I been growing for a few years now but I am still learning. I create my own super soil but I get confused how much I should feed my plants. I know I need to feed very little but how often? If I feed very little, is it ok to feed every watering or should I do every other watering?
If the medium has food in it, should I feed lightly every watering or every other watering?
- Thread starter Runtz82
- Start date
If you amend your medium, then hypothetically there’s no need to feed when watering. I’d course, u need to make sure to add in everything the plant will need for the immediate future. Most grows, mine included, require top dressing every so often after the initial mix runs out of gas.
I’ve experimented a ton using different mediums and different amendments. Honestly, my best grows have been grown in mixes with minimal additions.
I am currently using KokoBop, which I really like. It is already amended with a fair amount of necessities out of the bag. I’m sure it would support the plant fine for the first month or so….assuming you’re using a 5 gal pot.
I add in perlite, worm castings, myco, basalt and Gaia Green 444. I’ll mix about half the suggested amount of 444 to start.
This will generally take me through veg and into the flip. A week or 2 after the flip is when I’ll top dress the first time.
The plant uses its highest concentration of N at the beginning of flower, so I will top dress a mix of GG 444 (for vegging) and 284( for bloom).
This is usually all the plant needs for the next month.
It usually takes one more top dress to get things across the finish line….this one will be all 284…no more 444.
The only thing I’ll do, other than water, is give a periodic dose of Recharge and/or an organic tea that I’ll brew.
I’ve experimented a ton using different mediums and different amendments. Honestly, my best grows have been grown in mixes with minimal additions.
I am currently using KokoBop, which I really like. It is already amended with a fair amount of necessities out of the bag. I’m sure it would support the plant fine for the first month or so….assuming you’re using a 5 gal pot.
I add in perlite, worm castings, myco, basalt and Gaia Green 444. I’ll mix about half the suggested amount of 444 to start.
This will generally take me through veg and into the flip. A week or 2 after the flip is when I’ll top dress the first time.
The plant uses its highest concentration of N at the beginning of flower, so I will top dress a mix of GG 444 (for vegging) and 284( for bloom).
This is usually all the plant needs for the next month.
It usually takes one more top dress to get things across the finish line….this one will be all 284…no more 444.
The only thing I’ll do, other than water, is give a periodic dose of Recharge and/or an organic tea that I’ll brew.
Beeswings
Well-Known Member
That sounds like a legit laid out plan! For the OP, I thought the whole point of super soil is that it doesn't need feeding or pH? Just water.
go go kid
Well-Known Member
thats impossable, food gets used up, full stop,, so you need to top it up every so offten
Fallguy111
Well-Known Member
If you create your own “super soil” then only you know.
Beeswings
Well-Known Member
Right but it should make it through a full grow in a larger pot.
OldJamesLikesToPuff
Member
topping has always been a kinda risky stuff but rewarding
I guess it depends on how far you’re wanting to go in terms of a recipe from scratch. I would say my approach is not on the extreme end of things. I’ve used totally inert mediums and they require the grower to provide everything, at the proper levels. This approach may require more trial and error. I’ve grown 3 different strains in the exact same recipe…..2 of the 3 loved it and grew perfectly all the way to finish, but the 3rd was a heavier feeder and I was constantly playing catch up, which is hard to do when growing organically.
But unless u use a really large container, a plant will usually require at least one top dressing during a reasonable veg and bloom.
It’s really not a difficult step and I prefer lighter applications more often. Way more plants run into trouble because of too much as opposed to not enough.
Top dressing every few weeks allows me a certain degree of control over loading up a giant container (with enough to last from start to finish) and hoping the strain(s) love it.
The plant simply does not need all that is implied by the business side of growing. Less is more…..at least from what I’ve experienced.
good luck
But unless u use a really large container, a plant will usually require at least one top dressing during a reasonable veg and bloom.
It’s really not a difficult step and I prefer lighter applications more often. Way more plants run into trouble because of too much as opposed to not enough.
Top dressing every few weeks allows me a certain degree of control over loading up a giant container (with enough to last from start to finish) and hoping the strain(s) love it.
The plant simply does not need all that is implied by the business side of growing. Less is more…..at least from what I’ve experienced.
good luck
livinthadream
Well-Known Member
Reading your post was wild, felt like something I had typed out. I basically run the same setup you do
I do add cal-mag to my waterings tho usually every other, otherwise it's just straight RO water
Too funny….i forgot to mention that I add about 2ml of cal mag per gal of tap water…..my tap is decent for city water….PPM of about 144, but PH is over 8.0. So I use some fox farm organic PH down to lower it before watering.
Knock on wood, but I rarely have problems.
I’m ready to flip my current run…..I usually run 3 plants but this time only 2. I keep my nighttime temps higher in the first 3 weeks or so of flower and I’ve noticed a lot less stretch. Not sure if that’s anecdotal or not. I just know I don’t have much room left for a massive stretch.
Last run was 3 plants and I got 17oz of dried manicured tops. I think I can maybe get more from 2 larger plants over 3 mediums.
Flip is coming this weekend.
Knock on wood, but I rarely have problems.
I’m ready to flip my current run…..I usually run 3 plants but this time only 2. I keep my nighttime temps higher in the first 3 weeks or so of flower and I’ve noticed a lot less stretch. Not sure if that’s anecdotal or not. I just know I don’t have much room left for a massive stretch.
Last run was 3 plants and I got 17oz of dried manicured tops. I think I can maybe get more from 2 larger plants over 3 mediums.
Flip is coming this weekend.
livinthadream
Well-Known Member
calvin.m16
Well-Known Member
best to keep things stable and feed steady start to finish. Some fertilizer brands now recommend 3.0 EC start to finish. I use maxigro/maxibloom at 1 tsp/gal except the maxigro I use 1 tablespoon (3 teaspoons) per 5 gallons in veg/clone phase. Maxi ends up being at around 0.8-1.2 EC which if I ran 3 my plants would be dead. Feed every single watering whatever makes the plants look happy. The plants are the ultimate feed chart.
It usually takes about 3 weeks from germination to go into 1 gal pots. Then 3 weeks to get to 5 gal…..then maybe another 3 weeks and flip.
I use 2 different LED’s, both are HLG….a 320w and a 150w.
I can’t say enough about HLG….i have friends using a variety of diff brands and the results have been noticeable. They’re not cheap but nothing great ever is.