Nutrients - I am not trying to start an argument - But I know people will differ

[Major PITA]

That soil blend says "not recommended for container gardening". Not sure why. It has all the usual suspects. Wood products aren't bad if fully composted. Many fungi are beneficial - like myco.

This is my method for the up-can:
Let the current pot dry out. If you use a clay pot, let it soak in water so it doesn't pull water from the soil immediately. Fill it with soil. Use current pot to measure a hole in the new pot to get the size correct. Once current pot is dry, knock the plant out. Look at the roots. If it holds together well and you see good root development all across the bottom any up the sides, it is ready for a new home. If not, put it back and water it well. Assuming it is ready to transplant, score the roots vertically in a few places around the sides with a utility or other sharp knife to loosen them up slightly. Drop it in the hole you created in the new pot and completely drench it to water it in.

I wouldn't top or supercrop the same day you transplant. You could but you're giving her a little damage both top and bottom. For a supercrop you can bend at more than 45 degrees - even more than 90 degrees. It will be pointing back up before you know it. The important thing is to do it gently and slowly after the stem has been lightly crushed. If you do it too fast, it can break. All that means is you topped it when or where you didn't intend to.

 

[OlderGrower]

been an interesting read to say the very least. Glad to see no one is voting on the poll, just because someone does something different then the way you think it should be done does not justify name calling, a bit immature.
I see Major Pita and AKg have been giving you very solid, good advice. these guys here at 420 rock. I understand that when you are researching on different growing styles, and techniques it can not only be confusing but many times there are differences of opinion from site to site and fro grower to grower, but as far as the wet/dry cycle for MJ is concerned, anyone who has any experience actually growing it, will tell you just how important it is.
When you top, fim, super-crop or even transplant a plant you are creating stress on that plant, so you want to keep it to a minimum, that is why you do not top the same time you transplant since both activities create stress for the plant.
Correct me if I am wrong, but this appears to be your 1st grow, kudos for taking the 1st step, but here is something to consider. When I got my drivers license I wanted to drive like Mario Andretti, he had just won the Indy 500 and was my idle. Well I have been driving now for over 40 years and truth be told, I still do not drive as well as Mario, but through experience I am a way better driver and much closer to being like Mario then I was when I started. I get this analogy is a little stupid but instead of worrying about winning the race right now, you would be much better off just finishing the race even if your in last place.
Up pot your plant, eventually flip her to flower and keep with her till she finishes. It is a wonderful learning experience and sometimes the best learning experience on can have is a screw up.
best of luck my friend

 

[AKgramma]

A little trick to use with soil with woody matter in it: Sift it through a kitchen colander, the one with the large holes you use for washing veggies. You can "scrub" the soil through to save the good stuff and hold back the sticks. You will still get the benefits of the fungi. Then I would add sand and either vermiculite or perlite to lighten the soil.

I also use off-the-shelf soils, and once, I purchased GARDEN soil that was full of "forest compost", that is, sticks. The colander took all that out, and I had a nice base for my additives.

 

[Bacondoggy]

Yeah my mom taught me about cutting the roots. Good info thanks guys. And oldergrower, do you mean it IS important to let the roots completely dry out before watering? I've posted same pics in different forums but I was trying to see what light the plant likes more, the 13w cfl or 28w (less wattage due to cheap driver but still 28 1 watt leds are nice, and couldn't beat the price at 4 shipped). It's neat to see the plants leaves "reach" towards the bulbs of energy, they seem to be more responsive to them then the sunlight (or maybe in sunlight the leaves are more "neutral" due to light coming naturally unfocused and therfore, everywhere)

The world does not CARE how much you know, until they know how much u care.

 

[AKgramma]

This is my opinion, again, having grown all kinds plants for decades indoors and outdorrs:

Stretching plants, except in early flower, generally means the light intensity is too low. You will have to lower your LEDS enough to stop the stretching but not so low to fry the plants. You might want to supplement with your 23W CFLs along the sides and from below to cover the shaded spots.

A LESSON FROM NATURE:
When you plant a seed outdoors, the plant does not stretch unless it is in continual shade from taller plants around it. Real sun has penetration power, plus it moves in the sky, casting light on all sides. Even in shade part of the day, outdoor plants get radiant energy all around them. The sun's coverage is HUGE. And THAT lightbulb is 93 million miles from Earth.

It is difficult to come close to the same performance indoors, esp when you consider heat issues.

 

[OlderGrower]

Yeah my mom taught me about cutting the roots. Good info thanks guys. And oldergrower, do you mean it IS important to let the roots completely dry out before watering?

Due to the potential for literal translations let me clarify. It is very important for the development of your plants root system and the over all health of your plant to allow the medium in your container to get EXTREMELY low on water. Is it 100% bone ass dry, no but it is getting close. I do not have the exact data to be specific but so you can grasp what I am saying, around 95 to 98 % of the medium in the container is bone ass dry, there is a very slight among of moisture left inside the container but not much. This is the stage where the roots can absorb the oxygen they need while the tap roots are seeking out what little moisture is left in the pot.
When I 1st started growing and had trouble figuring out when to water I cheated, and here is how I cheated. At the time I figured this trick out I was growing in Fox Farm Ocean Harvest soil and pretty much all of my plants were in 1 gallon containers. I believe at that time I had 6 plants going in 1 gallon pots but in my garden was 7 1 gallon pots. One pot was filled with Fox Farms soil but it never got water EVER. This was my cheat pot. When I was checking to see if it was time to water I placed the pot with no plant or water in my left hand then with my right hand I picked up the pot with one of my plants. I took into consideration the weight of the plant growing in the pot and when both pots felt about the same weight, then it was time to water. Very simple and after a while you do not even have to pick up the plants pot, you just develop a feel for what it should weigh., then when you up pot to say a 5 gallon pot, do the same thing. By the time you get to your 2nd or 3rd grow, you will just know by feeling the pot that it is time to water or it is not time to water.
Feel free to use my cheat method, it is very easy to use and makes it so idiot proof even I figured it out

 

[Major PITA]

I'll say it again:
When in veg, if you think your plant needs water, it doesn't.
You will absolutely know when it does.

 

[AKgramma]

Oldergrower, I ASSUME your cheater pot did not have a plant in it. This is a great idea for beginners!

 

[Fuzzy Duck]

Ye well that was a lot to browse through with a lot of good advice all ready given well done for those who have helped

Well some time ago before i even tried to germinate a seed i spent about 6 months readying all sorts of stuff, ye their was some conflicting issue's from various sites or posts a bit like wtf this don't make sense to my own back ground in horticulture... so i followed my feelings as it is my/own only true guide in gaining experience, it is what feels right in you own heart.

The KIS philosophy (keep it simple) was my first learning experience basically veg, bloom & a micro nutrient 3 part bottle organic set plus organic soil done me good with a simple let it grow like a bush natural style served me well as i progressed or under stood other learning curve's !

I just didn't think it was worth me really getting confused over some stuff i didn't under stand at first & i'll reviewed that all at a later time step by step but concentrated on the basic's at first... no need to rush stuff as growing is a time based experience & not an over night adventure

 

[OlderGrower]

This is my opinion, again, having grown all kinds plants for decades indoors and outdorrs:

Stretching plants, except in early flower, generally means the light intensity is too low. You will have to lower your LEDS enough to stop the stretching but not so low to fry the plants. You might want to supplement with your 23W CFLs along the sides and from below to cover the shaded spots.

A LESSON FROM NATURE:
When you plant a seed outdoors, the plant does not stretch unless it is in continual shade from taller plants around it. Real sun has penetration power, plus it moves in the sky, casting light on all sides. Even in shade part of the day, outdoor plants get radiant energy all around them. The sun's coverage is HUGE. And THAT lightbulb is 93 million miles from Earth.

It is difficult to come close to the same performance indoors, esp when you consider heat issues.

If only they made a lightbulb that would perform as well as the sun! Could you even imagine the monthly electric bill?

When I was checking to see if it was time to water I placed the pot with no plant or water in my left hand then with my right hand I picked up the pot with one of my plants.

Oldergrower, I ASSUME your cheater pot did not have a plant in it. This is a great idea for beginners!

No need to assume AKg it was covered, but when your as long winded as I am it is easy for others to over look stuff

 

[Bacondoggy]

If only they made a lightbulb that would perform as well as the sun! Could you even imagine the monthly electric bill?




No need to assume AKg it was covered, but when your as long winded as I am it is easy for others to over look stuff

They are coming out with the newest led cob technology seems to be going away from the red blue uv and ir lights to a total full spectrum bulb that emits light that looks like a regular light bulb again but this is the new "best", so maybe who knows?so if you only had one thing to add on a limited budget, what should I get for bloom, hoping it is a female? Floralicious plus I don't think is actual "bloom" stuff is it? I'm a little confused. But I do see each has its own amount of slight npk, even if the ingredients seem the same. Like sns makes a 604 a (roots veg - .04.02.2 npk) and 604 b (for the buds-flowers - .07.001.12 npk) the only difference I notice in their concentrates that are different is the flowering has molasses added, phosphoric acid instead of phosphate (are they different things?), and their different percentages. Do I need one more bloom product or will floralicious plus and sns 604 b be all I need (they themselves have similar ingredients - kelp + humic acids)? During bloom I can't use fish fert as a foliage spray, or can i, just don't spray buds?

 

[AKgramma]

You definitely don't want to use fish fertilizer (high Nitrogen) during bloom. And Don't spray it on the leaves! Your final product will stink and taste like fish. Not a good thing.

In nature, plants take in sunlight and transpire (breathe out moisture) through their leaves, and obtain needed minerals through their roots. Outdoor foliar sprays make sense on an agricultural scale, because rain or irrigation washes away the residue on the leaves, and it's an economical and efficient way of feeding crops.

But indoor foliar sprays eventually clog the stomata and the leaves cannot transpire. The average indoor grower doesn't haul their plants to the shower to wash all that off on a regular basis. Transpiration regulates the amount of water in the plant tissues.

As a rule, you want higher Nitrogen in veg and very low or no N but higher P in bloom. So even tho the differences in amount of each may seem inconsequential, they DO make a difference, even in small amounts, to the plant and what phase it is in.

Anyway, that is my take on it. Your Mileage may Vary.

 

[Bacondoggy]

You definitely don't want to use fish fertilizer (high Nitrogen) during bloom. And Don't spray it on the leaves! Your final product will stink and taste like fish. Not a good thing.

In nature, plants take in sunlight and transpire (breathe out moisture) through their leaves, and obtain needed minerals through their roots. Outdoor foliar sprays make sense on an agricultural scale, because rain or irrigation washes away the residue on the leaves, and it's an economical and efficient way of feeding crops.

But indoor foliar sprays eventually clog the stomata and the leaves cannot transpire. The average indoor grower doesn't haul their plants to the shower to wash all that off on a regular basis. Transpiration regulates the amount of water in the plant tissues.

As a rule, you want higher Nitrogen in veg and very low or no N but higher P in bloom. So even tho the differences in amount of each may seem inconsequential, they DO make a difference, even in small amounts, to the plant and what phase it is in.

Anyway, that is my take on it. Your Mileage may Vary.

Many people might suggest that you eliminate nitrogen entirely during the flowering stage, but that is not the case. While you should not have as much nitrogen during the flowering stage, you should still maintain enough nitrogen for the plant to manufacture vital amino acids. I also read a lot of lot of places that nitrogen is essential in the flowering stage, but in later flowering, to taper off, but others still use it up to the end. But is there any product you actually WOULD spray on buds? I'm not aware of any. Foliar spray is meant to be sprayed on the leaves it's like giving a plant an iv vs taking a pill... I would never spray buds peroid, and would always wash the leaves off in between feeds. Can you damage the leaf by rubbing it with your bare fingertips while spraying pure water on the leaves to clean them??

The world does not CARE how much you know, until they know how much u care.

 

[AKgramma]

Can you damage the leaf by rubbing it with your bare fingertips while spraying pure water on the leaves to clean them?

If it isn't a tric-covered leaf!

It's good to be reminded that blooming plants need SOME N, just not as much in their leaf-building stage.

 

[Bacondoggy]

If it isn't a tric-covered leaf!

It's good to be reminded that blooming plants need SOME N, just not as much in their leaf-building stage.

So it won't hurt the leaves if I lightly rub them and spray them with water? I ask bc I figured that could wash out and keep the stomata clean if you foliar feed...

 

[AKgramma]

So it won't hurt the leaves if I lightly rub them and spray them with water? I ask bc I figured that could wash out and keep the stomata clean if you foliar feed...

Nope, no worries. Since lugging heavy pots is out of the question for me, I also spray down the leaves from the top after the mite treatment has dried. That is the extent of my foliar spraying, other than giving them a shower now and then.

 

[Bacondoggy]

I like misting water on the underside of the leaves, and don't care too much if it gets on the top when I put them under the led lights, as they are not strong enough to burn the leaves and I don't want to water the plant if it's trying to dry out...

The world does not CARE how much you know, until they know how much u care.

 

[Bacondoggy]

She's (I hope it's a she) doing good..