New Grower First Grow...decisions decisions...I'll let you decide!

[TxOld Dude]

Wow, where to start? First grow coming soon and I have to choose a seed source and strain. Been out of the game too long to know what I need (unless they got Panama Red!!) so let me list the specs and let you suggest the strain and bank that'll deliver to the US of A.

Walk-in closet CFL grow using 2x125w 6500k (2700s for later) hydrofarm (horizontal) lamps and anywhere from 6-10 23w supplemental lighting in pots and soil or maybe the "soiless" thing I'm seeing here (Vermiculite and Perlite?). Not ready for full hydro yet, but will be later on. I need mild head buzz and severe couchlock for hyperactive insomnia (indicas?). Short to medium stature autos preferred and responds well to LST at 90 degrees for SCROGing. Would like "regulars" the first time so I can build a seed stash off the first round.

Ok...let 'er rip! Winner gets my Undying Gratitude and lots of pix to brag about.
NO the mailman won't deliver a sample to you! He/she'll probably smoke it themselves! Besides, don't fancy any vacations at Club Fed!

Fish :Cool:

 

[astronomy420a]

there are four classification's of seed's nowaday's.... autoflower regular, that have to be sexed. and autoflower feminized, they are alway's females, unless they suffer stress. then there are regular photo plant's and feminized regular photo plant's. they, the regular photo's also have to be sexed.
on site there is the rcmc seed site you can buy some dragon strain's there, thay are great sleep med's and also fantastic for pain, most of the dragon's do lean is the indica direction. go check them out! i have grown three dragon strain's and all three were the best pain and sleep med's. i still have half a jar of stone dragon, it is my go to jar for a good night's sleep!:nightdrag:that's why snoozy is here!Riding the Dragon

 

[TxOld Dude]

After reading the reports on the Dragon strains, I think you're right. Wanted to go with auto/regulars from the get-go to keep some seeds going. I'm not too sure about ordering seeds, but hopefully won't have any trouble. Feel it's always best to be self-sufficient cuz you never know when things will change. What grow methods would be best for the Dragons? Not ready for a full-on hydro yet but guess I could drum up a DWC easily enough, or maybe a drip system. Would like to use something a little more forgiving til I get my feet wet again (no pun intended). From the pictures I've seen, I don't even need to SCROG these. Hell, one of these plants yield would hold me for months!

Fish :Cool:

 

[late]

A lot of the med strains don't have a big yield.

I use a potting soil made to grow pot. But if I was growing a lot of
pot, I'd mix Progro and perlite. And I'd mix some nutrients into
that. There are some recipes you can find here. We have lobster compost
here (really!) and that stuff is amazing. But pot isn't all that fussy.
You don't need some expensive name brand liquid when you can go to
the drugstore and get epsom salts...

I scoop out a cone shaped dent 4" to 6" in the potting soil, and then place unfertilised
potting soil in that. The seed goes on that, and is watered, then covered with
a bit more potting soil. No transplanting. If they aren't fem, I'll plant a couple of seeds.
I don't put a lot of nutes in the potting soil, just enough to keep it happy while it vegs.
Doesn't take much. Then when it flowers and gets hungry, I will mix some nutes into
some fresh potting soil, and put that in. I also use liquid nutes. One of my faves is seaweed/fish
fertiliser. I also use some hyrdro nutes like Tiger Bloom, but only because they were given to me.
I do have to admit that some of them really make the plant perky.

There's a bunch of ways to do this, and you'll work out how you want to do it pretty quickly if
you've gardened before. Do you have a farm supply store nearby? I'd go there to get the more
old school nutes, cottonseed meal, cow manure, etc.

There are some tricks. On my next grow, I am going to try self-watering pots.
I've heard of guys getting good results with them, and they're easy. (I like easy).
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0053NKHDY/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i02?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[TxOld Dude]

Thx late!

Re: Yield. I don't mind that. A little goes a long way for me as I typically use a one-hitter. Two ounces would last me 3 months or more. I'm really liking the Dragon strains.
For soil I like fish emulsions to keep the salts down and gives lots of room for error.
But...
I'm changing it up every time I turn around here! Prices have gone way down on lighting since my day. Now I've decided to go with the Apollo 400w MH/HPS combo from Amazon ($119) since it'll cost me as much (actually less!) as the CFL rig and it lowers the amount of supplemental bulbs I'll need as well. I'm not too worried about the electric bill, but I figured this setup for better penetration and cheaper initial costs versus 2x125 CFL + 6-10 23w fixtures would even out wattage-wise and be a lot less hassle to deal with. I' may use a few CFL's for strategic placement if needed, but i plan to SCROG so probably won't be many more than 2 or 3.

Also, been looking into the single bucket DWC (Stealth Hydro Bucketeer) with a bubbler (CO2 and O2) for after I get my seed stash from Round 1. Seems like a good way to go and more forgiving than soil. Easier to control f*** ups due to the speed of the plants reaction to changes and fixes. Temp control is easy enough with winter coming on and PH will be my only real factor.

Fish :Cool:

 

[A4]

Good choice on your lights, you will have a much better yield with very little added cost. One thing to keep in mind when growing in an enclosed closet is air circulation. My first indoor grow was in a closet and I cut a small hole into the attic and put a large pc fan in there to pull air out and a small vent at the bottom of the room to allow air to come in. Worked perfect and no one ever noticed anything.

As for the seeds, you can get the dragons at RCMC which is in Canada and probably safer than shipping from overseas. If you decide to get something else you can always have a look at attitude or herbies head shop. Both located in the Uk and will ship Stateside.

Best of luck, one old dude to another!

 

[RebelRoy]

Hi there TxOld Dude :stylez rasta smoke:

if you not want to go full hydro like you said... have you considered Coco? :smokebuds:

i did my first grow in coco.. worked out nice for me :tiphat:

 

[TxOld Dude]

Thanks A4! I just hope they hold up! Seen some bad reviews on the brand...
Reb...yep changed m' mind again! LOL!

We're goin' Hydro! Damn the torpedoes! Full steam ahead! WARP SPEED, MR. SULU!! :dance2:

I'll be enclosing a section of the back of a walk-in with a silver side styroboard box 3x4x8' or 4x5x8'. I'll see when the time comes. Hell, I could use the whole closet, but too difficult to control it and I ain't growin' THAT much! LOL! On the top rear will be 2 PC muffin fans for exhaust. On the bottom on each side will be a PC fan as intake. Since these are autos, I'm not worried about light pollution/leakage. All sealed with HVAC plenum tape (metal). Should be enough room for 6 DWC 5g buckets. Probably Hydrofarm or Power Grow. What would be the best size for net pots? 6, 8, or 10? A pvc frame will hold the lighting, timers, CO2, and pumps. Also, the possibility of a DIY res cooler (I got an idea!! And it's CHEAP TOO!!).
Thankfully, stealth won't be an issue. I live by myself outside of town.

I'll run several the first round and seed 'em for my "grub stake" and afterwards reduce it to 2 at a time. Now all I have to do is choose a feminizing solution for the seed, maybe Tiresias Mist as I don't want the hassle of STS. I wonder how much pollen I'll need for 1-2 plants to seed out.

Fish :Cool:

 

[mjdregba]

I am a real newbie and not very good - but have four grows under my belt and my experience is; I have used sensi seeds, nirvana, world of seeds, barneys (in person), greenhouse (in person) and all have been quality seeds. In terms of strain, I found Northern Lights from Nirvana the easiest to grow with huge yields and good smoke.... However, Pineapple Express from barneys was probably the best tasting and smelling and strongest of the lot. I did fuck up an AKR grow and i have heard really good things about the smoke of them.

 

[TxOld Dude]

mj

I'm not new to growing, just been a loooooonnng time, BUT I'm very new to all these strains out there and AUTOS - WOW! I'm looking for one with medium clear head trip and SEVERE couchlock. Strain is everything because sleep evades me and the pharms are killing me. Need to get it right the first time, if possible. Which would you say meets the criteria best?