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ProGroWannabe · 07-12-2008, 09:19 PM

I put together this little primer for those aspiring new growers who have 1000 questions, just like I once did. This is to be a beginner’s guide to going from seed to weed. This is not meant to be the “end all, be all” grow guide, but instead it is intended to serve as a beginning reference for those looking to grasp the very basics.

Most growing dilemmas that new growers find themselves in can be attributed to a few basic mistakes. You’ll make more advanced mistakes later ;~). Lol But by avoiding the basic mistakes, you can at least harvest high quality, smoke-able buds.
Mistake number one: “I don’t really have my closet set up very good, but I’m gonna throw some seeds in there anyway and see what happens.”
Marijuana is a living thing, and as such it has certain environmental variables that must be met in order for it to survive, let alone flourish. DO YOUR HOMEWORK HERE!! I cannot stress enough how important the proper environment can be. The sweat you put in here will pay big dividends in the form of fewer hassles, being able to leave your house for days at a time instead being glued to your grow, and of course healthier plants.

Temperature and Humidity
Temp:…It is generally accepted that a range of 65*F-85*F will allow MJ to grow well. However, if one narrows this range to 70*F-75*F, your plants will flourish instead of survive. Remember also that temperature fluctuates (oftentimes greatly) between lights-on, and lights-off. Plan your cooling and ventilation accordingly.
Humidity:…As temperature increases, Relative Humidity decreases (assuming no other variables have changed). So, as you begin to lower the temperature of your grow space, it is a natural phenomenon for the Rh to climb. “What should mine be?” For vegetative growth (18/6, 20/4, or 24/0 light schedule) the generally accepted range for Rh is 60-70%. However, once you flip the timer and begin a flowering light schedule of 12/12, you need to try to keep Rh around 40-50% to avoid mold/bud-rot. Need more info on the Rh/temperature relationship? http://www.physicalgeography.net/fundamentals/8c.html

Light: Some like to say that you can never have too much light, however that depends on the source of that light. When using fluorescent lighting, generally one cannot apply too much. But in the case of HPS, plants (depending on strain) can get a little sensitive. I won’t pretend to know exactly why this is. Possibly a form of radiation from the bulbs? What I DO know is that when in the early stages of the vegetative state, most strains don’t care for a 400-1000Watt HPS being closer than 12 inches from them. This becomes less of an issue as the plants mature. “So how much light do I need?” The truth is you need all the light that you can get, while maintaining the ideal temperature range stated above. The trick is how you apply that light that counts. Do not make the mistake of using more light than you can adequately cool. Also, remember that light diminishes by the square of the distance—read that again. It means that as the distance increases, the light diminishes twice as much for each incremental increase in distance from the plant. The short version…the closer the light source is to the plant, the more intense the light becomes. So, for young plants, back that HPS way up from those tender seedlings or you’ll fry them by means of light poisoning. As the plants begin to acclimate to the light, you can move it closer a couple of inches at a time over the course of the grow. “So, what height should I hang my light?” Depends on how many watts your light is rated at. If you have a 400watt HPS, begin with the light 3-4 feet above the young plants. If you are using a 1000watt HPS, I’d start my plants under fluorescents. Trade out the floro’s for your 1000 after about two weeks or so. Then mount the HPS at a height of four feet above the plants, following the above advice for inching it closer. There are other schools of thought on this, but this a safe bet, and that is what you want on your first grow(s) is to stay away from unnecessary risks.

Fertilization:This is a big one. There are more problems directly attributed to over-fertilized plants than any other reason. Why? Because people are under the false assumption that they can “push” a plant with more ferts. Sorry, but it just ain’t so! Given a completely stress-free life, with all the plants needs being met, a cannabis plant will reach it’s genetic potential—nothing more. There is no “magic formula”, or “secret recipe” that will change this. “Then why is my buddy’s plant bigger than mine, when we are both running identical clones?” Simple…most of us never quite reach a plants maximum genetic potential. It’s just that some growers get closer than others, therefore their yields are bigger. He may have his environment dialed-in better than yours. He may watch his pH closer than you. There are many reasons why you may see this. But rest assured, it is not because he is "pushing" a plant past what it is genetically capable of. “So how much of each fert do I use?” It’s not as complicated as it sounds. Start with the label instructions. When starting young plants on their first regimen of ferts, look at your label(s) and use no more than ¼ of the full strength as stated on the bottle(s). For instance your bottle may say: 2Tbsp Grow per gallon. If that is the case, multiply 2 by 25% …or…2 x .25=.5…..so ½ Tbsp per gallon of water. Then adjust your pH accordingly after all ferts have been well mixed. That is what you start with. And as long as you continue to have nice lush green growth, stay with that. Once the plant begins to get slightly pale or just a tad yellow, increase the amount by another 25%. Keep reading your plants and adjusting every 6-7 days. Usually, most strains (except for real fert-hogs) will be best kept below the maximum amount shown on most labels. Remember…you can’t “push” a plant with ferts! This is what I feel is the most common approach to starting plants on their first ferts. There are other growers who will do things a bit differently. But this will help you to avoid many problems new growers create for themselves and may just save your grow. As you get your first grows under you, you will gain experience, and as such, all this information will come naturally to you.

Security: No intro grow guide would be complete without a section on security. It cannot be overstated!! Many growers have had to choose growing over their friends. I’m one of them. I made the mistake of attempting a partnership with a person I had spent my whole childhood and youth with. I would have (mistakenly) trusted my life to this guy…and did. Ya see, when someone knows you grow, you instantly become their “get out of jail free card”, so you really are putting your life in the hands of another. The Story…I brought this guy into a previous operation I had been running. Not two weeks later, he stole money and started running his mouth in an effort to take the heat off of himself directly. Needless to say THAT DIDN’T WORK. As a result, I had to tear down everything I had and lost thousands of dollars and almost a year’s worth of work. I only tell you this so that hopefully you can learn from my mistake. If you cannot keep a secret from everyone you know or ever will know, then don’t grow. You can trust NO ONE.

As a new grower, you are beginning a journey. Ed Rosenthal once said in an interview, when asked if Marijuana was addictive …”Smoking marijuana is not addictive, growing it is.” Most find this to be complete truth. You will gain much more skill by growing, than by reading about it. However, like all good undertakings, one should research a project well before starting. Growing MJ is no different. The more you know, the more ya grow. Enjoy your journey!!

07-12-2008, 09:19 PM	#1 (permalink)
ProGroWannabe Senior Member Awards Showcase Total Awards: 1 Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: on the thcfarm, where else? Posts: 1,165 Gallery: 66	New growers, start your engines! I put together this little primer for those aspiring new growers who have 1000 questions, just like I once did. This is to be a beginner’s guide to going from seed to weed. This is not meant to be the “end all, be all” grow guide, but instead it is intended to serve as a beginning reference for those looking to grasp the very basics. Most growing dilemmas that new growers find themselves in can be attributed to a few basic mistakes. You’ll make more advanced mistakes later ;~). Lol But by avoiding the basic mistakes, you can at least harvest high quality, smoke-able buds. Mistake number one: “I don’t really have my closet set up very good, but I’m gonna throw some seeds in there anyway and see what happens.” Marijuana is a living thing, and as such it has certain environmental variables that must be met in order for it to survive, let alone flourish. DO YOUR HOMEWORK HERE!! I cannot stress enough how important the proper environment can be. The sweat you put in here will pay big dividends in the form of fewer hassles, being able to leave your house for days at a time instead being glued to your grow, and of course healthier plants. Temperature and Humidity Temp:…It is generally accepted that a range of 65F-85F will allow MJ to grow well. However, if one narrows this range to 70F-75F, your plants will flourish instead of survive. Remember also that temperature fluctuates (oftentimes greatly) between lights-on, and lights-off. Plan your cooling and ventilation accordingly. Humidity:…As temperature increases, Relative Humidity decreases (assuming no other variables have changed). So, as you begin to lower the temperature of your grow space, it is a natural phenomenon for the Rh to climb. “What should mine be?” For vegetative growth (18/6, 20/4, or 24/0 light schedule) the generally accepted range for Rh is 60-70%. However, once you flip the timer and begin a flowering light schedule of 12/12, you need to try to keep Rh around 40-50% to avoid mold/bud-rot. Need more info on the Rh/temperature relationship? http://www.physicalgeography.net/fundamentals/8c.html Light: Some like to say that you can never have too much light, however that depends on the source of that light. When using fluorescent lighting, generally one cannot apply too much. But in the case of HPS, plants (depending on strain) can get a little sensitive. I won’t pretend to know exactly why this is. Possibly a form of radiation from the bulbs? What I DO know is that when in the early stages of the vegetative state, most strains don’t care for a 400-1000Watt HPS being closer than 12 inches from them. This becomes less of an issue as the plants mature. “So how much light do I need?” The truth is you need all the light that you can get, while maintaining the ideal temperature range stated above. The trick is how you apply that light that counts. Do not make the mistake of using more light than you can adequately cool. Also, remember that light diminishes by the square of the distance—read that again. It means that as the distance increases, the light diminishes twice as much for each incremental increase in distance from the plant. The short version…the closer the light source is to the plant, the more intense the light becomes. So, for young plants, back that HPS way up from those tender seedlings or you’ll fry them by means of light poisoning. As the plants begin to acclimate to the light, you can move it closer a couple of inches at a time over the course of the grow. “So, what height should I hang my light?” Depends on how many watts your light is rated at. If you have a 400watt HPS, begin with the light 3-4 feet above the young plants. If you are using a 1000watt HPS, I’d start my plants under fluorescents. Trade out the floro’s for your 1000 after about two weeks or so. Then mount the HPS at a height of four feet above the plants, following the above advice for inching it closer. There are other schools of thought on this, but this a safe bet, and that is what you want on your first grow(s) is to stay away from unnecessary risks. Fertilization:This is a big one. There are more problems directly attributed to over-fertilized plants than any other reason. Why? Because people are under the false assumption that they can “push” a plant with more ferts. Sorry, but it just ain’t so! Given a completely stress-free life, with all the plants needs being met, a cannabis plant will reach it’s genetic potential—nothing more. There is no “magic formula”, or “secret recipe” that will change this. “Then why is my buddy’s plant bigger than mine, when we are both running identical clones?” Simple…most of us never quite reach a plants maximum genetic potential. It’s just that some growers get closer than others, therefore their yields are bigger. He may have his environment dialed-in better than yours. He may watch his pH closer than you. There are many reasons why you may see this. But rest assured, it is not because he is "pushing" a plant past what it is genetically capable of. “So how much of each fert do I use?” It’s not as complicated as it sounds. Start with the label instructions. When starting young plants on their first regimen of ferts, look at your label(s) and use no more than ¼ of the full strength as stated on the bottle(s). For instance your bottle may say: 2Tbsp Grow per gallon. If that is the case, multiply 2 by 25% …or…2 x .25=.5…..so ½ Tbsp per gallon of water. Then adjust your pH accordingly after all ferts have been well mixed. That is what you start with. And as long as you continue to have nice lush green growth, stay with that. Once the plant begins to get slightly pale or just a tad yellow, increase the amount by another 25%. Keep reading your plants and adjusting every 6-7 days. Usually, most strains (except for real fert-hogs) will be best kept below the maximum amount shown on most labels. Remember…you can’t “push” a plant with ferts! This is what I feel is the most common approach to starting plants on their first ferts. There are other growers who will do things a bit differently. But this will help you to avoid many problems new growers create for themselves and may just save your grow. As you get your first grows under you, you will gain experience, and as such, all this information will come naturally to you. Security: No intro grow guide would be complete without a section on security. It cannot be overstated!! Many growers have had to choose growing over their friends. I’m one of them. I made the mistake of attempting a partnership with a person I had spent my whole childhood and youth with. I would have (mistakenly) trusted my life to this guy…and did. Ya see, when someone knows you grow, you instantly become their “get out of jail free card”, so you really are putting your life in the hands of another. The Story…I brought this guy into a previous operation I had been running. Not two weeks later, he stole money and started running his mouth in an effort to take the heat off of himself directly. Needless to say THAT DIDN’T WORK. As a result, I had to tear down everything I had and lost thousands of dollars and almost a year’s worth of work. I only tell you this so that hopefully you can learn from my mistake. If you cannot keep a secret from everyone you know or ever will know, then don’t grow. You can trust NO ONE. As a new grower, you are beginning a journey. Ed Rosenthal once said in an interview, when asked if Marijuana was addictive …”Smoking marijuana is not addictive, growing it is.” Most find this to be complete truth. You will gain much more skill by growing, than by reading about it. However, like all good undertakings, one should research a project well before starting. Growing MJ is no different. The more you know, the more ya grow. Enjoy your journey!!