Going to Use Full Botanicare Line, Advice Please...

DukeOfDenver

Active Member
Hi I'm going to be doing my first small grow soon. I will be starting from seed. This is what I've bought to use and I'm looking for advice on how to use.

FFOF Soil
5 Gallon Air Pruning Pots
Using Distilled Water
For Vegging: Pure Blend Pro Grow, Cal-mag, Silica Blast
For Flower: Pure Blend Soil Formula Pro Bloom, Hydroplex, Sweet
Using Super Thrive when Rooting and a Little in Veg

My question is...Can someone give me a good watering/feeding schedule in those sized pots with that soil? I have other questions like should I be giving the cal-mag and silica blast in flower as well as veg? Also, are there specific times I should start introducing things like sweet?

I plan on watering once per week because the huge pots hold so much water as I give them a gallon each. I think I am also going to feed one week then flush one week but if I'm wrong please let me know.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated! I'm a super rook...
 

Shango

Member
http://www.botanicare.com/Nutrients/Predeveloped-Recipes.aspx


Personally, I wouldn't use the FFOF soil. I'd look into either Pro-mix or Sunshine Mix instead.
I agree. As a 1st grow if you are going to use all those nutes + FFOF you are very likely to fry them with love. If anything, you could go with the FFOF and go nutes at like 1/4 strength every other or even every 3rd watering.

Basically if you under feed in soil you are likely to end up with a harvest of good bud that you are happy with that is a bit light on yield. If your 1st time out you try to pump them up, most likely you are going to burn/over-fert them and fight that to a crummy yield of mediocre herb.

Keep it real simple, resist the urge to feed too often.
 

kermit2692

Well-Known Member
you dont want to flush every other week...water them yes but not flush the soil...you can go with the fox farm happy frog as well if your worried about strong soil but the ocean forest is just fine just takes longer before you need to add nutes :D ....also personally i wouldnt worry about over feeding, its pretty hard to do in soil...i usually give a full regimen once a week and water twice a week..if you are watering only one time a week feed them on every watering but you may go 3/4 strength if you feel its better by looks..a plant will always tell you within a few days of feeding it if it was the right amount, the tips of leaf blades will start to burn ever so slightly and when you see this tip burn juuuuuuust beginning thats when you know youve fed it all it can handle without giving it enough to hurt it. as you get them under the hps they will dry out faster and you may need to water twice a week, dont get so used to watering once a week that you dont notice this
 

supchaka

Well-Known Member
I didnt read everyones responses, but if you're using Ocean Forest I'd only use water until the plant starts to yellow, which may never even happen depending how long you veg. I have some plants now that were like 3 weeks into flower before I gave them anything and they vegged several weeks too. Its a good soil IMO as long as you dont add anything to it too soon!
 

intenseneal

Well-Known Member
I only use the Pro Grow and Pro Bloom form Botanicare but I like their calmg as well. Be careful feeding the Grow when using FFOF soil when I switch to it I could not feed the Grow nute at all in veg without getting burn, not even 1ml per gallon. The rest of the nutes I use are from GH I use their GO line calmg+ and Bio Root as well as their sweets.
 

SSHZ

Well-Known Member
Much of this also depends on the strain........as some can take more and others less. It always takes me a crop or two to learn what a strain likes but always go light initially as I found the Botanicare charts are ramped up a bit- I'm guessing so you'll use more fertilizer quicker.
 

kermit2692

Well-Known Member
you wont be over feeding with that you will be fine...watch for deficiencies to increase dose or slight slight tip burn will indicate your feeding schedule is good
 
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