Need advice! First time grower

[WhiteWindowPurpleMaze]

Yo! I'm new to the forum and would like some help with growing obviously :p.

I did write quite a long thread last time but when I tryed posting it, I wasn't logged on and lost it all :(! So I'll sum it all up instead...

What I'm looking for

I'm looking to grow about 3 ounces of weed per year.
I'm looking to grow the plants indoors with as much natural light as possible.
I would like the plants to reach a maximum height of about 2 foot in the pot.
I'm looking for a good quality weed which is not too sticky and grinds up easily.

What will I need?
What's the best way to get the plant to begin growing?
What size pots will I need?
I'm guessing I will need to use some sort of lights eventually as summer is coming to an end. What are my options?
What kind of soil should I use?

If there's anything I've missed that I should know before I start growing, it would be appreciated if you could let me know.

P.S. I'm from the UK.

Thanks a lot, J :joint:

[dj #]

3 ounces of weed?!

ok if your new to growing then ~

id advise you use an auto-flowering variety of plant, auto-flowering plants start to flower at a certain age they do not need a change in light cycle to flower so you can provide them with near constant light, although its recommended they grow under 18/6 or 20/4 hours of light/dark per day, they like a little dark time as this is when roots do a lot of growing ;)
there are plenty to choose from and i'd advise looking in the THC shop online here for seeds, you could try the Auto AK Gummy Gun variety-->http://www.thctalk.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=8_1&products_id=141, it seems to be very good and very popular ;)

you will need a light and to begin with id advise a CFL (compact flourescent light) like this --->http://www.greenshorticulture.co.uk/CFL-Lights-95/CFL-Grow-Lights-122/Budget-250W-CFL-System-800.asp
this 250 watt CFl will provide enough light to flower 4 plants happily

take your seeds and put them in the bottom of your fridge for a few days, then take them and place them in a paper towel and wet this with water, put this in a freezer bag or something you can close up and keep the moisture in, a small plastic tupperware box or something similar would do as well, then place it somewhere warm
check every day and once you see them open and a little bit of root starts to pop out then gently put them root down into a small pot say 3" filled with a decent seedling potting compost,
dont use normal garden compost yet as this is too strong for them just now,
put them about 1/8" under the surface and water the soil, put some cling film over the pot to keep the moisture in and once you see it sprouting from the surface remove the clingfilm and place them underneath your lightsource.

its said that auto-flowering plants dont like to be repotted that often, so once your plant is 1-2 weeks old repot into a big pot, approx 5-10 litres, and use a decent compost soil,
its also said that auto's dont like being fed much nutrients and prefer feeding from the soil so id recommend using quality soils like John Innes seedling compost to begin with, then either John Innes No2 or No3 potting compost (or a mix of both)for the next repot into the big pots, you can add Perlite to this soil at the rate of 20% perlite/80% soil.
i personally would NOT recommend you use any of the Miracle Grow composts as they dont seem to have a good reputation with cannabis growers.

they will only need watered every 4-7 days maybe, water the pot well and allow a tiny little bit of runoff, but dont overwater them, let the soil dry out a good bit before watering again, as they get bigger they will need more water more frequently but never keep the soil too damp, always allow it to dry out a bit.
if you can balance the pH of the water to 6.5 pH this would be good too

if you can provide them with an adequate air flow of fresh air and temperatures between 70-80 degrees and humidity around 50% they should be quite happy, and hopefully provide you with about 1Oz per plant in finished bud

hope this basic advice is of some help :)

cheers

dj#

[magiclight]

"I'm looking to grow about 3 ounces of weed per year."

That should be fairly easy to do, as its really not that much bud for a whole year of growing (4 crops a year, say?)

"I'm looking to grow the plants indoors with as much natural light as possible.
I would like the plants to reach a maximum height of about 2 foot in the pot.
I'm looking for a good quality weed which is not too sticky and grinds up easily."

Now you got two choices here, you could go with an auto strain, as dj suggests, they are easy on a new grower, and dj explains them well enough in his own post ;)

Secondly, you could go for a strain thats not auto flowering, these strains won't flower with age, but rather with how long they have a light shining on them. This means as long as you can keep them under 16-24 hours of light a day (16-20 is reccomended, though 24 is certainly possible) they will stay in vegatitave growth, simply getting bigger, growing more leaves, and keeping iteself alive, A plant can be kept for many years in this stage, without any adverse effects, but most growers don't tend to keep them for any more than a few months, as its not as efficient for maxinum bud production. (You're better turning around more smaller plants, than just one huge one)
All you have to do to make this plant flower, is introduce 12 hours of light, and twelve hours of darkness, pretty simple.

If you choose this route, look into what strain you want, an indica strain, as these are the shorter varieties.


What will I need?

In your case, for lights, I would reccomend a CFL, and dj# explains that well enough for me to leave it alone. :)

Otherwise, Soil / Fertiliser / Pots / Somewhere to put it all / nothing else comes to mind, though i'm sure someone will think of something.

Optional: PH tester

What's the best way to get the plant to begin growing?

dj's germination method is top notch, follow his advice there.

What size pots will I need?

You can start off with a small pot, about 6 inches in diameter, and work your way up to bigger pots, after the root mass has filled the smaller one.

I'm guessing I will need to use some sort of lights eventually as summer is coming to an end. What are my options?

Answered above.

What kind of soil should I use?

I'm currently using bio biz soil, though I bought it somewhere other than greens, so no link included sorry.

Well I hope i've been of some help, take my words as advice, on not as fact, and I wish you luck with your grow! :bigjoint:

[WhiteWindowPurpleMaze]

Thanks alot for the information.

I've decided to go with Lowryder 2 and am just waiting on delivery.

I'll keep you posted on the grow, J :joint:

[magiclight]

:Nice: mate, you going to post a diary when you get started?

[WhiteWindowPurpleMaze]

I will do, yes.

I've just received my seeds in the post. Next step is to buy a light. Which will be Friday as it's pay day :p.

[WhiteWindowPurpleMaze]

Just noticed:

Budget 250 Watt CFL System With 1 x Blue Lamp - £64.99

Budget 250 Watt CFL System With 1 x Red Lamp - £64.99

Budget 250 Watt CFL System With 1 x Blue Lamp & 1 x Red Lamp - £99.99

What's the difference between the blue and red lights? I'm guessing the option with both would be best. But is it necessary? Could I make do with one or the other?

Cheers, J :joint:

[dj #]

What's the difference between the blue and red lights? I'm guessing the option with both would be best. But is it necessary? Could I make do with one or the other?

Cheers, J :joint:well the colour is the only main difference, obviously, but they both have their uses during certain growth/flowering stages,
the combined light option would be good if you can afford it :)

[WhiteWindowPurpleMaze]

Yeah, that's what I was thinking. But I wouldn't have a clue as to when to put each light on... What exactly does each colour do?

Would having both make a difference with an auto flowering plant?

Cheers, J :joint:

[dj #]

blue light is better when vegetating a plant, it help stops a plant from stretching and keeps it more compact
red light is better during flowering, as this is more like the colour of the sunlight during the end of summer and autumn when flowering occours
a combination of both light spectrums is good too :)

[Mystery_Customer]

If you're going to grow autos then you can get away with just using a red light with no adverse affects :)

My last Lowryder 2's were grown under a red 125w CFL & acheived just under an ounce per plant (dry weight) ... very nice smoke too :bigjoint:

[magiclight]

if you can afford it, get both lights mate, your plants will love you for it :D
DJ's already explained why they are wanted.

[skanny]

one thing you guys have forgotten .... get a hydrometer from most garden centres they only cost a few quid and allow you to water your plants properly without having to guess when they need watered.

my autos needed watered almost everyday.