First time grower needing advice/tips/suggestions

[KPizzle]

I posted this in another thread but decided to just create a new one since I had a bunch of questions. Here's a quick copy/paste of my set up:

1. I have them all in 1 gallon pots
2. I'm using a 250 watt MH sun system light.
3. Bathroom fan exhaust with a dryer tube running it outside of my closet + another small fan on the opposite side for the ventilation and heat control (I'm going to need to think of something better for when it gets hot (any suggestions for cheap options would be great).
4. I'm using distilled because I thought it would be better in terms of PH control and it would be pretty much pure clean water with no bacteria/germs/any other harmful objects, but I guess I was wrong. I live in central CA, so I don't know how the tap water is over here. I'll move to that though since its not good for the plants. I based this on a video I watched by Mr. Green (don't know if anyone's seen it), but I just realized this was for a hydro system. I'm not sure if it matters though...
5. I use a color-based PH testing system to check the level and I also have PH up/down.
6. I'm using bubbly water for their co2.
7. Fox Farm Ocean Forest Soil
8. General Hydro Flora A and B nutrients solution. I put 1 tspn of A and 2 tspn of B, but I think I was only supposed to do 1 for each.
9. I will be using KoolBloom solution for the flowering process.
10. I leave the MH on for 16 hours from 6-10 a day and run the vent system 4 times a day. They're all set on a timer so it's consistent.
11. I'll be using a 250 HPS light for the flowering.

I also have a few questions about the actual set-up of the plants:

1. When should I move them to flowering, 2 of them are at least over a foot, while another 2 are about 8-10 inches, and the smallest ones are only 3-6 inches
2. Is their a blend someone suggests with the nutrients I have, for both the vegging and flowering?
3. Should I be changing the soil? If so, when should I be doing this?
4. How high should the light be above the plant?
5. What nutrient blends do you guys recommend?

Thanks for the help. I'll update this post or post another reply with any new questions. Any additional suggestions would be very much appreciated.

I can provide pics upon request and I'll PM them to you. I don't want to post them out here publicly.

 

[pinecone]

I have them all in 1 gallon pots

How many plants and how old are they? What kind of plants are they? Do you know whether they are men or women?

I'm using a 250 watt MH sun system light.

How much space do you have (length x width x height)?

Bathroom fan exhaust with a dryer tube running it outside of my closet + another small fan on the opposite side for the ventilation and heat control (I'm going to need to think of something better for when it gets hot (any suggestions for cheap options would be great).

Just buy a nice 4" inline, let it run 24/7 and be done with it. I like the Vortex brand. If you don't already have an air-cooled hood or cooltube they are a good investment. You are also going to need odor control eventually - unless you want you house to smell like MJ.

I live in central CA

Get legal. Also - everyone security situation is different - but I wouldn't be too concerned about posting pictures in your shoes (small personal use grower, medical state, ect). There are people from your state with 20kw grows that are posting pictures.

I'm using bubbly water for their co2.

Waste of bubbly water IMO. You are not going to produce enough C02 to affect plant growth using this method.

I leave the MH on for 16 hours from 6-10 a day and run the vent system 4 times a day. They're all set on a timer so it's consistent.

The "standard" veg lighting is 18on/6off to 24on/0off.

I'll be using a 250 HPS light for the flowering.
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I don't know if you have purchased a HPS bulb yet. If you haven't I would recommend using the Phillips 250w Ceramic Metal Halide bulb. It runs in a HPS fixture, but produces a light spectrum that is much better for plants than the HPS red. I would personally use a MH bulb over any 250 watt HPS bulb, but I'm sure a lot of other people feel differently. They only time I use a HPS bulb now is when I want plants to stretch.

When should I move them to flowering, 2 of them are at least over a foot, while another 2 are about 8-10 inches, and the smallest ones are only 3-6 inches

You want to be thinking about filling up your space - or a 2' x 2' area or slightly larger. This is why I asked how many plants you have. If you have 10 stretchy sativas that are 12 inches and all female you will be overgrown and have to cull, even if you flower now. If you have 4 female indicas you could probably let them grow some more. If you have 2 female indicas you almost certainly want to let them grow more. Anyway you get the idea - hopefully.

Is their a blend someone suggests with the nutrients I have, for both the vegging and flowering?

With Fox Farms Ocean Forest (FFOF) you shouldn't need to fertilize much (if at all) in veg as long as you transplanting regularly (every 2 weeks or so) - at least this is my experience.

Other than this I don't have any specific recommendations for you as I don't use they type of fertilizers that you are using.

Should I be changing the soil? If so, when should I be doing this?

Changing the soil? How? When you transplant you will add new soil (keep root ball intact), but you shouldn't be changing any.

How high should the light be above the plant?

High enough so that the plants don't burn (or get stressed from the radiant heat) and so that you can cover your 2' x 2' or slightly larger areal. I would think about 1', but maybe closer depending on your hood and cooling.

What nutrient blends do you guys recommend?

I'm not making any recommendations because there is a lot of stuff that will work good and it seems like you already bought some bottled nutrients.

When I used to use FFOF I basically just let the plants veg without feeding as FFOF is a fairly hot mix on its own (i.e. it contains most if not all of what is needed for vegetative growth). When I moved to flower I would mix in some dry fertilizers (Organicare Pure) into the soil in the bottom of the new pots. During flower I would fertilize a few times in mid flower by scratching in some high P guano into the pots or using an organic bottled bloom fert (BioGrow by BioBizz). Most plants in my album were grown this way.

Good Luck!

Pine

 

[KPizzle]

How many plants and how old are they? What kind of plants are they? Do you know whether they are men or women?

I have 5 plants, 1 is Blue Dream which is the smallest one, Tahoe OG, which are the medium sized ones, and Master Kush, which are all over 1+ foot. They are all female. I think they're about 3-6 weeks old but I can't remember off the top of my head right now.

How much space do you have (length x width x height)?

About 3 foot width, 4-5 feet height, and it's 2 feet deep.

Just buy a nice 4" inline, let it run 24/7 and be done with it. I like the Vortex brand. If you don't already have an air-cooled hood or cooltube they are a good investment. You are also going to need odor control eventually - unless you want you house to smell like MJ.

How much does your inline fan add on to your monthly electricity and how much does it cost? What would you recommend for odor control? I want as little smell as possible. I don't want my neighbors knowing what I'm doing.

Get legal. Also - everyone security situation is different - but I wouldn't be too concerned about posting pictures in your shoes (small personal use grower, medical state, ect). There are people from your state with 20kw grows that are posting pictures.

I'm already a prescribed patient, so I'll post some pics up soon than.

Waste of bubbly water IMO. You are not going to produce enough C02 to affect plant growth using this method.

What would be a cheap alternative?

I don't know if you have purchased a HPS bulb yet. If you haven't I would recommend using the Phillips 250w Ceramic Metal Halide bulb. It runs in a HPS fixture, but produces a light spectrum that is much better for plants than the HPS red. I would personally use a MH bulb over any 250 watt HPS bulb, but I'm sure a lot of other people feel differently. They only time I use a HPS bulb now is when I want plants to stretch.

Yeah my light already came with it. It's a Sun Systems HPS/MH switchable ballest.

Changing the soil? How? When you transplant you will add new soil (keep root ball intact), but you shouldn't be changing any.

What I meant by that was how often should I replace the soil in the pots, if at all.

I should probably make this clear before-hand. I'm on a very tight budget, and the main thing I'm saving for right now is for a inline fan and something for the odor control and also the monthly electricity.

I appreciate your help, thanks.

 

[pinecone]

I have 5 plants, 1 is Blue Dream which is the smallest one, Tahoe OG, which are the medium sized ones, and Master Kush, which are all over 1+ foot. They are all female. I think they're about 3-6 weeks old but I can't remember off the top of my head right now.

You might consider flowering them now, but its hard to tell without looking at the plants in the space. The Blue Dream and OGs will get a lot bigger in flower.

How much does your inline fan add on to your monthly electricity and how much does it cost? What would you recommend for odor control?

The 4" Vortex is about $130 and uses 80 watts. I've have the 6" Vortex for 6-years and it is great. Carbon filters are the best for odor control. You can buy them - or buy activated charcoal and make one yourself. I've done both.

What would be a cheap alternative?

No CO2. It isn't necessary. As long as you are bringing in fresh air your plants will grow fine - not as fast as with C02, but fine none-the-less. In order to do C02 properly you would have to spend a bunch of money on additional fans, a burner - or tanks, and environmental controls-switches. With small cabinet-closet-tent grows C02 is pretty inefficient as the space needs to be exhausted to dissipate the heat often.

What I meant by that was how often should I replace the soil in the pots, if at all.

Watering tells me when to transplant. When you put a plant in the a new pot and water thoroughly it will take a while before it needs to be watered again. Overtime, as the plants root system grows into the pot, the amount of time between waterings will shrink. When it shrinks to 1-2 days I transplant. My 6-week old plants would likely be in larger than 1-gallon pots - probably 2-gallonish.

I should probably make this clear before-hand. I'm on a very tight budget, and the main thing I'm saving for right now is for a inline fan and something for the odor control.

Stick with the bulbs that you have then. When it comes time for a new one consider the Phillips CMH. A good fan is worth the price IMO. If you have to skimp somewhere then make your own carbon filter.

I appreciate your help, thanks.

My pleasure.

 

[KPizzle]

I've attached a couple pics I took a few days ago so you guys can get a better idea.

Here are some HR versions for a closer look:
Removed
I can provide them through PM if interested.

 

[pinecone]

The big one is pretty big and the small ones are pretty small. Honestly, I would probably let the smaller ones catch up a bit and consider cutting the bigger ones back. I would also suggest you look into training to achieve a even canopy. I do pretty much like in this thread - https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=187887

Pine

Edit - From a security perspective you are probably better off hosting your pictures on this site.

 

[KPizzle]

The big one is pretty big and the small ones are pretty small. Honestly, I would probably let the smaller ones catch up a bit and consider cutting the bigger ones back. I would also suggest you look into training to achieve a even canopy. I do pretty much like in this thread - https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=187887

Pine

Any advice on the general look of the plants (if they're healthy, need anything, etc).

Edit - From a security perspective you are probably better off hosting your pictures on this site.

Good to know, thanks.

 

[pinecone]

Any advice on the general look of the plants (if they're healthy, need anything, etc).

They look pretty good - the bigger ones in particular. The small ones are pretty small for the pots that they are in and at least one is showing some minor deficiencies (nothing big and the new growth looks good). I assume you transplanted recently. If so, any deficiencies should be cleared up by the newish soil. The small plants should be considerably bigger before they need to be transplanted again.

Pine

 

[KPizzle]

Hey, here's a some new pics for you guys. I was wondering if you could tell me why the tips on some of my plants look dry/yellow, and if you guys can point out any other problems (don't worry about the 3 little ones in the middle). I watered them 2 days ago with 1 tspn General Hydro flora A and 1 tspn of B with a pH of around 5.6-5.9.

From Top left-Bottom Right:
All Shot #1, All Shot #2, Tahoe OG #1, Tahoe OG #2, Tahoe OG #2.1 (top-view),
Blue Dream, Master Kush #1, Master Kush #2

 

[pinecone]

Hey, here's a some new pics for you guys. I was wondering if you could tell me why the tips on some of my plants look dry/yellow, and if you guys can point out any other problems (don't worry about the 3 little ones in the middle). I watered them 2 days ago with 1 tspn General Hydro flora A and 1 tspn of B with a pH of around 5.6-5.9.

I still think they look pretty good. Moving the light closer could get them a little more compact which would be a plus. Also, do not not worry too much about that little bit of yellowing (on the one plant?) as trying to correct could cause more harm then good and the newer growth is lush and green (which is a good sign).

Pine