Uncle Ben's Gardening Tweeks and Pointers

Uncle Ben

Well-Known Member
Hey Uncle Ben. Any last minute tips on my purple kush? 8 weeks since switch under a 600 hps. Been feeding bloom and grow nutes during flower. Planning on going half strength nutes for the next week or so. They are usually a 10 week strain from day I switch them over. Thanks for any input.
They look OK to me except for the loss of lower leaves. What's that all about?
 

Nizza

Well-Known Member
They look OK to me except for the loss of lower leaves. What's that all about?
are you saying discoloration or the absence of lower leaves? a lot of growers leave the bottom of the canopy open so that an air flow can come up through the leaves. i can see doing this outdoors or in an environment with only a good intake but in a properly designed growroom i guess that bottom canopy shouldn't be removed because you are wasting the plants energy. i guess thats why you only "defoliate" when its a screwed up leaf but even there you shoulda taken better care of the plant and not letten it get liek that. sorry kinda drunk
ps. looks like oscilating fan is above canopy, which i could see being good, but wouldnt it be more beneficial to have it rising up through the canopy with an exhaust fan sucking the oscilatting air up through the canopy? also wiggling the leaves/cooling em off
 

Uncle Ben

Well-Known Member
Well, since few know what their NPK values I'd guess he's doing the usual bloom food drill - using a low N food which is gonna induce premature leaf drop.

I noted no side reflecting panels in the garden too.
 

chuck estevez

Well-Known Member
Well, since few know what their NPK values I'd guess he's doing the usual bloom food drill - using a low N food which is gonna induce premature leaf drop.

I noted no side reflecting panels in the garden too.
just finishing up my first run using nothing but classic 20-20-20 and a little cal/mag because I use r/o
I have grown these strains under the bloom food guise many.many times. I am seeing the best results to date, huge sticky,stinky buds. I have 1 or 2 leaves turn a little yellow, but for the most part the plants stay green and healthy.
best part, i didn't spend but maybe $10 in total nutes this run. Thanks UB, you the man.
 

Uncle Ben

Well-Known Member
just finishing up my first run using nothing but classic 20-20-20 and a little cal/mag because I use r/o
I have grown these strains under the bloom food guise many.many times. I am seeing the best results to date, huge sticky,stinky buds. I have 1 or 2 leaves turn a little yellow, but for the most part the plants stay green and healthy.
best part, i didn't spend but maybe $10 in total nutes this run. Thanks UB, you the man.
That's the way you to do it, good on ya. It's near impossible to screw things up with a balanced food like a 20-20-20 and it will produce much better results i.e. plant health and of course yields than using stuff like Advanced Shysters that's usually incomplete and low N.

I use rainwater a lot for tropicals and that includes cannabis. If I feel I need a complete diet I feed with Dyna-Gro.
 

NietzscheKeen

Well-Known Member
Rain water all the way. I'm having a problem with green algae in my barrels this year... is algae water still ok to use on plants? I don't see why it wouldn't be.
 

zack66

Well-Known Member
That pic is not my grow room. I've been feeding even doses of N and bloom nutes all along. I did chop some off the bottoms before switching to flower. For clones and to open up the grow area. 6 plants in a 4x4 is tight. Here's a pic of my flower room.
 

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Uncle Ben

Well-Known Member
Rain water all the way. I'm having a problem with green algae in my barrels this year... is algae water still ok to use on plants? I don't see why it wouldn't be.
Same here. I figure that the algae dies when applied to the pot. At least I've never seen an algae bloom. What it'll do is scarf up the N in order to exist when active.
 

bdonson

Well-Known Member
Hi Ben I'm using a store bought soil My issue is all of a sudden after almost 2 months of veg at 18on 6 off I find this morning on my 3 girls about 2 doz green worms/ caterpillars about 3/4 to an inch long. Given the construction of the grow room they must come from my potting soil. My plants are a sativa and I'm about to start a 12 or so week flower and it's my understanding that most emergences take place in the dark. My question, is there a pesticide available that applies to soil that I can use that I don't end up smoking later Cheers
 

Uncle Ben

Well-Known Member
Hi Ben I'm using a store bought soil My issue is all of a sudden after almost 2 months of veg at 18on 6 off I find this morning on my 3 girls about 2 doz green worms/ caterpillars about 3/4 to an inch long. Given the construction of the grow room they must come from my potting soil. My plants are a sativa and I'm about to start a 12 or so week flower and it's my understanding that most emergences take place in the dark. My question, is there a pesticide available that applies to soil that I can use that I don't end up smoking later Cheers
Could be coming in on your clothes as adults. Usually such larvae hatch from eggs attached to the underside of the leaves. Hard to know fer sure without knowing what it is. Malathion will work as a soil drench. It degrades quickly and will not be imbibed by the roots.

Good luck,
UB
 

puffdatchronic

Well-Known Member
UB, I have enjoyed reading your tips and i am going to try and impliment them. You put forward some interesting info on the need of P, or lack of it. I have heard this from a few others to.. that it causes stretch. I use biobizz grow and bloom and the bloom has a high P content , now i'm not saying i'm going to stop using it ,but do you think it would be wise to continue giving just 'grow' for the first week or so of the 12/12 light cycle, or until the plant is visibly flowering before giving it 'bloom'? Do you think this would minimise the stretch? Thanks.
 

Kite High

Well-Known Member
IMO continue grow food at least til the end the stretch period. 3-4 weeks usually. Maintain always enough N to keep em green. Be careful with P as too much will hurt not help. Pretty sure my ol buddy will tell ya the same.
 

hopeyougotadutch

Well-Known Member
Hey guys, I wanted to get your opinions on Happy Frog All-Purpose (5-5-5) and Happy Frog Bulb Food (4-8-8, if you wouldn't mind? Those as well as a pretty decent organic soil from a local nursery is what I'm using and I have had a lot of yellowing happening this time around following the dosages listed on the package. I have just started using these products.

I have A LOT of room for improvement IMO and could use your help. I have read quite a bit and maybe I should stop the use of the bulb food? Maybe just lower dosage of bulb food with higher all-purpose?

If you need more information on the foods or maybe pictures (they suck TBH) of what has/is happening with the plants, let me know.
 

Nizza

Well-Known Member
hey ben just wondering what you think of some of the stuff i've learned that are just some basic principles, maybe you have your own written down set of principles for sharing with others???
Like obvious things that you eventually learn after screwing yourself out of some money.
for instance that your fingers leave oil on your bulbs, it's important before turning on your new bulb not to just wipe it with a rag but to use rubbing alcohol. this will remove oils from the bulb and prevent damage
If you buy a ppm or ph meter, be sure to get the cleaner, cleaning tools and calibrations for them. always rinse after using and never ever let them dry out.
Don't buy the cheap timers or cheap power strips from home depot; theyre rated for a low wattage load. you should get a timer/power strip rated above what your lamp is to account for other things on your grow timer.
If possible use more than one outlet and multiple timers, this way your spreading your load (if your using a lot of electricity)
Don't "defoliate", only remove leaves when damaged 60% or more. They should pretty much just come off, but try not to let leaves die and rot in your soil, it'll attract bugs.
If you tie your plant down make sure there is wiggle room so when the plant grows it doesn't constrict the stem
Clean your grow room every chance you get. The cleaner it is the more reflective it is (if you have reflective growroom) to prevent things from getting dirty its a good idea to put a filter on your air intake; this will reduce amount of dust buildup on walls and also on the plant, making the leaves cleaner and less apt to getting their stomata clogged up. as intake filter clogs it will reduce CFMS so beware!! :X I dont use a filter on the exhaust just because it doesn't get dirty...
replace bulbs every 3-4 grows
and thats about it!
I'd really love to see a good list of stuff you've learned like secrets or whatever , not even really secrets just good info that you eventually learn as a grower
I've also heard its good to add cal-mag before other nutes because its alkaline and its better to bring the ph up then down, do you have any insight about this? I wasn't sure if you grew with bottled nutes or what.
 

curious old fart

Well-Known Member
Hey guys, I wanted to get your opinions on Happy Frog All-Purpose (5-5-5) and Happy Frog Bulb Food (4-8-8, if you wouldn't mind? Those as well as a pretty decent organic soil from a local nursery is what I'm using and I have had a lot of yellowing happening this time around following the dosages listed on the package. I have just started using these products.

I have A LOT of room for improvement IMO and could use your help. I have read quite a bit and maybe I should stop the use of the bulb food? Maybe just lower dosage of bulb food with higher all-purpose?

If you need more information on the foods or maybe pictures (they suck TBH) of what has/is happening with the plants, let me know.
Quit using them....you're 9-13-13.....no wonder your plants are unhappy. They like the range 3-1-2.

:peace:
cof
 

hopeyougotadutch

Well-Known Member
Quit using them....you're 9-13-13.....no wonder your plants are unhappy. They like the range 3-1-2.

:peace:
cof
Much appreciated guy. The ratio of 3-1-2 would be all I would need throughout the entire grow? Or should something be put into play to supplement?

Anything I could use the happy frog on? I'd just hate to see it go to waste. Didn't spend but maybe 28 dollars for the two bags, not really worried bout that, I just don't like waste.
 

Kite High

Well-Known Member
Much appreciated guy. The ratio of 3-1-2 would be all I would need throughout the entire grow? Or should something be put into play to supplement?

Anything I could use the happy frog on? I'd just hate to see it go to waste. Didn't spend but maybe 28 dollars for the two bags, not really worried bout that, I just don't like waste.
use it your yard or garden

you may need to supplement sulfur and cal mag
 
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