First Timer - Soil Water & Nutes

[Herbshuttles]

Hey guys, I've done a good amount of research and am just about ready to get started but I'm brand new to this so bare with me. Im growing purple kush and crown royale indoors in 7 gallon plastic pots (7gallon each with drainage holes and saucers all that). Wanted to know what brand or type of soil to use, and pH levels and all that. I'll have a pH and water measured for the soil, and I was planning on using General Hydroponics Nutrients and following their chart but I learned that if you have soil you don't need nutrients. Anybody can speak on this? Also, Any brand of water you guys recommend ? Thanks in advance for any help, much appreciated!!

Also, any brands of fertilizers to use along with the nutes would be a great help .

 

[Scientific]

re: First Timer - Soil Water & Nutes

Hi HS -- Even though you say you have done a good amount of research, it sounds to me like you would benefit a lot from waiting a little bit and spending some more time reading and watching YouTube videos. I would also strongly recommend reading grow logs here about the strains you are interested in. (Or any grow log for that matter at this point.) That should very quickly answer a lot of your questions.

There is a HUGE amount of great info out there just a click or two away. I suggest that you avail yourself of that first, and then as you start to develop a plan that looks like it's going to work for you, come back and ask specific questions or search in the more focused forums (hydroponics for example).

To answer your questions, though:

• Fox Farms Ocean Forest + 30% perlite is a popular soil mix.
• pH of about 5.5 to 6.5 is good for cannabis, with a some variation depending on if you are in soil or hydroponics.
• You can use GH nutrients for soil, but that's not really what they were developed for (most use them for coco or hydro). <EDIT>: I was wrong. OP pointed out the GH even has a soil usage chart at their site. (I have been using it for soil but thought I was using it "off label." And of course NPK is NPK no matter what it says on the label.</edit>
• Even if you have a rich, even "hot" soil, you are probably going to want to add fertilizer eventually. That's both art and science (as is much of cannabis cultivation).
• Water: If you have soft water, then you can use that plus probably a Ca/Mg supplement. If you water is a little harder it may work as is and have enough calcium and magnesium. If you have really hard water it's better to use reverse osmosis water.
• Any major fertilizer brand that you see advertised or discussed here should work for you.

What I'd really suggest is to find a log for a successful grow that you like and try emulating that so you don't have to reinvent the wheel.

And by all means start your own grow log and invite people to look at it and comment.

Good luck and have fun!

 

[Herbshuttles]

re: First Timer - Soil Water & Nutes

Hi HS -- Even though you say you have done a good amount of research, it sounds to me like you would benefit a lot from waiting a little bit and spending some more time reading and watching YouTube videos. I would also strongly recommend reading grow logs here about the strains you are interested in. (Or any grow log for that matter at this point.) That should very quickly answer a lot of your questions.

There is a HUGE amount of great info out there just a click or two away. I suggest that you avail yourself of that first, and then as you start to develop a plan that looks like it's going to work for you, come back and ask specific questions or search in the more focused forums (hydroponics for example).

To answer your questions, though:

• Fox Farms Ocean Forest + 30% perlite is a popular soil mix.
• pH of about 5.5 to 6.5 is good for cannabis, with a some variation depending on if you are in soil or hydroponics.
• You can use GH nutrients for soil, but that's not really what they were developed for (most use them for coco or hydro).
• Even if you have a rich, even "hot" soil, you are probably going to want to add fertilizer eventually. That's both art and science (as is much of cannabis cultivation).
• Water: If you have soft water, then you can use that plus probably a Ca/Mg supplement. If you water is a little harder it may work as is and have enough calcium and magnesium. If you have really hard water it's better to use reverse osmosis water.
• Any major fertilizer brand that you see advertised or discussed here should work for you.

What I'd really suggest is to find a log for a successful grow that you like and try emulating that so you don't have to reinvent the wheel.

And by all means start your own grow log and invite people to look at it and comment.

Good luck and have fun!

Thank you , definitely appreciate this!! Should I test my water to determine if it's hard or soft or do you know of any cheap brands that you can use to water without adding supplements? Also, when do you know to use fertilizers? I'll keep looking for info but def appreciate the help!! And I'm surprised GH isn't typically used for soil, they had a usage chart specifically for soil too.

 

[Scientific]

re: First Timer - Soil Water & Nutes

Thank you , definitely appreciate this!! Should I test my water to determine if it's hard or soft or do you know of any cheap brands that you can use to water without adding supplements? Also, when do you know to use fertilizers? I'll keep looking for info but def appreciate the help!! And I'm surprised GH isn't typically used for soil, they had a usage chart specifically for soil too.

First, today was my turn to be the guy on the Internet giving erroneous info (re. GH not being intended for soil). I went back and edited my original statement, and thanks for the correction. And for the record, I use GH Flora series on my flowers (my other flowers) and vegetables.

You can get a lot of info about your water from your utility's website. You can even call them. I strongly recommend buying a PPM meter and a pH pen, calibration fluid for both, and learning how to use and maintain both (especially the pH pen).

When to use fertilizers: That's easy for hydro and coco grows of course, because you need nutrients right from the start. It's harder for soil. If you are in pots (and I recommend cloth ones for more oxygen to the roots) you can measure the pH and PPMs of your runoff, and of course you can also just watch the leaves for signs of problems. I'm really loving my coco grow right now. Have a look at my signature file if you're interested.

Do by all means have a look at some of the grow journals, and I love surfing around at YouTube and watching what all the various folks have put up there, from polished and professional to some kid growing in a box in his dorm room.

And I love Nebula Haze's website.

 

[Herbshuttles]

re: First Timer - Soil Water & Nutes

Definitely appreciate all your help seriously! And cool, so looks like I can go with the gh flora series. Initially I was interested in using all the extra supplements such as calimagic flora nectar etc. but I think if I get a good soil like happy frog (I'm on the east coast so not sure if it's practical) I'll be ok. I'll probably just stick with flora grow, flora micro and flora bloom as far as nutrients go . And yeah, I'm definitely getting liquid pH tester for my water and for when I feed my plants the nutrients. Wanna keep that between 6 and 6.5. And I definitely gotta look into the PPM and see what it's looking like and if I'll need calcium mag. Thanks again , I'll def check out your stuff and learn a thing or two!! Quick newbie question: is there a difference between nutrients and fertilizer? Or would using the flora series be enough fertilizer ?

 

[Scientific]

re: First Timer - Soil Water & Nutes

Hi HS --Nutes, nutrients, fertilizer... tis all one. (I think I'm the only guy around here that actually uses the word "fertilizer.")

All I use personally is the three Flora series, and there are people who only use FloraMicro and FloraBloom. I can't remember the name of the alternative formula, but a guy seems to have figured out that there's enough N, P, and K in the the two so you don't absolutely have to use FloraGro. That said, I use Nebula Haze's diluted GH feedchart with all three (plus CALiMAGic because our water here has essentially zero mineral content--it's essentially RO coming right out of the river).

I am very dubious about all the other magic potions out there--terpene enhancers and stuff like that. I think the marketers have definitely tapped into pot growers as a source of $$$ for lots of extra goodies...

Oh yeah, the two-bottle solution is "Lucas Formula." I'm sure you can find a lot about it here.

Good luck and have fun!

PS -- Oh wait, I use HydroGuard bacillus culture in my hydroponic mix. It has a great reputation.

 

[Mayne]

Man, being first time, make it as easy on yourself. If I could do it allllll over again, I would of made many changes.

First time, Keep it simple...

The hardest thing your going combat with this grow, is #1 Nute problems, #2 PH problems #3 watering Problems.

Everyone knows I push KindSoil for first timers, its a water only soil. You add the Kindsoil to the bottom of your pot, ( 1/4 of total pot size) and then add a good soil, like FoxFarm Ocean Forest or Happy frog, ontop of it. Then you water, wait till the pot is light, (DRY) then water, and repeat. You simple water it with RO water which is usually 6.5 PH, and thats it, Freakin simple

If you go coco route, mixing nutes and checking PH WILL BE A TASK. If you cant afford a a GREAT PH PEN, and which is in the price range of $75 and up, then your going to have on going headache with PH. You have to water daily, and everything must be lined up perfectly, or your going to have problems endlessly.

So, look into a PH perfect Nute series. You need no PH checking, so it take that out of the equation for again, simplicity.

You can have the best lights, best tent/room, beter temp best Humidity, but if your food is jacked, all that means nothing.

 

[Scientific]

So, look into a PH perfect Nute series. You need no PH checking, so it take that out of the equation for again, simplicity.

I had forgotten about the pH Perfect series from Advanced Nutrients. When the pH of my hydro grow was all over the place, I asked for opinions about pH Perfect at the Hydroponics forum and got a bunch of positive responses.

I find that I don't have to worry about pH with coco because I'm constantly replacing the old nutes with new so the pH stays pretty stable, but if I was going to do another pure hydro grow, I would definitely consider pH Perfect.

 

[Mayne]

Bro, I already ordered mine, SOOOOOOO sick of this PH BS,..

Getting ready to transplant these best 3 of my 12, and experimenting with the rest. Waisted soooo much time with PH issues, like 3 months worth down the shtter because of the ups and downs of it all..

ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, should of done it awhile back,