Growing for Dummies

1- Growing marijuana in soil is easy, but it requires preperation.
The 1st step in growing is setting aside a space for it.
This can be as elaborate as a spare bedroom, or as simple as a closet.
Some people use those portable closets available from home depot.
stealth grow closet

2- So once you've gotten your space set aside, what is next?
Lighting! This is where you are on your own, there are several avenues for you to take.

CFL's are gaining in popularity, but the long time standard is HID lighting.
Do your research here, and you'll be rewarded with some tight nugs.
Personally, I use several 400 watt hps lights.

3- So we have our space allocated, and have installed our newly purchased lighting.
Things are looking good! So lets move on and plant some seeds now hey?
Slow down there, and dig your heals in for a bit spike! Before we even think about starting a seedling, we need a very good exhaust/ventilation system. Please re-read that above sentence and you'll notice I said "exhaust/ventilation".

Two seperate and distinct functions, lemme explain for ya those two seperate, yet important functions.

We need an exhaust system, to exhaust the heat produced by our lighting system. It dosent matter if you use CFL's or HID lighting, you need to exhaust the heat produced, and they will produce heat. Here is a link that supplies a formula I've used for years in helping me determine the cfm required in my exhaust. This link assumes HID lighting is being used.
What size vent fan do I need and intake area size?

The secondary purpose here, is that as plants grow, they use up the available co2 in the growspace, and by exhausting the space, fresh co2 is than drawn into the growspace. This is a necessity for a healthy grow.
4-Are you ready to germinate some seeds finally? Not yet buddy, you could germinate your seeds, but you'll also end up in the slammer if your not in a legal state. We need to also take into account the smell. Even if you are living in a legal state, you should be concerned about the smell, as it will attract "rip offs" too.

The standard here is a carbon filter, but there are many DIY substitutes too, such as:
Build your own Odor Neutralizing Machine

The truth be told is, marijuana plants do not emit a huge smell, unless your touch the plants, kinda hard not to touch those lovely flowers, and/or at harvest. So being prepared, only makes sense.
There are only a few scenarios where you wont need to worry about the smell. Like where I live, the smell is never a concern. This is not the norm however, and I would never recommend someone to not worry about the smell. A mistake here will result in disaster.

5-Now we have a ready to use grow space, and we can get our seeds ready. Of course some people will grow from clones, and thats fine. Alot of people have a seperate vegging/cloning area too, and for all intent purposes, I am going to consider that advanced growing techniques, and will not be covered here. This is to just cover the basics.
There are many ways to germinate seeds, the easiest of which is to pop the seed into some dirt and wait.

My preferred method, that I've used for years is to get a paper plate, on top, place a damp paper towel, place your seeds on the damp towel, and fold the towel in half, to cover the seeds. Than place the paper plate into a large plastic freezer bag, and close the bag, but as you do, blow air into the bag. This will form a terrarium atmosphere for the seeds, and as the water evaporates, it will cling to the baggie and re-distribute itself back onto the towel again. Place in a dark place. I place mine in a drawer next to my stove. This keeps it dark and warm. Usually within 24 hours, my seeds are ready, 48 hours at the very most.

6-vegging, it is now time to veg your babies, get a soil recipe that you are comfortable with. Marijuana plants determine between vegging and flowering by it's light cycle, typically an 18/6 schedule is used for vegging, and 12/12 for flowering. You'll also need some nutrients to feed them with. There are lots of nutes available to you, foxfarm come to mind for one. Of course if you have a good soil recipe, you wont need any nutes at all, here is a recipe I've used with above average results. a simple organic recipe that works well
You want to place your seeds into a small container, not clear, as light is bad for the roots. I use small dixie cups to start with. Place seed about one inch into the cup. Plan on re-planting your babies about every two weeks.

Please dont skip the re-potting step, I've seen people start off in 5 gallon grow pots, and this is a waste of space. Re-potting forces the plant to grow a healthy root system. there is a good rule of thumb that says to use one gallon of soil, for every 12" of growth you expect to have. This is a minimum. You may want to double that.

How long should you veg for? That all depends on your space, and other factors. However you should never flower before a plant is sexually mature.There are 2 features that distinguish mature veggie plants from immature ones. They are alternating nodal arrangement and leaves with 5 or more blades. You can flower before those features are present, but the plants perform a whole lot better if you wait. Most strains except for equ. sats have these by 12" or so. Personally, mine have always had these features before they reach 30 days old. My best plants have been vegged for atleast 5 weeks, I find that to be a bare minimum.

7-Flowering, once you have finished vegging, it is time to re-pot the plants into there final grow pot, you want something between a 2 gallon grow pot, upto a 5 gallon size. Now flip the light cycle to 12/12.
Dude....your growing some pot and will have a harvest soon! Pretty cool hey? there is absolutely nothing like smoking the weed you've grown with your very own hands. It tastes sooooo good too!

Now please understand, this covers only the basics. we have not touched upon things like what to do if you get infested with some ugly creature who wants to eay your ladies. Alternative light cycles, sexing, cloning, these are all advanced topics. I hope you find this useful.
Peace
HAPPY TOKING!

Hey Vid,

Nice tute, dude. BUT, where is your famous soil mix. It is incredibly simple and effective. Please add your recipe.

Pappy

Hey pappy, just like ragu.....Its in there! Look under vegging, I included a link.
Peace

Oh, yeah. I guess I need to pay closer attention. Sorry. It really is some great stuff.

Pappy

I love this Vid! Thanks.

In all the skills I have developed in a lifetime it is clear the basics or fundementals can never be given too much attention and care...my nature is at times to get "distracted" by advanced techniques but the basics are the foundation of all good practice...doesn't matter if you are talking about growing MJ, playing an instrument, running an organization, etc etc

Thanks for the reminder and good sticky for noobs also

what exactly is pinching? when you trim or pinch your plant for it to grow more branches.

You remove the top most growing tip, without harming the lower leaves. Just the very tip, the leaf bud for the future growth, that is "pinched" out. Then you get two growing tips coming from that spot when you see growth next. It increases the top growth of the plant or branch.

__________________
Life,
j-angel

aka GP purrie kittie attack cat!


My Little Grow LST'ing w/Hardware

My Outdoor Odyssey 2008 BONSAI MUMS

My Little Grow Indoor To Outdoor 2009

that is a great starter for everyone new to growing, great video

__________________
Keep the gun oiled and the thumb green!

thank you thank you

Im going to print this for a friend that doesnt have a computer. He wants to grow but does not know how to start. This will help him alot. Thanks.

I am going to do a shed grow and am building the shed from scratch. Are there any features that i should incorporate into the design, it will be a room behind a dummy wall in the shed about 5 feet by 10 feet, feel free to send in possible designs.
Thank you in advanced

I'm sorry for this stupid question but when someone does not know much then i must ask......

Where do you get the seeds from?

Hey, interested,

Seeds can be purchased from a seedbank,(one of our sponsors), or from seeds found in a bag of good smoke. aka bagseed. Bagseed, has proven quite adequate, for me.

By the way, Welcome to GP. Please go to the "Introduce Yourself" forum, and let us give you a proper welcome.

Pappy

thank you !

Alright, I have three questions, hopefully they're not too ridiculous:

1. When you say 18/6 on the light schedule, what represents darkness and light?

2. What is the best thing to start the seeds off in (I.E. Roughly what size cup/pot, what sort of drainage)?

3. What sort of watering schedule should I be on?


I'm still prep-ing the seeds until tomorrow afternoon, but have everything except what to put them in. I figured I'd start out small in about a 5-7 inch diameter pot for the plants, and then start moving up to bigger things but didn't know if that'd be the best size to start out with. Also, holes on the bottom for drainage I would assume is a necessity, but what do I put under it to keep the area clean?

Also, I've been told to water them about every two days, but what do you find works the best?

Any help is appreciated, thanks.

Hi there Goober, welcome to Green Passion! Please come over to the Intoduce yourself Thread and say hi. I am sure there will be many that wish to welcome you.

As for your questions:

1.18 hours is the amount of light. 6 hrs is the amount of darkness.

2. It is best to start the seeds in a 4 inch pot, or some people start them in plastic cups with holes added to the bottoms. Cheap and cheerful! ALWAYS start them off small and move up gradually.

So, say you start in a plastic cup which is 4 inches in diameter. Your next size pot could be a tall yogurt container with holes or a 6 in diameter pot next. You want the roots to fill up the pot and use all the soil before you replant. And it is better to go for a deeper pot rather than a wider pot. I will explain this to you later, i do not want to confuse you. Pot them up gradually, not all at once. If you put your plant in a pot that is too big for the plant, you will have a hard time keeping the plant well watered and healthy. What happens is that the little plant in the middle of all this big thing of soil cannot possibly use all the water that amount of soil needs. So you will have wet spots and dry spots and this can encourage disease. You want the roots, after you replant, to seek out the soil at the edges. I will explain this in the watering part.

3. The best way to learn how much water your plant needs is to make up a planter/cup just like your plant is in with only soil. Keep this one dry. Then water your plant well and feel the difference in wieght after you have watered the plant, compared to the wet one. When that little plant feels the same wieght as the dry pot, water it. More plants die from overwatering, overfertilizing, over something than from neglect. Remember, this is a WEED!

You can use a cookie sheet with high sides under your plants. I use them. Or you can buy a plastic plant drip tray without holes. doesn't matter. even an aluminum roasting pan will do. saucers, whatever you have. Just do not let the plant sit for a long time in water. This will rot the roots.

If you have more questions, please feel free to ask.

Peace

__________________
Life,
j-angel

aka GP purrie kittie attack cat!


My Little Grow LST'ing w/Hardware

My Outdoor Odyssey 2008 BONSAI MUMS

My Little Grow Indoor To Outdoor 2009

GP420... About five years ago, we built a 12'x12' shed/garden cottage at my new home. I selected a site next to a huge pecan tree, with plenty of shade, to help with temperature control. I had wanted to incorporate two separate grow spaces along the back wall, 4.5' deep, giving me two 6'x41/2' rooms. Using an existing wall with corner walls simplified the buildout, making it necessary to only build the separation wall and front wall.
One of the rooms is completely wall'd in with a 24" access door, the second space is three sided, with a 4 mil black plastic, over lapping curtain fronting it. Looking back, I wish I'd made both with a soft front wall, as it's easier to work and clean in that space.
Problems did occurred: number one was, no ceiling rafter was in place for the four and a half foot buildout. We had to place an additional rafter spaced for front wall studs. Also, I wish I had planned better on the placement of the electrical outlets. Each space has two 20 amp circuits, though now, they're in awkward places.
On the ceiling, make sure it's strong enough to add mounting hooks in a variety of configurations for lighting. We had to replace the ceiling over both rooms with half inch plywood. A pulley attached to the hooks allows for lighting to be easily raised and lowered as needed. I use cleats screwed to the side wall studs to tie off the lighting ropes.
My shed is insulated with roll insulation and paneled over. Cut your vent hole before you insulate and panel. It's a real pain to pull all of that out and redo. (trust me on that one) For venting, I have a 6" duct fan with a 'Y' on it, drawing air from both spaces, venting into a side mini shed where I park my riding mower.
Once the spaces were finished, I lined the wall with this radiant barrier material. I comes in a big roll stud length high. It's a foam like material about 3/8th inch thick, white one side, with a kind of a shinny foil look on the other. I cut and stapled it to the walls, white side facing out. It's sturdy, very easy to clean, and reflective of light. (a clean grow room, is a good grow room) The floor was two coated with polyurethane, and is very moisture resistant and easy to clean.
I'll be happy to answer any questions you might have...B

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Ya gotta love those T5's
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"Some of my finest hours have been spent on my back veranda smoking hemp and observing as far as my eye could see."---Thomas Jefferson- 1781

I have two more questions... first off thanks to Jangel. I absolutely love the community here, it's probably my new favorite website. I love that everyone is very helpful and not condescending, it's awesome, thanks so much. Regarding my questions:

1. Should my ventilation run all twenty four hours a day, or should it be on the timer with my lights?

2. Tomorrow is my first day of watering. I should be going about 100ml over 4 plants, correct? Also, is there anything special I should be doing to the water? I assume bottle water would be better, but everyone knows assumptions make an ass of you and me. So I was wondering what is the protocol about the water?

Once again thank you for the help, you don't know how much I appreciate it.

run ventilation all the time, the plants work on the Co2/Oxygen exchange even in the dark.

use enough water to soak the whole cup, not leaving any air pockets. do not put so much in that the soil is very runny. the best water is probably steam distilled water from the grocery store, or water put through a reverse osmosis filter. dont forget to add nutrients of course once they get bigger. the distilled might not have enough even when they are young so add a little bit of tap water to every distilled gallon you use for watering

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"Remember, you can never overdose - you can only under-dose. We are just making sure we aren't under-dosing."

I am a medical marijuana patient - my plants and use are covered under State Law. I do not endorse illegal activities in or out of the state/country. So don't tread on me.

Spring '09 Grow Chocolate Thai: http://www.greenpassion.org/f24/back-action-spring-09-grow-7928/

Current Fall '09 'Red Diesel' LED Grow http://www.greenpassion.org/f24/fall-09-pure-led-grow-show-red-diesel-14415/