1st Time Grow - 4x4 - 1000watts - Soil!

[Stoner Chick]

Hi everyone! Welcome to my first grow. I have grown a plant or 2 in a 2 liter soda bottle but i don't count them since i never did anything but give them water, rarely waited for them to finish, and often just smoked them as leaves! Ahhh the teen years...

My space is a 4x4 storage closet.

Today i am germinating 28 seeds in jiffy pots; 20 are bag seed from really good stuff over the past few years (the kind of stuff where seeds is not expected), and 8 seeds are a strain called Dirty Dawg from California Seed Co. which is an indica.

The reason i am starting so many is because I am going to assume that half are male at least. I want my final run to be 12-16 females.

My setup:
- 1000watt Digital Ballast - MH for veg (with a hortilux super HPS 1000 for flower)
- 250watt ballast - just because i thought i was only going to be doing 1 plant. But Uncle Sam changed my mind
- 2 Gallon bags
- Blazeoneup soil mix (miracle gro, promix, bone meal, blood meal, perlite)
- Dehumidifier (you can see it in the bottom corner of the picture)

I am kinda bummed that i have to start so many bags and then widdle them down as i find males. I am really scared i won't be able to spot all the males and lose the crop to pollination. But have no clue how to due clones, no space to due clones, and more importantly, no time.

I figure this is my first grow so nothing will be 'dialed in', especially considering i am using an unknown strain and wild bag seed. I hoping that if i can have 12-16 plants that i could yield somewhere in the 1/2 to 3/4 pound range if i don't totally screw things up. This is why i chose the blazeoneup soil mix, because it has been tried by someone super experienced and i have seen repeated posts where people quote the soil mix from blaze they are using. So it can't be bad. Also, mixing nutrients and things just sounds like a recipe for disaster. I like the simplicity of earth + water = buds.

I have not decided if i want to start them in 2 gallon bags, or in 16oz cups and then transplant to bags. I read a thread on the merits of transplanting and such but am still undecided. I do however have a nice long soil moister meter reader just in case i plant them in the 2gal bags from start to finish so i don't drown them.

Am i missing anything?

I'll post pics when i have sprouts.

 

[Stoner Chick]

Actually, i think it best that i start in cups and transplant them to "Smartpots".

I can't get the Smartpots right now to start them in, but i can get them by the 1st of June, well before my lil leafy children are ready for transplant.

These forums are just a wealth of knowledge for first timers.

After reading that airpots thread, i am definitely going with air pruning pots.

 

[Stoner Chick]

If you have issues with Miracle Gro, you may not want to follow this thread since i will be growing stuff that will be poisoning my 'patients', or so i have been told by one person so far on ICMag forums.

However, this is my first grow. Miracle Gro seemed a good choice and was recommended in a few different threads for this particular soil mix by blazeoneup, so i figured it can't be bad, right?

Little did i know i would get the dramahz.

Well hopefully, my plants come out o.k. If they don't. I will try again and post that journal as well. This is a learning process and I will try to learn all that i can about the method of growing i choose to follow.

There will be bumps along the road...oh yes, there will be bumps.

 

[slackx]

You're running my exact same setup well atleast wattage and space wise. My suggestion don't run more then 9-12 plants for flower it'll turn into an untamable jungle in a 4x4. Make sure you get a good fan to keep that shit cool those 1k's get realllyyyy hot.

You'd have to be blind not to spot a male either it has a node with two little hairs coming out of it or a ball isn't rocket science.

Also 1k in a 4x4 with 9 plants can yield 1.5 pounds even if you screw up - 2+ if you do it well.

Moisture meters are a waste of money god gave you fingers for a reason if you can stick your finger in the dirt and it's dry it's time to water enough said lol.

Good luck and best wishes on your grow i'll check up on thsi thread

Hi everyone! Welcome to my first grow. I have grown a plant or 2 in a 2 liter soda bottle but i don't count them since i never did anything but give them water, rarely waited for them to finish, and often just smoked them as leaves! Ahhh the teen years...

My space is a 4x4 storage closet.

Today i am germinating 28 seeds in jiffy pots; 20 are bag seed from really good stuff over the past few years (the kind of stuff where seeds is not expected), and 8 seeds are a strain called Dirty Dawg from California Seed Co. which is an indica.

The reason i am starting so many is because I am going to assume that half are male at least. I want my final run to be 12-16 females.

My setup:
- 1000watt Digital Ballast - MH for veg (with a hortilux super HPS 1000 for flower)
- 250watt ballast - just because i thought i was only going to be doing 1 plant. But Uncle Sam changed my mind
- 2 Gallon bags
- Blazeoneup soil mix (miracle gro, promix, bone meal, blood meal, perlite)
- Dehumidifier (you can see it in the bottom corner of the picture)

I am kinda bummed that i have to start so many bags and then widdle them down as i find males. I am really scared i won't be able to spot all the males and lose the crop to pollination. But have no clue how to due clones, no space to due clones, and more importantly, no time.

I figure this is my first grow so nothing will be 'dialed in', especially considering i am using an unknown strain and wild bag seed. I hoping that if i can have 12-16 plants that i could yield somewhere in the 1/2 to 3/4 pound range if i don't totally screw things up. This is why i chose the blazeoneup soil mix, because it has been tried by someone super experienced and i have seen repeated posts where people quote the soil mix from blaze they are using. So it can't be bad. Also, mixing nutrients and things just sounds like a recipe for disaster. I like the simplicity of earth + water = buds.

I have not decided if i want to start them in 2 gallon bags, or in 16oz cups and then transplant to bags. I read a thread on the merits of transplanting and such but am still undecided. I do however have a nice long soil moister meter reader just in case i plant them in the 2gal bags from start to finish so i don't drown them.

Am i missing anything?

I'll post pics when i have sprouts.

 

[slackx]

First thing you need to do is not beleive everything you read on the internet. I ran two grows in miracle grow soil with miracle grow tomato food and smoked every part of a 3oz harvest and i'm posting this to you. Stuff you read on here you should cross check with factual websites - every opinion stated here can either be prooved true in a book or a site somewhere if not i wouldn't suggest doing it.

If you have issues with Miracle Gro, you may not want to follow this thread since i will be growing stuff that will be poisoning my 'patients', or so i have been told by one person so far on ICMag forums.

However, this is my first grow. Miracle Gro seemed a good choice and was recommended in a few different threads for this particular soil mix by blazeoneup, so i figured it can't be bad, right?

Little did i know i would get the dramahz.

Well hopefully, my plants come out o.k. If they don't. I will try again and post that journal as well. This is a learning process and I will try to learn all that i can about the method of growing i choose to follow.

There will be bumps along the road...oh yes, there will be bumps.

 

[Stoner Chick]

You're running my exact same setup well atleast wattage and space wise. My suggestion don't run more then 9-12 plants for flower it'll turn into an untamable jungle in a 4x4. Make sure you get a good fan to keep that shit cool those 1k's get realllyyyy hot.

You'd have to be blind not to spot a male either it has a node with two little hairs coming out of it or a ball isn't rocket science.

Also 1k in a 4x4 with 9 plants can yield 1.5 pounds even if you screw up - 2+ if you do it well.

Moisture meters are a waste of money god gave you fingers for a reason if you can stick your finger in the dirt and it's dry it's time to water enough said lol.

Good luck and best wishes on your grow i'll check up on thsi thread

Great advice! I will keep it down to 9-12!

Thank you!

Right now i have a box fan which blows on the 1000watt hood, and i ran it for a few hour test and the fan keeps the hood so cool i can set my hand on it for an unlimited amount of time. Also, that room has A/C piped directly into it and gets a bigger blast than anywhere in the house, so when the A/C is on that 1000w has no chance to act all hot and bothered in that 4x4. The dehumidifier sitting in the pic also blows cool air directly up against the lens of the reflector pushing the heat away from the plants. I will get a thermometer and hang it in there.

I am glad to hear from someone else that used Miracle Gro, makes me feel good.

I do have to say that if what i have read is true about what is in it, i probably won't use it again, but for now, it is all I have, all i could afford, and i feel all squared away and ready to grow. It has taken me 1/2 a year to save and acquire the little things needed and finally decided on a grow method that wouldn't cost me hundreds of dollars just to grow a dozen plants (like those ebb and flow and aero and bucket systems).

The coolest part for me is that since the grow is in a basement closet, i have a hose down there and an outside water spigot that it can connect to and makes watering super easy.

The only way this could get easier is if i could just plant the seeds, go to sleep, and wake up with pounds. However, the best made plans rarely survive the first encounter with the enemy. So we shall see how i fair when i get these seedlings germinated!

 

[Emperor Herer]

4X4 X nine and a half weeks...

4X4 X nine and a half weeks...

The only way this could get easier is if i could just plant the seeds, go to sleep, and wake up with pounds. However, the best made plans rarely survive the first encounter with the enemy. So we shall see how i fair when i get these seedlings germinated!

Oh, Dude-ett, that is SO true. Take a nap, wake up to pounds...

Time takes time and MOTHER NATURE time is the best of all.



You go girl.



Aint no way to learn but by doing. I know way to many career students that cant cross the street by themselves, AA, BA, MA and PhDs that that ARE bright enough to poor piss out of a boot... as long as the instructions are written on the bottom of said boot.

I found that when I decided on my hobby of growing my own meds, I had to HAD TO, get myself a-nuther hobby, otherwise I am fitting and farting with the plants to much.

One word for you: Dollar Store!!

Best of luck with this! we're right beside you


Stay cool, stay safe

*

 

[traxamill627]

i spent 4grand on my room goodluck with your grow

 

[stagehand099]

What reflector are you using? If you run a 1K in an air-cooled reflector (one with a lens) without a fan, those expensive bulbs will not last very long, trust me. It would be better to run open, without the lense than to run it and just let the heat radiate from the reflector. Best of luck on the grow, though, for sure. MG soil won't kill you but totally organic soil with hand-mixing of organic amendments is the ultimate and you can recycle it forever. But everyone goes through a bunch of progressive changes in this hobby. Grow some good buds and keep it simple for now. Peace.

stagehand

 

[Stoner Chick]

What reflector are you using? If you run a 1K in an air-cooled reflector (one with a lens) without a fan, those expensive bulbs will not last very long, trust me. It would be better to run open, without the lense than to run it and just let the heat radiate from the reflector. Best of luck on the grow, though, for sure. MG soil won't kill you but totally organic soil with hand-mixing of organic amendments is the ultimate and you can recycle it forever. But everyone goes through a bunch of progressive changes in this hobby. Grow some good buds and keep it simple for now. Peace.

stagehand

Thanks for the advice, i will remove the lense before firing it up again!
My reflector is a Sunleave one. I did not get the kind with the holes for fans in them because i didn't understand what the holes were for when i was shopping for lights and hadn't run across ICMag yet.

 

[Stoner Chick]

Oh noes!

Oh noes!

I got a PH Meter today and took a reading and it gave me bad news:

Ph of 9.2!! And i have not even mixed my soil yet which also requires LIME, and from what i read, lime is for keeping the PH from dropping, right? So what if it is high like 9.2?

I don't know what to do now.

Do i PH down the water everytime i water my plants?

Do i still add Lime to my soil mix?


Any advice will be appreciated!

 

[Stoner Chick]

Oh, Dude-ett, that is SO true. Take a nap, wake up to pounds...

Time takes time and MOTHER NATURE time is the best of all.



You go girl.



Aint no way to learn but by doing. I know way to many career students that cant cross the street by themselves, AA, BA, MA and PhDs that that ARE bright enough to poor piss out of a boot... as long as the instructions are written on the bottom of said boot.

I found that when I decided on my hobby of growing my own meds, I had to HAD TO, get myself a-nuther hobby, otherwise I am fitting and farting with the plants to much.

One word for you: Dollar Store!!

Best of luck with this! we're right beside you


Stay cool, stay safe

*

Thanks Emperor! I appreciate you kind words and support!

 

[TheGreenBastard]

I got a PH Meter today and took a reading and it gave me bad news:

Ph of 9.2!! And i have not even mixed my soil yet which also requires LIME, and from what i read, lime is for keeping the PH from dropping, right? So what if it is high like 9.2?

I don't know what to do now.

Do i PH down the water everytime i water my plants?

Do i still add Lime to my soil mix?


Any advice will be appreciated!

That's why we try to stay away from miracle grow...

 

[Stoner Chick]

That's why we stay away from miracle grow...

Huh?

What does the PH of my tap water have to do with Miracle Gro???

 

[TheGreenBastard]

Huh?

What does the PH of my tap water have to do with Miracle Gro???

Sorry, I thought you were referring to the ph of the soil, either way, that is very high.

 

[Stoner Chick]

Are there any amendments that can be mixed into a soil to get the PH down to 6.5ish?? Or do i have to PH Down my every feeding?

 

[J R]

You may want to take the waters PPM also, before you add anything to it.
Do you use a water softer?

 

[green_thumb...]

i think you always want to water with PH'd water no matter what water source you use be it tap,well,R/O whatever.. and id mix some perlite into the miricle grow, the last time i ran it,it just got hard as a rock and suffocated the roots. so extra airration is a must other than that sounds like your ready to start cultivating...

 

[Stoner Chick]

You may want to take the waters PPM also, before you add anything to it.
Do you use a water softer?

Oh boy. I don't have a PPM meter, those are one of those "barrier to Hydro growing" items that just cost so much.

I checked my water company website and they say the water is like 150-250ppm. Whatever that means.

I don't use a water softener.

 

[Natagonnaworrie]

you'll be alright without a PPM meter. I went for a while (years) without one. Now i have had one for years and i dont ever use it.

If your water is under 300 you are fine without a PPM meter or RO water. If you want to know the PPM you can add it up from your ferts or check a feed chart that estimates PPM. Honestly, i wouldnt even worry about it. U plants will tell you when its too much.. Just start at half strength.

As far as soil additives you can use lime in your mix. (you should be using it anyway but next time) Check the organic sub-forum for which one to get.

I have used this for about 6 grows now with great results.

http://www.amazon.com/Espoma-Organic-Traditions-Garden-Lime/dp/B000BWZAQQ

You still should always PH ur water to 6.3 - 6.5 for soil grows but there is no reason that you cant do it in larger batches and leave it out so sit until the next watering.