Hey all
I just finished my first successful grow and first attempt in many years. I learned lots and one thing I never did find was a generally simple (idiots) guide to doing a first grow that made sense. So I smoked a bowl and got to it. I'm not suggesting this is the best guide to get 100% possible harvest. Just a general guide that if followed will lead to success for most novices. Run it through once then once u have a bit of experience u can make changes for your own circumstances or goals.
There are so many variables and tricks people have to get just a little more out of their harvest for a noob it's tough to figure out. I started using organic nutes people said u didn't need to PH. What I didn't figure out till too late was that applied to aerated nutes with fully organic cooked medium.
So here it is. Please chime in if you have anything to add or I just missed.
Medium: Pick something simple. Coco is not for beginners/novices as there are more factors like extra watering and cal mag deficiency. Real hydro is even more complicated. I'd recommend starting seeds in solo cups of 100% promix HP with no nutes for 2 weeks.
On repot go with 75% Pro mix HP and 25% quality bagged compost and not the hot stuff. Look for something with lower NPK values. Add a tablespoon of POWDERED dolomite lime to every gallon of promix that goes in. The Pro mix gets acidic as it ages and the dolomite mellows that out.
Nutes: I'd go with GH flora trio at 25% recommended strength to start (at 2 weeks) then slowly keep going up to bottle amounts until/if they show issues then back off. Every 3rd or 4th feed use straight ph'd water. There are other pre Ph'd nutes out there they could be fine too.
Always get about 20% run off when watering. Wait to water until the soil is dry on top and a knuckle down. Many people love their plants to death by over feeding. I did. Don't do it! If u are unsure wait a day. If the leaves look sad tomorrow u should have watered and now u have a handle on it for next time. I'm stealing a quote I can't remember from who though. "If the leaves are praying to the light "I'm HUNGRY" down means I'm full.
For PH testing ( YOU HAVE TO DO PH TESTING EVERY TIME) if u got the bucks buy a decent pen. If not the General Hydroponics dropper bottle is like ten bucks and works fine for soil. Always check yer PH before feeding. It's okay to float a little up and down from 5.5 to 6.5 but get it in that range. It will depend on the water you are starting with but depending on that you'll need a bottle of PH up or down to get yer feed/water to the right PH. Start with .5 to 1 ml at a time per gallon of the up or down to get to the right PH. You will figure out very close to what u need quickly.
Lights: Too many options to really say. I have experience with LED. Mars hydro are tested and true but there are many others that are great too. If I was starting with nothing I'd buy the mars light at 50 real watts a sq ft of grow space.
Light schedule: I'd go 18/6 for veg schedule and 12/12 for flower. Lots of peeps go 20/4 or 24/0 for veg that's fine too. Lots of argument it doesn't help much or let the plant rest but ups the power bill. When I started my autos I was in an unheated space so I went 24/0 to keep it warm. I have an oil heater on an inkbird controller now so its right where it needs to be for temps at all times.
Seeds: I'd buy from a reputable source and spend the money. I like crop king but there are many others. The more local the better and if you can walk in and buy even better than mail. Go with feminized photo plants. Auto's are not forgiving. Why not get dialed in then switch to 12/12. With auto's they flower like it or not and if things are a little off u lose big yield. If u have issues they will show ten times worse in flower when yer ladies are most vulnerable. With regular seeds u have to deal with some or all males.
HTH
C
I just finished my first successful grow and first attempt in many years. I learned lots and one thing I never did find was a generally simple (idiots) guide to doing a first grow that made sense. So I smoked a bowl and got to it. I'm not suggesting this is the best guide to get 100% possible harvest. Just a general guide that if followed will lead to success for most novices. Run it through once then once u have a bit of experience u can make changes for your own circumstances or goals.
There are so many variables and tricks people have to get just a little more out of their harvest for a noob it's tough to figure out. I started using organic nutes people said u didn't need to PH. What I didn't figure out till too late was that applied to aerated nutes with fully organic cooked medium.
So here it is. Please chime in if you have anything to add or I just missed.
Medium: Pick something simple. Coco is not for beginners/novices as there are more factors like extra watering and cal mag deficiency. Real hydro is even more complicated. I'd recommend starting seeds in solo cups of 100% promix HP with no nutes for 2 weeks.
On repot go with 75% Pro mix HP and 25% quality bagged compost and not the hot stuff. Look for something with lower NPK values. Add a tablespoon of POWDERED dolomite lime to every gallon of promix that goes in. The Pro mix gets acidic as it ages and the dolomite mellows that out.
Nutes: I'd go with GH flora trio at 25% recommended strength to start (at 2 weeks) then slowly keep going up to bottle amounts until/if they show issues then back off. Every 3rd or 4th feed use straight ph'd water. There are other pre Ph'd nutes out there they could be fine too.
Always get about 20% run off when watering. Wait to water until the soil is dry on top and a knuckle down. Many people love their plants to death by over feeding. I did. Don't do it! If u are unsure wait a day. If the leaves look sad tomorrow u should have watered and now u have a handle on it for next time. I'm stealing a quote I can't remember from who though. "If the leaves are praying to the light "I'm HUNGRY" down means I'm full.
For PH testing ( YOU HAVE TO DO PH TESTING EVERY TIME) if u got the bucks buy a decent pen. If not the General Hydroponics dropper bottle is like ten bucks and works fine for soil. Always check yer PH before feeding. It's okay to float a little up and down from 5.5 to 6.5 but get it in that range. It will depend on the water you are starting with but depending on that you'll need a bottle of PH up or down to get yer feed/water to the right PH. Start with .5 to 1 ml at a time per gallon of the up or down to get to the right PH. You will figure out very close to what u need quickly.
Lights: Too many options to really say. I have experience with LED. Mars hydro are tested and true but there are many others that are great too. If I was starting with nothing I'd buy the mars light at 50 real watts a sq ft of grow space.
Light schedule: I'd go 18/6 for veg schedule and 12/12 for flower. Lots of peeps go 20/4 or 24/0 for veg that's fine too. Lots of argument it doesn't help much or let the plant rest but ups the power bill. When I started my autos I was in an unheated space so I went 24/0 to keep it warm. I have an oil heater on an inkbird controller now so its right where it needs to be for temps at all times.
Seeds: I'd buy from a reputable source and spend the money. I like crop king but there are many others. The more local the better and if you can walk in and buy even better than mail. Go with feminized photo plants. Auto's are not forgiving. Why not get dialed in then switch to 12/12. With auto's they flower like it or not and if things are a little off u lose big yield. If u have issues they will show ten times worse in flower when yer ladies are most vulnerable. With regular seeds u have to deal with some or all males.
HTH
C
