What's The Best Soil

[bigdaredevil418]

I am new to all this as you can tell by all my newbie questions. Not to let you down...here are a few more :
1- Right now i am using Miracle Grow potting soil. It claims to hold 33% more water blah,blah is this ok?
2-My room humidity is set at 50%....is this ok?
3-My room temp is always 80-85 degrees....ok?
4-I have 1000 watts MH,24 hours a day and the light hangs 18 inches above the tops of my poor abused plants.
5-I am using 50% strengh Miracle Grow 20/10/20
6-I water once a day..not to much....
7-I keep a fan blowing all the time
8-I love them as much as a man can..a plant.....you know...... I love them man......

HONEST- I have messed up every step of the way so far. I grew them under my sink from seeds for a week..they looked like long bean sprouts. then twice I transferred pots..... I transplanted too late. then I had to seprate multiple plants that had grown in the same pot which messed up some roots..... then I had the light hanging too high.... 4 feet from plants... TOO FAR... for two weeks. With that said... with your help I hope my furure endeavors go more smoothly.

How does the room look.... looking at the above information... what is your opinion??

thanks BDD

 

[Rumpleforeskin]

I like the "Vic's Super Soil" mix. You don't have to add anything but water throughout the grow. Just add water.

1 Bale sunshine mix #2 or promix (3.8 cu ft)
8 cups Bone Meal - phosphorus source
4 cups Blood Meal - nitrogen source
1 1/3 cups Epsom salts - magnesium source
3-4 cups dolomite lime -calcium source & pH buffering
4 cups kelp meal.
9kg (25 lbs) bag pure worm castings

- Mix thoroughly, moisten, and let sit uncovered 1-2 weeks before use.

 

[N. Accumbens]

A- 24 hours of light can really stress out a lot of strains, particularly finicky ones, get a cheap timer 18/6 or 20/4 sounds a little better, saves your wallet, your risk, your plants....but most importantly....THE PLANET. If you keep the light at 24 I have experienced nutrient deficiencies occur, with yellowing similar to that of overexposure to the light source (source N?).
B-50% humidity for growth, I don't think so....try to keep it above 70% at all times.
C- Check with your hand to see if 18 in. is not just a little too close for a 1000W, it could be fine with a good reflector, if your hand gets very warm by the top of the plants or the leaves start singing or curling up at the sides try moving it up to 24 inches or anywhere in-between that and 18.

Luck to the ladies....

 

[Rumpleforeskin]

24 hours on cycle is fine. Grows better and faster.

 

[medgrowr02]

I agree Rumple, I run 24-0 for sprouts and just bury the stem if it gets too long.

Daredevil, do you have any pics? I am a dro grower, even thought I shut it down a few days ago, I am switching to soil for the fact I wont have to carry any more fucking water.

I suggest you get rid of the miracle grow stuff and replace it with a mary jane friendly soil. I'm no soil pro, but I know that it needs to be light and airy. It shouldn't really hold water at all, I mean it should but not too much.

Water only when the top layer of soil gets dry, and use molasses throughout your entire grow with every watering. ---> maybe every watering is too much, someone chime in and let me know if thats way wrong.

Rumple, do you use that soil mix personally? Can you use it with seedlings or is it way to hot? It sounds healthy bro, I might try it as opposed to FFOF cut in half with FFLW up until my first transplant, then switch to full on FFOF.

 

[N. Accumbens]

Molasses can be given every watering. 1tbsp/gal

24 hrs HPS grows..not good...sry will not agree...can not...no experience has ever led me to believe so.

CFL- definitely o.k. and can be superior to 18 in certain situations. i.e. seedlings/ clones

MH- good but must keep up with xtra nute regime...

Uh, y'all don't sleep???? I don't, and that's why I smoke so much, so sometimes I can. I have a disorder- Bipolar I, does your plant have a disorder, can it not sleep either???

I am not going to get into the benefits of a dark cycle, but would loved to be proved wrong...bring it on...

before homeboy here fries his plants to death...have you guys seen what's goin' down in hommies cab. It's a little like bio 101, and I would REALLY take it simple

p.s. those seedling under that 24 regime look really good, mg02

 

[green_grow]

1. you should probably mixed in some pearlite with that soil . now you will have to wait until transplant time to do so.
2. humidity is just fine.
3. temps are a teensy bit on the high side . cool it down if you can, but they arent critically high at all.
4. i would switch to 18/6 or 20/4 just to save some power . if rapid growth is important to you, then 24/0 works just fine, no question.
5. without pics it is impossible to say whether you are over/under feeding them. if the tips are looking burnt, it's a good bet that you are overfeeding.
6. watering everyday in soil is a mistake . water thoroughly, then let the soil dry out pretty good before watering again.
7. a fan blowing all the time is good.
8. if you love your plants, you would be well advised to do a little reading . you can learn a lot from this forum if you just spend a little time reading up.

if you can get a pic or 2 up it would enable people to really help you out.
happy growing !

 

[N. Accumbens]

Uhh 24/18 discussion...long been said and done...scientifically shown in other plants that dark regimes ARE beneficial, and they save electricity, also that heat you mentioned gg might easily be lowered . I hate to muff up a thread in which someone needs help so I shall refer to :

< http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=6935&highlight=24+hr+regime >

this way that the fact that I only have a few posts does not confuse you, or allow you to think of this idea as "frefosterous".

Please use a 18 hr cycle particularly if you have not tuned in to the situation at hand, it's only natural for plants to get this much light in any given day, and what's natural works best...also sry for bringing this discussion up, but you really seem to be trying and wanting to know more info...so I am calling it how I see it. No pic's required.

Edit:
Humidity ranges for growth should be kept in the 70 % and above range, this is also a well documented fact.

 

[Rumpleforeskin]

Advanced Nutrients did a test on light cycles three years ago. The results: The plants grow in direct proportion to the lights on cycle. So as many hours you have it in the off position is how much slower your plants will be growing. It is safe to grow using a dark cycle but slower. I did the same test as did a few of my colleagues that grow for med-ops. Everyone came up with the same results. I was hard to convince because I like what souds natural and had been an 18/6 grower for years. Everyone's growth log said what Advanced Nutrients claimed. I cut my veg time by 25% by going to 24-on cycle. Most people go by how their current grow looks, and it always seems to look better then last time. But you have to do the science yourself with an open mind to know what is truth and what is an emotional myth. The Urban Grower grow show had this topic at Advanced Nutrients headquarters, I just can't seem to find that show and a few other older ones on their site now. I do have some links to folks that tested light cycle on the bases of yeild (not growth like I did). I wold not say it if it was not true.

I have used Vic's super soil back when I was growing in soil. It is cool and safe for seeds. Make sure you get it moist and let it sit uncovered for two weeks and stirr it now and then. I coverd it one time while letting it sit, the smell it makes is like nothing from this earth. It took years to get rid of the smell from the mixing container. Cured uncovered it smells like rich soil.

 

[N. Accumbens]

Look, I have read the entire link, and find this conversation useless i.e. -not going anywhere...taking up a soil thread.

The only empirical evidence I see in the link is on pg 3 and it upholds the 18hr cycle...as to the yield issue... I find it hard to believe...that someone would go through such a complicated test, without having anything to show for it... except for numbers on a keyboard.

Also, we have a mild misunderstanding here which may be crucial to the question at hand... I would argue that if vegging clones for only a few days as suggested by the link, that a 24 hr cycle would be beneficial.

I've stepped on the timer in the past, switched to 24 accidentally in the mother room, three days later, I could always tell, happened three times, each time it took me a week to recoop. I used to keep fairly large momma plants and take a lot of clones. Those mums could not handle 24 hrs even if I had wanted them to. BUT I do use 24 hrs of cfl light for seedlings, so they do not elongate.

I shall let this lay, and hope daredevil makes his own decision, something about this guy makes me think he'll figure it out, camera or not.

Rumple: I am not doubting your advice, more so I just disagree.....but let us talk about soil instead.

 

[green_grow]

p.s. ... make sure you are reading your temps at canopy level . there can be quite a difference between measuring points .

 

[bigdaredevil418]

I really appreciate all the graet advice I thank you all for taking your time to help me.Just so i know for the future....did I go about this the right way ? I had a few questions so I started a thread and asked away...cool ???

Thanks again
bdd

p.s. all I have for now is my camera in my phone...I will try to get some pics up a.s.a.p. I really love the help you guys give.....a million thank you's..........

 

[bassmechanic27]

MG is fine!

MG is fine!

MG potting soil is what I use. I mix in some bone & blood meal, epsom salt, and about 15% perlite. I really don't have to add nutes, but I have been uping the P & K about 3 weeks into flower. Any questions on mixing that MG, PM me. Good luck!

 

[Buffoonman]

I have had had excellant results with Plagron Royalty Mix and Bio-Biz All Mix. Both these soils are of a higher quality and generally better suited for growing weed than commercially available soils such as miracle grow. For newbies I would suggest adding nothing except water for your whole grow as most poblems seem to be caused by overferilisation. When you get a crop or two under your belt adding a bit of seaweed extract during early vegative growth and pk 13/14 about 4 weeks from harvest can help but as mentioned when you have a decent soil mix if in doubt add nothing.

 

[N. Accumbens]

I use these, both royalty and all-mix, both very nice short crop add only water [no nutes nec.] soils...also sugars and other goodies ,of course..to feed the microbiology.

-but I do not think that these are available to BDD in his area...or are they???
I didn't think they were, maybe I can be corrected [google yielded only confusion]...how 'bout Fox Farm....hearing pretty good chimes there.

I also think the MG should work fine this time, and maybe once you tune into the ladies you can research more, mostly what's available....some members here do swear by this stuff. Myself, I don't believe in miracles, if you get my drift. I make my own miracles...it's called intrinsic motivation.

Cheese is for mice, but it is not my only vice- the indica in my mind rants...What could my brain be trying to say???? I guess it just likes easy rhymes...take it cheesy BDD

 

[greekguy]

biobizz all mix rocks my man,
imagine that they have light mix also for a grower who wants to put "lots" on his grow,
byt for a "begginer" like you who wants to add 2 or 3 nutrient products biobizz allmix is the way.

check my plants for results and ph is perfect 6.4-6.6 from the bag