How to grow a single plant for newbie's ?

W

weed2green

Member
hi i live in ireland weather is terrible so i want to do an indoor diy grow in my attic ,
cheaper is key here for materials ill build my own growing area in attic no need to be
hidden away its my own home in other words no parents or that to worry bout ,
i and im sure other newbies want to know , 1st how many bulbs what watt lumens
kelvin - mininum acceptable for 1 big bang auto i would like to keep to cfl's if possible
ill prob use a scrog method too , 2nd thing what size pot ,3rd what nutrients to get
and where in ireland can i get it , 4th what connectors need be used for bulbs ie. can i use
normal plugs or do i need surge protectors an the like , and last thing id like to know your
opinion on building a growing box area out of wood should i line with watever or should i just
paint flat white , also what dimensions would be acceptable for 1 big bang auto thanks to all
who reply and help out . and i say 1 plant because im new to growing and dont wanna waste
plants so try with 1 first .
 
Bigby

Bigby

Well-Known Member
Hey fella! Welcome to the forum. :-)

Firstly, may I ask what your reasoning was behind choosing an auto? In my experience (2 indoor grows, and 2 outdoor grows with them) they just don't produce weed of the same quality as regular strains. Plus, indoors, you are forcing yourself to use more electric than you need too. They are a practical option for outdoor growing (maybe not on the Emerald Isle though - my few trips to your beautiful country enable me to testify to how wet it usually is), but that is their only real benefit in my opinion. If you're convinced though, don't let me put you off.

Now. On to CFL's. I have vegged using them and have had lots of success. They do not require special plugs or ballasts, you just plug them in and away they go. It is practical to get away without venting your area when using them too, as they don't put out much heat. Although venting is where you can bring in carbon filters for smell removal (plus it has to be done sometimes anyway or the air gets stale); so decisions can be made as to your priorities in this. You do need an E40 fixture, but most places that sell the bulbs sell the fixtures too. I use these ones from Growell; not sure if they deliver to Ireland though.
http://www.growell.co.uk/cfl-lead-lampholder.html

I would suggest getting that strength - 125W - as the very minimum. I have seen people use multiple smaller bulbs, but I would suggest multiple ones of this size. Start off with a single blue bulb, then use a blue and a red for flower. Possibly adding another red one and removing the blue one towards then end. That would work equally with autos and regular strains - the difference being an auto would dictate to you when you switch spectrum's, whilst you would dictate it with regular strains.

Now on to flowering with CFL's. You will end up with airy bud. Be prepared for that. They may end up looking great, but they will be a bit hollow and wispy. The effect should still be as strong though. If you want rock hard nugs, then you need HID. If you're happy to tolerate airy bud in order to save money then go for the CFL's. Equally valid, just depends on your tastes.

There are many others on here who can offer you top advice on building a grow area. I would suggest searching around online, finding some ideas, then develop a plan of your own and ask for advice on it.


To finish, I did a search and found this
https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=74152 - from 2007 though.

As well as;
http://www.thehydroponicsstore.com/
Who claim to be
Irelands largest independant Hydroponics distributors
Click to expand...
That should be enough to get you started! All the best mate. Hope it all goes well! :-)
 
B166ER420

B166ER420

Well-Known Member
weed2green said:
hi i live in ireland weather is terrible so i want to do an indoor diy grow in my attic ,
cheaper is key here for materials ill build my own growing area in attic no need to be
hidden away its my own home in other words no parents or that to worry bout ,
i and im sure other newbies want to know , 1st how many bulbs what watt lumens
kelvin - mininum acceptable for 1 big bang auto i would like to keep to cfl's if possible
ill prob use a scrog method too , 2nd thing what size pot ,3rd what nutrients to get
and where in ireland can i get it , 4th what connectors need be used for bulbs ie. can i use
normal plugs or do i need surge protectors an the like , and last thing id like to know your
opinion on building a growing box area out of wood should i line with watever or should i just
paint flat white , also what dimensions would be acceptable for 1 big bang auto thanks to all
who reply and help out . and i say 1 plant because im new to growing and dont wanna waste
plants so try with 1 first .
Click to expand...
1.At least 4 23 watt 1600 lumen 2700k cfl bulbs
2.Start seedlings in a small cup/pot,then transplant into a larger(3g)one for flowering
3.No Clue:lol:.....local plant nursery/garden center
4.Most of us use socket splitters,1 socket 2 bulbs.Yes, use surge protectors,safety first!
And last....a 2ft(w)x2ft(d)x4ft tall should be plenty big enough,use a cardboard box with a lamp and 3 splitters(4bulbs) over the plants.Growing one auto you don't need to be too fancy just do your homework,look at some closet/box grows and different setups to get a good idea of what would be best for you.GL.peace
 
S

silasraven

Well-Known Member
well first buy from amazon for 150 watters cheap and they give a good harvest if you pick a good strain, compost tea. no MG find a good soil with lack of nutes and you wont go wrong. try not to get it all over yourself i know thats asking allot from gardeners but its worth it.
 
Masonic72

Masonic72

Well-Known Member
I dont know the laws over there .But i wouldnt tell anyone . imho should be #1 on the list..
 
lietuvonis

lietuvonis

Active Member
hi man im from ireland too growing indoors
im in my first grow white widow they are in 5 week of flowering etc
the best and cheapest grow shop online iw founded is this thebigshop.com free post etc
the ebay is rip off and other online companies charge lot for shipment where ur based ?meybe there is a hydro shhop near you!any questions PM will be glad to help
 
W

weed2green

Member
Bigby said:
Hey fella! Welcome to the forum. :-)

Firstly, may I ask what your reasoning was behind choosing an auto? In my experience (2 indoor grows, and 2 outdoor grows with them) they just don't produce weed of the same quality as regular strains. Plus, indoors, you are forcing yourself to use more electric than you need too. They are a practical option for outdoor growing (maybe not on the Emerald Isle though - my few trips to your beautiful country enable me to testify to how wet it usually is), but that is their only real benefit in my opinion. If you're convinced though, don't let me put you off.

Now. On to CFL's. I have vegged using them and have had lots of success. They do not require special plugs or ballasts, you just plug them in and away they go. It is practical to get away without venting your area when using them too, as they don't put out much heat. Although venting is where you can bring in carbon filters for smell removal (plus it has to be done sometimes anyway or the air gets stale); so decisions can be made as to your priorities in this. You do need an E40 fixture, but most places that sell the bulbs sell the fixtures too. I use these ones from Growell; not sure if they deliver to Ireland though.
http://www.growell.co.uk/cfl-lead-lampholder.html

I would suggest getting that strength - 125W - as the very minimum. I have seen people use multiple smaller bulbs, but I would suggest multiple ones of this size. Start off with a single blue bulb, then use a blue and a red for flower. Possibly adding another red one and removing the blue one towards then end. That would work equally with autos and regular strains - the difference being an auto would dictate to you when you switch spectrum's, whilst you would dictate it with regular strains.

Now on to flowering with CFL's. You will end up with airy bud. Be prepared for that. They may end up looking great, but they will be a bit hollow and wispy. The effect should still be as strong though. If you want rock hard nugs, then you need HID. If you're happy to tolerate airy bud in order to save money then go for the CFL's. Equally valid, just depends on your tastes.

There are many others on here who can offer you top advice on building a grow area. I would suggest searching around online, finding some ideas, then develop a plan of your own and ask for advice on it.


To finish, I did a search and found this
https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=74152 - from 2007 though.

As well as;
http://www.thehydroponicsstore.com/
Who claim to be

That should be enough to get you started! All the best mate. Hope it all goes well! :-)
Click to expand...

thanks allot man theres allot of great material here very informative
 
W

weed2green

Member
B166ER420 said:
1.At least 4 23 watt 1600 lumen 2700k cfl bulbs
2.Start seedlings in a small cup/pot,then transplant into a larger(3g)one for flowering
3.No Clue:lol:.....local plant nursery/garden center
4.Most of us use socket splitters,1 socket 2 bulbs.Yes, use surge protectors,safety first!
And last....a 2ft(w)x2ft(d)x4ft tall should be plenty big enough,use a cardboard box with a lamp and 3 splitters(4bulbs) over the plants.Growing one auto you don't need to be too fancy just do your homework,look at some closet/box grows and different setups to get a good idea of what would be best for you.GL.peace
Click to expand...
straight and to the point B166ER420 i hear ya about the cardboard box i just have allot of wood thought id make
a more permanent enclosure thanks for general dimensions also
 
W

weed2green

Member
lietuvonis said:
hi man im from ireland too growing indoors
im in my first grow white widow they are in 5 week of flowering etc
the best and cheapest grow shop online iw founded is this thebigshop.com free post etc
the ebay is rip off and other online companies charge lot for shipment where ur based ?meybe there is a hydro shhop near you!any questions PM will be glad to help
Click to expand...
nice to meet an irish grower are you doing a journal at all with that white widow id love to see ur progress
thanks for that site ill be surely checking it out.
 
W

weed2green

Member
can anyone recommend some products off thebigshop.com to give me an idea what im looking at i dont wanna go too big or too
small if ya get me whats just right for my 1 plant that is cost effective.

i hear people talking about the right strain do you not recommend big bang auto's is it not a good strain for my level and purpose ??
 
ArCaned

ArCaned

Active Member
My 0.2:

250w Red CFL (flowering)
125w Blue CFL (veg)

Dont use an auto, they are for outdoors.

Scrog is a great idea with cfl, keeping as much of the plant within 4cm of the cfl for max yeild.


You will not end up with airy buds as others here have posted as long as you grow an indica dominant strain and learn to scrog.
 
W

weed2green

Member
ArCaned said:
My 0.2:

250w Red CFL (flowering)
125w Blue CFL (veg)

Dont use an auto, they are for outdoors.

Scrog is a great idea with cfl, keeping as much of the plant within 4cm of the cfl for max yeild.


You will not end up with airy buds as others here have posted as long as you grow an indica dominant strain and learn to scrog.
Click to expand...
you recommend one of each bulb arcaned ? i thought autos were just an easier starter no
 
W

weed2green

Member
also quick question when dealing with cfl you guys say so many watts is that the watt on the box or the equivalent measure ?
 
W

weed2green

Member
Bigby said:
Yeah, can't disagree with that. Was where I started. Bet ya wanna switch to regulars pretty quickly though. ;-)
Click to expand...
yea everyone is saying that lol whats the diff with auto's an regulars beside the veg/flowering bigger yields ? longer grow time ?
 
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