How does this sound? (beginners set-up)

[iHeartSTI]

hey guys! i have been reading on these forums for quite some time now. I have also been reading some of the MJ Grow Bible.

I bought the book ''Marijuana BUDS for less'' by . I was drawn to this book because it goes day by day, and is not too technical.

This is my first grow, and because of this I do not want to jump right into the deep end. I know that this basic of a set up will not yeild the BEST results, but i think this will be a good learning experience and i dont think the bud will turn out all that bad :thumbsup:

Im planning on having this set up in my closet. I am planning on having (8) 40W halogen lights. hood reflectors. One 24hr timer.

i am planning on starting the seeds in Rockwool cubes then transferring them into a 3 gallon container with perlite on the bottom.

as for soil i think i am gonna go with miracle grow (plant & veg)

my question to you is this. if a friend of yours was doing a set up like this, what would you tell him to change?

the wattage of the bulb? the amount of lights? the soil?

im pretty confident, i just wanted to run this by you guys before i bought any supplies.

thanks,

adam

[pass_the_dubbie]

well I still havent got a proper grow under my belt so I cant offer much help but I think you should stay away from the miracle grow.

[Mr. Clandestine]

The MG soil will work fine, but later on down the road you should consider making your own organic soil mix. You'll have much better control over nutrients and soil consistency.

I would, however, recommend that you ditch the halogens before you grow anything and switch them out for CFLs. Halogens don't put out near enough useful light for the amount of heat they put out. Fluorescents burn much cooler and have color spectrum's that are much more accommodating for plant life. I unfortunately can't give more advice about color spectrum's for CFL-only grows, because I've never done one. But they're very efficient when done right, so wait for a little more advice about it before you purchase your bulbs.

Lastly, make sure ventilation is covered in-depth when you begin your grow. You won't have to worry about heat as much as if you were using an HID, but air circulation is still very important. Plants grow terribly in stagnant air. Good luck with it! :jointsmile:

[stinkyattic]

Suggestion time!

I know that this basic of a set up will not yeild the BEST results,You'd be surprised. The simplest setups are the ones that actually give a first-time grower ANY product... Keep It Simple Stoner!


Im planning on having this set up in my closet. I am planning on having (8) 40W halogen lights. hood reflectors. One 24hr timer.
Make sure the timer is grounded.
Replace the halogen lights, which give off too much heat and not enough usable light, to the biggest baddest 'daylight' CFLs you can find.
Don't skimp on exhaust! You will need lots of fresh air for the plants to thrive.


i am planning on starting the seeds in Rockwool cubes then transferring them into a 3 gallon container with perlite on the bottom.
I recommend starting instead in rapidrooters since they require no preparation before use, and I like the way they hold moisture. Also, I've had trouble in the past putting RW in soil and having it stay so wet that the stem rots.
Consider an intermediate transplant. There's a post about it in FAQs on why you should transplant more rather than less.
Perlite should be evenly mixed in the soil. Drainage of the pot depends on the pot itself rather than a bottom layer of coarse media, which will clog up after the first couple waterings anyway. Add the perlite to your soil.


as for soil i think i am gonna go with miracle grow (plant & veg)IF that's your option, check the MG organic potting soil and add some more perlite.

[iHeartSTI]

Thanks for the replies guys. I will take all your pointers into consideration.

I havent quite figured out what im gonna do for ventilation. Im only planning on growing 1-3 plants, but it makes sense that the fresher the air the better the plant will grow. So i'll look into what kind of fans i can mount in my closet.

[hybridlove420]

lights: halogens are not the best, use some daylight cfls to veg, and warm cfls when you flower down the road

soil: you dont really need or want rockwool for seeds. just strat them in a soil substitute or even regular soil (in a small pot) until theyre about 1/2 foot tall, then transplant to the larger pots


nutrient advice: no nutes until they are a week or two after sprouting, or theyll burn