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 bootcheese3000
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Registered: 08/23/22
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 First-Time Grower & Member 
#858578 - 08/23/22 01:41 PM (2 years, 4 months ago) |
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Greetings, Earthlings!
I've always wanted to grow Marijuana for the longest, but never had the time, funds, or legal location to make this possible. Now that everything has been coming together for me, I can finally get started on the Work that I've researched for going on 2 Decades. I already bought a couple Seeds from Seedsman and have a Grow Box that I'm going to make a Cabinet out of (found it in the Basement of my Apt Building), so I just need to get some supplies for the Grow Box. I know I'm going to have some Questions in the coming Weeks and Months, so I hope I don't get on everybody's nerves with my Questions. I hope to learn as much as I can about Marijuana Cultivation as well as share what I've learned.
One Question I have is about what to initially grow my Seedlings in. I remember seeing the Coco pellets as a medium on top of soil, along with some Hydroponic solutions, but I've seen some People raving about Compost Tea being a integral part of their grow. Has anybody used Compost Tea, and if so, what did you think of it? This is also going to be done inside, not outside.
More Questions to come.........
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yoosername
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Compost tea is good stuff, if you're crafty enough to make an AACT brewer I'd say go for it, the only problem is they can be messy and noisy, so make sure you do some research on designs first.
Actively Aerated Compost Tea can be used in organics, as well as in DTW coco grows as an inoculant. If you're going the organics route, you'll want to start up a worm bin, and start researching and gathering/growing local dynamic accumulators for worm fodder. You'll also probably want a worm bin for your AACT brewer, as top quality castings are one of the best inoculants. I'd incorporate some insect frass into your worm bedding as well, for better microbial diversity.
For seed starting, I like to use peat plugs or go straight into a small amount of coco.
Growing in an apartment building, you're going to want 2 carbon filters if you want to be stealthy. Otherwise, pretty much everyone will be able to smell it. You might be able to get away with just one, but some strains can overpower a single carbon filter.
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yoosername
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Re: First-Time Grower & Member [Re: yoosername]
#858589 - 08/23/22 06:09 PM (2 years, 4 months ago) |
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Oh, and welcome to the Growery! 
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bootcheese3000
Stranger
Registered: 08/23/22
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Last seen: 6 months, 9 days
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Re: First-Time Grower & Member [Re: yoosername]
#858629 - 08/24/22 07:08 PM (2 years, 4 months ago) |
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Thanks. Most Appreciated. Glad to be here.
Ok, so I see that I'll have to research making Compost Tea again. I haven't read up on it since 2017(?), so I'll just get some Potting Soil in the meantime.
Any recommendations? I'm all ears.
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yoosername
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You're going to want to pick a route to take, either salt fed or organic methods.
For your first grow a good organic soil will take you far, so I'd pick up some from your local hydro or feed store. Fox farm ocean forest is a very popular medium, I would cut it with 25-30% perlite if you use it. Roots organic is supposed to be pretty good too. I use local stuff from a company that makes composts and mixes custom soil blends in Michigan, there is also Build a Soil which can be a little pricey but is good stuff.
Generally you want to avoid shipping things like soil though, so if you can mix a good soil from locally sourced components you'll be better off. That said, a lot goes into constructing a quality living soil, and it can be a daunting task with all the different meals and medium ratios.
The KIS Organics podcast is a good place to learn more about organics.
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bootcheese3000
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Last seen: 6 months, 9 days
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Re: First-Time Grower & Member [Re: yoosername]
#858785 - 08/28/22 01:18 PM (2 years, 3 months ago) |
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Yeah. I'm seeing Fox Farms Ocean Forest ALOT when I was researching this. Black Gold was another name I remember seeing, as well as the Organic Super Soil technique, which sounds like something I'd probably experiment with as well. Have you tried that method before?
Ok. So the dimensions of the Cabinet I'll be transforming into a Grow Box is 42" H x 13" W x 23.5" L. It looks like I could possibly squeeze a couple Autoflowers inside. What I'm trying to figure out is the wattage of the Lights I'm going to install in there. I already know that I'm interested in LEDs, I just need to know how do I figure out the Math in regards to how hot and bright the Lights can get in such a short space.
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yoosername
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Super soil is basically the same as living soil, the idea is to use organic amendments to add nutrients to a peat/compost/aeration mixture. There are many soil recipes out there, coots mix is one of the better ones.
That's a pretty small cabinet, my main problem is usually height. As far as lighting goes, you'll want around 30 watts of LED per square foot of canopy, so a 60 watt light would fit your space well. 1' or 2' strips in a DIY build would work. You'll also need a ventilation fan for fresh air and heat control. If you mount the LED driver outside the cabinet, that should help a bit with heat as well.
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bootcheese3000
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Re: First-Time Grower & Member [Re: yoosername]
#858831 - 08/30/22 09:02 AM (2 years, 3 months ago) |
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OK.
So, I'm looking at some LEDs, thinking about what would be best to use, and I saw these strips from SpiderFarms:
https://www.ledgrowlightsdepot.com/collections/0-100-watt-led-grow-lights-1/products/spider-farmer-30w-uv-led-grow-light-bar
They look cool, but I'm trying to figure out if these come with a driver, like on the Store Website with the other packs, or would I have to buy my own? I'm trying to keep this as self-contained as possible, so I won't have to have so many cords running from this thing. The closest Plug Socket is across the Room, in BOTH directions.
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yoosername
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Those are UV strips, used as a spectrum booster, not a complete grow light by itself. This guide goes over strip builds pretty well.
If you wanted to save some cash, you could also go with regular LED light bulbs with the plastic domes removed. You'd just need enough to equal at least 60 true watts, and some bulb sockets to mount on the top of the grow box.
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bootcheese3000
Stranger
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Re: First-Time Grower & Member [Re: yoosername]
#858865 - 08/31/22 05:30 PM (2 years, 3 months ago) |
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Funny that you posted that link. That one was one of many that I researched Yesterday, if not this past Weekend. Looks like I'm on the right path. I'll do something like this when I have more info and time, I plan on making LED Light Bars in the very imminent Future, plus I already have a Soldering Iron w/ Solder, so I'm already prepared. I'm definitely am going to save this Link--Thanks.
Ok, so in regards to Bulbs or Fixtures, this was another that I saw:
https://www.sansiled.com/products/60w-panel-led-grow-light-us-only
I noticed that it pumps over 5000 Lumens, and I know that's pretty high. 2-3000 should be the bare minimum, if I'm not mistaken, so they might be powerful. Here's some bulbs I saw on their site as well:
https://www.sansiled.com/collections/grow-bulbs-us?ref=PCmenu
Do you have any recommendations in regards to a decent Grow Light for a good price? I'm not worried too much about the Food, because I'm going to buy Potting Soil and work on making my own Organic Super Soil, since that's a process that'll take awhile, it's basically like making your own Compost Tea and Compost, and the longer you make it sit, the more potent the Soil becomes (and, don't get me started on the plethora Recipes, COT DAYAMN!!!!). From what I can gather, with the storebought/readymade Potting Soil, all you have to do is add Water, right? Nothing more or less, just make sure that the Water is pH balanced, correct? Plus, since my Seeds arrived Yesterday in the Mail, they're Autoflowers, so they adhere to a different Light and Watering schedule, right?
Fortunately for me, I work at a Hardware Store that my Older Cousin owns, so I can get some of the stuff there, and what they don't have, I'll buy it myself. I know they have Black Gold there, so I have that covered. I was going to by some Fox Farms, but when I saw we had that, I was cool with it.
Anything I should know when I begin to plant and start growing these Autoflowers?
Edited by bootcheese3000 (08/31/22 05:30 PM)
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yoosername
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Small lights are not my specialty, but generally speaking most of the ones with samsung lm301b or h diodes are pretty good.
Spiderfarmer, mars hydro, horticultural lighting group, timber grow lights, and migro are just a few brands.
Best ones I've found are the 420 longboards from Grow Lights Australia, word on the street is they're making strips in the 420 board's spectrum soon.
I'd run the autos on 24/0 or 20/4 schedule, I'd also look into training techniques such as supercropping and scrogging.
Watering takes a while to get the hang of, you could design a wick based bottom watering system for your plants, or use blumats to make things easier eventually, but for now focus on watering when the pots feel light.
For germination I like to do a 12 hour soak in water before planting.
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bootcheese3000
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Re: First-Time Grower & Member [Re: yoosername]
#858883 - 09/01/22 10:39 AM (2 years, 3 months ago) |
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1nce again, you mentioned something that I've seen On-line--those Samsung LM301B LED panels. I've seen this Atrium lights with those LEDs in them:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/265458637900?hash=item3dce915c4c:g:BzQAAOSwJClhauPV&amdata=enc%3AAQAHAAAAoFiSh6Lr3nXTZk3SRNtdsUXLwtDesV8YaKfLQSnWYHvNM%2BYdYEGP9jYwpEWp41uBipXVnk8wgOLfFXyfAqU2InOyVO7WVmL2vEJCNJ5hjrNmh2pi62BWL6TYUjtP7Q%2FTrQohEjCsBSJg%2FNY5dhQJWd61BqVy2NgkmQf%2FbqIiKCQ9uPVE%2BCre4LoCYwNUwFqD4AsRuzREP9XvyYfvl6jmjG8%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR-KGx_reYA
from what it looks like, I'll need a Meanwell OWA-60U-48 Driver, which I'm sure I can find on DigiKey, a site I'm very familiar with. Definitely feel more and more confident now; everytime I have a Question, you respond with something that I've seen in my Research. Those other lights are too big for what I'm working with, so I'm not interested in those at the moment.
In regards to training Methods, I was going to stick with LST, since they're Autoflowers. I was thinking of Supercropping, but I saw somewhere that Autoflowers might not grow adequately due to the stress associated with it, along with the time constraints.
I bought some Grow Bags, so that should be easy and simple to work with, I can water the Bottom of it to allow the Water to soak through or the Top of it. I would assume that every 3-4 Days the Plants should be watered?
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yoosername
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If you go with that Atreum 10 pack, I'd try to fit two in there, wired in parallel to split the wattage. Eventually you can use the rest of the boards to light a 3x3 or 4x4 tent.
Watering frequency is going to depend on the amount of aeration in your soil, and will be increased with fabric pots, but that should also decrease your chances of overwatering.
It's something you have to get a feel for, but the idea is to never let the soil dry out, while ensuring it stays moist and alive but not oversaturated.
Eventually you'll might need to feed nutrients, there are a number of dry amendments that will work for this, espoma tomato tone is a pretty readily available one. Topdress under the mulch layer and water in, best done before visible deficiencies arise as it can take a while to work.
Your other options are liquid organics, or synthetic nutrients. Liquid organics can be made at home using Korean Natural Farming methods. A FPJ made with horsetail for example could be used as a silica source during stretch to reduce internode spacing, or one made from fruit as a bloom booster.
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bootcheese3000
Stranger
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Last seen: 6 months, 9 days
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Re: First-Time Grower & Member [Re: yoosername]
#858896 - 09/02/22 05:26 PM (2 years, 3 months ago) |
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Yeah, I've seen the Espoma Tomato Tone at my Job, along with their Bone Meal and other stuff. I'll pick up the Tomato Tone sometime next Week.
When watering, what's the optimal amount--1 Gallon?
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yoosername
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I'd say the optimal amount of water depends on the pot size, medium, and how dry the medium is. Generally what I shoot for is just enough water to completely hydrate the soil, just short of run off.
If your soil gets too dry, it can be hard to rehydrate. A wetting agent such as yucca or soapnuts would help in this case, or aloe to a lesser extent.
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bootcheese3000
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Last seen: 6 months, 9 days
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Re: First-Time Grower & Member [Re: yoosername]
#858902 - 09/03/22 10:45 AM (2 years, 3 months ago) |
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They're going to be 3-Gallon Bags, which is why I assumed it would be a Gallon (speaking of which, they should be arriving today.....)
I think I better cop those Lights today. Still need to grab a few more items like Fans & Filters, Drivers, Digital Thermometers, ect.
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yoosername
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AC infinity has a fan with an environmental controller, the 4" would be fine since I believe it automatically adjusts fan speed to control temp/humidity.
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bootcheese3000
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Re: First-Time Grower & Member [Re: yoosername]
#858913 - 09/04/22 04:48 PM (2 years, 3 months ago) |
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yoosername
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You'll probably be able to get by with just 1 4" inline fan sucking air out from above the lights. You'll then need to cut a slightly larger passive intake in the bottom, which you will preferably put a filter on to reduce contamination. I'd use cheap replaceable furnace filters, and use some creativity in attaching it to the cabinet.
For a carbon filter, I would go with a reputable one made to fit a 4" fan. Personally I've never used one, but you will need one if you want to have any hope at stealth, two if it is an absolute necessity. After my last grow in my spare bedroom, my entire house smelled like weed for so long that some sealed chocolates I gave my brother smelled like weed. My grow has now been kicked out of the house 
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bootcheese3000
Stranger
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Last seen: 6 months, 9 days
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Re: First-Time Grower & Member [Re: yoosername]
#858960 - 09/07/22 05:35 PM (2 years, 3 months ago) |
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HA!!!!
Sorry, I wasn't laughing at your misfortune, just that Poop-Butt Batman meme there.
Yeah, that's definitely another worry that I have, which is why I'm taking your advice to heart about doubling up on Filters. That link I sent was for ones used for 3D Printers, from what it looks like (something else I plan on getting in the near Future). If you say getting simple Furnace Filter will do the trick, then I'll cop some of that. I'm sure it shouldn't cost too much.
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