Open to suggestions

So, planning a grow and this is what ther is so far. Basically looking for any "improvements" RIU can come up with. Growers helping growers and such. Anyways, most of this stuff is already bought, but, "Open to suggestions"

goal is a small personal perpetual grow.

Clone/Veg - x2 48' Utilitech T12 fixtures (160w) I put one 6500K tube and one 3000K tube in each fixture. and then add CFLs as the plants grow.

Flower - 400w HPS was previously flowering with 2700K CFLs. Can finally get an HPS, but still shopping around. Don't want to waste $200 on a dud light. Air cooled reflector, inline, scrubber, air purifier w/ ionizer, etc.

Strains - L.S.D. and Querkle are en route. Other strains I'll probably get: Pandora's, Apollo-13, and Jack's Cleaner 2

Medium - Local regional potting mix 10-5-5 in 3 gal planters (perlite, peat moss, limestone, chicken poop)

Nutes - Monterey FISH & POOP 9-6-2 (planning on doing maybe 1/8 oz per gal. using with every water, backing off it burns, bt don't think its likely. water according to a reliable ol' moisture meter.)

Training - Will use strain specific methods based on known recommendations.

Light schedule will go from 24-0, 18-6, and finally, 12/12 haven't estimated how long it will take, but primary light switching will be based on growth and not time.

you wont need all the stuff for your lights for just 2 plants. a 400 HPS dosent kick out that much heat, its your ballast that is the key, keeping that out of your room and putting that heat somewhere else.
HTG Supply has some awesome stuff.

when using chicken poop make sure that it dosent come from a chicken factory where they feed steroids to the chickens for extra plumpness at The Colonel.

As far as your light schedule goes why are you using 18/6? I give them 36 hours of darkness before they go into 12/12 for flowering so there is no mistaking NOW is the time to push out those awesome buds.

Hey,, I agree with jesus,, ha, never thought I would be typing that but there you go..

Yeah, your lights, would you go 18/6 then 12/12,without a period of 36hrs,,just a jesus has given.
I go from 18/6 to start, then when ready a dark period of roughly one full day and lights come on next,, so like 36hrs,,haha,
and then to the 12/12.

Good luck,

and when you come to your dark period you have to remember you are going to be coming out of the dark in a new time as 36 is odd, so prepare for that. I time my last summer veg with changing everything over for winter and instead of getting rid of the heat I am using it to heat the house, not much but it works so my lights came in during the coldest at night.

wow i am really baked.

BAKED??!!!
Be sure to sterilize your soil in the oven!!! There are threads explaining this to detail.

Its not just two plants, but technically only starts with two. Sorry, the way it will be set-up is 4 in flowering. clones and new seeds will be started under the tubes. I'm gonna grow out 1 L.S.D. and take at least 2 cuttings from it and 2 from the Querkle as well. then flower those and root the clones and more seeds under the floros and keep going from there. Ideally I eventually want two 400 watters.

Do not use chicken poop in your soil because it contains contaminants. You must compost the chicken poop first. Not doing so is asking for health problems.

jesus of Cannabis said:

and when you come to your dark period you have to remember you are going to be coming out of the dark in a new time as 36 is odd, so prepare for that. I time my last summer veg with changing everything over for winter and instead of getting rid of the heat I am using it to heat the house, not much but it works so my lights came in during the coldest at night.

wow i am really baked.

Click to expand...

There will be a full 24 hr period of darkness before flowering. Yea I had to do the same thing. I mad a hole too big in my closet and temps would get too low so I had to put more lights in there until I could find a balance. but the space above my grow has a vent so now I can change my room temp by using my home thermostat. i crack the door just so that new air gets in and I control the "new air" temps to fine tune. if i want my room at 77, i set the thermo to 72 and can adjust easily during the daytime if i need to cool it down.

Serapis said:

Do not use chicken poop in your soil because it contains contaminants. You must compost the chicken poop first. Not doing so is asking for health problems.

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Its premixed organic. I dont make my own soil. This is processed and ready for use.

Its made by Fafard.

via Vio said:

Its premixed organic. I dont make my own soil. This is processed and ready for use.

Its made by Fafard.

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Regardless, to ensure that your soil hasn't any harmful microbes, sterilize it in a proper way. The worst thing would be to get have way through a grow and find your plant hindered by dangerous microbes. I use heat to periodically sterilize my lava rock and clay gravel.