# My First Grow All Under $40



## janusx (Aug 4, 2007)

Ok I just want to start out saying how pleased I am to now be apart of this community, the people here are the most patient and helpful people i've run into in a long time, good job everyone!

Now on to my first grow..

I decided to grow a small personal stash because of two reasons, the first being all the dealers in my area aren't what they once were, and the second being i'm running short on cash.  So this is kind of my test cycle to see if it can be done using all things I already have and some store bought soil. Here are the facts to date.

I successfully germinated 2 seeds out of 15 that I placed in a moist towel after 3 days, all seeds came from a previous bag I purchased, and I planted them in the same pot (I know mistake) in regular "clay" like soil that doesn't drain very well(i know another mistake).  They did sprout up tall the first day ( inch and a half?), and I am now on day 3 and the plants are roughly the same height, I guess due to me lowering the light I am using. The picture below is a current growth picture.  For lighting I am currently using 24/7 light cycle, but I am using 1 desklamp with a 40 watt incandescent bulp in for now.  Today soon after this post, I plan to make a trip and start acting right on this project.  I plan to transplant both sprouts into their own 6" or so pots, with Miracle Grow Patio, i believe is the name, soil.  I then plan to wrap the entire base and sides of under my sink with aluminum foil to reflect the light onto the plants. I will also replace the incandecent 40w with a 27w or 40w CPL bulp, and I plan on looking into getting ANOTHER desklamp with the same bulb as the other.  I will also be looking into some Miracle Grow Nuts today while I'm at the store, but I may hold off on this as I wanted opinions first.  For air flow and smell combat, I decided not to use a fan, but to just leave my door to my cabinet open most of the time and have an negative ionic charge generator sitting right near the plant because I heard this is effective at smell removal.

So please leave comments/suggestions asap, critisism is encouraged, but also keep in mind i'm growing in the first place because I do not have alot of spare cash in the first place.  Thanks alot everyone!

P.S. That is not a burn spot on the one sprout, It came out of the seed like that day one.


----------



## killersmoke (Aug 4, 2007)

i suggest you add more SOIL to the pot and not clay as well as seperate the plants and put something reflective around them,i found aluminum foil to work good but ppl dont think its good.


----------



## bombbudpuffa (Aug 4, 2007)

They look nice but I agree with KS. Get them transplanted into some better soil and you'll see a huge improvement. Good luck.


----------



## Rocker420 (Aug 4, 2007)

killersmoke said:
			
		

> i found aluminum foil to work good but ppl dont think its good.



The reason its terrible to use: 1, creates hot spots/lead to fire. 2,Its not really reflective, its only about 40% i belive, maby alittle more or less. But compared to black&white poly wich is 80% reflective, and only $1 a foot. 3, Its hard to work with because it rips easy.


----------



## killersmoke (Aug 4, 2007)

yes but for this grower and many like him not wanting to have to go to home depot for something such as 2 or 3 foot of mylar aluminum foil is easy to get from the corner store and easy to set up in a grow box.....for advanced growers looking to be perfect of course aluminum foil would not be the best choice


----------



## kindbudcocky (Aug 4, 2007)

Send me some progress bud,under 40 bones ya say?
Vetren lol
Peace


----------



## janusx (Aug 4, 2007)

ok here is what i just spent at the local wal mart.

67 cents for 25 feet of aluminum foil
$21 for a Flourescent lighting lamp, 27w (equilvalent of 150w of light it says)
$3.50 for Miracle Grow potting soil

I plan to set it all up now and have a picture in an hour or two. I will be taking both plants completely out of this clay soil and placing them in there new homes, i just hope i don't damage the roots on them doing it.

Wish me luck!


----------



## killersmoke (Aug 4, 2007)

good luck they look close together so maybe only 1 will survive


----------



## bombbudpuffa (Aug 4, 2007)

Hello JX. Allow me to help you a lil. If your walls are flat white, they will be more reflective than aluminum. You got a 27w lamp so thats 1700 lumens, maybe a lil more. You need 3000(minimum)-5000(recommended) lumens per square ft. So for a space that is 1ftx1ft you'd need a minimum of 2 of those lights. Make sure the bulbs are 6500k. This is the color temperature, in this case it's the blue spectrum for veg. 2000, 2100k are in the red spectrum and are for flowering. I would not recommend starting out with the MG soil unless it's the organic and then you'd need to add a ph buffer. Just a lil advice, hope this helps.


----------



## Shakey B0n3S (Aug 4, 2007)

killer smoke why wouldnt both of them survive he is transplanting them...ive had plants grow side by side for weeks and they were fine ...dont scare him tho


----------



## killersmoke (Aug 4, 2007)

yea im just telling him not to get his hopes up because ive transplanted small plants like that b4 and they have died,i just wanted to let him know theres a slight chance 1 or both might not live after being transplanted


----------



## janusx (Aug 4, 2007)

OK here is what I've done, I just wrapped up the base and sides with foil, tho you guys can decide by the paint in the picture if i should just remove the foil or leave it.  I planted the 2 plants seperatly in the miracle grow soil, and now i'm kicking myself now that puffa tells me the MG organic would of been better, as i wasn't sure which of the two to get lol.  Oh well, i'm not looking for the best weed in the world, i'm just looking for something to mess me up, and I do plan to take the time to properly dry and cure the buds for a long while to increase taste and potency that way if i get to that stage.  

As for lighting, walmart did not have another one of those lights i just bought, or i would of purchased a second, but i do still have the 40w incandescent lamp that would fit right in there for extra light if you guys think it would be worth it.  I really don't have the funds to get a great lighting system going, plus i have to keep this stuff kind of hidden and concealed considering my location and inspections every so often.

I just watered the soil to loosen it up for the plants to adapt ok.

Let me know of anything else you guys suggest at this stage, I really appreciate all the comments to date.  Plus my main goal is to see whether or not growing decent bud is possible under conditions like mine.


----------



## killersmoke (Aug 4, 2007)

i cant c the pic well but did you put the shiny side down for the aluminum foil??that is a must or your plants will burn up


----------



## janusx (Aug 4, 2007)

Yes the shiny side is down, but by luck lol, i didn't know that.  Thanks for lookin out!!


----------



## killersmoke (Aug 4, 2007)

i know you are limited to grow space and money to grow with as i am but i advise you find another spot to grow besides under the sink although smokinmom had a successful grow under her sink b4 she was a mod.

u should do what i did....i took a box that my tv came in and lined it with aluminum foil then cut a hole in the top and a hole in the side and stuck a fan in the side and a light in the top and my plant has been goin gr8,i dunno though it should grow under there but u would have better results with my method i think...its cheap and easy the way i like it


----------



## janusx (Aug 4, 2007)

hmm, I do have plenty of boxes in my closet i could use, and could easily set it up that way, but the thing is, over the next 3 weeks there will be routine inspections, which involves coming in the bathroom too, so once those inspections are over with, i will take your advice and move them outside the sink into there own box wrapped in foil.  Thanks for your input!


----------



## killersmoke (Aug 4, 2007)

no problem but in 3 weeks if u get another bulb your whole bathroom is going to reak so you'll have to move them b4 then im sure of it unless u got an ionic breez or sumthin to eliminate the odor


----------



## janusx (Aug 4, 2007)

I do have an ionic breeze, I was planning to use it next to the plants, does it really eliminate the odor like people say?


----------



## killersmoke (Aug 4, 2007)

i have no clue i just herd they work,i dont gotta eliminate the odor i'd rather my house smell like reefer
u wont have to use it until like 3 weeks to a month depending on nutes and light scheduals


----------



## Capone (Aug 4, 2007)

Loose the foil bro..you need more light...believe me i know your trying with a budget but i find that if you spend a lil more $$$, the end product to your investment will pay off.


----------



## killersmoke (Aug 4, 2007)

lol he just said he wants to just c what the plant would do in this grow condition...he's not lookin for good bud,just a expierement i guess


----------



## janusx (Aug 4, 2007)

well while this is an experiment, i do hope to be able to get some usable results.  I will lose the foil as it seems to be what a lot of people suggest, and I agree that I should invest in more light.  

Does anyone know of a regular wall socket flourescent light from like lowes or home depot that will give me the minumum 3000 lumens i need?

If i'ts around 30 bucks or less, I'll spring for it and return the 1700 lumen lamp i purchased.  I'll do all of this tomorrow with the suggestions.  Thanks alot everyone.


----------



## Capone (Aug 4, 2007)

ok if you go to walmart, go to the Cfl isle and look for a pack of four(6.99) 23 watt daytime Cfls...get them for veg they work best, later into flowering use soft white or warm white..in the isle there should be a shop light holder with a aluminum bowl to reflect the light (this is like a cord and a light socket) there around  5bucks each..with four of those cfls youll be at your Min light enuff to grow decent results..

And just make sure you dont over water them..let them grow..i know its hard you just want to watch them 24\7..TRUST!! 

Later dude


----------



## janusx (Aug 4, 2007)

excellent idea capone, i can't believe i didn't think about it already.  I guess the whole idea of growing as a hobby and all the other aspects have just fluttered my mind.  So tomorrow i'll purchase a power strip with the 4 shop lights and bulbs.

one question i'm not sure of is about the next transplanting.  I know i have to tell when it's time by like if it's come to a halt in growth, roots out the bottom, etc, but when i feel it's time, what size pot would you guys recommend i transfer into?  I only want to do one transplant if possible.


----------



## killersmoke (Aug 4, 2007)

one transplant u want a 5 gallon bucket or larger


----------



## Capone (Aug 4, 2007)

i would recommend you transplant your plant when it reaches about 5-6 inches tall..using a 3-5gallon pot..this pot will be the last pot you transplant it to.. Try using Superthrive(also sold at walmart in garden isle) to help with the recovery time after transplant, it might get alittle "shock" after the initial transplant but should be normal 2-3 days after


----------



## janusx (Aug 5, 2007)

Day 4.  (feels like it's been a month!)

I went to walmart, I purchases 3 general electric 26w CPL's since that's the most i could get in a package, and that was like 10 bucks alone.  Package says each bulb is 1750 lumens.  So then I purchased 3 Shop Lights, and I rigged them up, but do you guys think I should worry about this being a fire hazard?  

Also, it's one day after the transplant, and they look beautiful to me, and they even doubled in size.  1 plant sprouted 2 days later than the other, so that's why that one is smaller.  Here are some pics


----------



## Capone (Aug 5, 2007)

Ok your on the right track...1st are those fluorescent lights? regular lights will not work..no if its CFL's(fluorescent) lights they put off to little heat to cause a fire..invest in a compact fan(5bucks)to help with good root growth. and one more thing...put the light about 2-4 inches away from the plant for ideal growth. after these steps you should be ready to go..anymore ?'s just ask there are thousands of ppl on the site who can help..


----------



## janusx (Aug 8, 2007)

Day 7 (1 week since planting)

Ok well it's been a week and I think the plants look very healthy.  I'm not sure if they look small though, what do you guys think?

I also plan sometime this week to get a small fan to blow 24/7

And those are CFL's I am using, three 26 watts.


----------



## Capone (Aug 8, 2007)

they look green and strong.. just remember the more light the more bud..nice going tho


----------



## janusx (Aug 11, 2007)

Just a lil update, here are my babies at 10 days since planting.  I already smell a little aroma from my children, not strong yet though.


----------



## Sticky_Budz (Aug 11, 2007)

looking great so far keep it up and you will have some sweet plants there


----------



## janusx (Aug 20, 2007)

Here's an update..

I replanted both plants in 2.5 gallon pots, it went smooth and they continued to grow as soon as i transplanted.  The picture below was taken a few minutes ago, and they are 18 days old since i first planted

So whatcha all think? Do they look average, above, below?  I think they look nice and green, in about 2 weeks im gonna start the flower cycle


----------



## louis (Aug 21, 2007)

I'm a newb, but are those plants flowering?


----------



## janusx (Aug 21, 2007)

nah, if by flowering u mean buds, not for about a month i'd guess.


----------



## Capone (Aug 22, 2007)

hows the grow?


----------



## janusx (Aug 24, 2007)

23 days old, i think they look amazing.


----------



## janusx (Aug 26, 2007)

OK, I need some quick advice.

My plants ran into a yellow problem on the older leaves, I looked around on the forums and I narrowed it down to Nitrogen deficiency, so I bought some 12-0-0 blood meal from walmart, and springled a few tablespoons on top of each plants soil and watered thoroughly.  I thought that stopped the yellowing from spreading, but i'm not sure if it takes time to work, it's been about 30 hours since i applied the blood meal, and i think i notice a new yellow spot on the one plant that was REALLY dark green (see center of pic below).  Also, I have an ionic breeze under the sink with the plants on low setting, do you think that might be harming them? cause other than the yellowing, they look great.  I see a nat flying around, but just one, doesn't look like any kind of bugs are there either.

Also, in the last picture, in the red circle, is that early signs of a female sex?  what do you guys think? i know the picture is fuzzy, but anything helps.


----------



## Mutt (Aug 27, 2007)

aw crap man. shoulda asked first.
blood meal is hot as a firecracker man. It's slow release too. You only mix maybe one teaspoon in the soil per whole pot. I don't use the stuff, so not sure if flushing will help or make matters worse. I know you can flush it out but how long it will take not sure. The "new" yellowing is the beginning of nute burn. might have been deficiant what other fert were you using.


----------



## janusx (Aug 27, 2007)

weren't using any other fert, and i think your right on the nut burn, cause it's now only the tips of the newer leaves, suggestions?


----------



## janusx (Aug 31, 2007)

Help!!!  My once beautiful plants look like hell!

So here's the facts.  I noticed yellowing on the older lower leaves, so I did research, concluded nitrogen def., bought bloodmeal, sprinkled 2 tbsp on each plant's soil.  After hearing that the problem would get worse with that much, i scraped the top bloodmeal off, and just watered alot the next 2 days.  I haven't fed the plants anything else, I just planted the seeds in miracle grow soil, and 1 week ago sprinkled the bloodmeal.  thats IT! Now the bottom leaves are falling off on the shorter VERY GREEN plant, and the Tall plant's older leaves are yellowing/browning.  On top of that, the plants leaves are curling up at the ends and tips and it's just a MESS!!! Also, in the last week, except for one getting taller, i haven't noticed hardly any growth.  HELPPP!!

Do you guys think there is any hope left?


----------



## Bubby (Aug 31, 2007)

> My once beautiful plants look like hell!


You should see mine. 

They can definitely recover from that, if you fix the problem. I'm no good with dirt, so maybe some others will chime in with a topsoil recipe or something..

My mothers are in dirt, and the nutrients were used up a long time ago, so when they start getting hungry I feed them a small dose (200 - 300 ppm) of a hydro solution I have. It's 'perfectly balanced', so I don't have to worry about too much N, or too little P, etc.


----------



## Growdude (Aug 31, 2007)

It doesnt look like N defficancy to me, N deff. makes the lower leaves pale yellow but not like yours. And generally the plant looks pale green, yours look dark.
Im leaning toward nute burn but that will show on other leaves as well not just the bottom.

Just look at new growth as the bottom leaves that are yellow wont green back up.


----------



## janusx (Aug 31, 2007)

ok i'll give it time, i hope they pull threw it just fine, so i guess i should start using some kind of nutrient setup, what do you guys recommend for my case that I could pickup from home depot, lowes, walmart?

Update: I've found a good place where I'm at that caries Foxfarm products, like Big Bloom and the works, so I'm sure they got other good ferts that I could use and a much better selection than depot/lowes would have.  So if you guys could give me an idea for my stage and future stages of what I should pickup while i go there tomorrow, I'll share my growings with you!!!! ok maybe not:ignore:


----------



## THE BROTHER'S GRUNT (Sep 1, 2007)

*Here is a link to some Fox Farm products.  http://www.foxfarmfertilizer.com/products_liqfert1.html*


----------



## janusx (Sep 1, 2007)

Ok all, I went to the nursery, they didn't carry anymore foxfarm products, but they reccommended this stuff for "my kind of grow" (they knew what was up)

so i got a container of "SUPERthrive" and a container of "OMRI Alaska Fish Fertilizer NPK 5-1-1 organic fish emulsion.

I haven't got epsom salts yet, which i plan to do in the next few days to take care of magnesium.

This is what i plan to do with approval from the pros!  I plan to take a gallon container that's been sitting out for 3 days with tap water and apply 2 - 3 drops of the superthrive, then add 4 teaspoons of the Omri fish firt to the same gallon of water, then water my baby's back to perfection.  Does that sound about right?


----------



## Hick (Sep 1, 2007)

"I" have had ..less than positive results from the ST. Others here have positive reports, NOT me.
Make sure to check your ph after adding that fish emulsion to your water, too.


----------



## janusx (Sep 1, 2007)

ok, also do you guys think in just a few days I can start the flowering 12/12 cycle? it's been about 32 days since they first sprouted.

EDIT: I just happened to go plucking at the soil, and while there are no bugs there, i notice a lot of worms, very small tiny tiny white worms in the soil, is this normal with MG soil from walmart???


----------



## Hick (Sep 1, 2007)

eeeeeeeeeeeeeeekk...:shocked: they sure do NOT belong there...
My initial guesse would be either fungus gnats or white flies. It is their larvae stage you see in the soil.
Do a quick search...you'll find several posts dealing with them..


----------



## janusx (Sep 1, 2007)

ok thanks man I really appreciate the info, that answers the question of why I saw gnats a few posts back.  The soil seems to be infested pretty bad, i'd say like 5-6 larvae every square inch, that might be a contributing factor of why i haven't seen much of a plant growth in either plant.  I'm gonna start watering from the bottom, and in the meantime, i don't want to drive 20 miles to this nursery again for more supplies lol so i'm gonna just see what kind of treatment i can find similar to the gnatrol/Diatomaceous Earth stuff at the local lowes.

This journal I think is a good example for new growers considering I seem to make all the "common" mistakes first time growers make.  I plan next year around this time to do another grow after this one is completed, you really learn a lot that first disaster

I also bought some 2 five gallon containers, and I'm gonna pickup some MG Organic soil and fill them puppies up and transplant them as soon as this bug problem is taken care of, I want my plants to feel free to grow big   Also, this whole grow I've not had a fan on them at all, so my next step is going to radioshack and getting a 12v adapter so i can power a spare pc fan


----------



## HGB (Sep 1, 2007)

1/2 to 1 inch of sand on top of the soil :hubba: 

like morter sand.... they cant get thru it when they hatch, and die off 

the plant looks to be -mg to me...1/2 table spoon epson salt/gallon of water will fix it right up either as a foiler spray or in the soil 

peace


----------



## janusx (Sep 7, 2007)

Well everyone, bugs are gone, plants are greener than ever, and they are lookin GREAT!!  they are each 2 feet tall, one is actually about 2.5 feet tall today, and I JUST put them on 12/12 light today, today is day 38 of Vegetative cycle, or actually 1st day of Flower cycle 

I once again want to thank everyone who's contributed to this forum


----------



## GrandDaddyToke (Sep 8, 2007)

Man I made all the mistakes on my first grow too. The most important thing I learned was soil and nutrients. Go with all Fox Farm products and see the results. Plan ahead and have all that you will need. FF has a grow chart that tells you what nutrients to add @ what time of the grow. This has helped me a lot. With all the experienced growers on this site that are willing to look @ your grow and give you grate advice you can't go wrong. Check out my second grow and see what you think. *GOOD LUCK​*
*GROW JOURNAL*:watchplant: 
http://www.marijuanapassion.com/forum/showthread.php?p=132684#post132684


----------



## allgrownup (Sep 9, 2007)

I think you should rinse your roots clean, and replace those plants into clean soil asap.

huh.....you just gave me an idea as well....i'll post it on the coffee table.

anyway, yeah back to your soil, worms don't feed on dirt per say

Their nutrition comes from things in soil, such as decaying roots and leaves. Animal manures are an important food source for earthworms. They eat living organisms such as nematodes, protozoans, rotifers, bacteria, fungi in soil. Worms will also feed on the decomposing remains of other animals. something was in that soil and anything other than earthworms would be enough to make me change it pronto.  Its possible that roots are the only food source left in that pot.  Worms get hungry

Transplant and try to get a consistent watering/feeding schedule using ph'd water.  Try to get you light within a couple inches of the plant cola's.  Those cfl's wont burn your leaf and you need as tight as budz as possible.  Try to focus the majority of the lumens where the majority of the payoff will come from.

best of luck


----------



## janusx (Sep 9, 2007)

Thanks for the tips, I will get right to that.

As a little update, i do plan to transplant real soon, I still am unable to locate foxform products in my area, although there still are 2 places left that foxfarm's website says they carry it.  I bought about 10 gallon's worth at homedepot of MG Organic soil, so i'm gonna plant my babies in 5 gallon pots as soon as I can confirm the sex in around 5 days.  

For lighting, I went out and bought another shoplight, this one is one of the reflective bowl kind, and i bought a 4th cpl light, $10 at walmart, the 42W CPL bulb, so that makes three 27W cpl and one 42W cpl shinining on my beauts. To make things easier I went out and got an automatic timer so I don't have to worry about my plants getting the proper light schedule.  This thread's title is very misleading, as I'm in to this project about $100 now


----------



## allgrownup (Sep 10, 2007)

turn that light and reflector into a "quad cfl" setup.

also, if you can save up 100 more dollars, you should by an HPS light. there is no comparison to the quality and yeild.


the cheapest ways will cost you the most in the long run.....trust me.  as you keep upgrading your methods you will be replacing items you already have.  Its far better to just save and buy what you need.  Save for that light man.  You'll thank yourself in the long run.

cfl's are ok but  by the time you had 8 -10 of them and all the hardware to set'm up right, you could have just bought a 400W HPS.

Keep them lights close!

peace


----------



## janusx (Sep 19, 2007)

well, both turned out to be males:fid:

I'm going to try one more time since I still have everything i need, just using some seeds leftover from last attemp that I never tried to germinate.  

I haven't killed the males yet, I will sometime today, but I will say, they do look green and full and healthy.


----------



## Growdude (Sep 19, 2007)

janusx said:
			
		

> well, both turned out to be males:fid:
> 
> I'm going to try one more time since I still have everything i need, just using some seeds leftover from last attemp that I never tried to germinate.
> 
> I haven't killed the males yet, I will sometime today, but I will say, they do look green and full and healthy.


 
Sorry to hear about your plants,the good thing is you learned alot and you now know you can grow some nice looking plants.
Females next time!


----------



## janusx (Nov 21, 2007)

hey everyone! I just wanted to stop by and tell everyone that I did indeed begin to grow again, and that i'm about 2.5 weeks into flowering and that this time I got 2/3 females!!! One is doing very well with the white hairs sprouting everywhere, but I have myself a dilemma.  I know it depends on the strains and conditions but roughly the flower cycle should be around 8-10 weeks. Well On december 17/18 I have to boogie on out of here on vacation and that means that I can only flower up until 6 weeks before I have to cut them down because i CANNOT leave them growing where they are because of maintenance checks.  So, question is, even though they will be a couple weeks short, and not amber in color instead of white, will i still get a high from them if I dry them out over a period of 2-4 weeks?

Thanks alot everyone!  

Oh and by the way, using all the techniques in this forum and my own mistakes from last time as reference, I must say I haven't run into any problems so far at all


----------



## POTDOC (Apr 5, 2008)

well they wont be near as strong but they will be decent smoke


----------

