I need all the advice & hacks I can get

[GreenClouds]

I'm a new grower, and already feeling somewhat overwhelmed with everything I need to do. I would greatly appreciate any advice with nutrients, soil, size of pot (no pun intended .) needed, water (really confused with the whole pH thing) or just check out the photos I've attached......I am starting with feminized Aurora Indica. I'm on a tight budget and have been trying to figure out any hacks I can use so advice on that would be great as well.
The photos include the light, closet, fan, humidifier, soil used, tinfoil over the light (someone told me that's a good thing I'm not really sure if that's the truth), and finally plants at two weeks
I know that was a lot and I am sure I'm doing a lot wrong. Also is it good to use miracle grow and bottled water?

Thanks guys... told ya I needed help haha

 

[GreenClouds]

I need all the advice/hacks I can get

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[Weaselcracker]

Re: I need all the advice/hacks I can get

How to Grow Marijuana Everything You Need to Know

You might find answers to most of your questions in here. How to Grow Marijuana Everything You Need to Know

Don't use miracle grow it's terrible.

 

[GreenClouds]

Re: I need all the advice/hacks I can get

Thank you I appreciate you taking the time and especially letting me know about miracle grow... I mainly just want advice on my Photos =)

 

[Weaselcracker]

Re: I need all the advice/hacks I can get

You mean you're wondering whether the soil, light, fans, etc are ok? It all looks fine to me. I'd skip the tinfoil.
Equipment is usually slightly less important than what we do with it. The basic environment is tricky to manage- temps, watering, feeding, etc. One very important thing to read up on is a proper watering routine.

 

[GreenClouds]

Re: I need all the advice/hacks I can get

Thanks! I know it seems like a string of idiotic questions but I've read too many different things on the Internet my head was spinning... I appreciate your feedback

 

[dropcroptop]

Yea tin foil doesn't really do anything. I think what you got going on may even be a fire hazard haha. I think you should invest in a hygrometer to see what your temp and humidity are. Light,temp,and overwatering are the only things you should try to fine tune as a beginner. You may not even need the humidifier at that stage. Your area looks pretty dirty aswell,don't let it get out of control as to attract bugs. Also your balancing all those boxes to raise your plants. Instead, You should get creative on how to lower your light inexpensively. Old wire attached to your "s" hooks is quick. Use coat hangers cut to length if you can't find chain etc.(I see one in the picture haha).

 

[dropcroptop]

How many draining holes are in those pots?

 

[GerryjuanaOG]

Have you tried coffee grounds yet they are free and packed with good nutes for your plants I just recently started adding it to mine I don't drink coffee but at this donut shop I stop at every morning places their used coffee grounds in bags on the counter for people to take for their plants I've been using that for mine and they are looking A1 I put about a cup every 2-3 days right on top of the soil and just feed reg water ph levels have to do with salts if your plant gets too much salty water it can lock out the nutrients and your plant will start to lack

 

[GerryjuanaOG]

And as for using bottled water it has the perfect PH already but it is pretty costly in the long run if you use tap water I've read that some people leave it out for 24 hours to settle honestly these plants need 3 things sun water and dirt anything else is extra some times you don't even need nutrients or anything I've seen people grow like that but when you start adding all these other thing Quality and Yield are a principal those are the main things your are adding nutes for growing weed is easy but so is killing your plant you never want to over feed alway remember a little goes a long way

 

[dropcroptop]

Yea bottle water is suspect on ph aswell. YouTube some homemade ph tests on popular brands. They are ALL different surprisingly. And if you speak to old heads,they will look at you crazy when you say you HAVE to ph your water. They have grown for years without it just fine. As long as your growing in soil the microbes will balance everything out eventually. When using rock wool or going hydroponic you have to more closely regulate such things.

 

[Weaselcracker]

Real soil has excellent buffering qualities and can regulate the ph of most things thrown at it.
On the subject of water ph though- there's a relationship between the purity (ppm- parts per million of stuff dissolved in it ) of the water and the importance of its ph.
Basically the purer (lower ppm) the water is- the less important it is what ph it reads.
Take a cup of pure water. Which is by definition zero ppm and has a ph of 7. Add a drop of ph down. It will suddenly read as extremely acidic. Does this mean that your cup of water is now a strong acid? No. The ph is basically an empty value as the ppm is so low. It's ph is going to have no effect on your medium. But if this same mix had a ppm of 1000 I'd be worried.

I use only rainwater for my grow- which is ph 5.6. It's 5.6 and not 7 because it picks up a little carbon for the atmosphere on its way down. It's so weak that it wouldn't matter whether it read 5.6 -or 9.6. There's not need to balance it.
You can notice this effect if you ever mix bottled nutrients and have to adjust the ph. A strong nutrient mix will take more adjusting than a weak mix. The reverse is true in the soil. The buffering agents in the soil may have a more difficult time dealing with a strong mix that has a bad ph.
Dont worry about balancing the ph of water. A bunch of different brands of distilled water may read all over the map from whatever trace elements they picked up- but as long as they're reasonably pure then the ph is effectively neutral/meaningless