Question about Soil

LetsRollABlunt · May 18, 2011

So I have asked about soil recently, and got a couple of ideas, but I'm wondering if someone with a lot of experience could answer a couple of specific questions.

I'm going to be receiving some AK47xNYCD seeds, and I want their life to be absolutely perfect

1) I have a technaflora nutrient kit that contains everything needed for nutes. Should I purchase fox farm ocean forest(or whatever) soil, mix with perlite, and build up the nutes at 1/4 strength starting about 2 weeks in? Or am I better off using the nutes with my own homemade soilless mix with part perlite, vermaculite, and soil.

2) How do you test soil pH? I know how to adjust accordingly

3) I've noticed with my current seedlings (which are in miracle grow) that I have to water every day just to keep the soil moist, otherwise it completely dries out. When they say nute with the following pattern: water, water, feed... should I follow this even if I have to water more often than every other day? How often do people generally nute on a weekly basis?

Thanks guys :eyesmoke:

Xcon · May 18, 2011

I can see a seedling tray drying out everyday, maybe even a solocup, but when you transfer to bigger pots they'll hold moisture for a lot longer.

Any time you get a specific and detailed method of feeding and growing you've got to understand the thousands of variables that are unique to each individual's experience. Different environmental conditions play a big role here... for example, I'm assuming you live in a dry climate if your soil is drying out so quickly. My watering schedule wouldn't work in your garden, this is something that you will pick up with experience, not instruction.

That being said, in my humble opinion, you want to use FFOF simply because you know that it's PH adjusted and otherwise perfectly suited for new growers. Not that there's anything wrong with other soils and recipes, it's just a matter of having the experience using them over the life of your grow and knowing how to react to the variables, PH and otherwise. If you want perfect pot on your second grow, then you should probably keep it as simple as possible. I use only FFOF, only distilled water, and I nute every other watering because that's what works for me.

People say that testing runoff PH is a useless indicator of soil ph, but if everything is proper, your runoff will be consistent and in range. Cheap (as opposed to expensive) soil ph meters are innacurate and more useless than testing runoff ... IMO, of course.

Good luck with your grow!

LetsRollABlunt · May 18, 2011

Xcon said:
I can see a seedling tray drying out everyday, maybe even a solocup, but when you transfer to bigger pots they'll hold moisture for a lot longer.

Any time you get a specific and detailed method of feeding and growing you've got to understand the thousands of variables that are unique to each individual's experience. Different environmental conditions play a big role here... for example, I'm assuming you live in a dry climate if your soil is drying out so quickly. My watering schedule wouldn't work in your garden, this is something that you will pick up with experience, not instruction.

That being said, in my humble opinion, you want to use FFOF simply because you know that it's PH adjusted and otherwise perfectly suited for new growers. Not that there's anything wrong with other soils and recipes, it's just a matter of having the experience using them over the life of your grow and knowing how to react to the variables, PH and otherwise. If you want perfect pot on your second grow, then you should probably keep it as simple as possible. I use only FFOF, only distilled water, and I nute every other watering because that's what works for me.

People say that testing runoff PH is a useless indicator of soil ph, but if everything is proper, your runoff will be consistent and in range. Cheap (as opposed to expensive) soil ph meters are innacurate and more useless than testing runoff ... IMO, of course.

Good luck with your grow!

Thank you! Glad to hear from someone with first hand experience using FFOF with additional nutes. This is most likely the route I'm going to take. I'm going to be doing an extra small SoG, so my flowering plants are only going to be in 20oz bottles. If I do end up having to water every day, would you still recommend nuting every other watering?

Oh also, the current seedlings are planted in pots from walmart... If I were to guess, I would say they are 1 liter pots.

PS. The third to last pic in your gallery is a beauty

Xcon · May 18, 2011

LetsRollABlunt said:
Thank you! Glad to hear from someone with first hand experience using FFOF with additional nutes. This is most likely the route I'm going to take. I'm going to be doing an extra small SoG, so my flowering plants are only going to be in 20oz bottles. If I do end up having to water every day, would you still recommend nuting every other watering?

Oh also, the current seedlings are planted in pots from walmart... If I were to guess, I would say they are 1 liter pots.

PS. The third to last pic in your gallery is a beauty

Thanks

My understanding is that the less medium you're using, the more often you have to water and feed. No medium = constant watering and feeding IE hydroponics. The purpose of using a medium such as soil is to retain moisture, nutrients, and air in the proper ratios. The less medium you use and the bigger your plants are, the more difficult it will be to maintain those ratios. (one of the many variables I was talking about... dry climate + small pots = potential problems)

I've never grown anything on the scale that you're talking about so I have no experience to offer in that regard, but if I did, I would use 2-liter bottles with the tops cut off. (wrapped in foil, of course)

Cheers!

edit: check out https://www.rollitup.org/indoor-growing/416589-12-12-seed-thread.html

max316420 · May 18, 2011

If you have to water everyday then I wouldn't recommend feeding every other watering. I would try every 3rd or 4th watering

Xcon · May 18, 2011

max316420 said:
If you have to water everyday then I wouldn't recommend feeding every other watering. I would try every 3rd or 4th watering

might have to adjust the strength of his solution too if he's feeding twice a week. At least he'll have an easy time flushing 20 oz bottles, lol. I'm curious to see how it turns out OP, hope you post it!!

mygirls · May 18, 2011

LetsRollABlunt said:
So I have asked about soil recently, and got a couple of ideas, but I'm wondering if someone with a lot of experience could answer a couple of specific questions.

I'm going to be receiving some AK47xNYCD seeds, and I want their life to be absolutely perfect

1) I have a technaflora nutrient kit that contains everything needed for nutes. Should I purchase fox farm ocean forest(or whatever) soil, mix with perlite, and build up the nutes at 1/4 strength starting about 2 weeks in? Or am I better off using the nutes with my own homemade soilless mix with part perlite, vermaculite, and soil.

2) How do you test soil pH? I know how to adjust accordingly

3) I've noticed with my current seedlings (which are in miracle grow) that I have to water every day just to keep the soil moist, otherwise it completely dries out. When they say nute with the following pattern: water, water, feed... should I follow this even if I have to water more often than every other day? How often do people generally nute on a weekly basis?

Thanks guys

for starting seeds and clones i recomend useing a nute free soil. and to check the PH in ur soil this is how i do mine.. very easy..
http://youtu.be/JY_GMRp7VcQ

dannyboy602 · May 18, 2011

LetsRollABlunt said:
So I have asked about soil recently, and got a couple of ideas, but I'm wondering if someone with a lot of experience could answer a couple of specific questions.

I'm going to be receiving some AK47xNYCD seeds, and I want their life to be absolutely perfect

1) I have a technaflora nutrient kit that contains everything needed for nutes. Should I purchase fox farm ocean forest(or whatever) soil, mix with perlite, and build up the nutes at 1/4 strength starting about 2 weeks in? Or am I better off using the nutes with my own homemade soilless mix with part perlite, vermaculite, and soil.

2) How do you test soil pH? I know how to adjust accordingly

3) I've noticed with my current seedlings (which are in miracle grow) that I have to water every day just to keep the soil moist, otherwise it completely dries out. When they say nute with the following pattern: water, water, feed... should I follow this even if I have to water more often than every other day? How often do people generally nute on a weekly basis?

Thanks guys

I'll answer the last question first. WWF is for established plants in pots not seedlings or plants that are as young as yours.
I use WWF on plants that are in flowering and well established.
Question 2. Buy a cheap meter...$5 on eBay. I have two. One cost $30. Both read about 6.8 in my soil grow. See pix in sig.
Question 1. Use the nutes but not early. mb three weeks into it. I burnt mine bcuz of this. Use nute 1/3 or 1/4 early then build up.okee dokee?

Question about Soil

LetsRollABlunt

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Xcon

Active Member

LetsRollABlunt

Member

Xcon

Active Member

max316420

Well-Known Member

Xcon

Active Member

mygirls

Medical Marijuana (MOD)

dannyboy602

Well-Known Member

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