First time Grower

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az2000

az2000

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This stuff??

Yes, that's ratio 1-1-1.16. Cannabis likes higher K throughout the grow. That's a slight improvement over 1-1-1. But, so slight it doesn't matter.

If you're going to switch to a soil fertilizer, and have to buy MG Tomato online, I'd recommend buying Grow More Sea Grow. Or, Jack's Classic. I think MG Tomato works fine. But, I think those two are better. I'm not a big fan of Scotts. I recommend Tomato to people who want to try growing, without getting too deeply into it. It's easy to buy locally. Cheap.

I like Sea Grow because it has more organic sources of nutrients. I think it's better for the soil than Jacks. But, a lot of people use Jacks. One cool thing about Jacks is that there is a "Bloom Booster" product. And, a Tomato product. And a Citrus Feed product. The NPK ratios of each look interesting and would probably make ratio music together. :)

MiracleGro has an All Purpose which is high in N. And a Bloom Booster high in P. (But, IMO it doesn't make sense to get that deeply into MiracleGro.).

I use unrelated things to vary the Sea Grow NPK ratio. I've attached my "schedule." It's like a multi-bottle "lineup," but more generic.
 
View attachment Grow More - Sea Grow - schedule.pdf
az2000

az2000

965
143
seems odd everything was good for 2.5 months and all sorts of conflicting symptoms.. part of the curve I guess..

That timeframe fits the nutrients in the soil (what the Pro-Mix page said, that it feeds for 3 months). Maybe all you need to do is feed every watering instead of every other. That would be twice the food.

But, the soil ph sounds odd (my mind always thinks of too much nutrients, salt buildup). If the soil's depleted, the ph is something else. Maybe you're keeping it too wet. That would explain it.

It's up to you. You could feed more (each watering) and see what happens (while also trying to let the soil dry more.). To me, if I were having problems, I'd eliminate the not-so-soil-friendly fertilizer. Maybe a healthier microbial world would help things in ways straight nutrients wouldn't. But, you might pull out of it just by letting the soil dry better and feeding more (each watering).
 
Beachwalker

Beachwalker

7,055
313
Pro-Mix Veg & Herb says it feeds 3 months. That sounds bad. But, the NPK is 0.30 - 0.05 - 0.10, That's not as bad as MiracleGro potting mix. (The N is as bad. But the PK is lower.).

I don't think GH Flora 3-part is optimal for soil (which has organic nutrients amended into it to me more of a soil than soilless; intended to have a microbiology.). It's for hydroponics, directly feeding the roots without the help of microbes. @Beachwalker says it worked fine for him. Maybe he can help.

If you're underfeeding, the soil ph (acidic) is puzzling. But, that could be a result of using (entirely) synthetic nutrients in soil (clobbering the microbes, and the organic material not being used.).

When you feed/water, how much runoff do you get?
It worked fine for me and for millions of other people who use it too.

You're incorrect in that this product is not intended for soil. Perhaps the company's name, General Hydroponics has confused some into thinking that this is only a hydroponic product?

A quick read of the product label confirms that this product is: "ideal for all hydroponic applications and as a nutrient supplement for potted plants"

20190801 021410
 
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Seraphine

Seraphine

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My first few grows I used GH Flora series in soil. I also used FFOF soil. I basically followed the recommended application on the bottles but adjusted slightly to keep then PPMs under 1000. I remember the micro adding a lot to the overall PPMs so I would always end up cutting the micro amount I half. I fed once per week and watered in between. It’s a decent line but I switched to dry/mineral nutrients to be more cost effective.
 
az2000

az2000

965
143
You're incorrect in that this product is not intended for soil.

IMO, that's like saying worm castings (or urea) are intended for hydro. Just because a label says it can be done doesn't mean it's ideal (it would create a mess). :)

The way I look at it: Hydro nutrients are readily available to the roots. If used in soil, the soil only plays the role of medium (not a living organism, no more than the a reservoir is a living organism -- which hydro growers go to great lengths to prevent, dumping reservoirs every 2 weeks; chilling to prevent slime; using peroxide to sterilize; etc.).

If a product is going to be poured into soil, why wouldn't a soil product be poured and encourage soil activity? Why pour something intended for a relatively sterile environment, not needing soil, to directly feed the roots, bypassing the dynamics of the rhizozone? Presumably soil was chosen as the medium for a reason (instead of soillless peat or coco).

Soil tends to be denser/heavier than soilless. Harder to flush (which soilless growers do a lot). Soil is typically watered less frequently. Without the roots and soil working together to make nutrients available, the plant gets everything from the immediately-available hydro nutrients poured in. If it takes 4-5 days to supply fresh hydro nutrients (immediately available), that's different than the typical 2-3 day soilless feeding frequency. (You have to feed stronger less frequently to get the same nutrients to the plant.). That sounds different than roots interacting with microbes thriving in organic matter, receiving the nutrients the plant needs during those 4-5 days (organically).

I've used hydro nutrients in soilless. It worked fantastic. I can't speak for the millions of people whom you say use it in soil. (wink) But, it sounds *far* from ideal.

BTW: I don't think this is an either/or topic. I'm not religious about organic. I try to do more (organic sources of nutrients), not less. (Put another way: I try to avoid inorganic compounds when an organic source of nutrient is available, relatively fast acting. But, I'll use inorganic products if it's more convenient.). To me it's a matter of feeding the soil (not just the plant). I don't understand choosing soil as the medium and then using fertiizer that bypasses the soil (a missed opportunity to feed the soil, and promote that balance between roots, microbes and materials).
 
az2000

az2000

965
143
What did you end up doing? (Did you switch to a soil product? Or, start feeding the 3-part every watering?).
 

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