Hello Everyone and thank you for taking the time to read this post. I have purchased the Zkittles Autoflower seeds and I’m in the process of getting my setup organized and I could really use some help ironing out the destabilize for a successful grow. I’ve spent so much time reading and researching this whole process that I believe I have overwhelmed myself and not I’m not feeling so confident. I will be growing strictly indoors and I was hoping to get some recommendations on what I will need for a successful grow with the seeds I have. I will be growing 2 Zkittles plants at one time.
What size tent will be sufficient for 2 plants?
What size light?
I’m pretty sure I have a handle on soil, grow bag and ventilation.
Is a humidifier necessary if so why?
What should the internal tent temp be at?
Should a oscillating fan be on in the tent at all times or is there a schedule for that?
With the seeds I’m growing is there a light schedule my plants should be on?
P.H. ?? What should I be at?
What kind of water is best for watering plants?
Flushing? Not sure what this is and what it’s purpose is
I’m sorry to bombard all this but any help with any of these questions will be greatly appreciated. I’m super excited for this journey.
Thank you all and look forward to some of your expertise.
You’re going to get a lot of recommendations most likely.
It’s recommended to have 2’x2’, per plant, to avoid overcrowding. A 3x3 can get you where you want with 2 plants. I am going hard against the grain and have 4 in a less than 3x3. How much space will you have to set up your area/tent?
AC Infinity, Spider Farmer, Mars Hydro are a few good tent brands that don’t break the bank. Spider farmer has some good tent kits that come with everything but the seeds and soil.
As for lights, I’m on the HLG band wagon. I have a DIY I put together, which I wouldn’t have been able to do without the help of the great growers on this forum. They have a few DIY kits that are moderately priced. Some things you can skimp on the budget, but lighting is something that you tend to get what you pay for. HLG also has a budget 200w light, called the Diablo 200, for $200. 2 of them would take 2 plants all the way, no issues. The 320 v2 DIY is about the cost of 2 of the Diablo 200’s and will do about as well.
3-4. If you have a really dry environment <50%rh, it wouldn’t hurt to get one. They like it a little more humid, around 55-60% and 70-75°F, for the first few weeks. Temps can go a tad lower, and up towards the mid 80’, but keeping it more consistent will help a lot. As they mature, a little less humidity is preferred, and required, to reduce risk of mold or mildew. During flower, between 45-55%rh.
Just leave a fan on. Only move it if it gets in the way, but leave it in the tent, and giving the girls a little movement. It helps strengthen the young ones with a little bit of steady motion, and as they mature, helps prevent mold and mildew.
You can turn your light on, and leave it on, with autos. You can put them on 18/6 (most common as it allows them to rest for a while), or you can go 6/2. Autos don’t care about the light schedule. They start flower when they want, mature, then are done with their life.
7-8. If you grow in soil, you want your pH between 6.2-.8. Coco coir or hydro, a little lower, right at about 5.8. As long as your water is dechlorinated and has no chloromine, it’s not a huge deal. There’s a boatload of different additives to adjust pH. I personally lower it with lemon juice. My tap water is about 7.7ph and I use Jack’s Part A&B nutrients, which takes it down to about 6.5. A heavy tablespoon on lemon juice takes me to exactly 5.8.
Some nutrient lines, Fox Farm, specifically, carry a lot of salts, which deposit and buildup at the roots and put the plants at risk of nutrient lockout. Flushing breaks the deposits up and "flushes them out. There are various brands, and its just mixing x amount per gallon of water, then running it through your medium (soil or Coco, whatever you want to grow in). Always follow up with a feed of at least ¾ strength.
I’m pretty new to growing. I’m 10 days into my first indoor. Started with Fox Farm Ocean Floor, and used the Fox Farm powdered and liquid nutes. They work well enough, with scheduled flushings, but are a whole mess of mixing and pH’ing. I switched to Coco coir and Jack’s Part A&B nutrients, with their 321 feeding schedule. It is simple, and my plants are growing phenomenally.
Deeeeeeeep inhale
I hope some of this helped. I really hope I’m right on at least some of it. Over time the growers on this forum will help provide all the info you need, as quickly as possible. It’s an awesome community and all I knew was water and sun before I started.
I’ll clarify 2 a bit more I start my hlgs at 32 inches at 15% if I’m running 2 ( 35% if it’s a single long light) if your light has a par chart start them at 350ish and raise it by 50ish every 3-4 days you lights should never be closer then 10 inches or you’ll bleach your plants
Also 4- pots plants can handle Temps of 57-98° F though at such high Temps you need 80+% rh
Any size tent. As @Borderryan22 said, a 2x2 area for 1 plant is a good starting point. I have 3 in a 5x2.5 flowering and I’d be lying if I didn’t say it very easily could have gotten cramped in there if I did a better job with them.
Aim for 50w per square foot - so 200w ish per plant for a 2x2 space per plant. That said, the higher quality light will require less wattage. Someone around these parts gave a ballpark number around 30-35w per square foot for an HLG (Horticulture Lighting Group) because they are among the best on the market for home growers.
Already addressed sufficiently by above response. I have a cool mist humidifier for seedling and young veg because my RH is naturally around 30% without it. Once they start to late veg/early flower, I pull it from the tent.
I like mine at 68-70°. But see this chart to see what numbers are attainable for you in your area (humidity and temperature are married to eachother - a VPD chart like this one will be your best friend to get a handle on ideal conditions)
Not really. Autoflowers don’t care much. I aim to give them 18 hrs of light and 6 hours of rest. Everyone does it a little differently.
5.8ish for hydroponic or coco. 6.5Ish for soil as mentioned above. I am only revisiting to mention you should absolutely invest in a good ph meter now and save yourself some headaches. Apera and BlueLabs are the top two.
Similarly, grab a tds/ppm meter. Cheap is fine for this but Apera or BlueLabs would be even better.
“RO” or reverse osmosis filtered water or distilled water are technically the best - blank slates. Easy to add nutrients and then PH. No chlorine to worry about. However, I use tap water just fine - be mindful of needing to let it sit for 24 hrs before use if you do use tap and the water supply has added chlorine.
Old wives’ tales about potency or trichome production or taste. I don’t flush, no practical way to do it and don’t really care to try and figure it out. Enough people have said the homegrown is good that I don’t stress it.
Sorry to add on but one more thing. Please use actual power draw wattage when you buy a light. The industry standard is to use “watt equivalents” which is not the same thing. For example, I have a “Vivosun 1000” which implies 1000w of power - its actual “watt equivalent” is something like 800 watts according to the “coverage area” they claim. In reality it’s a 100 watt light that is good for vegging a couple plants or flowering out one small one but useless beyond that.
I’d say 2x4x5 tent and 2 200s or 1x320w hlg light can do a 260xl but the 320 would fit a 2x4 better. There r a ton of options. Do u have a set amount u would like to spend or stick close to. This is the most question here. Let’s start by figuring out the tent space u have and go from there. If u can for a 2x4x5 high tent ur in good hands. Really don’t want anything under a 2x4 for 2 plants or u’ll be cramped like crazy all though @Hellraiser does 4 in a 3x3 and has awesome results but he has like 1000 dollars worth of lights in that 3x3 tent lol. Lights. Make the plant grow without good light plants grow but not good in flower
I just wanted to thank everyone who contributed to this post it was all very helpful and I appreciate it. My only other question might be once my seeds start to sprout and I put them in there pot of soil how deep should I bury them and do I cover the seed sprout. Thank you again
I bury about 1/4” down - not far at all. Yes cover the sprout so she has to work to get above ground. Seedlings don’t like much light so covering her for a day or two encourages the growth.
So as far a seed germination goes, I’ve seen a lot of different input regarding this topic I’m just looking for a tried and true way to get this girl up and sprouting out of the soil. With that being said what is a good seed soaking time and what should water temp and light be like. And once the seeds are soaked and go into a wet paper towel what should that setup and time frame look like. Finally once she sprouts that tail and goes into soil what should watering it look like and should I use the “dome” technique. Sorry for all these questions but I literally have not found a more supportive group than here at I:heart:GM …
My tried and true germ method is tap water - no specific temperature. Lukewarm? Soak for 24 hrs with a cap full of peroxide and water in a solo cup. Total darkness sitting on top of my LED light fixture for slight warmth
After 24 hours, I put my seed into a rockwool cube. Then it goes into a propagation tray on top of a seedling heat mat. I put the dome on, and leave it in total darkness for 3-7 days as needed. Check on them to make sure your cubes stay moist but not wet.
Lots of people here use peat cubes (Root Riot, Jiffy cubes) instead - I have better luck with rockwool personally.
Once it’s sprouted and you can see roots coming outta the cube, it’s ready to pop into its final home.
Edit: i Don’t use the paper towel method, as I read somewhere that it disturbs the tiny root hairs on the taproot and makes establishing a little harder than necessary
