Need help in preparation for first grow starting soon

[Arthur]

Personally I remember biting off more than I could chew early on and spending my first grow putting out little fires all over the place instead of focusing on one healthy plant. To each their own.

You would have laughed at my first run, stolen hps lighting off the back of the local Safeway loading dock... a closet, and clay pots with Miricle grow. No internet then, or at least nothing capable of this (AFN). I barely made it out of that run with any smoke, it tasted terrible, smelled of Alaskan fish emulsion... they (the plants) all looked like Charlie Brown Christmas trees.
My answer might have been a little different if he was talking 5 strains in 5 pots. But more than likely, with 4 of 1 and then the 1 CBD chances are they'll all play nice with the feed levels and only require 1 mix.

 

[Couch_Lock]

If u bother to buy a Ph pen buy a Blue Labs pen. The rest aren't accurate enough to bother with. You can get PH test strips at Home Depot or Lowe's if you're in the USA.

Once I learned my tap water PH I have no need to test it daily or anything. You adjust the PH up or down to get it close to 6.5 if growing in soil.
Soil will Ph itself with all its natural buffers. Just make sure the liquid nutes you add or water are close to 6.5

Keeping water inside your tent capped is a good idea. Room temp water will not cold shock roots.

Stay lifted and have fun.

 

[jackdingle]

Thanks all for the useful feedback, appreciate it.

I have already purchased a cheap PH / EEC Pen combo unfortunately so will stick with that for this grow making sure to calibrate each time it is used. Will most likely look to upgrade to a more reliable brand in future/

Disappointing to hear about the issues with biobizz as they seemed very established and recommended based on feedback I had read previously. I'm invested with them for this run for now so hopefully will get lucky here.

I think I've settled on four plants for this first run - 3 of the Northern lights + the CBD strain.

The CBD strain is the only smoke that is for me to personally consume- I won't do any intensive LST on this plant at all and just let it grow out I think (maybe get rid of a few fan leaves) . Even if I only get an oz from the plant that will last me through to second crop as my herb consumption is very light . I've read Northern Lights is a good strain for beginners and very forgiving so fingers crossed for the other 3.

Humidity and Temperature Regulation

This is the final area I need to cover really to set myself up for the best results.

• Controller - Whilst looking around yesterday I came across the Inkbird temperature and humidity controllers. These seem highly rated and the price seems reasonable. Any first hand experiences of these and would they be a good investment ? They seem handy to just set and forget for optimum conditions when combined with the relevant bits of kit

• Humidifier - Complete lost on these as there is a myriad of options on amazon. Any feedback or suggestions on what I should go for would be great. Looking for something will a small footprint so my ladies have plenty of room in the tent and reasonably energy efficient. Capacity doesn't have to be huge as the grow will be checked every 24 hours and can refill then. A lower cost option would be preferred

• De-humidifier - Same issue as the Humidifier above

• Heater - Again looking for something energy efficient with a small footprint and reasonably priced. Electric Oil radiator seems like it might be the best option ? The grow will be running 365 days and the coldest it gets here at night is about -1 celsius during winter. Not sure what kind of power I'd need to keep a 16 square foot tent at optimum temps during winter nights

• Cooling - Probably the area I'm most stuck on. Maximum temps here in the summer reach about 38 degrees celsius. Lights be off during the hottest 6 hours of the day.My exhaust fan is pretty simple - just a manual switch for 2 speeds so don't think using this to lower temperatures will work. I also need to have the exhaust on 24/7 for odour purposes. General plan was to use passive air intake but would an intake fan connected to the Inkbird be suitable for dropping temps in the tent if required ? If this sounds like a good plan am I best off buying a specialised fan or can I save a bit of cash by rigging something up out of a few 120mm PC fans

Big Love x

 

[Arthur]

Might set everything up and let it run for a day or so, see what tent temps are compared to your house indoor temps. Here my tent runs about 4*F over ambient with the tent door open, about 8* with the door closed and filters running. So if I keep the house around 75*, tent temps are where I want them. rH will climb some with plants and soil going in the tent, just looking for temps here.
Can't really help with the humidifier/dehumidifier, they all look to be cheap until you get up to the larger (2000 sq ft +) sizes. Probably why I've gone so long rigging stuff, like a towel and a bucket of water... I hate buying junk.

 

[jackdingle]

Thanks for the help, I probably should have given a bit more context about my house before asking questions about humidity & temperature

I live in an extremely old house with very poor insulation. There is no central heating or HVAC at all, the only heating in the house is a log burner which is quite a way from the grow room. Grow room itself will be really cold in winter and in summer will be hot as I can't open the external window for obvious reasons. Anticipating having to spend a bit of cash to get the ideal grow environment in the tent as I struggle to maintain the ideal environment for me to in live in the house most of the time

 

[Ryno_nuggs]

Inkbird controllers are great! One thing for heat that will make a big difference is insulation of you grow space. I used insulation board around my tent and cover with sleeping bags. The more insulation the more efficient your tent will be.

 

[Arthur]

Those temps are going to give you headaches! Had to convert your numbers, that's 100*F... they'll grow, my outdoor girls live in those temps... but the quality really suffers. My outdoor, 90% gets run through dry ice and then pressed into rosin.
Might look into a stand alone AC unit, will cost a couple hundred... no idea cost to run. Old houses tend to be big too. This unit will cover a 12x12 room (144 sq ft) and has a dehumidifier as well.

 

[Bill.de.Cat]

Had to convert as well, low/mid 30s to about 100 in farenheit also noting that those were the coldest/hottest temps. Sounds like Florida weather, pair of inkbird 308 dual plug controllers, seed mats/electric blanket and exhaust fan hooked to 1. Small window a/C and ceramic heater on the other for the harsher climate.

 

[Couch_Lock]

I can't speak to extreme heat, where I live and in my basement its never really hot.

But the cold I deal with. Subzero temps and single digit most winter days. A $25 400 watt BRIGHTOWN ceramic heater does the job. I keep it outside the tent, near a low porthole that has all my plugs coming out from it. Lightly cinch it up, just leave a small open area......

Between my LED grow light and this teeny heater on 24/7 I can maintain a good temp. 70's..........tops out maybe 78 Fahrenheit in Jan or Feb

 

[Ledist]

4 plants for sure. Ive done 6 first time and 3 different strains. One goes bad only. Blueberry and only 1 of 2 (later i learn phenos) . Blueberry is moderate to grow and bigger tendency to go hermie btw. That what i know now. You have bigger trial and error with 4 plants. You dont need ph pen and other measure equipment. Thats why i love biobizz. If you have tap water range 6-8 then you ok. I first time worries those phs and ecs too, but with biobizz all those are controlled by soil. First 2 weeks in light mix. Always half dose when you do by the chart. If you have one chart then do picture. You never need those pens and measure equipment any more. All organic and better less then more with nutes. My only first 2 grow mistakes was little overdo with nutes. Only half dosage and depends on what strain you grow.
Ive used biobizz many years and totally pleased.
Good luck with your grow.