ok. that is not the way to water in soil. take note of the dry weight of the pot. then water till a bit of run off comes out. then feel the weight again. take note of it. now when the soil dries almost to the point of the plant wilting then water again the same way.
the ph of the soil i like to keep arond 6.3 to 6.8 the nutes are more avaliable at that range. i saw a chart on here about what nutes locked out aty what ph level i woill try to find it again. i like my nute mix at the same level. i wouldn`t nute untill about 3 weeks in. yes use 1/4 mix to start.
if you used the timer it may throw you off. the plants may not drink up that much or to much and will cause you more grief than it`s worth. and it is to much watering, they need to dry up. they actualy like it a bit on the dry side in my experience