Are nutrients essential?

Devils34

Well-Known Member
About to start my first grow...and I was wondering do you have to use nutrients when growing indoors? Or would the plants be ok with light and water?

I see most people use nutrients, but I was just wondering if you can grow a plant with just light and water?
 

Wattzzup

Well-Known Member
I’ve started jobes 2-5-3 tomato. Put a small amount in and water. Good soil will last a month a hand full of jobes 1-2 times and done. Ph your water is all u have to do.
 

Wattzzup

Well-Known Member
The main thing is not over watering. That’s the key. Otherwise you’re washing out everything that’s in there.
 

TreeFarmerCharlie

Well-Known Member
About to start my first grow...and I was wondering do you have to use nutrients when growing indoors? Or would the plants be ok with light and water?

I see most people use nutrients, but I was just wondering if you can grow a plant with just light and water?
Nutrients are essential, but you don't have to feed bottled nutrients. If you don't want to feed bottled nutrients then you need to get quality soil, like super soil, and you need to grow in pots large enough to where the plants don't deplete the soil before they are done growing. Everything I've read seems to agree that the smallest pot size you want for a grow of that type is 10 gallons. I'm currently growing organically in 10 gallon pots.
 

beercan

Well-Known Member
I actually used a bag of happy frog recently and im not sure if it was a bad bag but plants went to shit quickly, i was almost positive they were not even close to needing nutes and sure enough i had to try something, feed them and bang they bounced right back, with that being said its the first time i ever had trouble that early with happy frog soil
 

cannabineer

Ursus marijanus
I actually used a bag of happy frog recently and im not sure if it was a bad bag but plants went to shit quickly, i was almost positive they were not even close to needing nutes and sure enough i had to try something, feed them and bang they bounced right back, with that being said its the first time i ever had trouble that early with happy frog soil
I used Happy Frog 8 years ago. Plants went great guns for two months, then “click!” plants developed multiple deficiency. At that point I fed with complete Gen Hydro til finish.

To op: soil contains variable amounts of nutrient and prenutrient which a living soil slowly makes available. Finding or building one that provides neither too much (plants die) or too little (same result) is an art. I shrugged and went to soilless drain-to-waste.

If you have your soil dialed in (not a skill I have) it’s effortless high performance. But like a bicyclist on snow, there isn’t much forgiveness for mistakes.
 

pulpoinspace

Well-Known Member
ive had friends who've grown with ffof full flowering with no nutrients added. plants def got very yellow by harvest time but its doable outside... never seen it done indoors, i dont think it would work as well.
 

Gentlemencorpse

Well-Known Member
not to sound like a smart ass, but how much do you have to top dress to make it til harvest? once, twice? and how much like in inches of adding to top of pot?
Don't sound like a smart ass at all! About 0.5-1 inch a month in flower starting when you flip. Have to leave the final pot with some extra room. That assumes a standard 5 gallon felt pot and about a 4 week veg. Also this was under a 315CMH. I assume under a 1000w HPS this may be less effective! And obviously mileage will vary. Might be tough with a 16 week sativa ya know?

Also, just to be clear, I'm not saying your yield will match what it would have been with a real super soil or say some MegaCrop etc. Just that you can grow good weed start to finish just top dressing.
 
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