DrDukePHD
Well-Known Member
Wow Dr. Earth looks like $10-15 for 4lbs (depending on store) i paid $29 for 4lbs of Gaia. Pretttty big difference for what I'm sure is basically the same thing.
First grow. Very stunted, should i bother topping?
- Thread starter YoshiMike13
- Start date
YoshiMike13
Active Member
Yeah I can find Dr earth for like 12 bucks around me. Maybe the route I should go when the time comes.
Rozgreenburn
Well-Known Member
Dr earth works fine, as do many others. Be sure to go with something that is readily available. Some girls get a little pissed when you change their feed!
FirstCavApache64
Well-Known Member
I've been using it the last three full grows and couldn't be happier. It's cheap as hell, easy to use and it grows really good plants. There's a decent sized group of guys running it and can give you help on how to mix it, what they like to add and all kinds of extras they like to use too. Not checking ph and mixing bottled nutes is a big plus for me personally, I like the simplicity of it. One bag has lasted me quite a long time as well.
DrDukePHD
Well-Known Member
What size bag should I get to last me 2 years running a 4x4? Probably a good idea to stock up with fertilizer costs rising.
YoshiMike13
Active Member
I was unsure about it when I saw it in the store because i was still trying to understand NPK and thought tou absolutely had to have something with more nitrogen. it was like 5-7-3 for the veg bag so I didn't pick it up 
this was before I really dove into the forums and found out a good amount of people use it and works fine lol.
this was before I really dove into the forums and found out a good amount of people use it and works fine lol.YoshiMike13
Active Member
Oh word, would be down for that for sure.
Rozgreenburn
Well-Known Member
I would go through about 3-4, 4-pound bags in that time frame.
FirstCavApache64
Well-Known Member
A 5 pound bag lasted 3 cycles of four plants in 5 gallon pots and I still have some left. I use 2 tbls per gallon of media so it really depends on how big the pots are you plan on using and how many plants you are going to run. Say you do 4 five gallon pots a run, that's 10 tbls per pot at planting of the 4-4-4 if you choose to use that, so 40 tbls. Then at the flip to flower I top dress with 4-4-4 and flower girl by down to earth to help with the stretch in a 50/50 ratio so 20 tbls more of 4-4-4 and 20 of flower girl. Then every two weeks it's flower girl at two tbls per gallon or 40 tbls. Doing rough math in my head the 4-4-4 in 5 gallon pots uses 4 cups(1 pound) roughly per cycle with four plants in a 4*4 tent. Then you need to figure out the flower girl which is the bloom nutes. I use that once at 50/50 at the flip to flower and then just flower girl every two weeks until I'm about two weeks out depending on the strain. So one half strength and 3 to four full strength at 40 tbls. That's roughly 10 cups a cycle give or take on the high side which works out to just less than 3 pounds a run. You just need to figure out how many runs you are going to do a year and you're set. 1 pound per cycle of 4-4-4 and 3 pounds of flower girl. They do offer other nutes that are different ratios of npk and have other additives. This is just what I've been using and know the ratios of. Hopefully this gives you a good ballpark.
VincenzioVonHook
Well-Known Member
The cold will cause issues, but not that significant. How cold was it for the first few weeks? These are at day 17 and have been in 40-65f in the tent since birth which is way out of the recommended range. They are popping out their sixth/ seventh node. Id say lack of light and inadequate watering is the main issue here.
Just thought I'd post this ad cold can be an issue, but won't usually bring a plant to a standstill. I'm going on 6/7 nodes in 18 days.
Just waiting on a heater ATM. Would be doing far better at 70-85f.
On another note, roots dont chase dry medium..watering around the stem will only lock roots to a small area in the pot. .when you water you want the whole pot moist, and as it dries from the top down, the roots will chase the moist soil at the bottom of the pot and branch out. The worst thing you can do is water around the stem and lock the roots into a small ball.
Overwatering doesn't come from too much water at one time, but more often too frequent watering, especially right around an underdeveloped root ball. Watering one spot in the pot will cause hydrophobic patches with pH spikes in the medium and lock the roots into the small ball of moisture you are providing. I can root out the bottom of a 3 gal pot in 20 days if I water the whole pot, or I can lock roots in a tight tiny ball in the same pot by watering around the plant only.
Water your pot properly and the roots will branch out. There are two types of roots, smaller roots which thrive in the drier top section of the pot, and wet roots which will chase the moist soil down the bottom. If you aren't providing proper watering and wetting the whole pot, the wet roots won't develop and head for the bottom of the pot.
Just thought I'd post this ad cold can be an issue, but won't usually bring a plant to a standstill. I'm going on 6/7 nodes in 18 days.
Just waiting on a heater ATM. Would be doing far better at 70-85f.
On another note, roots dont chase dry medium..watering around the stem will only lock roots to a small area in the pot. .when you water you want the whole pot moist, and as it dries from the top down, the roots will chase the moist soil at the bottom of the pot and branch out. The worst thing you can do is water around the stem and lock the roots into a small ball.
Overwatering doesn't come from too much water at one time, but more often too frequent watering, especially right around an underdeveloped root ball. Watering one spot in the pot will cause hydrophobic patches with pH spikes in the medium and lock the roots into the small ball of moisture you are providing. I can root out the bottom of a 3 gal pot in 20 days if I water the whole pot, or I can lock roots in a tight tiny ball in the same pot by watering around the plant only.
Water your pot properly and the roots will branch out. There are two types of roots, smaller roots which thrive in the drier top section of the pot, and wet roots which will chase the moist soil down the bottom. If you aren't providing proper watering and wetting the whole pot, the wet roots won't develop and head for the bottom of the pot.
YoshiMike13
Active Member
Thank you for the info. I didn't know that