what were your milestones in growing terms

[bigwity]

as there are a lot of long term growers in this forum i think it would be helpful for us to put down our milestones in cannabis cultivation. by this i mean changes you have made that you would never turn back from, like using pearlite for example or switching from sodium to hps also it would be good if you could explain the difference it made to your yield/plant health/flavour. then some other can try you tuned in techniques. cheers all bigwits

 

[Goldenseed]

Real Organics(Teas,living real soil etc.)....best switch i ever did....i will never ever go back to anything else in nute/medium terms....its real easy an cheap too if you do your homework right.

GS

 

[bigwity]

thats amazing stuff most people would never try that, you have, and now will never go back.
i personally have been using pearlite in my soil, and i always buy potting compost rather than the cheap soil, for the last two years ive found the results amazing, fuller plants greener plants and i use less chemicals.
big pots was another milestone i used smaller ones for ages.

 

[ibjamming]

thats amazing stuff most people would never try that, you have, and now will never go back.
i personally have been using pearlite in my soil, and i always buy potting compost rather than the cheap soil, for the last two years ive found the results amazing, fuller plants greener plants and i use less chemicals.
big pots was another milestone i used smaller ones for ages.

Got a name for the potting compost...like mushroom or manure? And HOW big a pot?

 

[Tony Aroma]

Buying seeds. The difference between bagseed and known, quality genetics is amazing. Can't believe I waited so long. I'll never grow bagseed again!

 

[Lazyman]

Well, I've pretty much always been a commercial grower, so:

Clones are better for production than seeds
Monocropping is best for yields
Plants in Smartpots don't get rootbound symptoms
Automated watering in veg is overrated
Automated watering in flower is under-rated
There's damn near no such thing as overkill
Simplicity rules, moving parts are bad and will fail eventually
Your canopy under the lights should be full, no light hitting the floor.
You will need more clones than you think (this lets you pick the best of them to flower)
Try not to grow where you live
Never have two of the following things in the same location: money, weed, guns or plants
Have chemicals on hand to treat problems you don't have: Physan20, Eagle20, Floramite, Neem, foggers, sulphur sprays, Spinosad, SM-90, H202, even Imidacloprid for thrips.
The more time you spend in the garden, the better your harvest will be (in general.)

Tropf-BLumat auto-waterers are one thing that I will probably never change from, top drip and automated watering in one. Can use with soil, coco or RW.

 

[215forLife]

I guess my milestones would be...

When I learned how to do this

Pure Goo X Chemdawg 91 pollen! Knowing when to KEEP males and still grow sensiweed I guess.

The other milestone would have been when I got the US Federal Government to cash an file income tax check and returns for a company that is on paper a "pharmacuetical & medicine manufacturer" with a specific product of "Medicinal Cannabis".

Using co2 and running sealed rooms when indoors, in combination with watercooling the reflectors. Less property damage, and more stable temps for better yeilds!

Oh I disagree with Lazy on one thing. Being able to grow at home with the windows open and all the neighbors being in know (I live downtown). I think honestly thats the greatest milestone. Cops even came by cause someone tried to 5150 me again, and they didn't care about the grow!

 

[big ballin 88]

Learning that the biggest problem to the plant is me. Start thinking the plant is so needy and just chill.

Blumat Jr's. As Lazy said they are under-rated for use in flower. They keep the soil at a perfect moisture ratio which is key to good organics. Also they eased my situation when i go away for a week or two. A gallon will last 4 plants more than a week in my size garden.

Shredded Pine Bark and Biochar instead of vermiculite or perlite. Has a better texture and holds much more water than either of the -lites. Not only that but they has many pores that serve different purposes and can hold water longer than any other. It changed the texture of my peat based mixes for the better.

Lastly, Smart Pots. They do allow my plants to fill out the root area denser it seems in less space. They seem to be much heavier root systems in my 2 gal. than against my 3 gal. square plastic pots. Also once again like Lazy said no rootbound issues.

 

[bigwity]

Got a name for the potting compost...like mushroom or manure? And HOW big a pot?

i use mushroom compost when i can get it but i use john innes potting compost and as for pot size i get the biggest that will fit for the amount of plants im growing i have many sizes i work out how many plants im growing usually between 6 and 10 and then fit the pots to my room.
i expect my next milestone will be going hydro lol

 

[bigwity]

Buying seeds. The difference between bagseed and known, quality genetics is amazing. Can't believe I waited so long. I'll never grow bagseed again!

definatly a milestone for me too i grew bagseed for ages b4 i realised good genes are everything. i used to think weed is weed its all strong. how wrong!
another was swapping seeds with people great way to test stuff without spending cash

cheers for input guys good work

 

[FunkBomb]

Milestone for me was learning the fundamentals and then applying them. Plants like lots of medium, light, air, and water. Give them all when they need it and that's all she wrote. Yields get better and better as you master the simplicity.

-Funk

 

[Grimr3efer]

First was to get rod of the expanded clay pebbels. Next was a ph an ec pens.

 

[Sam the Caveman]

The 1kw bulb

I started with 160w of cfls, then 150w mh, then 400w cmh and finally a 1kw hps.

 

[guest456mpy]

1968, convinced my wife I wasn't crazy grow'n our own.

H.G.

 

[emerald city]

Being able to identify and fix problems BEFORE it wrecks the whole grow...Learning to overcome mites,mildues etc.....
I remember seeing mites so bad they looked like spider webs at halloween...or opening up a bag of dried smoke to see bugs flying out,my buddy says"dont worry they will die in a few days"...He had no idea the problems he was having or what it would takee to fix them....can you say learning curve........my 2c E.C/out

 

[Bobby Bains]

Growing far more than I can possibly even think about personally consuming.

 

[bigwity]

how about learning that weed plants arent all the same, what works for 1 may not suit another

 

[SKUNK420]

When I had enough money to tell my lying lazy worthless roommate/friends/partner I'm out b!tches and to bad you didn't learn while I was here.

 

[jm420]

When I had enough money to tell my lying lazy worthless roommate/friends/partner I'm out b!tches and to bad you didn't learn while I was here.

 

[dunkydunk]

When I didn't have to check on my grow three times day.