What do I need to do?

My northern light autoflower plant is 34 days old. This is my first grow in a 2x2x55 mars tent, vivosun AreoZesh exhaust fan, Aeroligh vs100 with circulation fan, growhub E42A. Im using the auto recipe cycle for auto flower 18/6 light cycle. 3 gallon plastic container with all happy frog potting soil and no additional nutrients. I’ve watered with only distilled water. I think things are doing ok. My humidity is 47%. Do you see anything that looks wrong? I haven’t watered to let it run out the bottom of the pot or tested any water for ph.

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Looking good!

Suggestion: get a pH meter that will give you good results. The pronged meters are notoriously inaccurate and made with cheap maters. They tent to drift and cannot be recalibrated when they do. Apera and Bluelab both make great pH meters.

You will eventually need a PPM meter too. Start feeding after ~4 weeks when PPM reaches <1,000.

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When do I need to start nutrients and how do I know it needs it? I also have well water but I havent watered with anything but distilled water. If this helps…I killed a cactus :laughing: I am not a green thumb.

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Greetings,
What soil are you using?
If you are using fox farm soil you need to start using nutrients at about the third week. The fox farm Big bloom, Grow big, and Tiger bloom are what most people start out with, I still use them after 4 years. I will sent you a fox farm feeding schedule follow it at 1/2 the feeding for the first feeding them increase next feeding to full as not to burn your plant. Start using cal/ mag as well, 1 teaspoon per gallon. I mix one gallon of decloranated water up with the charts directions. Ph all feedings to 6.5. After mixing all nutrients together. If you are using 5 gallon pots run 1 gallon of mixed nutrients thur at a time until you get run off. Collect run off and use a E.C. meter or PPM Meter and PH meter to keep track using the chart.

Chart maybe hard to read you can google one off line.

Aprea meters are good.

I am using Happy Frog potting soil only. My ph is 6. I have 1 plant in a 3 gallon plastic pot since this is my first try. How do I know I need nutrients other than what is in the soil. My plant is 34 days old. Only watered with distilled water because I have well water that has a lot of iron in it.

I have no idea what I’m doing honestly.

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Greetings,
I can tell you you are going to run out of nutrients anytime. You need to mix up following the foxfarm feeding chart and add the cal/mag into the nutrients and add ph up or down to 6.5. Per gallon. Water slowly until you get run thru out the bottom and stop feeding any left over mix give it to your garden or didpose.

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Looks good! Also in my first grow but in flower and have 3 plants in 3 gal pots. Going pretty well for me. You are looking pretty good. I wouldn’t worry to much IMO in veg. The happy frog will last you 4-6 weeks bc it has nutes already in the soil. When you water make sure the ph is 6.3-6.8. Test runoff ppm and ph. I would just personally get the RH up a bit. My plants REALLLY looked that 60-70% humidity.

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I use well water from a river and just adjust the pH.

Is there a way I can text you direct?

No direct message available on this forum.

I’m sorry for so many questions.

When you water until run off what is that actually doing? I’ve been watering when the probe moisture meter is on 2 or 3 and not above 6. I insert it into the soil approximately 4 inches.

Should I continue with distilled water or use my own well water?

Should I be testing the soil ph, the water ph or both?

Greetings,
Sorry for the late delay.
1st question when you water until you get run off is to ensure you water slowly and through the soil. These soils repell water and need lets say a second chance to absorb their drink. Rember you can pass alot of water thru a plant but a drying period in between. Most feeding charts with their nutrients you need to flush every three feedings or so to get rid of excess salts that build up in the root system. I usually will use sledge hammer by foxfarm and run 2 gallons of the mixture thru a 5 gallon plant.
2nd question water meter. Everyone of us starting out goes to Amazon shopping on things we think will help us growing. This is a fine example of one. These are not a very good tool, I gave mine away. Just water slowly until a small run off comes out. I feed a 5 gallon pot 1 gallon of mixed nutrients thru ever 2 to 3 days. Scratch the soil if it is dry down to about 1 inch it can be watered. In the winter timeI usually water every 3 days. Another way most use is lift your pot if it is light water. Practice lifting a water thru pot verses one you just filled with fresh soil.
Lastly my most important rule your plants talk to you thru thier leaves read them. If they feel soft and droppy they are thirsty.
3rd question is ph. By having a little run off I mean I water 1 gallon thru a 5 gallon pot if the plant is in need of watering between 3 days since the last I may get a half of a quart run off, maybe more maybe less. Any way you can check that run offs ph to see what your soil is anlong with the E.C. or PPM.

I recommend a feeding chart from you nutrients supplier. I use all foxfarm products with a few side ones. Here is their chart if you can’t see it down load it or another ones. It will show you every week what is going on and the plants needs as far a what and how much per gallon to mix.
Even the E.C.or PPM. I PH test evey thing I put into that pot to 6.2 to 6.5. I test both run off and in put.

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Should I continue with distilled water or use my well water that hasn’t been treated by my water softener? :thinking: currently I have used 2 gallons of distilled water since I started. I have a 3 gallon pot. My RH is too low according to others it should be around 60. I’m going to get a small humidifier that shuts off automatically at 60% RH. I have so much to learn.

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This is the readings this morning on the vivosun autoflower recipe settings.

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I use my well water, anddehumidifier water. The well water has a high pH 7.0 and has to be brougt down to 5.8. The dehumidifier though clean and free, has a low ppm and my nutes (Jacks321) make it very inconsistent. We went back to the well water. We also learned our well water from the hose was waaay higher than from the sink. We are able to get good consistency and stability from the well water.

I need to get a ph and ppm meter. The Apera is out of my budget right now. Starting this hobby has gotten expensive quick. I’m afraid I might be in over my head…:laughing: is the Vivosun ok to get by for a while or another brand possibly?

There’s a relatively cheap one that @Lostgirl uses. But, you have to be very specific in the one you buy and where you buy it. I’ll see if I can find it or she might pop in with it? You do have to be ready to spend some money on a few things to get good results. Im learning this as well.

Greetings,
Your well water should be fine. Save the distilled for cleaning your ph meter. If you calibrated your meter distilled water should be about 5.7 to 5.8. I use this to test my meter after cleaning the storage solution. Before getting started. Then clean back to that number to store.