contradictory information and other questions

[mikeoc4me]

hello,

new to this and finding a lot of confusing conflicting information.

in the Green House Strains Statistics it shows yields for 20 L container for white widow with an eight-week finishing with a height of 1.4 m.

the white widow GHSC grow DVD is using an 85 L container for 65 days and finishes at around 2 feet high.

What size container should one use?

The DVD recommends good soil with perlite (what ratio?) But the video recommends flushing weeklywith 1.3 EC, but how often can you be watering an 85 L container and still flush once a week?

the growing indicas in hydroponics says flush every 10 days with 0.8 to 0.9 EC. Will peat Moss with perlite work as well or not enough air ?

you mentioned higher nitrogen in the 18 hour stage, how high for each of NPK and then drop to what level for flowering?

Do you always replace potting soil or can it be reused?

you mentioned a height of 60 cm above plants for a 600 W HPS light.

What height do you recommend for 1000 W HPS lights above plants?

you mention a fungus controlling agent, what agent are you using?

how can you manage to get temperature difference indoors in the summer and not go over temperature recommendations with outdoor temperatures of 30°C and not much cooler at night?

Thank you very much,

Michael

[Guest superbluehaze]

hello mate,

I am just a grower like you and I am not from green House, but I will help if I can, and asnswer your questions:

firstly, what size pot should you use ? well as with most things with growing, it depends; it depends on what you wish to you with your plants, and how many you intend to grow.

As a rule of thumb the bigger the pot the better, but if you intend to grow a lot of small plants(sea of green) then you would use a smaller pot, but if you wish to grow less plants but grow them bigger then you would use a 85 liter pot. Personally, I use 52 liter pots. Remember for growth upstairs, you have to allow room for the roots to grow. In short the larger the pot the better, given you situation and what you hope to achieve by growing.

If you are using soil, then I would mix perlight with it to achieve a light airy medium; the ratio I would use is around 60% soil and 40% perlight, the roots need plenty of air to have air to absorb nutrients and achieve fast growth.

I grow hydro so I can not comment on peat moss.

Flushing: at Green House they grow in rock wool flakes; soil is different as far as flushing. The thing to do it to measure the EC of the water that is coming out of the pots, if it is higher than what you are putting in, then you have to flush, but growing in soil is different to hydro, and it does depend if you are using chemical or organic fertilizers. If organic then you feed them plain water every other watering and flushing is not as critical.

During the gowth stage the plants need a fertilizer high in Nitrogen, during flowering their needs change and they need more phosphorus and potassium - buy the appropriate fertilizer for the veg and then change to a flowering fertilizer when you turn down your lights to 12 hours to induce flowering.

Distence of the light; well again you should have the light as close as possible to the tops of the plants, as long as they do not show signs of heat stress. It does depend a lot on the environmental conditions in your grow room, and if you have plenty of air to move the heat. There are also air cooled reflectors that allow the light(regardless of wattage to be very close to the tops of the plants. In general, the light should be as close as possible, use the back of your hand to and if yu feel heat at the top of the plants, then put the light up higher. Again there is no hard and fast rule.

I use beneficial bugs to keep the root zone healthy.

Temperature, in some climates you have to either use air cooled reflectors, or an air conditioner, or both, to achieve the right climate, temp should never be higher than around 28 c at the top of the plants, and this is a maximum. Preferably the temp should be lower than this unless you are using carbon dioxide enrichment, then it can rise to 30c max.

Hope this helps,

happy growing

[mikeoc4me]

hello,

thanks for replying to my questions. Hope to get started in the near future and will keep your advice in mind when trying to make decisions that affect things in the long run.

Thanks again,

Mike

[Guest superbluehaze]

no worries. It can be very difficult when you first start growing, there is so much bullshit around.

There is no subsitute for experience, and all rules are made to be broken, but do not break them foolhardily, only if have a good reason to do so.

never do things quickly with plants, just watch them, be open to them, learn what various deficiencies look like and when the leaves, all over the plant, are streaching out searching for more light, you know the plants are very happy.

Growing in soil can be as productive as hydro, but each method presents different problems; the main thing in both forms of growing, is to really take care of the roots - make sure they have plenty of air(I put an air pump in each pot, but I do not necessarily keep them on all the time, as if it is cold I do not want cold air flowing through the roots zone). My medium is light and airy, so I give them a least few hours, everyday.

If you need more help, just let me know and I will help if I can.

You are starting on a great adventure,and the plants will repay you for your care and love.

Read as much as you can on botany, especially about the roots and photosynthesis.

Do not worry about making a mistake, we all do that, but a good grower learns from their mistakes and does not repesat them. Every grower at some stage has lost plants; be gentle on yourself and your plants.

It is good to listen to as many opinions as you can, as growing is not a science, it is an art.

happy growing