I decided to start this topic to help new people in the community.
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Picking your Strain .
For a novice grower it comes down to 2 choices Sativa or Indica. You can do research on the internet to find which strain is easy for a novice, its that simple. Growers get caught up on all the different hybrids save that for later grows when you get a little experience under your belt. Some strains require lots of observation and interfacing to determine what a plant needs. Maybe a strain is a heavy feeder for example. If you are new to growing keep it simple you will gain knowledge along the way. Indica great for outdoors they have a shorter flower period up to 2 months shorter than some sativa strains. You can grow sativa outdoors as well but you need to have a long growing season that means nice weather lasting into the end of November. Of course you can grow all strains Indoors and not be concerned with Rain of Fog or Hale or Wind whatever mother natures throws at you. One good Novice plant is the Autoflower or ruderalis You can grow them inside or out they have a short life span with a very short vegetative cycle but don’t expect large yields short vegetative cycles means smaller plants. -
Clones or Seeds
Seeds take longer to grow add about 3 weeks compared to clones and plants from seeds have variations from the parents but a good breeder will try to produce seeds with less variations. Variations such as size or smell or taste everything that makes one plant different from another. Clones are created directly from a parent and is exactly the same plant in all characteristics. How ever they can also carry bugs and diseases from the cloners grow room. Clones are easier to grow you don’t have to germinate to seeds. -
Germinating seeds
There are a lot of discussions on this topic I have tried them all and there is one method that s pretty much universal the paper towel method. Take a paper towel wrap up your seeds in it, soak in water place in a dark warm place wait. Ok now for some details. I have Cracked " When the shell of the seed opens so the seed tap root exposes its self" hundreds and hundreds of seeds and tried all the ways .
I like to pre-soak my seeds for 24 hours I use distilled water with a little pinch of powder kelp like NPK industries RAW kelp, and some surfactant which reduces surface tension .products like Yucca, Nectar of the gods hygeia hydration, I use an 1/8th of a teaspoon or less in a small container like a tall shot glasss place in a dark place this helps coax out the tap root. I then use a small screen like a kitchen sifter to separate the seeds from the mixture I rinse them with distilled water then turn the sifter ove on to a paper towel. I use a pair of tweezers to wove the seeds around not touching them with my hands I want to eliminate getting oils from my skin on the seeds it acts as a water barrier. I use a small piece of paper towel may be a quarter of a sheet for 5 seeds space the seeds out with some room between them so the tap root has room. fold up the paper towel so as to not let any way that the seeds can get lose and fall out of the paper towel much like an envelope . Soak the paper towel in water then squeeze some of the water out so its not dripping. I use distilled but you can use bottled water avoid using city tap water it has chlorine in it place the paper towel with your seeds into a ziplock baggie it prevents you towel from drying out, place you baggie in to a warm dark place some time its hard to find a warm place I use my WiFi router and a black nylon light proof bag. Time is all it take now be patient I have had seeds crack in a day but these were super fresh mostly it takes up to a week or more , If you see a seed crack and the tap root starting to bulged from the side wait a couple more days don’t get impatient wait till it gets completely out of the shell maybe a 1/4 of an inch. Now its time to plant in that ever media like soil or rock wool transfer the seeds with your tweezers " Tip use your tweezers to make a hole in your soil or rock wool". I place my pots or rock wool in to a humidity dome they like high humidity for the first week or two. Check your babies at least 2 times a day if they dry out you will have lost them they are very unforgiving when they are young. Seedlings are susceptible of Fungus gnats and over watering watch were the stem and soil meet, if the stem starts to change color at the soil line you may have a problem. I usually use rock wool Its easy to insure that there are no evil bugs hiding in you soil . You can transplant your rock wool in to soil but keep the wool cube just above the soil line this way the cube does not get over saturated with water and cause nutrient lock out or root rot. -
Easier method
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Old seeds can be cracked using the above method I just add 2 more steps.
I have an old pill prescription plastic bottle I lined the inside with 1000 grit sandpaper I place the old seeds in the container put the lid on then swirl container this roughens the seed case helps allow water to penetrate . second i mix a very small amount about 1/2 of a match head size of Gibberellic Acid in the soaking water for 24 hours. -
Cloning
controversial subject if you want to get confused watch YouTube videos on cloning. First never believe a cloning video that claims there method produces huge roots in 3 or 4 days that’s just BS.
It can take up to 15 Days to get huge roots at first I use to think I was doing something wrong because my results were not what I was seeing on YouTube . Second use a good Root Dip the best I have found is Clonex its a dark purple gel, the reason I like clonex is its texture a nice thick gel that clings well plus the deep purple color is easier to see most of the other gels are very watery but most are made from the same ingredient. Third its budget time how much do you want to spend to make clones $20 or $500 it can get very expensive those cloning machines cost a pretty penny then you need a light fixture .
Or do you buy rockwool cubes for $18 you still need a light fixture. The light fixture can be an LED light of Florescent the latter works well.
- Take your cutting. Once you’ve chosen a branch Choose branches that are well developed for the top or the plant they are newer and grow with more vigor, use your scalpel to remove the branch. …
- Dip the cutting in Clonex Rooting Gel. Dip it directly into the rooting gel you’ve added to your shot glass. Remember if its in a shot glass you wont contaminate the entire bottle of your root gel. If I’m making lots of cuttings I will just cut and put as many cuttings that will fit into the shot glass and still receive good stem coverage. I like to process like 10 cuttings at a time .
- Place the cutting into your cloner machine or Rockwool .
Important notes: Water Quality is important , Ph is important so follow the manufactures suggestions.
If you are going to add any root simulators you can add them to your Rockwool when you are soaking your cubes but use 1/2 strength . If you are going to use them in a cloner use straight water for 2 days then add simulator to your water don’t forget to re-PH the water The reason for adding after stim after 2 days is the gel needs some time to do its thing.
I find it easier to take a cutting and stick the stem into a Rock wool cube then place the cube into a tray with a humidity dome I use the super sprouter domes they have a trough that will support a small 1 foot florescent fixture. You can also put a seedling heating mat under your tray this helps promote a nice humid condition that the seedlings need since they have no roots yet.
Problems with cloning machines. Its very similar to hydroponic growing which is harder for novice growers. Ph shifts and water temp can get out of control which can breed pathogens. keeping water at 60 degrees and below inhibits pathogen from breeding. Cloning machines have water pumps water pumps use energy to drive them energy produces heat so water pumps transfer there heat to the water.
You should replace the collars every grow but most people don’t the collars start to build up deposits on them after a couple of rounds.
So are you going to plant your new clones into soil or coco or are they going into deep water culture or flood and drain , this will determine whats best, cloning machine or Rockwool . With most deep water grows its easier to use cuttings that have just roots no rockwool or growing media on the roots, You can place the clones that were grown in Rockwool into a DWC ( deep water culture) as long as the cube stays out of direct contact with the water, reason cubes will get saturated and the clones will die , you want the cubes just above the water and let the roots seek out the water .
