Silk Road forums

Discussion => Off topic => Topic started by: OKF on September 03, 2011, 11:31 pm

Title: Growing Weed ?!
Post by: OKF on September 03, 2011, 11:31 pm
Hey,

since i'm in the right enviroment atm, i'd like to start growing my own weed.
but i'm a noob, when it comes to that topic.

since a lot of people are very qualified around here and know there business, do you have any compromised information or useful links to how-to's or communities, so i don't have to work through a ton of useless information to find a rare gem? (i know, fucking lazy, but there are billions of pages out there, mostly full of shit and i don't know how to rate and judge them properly yet)

answers to questions like,

whats the best way to get started?
what equipment to buy?
etc.

you guys pretty sure know what i mean :)

any help would be highly appreciated





ps. if the topic already exists, i'm sorry, just delete the thread then
Title: Re: Growing Weed ?!
Post by: novocaine on September 04, 2011, 01:18 am
rollitup.org is a good place to start
if you want to procure quality seed there are some quality vendors that sell seed on SR but you may want to just find some regular bagseed and use these to grow for the first couple of times before you start buying genetics.

Title: Re: Growing Weed ?!
Post by: EnterTheMatrix on September 04, 2011, 01:36 am
There are also some god torrents out there with videos :)
Title: Re: Growing Weed ?!
Post by: OKF on September 04, 2011, 11:12 am
@novocaine
nice and clear structured page. thanks a lot

@enterthematrix
i know you normally sell these kind of info, but is there any chance you'd drop a name or forum for free :P?
Title: Re: Growing Weed ?!
Post by: profspudhed on September 04, 2011, 11:17 am
heres one tip, many people give LED lights a bad rep, this is not true at all, sure they lack the full red range and arent great for flowering but they sure are excellent for veg stage, youll see astounding root growth from it, plus you will save a small fortune in electricity since LEDs cost next to nothing to run, of course in later veg and flower youre still going to want some proper HPS lighting but there is still no need to turn the leds off, its still usable light and is very cheap to run. another boon to led lights is they produce almost no heat so thermal management is very easy

i have seen a pure LED grow, the plants turned out sadly very small, however on the plus side they were literally white with crystals, amazingly tasty and smelled beautiful, it really was excellent bud on all counts, there just wasnt nearly enough of it hence the need for the hps boost

also if its possible for you it may be a little easier to just get some clones from a friend or something for your first grow, saves the hassle and extra time and equipment needed for going from seed, sadly this is all just what i know from friends, im a rather lazy and certainly not green thumbed person, the only thing i can grow is mold in a coffee mug that hasnt been washed! that said there are a few various dandelions and other weeds growing through the patio nicely! :P
Title: Re: Growing Weed ?!
Post by: OKF on September 04, 2011, 10:35 pm
thanks for your opinion, man, might save some money :)

Title: Re: Growing Weed ?!
Post by: myolddutch on September 04, 2011, 11:32 pm
Growing weed is easy. Growing really good weed requires patience, time and attention to detail. Sadly, most hobby stoners tend to lack these vital skills!
Title: Re: Growing Weed ?!
Post by: OKF on September 04, 2011, 11:58 pm
@myolddutch interesting advice, havin observed this kind of behaviour myself.

well, i'm not a stoner myself, i'd love to grow weed for some for friends + some connections.
i'm taking a serious approach to it, which is basically the reason i'm asking for advice on this forum.

so i really like your first sentence ;)

@nerf
will definately take a look a this, thanks
Title: Re: Growing Weed ?!
Post by: streetpharmacy on September 05, 2011, 12:05 am
I might be willing to hook you up with an almost complete small scale setup. Most components are new, top notch parts, cooltube, lights, ph & ec -meter, basically all you need. You just need a new exhaust fan and tubing, a hydro system (or grow on soil) and fertilizer.

PM me if you are serious about it, it will not be cheap though .

If we are talking a system >4m², I might be able to source one. Friend goes out of business and he had a massive operation, all his stuff will be in used condition, though. But he also only used high quality components building his operation.

I have no longer the space to even operate my small setup.  :'(
Title: Re: Growing Weed ?!
Post by: myolddutch on September 05, 2011, 12:18 am
@myolddutch interesting advice, havin observed this kind of behaviour myself.

so i really like your first sentence ;)

LOL, well my personal advice then is to start with a small grow, say 1-2 plants in a mix of ordinary bagged compost + perlite, using some cheap ish equipment like the big Compact Fluorescent (CFL) bulbs, so 1) you can learn the basics and 2) you can decide if growing is for you. Buying CFLs is not wasted money because once you get into bigger grows, you can use them in the veg stage to very good effect.

Protip: Square pots allow you to make the best use of your floor space.

Then, once you are comfortable with the basics, invest in better lights. And either some sort of hydroponic system for the biggest, fattest buds. Or stay with compost if you're like me and value the organic method.

Disclaimer: It is more than 5 years since I grew. As someone has already said, LEDs are now on the market. I don't think they were when I grew. Also, others may disagree with me and say go straight to hydro, but growing in compost is more forgiving. You can't mess it up so easily. In fact, you actually have to try quite hard to mess it up! This is what I meant by saying it is easy. The plants are hardy, and they'll survive pretty much despite anything you do. But to grow really fine buds is an artform and a science.
Title: Re: Growing Weed ?!
Post by: streetpharmacy on September 05, 2011, 12:30 am


Quote
LOL, well my personal advice then is to start with a small grow, say 1-2 plants in a mix of ordinary bagged compost + perlite, using some cheap ish equipment like the big Compact Fluorescent (CFL) bulbs, so 1) you can learn the basics and 2) you can decide if growing is for you. Buying CFLs is not wasted money because once you get into bigger grows, you can use them in the veg stage to very good effect.

I disagree, 250W HPI-T Plus and SON-T PIA are far superior. Especially in a cooltube and with an evsg you get up to 10% more Lumen from your lights. Outperfoms any CFL...

Quote
Protip: Square pots allow you to make the best use of your floor space.
+1
I grew the best AK-47 on soil on my 80x80cm tent. 9 pots, no problem.

Quote
Then, once you are comfortable with the basics, invest in better lights. And either some sort of hydroponic system for the biggest, fattest buds. Or stay with compost if you're like me and value the organic method.
I second that, but why waste money on cfl, get tiny buds when you could have a decent setup for just a few bucks more? :D

Quote
Disclaimer: It is more than 5 years since I grew. As someone has already said, LEDs are now on the market. I don't think they were when I grew. Also, others may disagree with me and say go straight to hydro, but growing in compost is more forgiving. You can't mess it up so easily. In fact, you actually have to try quite hard to mess it up! This is what I meant by saying it is easy. The plants are hardy, and they'll survive pretty much despite anything you do. But to grow really fine buds is an artform and a science.
Certains LED panels can improve flowering, might be snakeoil though. But all in all: +1 :D
You should get a hydro system, stick to the nutrient solution plans, check pH and ec often. Combined with some knowledge about the strain you grow and you will have killer buds! I did my first grow on an atami hydrosystem, too.
The white russian I harvested was fucking dank!
With the right setup and strain you can get alot out of 80x80cm and 250W, especially if you go SoG
Title: Re: Growing Weed ?!
Post by: OKF on September 05, 2011, 12:45 am
definately interested, but real life is calling in, so i'm gonna message you as soon as i got some spare time to deal with this whole idea (prolly middle of the week, but not later than friday).

ps. dein zeug ist tatsächlich "ordinary", hat aber ne solide, angenehme qualität.
nicht zu viel oder zu wenig versprochen.
guter stil.


Title: Re: Growing Weed ?!
Post by: OKF on September 05, 2011, 12:50 am
@myolddutch interesting advice, havin observed this kind of behaviour myself.

so i really like your first sentence ;)
But to grow really fine buds is an artform and a science.
yeah, i got that. the reason i put the smile up there.

thanks for your honest opinion btw, one of the reasons taking part in this community is a fucking pleasure.
Title: Re: Growing Weed ?!
Post by: profspudhed on September 05, 2011, 04:33 am
another personal opinion that does differ depending on the type of grower you are, see i see it as there are two types of growers, people who grow to have awesome smoke for themselves, they just sell the excess. then theres the profit growers who arent as bothered about the product as long as its all there and weighs in right. personally i dont like these kind of growers, theyre the guys who will want to shift their bud because "its losing weight" my argument is its not lost weight its just not dried properly, but to them thats lost profit but i digress, back to my point

if you are the type of person who cares about the quality of the bud i personally advise soil for your growing medium, this is all a matter of opinion i know but i think the best tasting bud always seems to come out of soil. and whatever you do please dont fall into that totally for profit end where you dont care about the product, its so easy for people to fall into it when people will buy it but seriously, youre putting in all that time and effort to grow it over those 16 odd weeks then ruining it by not flushing drying and curing it right in the last 4 weeks or so, if you put the time and effort in during the early days may as well see it through properly. that said selling soggy/3rd rate/stalky bud here wont see you last long but people on the streets will eat it up regardless

ps im sorry if my ramblings make little sense i am tripping a bit but as myolddutch hit it right on the nail, good bud is an art, its in the taste and the smell and the look, its strange that of all drugs weed is about so much more than just getting you stoned, there is a plethora of various flavours and smells to be explored, bud is special like that, you dont get people talking about the ins and outs of the deeper flavours or often even the colours of the blotters acid is printed on its purely about the mind altering affect same with most drugs where as weed isnt, its not just the actual being under the influence of the substance but that the actual partaking of it is enjoyable as well, like coffee wine or beer it can be enjoyed for reasons other than its psychoactive effects. again sorry if im just whittering on but im a bit wrecked and no one is in the house so i gotta let it out somewhere!
Title: Re: Growing Weed ?!
Post by: streetpharmacy on September 05, 2011, 04:35 am
definately interested, but real life is calling in, so i'm gonna message you as soon as i got some spare time to deal with this whole idea (prolly middle of the week, but not later than friday).

ps. dein zeug ist tatsächlich "ordinary", hat aber ne solide, angenehme qualität.
nicht zu viel oder zu wenig versprochen.
guter stil.

Ja, ist halt ganz normales... Aber für den Preis ok, imo.
Darfst gerne ein kleine Review hier schreiben:
http://dkn255hz262ypmii.onion/index.php?topic=2250.0
 ;D
Title: Re: Growing Weed ?!
Post by: OKF on December 21, 2011, 01:39 am
Yooo,

i recently spend some more time informing myself.

i read that hydro-/aeroponic systems are not for beginners.
is that a rule for the mentally challenged or is it a proper guide line, cause a beginner is most likely too fail?

i've read that it's all about the nutrients, but if i work out an accurate nutrition schedule and provide a structured set-up, where is the difference for a beginner between a hydro-/aeroponic system and a standard one?

thanks for your advices
Title: Re: Growing Weed ?!
Post by: OKF on December 21, 2011, 02:19 am
yeah this thread is old. but i didn't inform myself over the last 3 months.
i started again this week, that's why i came back to this topic.

i'm serious about this right now, i wanna start in january and i know that i will have to handle lots of problems that will occur.

anyways, i have like 1 square metre of space indoor, 2 metres high. for me it's all about the profit.
I'd like to grow really potent stuff, preferably SoG style.

I 've read, that hydroponic systems, if executed right, are supposed to produce more product.
My question thus is, why should i start with a normal set-up? is it really that hard to set up a nice hydroponic system for a beginner?

I'd like to do this business-wise, thus having a very disciplined and structured attitude towards growing.

Money isn't a limiting factor btw.
Title: Re: Growing Weed ?!
Post by: quinone on December 21, 2011, 04:34 pm
You should grow in soil your first time if you've never grown a plant.  I am a firm hydroponic grower, and hate soil ... but it is great for beginner's, especially when you need to focus attention on your grow room temp/RH.  Fox Farm soil's are great. 

CFLs can easily be used successfully to grow BIG buds, not popcorn buds, but a 250W HPS is still usually superior, unless you're a DIYer.

I use a Bluelab Truncheon as my EC meter, and it's great (it's a good stir stick lol): http://www.getbluelab.com/shop/Bluelab+Truncheon%AE+Meter.html
Any quality pH meter, as long as you make sure to calibrate it at least ... once a week (it should be EVERY time in my view, but i'm a stupid scientist).  A two point calibration pH meter is superior, but probably far more expensive. 

Don't fall for all the gimmicky products.  Buy what you need (fertilizer), and look into other products as you get better at growing.

The 420magazine.com forum has an INTENSIVE growing forum, I learned everything I know from there, and there are hundreds of grow journal's just to spend hour's drooling over (and learning at the same time).  Rollitup.org is also good.

There are plenty of good books/dvds, Jorges Cervantes and Ed Rosenthal have produced some of the most beautiful books i've ever seen in terms of info, and pics of awesome colas.
Title: Re: Growing Weed ?!
Post by: friendlyoutlaw on December 21, 2011, 07:24 pm
I miss the days of overgrow.com. That site and forum was unmatched in terms of disseminating knowledge on the cultivation of cannabis.
Title: Re: Growing Weed ?!
Post by: OKF on December 21, 2011, 11:05 pm
thank you guys, i really appreciate your input.

although like 75% of people advise to start off with soil, i will do my first grow in a hydroponic system and live with the consequences  :D

i'm reading a freaking lot right now, got some spare time, and i'm getting more and more into it.
so i'm probably coming back here with some more specific questions.
Title: Re: Growing Weed ?!
Post by: Variety Jones on December 22, 2011, 04:59 am
I miss the days of overgrow.com. That site and forum was unmatched in terms of disseminating knowledge on the cultivation of cannabis.

~shabang~ is a member here, doesn't post that often.
Title: Re: Growing Weed ?!
Post by: dance4life on December 22, 2011, 05:39 am
@myolddutch interesting advice, havin observed this kind of behaviour myself.

so i really like your first sentence ;)

LOL, well my personal advice then is to start with a small grow, say 1-2 plants in a mix of ordinary bagged compost + perlite, using some cheap ish equipment like the big Compact Fluorescent (CFL) bulbs, so 1) you can learn the basics and 2) you can decide if growing is for you. Buying CFLs is not wasted money because once you get into bigger grows, you can use them in the veg stage to very good effect.

Protip: Square pots allow you to make the best use of your floor space.

Then, once you are comfortable with the basics, invest in better lights. And either some sort of hydroponic system for the biggest, fattest buds. Or stay with compost if you're like me and value the organic method.

Disclaimer: It is more than 5 years since I grew. As someone has already said, LEDs are now on the market. I don't think they were when I grew. Also, others may disagree with me and say go straight to hydro, but growing in compost is more forgiving. You can't mess it up so easily. In fact, you actually have to try quite hard to mess it up! This is what I meant by saying it is easy. The plants are hardy, and they'll survive pretty much despite anything you do. But to grow really fine buds is an artform and a science.

I agree with all of this.  You gotta start somewhere - and it shouldn't be anything more than the basics.
Title: Re: Growing Weed ?!
Post by: dance4life on December 22, 2011, 05:40 am
I miss the days of overgrow.com. That site and forum was unmatched in terms of disseminating knowledge on the cultivation of cannabis.

~shabang~ is a member here, doesn't post that often.

really?  wow, been a long time.  i started a thread about this one time and it got lost somewhere i guess..
Title: Re: Growing Weed ?!
Post by: Variety Jones on December 22, 2011, 05:55 am
He's recovering from a broken ankle, chatted with him on tor chat not 3 hours ago.

Says he'll be back around in the new year.
Title: Re: Growing Weed ?!
Post by: DigitalAlch on December 22, 2011, 06:05 am
Just noticed this thread, hoping more questions are asked. I would like to submit what I know but I don't know where to start : )

Peace,
DigitalAlch
Title: Re: Growing Weed ?!
Post by: quinone on December 22, 2011, 06:25 am
thank you guys, i really appreciate your input.

although like 75% of people advise to start off with soil, i will do my first grow in a hydroponic system and live with the consequences  :D

i'm reading a freaking lot right now, got some spare time, and i'm getting more and more into it.
so i'm probably coming back here with some more specific questions.

If you're insistent on hydro I would suggest a DWC.  You can make one VERY easily and cheaply with a rubbermade container, an airstone, a pump and tubing (and pH meter .. and EC meter ... and ...).

The most important thing as far as i'm concerned is the environment you grow your plants in.  That is, the temp's with lights on/off, humidity, pests, fungus/disease.

If you are semi competent and detail oriented, it is pretty easy to keep the nutrient solution in a hydro setup in the right pH, with a stabilized nutrient concentration (PPM).  If you're not detail-oriented you might fail hard in a hydro setup.  You need to be there ... consistently (unless you are willing to shell out $1000 for one of those electronic devices that regulates pH/PPM) to monitor those conditions but more importantly to LEARN how your plant's react to different conditions and thus how to react if they show a deficiency.

Only reason I suggested soil is it's far more forgiving to deficiencies as it 'naturally' provides the plant with nutrients as needed.  But if you want hydro, go nuts, it's hella fun, and good yields.
Title: Re: Growing Weed ?!
Post by: quinone on December 23, 2011, 06:46 am
...you really need to get used to your plants, you kinda need to understand them, see how they grow, what they do, what makes them happy and what makes them sad...

QFT !
Title: Re: Growing Weed ?!
Post by: Dissec on December 23, 2011, 09:22 am
I'd recommend checking out Grasscity's forums, they have guides for DIY DWC, bubble buckets, grow boxes, etc. And a fairly accepting community, a bit childish, but good info nonetheless.

Make sure you get a good PH meter, PH is going to be one of the keys to a good grow, if it gets too high or too low you could experience a nute lockout, which will stunt your plants.

I recommend LST, topping, and super cropping. I haven't personally done a SoG, but I see people who have good results, although that'd be hard to do if you don't have a separate chamber for your mother plant. CFL's won't be horrible but HPS/MH is alot better, you can get the interchangables for pretty cheap now, using MH for veg and HPS for flower, CFL's in the correct spectrum too for side/undergrowth lighting will also help you out if you want large yields, same with adding an LED, basically low cost, low energy, but potentially extremely good results.

ONA buckets and carbon filters are the way to go for smell imo, new air coming in through the bottom of your chamber, hot air extracted from the top, fans inside blowing the plants to increase stalk strength (don't want them falling over from the weight of heavy ass buds). Use inline PC fans for the ventilation system, Grasscity has charts that help with how much power/size you'll need in your fans and how to make the ONA bucket.

I would recommend 2 air pumps, 2 air stones per plant, that way if one fails while you're gone or something you won't have to worry about your plant being fucked up. Along with a high quality, grounded timer.

I'd also recommend getting your seeds from the Attitude seed bank (Google that) they give freebies with every order, carry tons of good breeder seeds (like TGA) and ship discretely, I got my seeds and I'm in the U.S.
Title: Re: Growing Weed ?!
Post by: iRTruth on December 23, 2011, 11:12 am
Im also a new grower, and a couple of quick tips that i picked up during my learning process are as follows:

First thing is first, you need the basics burnt into you memory. Check out the Jorge Cervantes High Times growing guides; this is an absolute must if you wish not to dig through stacks of articles and manuals for the bare essentials. These basics include: construction of a grow room and all the items you will need to do the job, soil, lighting, germination, maintainance, harvest and curing, and all the other goodies.

For your first grow or couple of grows, go soil. The slightest mistakes in an hydroponic environment with lead to disaster, as where soil allows for much play.

HPS (high pressure sodium) lights are usually the top dog in the field of lights, but cheaper alternatives such as LEDs (light emitting diodes) and CFL (compact fluorescents) may be used for your first setup.

Check your soils pH, 6.5 - 7 would be your range in soil. IMPORTANT: when testing soil, use distilled water as its neutral pH wont interfere with your results.
Note: Its been stated that higher pH's during a seedlings life leads to higher percentages of male's, not sure how accurate that statement is.

If you live in the states like i do, getting ahold of high quality strain seeds can be a pain in the ass, i would suggest seller "Variety Jones" here on SR as he has the greatest selection for the lowest prices hands down.

Just the other day, i scoured amazon's gardening section, and they have EVERYTHING SINGLE ITEM you would need to grow bud in either hydroponic or soil systems. They even sell entire hydroponic setups. Hell, even found proper cubes/heated trays/rooting solution to start a clone factory :D
Warning: Again, if you live in the states, purchasing a large group of these items from amazon at any one time will get you put on a government shitlist for possible mj growers.
Title: Re: Growing Weed ?!
Post by: dance4life on December 24, 2011, 06:06 am
I wanted to add to what I previously wrote.

If I were you this is as advanced as I would get.

Top Soil ( whatever organic etc.. )

Bagseed ( yeah, I said it )

CFL's only.  ( you aren't a pro and don't need the heat when you are learning )

Grow in one of those plastic bins.  Poke a hole on one side for fan intake and one on the other side to push air out.

Check out the internet for some low cost designs for what I just explained.

Trust me, you will fail miserably first go-round with hydro unless you are INCREDIBLY lucky and have an inordinate amount of time to go at this venture.  If you have a full time job I would just erase the hydro out of your mind right now.  Not worth the waste in electricity as well as wasting cuttings or however you were going to start ( good seeds ).  Best of luck.
Title: Re: Growing Weed ?!
Post by: OKF on January 03, 2012, 08:10 pm
 :D

first grow on hydro doesn't seem to get much support.

Well, the main problem, as far as i understand, is the very fast speed of growth. Even small mistakes can have huge impacts. The reason why soil is more forgiving, is cause you got more time to react, or am i mistaken here?

Luckily I'm a college student and my semester is over in 4 weeks and i can and have to be at home a lot, cause i have to write plenty of essays and shit. I'm not going to grow weed on my own btw, but together with a good friend who lives with me.
Plus, like i said before, i've read towns of material, found a promising forum in my mother tongue with a huge load of tutorials, pictures etc, for every kind of problem, so i should be able to react fast.

So, i'll get to the point:

I'll stick to hydro. We are buying the components for an ebb and flow system, a small scale homebox and everything we need to set up the growroom. Then we would like to test it for a couple of days, to get used to the setup.

We thought about starting with Purple#1 as our strain, having read, that it's a good starters strain.

What are your opinions on that?

The thing i'm most afraid of are statements like "you have to get used to your plants" etc.
I guess that can only be done with experience.

Oh and the nutrient solutions schedule/plan. But i'm visiting a store for indoor-growing tomorrow, maybe i get some good advice.

And the burning money thing:
If we start growing and fail in a couple of weeks, we wasted money on

electricity
water
seeds
nutrient solutions
rockwool

everything else can be used for the next grow, if i am not mistaken or have forgotten anything.
so we shouldn't have wasted more money than probably 100€ each (or is that an unrealistic estimation?)
I could live with that.

Anyways, thanks to everyone who has participated so far. The thread got quite busy before christmas, let's keep it that way.

Title: Re: Growing Weed ?!
Post by: SuperDimitri on January 03, 2012, 08:25 pm
Wow. so many people have such trouble growing a simple plant?? I find it amazing.
I see a lot of "where to start" so I will add one:
Start with a cactus, if it dies, give up!
Title: Re: Growing Weed ?!
Post by: OKF on January 03, 2012, 08:35 pm
If i was born as SuperOKF , i probably could handle your humour.

but i'm not, so i will add one:

Get a life, and if it starts looking like your last post, give up!
Title: Re: Growing Weed ?!
Post by: SuperDimitri on January 03, 2012, 08:52 pm
If i was born as SuperOKF , i probably could handle your humour.

but i'm not, so i will add one:

Get a life, and if it starts looking like your last post, give up!

Gee whiz,Wally,chill out.
there was already enough good info, so I busted a joke.
Sorry you weren't born super, and can't handle humor.

So, I'll say this:
Each plant is different, just like us. Even clones will be slightly different. Pay attention to each one, and love them like children. TALK to them. SING to them. They love Metal, too \m/ CARESS them.
Strains will also grow differently in different areas, especially when you factor in humidity or altitude. I had one strain completely mutate when  I moved from 400 ft to 5000 ft ABS.

Again, sorry you don't like my cynical humor, but I don't aim to please EVERYONE. You make me feel worse than Tosh.
Title: Re: Growing Weed ?!
Post by: xx138xx on January 03, 2012, 10:06 pm
Here are the basics I was taught and a few things I have learned along the way before I was forced to quit growing due to moving to a state that Sherman should have burned the rest of on his way through.

Lighting:
LEDs: aren't worth it right now. They lack the light intensity to drive dense bud growth and cost way too damn much.
HID lighting: is usually the way to go but only if you can deal with the heat effectively. Too much heat = unhappy plants.
T5 fluorescent: Anyone who tells you good bud can't be grown under fluoros is full of shit or has never actually grown. They put out less heat than HID, use less electricity, provide a way to tune your lighting spectrum with different bulbs as opposed to having only a few choices with HID. Even when I ran HID, i would supplement that with T5s hung vertically to provide a more rounded lighting spectrum as well as giving a boost to some of the lower budding sites that get shaded by their bigger brothers higher up on the stalk. Because these run cooler and use less electricity, when compared to HID, you can pack a lot of them into a small space and provide more than enough light intensity to drive very dense bud growth. Most people never take advantage of that and try to run just a single bank of lights and then complain about stringy bud because they didn't do their homework.

Air flow: one of the most often screwed up parts of new grows. Plants breathe in CO2 through their leaves and take in oxygen through their roots. Without fresh air (or a co2 generator) the plants will slow their growth in response to a lack of co2. Plants that don't get enough oxygen to their roots will also slow down their growth (this is part of why hydroponics setups have such rapid growth - there's a buffet of oxygen reaching the roots when done correctly).
Having adequate airflow into the room will help with both of these issues, as well as helping to keep your relative humidity in check and removing the heat from the lights from the growspace. Don't forget to filter your incoming and outgoing air! The outgoing air filtration is pretty obvious but you need to also filter the air coming into the growspace to keep out nasty stuff such as insects, mold and mildew spores. Air inside of the growspace should also be kept in motion to prevent stale gases from hovering around the leaves and to remove the plants respiration byproducts. Having an oscillating fan blowing across your crop will also cause the plant to grow a stronger stalk and stems in response and will keep your plants from being so top heavy they can't support themselves.

Soil or hydro?
Soil is the simplest for a beginner but there are some pretty easy hydro setups these days.
Because there are so many options and ways of doing hydro, I'm just going to give you the run down on soil grows. You need a quality substrate for your plants to grow in. Backyard dirt will not work for an indoor grow because you are bringing in a lot of living shit from outside that you don't want to expose your plants to (bugs mostly but fungus/mold/mildew spores also). Whatever you chose to grow in, it needs to provide adequate drainage so your roots can breathe. This is why vermiculite and perlite are used so much in soil mixes. Avoid mixes that have pre mixed non organic nutrients in them such as Miracle grow. MG can grow some huge plants but they'll come with a side of mercury and other heavy metals you might not want to load your body with. MG is also notoriously easy to burn plants with. IF this is going to be your first grow ever I can guarantee you two things: you're going to drown your plants and you'll end up burning them with nutes within the first couple weeks of starting their feeding cycle. Neither of these issues are fatal if caught in time but you really have to learn to listen to what your plants are telling you. Less is more with nutes and water at first so if you get nutes from the store, start off with half of what it says on the label. Watch your plants after you feed them for any signs of leaves wilting, plants starting to sag a big, etc. These are signs your plant didnt like what you gave it and you will need to flush out the soil by running fresh, dechlorinated water through the soil until it is saturated then allowing it to drain. Repeat a couple times to remove the nutrient salts in the soil and give it a few days to recover. The water issue is more of something you need to learn through hands on experience. Eventually you will be able to push a finger down into the soil and guage if it is thirsty or not. Over watering just makes it impossible for the roots to get access to air so if you do overwater, just give it a few days to dry out and it should be fine.

Water quality: Mucho Important. Hard tap water will cause nutrient lock out in your plants root zone, preventing it from absorbing nutrients and starving it. I'd advise investing in a reverse osmosis water filtration system for this very reason. My yields increased by about 13% when I switched to using one over well water due to the plants being able to take in more of what I was feeding them.

Bacteria: These little guys are amazing! Having a healthy ecosystem living in your soil does wonders for plants. Beneficial bacteria help break down nutes into molecules the plant's roots can more easily take in. They also provide a defense mechanism against harmful bacteria and soil pests. There are also bacteria that promote explosive root growth. I believe sunshine mix #4 already has this mixed in but I could be mistaken as it's been a while since I ordered any. These bacteria are also why compost tea is great for plants.

After typig all that I think I need to go burn one but hopefully there is some information here you can find useful.
Title: Re: Growing Weed ?!
Post by: OKF on January 03, 2012, 10:26 pm
@dimitri

since i don't know you i had 2 chances, i bet you were aware of: interpreting it as humour or arrogance.

i obviously choose the latter.

anyways, it's still the internet, so no offense taken or intented. just kicking back some bullshit.

@xx138xx
awesome post, especially the air flow part.
Title: Re: Growing Weed ?!
Post by: quinone on January 04, 2012, 11:26 am
Wow. so many people have such trouble growing a simple plant?? I find it amazing.
I see a lot of "where to start" so I will add one:
Start with a cactus, if it dies, give up!

A lot of people aren't gardener's. 

With your arrogance i'm sure you know that the key to growing is to understand your plant's, how they react, their structure and how to change it (eg, topping).

You also know that there's a lot of principles the grower must understand with respect to the relative intensity across the visible EM spectrum (aka what LIGHT to use), environment (trying to replicate the outside when growing indoors requires knowledge), medium (soil, coco, etc.), fertilizers and related units (eg. EC, PPM .. salts), nutrient preparation conditions (pH, temperature) and the growth cycle (and methods of identifying the transition from veg to bloom).  There's plenty of other things I didn't even list either.

Not everyone is just born with this information in their brain ... so they look for help.

I do my fair share of bitching on these forums, but you my friend take the cake. 

Did it make you feel better to brag by proxy to an anonymous web forum about your supposed (but UNPROVEN) expert skills in growing marijuana?

Also the shit you said wasn't 'a joke'.  It was offensive, immature, arrogant bullshit.  Why do people have to use the 'I was just kidding' excuse to try and cop out of being called out for making a rude forum post.  Be a man and admit your mistake if you made one, don't just say it was 'a joke'.  We are out of elementary school here I think.
Title: Re: Growing Weed ?!
Post by: Lights Out on January 04, 2012, 09:56 pm
Some time ago I moved to a state where it was legal to grow and invested alot of money growing. I found out that growing the good high quality weed that is easy to sell takes experience that can only bee gained by growing, this takes time and money. But I also found out that there is not much money in growing weed unless you have a large scale operation in a warehouse or a similar structure. You need a large amount of plants, large amount of space, large amount of start up cash, and a considerable amount of time because it will take several harvests before you are skilled enough to grow the most profitable weed.

I think growing shrooms is more profitable all around. Plus its much more difficult for people to gauge the quality so even your first grows when your not that good you can still say your good. Tell people the mushrooms were professionally grown and charge a high price.
Title: Re: Growing Weed ?!
Post by: urbanguerilla on February 22, 2012, 12:41 am
I miss the days of overgrow.com. That site and forum was unmatched in terms of disseminating knowledge on the cultivation of cannabis.

~shabang~ is a member here, doesn't post that often.

Wow, that names a blast from the past, I used to be a site mod over at OG back in the day, haven't heard anything of ~s in years. If you read this mate I hope life is treating you well, Overgrow changed my life, it was like weed university  8)