So I finally bought seeds online and got my shipment email this morning, I really do feel almost like a kid I’m so excited! I would just like some input on my setup. I have a 2’x2’x4’ tent with a 450W ViparSpectra LED, I’ll be using 3 gallon fabric pots with FoxFarm Ocean/Forest and FoxFarm soil nutrients. I plan to germinate them in pH’d water cup and then put them in starter peat pots to start. So, here are my questions/concerns…
all of the germinating info on the site talks of cfl’s to start the seedlings, I don’t have that available so at what height/light level would you recommend for this particular light? This LED has a VEG & BLOOM switch, some articles say to use the full-spectrum with the BLOOM switch on from the beginning and others… well. There’s a lot of conflicting information on the net about this.
I purchased 5 Blueberry autoflowers and would like advice on how many I can successfully grow to maturity in my tent/light setup? I chose autoflowers for several reasons, I’d like to have a perpetual harvest once I get started and realize I will probably need a bigger tent & possibly more lights to have my 2 in Veg & 2 in Flower plan.
finally, I’ve read on many forums that you shouldn’t top or fim autoflowers due to the limited veg time. Then in your forums I’ve seen several people talking about topping their autos. What should I expect with this? Since this is my 1st real attempt at growing, should I just let the 1st plants grow naturally to see how the plant actually grows? Maybe some light lst to open up the center of the plant…?
All advice and suggestions are welcome… thanks in advance to everyone.
@jusgettinby Welcome to the forum and congrats on starting your first grow. I presume it is your first grow? Regardless you are going to have fun. I am a relative newby on the forum, about 4 months now and in my first and second grows. Yep…that is right.
AS to your light, use it in full spectrum. Switching it for your ladies isnt going to make a difference since you are going to grow autos. Yea, there is alot of conflicting info out there. But for autos…just do full.
Now I have not yet grown any autos though I do plan to do some this spring. The is conflicting opinion even here in the forum as to topping/fiming, etc. But I think the main opinion is to not top or fim. It wouldnt hurt doing some…cant remember the letters, but its a low impact way of getting more plant…basically, bend and tie down your limbs as they get large enough to do so. If you do it early you will get a bit more bud, I believe.
AS to letting your first plants just grow without interference by you other than maintenance is actually a good idea. You will learn alot. And yea…doing the LST as I menitoned above.
Actually, something you should do and leave the topping and fiming for when you learn more. Me, I screwed around and tried to do too much and as par for the course, screwed the pooch on some things. But we all do. So expect to make mistakes. They are good about that here. Lots of people to help and some really knowledgable folks. Take care bud and keep us posted. I am sure others will be chiming in. Take care.
That 2x2x4 tent is going to be fine for clones and seedlings but it’s just to short for flowering. Especially with that light. You’re gonna run out of room quickly!
I would say in a 2x2 tent you could grow 2 autoflowering plants!
Autos only have a 4 week veg and they will not have enough time to recover from any fim or topping.
Hello and welcome! @jusgettinby I am also growing an auto flower and it is my first grow and I didn’t do any topping. I had the same size tent and I had to get a new one because she got too tall. So you will have to end up getting a bigger one soon. I have also read alot against topping on auto flowers but maybe since your tent is small u can do some Lst which is light stress training. U bend the stems so they grow more to the sides than tall. I’m going to do that with my new sprout. You can buy twist ties or something to hold them in place. I also agree to use the light on full spectrum with your auto grow. Happy growing! Make sure you keep us posted with pictures.
That’s enough light (200 real watts) for that 2x2 tent but you might want to LST the heck out of them if you don’t want to run out of height. Between pot height and minimum distance for the LED you only have a couple of feet for the plant!
Is there any way you can put your tent on top of a box so your plants have more growing room?
Thanks @1BigFella, I guess I’m going to have to just get a bigger tent. I don’t have funds to go crazy right now so I’ll wait until they’re a few weeks old. Will this light work if I get like a 2’x3’x6’ sized tent or will I need more lights? I don’t have much room in my room for the tent…
That would be 33 watts per square foot. Okay for (slow) vegetation but maybe inadequate for flower. You could try and see. Let us know how it works out. I was suggesting you cut the bottom out of your tent and use the existing tent for the top of your new 2x2 7 to 8 foot tall chamber. Those bottom walls could even be cardboard and duct tape, as long as you painted it white.
The point is, I’m not sure what you can do with a 4 foot tall grow tent. Maybe use it to grow clones before transplant?
