Quick questions about feeding and veg

[Conformist]

When should i start feeding my plants ?

If i remember correctly, you start feeding whenever the vegetative stage begins?

When do i know my babies are in the vegetative stage?

I think it has something to do with the number of nodes, between 3 to 6 nodes right?

Nutrients: Maxi Bloom + Silica to balance my PH.
Soil mix : 25% perlite, 75% pro-mix.

 

[Conformist]

Oh and one more thing.

I grow inside a 3x3 DR90 tent and whenever my centrifugal fan is on (440cfm) and i close my door, it sucks my tent's walls right away.

Should i be concerned?

I could adjust the speed down a bit but the thing is, it's already at mid-high level and my temps are insane. 92F inside, 68F outside

 

[anon0988]

Veg vs flower is controlled by your light schedule, if you're running 18/6 they'll be in veg, 12/12 or less and they'll be in flower. Also, there is no way your temps should be getting that high. How do you have your ventilation running? Are you bare bulb or with a hood or cooltube? Are you exhausting the air into the area where the intake is?

 

[Conformist]

Veg vs flower is controlled by your light schedule, if you're running 18/6 they'll be in veg, 12/12 or less and they'll be in flower.

I know that, what I'm asking is, how do i know if they're in veg and no longer in the seedling stage. What are the signs?

How do you have your ventilation running?

filter > duct > fan > duct > room

Are you bare bulb or with a hood or cooltube?

Hood, no cooltube.

Are you exhausting the air into the area where the intake is?

I don't have an intake and I'm exhausting it outside my window.
Why, because someone on this forum once said : "If you're a noob, don't mess with intakes".

 

[al70]

check out a site called GROW WEED EASY . COM,,, I started from scratch from there, then moved over here, I always keep goin back for conformation, between both ya can't go wrong,,, goodluck.

 

[Conformist]

check out a site called GROW WEED EASY I started from scratch from there, then moved over here, I always keep goin back for conformation, between both ya can't go wrong,,, goodluck.

Cool site for the total newbies but, it hasn't taught me anything i doesn't already know and answered none of my questions.

 

[al70]

Cool site for the total newbies but, it hasn't taught me anything i doesn't already know and answered none of my questions.

I said check it out, ye didn't even look at it yet,,look properly.

 

[Conformist]

I said check it out, ye didn't even look at it yet,,look properly.

I looked all over it and it never once talked about "How to know when plants enter the veg stage".

Or "When to start feeding", the only remotely useful thing i read was "Use a cool tube to keep the temps down".

I thought about it before but, i hardly had enough space to fit my carbon filter, fan and reflector in this 3x3 tent.

Cooltubes aren't an option.

 

[anon0988]

If you don't have an intake, that could be your problem. If the fan can't draw enough air it's not going to keep the area cool. General rule of thumb for passive intakes is 2x the size of the active exhaust. Also, I don't see a hood in your ventilation path, are you not air-cooling your hood? That could be another problem given the small area. Here's an example of how mine runs:

 

[Conformist]

If you don't have an intake, that could be your problem. If the fan can't draw enough air it's not going to keep the area cool.

Logically, if the exhaust exchange the air inside my tent 50 times a minute, it would suck more fresh air from the room right? Well then, why is it so damn hot in there if the air just keeps moving in and out?

General rule of thumb for passive intakes is 2x the size of the active exhaust.

Can smell escape from the intake? Am i gonna have to buy another filter for it?

Also, I don't see a hood in your ventilation path, are you not air-cooling your hood? That could be another problem given the small area.

I know it's a problem but, i don't have space for a air cooled hood or cool tube.

I can't hang anything else inside that tent.

My filter takes up 1/3 of the tent, my light and fan another 1/3 and the duct also 1/3.

Buying a 440cfm fan and 410cfm filter was complete overkill for that tent and now I'm paying the price.

 

[rocketman420]

I got a 4x8 with 2k air cooled hoods. I run my exhaust up through my ceiling and my fan and filter, 550cfm, blows all the heat. I keep my room at 69 and my flower tent is 74-76. if you take your fan and filter out of your tent you will save tons of room and it its more effective to blow into your filter rather then suck. when you suck you use the first half of the carbon closest to the fan. phresh, the best filters, have intake filter you suck through. when you are sucking more air out that can come in your tent sucks up, which you want a little, not to much it can stress the plants, and you should never be able to smell it until you open your tent. make sure you have plenty intakes open, if you need it to be light tight as I do get some 6 in duct and twist them in a circle and tape them together for a cheap light tight intake. I have 3 of these in my 4x8 and 1 in my 4x4 veg with a 600watt temps around 76-78 240 cfm fan pullin air into my room. 12000btu window ac. rule of thumb is 5000 btu unit per 1000 watts.

 

[Conformist]

I got a 4x8 with 2k air cooled hoods. I run my exhaust up through my ceiling and my fan and filter, 550cfm, blows all the heat.

I keep my room at 69 and my flower tent is 74-76. if you take your fan and filter out of your tent you will save tons of room and it its more effective to blow into your filter rather then suck.

when you suck you use the first half of the carbon closest to the fan. phresh, the best filters, have intake filter you suck through.

when you are sucking more air out that can come in your tent sucks up, which you want a little, not to much it can stress the plants, and you should never be able to smell it until you open your tent.

make sure you have plenty intakes open, if you need it to be light tight as I do get some 6 in duct and twist them in a circle and tape them together for a cheap light tight intake.

I have 3 of these in my 4x8 and 1 in my 4x4 veg with a 600watt temps around 76-78 240 cfm fan pullin air into my room. 12000btu window ac. rule of thumb is 5000 btu unit per 1000 watts.

Alright so, i have to buy an intake and turn my 440cfm fan way down.

Damn and i thought my Math was wrong when i calculated a 3x3 tent would require 120 cfm.

Anyway, do you know how many nodes a seedling should have before considering it a vegetating plant?

Thanks.

 

[coldcanna]

I wouldn't worry about turning your fan down, if its too big that just means more fresh air which is always a good thing. I wouldn't consider nodes the best way to establish a feeding program... assuming you are in soil or a precharged soilless mix you don't need to do anything but add a little water for the first couple weeks. A good rule of thumb is that 2 weeks after the seedling is sprouted and growing well you add your nutrients at 1/4 strength. You gradually raise that depending on what the plants are showing you. Healthy plants are a nice deep, dark green. Once they start showing signs of a more lime green on the new growth you know they are hungry, if they start showing rusty looking brown spots its a calcium/magnesium shortage. Whatever you do, always start out very light with the nutes... less is more and you can usually do much more damage through overfeeding than underfeeding

 

[Deftoner]

I start feeding at the start of 2nd week.

 

[Conformist]

I wouldn't worry about turning your fan down, if its too big that just means more fresh air which is always a good thing.

I wouldn't consider nodes the best way to establish a feeding program... assuming you are in soil or a precharged soilless mix you don't need to do anything but add a little water for the first couple weeks.

A good rule of thumb is that 2 weeks after the seedling is sprouted and growing well you add your nutrients at 1/4 strength. You gradually raise that depending on what the plants are showing you. Healthy plants are a nice deep, dark green.

Once they start showing signs of a more lime green on the new growth you know they are hungry, if they start showing rusty looking brown spots its a calcium/magnesium shortage.

Whatever you do, always start out very light with the nutes... less is more and you can usually do much more damage through overfeeding than underfeeding

Great info, thanks.

I've planted my seeds today and it's my first time growing so I'm trying to fix any problems raising ASAP.

I'm gonna go buy a 230cfm axial fan tomorrow, It's probably over killing it again but hey, I do have a 440cfm fan blowing air outside my tent.

 

[Conformist]

Oh and just so you know, i decided to open both of my intake window or whatever they're called on the side of my tent for now and the temps are down to 82F.

So obviously, adding an intake fan would fix my temp problems.

 

[budelight]

Don't add an intake fan if you can leave flaps open.
You don't want too much air into the tent because it will overwhelm your carbon filter.

What strains did you pop?

Coldcanna's advice on nutes it right on.
Start a journal or post some pics.

Great community of growers here who helped me just a few years ago get my gardening passion started


BeL

 

[Conformist]

Don't add an intake fan if you can leave flaps open.
You don't want too much air into the tent because it will overwhelm your carbon filter.

If i leave the flaps open, I'm fairly certain smell would escape during flower.

I mean, it's just a window with a mesh, there's nothing stopping air from going in or out.

What strains did you pop?

Nirvana White Rhino.

To get them started i :

1. I took a 1 gal pot and poured 6 scoops of pro-mix, 2 scoops of perlite inside.

2. I soaked the dirt, mixed it with my hands and left the pot in the sink until there were no run off.

3. I planted the seed 1/2 inch deep and placed the pots under my MH on a 18/6 schedule.

 

[rocketman420]

don't buy a new fan if your worried about it buy a $15 speed controller. if your room is very dark then open more flaps, you wont have smell if your tent is sucked in. the math works out on my 4x8 with 2k to 360 cfm, I run 550 cfm so your good. all an intake fan will do is force more air in, so if you do put one in make sure your tent still is sucked up a little or you will have smell escape. remember sucked up not smell. I don't like the window open thing were I live way to many bugs, you can exhaust your heat through your floor with no cutting if you have a crawl space, just remove and tape up your ac duct in the floor and dump heat under the house. I used to do that until I cut a hole in my celing. sounds like you need a window ac unit if your flaps are open and you are in the 80s still.

 

[Conformist]

if your room is very dark then open more flaps, you wont have smell if your tent is sucked in.

My room isn't always dark but during light off time, i close the flap next to the window and the leave the other one next to a wall open cause there's no light there, ever.

I guess i'm gonna have to mess with my fan's speed again, while the flaps are open and my gf is smoking a cigarette in there to see whether smell escapes or not.

I don't like the window open thing were I live way to many bugs, you can exhaust your heat through your floor with no cutting if you have a crawl space, just remove and tape up your ac duct in the floor and dump heat under the house.

My duct isn't literally going out the window.
It's about 4 feet away from it but the fan is so powerful it actually pushes the air all the way outside.

sounds like you need a window ac unit if your flaps are open and you are in the 80s still.

I think 82F is pretty good considering we're still in summer and it's around 76F inside.

The harsh Canadian winter is gonna take care of temps very soon anyway.