JaiWrap
Member
Hello RIU, I'm attempting my very first grow and decided to post its progress to hopefully get advice and opinions from you guys. The initial plan was to simply view as many other first grow threads as possible and use them as a guide as I go along, but I finally decided it would be better to have my own. This very fist post might end up being ridiculously and unnecessarily long, and if so, I'm sorry.
Gonna thank Widow for the How To Grow Marijuana thread for motivating me to actually attempt growing.
I've been thinking a lot about how much I dislike paying $50 a week on to keep stocked as I just started college a semester ago, and I soon will be limited on funds. Thought it might be nice to be able to supply myself and my fams in the downstairs apartment.
I'm already nine days into vegging. In the past month, I have been doing a lot of reading up on growing and different ways to go about it.
Situation
= 6 bagseeds in clear party cups so I can observe rootage. 1 of the seeds, I believe, is a different strain than the other five.
= 4 26 watt 6500k CFL bulbs
= Miracle-Gro Potting Mix with Micromax
= Pics included lol
= Temp is 70-72 at lowest, usually 75 or not much higher
= Don't have a measure on humidity but doesn't feel any greater than perhaps 30%
= 23-24 hours of light, lights 1-2 inches from plants at odd placements lol
The first two days of vegging, I was not yet in the closet and in an area with only two of the lights and a temp of about 65 in there, but it didn't show any harm to me. Also, until late in day seven, I had the lights spaced out to about four inches... stoner.
I only plan to fully flower and complete maybe three plants. I have the extras because I know I'm a newbie and there is room for error. Just in case, y'know? Perhaps I'll maintain four all the way into sexing to increase chances of more fems.
Trying to keep a clean area, I have been wiping down every single surface with quality cleaning spray and a microfiber cloth every other day. I clean many houses as a job so I felt like cleanliness would help future bugs situations if the environment is always controlled.
I recognize how loony the placement of everything is from the pictures, but it's the best I've been able to think of myself right now. I'm fixing to put in a small clip-on fan that will blow above the plant area but not on it because I assume it's not safe to have a fan blowing right onto light bulbs.
The area is so open like it is because I don't know what I could do about venting and keeping fresh air. The door stays shut unless I'm in it, so I just leave it open when I'm in for some freshness and heat regulating. Even at peak day brightness during the summer, the closet can be pitch black with a stuffing of the bottom, so darkness on the 12/12 switch won't be an issue.
I've been watering with tap water that has sat out for a couple of days and stays in a dark area. I always open the stock containers twice a day and shake them around a little to get fresh air because I think I read it helps. My moisture meter works by a 1 through 4 scale and I only water when it's between 1 and 1.5. I also take the PH of the water in my sprayer or dripper that I'll be using down to the 6.2-6.6 range using PH UP/DOWN and a drop tester.
Speaking of PH, I know and lot of people don't like to use Miracle-Gro but when my seeds germinated, I was 100% baked all day and unprepared so, when it was all Wal-Mart had, it was all I had. However, when I bought PH soil tester just to always have one from now on, it revealed the soil has a PH of 7, which is better than say a 5 or 5.5, right? No problems with it so far.
The soil in the cups is getting dense and I think that means building excesses at the bottom, so I think perhaps later in the day, I will get new cups and transplant with fresher soil. Also, could I go get some perlite and do a mix of the two for better safety? When I move to pots, they will be 10.5" and no bigger unless recommended, so what would work best then?
Nutes, yeah. I really want to try to go as simple on this as possible. I don't really care if using what I use will increase the amount of time until harvesting or if the yield ends up smaller, as long as the plants can remain healthy and safe. On day eight I decided to do a 1:25 molasses mix into my water and used it only once. Just an experiment; I hope it doesn't hurt.
The Miracle-Gro lists 0.21 - 0.07 - 0.14,
0.21% total nitrogen, 0.07% available phosphate
0.14% soluble potash
0.10% (water soluble) Iron
I'm thinking of using the urine nutrient method if it's recommended enough here. I don't feel like ordering online, and all the stores within a reasonable location don't have good nutes for shit, so what I came home with was this...
=Scotts All Purpose Flower & Vegetable Continuous Release Plants Food
10-10-10, 10% nitrogen, phosphate, potash, 2% sulfur.
=Also got same brand and type food but called Rose & Bloom. 12-4-8
If in the three week mark I insert 1/4 the recommended dose from perhaps the one higher in nitrogen, would that at least help a little, or do nothing but hurt?
Lastly, for now, would FIMing be safe with my first grow and with nutes like I've discussed?
If you've read all of this and give some input, thanks!! I'm excited about this journey and even if all the plants die I'll keep going at it until I figure out something that works.
~note~
In the day 7 pics the lights hadn't been placed at the correct difference yet.
In pic day7 the plant farthest right is leaning. I found its roots weren't developing good like the others but after a root solution was applied there was drastic improvement overnight and now it has become one of the perkiest of the six.
Gonna thank Widow for the How To Grow Marijuana thread for motivating me to actually attempt growing.
I've been thinking a lot about how much I dislike paying $50 a week on to keep stocked as I just started college a semester ago, and I soon will be limited on funds. Thought it might be nice to be able to supply myself and my fams in the downstairs apartment.
I'm already nine days into vegging. In the past month, I have been doing a lot of reading up on growing and different ways to go about it.
Situation
= 6 bagseeds in clear party cups so I can observe rootage. 1 of the seeds, I believe, is a different strain than the other five.
= 4 26 watt 6500k CFL bulbs
= Miracle-Gro Potting Mix with Micromax
= Pics included lol
= Temp is 70-72 at lowest, usually 75 or not much higher
= Don't have a measure on humidity but doesn't feel any greater than perhaps 30%
= 23-24 hours of light, lights 1-2 inches from plants at odd placements lol
The first two days of vegging, I was not yet in the closet and in an area with only two of the lights and a temp of about 65 in there, but it didn't show any harm to me. Also, until late in day seven, I had the lights spaced out to about four inches... stoner.
I only plan to fully flower and complete maybe three plants. I have the extras because I know I'm a newbie and there is room for error. Just in case, y'know? Perhaps I'll maintain four all the way into sexing to increase chances of more fems.
Trying to keep a clean area, I have been wiping down every single surface with quality cleaning spray and a microfiber cloth every other day. I clean many houses as a job so I felt like cleanliness would help future bugs situations if the environment is always controlled.
I recognize how loony the placement of everything is from the pictures, but it's the best I've been able to think of myself right now. I'm fixing to put in a small clip-on fan that will blow above the plant area but not on it because I assume it's not safe to have a fan blowing right onto light bulbs.
The area is so open like it is because I don't know what I could do about venting and keeping fresh air. The door stays shut unless I'm in it, so I just leave it open when I'm in for some freshness and heat regulating. Even at peak day brightness during the summer, the closet can be pitch black with a stuffing of the bottom, so darkness on the 12/12 switch won't be an issue.
I've been watering with tap water that has sat out for a couple of days and stays in a dark area. I always open the stock containers twice a day and shake them around a little to get fresh air because I think I read it helps. My moisture meter works by a 1 through 4 scale and I only water when it's between 1 and 1.5. I also take the PH of the water in my sprayer or dripper that I'll be using down to the 6.2-6.6 range using PH UP/DOWN and a drop tester.
Speaking of PH, I know and lot of people don't like to use Miracle-Gro but when my seeds germinated, I was 100% baked all day and unprepared so, when it was all Wal-Mart had, it was all I had. However, when I bought PH soil tester just to always have one from now on, it revealed the soil has a PH of 7, which is better than say a 5 or 5.5, right? No problems with it so far.
The soil in the cups is getting dense and I think that means building excesses at the bottom, so I think perhaps later in the day, I will get new cups and transplant with fresher soil. Also, could I go get some perlite and do a mix of the two for better safety? When I move to pots, they will be 10.5" and no bigger unless recommended, so what would work best then?
Nutes, yeah. I really want to try to go as simple on this as possible. I don't really care if using what I use will increase the amount of time until harvesting or if the yield ends up smaller, as long as the plants can remain healthy and safe. On day eight I decided to do a 1:25 molasses mix into my water and used it only once. Just an experiment; I hope it doesn't hurt.
The Miracle-Gro lists 0.21 - 0.07 - 0.14,
0.21% total nitrogen, 0.07% available phosphate
0.14% soluble potash
0.10% (water soluble) Iron
I'm thinking of using the urine nutrient method if it's recommended enough here. I don't feel like ordering online, and all the stores within a reasonable location don't have good nutes for shit, so what I came home with was this...
=Scotts All Purpose Flower & Vegetable Continuous Release Plants Food
10-10-10, 10% nitrogen, phosphate, potash, 2% sulfur.
=Also got same brand and type food but called Rose & Bloom. 12-4-8
If in the three week mark I insert 1/4 the recommended dose from perhaps the one higher in nitrogen, would that at least help a little, or do nothing but hurt?
Lastly, for now, would FIMing be safe with my first grow and with nutes like I've discussed?
If you've read all of this and give some input, thanks!! I'm excited about this journey and even if all the plants die I'll keep going at it until I figure out something that works.
~note~
In the day 7 pics the lights hadn't been placed at the correct difference yet.
In pic day7 the plant farthest right is leaning. I found its roots weren't developing good like the others but after a root solution was applied there was drastic improvement overnight and now it has become one of the perkiest of the six.
