N00b Help+Ideas

Hey everyone. Im new here. just joined the other day and so far i have been reading these forums intently. Im going to start growing in a couple weeks and i have a few direct questions.

I have done research, and also have been on forums so i know to check out other threads before creating a new one but my questions are a bit more personal.

I am a beginner, though im not stupid and i can follow directions, i dont know the entire vocab of a pro so if you use some awesome vocab in your posts just explain what the word is in () or something.

So first question.

Since im a newb, I know some seeds and strands are a bit more tempermental than others. I really want to try out either Blue Mystic or BlackJack. Both of them sound amazing. I will be buying them from Nirvana Shop and am spending the extra money for feminized seeds. Are those two types hard to work with or as a beginner ill be able to maintain them.


Second question. I plan on using HPS. Ive read that 600W is a great wattage to use as it also gives out roughly 6500 to 7000 lumens per square foot. Is there a good priced place to get these? What am i looking at for price on ballast and bulbs. We are going to be growing 9 plants. How many bulbs should i use. I have picked HPS lights because they can be used throughout the entire grow so i wont have to hassle with changing them out and such.

Third. Nutrients. In the Nirvana site they have these tablets for soil. Can i just use those and not have to worry about adding anything else for nutrients and just use the tablets for the entire grow (besides a bit of dark sugar in the water, which i know about keeping the PH of the water around 6.5-7 before watering the plants).

Potting soil. I hear BlackGold is amazing stuff do retailers like Kmart or walmart have them? i live in Vermont, US so there are most likely plenty of gardening shops and such.


That is it for now. If you have any additional tips just throw them on there. Im gonna keep this thread for my grow experience so i will more than likely have more questions as time goes. Thank you in advance for sharing your knowledge. Happy Smoking!

never grown those strains but the seedbank will have a difficulty rating next to the plant, how big is your grow space? for 9 plants i would say 2 x600 watt hps would do the trick or get 2x1000 for optimal light.as for your soil generally u dont even have to ph it at all the companys sell the soil at neutral ph so most plants will grow in it. for your nutrients dont get those tablets just pick up a 1 part VEG solution and 1 part Bloom solution

Ok so scratch the tabs then. Any suggestions on the veg and bloom solutions? Thanks for your help again!

Canna or Hesi nutrients all the way.

I use plantlightinghydroponics and have never had a problem.

As for soil and nutrients, see if you have a local hydro shop and then browse through the forums to find what's best for you. Personally, I use fox farm soil with their full line of nutrients. Are there better soils? Yes. Is there a better line of nutrients? Yes. There are so many options to choose from and that's why I love growing.

since alot of new growers mess up i would start by growing a few bagseed plants. you dont want to spend all that money on genetics and feminization only to mess up your first grow(which im sure if you asked even the pros, the first grow is always full of problems)

an hps light will do your plants well, but i think it might be a little strong and cause tll much heat for little seedlings. you should start them under a floro of some cfls(which you can use later for supplementary side lighting)

another warning about seedlings and baby plants: seedlings dont need any nutrients to grow. the cotyledons, or the first round leafs, have enouh energy stored in them to support the plant untill in can photosynthesize(or make sugar from light air and water) for its self. try to use a soil without any nutrients in it(for example, dot use MG 3 month feeder) its better to use a neutral mix and feed the plant nutrients by hand. that way if the plant needs more of one thing and not all the other crap you can do it your self with care and not let the soil over feed your plants

i dont know anything about those strains, except that blue mystic is mostly sativa(taller somewhat strechier plant, thin leafs, longer flowering time, more heady high) and that blackjack is a hybred strain(best of both worlds if you will)
i hope i didnt lose you. ill try and answer any outher questions you may have

Yeah ive read that around about starting with a reg seed but im gonna be a hardass and just start big. Its still a little ways till we actually begin the grow, tomorrow we are going to space out the area and come to a conclusion on some things, then its saving for a little bit for the lights and seeds then set it up and go. Im doing alot of research so im going in far from blind. My brother has grown a plant, which never came to be because of a horrific tear from the ground and my inhability to save it (took too long to replant, plant went into shock and we put it in the basement with a halogen...you can imagine the rest). Ive also had a few friends who had a plant and were a bot successful but rushed the process. I know this takes time to get the perfect bud and im going to be very careful about everything.

A couple new questions. Is a Co2 tank an absolute must. I have read it basically just speeds up the process a bit and is just sort of an extra treat for the plant. I of course plan on having a couple fans.

I know to get a nuetral soil, and not to give the seedlings and young ladies any nutes. Do you introduce the nutes when the veg begins?

What are the tell tale signes of the plant going into next stage. I imagine it is Veg stage once the girl begins to rapidly expans and create more leaves. What do you see during flowering stage?

Towards the end of the cycle, around the time you pick the buds, what do you look for? Why do many say to flush the plant at the end of the grow. Also how do you take all the buds off the plant carefully enough to keep the plant alive for it to produce more buds, or is it easier just to clone?

hey man, sory its taken me a while to get back to you, feel free to PM me any time you have questions, just so i know you need help. your questions in bold my answers in italic

A couple new questions. Is a Co2 tank an absolute must. I have read it basically just speeds up the process a bit and is just sort of an extra treat for the plant. I of course plan on having a couple fans.
your absolutely right, Co2 is just a treat for them. there are easy Co2 DIYs here on this site btw

I know to get a nuetral soil, and not to give the seedlings and young ladies any nutes. Do you introduce the nutes when the veg begins?
again your right, congrats on doing your research. you want to hold off on the nutrients for atleast 3 weeks. my rule of thumb is to hold back untill i see minor leaf discoloration or when the cotyledons (round leafs) start to shrivel up

What are the tell tale signes of the plant going into next stage. I imagine it is Veg stage once the girl begins to rapidly expans and create more leaves. What do you see during flowering stage?
well the seedling/veg stage is debatable. i say veg begins as soon as the plant has enough foliage to photosynthesize(again, the shriveld cotyledons are a sign). with in a week or so of switching to flowering(12/12 ligh im sure you know) you will start to see little preflowers on the "arm pit" of the nodes. they look like this great little diagram:


Towards the end of the cycle, around the time you pick the buds, what do you look for? Why do many say to flush the plant at the end of the grow. Also how do you take all the buds off the plant carefully enough to keep the plant alive for it to produce more buds, or is it easier just to clone?
youll want to invest in a scope, 30x atleast, so you can examine your trichomes(or crystals). trichome color indicates ripeness

the reason why people flush is to get rid of any chemicals or salts that the plant may have. flushing improves the flavor of your bud

revegging is a mystery to me. i would just recomend taking clones

Thank you Kaleo, i was looking for a picture of the anatomy of the plant. You brought one to me! Thanks for offering to be my personal trainer also. I feel much more confident that my experience will go smoother with someone experienced ready to help me. So we have come to the decision of which strains we are going to grow. We have decided on BlackJack, Snow White, and Jock Horror. Do you know anything particular about these strains? I am getting them from the Nirvana-shop. Im wondering though. The site says the seeds are shipped stealthily in free gift" packages. These are like super sketchy packages right? I dont live in an area where medical usage has been legalized (though oddly enough we are rated one of the highest in mary usage).

What is your style of germination, there is a kit on the site that seems to make it quicker and faster but if i can save the $12 dollars and do it quickly and easily at home than ill do that. All the seeds i buy will be feminized, thats a garuntee female it sounds. Do they germinate at the same rate? Also i dont expect you to know off your head but how the hell did they manage to force a plant to only create seeds that produce females? The wonders of genetics!

If i pick up a soil like FoxFarms or blackgold or whatever (with nuetral PH) is there anything else i want to add myself. I had just read something about aeration(sp?) and i didnt know of this prior to reading about it just now. Is this also just a little treat for the soil and helps it a little. Is it absolutely neccissary to add aro pellets or whatever they are called.


Is flowering forced? Once you switch the light from 24-0 to 12-12 does that basically force the plant to begin flowering? In essence when i decide the plant has reached my desired height i switch the light from 24-0 to 12-12 to force flower the plant?

Bump for n00b sake.

Just an update. Im gonna try and keep this my official thread of my questions so i dont spam the thread with them. I just want to announce that i ordered my seeds. I go the from Speedy as i hear nothing but good things plus he attends this very forum (hooray on pickin the right forum in the first place). I still have those questions two posts up if anybody has answers.


A new one. What is the fastest, best way to germinate my seeds once they get here, safest way to plant them after germination (white tail facing down? just drop it in?) and what is the best way to store the unused portion?

Another question. Ive been reading about topping to get four main colas. The text of it sounds pretty clear to me but im having a hard time picturing the nodes. I have an idea that its the spot where a branch comes off the main stalk. Apparently its actually like two branches or like a fork. So what teh difference of a node and a true node? Also how are the nodes numbered so i know wich spot to snip when the time comes.

NuBud335 said:

Thank you Kaleo, i was looking for a picture of the anatomy of the plant. You brought one to me! Thanks for offering to be my personal trainer also. I feel much more confident that my experience will go smoother with someone experienced ready to help me. So we have come to the decision of which strains we are going to grow. We have decided on BlackJack, Snow White, and Jock Horror. Do you know anything particular about these strains? I am getting them from the Nirvana-shop. Im wondering though. The site says the seeds are shipped stealthily in free gift" packages. These are like super sketchy packages right? I dont live in an area where medical usage has been legalized (though oddly enough we are rated one of the highest in mary usage).

What is your style of germination, there is a kit on the site that seems to make it quicker and faster but if i can save the $12 dollars and do it quickly and easily at home than ill do that. All the seeds i buy will be feminized, thats a garuntee female it sounds. Do they germinate at the same rate? Also i dont expect you to know off your head but how the hell did they manage to force a plant to only create seeds that produce females? The wonders of genetics!

If i pick up a soil like FoxFarms or blackgold or whatever (with nuetral PH) is there anything else i want to add myself. I had just read something about aeration(sp?) and i didnt know of this prior to reading about it just now. Is this also just a little treat for the soil and helps it a little. Is it absolutely neccissary to add aro pellets or whatever they are called.


Is flowering forced? Once you switch the light from 24-0 to 12-12 does that basically force the plant to begin flowering? In essence when i decide the plant has reached my desired height i switch the light from 24-0 to 12-12 to force flower the plant?

Click to expand...

What is your style of germination, there is a kit on the site that seems to make it quicker and faster but if i can save the $12 dollars and do it quickly and easily at home than ill do that? save the 12 bucks; have you read about paper towel method of germinating? i just take a plate, a folded, then dampened paper towel and put the seeds in between the layers. then i put a bowl over the plate and place the home made dome on top of something that generates heat. i use the cable box seeds should germ in 2-7 days. plant tap root down

Also i dont expect you to know off your head but how the hell did they manage to force a plant to only create seeds that produce females? The wonders of genetics! i actually do! ive done ALOT of research. feminizes seeds come from pollinating female plants with hermaphrodite pollen. no male genes means no male plants. sometimes feminized seeds are prone to producing hermies so try to keep the stree at a minimum

If i pick up a soil like FoxFarms or blackgold or whatever (with nuetral PH) is there anything else i want to add myself. I had just read something about aeration(sp?) and i didnt know of this prior to reading about it just now. Is this also just a little treat for the soil and helps it a little. Is it absolutely neccissary to add aro pellets or whatever they are called. my advice would be to start your plants in neutral soil(like from the yard) in small cups for the first few weeks and then then transplant into large(maybe 5g pots?) of foxfarm so you wont need to transplant again

pearlite and airation are good things, but i dont know, foxfarm blends may already contain pearlite. either way, pearlite is probably the least expensive thing youll need anyways

sorry i took a while to get back to you, i help alot of people every day, so its hard to keep track of everyones threads

Not a problem, Come when you have time. The Node question still stands too.

that picture i showed you, about preflowers, that is an example of a node

The entire thing is the node? I thought it was just the point where the branch meets the stalk.