My First Grow - Only One Autoflower Plant Under CFLs - Help Me Not Screw This Up!

[thack]

Bucket Size - 2 gallon
Medium - Miracle Grow Organic (I know, I know...)
Lights - (5) 23w CFLs (over 9k lumens)
Nutrients - tbd
Strain(s) - Advanced Seeds Autoflower Sweet Dwarf
# of Plants: 1

So, just like how the title says really. I have all my supplies (2 gal pot, 5 CFLs making a total 9k lumens for my one plant, shitty Miracle Grow soil but it's all I could get, 20/4 lighting since it's an auto, mylar reflectors, etc) and I'm just getting ready for my seeds to get here so I can get to going.
Any tips before I start? I'll obviously get some pictures up when they seeds get here, but I'd like to be as prepared as I can. If nothing else this journal will just be a little keepsake for my for my first grow.

For those kind souls who would like to help, here's my setup:
I have about 3x3x5 space (5 feet high, 3 feet by 3 feet on the sides) in my closet, with the light setup hanging above, covered by as much mylar as I can get. I'm in a small apartment, but the smell shouldn't be an issue since ventilation is pretty good.

I know soil will be kind of an issue, so if anyone could help with that, I'd be so pumped. Flush before seed? Nutes? Keep in mind it's autoflower so it'll probably be a little different.

This community is so awesome, and I just want to do the best job possible on my first time and not screw it up! Thanks for your help

OH! And I'm growing "Advanced Seeds Sweet Dwarf" if you guys want to check that out. Again, pics soon. And seriously ANY AND ALL advice I will take. Lay it on me.

 

[Prescription]

Re: My first grow, only one autoflower plant under CFLs. Help me not screw this up!

Hey man that miracle grow stuff is not good for what you are doing. That is the only show stopper problem that I can see with your plan. That MG shit has time released Nitrogen that will inhibit flowering in photo period plants. Not sure about autoflowers, i have no experience with them but I am just guessing that they will not dig the MG either.. If you have a garden shop where you live that is where I would start.

 

[thack]

Re: My first grow, only one autoflower plant under CFLs. Help me not screw this up!

That seems to be the response I'm getting a lot. I'll go get some Fox Farms later today, my seeds just got here so I have a day or two before they go in the pots. What do you think about nutes for an autoflower? I hear a lot of different things, but probably simplicity is the best way to go.

 

[Prescription]

Re: My first grow, only one autoflower plant under CFLs. Help me not screw this up!

If you follow the link on my signature all of those where done on Fox farm. It works as advertized the company puts out a feeding schedule. https://foxfarmfertilizer.com/FoxFarm-Soil-Schedule.pdf
They have changed it up a little since I last used it but I am sure that it still works. I just used the liquids and solubles. I believe the dirt that I used was called ocean forrest, also fox farm. I tried light warrior but it did not retain water well enough for me. I couldn't water everyday. Whatever nutes you decide on go easy on them. Floros don't give off enough light to require heavy feeding.

 

[thack]

Re: My first grow, only one autoflower plant under CFLs. Help me not screw this up!

Damn, I went to every store I could find in town and none had FF. So I picked up some Black Gold soil... I've heard that name thrown around as a good one too. At least it isn't Miracle Grow I guess?

 

[Prescription]

Re: My first grow, only one autoflower plant under CFLs. Help me not screw this up!

I've seen the black gold out there too. Never used it though. I think you should be fine as long as it doesn't say time released anything or no fertilizer needed for x amount of months. I am going to be using sunshine #4 for my next grow. How are you planning on germing them?

 

[ThatOneGuyy]

Re: My first grow, only one autoflower plant under CFLs. Help me not screw this up!

I've seen a few grows with MG products and they didn't have too much of a problem. IF you plant on keeping it you can use a mix of everything to stretch your medium. I will tag along your grow and help when I can. I don't have too many autoflower journals i am following and they seem interesting. So this should be fun

 

[thack]

Re: My first grow, only one autoflower plant under CFLs. Help me not screw this up!

Hey man I really appreciate it. Just got my mylar in the mail today and my seeds will be in tomorrow I think. Any suggestions for a DIY reflector? And should I drain the soil before the seeds go in? Sorry about all the damn questions haha first time and I'm all excited

Any suggestions? I'm getting really close to being in the process so if you have anything that would help before getting started, that would be AWESOME.

 

[thack]

Re: My first grow, only one autoflower plant under CFLs. Help me not screw this up!

Yeah it should be good then. I had planned on going with the paper towel/plate thing for germing... should I do something different? Or how do you do yours I guess is the question.

 

[Prescription]

Re: My first grow, only one autoflower plant under CFLs. Help me not screw this up!

Thats what I do. Let them pop and then place them in the soil about a half an inch. As far as the light is concerned I would seriosly consider putting up some bucks for a high output T5 bank. I have never tried to flower under one but I am sure it would work. If you don't want to spend the money on one of those.
MaxLume T5 Light System - 2', 8 Bulbs |
You could just fashion some Mylar i suppose. Hard to say without pictures, not really sure how you plan to hang the lights. Just from what you have told me and you dimensions I would go with the T5 Bank. The one I linked to would fit your grow area almost perfectly.

 

[thack]

Re: My first grow, only one autoflower plant under CFLs. Help me not screw this up!

Oh man I'd love to get that, it's just a super budget thing. I'm a college kid without a lot of money haha so CFLs are all I can really do now. I got a lot of them though I guess. I'll put up pictures of my light setup a little later. Are hot spots/electricity issues with the CFLs?

 

[Prescription]

Re: My first grow, only one autoflower plant under CFLs. Help me not screw this up!

I've seen a few grows with MG products and they didn't have too much of a problem. IF you plant on keeping it you can use a mix of everything to stretch your medium. I will tag along your grow and help when I can. I don't have too many autoflower journals i am following and they seem interesting. So this should be fun

Yah Guy, Im sure it can be made to work but i was not pleased with the results. Maybe I got a bad bag of dirt. I never used it again after that one harvest.

 

[ThatOneGuyy]

Re: My first grow, only one autoflower plant under CFLs. Help me not screw this up!

CFL grows are just fine. If you look at SuKaFr33's Journals he is a CFL grower and he has plenty of success with it. T5 lighting is nice if you have a budget for it but your setup should be fine. as for flushing your soil. I don't think it will be necessary. just a nice mix of some good potting soil and perlite and water, you should be fine with just that.

 

[thack]

Re: My first grow, only one autoflower plant under CFLs. Help me not screw this up!

Ok guys, just spent an hour or so trying to throw together my little grow closet. I know there is A LOT that needs to be worked on and tweaked as I go, but for now I'm pretty happy. Take a look at the pictures and tell me what I can do to improve it. Questions/comments/criticism is all welcomed. I just want to do as best I can.

I know it may be kinda hard to see but I dunno haha... I'm exhausted from trying to mess with it for today, but if there is anything I can do for tomorrow I'd be stoked. Basically it's just a light setup on a (badly) finnagled mylar cover. Super small space, but I can expand it as the plant grows. For now I want to make the most of my light. I have a little bit of mylar left, but not much. SUGGESTIONS PLEASE! Just keep in mind that I'm on a pretty tight budget and that I realize a lot of things aren't as good as they could be. So help with what little I do have would be nice.

I guess I have a little bit of time since I get my seeds and start germ tomorrow, but I'd like to be as ready as possible. And keep in mind that it's an autoflower so... yeah.

Thank you guys so much for your help so far, glad I have you along for the ride.

 

[ThatOneGuyy]

Re: My first grow, only one autoflower plant under CFLs. Help me not screw this up!

One thing that people fail to mention is that Mylar isn't necessary. As long as your walls are a flat white you should be fine. Especially if your area is the size that is is. You end up spending a lot of funds on a material that is very flimsy. My first idea was to spend money on black and white polyfilm but i went ahead and just did a couple coatings of white and my girls love the environment.

From the pic is hard to give you any suggestions. If you can post some more info on your grow space. But my suggestion is don't spend any more money on mylar and make sure to have some type of ventilation/circulation. Other than that, sit back and enjoy the grow.

 

[Murz]

Re: My first grow, only one autoflower plant under CFLs. Help me not screw this up!

alright thack, i'm subbed, cause you need just as much help as i did when i first started here(shit, i STILL need help)

germination
paper towel plate method, but first, get your seeds ready by soaking them in a cup of warm water over night(at least 12hrs, preferably 24). Once soaked, place seeds between warm wet paper towels, then between warm plates, keep somewhere warm/dark. key word. WARM/DARK!!! after 2-3 days you'll get your tap root(white stringy thing popping outta your seed.

before planting
you always want to pre-soak your medium 24 hrs in advance and let drain before planting. so prolly around the same time you put the seed in the paper towels. Use pH'd water(prefferably not tap) or if tap is all you have, allow it to sit out for 24hrs as well.

planting
once you have a 1/2inch to 1 inch tail on your seeds you're ready to plant. use a pencil or your pinky finger to poke a hole about an inch or two deep in the center of your soil. Dangle your little seed over the hole, carefully place the tail in the hole, drop your seed, and sprinkly a little soil on top. Keep it dark until your lil thing pops up outta the soil and you see two little round embro leaves, once you see those leaves, start your light cycle, and dont water until your soil is dry 2 inches down.



That should give you a good start. You follow those steps and you're good to go atleast to get a seedling popped then we can help ya from there!


While you're waiting for everything to go down, do your research. Read other people's journals. Read the "How to Grow Marijuana" thread in the grow room. READ READ READ! Soak up as much information as possible.

and NO NUTES. Atleast til your plant gets 4 sets of true leaves on her.


good luck

sensimilla,

Murz

 

[thack]

Re: My first grow, only one autoflower plant under CFLs. Help me not screw this up!

One thing that people fail to mention is that Mylar isn't necessary. As long as your walls are a flat white you should be fine. Especially if your area is the size that is is. You end up spending a lot of funds on a material that is very flimsy. My first idea was to spend money on black and white polyfilm but i went ahead and just did a couple coatings of white and my girls love the environment.

From the pic is hard to give you any suggestions. If you can post some more info on your grow space. But my suggestion is don't spend any more money on mylar and make sure to have some type of ventilation/circulation. Other than that, sit back and enjoy the grow.

Oh man thank you for that. I do have white walls so I'll quit messing with it. It's such a hassle. Space is about 3x3. Height isn't an issue because it's a closet, so pretty much up to the ceiling. But it's just a little one so that shouldn't be a worry. There should be plenty of ventilation. Also I read about that yeast/sugar Co2 thing... you heard of it? I'm thinking about putting one of those in there since it seems pretty easy. Advantages/disadvantages?

 

[Murz]

Re: My first grow, only one autoflower plant under CFLs. Help me not screw this up!

oh yeah, if miracle grow is the only thing you can find for now, use MiracleGro Seed Starting soil for now. I used it for my 4 ladies I have right now and as you can see from my journal it worked. However i've now switched to a much better soil i got from my local hydro store once i transplanted to their final pots, the seed starting mix does a fine job.

 

[Murz]

Re: My first grow, only one autoflower plant under CFLs. Help me not screw this up!

for ventilation get a simple computer fan or small desk fan blowing once you get a seedling. this will help with ventilation and circulation of air, as well as providing "wind" for your little seedling to promote a healthy stem to keep her from falling over once she gets 1oz nugs all over her.

 

[thack]

Re: My first grow, only one autoflower plant under CFLs. Help me not screw this up!

Welcome Murz! I am so glad you can help. To update you: Went out today and picked up some Black Gold soil. So that Miracle Grow business is out thank god. I'm really glad you gave me that germ info because I had been unsure about the best way to do it. Warm/dark. Got it. I pick up my seeds tomorrow morning and obviously the first thing I'll do is start them germing. I'll go ahead and let some filtered water sitting when I start them. I'll pre-soak the medium like you said too. I think I should be ok for now, hopefully. Seriously though anything you see or think, I'd love to hear.

I've read through a few journals and I think I have a decent feel for the process, it's just a little nerve wracking being my first time. I'm glad I went with autoflower, but at the same time it's a little weird because there isn't a whole lot of information on them. But with you guys here I'm sure I'll be fine. I'm under no delusions haha, I need your help.

Thank you guys, this has already been really really useful.