2nd Grow

First off i just want to say thanks to all of you whom gave advise on my indoor grow last year. although it wasnt as sucessful as planned i did get some smoke and it was fun watching mary jay grow, now off to buissness
Me and my wife just got a new house. it has TONS of closet room but the wife said off the top no pot growing in the closets ( omg they are so huge to like 3 of them ) anyway she has granded me the right to grow in our huge basement, i screwed up last time...rushed into it and didnt start off with the wright lighting, this year is not a closet grow so the space ill have will be so plentiful i havent yet done the measureing ( were arnt moved in yet ) but i do plan to grow down there, anyway now i have a 400 W mh that i finished my grow with last year...the bulb is basicly brand new, do you guys think that light is to powerful for babys ? ( seedlings ) although ill have the room i still only wish to grow a few...or just even one, all ur help will be apprecaited, any ideas on soil ? lets start off slow with this one...and ill post week by week updates as you wonderful growers help me ...if my MH is to powerful for seedlings what should i use ?
BTW ....Z aka nowhereman its jay from ur messenger wanna help out with this one bro ?

The best lights for seedlings are fluorescents. You don't even have to use expensive ones, I've seen plants on these forums which were grown with those compact fluorescents and they look good. The best thing about them is that they don't produce much heat, hardly any at all so you can place them within inches of the young plants. I think 400w would be a bit much for tiny seedlings. I've never heard of many people start seeds off under a 400w. Because only small pots are normally used to start seeds, the heat from a 400w would dry the soil out too quickly I think, so you'd have to keep checking them constantly. As for soil, there are several quality soil mixes on the market. There are those organic "super-mixes" which the hydroponic stores sell or you could use a basic, multi-purpose compost like I do; it works well.
For seedlings and clones I use a fluorescent unit called 'light-wing'. It takes 2 x 55w tubes and it works great. It makes topping the plants a bit awkward because the nodes are so close together.

Hey there, I don't use soil myself but some of the serious growers I've talked to that still use soil, swear by fox farm Ocean Forest. I'm pretty sure they sell it at most hydro shops heres a link https://ssl.cgicafe.com/clients/hmoo...an_forest.html
I'm not sure how it compares in price but its supposed to be top of the line.

Lots of growers use HID lights for seedlings and clones. Just keep the light 2.5' to 3' away from the tops of the plants. As they grow lower the HID light.

For a excellent soil mix see BC Bud Depot @ http://www.bcbudonline.com/ tell them KanMan sent you and they will fix you up.

Good Kannabis Growing!

The problem with using HID for seedlings and clones is the heat. They can and in most cases do cook the plant from the inside out by just putting out too much power.

I still use Floruex light from Lights of America it only cost 40 bucks or less from HD. There are others you can buy with a bat wing cover that even work better but they cost a little over 100 bucks. I built my own with 2 lights and one bat wing I just took apart a â??lights of Americaâ?� security light and made the socket remote. Its no big deal; its not saving heat but space for me. I use a Aerocloner 74 for clones so I need the extra area.

As for soil mix I use just the cheep soil mix from HD. Look for the one that does not have any nutrients in it at all. I also suggest you bake the soil in your oven at 350 for about 30 minuets before you use it. This way you know it is 100% sterile and has no insects in it like fungal gnats, flies and other unwanted pests that could destroy your grow and make the whole experience a drag. You only use RO water and adjust the Ph of all the water you use all the time. You add the nutrients to the soil with the water so that gives you total control to grow the healthiest plant possible.

Monitor the temperature under the lights at the top of your plants that is the single most important temperature to watch. If that temperature is in range then everything else will fall into place by default. Provide fresh air and a fan to move it around. Exhaust the hot air and use a carbon scrubber for odor control on the exhaust and you should be fine.

Good luck to you!

I also suggest you bake the soil in your oven at 350 for about 30 minuets before you use it. This way you know it is 100% sterile and has no insects in it like fungal gnats, flies and other unwanted pests that could destroy your grow and make the whole experience a drag.

Hey Zandor,
I don't use soil, hence the question. I've heard that you're better off pasturizing and not sterilizing (cooking the soil at 170 or so) that this way you leave some of the good bacteria and such. Any insight?
When I used soil I didn't do either and I was constantly fighting pests :(

All I really know is one time I used soil from the store for another place I take care of and nats were everywhere by the 3 week. I don't use soil for any of my personal grows but most everyone else I help grow have started with soil too. The one and only time I did not bake it he had nats and they are a bitch to kill and keep dead...the little fuckers....anyway I asume you could be right. I could try it next time and see.

My thought was it's 60 perlite 40% dirt and I controlled the Ph and nutrients from day one and nothing I don't the plant to have get's in. That's the thought anyway.

I do use Dr. Hornby's Piranha in my hydro and some of them use it with their soil too. It's purpose is to add beneficial fungi, ectomycorrhizal and endomycorrizhal fungi. I just think that's the best they can get and all they need.