings in veg state? Is it a set amount of time or do I wait until they are all a certain height prior to switching to a 12/12 schedule?
2. I have read soil and nutrient threads with a number of replies, I'm wondering if anyone has anything they recommend that can simply be purchased at wal-mart or home depot in one stop as far as two different types for veg/flower.
3. The web page listed "8/10" for time to harvest, is that eight to ten weeks? What's the best way to know when it's time to harvest?
I figure I can fit two to four plants in a pair of rubbermaid tubs stacked with 6-8 CFLs and a cooling fan at the top (saw a design on another forum) that should bode well for a first grow, and produce reasonable yeild. I have gained understanding as to the "how" for everything except feeding/watering schedule for the most part. Let me list my assumptions below and you guys can comment on them.
A. Soil: a non-time release formula with no nutes, organic is best, HD sells scotts which some people use and may be a good bet.
B. Pots: Start off with a small pot and graduate to gallon size once they start getting big.
C. Watering schedule: I'm not really sure when to start watering, I'd assume every couple of days as the soil gets dry.
D. Nutes: Don't feed any nutrients until the seedlings are at least four weeks old, then start a balanced diet of something along the lines of 15-15-15 or 20-20-20, then switch to 10-xx-xx (where xx is higher than the first number) for flowering.
E. Males: Check often for male plants during flowering and remove once sex is determined. What can I do with these plants, should I just toss them?
Am I missing anything else, or are there any obivous mistakes? I'm trying to be as informed as possible prior to starting out so that I make the least amount of stupid mistakes.
Thanks!