So I'm moving into my own place this winter and I'm going to start growing ASAP. I'm going to use a standard sized closet (Like maybe 3ft by 3ft or so). I'm planning on growing 4 plants, using fox farms potting soil. I have a few questions. It's my first grow and I only know what I've read in the cannabis grow bible and on the internet. What type of light to get? How high above the plants should I place it? What type of nutrients should I use, do I need to use nutrients with the fox farms? Fertilizer? Carbon filter? And what strain would you reccamend? I heard ak-47 was a good smoke and easy to grow, but I'd like to grow some Jack Herer, Matanuska Tundra, Bubblegum, or Master Kush. Yeild and ease of growing (Since it's my first grow) are my top priorites looking for a strain. Anyone have some tips for a successful grow? I might also have two strains, 2 100% indica plants, and 2 100% sativa.
If you're going to grow in a closet, try to get 2-4 clones off a mom and flower them together, this will give you an even canopy and more uniform buds. For light, MH for veg (or floros), HPS for flowering (or maybe, lots of, CFLs). All depends. Use any well known fertilizer series, like Hesi, which is easy to use. Do invest in real pot fertilizer, or you'll be left with lo qual smoke.. If you're worried about smell, hell yeah get a carbon filter, or get an exhaust to outside your apt atleast. For first time grow, choose a tough "easy" strain, like NL maybe to learn the process.
That size closet is perfect for a 400w lamp, but if you aircool the hood and get a nice sized fan, you could cram a 600w in there. More watts is always good! I think you could fit more than 4 pllants in there if you wanted, I grow in a 2x4 closet, and if I needto I can fit 10 plants in there all in 3 gallon growbags. I think 6-9 would be a good number, but if you want to veg longer and train them to keep your numbers down then that's perfectly understandable and doable. Fox farm is good, I used to use it. You will need some nutes to use on top of it, but only VERY sparingly and only when the nutes that are already in the soil start to run out. Fox Farm Ocean Forest (Im guessing that's the one you're using) is some hot soil, don't plant seeds directly into it. Also it's dense, make sure to add some perlite into it (20% of the soil should be good) in order to get some oxygen to those roots. Also it can get a bit acidic, so BE SURE to add some dolomite lime to the mix. For nutes, I've always used Pure Blend Pro (2 versions, 1 for veg and another for flower), with liquid karma. If you are using rh water instead of tap water, then also get some cal-mag for good measure. Last but not least, buy some hygrozyme. It's a little expensive, but your roots will love you for it :jester: A carbon filter is a must, just make sure to get one that matches up to the size of your fan, you shouldn't need a huge one. For strains, just be having 2 100% indica and 2 more 100% sativa, that will be a bitch to train and flower out in just 1 cab, theyll grow very differently and will need different ammounts of nutes, trust me man youre gonna have enough to elarn the first time around. KISS - keep it simple, stupid. <--try to stay to that plan there, simple is good. Out of any of those strains, I'd go for AK47. Master kush is good, but all the MK Ive smoked (never grown it) has never matched the AK I grew in power. Jack Herer is some fucked boooomb herb, but its mostly sativa (not good for a beginner) and theres a ton a variation in those seeds - some plants will finish in 8 weeks, others will take 12. Good luck bro.
Btw, funny you say "I know only what I've read .. on the internet". Hell, all I know came from the internet..
Thanks a lot you guys for all of the great tips. I don't know any growers so I don't think I'll be able to get any clones. I think I will try growing 6 ak-47 plants if I can fit them in there with a 400 watt light. Do I really need two types of lights for the best results or can I just use one all-purpose light for my grow? How would I install a carbon filter? Do I just put a carbon filter and fan inside to circulate and clean the air within the closet? I also just found out that the apartment I was planning to move into has renovated all it's apartments with walk in closets. So for my second grow I'll probably be growing more than 4 or 6 plants.
You can use either mh or hps for veg or flower. MH will keep the plants shorter in veg (good for smaller lights, allows more light penetration to lower buds) and hps will bump up you yield slightly, but overall it doesn't make any huge difference which one you use. I veg and flower with a metal halide, my yields are decent so no complaining here. The carbon filter is connected through ducting to the exhaust fan, so air it being forced though it (and scrubbed of any smell) before it leaves the cab. Intake is usually passive - meaning that there is no fan for intake, but the negative pressure created by the exhaust fan sucking air out, also sucks new air in through the intake. (sorry if I'm confusing you). Even if you don't get a filter (you should) you're going to need good ventilation in order to keep the light cool... Walk in closet = jackpot. Just so you don't bust any holes in the walls (IDK if your landlord is cool with that) check out hydrohuts. Punch hydrohut into google, youll see what im talkin about. And bro I tell this to all people I see on theese boards who are starting out, but trust me ya wanna follow this one rule: TELL NO ONE. For real, your friends don't need to be shown your setup, told about your setup, or even clued in to anything that has to do with it. They will talk, 100% no doubts in my mind, if they don't grow themselves, they will talk, brag, etc, etc. Just trying to keep you from making the same mistakes I did, sorry if i sound like abroken record. No talk, no smell, no sell, and there's only a tiny, tiny chance you will ever get caught doing this. edit: Also, Ive never lived in one so Im just talking based on what Ive read, but be wary if you're living in one of those large apartment complexes, they make do inspections more often. If renting from a landlord, check the phone numbers in the newspaper that have a different area code from where the apartment is. If they live far away, much less chance they will stop by to see what's up... Anyway good luck, youll be smokin on homegrown before you know it.
