So, just wanted to give an update to all who were kind enough to help. She's looking really healthy and strong, on her new growth. There's a couple sets of growth tips showing, so I'm planning to begin with lst. So excited about how quick she's growing now, and more importantly how healthy the new growth looks.
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Campesino, maybe I will. I was little hesitant too, with it being my first grow. I didn't want to start one, then embarrass myself lol. I'm just really glad I finally decided to pull the trigger on doing this. I've wanted too a couple times before, but have started getting supplies then always chickened out. The first time in thought I was gonna start was about 13 years ago. So, I purchased a bunch of light fixtures and 8 65-watt cfl bulbs. The most recent time was maybe 2 years ago, and LEDs had came a long way. So, I purchased a viparspectra 400 watt LED, because it was very reasonably priced, and even though it wasn't the highest rated light out there, it seemed to be good for a beginner looking to get their feet wet. But, was still within a budget that I wouldn't freak out if it didn't work out. But, I chickened out again lol. There was a couple times in between that I never followed through on either. And then lately when I started reading about coco, it sparked my interest again, and I went ahead and got started. My setup is super simple. Since I already had the lights, I planned on using the led as my main source of lighting, and the cfl bulbs for supplemental lighting. All my nutrients are gh. Except my Cal mag supplement. It's called mag cal plus, from a company called 5 gallon bucket hydroponics. This was given to me by my mother-in-law who previously used it to cure blossom end rot in tomatoes. I thought at first it was no good, but it turned out to be just fine, I just didn't know at the time to buffer the coco at first. My grow room is in my closet. I have a flat furniture dolly on wheels ( a wooden square made with 4 2x4s and wheels in the corners see)in the corner of my walk in closet. On top of that is the lid to a 4.5ft x 2.5ft plastic tote which is what my plants sit on. I use this on the furniture dolly because it's recessed and holds the water runoff from the fabric pots. There is a hole in the middle I drilled and have filled with a bathtub plug. I do this so that it holds the runoff for measurement. Then I put a bowl under the plug to catch the runoff when I open the plug, so that I can collect it to feed my other house plants. I have my lights hanging from a metal shelf near the top of my closet, and they're adjusted by chain link. I have measurements written on the wall to measure the distance easily. I rigged up a shower curtain around it to reflect the light, and because they're heat resistant. The inside is obviously white to reflect the light, and the outside is a solid black very thick shower curtain. Then the top of the shelf the lights hang from is blocked by another white shower curtain to keep it light tight. And I use magnets to make sure it all stays that way. And just to be safe, just in case, we don't use the closet light at all during dark hours, and in case there was an emergency we have to get in there for the bulb has been changed to a green led just as an extra precaution. In know it doesn't really matter now during veg. But, I'm making sure I already have good habits by the time she goes into flower. I have 2 6-inch fans for intake and exhaust. And a 12 inch fan to blow on the plant directly, which I'm not using right now since I wasn't sure if it was one of the problems when she was sick. Would it be okay to start using this again, or is it too soon? I just have an analog thermometer and humidity guage. Fortunately, my grow room ,without any extra effort, stays at right about 45% humidity, and when the lights are on the temperature stays between 75-77 degrees, and between 70-72 when they are off. I'm currently watering/feeding twice a day with roughly 20% runofff each time, and I intend to increase to 4x daily in the flowering stage, since I'm using 3 gallon fabric pots. I don't currently have a way to measure ec, but I did just order a guage today. It was much cheaper than I had anticipated. So, I'll be able to start tracking that in just a couple days. I don't have a ph meter either at the moment. But, I do have the gh pH up, down, and test kit. And I've been keeping the nutes/water at roughly 6.0 pH. I'm now growing in buffered Coco with about 30% perlite. I think that's about all there is to know. I'm telling you all this because you seem to be an expert grower who also doesn't mind helping others out. So, I did want to ask you a few questions. Does this seem like a feasible setup to get good results for a first time grower? Is there anything, that's very important, that I have overlooked? I'm sure a traditional grow tent would be better. But, being my first time, I didn't want to spend too much money without getting some experience first. Especially, after using a large portion of my budget on quality seeds. And my entire grow area was set up using stuff I already had around the house. It doesn't get any cheaper than that lol. So, if I do a grow journal and have some success maybe it will help others pull that trigger who otherwise wouldn't because of money. And id like to be able to help others, since others were nice enough to help me. My grow space is 4.5ft x 2.5ft, and could be as high as 8ft tall if I needed it to be. All together I have a 400 watt (actual power usage) and 520 watts of cfl bulbs. Is this a good amount of light for this space, too much, or too little? I do intend to top my plants, but I want to wait for there to be a couple more nodes first. Most of what I've read says people top their plants then start lst. But, I was wondering if it would be okay to go ahead and start lst now ahead of time, since the growth tips are showing, or if she's still a little too fragile and I should wait till topping. I was also wondering, if it would be a good idea to put the 12 inch fan back on the plants or to hold off for a while? And my last question is about the type of plant. I much prefer the effects of sativa, but, everyone says new growers should avoid them. But, those were the effects I wanted. So, I chose a hybrid that is 70% sativa, 30% indica to try and make things easier, and still feel like a sativa. Is this gonna be something that really causes me a lot of trouble, or is it one of those things that will be okay as long as I stay on top of training? Thank you so much for all your help, again. Hopefully, the more I learn I'll be able to pass it on to others. I'm sorry if I rambled, but I wanted to be thorough. I still feel like I left stuff out. Lol. Thank you again.
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OK, that was a lot to put in one paragraph!
Let's see...
Blow air around, but not right at them...
Yes, EC pens are cheap! Everyone should have one! Glad you are getting yours!
Everything about your set-up sounds great! Pot size, coco buffering, perlite ratio, fertigation plan... We can discuss EC targets and management decisions once you get your meter! I got you on my list of growers following my guide, and you can always ask me questions!
Light is certainly adequate. I only pull something like 412 from the wall in my 4x4 tent.
You will be fine with the strain, because you have a community to help! I manifold my plants and would help walk you through that if you decide to (check out Nebula's guide: https://www.growweedeasy.com/nebulas...s-main-lining/ ). Topping and fimming are also good choices... All of Nebula's training articles are great. Be aware that LST, sounds low risk, but if you aren't careful you can easily snap branches. Topping is higher stress, but actually lower risk.
Do a grow journal. For yourself - for others. To be able to ask questions, and look back at your own history and progress. Journaling and being part of this community absolutely makes growing much more fun - and will increase your confidence. You don't have to feel like an expert already... journals are great places to ask and learn!
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Haha ,sorry guys, for the giant paragraph. I was writing that on my lunch break and was trying to say a lot really quick. Thanks again for the help. Chefbjy, I want to thank you to for being willing to help from day one as well. And any input from anyone is always welcome. I'm just happy to be doing it, and I know my first grow is more about the learning than anything else. I expect to make mistakes. That's how you learn. Thanks again guysComment
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