Trying to grow but am limited to supplies: need advice

[lovetheherb]

I am in an area where there are no hydroponic shops or garden supply shops. The only stores near me are Walmart and Lowe's. I'm also screwed when it comes to ordering anything online (can't go into detail why). I have smoked for years but decided to try growing because the herb around here is mostly trash and people still charge 15-20 a gram. it's ridiculous and it's sad. I have watched numerous vids on youtube and read articles over the past week so I've learned the basics of growing cannabis and even things like low stress training. But with the limitations I have by being where I am, I dont know how to go about this so I will just ask you guys. I can't grow in my house but I can grow outside. What kind of soil and bottled nutrients would be the best to get from Walmart or Lowe's? Also, is it correct that if you are using good quality soil, you don't have to even use nutrients? I know it's a pretty crappy situation and that my plants won't grow or yield anything close to what it would if I could use fox farms products on it. But surely there's a way I can do this successfully? I'm also doing this on a budget but I will happily take any advice I can get. Thanks guys and happy late 4/20!

 

[lovetheherb]

I also apologize if I have posted in the wrong place. I'm new to forums as well!

 

[TurboBucket]

I am in a non-legal state in an area where there are no hydroponic shops or garden supply shops. The only stores near me are Walmart and Lowe's. I'm also screwed when it comes to ordering anything online (can't go into detail why). I have smoked for years but decided to try growing because the herb around here is mostly trash and people still charge 15-20 a gram. it's ridiculous and it's sad. I have watched numerous vids on youtube and read articles over the past week so I've learned the basics of growing cannabis and even things like low stress training. But with the limitations I have by being where I am, I dont know how to go about this so I will just ask you guys. I can't grow in my house but I can grow outside. What kind of soil and bottled nutrients would be the best to get from Walmart or Lowe's? Also, is it correct that if you are using good quality soil, you don't have to even use nutrients? I know it's a pretty crappy situation and that my plants won't grow or yield anything close to what it would if I could use fox farms products on it. But surely there's a way I can do this successfully? I'm also doing this on a budget but I will happily take any advice I can get. Thanks guys and happy late 4/20!

Yeah that's a bummer. Hopefully the law turns in your favor before too much longer. Yes you can grow outside with minimal input. Dig a 1footx1footx1foot deep hole fill the bottom 4" with any quality compost available from your local gardening store. Fill the remainder with nutrient free potting soil water as needed and enjoy

 

[TorturedSoul]

Well, since homeless people seem to manage to buy stuff from Amazon (.com) these days, I'd look into doing that.

Otherwise... Osmocote Plus. Epsom salt as and when needed. Huge bag of perlite (you'll most likely want to improve the drainage of the local soil). Shovel .

Then figure out how to receive seeds and buy a pack or three of inexpensive autoflower seeds (seedbanks accept currency if you're too paranoid to use a debit or credit card... don't send it in a greeting card because that screams "cash inside!") and, assuming you're in the Northern hemisphere, get to digging because it'll soon be time.

 

[lovetheherb]

Thank you so much! I forgot to mention this but I also saved up some rainwater from the storms we had yesterday and used a pH strip on it and it seems fine. Should I water them with that instead of the distilled water I have? Thanks again!

 

[Anoobis]

Are auto's always feminized?

 

[Captain Cannabis]

I feel your pain here. I was an outdoor "low budget" grower for years. However, you do have plenty of options in front of you.

My personal preference was always, less chemicals is better. ( i.e. Miracle Grow, Jobs, Osmocote)
Not saying I never used them, as I tried them all as a younger grower in the early 90's, and I live in BFE! Ha!

I stay away from anything with "slow release" on the label, as I believe it's meant more for random waterings, and you never know how much the plant is actually getting.---that's just me though.

Currently, both Walmart and, I believe Lowes, carry a wide variety of outdoor friendly soils, and nutrients.

At Walmart, look for some organic based potting soil, even the Miracle Grow organic is good and affordable. They also carry Alaska fish fertilizer, which is great for the veg growth. For bloom they carry bone meal, and they carry earthworm castings too.

I'm not sure about Lowes selection, as the closest one for me is a 3hr round trip, but I do know they used to carry Gardner & Bloome soils, which rival Fox Farms in comparison.

Like TurboBucket suggested, dig your hole and fill the bottom with a compost. Then add the potting soil, and add your plant. However, look into "top dressing" using things like blood meal/bone meal and guano, if you are comfortable enough to begin fertilizing. Once I learned how to "top dress", my grows got better, as did my finished bud.

Another thing to consider is location, not just from Neighbors, but because small animals LOVE the smell of fresh soil. They dig it up, looking for food. If that's not a problem, then you're good. But, if it might be a problem, dig your hole and add the fillers a week before you add the plant. That will give curious critters enough time, to forget about the new soil. I've been down this path--not good! Ha!

As with anything, keep doing what you're doing---Research. Take it slow, and don't overthink it.
Best of luck!

 

[Carcass]

Are auto's always feminized?

No,not always.
Make sure the supplier specifies feminized.

 

[Anoobis]

No,not always.
Make sure the supplier specifies feminized.

Thanks for that. Would love to be able to order autos and fems in my country, but I really dont like the thought of something with my address on it going through customs. You see so many cool strains on the websites and can't help but be a little jealous

 

[TorturedSoul]

Would love to be able to order autos and fems in my country, but I really dont like the thought of something with my address on it going through customs.

I don't know what country that is. Mine is the USA and our Customs will confiscate any seeds, that they actually find, from whatever percentage of the packages that they actually check. They helpfully insert a generic form letter in exchange. It's helpful because then you know that the seeds actually were confiscated, instead of having been stolen by the thieves who work at the ISC hub in New York (IIRC), lol. The latter actually seems to be somewhat more likely - but the odds of having either happen appear to be pretty low.

It's been years since I saw one of those letters, so I cannot quote one, but they basically state that Customs has determined that the confiscated items are contraband/verboten and if the addressee wishes to dispute this determination, call to schedule an appointment. And that's pretty much the end of it.

We have domestic seed sellers here, now, too. All in all - and assuming that the sellers don't get complacent - it's probably safer to buy from foreign shores than to buy domestically if one's order has to cross state lines. Seems like the only real difference between the two is accessibility. By that, I mean no USA law enforcement agency is going to be able to quickly and (+/-) easily "hassle" a business that is operating in/from a different country. Same thing goes for attempting to get server logs from a seedbank's (et cetera) web server if it's located in a different country instead of, for example, Clifton, New Jersey - and other countries may not even require servers to keep logs in the first place. This is why I used to go apesh!t whenever I saw an otherwise "untouchable" seedbank operate their website on a server that was physically located within the USA . Always seemed comparable to someone standing on the other side of a fence and shouting, "Ha ha ha, you can't touch me... so why don't I just open the gate and walk over there so you can?"

But that's just me, my opinion, and my country. You have to do whatever it takes to be safe. That might mean not ordering seeds from a seedbank or commercial breeder. Or it might mean that you went for a walk, found an empty house, and used its address when ordering, IDK.

My personal preference was always, less chemicals is better.
( i.e. Miracle Grow, Jobs, Osmocote) Not saying I never used them, as I tried them all as a younger grower in the early 90's, and I live in BFE! Ha!

I stay away from anything with "slow release" on the label, as I believe it's meant more for random waterings, and you never know how much the plant is actually getting.---that's just me though.

I assume that by "chemicals" you are referring to man-made nutrients (even water is a chemical substance). I prefer to use man-made nutrients, but I do agree that less is often better.

And (if one ends up going that route) it would be wise to think about how timed/slow release nutrients work; often, higher temperatures and more frequent watering causes a quicker "release" of nutrients. I don't really consider any one-part nutrient to be "top shelf."

But such a nutrient can produce a harvest of bud and, apparently, enough to satisfy lots of people, lol, as our lengthy (1,316 posts stretching across nine years) thread on growing cannabis with Osmocote Plus illustrates:

Osmocote Plus Plant Food: Discuss Its Use With Cannabis Here!

Hello everyone. There has been a fair amount of interest in this product lately so let's all discuss its use with growing Cannabis. Here is the nutrient analysis of the Osmocote Plus made by Scotts. So please share your experience with using this product. I've read some about it...

www.420magazine.com

I'm not a WalMart fan, but my mother is nearly 80 and not healthy, so I often go with her to help her shop for groceries and such - and, therefore, find myself in ChinaMart from time to time. A couple years ago, at the end of our local growing season, the local one had Osmocote Plus on clearance. I picked up a bottle of Osmocote Plus and looked at the price - $1.99 . I kind of thought about it whilst "fetching & carrying" for Mom and then, when she had everything she needed, I went back to the garden section and picked up a big bag of the stuff for $5 or thereabouts. At a guestimate, if I grew constantly throughout the year and used only that (with Epsom salt as/when required) for a personal grow... I'd have probably bought myself a four or five year supply of nutrients for $6.99.

Is it the best possible nutrient program for cannabis? No, of course not. But it does work. Personally, I try to think of it like the water hose behind the glass that has "in case of emergency, break glass" stenciled on it. In other words, it's here if I need it and don't have anything better on hand. If it stays dry, it ought to remain usable just this side of "forever."

However, IMHO, it can be useful even over and above an "emergency stash" of nutrients. Need to transport a few doses of nutrient? With this stuff, you can just pour some onto a piece of paper, fold it up, and stick it in your pocket. That seems like it would be handy for outdoor guerilla growers. A friend decided he might try growing cannabis for the first time in (20?) years. He understands pH and total dissolved solids just fine, but is a little lazy, a lot poor, and just didn't want to bother. He wanted something that was simple to use and was more than willing to give up chasing that last possible gram if it meant he could have an easier time of things. So I gave him a sandwich baggie full of Osmocote Plus (along with other supplies/equipment/seeds) and told him to call me if he encountered an issue or thought he might require some kind of supplement. So far, he hasn't done so; says things look fine. Looks like he's on track for a reasonably decent harvest of bud. One assumes that he'll then want to do better in the future but, again, he's happy with the way things are going now. About all he does is water.

It's probably what I'd use if I put some plants out in the woods. Dig a hole, spike it with Osmocote Plus, start backfilling, add some more, then add a plant. Rinse/lather/repeat. As long as the nutrients in the Oscmocote Plus prills proved sufficient, I wouldn't have to keep returning to the plants unless things got too dry. Less chance of getting caught that way, I suppose; less chance of creating a trail, lol.

I'm just rambling...

Another thing to consider is location, not just from Neighbors, but because small animals LOVE the smell of fresh soil. They dig it up, looking for food. If that's not a problem, then you're good. But, if it might be a problem, dig your hole and add the fillers a week before you add the plant. That will give curious critters enough time, to forget about the new soil. I've been down this path--not good! Ha!

Sometimes, people fall into that "curious critters" category, so your suggestion is a wise one even if a person decides that they have nothing to fear from the local (non-hominid) wildlife. A freshly dug/worked plant site just looks... odd until it recovers.