What Nutrients Should I Use? When Should I Use Them? Please Help!!

These are my baby's 5 Mango Haze Plants
15 days old
This is my first grow and I have have yet to give my plants nutrients. When should I give them nutes, and what nutes should I give them?

Also I looked into a study that shows, natural carbonated mineral water benefits the plants growth. My question is what do you guys know about using carbonated water, have you used it?

Nobody can give you advice about when to add nutes without knowing what kind of soil you have them in/amendments added? Even with store bought generic soil you shouldn't add nutes until week 3-4. It sounds like this might be your first grow. I would keep it simple, work on getting healthy plants with proven methods first.

Can't comment on carbonated water, other than it goes well with a nice vodka...

Edit: Should have added that your plants look very healthy, good job! Keep doing what you are doing.

i would just add hydrogen peroxide to your water, it gives off oxygen unlike carbonation which is carbon dioxide?
am i right here?

If you read around you will hear every thing from hydrogen peroxide to mollases being used to water with.

Good luck!

Can't comment on either except to say that H2O2 will harm the beneficial microbes in the soil. It is a risk reward decision in my opinion and I would not add H2O2 unless it was to deal with another very real risk to the plant.

From the looks of the pics, your plants may not even need nutes yet! They look GREAT!

Your leaves look a nice, healthy green--even your cotyledons, which are usually pale yellow, brown or withered away at the time a plant needs a feeding. Start when your plants show a sign of deficiency, such as a lightening of the lowest fan leaves. When they turn a lighter green, or even yellow, you know that it's time to feed.

When you do feed, always start at 50% of the recommended dose, or less. So if they recommend starting at 1/4 teaspoon, give your plant 1/8 teaspoon and see how it responds. Just mix 1 teaspoon/2-gallons instead of per gallon to achieve that ratio. Then, watch your plant. If the leaves continue to turn light, you know it's time to up the dose to 1/4 teaspoon.

If your plant greens back up and looks healthy, you know that you've fed enough. Stay at that concentration until your plant "asks" for more by showing deficiencies (which will usually show as nitrogen def. first and foremost, and is simple to correct).

As for carbonated water, I can't imagine using it--I use tap water now after using RO and realizing I don't need to. But I can't imagine your plants would flourish using it. One thing I would point out is one of your plant has leaf fringing, which is indication of a hotspot/heat buildup/heat stress. Do you have a fan blowing on your light to cool it off, or oscillating on your plants to cool them off? If so, perhaps the light is a bit close (or that plant is a bit more heat-sensitive)?

Molasses is a good idea to add to your watering especially a few times in flower. It can be overdone though. It helps the microbes that break down the nutrients to multiply by feeding them carbs they need. But if you continually add it they will feed on the molasses rather than break down the micro nutrients. Best to use every once in a while IMO based on my research and experience. Good Luck

Give them any "complete" garden fertilizer you like, mixed at 2/3rds the strength recommended on the bottle. Stay away from "slow release" sticks, pellets and the like, because they release more nutes the more they're watered and are just generally a bit dodgey imo.

I use 1/2 Seasol and 1/2 Nitrosol for all my plants. They're both organic but any liquid fertilizer will do. Just be sure to mix it 1/2-2/3 of whatever the bottle says: better to under-feed than over. Also, don't bother with any ferts labelled for flowering - obviously - until they are actually flowering.

Carbonated water works well, but you *have* to have enough ventilation to dry the foliage or the plants will mould-up on you. Plants use carbon dioxide throughout their life cycle, and can handle alot more than the air naturally provides. Just remember CO2 kills mammals, so be careful with the method you use to supply that CO2. The carb'ed water thing is perfectly safe of course, I'm just pointing-out the CO2/death link on the offchance you get creative with some other supply in the future.

The only downside to spraying with carbonated water is you need to do it several times a day to see results, which can get ..ugh.

My bad, I only looked at the second pic. The first pic looks like you have some possible heat stress (the leaf edges are curling up). What kind of lighting are you using, how close are they, what are the temps at?

robnarley1111 said:

As for carbonated water, I can't imagine using it--I use tap water now after using RO and realizing I don't need to. But I can't imagine your plants would flourish using it. ...

Click to expand...

You don't water the plant with carbonated water: It's a foliar spray thing

Edit: Should have added that your plants look very healthy, good job! Keep doing what you are doing.[/QUOTE]

Thanks and yes this is my first grow, also I'm using fox farm happy frog with coco choir and pearlite

Good choice for a starting soil mix. As you probably know happy frog is not a very hot soil so you should be fine to start adding nutes within the next week. I would start at 1/4 strength and only every other watering. The other poster who said you could wait until you see some slight yellowing to start nutes was also good advice.

Thanks for the tips Cascadian, very very helpful! I will start feeding them nutes in about a week at 1/4th strength every other watering. Until then i shall smoke a bowl for your helpful advice.

Update: Day 17