Blazeoneups Soil & Hydro Guide!

[blazeoneup]

Ok this is my complete grow guide,If your a novice who want to jump right
in and do it right,Or an experienced grower looking to learn a little,
Or if you can add to this info feel free too!Now this is not to say you
cant grow good bud without all this ,This is for those who want
to further expand their knowledge,And share my veiws on growing
and how to properly do it.

This is going to be a soil and hydroponics guide,And im going to be
speaking from my experience,So others may as well dis-agree,If thats
the case im free to debate,Now that all that is cleared up i'd like
to get this started so sit back roll a fat one and feed your brain
the knowledge.

Ok now theirs 2 ways that we can grow this beloved cannibus plants,1
being cheap and just good enough to get some good buds from,2 being
to the best of our ability,Now not to knock or dis anyone for going
the cheap route believe me i do it too.But if your wanting the highest
yeilds and most potent buds,Your going to have to run a tight ship,And
Be willing to pay the price for the proper equipment to get the job done!

Now lets start with what it takes to grow this cannibus plants to the best
of our ability.It takes first and formost,Patients and dedication,If
your not willing to dedicate the time and patients,Then Imho your wasting
the time you are using.Now it takes a proper climate to grow high quality
cannibus,You can get by without proper climate,But the end yeild and
potency would be much higher given the proper climate.

Now one very important factor i think most grow guides lack is,That
their are 3 different pheno's of cannibus,Indica,Sativa,And indica/sativa
hybrids,Now what i see most guides lack,Is that you need to set your
climate up based on the pheno type,You plann to grow,Because they all
grow better in certain climates!And they also react different to
different nutrient levels as well,Now im going to dig deep into the
difference in climates,That that each pheno type grows best in.As well
as the nuteint levels.

Lets start with what it takes to maintain a proper climate,It takes
a good ammount equipment to do the job correctly.Ok below is a list of the
main equipment needed for proper setup,Soil or hydro.

lights
climate controller with co2 monitor
Reverse osmosis unit
ph,ec/ppm tester
humidifier
dehumidifier
air cleaner/carbon scrubber
co2 system/Tank or generator
fans/For air movement and ventilation or an air conditioner for a sealed room
timers
Good system,Or soil mix
Soil growers only/Moisture meter
light meter
Hydro growers depending on the system,Water chiller/Heater
Nutrients/A complete full program

Now that we know what all equipment is needed,We need to choose the
system to use,Now im going to go over a few types of systems as well.
Theirs many types of system and methods to choose from.Below is a list of
the most popular.And links to info on them!

Here are some links and info on some of the different systems!

Aeroponics http://overgrow.com/growfaq/t107
Nft/Nutrient film technique http://overgrow.com/growfaq/t108
Dwc/Deep water culture http://overgrow.com/growfaq/t149
Mwc/Mediumless water culture http://overgrow.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=500382
E&F/Ebb and Flow http://overgrow.com/growfaq/t144
Soil/soiless http://overgrow.com/growfaq/t89

Below is information as to why all this equipment is needed!

Another important part of growing high quality cannibus,Is using
high quality genetics,Seeing even if you have the best climate/System
you arent going to get the most potent or highest yeilding strain
from seeds out of a bag,Unless you get lucky and find a seed in a
bag of quality smoke,So just purchase the genetics so you know what
you have,Cause remember were going to be setting the nutrient levels,
As well as the temperature,Up based on the Pheno/Type we are growing.

Ok lets start with lighting,In order to get the best growth obtainable,Is
to get the proper sprectrum of lighting,In my honest opinion,You will
need a mixture of Hps/High pressure sodium and Mh/Metal halide,We want
a mixture of both,I would reccomend,A 40% ,etal halide to 60% hps
mixture.Best method though would be using mh during vegg,And Hps during
flower,But to get the best results using the same lighting,All the
way through,Go with a mixture.Also i reccomend 50-60 watts per square ft
of space,Now their is many bulbs to choose from,I suggest getting a
quality bulb,Like Hortilux and Agrosun,The reason i do,Is lamps
that are made for the purpose of horticulture,Have higher lumen/Par
ratings,Which in return will give you more bang for you buck when it
comes to electric use,Because your getting more light/Lumen output
watt for watt,And they have an enhanced spectrum,More suitable for
growing plants!

Now lets talk about climate controller's,The reason we need a good controller
is because we need to be able to monitor/Controll the temps and humidity,As
well as the co2 levels,And we need to be able to activate/De-Activate our
ventilation system.Now you can get many different controllers,Go with
the best possible one,Get one with all controlls,Its easier this way,And
cost the same either way,Get one with co2 monitor,Or be sure to get a co2
monitor,Compatable with the controller.This is important,Because,
keeping all these levels witin specific ranges is very important to
maximize the growth.

Now on to the reverse osmosis unit,The reason for this is so we can
controll what are plants are feeding,Because most all tap water contains
different levels of,Metals and other substances,Like chlorine so we
want to get a ro unit to clean up our water,When using tap water,You
arent able to know exactly what the plants are getting in their water/nutrient
mix,If you are mixing nutes,Into tap or other hard water and your ppm
reads 800ppm,Then its not 800ppm of usable food for the plants,seeing that most
tap reads at 200ppm and above,You will more than likely have 600ppm of
usable food for the plants,And 200ppm of other substances,That may
or may not be usable to the plants,So go ahead and get a ro unit and
clean up that water before feeding you plants.

Ok now onto PH/EC ppm meters,These are both important,As cannibus,
Grows better at certain ranges,And we need to be able to adjust and
maintain the proper PH/ppm levels in order to get the most out of our
girls.

 

[blazeoneup]

Now for the humidifier/De-Humidifier,Some people may think these dont matter,
Well they most certainly do,Because the pours of the plants open up
better at different temp/humidity levels ranges,So we need to keep them within
specific ranges!It also varies with Pheno/Types as well as other important factors.

Now air cleaners/Carbon scrubbers,These are important for a few reasons
one being to help with odor controll,But the most important factor is
to clean out all the airborne particals and germs,Pathogens ect from flying
around in our rooms,So you should always scrubb you intake,For your ventilation
so no airborne bacteria and ect from flying in from outside through the ventilation.

Now the reason we need the co2 tank/generator,Is because we need to
raise these babies metabolism,To get them pumped up and increase,The sugar
production.So be sure to get a good system,Use a generator if possible.

We need fans and blowers for good ventilation,And air movement,Both
are important,Ventilation is to vent the built up heat out atleast 2
times a day,Or if your using an ac and completely ceiled grow,Then
no ventilation is required,The fans for air movement are needed to
help move the air and keep heat from the bulbs from building up over/around
the plants and burning them,As well as help strengthin the stems,Of the
plants.

Timers,Well i think we all know what the timers are for,But if you
dont then they are needed to maintain proper lighting scedules,Important
part of photosynthesis to take place.

The reason a soil grower should have a moisture meter,Is so we can
properly water them when they need it,And its easier to use the
moisture meter then guessing,So get one it will insure you never
under/Over water your babies.

A light meter is a must for all growers,So we can monitor are light
output,To insure all plants are getting adequate lighting,And to let
us know when our lights are starting to loose output,It prevents
buying a new light when it is'nt needed,And from using a bulb thats
lost its output,Because we need good bulbs,And good light spread,To get
even growth.

Now the reason most hydro growers need a water chiller is to be able
to maintain proper res temps,To prevent root rot,And other nasties from
thriving in our systems,Now depending on the system used,You may or
may not need one.

Now lets talk about the differences between these 3 pheno-types,Theirs actually a lot more than three,Because theirs so many indica sativa hybrids,And they can vary a lot,Depending on how they were bread,Theirs no actual way to know the real indica sativa ratio %,But you can put a good guess on it,Most breeders try to put the best guess they can on the % but theirs no way to tell for sure,Now lets talk about what climates are best suited for each of these pheno-types.

Indica's tend to be shorter bushier plants,With wider leaf blades and usually flower in 6-8 weeks for most indica's.

Sativa's are taller lankier plants with thin leaf blades,And flower time can be anywhere from 10 - as much as 15 weeks.

Indica/sativa hybrids can vary,and can lean toward either side of the gene pool,And can also show several different pheno's,From both sativa to indica,Depending again on the way it was bread.

Now the difference between the 2 are pretty easily noticed,But the environmental differences is also varies depending on th pheno-type,Sativa's like lots of light,And seem to be fine with lower humidity levels 25-40% ,But also very touchy with nutes,They use lower levels of chlorophyll,Which is why seem to do best with lower ppm levels,Becuase nitrogen is responsible for chlorophyll production,And seeing they produce much less chlorophyll they require less nitrogen,And the low levels of chlorophyll,Is responsible for them having a slower flower period.Indica's on the other hand seem to do better with lower wattage then sativa's,And require higher ppm levels,Because they have higher chloryphyll levels,And seem to like humidity levels of 40-60%,
Which is also why they flower faster.But sativa's suck up a lot more water/nutes,But at a lower ppm then indica's.Now the sativa-indica hybrids can vary the same as well,Depending on which side of the gene pool they favor most.Also when growing hydro it is imprtant to keep your res temps in the ranges of 67f-71f,Its the most bennificial temp range.


Below is a chart of a proper feeding scedule!

Indica's hydro soil
early vegg 500-600ppm 5.3-5.5 ph / 300-400ppm ph 6.4-6.6
middle vegg 600-800ppm 5.3-5.5 ph / 400-600ppm ph 6.4-6.6
late vegg 800-1000ppm 5.5-5.7ph / 600-800ppm ph 6.6-6.8
early flower 1000-1300ppm 5.5-5.7ph / 800-1000ppm ph 6.6-6.8
middle flower 1400-1600ppm 5.5-5.8ph / 1100-1300ppm ph 6.4-6.6
late flower 1000-1100ppm 5.5-5.7 ph/ 900-1000ppm ph 6.3-6.6
ripening 300-500ppm 5.3-5.5ph / 200-400ppm ph 6.3-6.5

sativa's hydro soil
early vegg 300-500ppm 5.3-5.5 ph/ 200-300ppm ph 6.4-6.6
middle vegg 500-700ppm 5.3-5.5 ph / 300-500ppm ph 6.4-6.6
late vegg 700-900ppm 5.5-5.7ph / 500-700ppm ph 6.6-6.8
early flower 1000-1100ppm 5.5-5.7ph / 700-1000ppm ph 6.6-6.8
middle flower 1100-1300ppm 5.5-5.8ph/ 1000-1300ppm ph 6.4-6.6
late flower 800-1000ppm 5.5-5.7 ph / 700-900ppm ph 6.3-6.6
ripening 300-500ppm 5.3-5.5ph / 200-300ppm ph 6.3-6.5

Now this is a pretty good chart to follow,And i am positive these calculations will give you exellent results,I have been logging grows for a while now,Mine and others,And these are the most apropriate ranges.Again depending on the pheno-type your growing you will adjust it,You can go a little higher on the ppm levels,If you want to try and push them even further but i see this as a good feeding scedule.

Soil growers always remember to feed wiith plain water inbetween feedings,It will help prevent over nutrification,Due to over feeding,And will result in high ppm levels as well as ph fluctuations,So be sure to water inbetween feedings with plain water,And test the run off on your soil often,Atleast once every 2 weeks.

Hydro growers change you res once weekly with a fresh batch of nutrients.It will insure thier not lacking npk or any other aspect,As they suck up more of one nutrient then the other,They can become deff in one or more ways,So mix a fresh batch of nutrients every week.

Both hydro and soil,Make sure to mix your nutes in,Wait a couple hrs,Mix them up a little,Test the ppm and ph,Make any adjustments needed,Then mix them some more,Let them sit 24 hrs to properly dissolve and balance out,Check the ppm and ph again,If its in the desired ranges your good now feed you plants with the freshly balanced nutrient mix if its not at the desired level,Make the final adjustments and give them six hrs to dissolve and balance out and check it again now you should be within the desired ranges go ahead and water them with their frsh batch of nutes,And have no worries of burning them.I suggest starting all clones and seedling in a plain water solution with 1/4 tps of b1 suppliment.

Now lets talk about nutrients,Nutrients is a very important part of growing good healthy plants,And theirs many products to choose from,Now im going to walk you through,What all types of nutrients we need to use to have a full program,As well as the bennifits of using them.

Now in order to have a full program,Were going to need,A good stand alone nutrient,That has plenty of micro nutes nutes,Or a good grow,micro,bloom,All nutrients have plenty of macro nutes,But most lack micro nutes,Macro is the npk you see on nutrient lables,Micro nutes are,Copper,sulfur,Magnesium, calcium,zinc,copper,manganese,boron,And this is where most nutes lack, Mainly magnesium,So be sure to get a good formulation.Or have some epson salt on hand,Use 1/4 tsp per gallon of water.

Below is a link that will explain what each nutrient/element is responsible! http://www.overgrow.com/growfaq/1651


Now that we know that,Lets talk about how we can bump up our root systems,To maximize nutrient/water uptake.Now their several different products to choose from,Bennificial fungi,Bennificial microbes,Bennificial bacteria,They are all simular in their ways of helping promote root growth and exellerate cell division,But in order to bennifit from them in hydro,We need to give them something to help them form a colony so they can multiply and do what they do best.So wee need to throw some lava rock into our res,I think clay pellets will work as well,But they float ,So i would use lava rock,As they are the perfect nesting grounds for these bennificials.

Below is a link with more information on the various bennificials!
http://www.overgrow.com/edge/showth...ia&pagenumber=3

And the last things needed to finish a complete nutrient program,Would be a bloom enhancer,Many different brands to choose from as well,And a silica based product,Which will help thicken the cell walls and help with heat stress,And other bits and peices that play their rolls.

 

[blazeoneup]

No lets talk about environmental control,And co2 enrichment,As this is key to get the most out of our favorite plant,What we need to do,Is keep our ambient room temps at the required ranges to be sure we are maximizing co2 intake,Because its important if were trying to get these plants growing fast and healthy as we can.80-86f is temperature for enrichment,sativa's or indica's.But you can take the sativa up to 90-94f without problems.

Here is a link to a faq on the subject!
http://www.overgrow.com/growfaq/26

Now be sure to use the apropriate ventilation,You need the right ammount of air comming in when you are ventilating your grow.

Below is a link to detailed information you need to know to set up proper ventilation for your space.
http://www.overgrow.com/growfaq/1443

Now this is going to be an on going thread,seeing im not the fastest typer,And
im going to be going over every aspect of growing,From top to bottom.So please dont
add anything to this until im finished with it,Then we will all go over it and
edit/add whatever is needed,But i want to put my veiws on everything first.

However comments are welcome!

 

[clp]

What happenned to the rest of this thread Blaze? Sorry to bring a crazy old topic up but I'd love to learn some tips from ya Really respect your grows!
Already learned to let my nutes/mix sit out for 24 hours + the other things you said! Didn't know that but will definetly do it now.

 

[SobStory]

Im glad you dragged this old thread up, I never would have seen it other wise...and its QUALITY !




Thanks !

 

[clp]

I know! How have people missed an awesome thread by one of my grow idols: Blazeoneup

 

[dachieftan]

none of the links to overgrow work.... it says File not found every time I click on one of those links. Otherwise very knowledgeable information

 

[clp]

That's because overgrow has been shutdown, still very valuable info though

 

[Danks2005]

I'm just curious as to why you recommend Co2 generator over a tank? I am wanting to add Co2 very soon, but don't want any added heat to my grow space. Was planning on using tank with solenoid and controller. I have read many of your grow threads and you obviously know your shit. Just looking for some clarification.

 

[blazeoneup]

I'm just curious as to why you recommend Co2 generator over a tank? I am wanting to add Co2 very soon, but don't want any added heat to my grow space. Was planning on using tank with solenoid and controller. I have read many of your grow threads and you obviously know your shit. Just looking for some clarification.

I wasnt actually reccomending it over bottle, I just stated get one if you can, Simply cause carrying a propane tank up to your house looks better then carrying a co2 tank....

Plus co2 tanks dont last as long as propane tanks unless you have a larger bottle and requires more refills etc.

For smaller systems the co2 tank/ regulator would be the best option. This thread is so OLD....

 

[KUSHEATER1]

maybe old but still helpful

 

[clp]

It is very old but definetly useful!
Can't believe no one else found it/posted on it back in the day..
Where is the love ic?

 

[VERMI]

Or if your using an ac and completely ceiled grow,Then
no ventilation is required,

Now the difference between the 2 are pretty easily noticed,But the environmental differences is also varies depending on th pheno-type,Sativa's like lots of light,And seem to be fine with lower humidity levels 25-40% ,But also very touchy with nutes,They use lower levels of chlorophyll,Which is why seem to do best with lower ppm levels,Becuase nitrogen is responsible for chlorophyll production,And seeing they produce much less chlorophyll they require less nitrogen,And the low levels of chlorophyll,Is responsible for them having a slower flower period.Indica's on the other hand seem to do better with lower wattage then sativa's,And require higher ppm levels,Because they have higher chloryphyll levels,And seem to like humidity levels of 40-60%,
Which is also why they flower faster.But sativa's suck up a lot more water/nutes,But at a lower ppm then indica's.Now the sativa-indica hybrids can vary the same as well,Depending on which side of the gene pool they favor most.Also when growing hydro it is imprtant to keep your res temps in the ranges of 67f-71f,Its the most bennificial temp range.




so if i have an ac i dont need any ventilation in a sealed room? and do you have an alternative for a res chiller ?

 

[blazeoneup]

Or if your using an ac and completely ceiled grow,Then
no ventilation is required,

Now the difference between the 2 are pretty easily noticed,But the environmental differences is also varies depending on th pheno-type,Sativa's like lots of light,And seem to be fine with lower humidity levels 25-40% ,But also very touchy with nutes,They use lower levels of chlorophyll,Which is why seem to do best with lower ppm levels,Becuase nitrogen is responsible for chlorophyll production,And seeing they produce much less chlorophyll they require less nitrogen,And the low levels of chlorophyll,Is responsible for them having a slower flower period.Indica's on the other hand seem to do better with lower wattage then sativa's,And require higher ppm levels,Because they have higher chloryphyll levels,And seem to like humidity levels of 40-60%,
Which is also why they flower faster.But sativa's suck up a lot more water/nutes,But at a lower ppm then indica's.Now the sativa-indica hybrids can vary the same as well,Depending on which side of the gene pool they favor most.Also when growing hydro it is imprtant to keep your res temps in the ranges of 67f-71f,Its the most bennificial temp range.

so if i have an ac i dont need any ventilation in a sealed room? and do you have an alternative for a res chiller ?

If your using an ac with a sealed room you will have to add supplimental co2 or it wont work, Without the co2 enrichment your not going to get by with a sealed room!

So its either sealed with co2 enrichment or not sealed! If your room is sealed and you dont have supplimental co2 its not gonna work! Plants require co2 so if you run a sealed room with an ac dehumidifier etc etc, Your gonna have to add supplimental co2...