starting from the beginning - looking for a basic how-to guide

[mr.e]

hi everyone just joined here :)

I have an apartment with an extra bedroom that I would like to convert so I have a place to grow my own meds. This website is really great but there is information overload on many topics which Im sure will be a good thing for me later...

I am starting fresh from the beginning and all I have is an empty room. Can someone refer me to a start-up guide of some kind so I can get started and learn from the extreme basic level? I apologize in advance because obviously I don't know the right questions to ask at this point. All I know is I need to be under the radar so my neighbors don't smell anything :)

thanks!
E

 

[Tobor the 8th Man]

What amount of start up money do you have?

One light.

One hood

Two fans

One can filter

One grow tent

2 four foot 2 bulb shop lights or whatever to be the seedling, clone, mom lights out in the room or in the closet..

Tent in the middle of the room.

I would start with a 600w or 1000w in a nice air cooled hood. Have the light on it's own vent system drawing air from the room through the light and out the exhaust fan. and out the tent into the room.

Have another fan drawing air from in the room into the tent and up to the top exhaust flap through the fan and through the can filter. In the winter you can just crack open a window to keep the bedroom cool even with the exhaust from the tent and light. In the summer you can use an a/c.

This way you can learn with that equipment. If you are good, have the time and like what you are doing you can add more tents or put another light in the tent you started with if there is room.

Get your grow tent up and running and monitor temps. If you have the environment controlled start some seeds or get some clones. Don't start a bunch of seedlings or clones until the grow area is up and runs properly.

You need to decide on grow technique. I would suggest soil, soiless Pro Mix or combo as a starting point. Although there is enough info on the web that someone who really does their research can make a good first attempt at some type of hydro.

Tents are easy to put up, easy to take down and leave no trace behind.

Good luck. You can do it though. The first step is the hardest. Just deciding on a plan.

 

[dextr0]

THCfarmer Grow FAQs


Another place i visited frequently when i started
http://www.growery.org/

 

[Melvan]

The first thing you need to do is read Clarke's Marijuana Botany. Google it, you can download it for free. If you don't understand how the plant itself works, it won't matter what kind of equipment you have.

What is the exact square footage of the space you plan to use? Size of the space determines pretty much everything.

 

[smokestack23]

Marijuana horticulture is another great book.

You can start as simply and minimally as you want or your wallet allows. You can start with a few curly bulbs and go to High Pressure Sodium from there.

the basic things are:
Probably the most important factor is your stock (not stalk). you really want to start with great strain. Bag seed is a crapshoot at best.

You're gonna start your plants under 18 hours on and 6 hours off cycle. That will promote vegetative growth and inhibit flowering. You'll need a timer for this. Some people leave the lights on for 24hours during veg. Some people might say that's a waste of electricity since the plants WILL sleep.
During this "veg" cycle you will give them nutrients with a high first number. they are usually listed showing the main 3 nutrients. those being Nitrogen(N), Phosphorous (P), and Potasium(K). When the plants are small you'll give them a weak solution of this. When they're FIRST sprouting, either VERY weak or no nutrients at all.

When they reach a size and age you're happy with you'll induce flowering by switching the photoperiod from 18on6off to 12on 12off. You'll also switch to a nutrient mixture that has a higher middle number.

Those are the basice. There is a TON more for you to learn but thats a start.

 

[mr.e]

wow thanks for the great info! I had no idea those tents existed, I found one on ebay already!
I will look for those books and my room is about 14x14 and 8' tall so I guess 14 x 14 is almost 200 sq. feet.

My budget isn't unlimited so I will have to buy a piece of the puzzle one paycheck at a time. I think I have plenty to get started I will keep you all updated! Its nice to find a friendly board on the web.. one last question: where can I get quality seed? I'm in the Los Angeles area...
thanks again! :)

 

[mastacheeser]

im a reader so the first thing i got was the jorge cervantes books
they are not so great for anything super advanced but its great for pointing beginers in the right direction
when i started aero i watched the movies See More Buds and they did me alot of good. there is like three or four of them
as far as seeds in the LA Area
im south la and i hit santa ana superior care or SASC
Probally guna get chased of this site for saying it but Cali Connect Seeds
weedmaps.com will find you all the seeds you ever need
or you can order from the bay if you want some sent to your house

 

[HeLLMuTT]

Read Read Read Read Read Read and Read a little more! :)

Read as many grow journals as you can. When products, terminology or anything your not familiar with pops up just highlight the term, right click and search with google. This will only help ya understand better what is greek to you. Doing that will help you with nutrients too.

The more you put into your brain the better.

 

[Tobor the 8th Man]

I don't want him reading anything. I want a mind that is a blank slate so I can develop it the way I want. I am making him my experiment. LOL!

No reading is always good. I always find it easy to read about things I like doing. It's not like school where you had to read about stuff you didn't like. If I could have majored in Marijuana I would have been on the Dean's List every semester and graduated Magna Cum Laude.