A couple questions about soil, water

I will be growing indoor.


Would I be able to get a Start soil( the organic soil alone, before mixed with organic nutrients ) at a store like Home Depot or Canadian Tire? if so what would be a good brand/type of soil to go with? Or any pre mixed organic soil that would be able to grow from seed to harvest with? Because I cant find anything like fox farm around here.

Also I was thinking of making the top half of the soil where the seed will go in less powerful, the bottom half will be a more powerful soil mixture so when the roots get bigger they will reach the stronger soil mixture to allow the plants to get the nutrients they need during flower.

And, how how often do I have to water the plants?

water as often as possible, preferably once a day but you can get away with every couple of days. The main problem you will encounter is figuring out how much water you plants need, you want to soil to be only slightly damp. a good way to know when to water is to stick your thumb into the pot and the soil is completely dry you should water.

as far as soil and nutes goes, you can get away with anything but the quality of the final product will suffer if you cut corners. Idk if you will be able to get an organic soil that will be completely sufficient for your plants entire life. you can go to walmart of home hardware or wherever and get normal potting soil that will be fine but you will want to add something to it to make it less dense so the roots can breathe, peat is commonly used for this, you would probably be better off going to a greenhouse or nursery to find organic soil. As far as ferts goes you have two choices organic or chemical, and two stages vegging when the plant grows, and flowering where the plants forms buds. for vegging you want fertilizers that are high in Nitrogen and Phosphorous and low in potassium. for flowering you want ferts that are high in potassium and low in nitrogen and phosphorous. all fertilizers will have 3 numbers on the packaging that represent the N-P-K ratios so for veg a fert that is 11-9-2 would be good and flower 1-3-12.

last summer was my first grow and i did it organiclly, i used normal potting soil and peat. then i bought organic ferts to mix with the soil and water, for ferts i used
high nitrogen bat guano
worm castings
high potassium bat guano
and every other watering added some liquid fish emulsions
and although its not organic i used some ThriveAlive accouple times during vegg too give the plants a boost when they were stressed
I found this was fairly easy as long as you monitor your plants and check for any defficencies that may result.

you may want to consider adding other things like bone meal and blood meal which i hear are good.

Just keep in mind that you want high nitrogen and phophorous (11-9-2) for vegging and high potassium (1-1-12) for flowering, and you will be able to find something sufficient to grow your plants anywhere, walmart, canadian tire, hyrdo store. Ill also add that i highly recomend worm castings and bat guano, fish emulsions are good too but stink like a mother fucker!

You most certainly do not "water as much as possible." How often you water depends mostly on the environment, then the soil and then the plants. The faster the soil dries, the more often you water. A good rule of thumb is to wait until about the top third of the soil is completely bone dry before watering again. Healthy plants can go weeks with no water at all but keeping some moisture in the bottom half of the soil helps to keep root growth down.

Here's the method we use to start seeds:
Use bottled and/or filtered water, which can be made into a 1/4 strength Maxicrop solution. Pour some of this liquid into a small cup (a white coffee cup works well, white so you can see seeds easier and heavy to avoid tipping) and toss in the seeds. Throughout the process, the little ones should be kept at or just above room temp. Leave them to soak in a warm, dark place for 24hrs, stirring occasionally or whenever convenient (stirring more than once or twice is not absolutely necessary but speeds up the process). After 24hrs give them one final stir and allow the mixture to settle- inviable seeds will float while live seeds will sink. Fold one single paper towel 3 times and place on a plate. Wet the paper towel with the MC solution (if unavailable use plain bottled/filtered water). Tilt the plate and allow any excess water to run off. Place your hand gently on the paper towel while the plate is tilted to squeeze out a little of the water being held by the paper towel. Never use any chemical fertilizer on seeds or sprouts. Open the last fold of the paper towel and place all live (sank to bottom of cup) seeds inside (not touching each other). Any seeds still floating may be left to soak for another 24hrs, once in awhile one or two more will sink but not often. Put the plate in a warm, dark, draft-free area. Do not allow temp to go above 85 or below 65. The paper towel drying slightly over time will encourage the roots to reach out for moisture but it should not be allowed to become completely dry. Should the towel dry out too much, add fresh MC solution or water and drain as before. The paper towel should always contain moisture without being soaked. Once the root starts poking out the seeds cannot be submerged in water, needing some small amount of air. After the roots poking out of the seeds are at least 1/4in but no more than 1/2in long it is time to plant them.

Prepare plastic drinking cups by poking drain holes in the bottom and filling with either seed starter soil or some other fairly inert medium, no higher than an inch from the top of the cup. Moisten the soil with the same soution used to germinate the seeds untill a handfull of soil leaches just a few drops of water when squeezed. Poke a hole in the soil of each cup with a toothpick and place the stem coming out of each seed into the hole, being careful not to touch the root. Gently push the soil snug around the root. Cover the cup with a piece of plastic wrap and poke two finger sized holes in the edges of it for ventilation. Place the seedlings no closer than about 7 inches to a florescent light. Once the seeds stand up and begin shedding their shell, it's safe to remove the plastic wrap. It can be left on the cup to help the seedling get its shell and membrane off as long as it doesn't bump into the plastic. This room for growth is one reason why the cup isn't full of soil. Wait about 24hrs then move the plants to the "normal" distance from your floros. Occasional misting will help the seedling get its shell & membrane off if it needs some help. These can also be removed manually but I won't go into that technique here.

Once the 3-bladed leaves first appear, they can be transplanted into fertile soil with Worm Castings and other amendments. They need to be transplanted by the time the first 5-bladed leaves start growing in as they'll need both nutrients and larger pots. A very good soil mix is 3 parts potting soil, 1 part perlite and 1-1.5 parts Worm Castings with some Blood, Bone and Kelp Meals added. Imo, Edna's Best is a great potting soil and Black Gold also has a good, simple mix with a nice consistency.

Would I be able to get a Start soil( the organic soil alone, before mixed with organic nutrients ) at a store like Home Depot or Canadian Tire?
Aim for an organic potting soil. Black Gold is acceptable. If you can get to an Ace Hardware they have some better selection. Most places have plant nurseries near by (people need trees and vegetables and shit) and you can get some good stuff there. Rose potting soil is usually well balanced and works well for flowering plants like cannabis. In addition to soil you will need to purchase a fair amount of perlite. I'd suggest enough to mix 2 parts of soil with 1 part perlite, even if the potting soil already contains perlite. This will add much needed air to the root zone and reduce the risk of over watering. Another suggested addition is Crushed Dolomite Lime (available everywhere). This will help maintain your pH and provide a slow release of calcium, magnesium, and many other micro-nutrients.

Or any pre mixed organic soil that would be able to grow from seed to harvest with?
Here's an idea:
Select three different soils. Look at the nutrient concentrations listed on the labels. Select a soil with low levels of all nutrients for your seedlings, almost totally devoid is best as less is more during this phase. Grow them in party cups. Then use a higher nitrogen soil to transplant into 1 or 2 gallon planters. Finally finish them in 3 gallon or 5 gallon planters using a higher phosphorus and potassium potting soil when you transplant from there.

Also I was thinking of making the top half of the soil where the seed will go in less powerful, the bottom half will be a more powerful soil mixture so when the roots get bigger they will reach the stronger soil mixture to allow the plants to get the nutrients they need during flower.
Bad idea. The tap roots reach down before reaching out and they will hit that hot soil and burn up. I've tried it myself and it doesn't work. You want a balanced and even soil for your roots to grow in. If they get hungry then we can talk about a top dressing you can water through to increase the nutrient levels.

And, how how often do I have to water the plants?
Water your plants whenever you need to lol. Seriously though, you want to add enough clean water through the soil to get 25% of it to drain out the bottom. With organic soil and just water, run off is less important... but still a good practice to have. You will need a way of managing this run off that doesn't involve jostling the plants too much.

Once the soil is saturated you want to wait until it is nearly dry before watering again. Not completely dry, but almost. Test this by lifting the planter and checking the weight. It will get really light when you need to water again.

Always allow your water to sit out for 24 hours before using it to allow any chloramines to off gas from the water.

Just a quick note on watering. If you start yours in "party cups" take a 1/4" drill bit and lightly drill holes evenly spaced around the bottom edge of the cup. then place a half inch of water in a second cup and put together. The soil pulls in the water as needed, Its kind of a easy self water-er. haha

nikoche said:

I will be growing indoor.


Would I be able to get a Start soil( the organic soil alone, before mixed with organic nutrients ) at a store like Home Depot or Canadian Tire? if so what would be a good brand/type of soil to go with? Or any pre mixed organic soil that would be able to grow from seed to harvest with? Because I cant find anything like fox farm around here.
Also I was thinking of making the top half of the soil where the seed will go in less powerful, the bottom half will be a more powerful soil mixture so when the roots get bigger they will reach the stronger soil mixture to allow the plants to get the nutrients they need during flower.

And, how how often do I have to water the plants?

Click to expand...

Go to Homer depot and get a bag of ProMix Organic Potting mix and also pick up a bag of Organic seed starter. Start your seeds in the big plastic beer cups u get at any grocery store. I like the translucent ones so I can see when to transplant into the organic potting soil. Put a couple small holes in the bottom of the cup for drainage fill with starter soil water with ph 6 to 6.8 water let drain for 5 min. us a pencil and poke it about a 1/2 inch into the soil drop in seed lightly cover and very lightly tamp, use a light touch. Put under the light you will be growing them under and in 3 to 5 days they all should pop if fresh seeds if not it could take 0 days or longer. Water as needed just pick them up and you can tell if they need it or not. JUST WATER nothing else or you could kill or stunt them. Afetr 3 to 4 weeks transplant into your veg pot of it's final home.

Snow Crash said:

Would I be able to get a Start soil( the organic soil alone, before mixed with organic nutrients ) at a store like Home Depot or Canadian Tire?
Aim for an organic potting soil. Black Gold is acceptable. If you can get to an Ace Hardware they have some better selection. Most places have plant nurseries near by (people need trees and vegetables and shit) and you can get some good stuff there. Rose potting soil is usually well balanced and works well for flowering plants like cannabis. In addition to soil you will need to purchase a fair amount of perlite. I'd suggest enough to mix 2 parts of soil with 1 part perlite, even if the potting soil already contains perlite. This will add much needed air to the root zone and reduce the risk of over watering. Another suggested addition is Crushed Dolomite Lime (available everywhere). This will help maintain your pH and provide a slow release of calcium, magnesium, and many other micro-nutrients.

Or any pre mixed organic soil that would be able to grow from seed to harvest with?
Here's an idea:
Select three different soils. Look at the nutrient concentrations listed on the labels. Select a soil with low levels of all nutrients for your seedlings, almost totally devoid is best as less is more during this phase. Grow them in party cups. Then use a higher nitrogen soil to transplant into 1 or 2 gallon planters. Finally finish them in 3 gallon or 5 gallon planters using a higher phosphorus and potassium potting soil when you transplant from there.

Also I was thinking of making the top half of the soil where the seed will go in less powerful, the bottom half will be a more powerful soil mixture so when the roots get bigger they will reach the stronger soil mixture to allow the plants to get the nutrients they need during flower.
Bad idea. The tap roots reach down before reaching out and they will hit that hot soil and burn up. I've tried it myself and it doesn't work. You want a balanced and even soil for your roots to grow in. If they get hungry then we can talk about a top dressing you can water through to increase the nutrient levels.

And, how how often do I have to water the plants?
Water your plants whenever you need to lol. Seriously though, you want to add enough clean water through the soil to get 25% of it to drain out the bottom. With organic soil and just water, run off is less important... but still a good practice to have. You will need a way of managing this run off that doesn't involve jostling the plants too much.

Once the soil is saturated you want to wait until it is nearly dry before watering again. Not completely dry, but almost. Test this by lifting the planter and checking the weight. It will get really light when you need to water again.

Always allow your water to sit out for 24 hours before using it to allow any chloramines to off gas from the water.

Click to expand...

It would take 12 to 15 days for the chloramines to dissolve away or use a charcoal/carbon filter and at least 48 to 72 hours for chlorine to off gas.


[FONT=&quot]Water treatment options used by municipal suppliers change over time and hydroponic growers should be aware of the implications of these. Many years ago the main concern was the use of chlorine as a disinfection agent to destroy bacteria and human pathogens. Chlorine had the advantage in that it disinfected water effectively; however, residual chlorine in water sources, which could often be detected by smell, could be toxic to sensitive plants and where it built up in certain hydroponics systems. Also when chlorine reacts with organic matter it forms substances (trihalomethanes) which are linked to increased risk of cancer and other health problems. Chlorine was, however, quite easy to remove from water with the use of aeration or even just aging the water a few days before irrigating plants. In the 1990’s it was found that some organisms such as Cryptosporidium were resistant to chlorine and the resulting health issues from this meant that drinking water regulations were changed and alternative disinfection methods began to be used. These included use of ozone and UV light, chloramines (chlorine plus ammonia) and chlorine dioxide.[/FONT][FONT=&quot]

Filtration, flocculation, settling, UV and ozone used for water supply treatment are non problematic as far as hydroponic systems go, as they leave no residue and are effective. However, use of chloramines and some of the other chemicals by municipal water treatment plants may still pose problems where high levels are regularly dosed into water supplies. Chloramines are much more persistent than chlorine and take a lot longer to dissipate from treated water, so gardeners who are concerned can use a couple of different treatment methods just as those with aquarium fish often choose to do. There are specifically designed activated carbon filters which can remove most of the chloramines in a domestic water supply and also ‘dechloraminating’ chemical or water conditioners available in pet shops. Carbon filters must be of the correct type that have a high quality granular activated carbon and allow a longer contact time which is required for chloramines removal. Even then not every trace may be removed, but levels are lowered enough to prevent problems. Use of ascorbic acid (vitamin C) is also used in the industry, and by laboratories to remove chloramines from water after they have done their disinfection job.
Chemicals are also added to drinking water to adjust its hardness or softness, pH and alkalinity. Water that is naturally acidic is corrosive to pipes and sodium hydroxide may be added to reduce this. Sodium is a contaminate we don’t need in hydroponic systems, but may be present at surprisingly high levels in certain water supplies. Domestic water softeners may also contaminate the water with sodium which is not seen as a problem for drinking, but can run a muck with a well balanced hydroponic system and sodium sensitive crop.

What water problems may look like[/FONT][FONT=&quot]

It’s extremely difficult to determine if something in the water supply is causing plant growth problems. Root rot pathogens may originate in water, but they can come from a number of sources, including fungal spores, blown in dust or brought in by insects. Mineral problems can be a little easier to trace if the water supply analysis is available to check levels of elements. Plant problems which may be caused by water treatment chemicals are difficult to diagnose as some plants are much more sensitive than others and the type of system also plays a role. Research studies have reported that chloramines in hydroponic nutrient solutions can cause growth inhibition and root browning in susceptible plants. One study reported that the critical chloramines amount at which lettuce plant growth was significantly inhibited was 0.18 mg Cl/g root fresh weight, however, the levels at which some other species would be damaged is as yet undetermined. Similar problems exist with the use of other water treatment chemicals; chlorine and hydrogen peroxide are good disinfection agents, but too much in the hydroponic nutrient will cause root damage and just what is a safe level is dependent on a number factors such as the level of organic loading in the system.[/FONT][FONT=&quot]

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