zero grows under my belt, tryin to figure out which suits me best, been lookin around and to me at least it seems like hydro is more straightfoward and simple, the main factor for me is cost, whatever method is cheaper i will go with, gonna be usin cfl's, wanna juss grow 1 or 2 plants to get some exp., can someone simplyfly soil for me.....gonna be starting w/ a clone, so what heres what i understand so far w/ soil.......... transplant clone into soil, thinkin of fox farm off amazon, in a 3 gallon pot when plant is big enough 8"? then put it under lights, fans, etc,.........18/6 or 24/0, water every few days, check ph, the soil should provide enough nutes until flowering right? then switch to 12/12, and water w/ nutes every week w/ regularly watering during the week every couple of days or when soil is dry at the top.......... any holes/mistakes in that basic soil guide? newbies should really start in soil first? thanks for any/all help!!
Yes, Soil is the way to go if its your first grow and want something cheap. Hydro is nice but not as forgiving as soil is. There should be enough nutrients in the soil in the begining for a new clone, but after about 2-3 weeks i would slowly introduce fertalizer to make sure you get no burns , while still encouraging vigorous growth.
Sounds like you got the watering bit down pretty good. Obviously you want it under lights right now. Not as intense as later, just raise your cfl's up about a foot from the clone. After transplant lower them down. You can't go by the height of the plant because they all grow differently. When there are enough roots to sustain life is when you will put it in dirt. Just as there are a couple of roots starting to poke out of the rockwool or whatever medium they are in. It is better to start in a small pot then transplant about 1-2 more times when in soil. Maybe go to a plastic cup then to a 1-2 gal pot and right before flower put it in a 3-5 gal pot. It is better for the roots that way (promotes better growth). I use Fox Farm Ocean Forest and it works great. ThusFar is right about the soil and nutes. I also use FF Grow big when in veg and FF Tiger bloom when in flower (basic nutes). They cost from 18-20 bucks each, but will last for a few grows with multiple plants. GOOD LUCK!!!