new guy here

whats up guys, new here... ive decided to grow my first herb garden.. and im looking for all the tips i can get for a successful harvest.. for now im using bag seeds til i get the hang of growing. right now my herbs are 9 days old, average between 5" - 6".. im actually going to be doing this outdoors(not able to do indoors, please done suggest it) and will be moving the herbs to bigger pots and then to the ground mid/late march if weather permits. right now the only light they get are from when i open the curtains when i get up and my ceiling fan light. they get wind from a fan(not directly on them) and seem to be doing "ok". right now ive not used anything but water on them, i have some pics of the garden and the other materials ive gotten for this.. the outdoor area im using has a water source and will be able to get plenty of sunshine from dusk til dawn, also, animals may be a problem, so any tips are that are welcomed.. i may have a fence i can use that isnt very visible to the eye, ive also collected dirt from the area and have a tester, but im not sure if it will tell me what i need to know? anyways, here are some pics and please, all the info i can get for this outdoor garden is appreciated!

(dont mind the bent one, accidently hit it with something, hoping it may recover)







also, wondering if anyone can let me know whats the difference between these two plants? all of them are narrow but two(only 1 pictured)

Welcome to RIU

bump........

those babies are S T R E T C H E D. something quite fierce. you will want to get those transplanted soon and burry the stem almost all the way when you do. they need more light, or they will continue to stretch. maybe get a lamp at least, with a nice size CFL bulb and stick it as close to em as you can, preferably directly over them and close. if you havent read the growfaq now would be the time. and if your using incandescent lights they are about useless for growing. correction completely useless. they need to have proper light for at least 14 hours a day, 18 would be better. good luck.

Ery

woah! when mine got to 5 inches they had like 4 nodes! what are you lighting them with?

For while they are inside, get a fan VERY gently blowing on them to strengthen up the stems, transplant as said, put the desk lamp back on the desk lol! get yourself some CFL's otherwise this grow is over!

just noticed in the last picture, top left hand corner, you have two growing in one pellet, sort that out straight away.

whats up guys... just had a bud/heesh wake n bake. and yikes... yeah this isnt good, as i said, im new at this.. and from reading around on the site i could understand that they are begging for light.

i have one of these i can plug into the wall(something like this.. decently long)



would that work? im not sure on the wattage of it.. i could take it down, i know it has two sylvania lights in it, as ive scoped it out before lol..

im probably goin to transfer em to 7"wx7"d pots today.. i should use the dirt from the grow site right? or could i just use potting soil or? and how long should i keep them in the pots? i hadnt planned on planting in the ground til mid/late march, before 420. they will recieve PLENTY of TLC once i gain the knowledge to tend to them correctly..

and the fan i have on em, points in a ceiling corner, so it comes back down to the ground, and moves em a small amount..

thanks for the help!

i went outside and checked the lights i was talking about, theres two four foot long 40 watt slyvania's in a portable luminaire that plugs into the wall:



and are in a portable luminaire deal like this:




would i be able to use this? i can put everything in the closet, and during the day ill keep the light off and the plants hidden in the darkness, and at night when im asleep ill turn it on, and it will be like its their day time.. and the reason i have to do is because i still live at home.. for now..

also, wondering again if there is any difference in the plants with different leaves.. and yeah im goin to get dirt today from the site and put them in 7"w x 7" d pots til late march/early april and then put them in the ground... well, if they survive..

bumpskies.......

Too early to tell if there's a difference in any of the plants.
When you say "the bent one" ...which one are you talking about? They all look pretty bent.
I've never seen stretching that bad ever. You gotta get those lights closer, bro.

its in row 1 in the first pic, in the very back.. and ive planted some today into pots, and only let them be about 3" out of the ground and under the light.. this is my first grow and i went into this with low expectations because its only seeds from random bags, but im hoping they pull through..

welcome to riu everything has been said lol well if you have any questions let me know ill be glad to help in any way that I can

RIP lol they look in pain

yeah, i hope not, but if so, then ohwell.. i put them under a better light source, and its about 4" from em, and they "seem" to be doing alright thus far..

Holy Crapskies!

Bury them to their necks in any kind of soil and get more light on them. That fluorescent fixture you pictured is still better than what you have going on right now. They are LITERALLY being grown in a closet! No plant can grow in the dark.

Best of luck keeping them alive until you can get them outside.

If you are just using bag seed then that's probably whats giving you the difference in growth, but looking at those plants i mean they are wayyyy to stretched to survive...last year my friend grew his plants and was really happy that his plants grew almost 4" over a day. then i told him that they shouldnt be that stretched out and a week or two later they died... As other have suggested get a lamp on those plants asap. U can buy a 2600 luman cfl bulb at any store like homedepot or walmart for under 15$ and keep it close, the plants are stretching cause they need light..keeping it very close to them without touching will stop them from stretching and focus on bulking up

well.. here is the reason why all of them arent in pots yet.. the spot im going to have my garden is probably 10 miles away.. i have gotten some and tested the soil with my tester and the ph was nuetral... but heres a question.. would i be able to use the dirt in my own yard if it has the same ph?

don't use outdoor dirt! When you plant them outside you need to dig a hole and put your own soil in it.

Be sure your plants are getting at least 16 hours of good light. Make sure the light cycle is consistent also. Otherwise, you'll have a bunch of confused she-males on your hands!

you can also buy a light socket "Y" splitter from home depot for like $3 that turns a single light socket into a double. I've seen people use three of those splitters to mount 4 CFL's in 1 light socket...works pretty well.