Soil will generally have a higher pH acceptability as far as what the plants can grow in freely which I think is 6.5 to 7 or something close to that. As opposed to your DWC that I think an adequate pH would be around 5.5 correct?
i typically try to keep it around 5.8 for a dwc
I know that DWC would be much easier than growing soil but I started myself with soil because I wanted a bit of a challenge as well as more hands on. Soil takes a bit more care while DWC is more calibrated. Plants will explode in growth if there are the right conditions.
I not sure about your inclinations that DWC is easier than soil but it defiantly is different. my current issues with dwc may come from lack of proper equipment like realtime tds and ph monitoring, and with DWC one mistake can, and often does, cost you the whole grow. (my last bloom was a SLH mother that i was on week 7 shaping up to be nearly 3/4 lb of some of dankest stuff i have ever seen in real life, and in 32 hours became 1/2 lb of unfinishable fluffy premature nugs, it still smokes ok but damn it was gonna be nice). My probs with soil came from using random potting soil and dirt from outside, in a .8gal pot, and watering manually with MG nutes and often letting it dry out and wilt. but that was a long time ago... lol... well not that long.
What is your growing space looking like? Depending on your space will depend on the lights you can get away with using without having crazy temperatures. Pot sizes generally you will start with something small and work your way up in pots. I think its for every month that they are alive, you want to give them a gallon of space. Of course if you are limited on space then keeping them in smaller pots for flowering pref before they are rootbound is okay to do.
my flowering room is 46" x 30" x 7' and i use a 600watt digital hps/mh. my exhaust system does need some work but this small room is only temporary and has a full glass pane the full 46x30 with the whole light chamber exhausted separate from the plant area. I will mearly be experimenting this round with soil so i will not be over burdened for space. I also plant to use 4.8 gallon air pots on a catch tray.
The soil I chose to use was Fox Farm Ocean Forest. It is great for beginners because it is packed with nutrients that your plant can keep feeding off for 2-3 weeks. Over and under watering are issues that usually come up when beginning with soil. Watering should be done thoroughly so that the pot is saturated and water has seeped out the bottom then leave it alone until either the pot is noticebly light and dry or if the top inch or 2 is dry.
great, thanks. i hear a lot of people using FFOF so that might be a good place to start. I am, however, more interested in a "home made" mix using various components that can be purchased cheap in bulk.
Using dolomite lime with you soil will also make it easier for you because it will act as a buffer for your pH instead of having to adjust it yourself every time. It will allow you to literally just add water.
ty, Is dolomite lime the same as powdered agricultural lime?
The poor choices you speak of is just being indecisive. I am the same way, there are a ton of things I wish I did differently. I am still in my first grow. 2 days into 12/12.
nice, i wish you the best. week 6-9 of flower are the tough ones, its looking so good your thinking its gonna be smooth sailing from here out, then spider mites or root rot or pump failures kick your ass.
lol jk its not that bad i'm just pissed off at myself for stacking net pots like i did and not maintaining a steady enough res level. and the time i had spider mites was 100% my fault also taking strawberry plants into my grow room until it warmed up enough to put them outside.
