Interested In Growing!

[FutureGrower]

hey everyone, 28 from Oregon and I’m relative new to marijuana. Sure I smoked some in high school but I just started smoking again in the last several months.

I’m planning on ordering some seeds very soon (next couple of days) but I’m a little bit lost about the entire growing process. I’ve done some research but it’s kinda hard to learn atleast for me since everyone seems to contradict each other in my research.

Thus far I’ve been using primarily indices to relax after a long day and get some rest but I also love some sativas as well

I’m planning on just starting by throwing a cheap light in my dining room over the plant and just start adjusting from there.

I have read many places saying you need a grow cabinet to have great success but cannot find anywhere that says they’ll grow indoors with just nutritents and lights but atleast I’ll have a starting point.... right?

Anyways please forgive my ignorance I just figured I’d sign up here and do a lot of reading and question asking! If anyone can point me in the right direction for a good read I’d appreciate it

 

[Junk]

I'm not sure what your q is?

If you buy seeds labeled "autos" you won't need a cabinet/enclosure. They have a limited life span right from germination. As soon as they pop, the clock starts ticking.

If you buy photoperiod seeds, an enclosure of some sort is necessary. Photo plants grow in two stages, veg, and flower. They will stay in Veg mode theoretically forever, so long as the light stays 18 hours on, 6 off (approx). The way you get these to flower is by changing the light cycle to 12 hours on, 12 off. The plant thinks it's "autumn" and switches to flower mode. The entire flower cycle takes 8-10 weeks usually.

However, with photoperiod plants, the dark cycle must not be interrupted. It is extremely important. So, if you have the plant just sitting on your table, it's probably not going to see 12 hours of totally dark time, or be uninterrupted. It must be absolute darkness, for 12 hours. That is why people use cabinets.

You can do it the way you are suggesting, but with an AUTO type plant only, bc it doesn't care about the dark period. I've grown a number of autos. Strain wise they just weren't my thing, but they were potent. Good bag appeal etc. I just prefer photoperiod plants, bc I keep moms and I like to have control over the veg period.

Your quality of light will make a huge difference in your results. As will your soil.

If you're going to be using your kitchen table, you are going to make sure you get a plant that doesn't have a huge stretch. Or if it does have a big stretch, keep it in a smaller pot, or control the height by tying it down.


If you post direct questions that can be answered with a short reply, tons of people here will help. There's a lot of killer growers here.

 

[Saint Skinny]

Welcome to the farm, Hombre! environment aside, Plants mainly need Light, CO2, water, and food to grow. They do need a certain amount of light to grow the way we want them to, though. That being said, that doesn't mean you need to invest in a 1000w setup to grow yourself a couple plants. Heres what I would do if I were to go back to my first grow and help past-me out:
1. Check Craigslist for a grow light. depending on how much you can spend, this may be your best bet. if you can afford a new light, you have options, I would recommend LED, t5 fluorescent, or CFL. If you go the CFL route, get a light made for growing, not a 22 watt kitchen bulb. Some people do grow with those smaller bulbs, but I wouldn't recommend it.
2. get plant food. DON'T USE MIRACLE GRO!!! Get yourself some Dyna-Gro, it's got everything in the one bottle. When I did my first grow, I started with the Roots organic 5ml master pack, which is a great line, but a bit more complicated than I should've started with. You can get yourself a 3-part or 6-part nute if you want, but I would keep it simple. You also want to get a pH kit with pH up, Down, and PH indicator drops.
***find out if the soil your using has plant food in it already before feeding. if you don't have a soil chosen yet, Foxfarm ocean forest is a good soil and has enough food in it to feed the plant for about 30 days depending on the size of the container.
3. I would recommend autoflowers. They've come a long way since I first started, back then auto's were kind of the butt of alot of jokes because the first autos didn't yield well or have much potency to speak of. Luckily for you, that's not the case anymore. Some autoflowers i've seen claim they can get up to 22% thc! one of the best things about them for your situations is They're not photoperiod sensitive so you don't have to worry about light leaks and the related stresses.
4. grow other types of plants if you have the space. I understand it's not the best time of year to go to the backyard and start a garden, but I've found that you can learn LOTS about cannabis from growing other plants like Tomatoes, Peppers, Lemon Balm, or whatever tickles your fancy.

Hopefully some of my rambling helps.
GROWERS LOVE, HOMBRE!

 

[Enforcer]

Both, solid information. I also support everything they just told you. I'll add that part of the inconsistency you see in your research, is everyone's growing environment is a little bit different. So what works well for one of us, may not work for all. The fun part of this hobby, comes from the trial and error. Their is a risk / reward relationship involved with growing cannabis. One thing you do in the grow may result in increased weight, potency, smell, taste, etc. Or it may not. Try it for yourself and see. Take notes and share what you learned. Start off slow until you get a basic understanding of how the plant grows, and what it's needs are. You need to understand what transpiration and photosynthesis are, and how those two things along with your environment affects how the plant behaves. Once you have the basics down, that's when the real fun begins. You start bragging about your 2' long, beer can width colas lol. Good luck, and search/ask for answers to any questions you have along the way. Welcome to the farm.

 

[Junk]

Their is a risk / reward relationship involved with growing cannabis.

Indeed...every time I finish a solid run I feel like I just won at roulette lol.

 

[FutureGrower]

I'm not sure what your q is?

If you buy seeds labeled "autos" you won't need a cabinet/enclosure. They have a limited life span right from germination. As soon as they pop, the clock starts ticking.

If you buy photoperiod seeds, an enclosure of some sort is necessary. Photo plants grow in two stages, veg, and flower. They will stay in Veg mode theoretically forever, so long as the light stays 18 hours on, 6 off (approx). The way you get these to flower is by changing the light cycle to 12 hours on, 12 off. The plant thinks it's "autumn" and switches to flower mode. The entire flower cycle takes 8-10 weeks usually.

However, with photoperiod plants, the dark cycle must not be interrupted. It is extremely important. So, if you have the plant just sitting on your table, it's probably not going to see 12 hours of totally dark time, or be uninterrupted. It must be absolute darkness, for 12 hours. That is why people use cabinets.

You can do it the way you are suggesting, but with an AUTO type plant only, bc it doesn't care about the dark period. I've grown a number of autos. Strain wise they just weren't my thing, but they were potent. Good bag appeal etc. I just prefer photoperiod plants, bc I keep moms and I like to have control over the veg period.

Your quality of light will make a huge difference in your results. As will your soil.

If you're going to be using your kitchen table, you are going to make sure you get a plant that doesn't have a huge stretch. Or if it does have a big stretch, keep it in a smaller pot, or control the height by tying it down.


If you post direct questions that can be answered with a short reply, tons of people here will help. There's a lot of killer growers here.

Man all of your guys’ replies have been amazing, thank you it’s greatly appreciated! The level of thought and time put into everyone’s replies is incredible

With the auto plants do they require a different feeding pattern or still once a week calculated the same way? Also should I still set a light timer for 18 hours on 6 off? Or do I just leave the light on at a safe distance?

I can place them pretty much anywhere in the kitchen and can even take the table out if it would work better, but I think I’d have a shorter distance to hang lights over some sort of platform so they may end up on the table lol

 

[MW7945]

What's your budget? Wouldn't recommend a cheap light. You'll just replace it.

 

[FutureGrower]

Welcome to the farm, Hombre! environment aside, Plants mainly need Light, CO2, water, and food to grow. They do need a certain amount of light to grow the way we want them to, though. That being said, that doesn't mean you need to invest in a 1000w setup to grow yourself a couple plants. Heres what I would do if I were to go back to my first grow and help past-me out:
1. Check Craigslist for a grow light. depending on how much you can spend, this may be your best bet. if you can afford a new light, you have options, I would recommend LED, t5 fluorescent, or CFL. If you go the CFL route, get a light made for growing, not a 22 watt kitchen bulb. Some people do grow with those smaller bulbs, but I wouldn't recommend it.
2. get plant food. DON'T USE MIRACLE GRO!!! Get yourself some Dyna-Gro, it's got everything in the one bottle. When I did my first grow, I started with the Roots organic 5ml master pack, which is a great line, but a bit more complicated than I should've started with. You can get yourself a 3-part or 6-part nute if you want, but I would keep it simple. You also want to get a pH kit with pH up, Down, and PH indicator drops.
***find out if the soil your using has plant food in it already before feeding. if you don't have a soil chosen yet, Foxfarm ocean forest is a good soil and has enough food in it to feed the plant for about 30 days depending on the size of the container.
3. I would recommend autoflowers. They've come a long way since I first started, back then auto's were kind of the butt of alot of jokes because the first autos didn't yield well or have much potency to speak of. Luckily for you, that's not the case anymore. Some autoflowers i've seen claim they can get up to 22% thc! one of the best things about them for your situations is They're not photoperiod sensitive so you don't have to worry about light leaks and the related stresses.
4. grow other types of plants if you have the space. I understand it's not the best time of year to go to the backyard and start a garden, but I've found that you can learn LOTS about cannabis from growing other plants like Tomatoes, Peppers, Lemon Balm, or whatever tickles your fancy.

Hopefully some of my rambling helps.
GROWERS LOVE, HOMBRE!

Thanks for the reply! As far as lightning and generally everything I’d like to invest the smallest amount and still make everything functional. The biggest fear I have is that I’ll get frustrated and call it quits so I don’t really wanna spend 4 or 500 on lights. I was thinking something along the lines of this as a starter:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B009GU4RM...t=&hvlocphy=9033176&hvtargid=pla-307335020097


I’m gonna buy some dyna pro as soon as I get out of work for sure man. I was doing research on 2 and 3 part nutrients and I could totally see messing something up lol

 

[FutureGrower]

Both, solid information. I also support everything they just told you. I'll add that part of the inconsistency you see in your research, is everyone's growing environment is a little bit different. So what works well for one of us, may not work for all. The fun part of this hobby, comes from the trial and error. Their is a risk / reward relationship involved with growing cannabis. One thing you do in the grow may result in increased weight, potency, smell, taste, etc. Or it may not. Try it for yourself and see. Take notes and share what you learned. Start off slow until you get a basic understanding of how the plant grows, and what it's needs are. You need to understand what transpiration and photosynthesis are, and how those two things along with your environment affects how the plant behaves. Once you have the basics down, that's when the real fun begins. You start bragging about your 2' long, beer can width colas lol. Good luck, and search/ask for answers to any questions you have along the way. Welcome to the farm.

Ty for the reply!

Done some research on transpiration, if I’m not mistaken it’s the system the plant uses to get its water from roots to leaves, and then they’re supposed drip, I know I need more research lol, no clue about photosynthesis lots more reading to do lol

 

[FutureGrower]

What's your budget? Wouldn't recommend a cheap light. You'll just replace it.

I would like to kinda jump into things for around $200 maybe, but honestly I can do whatever is completely needed, if I really get into growing and enjoy it I’ll invest a lot more though.

 

[FutureGrower]

Oops I’m sorry I posted a link in my first post and it’s invisibke to you guys because of that lol

 

[Enforcer]

Ty for the reply!

Done some research on transpiration, if I’m not mistaken it’s the system the plant uses to get its water from roots to leaves, and then they’re supposed drip, I know I need more research lol, no clue about photosynthesis lots more reading to do lol

Yes, transpiration is the act of moving water and nutes from the roots, throughout the plant. As well as the intake of co2 and expulsion of moisture & o2 from the stomata on the leaves. Some plants "drip", but not Cannabis. Photosynthesis is the conversion of light energy into usable sugars for the plant to fuel growth. Once you understand the causal relationship between transpiration, photosynthesis, and environmental factors, you will be better equipped to trouble shoot problems. Resulting in a better overall grow. You're on the right track conducting research. In this game knowledge is power my friend. Make sure you're well armed.

 

[MW7945]

I would like to kinda jump into things for around $200 maybe, but honestly I can do whatever is completely needed, if I really get into growing and enjoy it I’ll invest a lot more though.

Have you decided your growing medium? Soil, coco, hydro?

What about nutrients?

pH meter, ppm meter, etc.

Using tap water? RO water?

 

[FutureGrower]

Have you decided your growing medium? Soil, coco, hydro?

What about nutrients?

pH meter, ppm meter, etc.

Using tap water? RO water?

Soil, and tap water (most likely, I have filter in my fridge but I don’t know what type I guess I need to figure that out, to be honest I didn’t even think about itJ

I was under the influence that you didn’t need a ppm or ph meter and that there’s calculators for the right amount of nutrients to give each week? If I need them I’ll buy them though no problem

 

[MW7945]

Soil, and tap water (most likely, I have filter in my fridge but I don’t know what type I guess I need to figure that out, to be honest I didn’t even think about itJ

I was under the influence that you didn’t need a ppm or ph meter and that there’s calculators for the right amount of nutrients to give each week? If I need them I’ll buy them though no problem

You absolutely need something to measure pH. There's no way to calculate if you don't know your starting pH

 

[Junk]

Soil, and tap water (most likely, I have filter in my fridge but I don’t know what type I guess I need to figure that out, to be honest I didn’t even think about itJ

I was under the influence that you didn’t need a ppm or ph meter and that there’s calculators for the right amount of nutrients to give each week? If I need them I’ll buy them though no problem

You're not going to want to use your fridge water. I'm sure the water will be fine, but it's inefficient.

If your water is drinkable after a brita filter etc, you can use tap water and an air pump to bubble out the chlorine. It takes about 24 hours. This way you skip a filtration step. This is how I do it, and I could use any filtration I wanted. Filtration is part of my work. You would need a couple new/very clean 5 gallon buckets, two air stones (active aqua, any good size air stone really) and a small air pump like this.
https://www.amazon.com/Active-Aqua-...33-spons&keywords=active+aqua+air+stone&psc=1

If you have well water, you would probably know if it was bad by now.

If you are looking for something extremely easy to use for soil Botanicaire makes a 2 part, grow/bloom. I would start at 1/3 the dosage and increase by thirds if the plants tolerate it.

https://www.amazon.com/Botanicare-B...8&qid=1511443743&sr=1-2&keywords=botanicare+2

https://www.amazon.com/Botanicare-B...8&qid=1511443743&sr=1-6&keywords=botanicare+2

You can get away without an EC or ppm meter for now. But as someone said earlier, you will need a ph tester of some sort. I actually prefer the chemical reaction ones. They are also very cheap. You get a small sample of water, drop some test solution in it, and it will turn a color. You compare that color to the chart on the bottle and it gives you the PH. I would not skip this piece of gear.

The light...well, there's a million direction you could go with that. You could get that T5 fixture you linked and see if you like growing. Then when you move up, you could use that T5 for veg only. But T5's don't make great flowers. I've used Flouros, cheap leds, and MH/HPS, and I prefer the latter. There really is no way around it...quality lighting is expensive.

One thing I wish I did from the beginning was getting a select-a-watt ballast. Ballasts need to match the wattage of the bulbs you use. So even after you spend a lot of money, you are stuck with one wattage. Many of the newer ballasts will do 400,600,1000, 1000+. So you could have one ballast, and run any bulb size you want. No need to ever buy a different ballast, only bulbs.

 

[FutureGrower]

You're not going to want to use your fridge water. I'm sure the water will be fine, but it's inefficient.

If your water is drinkable after a brita filter etc, you can use tap water and an air pump to bubble out the chlorine. It takes about 24 hours. This way you skip a filtration step. This is how I do it, and I could use any filtration I wanted. Filtration is part of my work. You would need a couple new/very clean 5 gallon buckets, two air stones (active aqua, any good size air stone really) and a small air pump like this.
https://www.amazon.com/Active-Aqua-...33-spons&keywords=active+aqua+air+stone&psc=1

If you have well water, you would probably know if it was bad by now.

If you are looking for something extremely easy to use for soil Botanicaire makes a 2 part, grow/bloom. I would start at 1/3 the dosage and increase by thirds if the plants tolerate it.

https://www.amazon.com/Botanicare-B...8&qid=1511443743&sr=1-2&keywords=botanicare+2

https://www.amazon.com/Botanicare-B...8&qid=1511443743&sr=1-6&keywords=botanicare+2

You can get away without an EC or ppm meter for now. But as someone said earlier, you will need a ph tester of some sort. I actually prefer the chemical reaction ones. They are also very cheap. You get a small sample of water, drop some test solution in it, and it will turn a color. You compare that color to the chart on the bottle and it gives you the PH. I would not skip this piece of gear.

The light...well, there's a million direction you could go with that. You could get that T5 fixture you linked and see if you like growing. Then when you move up, you could use that T5 for veg only. But T5's don't make great flowers. I've used Flouros, cheap leds, and MH/HPS, and I prefer the latter. There really is no way around it...quality lighting is expensive.

One thing I wish I did from the beginning was getting a select-a-watt ballast. Ballasts need to match the wattage of the bulbs you use. So even after you spend a lot of money, you are stuck with one wattage. Many of the newer ballasts will do 400,600,1000, 1000+. So you could have one ballast, and run any bulb size you want. No need to ever buy a different ballast, only bulbs.

I never knew you could get rid of chlorine that way, I’m not 100% sure I understand how it works but I’ll be visiting YouTube lol! As for my water we apparently have really high quality tap water and if I’m thirsty I don’t mind drinking it if there’s nothing else there lol.

Oh I ordered a ph test kit so no worries about me skipping it (thank you guys again for dropping the knowledge haha)

Everyone keeps dropping hints to start a little bigger in light size, and they seem like they all regret not going bigger. I don’t really want to, but I feel like I should take everyone’s advice lol, does something like this look like it would be long lasting (is that even a thing? Lol) and good quality?

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Virtual-Sun-VSD1000WDS-1000W-Dimmable-MH-HPS-Digital-Grow-Light-Kit/41864215?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=1383&adid=22222222227029369889&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=t&wl3=62919685
929&wl4=pla-99449056809&wl5=9033176&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=112562608&wl11=online&wl12=41864215&wl13=&veh=sem#read-more

By the way ty again for the reply, everyone seems cool here. Hoping that I can contribute in the future

 

[FutureGrower]

So I ordered a couple different auto flowers this morning, as well as a ph test kit, I really wanted to buy from here to show love but most of the auto flowers I found were out of stock, hopefully next purchase will be through here

I’m hoping to get to Lowe’s later to get a few 5 gallon buckets. While I’m there I’ll probably pickup a 3 and 5 gallon pots with good drainage. It seems like everyone says to start autos in there final pot so I figure I should try the 2 common sizes I’ve seen used.

I’ve been reading a lot about autos and it seems like you shouldn’t feed them anything for the first 1-3 weeks depending on who’s talking. I can’t find anywhere that says if nutrient rich soil is ok for them though? Regardless of the soil I think I’m gonna mix it with pearlite and set some rocks on the bottom for good drainage.

As for lighting I’m still deciding, you guys keep seeming to really emphasize lighting so I’m thinking of spending the extra cash, I’ll know soon

I’m still kinda at a loss on the nutes, I read one article saying nutrients are basically all the same just need to adjust each formula differently and a few people telling me nutrients are everything. Really I guess I’m just going to go for the easiest instructions, the first guy said dyna-gro came as a all in one bottle but I can’t find that anywhere. I’ll keep reading. If any of you see me running the wrong direction, I’d appreciate it you would guide me back lol

 

[Enforcer]

I never knew you could get rid of chlorine that way, I’m not 100% sure I understand how it works but I’ll be visiting YouTube lol! As for my water we apparently have really high quality tap water and if I’m thirsty I don’t mind drinking it if there’s nothing else there lol.

Oh I ordered a ph test kit so no worries about me skipping it (thank you guys again for dropping the knowledge haha)

Everyone keeps dropping hints to start a little bigger in light size, and they seem like they all regret not going bigger. I don’t really want to, but I feel like I should take everyone’s advice lol, does something like this look like it would be long lasting (is that even a thing? Lol) and good quality?

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Virtual-Sun-VSD1000WDS-1000W-Dimmable-MH-HPS-Digital-Grow-Light-Kit/41864215?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=1383&adid=22222222227029369889&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=t&wl3=62919685
929&wl4=pla-99449056809&wl5=9033176&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=112562608&wl11=online&wl12=41864215&wl13=&veh=sem#read-more

By the way ty again for the reply, everyone seems cool here. Hoping that I can contribute in the future

This is definitely a you get what you pay for situation. Will that setup work for you...yes. Will it be durable and produce quality results....doubtful. Cheap hoods may not disperse light in an even spread. Cheap bulbs will not have as full a spectrum, and will need to be replaced sooner than quality bulbs. I have read that a digital ballasts that use an internal fan is more prone to failure that one that does not. Also, cheap ballasts will produce a lot of radio interference. Which may interfere with your neighbors sound system if they are close enough. I realize that $190 for everything is appealing. But I believe that out of everything I purchased for my grow, the light is the one item I didn't want to cheap out on.

 

[chemistry]

With a good light, you can grow any were.