So after paying through the nose for draw for the past 20 years, I’ve decided to set up my own grow room. I’m sick of giving my hard-earned cash to wannabe gangsters for either under weight deals or generally crap gear!

My friend has a spare room that he’s donated to the cause. It measures 8” X 7” and is 9” high. We’ve bought plasterboards that is reflective silver on one side, and polystyrene on the other to put on the walls (the idea of this is to help stop any heat signature) don’t know if it will work, but for piece of mind its worth it. There is also a nice little cupboard in the room that messures 3” x 4” and is 3” high that I’m going to use for mother plants and clones.

My set up

2 x Maxigrow propagation light (11,000+ lumens)
4 x 600w HPS lights
12” inline fan and monster filter. (man this things BIG!)
Bluelab fan controller unit
Co2 Controller unit + Co2 gas cylinder
4 x 4” trays and tank (NFT System) (Only going to use two for the first grow)
50 meters of grow matting
2 x Oscillating fans
1 x Digital Thermometer (with min & max readings)
1 x Power saver unit (do these things really work?)
1 x propagation tank.
3 x Grasslin timers
1 x Air pump
1 x 26A 8 Gang Contactor DIGITAL Timer £40
20 x 1” rockwool cubes
20 x 3” rockwool cubes
PH Pen
Nutrient test wand (not that I know how to use it yet lol)
Pressure Sprayer
5L of Ionic grow
5L of Ionic Bloom
5L of Ionic Boost
250ML of pest off (for the spider mites!!)
250ml of liquid oxygen
20 super skunk seeds (feminized)
And not forgetting my Jorge Cervantes Medical Grower's Bible!!

I’ve been reading through RIU for the past month or so, and have picked up loads of good ideas and advice from reading all your journals. As this is my first ever grow I’m hoping you guys can help me through it, hence my journal.

I do have a couple of questions already. As I said I’m using a NFT system and want to know if I should have the pumps on timers? I was thinking 3 times a day for 10min a time? What do you guys think?

I’ll post up some photos of the room in the next couple of days.

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http://www.rollitup.org/grow-journal...my-little.html

So the journey begins. Sunday night I soaked my seeds in a cup of bottled water for 12 hours.

The next morning the seeds were sitting on the bottom of the glass so I soaked a paper towel in fresh bottled water, put my seeds in the towel and put them in a dark cupboard for the next three days.

Tuesday night was the fun part. I knew the next day I had to plant my little babies in 1” rockwool, and I had to soak my rockwool overnight. I started by PH testing my water from the tap and it was 7.2. After adding what I thought was a small amount of PH down my next reading was 2.2!! Think I may have over done the PH down a little lol. I washed out the bowl and started again (more then once, but I wont bore with with all that) before going back to my grow bible and come to the conclusion I don’t have to work out the PH until I’ve mixed my nutrients… LOL First mistake of many I’m sure.

According to my bible I needed to soak the rockwool in nutrients at 1/8th of the manufactures recommendations. That’s where the fun started, was never any good at maths way back when so what chance do I stand now…. After phoning all my mates for fractions I worked out the right amounts (which was next to nothing)

I mixed up my nutrients and adjusted my PH to 6.0. I left my rockwool to soak and the next day (Wednesday) I opened my paper towel to find three or four of them had popped out of their seeds already. By the time I got to my last soaked rockwool cube I noticed I still had two seeds left!!! It took me ages to work out I had planted a popped seed somewhere along the line second mistake already….

I’ve now put all my babies in a propagation tank under the maxigrow light. I also decided to use a heat mat under the prop tank found in an old snake viv.

This morning I took the top off and wiped the condensation out.

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http://www.rollitup.org/grow-journal...my-little.html

I was under the impression NFT used a constant low volume stream. What you describe sounds more like Flood & Ebb which I'm running. I may b wrong here but just my take on the matter.

If your using rockwool I would only recommend one flood every other day, maybe every 3rd day. This stuff wicks & holds water like crazy. I let a 6" cube sit out and it took over a week to go dry (no plant in it). Also make sure you use a pipette to draw water samples directly from the cubes periodically. I found even though I was diligent about keeping my res ph @ 6, my cubes had soared to nearly 8 and required a flush. This was after I watched them suffer for nearly a week...before I figured out to sample the cubes. Other tips you might find in my journal, sounds like your running similar setup and same nutes. Also I have heard that 50% is a 'strong' does of Ionic, so watch yourself if you don't have a TDS meter. GL, subscribed.

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-*-My first grow journal-*- Pineapple Express, Legal Medical, soon-to-be perpetual Flood & Ebb grow. If I helped you out in anyway click at the top of this post.

I have a 24 pod nft set up and i
water my plants 4x daily for 10mins at a time
you should only water when the lights are on.
i hope this helps

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http://thepiratebay.org/torrent/5041...and_Video_Pack

Oops told you I was new to all this I think your right someguy, maybe it is a flood and drain system

Thanks for your input, will take note with the 'samples directly from the cubes periodically' part thanks

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http://www.rollitup.org/grow-journal...my-little.html

Thanks Jaybee too.

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http://www.rollitup.org/grow-journal...my-little.html

My germinated seeds have now been in my propagation tank for the past three days. Not all of the cubes have stems rising out of them yet (I know at least one wont sprout) but the ones that have are starting to drop a little. I removed the wool from a cotton bud stick and propped them up a little. This is harder then it looks and I’m only into the first week…..

I’ve been wiping the condensation of the lid everyday and checking to make sure the rockwool is still damp enough.

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http://www.rollitup.org/grow-journal...my-little.html

why have u been wiping the condensation off the lid ?
i wouldnt do that
just lift it a few times a day
4 a few mins getting longer each day
and mist when u put the lid back on

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I've only been taking the lid off once a day, should I be doing it more then?

I'm only wiping the condensation off because its what my book told me, should I not be doing that then?

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http://www.rollitup.org/grow-journal...my-little.html

ive never heard of wiping the condensation
off the lid b4
i wouldnt recommend it
the condensation is whats feeding and keeping ur plants alive
untill they grow roots
also lift the lid a few times a day
4 maybe 5 mins or so 2 air them
2 prevent rotting and harden the
plants 4 when ur ready 2 move

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