I live in Southwestern Michigan and have my grow room set up in an empty 2' x 2' (8’ tall) upstairs bathroom closet painted flat white and lined with reflective insulation. The bathroom and closet is not being used (I live alone). I planted 10 seeds on 12/1/10 and 3 have survived (one AK-48, none popped Blue Mystic, and two Shiva Shanti). That's questionable because I fertilized for the first time on 12/26/10 and one plant is starting to curl downward (used 1 gallon of water to 1 teaspoon of 20-6-16, and then I diluted that with half water and half fertilizer water and gave each plant about 6 ounces). I did the shot glass method to germinate and planted my seeds in 12 ounce styrofoam cups using a seedling mix. My one Shiva Shanti plant is stressed and so am I! I am using a white aquarium LED lamp with 2-23 watt CFLs. I was misting the leaves with plain water 3-4 times a day until the problem started, but stopped until I find out what happens next. I see all the beautiful pictures that people post of their plants and I dream of someday having beautiful plants, let alone some potent buds, or just some buds. My babies are looking way better than I had hopes of, considering all the problems with germinating and trying to maintain and progress to the vegetative stage. Growing marijuana is very difficult and tedious, to say the least. Some of you pros and semi-pros make it look and sound so easy, when it is actually not easy at all, at least not for me. Growing is difficult and expensive, especially for people new to growing. I'm in too deep to quit, I just hope that I get better at it.
This is my first time trying to grow. I have no successful experience in growing anything. I tried a patio grow of tomato plants 2 years ago and something horrible went wrong, all of my plants turned rusty colored and died. I am strictly adhering to being totally secret by not telling or confiding in anyone that I know personally. Since this is my first time growing and I am doing this secretly I have no one to confide in or ask questions. I check out the forums daily trying to learn as much as I can, and I have read several books (Jorge Cervantes, Marijuana Horticulture The Indoor/Outdoor Medical Grower's Bible, and Mel Frank's Marijuana Grower's Insider's Guide, plus I have Jorge Cervantes Ultimate Grow DVD set, all good learning sources). The information posted on the Forums is what keeps me trying.
I would like to say thank you to all the pros and semi-pros of growing for being so patient with the new comers with all of our questions and growing situations.