1st ever grow! Using Mr. Grow Pro!

Hi guys
Just thought I'd start a thread seeing as I may have a few questions as I begin my wonderful journey for my first grow.
I am growing in a PC box purchased off Mr Grow pro, I am growing with the LED version for three reasons..
1. I did not need an adapter as I live overseas
2. The power cost of running LED is far cheaper
3. I prefer lighting that doesn't contain mercury etc.
I am only planning to grow one plant in my box, as its my first grow and want to make sure I do it right.
The seeds I am using are blue mystic purchased from Nirvana, they arnt autoflowering, but I've read due to my LEDs being multiple spectrum I dont need to change them although im not sure if I need to change the lighting schedule when its time to flower.
So I germinated two seeds using two different methods as I wasnt sure what worked best, I did the paper towel method and the glass of water and left them both in my hotwater cupboard for around 55 hours. The paper towel method worked fine and got a decent root, the water method however wasn't so successful the seed cracked and root was visible but it never actually grew out of the seed.
Anyway so tonight at Approx 8:45 I planted my seed in organic potting mix (Most expensive one I could find at the local store) and added some fertilizer for a boost, not much though. I planted the seed not too deep, then covered with the soil and gave it some water.
Im growing in a plastic container that fits about the width and depth of the pc box, I added some holes in the bottom as I assume drainage is necessary. I also have a plastic bag around it to catch any water that drains, wouldnt be great going through the pc case!
I've put the pot on top of some items to bring the top of the soil closer to the lights, although I am not sure how close it should be, I would say approx 10cm away from the LED's, the picture below will also give an indication.
I have a few questions that would be great if they could possibly be answered!
1. How close should I put my container to the lights? Should the top of the soil be around where I have it until it pops out then lower it? I've read that the plant does not need to be as close to LED's as say CFL's although I wasnt sure and just put it around where I've seen most grows start.
2. What should my initial lighting be? 12/12?
3. How often should I water my plant?
Thats all I can think of for the time being, but I do have questions about LST and whatnot which I will address closer to the time its needed!
Thanks for any input I get from you guys, ALL HELP WILL BE GREATLY APPRECIATED!
Sweet.

Hey man welcome!!

First of all, I've never seen or heard about a ready pc box!! How much was that?

Ok, one plant is what most of the pc growers are doing to maximize their yield!
About LSTing you should check Mewk's thread: https://www.rollitup.org/stealth-micro-cab-growing/724487-mewks-tiny-pc-grow-2-a.html

In there you'll see how to do it (even though your lady should be way below Mewk's regarding to lights and distance) as well as when to switch to 12/12 for flowering.
18/6 is the light schedule for veg stage. Make sure to leave some space before switching though, as most of the strains tend to stretch during flowering stage, also.

Paper towel method is the most sufficient method of germinating a seed.
What's the pH of your soil?
Also, if it's nutrient high, it could stun your lady, so a simple potting soil should be more than enough for your first couple of weeks. That being said, adding nutes (what nutes did you use?) maybe wasn't the smartest choice for a young seedling.
What kind of water are you planning to use?

The germ.seed should be right under the surface of your soil, so it won't have any problems cracking the surface!
About your container, I can see it's not light proof at the sides, something that roots won't appreciate!! Just paint it or find something like a real pot!! A tray should do, this bag could be a pain in the ass!!
How much gallons of soil can you fit in there? I see you have plenty of space in height so the more the better!!
Also, where have you planted your seed, at the middle of the pot or closer to one of the sides?

10cm from your leds can be too close, but that depends on your leds' power I guess!! Do you have the specs of your leds?

1. Depends. Def not as close as people have them with CFLs. But again, "Do you have the specs of your leds?"

2. 18/6

3. Stick your finger in the soil and when you see it's about 2-3inches in and dry, then you should water! Careful: DO NOT overwater! That's a major mistake!

Cheers mate!!

Hey Cooldude
Cheers for the quick reply the info is greatly appreciated!
I got the box from the site http://www.mrgrowpro.net/, defs cost more than building your own but I aint to good with that sort of thing and being in NZ i struggle to find ez parts etc and it starts adding up buying it all from overseas, so I figured I'd pay some extra cash to have it done for me!
When you say leave some space before switching to flowering, should I switch it around half height of the box, as I've read they double in height during flowering.
Wouldn't be able to tell you the P.H of the soil, pretty sure it should be around neutral, the brand I bought had a specific bag for acidic plants and I bought the regular assuming it would be around neutral. Is it worth picking up a P.H testing kit?
The nuets weren't anything to hardout, just some slow release fertilizer to provide nuets over the course of 3 months. Its a N:13 P:3 K:11 Mg: 1.5 mix, if that means anything.
The water is just filtered tap water, I know that isn't idea but I figured it could get costly going out and buying lots of distilled water, will I end up using a lot of water of the course of 3 months?
I'm planning to let the water sit as I've heard this does two things, brings the water to room temp and allows chlorine to evaporate off.
Yea i'll keep an eye out for an actual pot, otherwise I'll figure out someway to paint the box. its a 1.5 gallon tub.
My seeds directly in the center, just assumed thats where it should go.
Lights are.. Red(630nm): Blue(460nm) 2:1 ratio.


Thanks for the help man!

Hey no prob.!!

Ok, you should check the genetics of your strain! Sativas usually have more stretching during flowering!! Indicas less, but again, they stretch!
It's unlikely that your strain is pure Indica or pure Sativa so you should check its percentage and act accordingly! Also it would be nice to google guys growing the same strain!

You talk about height: aren't you going to LST your lady? LSTing in a pc usually means that you look into growing her horizontally!!

If your pH isn't balanced (talking about a balance between soil's and water's pH) it is very likely you will run into problems! I hope not!!
I tell you what is worth: picking a water pH tester (a cheapo) and a pH up or down (depending on your tap water's pH).
About your soil, I hope you won't run into any problems. If you do though, you'll know what it is!
Somewhere in RIU, there's a NZ growers' thread, you could ask there, maybe someone would know what the pH of your soil is!!
Hmm, still not a good idea regarding the nutes, it's too early!

Tap water should do, or bottled water (probably lower on ppm's than your tap water) for the firrst couple of weeks should be dope! But I wouldn't recommend it for your first time, cos' nutes could ruin the start of your grow!

I saw the pc (seems legit) and also have to mention that this pot is fro hydro. Basically not even for hydro, as it's still light proof!
With 45w of leds you should be fine, especially when you can move these things, and especially if you plan on LSTing!
Ratio of red-blues is also legit!

To maximize the use of your space (when LSTing) it's best to plant near one of the sides of the pot; keep this in mind for future grows!

My question is: Will you LST or not?

Cheers mate!!

Sh*t doesn't let me Edit!!

Two more questions:
1. Is it possible that you can remove your carbon filter? I'm asking cos' you'll need to, at some point!
2. What are your temps and humidity? You need to check these things also!!

Cheers!!

Post whoring but I need to give my 2 cents again!
The light distance would be nice around 18-20cm!!

Cheers!

Welcome to the wonderful world of growing Allseasons!

I too grew Blue Mystic as my first plant. I chose it because of its reported low odor, and I wanted something with Blueberry in it again. If you want to check out the details for it, check out the "Grow 1" link in my signature.

A pH tester is a must for any serious grower. Don't skimp at get the liquid test strips, they aren't accurate enough IMO. Go buy a $20+ digital reader and a bottle of 7.0 calibration liquid, and you'll be happy you did come harvest time, no doubt. I wouldn't necessarily worry too much about your medium's pH since you've already started, but I wouldn't disregard it for future. The pH of water and food later will make all the difference in the world though so make sure you get that part right.

Tap water is fine, actually more preferable. Letting it stand for 24+hrs is recommended, so kudos.

Good luck in your grow!

Oh! Looking forward to seeing how this goes for you Allseasons. The guys have given you some good advice already. It's best to keep it simple and remember the fundamentals. It's a special kind of challenge to have such a small space to work with but when you read some of the journeys people have had you'll be inspired. Cooldude has already mentioned Mewk's grow - definitely worth a read.

On a purely selfish note, I'm interested to find out what acts as a light trap in that box. Is it totally light-tight? Is it just a sheet of black carbon filter over the fans?

It does look sweet.
Linux?

Holy shit the micro gardeners sure as hell do stick together.

Linux > Windows

Hello Allseasons!

Thread subbed I'm very excited how this is going!!

I bought myself a mrgrowpro case too, my question is: Which odor control do you use?

Hey guys thanks for all the interest, hopefully this does go well!
@Cooldudestuff
Well I was hoping to LST to get more out of her, but as you said I've planted in the middle of the pot which isnt ideal for LST, is it possible to move her to one side of the pot still? Or can I still do some sort of LST with her in the middle or am I best just leaving it now?
Hows this for a P.H tester? http://www.trademe.co.nz/pets-animals/fish/water-treatment/auction-706457940.htm Just a site in NZ we use for trading.
And I'm struggling to find a Ph up and down, although I havent really looked to hard! Does this look like somthing that would do the trick? http://www.petspot.co.nz/product/12860799/aqua-one-ph-up-quickdrop-100g/ I know thats an Upper but obv I'd buy two or just 1 according to whatever Ph my water is.
The picture on the site of the tub is blue, although mine is white but still made of the same stuff, will I need to paint it due to the colour or is the actual plastic used suitable?
Yeap carbon filter just has magnets in it that you attach over the fans at the back, quite nifty really, may I ask why I might need to take this off at some point?
I'm not really sure about the temp and humidity although I doesn't seem to hot in there from what I can feel at least! and I adjusted the height to about what you said!
@dragon311
Checked it out man, 63g from your first grow! That epic, well done. I shall refer to your's threads, thanks!
Trying to sort out the Ph stuff now, cheers.
@millerino
The Pc box is just pretty much as you would buy it new really, so the lights pretty well contained anyway, there is some light coming out of the fans at the back, but when you put the carbon filter on, nothing gets out which is great!
@multra
Hey man thanks for subbing, hopfully it all goes well eh?
Nice man, pretty nice having it all done for you haha. The seeds im using are very low odor which is why I got them, also the carbon filter will help a bunch with the smell as well. If i do encounter any smell issues, which isn't a big deal where im living at the moment, I suppose I'd probably just grab some ona blocks and chuck em in the box, I've read it pretty much deals with the smell, so those plus the carbon filter should do the trick.

Nothing more to update here really, seeds now been in the soil for aprox 40 hours, so will be 2 days as off tonight, still no sign of the sprout though, but did a bit of research and most people say around 2-5 days is average so im not worried yet!
Just a question on watering though while she hasn't sprouted, how much water am I giving her, gave her a real small quantity today but didnt want to over do it. Also when I put her in, i only really water'd around where she was planted, hence the rest of the soil looks like its getting pretty dry from the lights etc, is this an issue?
Thanks for the interest guys, makes the grow even better!

Hey mate.

I saw in the site where you purchased your pc, he had a link of a grow journal. I know you saw it, if not, take a look!
He had his lady planted in the middle and he made a scrog! Which really boosted his yield!
Check it out, you could do it too!

Well, you can LST with your lady planted in the middle but I don't know how efficiently it could be done!
You could also take her out and plant her near one of the sides, but you should be REALLY careful.

That pH tester will do. It just seems kinda expensive! I think I got mine for about 11$ off ebay! http://www.ebay.com/itm/Pocket-LCD-Digital-PH-009-0-14-Tester-Meter-Pen-Type-Aquarium-Pool-Water-Measure-/291024944894?pt=US_Garden_Tools&hash=item43c2703efe

Buy your pH tester and when you test your tap water, then you decide on either pH up or pH down!
Paying a visit at a pet shop should help, pH ups and downs are really for aquariums!!

Pal, I forgot to mention: if you can collect rain water it would be dope! It's really pH balanced and it's great for your ladies! So if it rains often there, you should be fine without pH tester and pH up-down, at least for this grow!!

Hmm, I can't seem to figure out what you're asking about painting the tub, sorry but my English is kinda shitty!!

Ok, magnets are ok! I asked cos' you can't use one carbon filter forever! You'll need to get a new one at some point!

Humidity-temp meters are really cheap!!

Well, you are not supposed to have a lot of soil over your crackedseed, I mean what's the point in this?
If you do, try to (very carefully) get some off, give it some help to crack the surface!

Cheers!!

Seed is in the soil, soil is moist, now it needs the the warmth of the light to draw it out. How far are your lights (CFL or LED) from the soil? Check the humidity if possible. Good luck, I checked out the website on your box and that is good stuff.

I have the same exact setup. My first attempt isn't working out too well (under watered and stunted growth), but will be sprouting a few more here shortly. I'm looking forward to seeing how you fair with the setup! I know I'm loving it so far. The fans are QUIET!

churr nice grow, good to see some kiwis on here

Alright, bit of a slow update but hasn't been to much happening here.
Seed sprouted through, and looks all good so far! I'll chuck up the pics of how it looks atm, sorry for the shitty quality my phones very average.
I've had a couple mishaps with lighting like it didn't get turned back on one night for about 7 hours, but its all back to normal and no obvious signs of trouble, I've had trouble using the timer, had be buy a digital one and still had issues with that but I believe ive sorted it as of today, so i'm rather happy about that.
Got some p.h up and down and I am now watering at a P.h of 6.5, which I believe to be right, feel free to correct me if i'm wrong.
Been watering a bit more than i initially was and think Its boosted the growth slightly. Although so far there has been zero drainage out the bottom? Does this mean Im not watering it enough yet, or because its still so small the amount im watering shouldn't actually get through to the bottom?
Currently running lights on a 18/6 cycle.
I realize I didn't plant it in the right place for a great LST but would still like to do a bit, not looking to do much though. At what stage, aprox how many weeks do people start LST'ing although I know this varies depending on your plant. I have a great net thing that I believe is for LST, ill upload a photo of it, and if someone could give me a few pointers on how I would use this well, would be appreciated.
Also how close to the lights should I always aim to have the top of my plant? Around 15 cm?

- This is the net i was talking about, magnets at each corner allow it to sit at any level in the computer box, I assume I'm to wrap my plant around it somehow?

Okay time for another report!
Everything has been going great as far as I can tell, only thing that needs to be updated is her progress.
1.So one of the reasons I bought blue mystic was due to its short height as I didn't want i getting to big for obvious reasons of it being in a pc case. As you can see its really just growing outwards at the moment, doesn't seem to be going anywhere height wise very much, is this how all plants starts out or is this what to expect from a short strain.
2. Just showing the height, makes it look slightly shorter than it actually is.
3.Bad photo but just wanted to show the inner leaves, tonnes of new ones growing out from center outwards, doesn't seem to be anything really shooting up.
4.

I realize in my earlier posts I was talking about LST, but did some research and what I'll actually be doing is Scrog aka Screen of green, as the set up is pretty perfect for it.
This is a large Pc case standing at 27" tall and I'd love to be able to utilize all the height available. How should I go about this? This is what I've grasped so far although I could be wrong!
With this scrog technique i'm going to use my net thing as seen in my previous post, and just continuously bend her down and around the netting until I've fulled covered the width and depth of the case to create the Screen of green as the scrog name suggests. So do I just stay in veg until I've got the screen as good as I want them just flower away? What I'm confused about is the height, how can I use this space to its full capacity? Do i just flower and let her grow as high as she can then harvest when shes reached the top? Also at what height should I begin to Scrog her to make sure I use the space as well as I can? I see some grows scrog it when its still short, but I'm concerned if I do it when shes short she use the vertical space, but then I wonder will It matter as the nodes? or buds? or whatever they're referred to when she flowers, will only grow from the height of the scrog so whatever height I start the scrog it, they nodes? Buds? will end up being the same height anyway?
Also another question, I see quite a few people putting lids over their soil and only having a hole for the stem to come through? Whats the point of this and is it worth doing?
Anyway hopefully I can get some feedback if anyone has the time, would help so much!
Thanks

Have been busy recently with uni, so been a bit slack getting pics and what not but finally got them! Sorry about the poor photos by the way, I have no idea how to use a camera haha.
-Here is just an overall shot of her at 5 weeks in.
- Attempted close up of top but bad camera and 0 skill with it
-Heres a shot showing how close she is to my scrog net, planning to being the scrog soon as she reaches it!
- Just a shot to put the height of the box at 27" into perspective.
- Another shot in the case
- Above shot
- Side shot
- Yellow leaves at base
-More discoloration at base
In my earlier posts I was talking about LST, but did some research and what I'll actually be doing is Scrog aka Screen of green, as the set up is pretty perfect for it.
This is a large Pc case standing at 27" tall and I'd love to be able to utilize all the height available. How should I go about this? This is what I've grasped so far although I could be wrong!
With this scrog technique i'm going to use my net thing as seen above, and just continuously bend her down and around the netting until I've fulled covered the width and depth of the case to create the Screen of green as the scrog name suggests. So do I just stay in veg until I've got the screen as good as I want, then just flower away? What I'm confused about is the height, how can I use this space to its full capacity? Do i just flower and let her grow as high as she can then harvest when shes reached the top? I'm planning to begin the scrog at just before half way as I've read they generally double in height during flowering.
In the photos you can also see some slight discoloration on the leaves at the bottom such as yellow spots, these are very few though and only the leaves at the very base, what is this? Should this be happening and is it a big deal?
I was also wondering in investing in some flowering nuets for when i throw her into 12/12, is this worth the money, note I will be buying them online if i do so shipping and what not are also a factor.
When I scrog it, due to the design on the case im actually able to move the lights from the top to the sides. There are 3 separate lights that can be seen in first thread. Should I say move 1 to each side and keep one on the top or just leave them both there?
Anyway hopefully I can get some feedback if anyone has the time, would help so much!
Thanks

So I've begun with the scrog, here are some photos, sorry for the bad photos, hopefully you guys can make them out.
- Okay so as you can see here the top had grown through about 3 inches and figured it was time to bend her back over and through the net. I couldn't quite get here to fit under one of the squares fully so I've secured her with a piece of string, you can see the black string around with steam and where its been tied off. From what I understand, this will grow and ill eventually have her go right under the net and pop back up in the next square then repeat the process? Should I be tucking the fan leaves under the net as well, or just let these do their own thing?

Just some more photos of the scrog for reference.