This will be my first actual grow, a few months ago I started some seeds and vegged them under a t5 for a month to be outdoor ready, they are doing great! Tomorrow I am finally picking up my first grow tent setup (4x4, 600w, 6"inline, 6" hood reflector) for my first grow and I am trying to find a organic seedling mix... I was thinking something like 1/3 promix hp 1/3 quality ewc 1/3 vermiculite ( I heared vermiculite would be better than perlite for seedlings and hp already has perlite in it so the best of both worlds I'm guessing???) Or should I just stop over thinking and just use the promix hp and no other additives? Also this is the actual soil mix I made a few weeks ago and I have left over amendments of everything I put into it.. can I out any of these into a seedling mic also? I'll just post the recipe.. 10gal each peat/perlite/quality ewc 2kg bucket of glacial rock dust ( probably 8-10 cups.. I know the recipe called for 16 cups but I heared mixed reviews on that amount and I didn't want to have to get a second bucket) 4 cups lime 4 cups kelp 2 cups neem 2 cups crab 2 cups Alfalfa 2 cups all purpose fertilizer (Alfalfa meal, bat guano, blood meal, feather meal glacial rock dust, mined potassium sulphate, fossilized carbon complex, rock phosphate, fishbone meal,greensand, kelp meal, gypsum, frass, basalt rock dust
I start seedlings and my rooted clones out in the same soil I use all the way through. Know that with a 600 watt lamp, you're going to be limited in the number of plants you can flower. Honestly, a single plant flowered under the 600 watt lamp would yield more than attempting to flower several. The key to getting good growth and bud production is light....high wattage and proper spectrum/quality is the key to getting the plant to grow the way you want and produce the kind of buds we all strive for. When you flower too many under a lamp, all plants suffer and they spend their life stretching and reaching for more light instead of working on bud production. Definitely wouldn't flower more than 2 at a time, and honestly, I like a 1000 watt for flowering 2 plants. Another key to good harvest weight is giving the plants plenty of room to spread during flower so light can penetrate the canopy of the plant and develop out the buds below the tops. Otherwise, only the tops get optimal light and develop out because they're crowded together and shade out the light. Had a friend who ran 2 under the 600 watt lamp and he was disappointed with the overall size of the plant and the harvest. He went back and ran a single plant under the light and yielded double what he did running 2 under it. So....if you only have adequate flower lighting for one plant, you'll get more at harvest by flowering one plant. Read up on lighting what it actually takes to get plants to really produce well. Like most, I discounted the light when I started. Thought a light was a light. LOL Didn't take me long to realize I was running too many plants under too small a lamp. Retooled and put 4, 1000 watt HPS lamps per flower room (approx 10 x 8 or 9') and we flower 2 per lamp. Been pulling around 5 oz per plant after cure lately. I know that doesn't set any major records, but it works well for me. When I stuffed the room with plants and didn't have the light, I doubt I yielded a good ounce. So light is imperative to getting the growth and production from every plant you flower. TWW
Depending on how large you grow them, you can get 4-5 plants under a 600w light buddy. Pro mix & a little kelp and you've got a great seed starter. J
If you wanted to save money, you could do something simple like: 50% sphagnum peat moss 40% aeration (pumice is my first choice) 10% EWC add a 1/2 cup per cubic ft of the following: Kelp meal Alfalfa meal a rock dust (optional) Ag lime or oyster shell flour