Questions regarding first time grow in AG

A

antipeterleague

Member
Hey all, hoping to get a little help here. the AG guides stickied are amazing, though i'm hoping to get a few things clear.

I have recently acquired an AG system. Already ordered 5 feminized lowryder#2 seeds, only cause they seem pretty easy to handle.

So my questions:

fan: should i put a fan in my grow cabinet? if so, does it have to be sticking out? or is it fine just in there circulating the air?

nutrients: since the lowryder is autoflowering, should i be following the foxfarm feeding schedule?
also, the official lowryder grow guide says:
" During the first two weeks of growth, Lowryder should be weekly light feedings of a “grow” type nutrient solution, with micronutrients. When plants pass into full flower, they should be started on a “bloom” regime for weeks 4 through 6."

so do i ONLY use "grow big" for week 1/2? and after that should i be using tiger bloom or big bloom?

any help is appreciated!
 
L

leova

Well-Known Member
antipeterleague said:
damn what do i need to do to get some help around here :-(
Click to expand...
anything but that. Last thing you want to post on a help forum is "OMG BITCHES ITS ONLY BEEN 1 DAY WTF OMG HELP ME OMG!!!!11ONE" :wall:


that said...you want a fan in there, yes, to circulate air and create thick hearty stems. Wind = strong stems, since they have to stand up to the airflow. Sticking out or not, whatever works :)

as for your plants, only go with the Grow nutes for the first couple weeks, if at all. Many people say no nutes for the first week or two, so play it by ear. Go nute-free for a week, see how things go, then the next week use a VERY WEAK 1/4 or even 1/8-strength nute solution, see how they react.
then adjust accordingly :)
 
A

antipeterleague

Member
sweet that helps! i was worried i'd have to make a big hole in my cabinet so i can stick a fan through there. so should the fan be on at all times? and should it just be pointing to the plants?

i'm having a hard time wrapping my head around the nutrients and the feeding schedule. let's say i wasn't growing the autoflowering strain, and were to follow the feeding schedule, the first week for example, would i be feeding my plants 2tsp of grow big AND 1tbl of big bloom per gallon?

also what's the volume of the reservoir? do the amounts of nutrients change depending on how many plants i'm growing? and do you guys ever perform the reservoir flush?

i think nutrients are the most complicated thing for me to understand right now. i got everything else down, just not the nutrients. i'm also waiting till i get back from my end-of-summer road trip to start this, and i'm trying to get all the info i need beforehand, to not fail my first time! (who wants to perform badly their first time :lol:)

cheers!:weed:
 
L

leova

Well-Known Member
so should the fan be on at all times? and should it just be pointing to the plants?
Click to expand...
yes, 24/7 is best, but you want it pointing just above the plants, or at them but not too strong. you want a breeze, not a hurricane...

let's say i wasn't growing the autoflowering strain, and were to follow the feeding schedule, the first week for example, would i be feeding my plants 2tsp of grow big AND 1tbl of big bloom per gallon?
Click to expand...
in THEORY, yes...but when starting nutes, always start at 1/4 strength(so 0.5tsp of Grow and .25 TBL(.75tsp) of Bloom. And no nutes, or very VERY little, for the first 1-2 weeks of seedling growth, so as not to shock/burn em
also what's the volume of the reservoir? do the amounts of nutrients change depending on how many plants i'm growing? and do you guys ever perform the reservoir flush?
Click to expand...
i measured the AG out to hold approx 100oz of water(after including airstones, base, and some minor rootmass)
nute amounts are based on WATER amount, not plant amount. naturally, more plants = more water usage, so youll want to replenish it often
reservoir flush is A NECESSITY every few days. Most people do it 1/week. Salts and leftover nutes build up over time, if you dont flush occasionally your plants will suffer
 
L

leova

Well-Known Member
i think nutrients are the most complicated thing for me to understand right now.
Click to expand...
its just like adding sugar to iced tea.
You vary the amount of sugar based on the amount of tea, and on how sweet you want it to be. If you oversugar it, it tastes like shit. If you undersugar it, ittastes like shit. It's gotta be just right...
And over time, leftover sugar gathers at the bottom of the bin. If you don't clean it often, it gets crusty and not-good
 
A

antipeterleague

Member
so should i not go by the tsp/tbl amounts on the chart? i guess i can figure out the ratio of the nutrients to be added. thanks a lot for the help.
 
L

leova

Well-Known Member
you're asking if you should totally ignore the instructions on the product you use? heck no! that's stupid... but read what I posted above, when you asked about Nutes the first time

the nute-instructions are based on lots of different things, including older plants, plants in soil, outdoor, and so forth
 
L

leova

Well-Known Member
nah, just use the amounts as you normally would
1 gallon = 128 ounces. The AG holds approx 100oz of water, so if you start with 1/4 strength and work your way up, you'll be just fine
 
"SICC"

"SICC"

Well-Known Member
leova said:
nah, just use the amounts as you normally would
1 gallon = 128 ounces. The AG holds approx 100oz of water, so if you start with 1/4 strength and work your way up, you'll be just fine
Click to expand...

exactly what he said
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top