Hi everyone! I’m here to ask you couple of questions.
I just got my new set up, after the first time where I used very cheap lights I decided to make sure this time I have everything I need. So I got a 4x4 grow box and a BP-3000 as a light. First of all, do you guys suggest me to get another light (like a BP-1500) for flowering or do you think I’m gonna be fine till harvest?
Then, I got a FoxFarm happy frog soil and I bought the foxFarm trio (BigBloom, TigerBloom and GrowBig). Someone suggested me to use those as the FF nutrient schedule suggest, but with 1/2 strength then they suggest.
You guys have any suggestions on how should feed my plant? It is going to be a Girl Scout Cookies auto. I’m thinking about give it a 18/6 schedule, since my first plant was light 24/7 and, since the light was week, I was not very happy with the results. THANKS EVERYONE!
Sure do!
- if using RO or distilled water you will want a calmag nutrient. I use TPS brand of calmag, its pretty good, used botanicare also with no complaint.
- 1/2 nutes is a baseline. If your plant happens to get bigger then the avg auto y9u will wanna feed more. Use your runoff figures to determine when to feed and how much.
- follow the flush schedule provided by FF
Found this FF feeding schedule for AUTOFLOWER its worked well this grow so Im sharing it for you to consider.
5) water, feed, water, feed, water, feed. Always full feed same day after flush.
This! FYI I have less foxtailing at end of grow if I cut the light by a cple hours in the last 2 weeks.
Dunno much about lights, @dbrn32 is who I would ask.
First of all, thanks so much for taking some time to answer this, I really appreciate it!
- I’m not sure what you mean for RO, but I’m going to use sink water, gonna look for something that makes me able to regulate the Ph tho.
- With bigger than the avg your talking about how tall it gets?
- So your suggesting to go full strength instead of using 1/2 of the strength the schedule is suggesting? (Like 3tsp instead of 6tsp)
- so it’s going to be feed, flush, feed, flush,… right?
- Your suggesting to cut the light like 10/14 at the last 2 weeks? I could just get the light higher and keep it 12/12. But I’m open to any suggestions!
Thanks again man!
Reverse osmosis
Correct
It’s not really a good idea to flush unless you need to. It isn’t necessary to flush unless you have a salt buildup. You’ll know when that happens if you start having problems managing runoff pH. Two to 3 flushes during flowering is usually necessary when using Fox Farm nutes.
Autos don’t care about the light cycle, but @Docnraq makes a good point about foxtails. They usually appear with high light intensity. I try to get some foxtailing on my plants. It tells me that the plant is getting a lot of light, which is desirable. I just cut off the foxtails when I harvest since the trichomes on foxtails won’t be matured/ripened when you harvest.
Alot of this looks to have been answered by another but ill dble just because.
R.O is Reverse Osmosis water, step down 1 from Distilled as far as purity goes.
Sink water is cool, as long as you know whats in it. Chlorine and chloramines are not good for microbes in soil and plants dont care for tuem either. Regulating Ph is on the grower. You will need to have a ph pen and tds meter as well as some kind of substance to bring feed/water ph up or down depending to acomplish this goal (I use Ph up and ph down from General Hydroponics)
4 maybe 5 feet, more likely outside then in but hey, sometimes crazy stuff happens.
Yes, but no. Start out at low and build up. Let the plant tell you she doesnt want more. Watch your runoff, record it, use the different figures to determine next move. I use the liquid trio and the soluble pk boosters and by mid flower I am feeding full. So thats why yes. No because if you feed full strength right away you will burn the crap outta your plants. This felt a bit like a word salad, please ask for clarity if needed.
No.
1st) a flush is when you pour three times the volume of your pot in ph’d water through your soil to remove salt build up. 5gal pot means 15 gallons water.
2nd) what I mean is water (only) then when dry feed then when dry water (only) then when dry feed. Over and over and over again. During flower it is (for me) every other day that I am having to water or feed. The frequency will increase as plant size increases.
No. My suggestion is when doing autoflowers you do 18/6 from start till last two weeks where I suggest you go 16/8. 12/12 is something that photoperiod plants need to start the flowering process. If you dont flip lights to 12/12 when growing them they will veg forever and never bloom. This is how you keep a mother plant. With Auto’s its already a short process. The more hours of light for them the better, to a point. Which brings us to wht I suggested what I did. Knocking those 2 hours off at the end of grow is a better mimic of nature, the plant will take it as a sign that fall is upon us and set to the process of ripening for harvest (end of cycle). Can also help reduce foxtailing.
anytime!
I recently finished a GSCE. She grew in coco. She got decently large, about 19 inches tall (after all, she was an auto!) and yielded 5 oz dry of some mighty fine weed.
This is a couple of weeks before harvest, so she got fatter.
Her buds are very dense and quite sticky.
Here is the feed schedule i go by i start
my autos at 24/7 light all the way thru veg and once in flower i change light 18/6 i follow the feed schedule on the weeks where it say flush and i use the sledgehammer. I mix one gallon of water with sledgehammer then run 1 gallon of clean water then one gallon of full nutrients to plant and let dry out.
Okay then, gotta check my water before start. Thanks!
Im a bit confused when it comes to nutrients cuz looking around this forum I’ve read people saying that with FFHF soil you dont need to add any nutrients till flowering, here instead you guys are telling me to start feeding since week 1 or 2.
Thanks for the light suggestion, I think Im gonna do like you said, 18/6 and then 16/8. I have to get experience, so I dont mind try everything I can. Next time I’ll go 24hrs of lights and then I’ll lower during flowering.
Sorry for double reply
Anyone can tell me if my light is a good one and if I will need to get another one for flowering? Thanks again!
EDIT:
Also, anyone can tell me how far the light should be from the plant for every stage? Thanks guys!
You can (I do) adjust the height of the lights to control the stretch during veg. Further away=more stretch.
Generally speaking, between 18-24 inches above canopy. Use you hand as a guide for too close. If it is uncomfortable to your hand, it is uncomfortable for the plant.
Im definatly not saying that.
Although I would start giving Big Bloom after week 2. Its more for your soil then it is for your plants
Fox Farm soils come loaded with various nutes depending. Ocean Forest, for example, is high in nitrogen, great for veg. Strawberry fields is high in P&K low nitrogen, great for flowering. Happy Frog has significantly less nitrogen in it (this is why peeps use it for seed starting). All should take an autoflower into 3 or 4 weeks, depending on varied aspects of grow style. You will use your runoff figures to tell you when to begin feeding. (Runoff ppm bellow 1000).
After that, feed, water, feed
You can do this, I just dont think it is as benificail (at all) as you might. If I was growing with a tiny light, ok. Although it is often debated, plants need to rest. I have even read that trichome production happens in the dark. Dunno if its true just makes sense to me.
Ask @dbrn32 about your BP-3000 light, he is wise when it comes to lights.
@HMGRWN is spot on about that.
Hope I cleared more up. Ask away if not.
@Menz sounds like you are getting solid advice but the best way to learn is by trail and error make sure you keep a log book document what you fed and how plants react record your ph and ppms in and out.Just remember to have fun with it its just a weed.
The bp-3000 isn’t going to knock the socks off a 4x4 grow, but may be plenty good for you to see a first grow through. Will all come dowm to your expectations for what you spend. I wouldn’t buy another smaller light tho, that’s more or less just compounding on original issue. If you decide you want to be a serious indoor grow i would expect to pay closer to $800-$1000 for 4x4 led fixture.
Thank you so much for taking time to answe this man, I appreciate it. And that goes for everyone helping me here!! Thanks y’all!
In the end, im gonna stick with this light and do my experience. I decided to keep a cycle of 20/4 after long research. Im gonna make a diary and makes photos of what Im doing and I’ll open a thread to show you guys so we can help each other in the process.
Regarding how far the light should be, I found something online that Im sharing with you guys in case you are wondering the same thing:
Seedling stage: 24-36 inches from plant canopy
Veg stage: 12-24 inches from plant canopy
Flowering stage: 16-36 inches from plant canopy