First Time - Need Help

[dirty_d]

Hey, whats up guys I'm thinking of starting to grow inside a closet.
Just wondering what you guys would recommend.

I am thinking about planting 3 plants, so I will hopefully at least have 2 females in the bunch. I want to make everything compact, to fit inside one or two large rubbermaid containers.

I am really looking for the most basic way of growing, and easiest, like what kind of soil is cheap, is it even possible taking some from the forest I live by.

The seeds I am currently considering buying are on seed boutique, the MAN - SEED QUEEN by Mandala. It seems to be what would be easiest, and cheapest.

http://www.seedboutique.com/store/product_info.php?manufacturers_id=44&products_id=936

In North America, are seeds Illegal? just wondering if i can be like charged if I order them in. I know you guys will think I'm a idoit, but I'm a first timer.

 

[ethereal]

In North America, are seeds Illegal?

yes.

 

[gunnaknow]

I wouldn't recommend using your forrest's soil. Firstly, it would need to be sterilized and secondly, it would need amending with things like lime, compost, sand etc, which is too much for a beginner.

Go to some local gardening centres and find a peat based multi purpose compost. Compost is cheap. It shouldn't set you back any more than about 10-15 cents per liter. Ask the owners how long they have had the compost because old compost becomes anaerobic and loses it's quality. Also try to buy peat based compost that has been protected from the rain because this will turn the compost anaerobic (bad). You want fresh, dry peat based compost. Multi purpose is best and from a sustainable peat source if you can find it.

You will get good results with tomato nutrients that you can pick up at gardening centres, which is cheap also. However, there are some excellent and reasonably priced nutrients specifically designed for cannabis that you might like to go for. Ideally you should get a bottle of grow and a bottle of bloom.

When you plant your seeds, you have the option of letting a male survive so that it pollinates your females and gives you hundreds of free seeds. Read through threads in the breeding section for tips if you want to go down this route for free seeds. Mature seeds need to dry and cure for a while before they become viable. In the future you can just take cuttings (clones) from a mother plant but that is after you get the hang of growing first.

 

[Rosy Cheeks]

That was a great first timer crash course gunnaknow, I agree on every point (it rarely happens, lol).
Any commercial soil recommended by experienced growers will do for a start, with time you will pick up on alternative and more advanced ways of growing.
Tomato nutrients can be used, since the tomato plant has similar needs (in similar quantities) and a similar growth cycle as Cannabis. Although, if you found your way to this web site, I'm sure you can track down some of the better Cannabis nutrients mentioned in the forums, it's all on sale online.
You should foremost think about how to set up your closet (you need ventilation in there), and what light to use. For that, look around in the threads and see how closet growers run their op's, what kind of gear they use, etc.
Mandala seeds is a good option for you, since they're moderately priced. It won't sting your wallet if the grow goes wrong somehow.
You seem to have a very reduced space, so keeping a motherplant beside your grow will perhaps be too ambitious. Feminized seeds offers you the possibility to grow three plants and get three females - if certain basic conditions are respected. In the long run, clones is the most interesting grow solution, but that depends on you and what you're willing to do.

 

[dirty_d]

I'm looking at The big gulp cups, which hold around 1.5 litres. I have 2 200W compact flourencents. I'm not looking at something big, probably somehing where I get like 10-12 g's per plant.

I do have a fan.

 

[Guest]

As Rosy pointed out feminized seeds might be a good option with your limited space. Otherwise if you're looking to get two ladies I would start five seeds, normally the m/f ratio is about 50/50 so four might do you but if you start five you are putting the odds a lil more in your favor.

Do yourself a favor and use decent potting medium and ferts. they really aren't that more expensive than the cheap stuff and in the end your buds will return any investments many time over. Do alot of reading in the grow forums and look at other peoples set ups and see which one would work best for you. Good luck, in just a few months time you'll be smoking something great that YOU grew!

 

[gunnaknow]

Glad you agree Rosy Cheeks. A good peat based compost is excellent. Better than coir in my experience.

Dirty, small pots are ideal for seedlings. It is best to start plants in small containers and then pot them up to larger pots when they start to become root bound. If they start in large pots, the seedlings are too small to use up all of the moisture in the big pots and the roots become water logged and underdeveloped.

Start your seedlings in the 1.5 liter cups you mentioned but don't fill the cups up with soil more than two thirds. Even this is quite large for seedlings, so make sure that you do not water too much because the seedlings won't be able to process that much moisture in so much soil. Slightly moist but not wet. Do not give your seedlings any nutrients for the first two weeks or so.

After two or three weeks, or when lots of roots start filling the drainage holes at the bottoms, it is time to repot them into larger pots. I told you that you can use 5 liter water bottles from the mart, cut the tops off, pierce holes in the bottoms and paint the outsides to stop light getting to the roots. This is to save you some bucks. If you want a respectable yield you really need 1 gallon sized pots, unless you were doing a Sea of Green (SOG) technique, which you aren't.

Once they are potted up, give the soil a heavy watering and don't water again until the soil has become dry. Do not water your plants little and often, otherwise roots become root bound at the bottom without filling the rest of the pot. A more extensive root system leads to increases in yield. Water heavily perhaps once a week. No more than twice a week. Always allow soil to dry out thoroughly before watering again (unless seedlings).

It is better to slightly underfeed than slightly overfeed, so start the nutrients at low levels and increase it bit by bit, observing for signs of burn when you increase it. The two most common mistakes and reasons for failure by newbies are 1) Overfeeding and 2) Overwatering. Remember this and you will progress more quickly than you think.

 

[dirty_d]

Thanks ALOT for the imput.

I decided to start the seedlings in small 500ml slushy cups you can grab from the local quickie mart, then when they get root ball, buying 4L Milk Jugs and cutting the tops off. I have decided to grow 4 plants as well, so hopefully 2 females will pop up. As for ventillation and so, for use of a fan do I need it running all day? And when do I stop 24h lighting and go to 12/12?

Any Tips on how to possibly create a carbon scrub to get rid of the smell / or any other ideas on smell issues that could arise? I live in a condo, so my neighbors are close.

 

[dirty_d]

Also Looking into the 4 packs of female seeds.

White Widow, and the Easy Bud.

Any recommendations - which is better?