Hello. I am considering a first time self grow and was curious what other growers found to be the biggest pains in the ass/insightful learning moments during the process. I'm also curious what part of the grow or process growers wish was more convenient or easier to manage. Thank you for your input!
Most people seem to get their head too wrapped around nutrients. Which brands, which types, what kind of strength, when, and how much. I'm so glad I went to growing organic, just water when dry, such a hassle free way to grow.
T trimming you may find redundant but everything else is fun and therapeutic. If you want to really have fun and grow some quality meds, make sure you practice pest, mildew, and mold prevention. Notice I didn’t say management or control, prevention is key.
in the following order 1: Cops 2: Robbers 3: & Mold I could add 'over nuteing', but new growers soon learn to stop over doing it my own preference is 'Trimming' good luck
Organic as in growing your plants in something that is full of life for the plant to feed off. Instead of feeding bottled nutrients in with the water, feeding the roots directly, you create a nice environment in the soil for the roots to grow. You feed the soil, not the plant. So the plant is able to take and use all the nutrients it wants, without taking up too much.
Don't compare your grow with others. It's a lesson in futility. Environments are so different from one grower to the next, that you can end up quite frustrated.
Outdoor or indoor? Different challenges entirely. Every outdoor grower I'm sure has battled pests and budrot. Im about as diligent as I can be with preventative maintenance for pests and mold, but I can't seem to get it under control. Tossed probably 10 oz due to caterpillars, even with weekly neem treatments and BT. Very few issues indoors. Trimming is my favorite part for sure, but really every aspect of cultivation is enjoyable, including solving problems. Just keep it simple to start...good lights, soil, nutrients, temp and humidity. Getting those right will make every bit of it enjoyable.
How do you practice pest, mildew and mold prevention?? Asking because I truly want to know, I just lost 10 plants to mold and have a horrible spider mites problem (babies came with them) Sent from my iPhone using Grasscity Forum
Indoors: bugs. Once they set in it can be a PITA to get rid of Outdoors: budrot. I live in the PNW so it's inevitable. Just gotta avoid it as best as possible and harvest before it sets in.
Not yet, but I know some suppliers for if/when they're needed, and even thought about keeping them in their own environment during idle periods so theyre ready to go. I don't have any experience with them personally, no...just that I've read they have voracious appetites...I even watched a ladybird on some pest ridden roses once, shit was like pacman. I'm in the "it's worth a try" party right now.
They're pretty handy. I've got some from my local nursery for thrips. I wouldn't bother trying to keep any during idle periods. It just seems like a hassle and they're cheap to buy. Besides, different pests need different predators so you might need something else later on. You can get small tea bags that you hang on your plant. They slowly release out of the holes over 6 weeks. You could also rip the bag open and sprinkle them on the canopy like you would with larger grows. They're only $2 each.
Well, I’m sorry about my attitude yesterday, that was uncalled for. I was projecting my frustration with my die-hard organic gardening mother onto you. I think that outdoors, ladybugs will help keep pest populations down and may delay or prevent pest problems, but if you already have a problem, they aren’t going to fix it for you. Indoors, they’ll be more effective because they can’t disperse, but in a grow tent, anything short of total eradication isn’t going to cut it, and the ladybugs won’t get all of the mites. A single female mite can repopulate a colony, and in good conditions (like in a grow tent), mites can mature in 3 days. For my outdoor garden, my strategy is to foster an environment that supports beneficials. For my indoor garden, I just try to be really good about reducing cross-contamination. I’m pretty sure I had spider mites ride in on my clothes a few years ago.
Indoors in my garage. The slow release is great. I'm a pretty lazy gardener so doing constant treatments with other products isn't really up my alley. I like to set it and forget it. They only eat the younger thrips so they're only about 70% effective. You still need something to grab the adults. I use yellow sticky traps with vanilla cotton balls. The control was great.