Here to help... Ask me anything

i used soil and perlite about 60 40 ratio and all is ok,so im guessing you would be ok with 50 25 25

Hello, still stuck. going to be using an aeroponic system and I have a question about transplanting. I went 10 for 10 germinating the seeds with the paper towel method. I transplanted the 10 into peat pucks that are thoroughly moistened but not excessively. All 10 went into a the little dome, where they have all broken through and most have the 2 starter leaves. This is my first grow, the setup I'm using puts the plant in a 2" neoprene collar. I don't know how to tranfer the seedling with peat pot attached into the aeroponic chamber without the peat pucks clogging up my water pump. Is there an easier/less shocking way to transfer the seedlings to their vegetative grow chamber. Can I pick or soak the peat moss of off the seedling. Please help. Thanks to everybody

Heres a link to my grow https://www.rollitup.org/grow-journals/175045-my-secret-stealth-closet-clonestand-2.html any advice would be greatly appreciated. Tonight I installed an exhaust fan above the hood and am officially broke as all hell. Hopeing to have a lil money first harvest. Flushed the sweet tooth a week ago. But its for smoking, the blueberry are a month into flower. Any advice would be great. Managed to get temp at plant tops to 80 and humidity to 45-50% in bud room. Have a few questions in my post like when to start the 2/45/28 nut etc. Again any advice would be money.

yea i was wondering if you could tell me how bad one plant would smell i dont know what strain it is it was jsut a random seed i have a frebreeze airfreshener an air ionization and a humidifer so i have a heavier air in my room would my room smell bad thanks

your in the clear. shes lookin pretty. just keep up the normal routine water light etc. and she should great

I hope ya'll like the shot's I've taken over the last couple of days...

Somewhere between 55 and 60 Damn leap year... I started 12/12 on 1-25-09

And my man machine

Check out this snake I found in my grow room...

Say Im setting up a Aerogarden pro200 set up, and this is my first time every doing this. Do you have any advice or starting out should i germ my seeds first of just put them in the pods. What kind of nutes should I use. What advice can i get on cloning how do u tell if its male or female, how long should I take before flowering and budding process is there different nutes i should use for each process

Hey master, I have had this one particular clone off a Big Bang mother for about a month now. I also cut another more recently and it also has the same problem- they are just not growing. I immediately planted them into soil after applying the cloning solution, TakeRoot, and have waited a while for them to do something, anything really. But nope. They still have a pretty strong stem so I'm pretty sure they're still alive. I'm aware they are yellowing so i tried pouring some Superthrive/VF-11/Earthjuice/Miracle-Gro water in them a few days ago but to no avail. They are under 2 14w Flouro tubes and 2 24w 5000k CFLs. These are my first clones ever. What should I do?

thanks

some great buds there master, love the snake just chillin there, didnt bother the plants did he?

I plan on transporting some young plants started from seed, about 4-5 hours away, as starting them there isnt an option. These will be aprox. 3 weeks to a month old or no more than about 3 nodes whichever comes 1st. (maybe I fridge em to make em dormant to keep em smaller?)I will have em under 80 watts of cool white in prep. Kinda scary deal actually!
Should I dome these in humidity? Think trunk would be ok? It can get hot in a trunk, but it wont be real hot yet, but that may not matter if in trunk. Ever done this before? Im not real experienced starting from seeds but these will have a decent start as im starting in tree bark rapid rooters. Any suggestions would be appreciated thanks.

Oh yes those Texas buds looking fine, and i agree the snake is awesome, nice to have a surprise like that when u go in to say hello to your ladies! BTW is it just the pic or was the snakes eyes cloudy and ready for a shed?

my flowering room is 10x10x8 and my veg/clone room is 5x5x8

im about 2 order everything and ill list the important stuff...

-3 EYE Hortilux High Pressure Sodium Bulb (HPS)
-3 HydroFarm ValuBrite 6" Air Coolable Reflector
-3 CAP 600W NEXTGEN 90v-260v Electronic Ballast
-1 30 Amp Timer Box
- Fox Farm Big Bloom for Soil
- Fox Farm Grow Big For Soil
- Fox Farm Ocean Forest organic potting soil(1.5 cu. ft)
- ph up and down +ph hanna testing meter
- mylar 2mill


also taking a 9hr trip 2 canada 2marrow 2 pick up 5 strains from a reputable dealer..they are if anyone would like 2 know

-ak-47
-bubblegum
-blueberry
-nyc diesel
-g-13



+ all the other stuff i didnt add in like fans/insect strips/molasses/heating mat/carbon filter/fans/flouresents/buckets/cloning soultuion and all that stuff but my total comes out 2 be about $2,300

im holding off for one more day 2 order cuz i still have a few more questions i need answered....

-what size blower/fan do i need for my 10x10x10 room i was thinking about a 700cfm?
-how many flouresent t5's and watt's would i need for 5 mother plants and 30 clones


any other advice on my equipment or set up is welcome. Iv saved up awhile for this and i want 2 make sure its all right b4 i spend $200-400 on some fans that arent even the right ones...

i will post some picks in about a week once it is all set up and will deffinitly have weekly updates

im not just another kid thinking hes cool iv been passionate about growing weed now for a year or so... makes me so mad when i see my friends pick up a qp or somthin and its not dried right or the dude threw in a bunch of leaves 2 add weight... growing is more then just getting weed its going 2 completely take over my life and im completely dedicated 2 it .....

i just wanted 2 let u all know that so any time u waste helping me will not be going 2 waste


also do i need a fan for each reflector since they are air cooled and do i need a fan 2 blow air out and one 2 suck air in

ok ...its a newbie question but what to do, cant learn witout asking. is 20 (light) 4 (dark) good for little plants not more than 2 1/2 - 3 weeks old?

CombatSkill said:

ok ...its a newbie question but what to do, cant learn witout asking. is 20 (light) 4 (dark) good for little plants not more than 2 1/2 - 3 weeks old?

Click to expand...

yea thats perfect. you can even go down to 18hrs of light and 6hrs of dark. i just let them go on for 24/0.

Can you tell us/me the exact steps for checking soil pH with a pH pen or similar AND how to prepare the in-going water in order to raise or drop the soils pH?
Thanks.
If I could get a grip on this, I'd be thrilled.

MrFishy said:

Can you tell us/me the exact steps for checking soil pH with a pH pen or similar AND how to prepare the in-going water in order to raise or drop the soils pH?
Thanks.
If I could get a grip on this, I'd be thrilled.

Click to expand...

Contributed by: bald1
Submitted: January 9th, 2005

How to test the pH of your soil mix

Measuring the pH of soil is just as important as with hydro applications, but few people know how to test soil pH to see if it is within the optimum range for growing robust healthy plants. Here I will try to explain my method of testing any soil / soilless mix, enabling me to spot any problems and correct them if necessary.

Firstly, wait till your soil has dried out and is due for its next watering schedule. Then take some plain water that you usually water your garden with, and adjust the pH to 7.0. You must make sure that you know the exact pH of the water going into your soil, and the neutral 7.0 is best, but anywhere from 6.5 – 7.0 will suffice.

Then place your pot into a bowl of some sort to catch the runoff water, and then start to water your soil slowly (with your pH- corrected plain water) till the water starts to drip from the bottom.
It’s the first drops of water that will give you the best reading of your soil, so make sure to water slowly till you see the first droplets. Then remove the pot from the bowl to eliminate excess water entering the bowl. Then perform the pH test on the runoff and compare it too your initial test.
The results of the runoff test will likely be lower than your starting value of 7.0. If this is the case, a small drop of 0.5 pH to 6.5 pH (example) would be ok and your soil needs no further alterations at the moment. But that’s not to say that it won’t need any future tests at all, just not at this time.

[Editor’s note: It may be beneficial to obtain an initial sample, as well as a ‘full flush’ sample in seperate bowls. In addition, test several plants in the garden just to verify your results]

What if the pH is off?
If your results prove to have dropped considerably, say to around 5.5 (which can happen in late stages of flowering), you will need to add some lime into your soil to help buffer the pH back up again.

Remove the first inch or so of soil, taking care not to damage any roots whilst performing this task. Then sprinkle the lime into the pot, nice and evenly at a rate of 1 teaspoon (5 ml) of lime per gallon of soil. Then replace the soil you removed earlier, and saturate the soil good to wash in the lime.

Do the same test next time your plants need watering just to check that everything is fine, if more lime needs to be added then just repeat the process again till you reach close to 6.5 – 7.0 with the runoff.

Ensuring that your pH is correct should be done throughout the life cycle; this will help eliminate any nutrient lockout that may occur. I recommend doing this once a month just to keep the PH in check, and you should never have a problem with deficiencies caused by pH lockout.

MrFishy said:

Can you tell us/me the exact steps for checking soil pH with a pH pen or similar AND how to prepare the in-going water in order to raise or drop the soils pH?
Thanks.
If I could get a grip on this, I'd be thrilled.

Click to expand...

Contributed by: Dowzer
Submitted: June 23, 2003

How can I raise or lower the pH of my soil mix?

Growing in soil and adjusting pH levels

A lot of gardeners have trouble with the pH of their soil. A high pH can lock out needed nutrients and mimic other problems like Fe and Mg deficiencies. The biggest mistake new growers make is to try and correct pH problems too quickly. The first step in determining if high pH is the real problem, is to pick up a good pH tester. Don't be afraid to shell out the cash for a good one, it's well worth it!

Here are some recommendations: (All sell for under $100.00)

1. Milwaukee makes two styles of hand-held pH meters. A small "pen" called the Sharp and the larger Smart Meter. Both are easy to use. The Sharp pens are splash-proof (although not totally waterproof), and have a large easy to read display. They also have a detachable, replaceable probe.

2. Oakton - Same type of pH tester as Milwaukee makes, but it's made a little better imho. These are totally waterproof. (It floats.)

3. Shindengen ISFET pH Meters are state-of-the-art pH pens and work with a totally different method of measurement. This pen uses a solid state Ion Sensitive Field Effect Transistor (ISFET) instead of the fragile glass electrodes used by traditional pH pens. They have replaceable tips that change from opaque to clear when they need to be changed.


What is pH, and what do the terms acidic and alkaline mean?
The acidity or alkalinity of the soil is measured by pH (potential Hydrogen ions). Basically it's a measure of the amount of lime (calcium) contained in your soil, and the type of soil that you have. A soil with a pH lower than 7.0 is an acidic soil and one with a pH higher than 7.0 is considered to be alkaline. A pH of 7.0 is neutral.


Adjusting your soil pH :
Once you have determined the pH of your soil with a good tester, you can amend the soil if needed to accommodate the plants in your garden using inexpensive materials commonly available at your local garden center.

Adjust soil pH slowly over several days time, and check pH often as you go. Radical changes in pH may cause osmotic shock damage to the roots.


Raising soil pH : (to make it more alkaline)
It is generally easier to make soil mixes more alkaline than it is to make them more acidic. The addition of dolomite lime, hardwood ash, bone meal, crushed marble, or crushed oyster shells will help to raise the soil pH.

by MisterIto
In soil: add dolomite limestone to the soil; use small amounts of hydrated lime.

Raising hydroponic pH : (to make it more alkaline)

In hydroponics: use potassium silicate, provides silicon at an effective doseage.
In bioponics/hydro-organics: add small amounts of sodium bicarbonate or lime.

Lowering soil pH : (to make it more acidic)
If your soil needs to be more acidic, sawdust, composted leaves, wood chips, cottonseed meal, leaf mold and especially peat moss, will lower the soil pH.

by MisterIto
bloodmeal/cottonseed meal during vegetative; bonemeal during flowering.

Lowering hydroponic pH : (to make it more acidic)

In hydroponics: use nitric acid during vegetative; phosphoric acid during flowering.

Contributed by: Spiritual.Fa
23-08-2003

Stabilizing pH with Dolomite lime

The best way to stable PH is by adding 1 ounce of Dolomite Lime per 1 gallon of planting soil.

Dolomite Lime is available in garden nurseries. Buy the fine Dolomite powder (There may be several kinds of Dolomite like Rough, Medium, Fine)

Dolomite Lime has been a useful PH stabilizer for years, since it has a neutral PH of 7 when added to your soil it stabilizes your soil at PH 7.

Mix the dry soil medium and dolomite together really well, give the mix a good watering then after the water has had chance to settle and leech into the soil a bit give the mix a really good stir. Then water the soil/lime mix and give it another stir

Best plan is to mix fine dolomite lime into your mix before planting. Fine Dolomite will help stabilize your pH; however, if the ph becomes unstable or changes, you can then use Hydrated Dolomite Lime. Add some of the hydrated lime to luke warm water and give it a good stir then water your plants with it. Give the plants a good watering with this hydrated lime added and your PH should fall or rise back to 7

Other Benefits of Dolomite Lime

Dolomite lime is also high in two secondary nutes that can often be overlooked by fertilizers; dolomite is high in both (Mg) Magnesium and (Ca) Calcium.

i am brand new to growing i am starting within the first 2 weeks of next month i am going to grow 12 plants i was thinking of getting a 1000 watt hps or maybe 2 600 watts and i am going to use pots to grow in i will be growing in my basement and is pretty cold down there how cold can it be for weed to grow in or what would be a good way to heat it up also what would be a good soil mix to buy or the best way to grow in pots also how much water do i give each plant and how offten do i water each plant pleas help

Just a simple question regarding total time in weeks from sprout to harvest of your average bagseed. would 2 months veg and 6 weeks flower work?

I started a plant around Jan 8th. It is growing nice. You can see n my pics on profile. It is about a foot right now. Second laver of 5 leafs growing. How long before sex can be determined? and how long before i can get bud from it? Very getto set up. Just one plant ,tinfoil and plant grow light. thanks