hi all im new to this grow melarky an need all the help i can get to start with what should i have to do a basic grow i have a few bits an bobs but would like to know what is needed to make sure i dont burn me house down or f**k things up so any help would be great

Hi smokey bear. Lots of info here to help. I find the advanced search for keywords in the title is effective at keeping search results more manageable. There is also a Firefox add-on I think to help searching.

Best wishes.

What are you working with there?

Whats the environment like? Have you got a growtent? Any lights? Fans? Seeds?

ive got a few bits an bobs things that im not to sure what to do with that ive just put out the way u see i got most of my bits of my uncle who past away god rest his soul
but mainly i have 2 400 watt lights an a 600 all with sodium bulbs but only have 2 contactors i think my uncle used to make his up as he was good with his electrics wish i would have spent more time with him learning first hand that would have made sense but there u go an im using b&q multi compost in pots have 2 sizes to chose from 3.5 litter i think an 10 litter pots using biobizz feeds i also have a 4light propagator light but one bulb is broken in transport an dont know where to get them from but that is not in use at the mo have an rvk style extractor fan but not sure on the power of that i have 2 grow spaces in an attic i use first one is 1.5 meter x1 meter x1.8 an the second is a bigger size its 3 meter x 1.8 meter x 1.9 high but it slopes down to 1 meter as its the peek of the roof really need all the help i can get if u need any more info then plz ask an ill try to provide it cheers all for the quick responses

Sounds like you wont need to pop to the growshop for a while!

Well, drop some beans into small pots and put them under the propogator light and lets get those bad girls going.

Have you got a technique in mind? SOG uses high plant numbers but with not much veg time so you turnover quickly but have extra risks if you get nabbed.

Scrog is where you use a mesh to separate out the buds to get higher yield but takes a bit longer cos of the veg time.

There is au naturelle which just grow a big plant and leave it at that.

What strains have you got to play with?

got some seeds already
big bud
skunk 11
mango
pure power plant
so will start some of them soon but will i need 3 contactors for the 3 lights or is there a way that i can just use the 2 i have
an what would be the best an easiest way to do as i am not to good at thing like this

hey welcome

wat transformer u missin? as to get another 1 is not that much tbh. i would run 1 light 1 power box if i wer u. 3 lights 3 power packs is the way to go for safegrow! sounds like u have the 2 perfect rooms to me.... veg room/flower room!
smaller room veg. 2 hps in flower room. hope that helps a bit good luck m8

cheers sargent stoned an burnt toast u both r being a great help thanks again

Welcome to UK420 Smokey Bear,

Have a read through the knowledge base and read up on as many diaries as possible before you even consider growing, you will need about a grand to start to do it properly, by books and research as much as possible because all the knowledge you will ever need is on here already, the more you put into it the more you will get out of it.

Peace,
GG

First things first - Plant those seeds under your prop light and then maybe start a thread on the grow forum.

3 or 4 months from now you are going to have to buy a lot of storage jars.

cheers all im going to pop a few of these bad boys in some muck an let u all know how it goes cheers again

just thinking how many seeds should i start with not to sure how many to do

You need some way of measuring temperature + humidity and a carbon filter for your RVK.

What is the diameter of the RVK?

pop about ten beans bud, are they feminized
????

got them from a mate he said they where but not to sure to be honest the rvk is 20cm diameter i think do i really need a carbon filter as i am growing in me loft an the air goes out throw the chimney so not bother about the smells not in my house as long as the neighbours r not getting there roof or aerial done then i should be ok
an how can i be sure that the chopper copter cant see with her heat seeking eye

Well, some plants are stinks and some you could get away with, but this is about minimising risk so eventually you need a carbon filter, but at the stage of seedlings you are probably ok (I know others will lynch me for that).

With the helicopters, you need to insulate your room well and make your heat sig as "normal" as possible.

Accoring to police guidelines, heat pictures arent enough for a Police visit and raids are supposed to be intelligence driven - nosey neighbours etc

So the trick is to keep everything to youself. No showing "mates" your beautiful crop.

Id plant them all, weed out the males, carefully take cuts, label which plant they are from (i.e. Nothern lights 1, NL2, NL3 etc) flower them and keep any that are to your liking that grow strong and/or fast.

These will be your mothers and from these, you can keep your grow going pretty much indefinately and your only cost then will be your leccy bill (dont steal the leccy, you'll be in shit if you do) and your nutes.

How are you thinking of watering them?

Lugging bottles up to the loft gets to be a pain after a while.

was just thinking ill use a 10l bucket an then use a 1l jug
an no need to strees to me about people seeing it i dont think ill even show it the misses an she lives with me its mine mine all mine
so even thow ill be using the chimney u still think i should invest in a filter
i have used those rolls of attic insulation but it is all puffy if u get me so thinking about using that Kingspan stuff as well as that will give me the flat finish that i was trying for but not sure on the thickness to use any ideas
an if i did them all an they all spouted then i would have about 100 i was thinking about 20 an get rid off the rubbish ones i read some where thats what u do is that right

Dude, you need to put plaster boards over your insulation and build walls up the sides to make a room (your not just putting a light in your whole loft are you??)!! It has to be totally light proof and you don't want any rough surfaces in your room that will collect dust, mold spores and bugs. You WILL need a carbon filter, otherwise you WILL get busted.

try b&q m8... they do insulation foil..... its on a roll and its buy 1 get one free for 20 quid

thats the stuff i got weedmonsta then on top of that i put a few layers of foil to make sure its all covered up then on top of that i put a layer of black/white to give it a smove finish but would like it to be all flat but just cant get the standards im hoping for just no good at the wood work side of things so mainly used the rafters that was there as fixing points if u get me meaning
@ everyone that has helped me Cheers u have all been so good to have spent a little of ur time on replying thanks again all

Its addictive mate. There is nothing like seeing your babies do their thing... The next best thing is spreading a bit of knowledge and seeing the results of other peoples grows.

If you document it on here in the grow diary we can all partake and get you through this first grow.

You'll make mistakes, burn, over fert or underwater. You'll encounter the borg and you'll crap yourself everytime the police chopper passes by.

Its great

welcome, your at the right place man. read the forums and buy some magazines. lots of info out there. peace and good luk man.

will be putting some of me seeds in tomorrow about 20 i think in some b&q multi purpose compost just wantting to know should i be giving them any feeds at the start or wait till they go in to flowering i will be using biobizz feeds an what additives should i use along side this if any cheers all again for the info u have been great

Welcome, smokey bear!

Looks like you're well on the way with equipment and advice (get a carbon filter!!). You planning to do a diary here? I find it helps a lot to remember when and what ya did and it's a good way of getting extra advice and tips too.

Good luck with the grow, don't tell anyone about it and stay safe.

yer will be doing a dairy but dont know about pics with it im amazed that i can even put a post up so a pic i think will be way out of my reach but if im lucky an i can figure it out ill have pics as well for me first grow thow ill only use my small room till i know what im doing then ill start to use both roo still not happy with the big room way to many bumps an lumps but when i get the readys to get the kingspan an plaster boards ill get it sorted i hope

Pics are pretty easy when you know how - just ask for tips in your diary and someone will be able to help. There's also stuff in the Site Feedback and Support forum - quick how to post pics guide

Forgot to say - when potting on (small-medium-large pots) you shouldn't need to add any feed at all in veg, there should be enough in the compost to keep the plants going healthy. Might be an idea to keep the first grow simple and just use bioBizz grow and bloom when flowering, with a dash of epsoms around 3 weeks. Of course ya might want to go the whole hog and add some good fungi type stuff - up to you really.

''you will need about a grand to start to do it properly'' a grand ? thats a bit heavy dont you think

if it will take about a grand to do properly then mine wont get done properly ever no way can i spend a grand the misses would blow her nut for a start lmao
cheers snoffle ill have a look at that an see how i go with it

Hello smokey, just my opinion but I would use B+Q seeds and cuttings compost first on your seeds, it makes a difference.

Good luck with the grow

Bit heavy yeah but not too far off....i just bought everthing i need to do my 1st grow and the materials to build a framed box total cost.....bout £860 give or take a few pennys
Roach
sorry bout the hijack

If it takes about a grand to do properly then I reckon it'll be another five or six years before I ever grow properly! If ever


Very good point PH. A decent multipurpose compost could be too rich in nutrients for canna seedlings and cause problems that could be avoided byu using a seed/cutting compost.

well thats going to put me back a day or so but if its best then thats what ill do some seed compost will be on its way then ill start up me grow let u know how things go
one more quick question where would i get some of the epsom salts from cos i cant seem to find it in any of the grow shop sites

should be able to get it from holland&Barret or a similar shop.

Fleabay, some high street pharmacies, & some indie garden centres all will have epsom salts.

Pretty sure Boots sell it - it's used as an exfoliant (skin rub) and some people add it to the water when taking a bath. All garden centres local to me sell it, couple of quid for a big box that'll last for years.

dont suppose one of u kind people could stick a pic or link up of it so i know what to go an look for an thanks for the fast reply everyone

Try this as a starting point....


hxxp://www.google.co.uk/products?q=epsom+salts&hl=en

cheers blue that was a great help i think i might get mine from fleabay thow they seem to offer the best price for it so ill order some of that on monday get some seed soil an then start me grow so keep ur eyes peeled if u want to follow it starts some time soon

Any chemist will have it. Its basically radox without the smelly stuff.

Dont use Radox on your plants though!

A grand? blimey...

DR80, 400W HPS, cheapo fan, 5" Ruck and Rhino Filter, contactor, thermometers... Some buckets and soil.

Prob only works out to £350 all in... telling me that ain't proper .