First Timer Looking for Tips......

[NYUrbanFarmer]

My name is Gary and I'm from NY. For years I have desired to grow my own crop and leave the horrible street trash behind with its horrible product and cut throat prices. So finally I have and now I am looking for a few tips. My seeds are from a NY Diesel crop and are coming up strong. The seedlings are about one to two inches tall and are in 5" X 5" pots. The soil I used is made up of Organic compost from mixed manures, decomposed organic peat humus to prevent root rot, coarse sand for drainage, perlite for soil conditioning and natural aeration, and organic composed and aged soft wood bark for additional aeration and moisture retention. This mixture seemed to work well and produced 2" plants in the first week after planting the seeds. I top sowed the seeds instead of hydro germinating them with moist towels. My techniques may seem prehistoric but have produced satisfactory results I think. I keep the soil moist but not saturated and they receive natural light from a window about 10-12 hours a day but are all indoors.

I would like some feedback about my technique's and would love to hear any suggestions from you all regarding how I can fine tune my growing skills and what if anything should I change, modify or add? Plus I would love to hear about others successful techniques and what I should stay away from.

Thank you in advance.

Gary aka NYNebie

 

[offthehook]

It's just that growing behind a window pane is n't as satisfying as under straight sun or artificial lightning.
Then again, if things seem to work out just fine for you then who am I to say you are doing something wrong.
Usually if you want to get things better then it also involves a good deal of security > time & money.^^
Normally the angle of the sun on a windowpane changes with the hours of the day, so the sharper the angle, the more glass it needs to penetrate wich may make you lose some.

10/12 hours behind glass sounds rather good though.

Have you got fresh air inlet & movement? (oscilating fan)

Potting em up into bigger pots ?

Your soil mix sounds awesome good.

Stay away from growing in too small pots. Pots can't hardly get too big.

Ah, the millenium post count has been reached. [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]

[/FONT] Now my work has been done, pffff

 

[greenmatter]

i've seen some killer plants grown on windowsills but security/smell were usually a problem at some point during the grow.

is it a south facing window? can anyone see into it from outside?

 

[NYUrbanFarmer]

Thank You

Thank You

Thank you for your feedback. Yes, I have a fan that blows on them not constantly though I turn it on and off. However, when the weather outside is nice and warm I open the window and let the nice 75 deg. F breeze hit them. I am on the third floor of an apartment building so the window gets nice fresh air all day long but being in the north east USA it has been cold in the morning so I use my fan and heater combo in the mornings then once the temp stays a steady 75 deg. F plus I'll leave the window open regularly.

Should I use more artificial light after the sun goes down?

How often should I water? Should I let the soil get dry then water or should I keep it constantly moist.

the pots I used are peat pots so they are designed to be repotted just as they are and the pot breaks down and decomposes under the soil adding to the soil nutrient. Should I still repot or should I wait to see some root activity around the edges of the pot?

NYNebie

 

[NYUrbanFarmer]

GreenMatter,

Yes it is a great spot. I'm on the third floor so no one can see or steal and the window is south facing getting direct sun for 90% of the day. Great Location.

Thanks for your feedback

 

[FunTimesIndeed]

Have you considered a worm bin? Have you made any odor control plans? Any plans to get lighting? I couldn't imagine attempting an indoor organic run without 'em.

 

[NYUrbanFarmer]

Yes , I did get some CFL's just incase and once the plants get too big I realize I'm gonna have to use them. But I want to use the combination of natural and artificial as much as I can. Once full summer is in effect here in the NE usa I will bring them outside for the days and in at night and just compensate with artificial. But I agree with your statement probably cant be done indoors without it.

Thank you for the feedback.

 

[NYUrbanFarmer]

FunTimesIndeed...... What is a Worm bin and how do I use it? Are they expensive and do they have real worms? That would be so cool. Do real worms help growth?

 

[greenmatter]

3 rd floor apartment?

what are the laws where you are? diesel is not known for being a low odor strain

i would get them out of the peat pots ASAP if you still can. i'll use those for marigolds and zinnias but not weed. not saying they will kill your plants or hurt anything ...... i just don't like em much because i find that transplants root better without them and they make watering a PITA at times.

 

[NYUrbanFarmer]

Yup 3rd floor apt. The laws here aren't in my favor yet.... lol. However I am in a great area and know everyone under me and have nothing to worry about in that retrospect. why don't you like peat pots.....just curious?

 

[Cannavore]

Definitely need some artificial light, natural light is fine for the first week or two though. The plants would eventually be too big to be on your window without force sexing them. Check out LED's they're better than CFL and T5 if you aren't going the HPS route. (Edit - just saw you said you were going to move them outside and back in at night)
A small makeshift cabinet or tent wouldn't be a bad idea so no one accidentally disturbs them in their night cycle. Exposing them to light during the night period will stress them out and waste your time.
Having a bottle of organic nutrients or micro nutrients on hand isn't a bad idea either if you run into any trouble with your soil mix being not strong enough for your flowering plants.

Also let them get a little dry in between waterings to allow the roots to dig deeper in your pots to search out for wet dirt. Normally a lift of the pot once your familiar with how it feels when wet and how it feels when its drying out (it'll be much lighter) is good enough.

 

[greenmatter]

why don't you like peat pots.....just curious?

it's not that i don't like them ...... i just don't use them for "indoor crops even thought they do have they're uses

things i like about them .......

you can plant them directly into the ground

they become part of the soil

they are a natural product and 9 times out of 10 that makes it better than plastic

things i don't like about them ........ indoors!

when they are wet and wick water any fans you have on them have an evaporative cooling effect on the roots. that can be good and bad, but since it is not a constant it's bad IMHO

plant roots do need to work to push through them, and they get just as "rootbound" in peat pots as plastic. i like the idea of not having anything it the way when i pot up.

they have to be produced every year and i have to spend money to get them. shipping them across the country probably negates how earth friendly they are. i buy a potted plant (preferably a perennial) and use the pot over and over again without having to reinvest

 

[NYUrbanFarmer]

Cannivore,

Thank you for your insight I will certainly get some nutrients (liquid) and maybe some soil neutralizer as well just in case. So once it gets dark I shouldn't use artificial lights to continue the day cycle a little longer?

 

[NYUrbanFarmer]

it's not that i don't like them ...... i just don't use them for "indoor crops even thought they do have they're uses

things i like about them .......

you can plant them directly into the ground

they become part of the soil

they are a natural product and 9 times out of 10 that makes it better than plastic

things i don't like about them ........ indoors!

when they are wet and wick water any fans you have on them have an evaporative cooling effect on the roots. that can be good and bad, but since it is not a constant it's bad IMHO

plant roots do need to work to push through them, and they get just as "rootbound" in peat pots as plastic. i like the idea of not having anything it the way when i pot up.

they have to be produced every year and i have to spend money to get them. shipping them across the country probably negates how earth friendly they are. i buy a potted plant (preferably a perennial) and use the pot over and over again without having to reinvest

I can totally see where your going. I figured for the first time around I'd spend some bucks. But for repetitive growing I need to invest in some permanent pots of a many different sizes.

Thank you for your advise..

 

[Cannavore]

Cannivore,

Thank you for your insight I will certainly get some nutrients (liquid) and maybe some soil neutralizer as well just in case. So once it gets dark I shouldn't use artificial lights to continue the day cycle a little longer?

Well ya, cannabis plants will trigger the flowering cycle when light is reduced down to 12 hours a day (you'll see it commonly referred to as 12/12). In your case they should get atleast 16 hours of light a day before you trigger flowering. (Ive never grown like this though, someone else might tell you differently)You can grow a plant for as many or as few days as you want before reducing the light down to 12 hours to make flowering occur. (some people flower as soon as the seed is sowed due to space size restriction)

Say you bring them in after a day of sun, they'll need total pitch black conditions to avoid becoming stressed and throwing male flowers/pollen in your garden instead of 100% sensimilla females. There shouldn't be any sources of light on in the same room as where the plants are being kept in their dark cycle. Even small LED light devices such as an alarm clock have been known to cause this to happen.

And about the extra liquid nutrients I think that is a good idea, especially when growing diesel genetics as they are heavier feeders once they grow up and love their occassional doses of Ca & Mg.

If you haven't already, the old Overgrow FAQ still holds valuable information for beginners, even though its a little bit dated.


Just curious what NY Diesel are you growing? Is it bag seed or seeds you bought?

http://www.drugs-forum.com/growfaq/GrowFAQ Basic Topics.htm

Good luck from a fellow NY'er

 

[NYUrbanFarmer]

Well ya, cannabis plants will trigger the flowering cycle when light is reduced down to 12 hours a day (you'll see it commonly referred to as 12/12). In your case they should get atleast 16 hours of light a day before you trigger flowering. (Ive never grown like this though, someone else might tell you differently)You can grow a plant for as many or as few days as you want before reducing the light down to 12 hours to make flowering occur. (some people flower as soon as the seed is sowed due to space size restriction)

Say you bring them in after a day of sun, they'll need total pitch black conditions to avoid becoming stressed and throwing male flowers/pollen in your garden instead of 100% sensimilla females. There shouldn't be any sources of light on in the same room as where the plants are being kept in their dark cycle. Even small LED light devices such as an alarm clock have been known to cause this to happen.

And about the extra liquid nutrients I think that is a good idea, especially when growing diesel genetics as they are heavier feeders once they grow up and love their occassional doses of Ca & Mg.

If you haven't already, the old Overgrow FAQ still holds valuable information for beginners, even though its a little bit dated.


Just curious what NY Diesel are you growing? Is it bag seed or seeds you bought?

http://www.drugs-forum.com/growfaq/GrowFAQ Basic Topics.htm

Good luck from a fellow NY'er

Wow thank you for the lesson on the flowering cycle I learned a bunch. I didn't realize that even a small amount of light can make them flower like that. I'm going to have to clear out space in my closet for the night cycle as there are lights in my house that may effect this time. Thank you very much for saving me from a male disaster. Also thank you for the link I am going to check it out right now.

Oh and the seed came from a QP of NY sour Diesel....... what do you think reliable. The bud was extra ordinary and really stinky.

 

[FunTimesIndeed]

FunTimesIndeed...... What is a Worm bin and how do I use it? Are they expensive and do they have real worms? That would be so cool. Do real worms help growth?

It's a little habitat for worms. They can be expensive, but can also be as simple as a rubbermaid bin. The compost made by the worms is called castings....and it is the gold standard for compost. Check out some youtube videos. There's a good sticky on worms in the organic soil section to. Redwormcomposting.com is another good site.

 

[FunTimesIndeed]

Also, if the bag of weed you pulled the seed from was nearly seedless, it was probably the result of a hermi and likely to produce the same.

 

[NYUrbanFarmer]

Also, if the bag of weed you pulled the seed from was nearly seedless, it was probably the result of a hermi and likely to produce the same.

Is that bad? Can hermi's be turned female?

 

[FunTimesIndeed]

Well, it's okay if you don't mind only being able to grow seeded bud. There's a chance you could just have a normal girl.