First time grower

[awl19]

Hey guys, first of all this is an awesome community you have here and I appreciate especially Higher for all the informative posts he has provided on the forums.

On to business. I want to grow weed for personal use so about a week ago when I got some weed I decided to save the seeds instead of throwing them away. I started the germination about 1-2 days later and out of maybe 25 seeds I think about 6 will be viable...which is fine because I have like 100 more but I don't plan on planting them all. I have read over pretty much every single guide and sadly I think it was too much information for me to absorb all of it haha, but my main concern is that maybe the guides went into too much detail for someone simple-minded like me!! I don't plan on selling the weed so, temperatures, wind speed, light, soil, water aspects don't affect me too deeply as long as the plant grows healthy and big.

If someone could just give me a brief overview of what to do that would be awesome...this is what I understand so far (tell me what I am missing):
1. Germinate
2. Plant (healthy soil, not too much or too little water or sun)
3. Top off the plant to maximize growth
4. Harvest
5. Smoke and enjoy

Also a quick question: How long from germination does it typically take to get to the point of harvest? (I realize there's probably not an obvious avg. as it changes from time to time but if you could guess...how long would it be in months?)

I had other questions but I forgot them so I'll just ask later.

Thanks,
awl19

[Weedguru Higher]

Welcome to the forums Awl19!

Well first off, is this an indoor grow or outdoor? I'll assume it's outdoor.

The first step is germination. Have a look at this guide for help. http://www.weedguru.com/forum/viewtopic ... 88&t=15187. Personally I use the cup of water germination method cause I find it much easier as you don't have to worry about the seeds drying out. It's best to germinate them inside and let the plants grow out a bit before planting them outside. They'll have a better survival rate. It's best to use a small container like a large coffee cup or something.

The soil you use will affect the plants growth. Outdoors you want to use the darkest softest soil possible so you get good drainage. It your soil is like packed clay your plant won't grow too well. When I plant outdoors, I dig a huge hole and make a pile of soil beside the hole. I plant in the pile rather than in the hole. The soil is loose and can drain better that way in my opinion. The darker brown the soil is the better.

For better growth it's best to use some type of fertilizer, the plant will really benefit from it.

How long the plant takes to grow from germination to full maturity depends on the strain. Sativa strains can take like 10-14 just to flower, aside from growing vegeatatively. You would only want to grow this is you live in a very warm climate and have a long growing season. Indica strains take about 8 weeks to flower and are what you need if you are growing in Northern USA or Canada. I live in Canada and normally plant around June 1st or so. The plants will be ready too harvest by late September or October.

I'm not sure what else you want to know, so feel free to ask some more specific questions and I'll be more than happy to answer them. See you around!

[awl19]

Yes, I tried doing both the paper towel and cup of water and the PT didn't work quite as well as the cup. You mention keeping the plant inside a bit after they germinate for a better survival rate; you guessed correctly that I am growing outside, so that being said do I need all the lighting etc. other equipment I would use for indoor growing to help it grow before I take it outside or should I just put it on a windowsill?

I live in the US but I'm not sure whether I have Sativa or Indica seeds so if they are Sativa are they still grow-able?

For the plant to be completely healthy will I need to water it everyday or will it be okay if say...every weekend it doesn't get water and on the weekdays I water it?

At first I thought only about 6 seeds would be viable but it appears that about 15 might be fully working with positive signs of a successful germination. This is great news but at the same time, I can't afford to have a backyard full of weed plants lol, I'm sure you know my nations ridiculous laws! =] So I have to be careful, what is your suggestion that I should do with them? I can't give you measurements of how much room I have but if I could I would say I have a strip of land beside my garage that's slightly hidden that is around...4x20 - not sure how many plants would fit comfortably there and be somewhat unnoticeable.

---EDIT---
Typically how much would 1 weed plant yield in terms of final product size? 1oz, 2oz? Just not sure.

When I first started looking into growing I had wanted to do indoor so I was looking at indoor seeds and decided to grow White Widow, well now that I have changed to outdoor I am wondering if it's a good idea to grow that. Would Super Skunk or AK-48 be better? (As I stated before I live in the US, more directly, Texas)
---/EDIT---

Thanks for the quick response,
awl19

[Weedguru Higher]

You mention keeping the plant inside a bit after they germinate for a better survival rate; you guessed correctly that I am growing outside, so that being said do I need all the lighting etc. other equipment I would use for indoor growing to help it grow before I take it outside or should I just put it on a windowsill?

A fluroescent light or compact fluorescent would do the trick. Mind you, you don't have to do this, but your plant will have a better survival chance if you do. A wee little seedling is really fragile.

I live in the US but I'm not sure whether I have Sativa or Indica seeds so if they are Sativa are they still grow-able?

Depends where...if you were in like California it would be ok, but up in Vermont the freezing temperatures would hit before your plant is anywhere near maturity.

At first I thought only about 6 seeds would be viable but it appears that about 15 might be fully working with positive signs of a successful germination. This is great news but at the same time, I can't afford to have a backyard full of weed plants lol, I'm sure you know my nations ridiculous laws! =] So I have to be careful, what is your suggestion that I should do with them? I can't give you measurements of how much room I have but if I could I would say I have a strip of land beside my garage that's slightly hidden that is around...4x20 - not sure how many plants would fit comfortably there and be somewhat unnoticeable.

I'm not sure if your are aware that some of those plants are going to be male....you want only females. You have to 'sex' them once they reach sexual maturity, which means identift their sexes and remove the male plants. I have a guide about that in the grow guide section if you wanna read up on that. I'd say for now, just let all 15 grow atleast until you can sex them. Then pull out the males and any females if there are too many. If you decided to chuck some now, they might be the females

When I first started looking into growing I had wanted to do indoor so I was looking at indoor seeds and decided to grow White Widow, well now that I have changed to outdoor I am wondering if it's a good idea to grow that. Would Super Skunk or AK-48 be better? (As I stated before I live in the US, more directly, Texas)

The 'white' strains are better suited for indoor grows and are known to be a bit more difficult to grow, not exactly ideal for a first time grower. You would want to get a strain that is specifically for outdoor growing

For the plant to be completely healthy will I need to water it everyday or will it be okay if say...every weekend it doesn't get water and on the weekdays I water it?

You should never water marijuana everyday. Have a look here for watering tips http://www.weedguru.com/forum/viewtopic ... 88&t=26728

Are you planting directly into the ground, or using pots?

[SpRi7e]

yeah with the part on the seedlings and them being really fragile, I keep them under a Daylight CFL at all times, and then when it's a really nice day out with little wind, I keep them under the sun to grow better. Pretty much unless it's real sunny out, and I'd say 55+ degrees you should be good with having them outside, BUT remember to bring them back in overnight so the temperature/rain doesn't kill it since you aren't keeping an eye on it.