hi guys and gals this seems very elementary and i have looked around but seem to get alot of different options and answers... I am looking for the best grow medium to start with... I have never grown before and am wanting to give myself the best shot at success. I guess if I had to pick today I would lean toward growing in jiffy disks(cups) from germination and then transplanting to a 1/3 vermiculite, 1/3 perlite, 1/3 sphagnum pete moss (sp) mixture. I checked at my local garden store and didnt see any soil that said it was sterilized and I dont feel like cooking my soil. Do you think the perlite, vermiculite, pete moss is a viable option or are there better options for me? I have watched all kinds of grow vids and read tons of post on the forums and I seem to be more confused now than when i started ( I would have used potting soil to begin with) btw my setup is 400 watt switchable hps/mh for the actual grow and two 40 watt agrosun 48" bulbs for seedlings and to get the babies started. (My fear and reasoning for the questions are this... I am afraid if i use the soilless mix disussed uptop I wont know when to fertilize. I have read it will not provide much nutritional value if any at all. Otherwise if you use top soil... i could introduce bugs or a time bomb of nutrients on my new children) Any input would be greatly appreciated. thanks ph0neman
persomally i would go with the soiless mix because i have bugs in mine and they are a bitch and make everything harder i think your ratio is off though u need more peatmoss
i've sucessfully used soil for two grows and on my third now. my next grow is going to be using a soiless medium like the one you mentioned. just make sure to use your nutes very weak/diluted at first to warm your plants up to it.
hmm , well im on my first grow , i was in your position a few weeks ago until i decided to pick up some Canna Coco grow medium. the bricks (i hear) work but you gotta flush it a couple times before using , with the 50l Bag you just throw it in the pots and pop ur seed in. it has no nutritional value but within 2-4 weeks the cotydylons will change color (yellow/lime) & you'll know when to feed , i guess you can use diff nutrients but canna make specific nutrients for growing in coco , A+B Solution , 2 seperate bottles , these can be used throughout the grow along with Rhiztoric , Cannazyme & PK 13-14 (all canna range , few others i think). the coco & nutrients can be pretty pricey depending on where you live , for me this medium is perfect for first time growers , fights root rot and medium diseases although magnesium defs. can be pretty common , supposedly has a possible 10% increase in yeild compared to other mediums , plant smells & tastes DELICIOUS & for me roots are healthy and grow in the masses , very stable , strong plant. first ever seed i potted has survived and putting some minor mistakes i made aside , this shit just rocks , i never thought i could get the hang of the growing thing , yet here i am with a 2 1/2ft bush packed with buds and still going strong. ill PM you a link to a website with a whole thread (20+ pages long) dedicated to coco growers , id recommend but if you feel theres another medium you think you can get the hang of then go for it. EDIT: things will be a little overwhelming at first im sure and it does take some getting used to , but i find that after vegetative stage you have a knowledge of how the medium works. Another Edit: i said id recommend it and i would , i have next to no experience with other mediums so id suggest reading more replies and considering every option that you think looks good.
I had problems using jiffy pots for my first seedlings. I think the peat was too acidic even though they were filled with soil. The cups may be the same thing. I think it also depends on the strain. I am growing Northern lights which seems very forgiving. If i were you i would try to find a neutral PH soil such as promix, I mixed that about 50/50 with organic potting soil (no slow release nutes such as mircle grow) and mix that with about 30 percent perlite.. Start in small cups and gradually transplant into larger pots such as 4 inch and be careful not to over water.
thanks for the quick responses everyone... i appreciate your time. the coco sounds intersting .. i will look into that further (not sure if i can get my hands on it locally) +rep givin out to responders if anyone else has any other suggestions please share
alright i hit the garden store they had some potting soil without any ferts or slow release ferts got a bag of soil bag of perlite bag of vermiculite and a small bag of worm castings (all they had) guess i will try a mixure of that combo 50% soil 20% perlite 20% vermiculite 10% worm castings and see what that does for me. btw: OhFuhQ: i checked on the coco and the retailer had something called B'Cuzz Coco Substrate (they were supposed to be getting some more in this week) plan on checking that out.
stay away from soils with wood chips in them !!! cannabis needs soils with added fertilizer (organic).... & you are a newbie ...so you can grow from start to finish ...by using a very good quality soil with out using even 1 drop of nutrient solution if you can find Klasmann-Deilmann Florabella soils i recommend this www.klasmann-deilmann.com peace John
just watch your waterings ...everytime you water ...dont water so much ...so that the water runs out of the pots , because your basically washing out all the nutrients
Hello Grasscity, long time reader first time posting. Lots of great info on this forum. I am also a first time grower. We started an organic garden in our backyard so I thought I would order some seeds and give it a go. I started my babies in a full organic soil medium. I am about ready to transfer to a 10gal container. After reading this thread I want to transfer my love into a 50% soil 20% perlite 20% vermiculite 10% worm castings I know this is a whole separate question, but I have been leaving her outside for 12hrs of light then bring her inside for an additional 6hrs under a hps lamp. Is this an issue?