Hi.
I got 7 or 8 grows under my belt, going organic, chemical, hydro - whatever.
I've done CFL, done 400W dual spectrum and now 600W too.
Last run I got 0.86 gram per watt.
Here are a few things I see newbies fall for over and over that I would like to set straight:
1. If you grow in soil don't go cheap on it. A proper mix will save you money on fertilizers and desease control - both cost more than soil usually.
Whats a good soil? look around. I never tried any of the US brands as I don't have them around.
People seem to like Fox Farm Ocean Forest, Roots Organic and Pro-Mix. All should be used for plants more than 2 weeks old.
2. For seedlings you want a mix that is labeled SEEDLING POTTING MIX or SEED STARTING MIX.
Other bags might be pre-fertilized too heavily for your seeds and will burn their roots.
In hydro you'd usually use a rockwool cube for the first week with almost no fertilizers.
3. Don't pot more than one plant per pot \ system unless you really know what your doing.
You can make simple yet effective pots from 1.5 \ 2 L water bottles. Just remove the neck and poke 10-15 small holes on the bottom for drainage.
When (and if) roots start to swirl around the bottle its your sign to change the pot to a bigger one.
Don't worry about the bottles being clear. I've been doing that for a while with NO ill effects at all.
4. CFLs are readily available and work nicely IF YOU HAVE ENOUGH.
Don't bother growing with less than 45W CFL power (trust me).
For one small (20cm at harvest) you would want around 100W of CFL light.
With CFLs the sum of wattage doesn't always say much. 2x 45W CFLs give around as much light as 5x 26W CFLs does.
Also, the less fixtures you use the less work you would have moving stuff around and it would be easier to cool.
5. HID is more cost efficient when you go over 250W. The light and ballast might cost more (if you count in the fixtures and wiring and all that stuff) but the light you would get per watt is more efficient.
Also, one light is WAY easier to cool than 10 lights.
If you go with HIDs and don't live in a very cool place consider getting an air cooled hood. Read number 6 for info.
6. The closer the light is to the plants the more light the plant get.
With a 400W the difference from 13" from the light to 9" from the light is x2!
6.5" from the light is 4x more light than 13" from the light!
With CFLs, that give off less light to begin with, its even more important. You want your plants at 2-3 " from the light.
7. A nice BASIC soil mix would be 1 part store-bought soil mix, 1 part high quality compost (this stuff is CHEAP, don't try to save on that!) and 1 part perlite. mix well.
Soil amendments are the cheapest way to go with fertilizing (usually) but for a start ask in here on how much to add.
I like to add 1 tablespoon of guano per gallon of soil when I mix my soil (mexican for my vegging soil and indonesian for my flowering soil)
8. Don't change recipes if you don't know whats the reason something is there to begin with.
9. If you've followed my advice on soil and your soil doesn't smell very bad you SHOULD NOT CHECK FOR PH. Unless things get REALLY off.
Invest your money on something else.
If you'r going hydro - a digital pH meter is your new best friend!
10. If you'r going to buy seeds I would recommend starting with cheap ones, but not BAD ones.
I've read good stuff on the following: (I'm linking to the Attitude Seedbank because my last order was from there and I liked their service)
http://www.cannabis-seeds-bank.co.uk/mandala-seeds/mandala-seeds-mandala-1/prod_764.html <--- be VERY careful with fertilizers going with Mandala's genetics. They get burnt REALLY quick if you overdo ferts. Also, they grow very well with just a tiny bit. (Thats actually a pro as you would spend less money on fertilizers)
http://www.cannabis-seeds-bank.co.uk/mr-nice-seeds-dreamtime/prod_1240.html
http://www.cannabis-seeds-bank.co.u...a-seeds-aurora-indica-feminized/prod_931.html
http://www.sanniesshop.com/herijuana.html <-- I've read VERY positive reviews on this strain from EVERYONE who got it.
There are a lot of other GREAT strains, of course. I can't name them all.
You could also order from Pick and Mix Seeds and get just a few seeds from every strain. Thats what I did on my first order.
http://www.pickandmixseeds.co.uk/
They aren't cheap but you can get just one seed from each strain and have some variety.
For example you could get just 2 of these feminized ones:
http://www.pickandmixseeds.co.uk/products/serious-white-russian
for 23 pounds and start with just 2 plants (both female) to choose from, but you'll be starting with some very nice genetics.
I would stay away from Greenhouse Seeds to begin with. Although they got some VERY good smoke most of their plants are a pain in the ass to grow. I grew 5 of their strains for a year or so.
If you need any help, and are 18+ I'd be happy to assist.
I got 7 or 8 grows under my belt, going organic, chemical, hydro - whatever.
I've done CFL, done 400W dual spectrum and now 600W too.
Last run I got 0.86 gram per watt.
Here are a few things I see newbies fall for over and over that I would like to set straight:
1. If you grow in soil don't go cheap on it. A proper mix will save you money on fertilizers and desease control - both cost more than soil usually.
Whats a good soil? look around. I never tried any of the US brands as I don't have them around.
People seem to like Fox Farm Ocean Forest, Roots Organic and Pro-Mix. All should be used for plants more than 2 weeks old.
2. For seedlings you want a mix that is labeled SEEDLING POTTING MIX or SEED STARTING MIX.
Other bags might be pre-fertilized too heavily for your seeds and will burn their roots.
In hydro you'd usually use a rockwool cube for the first week with almost no fertilizers.
3. Don't pot more than one plant per pot \ system unless you really know what your doing.
You can make simple yet effective pots from 1.5 \ 2 L water bottles. Just remove the neck and poke 10-15 small holes on the bottom for drainage.
When (and if) roots start to swirl around the bottle its your sign to change the pot to a bigger one.
Don't worry about the bottles being clear. I've been doing that for a while with NO ill effects at all.
4. CFLs are readily available and work nicely IF YOU HAVE ENOUGH.
Don't bother growing with less than 45W CFL power (trust me).
For one small (20cm at harvest) you would want around 100W of CFL light.
With CFLs the sum of wattage doesn't always say much. 2x 45W CFLs give around as much light as 5x 26W CFLs does.
Also, the less fixtures you use the less work you would have moving stuff around and it would be easier to cool.
5. HID is more cost efficient when you go over 250W. The light and ballast might cost more (if you count in the fixtures and wiring and all that stuff) but the light you would get per watt is more efficient.
Also, one light is WAY easier to cool than 10 lights.
If you go with HIDs and don't live in a very cool place consider getting an air cooled hood. Read number 6 for info.
6. The closer the light is to the plants the more light the plant get.
With a 400W the difference from 13" from the light to 9" from the light is x2!
6.5" from the light is 4x more light than 13" from the light!
With CFLs, that give off less light to begin with, its even more important. You want your plants at 2-3 " from the light.
7. A nice BASIC soil mix would be 1 part store-bought soil mix, 1 part high quality compost (this stuff is CHEAP, don't try to save on that!) and 1 part perlite. mix well.
Soil amendments are the cheapest way to go with fertilizing (usually) but for a start ask in here on how much to add.
I like to add 1 tablespoon of guano per gallon of soil when I mix my soil (mexican for my vegging soil and indonesian for my flowering soil)
8. Don't change recipes if you don't know whats the reason something is there to begin with.
9. If you've followed my advice on soil and your soil doesn't smell very bad you SHOULD NOT CHECK FOR PH. Unless things get REALLY off.
Invest your money on something else.
If you'r going hydro - a digital pH meter is your new best friend!
10. If you'r going to buy seeds I would recommend starting with cheap ones, but not BAD ones.
I've read good stuff on the following: (I'm linking to the Attitude Seedbank because my last order was from there and I liked their service)
http://www.cannabis-seeds-bank.co.uk/mandala-seeds/mandala-seeds-mandala-1/prod_764.html <--- be VERY careful with fertilizers going with Mandala's genetics. They get burnt REALLY quick if you overdo ferts. Also, they grow very well with just a tiny bit. (Thats actually a pro as you would spend less money on fertilizers)
http://www.cannabis-seeds-bank.co.uk/mr-nice-seeds-dreamtime/prod_1240.html
http://www.cannabis-seeds-bank.co.u...a-seeds-aurora-indica-feminized/prod_931.html
http://www.sanniesshop.com/herijuana.html <-- I've read VERY positive reviews on this strain from EVERYONE who got it.
There are a lot of other GREAT strains, of course. I can't name them all.
You could also order from Pick and Mix Seeds and get just a few seeds from every strain. Thats what I did on my first order.
http://www.pickandmixseeds.co.uk/
They aren't cheap but you can get just one seed from each strain and have some variety.
For example you could get just 2 of these feminized ones:
http://www.pickandmixseeds.co.uk/products/serious-white-russian
for 23 pounds and start with just 2 plants (both female) to choose from, but you'll be starting with some very nice genetics.
I would stay away from Greenhouse Seeds to begin with. Although they got some VERY good smoke most of their plants are a pain in the ass to grow. I grew 5 of their strains for a year or so.
If you need any help, and are 18+ I'd be happy to assist.
