P
purplephazes
Guest
Ph is your biggest friend and worst enemy [/COLOR]
I am writing this not out of anger but out of empathy. I am tired of feeling sorry for noobs who are failing at growing due to 1 of 3 things.
ph problems and soil choices
Now aside from all the other traps a new grower can fall into i think it is necessary that we discuss what the reason for the excessive amount of "plant problem" questions from new growers.
Like most growers i knew ph was important, however i dont think that it is made clear enough how important correct ph is. Let me say this now.
Incorrect PH
Buy a General Hydroponics PH Test kit.
If you can afford it i strongly recommend that you buy an digital PH meter. With PH kits you can achieve good results when you get your color matching skills ironed out, but the accuracy of a well calibrated PH meter is what is going to allow you to get the superb quality smoke you desire.
Nutrients lock out( or don't get absorbed) when the water PH is too acidic or basic. Most plants perform the best between the range of 5.5 and 6.5. Mostly plants grown in soil or soiless mix will thrive around the 6.5 range and most hydroponically grown plants will thrive with a resevoir PH in the 5.5-5.8 range. This is only a general guide, each mj plant has a specific PH that it performs the best at. It is up to you as the grower to be savvy enough to know when you have found the correct PH for your garden. We will discuss this more later.
Nutrient burn is a problem that some noobs have to deal with in their grows. If you are following the manufacturers feeding instructions and you are experiencing plant problems then the savvy soiless grower must flush the grow medium immediately. This can be done by running properly phd water through the pot untill you have achieved the volume of the pot in runoff. Let plants recover for a few days. If they show signs of improvement all that is needed now is to reduce nutrient dosage and properly PH your feeding solution and re-apply.
Now to properly PH water do the following
1. Mix nutrients and water to recommended proportions.
2. Using PH up or PH down,(Included in the GH Test Kit), adjust the water PH to around 6.5
3. Water using solution.
4. Now collect drainage water and test it. Note what the PH is.(You MUST collect only the first 10 or so seconds of drainage water for this is the water that will tell you the PH of your SOIL)
5. Now collect a sample of the last bits of drainage water to drip out. Note what this PH is also. (This will tell you what the PH of the solution is AFTER it mixes with the soil)
Depending on the PH of the second runoff sample you need to adjust your solution with PH up or down untill your runnoff is in the 6.5 range. (or the ideal range that you have found)
If you are lucky you will get it to where solution in has a ph of 6.5 and solution out has a ph of 6.5
Plant selections
It dosnt matter so much what kind of strain you choose, the main message is this.
NOOBS STAY AWAY FROM VARIETY PACKS.
The more strains you have growing the bigger the headache will be. My last grow i had 7 strains in my garden and trust me i easily spent 2-3 hours every other day mixing and feeding the optimal solution for all the different varieties.
Remember all plants thrive at different ph's. If you are growing multiple strains plan on spending a great deal of time watering every two days or so. If you try to feed multiple strains with the same solution chances are great that your garden will have a section of one strain that is dialed in and thriving tho other strains will be preforming poorly.
KEEP IT SIMPLE
Now i dont recommend spending large amounts of money on gadgets for the growroom however i feel like a PH meter is an essential upgrade for a noob. If you cant afford one then go for the color kits but these things are invaluable.
Soil Mixes
I use Organic home made compost It is a mix that contains peat, perlite and chicken **** ,cow **** , ph buffered (lime) and contains Mychorazae. I normally add a good bit of perlite to the solution so that i get oxygen to the roots during dry periods and drainage so that dry periods come quicker. (more frequent oxygenation of the root zone) The downside of adding the perlite is that you will have to water more frequently.
Call around to some of the hydro or garden/greenhouses in your area. Someone nearby should carry it. Most of the larger nurseries and greenhouses will carry it. And ALL of the hydro shops carry it.
Avoid soiless mixes that have been pre fertilized. All though these ferts such as miracle grow can be used, they are harder to control if your plants have problems. Also, you cannot flush with these kinds of mixes because it only releases more plant food when you apply water. I hope this helps you guy and our server ! Peace !
I am writing this not out of anger but out of empathy. I am tired of feeling sorry for noobs who are failing at growing due to 1 of 3 things.
ph problems and soil choices
Now aside from all the other traps a new grower can fall into i think it is necessary that we discuss what the reason for the excessive amount of "plant problem" questions from new growers.
Like most growers i knew ph was important, however i dont think that it is made clear enough how important correct ph is. Let me say this now.
Incorrect PH
Buy a General Hydroponics PH Test kit.
If you can afford it i strongly recommend that you buy an digital PH meter. With PH kits you can achieve good results when you get your color matching skills ironed out, but the accuracy of a well calibrated PH meter is what is going to allow you to get the superb quality smoke you desire.
Nutrients lock out( or don't get absorbed) when the water PH is too acidic or basic. Most plants perform the best between the range of 5.5 and 6.5. Mostly plants grown in soil or soiless mix will thrive around the 6.5 range and most hydroponically grown plants will thrive with a resevoir PH in the 5.5-5.8 range. This is only a general guide, each mj plant has a specific PH that it performs the best at. It is up to you as the grower to be savvy enough to know when you have found the correct PH for your garden. We will discuss this more later.
Nutrient burn is a problem that some noobs have to deal with in their grows. If you are following the manufacturers feeding instructions and you are experiencing plant problems then the savvy soiless grower must flush the grow medium immediately. This can be done by running properly phd water through the pot untill you have achieved the volume of the pot in runoff. Let plants recover for a few days. If they show signs of improvement all that is needed now is to reduce nutrient dosage and properly PH your feeding solution and re-apply.
Now to properly PH water do the following
1. Mix nutrients and water to recommended proportions.
2. Using PH up or PH down,(Included in the GH Test Kit), adjust the water PH to around 6.5
3. Water using solution.
4. Now collect drainage water and test it. Note what the PH is.(You MUST collect only the first 10 or so seconds of drainage water for this is the water that will tell you the PH of your SOIL)
5. Now collect a sample of the last bits of drainage water to drip out. Note what this PH is also. (This will tell you what the PH of the solution is AFTER it mixes with the soil)
Depending on the PH of the second runoff sample you need to adjust your solution with PH up or down untill your runnoff is in the 6.5 range. (or the ideal range that you have found)
If you are lucky you will get it to where solution in has a ph of 6.5 and solution out has a ph of 6.5
Plant selections
It dosnt matter so much what kind of strain you choose, the main message is this.
NOOBS STAY AWAY FROM VARIETY PACKS.
The more strains you have growing the bigger the headache will be. My last grow i had 7 strains in my garden and trust me i easily spent 2-3 hours every other day mixing and feeding the optimal solution for all the different varieties.
Remember all plants thrive at different ph's. If you are growing multiple strains plan on spending a great deal of time watering every two days or so. If you try to feed multiple strains with the same solution chances are great that your garden will have a section of one strain that is dialed in and thriving tho other strains will be preforming poorly.
KEEP IT SIMPLE
Now i dont recommend spending large amounts of money on gadgets for the growroom however i feel like a PH meter is an essential upgrade for a noob. If you cant afford one then go for the color kits but these things are invaluable.
Soil Mixes
I use Organic home made compost It is a mix that contains peat, perlite and chicken **** ,cow **** , ph buffered (lime) and contains Mychorazae. I normally add a good bit of perlite to the solution so that i get oxygen to the roots during dry periods and drainage so that dry periods come quicker. (more frequent oxygenation of the root zone) The downside of adding the perlite is that you will have to water more frequently.
Call around to some of the hydro or garden/greenhouses in your area. Someone nearby should carry it. Most of the larger nurseries and greenhouses will carry it. And ALL of the hydro shops carry it.
Avoid soiless mixes that have been pre fertilized. All though these ferts such as miracle grow can be used, they are harder to control if your plants have problems. Also, you cannot flush with these kinds of mixes because it only releases more plant food when you apply water. I hope this helps you guy and our server ! Peace !
eace:
