My new rig and a few questions

Hey everyone! Its been great finding a new home here at cannabis.com ever since overgrow got shut down (may the site R.I.P). This is my first post here so I thought I would give specs for my first grow and ask a few questions.

The cabinet: Im using a C13 cabinet thatâ??s been modified for ventilation. My light is a 250w HPS with a home made cool tube using a Pyrex bake a round tube, and my vent fan is a 265cfm squirrel cage fan.

Nutrients and soil: Fox Farm Ocean Forest potting soil. Bio-Bizz bio grow, bio bloom, top max, and alg a mic.

Questions:
1. Since im using Fox Farm Ocean Forest do I even need to apply fertilizer for the vegitave growth stage? Also when would it be appropriate to use the alg a mic?

2. Will it be ok to use my HPS on the young seedlings and sproutlings or will I need to invest in some CFL's? Will using a hps while the plants are young produce more males?

3. About how close could I get my light to the plants since it has a cool tube?

4. Would 5 plants be to many to veg in my c13?

5. Im using 4qt. pots to start the seeds in, about when will I need to transplant and how big of pots should I use?

Thank you so much for your responses, it really means a lot to me to be able to get feedback from such fine growers. Thank you all :)

Hey everyone I hope this isnâ??t rude but im bumping the thread up...Im starting my grow in about 2 or 3 days and would appreciate some feed back. I thought of couple more question as well. Would I be able to clone all my plants before theyâ??re on their flower period and grow some of those clones out during that flower period? Also would topping my plants be a good idea for my first grow or should I just let them grow out naturally? Thanks everyone :)

Id start the youngens up under some flouresent tubes before you put them under your hps... just to be on the safe side.. if that sound like to much trouble just keep the light quite a bit above the plants for a few days either way will work fine... im hearing alot of very good things about fox farm soils but it realy depends on how long your veging for .. also i would germinate your plants useing either the paper towel method or any other method you find easier for you just to give your plants a head start.. makes it easier begginer growers.. just google marijuana germination and you should get a range of ways to do it... anyways good luck and have fun growing!!

i woudln't top the plant at all if this is your first grow. i hear topping in general is just a bad idea. try to find some info on LST(low stress training).

Thanks a lot for the responses guys its really helpful. If anyone has any more information on my other questions please fill me in. Thanks :p

If you're growing from seeds, I wouldn't transplant until the preflowers show you which are females. Unless you're purposely growing a seed crop, of course. You can veg five plants in a C13.

Looks like you're set, really: decent light, perfect size for that cabinet, good soil, good nutes. Looks like you've done your homework, which was smart, and which many don't do.

Let us see some pics once you're going good. ;)

Your soil only has about enough of the proper nutrients in the proper amounts for about 3 weeks. After that you do need to feed them to keep then on track. They need a quality NPK base nutrient mix. By using HSP lights on seedlings you are increasing the chance of your seedling being male. The proper light and the proper nutrients in balance will increase the chance of your plant being female. Even feminizied seeds can turn hermie if the environment is not correct.

I don't mean to be cheesy about promoting my own project but lucky for you I covered your seedling question in the grow report show #6 and your soil question in show #5 check my sig and listen if you would like to.

Jamstigator: Thanks for the advice. My grow has been postponed until this Saturday unfortunately but maybe when they start taking off I could post some pics.

Zandor: Thanks man, I listened to some of your pod casts and thereâ??s some great info in them. Itâ??s actually quite enjoyable to light up a joint, sit back, and listen to some cannabis information.

Just one thing though, I only have 4qt. pots to start them in and you suggested me to not transplant until im ready to flower. Now im not positive but I donâ??t think 4 qt. pots are big enough to sustain the plants until flowering. Should I go out and pick up larger size pots to start them in, and what size should I get?

wow Zander i just listened to #4 about the water and that was my exact problem but jut never understood why and now i do i stopped using tap water after that

Hey green, how close you can get your light depends on a couple of things, how efficient your cooltube is and how mature your plants are. It's already been mentioned that you should have your light further away when they're seedlings, i'd start at about 2 feet and try to get down to about 10 inches when they're around 4 weeks old. Just keep a close eye on them and raise the light a few inches if the leaves start to curl.
As for cloning your success will depend on the strain and how old your plants are gonna be when you force them to flower. Some strains are difficult to clone and need to be more mature before you can clone. Giving it a try won't hurt and if it don't work, next time try cloning a week later. Just plan when you wanna flower and a couple of days before take your clones. I like to give my plants a little time to recover from the stress before flowering but i know some people clone a few days after switching the lights. It's just about finding what works best for you.

Good luck with the grow!!!!