This was a while ago, however, I thought it might help someone in some way or form, or at least might be amusing. I have moved on from this, feel free to post in the journal if you want.
This is my first grow. I haven't started taking pictures yet, but I will soon. I haven't smoked in a while, but my brother came over and helped me do something, so I acquired an ounce of good mids, and we smoked until we could no longer move. It was great. A couple weeks later I decided to pick all the seeds out of what was left and try to grow a few plants. I started reading. I decided to go for CFL's for a few reasons.
First, most people dont have great grows with cfls - That might sound like a reason not to do it, but I think most people who fail with CFLs fail because they dont know what they are doing.
Second, Convenience. Everything I bought came from Wal-Mart. That's a lot easier than doing mail order. Also, there is less chance of tracking it back to me, not that Im paranoid, it just seems like a plus.
Third, Heat. The 400W HPS and MH that I had were really hot, and since this is a minimal grow at best with perhaps 2-3 plants, I decided I didnt need to go for that. Why did I have HPS and MH if I wasn't growing you ask? I got the setup for someone else who has since moved.
Finally, initial cost. 12 CFL's(6 Daylight, 6 Soft), one light fixture, and one cord cost me about 45$ Granted I could of gotten a HPS for $80-120, but I decided this route was fine - and if it didn't work or I decided not to grow again, I could always put the light bulbs in my house. Ive been slowly buying CFL's anyway. A HPS would look awfully funny in my ceiling fan.
I decided to do a soil grow first, just to see how it worked. I also decided to use two different soils. Miracle Grow w/Extended Feeding and cheap top soil. I wanted to see the difference, this is about learning for me and if I dont get a good crop, that's OK, that's how you learn. Of course 4-5 ounces would be wonderful too.
Materials(All from Walmart):
Top Soil - 1$
Miracle Grow Soil - 4$
6 26W 6500k Daylight CFLS - 3 PKS @ 6$ = 18$
6 26W 2700k Soft CFLS - 2 PKS @ 6$ = 12
Light Fixture - 8$
LightSocket Doublers - 3 @ 2 = 6
15 Foot Inside Cord - 2$
Jiffy Seed Starter - 3$
3 Gal Garbage Cans - 2 @ 2$ = 4
Remote temp sensor - Free (10$ initially at Walmart)
Sterlite Plastic Tote - Free (5$ initially at Walmart)
That's my initial outlay. I had an old tote, so no cost on that, it would of been about 4 dollars at Wal-mart. I didn't use pots due to cost, however at Wal-mart there are 3 gallon garbage cans and buckets for 2$, I went with cans cause they were stronger. The temp gauge I bought for the kegerator I bought, but since I have that all dialed in now, I put it in the grow, it works great for this.
Initially I followed the Jiffy Seed Starter instructions and the seeds sprouted and started growing within a few days.. One got all spindly and fell and is growing like a vine, so that's a wash. I got about 6 nice seedlings, and I kept them in a window in a spare bathroom. However since the light was to one side they were growing towards the light, I turned them every day but it made their stalk grow curved. I hope this doesn't hurt them in the long run. I left them in the window about a week all told.
I made the fixture first. Its about 18 inches long and has 3 sockets on it. I then put a socket doubler in each socket. For a grand total of 6 bulbs. Since that is only 156w for all 6 bulbs, its less than 3 regular bulbs would of been, so no issue there, I'm sure I could of bought heavier bulbs at Lowes, but I'm trying for one stop shopping. I then cut the end off the 15 foot cord, its one of those cheap brown ones that has 3 plugs on the end. I attached this to the fixture with the supplied wire nuts. Then I had a pleasant surprise, on the back of the light fixture in the center there is slots cut into it, basically it looks to be the exact size of a muffin fan. For those who don't know what a muffin fan is, its basically looks like a computer cast fan, but its 110/120v, which makes it work without a converter (thats a good thing). So as soon as I find one of the ones I have floating around Ill have a air cooled light fixture.
I put the entire jiffy starter in the plastic tote, and rigged the light about 12 inches above it. I decided to put 4 6500k's and 2 2700k's in the fixture. I figured a mix of light would be better than all the same, I could be wrong, but I doubt it matters much either way. This is going to sit like this temp until the plants are big enough to plant in the ground. I'm not sure how I'm going to set it up after this, I might get a piece of plywood and a couple 2x4s and build a proper box with cooling. Not sure yet. As it sits, my plants are about 78 degrees more or less according to the meter. CFL's aren't even heating up my extra bathroom, with a HPS in there Im thinking it would be 100 by now.
I haven't decided when to start flowering or anything like that... generally what percentage of seedlings are male vs female? If anyone has any input on something I could do to make it better, I would appreciate it.
Also, I'm interested in setting up a hydro system. Which is the easiest/cheapest. Really would prefer something that doesn't have to be babied. Or is soil good enough? Thanks in Advance!
Carthoris.
I went to Wal-Mart to get some real pots for the plants. 5 bucks a piece my butt. I went to Lowes, really looking for some of those cheap black pots... 6-7 there. 5 Gallon buckets just seem so big, and the 3 gallon ones were ones again 5 bucks a piece. I had an old sterlite tub, 20 gallons or so, so I threw all the soil in there and picked the strongest 6 seedlings. I have some pictures, and Ill be posting them soon.
For the soil, I put 1 part miracle grow soil, 2 parts top soil, 1 part perilite. Im having trouble with deciding if its wet enough, with 2 cups of water it feels dry as can be after, I put a half gallon today or so... if I poke it and feel moisture dont water, if its dry then water, right? Do I need to poke holes in the bottom of the sterlite tub to drain it off - I wouldnt want it to turn to swamp mud at the bottom or anything.
My plants arent getting any taller, but they are getting a lot fuller/bushier. They are only about 5 inches high. How high should they really get before I flower them, and how long? I dont see any sex or anything... My lights are at about 8 inches, I figure Ill leave the lights where they are til the plants get to be 6 inches from the light. Then Ill keep it at 6 inches, I will getting rid of the extra bathroom that I have my plants in, so I guess Ill be building a cabinet for them.
I figure out the 6, hopefully 2-3 will be female, Is growing them in the Sterlite tub ok? 20 gallons enough for 2-3? They wont fight each other using the roots or anything right?
Do I need to hehe Kung fu Weed.
How much will they smell when they start to flower, is it going to be really terribly smelly? I dont really get visitors, and any I do arent prudes - So if they smell it, theyll just assume Ive been getting high? Or is it that bad? Im pretty handy, and I dont think Id have an issue figuring out a charcoal filter. Will 2-3 plants be that terrible that my house will reek?
Im really enjoying growing them - Thats something I hadnt really counted on. Im enjoying it. I dont really smoke often, every six months or so Ill pick it up for a week and go on a binge. When I was younger I used to smoke every day - I guess getting old and turning into a corporate whore does that to you.
Well, Ill get the pictures posted in the next few days!
Carthoris
This is my first grow. I haven't started taking pictures yet, but I will soon. I haven't smoked in a while, but my brother came over and helped me do something, so I acquired an ounce of good mids, and we smoked until we could no longer move. It was great. A couple weeks later I decided to pick all the seeds out of what was left and try to grow a few plants. I started reading. I decided to go for CFL's for a few reasons.
First, most people dont have great grows with cfls - That might sound like a reason not to do it, but I think most people who fail with CFLs fail because they dont know what they are doing.
Second, Convenience. Everything I bought came from Wal-Mart. That's a lot easier than doing mail order. Also, there is less chance of tracking it back to me, not that Im paranoid, it just seems like a plus.
Third, Heat. The 400W HPS and MH that I had were really hot, and since this is a minimal grow at best with perhaps 2-3 plants, I decided I didnt need to go for that. Why did I have HPS and MH if I wasn't growing you ask? I got the setup for someone else who has since moved.
Finally, initial cost. 12 CFL's(6 Daylight, 6 Soft), one light fixture, and one cord cost me about 45$ Granted I could of gotten a HPS for $80-120, but I decided this route was fine - and if it didn't work or I decided not to grow again, I could always put the light bulbs in my house. Ive been slowly buying CFL's anyway. A HPS would look awfully funny in my ceiling fan.
I decided to do a soil grow first, just to see how it worked. I also decided to use two different soils. Miracle Grow w/Extended Feeding and cheap top soil. I wanted to see the difference, this is about learning for me and if I dont get a good crop, that's OK, that's how you learn. Of course 4-5 ounces would be wonderful too.
Materials(All from Walmart):
Top Soil - 1$
Miracle Grow Soil - 4$
6 26W 6500k Daylight CFLS - 3 PKS @ 6$ = 18$
6 26W 2700k Soft CFLS - 2 PKS @ 6$ = 12
Light Fixture - 8$
LightSocket Doublers - 3 @ 2 = 6
15 Foot Inside Cord - 2$
Jiffy Seed Starter - 3$
3 Gal Garbage Cans - 2 @ 2$ = 4
Remote temp sensor - Free (10$ initially at Walmart)
Sterlite Plastic Tote - Free (5$ initially at Walmart)
That's my initial outlay. I had an old tote, so no cost on that, it would of been about 4 dollars at Wal-mart. I didn't use pots due to cost, however at Wal-mart there are 3 gallon garbage cans and buckets for 2$, I went with cans cause they were stronger. The temp gauge I bought for the kegerator I bought, but since I have that all dialed in now, I put it in the grow, it works great for this.
Initially I followed the Jiffy Seed Starter instructions and the seeds sprouted and started growing within a few days.. One got all spindly and fell and is growing like a vine, so that's a wash. I got about 6 nice seedlings, and I kept them in a window in a spare bathroom. However since the light was to one side they were growing towards the light, I turned them every day but it made their stalk grow curved. I hope this doesn't hurt them in the long run. I left them in the window about a week all told.
I made the fixture first. Its about 18 inches long and has 3 sockets on it. I then put a socket doubler in each socket. For a grand total of 6 bulbs. Since that is only 156w for all 6 bulbs, its less than 3 regular bulbs would of been, so no issue there, I'm sure I could of bought heavier bulbs at Lowes, but I'm trying for one stop shopping. I then cut the end off the 15 foot cord, its one of those cheap brown ones that has 3 plugs on the end. I attached this to the fixture with the supplied wire nuts. Then I had a pleasant surprise, on the back of the light fixture in the center there is slots cut into it, basically it looks to be the exact size of a muffin fan. For those who don't know what a muffin fan is, its basically looks like a computer cast fan, but its 110/120v, which makes it work without a converter (thats a good thing). So as soon as I find one of the ones I have floating around Ill have a air cooled light fixture.
I put the entire jiffy starter in the plastic tote, and rigged the light about 12 inches above it. I decided to put 4 6500k's and 2 2700k's in the fixture. I figured a mix of light would be better than all the same, I could be wrong, but I doubt it matters much either way. This is going to sit like this temp until the plants are big enough to plant in the ground. I'm not sure how I'm going to set it up after this, I might get a piece of plywood and a couple 2x4s and build a proper box with cooling. Not sure yet. As it sits, my plants are about 78 degrees more or less according to the meter. CFL's aren't even heating up my extra bathroom, with a HPS in there Im thinking it would be 100 by now.
I haven't decided when to start flowering or anything like that... generally what percentage of seedlings are male vs female? If anyone has any input on something I could do to make it better, I would appreciate it.
Also, I'm interested in setting up a hydro system. Which is the easiest/cheapest. Really would prefer something that doesn't have to be babied. Or is soil good enough? Thanks in Advance!
Carthoris.
I went to Wal-Mart to get some real pots for the plants. 5 bucks a piece my butt. I went to Lowes, really looking for some of those cheap black pots... 6-7 there. 5 Gallon buckets just seem so big, and the 3 gallon ones were ones again 5 bucks a piece. I had an old sterlite tub, 20 gallons or so, so I threw all the soil in there and picked the strongest 6 seedlings. I have some pictures, and Ill be posting them soon.
For the soil, I put 1 part miracle grow soil, 2 parts top soil, 1 part perilite. Im having trouble with deciding if its wet enough, with 2 cups of water it feels dry as can be after, I put a half gallon today or so... if I poke it and feel moisture dont water, if its dry then water, right? Do I need to poke holes in the bottom of the sterlite tub to drain it off - I wouldnt want it to turn to swamp mud at the bottom or anything.
My plants arent getting any taller, but they are getting a lot fuller/bushier. They are only about 5 inches high. How high should they really get before I flower them, and how long? I dont see any sex or anything... My lights are at about 8 inches, I figure Ill leave the lights where they are til the plants get to be 6 inches from the light. Then Ill keep it at 6 inches, I will getting rid of the extra bathroom that I have my plants in, so I guess Ill be building a cabinet for them.
I figure out the 6, hopefully 2-3 will be female, Is growing them in the Sterlite tub ok? 20 gallons enough for 2-3? They wont fight each other using the roots or anything right?
Do I need to hehe Kung fu Weed.
How much will they smell when they start to flower, is it going to be really terribly smelly? I dont really get visitors, and any I do arent prudes - So if they smell it, theyll just assume Ive been getting high? Or is it that bad? Im pretty handy, and I dont think Id have an issue figuring out a charcoal filter. Will 2-3 plants be that terrible that my house will reek?
Im really enjoying growing them - Thats something I hadnt really counted on. Im enjoying it. I dont really smoke often, every six months or so Ill pick it up for a week and go on a binge. When I was younger I used to smoke every day - I guess getting old and turning into a corporate whore does that to you.
Well, Ill get the pictures posted in the next few days!
Carthoris