virgin grower looking for some advice on game plan

My brother and I have been talking about growing some plants for awhile. I rarely smoke it due to work, but I'd like to explore it more to find something I really enjoy. the bit I tried last year, well I bought a lot of different types, most were harsh and just really didnt do anything for me. I'm wondering if they were harvested a bit early and not flushed enough. Anyhow, back on topic,

We bought 4 clones yesterday. Sour lime pie, orange sherbert, and alien appartion. I believe mostly hyrbids, and one indica. We arent really sure what we bought lol.

So I did some research and checked out a few hydroponics shops after we picked up the clones. I was pretty impressed with the cmh 315w light, and figured it would work well for my limited space. I was really impressed by the phillips full spectrum lamps. So I went and dropped some coin and picked up a phantom 315w setup, some 1g pots, soil and nutrients.

Since im running rodi water that I use for my reef tank, I was told I needed some cal mag, and picked that up as well.


So today I potted the clones into the 1g pots using fox farms oceans forest potting soil which is what the guy at the hydro shop suggested. He said I should be able to go about 3 weeks before needing to add nutrients with this soil. Does that sound about right?

after some reading I determined about 4ml of cal mag per gallon of rodi seemed correct, so I mixed a gallon of rodi water/calmag and watered all 4 until they seeped out the bottom. The plan is to probably let them sit about a week before the next

I bought fox farms grow big, and big bloom, along with tiger bloom extra strength fertilizer for supplementing. Should I wait 3 weeks before I start using these? I need to research some more about when to use and which ones. I believe I know to use the 2 fox farms for vedging, and then switch out the grow big for the tiger bloom as soon as flowering starts if I remember correctly.

I will be doing 18/6 on the lighting, and I currently have the light about 20 to 22 inches off the top of the plant. Temp seems fine, and I also have a oscillating fan blowing above the plants to give some air agitation.

The plan is to vedge at least 4 weeks from now, possibly pull a few clones off, so I'm not sure if I will need longer, then go into flowering 12/12 for as long as need be, im pretty sure they will harvest at different times

At some point we plan on moving 2 plants out doors to see how they do as I know I dont have the room for 4 big plants in my current space.

This is the current setup, I placed them on the phantom box for the time being just to make it easier to access. Not pretty, but its about the only place in my tiny house I can do it.


I do have room in my car port, and we may end up moving everything out there, but we would like to experiment with growing outside as well, and plan on trying that with our clones. I still have a lot of research to do on outdoor growing in nw oregon, so this is up in the air. Worst comes to worst, we will setup all of them in the car port, and probably add a 600w hps if I need more lighting. I'm not willing to invest in a second 315 just yet.

I appreciated any suggestions you might have on my plan, or what I can do better. especially interested in understanding more on working with the nutrients. I;ve been reading for about a day now and im still trying to process all this information. It's quite a bit different than reef keeping :)
 

whitebb2727

Well-Known Member
Keep it simple.

Less is more.


The fox farm may feed longer. The fox farm liquid nutes are problematic from what I've read.

I grow organic. To me its easier to mix dry amendments in my soil and use water only.

Get a bag of Espoma garden or tomato tone and sprinkle a bit around the drip line of the plant ( edge of the leaves looking from top down over the plant).

If not espoma "Down to Earth" all purpose is a good product.

If wanting to use the liquid nutes I prefer a balanced feed from start to finish. Start at 1/4 strength and work up. You can use more but if its too much the damage is done.

Other than that search the site and read some of the stickied threads.

Welcome to riu.
 

Indacouch

Well-Known Member
Grow big is for vegg ...tiger bloom is for bloom/flower ....big bloom is the only organic of those three and can be used at recommended dosage if you want .......grow big is the one to watch out with .....definately start lighter than suggested on the bottle ....same with tiger bloom ....you were rite about supplementing cal mag ....the last few years I've had mag def using fox farms as well as many fellow growers I know in my area......ive grown some awesome plants with that exact soil and those three nutes .....remember less is more and big bloom is the only one that won't hurt nothing at normal suggested dosage/feedings.


As far as you being a virgin grower ....that really doesn't make any difference my man ......I'm sure you'll find a nice girl to lose your virginity to sometime .....if not hookers are a real thing ....good luck and wear a condom

Inda
 

Indacouch

Well-Known Member
LOL, Thanks for the replies. Should I leave it to just watering for a week or 2 before I try and add nutes?
Like he said above at least a month before you start the Grow Big ... start the GB at quarter strength ....you can start the big bloom at the same time......don't start the tiger bloom until flower obviously.

Also i was using DTE bat guano ....ammending my top soil during flowering with there great results and cheap .....you don't have to do that but I had good results when I did ....GL
image.jpg image.jpg
Some bannana og and NL I did using the same nute and soil your using i did these for fun outside my greenhouses ....I used GB,BB,TB,DTE bat guano,molasses,and water .....super simple .....GL

Inda
 

Tone24

Well-Known Member
False. I have had FFOF deplete it's nutrients in two weeks. Read your plants, not a timeline you make up in your head.
I did read my plants from day 1 to present and ready for a sucssesful harvest
False. I have had FFOF deplete it's nutrients in two weeks. Read your plants, not a timeline you make up in your head.
You were very unlucky then loosing soil nutes in 2-3 weeks
 

xmatox

Well-Known Member
I did

I did read my plants from day 1 to present and ready for a sucssesful harvest

You were very unlucky then loosing soil nutes in 2-3 weeks
It's not good to set a generalized rule for a newb. You feed the plants, when they show signs of needing to be fed. You don't set a rule of thumb, when someone lives in a different environment than yourself. The tranpiration/respiration rates can act different in different climates.
You were very unlucky then loosing soil nutes in 2-3 weeks
It wasn't unlucky at all, my plants ate up all the nutrients. To me, you're harvest is the unlucky one if you are in a one gallon of FFOF for 5 weeks or more without any amendments.
 

Tone24

Well-Known Member
It's not good to set a generalized rule for a newb. You feed the plants, when they show signs of needing to be fed. You don't set a rule of thumb, when someone lives in a different environment than yourself. The tranpiration/respiration rates can act different in different climates.

It wasn't unlucky at all, my plants ate up all the nutrients. To me, you're harvest is the unlucky one if you are in a one gallon of FFOF for 5 weeks or more without any amendments.
Ok
 

Lorenzo420

Active Member
Hey city hunter,

The setup sounds good so far. I agree with whitebb about keeping it simple. It is a weed after all, and wants to grow.

The first thing I would recommend to do (after looking at your picture) is clean the grow space! A clean environment now could prevent a lot of problems for you down the line.

The second thing is: I would recommend you come up with a game plan to test the pH of the water you're using to feed/water the plants before and after you add nutrients (once you start using them in a couple weeks). You want to adjust the pH of any water going to the plants to 6.5. It's all pretty straight forward, I've been using pH test drops, and they've been working great. If your soil is too acidic or alkaline, you'll get nutrient lock out and your plants wont thrive. If you're able to test the pH of your water, you'll be leaps and bounds ahead of most newbies!

Since you're using Fox Farms, you shouldn't have to stress about the soil pH too much. Just make sure your water is going in at 6.5 and that you water with plain water between feeding with nutrients (again, once you start using them) and you'll be laughing up a storm (in about three months =P).

Cheers! :bigjoint:
 
Hey city hunter,

The setup sounds good so far. I agree with whitebb about keeping it simple. It is a weed after all, and wants to grow.

The first thing I would recommend to do (after looking at your picture) is clean the grow space! A clean environment now could prevent a lot of problems for you down the line.

The second thing is: I would recommend you come up with a game plan to test the pH of the water you're using to feed/water the plants before and after you add nutrients (once you start using them in a couple weeks). You want to adjust the pH of any water going to the plants to 6.5. It's all pretty straight forward, I've been using pH test drops, and they've been working great. If your soil is too acidic or alkaline, you'll get nutrient lock out and your plants wont thrive. If you're able to test the pH of your water, you'll be leaps and bounds ahead of most newbies!

Since you're using Fox Farms, you shouldn't have to stress about the soil pH too much. Just make sure your water is going in at 6.5 and that you water with plain water between feeding with nutrients (again, once you start using them) and you'll be laughing up a storm (in about three months =P).

Cheers! :bigjoint:
Yeah we plan on lining it pretty soon with a reflective spot, it use to have a washer living there, It's a wip for sure.

I'm having problems with one plant, and im unsure if it is ph or bug problem.

See pics below, the other plants all seem fairly good, I do have one bit of yellowing at the tip of one of the other plants, but other than that, most of the issues are with the sour lime pie.

So yesterday I used rodi water 1g with 4-5ml of cal mag. I didnt check ph, and then water all 4 in the new pots. I did more reading last night and decided the de i isnt good, and removed it from my rodi today to make just ro water. When I woke up we noticed a few holes on one pant and some yellowing, got a bit worried and did more reading and headed to the hydroponics to pick up some ph up down and a chemical test for the tap. I tested the ro water, came out to about 6.5 according to the color. poured some cal mag in, and ran it through the soil on the problem plant to get some water out of it and check ph

I did a ph test with my hana ph ec meter and it came out to 5.63. I think this is a bit low? Am I looking at too low of a ph or is this a possiblke bug problem?

After this I also used azamax and gave all the plants a spray.







 

Lorenzo420

Active Member
Yeah we plan on lining it pretty soon with a reflective spot, it use to have a washer living there, It's a wip for sure.

I'm having problems with one plant, and im unsure if it is ph or bug problem.

See pics below, the other plants all seem fairly good, I do have one bit of yellowing at the tip of one of the other plants, but other than that, most of the issues are with the sour lime pie.

So yesterday I used rodi water 1g with 4-5ml of cal mag. I didnt check ph, and then water all 4 in the new pots. I did more reading last night and decided the de i isnt good, and removed it from my rodi today to make just ro water. When I woke up we noticed a few holes on one pant and some yellowing, got a bit worried and did more reading and headed to the hydroponics to pick up some ph up down and a chemical test for the tap. I tested the ro water, came out to about 6.5 according to the color. poured some cal mag in, and ran it through the soil on the problem plant to get some water out of it and check ph

I did a ph test with my hana ph ec meter and it came out to 5.63. I think this is a bit low? Am I looking at too low of a ph or is this a possiblke bug problem?

After this I also used azamax and gave all the plants a spray.







Hmm, I'm not the best person to identify what that is.

How old are the clones since they've been cut? And how long did they root for? Also, how far away is your light? I would suggest holding off on the cal/mag for now, and watering with plain 6.5 pH'd water. With the Fox Farms Ocean Forest, your plants will be fed enough while they transition to their new environment.
 
im unsure on the total age of the clone, but they had about a tennis ball worth of root.

THe plant seems to be doing well, it seems the leafs shown have a little more damage, but new growth is still excellent.

I'll post up if I see anything go real bad.

So far, I think I have overwated one on accident as its getting some nitrogen deficiency.
 

Indacouch

Well-Known Member
Hey city hunter,

The setup sounds good so far. I agree with whitebb about keeping it simple. It is a weed after all, and wants to grow.

The first thing I would recommend to do (after looking at your picture) is clean the grow space! A clean environment now could prevent a lot of problems for you down the line.

The second thing is: I would recommend you come up with a game plan to test the pH of the water you're using to feed/water the plants before and after you add nutrients (once you start using them in a couple weeks). You want to adjust the pH of any water going to the plants to 6.5. It's all pretty straight forward, I've been using pH test drops, and they've been working great. If your soil is too acidic or alkaline, you'll get nutrient lock out and your plants wont thrive. If you're able to test the pH of your water, you'll be leaps and bounds ahead of most newbies!

Since you're using Fox Farms, you shouldn't have to stress about the soil pH too much. Just make sure your water is going in at 6.5 and that you water with plain water between feeding with nutrients (again, once you start using them) and you'll be laughing up a storm (in about three months =P).

Cheers! :bigjoint:
It's not actually a weed
 

Lorenzo420

Active Member
It's not actually a weed
Indacouch and sandhill larry are both right.

A weed is (by definition) any unwanted plant growth, usually in an area where more desirable plants are being cultivated. I should have been more specific. I was more so comparing the growth of marijuana to most weeds, (as it has been done for decades). Under the right conditions, marijuana will grow fast and strong on it's own.

We got a little off topic from the OP. but I'm glad we could get that sorted.

City hunter, the point I was trying to make was that it doesn't take too much fuss! Just keep an eye, be patient, and SCOUR the forums on this site for as much information on growing as you can handle! :eyesmoke:

Best of luck! I'll be watching this thread just incase. :weed:
 

Roger A. Shrubber

Well-Known Member
you want your ph to be at least 6.2 if you're using cal-mag, and since you're using soil, you want it to be between 6.0 and 6.5 anyway.
 
I figured id show some updated pics. of this morning light just coming on. 9 days. I am getting some kind of orange spots on the back 2 plants, but they seem to be growing good., I may have underwatered them the other day.

When I water, do I need to water until they leak water though the bottom?

Any idea what the orange spots are? I have no time to really take care of them right now as im working 7 12s, just doing what I can when I get home.



 
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