Newb Planning To Grow

Ok so im new to this and have got 10 seeds(unknown) from a friend and could do with some help, which form of lighting is the best and the cheapest to use...
at the moment when i start growing them which i havent yet they will be in a small box lined with tin foil and a light attatched to the top of the box but i need to know a light that i should get which wont cost much to buy or to use... any ideas?

thanks for any help.

Thor110

P.S. just been reading around and found out that tin foil is a bad idea i shall have to get some white paint or something... any ideas on this?

check out the FAQ on lighting... everything you'll need to know and then some.

Thor110 said:

Ok so im new to this and have got 10 seeds(unknown) from a friend and could do with some help, which form of lighting is the best and the cheapest to use...
at the moment when i start growing them which i havent yet they will be in a small box lined with tin foil and a light attatched to the top of the box but i need to know a light that i should get which wont cost much to buy or to use... any ideas?

thanks for any help.

Thor110

P.S. just been reading around and found out that tin foil is a bad idea i shall have to get some white paint or something... any ideas on this?

Click to expand...

Whats your budget for lights?

fluos light for veg
get a 250, 400 hps light for flower
since ur a beginer and dont want all the trouble

saying get a 400w HPS is all very well, but we know nothing of his situation - does it need to be stealth? is ventilation going to be difficult, budget, how many plants does he want to grow etc?

before anyone can recommend anything we need to know:

1. How much are you willing to spend on the entire grow?
2. What do you plan on growing in and how big is it? i.e a grow tent, closet, cupboard etc.
3. Is stealth required - i.e. does the whole thing need to be hidden and virtually silent?
4. Can you easily ventilate the room with fresh air and exhaust hot air?

Oh and if you live with your parents DON'T GROW.

I dont want to spend too much on the entire grow but i am willing to spend on what is needed, i am going to start the grow in a small box and then while growing in there i am going to prepare a closet to grow in... it also needs to be stealthy but yes i can ventilate it just need to get some fans and the llike...

Thanks
Thor110

and forget about the tin foil....it's for baking, not for growin

white paint is way much better

Is $200-$300 too much? If not, go Streetsk8's route. But the 400W HPS is gonna generate heat. A remote ballast will help, but you still will need ventilation if its a small space.

Thor110 you live with other people who won't be knowing about this?

That's gonna big a big factor in which setup you can/should use.

i live with a couple of mates who also smoke it so they wont mind lol...
and im in uk so $300 is about £150 which is above my budget at the moment as im not working >_< but i will be sometime soon lol.

Thor110

just go with some clf then
get the blue spectrum ones for beg
and more orange ones (2700k)
for flowering
less heat
but u got to have more light around each plants
keep em as close a possible to the plant without burning them
this means if u check them daily
they should be 2 inch away
when u came back
they will be 1inch away maybe
so u just have to move them again 1 inch or so
u can have good little bushy plant that way
i did all my veg stage with Fluos
some 52 watt i found at high times
good spectrum for veg
its was maybe 30 $ a fluo tube
its like 4 feet long
hope that help

thanks i was also reading the lighting faq and it said that purple fluorescents were perfect for all stages of growth so ill get some fluorescents ^_^ also what sort of stuff do i need to be buying to set them up cause ill need something to connect it to and something to plug it in, and im not really skilled with electrics but if i know what i need then i can do it..

i am currently setting up 2 1200 lumen white phosphorus fluorescent lights will that be enough?

Also i would like to know about spidermites how you get em and how to get rid of em just for future reference

Thanks
Thor110

P.S. Thanks all round people on this site are really helpfull

anyone know the best way to germinate seeds i know of a few ways but i am not sure which is best for now ive just planted them but for future reference id like to know the best way to germinate seeds and how long could it take for them to pop out the ground? just so i dont end up waiting for weeks with nothin happening lol

Thor110

i usually dont germinate my seeds i plant them in the soil strait up

its just a matter of preference tho as for lighting i'd go with CFL

another way to germ. seeds is to take 2 wet paper towels stick em together put the seed in the middle of them and put it in a bag and in a dark place


wait till the root pops out and drop it in the soil

thanks well thats what ive done for now just popped them straight into the soil any ideas how long it will take for them to pop out the ground? cause as i said before i dont even know if these seeds are going to work but if they dont ill get hold of some...

also if they do pop up then how often should i water them and how much say once every 2 days? once a day and how much while they are young...

Thor110

any ideas people and once theyve started growing ill get pictures of the grow box up ok ^_^ and while theyre growing in that box im going to setup my wardrobe for using ill get everything i need...

I will be getting...
2 Phosphorous Fluorescent Lights
Mylar/Fire Blankets To Cover The New Grow Room
Larger Pots For The Plants

Im not sure what sort of fans to get for a wardrobe grow i expect computer fans will be too small, any ideas on what sort of fans i should use to extracting air and for intake that arent too expensive or loud...

Thor110

dont wrry its shouldnt take more than few days to sprout

ok so for watering i usually wait till the top inch- 1/2 inch of soil is dry and then i water
remember marijuana likes its water supply abundant but not excessive

dont wrry about the size of the fans i think the smallest fan can be an intake/outake if the room is air tight enough
i just by small 4 inch metal fans from wall mart for like 10 bucks
inexpensive and they work great

also make sure once they sprout to get a fan blowin on them right away
(u dont want any weak stems) the fan helps a lot with that

what kind of soil r u using? most regular potting soil should feed for up to a month and then ull need to add nutes but be careful wen you actually do add nutrients because its pretty easy to burn a plant

anyway
happy tokin

well its been like 3 days so far and they havent sprouted which isnt suprising cause as i said theyve been lying around my mates garage in a baggy for nearly a year i wont give up on them just yet, but ive got good news from a friend of mine about a hyrdroponics shop nearby that should sell seeds ^_^ so all is good and by the time i get the money everything i need should be properly set up fans/lights etc...

Thor110

yay they have sprouted cant tell if they are actually marijuana yet but i wont give up on em until i know for sure if they arent then its down to the shop for me lol, i will try to get some pics up soon but i cannot find the link cable for my camera lol...

Thor110