Critical Mass Auto - First Grow Ever

[Sim Karter]

Hihi,

First timer here, been on many forums and this one is a godsend! The diaries are unreal!

Anyway, this is a first time growing. I have a 1.2 x 1.2m grow tent with a 1.0 x 0.5m NFT system inside, this is what I'm going to be cooking with :D

Bought 5 seeds today, last pieces of the puzzle I'm waiting on are my digital pH meter and rockwool cubes.

My plan is to germinate them Saturday (6 days from now).

Going to keep this diary updated from start to finish and hopefully give a little back as the information on this forum has proved invaluable.

Once I get my camera working I'll upload a few pictures of the seeds and Saturday we'll kick it all off!

Simmy.

 

[Sim Karter]

As promised, here's a picture of the babies. Not going to remove them from the packet yet as I'm worried about them getting lost, crushed or wet.

 

[jagle]

cool what kinda lights and setup you running?

 

[Sim Karter]

600w HPS light, 1.2 x 1.2m NFT system, Ionic Hydro nutes :)

Anything I've missed?

 

[jagle]

you trid your tent for temps humidity? got all the right meters?

 

[RustiNial]

going too follow your post all way threw with you i'm a first time grower started satday 16th with barnys auto pineapple express... set up is omly a small 1 got a ds 60x60x140 250W duel spec hps but got mine in oxypots...... been strugling keepin the temp down a bit at mo tho..... its 90F HUMIDITY 28......... happy growing man :)

 

[Sim Karter]

you trid your tent for temps humidity? got all the right meters?

I've still to put the tent up, it will be going up Saturday..

I have a digital temperature monitor which also does humidity.

Digital pH and EC meters are also on their way to me. As I'll be starting from seed it gives me a few days to get the tent set up and get conditions right before they get moved in there :)

Please tell me if there's anything I've missed!

going too follow your post all way threw with you i'm a first time grower started satday 16th with barnys auto pineapple express... set up is omly a small 1 got a ds 60x60x140 250W duel spec hps but got mine in oxypots...... been strugling keepin the temp down a bit at mo tho..... its 90F HUMIDITY 28......... happy growing man :)

Sounds really cool, do you have a diary going? I'd love to take a look!

Thanks for the support by the way guys! Any help / criticism is appreciated.

 

[jagle]

I've still to put the tent up, it will be going up Saturday..

I have a digital temperature monitor which also does humidity.

Digital pH and EC meters are also on their way to me. As I'll be starting from seed it gives me a few days to get the tent set up and get conditions right before they get moved in there :)

Please tell me if there's anything I've missed!

na i dont think there is, what style of grow just straight up? or are you gonna lst or train them? or scrog?

 

[Sim Karter]

na i dont think there is, what style of grow just straight up? or are you gonna lst or train them? or scrog?

Urg..

I'm going to put them in rockwool, once they're rooted I'm going to put them in the NFT system and put that on a timer.

I'm assuming that's just straight up? Not sure what scor and training them means... :s

 

[jagle]

ok, well you can grow a plant up. but cannabis grows fast vegging, and then can go from 3 - 5 times its size as it stretchs in flower.
so i 1 foot plant can become 5 feet tall in 2 weeks, now the hps lights are only very good within ranges, the further you are from the light, the less intense it is and the less dense or more fluffy the buds will be. so you wanna keep your plants short and even when growing indoors.

no lst = low stress training, and almost all growing techniques involve this.
sea of green(SOG) = a lot of small plants, you grow maybe 20 short plants and have loads of lil plants with an oz or 2 each.
screen of green (SCROG) or scrogging is when you use a screen like a net to interweave the plants branches keeping them short and tight, again its all about keeping an even canopy.

there are many guides and better tutorials on how to do this here, but these techniques mean that more of your plants budsites are within the perfect distance of the light and you get maximum return. whats the point in having a 5 foot plant when the light can only reach the top 2 feet?

these methods of growing are used in small areas, tents, cabinets, wardrobes, and anywhere where you dont have a lot of vertical room, the 600 watt light will have to be maybe 2 feet above the canopy, nft system takes up space, how much of actual plant height do you have?

you may want to start looking at other growing techniques

 

[Sim Karter]

The tent is 2m tall so height shouldn't be an issue even with the NFT system as that only stands about 10 inches above the floor.

Reading up on LST, seems to be just tying the branches in to save on space? Please correct me if I'm wrong.

Sea of green I'm familiar with from watching videos and reading but at the moment I've only 5 seeds, this is purely a test grow.

Thank you thank you for the advice, I appreciate it very much.

 

[jagle]

ya dude thats exactly it, i do it on every plant. i veg a plant, and then top her once she is at 4/5 nodes, then let it grow again, then when i switch to 12/12 i let it stretch and then begin pinning it down using garden twine and the rim of the pot..

that way you get a shorter bushier plant but no different other wise. topping and fimming are the 2 techniques (both the same just different ways of doing the same thing) to ensure a short bushy plant, basically by topping you chop the head of the plant off and it grow 2 smaller heads..

no problem, any other questions just ask away, got your ventalation sorted?
and filter

 

[Sim Karter]

If I've done my calculations correctly it should leave the tent with negative air pressure pushing it all through a big carbon filter.

I'll have a crack at that, sounds good. One question I have, should I be switching as low as 12/12 with an auto? Everything I've been told has been to go to lowest of 16/8..

 

[jagle]

well no autos flower as they get older, and i would continue to grow them at 20/4 for the first 4 weeks then maybe 18/5 for the rest of there lives, they will flower if they are good genetically at 18/6 no bother

 

[Sim Karter]

I'm going to be pestering you for advice once they start coming up ;)

I really do appreciate the help, looking into topping them now!

Looks simple enough :)

 

[jagle]

ah its always nerve racking at the start to chop the head off, but its easy

 

[iCultivate]

Good luck with it mate.

-- iCultivate --

 

[Sim Karter]

So they're floating, once they sink I'm going to put them in rockwool and wet the cubes through thoroughly. :D

 

[jagle]

sweet. that a baileys glass? go on the irish whiskey

 

[Sim Karter]

Woohoo, all 5 have sunk to the bottom. Tonight they'll be going into their chamber in rockwool!

It is a baileys glass, a few years ago they used to sell coffee with a shot of baileys in. Stick it in the microwave for two minutes and you were set :)