First grow - ACE genetics mostly, advice on planning?

[ceylan]

Hello everyone, this will be my first grow. I have been reading a lot and have a list of diff seeds I want to grow. I am hoping some of you can kindly lend me your experience to help me plan out the best way to tackle this so I don't bite off too much I can't chew or make any avoidable mistakes.

I mostly chose uplifting sativas. I would like to have an effect that is clear, euphoric, social, giggly. Good for being able to do stuff, enjoy going outdoors, talk to people etc. I also want to try some cob curing for the first time.

Here's my list:

• Tikal
• Honduras x Panama
• New Caledonia
• Zamaldelica
• Bangi Haze (free promo, but want to try as well)
• Satori (Mandala Seeds strain)
• Orient Express
• Kali China
• Speed Queen (Mandala Seeds strain)

Off the bat I'm a little concerned in redundancy in some picks. I am only used to regular BM/dispo weed so don't really know how similar or different in effect something like Orient Express & Kali China are...or Tikal & New Caledonia & Bangi Haze & Hon-Pam. Not a big problem though.

I will be using a 3' x 3' x 6' indoor tent and approximately 150w DIY LED using 3w emitters that includes some UVA & 730nm far-red spectrum. I figured I could probably get 4-6 plants in there (does that sound right? since seeds are so expensive I probably wont be doing any SOG). I can also put together more DIY led lights if necessary.
I have grown diff plants before, and have experience growing all types of mushrooms (edible/psych/etc) so I'm not a total newbie in regards to creating a good environment for things to grow but I have never grown Cannabis and all my knowledge right now rests on a few weeks of internet research, so please correct me if I say anything wrong or have bad ideas lol

So I was thinking it would be best to break up grows by sativa vs indica/hybrid genetics. Is this generally a good idea? I am also a bit stuck on whether I should focus on growing a few specimens of a few plants really well & get to know them & their phenotypes or just grow 1 of everything I want to start.

For example: I was thinking I would split up the 1st grow into the tropical sativa type with HonPam, New Caledonia, Zamal, Tikal, Satori, and Bangi Haze....but then I wondered whether or not it would be better to split that up again to focus more on each plant like this: 2x Tikal, 2x Satori, 2x Zamal? Or maybe just put 4 plants in there to let them grow more to their full potential size?
In your experience what do you guys think is better?


I would also like to pollinate some mommas so that I can always have some seeds on hand, and maybe make some crosses for fun if I feel like it
However I suppose I would have to get another tent to hold males & herms for that purpose, right? Is there any clever way around this? I can probably do it, just would rather stick to 1 tent at this stage.

Well, thanks in advance, and if there's any criticism/advice for what I've planned so far, please share take care

 

[flylowgethigh]

You asked, so here is my free advice. Start with ONE Bangi Haze plant.

I grow soil in fabric pots, so I can talk to that. With 3 x 3 x 6, you have very limited space. A 10 gallon bag of Bangi Haze, pinched and possibly trained with a scrog net, will fill the tent.

This is your first grow, and mistakes will be made. Bangi Haze is a very controllable plant. I have one growing now. It is in a 4 x 4 tent with 8' height (has 3 other room-mates). I lose 12" from the vent system, so only 7' available to raise the light. My bags sit on 8" of perlite, so really only 6', 4" height. The 10 gallon bags are around 10" high soil height, so the plant has 5' 6". There needs to be around 12" under the light, more is better, so 4'6" max plant height. Do that math for your tent.

I would vent the tent with a 6" top fan and carbon filter (if you need a filter to cover the smell) located outside the tent, to get the most of the 6 foot height. The filters need replacing after a while. hey are nice beause they are a bug screen too. With the fiter and fan outside, the light can be closer to the top.

Forget about those screen openings at the bottom. Worst idea ever. Make an air filter box from cardboard, tape a good air filter onto it, put a 6" controllable fan like a AC Infinity S6, seal it all up and run a duct hose out that is long enough to get into the tent. Run it through the round hose hole at the bottom of the tent that can be tied tight.

You can blow filtered air in to the tent this way, and control how much you are putting in. If you can, exit the hot air outside the room the tent is in, and do not let bugs come in from the exit hole. I run my fans under manual speed control, usually around half-speed, at constant settings. The next problem is controlling th air in the 'lung room' the tent is in.

Enjoy, and do a grow diary for us.

 

[Koondense]

Hey ceylan,
welcome to the crazy world of indoor cannabis growing

The "rules of thumb" I found out to be helpful in making setup and grow decisions - better, less fussy and more beneficial for plants:

Plants need space for roots and canopy + good airflow and good lightning are pretty essential for best results(happy plants).
For your case(3x3 tent) this means between 1-4 plants(easiest is to keep some kind of symmetry), soil volume is very important for yield expectations. More soil-more roots- more buds(generally). I like to keep plants in 15-25L pots and water every 2-3 days("soil", not coco).
The light(LED) should be in range of 25-40W/square foot. You have 9 so in between 225-360W of lights is the desired range. You won't need extra CO2 for these light levels.
Considering all this, I would think of two options:
1-get more light - or make another like the one you already have
Start to veg 4 fem seeds(or more regs) of your choice under the 150W light and meanwhile build another one for flowering. 2x 150W would be great for flowering in the 3x3.
or
2-buy a 2x2 tent and build a new 350W light
Start the seeds in a 2x2 and meanwhile build a light for the 3x3 flower tent. This way you have way more flexibility for starting the seeds, selecting plants before you put them to flower. You can try more different varieties this way, select and keep clones of females or males... not all of this of course, it's still just a 2x2 and 3x3 but it's a great option for exploring more varieties.

About the seeds...
Since it's going to be summer soon(N hemisphere), I would say to go with more tropical options or plants with good heat tolerance. Fat buds and high temps usually don't go well together
Out of your selection I would maybe pick New Caledonia and do a run with just this variety. Or you can go the other way, pick the fastest ones like Speed Queen and Kali China for a quick bud before august.
With fast and small plants you can pack them together in SOG and have more phenos of each variety.
Also just one plant is a good option, veg her for long and start flowering in mid summer to finish in autumn, something like Bangi Haze or Honduras x Panama or Zamaldelica would do great in one big pot(30-45L).
In any way, you will find out that seasons also impact the indoor grows, mostly with temperatures and humidity influences, so not two grows are the same, also the clones can behave different.
So always plan ahead and forecast your flowering schedule, meanwhile start new plants early enough.

Good luck and have fun

 

[Cactus Squatter]

You have some excellent choices lined up. There’s some really solid genetics in there.

I agree with starting with the Bangi Haze by itself for your first grow. It’s an easier plant than some of the others as far as controlling stretch, feeding and processing. Plus that way if you happen to torch them you won’t feel as bad with them being “freebies”.

The Honduras x Panama and the Tikal will try and get massive on you in a tent, so I’d save them until you are used to running your setup a little more and can respond faster to issues. My current Tikal is probably close to 8ft tall if she wasn’t tied down like crazy.

The effects of your choices vary enough I wouldn’t worry about redundancy either.

If you do organic soil, I highly recommend RO water with Calmag added instead of trying to run tap. Way less issues, lockouts and funky reactions in my experience.

Have a killer grow!

 

[ceylan]

Thank you guys very much for your responses. They have been super helpful & caused me to re-think my plans I'll throw up a grow diary once I get everything all ready hopefully in a month or so

You asked, so here is my free advice. Start with ONE Bangi Haze plant.

I grow soil in fabric pots, so I can talk to that. With 3 x 3 x 6, you have very limited space. A 10 gallon bag of Bangi Haze, pinched and possibly trained with a scrog net, will fill the tent.

This is your first grow, and mistakes will be made. Bangi Haze is a very controllable plant. I have one growing now. It is in a 4 x 4 tent with 8' height (has 3 other room-mates). I lose 12" from the vent system, so only 7' available to raise the light. My bags sit on 8" of perlite, so really only 6', 4" height. The 10 gallon bags are around 10" high soil height, so the plant has 5' 6". There needs to be around 12" under the light, more is better, so 4'6" max plant height. Do that math for your tent.

I would vent the tent with a 6" top fan and carbon filter (if you need a filter to cover the smell) located outside the tent, to get the most of the 6 foot height. The filters need replacing after a while. hey are nice beause they are a bug screen too. With the fiter and fan outside, the light can be closer to the top.

Forget about those screen openings at the bottom. Worst idea ever. Make an air filter box from cardboard, tape a good air filter onto it, put a 6" controllable fan like a AC Infinity S6, seal it all up and run a duct hose out that is long enough to get into the tent. Run it through the round hose hole at the bottom of the tent that can be tied tight.

You can blow filtered air in to the tent this way, and control how much you are putting in. If you can, exit the hot air outside the room the tent is in, and do not let bugs come in from the exit hole. I run my fans under manual speed control, usually around half-speed, at constant settings. The next problem is controlling th air in the 'lung room' the tent is in.

Enjoy, and do a grow diary for us.

Ooof....I like the idea of giving all attention to one big plant...but it's gonna be a serious exercise in discipline with all the different seeds I want to pop & try out. Do you think 2-3 plants is an ok compromise, if more controllable plants are chosen? Or am I asking for trouble re: stretch & the like?

Why do you have your bags on 8" of perlite? Is it for better drainage out the bags bottom?

Thanks for the info on filtration, that all makes sense. I need to give more thought to how I'm gonna plan it out, will probably re-read that idea a few times before I get something permanent. Smells is something I need to scrub....but I think it shouldn't be as hard as some people given the seeds chosen & the area i'm in.

Hey ceylan,
welcome to the crazy world of indoor cannabis growing

The "rules of thumb" I found out to be helpful in making setup and grow decisions - better, less fussy and more beneficial for plants:

Plants need space for roots and canopy + good airflow and good lightning are pretty essential for best results(happy plants).
For your case(3x3 tent) this means between 1-4 plants(easiest is to keep some kind of symmetry), soil volume is very important for yield expectations. More soil-more roots- more buds(generally). I like to keep plants in 15-25L pots and water every 2-3 days("soil", not coco).
The light(LED) should be in range of 25-40W/square foot. You have 9 so in between 225-360W of lights is the desired range. You won't need extra CO2 for these light levels.
Considering all this, I would think of two options:
1-get more light - or make another like the one you already have
Start to veg 4 fem seeds(or more regs) of your choice under the 150W light and meanwhile build another one for flowering. 2x 150W would be great for flowering in the 3x3.
or
2-buy a 2x2 tent and build a new 350W light
Start the seeds in a 2x2 and meanwhile build a light for the 3x3 flower tent. This way you have way more flexibility for starting the seeds, selecting plants before you put them to flower. You can try more different varieties this way, select and keep clones of females or males... not all of this of course, it's still just a 2x2 and 3x3 but it's a great option for exploring more varieties.

About the seeds...
Since it's going to be summer soon(N hemisphere), I would say to go with more tropical options or plants with good heat tolerance. Fat buds and high temps usually don't go well together
Out of your selection I would maybe pick New Caledonia and do a run with just this variety. Or you can go the other way, pick the fastest ones like Speed Queen and Kali China for a quick bud before august.
With fast and small plants you can pack them together in SOG and have more phenos of each variety.
Also just one plant is a good option, veg her for long and start flowering in mid summer to finish in autumn, something like Bangi Haze or Honduras x Panama or Zamaldelica would do great in one big pot(30-45L).
In any way, you will find out that seasons also impact the indoor grows, mostly with temperatures and humidity influences, so not two grows are the same, also the clones can behave different.
So always plan ahead and forecast your flowering schedule, meanwhile start new plants early enough.

Good luck and have fun

You know, I realized before I came back to this thread that my lighting probably would be inadequate I've been planning in my head how I want to upsize my LEDs today lol. The 2 x 2 tent is very tempting & allows me to use the 150w fixture I already have...will give some thought to that

Regarding CO2, it's no problem for me to throw in a bag or two of oyster mushroom spawn in there, but since I probably won't have super high light' levels it would probably just be useless, but I think I'll try it anyway. I don't think extra CO2 will hurt.

Regarding the climate, you're spot on. The tropical sativa route is probably what I'll do since we get hot and humid summers here. Then in the autumn when it starts to get dry indoors I can run some more indica plants.

You have some excellent choices lined up. There’s some really solid genetics in there.

I agree with starting with the Bangi Haze by itself for your first grow. It’s an easier plant than some of the others as far as controlling stretch, feeding and processing. Plus that way if you happen to torch them you won’t feel as bad with them being “freebies”.

The Honduras x Panama and the Tikal will try and get massive on you in a tent, so I’d save them until you are used to running your setup a little more and can respond faster to issues. My current Tikal is probably close to 8ft tall if she wasn’t tied down like crazy.

The effects of your choices vary enough I wouldn’t worry about redundancy either.

If you do organic soil, I highly recommend RO water with Calmag added instead of trying to run tap. Way less issues, lockouts and funky reactions in my experience.

Have a killer grow!

Thank you Cactus Squatter. I will do organic soil, failed to mention that, I have some fox farm ocean forest which I have used for some different plants and seem to be regarded very well here as well. I need to do some more research on fertilization, but I'll get to it. I was planning on collecting rain-water...but the cal-mag is something I can't forget to pick up


Thanks again!

 

[flylowgethigh]

For a starter kit here is what I suggest:

2 bags of this: https://buildasoil.com/products/buildasoil-potting-soil-version-3-0?variant=44460110866

I think that is 14 gallons. 2 x 7 gals.

Get a 2 gallon bag of this: https://buildasoil.com/products/buildaflower-top-dress-kit

I would suggest a 10 gallon bag for a single plant grow.

Cover crop seems to help (smallest bag): https://buildasoil.com/products/clover-cover-crop-blend-13-seed-buildasoil-mix-40-clover

Microbes and energizer: https://buildasoil.com/search?type=product&q=rootwise*

I use microbe complete through stretch and bio-phos in flower.

That ought to get you started with a good grow.

I lose 8" in my system because I have a SWICK bed of perlite under the bag, and water from below. Unless I am feeding, then I top-water. The SWICK system works great and is easy.

 

[ceylan]

For a starter kit here is what I suggest:

2 bags of this: https://buildasoil.com/products/buildasoil-potting-soil-version-3-0?variant=44460110866

I think that is 14 gallons. 2 x 7 gals.

Get a 2 gallon bag of this: https://buildasoil.com/products/buildaflower-top-dress-kit

I would suggest a 10 gallon bag for a single plant grow.

Cover crop seems to help (smallest bag): https://buildasoil.com/products/clover-cover-crop-blend-13-seed-buildasoil-mix-40-clover

Microbes and energizer: https://buildasoil.com/search?type=product&q=rootwise*

I use microbe complete through stretch and bio-phos in flower.

That ought to get you started with a good grow.

I lose 8" in my system because I have a SWICK bed of perlite under the bag, and water from below. Unless I am feeding, then I top-water. The SWICK system works great and is easy.

You're the bomb man, thanks so much for all the links. Wish you the best with your grows

 

[flylowgethigh]

You will need cal-mag liquid (I like the stuff that also has iron), some fish fertilizer, and a way to start the sprouts. Don't use the soil or the top dress to sprout them, it is too hot and coarse. I have started using FF 'seed starter' which is soft and fluffy, but there are a ton of ways, many shown in ICMAG threads. Put soil in the bottom half of a dixie cup, starter in the top half, is my new technique.

You do not need a truncheon for the water in soil, but a way to pH the water is important. I use a blumat hand-held, and it has been trouble-free. It also has a thermometer. If you will use tap water, there are filters that you should plumb-in.

Get a couple 3 x 3 nets to help control the tops after you pinch the crap outta one plant and feed it fish fertilizer. A net is a good way to help keep the tops down.

 

[tobedetermined]

@ceylan . . . flylow has given you some amazingly good advice. Kudos to him btw. Start small. One or two plants that you can learn to grow well. A jungle is no fun - ever - especially in your first grow when shit very often goes sideways.

 

[flylowgethigh]

Smell control is for when you have to have a stranger come out to fix something 7 weeks into flower.

Before you start anything, add more electrical capacity to the room the power will be coming from. New circuits with their own breakers. A tent will use 15 amps easily. Have a dedicated outlet for the tent with it's own breaker. A room dehuey or AC will use a lot of power too. I would like to add a stand alone AC unit that blows the exhaust heated air out through a hose, which I will run outside. It will need a new outlet and breaker, and should have been put in when I had an electrician here. Also a good time to figure out how the hot moist tent air will be sent outside. I have an 8" hole in my wall with a wall fan.

 

[flylowgethigh]

A single plant in a 3 x 3 will put out enough dope to last you through the next run. There are 4 plants in this 4 x 4, each in 10 gallon pots. This isn't how you want your first run to be. BTW, Bangi Haze is in the front left, somewhere.



A single plant will fill the tent and should bring at least 1/2 pound.

You have much to learn. I also suggest getting a bottle of 'green clean' while you are buying supplies, for when the bugs come. And a cheap sprayer or two. One for top water, one for foliar spray. Get a pack of yellow sticky pads. The soil you buy is filthy with bugs. You should have at least 2 of those little hurricane fans. You will need a power-bar or two to provide electricity inside the tent for all the accessories. You may need to buy a huey for the sprouts when they move into the tent, as they drink through the air because they don't have roots.

And a camera. Must have a way to put up pics.

One plant will allow you to focus on growing it. In ag, start small.

 

[dubi]

Welcome to ICMag and cannabis growing ceylan Thank you very much for considering ACE genetics for your first grow, much appreciated.

I can only speak for our genetics, if you are looking for something really different to your dispensary weed, for the type of effects you comment (clear, euphoric, social, giggly) then Tikal, New Caledonia and Honduras x Panama are indeed great choices. If it's your first grow and you can only grow a few plants, then better choose first feminized seeds. I think you will pleased with the feminized versions of Congo, Honduras x Panama, Thai Chi, Thai A5 Haze, Tikal, .... and once you have more experience and space then maybe consider regular seeds.

 

[Holeshot51]

I agree with anything with Panama in it, you wont be disappointed.

 

[Holeshot51]

This is Panama in all her glory

 

[ceylan]

You will need cal-mag liquid (I like the stuff that also has iron), some fish fertilizer, and a way to start the sprouts. Don't use the soil or the top dress to sprout them, it is too hot and coarse. I have started using FF 'seed starter' which is soft and fluffy, but there are a ton of ways, many shown in ICMAG threads. Put soil in the bottom half of a dixie cup, starter in the top half, is my new technique.

You do not need a truncheon for the water in soil, but a way to pH the water is important. I use a blumat hand-held, and it has been trouble-free. It also has a thermometer. If you will use tap water, there are filters that you should plumb-in.

Get a couple 3 x 3 nets to help control the tops after you pinch the crap outta one plant and feed it fish fertilizer. A net is a good way to help keep the tops down.

Thanks fly, your posts have been very helpful. I will look into the FF seed starter. I have a good pH meter, I plan on using mostly collected rain water and RO water if I can't collect enough rain. Maybe mix 50/50 RO with aged tap. City says water only has chlorine which I can offgas, and we have decent levels of calcium & magnesium.

I looked into the power situation in the room and I dunno, I think I should be fine. I will build a light with two 240w meanwell drivers and those take 2.2A each...but that will be the main draw. Unless I need to throw a small 500w heater or something in there...but as far as I can tell that circuit is only running a few small things and should be able to handle it. Dehumidifer I was thinking of getting the cheap Eva-Dry silicon bead one...do those suck? Idk but I figured it's a small space.

Thanks again on the tips for the tips on green clean, sticky pads, and the # of fans.

Welcome to ICMag and cannabis growing ceylan Thank you very much for considering ACE genetics for your first grow, much appreciated.

I can only speak for our genetics, if you are looking for something really different to your dispensary weed, for the type of effects you comment (clear, euphoric, social, giggly) then Tikal, New Caledonia and Honduras x Panama are indeed great choices. If it's your first grow and you can only grow a few plants, then better choose first feminized seeds. I think you will pleased with the feminized versions of Congo, Honduras x Panama, Thai Chi, Thai A5 Haze, Tikal, .... and once you have more experience and space then maybe consider regular seeds.

Dubi thanks for your response have come across your name no doubt from all the ACE threads I have been reading and it's always great to get your opinion. Yesterday I ordered my seeds and did include feminised versions of Congo, Hon x Pam, and Tikal among others. I would like to try Thai Chi or another Thai sometime, but will have to save that for later.

@Holeshot51 Beautiful Panama, have you got to try it yet?

Thanks everyone for advice, I think I will start a thread for the growlight i'm building once I get everything in. I decided on 24"x24" footprint with two 240w meanwell drivers running about 360W of LEDs....I want to try to replicate sunlight so I ordered some diff violet, UVA, cyan and luxeon lime LEDs....we will see how it turns out & whether some of these LEDs will end up being useless or not. A lot of the bulk of the LEDs are basically CREE clones from aliexpress for much cheaper...will see how those turn out. For the same price i could have bought two 240W Kingbrite LEDs......but I figured with the 24"x24" footprint and applying different optics to center vs edges I can get better spread, plus I can wire one driver to control reds/warm whites and another to control blues & set each on it's own timer, plus I always wanted to build a 'sunlight spectrum' led light.

here's the idea inputting basic LEDs into 1023world.net/raycal . the 680nm bump will actually be 730nm but the website doesn't have 730nm on there. Idk how accurate these modeling tools are...maybe the numbers are all off and this was a waste of my time but i'm building the fixture based off it.

 

[Holeshot51]

That is a old pic of Panama, from 2 years ago.
Amazing strain

 

[RobFromTX]

Hello everyone, this will be my first grow. I have been reading a lot and have a list of diff seeds I want to grow. I am hoping some of you can kindly lend me your experience to help me plan out the best way to tackle this so I don't bite off too much I can't chew or make any avoidable mistakes.

I mostly chose uplifting sativas. I would like to have an effect that is clear, euphoric, social, giggly. Good for being able to do stuff, enjoy going outdoors, talk to people etc. I also want to try some cob curing for the first time.

Here's my list:

• Tikal
• Honduras x Panama
• New Caledonia
• Zamaldelica
• Bangi Haze (free promo, but want to try as well)
• Satori (Mandala Seeds strain)
• Orient Express
• Kali China
• Speed Queen (Mandala Seeds strain)

Off the bat I'm a little concerned in redundancy in some picks. I am only used to regular BM/dispo weed so don't really know how similar or different in effect something like Orient Express & Kali China are...or Tikal & New Caledonia & Bangi Haze & Hon-Pam. Not a big problem though.

I will be using a 3' x 3' x 6' indoor tent and approximately 150w DIY LED using 3w emitters that includes some UVA & 730nm far-red spectrum. I figured I could probably get 4-6 plants in there (does that sound right? since seeds are so expensive I probably wont be doing any SOG). I can also put together more DIY led lights if necessary.
I have grown diff plants before, and have experience growing all types of mushrooms (edible/psych/etc) so I'm not a total newbie in regards to creating a good environment for things to grow but I have never grown Cannabis and all my knowledge right now rests on a few weeks of internet research, so please correct me if I say anything wrong or have bad ideas lol

So I was thinking it would be best to break up grows by sativa vs indica/hybrid genetics. Is this generally a good idea? I am also a bit stuck on whether I should focus on growing a few specimens of a few plants really well & get to know them & their phenotypes or just grow 1 of everything I want to start.

For example: I was thinking I would split up the 1st grow into the tropical sativa type with HonPam, New Caledonia, Zamal, Tikal, Satori, and Bangi Haze....but then I wondered whether or not it would be better to split that up again to focus more on each plant like this: 2x Tikal, 2x Satori, 2x Zamal? Or maybe just put 4 plants in there to let them grow more to their full potential size?
In your experience what do you guys think is better?


I would also like to pollinate some mommas so that I can always have some seeds on hand, and maybe make some crosses for fun if I feel like it
However I suppose I would have to get another tent to hold males & herms for that purpose, right? Is there any clever way around this? I can probably do it, just would rather stick to 1 tent at this stage.

Well, thanks in advance, and if there's any criticism/advice for what I've planned so far, please share take care

The south american sativa varieties like HonPan are easier to grow and they are more forgiving with nutrients in my experience. HonPan WILL take over your space if left untrained. She doesnt play well with others. Monster yields though

 

[Holeshot51]

My advice is go very easy on the nutes. And add very slowly over time

 

[EMoose]

Very exciting. Welcome. Give 1-2 plants a try, learn LST, learn how not to kill them basically. It's addicting and I understand the urge to pop seeds but more is not merrier in my experience. Good luck and Bangi Haze was a great suggestion.

 

[ceylan]

Thanks again everyone I am gonna pop a few seeds to do a little guerilla and be able to grow a few more genetics (i think this is good compromise, i have good nearby spots, but i wont worry too much if it fails either), and indoors I already have two 5 gal fabric pots from unrelated...so I think I'll do 2 plants indoors. Still waiting on lots of stuff to get to me but will update when I get really going