2 More Absolute Beginner Questions

[Hawk518]

Q1: Do I need a pH meter for soil AND another for water?

Q2: After reading a lot of articles, I’m a bit confused over the soil / nutrients requirements. Do I need special soil for cannabis AND additional nutrients? Or is that overkill that will lead to nutrient burn?
EX. If I buy something like GeoFlora Veg & Bloom, can I just use this w. normal potting soil? OR do I need some kind of special potting soil as well as the additional nutrients?

 

[Sueet]

No, just for water. Ideally your soil should have some sort of buffer built in and will handle its own pH.
Geoflora works great with whatever soil you choose, tho I recommend you use the best soil you can get as it is then amendable/reusable - really cheap soils break down too much and don't last.

It's really easy to get confused, there is marketing for every possible combination. You just have to decide what fits you and your style of gardening best.
Soil + Geoflora is a pretty easy combo imo (It's what I'm using so I may be a bit biased )

 

[013]

Avoid a pre-nuted soil such as Miracle Grow that feeds for 6 months… it’s a combination of potting soil with nutrients (chemical salt fertilizers) mixed in…

ph meter for soil is typically a cheapie 3 way probe type meter, it measures light, ph and moisture but they are not very accurate or useful. But a ph pen is for your liquids. If you use a good soil like hp pro mix or sunshine #4 then you can add Geoflora and rock on. You don’t really have to adjust ph with soil and Geoflora but if you are gonna grow then ph meter is a nice tool to have on hand

 

[SmokingWings]

Q1: Do I need a pH meter for soil AND another for water?

If you are going to grow in soil there should be no reason to have to check the pH of the soil. In the usual soil grow the only pH that needs checking is the water, or the water and fertilizer mix, before it is used.

Depending on where the water is coming from it might only need checking every now and then or even less often. I check my city water about once a year and roll with that till the next time I feel like checking.

A pH meter is not needed if you want to save money. Use the pH test drops or litmus paper. It might take a couple of tries to get used to reading the color changes but it can be done.

Growing in soil is not the same as growing hydroponically. The only pH test that is needed is occasional test before using the water as mentioned earlier. No need to check the soil pH or the pH of the water that runs through the soil and is sitting in the saucer.

 

[Nunyabiz]

Personally I always recommend for someone to pick if they want to feed the plants (bottled nutrients) or feed the soil (ammendments) .
If you want to use bottled nutrients then don't use soil, use coco, will be much easier to control, easier to flush if you get it wrong, better oxygen to roots.
Using pH with coco is a must.
With coco use 4 to 7 gallon fabric pots

With soil, I would suggest buying a pre-made Clackamas Coots soil recipe such as Buildasoil V3 or Oly Mountain, or maybe a Coast of Maine.
With soil you should not use synthetic nutrients IMO it completely negates the reason for soil which is the microbes.
Soil should be in no smaller than 15 gallon fabric pots, bigger the better.
Then plant a cover crop of clover, peas, Flax, buckwheat etc. Lay down about an inch of chopped up barley straw at first until the cover crop is about 4" tall then add another 2-3" of barley straw.
Inoculate the soil with mycorrhazae then add a handful of worms in the pot, then add some Rove beetles and predator mites for fungus gnat control.
Keep this soil moist at all times never let it dry out not even the top 1/4".
Plant a seed into a solo cup in seedling soil and let it grow until the roots just touch the bottom of solo cup which should be 7 days after cracking the surface.
Dust the hole in final pot with Optiveg and mycorrhazae and plant seedling, water in with dechlorinated water with aloe vera.
Gently lift up areas of the barley straw mulch and sprinkle on some quality Bokashi, the next day when you lift the straw it should be white with fungus this is good don't freak.

Once the cover crop gets thick then chop down most of it thin it out, chop up and put most under the straw for worms.

Now just add a handful of Bokashi and Craftblend every two weeks and water in with oxygenated dechlorinated water with Aloe vera and coconut water.
If your soil is correct you should be able lightly water about 6 days a week.
One of those days you deep water until 1 drop comes out bottom.

Thats it, just water and watch it grow, you feed the soil and worms and they feed the plants.
No need for a pH meter unless your water is insane like in the 5s or 8s
As long as its between 5.8 to 7.5 you should be fine the soil with take care of it.

 

[Need Fer Weed]

Q1: Do I need a pH meter for soil AND another for water?

Q2: After reading a lot of articles, I’m a bit confused over the soil / nutrients requirements. Do I need special soil for cannabis AND additional nutrients? Or is that overkill that will lead to nutrient burn?
EX. If I buy something like GeoFlora Veg & Bloom, can I just use this w. normal potting soil? OR do I need some kind of special potting soil as well as the additional nutrients?

Good info here, also recommend reviewing sum successful grows. Pick one that you would like to copy and that you have access to the soils they use. More than likely your grow style will evolve over time as your growing skills improve. I learned this way, seen peeps using Fox Farm products, they were available in my area including their soils. Happy growing and .

 

[Trendkill2]

if using the Geoflora nutrients, like I do, yo don't need to ph anything really, just top dress every 14 days and add water when it needs it. easy peasy.
good luck!

 

[cbdhemp808]

Hey Hawk518,

I'm an outdoor grower and use my own custom soil mix (link in my signature). I also have some info about commercial potting soils (link in my signature).

You could use Fox Farm Happy Frog potting soil and Fox Farm liquid nutrients, as per the instructions. Happy Frog contains worm castings, beneficial microbes, and humic acid. I think Fox Farm products are available at a lot of local hardware stores, such as ACE, Home Depot, etc. If you want a soil with more built-in nutrients, and if you can find them in your area, some options are... Stonington, SOHUM, or Roots Organics. Even these will require liquid nutrients, but not as soon as with FF Happy Frog or Ocean Forest.

happy growing!

 

[Hawk518]

EVEN MORE QUESTIONS:

Q1: I have white tips on 2 leaves. Plant is 5 weeks old. Last week I gave it a half dose of GeoFlora. I’ve done searches on white tips and answers are all over the place. Some say it’s bad and others say nothing to worry about. So, I’ll ask here: what are the white tips a result of? Nutrient burn? If so, do I hold off on giving them anymore GeoFlora next week? What do I need to do (if anything)?

Q2: Looks like it should be warm enough at night to leave them outside – read / heard that as long as above 55F, they should be ok. Accurate?

Q3: Still trying to figure out the possibility of setting up a grow tent. One MAJOR concern is the potential smell. How well do the carbon filters get rid of the smell? Worried that my books will absorb the odor. Has anyone had this kind of issue? If so, how did you solve the problem?

 

[Sueet]

Why half dose of Geoflora? It is looking pretty hungry to me, and the Geoflora isn't going to burn it.

I put a way larger than normal dose in a plant just to find out what would happen. The plant became pretty dark green, but otherwise still looks pretty darn happy.

 

[Roy Growin]

1 Not a problem, that will grow out pretty quick
2 Yes, I've seen them pop up through snow in Nepal, but not a shock treatment
3 Yes, I use an over-powered fan/filter and run it at 50% - suggest you buy quality Mountain Fresh or Rhino Pro, it will last for several grows and will only smell if you leave the tent open lol
Good for drying too, 'cos that that's when it really starts to stink

 

[cbdhemp808]

Q1: I have white tips on 2 leaves. Plant is 5 weeks old. Last week I gave it a half dose of GeoFlora. I’ve done searches on white tips and answers are all over the place. Some say it’s bad and others say nothing to worry about. So, I’ll ask here: what are the white tips a result of? Nutrient burn? If so, do I hold off on giving them anymore GeoFlora next week? What do I need to do (if anything)?

what soil did you end up using?

 

[Hawk518]

Why half dose of Geoflora? It is looking pretty hungry to me, and the Geoflora isn't going to burn it.

I put a way larger than normal dose in a plant just to find out what would happen. The plant became pretty dark green, but otherwise still looks pretty darn happy.

Only gave a half dose of GeoFlora for fear of nutrient burn. And even w. the white tips, I’ve had advice anywhere from don’t give them any nutrients for a while longer to give them a full dose asap. Tomorrow (6/6) is the scheduled next GF dose. I’ll give them a full dose this time. Hopefully, this will help them grow since they’re extremely small for their age (6 weeks)!

 

[Hawk518]

what soil did you end up using?

These two plants are planted in 1 gallon fabric grow pots. Used an organic potting soil mixed w. coco coir. Had read a review of GeoFlora that says you can use normal potting soil with it.

 

[cbdhemp808]

They are looking hungry... they need nitrogen and other nutrients. Keep in mind that the Espoma potting soil + coir has basically no macronutrients; that is, nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium (NPK). You need the secondary main nutrients as well, which are calcium, magnesium, and sulfur. And then you also need the micronutrients: iron, boron, copper, manganese, molybdenum, silicon, zinc, and chlorine.

It's always a good idea to be aware of the ingredients and amounts of the nutrients that are in the soil and in the liquid fertilizers.

 

[Emilya Green]

Why don't you follow the directions and use a full dose of Geoflora?? Since this is good for 2 weeks, there really isn't any need to scrimp, and since this is not regular feed, but raw organic nutrients and microbes, it CAN NOT burn your plant. And yes, you can use anything from coco to supersoil without any harm when using Geoflora. You might want to check out my review on this product, the link is below.

 

[Emilya Green]

Only gave a half dose of GeoFlora for fear of nutrient burn. And even w. the white tips, I’ve had advice anywhere from don’t give them any nutrients for a while longer to give them a full dose asap. Tomorrow (6/6) is the scheduled next GF dose. I’ll give them a full dose this time. Hopefully, this will help them grow since they’re extremely small for their age (6 weeks)!

Let me explain something about an organic grow. You are not feeding the plant. You are supplying raw nutrients that are not yet ready for the plants, to the soil with the once every two week top dressing. This application also includes freeze dried microbes that are released every time you water.

The important point is that you have nothing to do with the feeding from this point on. You have no need to worry about over or underfeeding, from the time you put the microbes in charge, these decisions are taken out of your hands. If the plant needs something, it tells the microbes and they bring it to the plant. Even with massive amounts of raw nutrients now in the system, the plant can not be over fed, because it controls the process.

Just feed the Geoflora as suggested per your size of container and forget it. This is the easiest feeding system there ever was. Please don't make it hard.

 

[cbdhemp808]

Interesting... I wasn't aware that Geoflora is a granular, dry product that is used for top dressing. I assumed it was a liquid.

 

[Emilya Green]

Interesting... I wasn't aware that Geoflora is a granular, dry product that is used for top dressing. I assumed it was a liquid.

good stuff, eh? It's even better than it looks here. I asked them when I started using Geoflora, "do I have to use RO water or filter out the chlorine?" Their answer was that so many new microbes of just the right kinds are being activated with each watering, that it didn't matter if chlorine might kill a percentage of them. Plenty of replacement microbes keep coming in with each watering. I ran tap water for a couple of years with GeoFlora just because I could, and indeed it did work.

When dealing with multiple products and companies though, you might get different answers. It turns out that chlorine can still play havoc with the fungi that grow amongst the roots, and to help protect the myco network, chlorine should actually be eliminated. live and learn, so now I filter out 97% of the chlorine, and things are in fact going better.

 

[cbdhemp808]

good stuff, eh?

I was thinking OP should maybe use some liquid fert at this point, and then rely on Geoflora for the rest of the grow.