SativaSumo
Well-Known Member
Full disclosure: I'm writing this after harvesting my very first grow. It went MUCH better than it could have, but not as well as my next one will. This post is just the five things I wish I could go back in time and tell myself way back last summer when I started down this path.
Details of My First Grow (for the curious):
Type: Aero/NFT indoors in a 4x4 tent under MH/HPS lighting
Strain: Super Lemon Haze
Yield: 8oz, not a lot but WAY more than I thought I would get!
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THE FIVE THINGS:
1. Just Grow Something Already!! I fucked around so much just getting started that, holy shit I could be on my second harvest by now! The single most potent learning you will ever do in this hobby is to actually fucking put a seed in the ground, buckle up, and enjoy the ride. I mean, it's called 'weed' because it is a goddamned weed. Can you kill it? Of course, but as long as you're watering and keeping it fed then you will most likely get something that can go into a pipe and put you into orbit. Fucking grow something already.
2. Read All The Things!! RIU is the best source for info you have. Full stop. There are some others out there, google searches will help, but just read anything and everything you can. Study this site (esp the Newbie Central sub) the entire time you're watching your little green lady do her thing. Ask questions, get involved, get feedback, post pics, keep a good grow log, help us help you.
3. Let There Be Light. The single best thing you can put money into is your lights. DO NOT SKIMP ON THESE! Great lights can make even mediocre seeds produce ample amounts of smokage. And let's face it, until you learn enough to set up an autocloner you'll probably be changing your genetics (your seeds, your strains) with each grow. Case in point: My paltry 8oz yield was entirely due to the fact that I *WAY* underpowered my lights. Rule of thumb is about 100W of light per single square foot of space, so my 4X4 SHOULD have had 1600W of light. I ran this grow with 600W total. Less than half. Don't be me.
4. Maintain the Holy Trinity: There are exactly three things your ladies will need: light, water, and food. Regardless of how you plan on growing (indoor, outdoor, hydro, aero, etc) you have to give them those three, and you have to keep giving the ladies all three! Decide on a grow style (RIU is your friend) and then make sure you know how your system will provide the trinity. Keep on top of it. Maintain the systems that give those to your girls and use the trinity to troubleshoot.
5. "The vineyard's best fertilizer is the owner's footsteps." It's an old saying about growing wine that means you need to be paying attention! Make a daily inspection part of your normal, day-to-day routine. "Self, did I wake up this morning, brush my teeth, put on deodorant and check my grow?" If not, make sure it happens. Especially the deodorant.
Throughout my grow I almost killed my ladies twice and each time it was because I went 48 or 72 hours between checking in on them, something bad happened (pump failed once, rez went dry the second time) and I didn't catch it until it was almost too late.
Bonus 6th Item. Simplicity is your friend! Not only in grow style, but also in strain selection. Choose a good, hardy strain and only one strain to grow at a time until you're more comfortable growing. THEN you should introduce the complexity of multiple strains in the same grow. I'm a daily smoker and those 8oz mean I don't have to buy weed again until the New Year, even if I don't grow another leaf. Choose a strain and roll those dice, baby! (Note: In spite of this point I know that by choosing aero/nft for my grow system I went way complex. I chose this for personal reasons and it worked well. This time.)
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Well, there it is. I hope this is helpful for some poor schmuck just starting out. I know that I'll be taking all of these lessons, and dozens more into my next grow. Yes, I'm going to boost my light to a full 1600W for the tent by adding another 1K light fixture. If heat is too bad I can always switch off one, or something.
Peace brothas and sistas! Now put down the laptop and go grow something already, you glorious green freaks!!!
Details of My First Grow (for the curious):
Type: Aero/NFT indoors in a 4x4 tent under MH/HPS lighting
Strain: Super Lemon Haze
Yield: 8oz, not a lot but WAY more than I thought I would get!
---------------------------
THE FIVE THINGS:
1. Just Grow Something Already!! I fucked around so much just getting started that, holy shit I could be on my second harvest by now! The single most potent learning you will ever do in this hobby is to actually fucking put a seed in the ground, buckle up, and enjoy the ride. I mean, it's called 'weed' because it is a goddamned weed. Can you kill it? Of course, but as long as you're watering and keeping it fed then you will most likely get something that can go into a pipe and put you into orbit. Fucking grow something already.
2. Read All The Things!! RIU is the best source for info you have. Full stop. There are some others out there, google searches will help, but just read anything and everything you can. Study this site (esp the Newbie Central sub) the entire time you're watching your little green lady do her thing. Ask questions, get involved, get feedback, post pics, keep a good grow log, help us help you.
3. Let There Be Light. The single best thing you can put money into is your lights. DO NOT SKIMP ON THESE! Great lights can make even mediocre seeds produce ample amounts of smokage. And let's face it, until you learn enough to set up an autocloner you'll probably be changing your genetics (your seeds, your strains) with each grow. Case in point: My paltry 8oz yield was entirely due to the fact that I *WAY* underpowered my lights. Rule of thumb is about 100W of light per single square foot of space, so my 4X4 SHOULD have had 1600W of light. I ran this grow with 600W total. Less than half. Don't be me.
4. Maintain the Holy Trinity: There are exactly three things your ladies will need: light, water, and food. Regardless of how you plan on growing (indoor, outdoor, hydro, aero, etc) you have to give them those three, and you have to keep giving the ladies all three! Decide on a grow style (RIU is your friend) and then make sure you know how your system will provide the trinity. Keep on top of it. Maintain the systems that give those to your girls and use the trinity to troubleshoot.
5. "The vineyard's best fertilizer is the owner's footsteps." It's an old saying about growing wine that means you need to be paying attention! Make a daily inspection part of your normal, day-to-day routine. "Self, did I wake up this morning, brush my teeth, put on deodorant and check my grow?" If not, make sure it happens. Especially the deodorant.
Throughout my grow I almost killed my ladies twice and each time it was because I went 48 or 72 hours between checking in on them, something bad happened (pump failed once, rez went dry the second time) and I didn't catch it until it was almost too late.Bonus 6th Item. Simplicity is your friend! Not only in grow style, but also in strain selection. Choose a good, hardy strain and only one strain to grow at a time until you're more comfortable growing. THEN you should introduce the complexity of multiple strains in the same grow. I'm a daily smoker and those 8oz mean I don't have to buy weed again until the New Year, even if I don't grow another leaf. Choose a strain and roll those dice, baby! (Note: In spite of this point I know that by choosing aero/nft for my grow system I went way complex. I chose this for personal reasons and it worked well. This time.
)---------------------------
Well, there it is. I hope this is helpful for some poor schmuck just starting out. I know that I'll be taking all of these lessons, and dozens more into my next grow. Yes, I'm going to boost my light to a full 1600W for the tent by adding another 1K light fixture. If heat is too bad I can always switch off one, or something.
Peace brothas and sistas! Now put down the laptop and go grow something already, you glorious green freaks!!!
