New Grower "STEADY'S FIRST GROW" Bubbleiscious auto 600 watt LED SCROG.

[SteadyPimpin]

Hi everybody. I am brand new to growing and brand new to the AutoNetwork. This will be my first ever grow and can use all the help i can get. Im attempting autoflower strains at first to get the hang of things. I myself do not smoke, I am growing in washington state with my medical liscense because lately I have been spending quite a bit on meds for my cousin who was diagnosed at age 6 with epilepsy. Id hate to see him suffer because i can no longer afford to buy him this miracle plant that actually works. Im going to try to do this the right way with the proper equipment.

Here we go and thanks for any help i may get!

Growing space: In the mail is a lighthouseHydro 4x2x6 grow tent
Strain/Quantity: I had order 5x feminized bubbleiscious auto from nirvana then read some bad reviews on them possibly not actually "autoflowering" So now i have in the mail 5x Buddha Feminized auto Purple Kush.
Soil: Im going with OF/Perlite mix as i have heard great things with it.
Nutes: Undecided... possibly advanced nutrients? (Need experienced help on this one)
Pots: im using 3 gallon growing bags with drainage holes
Lighting: I will be running a 400watt metal halide plus 2 42 watt Cfls untill flower then switch to 400 watt hps with the 2 42 watt cfls. My light is FloraLux Brand with a 4 inch vetalation port attached for cooling. Hortilux enhanced spectrum Super HPS bulb for flowering.
Ventilation: in the mail is a 4" intake fan with air filter as well as a 4inch inline exhaust fan that will run ducting from the light port out through the top right of the tent. (please give me a heads up if you believe this may not be enough to extract enough heat from my tent.) I will be purchasing a phresh filter before flowering because although its legal in washington and i have a medical liscense... I do live in a rental property.
Germination: Plan to just use paper towel method yet open to advice. Will NOT be transplanting they will go straight into the 3 gallon bags.
Light Cycle: 18/6 or 20/4 You guys will influence my decision on this dependent on feedback
Method: I will be using the SCROG method (still undecided of how high to place the screen ive heard anywhere from 8 inches to 12 inches)

My seeds are due in a max of 2 weeks I will then have everything set up and can get you guys some pics. I love me some good constructive criticism so lets hear it!

 

[dbossmanfl]

i must say you are on the right track.... but i would go with the 18/6 lighting it does pretty good with me..... also i dont really use soil bout to start my first coco grow ive been using using drip system with dwc. iam new to the soil things as far as nutri. iam bout to start using fox farm for my coc... but with that being said you are on the right track good luck with the grow

 

[Trapper]

Some folks here leave a divot (about 2 or 3 cups worth of volume) in the middle of surface of the soil and fill that with a soil with less nutrients already incorporated so the seedling won't get burned when it's so delicate....

That would be my only suggestion based on what you have listed for soil, that or look around at some of the "tier method" grows where they start the seedling in less aggressive soil in a solo cup or the like then cut the bottom off and plant it, cup and all, in the middle of the larger "final" pot. (in your case, grow bag)

As to the nutrients, you'll have to decide what's most important to you...Does it need to be organic? Does it need to be the most "fire-and-forget" simple? Does it need to be tailored to suit ease of Ph control? Does it need to maximize yield? There are many nutrient packages and many approaches and most have their supporters and detractors.

You may end up feeling you need a couple things not listed...metering devices such as temp gauge that measures relative humidity, a soil Ph meter, or a solution (liquid) Ph tester pen. Oxygenated (bubbled) water is something plant's roots sure love...so a fish tank air pump and some tubing and air stones. Cal/Mag supplement for protection from those common deficiencies. Dolomite Lime for the soil...a nice, gentle ph moderator. Supplemental CO2 for photosynthesis improvement. Just depends on how many factors you want to control or how comfortable you feel not controlling them...many here feel perfectly comfortable not worrying about such matters. But, IMHO, as a novice, the metering devices are needed so you can at least diagnose a problem if you run into one.

 

[SteadyPimpin]

Some folks here leave a divot (about 2 or 3 cups worth of volume) in the middle of surface of the soil and fill that with a soil with less nutrients already incorporated so the seedling won't get burned when it's so delicate....

That would be my only suggestion based on what you have listed for soil, that or look around at some of the "tier method" grows where they start the seedling in less aggressive soil in a solo cup or the like then cut the bottom off and plant it, cup and all, in the middle of the larger "final" pot. (in your case, grow bag)

As to the nutrients, you'll have to decide what's most important to you...Does it need to be organic? Does it need to be the most "fire-and-forget" simple? Does it need to be tailored to suit ease of Ph control? Does it need to maximize yield? There are many nutrient packages and many approaches and most have their supporters and detractors.

You may end up feeling you need a couple things not listed...metering devices such as temp gauge that measures relative humidity, a soil Ph meter, or a solution (liquid) Ph tester pen. Oxygenated (bubbled) water is something plant's roots sure love...so a fish tank air pump and some tubing and air stones. Cal/Mag supplement for protection from those common deficiencies. Dolomite Lime for the soil...a nice, gentle ph moderator. Supplemental CO2 for photosynthesis improvement. Just depends on how many factors you want to control or how comfortable you feel not controlling them...many here feel perfectly comfortable not worrying about such matters. But, IMHO, as a novice, the metering devices are needed so you can at least diagnose a problem if you run into one.

thanks to both your replies. I'm going with the 18/6 as suggested and thanks to trapper I have ordered a ph test meter as well as a few smaller things I also have some organic soil 0 feed in it to try your method out. I forgot to mention in the thread that I do have a 6 stage reverse osmosis system that I use for my 2 chameleons. Nutrient wise 8 like higher quality buds over yeild

 

[Trapper]

Sounds like a very solid starting point IMHO. Cal/Mag supplement is more important for folks using RO water, as those minerals are removed by the process.

Good Luck man. Can't wait to follow along!

 

[SteadyPimpin]

Sounds like a very solid starting point IMHO. Cal/Mag supplement is more important for folks using RO water, as those minerals are removed by the process.

Good Luck man. Can't wait to follow along!

Thanks again trapper I'll go grab those supplements when my beans arrive!

 

[SteadyPimpin]

Had my beans seized at customs so hopefully the purple kush from Buddha still arive will keep posted

 

[Sauce]

That sucks =/ Hope they dont crush them it happens If so a lot of seed banks will send you more so thats good. You are def on the right track. Best thing to do from here is to keep up with this grow log. Helps to keep you on track and gives others a chance to read over it give you ideas and input.

Welcome ;P

 

[SteadyPimpin]

So turns out it was attitudes order that was held at customs and nirvana bubbleiscious arrived last night and are germinating. I figure since apparently the bubbleiscious doesn't autoflower properly and vegs longer it will be better for my SCROG. I also got all my equipment in the mail and set up. Am really impressed by the quality of this lighthousehydro grow tent. Will post pics and a germination update as soon as I get home.

 

[SteadyPimpin]

Update time! things are actually about to get started with my grow... Got home and 4 of 5 seeds have popped roots im going to mix my soil and perlite tonight and drop the beans. also got 10 freebies soaking and they will be going outside.


Pics of the tent all set up...




Made my own reflectors for my cfls. theyre too expensive and i dont like the dome clamp lamp style. Pics below of before and after Let me know if you want a list of what it takes to make. cost me only 15 bucks each reflector. i made 2 of them in 1 hour for 28.73 at Lowes.




Ive selected my nutrients for this grow. I went with the General organics Go Box because for 1 it was on sale for 29.99 seconds ive done some research and came to my own "personal opinion" that fox farms and advanced nutrients ect. are not worth the extra $ and have too many extra additives. This box for 30 bucks i got both grow and bloom formulas in 16 oz along with 6 different 8 oz additives. Well known brand and plenty for this grow for only 30$ as this is sort of a test grow. Still a bit confused as to how to feed. i understand it but dont at the same time. So say i want to use my bloom and my booster aswell as lets say my CaMag supp. would i add the proper amount in ml to the amount of water its supposed to be mixed with for each suppliment then mix all those waters together then water my plants evenly with it all?? so confused... anyways thats the update stay tuned should be sprouting within a couple of days. Time of bean drop 12 am Pacific time.