What size pots?
If you use plastic pots I would highly recommend fabric bags its work very well with the #4 soil or ANY soil, I swear by them...my2cents
5 gallon buckets
I have never experimented with fabric pots, but I'm going to test them out when I do an outdoor grow this spring/summer. I don't use NFTG soils but I'm also going to test that out soon as well. Right now I just use my own homemade concoction of soil.
Fabric is the way to go, handles over watering better and just keeps lots of oxygen around the roots and builds insane fibrous root systems. Plastic pots work too but I would mix 10-15% more aeration to offset the conditions. I think homemade soil can work too, just takes more dialing in.....and I recommend at least 50/50 peat/coco as you need that coco for potassium&magnesium when using nectar. The thing that sets #4 soil apart is its built for the line and it is highly paramagnetic!! Its really not comparable to anything else out there.
The only thing that has prevented me from fabric pots is the cost haha. My neighbor gave me 18 5gallon buckets for free so I've been using those. The soil I am using right now is mixed with a lot of perlite/worm castings/peat moss; basically just some stuff I picked up from lowe's.
Btw I just did a slurry test on all 4 plants and they are all in the 6.3-6.5 range. Looks like i'm back on track
Plants should definitely be showing you she is back in range like Bubba said!! Now start feeding less volume and more often......I would ride out a couple more feeds on the higher ph end of whats recommended, like 6.6-6.8, then back feeds down to 6.4ish. It will get you limestone reserves in the soil that will buffer your feeds more and not allow the ph to crash again......within reason......but this is a general idea of what the tools can do for you if you know what I mean.The only thing that has prevented me from fabric pots is the cost haha. My neighbor gave me 18 5gallon buckets for free so I've been using those. The soil I am using right now is mixed with a lot of perlite/worm castings/peat moss; basically just some stuff I picked up from lowe's.
Btw I just did a slurry test on all 4 plants and they are all in the 6.3-6.5 range. Looks like i'm back on track
Yeah Foxfarm soils can be inconsistent and hot, can sometimes go 4-6 weeks without feeding depending on pot size. You will like the #4 soil, you will still need to dial it in to your fox farm nutes. You can email NFTG and they will send you a Sample kit of 6 quart size bottles plus Oly up ph adjust and bloom chaos for like $30 too..
From what I get out of it is new transplants into #4 soil with fox farm nutes. And to add to what bubba mentioned about the ph of Ocean forest running lower than nectar buffer, that's the whole "dialing it in" part I was talking about. Your going to have to figure out the best feed ph of the fox farm when the #4 soil is going to want to buffer to 6.8-7.0 as the media dries. You can check with fox farm to see what ph the nutes are most available at and ask what's the highest ph before they become plant unavailable. Or just experiment on your own to see what ph window works best. The whole thing with Nectar nutes is they go into the plant attached to calcium, which is best absorbed from 6.4-6.8, while salt based nutrients usually top out around 6.5 on the high side in soil. This is why #4 soil buffers to higher ph than most soil mixes, to work with the nectar line. I say use what you have, try to order a Sample kit of nectar, and like bubba said, ask any questions you might have. If you nail down a good ph range and don't over feed with the fox farm, I think you can get results. SLURRIES will be your best friend, don't go by your runoff ph!! Good luck and let us know how it goes.
I've got the ph covered, but I don't have a ppm meter, nor do I understand it very well. I've got my light at around 30" right now. They seem to like it.
Thank you, I did put in for the samples. I use fox farm at half strength. I'll keep you posted.
They look good. Are you going to transition to Nectar sample nutes on this grow?
I already had the FF stuff so I'm planning on using it unless I hear back on the samples, then I'll give them a try. I'd love to try them, although I don't know anything about them like I do FF. I've used them a long time.
Gotcha
