Soil, Nutes and Timing

215BegginingGrower

Active Member
Right now I use Miracle Grow (MG) potting soil and have done some reading which some say is bad. If my potting mix is bad to plant in, is my plant growing good because of different reasons or is it ok in the long run to continue to use this soil? Also the 4th nodes are jus sprouting and I got some valuable information to change my 100W blue lighting to a stronger one and add nutes (which is nutrients I think) to the plant. How will I kno wen to and what type nutes should I use? Also when should I begin to transplant to a bigger pot? This is week 3 of plant life and I need some answers while everything is going good that way I’m a step ahead.



1) is this soil something I should not use
2) what nutes should I use
3) when should I transplant to bigger pot
4) Also what bottled water do you recommend me water with, contributing a 6-6.8 PH level
 

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The soil has "time released" nutrients, so it releases what it wants when it wants and not necessarily what your plant wants/needs at that time (it uses/needs more N in veg and more P and K in flower). So as you have no control over when it releases, if you feed it also one could easily over fertilize it and then deal with nute burn. Along with if you want to "flush" at the end of it's life cycle you are not totally using just water if the soil is still releasing nutrients at the end. People have made it thru a grow with soil that has time released stuff in it, but it has caused some many problems, and if it starts giving you problems it is a bit more tricky to correct the problem. More info like is it an Auto or a Regular, what size container is it in, etc.... will help others give you a more educated answer to your questions (just keep in mind there is opinions all over the spectrum and very little of it is "etched in stone" so to speak, even though folks feel "you have to do this/that/whatnot or it won't work " ;) ).
 
If you can switch to better soil do so. Fox Farm OC is a solid option. You can transplant to a bigger pot anytime...she's big enough. Consider using a 5-7-gallon pot. Bigger pots=bigger roots=bigger plants=bigger yields.

Stick to a watering schedule. When they are seedlings, lightly mist daily and water the surrounding soil area (not right at the roots). This encourages the roots to reach. After first two weeks slowly increase water amount to where it comes out the bottom of the fabric pot (about a gallon for a 7). Water 2-3x a week at most. Overwatering is a common mistake. Roots need to learn how to search for water...it's how they grow. It's good for the soil to seemingly "dry out"...you can tell by lifting the pot how dry it is. When they are in flower increase watering to 3-4x a week as needed.

Otherwise...keep it simple and you'll have a great grow. I encourage you to start a journal so that others can see your progress and offer tips or answer questions. Take photos along the way and post them.

:goodluck:
 
Honestly since I’m new to this I’m pretty sure this isn’t auto seed. Only because I never bought seeds before I actually smoke, so when one or rarely two seeds pop up in the weed I purchase I save them. This was a seed from Gorilla glue I believe. I’m using a small container about 4 inches wide. I’ll start a journal tho thanks for the tips! Also what about the PH question?








The soil has "time released" nutrients, so it releases what it wants when it wants and not necessarily what your plant wants/needs at that time (it uses/needs more N in veg and more P and K in flower). So as you have no control over when it releases, if you feed it also one could easily over fertilize it and then deal with nute burn. Along with if you want to "flush" at the end of it's life cycle you are not totally using just water if the soil is still releasing nutrients at the end. People have made it thru a grow with soil that has time released stuff in it, but it has caused some many problems, and if it starts giving you problems it is a bit more tricky to correct the problem. More info like is it an Auto or a Regular, what size container is it in, etc.... will help others give you a more educated answer to your questions (just keep in mind there is opinions all over the spectrum and very little of it is "etched in stone" so to speak, even though folks feel "you have to do this/that/whatnot or it won't work " ;) ).
 

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Im going to switch the pot it’s in today because I just seen there is a root touching the bottom of the container ! This is bad right? And before I do switch it I have to make sure to have the right soil, do you think I have time?! And it’s mossy at the bottom I jus realized also , I’m not doing a good job with checking it thoroughly but I do check it everyday.




If you can switch to better soil do so. Fox Farm OC is a solid option. You can transplant to a bigger pot anytime...she's big enough. Consider using a 5-7-gallon pot. Bigger pots=bigger roots=bigger plants=bigger yields.

Stick to a watering schedule. When they are seedlings, lightly mist daily and water the surrounding soil area (not right at the roots). This encourages the roots to reach. After first two weeks slowly increase water amount to where it comes out the bottom of the fabric pot (about a gallon for a 7). Water 2-3x a week at most. Overwatering is a common mistake. Roots need to learn how to search for water...it's how they grow. It's good for the soil to seemingly "dry out"...you can tell by lifting the pot how dry it is. When they are in flower increase watering to 3-4x a week as needed.

Otherwise...keep it simple and you'll have a great grow. I encourage you to start a journal so that others can see your progress and offer tips or answer questions. Take photos along the way and post them.

:goodluck:
 

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Im going to switch the pot it’s in today because I just seen there is a root touching the bottom of the container ! This is bad right? And before I do switch it I have to make sure to have the right soil, do you think I have time?! And it’s mossy at the bottom I jus realized also , I’m not doing a good job with checking it thoroughly but I do check it everyday.
You have time to switch soil. I would definitely go with a different soil besides miracle grow. If you have a hydro shop they usually keep pro-mix in stock, I'd start with something like that.

You will probably see some shock in the plant from transplant but that's normal. Make sure to get the plant in a light proof container, the sun can damage the roots.

Previous advice here has been good, nice looking seedling :passitleft:.
 
Yeah as said light will kill the roots, so best not to use clear containers. Far as water goes you can use tap water or bottled water (one of those folks on all sides of the fence), if city water let it sit w/o a top on it for an hour or two as the chlorine will evaporate. Nutrients will vary on how "organic" you want to be or if chemicals not a concern to you, another one of those "to each their own" kind of thing. Always start at lighter dose of nutrients than what the Nutrients call for in their chart, as easier to increase it than it is to try and take it away if you used too much for the plant. Keep it simple and you will have better results IMHO while you are learning, later you can try and increase quantity with more advanced/technical stuff if you so choose.
 
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