Absolute beginner KIS organic questions

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Hey all! New grower here and I think I bit off more than I can chew.. I bought a bunch of KIS soil, amendments, and a 150 gallon geo pot.

However I feel like I’ve listened and read about just simply too many methods and podcasts and weird ingredients that I’ve totally confused myself

I have literally 500 questions but usually if I ask a bunch at once, I rarely get all of them answered well so I’m just gonna start with a couple extreme basic first questions

1. For a novice, would I be better off doing way smaller pots instead of the 150 Gallon? Just 10 or 20 gallons but multiples? I have a 5x5 tent designated for this, aside from a dedicated 4x4 Veg tent

2. If the answer is dive in to the big 150 Gallon, can I just place it directly on the gorilla tent floor? Or should I have some kind of pallet, riser, or plastic tray?

3. Does anybody know of a loose watering or feeding schedule I should be following for KIS soil? Or is anybody aware of what KIS recommends people to do with their soil mix? I don’t know how to begin really.. i was going to add 1lb of Red Wigglers, and lay down cover crop. I also have barley straw for mulch.

4. I have a good RO system, that tested a perfect pH of 7 and 0 TDS with a bluelab pen at my hydro shop. Do I need to add CaMg+ ? I’ve had problems with a test grow when using straight RO water in smaller pots, but can’t be sure it wasn’t any other problem

5. RO or just tap water with chloramines removed? Is it much less important for us to use RO? Or still good. Our town has quite hard water, comes out of the tap at 300


I have a bunch more ready to fire off but I’d really really love to start here

A big thanks in advance guys!!!!

 

[Old Salt]

1. For a novice, would I be better off doing way smaller pots instead of the 150 Gallon? Just 10 or 20 gallons but multiples? I have a 5x5 tent designated for this, aside from a dedicated 4x4 Veg tent

The size of your tent will limit the size of your plants. Your 150 gal geopot will take almost 2' of grow height away from you. For a 5' x 5' tent, the 20 gal pots will be great for an LOS (Living Organic Soil) grow.

2. If the answer is dive in to the big 150 Gallon, can I just place it directly on the gorilla tent floor? Or should I have some kind of pallet, riser, or plastic tray?

The pots will drain. You need pot lifters to keep them out of the run off, and a tray underneath to capture it for cleanup.

3. Does anybody know of a loose watering or feeding schedule I should be following for KIS soil? Or is anybody aware of what KIS recommends people to do with their soil mix? I don’t know how to begin really.. i was going to add 1lb of Red Wigglers, and lay down cover crop. I also have barley straw for mulch.

You'll find lots of good information for soil growing in Emilya's award winning, just completed journal. Her paper, 'The Proper Way to Water a Potted Plant' is considered a must read for soil growers.

4. I have a good RO system, that tested a perfect pH of 7 and 0 TDS with a bluelab pen at my hydro shop. Do I need to add CaMg+ ? I’ve had problems with a test grow when using straight RO water in smaller pots, but can’t be sure it wasn’t any other problem

You need to address the problems as they arise. Starting a grow journal here is a very good idea. A history of your grow will help the folks here assist you in diagnosing any that show up.

5. RO or just tap water with chloramines removed? Is it much less important for us to use RO? Or still good. Our town has quite hard water, comes out of the tap at 300

The only way to find out for sure is to try both. Use water from the RO for half. Also consider collecting rain water. Your water bill will go through the roof if you use water from the RO. The rejection rate will be somewhere between 3:1 and 5:1. In other words, between three and five times the water you get from your RO gets flushed down the drain. If you can, save this for watering the lawn, washing the car etc.

 

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Thanks so much for the reply!

What a shame about the 150 gallon pot. I spent like 40 bucks on it, it’s some upgraded version with a living soil liner and everything

One of the guys I follow on Instagram, Build a Soil, uses a big geopot in a tent so I thought it would be a good idea as well

Guess I need to start looking for smaller pots

Any idea on good, sturdy lifters to use for the pots?

Also, my RO system is only 1:1 . It’s a PentAir G.R.O. system

Thanks again, Old Salt!

 

[Old Salt]

Thanks so much for the reply!

What a shame about the 150 gallon pot. I spent like 40 bucks on it, it’s some upgraded version with a living soil liner and everything

One of the guys I follow on Instagram, Build a Soil, uses a big geopot in a tent so I thought it would be a good idea as well

Guess I need to start looking for smaller pots

Any idea on good, sturdy lifters to use for the pots?

Also, my RO system is only 1:1 . It’s a PentAir G.R.O. system

Thanks again, Old Salt!

Some folks are using wire storage shelves and oven racks. If the drain trays are not sturdy enough for those heavy pots, you'll need to support them with bricks or wood.