apprentice

I am looking for a little help or re assurance.

Firts time grower in UK have grow room set up been reading for around 1 - 2 months but so much conflicting info, me head is pickled!

I have 4 feminized seeds and I popped them into four seperate foam cups 3/4 filled with potting compost and vermiculite mix. Prior to planting the seeds were soaked in Miracle Grow very weak fertilizer solution for around 3 hours, then planted into the moist soil arounf 1/2 - 1 inch deep.

Have now placed them under a 60 watt incadescent spot light but covered the foam cups with card. The light is only really there to keep the temp. up must be around 65-70.

Can anyone tell me should this be good enough to get at least a success rate of two sprouting and also is Miracle grow (UK) okay for fertilizer after the first 3 - 4 weeks have passed.

Thanks for any tips or advice.

baked_stranger

That should be enough to get a couple sprouts, however hope you have another light for grow stage as incandescent is pratically worthless.
I prefer the paper towel method for getting the seeds started as it has worked for me on 3 batches already...
Don't know bout the ferts from UK but shuld be ok...
Hope they sprout soon

Keep growin

Smoker4life420

like stranger said that incadescent light will not work.. i figured it out the hard way i grew 2 plants all the way to flowering and then flowered them but they just grew very tall and it didnt flower,( also turned out to be males so if i was you grow more than 2) almost like it stayed in veg growth,but thats what incadescent lights do,they make them get tall and no flowering... so if i were you i would invest in some HPS lights but if money is tight then flo's will work for now but you will need alot of them circular ones put out more light but if your really serious read the grow guides on here and check out the old forums they are helpfull also and i wouldnt fertilize till they are about 10" tall but if you must then dilute it alot cuz they are so young,you will be surprised how little they need and its very easy to overfertilize(yellow tips and spots) well good luck and keep us posted...
Smoker4life420
keep the chronic growin
watch the overwatering too

baked_stranger

Yeah, apprentice I definately reccommend reading those grow guides and following up on old posts, I started my first grow three days ago and remembered that the lights are totally useless from a thread I was reading a while back...
The info you pick up on these boards is helping me extremely as im starting and i would definately try and read things related to your grow stage as you go along...

Happy growing....
From the stranger among you

apprentice

Thanks for the info boys.

60 watt lamp only until the sporunt then they are moviing up to the grow room with 400 HPS light and all the trimmings.

Have read every grow guide over the last 2-3 months but still intend to read probably forever.

Anyway I was just loking for advice whether or not 60 watt icandesent spot light or on top of boiler (possibly with damp towel underneath fro humidity would be best).

Also if any UK readers out there can they tell me if Miracle Grow Fertilizer is cool for growing after the plants are moved.

Thanks very much boys.

PS they babies are in the boiler room at present.

UncleBen

Apprentice, I'm going to post my germinating technique and then the LINK-O-RAMA. Lot's of goodies there - Good luck, Uncle Ben

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Your seedlings will be alot better off if you germinate directly in soil - less handling and mechanical disturbance means less chance of physical damage to the plant's taproot and less food reserves used to orient itself due to the natural hormonal influence called Gravitropism.

This is one of my favorite methods for Seed Germination in soil:

Soak the seed in plain water for 12 hours prior to planting which will speed up germination. Good seeds will sink, bad seeds will largely remain floating after this extended soak. I first sterilize seeds in a bleach solution (1 Tbsp. bleach/1 gallon of water) for 1/2 hour to kill any fungus residing on the seedcoat.

Sterilize enough *damp* soil with heat to germinate all of your seeds. You can do this by treating the damp soil to temps of 240F for 20 mins in a conventional oven, or in a microwave oven on high for 2 minutes, while stirring a couple of times and let cool. This will insure that damp-off fungus spores have been killed in the soil mix. Make sure the soil mix is light and humusy (but not real coarse). You can add a little sand or vermiculite to aid in drainage and weight. Stay away from perlite, it has a nasty habit of floating out of the mix when watering (along with your seeds).

Buy some white 20oz styrofoam "drinking glasses", commonly called "Styro-Cups", and punch holes in the bottom (and side) for drainage. I use a red-hot ice pick for this. These containers are 6 1/2" tall and will allow ample room for the taproot to grow before cotyledon emergence which will increase your seedling's vigor. The taproot (radicle) is already at least 4" long at the point of emergence - don't cramp it. These cups are found on the shelf displaying picnic items at your local grocery store.

Fill the pots almost to the top with your soil mix, water well to settle the mix, take a pencil and make a small hole about 1/4" to 1/2" deep, NO deeper, and drop *one* seed in. Cover the seed with *fine* soil, only enough to top up the hole, firm lightly with your finger, and lightly water until water runs freely thru the drain holes. Place in a warm spot around 82F/28C. Do NOT cover the cup with saran wrap or anything else. The seed has been hydrated from the soaking and will germinate soon.

During the first couple of days, mist the top soil surface lightly (if need be), never allowing the top 1/2" to dry out, but not to the point that the medium stays waterlogged which will invite rot. Do not water anymore until the seedling is up, and only if it needs it at that point. Again, no need to cover with plastic wrap as the radicle will grow at least 4" before the cotyledons emerge from the soil. IOW, even though you can't see it, the plant's root is seeking and finding moisture at the container's lower soil levels.

That's all to it! This method is pretty much foolproof. With good care, your fave will be ready to transplant within 1 to 2 weeks, and will easily slip out of the "cup" with a solid rootball that will never know it's been disturbed if potted up gently and quickly. Move up to a final pot of 3 to 5 gallons to sex and finish. An effective transplant solution can be made using 1 teaspoon of a 15-30-15 fert and 10 drops of Superthrive per gallon of water. Take note regarding the immediate growth spurt after this transition!

Uncle Ben
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

.......................................................................LINK-O-RAMA..............................................................................

This is a composite of what I consider some of the best cannabis and indoor plant cultivation sites available on the web. If anyone has any revisions or additions to this little ditty that you feel merit consideration, please let me know. Also, if there are any dead links I would appreciate a heads-up on that too. Enjoy and grow hard - Uncle Ben

LINKS FOR SECURITY ISSUES:

List of proxies:
http://www.lightspeed.de/irc4all/eproxy.htm

Proxies listed with speed info:
http://tools.rosinstrument.com/cgi-bin/fp.pl/showlog?

Test your proxy for security holes:
http://www.tamos.com/privacy/anonen.htm

Test your computer for Stealth status, go to the ShieldsUp link:
http://grc.com/default.htm

Excellent free anon services:
http://www.aixs.net
http://www.rewebber.de
http://www.thefreesite.com/anonymous.htm
http://www.safeweb.com

Freedom - excellent comprehensive anon services for IRC, email, newsgroups, and surfing:
http://www.freedom.net/

ID Zap - producer of ID Secure anon software, rated tops by PC Mag:
http://www.idzap.com/

ZoneAlarm, an excellent free firewall:
http://www.zonealarm.com/

.................................................................................................... .......................................................................

GENERAL PLANT CULTURE

General Plant Culture, a "must read" from Texas A&M University:

Light absorption spectrum of leaf chlorophyll and carotenoids:
http://generalhorticulture.tamu.edu/...nt/page24.html

Light quality from artificial sources:
http://generalhorticulture.tamu.edu/...nt/page25.html

Effect of light intensity & CO2 on Photosynthesis:
http://generalhorticulture.tamu.edu/...nt/page26.html

Factors affecting Respiration:
http://generalhorticulture.tamu.edu/...nt/page28.html

Plant hormones and growth substances:
http://generalhorticulture.tamu.edu/...nt/page30.html

How high temperature damages plants:
http://generalhorticulture.tamu.edu/...nt/page40.html

Relatationship between Photosynthesis, Respiration, and Light Intensity:
http://generalhorticulture.tamu.edu/...nt/page54.html

Essential elements, element mobility, and pH effect:
http://generalhorticulture.tamu.edu/...nt/page74.html

Nutrients with similar deficiency symptoms:
http://generalhorticulture.tamu.edu/...nt/page78.html

Layering:
http://generalhorticulture.tamu.edu/...nt/page89.html

Types of Layering:
http://generalhorticulture.tamu.edu/...nt/page90.html

Factors affecting rate of Photosynthesis:
http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaver.../2385/rate.htm

Topping explained and illustrated: http://www.cannabinoid.com/wwwboard/...37/37366.shtml

Aquaponics culture:
http://www.aquaponics.com/

Everything you need to know about worm farming:
http://gnv.fdt.net/~windle/

Kelp and Biostimulants - good or bad?
http://www.organa.cc/Studies/Kelp_St...stimulants.htm

Plant nutrition:
http://vengers.com/culture/fert.htm

Table 2 reference of the affect of fertilizers on pH and their elemental value:
http://www.ext.msstate.edu/pubs/is372.htm

Explanation of the affects of hormones, plant processes, and nutrition:
http://gened.emc.maricopa.edu/bio/bi...PLANTHORM.html

Plant nutrition explained by Staff Horticulturist with Dyna-Gro Corp - essential vs beneficial:
http://retirees.uwaterloo.ca/~jerry/orchids/nutri.html

Plant nutrition and The Law of Minimum
http://www.soils.wisc.edu/~barak/soi...26/primary.htm

Humate products:
http://www.unifiedsystems.com/humicacids.htm

Humics explained:
http://humatech.net/5page.htm

Damp-Off disease explanation - very comprehensive, excellent!:
http://www.anet-chi.com/~manytimes/page48.htm

Organic Pest Control Vendor:
http://www.ghorganics.com/

Insect Pest Troubleshooting Link
http://ipmwww.ncsu.edu/INSECT_ID/AG136/ncstate.html

Drug testing info. Check out the section "Adulterant and Other Studies"
http://drugtesting.freeservers.com/main.html

.................................................................................................... .............................................................

Sites Focused on LIGHTING Issues: spectrums, photomorphogenesis, light intensity, regulatory affects, plant responses to MH vs HPS:

Properties of 250W and 400W metal halide lights; check out the Iwasaki 6500K lamp!
http://www.animalnetwork.com/fish2/a.../2/default.asp

Indoor lighting - HID's, excellent fluor info:
http://www.vengers.com/faq/faq14sec41.htm#data

Effects of Various Radiant Sources on Plant Growth - affects of MH vs HPS on indoor plant growth:
http://ss.jircas.affrc.go.jp/engpage...wa/tazawa1.htm

Everything you've ever wanted to know about HID's:
http://www.arce.ukans.edu/book/sources/high.htm

Lighting for plant growth: Watts, Lumens, Photons and Lux
http://www.adlt-mhc.com/whatsnew/lig...ant_growth.htm

Excellent text/graphical explanation of the visible light spectrum as it relates to plant requirements:
http://www.eur.lighting.philips.com/...artifici.shtml

Chat room discussion on the affects of colored light on seedlings and mature plants:
http://www.globalgarden.com/Tomato/A...ol.1/0396.html

White paper reflecting the value of colored reflecting surfaces:
http://library.northernlight.com/ZZ1...?cb=0&sc=0#doc

Red plastic mulch increases tomato production:
http://www.koin.com/athome/wisebuys/...11-201733.html

Photomorphogenesis, or the use of colored filters to regulate plant growth/flowering responses, excellent!:
http://virtual.clemson.edu/groups/ho...r/Specfltr.htm

Use of colored row covers to regulate plant growth:
http://virtual.clemson.edu/groups/ho...mor/Rwcvrs.htm

Affect of low light on internode length:
http://www.mobiusweb.com/~jkimball/B...tiolation.html

Footcandles, lumens, & PAR:
http://www.thekrib.com/Plants/Tech/intensorama.html

.................................................................................................... ..............................................................................

U.S. UNIVERSITY AG PROGRAMS & PLANT CULTURE INFO:

Everything you wanted to know about soil preparation/culture but were afraid to ask:
http://www.cals.cornell.edu/dept/flo...won/index.html

Plant disease facts:
http://www.cas.psu.edu/docs/CASDEPT/PLANT/ext/fact.html

Online Biology Book:
http://gened.emc.maricopa.edu/bio/bi...ioBookTOC.html

Ohio State Plant Facts:
http://www.hcs.ohio-state.edu/hcs/hcs.html

Texas Aggie Horticulture:
http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/tamuhort.html

.................................................................................................... .......................................................

SEEDBANKS per Greenman - updated 3/11/00
African Seeds 3 star (***) (1,2,5) http://www.africanseeds.com
Amsterdam Aloha: 3 star (S***) http://www.xs4all.nl/~homegrow/aloha.htm
Bluenose 3 star and 1/2 (***1/2) (2)
http://members.tripod.com/a_grower
Cannabis Pros 3 star and 1/2 (***1/2) (1)
http://www.myfreeoffice.com/cannabisseeds/index2.html
Dr. Greenthums 4 star (F****) (1,2) http://www.drgreenthumb.com
Heavens Stairway: 5 star (F*****) (1,2) http://www.hempqc.com
H.D. Seeds 4 star (F****) (1,2,3,5) http://www.geocities.com/hdseeds
Hempseed Cybershop: 5 star (*****) (4) http://www.ubino.com
Legends 3 star (***) (1,2,4) http://www.legendsseeds.com
Marc Emery Direct 3 star and 1/2 (F***1/2) (1,6) http://www.emeryseeds.com
Natural Mystic 3 star and 1/2 (***1/2) http://www.natural-mystic.co.uk
Seeds Direct 4 and 1/2 star (F****1/2) (1,3) http://www.seedsdirect.co.uk
Tambu: 3 star and 1/2 (***1/2) (1,3) http://www.tambu-smart.com

These seedbanks send to certain countries only.
Dr Hermans 3 star (***) (1,3) http://www.hermans.co.uk
Pukka 2 star (**) (1) http://www.ganja.co.uk
Seed and Read: 4 star (****) http://www.hemp4all.demon.co.uk
Sensi Seed: 4 star and 1/2 (****1/2)
http://www.lycaeum.org/~sky/data/sensi.html

GROW GUIDES

NOTE: Please *buy* these books, the authors deserve their due royalty and the hard copy is
complete with full text, graphs and tables.

The Marijuana Grower's Guide - by Mel Frank and Ed Rosenthal
http://www.geocities.com/SiliconVall...824/growe.html

Cannabis Growing Guide -
http://www.xs4all.nl/~tone/grow_en.html

Marijuana Botany - by Robert Clarke
http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip...96/botany.html

.................................................................................................... ......................................................................

Can't forget our tummies! Cookin' with cannabis:
http://www.cannabisculture.com/backi...c10/Choco.html
http://www.weedmart.com/cook/cookbook.htm

.................................................................................................... .......................................................................

VARIOUS CANNABIS WEBSITES -

Klozit King's cannabis culture guide:
http://www.geocities.com/klozitking/

Hydroponics at Home - the pros and cons of hydro by the University of Michigan:
http://www.msue.msu.edu/msue/imp/mod03/03900048.html

D.J. Short's Guide to Harvesting/Curing:
http://www.cannabisculture.com/backi...1/harvest.html
http://www.cannabisculture.com/backi...cc10/cure.html

Haight Ashbury Website - San Francisco
http://www.sanfranciscobay.com/haigh.../ie-stoner.htm

For the SCROGers:
http://members.tripod.com/~maxi_scrog

Comprehensive cannabis site with pics of males/females and more:
http://www.erowid.org/entheogens/can...cannabis.shtml

Great website links covering all aspects of cannabis issues and culture:
http://www.theflow.nl/flowlnk.htm

More great cannabis websites links:
http://www.thc.nl/ConLinks.htm

High Times Cannabis Culture by Kyle:
http://www.hightimes.com/ht/tow/culq...page?a=46&b=60

BC Growers page -
http://www.coastnet.com/~bcga/bcg.htm

Amsterdam growers:
http://www.xs4all.nl/~hempy/index.html

...................................................VENDORS.......................................... .................

UNITED STATES

Ballast parts and HID lamps:
http://www.hiddirect.com/EndUser/EndUserBallastsNew.htm

All Seasons Garden Supply: http://www.allseasonsnashville.com/

Diamond Lights: http://www.diamondlights.com/

Discount Garden Supply: http://www.discountgarden.com/

Charley's Greenhouse: http://www.charleysgreenhouse.com/

Alternative Garden: http://www.alternativegarden.com/

Discount Garden: http://www.discountgarden.com/

Greenfire Gardening Supplies: http://www.greenfire.net/

Eco Hydroponics: http://www.ecogrow.com/

General Hydroponics: http://www.genhydro.com/systems.html

Greenair: http://www.greenair.com/product.htm

Green Circle: http://www.greencircle.com/

Greentrees: http://www.greentrees.com/

Harvest Moon: http://hmoonhydro.com/store/store.cgi

Home Harvest: http://homeharvest.com/table.htm

How-to-Hydro: http://howtohydroponics.com/

Hydroasis: http://commerce.hydroasis.com/

InterUrban: http://www.interurban.com/

Light Mfg: http://www.litemanu.com/menu.html

Pacific Hydro: http://www.pacific-hydro.com/

Simply Hydro: http://www.simplyhydro.com/products.htm

Superior Grower Supply: http://www.sgs-hydroponic.com/contents.htm

Worm's Way: http://www.wormsway.com/

CANADA

BC Hydroponics: http://www.bchydroponics.com/

Homegrown Hydro: http://www.hydroponics.com/

Jon's Plant Factory: http://www.jonsplantfactory.com/

AUSTRALIA/NEW ZEALAND

Accent Hydro: http://www.ozemail.com.au/~accent/hobby_cat/hobcat.html

Hydro Warehouse:
http://www.hydroponics.webcentral.co...ue/catalog.htm

HighLife Hydro: http://www.highlife.com.au/products.htm

New Zealand hydro: http://www.nzero.co.nz/hydropon/index.htm

UK

Evergreen Hydroponics
http://www.pavilion.co.uk/evergreen/

Esoteric Hydroponics
http://www.blunt.co.uk/

Nutriculture Hydroponic Systems - builds NFT systems etc.
http://www.nutriculture.co.uk/

Fiveways Hydroponics: http://www.jepa.co.uk/fiveways.html

Holland Hydroponics: http://www.hydroponics.co.uk/html/products.html

Various Retailers: http://www.ukcia.org/green/default.htm#horticulture

FRANCE:

Growing supplies: http://hydroid.free.fr/

jamesdean

http://www.growersseednsupply.com

A seedbank that was missed out but surely deserves a place. The prices are outrageous, the service is excellent though, the owner is very personal and will help you with different stages as you grow and deliveries are extremely quick! (in comparison to a service like marc emery that takes around 25 days)