6 questions for my first time grow

j0sh710 said:

Okay i have a few questions about my first grow(yes big time noob) that i am unsure of, my plants have been growing for about a week and i want the best for them. PS:bag seed is what i am using for first time around.


1. Is 24hour fluorescent lighting okay or should i go 18?

2. How long should i wait until i begin the flowering stage?

3. How long does the flowering stage last until the harvest should begin?

4. I know i want females but if i move the males to a different room can i still get bud from them without pollinating the females, or should i just dispose of it?

5. Is a rotating fan in a small, not well ventilated room good enough? And should the fan be used at its early stages (first week or two) or should i wait for it to grow a little?

6. And is transplanting the plats from a box of a couple plants to single pots for each plant hard to do once it gets bigger without doing damage?


Thanks in advance i will get you guys some pictures of it so far, and where the new much better location will take place.

Click to expand...

j0sh710 said:

Okay i have a few questions about my first grow(yes big time noob) that i am unsure of, my plants have been growing for about a week and i want the best for them. PS:bag seed is what i am using for first time around.


1. Is 24hour fluorescent lighting okay or should i go 18?

2. How long should i wait until i begin the flowering stage?

3. How long does the flowering stage last until the harvest should begin?

4. I know i want females but if i move the males to a different room can i still get bud from them without pollinating the females, or should i just dispose of it?

5. Is a rotating fan in a small, not well ventilated room good enough? And should the fan be used at its early stages (first week or two) or should i wait for it to grow a little?

6. And is transplanting the plats from a box of a couple plants to single pots for each plant hard to do once it gets bigger without doing damage?

Thanks in advance i will get you guys some pictures of it so far, and where the new much better location will take place.

Click to expand...

DON'T try to transplant if all the plants have been growing in one box!! You will definitely destroy the root systems and more than likely kill the plants. The best option is to plant one plant per container. If you have already started growing in one box I would let the plants grow, figure out which ones were males, and cut the males and weak females off at the base with scissors. This will leave the roots undisturbed and get rid of the males.

Dankster4Life said:

#1 24 hours is good...assuming you are still in veg stage.

#2 all depends on how big you want your girls to be.....remember they will about double in size even after you switch to flowering.

#3 There is NO definate answer to this.This will be where you will have to be your own judge on if she is ready to be cut.You have plenty of time between now and then so keep reading EVERYTHING on this forum and others to gain the info you need.

#4 Since you are new to growing get rid of the male........don't take on more responsability in your grow till you have the knowledge to do so.

#5 Keep your fan.....and try to do something to get fresh air into and out of your grow space.Your girls will need fresh air to grow healthy.You wouldn't want to live in a box of stale air all your life would ya?

#6 Yes.....give them their own pots.....don't treat them like a buch of mexicans living in a single wide trailer.

Hope this helps ya some.

Click to expand...

Illegal Smile said:

Fans have several purposes, 1) to circulate air, 2) to exhaust heat and 3) to move plants around and strengthen stems. Where they are placed is different for each of the three. I use a small clamp fan blowing into the wall near the plants so it sets up a gently breeze that makes seedling leaves move around a little. As they get bigger they can handle a little more breeze, but it should never blow right onto them with any force. I have a total of 5 fans in my grow area.

Click to expand...

evilpyro26 said:

1. Is 24hour fluorescent lighting okay or should i go 18?

Ask different people and you will get a different answer each time. I personally prefer to go with a 18/6 cycle for veg. I know that plants grow in the dark cycle, so I like to give them a little night. Also, you will save money on the electric if you go with a 18/6 light cycle.

2. How long should i wait until i begin the flowering stage?

I would wait until the plants begin showing preflowers. This usually happens around the 4-week mark. Since you are growing under fluorescent lighting I would not let the plants grow to more than 12" before flowering. The intensity of the fluorescent lighting is not strong enough to penetrate through a lot of canopy.

3. How long does the flowering stage last until the harvest should begin?

Flowering time depends on a lot of different factors. Strain and genetics play a big part in determining this. A good rule of thumb is that if the plant is sativa dominant it will take anywhere between 10-12 weeks to fully "ripen". If it is an indica dominant plant, it will usually be around the 8 week mark.

4. I know i want females but if i move the males to a different room can i still get bud from them without pollinating the females, or should i just dispose of it?

I would dispose of it. Unless you intend to pollinate the females or make bubble hash, I would not bother with the males.

5. Is a rotating fan in a small, not well ventilated room good enough? And should the fan be used at its early stages (first week or two) or should i wait for it to grow a little?

As long as the temperatures do not rise above the low 80's you should be fine with a small oscillating fan. Just make sure that you allow new air to enter your grow room every so often. I'm assuming you are growing in a closet? If so just open the door for a few minutes, a few times a day. This should be sufficient to allow plant breathe.

6. And is transplanting the plats from a box of a couple plants to single pots for each plant hard to do once it gets bigger without doing damage?

DON'T try to transplant if all the plants have been growing in one box!! You will definitely destroy the root systems and more than likely kill the plants. The best option is to plant one plant per container. If you have already started growing in one box I would let the plants grow, figure out which ones were males, and cut the males and weak females off at the base with scissors. This will leave the roots undisturbed and get rid of the males.

Click to expand...

• I think i will purchase a timer for my lights in that case, sounds like a good investment.
• How tall will they get if i start flowering them so short? would it be a good idea to purchase a better light so that i can allow them to grow longer and bigger so i can have more bud?
• Okay i am not sure what i have though it's just bag seed from my friend.
• Okay i am pitching the males then.
• I am actually growing them in my barn in a box, i made so it could be considered a box, but i am planning on moving them into a room i have for them, but i want to line it with foil first and clean it up nicely, the air flow sucks in there though i will have to vent it or somehting.
• Well they are currently 1 week and a day old so transplanting may be safe if i do it in the next day or so wouldn't it?

AfghanBoy said:

Hey Josh I am just finishing my second grow and wanted to throw my little bit of basic knowledge in to the mixing pot. I would say the single most important aspect of your hydro grow is to maintain your PH throughout the grow. In my first grow the PH jumped around like crazy towards the end of the grow (like 3-4 weeks before harvest) One day it was correct at 5.8, the next day it had jumped up to 10! I adjusted again and two days later it had dropped to 2. I check and checked again, I even bought a second digital PH meter to check it wasn;t me messing it up or misreading.

In my second grow I haven't been as millitary as my first grow and having not checked my Ph hat regulary my plants last registered at 12 and they are seriously not happy!

Master the art of PH and you will have a great grow.

Click to expand...

Dankster4Life said:

pics???

Just wonderin if they are so young how do you know you have males?

Click to expand...