Day-to-day problems for a new grower? what should i be ready for?

[SmokeyEye]

Hello there experienced growers!


I'm planning to start growing and even have a place to possible set a grow room (?) however, i'm not sure of what issues should i consider in my routine if i'm to actually make these plants grow with a good THC concentration... I would hate to mess up this opportunity as i may not have other... Could you tell me what should i be ready for?

 

[944s2]

Hello Smokey,,,
keep it very simple,,,,kiss,,,
good soilless mix.,,,tried n tested genetics,,,odour control,,,air circulation,,,,a good exhaust to pull the warm air out of the space,,humidity on point,,,HPS,? ,,,LEDs?
tell nobody and read as much as possible..lots of great advice for newbie growers here,,,
Very best of luck luck,,,s2

 

[Growenhaft]

absolutely right ... keep it as simple as possible.

You will of course be motivated by reading here in the forum to try out a lot on the plants. they often try to use all of these techniques to increase yields ... thereby making life hell for themselves and your plants.

do as little as possible on your plants. Provide you with the right environment and you will be surprised how great the plants develop on their own.

what you need most as a beginner is patience patience patience.

if you document your run here in the forum, you will surely be helped quickly if problems arise.

it's all not witchcraft ... it's about good preparation, discipline and patience.

 

[CosmicGiggle]

KISS, what they say!

If using soil spend the buck$ on Happy Frog or other high quality soil to avoid the problem of root eating fungus gnats found in cheaper garden center soils.

I buy spring water to avoid PH issues from tap water.

Good air circulation is important too.

 

[f-e]

Number 1. Security.
Number2. See above.

If you want to carry on, it's the only thing that matters. If you can't keep your own secret, nobody else is going to. This is no talking. No smells. Waste management and procurement. Window dressings. Wardrobe.

I have seen people fill spare rooms with years of unmanageable waste. It's not uncommon. Flood/drain pebbles can last many years. Loads of used rockwool blocks can be an ongoing problem. 16 20L root-balls of compost is quite the car full to get out. An at risk process, even in legal states. Nobody can see what you are doing. Where will you take them. It's an answer that you need before you buy things. Hopefully more comes out a grow than goes in. That's all the bags you want to be seen with.

Custom made boxes are cheap. 150x150x2440 can hold quite a bit of wood. Sacks should also be boxed if carried in plain sight. Some household or business items help a load look better. Perhaps a cooker with card wrapped around it. So people can see you excessively wrap things.

The logistics tend to be overlooked.

 

[St. Phatty]

Almost every clone I've ever bought had spider mites.

Also, most growers over-nute their plants.

It helps if you have a pH meter so you can test your run-off, to see if your TLC is causing pH to become too acidic. When that happens the plants lose access to some important nutes.

 

[flylowgethigh]

Have something on hand to kill off pests when they show up. I keep "purecrop1" and now "Greenclean" in my cabinet. Keep an eye out for the bastards.

I use living soil in fabric bags on a SWICK bed, and it is really easy maintenance wise.

 

[negative37dBA]

Hygrowhybrid did a series a ways back called "so simple a caveman can do it" Good info in that series. Simple tent with a 600 watt air cooled light, proper filter with intake. A soiless mix with a simple run off tray and a brick to get it off the ground. 1 plant and scrog it out for max yield...super easy. Are you in a legal state or med patient? Security is very important no matter where you live. I am lucky and live in the country with very few neighbors but if you have a diff situation you will need to plan for that. Environment is absolute key, if you control that you have gotten half way there before you even start.
Nutrients...dont get caught up in the hype...its just salts. You can make you own dry mix VERY easy and super CHEAP. Don't pay for water and adds you do not need. Check out threads or videos on Jacks 3 2 1. If you do not feel good about that go with the simple 2 part with minimal adds and you will be ok. Do not use Flora Flex nutes....some of the worst in the game.
Dealing with bugs and IPM should be up there as well. Find some good products that are non toxic...like plant based oils and such, and use them routinely in a rotation to help with pest mitigation. I use Green Cleaner and like it a lot. It has gotten me through a couple bad breakouts and now it is always used about every 10 days in my veg areas.
Have fun with it. you will never be more proud than pulling your first nice harvest of quality smoke that YOU grew yourself. It is awesome...it will be the best weed for you to. You know whats been put into it from the start.
Try to source the BEST genetics. You can do awesome growing your crop but if your limited by genetics it will only be so good no matter how good you are. Seeds are relatively cheap for what you get. It is tough to put in months worth of work to get so so buds. Also starting from seed eliminates the possibility of getting shit from others clones...that sucks! There are so many killer strains out there the hardest thing will be deciding on what to pop.
Good Luck. Have a great day all. Peace, negative.

 

[PolyChucker]

There are too many variables to expect your first grow to go perfectly.
I would suggest seed rather than clone to avoid bringing bugs in.
You need to start by mastering water amount. I water every day a small amount so the soil is kinda dry the next day meaning only enough water that can be taken up by the plant - you don’t want soggy roots. Observe a dark wet spot on the soil in the AM to see if you’re giving too much. From 0-2 months it needs from one teaspoon to about 1/4 cup per day. If watering by hand you need to try and get a feel for pouring the right amount.
If using soil don’t get it from big box depot but locally the garden stores sell some potting mix that’s wink wink made for pot though it won’t say that. About $15/bag here. Don’t get one that’s too hot - maybe .5-.5-.5 and beneficial microbes.
you need a veg and flower fertilizer. If doing one run only maybe get the fox farms trilogy. Personally I use fish fertilizer 5-1-1 for veg and bloom 0-10-10 from big box store because a large jug is $10-20 but you won’t need this much unless doing many more grows.
you might not get bugs the first time but I would get some neem spray. I bought cold pressed neem oil in a jug and mix my own- again if you’re only doing one grow just buy the ready made spray.
Once you have a handle on those basics then you can move on to pruning, cloning, and testing different nutrient amounts to see the limits. I also recommend getting regular seeds so you can try pollinating and making seeds and see how that goes.

 

[troutman]

Read a lot. Ask questions if in doubt and don't overfeed the plants.