When do I change from using Grow Big to Big Bloom?, etc?

Hello again,
Yep, I'm a newbie, and this is my first grow with "real" seeds. My previous grow was with a handful of unknown seeds that grew in all different sizes and shapes. It was interesting, and the weed not too bad, but I'm trying to get some medical relief, so I spent the money for some Afghan and AK 47 seeds. I got 5 each, feminized. Nine survived. One poor girl died at birth when I didn't see the seed head on top when it came up. Anyway, they're about 3+ months old, in 15-20 gallon pots outside, and the AK47 are starting to bloom. The Afghan are showing signs, but take 76 days instead of 47.
My question is actually twofold. I'm using Fox Farm Grow Big right now, and I know I'm not ready yet, but don't know when to change to the Big Bloom. I know not to change too early so I don't loose the nitrogen, but I don't know what to look for. Part of my problem is that I don't know when "blooming" looks like. Right now, I have some "bud" looking growth starting where leaves should be. Is that the "start" of blooming? When I count "47" days, when do I start?.... I know this might sound silly, but I just don't know and don't really know where to find the answer.
I do know it will be a different time for each since they have different blooming times, but would like to get it right. They aren't perfect plants....not as bushy as I'd like, but I'd sure like to get as much as I can from them.

oh-- I forgot. When I ordered the Fox Farm, it also came with "Tiger Bloom"...is that good for MJ?

thanks a bunch!

I guess no one knows, or it isn't important enough to answer????
Actually, I don't think either of those is the reason there are no responses. I really would like to know...any one????

High Susanne

Likely no one answered because you're not supplying that much info for people to know what's going on with your plants. Pictures do say a thousand words so a shot or two of the whole plants and some closeup shots of what you think might be buds would really help. Especially under normal light.

Do you know how many hours/day light there are where you're at? It's prime time for vegging plants in the northern hemisphere so they shouldn't be flowering unless you moved them outside recently and there area few less hours outside than what they got indoors.

I don't use those nutes but if your plants are beginning to bloom then you want some bloom nutes in there and from what I've heard about Tiger Bloom it should be part of the early bloom feeding. I'm sure there's adequate N in the soil and the Bloom nutes. Their website probably has lots of info about their use.

The stuff you are asking about is easy to find out in the many stickied threads in the beginners sections and using the search function will likely bury you in possibilities if you care to look.

Download Jorge Cervantes, Marijuana Grow Basics from the following link for a ton of info for all your growing queries.

I found a great spot to download FREE POT BOOKS. I
downloaded a grow bible first and got lots more. Books look great and complete like the real ones I have here. No web site but just a page of links. Just right click on what you want and then "Save Link As" to download so they don't open first as some are 50+ megs. They got lots. Enjoy.

Thanks. I got overly worried this years since I spent $$ on the seeds instead of using bag seeds. I want the best results I can get. I've spent hours going through threads, but maybe not the right ones. I'll check out the ones for beginners; maybe I missed something. I think the bag seeds were more like "weeds" in their ability to not need so much. These are losing leaves: yellowing and spotting, so I started using more nutes than before, .....and, found from another thread where I was asking about that, that I was using too much....sigh.

My husband has a problem with me posting the photos, and you're probably going to laugh. First, I really don't want them on my phone since even when deleted, they are on there for another month....with the location where they were taken. He is concerned that if I post them, that somehow someone can find all the information from them.......... I think he's wrong, but told him I'd ask before I posted. I don't know if anyone knows for sure, but maybe you have an opinion or even know for sure? thanks.

I'm not sure of the amount of light they are getting. When I go out at 9:45am, which is about as late as I can go with the heat, they still don't have any sunlight . It's just behind a BIG tree, and looks like it will peek out after about 10am or so. It gets too hot for me to go out there any later to see. I'm ill, and it gets up to 95+ every day now, and I can't take the heat. The plants are stretched, so I know they don't have enough sun. Next year, my husband will clear some of the brushy stuff around it, but the big trees have to stay. Hopefully, that will make more sunlight available. He's run a hose (and hidden it VERY well all the way out there, so we can't move it without a LOT of trouble. Anywhere else on the land would also be too far away for a hose (it's already several 100' hoses together).
thanks for your answer. I'll check out all the reading.

Your hubby is right to be concerned. Damn smart phones are too smart for our own good sometimes but you can just go into your settings and turn off the location setting for pictures tho it might turn it off for everything. That way your location won't be embedded in the photos EXIF file. I've checked photos that are uploaded here for their EXIF data and it seems to get stripped out by the website itself so the photos show no data at all. You can download free EXIF data tools off the interweb to view and edit the data yourself to make sure pics are free of GPS data that can reveal your location.

I'm fairly paranoid about all things pot related so use TOR as my browser to hide my real IP address, use a secure email addy with a phony name and take my pics with a 20mp digi cam that doesn't even know what GPS is. Don't own a damn smart phone either nor do I take pics of my plants with the pay-as-you-go phone we do have for the rare occasions when we need one even tho I have the GPS set to only work if we dial 911 for help. I also crop and resize my pics on the computer before uploading them so they are a much smaller file size yet still sharp and clear. I find 4" wide at 300ppi makes a nice pic around 500kb or less.

How many plants have you got going that you need to run a hose out to them? Could be your tap water that is causing problems as well if it's loaded with chlorine or chloramine which is used by many cities to treat their water. Lots of town water has minerals in it that build up in the pots and also cause problems especially if it's hard water with a high level of dissolved solids like carbonates, sodium. manganese etc. Should contact your supplier for a water quality report just so you know what you and your plants are drinking. Town water is horrible here so we buy RO water for ourselves and my plants. We don't even have town water and get all our house water from a large dugout on my property. PPM is about 400 with a pH of 8 so I don't want to use it on the plants.

Hopefully those books will give you a lot of good info to help you get the most out of those expensive seeds and once you get a few grows under your belt you'll be helping the nOObs grow decent pot too.

Good luck and good growing!

Thank you for your detailed reply. I'm glad to know he's not just paranoid. Sounds like you've done your homework. Thanks for the good information.

We have nine plants . I can't carry water that far out, as I'm very weak, with fibromyalgia. I couldn't expect my husband to lug water out that far, either...and, he's pretty strong for a 66 yr-old . The first year we tried growing, we had jugs of water for only 4 plants (it was actually the 3rd year- the first, the plants were in the ground, and were mysteriously chopped down after about a month; Then, the 2nd year were 4 plants. and they weren't that far out, and were in pots this time. It was a chore! They were chopped down just before harvest....Turned out to be termites. We found them in the pots. Now we spray the ground with Dominion 2L before plant each year, and that solved that! thank goodness. We live in the country, and are lucky to have water from a small town that doesn't over-chlorinate. So, that's not a problem. We don't even have to buy water for ourselves to drink, like we did when we lived in the city.

I've downloaded the first book you mentioned, and will start reading it today.

thanks again!

Look for fox farms feeding schedule online and follow it BUT START AT ABOUT HALF the dose. You should have been doing both during various feelings. They are very salt heavy Nutes so lighter feeds are recommended.

Damn bugs eh.

Glad I could help and hope you get a great harvest this fall! I'm too far north around the 60th for plants to finish in time to beat the frost so stick to indoor growing. I've vegged some outside and the long days really grow them fast but then they end up with thrips and mites so it's a bitch to spray them down to bring them in for flowering or my indoor plants will get the bugs too. We live right on a highway so outdoor plants are hard to hide as well. Time to invest in some good auto seeds and grow them in my north woods.

My mom has the fibro too and figures I have it. The imported docs up here don't have a clue and just want to toss pills at me so medicate on my own I will. Going out to BC in late August for her 90th b-day and find a doc to renew my medpot status.

I find it hard enough to pack those 5gal jugs of water downstairs and I'm only 62. Lot easier bring them back up.

@OldMedUser , Sorry about your mom...and, possibly you. But, you're right about the docs! If you think the ones up there don't have a clue, it's totally backwoods down here in the south! They have NO idea what to do and I have to travel 2 hours just to find a Dr who knows anything and will treat me. ...
At least the pot helps the nausea. It's the only thing that really does. It's one reason I'm growing it. I'm hoping to grow more next year and make edibles. I don't have enough plants to make much this year, but I'm saving leaves and will try to do at least something. I've also been dx with high blood sugar, and the sugar free edibles are WAY too expensive to use for the nausea. I prefer edibles to smoking during the day since it doesn't seem to cloud up my head so much.
Good luck with your plants, too!

Budzbuddha said:

Look for fox farms feeding schedule online and follow it BUT START AT ABOUT HALF the dose. You should have been doing both during various feelings. They are very salt heavy Nutes so lighter feeds are recommended.

Click to expand...

I found out a little late about using less....but, at least it didn't seem to hurt the plants. I'll be checking the feeding schedule. thanks, Budzbuddha.