Hi there, Hoping some one experienced with growing can help a newbie out... This is my 2nd time growing, 1st time wasnt much of an effort, more of an interest. I am using a cupboard-hydro setup, nothing pro... a 250w MH ballast and bulb + reflectors.. I dont want to grow more than or three plants. I really prefer to grow one to start with..just to get the hang of it and also so it doesn't get complicated. I have purchased some seeds online (northern lights and white widows) I am starting with the northern lights first, I have read a couple grow guides... but they are all different in their own ways. What is the min / max recommended lighting for this type of plant? Also, what is a better method of germinating, using rockwool or soil? Would like to hear advice from basics, to advanced. Any help is greatly appreciated ;-)
A 250W MH is fine for vegging 3-4 the drawback will be in flowering where you would want to double the wattage. But all that means is you have to keep them shorter when inducing the 12/12 cycle. WW is nute sensitive - a little overfertilization will have them react badly and quickly whereas the NL (#5 I hope) is tougher Rockwool is great for planting your "paper towel" germinated seedlings into. Due to the properties its tough to over water (~holds 20% air). When you see roots coming out of the cube pop it into the soil. Just be sure to soak the cubes 24 hrs in pH 6 water before hand (the cubes are ~ 9 pH ). ^only reason for paper towel method is your space. Dirt works fine but you never know if they will sprout. Either method is fine BTW you can just pop the seed into RW. Unless using feminized seeds keep in mind that the ratio is ~ 50/50 for boy/girl. Learn cloning when you do find a girl so in the future you know what is female and will not waste precious space on the males. And go here and read: http://www.mjguide.com/ As with cooking everyone does things a bit differently -. If you stick with it you will see that yourself.
Hi Budbill, thanks for the prompt reply and handy tips.. I will be doing some more research and hearing other's experiences.. at the moment im using rockwool to get her sprouted.. maybe will transfer to soil.. depending if I can find the right stuff that has all the necessary nutrients. I will have a read through that guide and will holler back if I need more assistance. Thanks again for the help pal.
Just a quickie. Ya dont really need t germinate till the root spouts as long as the seed shell starts t split or crack open its viable. Anyway works 4 me n less chance of damaging the root.
Rocklo: Haven't come across that one before.. Either way, should be ok for now, the seedling has already open and sprouted out of the rock wool. Another question, for soil, I have heard that a 20/20 solution should work decently. I have purchased a plant food called "PODRON invincible" it comes in 2 bottles, PART A & PART B, it appears to have all the needed elements, but it also says a pH meter should be used where applicable.. For "other" plants haha. Is a 15-15-15 solution better for vegetative growth? And can I get a pH meter from hardware or nursery stores? Thanks
Worth getting a second opinion but dont feed young seedly with anything with a high pk rating ya run the risk of getting more males even when growing fem seeds. Sometime like 10.2.2 best. Well ya wont come across that my old fruit about seeds coz thats my way of doing it. I experiment.
dont have rockwool experience. ? though... If you hollow out a piece of the wool and place soil in there while germinating will it help plant root place take better? just enough soil for the roots to grab n hold?
Orison, unfortunately I don't have much experience with rock-wool.. first time im using it, have read some guides here and there, and also downloaded some eBooks. I wanted to get some idea's & tips. I heard that plain rock-wool will do the job, as it holds water better than soil and doesn't need much watering, I have 2 other seeds that are sprouting, I will try putting soil with the rock-wool with one of them and see how it goes. I do think it will help the roots grow more easily.
