Beginning First Grow

[Medicated Bonsai]

Hello Everyone, I'm a new member to rollitup and also a new grower. I have just germinated my first seed and potted it into soil. I am growing with the sole purpose of personal consumption. I know growing cannabis is not an easy task. With this being said, I plan to make this a hobby of mine and I will also seek help via online forums.

Set Up

Grow Tent : 24"x24"x48"

Lighting : HLG QB 100 3k LED

Grow Medium : 60/40 FoxFarm Ocean Forest/Perlite

Water : Primo's Mineralized RO Water

PH up / PH down Solution

Health Metric Digital TDS PPM Meter

VANTAKOOL Digital PH Meter

Nutrients : House&Garden's "Roots Excelurator" and "Amino Treatment"
​

Since this is my first grow, I would like to keep things as simple as possible. Some may call me stupid but, I would like to grow my first plant with only water and little - no nutrients. Maybe some nutrients for the roots and silica for overall health. My reasoning behind this is as follows : Materials and Nutrients can get very expensive, How will I know if certain nutrients are effective if I don't know what natural growth looks like?, Is my light sufficient enough to fully cycle a cannabis plant without additional boosters? and, What is the most cost effective way to grow effective buds.
Some other things I plan to buy along the way are : Exhaust Fan with Carbon Filter, Oscillating Fan, Exhale CO2 Bag, Trellis Net, and Connoisseur Grow/Bloom Parts A&B.​

Any tips or advice will be appreciated! Cheers and Good Luck to you all!
-Bonsai-​

 

[doctordetroit]

Welcome, good luck, and don't get discouraged if something isn't just right
P.s. that soil should have enough nutes for 2-3 months just using water.

 

[Kushash]

Hello Everyone, I'm a new member to rollitup and also a new grower. I have just germinated my first seed and potted it into soil. I am growing with the sole purpose of personal consumption. I know growing cannabis is not an easy task. With this being said, I plan to make this a hobby of mine and I will also seek help via online forums.

Set Up

Grow Tent : 28"x28"x48"

Lighting : HLG QB 100 3k LED

Grow Medium : 60/40 FoxFarm Ocean Forest/Perlite

Water : Primo's Mineralized RO Water

PH up / PH down Solution

Health Metric Digital TDS PPM Meter

VANTAKOOL Digital PH Meter

Nutrients : House&Garden's "Roots Excelurator" and "Amino Treatment"
​

Since this is my first grow, I would like to keep things as simple as possible. Some may call me stupid but, I would like to grow my first plant with only water and little - no nutrients. Maybe some nutrients for the roots and silica for overall health. My reasoning behind this is as follows : Materials and Nutrients can get very expensive, How will I know if certain nutrients are effective if I don't know what natural growth looks like?, Is my light sufficient enough to fully cycle a cannabis plant without additional boosters? and, What is the most cost effective way to grow effective buds.
Some other things I plan to buy along the way are : Exhaust Fan with Carbon Filter, Oscillating Fan, Exhale CO2 Bag, Trellis Net, and Connoisseur Grow/Bloom Parts A&B.​

Any tips or advice will be appreciated! Cheers and Good Luck to you all!
-Bonsai-​

You have the right idea. Water only and watching for deficiencies is the way to go.
People who add fertilizers that don't need to be added have the worst problems.
Real deficiencies because the soil needs a nutrient are much easier to diagnose and fix vs a plant that is over fed.
The person above states the soil will be good for 2 or 3 months. I think it will be more like 4 to 6 weeks if the plant grows quickly.
It's more like 4 to 6 weeks without added perlite if a plant is grown well, maybe less than that with 40% perlite added.
40% perlite is a lot and some do great with it but for a 1st grow 20% may have been better.
I use 4 parts ro to one part tap to create 150ppm water and have some nutrients including calcium and magnesium in my water.
You may need some general organics cal/mag+ in small amounts to make up for the ro having no additional nutrients.
Good Luck!

 

[Medicated Bonsai]

Welcome, good luck, and don't get discouraged if something isn't just right
P.s. that soil should have enough nutes for 2-3 months just using water.

Sounds good, thank you!

 

[Medicated Bonsai]

You have the right idea. Water only and watching for deficiencies is the way to go.
People who add fertilizers that don't need to be added have the worst problems.
Real deficiencies because the soil needs a nutrient are much easier to diagnose and fix vs a plant that is over fed.
The person above states the soil will be good for 2 or 3 months. I think it will be more like 4 to 6 weeks if the plant grows quickly.
It's more like 4 to 6 weeks without added perlite if a plant is grown well, maybe less than that with 40% perlite added.
40% perlite is a lot and some do great with it but for a 1st grow 20% may have been better.
I use 4 parts ro to one part tap to create 150ppm water and have some nutrients including calcium and magnesium in my water.
You may need some general organics cal/mag+ in small amounts to make up for the ro having no additional nutrients.
Good Luck!

Is Cal/Mag deficiency associated with lighting? Would it be ok to mix Tap water with RO water if I spot Cal/Mag deficiencies in the future? Or is it better to buy it? Also, something i've been curious on, how do I treat a plant for deficiencies if the plant is still sufficiently watered (i'm afraid of overwatering in the process of treating)? Sorry for all these questions haha, Thank you for your insight!

 

[doctordetroit]

Kushash is more in the ballpark on the soil nutes with all these hybrid strains now a days.
Im a old head used to outdoor growing and I would just mix up a strong soil with natural stuff and only water the whole time.

 

[doctordetroit]

Dolomite can be added dry for cal/mag

 

[Medicated Bonsai]

Kushash is more in the ballpark on the soil nutes with all these hybrid strains now a days.
Im a old head used to outdoor growing and I would just mix up a strong soil with natural stuff and only water the whole time.

I'm a little worried about my growing medium now haha. Seems like there may be too much Perlite! Do you only add nutrients when the plant shows signs of deficiencies?

 

[Kushash]

Is Cal/Mag deficiency associated with lighting? Would it be ok to mix Tap water with RO water if I spot Cal/Mag deficiencies in the future? Or is it better to buy it? Also, something i've been curious on, how do I treat a plant for deficiencies if the plant is still sufficiently watered (i'm afraid of overwatering in the process of treating)? Sorry for all these questions haha, Thank you for your insight!

I've got to run. I'll check back tomorrow.

Here is a partial responce.
These are just my opinions so you can continue to do some homework to verify.

Is Cal/Mag deficiency associated with lighting?

That is something debated in the LED section.
I can't say not being an LED grower.

Would it be ok to mix Tap water with RO water if I spot Cal/Mag deficiencies in the future?

Depends on your tap water. Mine is very hard at 500ppms but has a lot of good stuff in it.
When cut with ro I'm still getting calcium and magnesium along with a number of other minerals.
It's different for everybody. Start by testing your tap with a tds meter (ppms) and if you can get a water report.
Some people can use there tap some can use well water but they know what's in it.
If you use only ro calcium and magnesium may need to be supplemented in some way.​

 

[Medicated Bonsai]

I've got to run. I'll check back tomorrow.

Here is a partial responce.
These are just my opinions so you can continue to do some homework to verify.

Is Cal/Mag deficiency associated with lighting?

That is something debated in the LED section.
I can't say not being an LED grower.

Would it be ok to mix Tap water with RO water if I spot Cal/Mag deficiencies in the future?

Depends on your tap water. Mine is very hard at 500ppms but has a lot of good stuff in it.
When cut with ro I'm still getting calcium and magnesium along with a number of other minerals.
It's different for everybody. Start by testing your tap with a tds meter (ppms) and if you can get a water report.
Some people can use there tap some can use well water but they know what's in it.
If you use only ro calcium and magnesium may need to be supplemented in some way.​

Sounds good, thank you for all the advice! TDS Meters and PPM's are something I've been curious about. The meter can tell you the amount of solvents via ppm but, there's no way to know what those solvent's consist of. Are they harmful for the plant? Are they beneficial?

 

[blake9999]

I know you said you on a budget and want to go natural, but come flowering time you will need to add nutrients, as the nutrients in the soil will be mostly depleted. My suggestion is to order a bag of Mega Crop for flowering time. You can get a free sample from the Greenleaf Nutrients website for the cost of shipping (around three bucks or so). I'm using it with great success as well as a good number of other members. That Fox Farm should have enough nutrients in it to get you through the first four to six weeks before deficiencies start to show up. Good luck and happy growing.

 

[Medicated Bonsai]

I know you said you on a budget and want to go natural, but come flowering time you will need to add nutrients, as the nutrients in the soil will be mostly depleted. My suggestion is to order a bag of Mega Crop for flowering time. You can get a free sample from the Greenleaf Nutrients website for the cost of shipping (around three bucks or so). I'm using it with great success as well as a good number of other members. That Fox Farm should have enough nutrients in it to get you through the first four to six weeks before deficiencies start to show up. Good luck and happy growing.

Any suggestions on a nutrient for veg.? Or is it not needed with the soil i'm using? Thank You!

I also wanted to update everyone on the plant. So uh...the solo cup that it was orginally planted in got knocked over about 12 hours after planting. Luckily the sprout seemed to be covered by soil and unharmed when I got to it. I replanted it into a bigger pot(a much bigger one) and seems to be doing well. The seedling has just started to sprout and the shell has broken the surface. I'm currently trying to figure out a way to upload mobile photo's onto here and will keep you all updated in the process of the entire growth cycle.

 

[blake9999]

Take that cover off of it. Too high of humidity for a seedling could dampen it off and kill it. The ONLY time you need to use a dome or cover is with clones. The plant needs to breath and needs fresh air. As far as the soil, the Fox Farm has enough nutrients to get you through the first four to six weeks before deficincies start to show. Mega Crop was designed for cannabis plants so use it as directed, they have a feeding chart on their website. If you need nutrients for veg just use the Mega Crop. It's a one part that can take you from seedling to harvest.

 

[meatplatter]

Any suggestions on a nutrient for veg.? Or is it not needed with the soil i'm using? Thank You!

I also wanted to update everyone on the plant. So uh...the solo cup that it was orginally planted in got knocked over about 12 hours after planting. Luckily the sprout seemed to be covered by soil and unharmed when I got to it. I replanted it into a bigger pot(a much bigger one) and seems to be doing well. The seedling has just started to sprout and the shell has broken the surface. I'm currently trying to figure out a way to upload mobile photo's onto here and will keep you all updated in the process of the entire growth cycle.

With the soil mixture you have listed, I would have to say you should be good with just water for about a monthISH like mentioned a few replies above. As far as nutrient suggestions, the sky is the limit - they ALL work - it's just HOW they are used and in what quantities IMO. A PH meter is a must if you ask me, you may not need it every time you water, but it's always a great tool on hand to troubleshoot issues, IE: run off... Veg nut's aren't a necessity (they do help if all your stuff is dialed in properly) but when you flip to flower you're gonna want some lovin' for the girls, especially for the 3 different flower stages...(early, mid, late).
I run cyco nut's, have the grow kit. I start veg nut's after about a week at 1/2 str for seedlings (tap water that I let sit out) or right from the get for clones. I have a Coco mix: 50%coco,30%FFOF,10% amendments,10% perlite & my ladies love it!
Enjoy!

 

[Medicated Bonsai]

Take that cover off of it. Too high of humidity for a seedling could dampen it off and kill it. The ONLY time you need to use a dome or cover is with clones. The plant needs to breath and needs fresh air. As far as the soil, the Fox Farm has enough nutrients to get you through the first four to six weeks before deficincies start to show. Mega Crop was designed for cannabis plants so use it as directed, they have a feeding chart on their website. If you need nutrients for veg just use the Mega Crop. It's a one part that can take you from seedling to harvest.

I’ll definitely give mega crop a try. Seems pretty simple rather than mixing a brew of several nutrients. And I’m glad you found my thread because I would’ve just left the cover on

 

[Medicated Bonsai]

With the soil mixture you have listed, I would have to say you should be good with just water for about a monthISH like mentioned a few replies above. As far as nutrient suggestions, the sky is the limit - they ALL work - it's just HOW they are used and in what quantities IMO. A PH meter is a must if you ask me, you may not need it every time you water, but it's always a great tool on hand to troubleshoot issues, IE: run off... Veg nut's aren't a necessity (they do help if all your stuff is dialed in properly) but when you flip to flower you're gonna want some lovin' for the girls, especially for the 3 different flower stages...(early, mid, late).
I run cyco nut's, have the grow kit. I start veg nut's after about a week at 1/2 str for seedlings (tap water that I let sit out) or right from the get for clones. I have a Coco mix: 50%coco,30%FFOF,10% amendments,10% perlite & my ladies love it!
Enjoy!

Yea I think I may try 100%CoCo or 80/20 with Perlite next grow. I have a feminized seed but I wanted to do a test run on a reg. seed first haha. It’s strawberry haze so it should be decent...if it’s a female.

 

[Medicated Bonsai]

Here are a few more pictures with the cover off of it.

 

[blake9999]

Yeah, you on day One with it. Just be sure and NOT to over water it. That is the biggest mistake new people make with seedlings. My seedlings I water every four to five days. Since you starting out in such a big pot, it may seem like it's growing slow at first. The roots need to grow and explore around and get established. Once that's done you should really see some growth from it.

 

[Medicated Bonsai]

Yeah, you on day One with it. Just be sure and NOT to over water it. That is the biggest mistake new people make with seedlings. My seedlings I water every four to five days. Since you starting out in such a big pot, it may seem like it's growing slow at first. The roots need to grow and explore around and get established. Once that's done you should really see some growth from it.

 

[Kushash]

I'm a little worried about my growing medium now haha. Seems like there may be too much Perlite! Do you only add nutrients when the plant shows signs of deficiencies?

Picture of the soil mix with perlite look pretty good relating to the amount of perlite.
Here is a link with info about a tds meter.
https://www.growweedeasy.com/ppm

Thought I was going to a simple chapel wedding last night at the Westgate in LV so I did a fair amount of drinking before the wedding thinking we would be in and out.
Little did I know it was going to be at the pool with barrels of beer in a cabana.

Nasty hangover! Great Party!​