super noob : help growing clarifications plz

A) I'm getting aura indica, swiss cheese and snow white, in total 15 seeds all fems. If all germ and grow right will transporting them to 1 gal pots be good enough?

B) Lighting: (2) 4' T5 bulbs do the job or even (4) 4' be better?

C) Soil: I've searched and read what others use which for the most part there they've only mentioned 1 thing. If possiblecan you tell me what all do I use as far as the whole soil concept (like brands etc). That works best for you, also measurements. Improbaly asking for much but I fond the whole soil thing a little over my head.

D) Life Cycle: Is there a link that you can post or are there books about this? I really don't want to miss a step.

if any one can help I would appreciate it tons
thanks in advance

I suggest growing only one strain at the time, (perhaps cloning them?) couse they are diffrent and they need diffrent EC (ppm) levels. For veggin cfls are ok but for flowering you REALLY should get some HPS light. As for the soil, cant help you there, I do hydro and coco so you'll have to do some research on your own. Life cycle of the plants?all the same, some just need more time to flower.Buy/download "Marijuana Horticulture The indoor/outdoor Medical Growers Bible - Jorge Cervantes", it should help you gettin started.

paxneotech said:

I suggest growing only one strain at the time, (perhaps cloning them?) couse they are diffrent and they need diffrent EC (ppm) levels. For veggin cfls are ok but for flowering you REALLY should get some HPS light. As for the soil, cant help you there, I do hydro and coco so you'll have to do some research on your own. Life cycle of the plants?all the same, some just need more time to flower.Buy/download "Marijuana Horticulture The indoor/outdoor Medical Growers Bible - Jorge Cervantes", it should help you gettin started.

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I'm interested in using t5 lights not cfls, will t5s do good as well also how about the transplant to 1 gallon pots? Thanks for you input any others want to chip in some knowledge?

FF Ocean Forest soil seems to be a good soil to use. It has enough nutes in it to last your plants the first few weeks. This is my first grow with it and so far I'm happy with it.

The bigger the pot, the bigger your plants will be able to grow.

Basic life cycle would be: seed -> seedling -> vegetative -> bloom then in nature, after a female becomes pollinated and produces seeds, it starts back over. Marijuana is an annual plant so you can do research on that if you want more specific details.

SkunkDunks said:

FF Ocean Forest soil seems to be a good soil to use. It has enough nutes in it to last your plants the first few weeks. This is my first grow with it and so far I'm happy with it.

The bigger the pot, the bigger your plants will be able to grow.

Basic life cycle would be: seed -> seedling -> vegetative -> bloom then in nature, after a female becomes pollinated and produces seeds, it starts back over. Marijuana is an annual plant so you can do research on that if you want more specific details.

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so with this ff ocean forest soil will I be adding perlite in this or just leave it as is? After the first few weeks what will you be adding. I'm asking because I'm so lost on this whole soil cycle but thanks

Personally, I didn't add any perlite to the soil because I'm a noob too and didn't delve that deep into my soil preparation. I believe the perlite helps the soil drain quicker and aerate it more.

I'm basically following FF's feeding schedule (except Grow Big and the solubles). I started with Big Bloom and when I get to flowering I'll start the Tiger Bloom (1/4 strength to begin).

From what I understand T5 are mainly used for veg growth. I would try to get more of the spectrum in there. All those blues wont be to great for flowering, however it can be done.

NggaFace said:

From what I understand T5 are mainly used for veg growth. I would try to get more of the spectrum in there. All those blues wont be to great for flowering, however it can be done.

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hmm ok thanks What type of lighting do you suggest to get me from start to finish?

I think that if you're not familiar with how organics work then you should stay out of soil.

Coco Coir/Peat is very inexpensive, and very easy for a new grower to use and understand. I always say, If you can mix up a batch of pancakes from instant mix then you have all the skills required for coco growing. With all media you are going to need to keep an eye on the pH of your solution. Even with soil you are going to need some way of monitoring what is going in and what is coming out, and a pH pen/wand is going to be the best way to go about that. They retail for about $40 to $50 and are worth every penny. No sense in spending $400 on supplies and failing when $450 of supplies means success.

A rule of thumb is 1 gallon of media will get you through 1 month of life. I think with coco, in a 1 gallon planter, you could go up to 8 weeks before having to transplant. Honestly I think starting your plants in party cups that have holes punched in the bottom would work out fine. Then you could transplant to 2 gallon planters at around 3 weeks old, and then you'd be set to switch to flowering and let them bloom for 8 to 10 weeks.

You will need a nutrient system. I recommend Canna Coco A+B. This system is about $25 for a liter of each, and will last you through at least 6 plants, and probably closer to 8 to 10 plants.

As far as lighting goes it depends on what you'd like to harvest. T5 lighting has a very minimal casting distance and is best used on smaller plants because at 6 inches from the bulb there isn't enough energy provided for photosynthesis. These systems are good for straight to flower clones; better for vegetative life though. A good system to run throughout life is a 150w, 250w, or 400w HID system (includes a ballast, a reflector, and a bulb). You will want a magnetic ballast (not a digital one) and you want to use a Ceramic Metal Halide bulb the whole way through. A 250w system with a CMH bulb would be a good replacement for the T5 system you've proposed.

Most new growers completely underestimate the importance of ventilation. The plant fibers are 80% carbon, and this carbon is inhaled from the air. So the more air you can pass over the leaves, the more carbon the plant can get at, and the bigger the plant will be. Also, heat is a HUGE stress factor for plants so you need the ability to keep that area under 80 degrees at all times. You are going to need an exhaust fan and a circulation fan at the very least.

Cannabis life cycle goes:
Seedling: Young plant, no need for nutrients
Early Vegetative: Several leaf sets present, need for low levels of nutrients
Mid-Vegetative: More than 6 leaf sets present, need for moderate levels of nutrients
Late-Vegetative: More than 12 leaf sets present, need for full strength of nutrients
Early Flowering: Also known as the stretch phase. Plant packs on 2x to 3x growth, doubling in height usually. Very high levels of nutrients with a PK boost.
Mid Flowering: Flower setting period. Weeks 3 to 5 of Flowering. Highest levels of nutrients used. Plant is beginning to pack on flowers.
Late Flowering: Swelling phase. Weeks 5 up to the final 2 weeks. Plant is packing on weight and THC, the flowers get very large. Lower nutrient levels but still moderate.
Ripening: Final 2 weeks of flowering. Trichomes and turpins (the shit that gets you high and the shit that smells so good) use this time to mature. Nutrient levels are very low, especially during the final week when clean water is recommended to flush out fertilizers from the plant.

I have some follow up questions that is going to help people help you.

Who are you providing for?
What is your budget?
Where indoors are you growing?
When are you trying to get started?
How many plants are you interested in growing?
What are you looking to harvest?

And seriously. You want to use coco. A VERY good resource for coco growing can be found here:
http://forum.grasscity.com/coco-coir/
Take a look at AskEd's Coco Guide (stickied at the top of the page).
You'll find posts from myself in there. The moderators on that site have it out for me and banned me, but I still have love for AskEd. My posts are by the users Snow Crash and 2LSC.
Also, if you need someone to help mentor you with coco I'd be glad to offer my support so that it would seem less intimidating.