Newbie Grower - very interested

Jay.89 · Apr 26, 2020

Hi guys,

I am interested in growing my own auto flowers. I would just like to know what soil/fertiliser you would recommend for a first time grower? Currently looking at a Nano grow tent which will be stored in my wardrobe out of sight.

Any information on a starting point would be great! Just looking to grow 1 plant for now to get the hang of things then expand.

Fixer · Apr 26, 2020

Jay.89 said:
Hi guys,

I am interested in growing my own auto flowers. I would just like to know what soil/fertiliser you would recommend for a first time grower? Currently looking at a Nano grow tent which will be stored in my wardrobe out of sight.

Any information on a starting point would be great! Just looking to grow 1 plant for now to get the hang of things then expand.

Hello Jay.89,

If you like to tinker try DWC hydroponics. Coco is fun but you have to be on top of it and water at least twice daily during flower. If you want organic try soil.

Jay.89 · Apr 26, 2020

Thanks for the reply!

Would this pretty much set me up ready to plant?

AgentPothead · Apr 26, 2020

I feel like people should start with soil, just cause it's a lot less variables to deal with. That kit should get you setup for a hydro grow for 1 plant no problem, but you still have to source all your nutrients and what not. And then having to measure everything out and pH it. With soil it's basically, put seed in, water the soil, harvest, way less complicated. I started growing with coco and while the yields were impressive, the amount of work was a lot. I moved over to a local grow shops soil mix, and while the yields aren't as impressive per plant, it basically amounts to me watering them every few days and then supplementing some P/K when they go into flower.

Fixer · Apr 30, 2020

I agree with AgentPothead. Soil requires less frequent attention. If you want to go DWC you'd also need a pH/EC meter and a variety of nutrients, pH up and down. I'm growing in coco now and I check the plants twice a day and average an hour per day. With one plant in DWC you'd spend a lot less time and want to check the pH daily. :tiphat:

I'mback · Apr 30, 2020

AgentPothead said:
I feel like people should start with soil, just cause it's a lot less variables to deal with. That kit should get you setup for a hydro grow for 1 plant no problem, but you still have to source all your nutrients and what not. And then having to measure everything out and pH it. With soil it's basically, put seed in, water the soil, harvest, way less complicated. I started growing with coco and while the yields were impressive, the amount of work was a lot. I moved over to a local grow shops soil mix, and while the yields aren't as impressive per plant, it basically amounts to me watering them every few days and then supplementing some P/K when they go into flower.

Fixer said:
I agree with AgentPothead. Soil requires less frequent attention. If you want to go DWC you'd also need a pH/EC meter and a variety of nutrients, pH up and down. I'm growing in coco now and I check the plants twice a day and average an hour per day. With one plant in DWC you'd spend a lot less time and want to check the pH daily.

Totally endorsed!

I don't know why folks recommend anything but soil for a 1st time grower. I was fortunate That the local hydro shop made me avoid the "coco/hydro" pitfalls. As previously mentioned, soil is a lot more forgiving than any other mediums. Where does this stuff grow in the wild? A bucket of water? Baby steps

Ya gotta learned how to crawl before you can walk/run :tiphat:

I will aslo add, that acquiring certain items that I deem necessary, will flatten out your learning curve:

PH meter (no need to break the bank here);
moisture meter; and
PAR meter, once again no need to break the bank.

The aforementioned tools are a fraction of the cost of setting up in hydro, especially if you require a RO desalinator.

What are the 3 major mistakes made by beginners?

they have a tendency to water/feed at improper PH;
they often over-water out of love; and
they don't know how to use their lights efficiently for the various stages of growth.

In other words, it is like a Dr without a stethoscope. He can't diagnose shit

Unless one has a mentor, growing cannabis is anything like growing tomatoes. The learning curve can be steep, dependent on the amount of effort put into proper research.

... and at a minimum. Get a good book on the subject :tiphat:

Jay.89 · May 2, 2020

Thanks for all the replies guys.

So maybe I will skip the DWC this time round and try a soil based option for my first time growing.

What other important materials would I need?

AgentPothead · May 2, 2020

Jay.89 said:
Thanks for all the replies guys.

So maybe I will skip the DWC this time round and try a soil based option for my first time growing.

What other important materials would I need?

Realistically you only need 3 things, seeds, soil, sun.

A pH pen is really good to have though, cause I feel like the majority of issues people show up with in the infirmary are pH related lockouts.
I'm a fan of cloth pots in saucers, cause you don't have to worry about over-watering, the runoff catches in the saucer and then gets sucked back up as the soil dries out.

If you plan on doing any low stress training, it's good to have some sort of coated wire or string you can use to pull down the branches.

If your humidity is an issue a humidifer/dehumidifer might be a requirement.

Once harvest rolls around it's nice to have a jewlers loupe or another way to closely look at the trichomes to see what color they are.

And a good sharp pair of scissors, I'm a fan of the chikamasa B500sf they are trimming scissors from japan with a nonstick fluorine coating so they are super easy to clean.

aridbud · May 2, 2020

Also, a jeweler's loupe before harvest to check trichomes.
When you fertilize, do so 1/2 strength.

Jay.89 · May 2, 2020

Bought a couple more bits today

AgentPothead · May 2, 2020

Nice! That is coco though so it doesn't have nutrients, it's technically soilless medium, you will still need to source nutrients like a water hydroponics grow.

GMT · May 2, 2020

Everyone has said the same thing, don't make it harder than it needs to be. Grab a bag of compost suitable for growing veg in. Go to a supermarket or garden centre rather than a hydro store
You can do your own thing of course, but I'm a compost bag guy, lots of people start in compost, go through every trick, and end up back in compost. It makes life so easy.

Fixer · May 2, 2020

Jay.89 said:
Bought a couple more bits today

You're making a commitment if you grow in coco. I am little obsessive so I like it but if you need to be away from your plants more than a night you may have problems later in flower. The plants drink a lot and the coco dries out quickly.

Jay.89 · May 3, 2020

To what you just said GMT. it sounds like the simpler option right? What should I mix with the veg compost? Any additional nutrients or perlite? Or could I do a 50/50 with the coco perlite mix? As I mentioned, I'm a newbie to all of this. My main goal from all of this is just to grow one or two plants for my own personal 'garden' on a very small scale.

I'mback · May 3, 2020

Jay.89 said:
To what you just said GMT. it sounds like the simpler option right? What should I mix with the veg compost? Any additional nutrients or perlite? Or could I do a 50/50 with the coco perlite mix? As I mentioned, I'm a newbie to all of this. My main goal from all of this is just to grow one or two plants for my own personal 'garden' on a very small scale.

You mentioned HP Promix, start with that, do not, I repeat do not try to boost it and geared normally. You need to do some research!

noknees · May 3, 2020

Jay.89 said:
To what you just said GMT. it sounds like the simpler option right? What should I mix with the veg compost? Any additional nutrients or perlite? Or could I do a 50/50 with the coco perlite mix? As I mentioned, I'm a newbie to all of this. My main goal from all of this is just to grow one or two plants for my own personal 'garden' on a very small scale.

you're already all over the road. keep it simple, and don't buy a bunch of extra shit!

i'd argue this is the best $40+ you could spend on your new hobby.

https://www.kisorganics.com/collect...il-mix/products/kis-organics-biochar-soil-mix

i'd also recommend starting out with an easy-to-grow photo fem plant. way more value and flexibility.

GMT · May 3, 2020

Don't mix it with anything. I know so many people do, but really, unless you plan on drowning your plants, and have no self control with watering, all you do by adding material to the compost like perlite, is to reduce the compost available to the roots. That reduces the food the roots can find.
My compost costs £3 UK for 60 litres. I add tap water. Job done. Make it easy for your self. The less you do, the less you can fuck up.
Get a harvest under your belt and you'll be hooked. Mess up a few grows and you'll go back to phoning a dealer. Give yourself a chance to break free, keep it simple is a cliche these days, but that's only because so many people need telling.

Grula · May 4, 2020

A couple of potting soil, some clay pebbles and a bit og perlite and you gret your autoflower up and running in no time (it is a weed remember)

Jay.89 · May 11, 2020

Hi guys,

Quick update. It is now day 3 of seed germination. I have attached a photo on how the process is going.

It was recommended by the company which I purchased the kit from to allow 3-6 days of germination before transferring into its final home.

Do you think my seed is now ready to move? Don't worry, I won't be disturbing the plant in the process as you have to pop the seedling out from the bottom and it comes out as a whole.

GMT · May 11, 2020

No not really, at that age its only going to have a tap root. Does your pot have drainage holes in the bottom? If so, wait till you can see the roots popping out to say hello. Then give them a bigger house.

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