Hey relatively new grower here, I'll be setting up a 2x4 (80cm x 80cm x 180cm) Tent with
ViparSpectra P2000 200W lights. I'm thinking of going with an auto flowering strain but I'm still unsure about that. My question is which would be a better medium for a beginner soil or coco? Could I grow 2 plants in the same tent 1 with soil and 1 with coco without any complications? (Will having different mediums in the same area affect the other lol) Also should I consider just growing a regular photoperiod plant? Someone else recommended them over auto flowering, but I thought auto was easier for a beginner? Slowly it's all coming together haha
Hmm. For me, this is a tricky question. I started growing a year ago with 4 autos in soil in a 4x4 tent. Made all kinds of mistakes.
And that is the key. With autos, if you make a mistake it's likely to hurt your yield. Because autos don't have a lot of time to undo mistakes by extending vegetative times. Make a lot of mistakes as a beginner, like I did, and you end up with a miserable yield. I only got 3 ounces out of four plants.
But, if you don't make mistakes (no overwater, no overfeeding, no topping, no drying out, no pests, etc, etc,) then autos are a great choice. They grow fast in small spaces.
My second grow, I went to photoperiods, partly with the idea that I could fix mistakes by extending the grow. First grow I overdid everything. Second grow I underdid it. Veg'd from May 1 to August 15, harvested Oct 10. In that crop, of 5 plants in soil, I got 18 ounces. But it did take a long time.
My third, and current, crop is 4 plants growing in coco coir, with 7 times daily feeding. The seeds started germinating Jan 7, and the plants are 1-3 weeks from harvest. They are also massive, and I have no doubt I will get more than 18 oz from this crop, and it's likely to be better (stronger) smoke as well.
Try two autos and be very careful not to overdo anything. It will be a learning experience, and you can't really avoid paying the price of ignorance in learning how to grow. Set lights to 18/6 and leave them there. Be hyper aware of the watering amounts and soil conditions, and feed at 1/4 recommended non-auto dosages. Adjust from there if you see issues.
Along the way, you're going to need some measuring equipment as well as growing equipment. PPM/EC, temp & humidity in tent (for fan control), pH and PAR meters are what you need. At the very least start with an EC pen (if PPM, ensure it uses 500 ppm scale!) because it is needed and cheap at under $15. The most expensive meter is a PAR meter (over $200) and a pH meter (accurate ones are $75-100. See
Bluelab.) If you have the right model of iPhone, you can use an app instead of a PAR meter, but as far as I know, only one model has been found accurate. None of the android phones have accurate brightness metering.
With soil, you don't have to be so knowledgeable about pH as the soil should buffer it where it wants. Not so with coco.
By the way, I'd start with soil to lower the learning curve some - and build up equipment. With coco you need to be on top of your nutrients and lighting, and that means either a lot of knowledge, or have all that measuring equipment plus a lot of knowledge. Or - start with coco and learn like crazy!