I have an outdoor grow going and things are going well. I have plants at about 6 weeks and plants about 2 weeks old. We all know there is GREAT info in grasscity, but sometimes too much is is not always a good thing. Sometimes I have to read through tons of threads just to get some basic info. And sometimes there are a lot of experts out there giving conflicting opinions. This can add up to a lot of confusion and time spent, to still leave me wondering. I know there are many members that are very knowledgeable and are happy to give advice and I appreciate all of your wisdom. What I am looking for is two fertilizers. One that can be used during vegging and one that can be used during flowering. Also I would like to buy it locally. Not looking to get stuff you buy in head or pot grow shops. Some thing I can get at a hardware, nursery or HomeDepot. Lastly. What is best to use for adjusting the PH? Thanks for the knowledge!
Plant food usually has the N-P-K value on the label. The ratios matter more than the actual values. You want something high in N for vegetative growth and something high in P and K for flowering. I use the Fox Farm Trio: Grow Big, Big Bloom and Tiger Bloom. I supplement with Botanicare Cal-Mag Plus. You can order these from Amazon if you don't like grow shops. Or you can get plant food with the appropriate N-P-K ratios from your local garden center and maybe mix some dolomite lime into your soil to cover the calcium & magnesium. One teaspoon per gallon ought to do it. Maybe. I use General Hydroponics pH Up and pH Down to adjust pH. The pH Down is phosphoric acid. Mmmm, tasty! I don't know offhand what is in the pH Up. Something very basic, I suppose. I have heard of people using vinegar for pH down and Epsom Salt for pH up, or at least I have seen it suggested.
What you will want for vegging is simple. BLOOD MEAL! it works wonders, with high nitrogen content, and nothing else, remember, nitrogen is essencial to vegging, and can be picked up at Lowes, Home depot, and maybe even Walmart. For flowering, just look for a little something called bone meal. It also works great, and has everything for a flowering plant. Hope this helps!
Hey Thanks Guys, I can get all of those nutes localy for sure. Thanks again for all the info. You guys are great!!
Just wondering on your fertilizing schedule. I Usually dont give any nutes for the first 2-3 weeks of life. Then I start off from there. I am thinking that about every 2 or 3 weeks I can fert them again. Going thru veg phase and flower phase and then stopping all nute about 2 weeks before I harvest. Anyone have any thoughts on this? Thanks
Starting two to three weeks in sounds good. Or when she looks a little pale. In soil, I normally feed every third watering. I start out at about one quarter of the recommended dosage and work my way up to half strength. That's like my baseline plan. The plant will have its own ideas, though, so I try to pay attention to what she wants and adjust her feedings accordingly. Some plants pick at their food, some are pigs. I had one pig of a bagseed plant that got fed every other watering and would get occasional back to back feedings. She didn't like skipping meals.
By full dose, I meant the manufacturer's recommended dosage. Whatever is printed on the bottle. Typically, they want you to use twice as much as is called for, at least. Then they want to to run out and buy more. In soil, I have never gone heavier than half the recommended dosage with the primary nute. Yes. If the plant looks pale or the lower leaves are starting to yellow, then she is probably hungry, assuming the soil pH is where it needs to be. If the leaves are getting very, very dark then I am probably overfeeding. Burnt leaf tips also indicate that the plant is taking in more nutes than it can handle.
Excellent, I am getting the idea. Now Watering. My stuff is outside and my soil seems to retain good water. I am only watering about every 7 -10 dayson my own, depending what mother nature is doing. My third watering is about every 3 weeks. Would you like to give nutes more than every three weeks? Or should I just go with what they are telling me?
I have not done an outdoor grow, therefore I lack the competence to answer your question. Indoors, I typically water every two or three days, so we are really talking apples and oranges here.