My first time; any advice/books available?

[MaryLane]

I am hoping to start my first ever grow for myself and my spouse. Space is a huge consideration, and even though where I live I am legally able to grow, I want to keep this as stealthy as possible.

I've done a lot of reading here and elsewhere. There is a ton to know and I really don't think I'll fully grasp all the concepts and practices until I actually get a couple of grows under my belt. That said, I would still like for my first grow to be as successful as possible.

So, does anyone know of any books I can get that have detailed illustrations or pictures, that help guide one step by step through a small cabinet grow?

Or, does anyone know of an online resource (or thread) that does the same thing? I noticed there are a few members on this site that have their own books on the subject. Are these available online?

Most of the threads here seem to cover the actual growing of the plants, but not so much the set up. I'd like to do a SCROG (arena style maybe) grow, but I don't know how big the soil containers need to be, how much room I need, exactly how to pull the plants through the screen etc. How many plants should I grow to last until another harvest? My spouse and I smoke daily, usually a few grams in the evenings. Maybe two plants or three plants? Based on my reading here, I figure a 400w HPS should be sufficient for a few plants, but what temperature does the bulb need to be? How big should the box be? Would I be better off building a box or buying a plastic one or something similiar from a hardware store?

I've had plenty of experience with lighting set up etc., so I don't necessarily need to know how to plug in the ballasts or anything. I used to grow corals in a SPS dominated reef aquarium, and I promise you no plant in the world has a higher or more specific light requirement than Acropora sp. corals or Tridacna sp. clams in just 65cm of water.

Any advice or direction is very much appreciated! Thanks!

MaryLane Reviewed by MaryLane on 08-06-2007. My first time; any advice/books available? I am hoping to start my first ever grow for myself and my spouse. Space is a huge consideration, and even though where I live I am legally able to grow, I want to keep this as stealthy as possible. I've done a lot of reading here and elsewhere. There is a ton to know and I really don't think I'll fully grasp all the concepts and practices until I actually get a couple of grows under my belt. That said, I would still like for my first grow to be as successful as possible. So, does Rating: 5

[stinkyattic]

A little advice, a noob is better off to do a regular grow- SCROG is fixed permanently in place once you begin training, and you will have a bitch of a time flushing your plants when something goes awry. Get used to the plant before getting fancy. SOG is a lot safer in that regard, as the plants may be freely rearranged within the grow area.
Check the setup section for examples, see what you like, post up diagrams, and we will be happy to preemptively troubleshoot for ya.
Stealth? I LOVE the idea of using an armoire or entertainment center for a flower chamber. Ent Cents especially don't look weird if they are locked, and have cables running out the back... that IS where you keep your expensive stereo stack, after all!

[Weedhound]

Growing coral is hard hard HARD. You should consider hydro....you'd be perfect at it. :thumbsup:

[MaryLane]

Would I be better off just building a small box to fit one or two seed grown plants in, and just train them rather than trying SOG or SCROG for my first time? I know that there is a lot I simply cannot learn until I try it - no amount of reading can replace actual experience, however, I still want to get as potent and as much as possible from my first grow. I'd rather grow myself than have to go buy it from somewhere else, even if it is a legal distributor.

I can always get some of those germination cube things at the local botany store and germinate a bunch of plants under some of the 100w swirly shaped CFLs, kill the males, then let the best looking females grow up under a HPS or something in a small box... how much room would it take to get two or three plants and just train them around the edge of the bucket they are growing in? I don't have a lot of space.

I didn't know there is a set up section. I'm going to go check it out now!


Thanks for the great advice!

A little advice, a noob is better off to do a regular grow- SCROG is fixed permanently in place once you begin training, and you will have a bitch of a time flushing your plants when something goes awry. Get used to the plant before getting fancy. SOG is a lot safer in that regard, as the plants may be freely rearranged within the grow area.
Check the setup section for examples, see what you like, post up diagrams, and we will be happy to preemptively troubleshoot for ya.
Stealth? I LOVE the idea of using an armoire or entertainment center for a flower chamber. Ent Cents especially don't look weird if they are locked, and have cables running out the back... that IS where you keep your expensive stereo stack, after all!

[MaryLane]

It is very difficult, but once you figure out the water chemistry, lighting routines (I had LED moon lighting and 500w worth of DE MH in extremely efficient reflectors shining through sapphire glass) and how to position them in the tank it is easy. The various Acropora sp. were my favorites by far.

I don't know the first thing about hydro. Lemme do some searching and see if it is a viable way for me to grow in my very limited space.

Thanks!

Growing coral is hard hard HARD. You should consider hydro....you'd be perfect at it. :thumbsup:

[texas grass]

here are a few links with some books and other misc stuff. from the growmoreweed link stinkyattic says greg green cannabis bible is a good author(if i remember correctly, if not sorry stinky). i read the book along with bogs bonanza of green and those are good starter books in my opinion. and ofcourse everyone around this site has been nice to me since i have joined recently
good luck
GrowMoreWeed.com - Guides to growing cannabis weed marijuana
Drugs-Forum - Cannabis cultivation: Overgrow's GrowFAQ
Marijuana Growing Guide Free Library

[MaryLane]

Thank you very much my friend!

here are a few links with some books and other misc stuff. from the growmoreweed link stinkyattic says greg green cannabis bible is a good author(if i remember correctly, if not sorry stinky). i read the book along with bogs bonanza of green and those are good starter books in my opinion. and ofcourse everyone around this site has been nice to me since i have joined recently
good luck
GrowMoreWeed.com - Guides to growing cannabis weed marijuana
Drugs-Forum - Cannabis cultivation: Overgrow's GrowFAQ
Marijuana Growing Guide Free Library

[Weedhound]

I can promise you that hydro is more like keeping fish like tetras and gouramis. If you can do those (i'm sure) you can do hydro.

[decontrol]

Marijuana Horticulture: The Indoor/Outdoor Medical Grower's Bible

I picked this book up not too long ago and highly recommend it. Can be a little overwhelming at first but read it a couple times, and it has a great section on deficiencies :thumbsup:

[MaryLane]

I just looked through that book at a Barnes & Noble and almost bought it. I think I may go pick it up tomorrow, as it had some really good pictures, especially for someone new who may not know exactly what to look for as far as visual cues go (sexing, harvest time etc.).

Marijuana Horticulture: The Indoor/Outdoor Medical Grower's Bible

I picked this book up not too long ago and highly recommend it. Can be a little overwhelming at first but read it a couple times, and it has a great section on deficiencies :thumbsup: