Hey all, I am a total beginner. I found 2 seeds in my bud and so i germinated them in a paper towel for like 3 days. I then placed them in miracle grow soil ( does position of the seed matter?) and one has sprouted. I am surprised it sprouted because i have dug it up a couple of times to see how it was doing. Anyway, i want to do it legitimately. I have purchased 10 seeds from a friend ( yes they are quality) and will begin germinating them soon. My question is should i keep it on my windowsill which gets decent light and also place a 60 watt florescent above it with reflector, or, should i place it outside once it enters the vegetative state? ( i live in coastal California,southern, and its mildy cold sometimes but mostly sunny all day.) And has anyone had success with cutting the fan leaves for stealth? thnx
The tap root goes down & don't cut off the fan leaves your plants need yhem to grow. I like to veg 24 hours at least 18/6 so does the sun shine in your window 18 hours.Good Luck with your grow good seeds is a good start.-Bud
Are you going to keep it inside? If you are planning on keeping them indoors, I would go with the 18 or 24 hour light, but if you are going to put these outdoors, you would be okay to put them in a southern windowsill. Hopefully this is not a windowsill people could see in.:icon_confused: ...lol. They will get used to the strong sun, and by the time the weather is right(warmer) to set them out, it will stress them less. But you wouldn't need the extra flouros if it's in a windowsill, at least not while the sun is out. Kinda useless...the sun would overpower it. And I wouldn't reccomend cutting the fan leaves, either....they are what feed the plant...if you are concerned with stealth, may I suggest reading the FAQ's on LST....and other methods of training...heck, read it all while you're at it...there's a massive amount of information needed before you start getting gung-ho on it...good luck!
.02 I Suggest setting up your flouros (are they made for growing?) somewhere that you can leave yer plants under them for 24 hrs a day during however long you plan/need to keep them indoors. They will be MUCH healthier during veg under as constant a light source as possible and therefore produce better outside when flowering. Happy growin!
First advice is get good soil . Miracle grow has timed release fertilizers that will stunt or kill a young seedling . Try to find an organic mix with Coir or Coir Fiber as the main ingredient ,(No Peat Moss) , try a garden center . Next , if you have a good coir fiber soil you can just put the seeds about three diameters deep and pointed end up , cover and lightly tamp . Soak the soil , cover the container with plastic grocery sackto keep the surface damp . Bottom heat of 80-85 degrees will speed germination and enhance germination rates . Check daily and let some fresh air in . About three days to sprout and break soil this way and you won't kill them with paper towels or other ham-handed jostling . Timing of 24 or 18 hours is essential . A timer is $10 . I prefer 18 on 6 off , no need to give reasons here . But you need a timer if you aren't gonna run 24/7 . What else ? I wouild always suggest a $10 soil moisture meter for a begginer , any hardware or garden center . Completely soak a plant , water running out the bottom , soak again in a few , then let sit till that meter gets about half way down the scale , time to water . Someday you will not need the meter , but for $10 it's agreat teaching tool . *Light is up to you . Anything from CFLs in clamp reflectors , to 48" tubes made for plants are cheap[ and good . High Intensity Discharge (HID) lamps are the best , most expensive and most intimidating . Metal Halide for Veg stages , High Pressure Sodium (HPS) for flower . Enhanced spectrum HPS is even better (you aren't lighting the street , you are making indoor sunshine) . 400 watts on a digital ballast that will handle both kinds of HID is a good start . *remember I'm trying to simplify for a newbie here. Plan on getting a fan to circulate air . Exhaust fans and carbon scrubbers for odor control will come later if it is an issue . CO2 and such can be left for later too . I prefer organic fertilizers and organic soil . There's a difference . Ask your garden center for advice .
I would also suggest you buy and read up on using domolite lime. Also I would suggest buying a digital pH meter off ebay, you can get one for $20-30 with calibration solutions, the cheap soil pH meters just don't work very well. You will be able to collect and read the pH of the run off values as well as keep your nute solution within the pH range much easier.
