I am a complete Newbie... Please help... Questions I am confused on....

[RickyX]

I am a complete newbie... Getting ready to grow for the first time... I have read so much until I am dizzy, and binge watched videos... I find most leave information out not realizing a total newbie has no clue... LOL... I would really appreciate any help...

I am growing White Widow (not autoflowering) in soil (first in seedling mix, then in Black Gold... I am using the General Hydroponics (Flora, grow, and bloom). I will be growing in a grow tent 32X20X62 with an LED 600W...

In reading, watching videos, and everything... I am either confused or could not find the information... Can any of you help or give suggestions... Again would really appreciate it...

1: I assume seedling takes about 1 week. I know bloom/flowering is 9 weeks. But for Vegetation stage I am seeing numbers all over the place from 3 weeks, to 4 weeks even up to 8 weeks. Does anybody know or can suggest how long White Widow should be in vegetation before I start the transition? Also is the transition week part of vegetation or the bloom time?

2: As seedlings... Are they grown under the LED light? And if so... how high should the light be from the seedlings?

3. In a 32x20x62 tent, about how many plants (White Widows) will I be able to grow. I am planing on LST-ScrOGS method?

4. Finally for curing, I am hearing White Widow needs 2 weeks and some are saying 4 months to cure? Nothing is being very specific, so I am really confused.

Again, I would really appreciate anyone's help. This is my first time growing. I am so excited, and yet feel so terrified at the same time... LOL I just want to get it right and treat these ladies well... Any other suggestion for a total newbie would also be very appreciated. Was anybody else this nervous the first time they grew...??? Thanks again...

[Rwise]

For photo plants veg them 3+ weeks, when to flip is up to the grower.
The LED should come with instructions as to how high it needs to be, mine is 18-24 inches
Cant help with the tent, when inside I use the entire room.
Many different ways to cure, I hang my plants for 3 - 5 days then chop them into paper bags or boxes 1 layer deep opening as needed until stable. Then to jars and burped each day for 15 minutes at least 3 weeks.
Welcome to GWE!

[Rwise]

BTW thats all done in cool dark areas.
I have started plants and kept them on 12/12s, they dont get big. The longer in veg the bigger they get, so some of that depend on your space, remember they stretch in flower. Vegging to long could work them to hard then not have enuf left for the flower stage. Then many keep mother plants for many years taking only cutting and keeping the mother in veg.
Some things you just have to try, like veg for 6 weeks then flip (if you have the room). Also training comes into play to keep them short for lights. There is a lot to learn, relax and grow a few. If you have some bag seed they can be fun to grow, and cheap to make mistakes on. Post pics here, and ask questions as you grow.

[RickyX]

Rwise,... thanks for that additional information... I was watching a video last night showing about the mother plant... That seems like a great idea... I have learned a lot is such a short time... I think I am over thinking the process and getting anxious... I plan to keep a journal and pictures of my first grow.... I am excited... I bought some expensive quality seeds... have 20... so I guess I can make a few mistakes.... 😂. A gain I really appreciate all your help. I am excited.

[Rwise]

My mistake with mothers is I thought they would not flower under 14/10s, I was wrong! I have another try going, this time I am running 8/4/8/4 light schedule, others are doing this and say it works.

[crunchyfrog]

Hi RickyX, I also am a new grower and I landed here since, to me, the GWE website has best written, easiest to understand information I can find on the internet. Nebula is really a good writer, writing with her audience in mind and keeping it simple and to the point. I also am growing WW and I am planning on drying and curing per her instructions. Like you, I am growing in a enhanced soil mix and using the same nutrients as you. Not sure what black gold is but about 1/3 perlite I think is a must for soil or enhanced soil grows. I have not read much about WW needing different curing times though most things I have read that extending the curing time ( up to a point ) generally improves the quality of the smoke. I am planning on letting it grow / veg until I get a little less than half of my available tent height, meaning allowing for height of the light above the plants and the highest height my light can get. So, in my case, with an 8 ft high tent, my plants will be about 2 ft tall or so when I go to flowering. I am about 3.5 weeks after the plants out of the ground and and I think I will probably be going to flowering in 3 or 4 weeks so a total of about 7 or 8 weeks out of the ground but we will see as it may be sooner. I am amazed at how the growth rate picked up after I transplanted from the solo cups where I started my seedlings and I got a little experience under my belt relative to reading the plants and soil relative to watering needs. I probably over watered, under watered, light too close and light too far all in the first two weeks but they survived my lack of experience and seem to really liking their care now. Relative to flowering time, from what I have read, I think it is all about reading the trichromes and sugar leaves, not necessarily a given number of weeks or days. As far as number of plants, you have ~4.4 square feet, I am growing 4 plants in 16 square ft so my guess would be no more than one or two plants. I have gotten good, kind responses from my posts with questions and there is a lot of collective knowledge here and I keep reading the new posts and re reading Nebulas articles/tutorials. I know I am going to make mistakes and do not mind if I do, just hope I want make a fatal mistake but if I do, I have more seeds! Good luck, would love to see pictures of your set up and plants. Good luck!

[RickyX]

Thank you so much... Lots of good information... and the fact you are new and growing the same strain... I feel more confident... I think I read so much I got confused. I would love to follow your posts as you grow. again I really appreciate it... Good luck to you as well. Oh Black Gold is a totally organic soil with nutrients designed to grow cannabis... I read they are one of the best. I bought it through Amazon... and just now UPS dropped the bag off... lol... Thanks again... you really helped.

[RickyX]

Oops, the soil I got was Big RoootZ by Soil King...

[Rwise]

I am organic also, but I build my own soil, heres my thread on growing trees, enjoy

https://forum.growweedeasy.com/forum/growing-community/389739-anyone-in-for-growing-trees-summer-grow-2020

[UndergroundFarmer]

If you've got a bit of extra cash, get a fluorescent light bar or even a T5 panel. You'll need one. Seedlings and clones do much better under one of those.

[RickyX]

Thank you for the suggestion... Great idea, something I actually considered buying in the beginning... but didn't... It is a little expensive getting started... But I think I will add that... Appreciate it...

[crunchyfrog]

Hi again RickyX , just wanted to share a few photos with you of how things have gone so far for me. The first is when all 4 were seedlings at day 3 out of the ground with seed starting mix with no perlite in small peat pots. Looking back, I wish I had started my seedlings in solo cups with 1/3 perlite which are in the second picture after transplant. Also, in the second picture (2 weeks out of the ground) and you can see the ends on a couple of leaves that look "scarred" from where I had them too close to my lights (I started the seedlings with four 23 w daytime CFL lights). The third and fourth pictures are after one week in their final home in 5 gallon buckets (with lots of holes drilled in the bottom) with 1/3 perlite and 2/3 Coco Loco soil in a 4x4x8 tent with a 1200 W viparspectra. They seem to love it in there! The last picture is from this morning where I am starting quadlining by topping above the 4th node (just before this picture was taken) and I had removed nodes 1, 2 and the cotyledons yesterday. I am not recommending quadlining as I think most would suggest first timers do not try this but I am going to try because I want to learn and I am okay if/when I make mistakes. I do recommend 1/3 perlite though and not over watering, those are the mistakes I made early on...

What stage are you in starting your grow?