New Grower Getting started on my first indoor grow!

[RollerofDoobs]

My First Indoor Grow

I am very excited to be starting my first indoor grow. I would have started much sooner but I decided to save up a little extra money so that way I could afford a half decent set-up and some good seeds. I am not planning on a huge yielding grow, just four feminized auto flowers in a little grow tent in my closet so I can have a good stash. I am starting this journal before I actually purchase any of the equipment so I can get some help from you guys here at AFN on deciding exactly which brands and equipment I want to use. So without further waste of your time, here is what I have planned:

Grow Tent: (60cm X 60cm X 140cm) I hear that the Secret Jardin DR60 is a good buy. I am open to any other suggest brands if anyone has used a good grow tent around this size. I honestly want a 2ft X 4ft X 5ft grow tent, but I can seem to find one of good quality.

Lighting: Blackstar 240w LED from Gotham Hydro. (After seeing what these panels have done with T-shirt's plants, I think its a good buy.) I will also be using CFL’s for supplemental lighting. ( Thinking about making a few DIY CFL fixtures, thanks for the idea Andy B! )

Filter and Fan: http://www.amazon.com/Hydropronic-Inline-Carbon-Filter-Control/dp/B002ZJNW1S - I am thinking about this one, I know its on the cheap side but has got some good reviews. And I figure I don't need as much ventilation as I would with an HPS so it should serve its purpose.

Soil: 25% Perlite/ 25% Fox Farm Happy Frog/ 50% Fox Farm Ocean Forest

Nutes: Growbig, Tiger Bloom, Big Bloom, Voodoo Juice, Cannabalyze, Mollases (Maybe Humbolt Honey, I need to research this product more.)

Strain: The Joint Dr.’s Easy Ryder Feminized Auto flowers (I hear these are good for beginners) And if my check gets here before the stock is depleted I would love to get my hand on Mossy’s PJ’s.

I will be starting the seeds in Jiffy starter mix in 16oz party cups and use the tiered transplant method. I am also going to be bubbling my water to saturate it with O2. Thanks to Full Duplex’s Guide to Hefty Auto’s! I might experiment with a little LSTing and fan leaf tucking, but I will have to research both these methods a little more. I imagine they will be beneficial for helping the plants absorb the most light from the LED.

If I can find a decent 2ft X 4ft X 5ft grow tent I plan on using it to stagger grow 6-8 AF’s. ( This one might do for my budget http://www.amazon.com/LED-Wholesale...1?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1313683200&sr=1-1 ) I figure I can keep 0-30 day old plants under CFL lighting on one side of the tent and the 30 day plus flowering girls on the other side with the Blackstar. (Of course I will have a few CFL’s on the flowering side to help supplement the LED as well. ) Does anyone see a problem with this plan?

If anyone see’s anything that I’m doing wrong, or right lol, please let me know. I will greatly appreciate any and all feedback and suggestions. Trust me I will not be offended because I am a complete noob grower (I have run about 3 outdoor random bagseed grows with MG Soil and Nutes lol, so I am not counting that.)

I also need some good suggestions on quality brands of the following items:
Pots
PH Meters (Soil and Liquid)
Scopes

Thanks for your time

 

[Griever]

sweet as bro
goodluck with it

others may say different wait for them to answer

 

[RollerofDoobs]

I have decided on going with the 2ftX4ft tent from LED-wholesalers (Unless anyone has it and hates it lol), because it is the best quality budget tent I have come across. I also have decided on a PH meter and a air pump that I will use to bubble my water/nutes.

Air Pump: http://www.amazon.com/Laguna-Aeration-Kit-for-Ponds/dp/tech-data/B000HASBFE
PH Meter: http://www.amazon.com/HM-Digital-Waterproof-pH-Meter/dp/B00132G102 (Thanks for the review AndyB)

As far as pots go I have narrowed it down to either 3 gal smart pots or air pots. I have seen that SmashedbyHashish, along with others, really likes the smart pots and have had good results using them.

I still need a good recommendation on a USB scope.

If anyone doesn't like any of these products I mentioned please let me know! I will begin to purchase it all within the next week. Thanks for any input!

 

[autowidow]

Sounds like you have done your homework. You should have a good grow. Best of luck.

 

[clevekid]

Hey man I think your setup is lookin pretty solid, way better than my first attempt. I am also growin a couple Easy Ryders with a 150 HPS and CFL's. Im on day 37 and my ladies look great. Started a journal a couple days ago http://www.autoflower.org/f5/ag-150-hps-easy-ryder-closet-grow-2799.html so check it out if you wanna see what I got goin on. Im definitely curious about LED's, I've heard mixed reviews, but I love the potential efficiency. Post pics if you can I'd love to watch their progress. Have fun.

 

[AndyBotwin]

Sounds like a good setup, roller. I've got the same tent that I'm prepping for a T5 grow. :thumbs:

 

[zaQ]

Hey i think as previous poster said, you have done your homework really well.

For PH Meter you can look at Ebay.
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p5197.m570.l1313&_nkw=PH&_sacat=See-All-Categories

I dont know how good a 15 dollar PH Meter is but it looks as the same they sell here in my store in Europe for 95$ :S

 

[RollerofDoobs]

Sounds like a good setup, roller. I've got the same tent that I'm prepping for a T5 grow. :thumbs:

I had to order a slightly smaller tent (I took another set of measurements of my closet today and realized I will have less than an inch of clearance on the sides with the 2X4ft tent). This is the new one I ordered http://www.ebay.com/itm/36-X-20-X-6...348?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3f0d44dc7c

I dont know how good a 15 dollar PH Meter is but it looks as the same they sell here in my store in Europe for 95$ :S

Thanks for the info. The hydro stores around here jack up the prices on items because they know alot of people are scared to order things offline lol.

 

[RollerofDoobs]

Update...Finally lol

I am going to go into a fair amount of detail with my methods. If my grow turns out good, I can follow them again, and if my grow goes bad, I will know what not to do next time lol.

Ok so, I finally received some of my beans today which means I get to start germming! I have 10 of the Joint Dr.* Feminized Easy Ryders and 5 of Short Stuff's Feminized Mi5. (*After I placed my order I discovered the Joint Dr has been less than fair to some other breeders so this will be my first and last strain from him. Not bashing the strain, just choosing to not do business with those who I feel do not deserve it. This is all my personal opinion.)





Set-Up

I will be using the 3'x1.7'x5' (WxLxH) lighthouse hydro tent


My lighting will be a 240w panel by Blackstar


My Filter Fan combo is the 440cfm (will be running on "low" setting of my speed controller, so its more like 150-200cfm) from Gotham Hydro




Nutes

My arsenal includes Kangaroots, Growbig, Big Bloom, Tiger Bloom, MagiCal, and Sledgehammer.



I also have a 10-15 gal pump and bubble stone which I plan on using to aerate my dH2O.





Germination

I have decided to germinate 6 of the Easy Ryder's. I chose this strain because I heard it was a decently hardy auto and can withstand a fair amount of abuse. I use the paper towel method to germinate. I evenly spaced the 6 beans on the napkin and then moisten with distilled H2O (I use a dropper for more control).



I then cover seeds with another set of moist napkins. I place the napkins on a piece of a styrofoam plate for structural support so i do not fold it all up when placing in the bag and taking it out. Then I placed it in a ziploc bag and lit my doob. Break time I placed the bag in a dry/dark area.





Growing Medium

I will be using Fox Farms Ocean Forest, Fox Farms Light Warrior, and Perlite. I initially fill each 3 gallon smart pot with a 7:3:2 mix (OF : Perlite : LW).



I then scoop out a cavity in the center of the pot (see image).


I fill this hole with a 3:1 mix (LW : Perlite). I will cut the bottom off of a 16oz party cup and place the bottomless cup about halfway down in this light warrior center. Then I will fill the 16oz cup with the same 3:1 LW/Perlite mix. I took this idea from FD's tiered transplanting method. But in my version I am just extending the column of LW to almost the bottom of the pot, and there isn't an actual transplant. The idea behind this is that I will basically have a column of Light Warrior for the seedling to shoot its taproot down into. By the time the roots reach the Ocean Forest, the plant should be a bit more mature and ready for the nute-rich soil.

Well now it's just a waiting game. Fingers crossed for a good germ rate! More updates coming soon!

(P.S. Thanks to all the amazing growers here! Without your advice I would still be growing with my old stone-age methods! +rep to the whole AFN! )

 

[Mellow Yellow]

Your grow is similar to mine. I am trying my very first indoor grow of AF's. I have some RRF's & Mi5's started (day 7).

I will be following your grow as well.

Good vibes sent to you from the Bud Gods brother.......