Soil and Pot Size Questions

Hello, I am planning to start growing cannabis, I live in New England. I have some Feminised Autoflowering seeds, and I am planting outdoors. I have no availability to an indoor area. I have been reading up on numerous threads trying to obtain as much information as possible, but there are still some fuzzy areas. I was hoping you guys could clear these up for me, so here they are.
Firstly, I couldn't find an easy but reliable soil/mix to use throughout the plants life. What is an easy way to make good soil, with products found at Home Depot or Walmart?

Second, I plan on starting in a small cup, then to a 1 gallon pot, and then eventually to a 3 gallon pot, later on in the plants life. I am confused on how long after the plant is planted from seed, to move from the cup, to the 1 gallon, and then how long after that, should I move it to the 3 gallon?

I appreciate any input or responses as I am eager to begin my first grow.

I have never grown autos but I know one thing about them is they don't like to be transplanted.

Mary Jane Activist said:

Hello, I am planning to start growing cannabis, I live in New England. I have some Feminised Autoflowering seeds, and I am planting outdoors. I have no availability to an indoor area. I have been reading up on numerous threads trying to obtain as much information as possible, but there are still some fuzzy areas. I was hoping you guys could clear these up for me, so here they are.
Firstly, I couldn't find an easy but reliable soil/mix to use throughout the plants life. What is an easy way to make good soil, with products found at Home Depot or Walmart?

Second, I plan on starting in a small cup, then to a 1 gallon pot, and then eventually to a 3 gallon pot, later on in the plants life. I am confused on how long after the plant is planted from seed, to move from the cup, to the 1 gallon, and then how long after that, should I move it to the 3 gallon?

I appreciate any input or responses as I am eager to begin my first grow.

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Welcome to RIU, and the wonderful world of cultivating the world's most misunderstood and feared medicines!!!

The only 'advice' I can give you or anyone is to read and learn and then apply what you have read and learned to your garden and you cannot fail. Anyways, remember the search tool is your friend...Lots of folks here willing to help a new farmer get up and growing. But at the end of the day your grow will be only as good as the knowledge and work you put into it.

It is always great to ask questions but do not take anyone's advice or opinions and follow blindly. Do your own research, you will be much happier knowing you have done it for yourself and by yourself. The first buzz you get from your own budz...is by far the BEST high you will ever have!

Do a search using your current question as the keyword(s) and ZOOOM!! Like Wonka's Great Glass Elevator…off you go to tons of threads answering all your questions. Read all the Newbie Central stickies and learn…

After that you are a seasoned vet. Because to soak up all that information and sift through it, is going to take time. You will likely finish your first grow by then. Viola! grow complete and education well under way.

Firstly, there are great soil recipes to be found on RIU...use soil recipe as a search term, check out the outdoor growing forum and read around. Second, personally I only ever do 1 transplant per plant. I go from 1.5 pints to their finishing pot 5 gallons. Transplant shocks a plant and slows growth. I also wait until I see roots coming out of the drain holes and then I transplant.

Yea don't transplant autos if you can help it, start them in the 3 gallons.

Secondly, welcome to RIU.

Do you have to buy your stuff from big box stores, no chance of ordering online, if you have to go thru big box idk do they sell roots organic or fox farm? Those places are shitty

Oh yea, research as much as you can

Depot was my go to place for soil and I always bought composted manure. Mixed it with peat/perlite...usually pro mix...and added the minerals myslef. I ended up with a great mix that never failed me. If u know a little bit about soil to begin with its easy. Wanna know exactly what I used? Just ask.

dannyboy602 said:

Depot was my go to place for soil and I always bought composted manure. Mixed it with peat/perlite...usually pro mix...and added the minerals myslef. I ended up with a great mix that never failed me. If u know a little bit about soil to begin with its easy. Wanna know exactly what I used? Just ask.

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Asking, because what I'm doing for my mix sounds a lot like yours , but I think I want to see what other heads are doing, I think I have room for improvement

dannyboy602 said:

Depot was my go to place for soil and I always bought composted manure. Mixed it with peat/perlite...usually pro mix...and added the minerals myslef. I ended up with a great mix that never failed me. If u know a little bit about soil to begin with its easy. Wanna know exactly what I used? Just ask.

Click to expand...

What exactly did you use? And how did your plants respond

Mary Jane Activist said:

Hello, I am planning to start growing cannabis, I live in New England. I have some Feminised Autoflowering seeds, and I am planting outdoors. I have no availability to an indoor area. I have been reading up on numerous threads trying to obtain as much information as possible, but there are still some fuzzy areas. I was hoping you guys could clear these up for me, so here they are.
Firstly, I couldn't find an easy but reliable soil/mix to use throughout the plants life. What is an easy way to make good soil, with products found at Home Depot or Walmart?

Second, I plan on starting in a small cup, then to a 1 gallon pot, and then eventually to a 3 gallon pot, later on in the plants life. I am confused on how long after the plant is planted from seed, to move from the cup, to the 1 gallon, and then how long after that, should I move it to the 3 gallon?

I appreciate any input or responses as I am eager to begin my first grow.

Click to expand...

First like said up above... plant directly into the 3 gallon for an auto. Autos go into flower too fast...it is hard on the plant with transplant shock and flowering at the same time.
They sell plenty of organic soils at walmart. Do not get anything that has slow release ferts in it like miracle gro. The NItrogen is too high for flowering.
Miracle grow does make several organic soils that are good...I use them.
Why did you choose an auto to grow outside versus a reg seed? Ive never grown one just outside but they dont yeild nearly as much that way.

@Mary Jane Activist @MjAeJdliK
The composted manure gave me my N. I stopped using meals bc I found the species to be sensitive to too much N. I was getting claw and the leaves were too dark.
Into that I added rock phosphate, azomite, granular lime (as compared to powdered lime)
epsom salts and horticultural grade charcoal. It was a fertile mix without being too fertile.
I top dressed a lot throughout my grows and always got super tastey buds and gorgeous plants. Its basically subcools mix without the meals and it worked great for me.