First Grow Advice - Quarantine Edition

[Stugots]

Hey Farmers,

It all started when I smoked a little too much weed one night and decided “Fuck it, I’ll just see if these old seeds will germinate.” Long story short, they did. And from that moment, I jumped into your world with both feet real quick and my god is it difficult to do with so many stores closed right now with the current flu pandemic. And like minded people like myself are clearly doing the same thing because a lot of products are sold out in the few stores that are open.

I’ve been pulled to this website more than once in my quest to absorb as much info as I can but damn am I overwhelmed by the world of cannabis farming.

I have no idea the sex of the seeds, but I did grab a large quantity of the flower when I acquired them. Some of the big nugs had 20 seeds, some had none at all so I kept them all hoping they would be female. It was Pineapple Express and all I remember is it tasted great or I wouldn’t have kept the seeds.

Here’s my setup. Just transplanted them into the 24L (6.34 gallons) cloth pots with pro mix VH organic soil. Mixed in some extra Vermiculite. Mars Hydro TS-1000W is 24” above the plants. Trying to maintain 23.5C @ 65% humidity for 24 hours at this stage (read that seedlings love the light and I don’t need to switch to 18/6 yet). Decent airflow (for now). Tap water quality in my area is ~137mg/L or ~9.6 grains/gallon. I leave it out for 48 hours before using.

I already know of a lot of things I would do differently to start my 2nd grow. But what are your suggestions to improve my current situation? It seems that everyone is using nutrients unless they have a type of super soil. What organic nutrients should I be using? Nature’s Nectar seems to be an interesting nute for a decent price. I see a lot of people using Gaia Green as well but it seems to be on the pricier end (unless prices just went up because of limited quantities).

Any comments would be appreciated seeing as I am I complete noob with this.

P.s I have only physically shopped at a store once during this entire project to pick up the soil itself, and I did it when I had to buy groceries as well. I don’t want to give the impression that I’ve been irresponsible with social distancing.

 

[DreamsOfDiesel]

Hey Farmers,

It all started when I smoked a little too much weed one night and decided “Fuck it, I’ll just see if these old seeds will germinate.” Long story short, they did. And from that moment, I jumped into your world with both feet real quick and my god is it difficult to do with so many stores closed right now with the current flu pandemic. And like minded people like myself are clearly doing the same thing because a lot of products are sold out in the few stores that are open.

I’ve been pulled to this website more than once in my quest to absorb as much info as I can but damn am I overwhelmed by the world of cannabis farming.

I have no idea the sex of the seeds, but I did grab a large quantity of the flower when I acquired them. Some of the big nugs had 20 seeds, some had none at all so I kept them all hoping they would be female. It was Pineapple Express and all I remember is it tasted great or I wouldn’t have kept the seeds.

Here’s my setup. Just transplanted them into the 24L (6.34 gallons) cloth pots with pro mix VH organic soil. Mixed in some extra Vermiculite. Mars Hydro TS-1000W is 24” above the plants. Trying to maintain 23.5C @ 65% humidity for 24 hours at this stage (read that seedlings love the light and I don’t need to switch to 18/6 yet). Decent airflow (for now). Tap water quality in my area is ~137mg/L or ~9.6 grains/gallon. I leave it out for 48 hours before using.

I already know of a lot of things I would do differently to start my 2nd grow. But what are your suggestions to improve my current situation? It seems that everyone is using nutrients unless they have a type of super soil. What organic nutrients should I be using? Nature’s Nectar seems to be an interesting nute for a decent price. I see a lot of people using Gaia Green as well but it seems to be on the pricier end (unless prices just went up because of limited quantities).

Any comments would be appreciated seeing as I am I complete noob with this.

P.s I have only physically shopped at a store once during this entire project to pick up the soil itself, and I did it when I had to buy groceries as well. I don’t want to give the impression that I’ve been irresponsible with social distancing.

I dont know anything about organic nutrients, sorry. But they're so young at least you have some time before you have to have something. Lot of good people here who can help you

 

[One drop]

I dont know anything about organic nutrients, sorry. But they're so young at least you have some time before you have to have something. Lot of good people here who can help you

Getting your pots up off the tent floor creat a air cap keep the root area warmer and better drainage to boot . Regards OD .

 

[Stugots]

Getting your pots up off the tent floor creat a air cap keep the root area warmer and better drainage to boot . Regards OD .

Good to know, thank you. I did something temporary for now. Old car mats with those hard ridges on top at least now if I ever over water it will flow out). And then styrofoam on the underside of the mat. Better then it was. When the dollar stores open up again I can upgrade lol

 

[Pyrorc]

hey bud, starting off , go look at some all in one formulas. i like natures pride veg mix, tons of nutrient, and affordable. its a simple 1 tbsp per gallon type ratio, slow feed , with tons of microbes humic acid bio char, lots of goodies. i also really enjoy the earth juice rainbow mix grow. its another all in one with tons of goodies that hit all bases.

your soil depending on what it is will have some nutrients, but will run out after a while.
go find some lake water bro, use it every two weeks.

if you find a good all in one mix, that leaves you with time to focus on good watering , training, and good light btw

edit. these are all dry mixes i suggested, both slow feed and forgiving

 

[Dirtbag]

Gaia green is good stuff as an amendment but I wouldnt rely on it.
You could go a couple routes using something totally organic like earth juice to supplement the feed or what I would use is something organic based, but refined to be more bioavailable like dyna-gro foliage pro or botanicares pure blend pro grow. But that's me.

A good middle ground for next grow would be switch to promix HP. For every 10 gallons of soil blend in 1 cup of worm castings and 1/4 cup of gaia green 4-4-4, then use organic ferts sparingly on top of that.

How many actual watts is that light? I'm not familiar with it.

 

[Kanzeon]

What is your definition of organic, why is that important to you, and how much time do you want to spend feeding your plants?

If you're trying to go full living soil, no added nutes in waterings, no-till, that's a steep learning curve. There are a lot of ways that can go really wrong (but it's also awesome when done well, obvs). Overwatering and pests are common. It can also get really expensive.

If you're trying to do a soil-less mix (like Promix), follow what Ol' Dirty said. Moderate nutrients in both the medium and the waterings is a good way to approach things, because there's a far greater margin for error. Most first growers, myself included, will be learning about their plants' growth patterns and tendencies in the first grow. Once someone starts to be able to read the plants, then they can say what nutes they like.

 

[Newber]

good luck! I started with fish tank lights in my mom's basement behind a false wall where the water shut off valves were, one day left the wall off and needless to say, they saw the light! lol have plenty of help here if you have any questions.

 

[Stugots]

hey bud, starting off , go look at some all in one formulas. i like natures pride veg mix, tons of nutrient, and affordable. its a simple 1 tbsp per gallon type ratio, slow feed , with tons of microbes humic acid bio char, lots of goodies. i also really enjoy the earth juice rainbow mix grow. its another all in one with tons of goodies that hit all bases.

your soil depending on what it is will have some nutrients, but will run out after a while.
go find some lake water bro, use it every two weeks.

if you find a good all in one mix, that leaves you with time to focus on good watering , training, and good light btw

edit. these are all dry mixes i suggested, both slow feed and forgiving

Actually great tip there. I have so much fresh water around me it would be easy to fill up a couple buckets and toss them in the back of the truck (PH and TDS tester back ordered till May 14th). I’ve been using rain water but am almost out now.

I already ordered/committed to Nature’s Nectar which is a fully organic nute. Hopefully I get it within the next couple of weeks. Nature’s Pride and Earth Juice was or still is sold out or over priced currently but I will definitely consider them for the future!

Thank you!

 

[Stugots]

Gaia green is good stuff as an amendment but I wouldnt rely on it.
You could go a couple routes using something totally organic like earth juice to supplement the feed or what I would use is something organic based, but refined to be more bioavailable like dyna-gro foliage pro or botanicares pure blend pro grow. But that's me.

A good middle ground for next grow would be switch to promix HP. For every 10 gallons of soil blend in 1 cup of worm castings and 1/4 cup of gaia green 4-4-4, then use organic ferts sparingly on top of that.

How many actual watts is that light? I'm not familiar with it.

The actual power consumption on that light is 150W. Verrrrry bright LED; need to wear my sunglasses when I check on the babies. Using that as my main. I have a second 150W light ready to go (Aponuo), but these little guys don’t need them yet (I think?) .

Honestly, I wished more stores were open at the time I transplanted them cause it really was slim pickings in my area for soil. Once I saw the Pro-Mix organic veggie and herb I hoped it would be good enough or worst case could be assisted with nutes. It has 60-70% sphagnum peat moss, peat humus, compost, Perlite, Gypsum, Limestone, organic fert, Mycorrhizae.

Thank you Dirt, I’m writing these recipes down for my second grow

 

[deaddog018]

awesome to see you starting up! have fun

 

[Stugots]

What is your definition of organic, why is that important to you, and how much time do you want to spend feeding your plants?

If you're trying to go full living soil, no added nutes in waterings, no-till, that's a steep learning curve. There are a lot of ways that can go really wrong (but it's also awesome when done well, obvs). Overwatering and pests are common. It can also get really expensive.

If you're trying to do a soil-less mix (like Promix), follow what Ol' Dirty said. Moderate nutrients in both the medium and the waterings is a good way to approach things, because there's a far greater margin for error. Most first growers, myself included, will be learning about their plants' growth patterns and tendencies in the first grow. Once someone starts to be able to read the plants, then they can say what nutes they like.

The whole reason I want to go organic is cause I want to smoke the cleanest of buds when this is done without having to worry about “did I fuck this flush up and am I smoking chemicals right now?” A part of me is also skeptical about if the chemicals fully flush out to begin with.
I have a friend who works at one of the grow places in Ontario and even he recommends to mix 3:1 Pro-Mix to castings, and just go with the GH series (Micro and Bloom).

I guess cause I’m just completely ignorant to the science of flushing and making it 100% clean, so a part of me can’t commit to chemical grows. I’ve also seen people grow amazing looking plants with cheap Shultzs 20-20-20, and that’s only $10. I even noticed Pro-Mix has their own nutrient line for $10 each. Why would I spend $60 or more if I can spend $30 and it’s all the same to the plant cause it’s chemically fed nutrients? Like I said I’m a noob and was overwhelmed by the growing world lol

Frequency of adding nutrients doesn’t bother me. If it’s cost an arm and a leg then yea sure. Full living soil sounds amazing and I’d be willing to challenge myself but it’s only recommended for big grows cause of the cost unless you know someone with extra.

I actually started with the 3 Pineapple Express for that reason. I figured it would be easier to read the plants and see “should that look like this?” Cause I have 2 other samples right there.

Cheers!

 

[Stugots]

Here’s the progress. Is everything okay with the last picture? There seems to be more discolouration on the one plant.

 

[Dirtbag]

The whole reason I want to go organic is cause I want to smoke the cleanest of buds when this is done without having to worry about “did I fuck this flush up and am I smoking chemicals right now?” A part of me is also skeptical about if the chemicals fully flush out to begin with.
I have a friend who works at one of the grow places in Ontario and even he recommends to mix 3:1 Pro-Mix to castings, and just go with the GH series (Micro and Bloom).

I guess cause I’m just completely ignorant to the science of flushing and making it 100% clean, so a part of me can’t commit to chemical grows. I’ve also seen people grow amazing looking plants with cheap Shultzs 20-20-20, and that’s only $10. I even noticed Pro-Mix has their own nutrient line for $10 each. Why would I spend $60 or more if I can spend $30 and it’s all the same to the plant cause it’s chemically fed nutrients? Like I said I’m a noob and was overwhelmed by the growing world lol

Frequency of adding nutrients doesn’t bother me. If it’s cost an arm and a leg then yea sure. Full living soil sounds amazing and I’d be willing to challenge myself but it’s only recommended for big grows cause of the cost unless you know someone with extra.

I actually started with the 3 Pineapple Express for that reason. I figured it would be easier to read the plants and see “should that look like this?” Cause I have 2 other samples right there.

Cheers!

I mean this in the nicest possible way, but if you're ignorant of anything its fertilizer science. Just because something is organic doesnt make it safer, a lot of organic nutrients actually test quite high for heavy metals etc.
And just because a fertilizer is salt based doesnt mean it will leave chemicals in your weed. Essentially the plant will take up the exact same form of nutrients in a hydroponic grow as it will in an organic grow. Once it's in the plant the nitrogen, phosphorus..whatever that is taken up is in exactly the same form, whether it was sucked out of a DWC bucket or a no till bed. The difference is the organic grow requires microbes enzymes and bacteria to break down the nutrients into a form the plant can use first. Living soil is essentially, making hydroponic nutrients out of what it has available.

If anything, you have a better chance of growing clean pot with hydroponic nutrients than you do with an organic potting soil, because you have the ability to easily remove the nutes from the equation.

Last part was my opinion, but the first bit is science. FWIW, I personally feel that somewhere in the middle is best. Some chelated nutrients, and some organic and biological inputs. Best of both worlds imho.

 

[JadedMarxist]

From my experience in working in a flour mill for 15 years is, even if the bag says certified organic unless your the actual grower can you trust the big company that what your buying is organic?

OH yeah ppl will say it's all gotta be tested by an outside company blah blah
That's all tru.

But what stops a company from starting a proxy certification company? And then hire said company to certify there own product?

Ppl will say well there tested.
Again tru.

But do you know when in there process it's tested? Maybe it's tested and certified organic before the added chemicals.

The reason I bring this up is that's exactly what the flour mill did. Started a certification company them certified there product as it was still "organic" meaning they took all the nutrients out of the flour.
Then after certification they would add the chemicals used to "fortify the flour" voila charge double the price for the same product.

You can call BS if you'd like it is what it is. Also the mill I worked for is not some no name mill its the largest milling company in Canada, for legal reason that's all I can say, but personally not a single thing you buy from a store in a fancy package that says all natural or organic is actually organic.

 

[Dirtbag]

From my experience in working in a flour mill for 15 years is, even if the bag says certified organic unless your the actual grower can you trust the big company that what your buying is organic?

OH yeah ppl will say it's all gotta be tested by an outside company blah blah
That's all tru.

But what stops a company from starting a proxy certification company? And then hire said company to certify there own product?

Ppl will say well there tested.
Again tru.

But do you know when in there process it's tested? Maybe it's tested and certified organic before the added chemicals.

The reason I bring this up is that's exactly what the flour mill did. Started a certification company them certified there product as it was still "organic" meaning they took all the nutrients out of the flour.
Then after certification they would add the chemicals used to "fortify the flour" voila charge double the price for the same product.

You can call BS if you'd like it is what it is. Also the mill I worked for is not some no name mill its the largest milling company in Canada, for legal reason that's all I can say, but personally not a single thing you buy from a store in a fancy package that says all natural or organic is actually organic.

I can see why you're jaded..

 

[Stugots]

I mean this in the nicest possible way, but if you're ignorant of anything its fertilizer science. Just because something is organic doesnt make it safer, a lot of organic nutrients actually test quite high for heavy metals etc.
And just because a fertilizer is salt based doesnt mean it will leave chemicals in your weed. Essentially the plant will take up the exact same form of nutrients in a hydroponic grow as it will in an organic grow. Once it's in the plant the nitrogen, phosphorus..whatever that is taken up is in exactly the same form, whether it was sucked out of a DWC bucket or a no till bed. The difference is the organic grow requires microbes enzymes and bacteria to break down the nutrients into a form the plant can use first. Living soil is essentially, making hydroponic nutrients out of what it has available.

If anything, you have a better chance of growing clean pot with hydroponic nutrients than you do with an organic potting soil, because you have the ability to easily remove the nutes from the equation.

Last part was my opinion, but the first bit is science. FWIW, I personally feel that somewhere in the middle is best. Some chelated nutrients, and some organic and biological inputs. Best of both worlds imho.

Oh wow, I never knew organic nutrients could test high for metals. I’ll do some digging tonight and I might be cancelling my order before it gets shipped. Thank you very much for this.

 

[Dirtbag]

Oh wow, I never knew organic nutrients could test high for metals. I’ll do some digging tonight and I might be cancelling my order before it gets shipped. Thank you very much for this.

Heavy metals can be present in organic ferts as well inorganic ferts. It really depends on where the company sources its ingredients. But organics seem to be notorious for it, especially affordable organics. Most refined nutrients, especially if you're buying a reputable brand should be fairly clean.
It's one of the best reasons to splurge on quality nutrients. You can be fairly certain if you're using something like dyna-grow, GH, Jack's, master blend etc, they're gonna be fairly pure and low in heavy metals, Plus provide complete nutrition. Some of the most advanced grows mix their own nutrients on site using lab grade, tested nutrient salts. In my view that's WAY cleaner than the vast majority of people running organics that are honestly in over their head.

I've grown for a few years now and dabbled in quite a few methods, but strict organics was one I quickly passed on after giving it a go. Way too much time, effort and cost upfront to do it properly. I like using organic based, refined and chelated nutrients with a few other biologicals. Like I said above it gives me the best of both worlds, in my opinion. But, I also have zero issue with advanced growers using pure salt based formulas. It's as clean as it gets for me.

You want to avoid heavy metals, but you also want to avoid chlorides, and limit excessive phosphorus if you want clean pot. The easiest way to do that is control the NPK with a clean nutrient. Again, IMHO only. There are probably a lot of organic growers who will disagree with me on this one lol.

 

[Kanzeon]

The whole reason I want to go organic is cause I want to smoke the cleanest of buds when this is done without having to worry about “did I fuck this flush up and am I smoking chemicals right now?” A part of me is also skeptical about if the chemicals fully flush out to begin with.
I have a friend who works at one of the grow places in Ontario and even he recommends to mix 3:1 Pro-Mix to castings, and just go with the GH series (Micro and Bloom).

I guess cause I’m just completely ignorant to the science of flushing and making it 100% clean, so a part of me can’t commit to chemical grows. I’ve also seen people grow amazing looking plants with cheap Shultzs 20-20-20, and that’s only $10. I even noticed Pro-Mix has their own nutrient line for $10 each. Why would I spend $60 or more if I can spend $30 and it’s all the same to the plant cause it’s chemically fed nutrients? Like I said I’m a noob and was overwhelmed by the growing world lol

Frequency of adding nutrients doesn’t bother me. If it’s cost an arm and a leg then yea sure. Full living soil sounds amazing and I’d be willing to challenge myself but it’s only recommended for big grows cause of the cost unless you know someone with extra.

I actually started with the 3 Pineapple Express for that reason. I figured it would be easier to read the plants and see “should that look like this?” Cause I have 2 other samples right there.

Cheers!

Well like any plant, clean in, clean out. As long as you're researching what you're putting into the plant's environment and the effects of each change, you'll have success. Clean buds from hydro grows are just as possible as living soil as long as the environment is taken care of.

There's nothing wrong with 20-20-20 fertilizer, except that I'd use at most 1/3 of the recommended mix for cannabis. I used it for a few months before switching to Mega Crop.

TBH, there's quite a debate about the merits of flushing. I'm not sure that I think it's worthwhile, but I need a larger sample size before forming an opinion.

 

[JadedMarxist]

I'm with kanzeon. Ive always flushed because that's what I thought you were supposed to do every Si gle person does it and don't question it.

But now I've read some things which kinda make sense like the plant up takes the same identical things in either organics or synths. Plus a lot of growers blame there shut curing tech on not flushing right.

Common sense tells me that a proper cureing process exhausts any nutrients out by using them during the hanging and drying process.

So on my mind flushing is not nessessary. In that regard I will still flush untill credible evidence has been put forward due to just better be safe than sorry.