First time indoor grower: would love some advice please!

[bluter]

overpriced and underpowered for what they are.
wattage claims are out to lunch. not a parameter you can trust on those.

not bad for seedling to early veg tho.
probably won't do anything else.

proper light will cost. it is the single most important thing you can do.
nothing can save a grow from poor or inadequate lighting.

edit: if you are running the hps for flower you should be fine. was under the impression you were going full time to the posted leds.

 

[mkono87]

overpriced and underpowered for what they are.
wattage claims are out to lunch. not a parameter you can trust on those.

not bad for seedling to early veg tho.
probably won't do anything else.

proper light will cost. it is the single most important thing you can do.
nothing can save a grow from poor or inadequate lighting.

edit: if you are running the hps for flower you should be fine. was under the impression you were going full time to the posted leds.

Wow you're the first to say that about those light. I'm getting them used off a friend who has been getting big yeild doing 4-6 in a 4x4 doing dwc.

edit: oh I thought you meant the HPS/MH setup.

 

[bluter]

I thought you meant the HPS/MH setup.

my screw up. i saw those leds and panicked at the thought of someone going full time on them.


look into QBs. your friend is probably dumping the hps/mh due to the expense of running them.

 

[noobgrow1]

Personally I would suggest using coco mixed with about 30% pumice and and a bit of precharged biochar.

If you're going to feed bottled nutrients then it will be much easier.
It works fine with small 5 gal fabric pots and you dont have to do this water dance.
You just water them every single day, maybe even twice a day in flower.

IMO if you're not able to water at very least every other day then that simply means your soil is wrong.
I am in 25 gallon fabric pots and I water every 24 hours even if I dont have a cannabis plant growing in it I still water everyday for the cover crop, the worms, and the mycorrhazae colony.
I keep my soil moist at all times, NEVER let it dry out even the top 1" under the thick mulch is always moist.
But my soil tilth is as it should be, I can take a 16oz glass of water and just dump it in my soil and it disappears completely in one second. It's like pouring it through a screen door.
That's how "soil" should be but the best way to get your tilth like that is in Living Organic Soil No-till with cover crop and worms.
The cover crop and worms keep the soil loose and airy, lots of oxygen.
And you dont bottle feed with salt based nutrients.

Coco is better for bottle feeding.
You just mix nutrients at 1/4 strength and water daily keeping the coco moist.

Hey Nunya -

I am maybe confused, so let me ask...your 25 gallon pots sound like soil not coco. Am I correct on that? Also are those 25 gallons in or outdoors?

Or am I to understand your "soil" is actually coco amended & you practice no till in coco w/o use of bottle fed nutes? I have read a couple places that some use coco as their medium but load with organic dry fertilizer follow with varied compost teas, & of course calmag as needed. I am not sure I will ever buy a calmag premix again since I saw how simple it can be to produce myself via eggshells and white vinegar.

No till approach has much appeal to me as I hope to produce my own food with such cultivating practices & ultimately would prefer to run my cannabis the same way. I am limited to indoor growing at present and worry about indoor creepy crawlers. From many posts it sounds to me as thought coco growers can in fact mimic much if not all what can be done in soil. However doing so invites the same pests in my estimation.

I tend to be a bit lazy in my approach, not necessarily because I lack motivation, mostly pain issues which is why my food crops did not happen at all this past year. bottle feeds are pretty simple IMO overall but I tend to not trust containment levels of such products.

Kinda funny as there is much wisdom in you get what you pay for to a point. As in my reply to the OP I thought I was buying a "high quality" LED Platinum 600 Series with awesome claims, only to find out that light has to be just major volume import from Chinese vendor. They barely changed the name from Chinese manufacturer. No one monitors or validates claims on Amz or eBay so we are stuck w / anecdotal evidence. My $600 + Platinum can be purchased for around $200 ish from probably an overseas reseller if not the manufacturer.

I got me a PAR meter for my future lighting validation, but I do not think that meter reads spectrum. I have not really dug into it yet just verified it works when running the app from my laptop.

Same dilemma with bottled nutes, no idea about a given manufacturer QC or how testing is done. Say GH as an example, I think it is Washington State if not another close state does test all fertilizers for heavy metals and other contaminants but do they go buy a random bottle or does GH provide some they know are cleaner? I only use GH as a placeholder could be any manufacturer.

I like to think it is all on the up and up when lab tests are done, but one thing I know for fact is corporations have many means to make things swing in their favors. In the US pharmaceutical, tobacco, auto industries just to name a few have been caught with skulduggery over and over.

I am in tech industry and have witnessed several larger manufacturers put out known defective products because to not do so meant such financial losses. Volkswagen pulled a major scam with their clean diesel claims & got away with it for quite a while. They were able to rig the cars tested so they appeared clean.

Another common practice in the US and major scandal almost forgotten today, Flint Michigan changed their water source and did not treat the water properly which caused corrosion of the scale buildup inside the city's lead pipes.
Aside from the water just looking absolutely disgusting kids were showing signs of lead toxicity and it was proven via blood samples. The Mayor assured all was well and tests fell into safe established norms.
They did test water but when they performed tests even having home owners self test samples they would flush the pipes for 5 minutes before getting samples.

So the city tests showed acceptable levels for lead, it was only because a private college decided to test that any scams came to light. From that example I think SAMSHA has recommended changing such practices stating ppl do not flush 5 mins prior to consuming water.

The only reason the university picked up the battle was kids were showing signs of lead toxicity in blood samples. Perhaps I digress too much too often but most members here seem to want clean healthy plants, and mostly we go based on other like minded ppls anecdotal evidence. Be it soils, seeds, ferts, lights, methods of growing & curing on and on.

While I have often many physical limits, I do have an affinity & passion for researching . Unfortunately due to no docs ever pinning down what to do for my health issues mostly arthritic in nature. This was further compounded my not getting better after 2 more joint replacements that hurt almost as bad as before surgery. So now I am aware of "heavy metals" thanks to Jack Herer's book and movie The Emperor's New Clothes I learned what he lists as and is a major benefit of cannabis is a double edged sword.

Cannabis is a bio accumulator meaning it sucks up the crap from its soils or mediums, heavy metals, radiation ( I think) which at first got me even more zealous for legalization movement, but also planted a seed PUN def intended! OK it's great for cleaning polluted soils, & I was feelin' great thinking I grow my own "clean" weed but then question, Am I?

Don't have that answer but you seem to have some knowledge around healthy soil / medium concerns as do others here. So I am deeply interested in what you have to share. Hopefully I have established that the corporations and businesses that are marketing to us do not necessarily have us in their best interests. Just like the good ppl of Flint Michigan it's really up to us to root out LOL best practices not just for yields or potency but for health.

I am amazed what cannabis enthusiasts and medical patients alike accept as safe consumption & along with the true overall safety using cannabis. I wanna go on record I have said vape cartridges cannot ever be a healthy method of consumption. Aside from the recent news of lung issues now called a crisis here in the US, mixing a concentrate which most likely has been processed with solvents or even CO2 diluted

Hey dude, thanks for all that. It was a great read. Right now im taking the advantage of buying my buddies HPS/MH light but I was first looking at cheap leds as well. If down the road I want to switch to LED I might also DIY build something to fit the whole 4x4. I have had enough experience with leds/strips being in the smart home game that I think it would be a good idea.

I would like to tackle some training on my first grow to try to maximize the yeild as best I can. Iv thought about topping once then just lightly tie down as I go. Havent looked too much into scrog however I know what its all about.

I did buy one of those 6" clip on fans but I did buy a 6" inline fan with a carbon filter. Hopefully it treats my plants very well. We will see come summer as my basement humidity gets pretty high in the summer (70-75) although I have a pretty good dehumidifier to combat that.

I will def be starting a grow journal because i know Im going to have a lot of questions as time goes on. I going to start reading current ones that will most likely answer a bunch of them before hand.

Medium choice is still up in the air, but I have a bit of time to decide that as im still putting the setup together. Still need to punch a hole in the wall so I can vent outside. I do like the idea of all organic. Been looking at those subcool mixes but also noticing its calling for a 30 day "cook" time in the sun. Were in the single digits (C) here in Canada so im not sure how that will work.

Glad I didn't bore you to tears. I just wish I somewhere had someone share most if not all the trials and tribulations of beginning to cultivate at home. There is just so much conflicting info & other downright misinformation we tend to come across once we begin the journey.

I just had another mini novel I was preparing to ask Nunya for some clarification on his post but had the thought to cut it shorter more to the point. I suppose & think I am going to look at starting a tread or maybe another website covering many of the scams & forums to discuss in this growing industry...(another PUN so intended!) the ppl making the most cash now I really believe are those supplying growers needs. They don't have legal dilemmas or at least much less than actually selling or growing this awesome plant.

Whatever direction you go one last piece of advice is whenever you "feel" the need to "enhance" your grow just relax a bit sit back chill imbibe a bit, reflect and maybe wait a day or so before anything radical. Also if you have a journal with PICs as I said there are many who will help here and fast! There's plenty on training plants, topping, cropping, monster cropping around the site and the net seems like there is always a new technique.

I do top a bit no doubt and do LST to manage the canopy, I do not do it pretty by any stretch but I get results and so will you. I don't have experience w / the MH or sodium bulbs but know they suck up more power. Not sure about heat issues because the LEDs I have produce a fair amount of heat as well. It's simple to manage in the colder months. I think I may supply some evening heat this crop but who knows.

I have seen many journals and other examples of plenty of ppl just using LST (low stress training) especially with auto flowering seeds. I top quite a bit especially my first run, I just like to have many bud sites. I would ask your friend how many hours he thinks the bulbs have been run though and find out best practices when you should get new bulbs. I do not envy your climate at all! I do envy your legislation though, it is awesome your country has at least decided to move into this century and banish stupid costly prohibition laws. I dream of the day it happens in our neighboring nation. At least my state in 2020 has the vote to legalize "recreational use" seems it should be a no brainer but time will tell.

By far the largest challenge for me at least is being patient & letting the plants do their thing. It's great to have you here & I look forward to hearing about your progress. I would be glad if you tagged me also I would love to follow your success. Whatever medium you choose to grow you can always flip if you are gonna use soil you will need pots you can do hydro with pots if you use coco as well. Coco is not a ton of money but if you do go that route make sure to buy enough. If you go 5 gallon and I highly recommend "smart pots" which are just fabric unless you spend big cash for the plastic ones. I also suggest potting up meaning start small post germination move to like a plastic solo cup, from there to like a 1 gallon smart pot, after which you can go to the 5-7 gallon smart pots which if coco at least should more than get you to harvest.

Can't wait to here how you go and await your success!

Just a side note maybe it's a good omen for you, there is a policy that you cannot private msg anyone until you complete 50 posts. I have been a mbr here maybe 18 mos now & I checked day after I posted to welcome you & you ended up being my 50th post here! So double thx brother!

NG1

 

[VetSmoke85]

Welcome @mkono87. Looks like you're pretty well covered by the fine folks here. I actually have a question for @Pbass.

One nutrient you simply cannot do without though is cal/mag

I see this a lot and pretty much every grow I see is adding cal/mag from the off. I'm just finishing up my 3rd grow and I've never added cal/mag at any point in any of the grows. Not had any major issues. I'm wondering if it really is that necessary, whether my tap water contains enough in already or whether my plants could turn out better with the addition? My attitude with the nutrients has always been to keep it as simple and cheap as possible so I thought I'd get cal/mag if my plants showed me signs it was needed. Oh I've also done all 3 grows in biobizz light mix soil.

 

[bluter]

Welcome @mkono87. Looks like you're pretty well covered by the fine folks here. I actually have a question for @Pbass.
whether my tap water contains enough in already

you answered your question just fine.

if you go RO you'd likely need it.

 

[VetSmoke85]

Oh and I'd also recommend QB's. I got a 4000k HLG 65W board for £75. I'm growing in a tiny cabinet so don't need bigger and it's perfect. Low profile, dimmable, runs pretty cool, not expensive to buy, very cheap to run. Also halfway through harvesting my current grow and I'm on track for 4oz from this little QB in a 2x1.4x1.8 ft bedside cabinet. Couple of the larger boards would do your tent without breaking the bank.

 

[VetSmoke85]

you answered your question just fine.

if you go RO you'd likely need it.

Cool. Thanks for that. I see others using tap water and adding cal/mag too. Guessing I'm lucky where I live it contains enough. Everyday is a school day.

 

[bluter]

Cool. Thanks for that. I see others using tap water and adding cal/mag too. Guessing I'm lucky where I live it contains enough. Everyday is a school day.

everyone's conditions are unique. led and coco have a tendency to pull cal-mag as well.

i once grew quite successfully in dwc with straight tap water and nothing other than nutes.
i moved to a different part of the country and couldn't grow a thing. zero. blanked. heartbroke.
it was all the water. took forever to realize as it was pre-internet.

 

[VetSmoke85]

everyone's conditions are unique. led and coco have a tendency to pull cal-mag as well.

i once grew quite successfully in dwc with straight tap water and nothing other than nutes.
i moved to a different part of the country and couldn't grow a thing. zero. blanked. heartbroke.
it was all the water. took forever to realize as it was pre-internet.

That's very true mate. I've been thinking of trying coco or dwc when I eventually have the space for a proper tent. Will be interesting to see how the requirements change. Ah man I bet that was so frustrating. We're fortunate to have this platform now to share experiences. You've been doing it a while if it was pre-internet then. I'm still super new to the game and try to absorb all I can from here. Lots of good articles online but I like it here because I know the vast majority of info on here is from people with a ton of experience in success and failure.

 

[bluter]

That's very true mate. I've been thinking of trying coco or dwc when I eventually have the space for a proper tent. Will be interesting to see how the requirements change. Ah man I bet that was so frustrating. We're fortunate to have this platform now to share experiences. You've been doing it a while if it was pre-internet then. I'm still super new to the game and try to absorb all I can from here. Lots of good articles online but I like it here because I know the vast majority of info on here is from people with a ton of experience in success and failure.

buddy got me hooked on hydro in 80's
hydro was just a baby at the time. oh boy i got stories from then lol

i went away from it for so long i was a noob when i finally got back. i helped a friend for a while in kind, and then got involved in the local mmj community here. the situation finally stabilized enough i could do my own.

now i'm trying something new.
so i'm pretty fresh as far as that goes i figger.

but that's what this place is about. everyone starts somewhere.

 

[Nunyabiz]

Hey Nunya -

I am maybe confused, so let me ask...your 25 gallon pots sound like soil not coco. Am I correct on that? Also are those 25 gallons in or outdoors?

Or am I to understand your "soil" is actually coco amended & you practice no till in coco w/o use of bottle fed nutes? I have read a couple places that some use coco as their medium but load with organic dry fertilizer follow with varied compost teas, & of course calmag as needed. I am not sure I will ever buy a calmag premix again since I saw how simple it can be to produce myself via eggshells and white vinegar.

No till approach has much appeal to me as I hope to produce my own food with such cultivating practices & ultimately would prefer to run my cannabis the same way. I am limited to indoor growing at present and worry about indoor creepy crawlers. From many posts it sounds to me as thought coco growers can in fact mimic much if not all what can be done in soil. However doing so invites the same pests in my estimation.

I tend to be a bit lazy in my approach, not necessarily because I lack motivation, mostly pain issues which is why my food crops did not happen at all this past year. bottle feeds are pretty simple IMO overall but I tend to not trust containment levels of such products.

Kinda funny as there is much wisdom in you get what you pay for to a point. As in my reply to the OP I thought I was buying a "high quality" LED Platinum 600 Series with awesome claims, only to find out that light has to be just major volume import from Chinese vendor. They barely changed the name from Chinese manufacturer. No one monitors or validates claims on Amz or eBay so we are stuck w / anecdotal evidence. My $600 + Platinum can be purchased for around $200 ish from probably an overseas reseller if not the manufacturer.

I got me a PAR meter for my future lighting validation, but I do not think that meter reads spectrum. I have not really dug into it yet just verified it works when running the app from my laptop.

Same dilemma with bottled nutes, no idea about a given manufacturer QC or how testing is done. Say GH as an example, I think it is Washington State if not another close state does test all fertilizers for heavy metals and other contaminants but do they go buy a random bottle or does GH provide some they know are cleaner? I only use GH as a placeholder could be any manufacturer.

I like to think it is all on the up and up when lab tests are done, but one thing I know for fact is corporations have many means to make things swing in their favors. In the US pharmaceutical, tobacco, auto industries just to name a few have been caught with skulduggery over and over.

I am in tech industry and have witnessed several larger manufacturers put out known defective products because to not do so meant such financial losses. Volkswagen pulled a major scam with their clean diesel claims & got away with it for quite a while. They were able to rig the cars tested so they appeared clean.

Another common practice in the US and major scandal almost forgotten today, Flint Michigan changed their water source and did not treat the water properly which caused corrosion of the scale buildup inside the city's lead pipes.
Aside from the water just looking absolutely disgusting kids were showing signs of lead toxicity and it was proven via blood samples. The Mayor assured all was well and tests fell into safe established norms.
They did test water but when they performed tests even having home owners self test samples they would flush the pipes for 5 minutes before getting samples.

So the city tests showed acceptable levels for lead, it was only because a private college decided to test that any scams came to light. From that example I think SAMSHA has recommended changing such practices stating ppl do not flush 5 mins prior to consuming water.

The only reason the university picked up the battle was kids were showing signs of lead toxicity in blood samples. Perhaps I digress too much too often but most members here seem to want clean healthy plants, and mostly we go based on other like minded ppls anecdotal evidence. Be it soils, seeds, ferts, lights, methods of growing & curing on and on.

While I have often many physical limits, I do have an affinity & passion for researching . Unfortunately due to no docs ever pinning down what to do for my health issues mostly arthritic in nature. This was further compounded my not getting better after 2 more joint replacements that hurt almost as bad as before surgery. So now I am aware of "heavy metals" thanks to Jack Herer's book and movie The Emperor's New Clothes I learned what he lists as and is a major benefit of cannabis is a double edged sword.

Cannabis is a bio accumulator meaning it sucks up the crap from its soils or mediums, heavy metals, radiation ( I think) which at first got me even more zealous for legalization movement, but also planted a seed PUN def intended! OK it's great for cleaning polluted soils, & I was feelin' great thinking I grow my own "clean" weed but then question, Am I?

Don't have that answer but you seem to have some knowledge around healthy soil / medium concerns as do others here. So I am deeply interested in what you have to share. Hopefully I have established that the corporations and businesses that are marketing to us do not necessarily have us in their best interests. Just like the good ppl of Flint Michigan it's really up to us to root out LOL best practices not just for yields or potency but for health.

I am amazed what cannabis enthusiasts and medical patients alike accept as safe consumption & along with the true overall safety using cannabis. I wanna go on record I have said vape cartridges cannot ever be a healthy method of consumption. Aside from the recent news of lung issues now called a crisis here in the US, mixing a concentrate which most likely has been processed with solvents or even CO2 diluted


Glad I didn't bore you to tears. I just wish I somewhere had someone share most if not all the trials and tribulations of beginning to cultivate at home. There is just so much conflicting info & other downright misinformation we tend to come across once we begin the journey.

I just had another mini novel I was preparing to ask Nunya for some clarification on his post but had the thought to cut it shorter more to the point. I suppose & think I am going to look at starting a tread or maybe another website covering many of the scams & forums to discuss in this growing industry...(another PUN so intended!) the ppl making the most cash now I really believe are those supplying growers needs. They don't have legal dilemmas or at least much less than actually selling or growing this awesome plant.

Whatever direction you go one last piece of advice is whenever you "feel" the need to "enhance" your grow just relax a bit sit back chill imbibe a bit, reflect and maybe wait a day or so before anything radical. Also if you have a journal with PICs as I said there are many who will help here and fast! There's plenty on training plants, topping, cropping, monster cropping around the site and the net seems like there is always a new technique.

I do top a bit no doubt and do LST to manage the canopy, I do not do it pretty by any stretch but I get results and so will you. I don't have experience w / the MH or sodium bulbs but know they suck up more power. Not sure about heat issues because the LEDs I have produce a fair amount of heat as well. It's simple to manage in the colder months. I think I may supply some evening heat this crop but who knows.

I have seen many journals and other examples of plenty of ppl just using LST (low stress training) especially with auto flowering seeds. I top quite a bit especially my first run, I just like to have many bud sites. I would ask your friend how many hours he thinks the bulbs have been run though and find out best practices when you should get new bulbs. I do not envy your climate at all! I do envy your legislation though, it is awesome your country has at least decided to move into this century and banish stupid costly prohibition laws. I dream of the day it happens in our neighboring nation. At least my state in 2020 has the vote to legalize "recreational use" seems it should be a no brainer but time will tell.

By far the largest challenge for me at least is being patient & letting the plants do their thing. It's great to have you here & I look forward to hearing about your progress. I would be glad if you tagged me also I would love to follow your success. Whatever medium you choose to grow you can always flip if you are gonna use soil you will need pots you can do hydro with pots if you use coco as well. Coco is not a ton of money but if you do go that route make sure to buy enough. If you go 5 gallon and I highly recommend "smart pots" which are just fabric unless you spend big cash for the plastic ones. I also suggest potting up meaning start small post germination move to like a plastic solo cup, from there to like a 1 gallon smart pot, after which you can go to the 5-7 gallon smart pots which if coco at least should more than get you to harvest.

Can't wait to here how you go and await your success!

Just a side note maybe it's a good omen for you, there is a policy that you cannot private msg anyone until you complete 50 posts. I have been a mbr here maybe 18 mos now & I checked day after I posted to welcome you & you ended up being my 50th post here! So double thx brother!

NG1

No, I am using Living Organic Soil No-till.
I do not touch any bottled nutrients at all.
I was just suggesting Coco "if" someone is determined to use synthetic salt based nutrients.
I think Coco is a better medium for that kind of nutrients, you water it daily never let it dry out so the salts dont dry out and build up as much plus you can flush it easier if it does.

True Living Organic Soil no-till is a totally different way of growing that requires s completely different mindset.
To me soil should be soil, you mimic nature as precisely as possible.
You use microbes, bacteria, fungus, worms, cover crops to feed the soil, you grow soil and then let the soil grow the plants.
Synthetic nutrients basically kill all that in soil.

The main reason many have problems using soil and synthetic nutrients is they are not really simpatico.
Synthetic nutrients mess up the soil food web.
The plants roots stop putting out exudates, the microbes and fungus die out, you usually have to let the soil dry out more than it should especially if in a plastic pot.
That causes salt to build up which kills out more soil life.

With LOS and cover crop and worms my soil is ALIVE it breathes, it eats, it creates a natural soil food web, it's own little ecosystem.
My soil tilth is how soil should be, I basically cant over water, roots get lots of oxygen.
You cant really get that with dead soil in a small plastic pot.
So if the soil is dead, then may as well use a medium that can handle salt based nutrients better.

 

[Remystemple]

Well I finally pulled the trigger on my setup so Im pretty excited to get this started. Multple answers from Amazon state it is indeed a 6"fiter with the fan so il take a chance and return it if need be. Thanks to Prime lol. Im still trying to decide if I want to go to coco route with bottle nutes. Since im new I wasnt sure if it was a good idea. Watching tones of videos late into the night has help me understand better.

you have prime, you can pretty much try lights out for free then lol. it's funny that some lights have a return window of 90 days, more than enough time to finish flowering your crop

I"m only half kidding.

but there's tons of great advice here. you're gonna have a great grow broski!

 

[mkono87]

Hey Nunya -

I am maybe confused, so let me ask...your 25 gallon pots sound like soil not coco. Am I correct on that? Also are those 25 gallons in or outdoors?

Or am I to understand your "soil" is actually coco amended & you practice no till in coco w/o use of bottle fed nutes? I have read a couple places that some use coco as their medium but load with organic dry fertilizer follow with varied compost teas, & of course calmag as needed. I am not sure I will ever buy a calmag premix again since I saw how simple it can be to produce myself via eggshells and white vinegar.

No till approach has much appeal to me as I hope to produce my own food with such cultivating practices & ultimately would prefer to run my cannabis the same way. I am limited to indoor growing at present and worry about indoor creepy crawlers. From many posts it sounds to me as thought coco growers can in fact mimic much if not all what can be done in soil. However doing so invites the same pests in my estimation.

I tend to be a bit lazy in my approach, not necessarily because I lack motivation, mostly pain issues which is why my food crops did not happen at all this past year. bottle feeds are pretty simple IMO overall but I tend to not trust containment levels of such products.

Kinda funny as there is much wisdom in you get what you pay for to a point. As in my reply to the OP I thought I was buying a "high quality" LED Platinum 600 Series with awesome claims, only to find out that light has to be just major volume import from Chinese vendor. They barely changed the name from Chinese manufacturer. No one monitors or validates claims on Amz or eBay so we are stuck w / anecdotal evidence. My $600 + Platinum can be purchased for around $200 ish from probably an overseas reseller if not the manufacturer.

I got me a PAR meter for my future lighting validation, but I do not think that meter reads spectrum. I have not really dug into it yet just verified it works when running the app from my laptop.

Same dilemma with bottled nutes, no idea about a given manufacturer QC or how testing is done. Say GH as an example, I think it is Washington State if not another close state does test all fertilizers for heavy metals and other contaminants but do they go buy a random bottle or does GH provide some they know are cleaner? I only use GH as a placeholder could be any manufacturer.

I like to think it is all on the up and up when lab tests are done, but one thing I know for fact is corporations have many means to make things swing in their favors. In the US pharmaceutical, tobacco, auto industries just to name a few have been caught with skulduggery over and over.

I am in tech industry and have witnessed several larger manufacturers put out known defective products because to not do so meant such financial losses. Volkswagen pulled a major scam with their clean diesel claims & got away with it for quite a while. They were able to rig the cars tested so they appeared clean.

Another common practice in the US and major scandal almost forgotten today, Flint Michigan changed their water source and did not treat the water properly which caused corrosion of the scale buildup inside the city's lead pipes.
Aside from the water just looking absolutely disgusting kids were showing signs of lead toxicity and it was proven via blood samples. The Mayor assured all was well and tests fell into safe established norms.
They did test water but when they performed tests even having home owners self test samples they would flush the pipes for 5 minutes before getting samples.

So the city tests showed acceptable levels for lead, it was only because a private college decided to test that any scams came to light. From that example I think SAMSHA has recommended changing such practices stating ppl do not flush 5 mins prior to consuming water.

The only reason the university picked up the battle was kids were showing signs of lead toxicity in blood samples. Perhaps I digress too much too often but most members here seem to want clean healthy plants, and mostly we go based on other like minded ppls anecdotal evidence. Be it soils, seeds, ferts, lights, methods of growing & curing on and on.

While I have often many physical limits, I do have an affinity & passion for researching . Unfortunately due to no docs ever pinning down what to do for my health issues mostly arthritic in nature. This was further compounded my not getting better after 2 more joint replacements that hurt almost as bad as before surgery. So now I am aware of "heavy metals" thanks to Jack Herer's book and movie The Emperor's New Clothes I learned what he lists as and is a major benefit of cannabis is a double edged sword.

Cannabis is a bio accumulator meaning it sucks up the crap from its soils or mediums, heavy metals, radiation ( I think) which at first got me even more zealous for legalization movement, but also planted a seed PUN def intended! OK it's great for cleaning polluted soils, & I was feelin' great thinking I grow my own "clean" weed but then question, Am I?

Don't have that answer but you seem to have some knowledge around healthy soil / medium concerns as do others here. So I am deeply interested in what you have to share. Hopefully I have established that the corporations and businesses that are marketing to us do not necessarily have us in their best interests. Just like the good ppl of Flint Michigan it's really up to us to root out LOL best practices not just for yields or potency but for health.

I am amazed what cannabis enthusiasts and medical patients alike accept as safe consumption & along with the true overall safety using cannabis. I wanna go on record I have said vape cartridges cannot ever be a healthy method of consumption. Aside from the recent news of lung issues now called a crisis here in the US, mixing a concentrate which most likely has been processed with solvents or even CO2 diluted


Glad I didn't bore you to tears. I just wish I somewhere had someone share most if not all the trials and tribulations of beginning to cultivate at home. There is just so much conflicting info & other downright misinformation we tend to come across once we begin the journey.

I just had another mini novel I was preparing to ask Nunya for some clarification on his post but had the thought to cut it shorter more to the point. I suppose & think I am going to look at starting a tread or maybe another website covering many of the scams & forums to discuss in this growing industry...(another PUN so intended!) the ppl making the most cash now I really believe are those supplying growers needs. They don't have legal dilemmas or at least much less than actually selling or growing this awesome plant.

Whatever direction you go one last piece of advice is whenever you "feel" the need to "enhance" your grow just relax a bit sit back chill imbibe a bit, reflect and maybe wait a day or so before anything radical. Also if you have a journal with PICs as I said there are many who will help here and fast! There's plenty on training plants, topping, cropping, monster cropping around the site and the net seems like there is always a new technique.

I do top a bit no doubt and do LST to manage the canopy, I do not do it pretty by any stretch but I get results and so will you. I don't have experience w / the MH or sodium bulbs but know they suck up more power. Not sure about heat issues because the LEDs I have produce a fair amount of heat as well. It's simple to manage in the colder months. I think I may supply some evening heat this crop but who knows.

I have seen many journals and other examples of plenty of ppl just using LST (low stress training) especially with auto flowering seeds. I top quite a bit especially my first run, I just like to have many bud sites. I would ask your friend how many hours he thinks the bulbs have been run though and find out best practices when you should get new bulbs. I do not envy your climate at all! I do envy your legislation though, it is awesome your country has at least decided to move into this century and banish stupid costly prohibition laws. I dream of the day it happens in our neighboring nation. At least my state in 2020 has the vote to legalize "recreational use" seems it should be a no brainer but time will tell.

By far the largest challenge for me at least is being patient & letting the plants do their thing. It's great to have you here & I look forward to hearing about your progress. I would be glad if you tagged me also I would love to follow your success. Whatever medium you choose to grow you can always flip if you are gonna use soil you will need pots you can do hydro with pots if you use coco as well. Coco is not a ton of money but if you do go that route make sure to buy enough. If you go 5 gallon and I highly recommend "smart pots" which are just fabric unless you spend big cash for the plastic ones. I also suggest potting up meaning start small post germination move to like a plastic solo cup, from there to like a 1 gallon smart pot, after which you can go to the 5-7 gallon smart pots which if coco at least should more than get you to harvest.

Can't wait to here how you go and await your success!

Just a side note maybe it's a good omen for you, there is a policy that you cannot private msg anyone until you complete 50 posts. I have been a mbr here maybe 18 mos now & I checked day after I posted to welcome you & you ended up being my 50th post here! So double thx brother!

NG1

My local grow show suggested I just use the gaia green living soil and top dress with gaia green bloom formula come flowering time. Suggested that would be the easiest method to start with. Any have experience with it?

Oh and I'd also recommend QB's. I got a 4000k HLG 65W board for £75. I'm growing in a tiny cabinet so don't need bigger and it's perfect. Low profile, dimmable, runs pretty cool, not expensive to buy, very cheap to run. Also halfway through harvesting my current grow and I'm on track for 4oz from this little QB in a 2x1.4x1.8 ft bedside cabinet. Couple of the larger boards would do your tent without breaking the bank.

wow those light are actually pretty cool something to keep in mind for sure. Thanks

you have prime, you can pretty much try lights out for free then lol. it's funny that some lights have a return window of 90 days, more than enough time to finish flowering your crop

I"m only half kidding.

but there's tons of great advice here. you're gonna have a great grow broski!

I know right?! Iv thought about that too especially with the inline fan I bought thinking maybe it would be too loud.

 

[MrG1979]

Welcome to 420mag mkono87 Goodluck and happy growing!!