Your thoughts for A total New grower

[Cooterjuice]

Welcome to AFN!! Glad to have you here. My suggestions. Keep it simple for your first grow. Learn to read your plants. They will talk to you and you'll learn what they are saying over time. That size tent I would suggest only 1 plant in a 5gal pot. Or 2 in 3 gal pots. Good luck to you on your new hobby!! If you want to get someone's attention in a post you use @ then that person's user name to tag them. If you didn't know that already. :smoking:

 

[Ryno_nuggs]

Blue labs has their combo meter on sale for $129 on Amazon currently. Just snagged one and holy cow what a game changer! I couldn't even figure out how to use my cheapo one so I neglected pH through my whole first grow and I'm kicking myself now over it cause I'm sure I would have yielded much more had my feeds/fluids been properly PHed.

Welcome aboard!

I just got one of these bluelab combo meters for that price. I really like it better than my old pen style, it is simpler to use and more convenient for my needs. Highly recommend at that insane low price.

Sounds like you are going in the right direction. There are a lot of cheap low quality stuff out there that is not worth the time. You also don't have to get the most expensive stuff either to be successful.

I would make sure to get good lights, a good exhaust fan and filter system, good genetics, and a good ph/ppm meters.

Blast away with any questions you come up with, we are all happy to help!

 

[Emerald Archer]

View attachment 1383171

Iam hoping i can get my Swedish Chef on!

I mostly just go through all the threads with new activity, and start at the beginning lol.

I have been slowly. This is just a ditch effort to double down and fish out a recent link or two passed along by a helpful poster. Could help narrow my searches.

 

[Suki]

Iam hoping i can get my Swedish Chef on!

I have been slowly. This is just a ditch effort to double down and fish out a recent link or two passed along by a helpful poster. Could help narrow my searches.

Do you have any specific questions? If you outline what you're planning on doing more specifically we may be able to help point you in the right direction. I didn't find AFN till I was already pretty deep into my first grow, so I was already growing a specific way, so I looked for threads that pertained to that in particular. Now I just read everything cause you never know when you're going to see something that may work better for you or that you hadn't thought of.

 

[Emerald Archer]

Welcome welcome!

Three things I can suggest starting off as a new grower that will help you tremendously. And for a while it will probably feel liike there is always some extra thing to buy. However, a lot of it lasts a long time and will be used in future grows.

1) A pH meter/pen. The proper pH of your water and any nutrient solutions you mix up is essential to success.

Top companies:
BlueLab
Apera

I personally use a Milwaukee Instruments pH600AQ as it's ~$20 and has a calibration adjustment. I don't know how reliable the $10 cheap amazon/china/ebay units are.

You will also need calibration fluid and storage fluid so budget a bit for those. Relatively cheap but around $50-60 for the whole kit.

2) An EC/PPM meter. Knowing the "strength" of your starting water and any solutions you mix is key to maintaining your plants.
Shop around as you like. I have an HM Digital COM-80 myself. No cal or storage solution needed. (I do have calibration fluid)

It is inconvenient having separate pH and PPM pens but I found an all in one unit to be cost prohibitive especially just starting out.


3) A pH adjustment kit. Several available out there. The General Hydroponics pH Control kit is $20-ish and comes with a bottle of pH UP and DOWN, plus a small pipette. This stuff is highly concentrated, dangerous, strong, but works well. So just be careful and use a little, very little, at a time.


If you've got all that sorted out you'll be making tomato sauce in no time!

i bought a kit that has a PH tester a pair of TDS meters/testers. I want to say it has a soil probe that came with it too. My research indicated this was a must. Though admittedly i need to learn how to operate the equipment…But i do have it so that is a start!

 

[DONTON]

I use ColorNote app on my computer and copy and paste info and then organize notes by color(hence ColorNote) then turn them into PDF's and reference them when needed.I also bookmark some sticky threads as well for quick reference.Look at new grower journals to see what issues come up and how they are solved that way you will have supplies you need ahead of time.I have researched on here for a couple days straight till my eyes were squinting and had to crash lol.

And even so I still learn something new.With this hobby it is a never ending learning process as well so there will always be new info to learn.This forum is the best.I HATE when I have searched for info on other forums and the topic goes south and a shit storm happens and you never get an answer.On here just the opposite.

Best of luck!!

 

[Suki]

1 Tips on organization getting/staying…planning etc..

This depends on what works best for you. I'm a tactile person, so physically writing stuff down in a notebook is really helpful for me. I also have severe memory issues so being able to look back at stuff is very helpful. I also screenshot things and keep a folder for plant references in my phone, which I transfer into my notebook when I'm home. But if I look something up when I'm out and I don't save it it will be gone from my memory forever. I also really like spreadsheets but I still haven't found my keyboard or mouse from when we moved so I'm strictly on mobile for now (which is a pain to try to use spreadsheets on). I also document stuff in my grow journals, which is a super helpful reference to be able to go back to when you need it. Physically, my grow tent (2x2x4) is in my bedroom closet, and I've hung shelves to keep things organized. My sink area is directly next to my tent (it's a powder room, so the toilet and tub are a separate room on the opposite wall from the closet) so I also have a bunch of stuff up on the counter, and I store stuff in the cabinet under the closer sink as well. I need visual reminders or else I forget things exist, so shelves work best for me cause I can see what I actually have and where it is. Out of sight, out of mind is far to real for me. I keep my physical journal stashed between the tent and the wall so it doesn't get messed up when I'm using it.

2 I wanna know your germination rituals. Do u start beans on the same day/time? Paper towel methods? Right in the soil (medium…what have you) with the beans? When does the timer start when u start germinating them? After they drop a taproot? When they pop shell n break the medium’s surface in search of light?

I start beans whenever the mood strikes, lol. For me there's really no rhyme or reason to it, and I've never really seen it discussed. I start all my beans in Root Riot cubes. I used trays initially, but now I put the cubes directly into the pots as I think it helps regulate the temp/humidity a bit better. I grow in soil, so my method is to dunk the cube in a micro organism solution (thus far I've only used so Rhize Up, Big Bloom, Boomerang, Kangaroots, and Wholly Mackerel. However, I'm in the process of figuring out exactly what amounts of each I should *actually* be using as their feed chart is way too much even for photos but even more so for autos.), put a granual of dynomyco into the hole, followed by the seed. I mix the dynomyco into the soil as well, and coat the sides and bottom of the cube with it as well. I don't start counting anything till they are above ground. So, day 1 is the day they pop up for me. Other people consider day 1 the day the first true set of leaves are visible. I've had several beans pop up with the first set of leaves already visible, so I think its really just a matter of personal preference.

3 how YOU run your light times for autos? 18-6, 20-4 All dayum day?

I've done all 3, and there are benefits and drawbacks to each. If you're trying to maintain a consistent environment and your room temperature is stable, going 24/0 will help keep your temps from fluctuating. 18/6 is going to save on your energy bill. I personally think 18/6 or 20/4 are the way to go, since plants need that rest time and since root development is faster at night. Really, you can play around and see what works best for you, and what makes your girls happy.

4 what Temps u try and maintain ?

These are the guidelines I try to stick to, though they're pretty loose imo.

The big thing I think is to try to avoid any major swings in temp if possible. Keeping the room the tent is in a consistent temperature goes a long way in that regard.

5 my kit came 5 gal cloth pots which i plan on ‘auto transplanting’ (seen a helpful thread here on the tech) any cloth potting tips n tricks or expectations while using cloth pots…

I love my cloth pots! I have 5 5gal cloth pots, and I can fit 4 of them perfectly in my 2x2. I also have 15 1gal cloth pots as well, and an assortment of 6", 4", and other various size plastic pots. I like the 6" plastic pots for starting seeds in (if they're going into the 5gal pots). They are almost the exact same size as the 1gal pots, so if I'm doing the full grow in a 1gal I will start in that directly. You don't want to transplant anything out of a fabric pot imo, as the roots can and will grow through the fabric and get all woven into it and you *will* lose a lot of root mass in the process. The plastic pots you can just squeeze them a little bit and it all just pops out nice and clean all at once. Fabric pots are almost impossible to overwater. Make sure you've got them on individual trays or risers, as they will soak up any run off over time. I use trays that are just a smidgen smaller than the diameter of the pots, which gives about half an inch of clearance or so between the pot and the tray so the bottoms aren't soggy. The only way to overwater in a cloth pot is to water the whole pot before the plant is ready for it (rule of thumb being that the root mass is typically about the same diameter as the plant itself) or to leave it sitting in a puddle of run off. Make sure to add water slowly, as if you water too fast it will come out of the sides instead of going into the soil and out the bottom. You can run them through the washer and dryer when you're done with them and they will be nice and clean and sterilized for when you need them next.

and 6.. I only have the one tent so again Id run two autos, i will decide if i start two different beans or just run a pair with run and swap the 2nd inww I digress. I want to best plan for drying in a one tent indoor set up. Thoughts are welcomed.

This one is yet again just a matter of finding what works best for you (which tbh is pretty much all or at least most of growing in general) I have basically the same tent, mine's a bit smaller than yours. I initially had 4 going at once, which worked fine for me, but not being able to pop more beans makes me kinda sad. I'm attempting a perpetual run now, which is kind of what you're talking about. How you do it and if it will work for you just really depends on your growing style and the strains you pick. I mostly picked strains that are (according to the breeders) fast, small, and good to high yielding. If you want to grow huge plants or strains that get huge, obviously that would be a completely different ballgame. I personally find the ability to harvest on a regular basis appealing, I like to have a variety, and I've got a bad bean popping addiction. Everyone's goals and methods are different though.

i plan to LST and maybe some really light defoliation. But am hoping to just observe how they grow and express this first cpl runs…my research dictates less is more with autos

I think this is a good plan. My first auto run, I pretty much left them completely alone until my husband got in my head mid early flower and convinced me to take off a ton of fan leaves. I definitely think watching them grow naturally to start is a good plan, barring any height restraints. My first autos I did no training on at all and still pulled 4.72oz. Could it have been more had I topped/trained/etc? Sure probably, but I also could have royally screwed it up in my inexperience. I did mainline my first photos, so the 3 oldest autos in my tent currently are in 1gal pots and I've done that to differing degrees (oldest two topped 5 times, youngest topped 3 times, all very early on and on each immediate next node). I have two younger girls in 5gal pots that I haven't touched yet, but will be topping once at the 4th node. LST is a great tool but it can be very stressful when you are getting used to it. You will break stems. Too early? Stems are too thin and snap. Too late, too thick, snap. There is definitely a balance to it. Go outside and find a bush or something to practice on. Practice super cropping on it too while you're at it. From what I've seen super cropping is kinda like a last ditch effort to get the plant away from the light for most people, though some do it as a regular part of their training regimen. Again, personal preference. I have defoliated anywhere from super heavy to not at all. I think leaf tucking is better during actual growth, save the defoliation for leaves that absolutely have to go cause you can't tuck them to expose growth tips, or to decrease humidity/increase airflow in the canopy. But again, personal preference.

I think that should cover most everything in you OP question wise, but I'm not an expert. My journals are in my signature if you'd like to see what I'm talking about. There's lots of people who grow in 2x2s or smaller, so searching 2x2 or visiting the micro grow subforum may be helpful for you.

 

[Suki]

If there's anything I've missed, or if you have any other questions let me know. This place is an absolute wealth of knowledge and information and everyone here is awesome lol. Definitely a community and very different than other sites. If its something I don't have an answer to, I can probably tag in someone who would know. I'm pretty much here all the time

 

[Suki]

Thanks for the rep @DONTON!

Another note about LST, make sure to always do it *before* watering, and try to do it prior to the lights coming on if possible. You want to avoid as much turgidity as possible. If you've watered, the plants will have a higher water content and will be much harder to bend and much much more likely to break. Bending on the day you intend to water before the lights come on will help to ensure that there is as little fluid as possible in the plant's cells, which will make them much more pliable and thus much easier to bend without breaking. If you've got a drill bit set, grab your 9/64 bit and keep it handy. That's my personal ideal thickness give or take for doing any serious bending. 1/8 is still too fragile imo and they break pretty easy without much force at all. Anything wider than like the 11/64 bit is gonna be pretty stiff and will give a lot of resistance, until it doesn't any more. Its the kind of "Snap!" that makes you jump lol. Always make sure you support the bottom of whatever you're bending. I always use 3 fingers, thumb under the branch and pointer and middle over and just give a gentle squeeze over my thumb to get it where I want it. The green rubber coated garden wire is awesome, I use it pretty much exclusively but there are tons of different things you can use. They even make clips made specifically for bending plants! I like the customizable nature of the wire though, cause I can make each piece as long or short as I need it to be.

 

[DONTON]

You are welcome!