First Grow... Fall Preparations?

I would make a huge compost heep pile now. By next year you culd have great compost right next to your grow.

I like to lay newspapers over my grow spot. Then cover with brush and things. The newspapers will kill the undergrowth and make for easy digging next year. It the same a laying plastic on grass for a month or so. It will kill the grass and roots and make for easy digging. The Paper will also hold and th nutes in the soil and not wash them down. Your soil will be richer.

Make your compost heep large with leafes and anything green. No large sticks.

You can also take a sample of the soil to be tested to see what all in it. This will tell you what you need. Also have the soil PH tested and adjust NOW for next year.

If your going to pack your soil in you can do this this winter to get a head start.

Go to your spot again and look for any trees/brush that are blocking the sun and remove it need be.

New E. is wet right? what is your frost date. You need a plant that is mold resistant and is done early. Maybe Hollands hope. Bag seed is probably not good for you for you never know when they will finish.

Being that this will be your fist grow I would buy some Fox Farms Ocean Forrest Soil and pack it in. It comes PH adjusted. Mix in about 15 to 20% perlite. Use Fox Farms Grow Big fert and full sun.

Do you have deer in your area? If so you will need to make a fence and start saving your piss in bottles. Vacume cleaner bags also. Lots og human and dog hair in that. Slugs can fusk a grow up in days. Prepare for them.

I would only grow a few plants your first year. The learn and go bigger. Lots of plants is mega work friend. Or maybe two plants in the ground and two in pots. Save most of your good seeds for your year 2 grow.

Where is your water?

 

Depends on what kind of bag soil. I will only use Black Gold and Fox Farms. Fox Farms is my first choice by far. 17$ a bag though well worth it.

Natural soil will need to be tested. The nursery will tell you what to add if anything. Adding the compost from your new compost pile can only help. DO NOT FORGET THE PERLITE. MJ soil needs to be spungy to the touch and water should drain right thru it. If not your soil will pack and roots will get no air.

How about try both compost/natural soil and Bagged soil. Again year 2 is where it is at. This grow you need to just learn. whatever plant does better will tell you what to do in year two. If you plant it pots go about 15g or bigger. Remember you will hav to water pots much more. The more perlite you add the more watering you will do.

 

5150 has it right. Anything that you can add that will break down by spring can only benefit the soil. Grass clippings, leaves, vegetable/fruit matter, etc. will become very nutrient rich compost that makes things better overall. It will add nutrients to the soil, and promote the growth of beneficial bacteria too. Even adding some steer or chicken maure now will help you later.

 

Newb here, no journal yet, but my very first grow this year has consisted of one plant now in 3rd week of flowering. There are a few things I learned not mentioned, since I live in the city and my plant was in a planter.

Before you plant one thing to consider is light coming into the area at nite. Worrying about lights in the yard, street, and house lights were my problem.

Pick a place in your yard you can manage. Either have a wall or canopy to block unwanted light at night so your plants don't hermie or turn male. I put my 15 gallon tomatoe planters in front which works pretty good. Or you can pickup some material like muslin which is like burlap material, or something that doesn't hold water/waterproof to make a wall. If you have to move it nightly then something quick, with rods to stick in ground? My yard is 20'x50' with a patio, so my growing area was in one end.

I didn't have to worry about moles and gophers but in the ground when you dig the hole and put in your soil conditioners place a wire basket to protect the root ball so no critters can eat your hard work.

Compost piles are your friend and keep food & paper wastes from landfills. Don't put breads, meats, or dairy. Put veg/fruits/newspapers/anything that will break down from your yard. Also look around your area, online even like craigslist, get some redworms, european nightcrawlers, or a compost worm. Should be able to find a source $25-$35 per pound = 800 to 1,000 worms.

Get some redworms and let them go in the soon to be planted area - now and when you plant. The worms will eat thru the dirt leaving a rich source of nitrogen and phosphates, also worms digest and break down compost materials. I put 15-20 in each vegetable planter when started in March and they multiply also so now I can poke my finger 1" in the dirt and pull a couple of the worms out. On the bottom of my planters when I move them to cut the grass, I can pickup from 4-12 redworms and throw them in so they can go to town. Kind of a soil sheriff benefitting the roots/bacterias.

When you plant, add a whole uncooked egg about 6" deep so the roots can grow into it as the plant matures. This provides calcium, proteins, and other materials that the plant can readily use. Check this tip online, my wife told me about it in June as a tip to remember for next spring.

Peat moss, perlite, vermiculite, and soil conditioners for water retention and drainage. I wish I used some peat moss because I have to water almost everyday because temps have been above 90 for 1/3 this summer.

I looked at these ALL OMRI ORGANIC CERTIFIED products recently because my friends brother has some monster plants from clones. He just cut 1 Trainwreck Sunday, but has some Black Domina, Snowcap, and another Trainwreck. The snowcap might have 5 pounds on it after harvested/dried and each trainwreck has estimated 2 pounds on each plant. Buds on the trainwreck are softball bat sized. Woke up this morning and found out my friend left last night after midnite, and wanted a camera from me but wife didn't know if I was using it....he is camping at nite watching plants.

I'm gonna use these products next spring vs the Fox Farms because some of their liquid ferts are not organic. I want to compare FFOF mix though.

Aurora Innovations - Roots Organics OMRI Certified Product Line

Formula 707 - Potting Mix 30 gallon - ready to use coarse peat, coco fiber, compost, perlite, pumice, worm, castings, bat guano, fish bone meal, soybean meal, feather meal, kelp meal and much more.

OREGONISM XL - formulation of endo/ecto mycorrhizae, beneficial bacteria, and Trichoderma.Allowing greater nutrient uptake, resistance to disease, and increased tolerance to drought.

Buddha Grow - specifically to promote vegetative - 2,0.5,0.25

HP2 \t\t- liquid bat guano \t- 0,4,0

Extreme Serene - liquid kelp extract - w/nutrients and foliar spray - 0,2,0

Buddha Bloom - is a one part organic flowering nutrient\t- 0.5,2,1.5

HPK - liquid bloom booster - natural source of phosphorus + potassium - 0,5,4

Happy growin ~
Phil Jay

 

somebody said it earlier. mold resistant!!! if you can't check them often they need to be a little tougher.

 

Something early for sure so Indica Dom. or something like Durban Poison. My Durbans should be finished in 2 weeks and they are 100% Sativa lol There are some MR strains such as Pluto 2, or Jorge's Diamonds. Try something like that...but if this is in your yard perhaps a half tunnel set-up that you can pull thick clear sheets of plastic over in case of rain, this would also let light in...it would be sorta like those portable car ports...something like this...but this is HUGE! lol

 

Is this grow in your backyard or the sticks?

If in your back yard I still say use Fox Farms Ocean Forrest soil. And the fox farms tri pack. Use the fox farm feeding chart. It is really simple even for a first timer. This is your first grow so keep it simple. Mixing 6 kinds of ferts is not a good idea for you now.

fox farm soil,perlite, and trio pack of ferts will set you up nice. You can find there feeding chart online.

with this above set up you will also need a cheap 5$ fish store PH tester. You will need to buy a bottle of lemon juice and a box of baking soda.

Lemon juice is PH down. And Baking Soda is PH up.

Adjust both your tap water and fert water to 6.5. It's basic and simple. You will have PH adjusted soil and Ph adjusted water. Your plants will thrive.

For a newbie this next part in VERY important. Watering.....

(backyard plants)

Only water your plant when it starts to wilt from lack of water. Once you do this a few times you can pretty much figure out how long she can go between waterings. I like to dry the soil out before each watering. I like to make the roots work and search for food. If you roots are waterlogged all the time they grow slow. Remember MJ does not like soggy wet soil. As your plant gets bigger you will have to let it wilt to adjust it's water needs. I have two plants growing now. One needs water everyday. The other needs water every 2 to 3 days. Same strain same mother. I would never know this if not for the wilt test. Then that plant would be over watered in no time.

Growing in the boondocks do what you got to do.

It's pretty simple if you keep it simple. Results from this advice



I already know what your thinking. Your thinking I will do all the above but just use Marical Grow soil instead of Fox farms for it is cheaper. If you do, none of what I told you will work.

 

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