First Grow In Canada, input/advice appreciated!

So for cotext I have grown before but it was in the UK and I almost always grew with coco and pretty much exclusively canna hydro nutes so it was very monotonous. Having recently moved to Canada (Vancouver Island) I'm starting a new grow with my new room mate and the plan is to try and go a bit more organic. So far have not decided too much and I would appreciate any input people have but this is what I know for sure so far:

Veg light will be Spider Farmer SF1000
Flower light likely will be 315W CMH

Grow space is two closets roughly 50cm x 100cm (2'x4') one for veg one for flower

4 plants total
Plan is to move 2 plants out into the garden through summer and flower the remaining 2 indoors

At the moment though not being familiar with some of the products availible here (or organic growing in general) my plan is to use a blend of FFOF with 40%-50% perlite and then to feed teas and other things as I go but I'm not sure how reasonable that is and would appreciate anyones input.

rnint said:

So for cotext I have grown before but it was in the UK and I almost always grew with coco and pretty much exclusively canna hydro nutes so it was very monotonous. Having recently moved to Canada (Vancouver Island) I'm starting a new grow with my new room mate and the plan is to try and go a bit more organic. So far have not decided too much and I would appreciate any input people have but this is what I know for sure so far:

Veg light will be Spider Farmer SF1000
Flower light likely will be 315W CMH

Grow space is two closets roughly 50cm x 100cm (2'x4') one for veg one for flower

4 plants total
Plan is to move 2 plants out into the garden through summer and flower the remaining 2 indoors

At the moment though not being familiar with some of the products availible here (or organic growing in general) my plan is to use a blend of FFOF with 40%-50% perlite and then to feed teas and other things as I go but I'm not sure how reasonable that is and would appreciate anyones input.

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I'm not much of an organic grower but your plan seems sound to me.

Wish I was on the Island. Could have moved there instead of Bumf**k Alberta almost 20 years ago. Even the Fraser Valley was better than this. Fishing was good. Campbell River's is GREAT!

Good luck and good growing!

eace;

Thanks for the comment!
I was just thinking about how everyone says FFOF is a bit hot for seedlings so was considering using this to plant in for now and then to pot them up with the FFOF/perlite mix
URL incase the link doesnt work -> https://mrfertilizer.ca/collections/growing-media/products/seed-starting-mix-promix-organic-9-l

Just wondering why you’re not sticking with coco if you have experience in the past? Was there something you didn’t like about it? Cheers and best of luck new Canadian grower! Glad to have you!

rnint said:

Thanks for the comment!
I was just thinking about how everyone says FFOF is a bit hot for seedlings so was considering using this to plant in for now and then to pot them up with the FFOF/perlite mix
URL incase the link doesnt work -> https://mrfertilizer.ca/collections/growing-media/products/seed-starting-mix-promix-organic-9-l

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What I use to start cuttings and seeds in is ProMix HP that I've run through a 1mm mesh screen then it goes into those 9-hole seed starter pots that come in those mini greenhouse kits you can get almost anywhere here in Canaduh. 1mm is the same as window screen. I'll water it with a dilute seaweed fertilizer so the sprouts or emerging roots have something to feed on right away. If you are using something like that seed starting mix then just water will do fine as it will have a decent charge of nutrients already.

Before planting seeds into it I scarify them in a pill jar lined with 150 grit sandpaper to scuff up the surface of the seeds. No pre-soaking after just stick a cm into the moist media and add a little water. Stick into the mini greenhouse to keep things moist and make sure there is a light close above so sprouts get light as soon as they emerge to help prevent too much stretching. A 6500K 23w or higher CFL is a good one. Less light is needed for cuttings until they begin to root or the cuttings try to veg in strong light and you want them putting their energy into growing roots.

Hust17 said:

Just wondering why you’re not sticking with coco if you have experience in the past? Was there something you didn’t like about it? Cheers and best of luck new Canadian grower! Glad to have you!

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Not sure about @rnint but I've never got into coco because I just can't get it locally and what's available in the city 2 hours away is 4x the price of ProMix HP which I've used for the last 10 years and is made with Canadian peat. No coconut farms in Canada afaik so I'm buying locally.

OldMedUser said:

Not sure about @rnint but I've never got into coco because I just can't get it locally and what's available in the city 2 hours away is 4x the price of ProMix HP which I've used for the last 10 years and is made with Canadian peat. No coconut farms in Canada afaik so I'm buying locally.

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That’s fair, I’m in the city and my local shop beats online prices on almost everything

Coco was great, I found it really easy to use and it was a massive bonus when I was growing strictly indoors in my tiny little apartment cos it never attracted bugs or anything. But now I live outside the city I figured its a good time to try more organic growing to see how it compares and I know coco can work great as a part of a mix but if I was building my own super soil or whatever thatd be more expensive than just using perlite and a bag of FFOF...

Basically I'm curios how organics match up to hydro and since I just moved half way across the world I'm trying to not spend too much right now, although I wont lie the temptation is real.

rnint said:

Basically I'm curios how organics match up to hydro and since I just moved half way across the world I'm trying to not spend too much right now, although I wont lie the temptation is real.

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I've been experimenting with adding organics to my ProMix the last few years and if it's yields and ease of growing you want, stick to hydro!

Got some of their Vegetable and Herb stuff with organic nutes in it. Mixed 50/50 with HP and nothing but problems. Last few grow I've been adding composted sheep and steer manure with earth worm castings to HP and not much better tho the buds may be a little tastier.

I'm going to get back into DWC in Rubbermaid tubs. I've done at least 50 tubs worth since '01 and rarely had anything but great grows.

Not everyone says FFOF is not good for seedlings. I have been sprouting seeds in it for years and it works great. I just put 4 white widow fem seeds a half inch down into FFOF and sprouted them in 72 hours. I usually keep them very moist and put a florescent light tube almost on top of them. My version of a steamy jungle. good luck

I was just thinking about how everyone says FFOF is a bit hot for seedlings so was considering using this to plant in for now and then to pot them up with the FFOF/perlite mix
URL incase the link doesnt work -> https://mrfertilizer.ca/collections/growing-media/products/seed-starting-mix-promix-organic-9-l
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Update 30/01/2020

So my roommate just brought home a load of clones with the worst spider mite infestation I've ever seen. Ive got neem oil and soap that im spraying them all down with and ive got a fan on them to try and keep the population from growing. For now I'm just keeping them in little starter pots but will be transplanting into 5gal smart pots once I'm sure I've killed off the mites.

rnint said:

Update 30/01/2020

So my roommate just brought home a load of clones with the worst spider mite infestation I've ever seen. Ive got neem oil and soap that im spraying them all down with and ive got a fan on them to try and keep the population from growing. For now I'm just keeping them in little starter pots but will be transplanting into 5gal smart pots once I'm sure I've killed off the mites.

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Nasty! Keep the fan off and no light after you spray so it stays wet longer. Every 4 days for 4 sprays at least I went 5 sprays and haven't seen a mite the last 6 months after 2 years of dealing with that shit.

Good luck!

rbaker66 said:

Not everyone says FFOF is not good for seedlings. I have been sprouting seeds in it for years and it works great. I just put 4 white widow fem seeds a half inch down into FFOF and sprouted them in 72 hours. I usually keep them very moist and put a florescent light tube almost on top of them. My version of a steamy jungle. good luck

I was just thinking about how everyone says FFOF is a bit hot for seedlings so was considering using this to plant in for now and then to pot them up with the FFOF/perlite mix
URL incase the link doesnt work -> https://mrfertilizer.ca/collections/growing-media/products/seed-starting-mix-promix-organic-9-l

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I don't think you need that stuff. I start my scuffed seeds in screened ProMix HP with a watering of mild seaweed fertilizer and get great germination rates from 10 year old seeds. I've never used FFOF or it's like but have seen a lot of posts about peeps burning seedlings with it. Mixed half and half with something soilless would likely be perfect for tender sprouts. I've used the ProMix Veg and Herb and it burns seedlings a bit sometimes unless diluted but vegs plants pretty good on it's own.