1st Autoflower indoor soil grow Questions

[simonh]

Hi Everyone

I'm just about to start my first Autoflower Lowryder / Dwarf grow and can't get any pre made soil like Fox Farm so I have to make my own up.

I can get Peatmoss, Perlite, Coco Fibre and Worm Castings.

The plan is to germinate the seeds and then put them into pots with a mix of the above stuff but would like advice on whether the above items are enough to carry it through the first two weeks (or until sex shows) and if so what percentages I should use ??

40% Peat / 30 Perlite / 15 Coco / 15 Worm ??????? (really need help with this one as its my first time !)

When the sex starts to show the plan is then to use FF Open Seasame, Beastie Bloomz and Cha Ching as this is all I can get my hands on.

Feeding wise once the sex has shown I was going to give them 1 week of OS (1/4 teaspoon per gallon every other feeding), next week the same of BB and then 3 weeks of Cha Ching (same dose) with a weeks flush at the end ?

How does all that sound and all advice on the soil mixture would be greatly appreciated !

Thanks

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

you can't get any type of potting soil?

i use a 15 gallon tub to mix my soil. i fill it a 1/4 of potting soil(miracle grow organic) then add 1 brick of coco. then i'll add about 3-5 cups of worm castings 3-5 cups of perlite(depending how much was already in the potting soil) and as much peat moss as i feel comfortable with.

make sure you keep feeding them nitrogen for 2-3 weeks after flowering has started. what's the ratio on those nutrients?

 

[Muddy]

I've used this mixture with success in the past. 4 parts Miracle Grow Organic Garden Soil (not potting soil), 2 parts peat humus, 2 parts sphagnum peat moss, 1 part worm castings. The MG Garden Soil has a pH of 7 and the sphagnum peat moss will lower it to 6.5 and help maintain it there. I'm now using Fox Farms Ocean Forest. If you can get the FF nutrients you should be able to get their soil also. Available at many on line sites.

 

[simonh]

No I really Can't get any kind of potting soil (I'm in Uruguay and its simply impossible)

so I really am limited to the ingredients I listed in my post - can it work with just those and in what percentages ??

With the nutes, the first one you use is Open Seasame and it is 5-45-19

 

[Bighill]

You soil mix will grow them. There isn't much nutrient in that mix, other than the casting.

If it was me i'd use a little less of the peat and make that up with coco. If you can find some manuer i would put some into the mix. I use a handfull of sheep mauer per 2 gal pot. However bat guano and bird guano also work. The manuers will help boost the N in your soil mix.
You might also consider adding dolomitic lime if you can find it, 1 tbs per gal/soil. The peat is a little acidic, the lime helps stabalize the PH. Aswell as the casting, they are a cleating agent which helps balance the soil.

That soil mix will grow them fine, but you will have to water with nutes once and a while, as there isn't enough in the soil to get them all the way. The nutrient you listed there would work for a bloom nute. For veg you will want some thing with a bit more N in it. The N is the first number in that list. Even some thing with a more even spread.


Bh.

 

[simonh]

but its autoflower so there's no veg - this is why I am confused with the soil mix / Nute situation

I'm figuring that a good soil mix will take them through the first 2-3 weeks of germination / seedling stage and then they start flowering and I add the FF powdered nutes

This is why I am confused - when does a autoflower dwarf actually need Nitrogen if its skipping the veg stage ??

 

[Bighill]

You need the N to keep the leaves green. They still use N while in flower. They also still veg for 14/20 days before they flower. The more growth you can get done durring those first i'll say 20 days the bigger your end result will be.

When they flower and there isn't enough N in the soil or nutes, so they will pull it from the fans early on. You end up not having enough fans and affect the end result. Those fans are energy factories for the plant.

You want it to drop them fans late in flower. Think of it this way, if you are lacking N early on you are in essence flushing the plant early, as it's using stored energy for new growth.

You are not wrong in your assumption how-ever. You do not need a heavy veg feeding regiment. You really only need to feed veg nutes into your 3 week of flower. From that point on only flower nutes.

This all beeing said each strain will require more/less attention to nutes.. Newer autos grow alot bigger and will need more N. Taylor your set-up to your strain once you figure out what it needs.

Bh.

 

[Muddy]

You should be able to find some blood meal. Miracle Grow makes it here and I'm sure you can probably find a source near you as it's pretty common everywhere. It's a good source of nitrogen which you will need for all the reasons Bighill listed. The bigger you can get autos in veg the larger your plants will be and the higher the yields.

 

[simonh]

Thanks for the info. Bloodmeal is a no no cause we're total vegetarians !!!

Miracle Grow is obtainable so I'll get some of that as well. I'm unsure how 'hot' to make the initial seedling mix for these dwarf AF's to put them in straight after germination without burning or killing them ??

Can I go with Perlite, Peat Moss, Coco and Worm Castings - will this be 'gentle' enough for AF seedlings in the first two weeks BUT, at the same time give them 'enough' to carry them through this 2 week period before I start on the powdered nutes ??

 

[simonh]

The bigger you can get autos in veg

Dont understand this - I though there was NO veg ????

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

20-30 days veg 30-50 days flower

 

[simonh]

so ....simple question:

the 20-30 days veg period is in effect when they are seedlings ??

If this is the case then how 'hot' should the grow medium be in this period once I've germinated the seeds:

Perlite / Peat Moss / Coco / Worm castings - if this enough and in what percentages ?

Or is it too 'lite' and I need to add some nutes even at this stage (ie from Germination onwards ??)

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

you want the soil to be very light with auto flowers so the roots grow fast and the sprouts grow fast. like someone already said. the bigger they get during their limited veg, the better the end results will be in yield and quality.

 

[simonh]

so what, beating in mind the limited (ish) things I have avaialble is the best mix for the first 2-3 weeks ???

 

[Bighill]

You are a quick study simon. With my autos i don't feed them anything until they are a week or 2 old. I start my seeds in beer cups with regular soil (i use promix HP) no addatives nothing. Auto seedlings are just as sensative as normal ones. Your mix will be fine for seedlings i feel.

There really isn't much difference in water fed regiment than a normal strain. Everything is just in shorter times. Nothing on seelings, 1/2 strength on week/2 olds. full dose veg. then move to flower nutes.

Pretty much just get some beans wet, if you can grow regular strains you are good to go. You will see there is infact a veg time.. Like STB stated

20-30 days veg 30-50 days flower

 

[simonh]

So here's the plan - thoughts and comments very welcome:

Germinate in Moist Paper towels and transplant into smallish pots with the following:

30% Peat Moss / 30% Perlite / 20% Coco / 20% Worm Castings

Put under lights straight away ?? in Propagator (or cover with blanket on top of propagotor until 3rd and 4th Leaves appear ?)

Leave like this for 2-3 weeks until sex shows and during this period give them one VERY MILD feed of miracle grow ( 24-8-16) to get some notrogen into them

Then transplant into 6.5 litre pots and start with the Fox Farm Powdered Nutes as follows:

Week 3 use Open Seasame with every other feeding (5-45-19)
Week 4 use Beastie Bloomz with every other feeding (0-50-30)
weeks 5-7 use Cha Ching with Every other feeding (9-50-10)

Then flush for 10 days with PH Water and start to dry

How does all that sound ??

These ingredients are all I can get easily and ongoingly.

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

i would feed them miracle grow when you transplant

 

[Muddy]

You won't use blood meal because you're a vegetarian yet you'll put chemicals like Miracle Grow on your plants? Makes no sense to me.

Thanks for the info. Bloodmeal is a no no cause we're total vegetarians !!!

 

[simonh]

fair point ! But I've probably been smoking chemically grown stuff for 20 years !

 

[marijuanagrrrrl]

I know this is years later, but this might help someone else in your situation. I can see many countries it being hard to get soil or liquid fertilizers shipped to you. You can use your urine for nitrogen during veg and just use OS, BB, and CC during flowering.