HolyGhost23
Well-Known Member
ever since marijuana has become legal to grow in Canada, ive been busy as a consultant for people.
I've seen many different grows from small closets to 10K sqft warehouses. it seems like all new growers have the same major issues.
plant issues?
before even thinking about getting the cal/mag out ask yourself this.
are you running RO water through a working RO system?
are you 100% sure the chlorine/chloramines are being filtered out?
if you know for sure the first two answers are yes.
then check for PH.
any kind of minerals and chlorine/chloramine will cause massive amounts of ph drift and if chloramines are the issue, the PH may never become corrected to proper range (5.2 to 6.8.) if you keep adding PH down and the PH keeps going back up after a day or two, its probably Chloramines.
these 3 issues (unfiltered water,Chlorine/chloramines, and PH) are the most common, I see with new growers.
rule of thumb is,
get the RO system/ph test first, before you even think about popping that seed.
another issue i see even in "experienced" grows, is trying to "lock in" their PH/ppm to an exact number. ie keeping it exactly at 5.2.ph and 600ppm
this can be the downfall of many grows. plants exchange ions and take up nutes and dump them out all the time, while doing this, the plant will change the total PH and PPM content of its soil/water supply.
it is best to let plants stay within a range of 5 to 7 ph. if it gets any higher or lower, then make adjustments, and only very slightly, to stay just within that range.
As for PPM.
its kind of based on a per plant bases, some plants love high amounts of nutes, others, like autos, need to be lightly fed. Its best to monitor what the plants like, and base the amount of PPM that you use, on the amount of light in watts you are using/size of the pot the plant is in, rather than focus on the veg/bloom stage as much.
unless outdoors in full sun, with no size constraints.
people over complicate the amount of nutes/what kind/brand to use.
there are a million different methods as to how or what to use on your plants. a good starting point is.
the Lucas method.
if you don't know or aren't familiar with the Lucas method, I suggest you look it up. The proper method involves using general hydroponics bloom nutes at a particular amount, DEPENDING ON WATTAGE USED!, a lot of people see the two different amounts and think its for veg and bloom. IT IS NOT. the lower amount is for under 400Ws of HID light and the larger amount is for above 400Ws of light. it says to use less for seedlings and to increase to the max amount depending on wattage. if you use LEDs to grow, go by actual wattage used out of the wall, not the stupid this led "equals" 1000W. If it only uses 230Ws out of the wall, use the under 400W method.
that being said. from personal experience using everything from the maxi bloom Lucas method to paying way to much for a full suite of Advanced Nutriants.
the best method ive found so far is the lucas flora nova method, combined with using some kind of mycorrhizal/bacteria inoculant, great white shark or myke vegetable and herb are good examples. You can help the myco/bacteria by adding some kind of compost tea as well, or something like botnicare pure blend tea.
I have also found that some strains seem to get nitrogen deficient with any of the Lucas methods, adding 1ml of GH flora gro to every gal of water, solves that.
if in the rare case that it is actually a "cal/mag" issue, don't go wasting money on some snake oil BS. go to the local drug store and get some pure Epsom salt and mix 1 tablespoon per gal for foliage spray. it does not have calcium but it does have mag and sulphur. most of the time a marijuana plants issue is actually a sulphur issue moreso than a cal/mag issue. especially if your keeping your PH within range.
of course im gonna get people saying that im wrong and that their method is better or more correct.
the only thing I can say to that is, unless you are a botanist or plant biologist.
It's probably bullshit, sometimes bird. maybe even possibly bat or worm shit.
I've seen many different grows from small closets to 10K sqft warehouses. it seems like all new growers have the same major issues.
plant issues?
before even thinking about getting the cal/mag out ask yourself this.
are you running RO water through a working RO system?
are you 100% sure the chlorine/chloramines are being filtered out?
if you know for sure the first two answers are yes.
then check for PH.
any kind of minerals and chlorine/chloramine will cause massive amounts of ph drift and if chloramines are the issue, the PH may never become corrected to proper range (5.2 to 6.8.) if you keep adding PH down and the PH keeps going back up after a day or two, its probably Chloramines.
these 3 issues (unfiltered water,Chlorine/chloramines, and PH) are the most common, I see with new growers.
rule of thumb is,
get the RO system/ph test first, before you even think about popping that seed.
another issue i see even in "experienced" grows, is trying to "lock in" their PH/ppm to an exact number. ie keeping it exactly at 5.2.ph and 600ppm
this can be the downfall of many grows. plants exchange ions and take up nutes and dump them out all the time, while doing this, the plant will change the total PH and PPM content of its soil/water supply.
it is best to let plants stay within a range of 5 to 7 ph. if it gets any higher or lower, then make adjustments, and only very slightly, to stay just within that range.
As for PPM.
its kind of based on a per plant bases, some plants love high amounts of nutes, others, like autos, need to be lightly fed. Its best to monitor what the plants like, and base the amount of PPM that you use, on the amount of light in watts you are using/size of the pot the plant is in, rather than focus on the veg/bloom stage as much.
unless outdoors in full sun, with no size constraints.
people over complicate the amount of nutes/what kind/brand to use.
there are a million different methods as to how or what to use on your plants. a good starting point is.
the Lucas method.
if you don't know or aren't familiar with the Lucas method, I suggest you look it up. The proper method involves using general hydroponics bloom nutes at a particular amount, DEPENDING ON WATTAGE USED!, a lot of people see the two different amounts and think its for veg and bloom. IT IS NOT. the lower amount is for under 400Ws of HID light and the larger amount is for above 400Ws of light. it says to use less for seedlings and to increase to the max amount depending on wattage. if you use LEDs to grow, go by actual wattage used out of the wall, not the stupid this led "equals" 1000W. If it only uses 230Ws out of the wall, use the under 400W method.
that being said. from personal experience using everything from the maxi bloom Lucas method to paying way to much for a full suite of Advanced Nutriants.
the best method ive found so far is the lucas flora nova method, combined with using some kind of mycorrhizal/bacteria inoculant, great white shark or myke vegetable and herb are good examples. You can help the myco/bacteria by adding some kind of compost tea as well, or something like botnicare pure blend tea.
I have also found that some strains seem to get nitrogen deficient with any of the Lucas methods, adding 1ml of GH flora gro to every gal of water, solves that.
if in the rare case that it is actually a "cal/mag" issue, don't go wasting money on some snake oil BS. go to the local drug store and get some pure Epsom salt and mix 1 tablespoon per gal for foliage spray. it does not have calcium but it does have mag and sulphur. most of the time a marijuana plants issue is actually a sulphur issue moreso than a cal/mag issue. especially if your keeping your PH within range.
of course im gonna get people saying that im wrong and that their method is better or more correct.
the only thing I can say to that is, unless you are a botanist or plant biologist.
It's probably bullshit, sometimes bird. maybe even possibly bat or worm shit.
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