Im gonna try and list off as many myths surrounding growing that I have heard of. If I get anything wrong or if you have your own myths feel free to post 'em. I figured that
Newbie Central would be a good place for this so that people can learn and help people learn about these myths that are sometimes only hurting our plants instead of helping them.
This is by no means a complete list, nor do I claim to be an expert, but some of these are just common sense. If you have proof, not just "a buddies of mines friend said" kinda proof, but actual first hand experience or can show tests that have been done to prove that any of these are just myths, then I will take it off the list.
Miracle-Gro:
Myth: Miracle-Gro will kill your plants
Truth: It's a good soil if you know how to use it.
So many see this as an evil to growing marijuana because of all the bad rep around it. "Miracle-Gro kills your plants, my buddie used it and his plants were terrible and died." That's because your friend didn't know how to use Miracle-Gro.
Miracle-Gro comes with long release nutes in it, this is what kills most peoples plants. They see the long release nutes and think "great, I wont have to add much nutes to it". You don't have to add anything to it but water. Giving it extra nutes is a good way to poison your plant. The nutes are water soluble, so every time you water it gives your plant nutes. Over watering not only is bad for your plant in general, but with Miracle-Gro it also over feeds your plants.
Molasses:
Myth: It makes your bud sweeter. It makes your bud heavier.
Truth: It feeds your soil
Molasses is great for your plants, well it's great for your soil. Molasses does feed your plant a tiny amount of sugar (maybe 10% of the sugar from the molasses), but what it really does that helps out is feed the micro organisms in the soil. It gives the micro organisms carbs, sugars and trace elements. In return those organisms feed/protect/water your plants.
What it doesn't do is make your bud taste any sweeter. The only way your bud is tasting better is because of the benefits from the micro organisms in the soil helping your plant achieve it's full potential.
Nail In Stem Before Harvest:
Myth: A nail in the stem 2 days before, a week before, 2 weeks before harvest will get you a bigger yield
Truth: It only hurts your plants
There is an old myth that if you put a nail into the base of the plants stem that the plant will absorb some of the iron or copper from the nail or that it will increase resin production. Harming your plant as drastically as putting a nail through it is only going to stress your plant out and get a smaller yield.
Maybe it started because someone did it on accident and noticed that the buds weren't as big as on the other plants, but they looked more frosty in comparison, when in facts all it did was give you less bud.
Urine:
Myth: It will help your plant out
Truth: It will help your plant out (if you can get past the idea of using urine on your plants)
You see people bashing others for asking about using urine on their plants. Urine is actually a decent source of nitrogen as well as trace elements, it's ph balanced (unless you have PH issues yourself), it's sterile, no pathogens passed from you will have an impact on your plant as human pathogens don't effect plants the same way. there are some pathogens that you can pass on that may harm your plant but if you have healthy soil the other micro organisms in your soil will starve it to death.
Farmers in norway are using urine as a fertilizer for their crops because they saw how it helped their plants and it's a free source of fertilizer, which face it, in these days free is always good. You just have to get past the idea that you are using urine on your plants.
Nutes:
Myth:
Truth:
This one isn't so much a myth as it is common sense. You see all these fancy bottles with all these promises on them and the guy at the store told you that the more expensive one was better, so it must be right? People spend tons of money on their nutes. I see people using 6 or more different nutes/additives/snake oils in their grow, most of the products all come from the same company. Nute companies are just like the big pharm companies, they want your money and they want it any way they can get it. They split up different nutes into small bottles and then charge you a big price instead of giving you a more full complete formula in the first place. Read up on what is actually in all these different products with their fancy labels. You can get some generic nutes for a fraction of the cost and the same if not better results.
Topping:
Myth: Topping gives you 2-6 main cola's instead of just one
Truth: It makes the buds that would be smaller bigger, but you still get around the same amount of harvest.
When you top your plant you cut off the main cola. You no longer have a main cola. Instead of having 1 main cola, you now have 2-6 false main cola's. Instead of the plant putting all that energy and nutes into the main bud, it gives it to the buds that would have normally been smaller. The other buds look like smaller cola's but they aren't really main cola's.
Don't get me wrong, topping is great for keeping plants shorter, or just for the convenience of the drying and curing process of not having a soda can sized nug to worry about rotting lol.
CFL/FLOROs:
Myth: you can't get a decent harvest with CFL or FLOROS
Truth: you can get a decent harvest with CFL or FLOROS
HPS/MH is obviously going to out grow a CFL or FLORO set up most of the time. A lot of it has to do with knowledge and how much you use. Now most CFL growers are first time growers and they don't want to spend $120 for a HPS ballast, $120 for a hood and so on, they want to get a grow or two under their belt with CFL which are much easier to get and cheaper.
CFL growing is all about kelvin temperatures and lumens. Reading a CFL box can be confusing because it says 150w on the front, but it's actually a 48w that is comparable to 150 incandescent bulbs. Also you have to keep the bulbs much closer and need many more bulbs than you would with a HPS/MH
Femanized Seeds:
Myth: Gauranteed to be female
Truth: Not all are female and depending on the feminizing process that breeder used, you may end up with a higher percentage of hermies.
Femanized or not, you will always have a small chance of getting some males. It's just how it is, nature does what it wants. Femanized seeds may be herm seeds that come out female but with stress will herm on you. Don't expect a miracle out of these things.
Flushing 2 Weeks Before Harvest:
For soil only.
Myth: You have to flush your plants for 2 weeks before harvest or else it'll taste bad and be harsh
Truth: Flushing for 2 weeks before harvest only hurts your plants more than helps.
Now everyone has heard about this one. Most people actually buy into it and flush their plants. How and why did this myth start? I am not sure. What I do know is that it is unnecessary and in fact does more harm than good.
When you flush your plants for 2 weeks before harvest you are starving them. So they start to cannibalize, taking nutrients and minerals from it's leafs and diverting it all to the bud. So when you harvest you have this half dead looking plant, but it tastes better right? Wrong.
If you flush it or not, nutes from your soil and the rest of your plant are still going up into those buds when you flush it. Besides that nutes don't drain out of a plant that way, the plant has to use it and convert it to energy to get rid of it. So it's going to be in your nug anyway. All your doing is depriving yourself of more growth and more resin production.
Plants shouldn't be yellow when you harvest them. You don't start strawberry plants for 2 weeks before harvest to get the nute taste out of them do you? No, because it doesn't work that way.
12/12 from seed:
Myth: Low yield. some people don't even think it's possible
Truth: You can get a good yield if you give the plant what it wants. You most certainly can grow a plant 12/12 from seed.
Some people don't think you can start a plant 12/12 from seed. Some people don't think you can get a decent yield. Some people don't think. The plant is going to go through a veg cycle and stretching regardless of what light cycle you use to start off with. So if you give your plants what they want, then you'll get good results.
In fact 12/12 from seed is great for micro grows or stealth pc grows. 12/12 from seed is great for a grow that has height limitations or even for doing a small scrog
If you have any doubts check out this thread
del66666's 12/12 from seed thread.
Well this is all I can think of off the top of my head. If you know of any more, go ahead and post them and see if we can get a good list of myths so people know what to avoid.
*EDIT*
Added 12/12 from seed
If you guys can think of any more post em up, I wanna get a good list going to help people out.
*NOTE* This information pertains mainly to SOIL growing, not HYDRO or SOILLESS, I don't know anything about hydro so im not going to try and act like I do and sound like an idiot.
) yet he phoned me the other night and told me that he'd have money in a few weeks and that i should come over at the weekend and i can measure things up. Wait, why do i need to measure up for you? Ya look at what space you have, then look at what tents online fit said space... Essentially he's a lazy fucker and expects me to be at the end of the phone 24/7 to grow his plants for him. The last time he tried growing his research got him to buy a 400w hps, stick it in a wooden wardrobe covered in tin foil with no fans or ventilation with the hps bulb 6 feet above the seedling... Right now he won't stop talking about blue or red spectrum because someone mentioned it. Gah.
