First time grow, need help !

[Maggot]

I am trying to grow my first plant. Im using a 400w lamp, which I have set up in a closet.

I set the light up at some distance from the plant in the early days but now she is a bit stronger now being a month old and 2 1/2" tall I have dropped the light down to 18" above her.

I also have a fan set up in there for air circulation

But however im not using artificial nutrients as im worried of over doing it and killing her.

I have recently been a little worried about her as some of her leaves have started to yellow. I have been watering three times a day but think it may be that she is not getting enough c02 so i am planning to change my spray bottle to soda water rather then the normal water I have been using.

Im not sure if the c02 in the soda water will work, or if that is the problem at all.

Can anyone give me some advice please, it would be greatly appreciated.

Maggot Reviewed by Maggot on 07-05-2008. First time grow, need help ! I am trying to grow my first plant. Im using a 400w lamp, which I have set up in a closet. I set the light up at some distance from the plant in the early days but now she is a bit stronger now being a month old and 2 1/2" tall I have dropped the light down to 18" above her. I also have a fan set up in there for air circulation But however im not using artificial nutrients as im worried of over doing it and killing her. I have recently been a little worried about her as some of her Rating: 5

[sock12]

Are you doing soil or hydro?
Yes you need some nitrogen, and then you need some bloom nutes.
I use Bio-Bizz,i like organic all the way.
What are you growing?

[killfrenzi]

You need Nitrogen. In other words you need to give her some nutes. If your local garden center doesnt have FoxFarm products then just try giving her some something with a sufficent amount of nitrogin. As for the soda water. I have no idea. Its prolly not a bad idea, but I would check the ph of the soda water. I have heard of using Hydrogen Peroxide for a lil cO2 boost.

I dunno, but try some bonemeal.

[Maggot]

Im using soil, and im growing blue haze.

I read an article just before I stated growing about fox farms products and I looked to find them but no one locally seems to sell it.

Seems to be US only.

Does anyone know if I can purchase products on the net and where from?

Also what PH is best for her?

[hudson88]

Hey maggot, i think first thing you should do is check the basics. You've not mentioned what your temps are, have you got a thermometer? Also you mention you've got a fan setup for air circulation but don't say anything about a fan to exhaust the heat out to the grow area, that's something you really need or your temps will be too hot with a 400w in there i'd think, also the plants need a fresh supply of air not the same old air circulated.

Can you post some pics? It doesn't sound right, your plants a month old and only two and a half inches tall??? It should be much bigger than that. What type of light have you got on it? You say 400 watt, but is it a metal halide (mh) or high pressure sodium (hps)?

You shouldn't be watering 3 times a day in soil, in the very early days you might water seedlings in tiny pots a couple of times a day but you pretty soon move onto watering every 2-4 days. I'd stick to watering with tap water, it should have a ph of around 7 and your soil should have a lower ph to buffer the ph down a little. There's a good thread around about ph, have a look for it, i think it's called something like "how and why to test your runoff ph" it's by stinky attic. But first i'd check the basics before worrying about feeding and PH.

Good luck!

[Maggot]

Its a 400w HPS. I did have it quite high but recently dropped it down to 18", as she seems stronger now.

She is only 2 1/2" but looks very fat. Will post some pics soon...

What is your reccomended temps? Ive heard many figures...

And I am really supposed to water every couple of days???

Im in the process of setting a water pump up with a timer. Water tray with a inlet and a offset outlet to allow run off.

As for ventilation im not sure the best way to do this ! ! !

At the moment she is in a closet, which I set up for her but I will struggle to introduce great ventilation.

I want to keep hidden, and im considering building a grow box. I dont want to be super stealth, just hidden from view.

[Maggot]

Here should be some pics...

[hudson88]

Your should aim for your temps to be 75-80F ideally and but never let them go over 90F

You NEED to get hot air out of the grow area and NEED to get fresh air into it. You should exhaust the hot air from the top of your closet and intake fresh air from the bottom. The usual setup for a small grow such as yours would be to have a RVK or similar fan extracting the hot air from the top of the closet and just have a couple of holes in the bottom of the closet where fresh air will be sucked. There are ways of doing this so it can still be stealthy, put your vents in positions that are obscured, if it's a tall closet you can vent through the top into the loft for example, or your bottom intake vents could be obscured by a chair or speaker.

Check out some similar logs and read the faqs too.