Tip of the day: For people who suffer from gnats.
1. Stop over watering
2.Get a mug or a small bowl.
3. Pour some apple cider vinegar into it
4. Add a few drops of dish soap to the vinegar.
5. Place in area with gnats and give it a few days
Tried a lot of stuff when I first started growing while learning how to water properly
. I came up with this and it worked and I posted it on here and worked well for others in the past.
i actually just sprayed for gnats
some chewing tobacco tea on the top of the soil
also a layer of sandy soil helps keep them away no nooks to hide larvae in
I also (when needed/ prevention) spray water/neem oil/ dish soap on top of the soil after watering and it will create a film on the top of the soil that kills the gnats.
Tip of the day:
If its not dry, dont apply.
3 gal is the common practice from what i can see
Yeah AN is a little pricey but these now a days if theres a new grower out there that dont wanna fight with the PH that would be good for them. AN has the PH Perfect Technology, pretty cool stuff. Makes growing too easy these days
The Grow, Micro, Bloom base nutrients contain value-added components that will enhance the performance of any type of garden, and include:
F-1 (fulvates)
H-2 (humates)
An amino acid complex
Wet Betty (non-ionic surfactant)
The combination of the pH Perfect™ Technology, simplified mixing rates and level of chelation in the balanced nutrient ratios ensure that crops always have access to the highest level of nutrition and vitality boosters possible
Growers using the pH Perfect™ Technology nutrient technology will not have to worry about pH in their nutrient solutions, because the new formulas are able to adjust the pH to the optimal range automatically. Combining an optimal pH level with these cutting edge chelates has growers reporting back with a new standard in yield expectations.
In fact, the chelation technology used is so effective, that nutrients would still remain available to plants in conditions that would not normally allow crops to grow at all. However, growers won’t need to worry about that because the formulas keep your pH in the optimal range at all times.
The Grow, Micro, Bloom combo pack provides you with all three components of our advanced three-part feeding program. Together, Grow, Micro, and Bloom make up a superior hydroponics fertilizer that provides optimal nutrition. If you want to achieve fast growth, high yields, and incredible products, choose Grow, Micro, Bloom.
• Promotes healthy plants and fastest growth possible
• Pharmaceutical grade precursors
• More chelates per micronutrient than other manufacturers
• Nutrient absorption from a broader pH spectrum
• Concentrated, less-expensive formula
• Easy to use
Posted these on a different thread, thought they might be helpful
Didn't put anything in here that went into PH intimately yet. This is a good piece, its from Big Mike at advanced nutrients.
Talk to any experienced grower and they will tell you that one of the most important features of their grow is the ability to control pH. pH (which, as most people are unaware, stands for "potential Hydrogen") is of paramount importance to any hydroponic grow operation because it affects the way that nutrients are absorbed into your plants. Many growers have long had an adversarial relationship with their nutrient solution's pH, but recent advances in nutrient technologies have made pH much more easily balanced within the nutrient reservoir, without the need of buffer solutions like pH up (an alkaline solution) or pH down (an acidic solution). Here is the lowdown on pH, how it affects your plants, and how you can keep it in that "sweet spot" that plants love.
Why pH Matters:
All green-leaved plants can survive just fine with a pH between 4.0 and 7.0. Basically, because the plants are made of relatively weak acids, they enjoy an environment that is also on the acidic side. However, when you are growing hydroponically, the nutrient solution that you provide to them is their life force, and nutrients will not be absorbed properly without the solution composed of the correct pH.
While the optimum pH for plant uptake may vary from one mineral to another, experts have determined that the optimum range for most of them is between 5.5 and 5.8, though many growers will argue that anything up to the 6.2 range is perfectly fine.
Minerals like Manganese (Mn), Copper (Cu), Zinc (Zn), and the especially critical Iron (Fe) have reduced absorption rates at a higher pH, while Phosphorus (P), Potassium (K), Calcium (Ca), and Magnesium (Mg) have issues being absorbed at a lower rate. This doesn't mean that no nutrients are absorbed at higher or lower pH levels, but why waste valuable nutrients because your roots essentially don't know that they are there?
Controlling pH
There are a variety of tricks to keep your pH balanced. Firstly, for God's sake, make sure you have a meter, and a good one. My advice to growers is that nutrients, meters, and lights are not the places to save money. Spend some dough on a great tri-meter (pH, ppm, and temperature), and you will have the best chance of knowing what is happening in your reservoir.
Also, invest in some simple aerators to keep the nutrient solution in your reservoir constantly circulating; this will add oxygen to your solution (which makes roots happy) and make sure that all of your nutrients are evenly distributed. Aerators are inexpensive and can be purchased anywhere from hydro stores to pet stores, and even Target or Wal-Mart, though we recommend showing love to your local hydro store, where you can pick up the latest copy of Rosebud Magazine while you're at it.
To keep pH within that optimum range, growers have traditionally had to rely on buffer solutions, like pH up and down. While relatively inexpensive and incredibly effective, these buffers add unnecessary particulates to your reservoir, often causing your ppm meter to register a higher number than it would if it were only measuring your nutes (like it should). They are also extremely caustic and (as one grower and Rosebud reader whom I know can attest) burn like hell when they come in contact with skin, especially both at once.
One trick of the trade that is lesser known and less commonly used (though can be effective if you know what you are doing) is to add excess levels of Phosphorus (P) to your reservoir. Because of the way that it interacts with the other nutes, it will work to keep your pH at an optimum level (for a while). The downside of this technique is that as you use the nutrient solution in your reservoir to water your plants, and it recycles back into the reservoir in a never-ending cycle, your plants will uptake not only the nutrients that you mixed for them, they will absorb that extra Phosphorus as well. So, when using this technique, the efficiency drops as you water your plants – nothing will be as accurate as a brand-new, freshly mixed reservoir.
Changing the Game
While the info here will allow you to have a successful grow and harvest (providing you do everything else correctly), it takes time, effort, and constant monitoring to keep pH at an acceptable level to your plants. Your little green buddies will absorb nutrients at different levels during different parts of their lifespan (veg vs. flowering), so your pH will be constantly changing, and not always in the same direction. It takes a dedicated grower (or an automated system) to stay on top of this.
I mix dry kelp(algalmin or something) into my soil mixes but I have not finished any of those plants nor have I used a liquid concentrate of it. Yep leds spit out some crazy colors ..... when my tent is unzipped this shows up on my floor 
. The camera didnt capture it real well but the reflective material on the inside of the tent reflects and separates the light making a led rainbow
Nothing at all wrong with 5 gallon buckets, as long as they are CLEAN!!! Yeah make sure drainage is adequate and a tip either put like a 1 inch layer of perlite on the bottom of bucket's or newspaper (i prefer perlite and you will prob have some left over anyway if you use it). That way the drain holes dont get clogged, you dont want that...Really...
Hardening off
What is Hardening off? Hardening off is when you take your baby seedlings and bring them outdoors a couple hours a day before planting/potting them outside. This helps them acclimate to the new environment (especially the radiant heat from the sun), it makes it an easier transition for them as well as a preventive measure to avoid the sun from burning them
Never tried any Sensi seeds but always heard good thiings. They have been around longer then i'd say 85% of the breeders today. When it comes down to it its if you feel it has the qualities you want. Some may sound cool, like one time i ordered "Ice Cream" from Paradise seeds. AT first it was great but the novelty flavor got old very quick. You have to do research, type the strain in google with "review" at the end see what you can dig up about it. If you take the time to research and actually think about what traits you would like from your plant then your money will be well invested. I'll recommend some companies for you to check out for the future, but sensi is a fine company as I said. There are a lot of "novelty" breeders (paradise seeds isn't one but the strain kinda is ya know?) out there that can make a mediocre strain sound like the cats meow. Maybe they really believe they have something? Who knows, but check these guys out too, will list in no specific order. If anybody else wishes to contribute go ahead and i'll round them up every few days and add to the weekly round up.
Barney's coffee shop (IMO his genetics are like the "fine dining" of strains. Derry's genetics are of fine quality for sure.)
Dutch Passion (These guys been around for a while, very well known)
DNA Genetics (a little pricy not to sure about their auto's, but their photo strains are top notch)
Dina Fem (Always heard good things and more old school breeders)
World of seeds (Afghan Kush Ryder!!, Good breeders dont think they have been around too long)
Big Buddha seeds (The fucking cheese, this dude has some killer strains. Blue Cheese is lovely)
CBD crew (Excellant breeders world reknown, new and gonna give info. You'll see why sadly no Auto's yet)
CBD Crew seeds is a collaboration between Jorge Cervantes, Shantibaba from Mr Nice seeds and also Jamie from Resin seeds. This new collaboration has one focus in particular and it is one that will further the medicinal opportunities for the cannabis plant! The focus of CBD Crew seeds is to produce cannabis strains that have an equal ratio of THC to CBD. CBD Crew strains typically have 5%-6% THC and the same amount of CBD. The CBD Cannabinoid is one which is thought to have medicinal benefits with some suggesting that it is great for preventing cancer, dealing with pain and also as an anti-inflammatory medication. It has also been reported that this cannabinoid helps significantly with illnesses such as anxiety. The truth is that although we know from the testimonials of medical users what this cannabinoid is capable of, until proper research is done, we will never know the complete medicinal value that this cannabinoid represents. So far its medical application seems extremely versatile. The fantastic new seed bank CBD Crew seeds are setting the standard for future THC/CBD cannabinoid balanced cannabis seed breeders.
good read on the ruderalis strain
http://hashmuseum.com/cannabis-ruderalis
Okay I'll put in my 2 cents. I've tried 5 gal buckets in soil, and passive hydro & I have found no advantage over a 3.5 gal bucket. I've grown 100's of regulars, and have found that a final container that is taller than wide doesn't work any better than a container of equal height and width, for root spread, and from what I've read autos are even more horizontal in root growth than regulars. What I've done for my hempy's is either buy or find 3.5gal buckets or just cut off 5 gal buckets a little below the rings such that the height is just a little more than the diameter. If you look at all the larger smart pots (5, 10, or 20 gal) you will notice that they are wider than tall, same with the larger air pots. So when looking for a good container (larger) to grow in keep the height, width ratio equal or leaning towards width.
As far as light I've always worked with a square area, and most hoods are constructed this way, but a 600 will cover a 5' square area no problem. I don't believe you'll need any supplemental cfl's.
and another history lesson on ruderalis
this one is from dinafem
https://www.dinafem.org/en/blog/hist...wering-seeds/#
very good read
http://jointdoctordirect.com/faq/fre...sked-questions
and another
http://bigbudsmag.com/grow/article/m...ring-marijuana
wish i could find a actual life cycle bio
on c. ruderalis in nature but its limited i think i havent found the right common name for it most are in russian
Posted this on another thread figured i'd toss it in here too
Chlorosis is typically caused when leaves do not have enough nutrients to synthesise all the chlorophyll they need. It can be brought about by a combination of factors including:
- a specific mineral deficiency in the soil, such as iron[SUP][2][/SUP] or magnesium [SUP][3][/SUP]
- deficient nitrogen and/or proteins[SUP][3][/SUP]
- a soil pH at which minerals become unavailable for absorption by the roots [SUP][4][/SUP]
- poor drainage (waterlogged roots) [SUP][4][/SUP]
- damaged and/or compacted roots [SUP][4][/SUP]
- pesticides and particularly herbicides may cause chlorosis, both to target weeds and occasionally to the crop being treated.[SUP][5][/SUP]
- exposure to sulphur dioxide[SUP][6][/SUP]
- ozone injury to sensitive plants [2]
Interveinal chlorosis is almost always associated with a nutrient imbalance. This may either be due to a deficiency of a specific element or to a pH Imbalance in the soil which inhibits a plants ability to absorb nutrients. While the treatment is the same for both, you may still want to select from the list of additional symptoms in order to search for the precise cause of your African Violet's symptoms. Keep in mind, however, that due to the complex interaction between plant nutrients, pinpointing the precise cause will probably be very difficult. Often, an excess of one element will cause a deficiency in one or more other elements, and vice versa. Moreover, it may be that your African Violet is getting the proper balance of nutrients, but an imbalance in the soil pH is inhibiting its ability to absorb them. Thus, short of sending your plant to a laboratory for testing, you will probably have to be satisfied with simply knowing that your African Violet suffers a nutrient imbalance without knowing exactly why.
Just posted this in another thread as well... really grab a bottle just to have if your growing indoor for sure.
Even if it wasnt PM I say buy this just to have. This will completely get rid of the PM, awesome stuff. screw sulfur burners..
http://www.greenwaynutrients.com/lea...powdery-mildew
kinda lol'd a bit
check out gerorge cervantes how to grow videos and do plenty of reading. Also look at prices for decent gear when you are thinking about what kind of set up you want to get/ run there will be quite a high initial investment cost and high running costs esp. with 3 big HPS which then have to be cooled and so on. Make sure you have the money to get everything to grow and keep that grow going before you start buying anything or planning too much.
we will start with ripeness. most people say to check your trichromes with 30X magnification. i have other ways. when buds are done they look "done". the appearance of the bud changes. the leaves start to hook upwards and become hard and crispy. the calyxes will swell and the hairs will turn brown. you can see a golden tinge to the bud leaves. this is the amber crystals. they start to turn amber on the leaves first.
not ready..........
ready.......
notice the difference? it's pretty easy to see once it occurs.
Ready Set grow
Vol.1 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dECnYjf5ABQ
Vol.2 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4cVm...EAF25EB9A832C5
jorge cervantes ultimate grow
vol.1 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-dkX6dsEHQ
vol.2 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MY66GdaQb4Q
vol.3 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYxVrE6mLM4
Seemorebuds
vol.1 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8rl3TyFpWk
vol.2 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mgBJj8VTK0
vol.3 - will post when i find it
Watch these and you will have a better understanding of pretty much anything you might be wondering.
................ dam I just made an order of 37 seeds from seeofseeds yesterday wish I would have read this first. 
. My next grow will have those things. I already have the seeds in fact: jack herer, biodiesel mass , northernlights and bigbuddha S.A.S, all of them automatics . I 'll keep this forum posted .
