Question about 4-4-4 dry amendments for early veg

[bathngodblud]

I’ve only grown in soil outdoors a handful of times, with bottled GH nutes.. this is my first organic / dry amendment run and I guess I’m doing it out of pure curiosity, and because I love learning.
Over the past few months I’ve spent hours upon hours reading random articles, doing research on dry amendments, etc..

HLG 550
4x4 tent
78 day 72 night
60 day 60 night

1.5 cu ft FFOF
3 cu ft FFHF
30 Lb bag worm castings
1.5 cu ft perlite

top dressing with dr earth 4-4-4 but I also have bio live, terp tea grow and bloom, and the phos rock from roots organics, real growers recharge

the plants are in 1 gallon pots as of right now and are about 25 days from seed I believe. I’m giving them about 1-2 cups of water every 2-3 days as of right now. I top dressed with 1 tbsp bio live a few weeks back and noticed a few days back that quite a few of them are showing symptoms of N deficiency. I top dressed last night with 2 tbsp per pot of 4-4-4.

Is there anything I can do to remedy this while the organic top dressings are breaking down in the soil? Any help or advice is greatly appreciated.

 

[growsince79]

Can you post pics.
Sounds like you are not properly watering. My 1 gallon pots need 5-6 cups each watering.

 

[bathngodblud]

Can you post pics.
Sounds like you are not properly watering. My 1 gallon pots need 5-6 cups each watering.

I was told by someone that I shouldn’t feed that much because it will wash the good stuff out of the soil?

 

[growsince79]

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I was told by someone that I shouldn’t feed that much because it will wash the good stuff out of the soil?

With organic you should water slow and even to minimal runoff. It looks like you aren't letting them dry enough.

 

[Dirtbag]

For over a decade my go-to media was pro mix with 1/2 cup gaia green 4-4-4 and 1 cup of worm castings per 10g of soil.
As for right now, you could hit them with a low dose of a chelated nutrient until the enzymes go to work on the dry amendments.

 

[bathngodblud]

I’ll admit before each watering they start drooping and thirsty as heck, I think that’s just me getting used to growing in soil instead of hydro.. are there any good organic, immediately available N products I can give in the interim?

 

[growsince79]

I’ll admit before each watering they start drooping and thirsty as heck, I think that’s just me getting used to growing in soil instead of hydro.. are there any good organic, immediately available N products I can give in the interim?

If you don't water completely you probably have wet and dry pockets in your soil. If it only takes one or two cups to get runoff, you're not letting them dry enough. Imo you don't need to add N. That said, one cup urine per gallon water is the most readily aval N you can get.

 

[kevinfever]

I’ll admit before each watering they start drooping and thirsty as heck, I think that’s just me getting used to growing in soil instead of hydro.. are there any good organic, immediately available N products I can give in the interim?

general organics liquid nutrients

 

[bathngodblud]

If you don't water completely you probably have wet and dry pockets in your soil. If it only takes one or two cups to get runoff, you're not letting them dry enough. Imo you don't need to add N. That said, one cup urine per gallon water is the most readily aval N you can get.

Ill try waiting a few extra days this time then before adding anything. Would adding crustacean meal or blood meal with the 4-4-4 be a waste?

 

[growsince79]

If you don't water completely you probably have wet and dry pockets in your soil. If it only takes one or two cups to get runoff, you're not letting them dry enough. Imo you don't need to add N. That said, one cup urine per gallon water is the most readily aval N you can get.

Best option is transplant to bigger containers. Check roots.

 

[bathngodblud]

Best option is transplant to bigger containers. Check roots.

That’s excellent advice actually. It is now my belief that my soil has bad drainage. Good think they’re only .8 gal.. I’m not sure if I want to use perlite again though..

 

[BadBud3]

I believe you'll find you want that perlite.

 

[bathngodblud]

I believe you'll find you want that perlite.

More so than rice hulls or pumice?