Hi,
I’m new here and very new to growing. A friend gave me a seedling and I’ve been nursing it along using only info I’ve found online and resisting, for now, setting up a costly growing array of equipment. I feel I need to know a lot more before I dare invest hundreds or dollars or more in tent/light/fan etc.My plant now is six or seven weeks old and is only about 6 inches high. I don’t know if this is evidence I’m doing something wrong (do I really need a sophisticated, expensive system for one plant?), or if all is well.
It’s July 9 now and on August 9 I have to make a trip that will keep me away for about three weeks. I wonder if there is anyone out there I could hire to care for my plant while I’m away. I’m happy to deliver it – I live in the west valley, Phoenix metro area, but I’d drive my plant as far away as Tucson if that were required.
Thanks for any advice you can give me.
Alice
Hello @alicek welcome to the Growers Network Forum!
First of all I hope you can find a solution for a “Plantsitter”. That is an intriguing idea!
Secondly, you’ve come to the right place. I don’t know of any other forum where you can get the kind of information and advice available here. There are EXPERT growers here who have years of experience in growing cannabis in pretty much every situation and growing style known to man. If you just want to “smoke and know things” then you can spend hours soaking it in. If you choose to continue growing and are really interested in starting that journey then I have some good news for you. I’ve learned that when you hang around here on GN that these amazing growers will provide as much guidance and encouragement as you require to succeed. So you should stick around!
Don’t be discouraged if your plant has a rough time. There is always the next grow and GN is here for it!
Thanks very much truthhound. Already this seems the right place for me and I appreciate your encouragement and support…
As to the plant sitter idea – after I posted this I thought, “Will they think I’m crazy? or worse, hopelessly naive?” I like to think that by the time I have to leave home my plant might be ready for a 12/12 lighting schedule and if someone out there has plants at that stage, they might well have room for one more plant. And paying someone to take my plant in (if it makes it that far) is sure to pay off even giving someone a hefty fee for taking my baby in.
And then it occurred to me this might be a business (or business expansion) idea for someone out there. I might not be the only marijuana grower who can’t stay home for the full life cycle of a plant or plants. Of course it would be localized, but think of all the people who make money taking care of pets or even just house sitting, and they mostly do that on a local basis.
I was discouraged for a while at the start, but I think my plant has weathered the earliest weeks of my learning and it looks now as if it might get somewhere! And, as many here have commented about the first growth, it’s a little bit thrilling to see it and to envision ultimate success.
Such a nice story) Perhaps we are slowly moving to a new level of civilization, being so reverent to all living things around us!
@wow_arizona might be able to help, he’s a really good dude. Tucson area. Send him a DM maybe
3 weeks outdoors you could probably get by on blue mats and some top dressing for the soil. Buying blumats probably isn’t the most cost effective idea though unless you know you will be using them again in the future
Thanks treetrunks. I’ve no idea what “blue mats” are but I have a “date” on Wednesday to meet with a long-time grower who owns a highly regarded growing supply/equipment company here. I expect he can tell me about blue mats and, who knows, maybe he’ll know someone who can take care of my plant while I’m away. Fingers crossed. Thanks for chiming in here. I appreciate it.
FYI, I’m not growing outside. It’s 111 here in the Phoenix area today and destined to be that or worse until sometime in mid-September. We’ve reached the part of summer where it doesn’t even get below 90 in the “coolest” hours of the night/early morning. I have been giving my plant 2 hours of direct sun outdoors from 5:30 - 7:30 a.m. but it’s getting to be too hot even for that much time outdoors. Everything I read says the plant really doesn’t like a temperature above 85 and cooler is better, so I’ve kept mine inside under an LED fixture.
Thank, Maz. If I haven’t found anyone closer within another week or two, I’ll check that out. I appreciate your offering this suggestion.
They’re a watering system mainly for soil grows, but they will also work indoors. The “carrots” need to be soaked and there is a little bit of setup involved but they do work well as an automatic watering system for soil.
It looks like an awfully big system for my one little plant, but I definitely will be looking for some kind of auto-watering thing, so I will have this in mind. I’ve sent them a message inquiring about this. Thanks.
Please do me a favor look into https://www.autopot-usa.com/ they have 1 site systems to 90 site systems maybe bigger but as @PreyBird1 says best “we are trying to replicate Mother Nature” going cheap more times than not ends up being more expensive but it really depends if you plan on doing more after this one most people fall in love more with growing than even consuming this plant I know I sure do! Best of luck to your new little friend!
Thanks. I will check out autopot for sure. And I hear what you’re saying about the risks of my disinclination to put out a lot of money for this plant but I’m going to do all that I can to succeed and, if I do, I likely will gain the confidence I need to set up a complete, more secure growing environment for future plants . Even up to now it’s been fun and pretty much all-consuming. When the temp outside is 110+ I’m pretty much staying at home all day every day and this is good entertainment. All the learning is good for my aging brain as well.
It’s an absolute amazing journey an there several very knowledgeable growers here @PreyBird1 @TheMadFlascher @happilyretired @nacho151 @bobette @treetrunks @ultrapuff @MrMonkey420 an that’s just to name a handful there are plenty of more tags I could do but please feel free to ask anything anytime an I hope to eventually see some pictures of your little girl
Thanks for the message full of helpers! I’d be happy to post a picture but I can’t figure out how to do that! So much to learn. It never stops!
Hi @alicek and welcome to the fam!
You can upload pictures from your photo gallery on your phone / harddrive on your desktop using this button:
Hope this helps. Happy growing & uploading.
Thanks. I haven’t been connecting with this site on my phone and there is no such symbol on my laptop. I’ll check that out to see if I can make it happen. I’m old. This technology stuff is almost as heavy duty as this growing stuff!
Hi @alicek
Is there someone who can set up an automatic water system for you?
I’m an outdoor grower and i travel using a watering system.
You would just need a timer and a line to your plant and a nozzle.
You could probably go to a home improvement store for supplies.
Just an idea if you can’t find a plant sitter.
Good luck and welcome to GN! 
Yes, I think I can set it up myself once I’ve figured out which one to use. And I have timers.
The LED light that I’m using right now has a built-in timer, but I have something I use for lamps in my living room that will work for a watering system should it be needed. I’m going to see a local grower face-to-face tomorrow and I am certain he can help me work through what “system” will be best for my needs. Thanks for the welcome. Happy to be here.
I’m taking this opportunity to try again to upload a picture of my plant. Fingers crossed!
