I hear y’all. I didn’t use the cal-mag in my 1st grow and it did well, especially compared to what I have going on now. And yes, everyone says ‘you need cal-mag’ too much. Maybe I’ll throw it on in my store too. What it really does is to raise my ec/ppm to astronomical levels. But, everyone says so I did. I’ll tell ya, this grow has been one event after the other. I’ve had 3 them nearly did, and I mean on deaths door, and everyone saying over watered, yada yada. Had a friend come down who knows nothing and told me to get them out of the dirt and into just a bowl if water. All 3 perked up in a day. I did wind up losing ine when I put them back into the dirt. Now I got perpetual Auto Seedlings, 3 ready to flower, 2 still Vegging, and 5 Clones that look good but nothing close to being as far along as the plants they came off of. 1 tent. 3 lights. Can’t separate them and let each do what it wants to do because of the 1 tent. It’s a mess, for real, for real. I did order a new tent though. So maybe that part will be solved soon. Did I mention that the 5 +the Clones were planted on November 10th?! Yep. That’s how many issues. But hey, I’m learning. Idky I just went off on that tangent. Probably thinking about people telling me to do opposite stuff. So I’ve tried a bunch if stuff now. If only I could get a harvest and start some of these other 15 seeds I have and somebody gifted me some too to get. So at least I am learning. Smdh. Sorry about that rant. Carry on…
Since this post is about growing mediums, I’m curious has anyone did a aroid soil? I see there’s mentions of perlite, pumice, coco peat/coir which all are used in aroid soil. Being a person that has over 50 houseplants that’s what majority are in, although mine is soil less. I assume it would be kinda similar to hydro in the aspect that all nutrients would have to be added in. I cant see it not working but curious to know if anyone has tried it.
Idek what that is.
A aerated soil that can be adjusted for more air flow for the roots.
Orchid bark
Perlite
Coco peat(very small amount)
Jacks gritty mix
That’s what I use to make mine. Some ppl add soil which most of the time is fox farm brand.
Ok y’all. It’s been a minute and I now have 10 germinated seeds sitting in 10 cups of water with their little root showing and they don’t want to drown. I need y’all’s words about what the heck I’m supposed to put them in if not directly into the CoCo/Perlite for their first apartment. That’s what I had intended to do and I have 10 little 2" pots all filled and ready for them. Then I read somewhere to not start them in the CoCo! Well Idh time to order in these little rock things, they are drowning tonight, right?! I mean, what the what. With soil I just placed them root down half an inch deep. Can I not do that with this CoCo/Perlite that I have all prepared??? Help!!!
Post cant be empty it told me
They are funny looking though, don’t y’all agree?
Funny I thouught they had eyes stuck on them
Damn it now i have to find little teeny beady plastic eyes
What feed schedule do you use?
This is how I start mine. Straight coco, hydrated with full strength jacks, fluff for a few days so it’s not soggy, put in the cups and compress it slightly.
I use a pencil and poke a whole just as deep as the sharp end of the pencil. I have tweezers with soft silicone tips I use to place the seeds tail down in the holes and cover’m up.
I put about a tablespoon or less of jacks right over the seeds to settle the coco they were covered with. Usually takes two days for the to pop up.
This is about when they are ready to transplant, when the leaves reach the edges of the cup. I think I let them stay another few days after this pic.
When I fill my grow bags, I use one of these cups packed fairly tight with wet coco (so it doesn’t crush / deform) to form the hole for transplant. I fill the bag until I can sit the cup on the coco and the top of the cup is even with the top of the bag, then fill in around it with coco. Pressed but not packed. When I get ready to transplant I put the stem of the seedling between my fingers (Spoks Vulcan V) turn the cup over and massage it until the whole thing slides out like a plug. Drop it right in the hole made by the cup. Straight coco is a bit tougher than soil, damp works better to keep it from falling apart. I sprinkled (mycros ← spelling? ) in the whole before transplanting.
I’m doing a high fertigation method. I use Jack’s A&B, feeding at lights on, then 2 more times before lights out. I just started adding another feed not long after lights out, so I’m feeding 4x in a 24hr period.
Crazy… I’m running straight coco with Jacks, With the same schedule, and considering adding a 4th as my runoff numbers are creeping up. I’m at week 10.
Silica?
What EC is your res nutes?
Thanks y’all. Yeah, the bubbles are very well placed. But you know, they say are as alive as we are so maybe they all chose their look and this means I am going to have a successful grow. Yay Successful! 
I’m hitting upwards of 2.1 on EC, close to 2.2 some times. I’m only doing the high fert on 1. Oh ya, definitely silica. No epsom. I take 3 gallons of dehumidifier water since it only has about 18-20ppm, then 20ml silica, 18g Part A, 9g Part B. I end up with about 1300ppm, 5.85ish pH. After mixing, I use stored tap water bump pH up closer to 5.95-6.0, and ppm’s to 1200ish. I’ve gone as high as 1450 without missing a beat.
Oh, i hand feed tho. I really enjoy doing all the work, plus my freaking pump (cheapy amazon) burnt up the first day i turned it on But the mixing, pouring, dumping, I like it. I just have my closet and get a couple going outside sometimes, so I don’t mind. If it were an operation, definitely be automatic
Yep those numbers are pretty similar to mine. So far the girls are love’n it.