Need a fresh start , suggestions ?

GemGrows24 said:

Yes. Water tends to pool at bottom in fabric pots for me

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I would avoid that in fabrics, especially if your using a peat dominant soil. Peat can go hydrophobic and bottom watering is going to be your best option to remediation of that.

GemGrows24 said:

I've royally Fucked up my first attempt at growing . Plants still alive but smaller and lots of issues has occured causing major stress. I'm very worried I won't be able to carry this into flower. So come next week I'm buying new seeds , new soil. I'm looking for something that will require very little nutrients or amendments . I don't mind using Fox farms again but would like a confirmation that there soil is a good solid Choice . As for nutrients , if anyone knows of some good organic nutes that will be suitable for a beginner like me, please tell . And for water I'm under the understanding that I don't need to pH distilled water unless nutes are added. A confirmation here would help as well. And last but not least any good seed recommendations or easier strains I can work with would be nice . Indica or indica dominant preferred.

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Soil-LESS mixes -such as Fox Farm, Roots Organic and similar mixes are fine. I'd avoid the ones that have pelletized fertilizer mixed in, such as Miracle-Gro, etc. I add good amount of perlite, vermiculite, rice hulls to lighten it up and make it drain faster. I also have been adding a small bag of bio-char and some dolomite lime to offset the acidic nature of the peat moss as it breaks down -typically, about a TBSP per gallon of soil-less mix.

I don't fertilize the seedlings for the first 2-3 weeks. They get just plain tap water that has been pH'd to ~6.5. After that, they get a full dose of Jack's 321 system every watering which is also pH'd to ~6.5. People will argue, but I'd avoid the "organic" stuff. Just use a proven fertilizer like Jack's or Master Blend. It's easier and you'll get consistent results. There's all kinds of videos on YouTube regarding how to mix/use it.
Distilled water should have a pH of ~7.0.... Everything I put into the mix is pH'd to ~6.5. And I regularly check the runoff water, too.

In my experience, DC Seed Exchange has been a good source of seed sellers. Through them, I've gotten seeds from Bob Bitchen, COPA, Mass Medical Strains, Deep Elum and Hazeman. I've also purchased from Archive and Riot Seeds, as well. The Hazeman Tuna Kush has been an incredibly easy-to-grow plant for me. I can't comment on the quality, as of this point in time (because its about a week away from harvest!), but it was a vigorous grower the entire 10 weeks. I guess a plant selection would depend on your personal smoking/use style and if you're going for a high-yielding strain vs. one that might not yield as well, but might be particularly tasty.

I recommend that you avoid auto flowers completely. Stick to photo period plants. -my 2 cents

Good luck!

waytoofaded said:

It's always good to be mindful of your inputs for sure.

From everything I've read, the risk of using aquarium water is so low that it's not even worth worrying about, that's me personally.

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I used aquarium water for years as a base for my teas, when I cleaned the canister filters I'd wash the sponges in a bucket of aquarium water, add worm castings, aloe, insect frass, and aerate for 24 hours before feeding it to my plants and they absolutely loved it. The water from a fish tank and waste from the filter is absolutely full of good nitrifying bacteria.

Jjgrow420 said:

FYI, fish food contains all kinds of chemicals not fit for human consumption. Not telling you what to do, just saying there is 0 regulation on ornamental fish food and it contains dyes and chemicals to enhance fish colors etc.

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Once I started making my own fish food their health and colours went through the roof, a lot of stuff even the akari is full of horrible stuff, fish spawn better with a more natural diet too!