noob 1st time gro, ever!

[mikey420budd]

hey how are you mate?

im a first time grower using an old speaker box, growing one plant, i got the seed from a good batch of pot i smoked a few weeks ago and decided to plant it.
It measures 59cmx35cm ( im in aus ) and im using 20 Watt, 1250 Lumen, 6500K Fluorescent light, i have it placed pretty close to my plant, the plant now measures 3.5 cm, and has it's first two true leaves, i've used a small pot for the moment but when it has 5 true leaves, i'll start feeding it and i'll transplant into larger pot.

also, i've just purchased Miracle-Gro Water Soluble All Purpose Plant Food 15-13-1-12-4, is this suitable ?

Looks like all is well, but i need more advice, please help!

and reply quickly if possible. thanks.

-420-

[Technique2]

You will find a multitude of information as well as support in here, but I will be the first to advise you AGAINST any of the pre-mixed soils with regards to seedlings.

Believe me, I have killed my share of seedlings due to placing a perfectly prepared (tap root visible) seed into a pond of ammonia scum lol. Poor seedlings.

I am doing much better now that I have a more neutral soil (Jiffy-Mix seed starter) And so are my seedlings (which are starting to push through the surface) ^_^

[mikey420budd]

ok, i've now got two lights hanging in my double speaker grow box, and i only have two lights because i broke one of them today, sadly. im only growing one plant by the way. got the seed from some good ganj i smoked a while back.

so anyway, i have a total of about 2600 Lumens, i should b ok til i get a new light or two yeah? only a few days. anyway, i have pics of my new grow box. tell me what u think, all ideas are good at this point, lol.
thanks heaps for reading this btw, ive never grown before, so i need all the help i can get.

cya laterz, -420-

[justanotherbozo]

welcome to the site and to growing, a couple of things, first, plants that young don't need much light at all, in fact you can use too much light.
second, this site is peopled by many medical marijuana users, it's those users who have the growing experience to help.
most have been here for years, trading questions and answers as they learned to grow thier medication. what that means is that most of the questions you want to ask (and i'm sure there are many) have already been answered many many times. most of the oldtimers want to see if your willing to get your hands dirty, so to speak. in other words, the answers you seek, most of them, are already there for you to read at your leisure. if you look up near the top you will see the words 'Cannabis FAQs', as a beginner i would recommend that you spend some time reading through the FAQs so that you don't aggravate people asking overly simple questions.
that being said, keep it up, keep growing, keep asking for help and keep posting pictures, people like looking at them and it really helps to troubleshoot a problem when you can see it.
anyway, here's the link to the FAQs so now, it's at the top and the bottom <http://cannabis.com/faqs>

[Greenthing]

Yep read these:postreadfaq:mikey420budd.
After looking at your photos it seems that your reflective stuff in your grow space needs some attention,:( get it as tight and flat possible it should reflect the light better.;)
And welcome to you mate. :thumbsup:

[mikey420budd]

thankz fellas, i'll re-do my aluminium foil sheeting tonight, and how many lumens do i need for my plant do you think? i dont know much at this stage but i do know that wattage doesn't really matter, its all about the Lumens, lol.

and i was wondering about Miracle-Gro Water Soluble All Purpose Plant Food, i bought one the other day, and the number on it said, 15-13-1-12-4, is this a suitable type of Miracle-Gro to use ?

and also, is it okay to use Portable Floodlight Sockets (with the floodlights obviously changed to a fluoro) to use on my plant?

sorry just asking these quik few questions, nd then thats it, ill read up on everything, i just wanna know these few things.

soz if ive annoyed ya by asking simple questionz lol.

alright, post back soon,

laterz

-420-

[Greenthing]

thankz fellas, i'll re-do my aluminium foil sheeting tonight, and how many lumens do i need for my plant do you think? i dont know much at this stage but i do know that wattage doesn't really matter, its all about the Lumens, lol.

[QUOTE]i was wondering about Miracle-Gro
I dont know never used it. always nutes for me

is it okay to use Portable Floodlight Sockets (with the floodlights obviously changed to a fluoro) to use on my plant?
Not sure on this one either just be carefull when messing with electrickry if you are not familiar with it, you dont want a fire

soz if ive annoyed ya by asking simple questionz lol.
No never annoyed, sorry i cant be of more help.:)

[Greenthing]

Mikey It would be better to get some Mylar is the most reflective material you can buy with over 95% of light been reflected back.
There is something aluminium foil i dont like, but i dont remember at the moment what it was. ;)

[justanotherbozo]

thankz fellas, i'll re-do my aluminium foil sheeting tonight, and how many lumens do i need for my plant do you think? i dont know much at this stage but i do know that wattage doesn't really matter, its all about the Lumens, lol.

and i was wondering about Miracle-Gro Water Soluble All Purpose Plant Food, i bought one the other day, and the number on it said, 15-13-1-12-4, is this a suitable type of Miracle-Gro to use ?

and also, is it okay to use Portable Floodlight Sockets (with the floodlights obviously changed to a fluoro) to use on my plant?

sorry just asking these quik few questions, nd then thats it, ill read up on everything, i just wanna know these few things.

soz if ive annoyed ya by asking simple questionz lol.

alright, post back soon,

laterz

-420-

firstly, and i know you didn't ask this but, aluminum foil sucks as a reflective surface. if you must use it, make sure to put the DULL side out, i know that sounds backwards but the dull side reflects light better than the shiny side, also, make sure it is as smooth as you can make it, all those ripples will cause hot spots.
secondly, at this stage your plant doesn't need a whole lot of light, LOL, you have at least a few weeks to research lighting and if you run into anything you don't understand, just ask. believe me though, finding your answers yourself is not only faster usually but, more importantly, it will be accurate, at least it's more likely to be accurate. not everyone that will answer your question 'right now' will know what the f**k they're talking about and as a newbie, you won't know the diff. if you get most of your answers from the FAQ you can at least be sure that the answers are probably accurate.
also, look for StinkyAttic's sticky's, she is a mod here and she knows her shit. a sticky is a thread that has enough useful info that it's considered worthy of note. read some of the sticky's and you will get lots of info and lots of inspiration.
as for the Miracle Gro question, i'm not totally sure although everything i've read and heard say's Miracle Gro potting soil sucks for canabis.
also, those floodlight fixtures would work fine if the bulbs fit. mine didn't, the socket was too deep for the bulb, the ballast got in the way. try looking for those clamp lights, you can get them in the lighting section of Walmart in 3 different sizes all for under $10.00 each. they are also available at TrueValue hardware stores, HomeDepot's, Lowes etc. and look for splitters, these are available at Walmart as well and for less than $2.00. i take a picture for ya.

anyway, good luck with your grow, don't get discouraged, just remember, it's only failure if you don't try again.

peace, love, dope

[mikey420budd]

yeah ive heard of mylar, but im in australia though, can u still get it here?
i had an idea before, i have a windshield shade thingo for my car, it got sum gay picture on one side, but the other side looks kind of like reflective bubble wrap. safe to use that instead of foil ?

[mikey420budd]

nd am i safe to keep using my lights? how much lumens u recommend?

[justanotherbozo]

lol, read my last post, especially point #2
oh, and here is that picture of the socket splitter i promised ya

bozo,
peace, love, dope

[Greenthing]

yeah ive heard of mylar, but im in australia though, can u still get it here?
i had an idea before, i have a windshield shade thingo for my car, it got sum gay picture on one side, but the other side looks kind of like reflective bubble wrap. safe to use that instead of foil ?
Some growers paint to space with a white matt paint not the shiny stuff.
But try to get Mylar if you can.

[justanotherbozo]

heres some info i found in my research, don't remember who the original poster was but it wasn't me and i thank him myself for sharing. anyway, i hope it helps you like it helped me.

bozo,
peace, love, dope

[justanotherbozo]

sorry

Foylon:

A more durable version of mylar, made of spun polyester fabric and reinforced with foil laminate. Foylon is resistant to most solutions, won't tear or fade, and can be wiped or washed clean.

A great solution for growers who are interested in long term use, and though it may be slightly more expensive than mylar, its durability will more than make up for its cost. It has the ability to reflect about 95% of the light and approximately 85% of the heat energy, so a good ventilation system should be used in conjunction with folyon.

A recommended method to attach Foylon to the walls would be using Velcro, as it makes taking it down for cleaning much easier nd reduces the risk of tearing, creasing or bending it. If this is used for your walls, making sure you get it flush with the wall with no pockets of air between it and the wall to prevent hotspots.

Mylar:

A highly reflective polyester film that comes in varying thickness, the most common being 1 and 2 mm thick. The 2mm thick mylar while not quite as durable as the foylon, is fairly rugged. The 1mm thick mylar tears fairly easily, so taking it down for cleaning is quite difficult without damaging it in the process. Both types of mylar are able to reflect approximately 92-97% reflective, giving it the potential to be more reflective than foylon, but because foylon is more easily cleaned without damaging it as well as it being harder to crease, foylon usually ends up being slightly more reflective. Important to note is that mylar reflects radiant heat energy just as well as foylon (around 85%), so proper ventilation is necessary if mylar is used in your grow room. Attaching this to walls can be done in a similar fashion as foylon, and the same caution should be used to avoid creating hotspots in your room. The 1mm thick mylar stands a fair chance of being creased or ripped in the process unfortunately, even if Velcro is used to attach to the walls.

C3 anti-detection film:

A specialized type of mylar that exhibits the same properties as the 2mm thick mylar, but in addition to reflecting approximately 92-97% of the light, it also is 90% infrared proof, making your grow room all but invisible to IR scanning. This can also be attached in the same manner as foylon or mylar, and the same caution should be used to avoid creating hotspots in your room.

Flat white paint:

Self explanatory; a great option for large grow rooms or for people who are interested in a low maintenance wall. Flat white paint has the ability to reflect between 75-85% of the light, and does not create hotspots. Adding a fungicide is recommended when painting.

Glossy and eggshell whites not reflect light as efficiently as flat white. Semi-gloss paint for example, only has the ability to reflect between 55-60% of the light. Also important to remember when using paint is that any smears or blemishes on the surface take away from how reflective the wall is so care should be taken to avoid marking or staining the walls. Titanium white paint is very reflective; however it is usually only used on reflectors due to its high cost.

Elastomere paint (info by furun)

A rubberized roofing paint with 90% reflection. Good for growboxes. Mildew resistant. Highly reflective.

Kool Seal White Elastomeric Roof Coating ~ $15.00 (1 Gallon)

Ultra high reflectivity
Forms a rubber-like blanket that expands and contracts
Adheres to almost any surface (very good on wood and metal)
Available @ Lowe's Home Improvement: Buy Kitchen Cabinets, Paint, Appliances & Flooring

White/Black plastic (also known as panda plastic or "poly"):

"Poly" is useful if you are setting up a temporary grow room or donâ??t want to damage the walls. Poly is easily cleaned.

The purpose of the black side is to not allow any light to pass through the plastic, which ensures your dark cycle remains dark. The white side is 75-90% reflective. Choose a 6 "mill" thickness of poly for maximum light blockage and duribility.

If this plastic is put too close to the light, you will obviously melt it so be careful!. Panda plastic does not create hotspots. Poly can be attached to the walls by using carpenterâ??s nails or using tape glue or similar means. This can be used as a cheap alternative to mylar if painting your grow room is out of the question.

Polystyrene Foam Sheeting (more commonly known as Styrofoam):

This is excellent for harsh environment growrooms (your attic for example), provided you have a good ventilation system and a way to keep the temperatures from rising too high (an a/c unit or similar) as it is an excellent insulator.

It is also a great material for use in a temporary setup or for use as a "travelling reflector" on a light mover, where weight is a concern. It is approximately 75-85% light reflective so it is comparable to using a flat white paint. Foam will not create hot spots. Rigid foam can be purchased in sheets, and can be used as a free standing wall or can be taped, glued or nailed to the wall, the last generally being the most successful method.

Emergency Blankets:

These are ultra thin polyester blankets that are sold in most camping stores and are constructed of a single layer of polyester film that is covered with a layer of vapor deposited aluminum.

It is not very effective at reflecting light because it is so thin. Holding it between you and a light source, many small holes are noticed at the intersections of creases and the entire blanket is translucent to begin with, this coupled with the many creases that are in it when you purchase it takes away a significant amount of it reflectivity. It is very easily creased as well which also detracts from its ability to reflect light. And while it is reflects nearly 90% of radiant heat energy, it is only able to reflect around 70% of the light.

The largest advantage of using this type of material is that it is very cheap and therefore easily replaced. Emergency blankets can create hotspots if not attached flush to the wall so it is important that no air gaps exist between it and your supporting wall. The easiest way to attach this is to use tape (Aluminum or metal tape is recommended), as it tears very easily once it is cut or punctured.

Aluminum Foil:
Aluminum foil is no more than 55% reflective - if used, make sure that the dull side is the one that is used to reflect the light. When it becomes creased its reflectivity is even lower (around 35%.) It is also very dangerous to use because it creates hotspots easily, is electrically conductive, and is a fire hazard when it is in close contact with HID lighting. Attaching this to walls is a pain and usually using aluminum tape or glue is the best way. This should only be used as a last resort, and even then its usefulness is questionable.

[mikey420budd]

thanks your info has helped quite a lot, i have installed a 8 inch fan and an exhaust fan in the making, any other quick advice? like when should i start feeding? i have a pik of my plant from today,two nice looking spiked leaves, and another two sprouting out of the center, fan is already helping with stem growth i think, its on a low speed, should i leave it how it is or change something?

anyway, post back soon, cya.

mikey

[justanotherbozo]

really, shitcan the foil, either paint the inside of the box flat white of leave the inside of the box nekid, the foil will cause hot spots that will stress the plant as it get's bigger.
also, either find a way to get that fan inside the box or get a smaller one that will fit, you don't want a fan blowing directly on the plant at all times, with a fan oscillating, it only blows on the plant part of the time, it sorta mimics the wind. what that will do for you is make the stems stronger.
as for feeding, i'd wait a week or 2 more and then start with a very weak concentration, maybe 20% of what the directions say to use, you don't want to use full strenth for a little baby
and Mikey, you have to start reading the FAQ's, first because you can be sure the answer you get is accurate, let's face it, some of the advice you get might come from people who know less than you do.
second, because the FAQ will give you the WHOLE answer, not just what i can remember
third, because reading the FAQ's will show in the kinds of questions you ask, and then people will see how willing you are to help yourself and they will become more willing to help you. not that they are unwilling even now but, if you want respect, you have to earn it.
anyway, hope i didn't offend you, that wasn't my intent. and don't stop posting and asking for help, just read the FAQ's so you can ask tougher questions

bozo,
peace, love, dope

[mikey420budd]

sweet as dude, ill get some white paint soon, and ill see but im not sure if my fan oscillates, if it doesnt should i just leave it pointed at the plant or the wall of my box?

update, before, i knocked it over and some dirt fell out, but look like a have a nice big thick stem leading down, ive topped it back up with some soil and watered it, think itll b ok?

laterz

mikey

[mikey420budd]

ive just relized that my fan does oscillate, i've srewed in the bracket and its sitting at the top of the inside of the box, see for yourself, feedback welcome.

[justanotherbozo]

try to angle it away from the plantlet a little, it is very small and young. yoiu'll see though that your seedling will grow a much stronger stem, just go easy with the wind until the stem get stronger

[mikey420budd]

should i keep my baby on a 24on/0 off schedule? or change it to 18on/6off?

and i have one phillips 1040 lumen, 6500k 18 watt cfl, should i hook up my other light or leave it as is? my other light is a 1550 lumen 2700k, 25 watt.

thankz, laterz.

Mikey

[justanotherbozo]

i veg using the 24/0 schedule, it works for me and almost everything i've read says that's the way to go. although, i have read that there are diminishing returns and that leaving them on more than 18 hours per doesn't yield an appreciable difference. i don't know if that's true or not so, which ever schedule you decide on, stick with it, you don't want to confuse the plant with sporadic lighting.
also, your plant is still a seedling so it needs very little light, when you see the third set of leaves start to come out, add a light, another blue one, not the red one, and go to lowes or homedepot and get some 40watters, or even 30's, 18watts and you'll need 10 of them (and wouldn't it be better to have 10 x 40 watts rather than 10 x 18?)
during veg, you want mostly blue light, if you add that red one, you'll have 18 in blue and 25 in red, not the right ratio

anyway, good luck

bozo,
peace, love, dope

[mikey420budd]

thanks man, good advice, how close should my light be? atm its about 2 inches away.

[justanotherbozo]

judge the distance with your hand, if it feels hot to your hand, it feels hot to the plant, that being said, you want the lights as close to the plants as possible without cooking the leaves.

bozo,
peace, love, dope

[DeadSkunk]

Sorry this post is kinda late, heh. But, I read that you broke one of your bulbs. I hope it wasn't a CFL. Those contain mercury so be careful! Here is an article Ask TreeHugger: Is Mercury from a Broken CFL Dangerous? : TreeHugger (http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/05/ask_treehugger_14.php)

[mikey420budd]

i dropped the light but as i did so, i got scared coz i knew about the mercury already, and jumped back a bt, so its all good.

just wondering, could u possibly tell me what kind of plant i have?
(e.g. indica, sativa etc.)

coz i just got the seed from a batch of weed i smoked a few months back. so im not sure of its type.

[Greenthing]

Mikey

just wondering, could u possibly tell me what kind of plant i have?
(e.g. indica, sativa etc.)In my opinon its to early to say what it is. :)

[justanotherbozo]

i dropped the light but as i did so, i got scared coz i knew about the mercury already, and jumped back a bt, so its all good.

just wondering, could u possibly tell me what kind of plant i have?
(e.g. indica, sativa etc.)

coz i just got the seed from a batch of weed i smoked a few months back. so im not sure of its type.
hey mikey, relax, just be careful with any broken lights. there is VERY little mercury in a single CFL. here is an excerpt from that article Green talked about, and i quote:

"Although mercury is a toxic pollutant, mercury exposures from broken CFLs are not likely to harm you and your family. This is due to several factors, including the amount and duration of your exposures and the specific type of mercury that you are exposed to. " ... "Having said this, careful handling does not mean that expensive or complicated clean-up of the spill is needed or that you should be worried about you or your family's health, if a CFL were to break in your home.

This is because CFLs contain relatively small amounts of mercury -- EPA estimates this amount to be 4-5 milligrams (mg) in a typical CFL. A spill of this amount of mercury is not likely to present any excess risk to you or your family. "
there's plenty more to the article but the truth is, as long as you don't go eating the broken bulb, reasonable care when sweeping it up should be sufficient to keep you safe.

[mikey420budd]

thnx for that advice, i only hae one atm so good for me hey. lol.

ill keep growing, and keep this post updated weekly, keep reading this thread, keep it alive.

thankx mate.

cya..


Mikey

[justanotherbozo]

helping you helps me too man, on many levels. first, i learn faster myself 'cause i wouldn't want to give wrong advice so i always check my sources before sharing.
mainly though, i live by the golden rule of 'what goes around, comes around' so helping you gives me Karma points.
anyway, if i were you, i'd go to the local bookstore, either Borders, WaldenBooks, or any book store, college book stores are great for finding stuff too, and get at least one book on cannabis cultivation.
look in the gardening section and i'd bet you'll find some. look for Jorge Cervantes and Ed Rosenthal, you can't go wrong with those guys. my first book was 'The Cannabis Grow Bible' by Greg Green and it was well worth the investment. i learned a LOT, and, i learned how much i didn't know. the one thing that came through to me loud and clear was 'you can do this', so here i am.
anyway, keep it up man, we all need each other.

bozo,
peace, love, dope

[mikey420budd]

i have now lined my box with white office paper/ to reflect light better. left the foil underneath, as i glued it on there when i first made the box. lol.

anywayz, heres some pics, the first set of two leaves are goin' good, the second set are starting to grow, looking great but i took the pics with my phone so there not the best quality. lol

enjoy.

feedback and all the advice i can get please???

:D laterz

Mikey420

[justanotherbozo]

looks nice, all white and shit

[Greenthing]

I have never heard of anyone using white office paper before, but it looks a lot better than the aluminum foil you had in there.:)

[mikey420budd]

my mates wanna build me a grow box, what size should it be for just one mother plant and maybe a clone or two?

my plants still small now, but i plan to clone when i can, and my box is trashy, i need a new one, so yeah, and im in australia, nd was wondering, can i get Mylar in my country? and if so, what kind of store would it be in? and also, wondering about the transplanting thing, see, i read that when transplanting, you should have five sets of true leaves before u start to transplant...is this true? and how many leaves are in a set?

please help, advice needed.

Thanks.

Mike420

[mikey420budd]

keep in mind that i want the smallest sized box as possible, as i am growing im my room, and it takes up a fair bit of space.

[the image reaper]

while it's still pretty 'ghetto', you should be able to buy 'butcher's paper' wherever you buy your groceries ... its flat white paper on one side, and plasticized/coated on the other side, to resist moisture ... it would hold up better than plain paper, until you get a better setup ... :smokin:

[mikey420budd]

nah see, i was going to paint my new box with a flat white paint, yeah? seem like an ok idea?

but yeh, could you possibly tell me what a set of leaves are? like how many leaves are in a set?

atm i have two spiked leaves, and another two spiked ones popped up, but about half the size of the first two.

[mikey420budd]

my mates told me to use the car windscreen sun shade thingy to reflect the light, it seems to be pretty effective, any one ever heard of using this???

[Greenthing]

my mates told me to use the car windscreen sun shade thingy to reflect the light, it seems to be pretty effective, any one ever heard of using this???
Hi Mikey i have never heard of any one using them.
I have used ADF (Aerial Defence Foil) and Mylar, both with good results.
Mylar is good stuff and not to expensive.:)

[mikey420budd]

im in australia, can i buy it in my country?

i no all about mylar and how it reflects 98 percent of all light and all that stuff, i just dont no where to get it from.

plz help.

laterz

Mikey

[Greenthing]

I know you are in Aus mate, are there any Hydroponic stores down under?
Or you could get some off the net.:)

[mikey420budd]

yeah ive seen a few, but would they carry Mylar?

on the net i can get it, but it costs a fair bit more for shipping and all that.

ill go for a drive today and have a look for some.

anyway, take a look at my temporary set-up, nd the car sun shade in action, lol.

i am also going to buy one more blue spectrum 23 watt 6500k CFL today or tomorrow, as you'll see with the pics, i have a spare floodlight fixture i can use. as i am using a floodlight fixture for one current cfl.

laterz

Mikey

[mikey420budd]

i have a question bout cfls, i have a blue spectrum one in there atm, would it do any damage what-so-ever to add the red spectrum one in aswell,? its 2700k and 1550 lumens i think.


????

[justanotherbozo]

no, you actually WANT some red, just more blue than red during vegatative growth, say a 3 - 1 ratio, blue to red. reverse the ratio when you're ready to flower

bozo,
peace, love, dope

[mikey420budd]

should i have around four lights going? one red spec, three blue spec?

sweet, ill go hook my red one up now, lol. and have a few bongs. lol.

[mikey420budd]

one blue spec, 6500k, and another red spec, 2700k, is this suitable for the momemt? until i can find another blue spec screw in bulb?

[mikey420budd]

welll, you know the first two little round leaves of a seedling? not the serrated ones, but the round ones, well they are curling up and going yellow, and i am not sure yet but i think my first two serrated leaves and going a tiny bit yellow at the tips. help???

ive now reduced the light to one cfl, 6500k 18 watt bulb. my lighting schedule has been 24/0 for entire time of growth.

[mikey420budd]

yeah heres sum pix.

feedback??