High! I'm new to growing, advice?

[greenhouse]

Hey THCFarmer! I'm researching and saving up money to start growing. I don't know whether to go with soil or hydro or which strains are good for a beginner. Any advice you have would be great!

PS almost :420:

greenhouse

 

[CanadianClassic]

If you are new to growing don't do Hydro it's alot ezer to screw up and less forgiving,Go with soil and pick a "Indica" strain since it is ezer to manage and wont grow out of control like a "Sativa".....how big is your grow space and how much money are u willing to spend..That will determine your next move!


Goodluck with the ladies!!!

 

[hubcap]

my advice?
read through the GROW FAQ
(big red letters. top left of page. cant miss it)
taking time to understand what different grow mediums bring to the table
(hydro...soil...soilless/coco, etc)
each different style has its own needs, and pro's and con's, so, one must know the differences.

for example...
when growing in water its better to have a pH in the 5.8-6.0 range. (sometimes, even a lil lower) While soil grows benefit more from a pH in the 6.3-6.5 range.

once you have a general idea on what style you want to do, and what special things that style of grow needs......
THEN pick a strain that youd be interested in growing.

id recommend tried and true strains, as opposed to the expensive flavors of the week like sour d and chemdog.

a classic NL for a first grow usually is enough to get people hooked on growing. is SO forgiving and yields well even with mistakes.
C99 is popular and very easy to grow, too.
GroDocs bubbledust and angeldust fit the bill, too.
sweet tooth and ultimate indica are heavy, easy grows, as well, but it all depends on what type of buzz your looking for.....

skip the big buds, and chronics of the world. all weight and no punch. some have cuts that are otherwise, but, thats after time and money selecting. and, tbh, the buzz really aint worth it, imo. i always hear new growers say they want to run chronic, big bud, etc etc etc....
they see these huge pics of buds but have no idea how lame the smoke is.

so, research your STYLE of grow and research the STRAIN you want to grow.


in that order.

and ask questions along the way


-cap

 

[monkey5]

greenhouse, Welcome to the farm! Not much i can add to the posts above! Both good advice for sure! Hope they help you out, greenhouse! I have not seen you posting in awhile hubcap, nice to see you posting again, brother! monkey5

 

[crom]

I agree 100% with Hubcap's post. Information is power! READ READ READ! And then read some more. For real though I would say you found the "grail" of grow sites. Get a comfy chair and some sweet flowers and put in the leg work required to get "experience" under your belt. Be confident and learn from mistakes. Label everything with dates, strain names, generation(F1,S1,F2)you'll see what I mean in a year lol. I would also use the Farm and it's members to it's FULL potential. Read the rules for this site and understand what is tolerated before doing something like a back alley deal for clones or something. Don't be a dick is a good one. lol Have fun and I will see you around the Farm.

Cheers,
Crom

 

[Zanthe]

Greenhouse! Welcome and its always great to hear new and upcoming growers taking the time for R&D, it will definitely pay off.

Great advice above, soil is very forgiving! And indica's are great for a new indoor gardener, When I started growing I had sour diesel and casey jones in my garden, and they are beasts to start out with! One of the best thing you can do to start growing is... Start Growing! Start small and learn, and then go crazy when you have your comfort zone and figure out what style fits you best!

Posting more specific details about your garden area and ambitions with be helpful with letting us know your needs =)

Happy Gardening

 

[hubcap]

also, famer greenhouse, to add to the great advice already posted, pertaining to your grow area itself:

you mentioned you were saving money, and gathering info in the process, BEFORE starting your grow. This, alone, makes me want to help you 100 times more than someone who has read squat and comes here, frantic, asking 'why my leaves are brown tipped, and my buds look wispy.' That, alone, ups your chances of success tenfold, if you were to ask me.
That being said, there are VARIED approaches one could take, but, Ill highlight two of the more popular approaches:

-Do-It-Yourself (DIY)
-Pre-made rooms, tents, etc.


while each has its pro's and cons, i would recommend the DIY approach if money is a BIG issue, or a tent if money is only SOMEWHAT of an issue.

Let me explain a lil futher because some might not agree with that statement.

While a new grower would save quite a bit with the DIY approach, they might not have a full understanding of what they are building, and more importantly, WHY. One could simply pick a cheap and easy design, buy the parts and build it, and it will probably work, but, the grower will, inevitably want to change it in the future to tailor-make it for their specific enviornment. this is true down the board, hence, why we see so many different styles and approaches.

The reason I advocate tents to newer growers is many, but, Ill try and list the more important 'bullet points.'

1. A basic, solid grow enviornment is ready to go, at your door, out of the box. Takes less than an hour to set up, and usually has sufficient venting and/or reflective materiale. Its also VERY easy to take down in emergencies, which is preferred in a communal living situation such as a condo, or townhome, or apartment.
2. Theyve come a long way and there arent too many out there that dont offer a great product to a newer grower. As long as the frame is sturdy and, preferrably, made from steel, and is light proof, it should fit the bill nicely.
3. Everything you need is in one package. No need for repeated trips to Blowes or Home De-Pot to buy the tools you need to make the box/tent.
4. When a new grower KNOWS the home for his girls is already tried and tested by growers many, he/she would have more confidence in a happy harvest. repairing and fixing things you forgot, or things that broke, during the DIY process can get tedious for the less enginerring inclined. while its not hard to DIY a tent, it might not be for everyone.

while i certainly wont advocate against a DIY for a noob grower, i just feel chances for success are a lil better with a tent jobber, and emergency tear down is ALOT simpler than a sturdy, fixed DIY box/tent/room. this capability is HUGE when behind enemy lines (or not.)

farmer greenhouse......

you absorbing all of this???
i could go on for days, but, i wanna know someones reading all of my long winded garble.


-cap

 

[crom]

Hubcap has lots of good advise for the noob pay attention. Lol no really if your not a savvy builder or don't really understand what plants need in an indoor garden a tent is a great start. Ultimately your going to tweak EVERYTHING so work on understanding what a plant needs to be healthy and successful. Start small like one plant. Keep a journal of what happened each day so you can go back and review what worked or didn't.

Cannabis is a very tolerant plant if you provide the proper environment(temp,Humidity, air circulation and proper venting). You don't need to run out and buy gallons of canna nutrients or advanced nutrients to be successful. Take your time and learn is probably the easiest way to put it. Hubcap is correct that researching PRIOR to starting is worth more to experienced Farmers since so many start and then figure it all out. Keep up the research and you'll know when your ready to bite the bullet and start. Best of luck and feel free to ask questions.

Cheers,
Crom

 

[MASSES 420KING]

welcome to the farm and brotha its always 420

 

[HomeTNGrown420]

Hello everyone I would like to introduce my self, im new here to THC Famer, but I'm at other grow sites too, Just thought I would introduce my self, I have been growing now for 7 years, mainly soil and hydro, I have just now started to experment with Coco, and I'm haveing fun with it!! BUT i think if your gonna start growing use soil it is more forgiving than hydro and coco, and make sure you dont use MIRICLE GROW!!! Use some money and buy some or PM me for a well sought after soil recipe by subcool him self, which was gaven to me by him on another grow site BB. I hope to contrube some of my knowlege in this site, because we are all growers for the right cause!!