First Time Grower

[woohoo90]

Hey all, first time poster here, but have been lurking the forums for a while now. I am still a total noob so hopefully I don't blow this too bad, and please be gentle with you criticisms lol. So after putting together a relative concept of what I wanted to do over the last few weeks, I finally decided to pull the trigger this weekend and gear up.
currently it looks as such:
*Only running four clones (2 Sunset Sherbet and 2 Doggystyle Cookies) for the first go around, but I would rather obsessively freak out over less in the beginning but still have some room for expansion in the future.
- 3'.9" x 3'.9" x 6'.6" BlackOut tent
- Sun Supply LEC 315 RA remote reflector w/ Phillips elite MW 4200k
- 6" 120V inline fan
- Galaxy 315watt ballast 120V-240V
- 6" x 24" carbon filter

Nothing crazy, but I'm glad the guy at the store turned me on to the LEC lighting because a lot of people seem to be raving about them on the line. Which doesn't mean much but it's a jumping off point.
Also will be running thermometer and humidity gauge keeping it at about 60%ish humidity and in the low 70s (F) for veg.

As far as nutrients go, I tend to err on the side of less being more. Not that I'm trying to be a total purist of sorts like those guys putting molasses in their feed, just not inundating the plants with heavy doses of chemicals. If pro sports have taught me anything, it's that the right amount/combination of a little "boost" can really go a long way. This was sill tricky to put together a solid idea on what's best just because of the sheer volume of information there is out there. I ended up getting Fox Farms Ocean Forrest and Light warrior for a 50/50 mix. May also be adding in perlite after running a test in a 5.5" planter and the OF basically clung to the water for dear life. Is this too aggressive? I have also read that OF runs pretty hot on its own so was thinking that it would help reduce some of the sides of that, but this is all just theory. Admittedly, I didn't know my nutrients as well as I should have, but I ended up getting a decent education and some ideas to play around with...

So here's my nutrient situation so far, thinking about using MOAB come flower time, amongst other things:
- FFOF and LW 50/50 or possibly 60/40 with possibly perlite if water is sticking to soil too much
- Mad Farmer N.U.T.S.
- MF Be One
- MF Silica
- House-Garden Soil A
- House-Garden Soil B

I was given a customized chart to use as a sort of a baseline, but it's suggesting using light nutrients from the first week of veg on, which seems to go against what the vast majority say to do. Was thinking about halfing the dosage and using only 1/4 of the recommended N.U.T.S. dosing over the course of each week, at least for veg. if i even use nutrients at all that early, and then go from there. I've read a few ideas on winding down nutrients as the plant reaches harvest time, the theory makes sense to me but is it just bro science?

Sorry if this was long winded, or more likely, spastic. I just wanted to get it all out there because I'm not trying to do some half ass job and who better to consult then all of you guys. Looking for some critiques, advise on what I'm doing. I'm sure some of this stuff isn't viewed as the best but for a first go round I'm pretty amped to get started on this and get them transplanted when the clones arrive tomorrow! Will have an update with pics to follow. Thanks for your time!

 

[Junk]

Very nice!

I don't know anything about H-Gardens, but if their A/B is like most peoples, it's all you would need during veg. Look it up though, I've not used it.

I would research your nutes and see if someone has posted a recipe for your medium. Sometimes you can find recipes and pics grown with said recipe. It's a great way to start.

You def want to start with low doses on the feeding. I typically start at 1/4 dose and see what happens. You are better off to underfeed the plant, than to overfeed it. So go slow, and observe.

The last two weeks of the plants life (approx) you usually don't use any nutes. Maybe some light PK. It's called "the flush." (search that term)

You are off to a promising start.

 

[woohoo90]

Thanks so much for the fast reply, Junk! Spent some time looking up h-gardens, and it seemingly has good reviews and people are happy with the product. I found some Mad Farmer nutrient discussions as well, and as you said people are tempering dosage. My two biggest concerns as a new grower are feeding and watering, at least for now, as they seem like the two easiest to lose control of. I got a soil moisture and soil ph meter just to use as a baseline while I'm still getting a feel for when they actually need water and nutes. Might be overkill but want to try and cover all my bases.

 

[Junk]

If you are in FFOF I just check to see if the pot is light. You will feel when it needs water, literally.

It looks like your filter isn't connected to the fan?

 

[woohoo90]

That was another area of confusion lol. Was told I didn't need a fan to suck air out, just one to force air in. This is different than what I've seen but the guy has been dead on with everything else so I figured I would go with it, but obviously open to different ideas.

 

[woohoo90]

My thought was that since there is no hood to run the ducts through because of the LEC reflector, running a fan straight to the filter would do nothing, right? It would just be circulating air through the ducts, cleaning the air outside of the tent, but not actually hitting the room. Again, I could be wrong, but it seems like the exhaust spits out air from inside the tent with no issues when the fan is running and she's all sealed up, but I have been considering adding an additional exhaust fan anyway. Will probably end up hanging it for functionality and spacial reason though.

 

[woohoo90]

Welp. Had a little hang up with the clone guy yesterday, should be getting them today tho. It gave me time to gauge the temp and humidity of the tent and make the corresponding adjustments. The humidity was a low so I grabbed a humidifier and an oscillating fan for the room. i know the environment will change when everything is in there, but I want to be over prepared on this.

 

[Junk]

That was another area of confusion lol. Was told I didn't need a fan to suck air out, just one to force air in. This is different than what I've seen but the guy has been dead on with everything else so I figured I would go with it, but obviously open to different ideas.

I think there was a misunderstanding. For you, you want the fan/filter taking air out of the tent. The air coming in will happen on it's own, just open some socks or vent windows down below.

The fan must be connected to the filter.

You want filter-fan-ducting, connected in that order. Where you place them (inside the tent, or outside it) will dictate which direction you have the fan blowing. You can keep the filter where you have it, stack the fan on top of it, then the duct on the fan. The fan would be "pulling" through the filter and "pushing" out the duct work. Know what I mean? If you put your hand near the ductwork at the end of the chain, you would feel it blowing air, not sucking.

Or you can put the fan/filter outside the tent, and have the fan pulling air from the tent, and pushing it though the filter. For this method, you remove the white pre-filter, although you don't have one in the pic anyway.

I prefer the former, but either is fine. Also, you can hang it from the supports if you want more room, but I just noticed you said that already. This part of your setup is called the exhaust.

The cold-air-intake, what that person was telling you about, is if your setup is hot. You run ductwork to the outside, and have a fan pulling cold air from outside, and pushing it into your tent to keep temps in range. With that light (that's a 315 right?) you shouldn't have too much trouble w/out a cold-air-intake.

Let me know if this makes sense to you.

 

[woohoo90]

Yeah that totally makes sense. Was confusing because I felt like I specifically asked about the exhaust fan and swore he said that I didn't need it, because I brought up the idea of using two fans. Maybe we both thought the other was referring to something else(?). Luckily budget isn't huge concern,so thinking of getting one of those silent s-line fans to use an an intake fan/air flow fan, as it does seem to heat up in there pretty quickly, took all of 10 minutes to heat up to 80 degrees.

 

[Enforcer]

@Junk is correct. I’m not sure why the guy would tell you to set it up that way. Think about how the air would move through your system the way you have it. Fan pushing air into the tent, causing positive pressure. Your tent balloons little (or a lot) and forces air through the filter and out the duct. The weak link is the tent. With the flap closed it is still not air tight. It will force odors out all zippers, sock openings, and Velcro flaps. Even when these are “closed”. Plus every time you open the tent, all that unfiltered air is blasted into your room. I have mine set up like this. The exhaust fan is on top of the tent pulling air out. Not that you have to do it like this. But you can see how in this arrangement, it causes negative pressure inside the tent. Thus filtering the odors and removing the heat. And when I open the tent, air is sucked in. I use a speed controller to adjust the fan so the tent walls are not sucked in all the time. The fans are connected to a thermostat to help control the temps inside the tent.

 

[woohoo90]

Yup. That's totally what happened too, god dammit. Thanks @Enforcer

 

[Enforcer]

Yup. That's totally what happened too, god dammit. Thanks @Enforcer

No problem man. It’s an easy fix. Just a bit of rearranging.

 

[Meakanu]

Aw yea!
I’m new also, curently on my first grow and in week 5 of flower.
There is so much to learn and I was a bit overwhelmed at first but things seem to fall into place. Just take it one step at a time and remember KISS and your do killah!
Nice set up btw

 

[Junk]

, took all of 10 minutes to heat up to 80 degrees.

The way you have it in the pics, it would get hot quickly.

If you can mount the fan/filter to the ceiling, it will be removing warm air (warm air rises) and doing it much more efficiently.

If that still puts you above 80, you might need an intake. If you can do it though, it's the best way. You put an inline fan, pushing cold air into the tent, and get a fan regulator if the fan doesn't have one. A timer also makes life easier.

With the fan speed controller, you can adjust the intake, so that your temps are constantly where you want them. The timer will turn the fan on and off when lights go on/off. Every day when lights are on for an hour-ish, check your temps and adjust your fan speed accordingly.

Since budget isn't an issue, this thing makes life easier. Wireless hygrometer so you don't have to keep checking the space. You can connect up to 3 wireless hygros, and flip through the temps/rh on the brain. It's one of the things that has made my life easiest....as well as a fan speed controller.
https://www.amazon.com/Growers-Edge...8-1&keywords=growers+edge+wireless+hygrometer

 

[woohoo90]

Woof...

Sorry for the delay friends, child's been sick/teething/ and got shots simultaneously... the perfect storm. So the past 48 hours have been an experience lol. However, I was able to correct my setup and transplant the clones in the wee hours of the morning, and I am proud to say that they have been in my possession now for over 12 hours and they have not died yet. Small victories. I was nervous about procuring clones sight unseen after reading the myriad of horror stories online (which I always take with about a million grains of salt), but after seeing how awful some people's on YouTube were, I feel pretty good about mine. I guess I don't know if they will turn out, but I figure either way, good or bad it will be a learning experience.

Temp is currently at 80 degrees F and 50% humidity, not super concerned on this run because after a lot of reading on these particular strains, they typically both like it a little warmer and a little more dry than average, at least according to the inter web. But I ordered an intake fan today so all god for in the future.

And oh yeah, I guess it turned into 7 plants lol. This clone place was trip. Will I need to grab another light for flowering? I really appreciate everyones feed back so far, it has been so much help, y'all have really helped me avoid a lot of mistakes. Stay tuned for more

 

[woohoo90]

Well, the small victory may have been short lived. I have some twisting going in with the leaves and I’m having a hard time figuring out the culprit. I checked the ph of the water and the soil, and they are both right enough, landing in the 6-6.5 range. I upped the humidity to 55% and dropped the temp to 75. My very inexperienced presumptions would be: too much nitrogen, shock from transplant, or possibly it was already packed with nutes, and maybe as a dark horse/wishful thinking rapid growth?? Lol. The soil is still moist from transplant so I haven’t added any additional water since. Thoughts?

 

[Meakanu]

How close are your fans to the plants with the twisted leaves? Looks like it might be wind stress.
How hot has it been getting? Over 85 degrees?
How close are they to your light?

Those clones still look pretty fresh, they probably can’t handle much over 450ppm nuts if that.

I’m new myself but I think if you can give the information in my questions it should revial the culprit

 

[Enforcer]

They look fine to me. The old leaves will curl in or downward as the plant uses the nutrients stored inside. When they started looking sad, I just clipped mine off. The new growth is what we’re interested in now.

What type of soil are you in?

Are those the pots you bought them in?

 

[woohoo90]

I have them in a 60/40 mix of FFOF and LW, with a small, small amount of perlite and vermiculite. They are super fresh still and I transplanted them to these pots for veg. I checked all roots for tangles before transplanting as well. Yesterday temps were consistently 80.1 all day in the tent but it was frickin 90 outside and I didn't turn the house a/c on till like 2... but it's back in the 70s now and for the foreseeable future. Temp has been steady in the tent in the mid 70s so far today with 55% humidity. I did also raise the inside fan height and got a speed controller for the exhaust fan which should arrive today with my intake fan and digital hygrometer.

The bigger guys were taking up water way faster than the others, namely two of the doggystyles, but also one of the Sunsets. I try to only use the soil meter as a light reference on the outside edges of the pot for fear of tearing roots, but they were also almost dry about about an inch deep too. So I hit them with a light watering, just till a bit of water came out the bottom. I have read that the Sunset strain takes up more nutrients faster then the average plant, and that the cookies strain needs more calcium and magnesium being that it's an OG, anyone have any experience with those ideas? Sorry if I am stating the obvious, or sounding really dumb, just wanna make sure I'm not getting those confused.

I know it's early, but I am pleased with the start thus far. I only wish I woulda started doing this A LOT sooner, because I'm hooked haha.

The next battle I can see brewing will be on how to correctly and efficiently prune and top plants without destroying them and fully maximize their yields, which will be a challenge for me. I honestly might video it to really give you guys some comedic relief... cuz this guys really gets upset when he messes shit up lol.

 

[Enforcer]

I have them in a 60/40 mix of FFOF and LW, with a small, small amount of perlite and vermiculite. They are super fresh still and I transplanted them to these pots for veg. I checked all roots for tangles before transplanting as well. Yesterday temps were consistently 80.1 all day in the tent but it was frickin 90 outside and I didn't turn the house a/c on till like 2... but it's back in the 70s now and for the foreseeable future. Temp has been steady in the tent in the mid 70s so far today with 55% humidity. I did also raise the inside fan height and got a speed controller for the exhaust fan which should arrive today with my intake fan and digital hygrometer.

The bigger guys were taking up water way faster than the others, namely two of the doggystyles, but also one of the Sunsets. I try to only use the soil meter as a light reference on the outside edges of the pot for fear of tearing roots, but they were also almost dry about about an inch deep too. So I hit them with a light watering, just till a bit of water came out the bottom. I have read that the Sunset strain takes up more nutrients faster then the average plant, and that the cookies strain needs more calcium and magnesium being that it's an OG, anyone have any experience with those ideas? Sorry if I am stating the obvious, or sounding really dumb, just wanna make sure I'm not getting those confused.

I know it's early, but I am pleased with the start thus far. I only wish I woulda started doing this A LOT sooner, because I'm hooked haha.

The next battle I can see brewing will be on how to correctly and efficiently prune and top plants without destroying them and fully maximize their yields, which will be a challenge for me. I honestly might video it to really give you guys some comedic relief... cuz this guys really gets upset when he messes shit up lol.

View attachment 759810

Ok, your temps and humidity are fine. As your in amended FFOF, do not feed any nutes for about 4 weeks. Just ph corrected / bubbled (at least 24 hours) tap water or RO water. Water when the pot is light, not only by how dry the top is. Your fan placement looks good, blowing between the plants and the light not on the plants directly. I haven't used a cmh light before, but the distance above the plants looks ok to me. As you only added a small amount of perlite, watch out for over watering. As long as the pot is light before you water you'll be fine. Once your plants are happy and growing well, that's when topping comes into play. You want to wait until they are growing well as topping will stunt their growth for a few days to a week. You don't want to induce stress while they are building their root systems.