My First Grow!! Newb Needs Help!!

[Thelbsnowman]

Hello fellow farmers!! I just mixed my new ferts consisting of 4 tsp of maxi bloom, 1.5 teaspoons of super thrive, and 1.5 teaspoons of supernova with a Ph in between 5-6 (3 drop general hydroponics kit was orange yellow). Lets just say I have a 10 gallon bucket(8-10 is a better guess) how would I go about Effictivly watering this pot? It seams my top couple inches of soil are always dry. Any tips on how to do this properly so my ladies get enough food and water??

 

[SuperSilverHaze]

4tsp of MB................how much h2o? 5 gal?

i only use superthrive when i clone......1 drop goes a long way and 1.5 tsp seems a lot but im speaking from inexperience.

when i water i feed/water by hand from the top. i like to water around the edge slowly so it doesnt go straight thru and my coco gets fully saturated and i like to get run-off, ~ 10%.

EDIT: to determine if your cfl's are too close hold your hand under the light, back side up, and if its not too hot for your hand its ok for your plants.

 

[Thelbsnowman]

4tsp of MB................how much h2o? 5 gal?

i only use superthrive when i clone......1 drop goes a long way and 1.5 tsp seems a lot but im speaking from inexperience.

when i water i feed/water by hand from the top. i like to water around the edge slowly so it doesnt go straight thru and my coco gets fully saturated and i like to get run-off, ~ 10%.

EDIT: to determine if your cfl's are too close hold your hand under the light, back side up, and if its not too hot for your hand its ok for your plants.

Yes super it's 5 gal. The instructions on the super thrive reads .5 tsp per gallon. Plus I'm in soil not coco. Can I save my run off and keep reusing it on my girls? So ~10% of 5 gal would be a half gallon. I don't just want to pour water untill a half gallon comes out, the soil doesn't soak it up fast. Maybe just the first two inches.

 

[SuperSilverHaze]

if using soil your ph of nutes/h20 should be ~6.8 and i would water a bit, let it soak in a few sec then continue to water and wait a bit and repeat until i saw some run off.

the pure superthrive i have is in a really small bottle and it said 1 drop / gal.

 

[Thelbsnowman]

if using soil your ph of nutes/h20 should be ~6.8 and i would water a bit, let it soak in a few sec then continue to water and wait a bit and repeat until i saw some run off.

the pure superthrive i have is in a really small bottle and it said 1 drop / gal.

Ok I'll adjust my Ph when I get home, then water my girls tonight or tomorrow morning. I'm really excited to use maxi bloom and see what happens with my girls. On a side note I have a gallon of SN-90 or something like that. Anyone have experience using this product/advice on using this product? I believe it's a wetting agent used as a foliar Spray.

 

[Max Frost]

Superthrive is good stuff, but as has been pointed out...a little goes a long way! I only use it once in veg for the vitamins and hormones, and I apply it at the rate of 1/4 tsp/Gal. Best of luck!

Max

 

[Thelbsnowman]

Thanks max!! I actually made a typo. I measured out 3/4 tsp not 1.5 tsp in 5 gallons haha that could be damaging!! I had to do a heavy watering two days ago. My humidity wasn't even registering on my thermometer, and my soil meter measured really low moisture in my soil. I probably used two gallons of water and collected the run off into a container. After it was done dripping out I added the water slowly back into my pot. I did that three times and i still don't think that was enough water. Ill check the soil tonight when my light comes on, but I might have to water agin if all my soil is dried up...

 

[Max Frost]

Thanks max!! I actually made a typo. I measured out 3/4 tsp not 1.5 tsp in 5 gallons haha that could be damaging!! I had to do a heavy watering two days ago. My humidity wasn't even registering on my thermometer, and my soil meter measured really low moisture in my soil. I probably used two gallons of water and collected the run off into a container. After it was done dripping out I added the water slowly back into my pot. I did that three times and i still don't think that was enough water. Ill check the soil tonight when my light comes on, but I might have to water agin if all my soil is dried up...

If your pot has gotten too dry, it's helpful to place the pot in a dish of water and allow the plant to soak up the water from the bottom. Allow it to sit in the water until it soaks it all up if possible. Also...wet the top of the soil uniformly and give it 15-20 mins to soak in good. Then, come back and water completely from the top as well as the bottom. What is probably happening is that the soil is so dry that the water just finds the path of least resistance and runs right thru without having time to soak in. By watering slowly & thoroughly as described above, this will give the water time to soak in and be absorbed throughout the media. When you are done watering, your pot should feel very heavy as compared to when you started. If it's not...repeat the process above until it is. I've had to leave pots sitting in water for hours or even overnight sometimes before the dry soil will accept and wick up the water. In the future try not to let your media dry to the point that it becomes cement-like. Best of luck!

Max

 

[mr roboto]

Hello fellow farmers!! I just mixed my new ferts consisting of 4 tsp of maxi bloom, 1.5 teaspoons of super thrive, and 1.5 teaspoons of supernova with a Ph in between 5-6 (3 drop general hydroponics kit was orange yellow). Lets just say I have a 10 gallon bucket(8-10 is a better guess) how would I go about Effictivly watering this pot? It seams my top couple inches of soil are always dry. Any tips on how to do this properly so my ladies get enough food and water??

I have a spray bottle on mist and if my soil is dry on top I just give it a few sprays on the top porttion of the soil near to darken the color (I dont wait ) and just water ...easy breezy

if your watering with 8 gallons of water then you can get a watering wand and attach it to a aquarium pump with half inch tubing and water....use a power strip with a switch to make thing easier .

 

[Thelbsnowman]

I have a big storage bin that's unused, I will clean it, and add water to it so It will bottom feed. Top feed with my watering pale slowly after misting the top layer. Thank you for all the advice guies, I really appreciate it. I have a purple color on the top leaf veins, an I'm really excited about it!! I think it's time to play LETS NAME THAT STRAIN!!! More photos coming soon. Ill show the purple, and some more pics of my ladies. Have a great night!!

Snowman

 

[Max Frost]

We'll look forward to those pics! The purple could be a genetic trait, but this is not as common as many think. Purple stems or petioles (leaf stem) are usually indicative of a deficiency. Usually, magnesium or P. When you get the pics up, it should be easy to tell.

Also, once your pot has soaked in the water, remove it from the bin. You don't want to leave them sitting in water as a general rule.

 

[Thelbsnowman]

Ugh I hope it's not a deficiency. Here are the new photos!! Let me know what you think guies!

 

[Thelbsnowman]

I let the pot sit overnight in the storage bin, and it was super heavy when I lifted it out. Today when I checked it there was a little bit of water on the bottom of the pot after 12 hours! It took in a lot if water. If I do have a nutrient deficiency hopefully the maxi bloom and supernova will give it what it needs. I had regular water in my bin though...

 

[SuperSilverHaze]

id be careful leaving them sit overnight in h20 where the bottom roots are submerged for many hrs. there may not have been too much h20 in the bin to cause any further issues but if your soil gets fully saturated and there is still h20 that can not get wicked up (absorbed) then thats bad.

i top feed, drain to waste in 100% coco so im not up on bottom feeding..........i bottom feed my new clones in solo cups to get the roots to fill the cup but change to top feed from then on.

EDIT: your ph had been off and that will change what is available to the plant and when you have an imbalance of the nutrients being taken up it can get confusing trying to diagnose the correct issue and then take the proper steps to get your girls back healthy.

maybe post those pics in the infirmary forum along w/what you have been doing..........the feed/h20 schedule, ph, environmental conditions. you may get more responses.


peace

 

[SuperSilverHaze]

...If I do have a nutrient deficiency hopefully the maxi bloom and supernova will give it what it needs...

imo the nute deficiency is from the PH you were feeding your girls so what ever nutes you choose proper ph them, good oxygenated h20 and feed properly for your medium........im in 100% coco and can water between 1-3x per day but when i grew in soil it was every 3-4 days depending upon plant/pot size, temp and rh.

 

[Thelbsnowman]

Do you have an air stone in your nutrient tank supersilver? I guess I could add an air stone to my 5 gallon bucket to get more air. I also have a can of h2o2 would that help? The way I've been adding air is with a big spoon, stirring the mix and then switching directions fast. (Clockwise then counter clockwise to agitate the swirling action) ill post in the infirmary to get some opinions on my girls.

 

[SuperSilverHaze]

i use a 25 gal trash can that i keep tap h2o ONLY in.............it has an air pump w/stones to keep it from getting anaerobic.

i mix my nutes each day but i could use my trash can as a nute res. and mix more as it got low but in both situations the more o2 the better.

some new live well air stones do a good job increasing the D/O in the h20........better for fish. i think it has much smaller air bubbles but add an air stone.

h2o2 will break down to o2 but im not the one to give advice on it as i havent used it.

 

[Thelbsnowman]

The purple stems are only in the new growth. Top only on the main stock. It's starting to appear on the medium size girl on the new growth as well. No purple on the little one that I can see.

 

[Max Frost]

Yeah...you don't want to leave your pots sitting in water as a general rule. I only meant for you to do that until you were able to get the soil rehydrated from it drying out too much, and being able to soak in the water. Once they're soaked thoroughly, you'll want to remove them and get back on a good watering cycle.

The easiest way to get more O2 to your roots is not not overwater. Overwatering can also cause certain nutes to lock up...causing deficiencies. Pay close attention to not overwatering, and getting your pH in range, and things should improve.

It looks to me like you're experiencing a magnesium def. Check out this vid, and see if it seems similar. You'll want to get them a shot of mag. You can use a cal/mag supplement, or epsom salts (magnesium sulphate) will also work.



Best,

Max

 

[Thelbsnowman]

Yeah...you don't want to leave your pots sitting in water as a general rule. I only meant for you to do that until you were able to get the soil rehydrated from it drying out too much, and being able to soak in the water. Once they're soaked thoroughly, you'll want to remove them and get back on a good watering cycle.

The easiest way to get more O2 to your roots is not not overwater. Overwatering can also cause certain nutes to lock up...causing deficiencies. Pay close attention to not overwatering, and getting your pH in range, and things should improve.

It looks to me like you're experiencing a magnesium def. Check out this vid, and see if it seems similar. You'll want to get them a shot of mag. You can use a cal/mag supplement, or epsom salts (magnesium sulphate) will also work.



Best,

Max

That sounds like my problem. I'll have to buy some CAl/MAg and add it to my water. But now i have ANOTHER problem. I now have mites on my smallest girl. Seems like i just cant catch a break. But i guess its good that i'm running into these problems so i know how to fix it and prevent it for my next grow.