1st Time Grower

[Coolio]

Hi Everyone

 

I'm looking to start my outdoor grow soon, I need some advice though as it's my 1st time . I am going to use potting soil and was thinking of using 10l pots. I am using some auto flower feminised seeds and some normal seeds. It's my 1st grow and monitoring things like PH and EC are a bit daunting right now.

 

What would be best in terms of the

1) Soil to use

2) Size of the pots

3) What green house grow nutrients to feed

4) How often to water

 

Thanks in advance, (the grower virgin)

[Jose.gh]

Hello Coolio, 

 

The first time is always a little complicated, everything seems complicated, but in reality, everything is very simple

 

My advice:

 

Use larger pots, at least 15 - 20 liters for autoflowering seeds, and more capacity (30 liters for example) for normal (non-automatic) seeds.

If you use soil and large pots, you don't really need to use fertilizer/nutrients during growth, the soil contains everything. During flowering if it is positive to add an extra, flowering fertilizer (rich in PK, to help the buds gain weight).

 

When to water? When the soil is dry. One trick is to put your finger (sink) into the soil, completely. If you take it out and the soil is stuck, it is not necessary to water. If you take out your finger and the soil is not stuck, then you should water 

 

What genetics do you plan to cultivate?  Outdoors it is positive to start in spring
 

 

Cheers! 

[Coolio]

Thanks, really appreciate it. I only recently watched the strain hunters docs and somehow grew attached to watching Franco, was sad when I found out he had already passed on.

 

We are in spring right now just waiting for my seeds to arrive from Green House.

White Widow Auto

Big Bang Auto

Sweet Mango Auto

Jack Herer Auto

Francos Lemon Cheese

Blueberry

Purple Candy

Got another seed but not sure what it is.

[Coolio]

Hi Jose.gh , thanks for the advice.

 

Need more though

 

1) I bought the 15l pots today with the soil, I bought a soil that's got coco-pete in it. It does not give me the ratio of coco-pete to soil though. The packet says the soil also has added fertiliser but does not say what exactly.  Is this ok?

 

2) I plan on germinating the seeds (auto and non-auto) in paper towels then planting straight into the 15l pots. I got a bag of seedling soil which I plan to plant the seeds into which will be a small pocket in the coco-pete soil mix.  How does that sound?

 

3) When it rains (sorry if this sounds dumb) will my plants drown as they are in pots and I have no place outside to shield them from the rain.

 

4) Coming to the nutrients, I'm assuming that since my purchased growing medium has soil and added fertilisers I don't have to feed any of the grow nutrients? The pack says the nutrients are released over a 5 month period.

 

5) When my babies start to bloom should I use the Green House Feeding PK Booster and Flowering feeds?

 

6) What's the diff between the Green House Bio Nutrients and the flowering nutrients?

 

Sorry for all the questions, will post this too so others can learn from your vast oceans of knowledge.

[Jose.gh]

I just read your private and I answered you over there haha.Although yes, it is best to ask in public, so more people can share their opinion.
 

 

Cheers! 

[Coolio]

So I've started my grow, killed the 1st set of seedlings by overwatering. On the 2nd set now, all sprouted have 1 set of true leaves and the next set developing. 

 

Problem after about 14 days growth has stopped, 1 has 2 light yellow spots on the edge of its leaves and the other has droopy leaves. I was spray8ng the soil in the morning and then by the time I get home the soil is dry so would spray again at night. 

 

I figured I was not watering enough so I added more water to get run off in my solo cups but this has not sorted tge problem out the leaves are more droopy, c9uld it be overwatering again or nitrogen deficiency? 

 

I'm using seedling mix soil in solo cups that are on a window sill, it was cloudy for 2 days. I can't figure out what I'm doing wrong. 

 

The last pic isbthe droopy Durban Poison

The 2nd is Purple Candy (leaves are twisted sideways, look sort of up down in shape) 1st pic but sure what strain has the yellow spots on the edges.

[gasmeter]

Hey Coolio they look OK to me.

 

You mention that the dirt is for seedlings usually it does not contain any nutrients which is good, you don't feed babies a full roast beef dinner.

 

Once they get their second set of true leaves they will be robust enough to be given some mild solution of nutrients.

 

With the watering at this point just try to keep the soil damp and moist this way you won't over water, if you give them a spray and make the dirt nice and damp before you go to work, then at tea time when you get home and maybe before you crash out at night.

 

By the end of the first two weeks you want to aim to water once per day to make the soil damp and start moving towards watering every two or three days as the plant gets stronger, do not worry about run off at this point, you just need to keep the dirt moist.

 

Don''t worry about the little yellow/brown spot on the leaf in the second image this is a membrane that covers the cotyledon leaves within the bean it is not a nutrient deficiency or anything like that, it will probably fall off in a few days,  happy growing.

 

Gasmeter

[Coolio]

1. So 2 are dead and the other 3 are falling over.  Iv3 g9t them supported with toothpicks.

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[gasmeter]

The stems will thicken up slowly, I have had a couple that appeared to defy gravity they were so skinny and tall.

 

You mention it has been cloudy outside and they are sat on a window sill, the fact the ligh has been poor will affect their growth, as will temperature if it is a bit cool.

 

If the light source is poor they will stretch upwards, you could put them under a flourescent tube or a few cfl bulbs to provide a better light source to stop or minimise them stretching.

 

The better the light source as in the more intense the more they will like it, happy growing.

 

Gasmeter

 

[Coolio]

Im not sure if the problem is over watering or heat stress, the edges of the leaves look dry and brown on the purple candy. The leaves look as if they are dying, all were growing quick upto around day 12 then stopped growing all together, I think that was when I started giving more water as it was hot and the top of the soil was very dry, however the water could have been building up below causing waterlogged roots. will post pics when I get home.