Understanding Indoor Growing!

[mr.lightgr3en]

So I have been growing for about a little over 1 year now and I have learned alot from all of you guys thanks to (Rollitup)!
But I am still not officially an experienced grower. So I want to start this thread not only for me to take notes and refresh my memory but for some new people growing to understand growing.For me growing is an exciting hobbie to do its a job with a big reward at then end of it!

When I first started growing I thought it was as simple as through the seed in the dirt water and light. Which most part is but your plants need as much care for them as us humans do, but as we all know it's not that easy!
There are many ways you can grow, and you guys can figure that out somewhere else. I would like to talk about growing in (SOIL) only. I use to think any dirt was fine but it's NOT.
There are unique kinds of soil out their to make your fruits bigger and better and we all want that dont we =D!

Ok so like I said I am not an experienced grower im still learning myself which is the reason I started this thread. From what I know the basics are.

•SEEDS
•DIRT
•POTS
•WATER
•LIGHTS CFLS/HPS/LEDS/HIDS
•TEMPS
your temperatures should always be between 72-82f but 85f is okay no more then that.!

And most importantly since this is indoor growing a home for your BABIES to grow in.

•grow box or grow room lots of ways to grow your cannabis inside.

Their is alot more to learn about but I can't name it all...then what's the point of the thread lol.

Here are my questions as a learning grower.

•What's a good soil brand for
(seedlings)?
. I've used ffof but my babies always get over fertilized and get stunted.

•What's a good ph reader?
NEW GROWERS!! Do not let anybody tell you ph doesn't matter i believed it and im still always running into problems. Thinking its other deficiency's when i finally realized it might just be ph problems. So i want to go buy one but dont know which one.

•What exactly do you test with your ph reader. And how?
. Do you test your water out the tab?
. Do you test your water out the soil?
. Do you test your soils ph?
. Is their a ph reader that does all of that?

•What's a good soil for your plants in general after seedling stage?

•When exactly do you start feeding your nutrients?
. NEW GROWERS!!! If you are using nutrients be extremely careful and make sure you have learned everything about them or you will face consequences!

•Is to much light for seedlings bad?
. How much light is necessary for seedlings when sprouting?

Well that's all i have right now dont want to bury you guys with questions.
New growers feel free to ask your questions and ill try to help and or other rollitup growers will help.

Please if anybody has something rude to say dont even bother. Remember. We are all one group one community of growers we should all be getting along to bring justice to our happiness if growing.

i will have alot more questions and i would like only experienced growers to answer im tired of getting all this mixed answers from people who think they know what they're doing if you dont know please dont answer you just cause more problems for the new growers.

Hope this helps thank you guys
remember. Happy growers-Happy smokers!!!!

Happy growing everybody!

 

[Rancho Cucamonga]

The best seedling and clone soil mix I have used is Fox Farm Light Warrior. It's actually meant for seedlings. I transplant from small round pot to square 6" pot at about day 10-14. I then transplant from that square 6" to a 5 or 7 gallon fabric pot. Usually a smart pot brand or a local brand I get sometimes that's a bit taller and not as wide. In the square 6" I use 50/50 FFOF and Light Warrior. In final pots 90% FFOF or Organic Roots with a little chunky perlite, worm castings and dolomite lime. Never any burn issue throughout from soil.

Very true. pH matters. I was told this to early on and it screwed up my first grow. I grabbed the Oakton Ph eco testr original for about 60. There is a II model that reads something extra I don't need. I also have a 10 dollar ppm meter to test my tap water and early nutes doses.

Yes to all I guess. I use my pH meter to first see what the water is out of tap, I also allow it to sit for 24 hours not only to clear of chlorine and other materials but to allow it to come to room temp, watering plants with too cold water will shock and slow them.
I then check pH after I add my nutes and mix. My tap is usually 8 out of tap. If I'm just watering or using only calmag, or pro-tek ro any other additive that doesn't lower my pH I use Earth Juice's ph down, and up. And pH it to what I want going into soil. Natural pH up and down does not negatively affect soil or add salts to it. It's safe to use.
I also use pH meter to read runoff about every other or third watering/fed. I tend to water hard but not often, so I get a good 15-20% runoff. I use a hand battery powered pump to remove runoff from saucers and allow runoff to build up enough to use a turkey baster to remove and put into solo cup. I then use pH meter to read runoff and adjust accordingly next water/fed. Checking soil pH this way is fairly accurate. About a .1-.2 error rate on a good meter. So it's easy to maintain the proper pH. Then if and when you do have an issue it's easier to resolve being you know it's not a pH issue.

Being I transplant twice, and final pot is mostly FFOF or Roots Organic and both have a good charge to it for 2-3 weeks or so, I use very little grow nutes in veg. I begin my great white(root enhancer) at first transplant then FF Kangaroots soon after along with Microbe. I use Pro-tek very lightly every watering from week 2 to early flower, and calmag and epsom salt when I need them and in FFOF both are needed by mid-late veg. I introduce big bloom before big grow being big bloom is meant to be used from seedling all the way through the grow to harvest. I will begin tiger in early-mid flower and big grow a few times in early-mid flower. I also use all three FF solubles starting with Open Sesame late veg into early flower, then Beastie Bloomz for about 2-3 weeks in weeks 3-5, then Cha Ching until a week or two before harvest. I fed very light all the way through, usually 50% or less according to FF soil feeding chart. But, I fed heavy mid-flower espeically with my last dose of Beastie Bloomz and first of Cha Ching, then I fed weaker again. All strains fed differently but most plants do fine with weak nutes but most can also handle heavy nutes come mid flower, but not fo rlong periods and always with a good water only in between. I also use humic acid from mid-veg to mid-flower at half dose every other watering/fed and stop and switch to molasses from about week 4 to a week or so before harvest. With molasses I start with 2 tsp per gallon and end with almost 2 TBS per gallon. But my last week, usually for 5-10 days I only use water and do one big watering at the end and I consider that my flush, about 3 days later I harvest.

I use T5s for seedlings and clones, I get them as close as I can right away. I use two reflectors each with four 2 foot 24 watt T5 bulbs. They switch to 400 MH around day 25 for seed and day 14 for clones after they have been rooted and are removed from dome.

I have about 8 harvest under my belt but I have been around grow ops for about 6 years.

 

[Rancho Cucamonga]

Here are my three pots I use from seedling to harvest. First pot 100% Light Warrior. Second pot 50/50 Light Warrior/Ocean Forest. Third pot 80-90% Ocean Forest or Roots Organic 707 with chunky perlite, worm castings and dolomite lime. Final pots are 5 and 7 gallon smart fabric or similar fabric pots.

 

[mr.lightgr3en]

It sounds like you got it pretty much down.
but you have been growing for 6 years you said probably by that time ill understand everything you just said lol...
i understand though and thanks for the tip on soil for my seedlings i have been having problems with seedlings since i started growing first my soil wasnt the one it had no nutrients.
then i used MG wich burnt the shit out of them lol.
so then i used 50/50 MG and regular organic soil wich ended up bieng my very first harvest that one went well!
but i now know i can do better!
i moved up to ffof and i started with overfertalized seedlings so right now i have 50/50 ffof and organic potting soil
wich still seems like its doing some damage to 1 of my seedlings
it looks very healthy but my first set of leafs are dark dried brown tips i have no idea why?
im guessing its my ph which is the reason why im going on friday to get a ph reader. im going to look for the one you said.

I am already learning i had no idea i had to let my water sit! and like i said i get growers telling me what to do with them not even knowing what they are doing
from what i heard they said it doesnt matter if water is hot or cold as long as you water.
good thing i water and let the rest of my water sit in room temp.

what does all this do to your soil/grow?
chunky perlite, worm castings and dolomite lime.

ive heard alot of worm castings and bat guano is it nutrients as well?
if you add to much is it bad?

what kind of pots are those last ones looks kinda like just cotton fiber?
doesnt look plastic or glass?

thanks for the help by the way.

 

[SimonD]

I grow in soil. Pro-Mix, actually, and use Jack's Classic fertilizers excursively. No additives. Here's how my grow goes: Rooted clones are transplanted into 2gal posts and fed from the first watering. I've never measured pH. Never. 3-4 weeks later, as the fertilizer concentration reaches its max and the plants are LST's are ready to rumble, they're flowered under bigass lights. Below are some examples of what I get (you can see more in the thread link'd in my sig). To review, these are the ingredients: Lights, fans, soil, and fertilizer. That's it. FWIW, my flowering rooms run at ~5F above ambient. No AC. How? An efficient ventilation system. No magic tricks. I'm not posting this to brag, but to illustrate a point. Most of the bullshit new growers concern themselves with will only lead to issues. Make this as simple as possible and isolate the relevant constraints. There's elegance in simplicity that leads directly to more bud. Good luck.

Simon

More?

 

[Doobiest]

SimonD, I agree with the "keep it simple, stupid" remark to an extent and completely for a newb who has never grown anything before. But I would also state that those complexities associated with growing make it much more interesting and fun to me and you never know, maybe with a few alterations, you could have produced another 20%. No offense intended. I`m as new as they come but I enjoy all of that knowledge that you`ve kinda deemed unnecessary. Again I mean no offense,I just think that lots of people enjoy trying new things and experimenting. Others probably enjoy starting from scratch and have their own methods and mixtures and take pride in their product. Ya know,...,

 

[SimonD]

]I`m as new as they come but I enjoy all of that knowledge that you`ve kinda deemed unnecessary. Again I mean no offense,I just think that lots of people enjoy trying new things and experimenting. Others probably enjoy starting from scratch and have their own methods and mixtures and take pride in their product. Ya know,...,

I know there are two ways to go about this: You can fuck around and play mad scientist following every braindead suggestion you come across, or you can grow lots of bud. Pick one.

Simon

 

[Kite High]

Simond speaks truth and is a very competent and successful grower...you will never get bs or hype from him...I assure you...listen he knows what he is talking about and what he is doing

you do not need or want 99% of what others will try to tell you you need...do not fall for the hype...there's a shitload of it...and it abounds mightily at this forum

 

[mr.lightgr3en]

Thats exactly what I would like to avoid playing ( mad scientist ) I would like to do a good perpetual grow.
I have my vegg box and flowering cab with 250w still waiting to get shipped in.
I am tired of having this messed up grows because im listening to this mad scientist to add this and add that.
I'm sticking with all fox farm products because I've seen some amazing grows with them but like you said SIMON I want to make it as easy as possible.

@SIMON if I get buds like yours I would be more then satisfied I'll be in heaven. Amazing bro!!!

Here is what I have:
•FFOF SOIL
•FOX FARM TRIO
. •GROW BIG FOR VEG
•BIG BLOOM
. •TIGER BLOOM
that's it so far what else would I need and how would I go about using this basically asking step by step.

I will be using (Fox Farm Light Warrior) for my seedlings since (rancho Cucamonga) gave me the advice of it and it is a Fox Farm product.

How long will this feed my seedling for and when should I start feeding nutes?

•What and when should I start feeding?
. I know grow big is a vegg. Nutrient. But going off the chart seems kinda scary to me basically over kill?
I will be doing tsp/gal.
Do I mix this nutrients all in 1 gal.?

Like I said I would like to keep it simple but experienced?
Meaning buds like (Simons)?

 

[mr.lightgr3en]

Look at those buds though you harvested what I got off of my first grow in 1 cola lol...

Massive bro!!!

 

[SimonD]

Thats exactly what I would like to avoid playing ( mad scientist ) I would like to do a good perpetual grow.
I have my vegg box and flowering cab with 250w still waiting to get shipped in.
I am tired of having this messed up grows because im listening to this mad scientist to add this and add that.
I'm sticking with all fox farm products because I've seen some amazing grows with them but like you said SIMON I want to make it as easy as possible.

@SIMON if I get buds like yours I would be more then satisfied I'll be in heaven. Amazing bro!!!

Here is what I have:
•FFOF SOIL
•FOX FARM TRIO
. •GROW BIG FOR VEG
•BIG BLOOM
. •TIGER BLOOM
that's it so far what else would I need and how would I go about using this basically asking step by step.

I will be using (Fox Farm Light Warrior) for my seedlings since (rancho Cucamonga) gave me the advice of it and it is a Fox Farm product.

How long will this feed my seedling for and when should I start feeding nutes?

•What and when should I start feeding?
. I know grow big is a vegg. Nutrient. But going off the chart seems kinda scary to me basically over kill?
I will be doing tsp/gal.
Do I mix this nutrients all in 1 gal.?

Like I said I would like to keep it simple but experienced?
Meaning buds like (Simons)?

Thank you for the kind words. As a general response to your questions, I don't know the answers, as I grow under a different set of constraints. Let me explain what I mean:

Fox far mediums - never used them. I know that some contain nutrients and other don't. Hell, I don't even know if I'm right about that. Same goes for their nutients, as they offer so much stuff and I have no idea what to do with any of it. Wouldn't even want to try. It's another thing at add complexity - meaning, a variance in yeild and consistency - for no real reason. At least that's how I see it.

Let me explain why I use what I do:

Pro-Mix - Essentially benign and nutrient-free. It allows for complete control on the part of the grower, while offering some buffering qualities. I like the B'cuzz product, as it doesn't need any additional Perlite - I use it right out of the bag - but any Pro-Mix will do with additional Perlite, if necessary. [Hell, in a pinch, I use MJ Moisture Control with additional Perlite.]

Jack's Classic (All-Purpose in veg and Blossom Booster in bloom) no additives of any kind - JC is a complete fertilizer developed by folks who know eons more about this discipline than I learned in my 45 minutes as a chemistry major in college. I trust them and the results speak for themselves, so I don't second-guess. My skill lies in other areas. FWIW, this isn't the only nutrient package I've worked with, but it's by FAR the easiest and most consistent, leading to ...what... more bud.

Once the nutes and the plants, themselves, are ready to go to the growers satisfaction - assuming, of course, the environment is under control - the two main factors now are space and light. Repeat after me - space and light. The way the plants are presented to the light, the space they're allotted relative to the former, and the light intensity will determine the scope and quality of your harvest. Al least that's my experience.

Simon

 

[mr.lightgr3en]

so your saying that you use no liquid nutrients?
you just go with your grow with whats in your soil.
seems pretty simple and seems to be working really amazing for you.

well hey i just came across a problem with my plant idk if its a big deal but im still concerned.
im getting a slight yellow/lightgreen coloring on the very tip of my leafs on all leafs?
you wouldnt happen to know what this defiecieny this could be?

 

[SimonD]

so your saying that you use no liquid nutrients?
you just go with your grow with whats in your soil.

I think you misunderstood. I use a medium (ie. soil) with no nutrients in it. The nutrients are added my me. JC fertilizers are powders, not liquids.

Simon

 

[UNKL L]

I think you misunderstood. I use a medium (ie. soil) with no nutrients in it. The nutrients are added my me. JC fertilizers are powders, not liquids.

Simon

I like how simple u keep it simon d aka simple simon lol. How often and how much do u add to ur soil?

 

[SimonD]

I like how simple u keep it simon d aka simple simon lol. How often and how much do u add to ur soil?

I don't add anything to the soil. If I did, it would take the control away from the grower. Not what I'm after. I feed with every watering: Jack's Classic All-Purpose in veg and Blossom Booster in bloom. That's it. No other nutes, no additives with fancy labels, no magic potions.

To review: Pro-Mix, Jack's Classic All-Purpose (veg) and Blossom Booster (flower). Nothing else, other than lights and fans. HTH

Simon

 

[mr.lightgr3en]

I wonder why noone else does this its simple for new growers and saves the massive headaches that you get with nutrients. And has great results.

Ok I got my ph tester.
What's the lowest and the highest my ph can be and what's were its suppose to be if anyone can help please?

 

[Kite High]

6.5 optimal...if growing in soil/soiless add a lil lime to the mix and worry not about pH. It is very very uncommon that pH is the culprit in soil/soiless mediums. I have a milwaukee pH pen that I havent used in years

 

[mr.lightgr3en]

Idk if this is a stupid question but you mean lime like Limon lime lol

I also heard vinegar helps it. Is it true?

 

[UNKL L]

The lime is a fertilizer u can get at Lowes think even wal mart. Not sure bout vinegar

 

[Kite High]

Idk if this is a stupid question but you mean lime like Limon lime lol

I also heard vinegar helps it. Is it true?

DOLOMITE LIME POWDERED

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