Grow #1B
This is my first grow. I will eventually begin growing hydroponically, but for now, here is a guide to help you on your first grow. Growing these plants is a lot like raising a child. If you don't have kids, buy more condoms. That was a joke, don't get butt hurt. On my first grow it was my intention to grow only one plant. That didn't go down the way I had hoped. I ended up planting four (4) seeds altogether to study the germination and growing characteristics of each. The first thing you need to realize is that most of the grow guides out there are for multiple plant grows with a lot of money invested in it. This guide will help you get up and running for just about $230.00. I did many weeks of research on growing cannabis. Many people make it sound more complicated than it is. Granted most of those people are very educated in growing these types of plants. I wrote this guide to be a foundation rather than directions. This is mostly based on my personal preference, and you may edit this in any way you feel. I researched many things, starting with the germination itself. I originally put my seed straight into the soil. While the plant is growing, it is not growing nearly as fast as a manually germinated seed. I utilized the "water soak" method. In this method, you place the seed in nothing but water and let it soak. Within 24 hours the seed "cracked" (the taproot was exposed). I will recommend this method due to the fact that it requires minimal handling of the seed. Using the paper towel, or the toilet paper method, you take a risk of damaging the seed by handling it too much. With the water soak method you put the seed in the water, let it crack, and then place it in the growing medium. Using the aforementioned methods (Toilet paper and Paper Towel) you risk tearing off the taproot when removing the seed for planting. That is why I chose to soak mine in water. I took a lid from a Hawaiian Punch jug, filled it with water, placed the seed in it, and then I covered the lid. Be careful so as to not soak your seed(s) too long as this may kill them. I experimented with varying degrees of time that the seed was in the water. Most of them cracked within 24 hours, but leaving them in the water for more than 24 hours may cause them to be too soaked and will kill the seed. I will now list the supplies that I used, feel free to alter these supplies as you see fit. If you are growing hydroponically don't read this guide. Hydroponics requires more equipment and is more expensive.
1. Soil — I used "Scotts" Hyponex potting soil. It works the same way as Miracle-Gro but is cheaper. Miracle-Gro potting soil can feed plants up to 6 months whereas the soil I chose feeds up to four months. Most cannabis seeds are ready for harvest within 30-80 days, depending on the strain you chose, so I opted for the cheaper soil due to my budget. The time between germination and harvest may vary greatly between strains, and whether it is auto flowering or not. This is why researching your chosen strain is very important. I was able to grab 2 cubic feet of this soil for about $9.00 at Wal-Mart.
2. Grow light — If you are growing indoors, this is probably one of the most important things you need. I chose a Sun System 150w HPS (High Pressure Sodium) grow light fixture. It is powerful enough to keep your plants growing strong, and is not that expensive. This ran me about $80.00 on amazon. I am only growing a few plants so this grow light is ideal for a small scale grow. Research the grow lights out there on the market. You may want to use something different; of course this is based on personal preference.
3. What should you use to put your plants in — Drainage is very important. Again, this is based on personal preference. I am using a 10 qt bucket (a mop bucket found at Wal-Mart, it is very inexpensive) to plant my seeds in. I used a drill to put some drainage holes at the bottom of the bucket. You can use a hammer and a nail if you do not have a drill. Drainage is very important. You want to prevent the pooling of water at the bottom of your bucket. You don't want to water your seedlings too much. According to my research, the number one cause of failure on a first grow is over watering.
4. Seeds (or strain) - I am using auto flowering seeds purchased from a great website with excellent customer service and quick discreet delivery (6 days to the USA). Obviously I cannot divulge that information so as to protect the owners of this company. They also give you free seeds with every purchase. The more you research you will quickly learn the website I am speaking of. Auto flowering strains are ideal for indoor grows. They skip the vegetative stage and begin flowering. With non-auto flowering strains, you have to adjust the light based on the stage your plant is in. This is why auto flowering plants are great for beginners. Once you become accustomed to the way these plants grow, you can invest in the proper equipment for non-auto flowering strains. These seeds cost me about $117.00
5. Light cycle — This is extremely important. You will read about many light cycles. I chose to use a 20 hour on/4 hour off schedule (for my auto flowering seeds). You can go 24 hours if you want, however I believe the effect plateaus at about 20 hours, so 24 really is no different in my opinion. I give my plants, and grow light a little bit of a break after the 20 hour portion of the cycle. Darkness preserves moisture so make sure to give them at least a little bit of down time. Of course, this is my preference, but I believe you must give your plants a break.
Planting your first seed is a great feeling. You have successfully germinated your seeds and are about to take on a great endeavor. Put the soil in your bucket. Make it to where you have a little bit of room from the top (3 inches is what I chose) of the bucket. Pre-mix your soil. When you put your soil in your bucket, pour water in it and mix it up. You want to have enough moisture to let your plant grow. You want the soil to be moist, not wet. The rule of thumb (yes I know what that means, get over it) here is to keep the soil from getting soggy. You want your plant to have moisture, but not too much. Your soil should be able to support your growing seedling for a few days without watering it. Do NOT use any kind of fertilizer until your plant has developed and has a couple sets of leaves on it. You do not want to over stimulate the growth of your plant. Let nature do its thing and wait until your plant is ready to be fed. Also keep in mind that your growing medium may have fertilizer in it, so you may not need to fertilize your plant for the duration of your grow unless, of course, you want to. Take care of your plants, the more attention you give them the better your turn out will be. I am growing for personal use, not to sell. Your first grow may not be successful, that's ok, do it again and learn from your mistakes. One thing you have to accept is that you may lose a few bucks. That is the risk you take. In most states (USA) growing marijuana is illegal. I believe that will not be the case after the few years. Until then, keep your grow secret, do not tell anyone. Telling people will only end up bad.
The distance from the plant to the light is the difference between burning a plant and having a successful grow. I like to keep my plants at about 12-13.5 inches (34.29cm) in the beginning stages. I increase the distance the bigger the plant gets. The basic rule is to hold your hand where the top of plant is and count to ten. If your hand is warm, that's a good distance, if it is hot, move the plant down. You want to provide enough light for the plant to grow without harming it. Thank you for reading this guide, your time is important. I only hope to help beginner growers to have a successful first grow. Please feel free to correct anything in this guide. Please give me credit for establishing the foundations for a first grow. Thank you again for taking the time to read this.
This is my first grow. I will eventually begin growing hydroponically, but for now, here is a guide to help you on your first grow. Growing these plants is a lot like raising a child. If you don't have kids, buy more condoms. That was a joke, don't get butt hurt. On my first grow it was my intention to grow only one plant. That didn't go down the way I had hoped. I ended up planting four (4) seeds altogether to study the germination and growing characteristics of each. The first thing you need to realize is that most of the grow guides out there are for multiple plant grows with a lot of money invested in it. This guide will help you get up and running for just about $230.00. I did many weeks of research on growing cannabis. Many people make it sound more complicated than it is. Granted most of those people are very educated in growing these types of plants. I wrote this guide to be a foundation rather than directions. This is mostly based on my personal preference, and you may edit this in any way you feel. I researched many things, starting with the germination itself. I originally put my seed straight into the soil. While the plant is growing, it is not growing nearly as fast as a manually germinated seed. I utilized the "water soak" method. In this method, you place the seed in nothing but water and let it soak. Within 24 hours the seed "cracked" (the taproot was exposed). I will recommend this method due to the fact that it requires minimal handling of the seed. Using the paper towel, or the toilet paper method, you take a risk of damaging the seed by handling it too much. With the water soak method you put the seed in the water, let it crack, and then place it in the growing medium. Using the aforementioned methods (Toilet paper and Paper Towel) you risk tearing off the taproot when removing the seed for planting. That is why I chose to soak mine in water. I took a lid from a Hawaiian Punch jug, filled it with water, placed the seed in it, and then I covered the lid. Be careful so as to not soak your seed(s) too long as this may kill them. I experimented with varying degrees of time that the seed was in the water. Most of them cracked within 24 hours, but leaving them in the water for more than 24 hours may cause them to be too soaked and will kill the seed. I will now list the supplies that I used, feel free to alter these supplies as you see fit. If you are growing hydroponically don't read this guide. Hydroponics requires more equipment and is more expensive.
1. Soil — I used "Scotts" Hyponex potting soil. It works the same way as Miracle-Gro but is cheaper. Miracle-Gro potting soil can feed plants up to 6 months whereas the soil I chose feeds up to four months. Most cannabis seeds are ready for harvest within 30-80 days, depending on the strain you chose, so I opted for the cheaper soil due to my budget. The time between germination and harvest may vary greatly between strains, and whether it is auto flowering or not. This is why researching your chosen strain is very important. I was able to grab 2 cubic feet of this soil for about $9.00 at Wal-Mart.
2. Grow light — If you are growing indoors, this is probably one of the most important things you need. I chose a Sun System 150w HPS (High Pressure Sodium) grow light fixture. It is powerful enough to keep your plants growing strong, and is not that expensive. This ran me about $80.00 on amazon. I am only growing a few plants so this grow light is ideal for a small scale grow. Research the grow lights out there on the market. You may want to use something different; of course this is based on personal preference.
3. What should you use to put your plants in — Drainage is very important. Again, this is based on personal preference. I am using a 10 qt bucket (a mop bucket found at Wal-Mart, it is very inexpensive) to plant my seeds in. I used a drill to put some drainage holes at the bottom of the bucket. You can use a hammer and a nail if you do not have a drill. Drainage is very important. You want to prevent the pooling of water at the bottom of your bucket. You don't want to water your seedlings too much. According to my research, the number one cause of failure on a first grow is over watering.
4. Seeds (or strain) - I am using auto flowering seeds purchased from a great website with excellent customer service and quick discreet delivery (6 days to the USA). Obviously I cannot divulge that information so as to protect the owners of this company. They also give you free seeds with every purchase. The more you research you will quickly learn the website I am speaking of. Auto flowering strains are ideal for indoor grows. They skip the vegetative stage and begin flowering. With non-auto flowering strains, you have to adjust the light based on the stage your plant is in. This is why auto flowering plants are great for beginners. Once you become accustomed to the way these plants grow, you can invest in the proper equipment for non-auto flowering strains. These seeds cost me about $117.00
5. Light cycle — This is extremely important. You will read about many light cycles. I chose to use a 20 hour on/4 hour off schedule (for my auto flowering seeds). You can go 24 hours if you want, however I believe the effect plateaus at about 20 hours, so 24 really is no different in my opinion. I give my plants, and grow light a little bit of a break after the 20 hour portion of the cycle. Darkness preserves moisture so make sure to give them at least a little bit of down time. Of course, this is my preference, but I believe you must give your plants a break.
Planting your first seed is a great feeling. You have successfully germinated your seeds and are about to take on a great endeavor. Put the soil in your bucket. Make it to where you have a little bit of room from the top (3 inches is what I chose) of the bucket. Pre-mix your soil. When you put your soil in your bucket, pour water in it and mix it up. You want to have enough moisture to let your plant grow. You want the soil to be moist, not wet. The rule of thumb (yes I know what that means, get over it) here is to keep the soil from getting soggy. You want your plant to have moisture, but not too much. Your soil should be able to support your growing seedling for a few days without watering it. Do NOT use any kind of fertilizer until your plant has developed and has a couple sets of leaves on it. You do not want to over stimulate the growth of your plant. Let nature do its thing and wait until your plant is ready to be fed. Also keep in mind that your growing medium may have fertilizer in it, so you may not need to fertilize your plant for the duration of your grow unless, of course, you want to. Take care of your plants, the more attention you give them the better your turn out will be. I am growing for personal use, not to sell. Your first grow may not be successful, that's ok, do it again and learn from your mistakes. One thing you have to accept is that you may lose a few bucks. That is the risk you take. In most states (USA) growing marijuana is illegal. I believe that will not be the case after the few years. Until then, keep your grow secret, do not tell anyone. Telling people will only end up bad.
The distance from the plant to the light is the difference between burning a plant and having a successful grow. I like to keep my plants at about 12-13.5 inches (34.29cm) in the beginning stages. I increase the distance the bigger the plant gets. The basic rule is to hold your hand where the top of plant is and count to ten. If your hand is warm, that's a good distance, if it is hot, move the plant down. You want to provide enough light for the plant to grow without harming it. Thank you for reading this guide, your time is important. I only hope to help beginner growers to have a successful first grow. Please feel free to correct anything in this guide. Please give me credit for establishing the foundations for a first grow. Thank you again for taking the time to read this.
