Quote Originally Posted by thuG
Hey Maulrat, your posttook the exact words I was thinking to write later on today, since I am also a beginner in growing bud and with the interest in growing soon

Since the post I was going to make later on today is similar to the one here, there are a couple more questions that could be critical within growing.

Should we be using flourescant lights or HPS lighting during the first couple months?

How many times a day do you water the plants during the first couple of weeks?

What type of lighting schedule would you start with? End with?

I've read that if you add a good amount of gravel at the bottom of the pot it would help a great amount for drainage purposes. Is this true?

Do you fertilize during the first couple weeks / months ?



I'm sure there are more questions but these are the ones I really don't understand. I've been reading and searching for quite a while now, and I have almost all the tricks and tips jotted down to begin my plant grow.

I hear that cfl's are excellent for the vegetative phase. hps is ideal for flowering, as it simulates autumn light and convinces the plant that winter's coming soon and it needs to flower out quickly. personally, I have found that hps lamps are the best overall if you're going to use one light source. but don't be paranoid about switching light sources in your plants' lives, it doesn't need one constant light source throughout its life. flowering is more demanding like I say, and requires more of the red-end of the light spectrum


there really shouldn't be a strictly uniform way of watering; although it might turn out to be a regular watering regiment. the plants are better dealing with dryness than over-wetness. the watering requirment will depend on the volume of the soil in the pot. for small pots, you might need to water every 2nd or 3rd day. the rule of thumb is; if you can't detect moisture with your finger after digging down slightly into the soil, it's time to water. when using HID lamps, you'll probably need to water more, as they cook out moisture quickly. don't be afraid to wait a day or two if you feel a hint of moisture in the soil


the lighting schedule during the vegetative phase (roughly the first 6 weeks of the plants life) can easily be given light 24 hours a day. I like to shut off my hps lamp for 4 of those 24 hours just to let the light cool down. admittedly, that's just paranoia because I'm unacquainted with pro lighting systems. honestly, the lighting during the veg state doesn't matter really; we're really just trying to get the plants to grow faster so we can harvest quicker (it's really not a botanical health issue at all). However, the flowering phase is much more discriminant of its light cycles. once the plant is 6 weeks or 2 months old, you can start flowering (although you will ultimately have more potent buds if you prolong the veg state as long as possible). To induce flowering, give the plant a strictly uninterrupted schedule of twelve hours of darkness per day-the more absolute dark the better. it might need 2 months of that scedule before it's ready to harvest. when roughly half the hairs on the individual bud have turned from white to red or brown, it's ripe and ready to harvest. ideally, the whole plant is ready to harvest at once. sometimes you need to havest the buds separately, clipping off the mature buds and letting more light reach the undergrowth to finish maturation.

you would only need a drainage substance like gravel if you're using your own dirt. commercial soil usually contains perlite or vermiculite to ensure proper drainage. this issue and the plant food issue are resolved if you just use soil from the hardware store. after 3 months, you should fertilize the soil. or just buy more and not stress yosef widdit. LATES