Got the nutrients, now how do I use them?

Nutrients
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OK so let me set this up.

I’m going to be growing Northern Lights Fems (I expect the seeds any day now!) in 6 gallon pots.
I plan on mixing 30% perlite into FFOF to aid in drainage, I’ve read that barring any issues, I shouldn’t need to add nutrients until late veg or early flower because the FFOF already has plenty of nutrients already in it. One question is: How do I tell when to use my nutrients? I have both a soil Ph meter and a water meter. I also have a TDS meter, Ph up and down, and Cal MAGic. Being my first grow, and a perfectionist, I want to understand how to identify my plant’s needs before the problems arise. I’ve been reading posts and guides but I still feel clueless! Here’s what I think I know.

I want to measure the Ph of my water before using and adjust it up or down accordingly. I’m going to use distilled water and possibly brita filtered water, no straight tap.
After watering I want to measure the runoff. What exactly does this reading tell me?

My soil Ph meter seems pretty straightforward, Ph of soil. When do I measure this, before watering, after watering, daily, every 5 minutes? :rofl:

My nutrients are GH FloraDuo and I have the Drain to Waste chart. Since I’m not planning on feeding until later, do I pick up the chart by what week my grow is in or start from the first week of feeding that’s on the chart?
I’m reading that I don’t want to go full strength right off the go and will probably start at half strength and work up.

I’m reading and told that I need CAL MAG to go with my base. When do I start this? When do I stop?

I have this TDS meter thingy and have no idea how to use it or what the readings will tell me. I know it is to measure dissolved solids in water but that’s about it.

Lastly, the posts about FFOF have me nervous about fungus gnats so I have DE coming and have read that I can dust the surface of my soil straight away to prevent the fungus gnat apocalypse. Is this a safe practice or should I wait until the jerks arrive at the party? Also, if it is safe, should I dust my seedling pots also? How often do I use it or is one application sufficient?

Any and all tips are welcomed. Please explain this to me like a third grader, I feel like one right now!

Apologies for the long winded posts but I have soooo many questions! I’m so stoked about this new endeavor and I know I’m probably overthinking the whole thing but I’m the kind of person that feels if you start out right, good things happen. Thanks for reading.

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I’m a newbie so I can’t really help you but I have not had any issues with my FFOF and bugs. I will defer to the experts on here. Looks like you did your homework though. I too did so much reading first and thanks to all of the gurus on here things are going pretty well. I use the BioBizz nutrients and check pH going in and coming out and so far, so good. Good luck!!!

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I’m in first grow as well but I believe ff is pretty hot so you won’t need but till about 4-5 sets of leaves. Start with minimum as possible. @Countryboyjvd1971 uses ff nutes so I’ve tagged him.
Your tds meter reads the runoff of your water and nutes. The pH is water going in
Happy Growing

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Welcome to ILGM @SilentHippie
Sounds like you’ve been doing some reading.

You will want to measure the PH of your water before you use it. Using fox farms itnis a soil mix so you will want to adjust your PH to 6.5 before watering. Fox farm ocean forest is a pretty “hot” soil meaning there are quite a bit of nutrients already in the soil. Some people that use don’t give there plants nutrients throughout the entire veggitative stage.
When you measure the PH of your runoff what you are measuring is the PH at the root zone. Those probe meters that are used to tell the PH of the soil are very inaccurate and it is recommended to test the runoff rather than using the probe meter, so essentially testing he runoff would be the same thing as using the probe meter. I want to mention also when you finally start feeding nutrients you will want to check the PH of your water AFTER you add your nutrients as some nutrient lines will lower your PH so you will need to adjust accordingly.
The TDS meter (total dissolved solids) measures the amount of solids that are in your water. You will use this when adding nutrient to your water to measure how many nutrients you have added. You will take a reading with just your water and then add nutrients and test again. The number will go up based on the amount of nutrients you have added. This will ensure you are giving your plants the correct amount of nutrients. You can also test the TDS of your runoff to see how manu nutrients are still in your soil.
I personally use cal mag every other feeding. You can use cal-mag throughout the vegetative and fowering stages. I would stop using it a few weeks before harvesting.
As for using DE I would sprinkle it on your soil right at the beginning. If growing indoors you might not need to sprinkle it on your seedlings. If it were me I would sprinkle the top of the soil and wait to do the seedling until you see any signs of pests. I would re-apply every few weeks.

Another pointer I can give is when your plants are young they won’t need a lot of water. I use a spray bottle to mist the soil to keep it moist for a few weeks. I don’t actually water the plants until they get quite a bit bigger.
Also I thought I would mention maybe picking up some seeding starter soil and use that for planting your seeds in rather than the fox farm ocean forest soil. Some people who use it during the seeding stage have issues due to it having nutrients in it already. If it were me I would start in seedling starter soil and then when you transplant when they are larger into the fox farm ocean forest.

Don’t hesitate to ask questions. We are always happy to help a fellow grower. :+1:

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I think they got you covered lol

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@Jmesser80

I wish I could “like” your reply 100x! That’s exactly what I needed! Thanks!

:+1: :+1: :+1: :+1: :+1:

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SilentHippie

You do not need CalMag when you are using a proven base nutrient like the flora duo. The Duo has all the Calcium Nitrate and Magnesium you need for your plants as long as you keep the PH correct. Unless you develop issues CalMag is a waste of money. Plants only take ip what they need. As long as base has Calcium and Magnesium, you do not need to supplement those minerals because it is just a waste of $$$ and water. :slight_smile:

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