Think I bought the wrong soil?? - Need advice on when to fetilize & what to type to use.

G

GCandy

Well-Known Member
Hi all,

TLDR ... Should I use nutes on a 1 week seedling in a soil mix that is premixed to a 1-1-1 ratio

Im trying to grow some GSK auto flowers (I have 3 seeds)

My 1st seed (Frank) .. failed most probably becos I tried to grow in "supermarket compost" that had bad consistency or it could have been that I over watered it?? :oops: - It was hard to tell as the top 3" was bone dry, but the bottom was still damp for about 2 weeks :wall: ... I had droopy leaves, then it refused to grow n then lost it color and is now framed on my wall as a reminder of what can go wrong (sad pics following) :cry::cry:

1 - Frank when he was healthy...
frank alive.jpg

2 - Frank when he was dying ...
frank dying.jpg

3 - RIP ... Frank
frank RIP.jpeg

So I bought some of this "Bio Bizz Light" mix thinking that it should do the job, but stupidly didnt read the description properly and went about setting up and planting seed #2 (Shelia) .. She`s been in the ground for about a week now and sprouted 2 days ago.

Whereas I was very pleased with the consistency of the soil, I kept getting consistent very low readings on the "fertility" meter that I have? (I know I need to get a proper meter, but this is all I have atm). Every reading I take shows the fertility to be below "10" (all that's been fed into it is water). The below pic shows it to be "1" :o
shelia fert.jpeg

This is where I started to worry about the soil I was using now as the rubbish composted soil I was using before gave me consistent readings between 700-1200?

I could not find the NPK ratio`s anywhere on the Biobizz website, but a friend of mine chucked the question thru chat GPT and it advised that the ratio`s were 1-1-1 n now im worried that my seedling wont have enough resources to pull from when it needs it and im wondering if I should treat this medium like a hyrdo or coco grow and get on with a light feed earlier than I normally would?

My original plan was to give it a very small feed of epsom salts approx 1.5 - 2 weeks in and then hit it with some tomato feed a few days later n then switch to a bloom feed when its obvious that its in bloom .. but for the moment, im confused whether this soil needs any amendments or not as the Bio-bizz website suggests that this soil shouldn't need it - but the meter Im using suggests the total opposite + a chart they have suggests feeding from the go https://www.biobizz.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Nutrient-Schedule-EN-PF-2024.pdf
:wall:

Im now thinking of adding a trace amount about of Baby-bio (orchid food) as it has NPK of 5.3 - 2.2 - 0.85 and a trace amount of epsom salts into the next watering as in my head the soil needs it as per the fertility meter??

But this is where I need others help cos Im really not sure and do not fancy having x2 dead seedlings on my wall - Should I just stick with water or should I give it a small feed?

One final question about nutes ...

My plan was to use a tomato feed that has a NPK of 6.0 - 3.0 - 9.5 from "Westland" throughout the grow and to switch to a bloom feed when its time, however Im temped to get these as a lot of people swear by them.

Can someone explain how these differ from a regular shop bought feed like im using atm? Is it worth me switching or can I get away with what Im using atm?

Thx for reading and hopefully you can offer some advice too (:
 
Last edited:
J

joesoap2013

Well-Known Member
Just normal water no nutes for the first 3 weeks maybe 2 at most
The light mix is for seedlings and you can use it the whole way bit I prefer the stronger mixes
They don't want to much fertiliser when they are small ..normally put them in small pots in light mix
Then when they get rooted repot them into a bigger or final pot in the stronger mix
Then just normal water that as well for a few feedings
Let the soil do the work then nute them when they get a bit bigger
 
conor c

conor c

Well-Known Member
GCandy said:
Hi all,

TLDR ... Should I use nutes on a 1 week seedling in a soil mix that is premixed to a 1-1-1 ratio

Im trying to grow some GSK auto flowers (I have 3 seeds)

My 1st seed (Frank) .. failed most probably becos I tried to grow in "supermarket compost" that had bad consistency or it could have been that I over watered it?? :oops: - It was hard to tell as the top 3" was bone dry, but the bottom was still damp for about 2 weeks :wall: ... I had droopy leaves, then it refused to grow n then lost it color and is now framed on my wall as a reminder of what can go wrong (sad pics following) :cry::cry:

1 - Frank when he was healthy...
View attachment 5434077

2 - Frank when he was dying ...
View attachment 5434076

3 - RIP ... Frank
View attachment 5434079

So I bought some of this "Bio Bizz Light" mix thinking that it should do the job, but stupidly didnt read the description properly and went about setting up and planting seed #2 (Shelia) .. She`s been in the ground for about a week now and sprouted 2 days ago.

Whereas I was very pleased with the consistency of the soil, I kept getting consistent very low readings on the "fertility" meter that I have? (I know I need to get a proper meter, but this is all I have atm). Every reading I take shows the fertility to be below "10" (all that's been fed into it is water). The below pic shows it to be "1" :o
View attachment 5434074

This is where I started to worry about the soil I was using now as the rubbish composted soil I was using before gave me consistent readings between 700-1200?

I could not find the NPK ratio`s anywhere on the Biobizz website, but a friend of mine chucked the question thru chat GPT and it advised that the ratio`s were 1-1-1 n now im worried that my seedling wont have enough resources to pull from when it needs it and im wondering if I should treat this medium like a hyrdo or coco grow and get on with a light feed earlier than I normally would?

My original plan was to give it a very small feed of epsom salts approx 1.5 - 2 weeks in and then hit it with some tomato feed a few days later n then switch to a bloom feed when its obvious that its in bloom .. but for the moment, im confused whether this soil needs any amendments or not as the Bio-bizz website suggests that this soil shouldn't need it - but the meter Im using suggests the total opposite + a chart they have suggests feeding from the go https://www.biobizz.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Nutrient-Schedule-EN-PF-2024.pdf
:wall:

Im now thinking of adding a trace amount about of Baby-bio (orchid food) as it has NPK of 5.3 - 2.2 - 0.85 and a trace amount of epsom salts into the next watering as in my head the soil needs it as per the fertility meter??

But this is where I need others help cos Im really not sure and do not fancy having x2 dead seedlings on my wall - Should I just stick with water or should I give it a small feed?

One final question about nutes ...

My plan was to use a tomato feed that has a NPK of 6.0 - 3.0 - 9.5 from "Westland" throughout the grow and to switch to a bloom feed when its time, however Im temped to get these as a lot of people swear by them.

Can someone explain how these differ from a regular shop bought feed like im using atm? Is it worth me switching or can I get away with what Im using atm?

Thx for reading and hopefully you can offer some advice too (:
Click to expand...
you don't feed seedlings in light mix or any seedling compost/soil for the first two weeks at least plus autos want less feed and water as well
 
Last edited:
G

GCandy

Well-Known Member
thats the answer I needed .. thx :D

Is there a massive advantage to using the bio-bizz nutes vs my regular tomato feed tho or is it all marketing spiel?
 
Coldnasty

Coldnasty

Well-Known Member
GCandy said:
Hi all,

TLDR ... Should I use nutes on a 1 week seedling in a soil mix that is premixed to a 1-1-1 ratio

Im trying to grow some GSK auto flowers (I have 3 seeds)

My 1st seed (Frank) .. failed most probably becos I tried to grow in "supermarket compost" that had bad consistency or it could have been that I over watered it?? :oops: - It was hard to tell as the top 3" was bone dry, but the bottom was still damp for about 2 weeks :wall: ... I had droopy leaves, then it refused to grow n then lost it color and is now framed on my wall as a reminder of what can go wrong (sad pics following) :cry::cry:

1 - Frank when he was healthy...
View attachment 5434077

2 - Frank when he was dying ...
View attachment 5434076

3 - RIP ... Frank
View attachment 5434079

So I bought some of this "Bio Bizz Light" mix thinking that it should do the job, but stupidly didnt read the description properly and went about setting up and planting seed #2 (Shelia) .. She`s been in the ground for about a week now and sprouted 2 days ago.

Whereas I was very pleased with the consistency of the soil, I kept getting consistent very low readings on the "fertility" meter that I have? (I know I need to get a proper meter, but this is all I have atm). Every reading I take shows the fertility to be below "10" (all that's been fed into it is water). The below pic shows it to be "1" :o
View attachment 5434074

This is where I started to worry about the soil I was using now as the rubbish composted soil I was using before gave me consistent readings between 700-1200?

I could not find the NPK ratio`s anywhere on the Biobizz website, but a friend of mine chucked the question thru chat GPT and it advised that the ratio`s were 1-1-1 n now im worried that my seedling wont have enough resources to pull from when it needs it and im wondering if I should treat this medium like a hyrdo or coco grow and get on with a light feed earlier than I normally would?

My original plan was to give it a very small feed of epsom salts approx 1.5 - 2 weeks in and then hit it with some tomato feed a few days later n then switch to a bloom feed when its obvious that its in bloom .. but for the moment, im confused whether this soil needs any amendments or not as the Bio-bizz website suggests that this soil shouldn't need it - but the meter Im using suggests the total opposite + a chart they have suggests feeding from the go https://www.biobizz.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Nutrient-Schedule-EN-PF-2024.pdf
:wall:

Im now thinking of adding a trace amount about of Baby-bio (orchid food) as it has NPK of 5.3 - 2.2 - 0.85 and a trace amount of epsom salts into the next watering as in my head the soil needs it as per the fertility meter??

But this is where I need others help cos Im really not sure and do not fancy having x2 dead seedlings on my wall - Should I just stick with water or should I give it a small feed?

One final question about nutes ...

My plan was to use a tomato feed that has a NPK of 6.0 - 3.0 - 9.5 from "Westland" throughout the grow and to switch to a bloom feed when its time, however Im temped to get these as a lot of people swear by them.

Can someone explain how these differ from a regular shop bought feed like im using atm? Is it worth me switching or can I get away with what Im using atm?

Thx for reading and hopefully you can offer some advice too (:
Click to expand...
I love the rip Frank framed up
 
conor c

conor c

Well-Known Member
GCandy said:
thats the answer I needed .. thx :D

Is there a massive advantage to using the bio-bizz nutes vs my regular tomato feed tho or is it all marketing spiel?
Click to expand...
Yes I use em I won't use any other bottle so when your plant is actually big enough to be fed remember with biobizz you use the veg through most of its lifecycle for example a weak first feed would be just veg but once it's a bit bigger give it like 1 or 2 ml veg and 1ml of the bloom you just adjust the bloom or veg accordingly to what stage your on don't follow there charts they ask you to feed to high is my advice if you must use the chart use half what they say also remember it's organics you feeding the soil not the plant directly like you do with synthetics stop worrying about npk you be fine just make sure you got some source of calmag be it biobizz one or whatever and you good to go
 
Last edited:
Jjgrow420

Jjgrow420

Well-Known Member
Op. Here's how to make that meter work properly. First take it out of the soil and wrap it in a bag. Then, (and this is he important part) take it and toss that shit into the garbage. Voila.
Those meters are absolutely pure junk. You might as well use a random number generator and prob get more accurate readings. You're chasing values that aren't even real. Eg. 'fertility scale' ? It's a 1/10.... Ok. Wtf does that even mean? Nobody knows.
 
curious2garden

curious2garden

Well-Known Mod
Staff member
Jjgrow420 said:
Op. Here's how to make that meter work properly. First take it out of the soil and wrap it in a bag. Then, (and this is he important part) take it and toss that shit into the garbage. Voila.
Those meters are absolutely pure junk. You might as well use a random number generator and prob get more accurate readings. You're chasing values that aren't even real. Eg. 'fertility scale' ? It's a 1/10.... Ok. Wtf does that even mean? Nobody knows.
Click to expand...
Well actually there might be someone who does:

Measuring Soil Fertility and Its Interpretation | SoilOptix®

There is no denying the fact that achieving and maintaining appropriate levels of soil fertility, especially plant nutrient availability, is of paramount im ...
soiloptix.com soiloptix.com

Anyway I agree the meter would serve them better in the trash. Although as a female who hates to get her hands dirty I'm going to confess to using one of those watering meters and honestly it worked for me (I was trying to grow actual tomatoes in real dirt ick).
 
G

GCandy

Well-Known Member
Jjgrow420 said:
Op. Here's how to make that meter work properly. First take it out of the soil and wrap it in a bag. Then, (and this is he important part) take it and toss that shit into the garbage. Voila.
Those meters are absolutely pure junk. You might as well use a random number generator and prob get more accurate readings. You're chasing values that aren't even real. Eg. 'fertility scale' ? It's a 1/10.... Ok. Wtf does that even mean? Nobody knows.
Click to expand...
I love the way you wrote that mate ... There I was thinking that you were gonna show me how to use this thing and then I nearly spit my coffee out when I read "toss that shit into the garbage. Voila" ... That made my day :clap:
 
G

GCandy

Well-Known Member
curious2garden said:
Well actually there might be someone who does:

Measuring Soil Fertility and Its Interpretation | SoilOptix®

There is no denying the fact that achieving and maintaining appropriate levels of soil fertility, especially plant nutrient availability, is of paramount im ...
soiloptix.com soiloptix.com

Anyway I agree the meter would serve them better in the trash. Although as a female who hates to get her hands dirty I'm going to confess to using one of those watering meters and honestly it worked for me (I was trying to grow actual tomatoes in real dirt ick).
Click to expand...
Im tempted to send that fertility link you sent to the manufacturer to ask them if this is what they mean by that ... But thx for the link ️
 
FatherNelson

FatherNelson

Well-Known Member
Let this guy go on clean 6 ish ph water until you see something unique on the leaves. The plant will tell you when it wanta something.

In future, start in a solo cup. I personally use "Bonnie" cups because I grow peppers and tomats in summer. Once it moves out of your starter cup you can either put it in a heavier soil mix OR a bigger container and liquid nutes. I do photos but I think this still applies.
 
conor c

conor c

Well-Known Member
FatherNelson said:
Let this guy go on clean 6 ish ph water until you see something unique on the leaves. The plant will tell you when it wanta something.

In future, start in a solo cup. I personally use "Bonnie" cups because I grow peppers and tomats in summer. Once it moves out of your starter cup you can either put it in a heavier soil mix OR a bigger container and liquid nutes. I do photos but I think this still applies.
Click to expand...
Why a solo cup instead of a small pot I gotta ask is it the price I imagine solo cups are cheaper or?
 
FatherNelson

FatherNelson

Well-Known Member
conor c said:
Why a solo cup instead of a small pot I gotta ask is it the price I imagine solo cups are cheaper or?
Click to expand...
Small pot is fine, I think solo cup is just a simple size reference or what someone did to be discreet once upon a time.

You do this so the roots dont only grow down but spread out so it intakes more nutrients at an earlier age. In short, it makes the plant grow faster and higher quality.
 
conor c

conor c

Well-Known Member
FatherNelson said:
Small pot is fine, I think solo cup is just a simple size reference or what someone did to be discreet once upon a time.

You do this so the roots dont only grow down but spread out so it intakes more nutrients at an earlier age. In short, it makes the plant grow faster and higher quality.
Click to expand...
Fair point just isn't the done thing over in the UK where I'm from why I asked mate most here just use wee pots and pot up over time accordingly
 
FatherNelson

FatherNelson

Well-Known Member
conor c said:
Fair point just isn't the done thing over in the UK where I'm from why I asked mate most here just use wee pots and pot up over time accordingly
Click to expand...
I use bonnie pots, stuff from walmart or local store that a tomatoe plant comes in. Same difference, no special science to a solo cup haha
 
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