6 Autos I’m Tending

[Iamrain]

Hey there peeps! I came across a handful of growing forums and thought this one looked the best! Thanks for your openness and thoroughness in these forums, it’s helped me with many questions I’ve had.

My main question at this moment is about starting my seedlings under light and on their first gulp of nutrients. I’ve never grown anything really (growing vegetables in Hawaii shouldn’t really count) so I’m unsure about the methods and routines of mixing up the nutrients and ppm and ph in the feed before and after watering. Is the runoff taken each time I water or every other day? Do I ppm first and then ph? And do I do the exact same thing with the runoff?

I’ve got a ph pen coming (it seems a lot more accurate than the strips) but it won’t arrive for 5 days or so. Ph strips are what I have, as well as a tester solution that you add drops to and compare to the chart.

I have the impression that I can go very lightly with them (the plants) and just keep adding in the nutrients according to a diluted plan (1/4 strength) through the first week of planting. But I’m not planning on hitting them with the nutrients until I see that they can take 18 hours of sunlight without flinching.

Currently the 5 autos have had mykos extreme in a quarter dose around the root area and some light water with a sprayer. They were planted this evening as well. 1 is hanging back to be planted for a day until she’s bigger.

My ppm meter is here and it’s calibrated, I also have the ph strips. The plants are ready to cha-cha and they’re waiting for when I’m ready as well.

Also- one more thing:
I have a solarium where my homeowner would like for me to grow the plants in. It gets up to 92 ish there in the height of the sunlight hours though. So my idea is to carry the autos outside on the porch for the daytime and back in when it starts to cool off and the sun starts to hide away again. It’s mid 70’s during the daytime with good sun. The solarium is more tolerable after the sun goes down as far as temps go. Will it be too hard on the plants to experience this change in humidity and light sources? They will be on a full spectrum 315 watt cmh light for the other half of their time that isn’t out in the natural sunlight. After a month or so the solarium will be in the 80s I imagine, so then they will have that as their permanent home for flowering.

What factors if any need to be considered when moving them like this?

 

[TerpyTyrone]

Soil or coco? Cal mag is essential in coco. Dont overwater or over feed autos.

 

[JWM2]

It really depends on your growing medium. If your growing medium has ferts in it then I’d wait until they need it. Let us know what you are growing in and we can give you advice. Moving them in and daily isn’t ideal but doable. Can you bring down the temps in the solarium by exchanging more outside air? Might be an option. Good luck either way.

 

[Iamrain]

Soil or coco? Cal mag is essential in coco. Dont overwater or over feed autos.

They just started in coco and perlite last night.

 

[Iamrain]

It really depends on your growing medium. If your growing medium has ferts in it then I’d wait until they need it. Let us know what you are growing in and we can give you advice. Moving them in and daily isn’t ideal but doable. Can you bring down the temps in the solarium by exchanging more outside air? Might be an option. Good luck either way.

I haven’t pre dosed them with any fertilizer. Just the small bit of mykos extreme. Yea, about moving the outside air into the solarium- I’ve thought about it! And maybe I should think more about too. :) It’s nice to have options! But at the same time I’m trying to calculate it myself to come up with what would be most effective for them and my head is swimming. I feel like both aspects are pretty important- the nute schedule and temps.

I have read in the past that the air outtake is more important than having an air intake if you have to choose between one. But it seems like- in my case with the high temperatures it may require the air intake instead?

 

[JWM2]

You want to pull the hot air out and allow cool air to take its place. That’s the theory anyhow. I’ve always had passive intakes or allowed air to come through door openings. But you want to make sure the hot air escapes and to do that you need an exhaust. So yeah exhaust first and then intake.

Opening the windows during the day and setting up fan might be all you need to make it cooler. It’s hard to say without seeing the space. Either way I’m sure you can make it work.

 

[Necromancer]

I would wait for the pH pen if I was you before fert. It's important and accurate if you get a good one. In Coco I feed from seedling a fert from RX called Clone Life. And I do 3.5 ml per gallon for my seedlings for at least 2 weeks before using 1/4 nutes.Hope this helps you.

 

[Iamrain]

You want to pull the hot air out and allow cool air to take its place. That’s the theory anyhow. I’ve always had passive intakes or allowed air to come through door openings. But you want to make sure the hot air escapes and to do that you need an exhaust. So yeah exhaust first and then intake.

Opening the windows during the day and setting up fan might be all you need to make it cooler. It’s hard to say without seeing the space. Either way I’m sure you can make it work.

Thanks JWM2.
That sounds right. I’m not sure in the reasoning exactly, but that matches what I’ve got in my head for air circulation. I will be glad to blast them them with a good air temperature and light when I’ve got the solarium figured out. Right now, it’s baby steps for them.
They got natural sunlight for about 4 hours and I’m giving them 100 percent of the 315w cmh for a couple more hours tonight.

My 6th straggler is going to be in catch up mode taking the same steps 1 day late.

As far as nutrients goes. I’m still stumped on my plan of action.

 

[Iamrain]

I would wait for the pH pen if I was you before fert. It's important and accurate if you get a good one. In Coco I feed from seedling a fert from RX called Clone Life. And I do 3.5 ml per gallon for my seedlings for at least 2 weeks before using 1/4 nutes.Hope this helps you.

Alright, I’ll consider that Necromancer. And do you mix it up each day? What kind of routine is common as far as prepping it and applying the feed? I was thinking about grabbing a classic watering can with a spout. I forget what they’re called.

 

[Iamrain]

I don’t see how you guys/girls are having fun with my post yet.. But I appreciate your help with my questions on the matter! I just want to get things dialed in a bit before I start with a routine. I’m full time in college with a basketball coaching job to boot. So, my time isn’t completely expendable or infinite.

Thanks again everyone, for sharing your know-how and/or tricks with a nobody!

 

[Iamrain]

Is this ph pen alright? It comes with some calibration powder 4.0, 6.86, and 9.15. It has good ratings..
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07DQ4QD3W/ref=ox_sc_act_image_1_1_1?smid=A3UI3GFX2O5J0V&psc=1

 

[Necromancer]

Alright, I’ll consider that Necromancer. And do you mix it up each day? What kind of routine is common as far as prepping it and applying the feed? I was thinking about grabbing a classic watering can with a spout. I forget what they’re called.

I had problems with a spout because it's hard to see your PH Pen Numbers. I use a 1 gallon pitcher for drinks were I can remove the top. I mix, ph and water to run off everyday depending on size and root mass. As your plants grow they drink more water so it varies on what stage of growth and how many plants I'm growing how long a gallon would last me.

 

[Necromancer]

I don’t see how you guys/girls are having fun with my post yet.. But I appreciate your help with my questions on the matter! I just want to get things dialed in a bit before I start with a routine. I’m full time in college with a basketball coaching job to boot. So, my time isn’t completely expendable or infinite.
If you want to get the most out of your Autoflower
Thanks again everyone, for sharing your know-how and/or tricks with a nobody!

Your not supposed to skip days in watering using a medium such as Coco but I get lazy and go 3 days max without watering. I do not recommend this at seedling stage. Once I get them to a stage where I feel that their not going to die if I miss a few days and that they can feed off their leaves is when I start getting lazy. The rule on Coco though is to water everyday.
If you want to get the most out of your Autoflower's you would water 3x a day in Coco.

 

[Iamrain]

Good stuff. I’ll hunt down one of those pitchers for feeding. I also saw the growpotcheaply guy had some plastic desk storage containers that had horizontal openings in them which he layed down on the overflow tray upside down, placing the pots on top of those. This was done for the seedling and veg stage to bring the humidity up from the runoff water sitting in the tray. Maybe another plastic gem.

 

[Necromancer]

Good stuff. I’ll hunt down one of those pitchers for feeding. I also saw the growpotcheaply guy had some plastic desk storage containers that had horizontal openings in them which he layed down on the overflow tray upside down, placing the pots on top of those. This was done for the seedling and veg stage to bring the humidity up from the runoff water sitting in the tray. Maybe another plastic gem.

I've never tried that but people have their own ways to do things. When I was growing in my tent I just bought a cool mist humidifier with a thermostat.

 

[Iamrain]

Your not supposed to skip days in watering using a medium such as Coco but I get lazy and go 3 days max without watering. I do not recommend this at seedling stage. Once I get them to a stage where I feel that their not going to die if I miss a few days and that they can feed off their leaves is when I start getting lazy. The rule on Coco though is to water everyday.
If you want to get the most out of your Autoflower's you would water 3x a day in Coco.

I’ve acquired General Hydroponics CaliMagic, blue planet’s liquid seaweed, Canna Coco’s a and b, an 11% silicon dioxide, and 2 pounds of humic acid.

I’m unsure about adding in the sea kelp and cal mag to the canna coco a and b. The whole thing basically. When do they need these nutrients? In what order are they mixed? I know I bought the coco a and b for their staple feeding for all growth cycles and I hear that cal mag is mui importante through its life as well.. I know I can search through this stuff but I wanted your input on my overall nute choices, rather than me just picking out more spotty information off the internet. I get tunnel vision. And I don’t think my plants appreciate tunnel vision.

I’m thinking about waiting on their 1/4 feed till the morning if it looks like they took the lighting just fine.

The humic acid and silicon dioxide I bought for a weekly foliar feed to be mixed together. I was going to wait until they are more developed and leafy before spraying them with that.

 

[Necromancer]

I’ve acquired General Hydroponics CaliMagic, blue planet’s liquid seaweed, Canna Coco’s a and b, an 11% silicon dioxide, and 2 pounds of humic acid.

I’m unsure about adding in the sea kelp and cal mag to the canna coco a and b. The whole thing basically. When do they need these nutrients? In what order are they mixed? I know I bought the coco a and b for their staple feeding for all growth cycles and I hear that cal mag is mui importante through its life as well.. I know I can search through this stuff but I wanted your input on my overall nute choices, rather than me just picking out more spotty information off the internet. I get tunnel vision. And I don’t think my plants appreciate tunnel vision.

I’m thinking about waiting on their 1/4 feed till the morning if it looks like they took the lighting just fine.

The humic acid and silicon dioxide I bought for a weekly foliar feed to be mixed together. I was going to wait until they are more developed and leafy before spraying them with that.

I currently only have 2 different manufacturers of nutes and none of them are the ones you have. I don't feel comfortable answering this question and do not want to give you wrong advice and am thinking JWM2 is more knowledgeable than myself in this area to answer your question. Sorry

 

[Necromancer]

I’ve acquired General Hydroponics CaliMagic, blue planet’s liquid seaweed, Canna Coco’s a and b, an 11% silicon dioxide, and 2 pounds of humic acid.

I’m unsure about adding in the sea kelp and cal mag to the canna coco a and b. The whole thing basically. When do they need these nutrients? In what order are they mixed? I know I bought the coco a and b for their staple feeding for all growth cycles and I hear that cal mag is mui importante through its life as well.. I know I can search through this stuff but I wanted your input on my overall nute choices, rather than me just picking out more spotty information off the internet. I get tunnel vision. And I don’t think my plants appreciate tunnel vision.

I’m thinking about waiting on their 1/4 feed till the morning if it looks like they took the lighting just fine.

The humic acid and silicon dioxide I bought for a weekly foliar feed to be mixed together. I was going to wait until they are more developed and leafy before spraying them with that.

When I mix I do
1.Cal mag
2.Silica (depending on stage)
3,4.A & B Grow or Bloom

 

[Iamrain]

I’m at 270ppm with about a 6.2 ph in my feed. I didn’t quarter strength the seaweed because it has its own max and minimum range in the bottle. Everything else is 1/4 strength.

It appears that coco can take the nutrients early on since it’s so bare, from what I’ve been reading. I need to read up on “buffering coco” more though.

If I feed twice a day would that mean I half my original recipe? Or keep it the same in both feedings? Thanks for the help Necromancer your my boy Blue!

I should be good to go very soon!