need help!!!!!! newbie alert

[dcloud]

I'm a newb guys. I just need some help or insite to be able to actually harvest some smoke. I have 1.08 sqft, 104w vegg, 162w flower. I'm using jolly gardener potting soil. For nutes i got rid of the miracle grow and got some 5-1-1 Fish Fert, and shultz 10-15-10. Does that sound any better. Can I grow some good buds with what i have? And whats the thoughts on mater magic organic dynamite? I was thinking of amending the soil with the mater magic and supplement with the 5-1-1 and 10-15-10. Can someone help me with a feed schedule?

have 12 seedlings between 2-3 weeks old. 10 day veg and now under 12/12 going on 3rd day. Started feeding mg at around 2 weeks(leaves were loosing itz green) at 1/4 strength then 1/2 and only used it those 2 feeds and it didnt really do any better. I feed once with 4 droppers of shultz 10-15-10, 1 tbs of fish fert, and 4 drops of superthrive jus today.

 

[guest 77721]

My first couple of grows were with Shultz 10-15-10. I would mix 1/2 strength for every watering or full strength on alternate waterings with plain water in between.

I added Dolomite lime, 1 tbsp per gallon of soil as a source of Magnesium and Calcium. I still add the Dolomite to my soil mixture because most fertilizers don't contain enough. A lot of people have hard water that is too much of these minerals so the fertilizer's don't contain it.

I did have some pH problems with the Shultz which causes salts to buildup in the soil and causes the pH to drop over time. I check the watering runoff and flush out the soil when the pH drops below 6.2.

 

[dcloud]

can anyone else help me out??????Any tips???? Is my soil ok or should I go for another soil? I only have access to lowes, ace hardware, and home depot....and of course walmart. Do my nutes sound ok? Will i need anything else?

 

[guest 77721]

You're fine to start with what you have now for nutes. I've done several successful grows with fish ferts and Shultz 10-15-10.

The basics of growing starts with a good soil mixture. I use 2 parts potting soil to 1 part perlite and 1 part vermiculite. This is a good well draining soil mix that you can flush out easily to correct for nute problems. A 2 part potting soil to 2 part Perlite works well.

The plants need a well draining soil mix so the roots get lots of air. Most newbies overwater the plants by watering every day or two when the plants can go 3-4 days or more.

Getting a good soil mix and learning how to water properly are more important than nutes when working with seedlings and small plants.

 

[dcloud]

What's a good soil mix, I only have access to home depot, lowes, walmart, and ace hardware. I already have perlite but need a simple potting soil that wont give me many problems. Right now I'm doing a trail and error run and i'm using jolly gardner potting soil(is it any good?) I just need a good base soil, I think I got feeding down pack(I first feed when the cotyledon starts to yellow 1/2 strenghth fe) and when to water being I have a moisture meter now.

What you recomend and are there any other tips you or anyone else has that may help me. I water by submerging pots under water. Help please, I got knowledge of how to grow but trying to actual do it now and running into a few minor probs. Any help is appreciated.

 

[guest 77721]

The first thing is to get a good seedling starter soil that has little or no added fertilizer. The ones to be careful of are Miracle Grow and Shultz that have lot's of fertilizer and are meant for repotting big old houseplants. If the numbers are less than 0 like 0.1-0.3-0.2 then its good for seedlings. You want to be using a mild non-burning nute like fish ferts with seedlings and small plants.

I like using Promix which is peatmoss + perlite and a bit of dolomite lime and no added fertilizer. Lately I've been using Miracle Grow potting soil that has no nutes in it. I don't recommend any potting soils that have added moisture retention crystals.

Cannabis likes dry soil and the roots need to breath in oxygen so a good soil mix is 50/50 potting soil and perlite.

My best soil mix is 2 parts promix to 1 part perlite and 1 part vermiculite. The vermiculite holds water so it acts like soil. This is sort of a soil-less mix or at least it's easy to flush.

Most nutrients like the Shultz 10-15-10 only have N-P-K and cannabis likes Calcium and Magnesium. I mix in Dolomite Lime 1 tablespoon per gallon of soil. It's a 50/50 mix of Magnesium Carbonate and Calcium Carbonate.

As far as a feeding schedule, I always mix up nutes 1/2 strength from what the bottle says and feed once per week with a plain watering in between feedings.

You have to watch the plant for two things. The leaf tips at the top will burn first when nutes start to buildup. In this case you can change to water-water-feed and see if that helped. The lower leaves will show deficiencies first, then you can go to feed-feed-water-feed and see if that improves.

 

[jay-toker]

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[TexMex McDirt]

You oughta be able to grow ok with what you have. I only use stuff from HW stores and such or maybe from online thru Amazon. My soil is just from Lowe's. Its that Sta-Green potting soil. I mix it 2 parts soil, 1 part perlite. Works fine. For nutes I have used fish emulsion, Shultz 10-15-10, superthrive and Tiger Bloom. all have worked fine. One important thing that I didn't see you mention, have you checked your waters PH? I had tons of trouble when I started because I didn't realize how important that is and my PH was way high. I just get some PH Down from my local pet store and adjust it.

 

[dcloud]

does this sound like a good mix? Itz per 3 gal.

2 parts promix
1 part perlite
2 tbsp osmocote
2 tbsp dynamic red
2 tbsp gypsum
2tbsp dolimite lime
2 tbsp bio-tone
3 tbsp azomite
pinch of boric acid

 

[micro420guy]

thats sounds good. one thing to mention is with the dunk watering method you will lose lots of perlite every watering. Perlite like to float to the surface. Can get messy.

 

[Sgt.Stedenko]

does this sound like a good mix? Itz per 3 gal.

2 parts promix
1 part perlite
2 tbsp osmocote
2 tbsp dynamic red
2 tbsp gypsum
2tbsp dolimite lime
2 tbsp bio-tone
3 tbsp azomite
pinch of boric acid

It depends on what you mean by part. Is a part a wheelbarrow full or a gallon bucket?

BTW, I used Osmocote in my first grow and had great results.

 

[dcloud]

It depends on what you mean by part. Is a part a wheelbarrow full or a gallon bucket?

BTW, I used Osmocote in my first grow and had great results.

I stated in that post its a 3 gal mix

 

[dcloud]

thats sounds good. one thing to mention is with the dunk watering method you will lose lots of perlite every watering. Perlite like to float to the surface. Can get messy.

What you recommend.....not watering using dunk method or dont use the perlite?

 

[City Twin]

What's a good soil mix, I only have access to home depot, lowes, walmart, and ace hardware.

Talk to your Ace order desk people. A while back they were listed as Fox Farm distributors.

I was in the city two months ago and stopped by to see. Not on the shelf. The order desk said they could have it for me with the next Thursday's regular delivery.

 

[micro420guy]

What you recommend.....not watering using dunk method or dont use the perlite?

You can do both. Just don't let excess perlite go down your sink drain. Can cause blockages. I'm speaking from experience :doh:

 

[dcloud]

Need a lil help. This is only trail and error but I would at least like to harvest some smoke, any amount. So I vegged my 12 mixed bagseed for 10-12 days from sprout then flowered. At the 2 week mark i eliminated 4 males, had alot of sacs. Now im 16 days into 12/12, when will i know which ones are my fems? Where should I start lookin first? Most are on their 4 and 5th nodes. Very small leaves are growing from the nodes, guessing those would be new leaf branches or preflowers?????? There are 5 in 2 liters and 3 still in 16oz cups in 1.08 sq ft under 162 watt/10940 lumens.

Help please!!!Does anyone have a pic or can point me to a pic of a fem first stating to show sex?

 

[Sgt.Stedenko]

The preflowers (male or female) will show at the same location on the plant. Since you know where the 4 males showed their stuff, look in the same location for the pistils.

 

[dcloud]

The preflowers (male or female) will show at the same location on the plant. Since you know where the 4 males showed their stuff, look in the same location for the pistils.

Thankz man I have 8 confirmed females but one is a lil runt but it will make some. I transplanted the others that were in 16oz cups to 2 liters. All are showing hairs. I wish I could show pic but im noid. the sizes are so different but they are bagseed.