New Grower HERE WE GO! first time budget grower

[marilyn monGROW]

hi @FullAuto245 !

i did so much research that i wound up ordering something completely different than what i originally intended. i planned on being a fox farms girl. it certainly seems to be the most popular way to go. but after reading and searching i found this product specifically made for autos:

https://www.natureslivingsoil.com/products/1-pound-bag-natures-living-soil-for-autoflower

it's specifically made for layering soils under auto seedlings, so i decided to experiment with that. the product calls for a simple premium potting soil to layer with. i ordered some of that from Proven Winners.

those products are on their way. i'll definitely be using them on my next grow. but if i didn't do something for my little leggy ladies right away, i was afraid i'd lose more than just the Pickled Diesel, hence the shed dirt. it's seems like pretty good dirt, actually, and i think i'm pretty lucky we found it at all. the bag was sealed in a dark shed and was still soft with slight moisture. @420Forever mentioned depleted nutrients and he's probably right. i'm sure my next grow will be much better from the get go.

the good news is: the money i saved on buying soil for this first grow means i get to upgrade my lighting situation!

OKAY! so y'all have seen my blurple light. i want to spend under a hundred bucks. what should i get to supplement the light i already have?

by the way, the little ladies are all really great. they're all standing up straight and they've all got four little baby leaves on them.

 

[marilyn monGROW]

Great job so far ! I am not an expert, just a newbie myself who is near the end of my 2nd grow. I am having great success with water only and organic soil that I put together. If soil is going to be your medium, I suggest creating your own. It is very easy and when you provide a buffet of all the nutrients the plant needs, they will grow so well. If you build a good living organic soil you can reuse it over and over again. As far as lights go...check out the COB shop here at AFN.
Feel free to check out what just good soil and a COB will grow in my organic journal. Best of luck!

right on! i could get behind a homemade soil! imma check out your journal. do you have a "recipe"?

also, thanks for the heads up on the lights. i'll definitely head over there for suggestions.

 

[baked in the bluegrass]

Imma toss this out there as a light solution on the cheap. Get yourself a light bulb split-socket and a bunch of household led bulbs. Probably throw together a lil light in the 50watt range for like 50-60 bucks.
Itll be plug and play, wont require a fan for heat, and if a bulb goes out, they o nbn ly cost like 4 bucks!
Theres a couple peeps running budget setups like that here in afn!

 

[baked in the bluegrass]

For something branded and good quality, ya can get a 65watt hlg quantum board for 99 dolla holla.
Its not my money, but if it were and i wanted to stay under the 100 dollar limit, id lean towards the household led bulb setup or the quantum board.

 

[marilyn monGROW]

Imma toss this out there as a light solution on the cheap. Get yourself a light bulb split-socket and a bunch of household led bulbs. Probably throw together a lil light in the 50watt range for like 50-60 bucks.
Itll be plug and play, wont require a fan for heat, and if a bulb goes out, they o nbn ly cost like 4 bucks!
Theres a couple peeps running budget setups like that here in afn!

you're speaking my language, brother. this is good. i can get behind it.

researching!!

 

[baked in the bluegrass]

https://www.autoflower.org/threads/poor-mans-grow-light.71968/

Heres one of the cheap diy threads, theres a couple of others that are great journals, show completed grows under household bulbs

 

[AutoMagicallyDelicious]

right on! i could get behind a homemade soil! imma check out your journal. do you have a "recipe"?

also, thanks for the heads up on the lights. i'll definitely head over there for suggestions.

The recipe is very simple. I make 1 cubic ft of soil at a time (7.5 gal)
I use a 5 gal bucket to measure.

2.5 gal sphagnum peat moss
2.5 gal humus ( I use 1/2 organic compost and 1/2 EWC....you can do all of one or any combination u like)
2.5 gal aeration ( I use perlite)
For the amendments I use the Clackamas Coot mixture from Tad over at KIS organics, It has EVERYTHING your plants need. (lots of great reading on the KIS website)

Thats it......then it is just water only for the entire grow.

 

[marilyn monGROW]

The recipe is very simple. I make 1 cubic ft of soil at a time (7.5 gal)
I use a 5 gal bucket to measure.

2.5 gal sphagnum peat moss
2.5 gal humus ( I use 1/2 organic compost and 1/2 EWC....you can do all of one or any combination u like)
2.5 gal aeration ( I use perlite)
For the amendments I use the Clackamas Coot mixture from Tad over at KIS organics, It has EVERYTHING your plants need. (lots of great reading on the KIS website)

Thats it......then it is just water only for the entire grow.

i like your style

 

[420Forever]

hi @FullAuto245 !

i did so much research that i wound up ordering something completely different than what i originally intended. i planned on being a fox farms girl. it certainly seems to be the most popular way to go. but after reading and searching i found this product specifically made for autos:

https://www.natureslivingsoil.com/products/1-pound-bag-natures-living-soil-for-autoflower

it's specifically made for layering soils under auto seedlings, so i decided to experiment with that. the product calls for a simple premium potting soil to layer with. i ordered some of that from Proven Winners.

those products are on their way. i'll definitely be using them on my next grow. but if i didn't do something for my little leggy ladies right away, i was afraid i'd lose more than just the Pickled Diesel, hence the shed dirt. it's seems like pretty good dirt, actually, and i think i'm pretty lucky we found it at all. the bag was sealed in a dark shed and was still soft with slight moisture. @420Forever mentioned depleted nutrients and he's probably right. i'm sure my next grow will be much better from the get go.

the good news is: the money i saved on buying soil for this first grow means i get to upgrade my lighting situation!

OKAY! so y'all have seen my blurple light. i want to spend under a hundred bucks. what should i get to supplement the light i already have?

by the way, the little ladies are all really great. they're all standing up straight and they've all got four little baby leaves on them.

"...was still soft with slight moisture" ...(cringez) me certainly hope for ur sake there weren't any fungus gnat larva lurkin about in there

as far as cheap supplemental lighting, u actually have a number of choicez, as otherz have contributed...i mean, i don't care what anybody sez, an auto will grow under a fuckin nitelite if ya let it! meaning that, for the time being, u could jus get a couple clip-on shop lightz (any o' thoze layin around "the shed"-?), get a couple y-splitterz for em & use either 100w led or cfl bulbz...or hell, even a coupla good ol' 2 ft T5'z...been there, done that, lol...jus remember that for veg cycle, they need the "cool" light (6500k), then for flowering, the "warm" (2500k)

and that m'lady is my contribution i will now stop replyin to all theze sillee threadz & finally SMOKE A DAMN BOWL! hehe :smoking: ppp

Edit: ok, done had me wake-n-bake, have thought bout it, and jus wanna toss one more piece o' info ur way...

reg led bulbz, cfl'z, t5'z, will all accomplish the mission as far as the plant growing, but u won't get the super tight nug structure that led'z or cob'z will...it'z all about the intensity of the light amazon has all kindz of decent lightz for under $100...like i said, that'z where i got mine & the girlz are luvin the shit out of it, soooo....again, jus fyi

 

[marilyn monGROW]

"...was still soft with slight moisture" ...(cringez) me certainly hope for ur sake there weren't any fungus gnat larva lurkin about in there

as far as cheap supplemental lighting, u actually have a number of choicez, as otherz have contributed...i mean, i don't care what anybody sez, an auto will grow under a fuckin nitelite if ya let it! meaning that, for the time being, u could jus get a couple clip-on shop lightz (any o' thoze layin around "the shed"-?), get a couple y-splitterz for em & use either 100w led or cfl bulbz...or hell, even a coupla good ol' 2 ft T5'z...been there, done that, lol...jus remember that for veg cycle, they need the "cool" light (6500k), then for flowering, the "warm" (2500k)

and that m'lady is my contribution i will now stop replyin to all theze sillee threadz & finally SMOKE A DAMN BOWL! hehe :smoking: ppp

Edit: ok, done had me wake-n-bake, have thought bout it, and jus wanna toss one more piece o' info ur way...

reg led bulbz, cfl'z, t5'z, will all accomplish the mission as far as the plant growing, but u won't get the super tight nug structure that led'z or cob'z will...it'z all about the intensity of the light amazon has all kindz of decent lightz for under $100...like i said, that'z where i got mine & the girlz are luvin the shit out of it, soooo....again, jus fyi

well, i guess we'll see about bugs and fungus in my soil. fingers crossed i'm in the clear!

i told my husband i need more light and he reminded me that tomorrow is prime day. i'll definitely be getting SOMETHING supplemental tomorrow. maybe i can get it on sale!

it's been four days since the girls broke surface. they're no longer limp and are developing leaves at the right pace. i'm pretty happy about it.

i'm gonna be super psyched to get any harvest. i've got a long time before i'm entering contests, haha.

also, i have an initial fifteen seeds to work with which gives me eleven more to try a different way. i, literally, cannot wait to try other, more "right" ways to do this. the fact that i've already started messing up my first grow and these ladies are growing anyway, gives me so much confidence for the future!