off to the races.....

Okay. Have a grow space, 3.25x3.25x6.5. Have a soiless mix of vermiculite perlite and sphangum peat moss. Have two liquid nutrients, one high in nitrogen for vegging and one high in phosphorous for blooming. Have a variety of pots, ranging from little four inchers , two gallon and five gallons. Early misty and northern lights (10 beans each). Have a ph tester, a timer have some good grow guides and resources (like this one). All that is needed is a light which will probably be 400watt that will allow use of HID and HPS. Also needed is my ventilation system and carbon, but that part is already figured out as to what will be acquired, just need to get it.

My questions are as follows:

1. after the light is mounted, an estimation of about 4 and a half feet from the floor to the light seems to be what will happen. With this in mind using hid/hps lighting, how tall should the plants be allowed to grow ? It seems to me that they shouldn't be taller than two to three feet to prevent them from being burned by the lights. Does this sound right ?

2. Since the height is going to be no more than three feet tall the five gallon containers seem like they would be too large. Does this sound correct ?

3. When should these plants be induced to flower ? 12" high, 24" high, or will height not be an issue if I apply topping or lst ?

4. Is a 400w system too powerful for this small space, should I go with a 250 watt, remember, the space is about nine square feet and about 6.5 feet tall.

5. Germinating: Two strains, ten beans each. Hoping to begin by harvesting at LEAST two solid females, hoping for four with this initial harvest, planning to take cuttings and root a clone mother from the cuttings of the most sucessfull plant. Should both strains be germinated and tried out (all twenty beans) or one at time, or is this really just personal preference ?

Okay, I have tried to find answers to these types of questions on this and other boards to no avail. If you can provide some insight it would be appreciated. Thanks in advance, your input is appreciated.

You are off to a good start. I hope I can give you a bit of direction.

You say the space is 6.5 feet high yet only 4.5 feet of vertical space when the light is hung. Why do you need 2ft to hang the light? Hang it as close to the ceiling as possible. You should be able to do it in about a foot. So, at most you should have 1ft for the pot and 1ft for the light so 4.5 feet of plant space as opposed to 3.5 feet your way. Remember you will have to still leave a small gap between plant and light but with a 400W and ventilation you should be able to leave as little as 6-8 inches.

A 400W will work if you properly ventilate the space. Keep temps around mid 80s.

I like the 5gal pots because they allow for a big root mass, and big roots equals big buds. But since you have a small space you will not be able to fit as many 5gal pots in as 2gal pots. Compromise and go with 3gal pots and fit as many as possible together.

From seed you will have to grow them for about 6-8 weeks before flowering so you will have to top or train them. Once you start with clones just flower when the plants are 12-16 inches and you should be good. Remember that the plant will double or triple in size from the start of flower. Most indoor strains just double.

Hope this helps and good luck.

ps You don't have enough room to do 20 at once so just do 10 and then do the other 10 at a later time. I would do 5 of each so that in case of disaster you still have some backup seeds.

Thanks for the insight perp. Appreciated and noted. You are correct about the light situation I am sure. I haven't obtained the light yet and some of them appear to bew a little bulky by the time you hang it and have a reflector and so on, I thought that it would cut my vertical space more than you say it will. Do you have any nutrient recommendations ?

Well, get the best that you can afford. If you got a hydro store in your area go there, if not get water soluble fert from walmart just make sure its got micronutrients in it.

the bigger the pot the better for the mother, as for the others 3gal is good..

After your seeds have germinated, and for their first 3 weeks of above-ground life, try to keep your temps on the low side (high 60s - low 70s). After three weeks, grow normally till flower time. You will notice more females that way.

Out of ten seeds you should easily see 6-7 females. Try it and let us know how many you get.