I have been growing in soil the last year and have learned how to keep the girls happy but want to move to the next level. I have switched to an E&G system running Fox farms nutes and seem to be doing well accept the Blue Dream girls are a bit yellowish on top. They are growing very well but look a bit light in color on top. The older leaves look good, maybe they are just growing really well and just need sometime to suck up the nutes. This is what I am running now any input from the experts is welcome: Fox Farms nutes 1000W MH 6" vortec 40 gallon tank PH 6.4-6.8 PPM 850 RO water 40ppm air pump for nute tank Coco temp 75-85 depending on time of day Humidity 40 Week 4 1gallon pots Thanks Nitro I will post some pics in a few.
Signs of some kind of early deficiency or lockout..W/O knowing at what level your FF nutes are at(ratios), what stands out is you're Ph is too high(6.4-6.8)...Coco is not soil, try 5.8-6.0, and see if they respond.. Oh and another thing, I know one can grow some decent size gals in smaller pots using coco, but IMHE next time try 2-5 gals instead..Just a thought.. Good luck!..
Hey cheecha, thanks for the reply, It's all new to me and I'm trying figure out what works best. here is more info on the hydo ratios and perhaps more questions for you than answers. To start I mixed FF Big Grow 6-4-4 2 tsp per gallon per and Big Bloom @ 1TBL per the FF hydro guide had a PPM of 865 using RO water that test at 50-60ppm. Since then I try to keep the nutees ppm at 865ppm by adding a few tsp per gallon once a week or when I add water to the rez. The plants have really been growing they were 4" tall 3 weeks ago and now 2ft tall and the leaves seem to be a bit large. Could that be to much Nitrogen? What is the best way to manage the nutes you need in your tanks? FF says recomend 1100 to 1700 PPM? Should I add the nutes by the gallon or by PPM? My closet is only 25sf how many plants can be maintanied? 25? Thanks again for you reply Nirto
IMO yes too much N with 2tsp (10ml) Big Grow..IMO.. IF I had your nutes I'd use them for my soil grows b/c of the higher % levels of Urea nitrogen, best suited for soil grows..IIRC FF is more suited for soil grows..FF users do chime in will ya.. That said, drop the mix to just 8ml BG only and no Big bloom for now with ~5ml protekt 0-0-3 for a ~33ppm K boost and silicon to boot..Should net ~127N-36P-100K.. Anyhow, that's m2cents worth..
Have adjusted ph to 6.0 and will let you know what happens........ I will be changing to 12 hours on the light in a few days should I flush the tank out and start with new at 8ml per gallon? How often sould you flush the tank? Sorry I'm such a nube..
Hey nj, I actually looked at FF's feed charts and realized that both GB and BB are to be used together for a complete balanced feed..So disregard my previous suggestion and follow their chart and see how they do..If any sign of nute burn occurs, backoff a bit and go from there.. Sorry I dont use FF nutes in coco..By looking at the labels, I believe they are more suited for soil grows..IMO.. Good luck!..
Here's what I do: Empty the res, fill with water and give the pots a quick flush. Turn the lights off for 24 hours then add your "Bud" nutes (should be a different ratio than veg nutes) into the res and start feeding at the PPM's suggested by the supplier. Within 2 weeks they should show massive stretching and exibit the last of their new growth and at this stage I pump up my nutes to the max. Always test your fresh res mix for the PPM you want and adjust as necessary. Check daily to ensure you have the right strength solution for their growth stage. Don't assume your measurements are accurate PH should be 5.6 to 6.2. Check daily and adjust as needed with PH up or down I empty and refill res with fresh nutes weekly and add "water only" as required every day or so to keep res at the level you want.
I usually only change my res 2 times in 2 months. One when I switch to flower and again when I add my dry koolbloom at end of flower. I have noticed that once a week is excessive. I know why people do a res change weekly. They are worried that the plants uptake nutes at different rates. Therefore they feel like changing there whole res rather then top off there res with a weak solution.
When I rocked Ebb&Flow tables (4x8) 100gal or so in rez, boy was that a PIA for me having to flush my girls maybe once a couple wks or even once a month, and then dump and refill..Don't freaking miss that one bit...KISS for me now, coco pots in trays top feed DTW..no more fugging recirc for me.. Happy growing, whatever your style bros/sisters..
A week later and we some inmprovement the tops have greened up a bit, changed the PH to 5.8-6.0 still growing fast and buds are starting to form. Will send some pics in a few days.
I'm keeping better track of everything and just started adding full nutes for every gallon I add to the tank. everything is poping and the buds are starting to show thick white hair growth. Since I am using RO water how much regular tap water should I add per mix 1 for 1 2 for 1? Here are the latest pictures from the garden enjoy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11
Sorry have another question: just flushed and 3 gallons of RO water and 1 tap water the PPM was 176 added the nutes and that jumped the ppm up tp 792 the hydro schedule from FF say that you feed at 1300 PMM does that mean we can add more nutes to get up to 1300? Thanks Nitro
No experience with FF nutes , but have grown Blue Dream in coco fed at ~750-900ppms (.5) max.. Nute COs tend to recommend using high(er) dosage..Go figure!..
Ok 5 days later and wanted to post some more pics, sticking with 5.8 and 900ppms and just started adding CalMag. The girls are 6 weeks in today. Enjoy Nitro
Looks good NJ...Hey, but you say you're 6wks in and " just started adding CalMag" correct?..Have you not been supplementing with it till now?..If the answer is you haven't, I wouldn't bother adding it now, unless of course the gals are telling you they need it.. AFAIC it's not, at this later stage..IMHO.. Jm2pennies..
Nitro, how tall did your girls get towards the end of flower? I'm planning on growing some blue dream also and I've been reading that sativas tend to grow mighty tall. I'm worried that I may not have enough space to grow even though I'm going to be topping and using a scrog. I even recently ordered some Bushmaster in case I need it down the line. Did you have any problems with the spacing of the nodes and the formation of the buds? Are the buds small and airy or are they coming in fat? How much longer do you think you have to go before harvest time? Thanks in advance.
since going to hydro and coco the plants grow very fast, the 3 week of veg was plenty and next time I will be this to a week no more. The plants are 7 weeks in and they are 3-4 feet and even after topping them cause they were too tall. Not sure what you mean about the spacing and nodes but the colas will be growing together from the top down a foot the plant. The buds now at 7 weeks are nice and fat and I expect them to get even bigger :~) For the harvest I am going to wait until the buds have 50% milky and brown and so they look like they are drawing back into the plant. I want to be patient as I want fat full buds not small and airy ones like I have grown in the past. Patience Patience Patience good luck nitro I will send more pics in a week to so
Sweet! How many times did you top her? And was that prior to beginning your flowering period? I don't have much room to work with so that's why I'll be utilizing topping, scrog and Bushmaster. It will be my first time with top and bush but hoping for best results and definitely want to practice the art of patience. With bush you can veg for 2 wks and flower for 6 wks supposedly...I'm sure with blue dream I might as well add another 2 wks on flower....and all the while vertical growth slows and/or completely stops. Lateral growth is encouraged...in theory anyway. Can't wait to see your gal in a weeks time!