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Never grown anything before. Where do I start?
- Thread starter headyyeti
- Start date
LIGHTS! or a greenhouse. Oh and dirt! well scratch that some people do it without dirt. Sorry guess I don't know what I'm talking about I'm new here too lol.
On a more serious note, what have you learned so far? It helps if you can tell everyone the resources that you have and your goals more specifically if you want more information. What are your experiences? Have you grown other plants? I'm no expert on growing peppers(yet) but I do know lights so if you have any questions regarding lights I can help you there. Personally I have my 2 little pepper plants under some little $15 fixtures and it seems to be working well so far, I've had multiple blossoms appear in the past couple weeks.
On a more serious note, what have you learned so far? It helps if you can tell everyone the resources that you have and your goals more specifically if you want more information. What are your experiences? Have you grown other plants? I'm no expert on growing peppers(yet) but I do know lights so if you have any questions regarding lights I can help you there. Personally I have my 2 little pepper plants under some little $15 fixtures and it seems to be working well so far, I've had multiple blossoms appear in the past couple weeks.
I haven't grown anything before but I have some money to spend on lights/heat pads/whatever. The most I've seen people do is solo cups and putting seeds into starters and soil. Nothing about transplanting or anything else. I haven't been able to find best dates to do things or anything like that.
SadisticPeppers
eXtreme Business
I grow indoors, and my current setup is several hydroponic buckets called Deep Water Culture. One of our very own, AlphaHydroponics, sells these systems. Speak with him, he will be able to assist you far better than I can on the specifics. As far as a light, we all have our individual preferences as to what specific lights are best on here. I am a fan of compact fluorescent lights. I use 125-watt bulbs which are plenty for the few plants I have, but other use HFS bulbs and swear by them.
Granted, this will cost you a few hundred bucks up front (~$80 per light fixture & bulb, and around $30 per deep water culture setup), but it is well worth the investment. Also, purchasing hydroponic fertilizer/nutrients is essential. I just plunked down $100 on some, but it's guaranteed to last me 2-3 months. And don't forget to purchase a digital timer from Home Depot or the like for your lights. That way, you can program in a set number of hours per day (18 to start, then 12 once they've matured), so that you won't have to guess as to how long the light is on. It's also helpful if you're gone for a couple days at a stretch or your daily schedule is subject to change.
Oh yes, and patience is key! I can't tell you how many times I became impatient with my setup (the ones I used prior to my current DWC hydro setup), to the detriment of my plants. Not all seeds will sprout, and there will be days and weeks where the seedlings can't grow fast enough. Just do the setup you need to, and let things happen. But the others definitely have good advice in looking at the glogs. TONS of good info in them.
Granted, this will cost you a few hundred bucks up front (~$80 per light fixture & bulb, and around $30 per deep water culture setup), but it is well worth the investment. Also, purchasing hydroponic fertilizer/nutrients is essential. I just plunked down $100 on some, but it's guaranteed to last me 2-3 months. And don't forget to purchase a digital timer from Home Depot or the like for your lights. That way, you can program in a set number of hours per day (18 to start, then 12 once they've matured), so that you won't have to guess as to how long the light is on. It's also helpful if you're gone for a couple days at a stretch or your daily schedule is subject to change.
Oh yes, and patience is key! I can't tell you how many times I became impatient with my setup (the ones I used prior to my current DWC hydro setup), to the detriment of my plants. Not all seeds will sprout, and there will be days and weeks where the seedlings can't grow fast enough. Just do the setup you need to, and let things happen. But the others definitely have good advice in looking at the glogs. TONS of good info in them.
Welcome!!! I am also from the Nashville area and just got started growing this past season. I currently have about a little over a dozen in 6" pots and the red solo cups under a mix of T12 and T8 2x4 shop lights inside. Pots and raised bed out back. As others said, it may be faster for you to tell us what you do have first. Do you have seeds? If not, that may be a good starting point. I'm just getting started myself, but a number of members here have been very generous. I'd be happy to pass on some if you want. Somewhat limited selection, but something to get going with.
As for dates, I am planning on planting next years starting about end of Dec-first part of Jan. I started to late this summer and am just now getting ripe pods due to the heat this summer.
As for dates, I am planning on planting next years starting about end of Dec-first part of Jan. I started to late this summer and am just now getting ripe pods due to the heat this summer.
Here is advice from someone who will be germinating seeds, and growing plants for the first time this upcoming January.
The inherent problem with Internet forums, for the newbie, is figuring out who really knows their stuff, and who just likes to talk a lot. No offense intended toward anyone here. This is just the nature of forums in general as they apply to newbies. I asked the forum owner at ChiliGrower about this dilemma for the newbie, and his advice was to look at the Grow Logs, and see for myself who the better growers are before taking anyone, and everyone's advice. Good advice, I think.
Go for broke , the best way to learn is experiment just jump in ull find any one with extreme or hot knows there gear , and my mate ( sown seed) who is heating up knows his stuff to , ull find even the experts r still learning . My first season and here's 3 tips -1good soil ( ull get what u pay for) 2-good seeds from a repuable supplier or a real Chilli head on here and 3 patience . Ull find this is a gr8 forum and I wud say all ppl on here r here to help ,newbie or guru evry one has the same goal , to grow sick peppers .from experience I've has heaps of problems and all solved by the guys and gals here and if want the proof in the pudding check out my post and c how I've gone from go to whooooo with the help from here u ain't gunna get better advice any where ! Good luck and hope to see ya pics soon 
Yeah, i gotta agree with BIG kev above... the advice here has been amazing!
This was / is my first year of growing anything too, so i know where you're coming from!! Previous to this, i had never kept anything alive for more than a few weeks, well, except for our kids...but they are very vocal about when there's something wrong, whereas plants aren't so vocal....lol
I deffo suggest looking at a load of the posts in the glogs section...both past and present. I have spent many evenings going through them, and learned so much.
Best of luck
This was / is my first year of growing anything too, so i know where you're coming from!! Previous to this, i had never kept anything alive for more than a few weeks, well, except for our kids...but they are very vocal about when there's something wrong, whereas plants aren't so vocal....lol
I deffo suggest looking at a load of the posts in the glogs section...both past and present. I have spent many evenings going through them, and learned so much.
Best of luck
Welcome to the big bad world of growing! There is so much to say about growing, it's the hardest simplistic thing to do. It's like having a kid, before its born you're so worried about getting everything right but once it pops out you realize you can't control everything. It's give and take; your natural instincts will take over. Plants are like kids, they get banged up and bruised but keep on growing.
The glogs on here are great, Pic 1, Paul G, KingDenniz, Stc3248, pr0digal_sons and many more are in depth and filled with knowledge.
Few simple things I can say are top priority.
Good workable soil
Don't overwater (huge newbie mistake)
Over 3000 lumens a sqft if you plan on growing all the way to fruit indoors.
3500kelvins will give you taller lanky plants, 5000-6500kelvins will give you shorter bushy plants (kelvin rating is the point in the light spectrum. Lower is towards the blue end and higher is towards the red) you will find the lumen output and kelvin rating on the bulb box or if you buy online they should tell you)
Temps for germination should be 75-85 degrees
Some seeds take a while to germinate, be patient, they will pop, wait at least a 3 weeks to a month before you give up (or start asking if anything is wrong) some seeds will pop in three days, you just never really know.
Roots are about as big below the soil as you see growth on top, if the plant slows in growth, it is a good indication that it might need to be potted up.
For potting up, water the plant and the wait a few hours or the next day, and massage the pot to loosen it from the sides. Flip I over and shimmy it out into your hand, with the plant between your fingers (you can do this to check if its root bound too: where the roots start circling the bottom) have the container you're transplanting filled with soil so when you put the new plant in, it sits about an inch down from the top and then fill in the sides. Now water it in and you are good to go.
Don't start fertilizing until you have a few sets of true leaves. (The plant splits and branches once or twice) even then it is recommended to use a diluted dose. A plant can only handle so much, especially depending on how much light you are giving it. The sun (on a sunny day) puts off 75,000 to 100,000 lumens a sqft. Which you won't get close to replicating unless you go with 1000w HPS or MH bulbs. Then you have to make sure the distance is right or you'll burn the plants.
In any case, that's enough to give you a good idea where to start. Less is more, when you first start off. You'll learn a lot by actually doing it. I definitely recommend looking at a few glogs start to finish before deciding what you want to do.
Last but not least, have fun with it, don't stress out and enjoy the process. Good Luck!
The glogs on here are great, Pic 1, Paul G, KingDenniz, Stc3248, pr0digal_sons and many more are in depth and filled with knowledge.
Few simple things I can say are top priority.
Good workable soil
Don't overwater (huge newbie mistake)
Over 3000 lumens a sqft if you plan on growing all the way to fruit indoors.
3500kelvins will give you taller lanky plants, 5000-6500kelvins will give you shorter bushy plants (kelvin rating is the point in the light spectrum. Lower is towards the blue end and higher is towards the red) you will find the lumen output and kelvin rating on the bulb box or if you buy online they should tell you)
Temps for germination should be 75-85 degrees
Some seeds take a while to germinate, be patient, they will pop, wait at least a 3 weeks to a month before you give up (or start asking if anything is wrong) some seeds will pop in three days, you just never really know.
Roots are about as big below the soil as you see growth on top, if the plant slows in growth, it is a good indication that it might need to be potted up.
For potting up, water the plant and the wait a few hours or the next day, and massage the pot to loosen it from the sides. Flip I over and shimmy it out into your hand, with the plant between your fingers (you can do this to check if its root bound too: where the roots start circling the bottom) have the container you're transplanting filled with soil so when you put the new plant in, it sits about an inch down from the top and then fill in the sides. Now water it in and you are good to go.
Don't start fertilizing until you have a few sets of true leaves. (The plant splits and branches once or twice) even then it is recommended to use a diluted dose. A plant can only handle so much, especially depending on how much light you are giving it. The sun (on a sunny day) puts off 75,000 to 100,000 lumens a sqft. Which you won't get close to replicating unless you go with 1000w HPS or MH bulbs. Then you have to make sure the distance is right or you'll burn the plants.
In any case, that's enough to give you a good idea where to start. Less is more, when you first start off. You'll learn a lot by actually doing it. I definitely recommend looking at a few glogs start to finish before deciding what you want to do.
Last but not least, have fun with it, don't stress out and enjoy the process. Good Luck!
ive seen 6 foot plants i know thats not alll they do... lol they use roids too