Tips for a new grower

[Major PITA]

Lets just say i did have a under the stairs grow, and the temps were to high, would that kill all the plants?
Or would i still get a yield ?

You can still get a harvest. While I have never grown indoors with temps above 81, my outdoor grows thrive in 90+ degrees. I realize outdoor growing is a whole different animal, but I've watched my plants at 95 to 105 for weeks at a time. As long as they get enough water and you have good air movement, I think they will produce for you. It won't be optimum, but you should still get to the chop. The plants do get lethargic with high temps. You can tell they don't appreciate it.

 

[Weaselcracker]

Not to contradict Major, and as he's already pointed out - outdoors is a different situation. The plants get lots of air movement, cooler night temps, and roots are always cool. Besides which- those temps are still not considered ideal.
Growing indoors and trying to make a proper cannabis growing climate- we all kind of dance with various issues, and most times our growing situation isn't perfect and we are pushing the limits of what good conditions are. Still can't get around those basic laws of nature/physics though, unfortunately.
You'll find the balance with a little experience. Good luck.

 

[Major PITA]

I worry more about the roots than the above ground parts when it comes to high temperatures. IMO, plants can take a fair amount of heat stress as long as the roots are in a reasonable temperature range. Of course that is just about as difficult to control as anything else. I nearly cooked my roots last spring with plants in one and seven gallon pots left outside on some hot days. They bounced back just fine, but if they had been left that way, they wouldn't have made it. But that was HOT and with direct sun on black plastic. Dummy me...

 

[AKgramma]

Generally you don't want to have temps much higher than 85 Celsius, and 90 is considered by most people to be the absolute upper limit.

I think you mean Fahrenheit. (90 deg Celsius is 194 deg Fahrenheit, just under the boiling point of water.)

 

[Weaselcracker]

Oh yes. Thanks AK. Definitely don't try to grow your plants at 90 degrees Celsius.

 

[MrOctave]

Not to contradict Major, and as he's already pointed out - outdoors is a different situation. The plants get lots of air movement, cooler night temps, and roots are always cool. Besides which- those temps are still not considered ideal.
Growing indoors and trying to make a proper cannabis growing climate- we all kind of dance with various issues, and most times our growing situation isn't perfect and we are pushing the limits of what good conditions are. Still can't get around those basic laws of nature/physics though, unfortunately.
You'll find the balance with a little experience. Good luck.

I am gona take afew pictures of my closet, its a wierd shape and its wider in some places. Mybe some advice or tips would be easier to be given if i provide a picture of the room

 

[AKgramma]

Use the hard-to-get-to corners for your fans and some auxiliary lighting. Flourescents are the coolest option.

 

[MrOctave]

These are the pictures of the room i am about to clean and convert into a grow room, any ideas?

 

[AKgramma]

You will need to upload your pics to 420 Magazine before they will show up here.

But following your personal links, which came in on my email, it looks adequate for any way YOU want to set it up! Browse the Journals, esp the first few pages, then go with what makes sense to you and your budget.

 

[MrOctave]

You will need to upload your pics to 420 Magazine before they will show up here.

But following your personal links, which came in on my email, it looks adequate for any way YOU want to set it up! Browse the Journals, esp the first few pages, then go with what makes sense to you and your budget.

So i purchased most of my equipment so far inc a extraction with carbon filter.
But now im stuck wondering about nutrients and soil (which im 1000% clueless on)
I would appreciate any links or ideas for me on this matter
Also any ideas on which seeds would be good for a beginner, Im hoping to get a plant with a higher yield and doesnt grow super tall.

p.s i will post pictures of my progress when i begin growing.

 

[AKgramma]

If you don't want odor issues, I recommend Bubblelicious from Nirvana Seeds. It grows fast and is not fussy. I didn't need ANY odor control growing this strain.

You can always top a plant periodically to force horizontal growth. My first mama was 33 inches tall at harvest and had sticky buds all the way to the bottom. BBL gives you a lot of small, potent buds. (You crush them to put in a pipe or a joint, right? You don't need giant COLAs, except to impress people. LOL!) And the plant is sticky all over!

Expect about 2 weeks beyond advertised flowering time for any strain you pick, however, since seed banks calculate under ideal, large-grow conditions.

 

[MrOctave]

I will try the Bubblelicious fem from nirvana seeds.
are Biobizz Bio-bloom & Biobizz Bio-grow ok to use for nutrients ?
and canna bio-terra plus for soil?

 

[AKgramma]

If you have the money to buy "cannibus" labelled products, sure. Me, I go cheap with off the shelf WalMart tomato nutes and tomato bloom nutes, and Black Gold indoor potting soil.

I lighten the soil with sand and vermiculite, but you can use perlite instead of vermiculite.

ON any nutes, start out with 1/4 the strength recommended on the bottles, then, when they get to the juvenile stage, up that to 1/2 strength, once a week.

 

[MrOctave]

If you have the money to buy "cannibus" labelled products, sure. Me, I go cheap with off the shelf WalMart tomato nutes and tomato bloom nutes, and Black Gold indoor potting soil.

I lighten the soil with sand and vermiculite, but you can use perlite instead of vermiculite.

ON any nutes, start out with 1/4 the strength recommended on the bottles, then, when they get to the juvenile stage, up that to 1/2 strength, once a week.

Srry me again, I hope im not bothering you to much .
would it be ok to just use biobizz soil straight in the pot or would i need to mix it

 

[MrOctave]

In a grow tent of 60x60x150 would a 400watt HPS be to much for the small space? or should i use a 250watt instead for such a small space ?

 

[AKgramma]

In a grow tent of 60x60x150 would a 400watt HPS be to much for the small space? or should i use a 250watt instead for such a small space ?

I'm going to answer both your questions here. This forum is for asking questions. You are no bother. That's what we do here!



I don't know anything about Bio-BUzz soil. Just read the instructions on the bag. If it feels heavy when you run your fingers through it, add some perlite or vermiculite and perhaps sand. You're striving for a light, easily drained soil.

Yikes! You're using centimeters, right? OK, working with American Units: You want 30 Watts per SF in veg and 40-45 Watts per sq fit.

Best I can figure is that your space is almost 4 sq. feet. (3.9) so 4 x 30 = 120 watts for veg and 4 x 40 = 160 watts.

I would use something other than HPS because 1.5 meters is not tall enough to keep the HPS from burning up your plant. You would be better off to use flourescents (mounted vertically in the corners) and CFLs above, to reduce the heat (and prevent a fire) You can put those to within 5 CM of the top of the plant and not burn it.

Now, In my experience, 1.5 meters height in a 60 x 60 SCM box will only grow one plant with lights. I hope in the future you can expand your space.

 

[MrOctave]

Ok i made some major decisions and ive decided not to use a grow tent, and just to use the cupboard instead. it has a weird ceiling shape
but the actual dimensions of the cupboard is about. 140x80x170cm, so its much higher then i made it sound. but the cieling does dip down slightly.

How much heat does the bulb give off above it? can it burn thick wood ?(I have a 600w hps and a 400hps i could use)

 

[AKgramma]

Ok i made some major decisions and ive decided not to use a grow tent, and just to use the cupboard instead. it has a weird ceiling shape
but the actual dimensions of the cupboard is about. 140x80x170cm, so its much higher then i made it sound. but the cieling does dip down slightly.

How much heat does the bulb give off above it? can it burn thick wood ?(I have a 600w hps and a 400hps i could use)

HPS gives off a lot of heat, but it will fry your plant ( very likely) before it burns wood (Unlikely). You will have to keep a fan running 24 hours, with a door propped open to vent the heat. If this were a cupboard in a garage, you could cut vents into it for ventilation. If it's in a rented flat, you'll have to keep the door open a bit. (passive ventilation) You'll still need a fan for circulation. Any med-sized desk fan will do.

In a cupboard that size, you can grow 2 or 3 plants to maturity. Even lightly trained, mature cannibus grown inside can get pretty wide.

A slanted ceiling is no problem. If you can, paint the inside white. Otherwise attach white tarp or foil (dull side out) to the interior surfaces.

The problem with using just one light is that you will have shaded areas, most notably lower leaves and the interior of the plant. mounting small flourescent bulbs vertically in the corners in addition to your HPS will light up those areas without adding heat.

EDIT: I calculated that at 1.12 SM, you can use your 400W HPS. But you will need auxiliary lighting in the corners.

 

[MrOctave]

Im installing a 300cfm Inline fan with carbon filter to suck air out (cutting a whole in the door), and i will be installing a small intake fan to bring cooler air in (cutting anohter hole in the door) and some basic fans inside for air movement. that way i can keep the door completely closed and i will only open it to tend to the plants. Do you think that will be enough??


Also it is white inside any which is good

 

[AKgramma]

Im installing a 300cfm Inline fan with carbon filter to suck air out (cutting a whole in the door), and i will be installing a small intake fan to bring cooler air in (cutting anohter hole in the door) and some basic fans inside for air movement. that way i can keep the door completely closed and i will only open it to tend to the plants. Do you think that will be enough??


Also it is white inside any which is good

It all sounds good! I wasn't sure if you were renting and could not make any structural changes to the cupboard.