Okay so my question is im currently growing white widows photo period and the autoflower version is it going to affect them to water without balancing the ph i know my town water is roughly 8.0ph which is higher then what the plants would like but because im growing extra discreet i dont have time to mix a solution to balance the ph of my town water is it going to affect them by just giving them water without balancing the ph? If it does affect them how drastic does it affect them and what could i do in the case that it does affect them and what damages it can cause to the plants or do they require serious care
Also my growing conditions are as seedlings they will be on a window sill they will be outdoor plants and the temps are usually 20-25 celsius and roughly 40-80% humidity throughout the day (changes hourly) also using coco+perlite 70/30 and half a handful of seedling soil from local hydro store mixed with the coco roughly to a 18oz beer/party cup
You are setting your self up for problems soil sweet ph is 6.5 in coco its 6.3 to 5.8 so 8ph is high things wont grow right if you spent the money on the seeds a 15 dollar combo pack of ph up and ph down should be easy. I guerilla grew in 5gal buckets tied up in the trees and took little shampoo bottles of ph up and ph down with me it’s up to you but you burn up your crop you will get them to flower then the problems come with no ph checking.
Totally agree with @ThcinKC make sure your ph is at the proper levels or you will have issues during the grow. Iv gone down the “ not adjusting the ph road “ and can’t say enough about keeping it in check. I used distilled white vinigar throught the entire grow with great results. Only added about 1 tsp per gallon of water to bring the ph down fir my city water, hope this helps.
Thanks @ThcinKC @PigmanBBQ for the advice now i know i should ph balance is this ph up+down appropriate for growing i do have solutions and it seemed i wasnt able to grow using just coco+perlite they always died on me and i couldnt figure out why (ive always had successful grows just using soil so i basically do 1/4gal to a gallon of coco+perlite mix this is my first time trying the mix am i better off doing soil, or just coco+perlite and i believe coco has no micronutrient thingys and its just soil with no (food) does this matter? I also have the flora general hydroponics nutrient pack (micro,grow,bloom) what stages should i use these in? And when should i add nutrients from my experience ive always fed nutrients generally afterafter a month but thats when it was in soil not coco do i use it before a month due to coco not having any food for the plant? Also how do i know when they’re really hungry and being underfed? I need all the advice i can get, thanks!
Using coco and perilite outside i have never got it to work because it drys out to fast and when the heat of the day comes at 1 pm it just cooks my plant. I use topsoil and manure and blood meal and bone meal growing outside i have mixed in pro mix vegetable and herb soil mix and had great results. The other thing is when a heavy rain comes it would wash out the coco of the hole in the ground. Yes those ph bottle should work i use fox farm nutrients and use the general hydroponic ph up and ph down. You can also use distilled vinegar for ph down and baking soda for ph up . I feed at half strength of what is recommended. As for your nutrients i believe they have a feeding schedule and make sure you get the soil feeding schedule and make sure your nutrients are for soil to and you should be back in business
Iv never grown in coco so i not much help there as I grow in soil. I use about 1/4 - 1/2 dose of nutrients once a week and test the ppm of the runoff to see what my next feeding is going to be like. As basic rule of thumb if the ppm is high then the plant is NOT eating all the nutes so I cut back on the nutes. If the ppm is low then I know that the plant is eating all the nutes up so i increase the feeding. Hope this makes sense.
@ThcinKC @PigmanBBQ thankyou guys for the advice is ppm also a concern and must have?(ppm meter) i have everything but a ppm meter, what does a ppm meter do? From what ive heard its basically a ph meter for soil or am i getting that confused and its just a soil meter checking for acidity/alkalinity, to see if they need feeding and i cant invest anymore as for outdoor with coco could i put seedling soil at the top of the pot? Or is it better to have it all the way through the coco to the bottom of the pot and if i have a mix of coco and soil would 6.3 ph be okay for watering them? As for nutrients if im using soil i dont technically need nutrients until their bigger and require more nutrients? Because of the soil having abit of food for them already? And as of rain say they are due for water is rain water the best to give them? Isnt rain neutral ph? If so do i just plop them out from undercover in the rain or is rain water bad for them?
Also my nutrients support hydro,soil, and coco so im good with the nutrients and they do have a feeding schedule but the doses seem really high and at what age of the plant do i feed nutrients or say how many levels of branches do i need before feeding recommended dosage 5 or 6 nodes? More? Or less
Ok the ppm i use to check what or how much is in my feed solution and then check the run off so say it was 1200 ppm in the jug and run off from the pot is 500ppm will tell you that they are very hungry and need more or more frequently feed.
As for the coco outside i never had good results with it i always use dirt topsoil and ammend with manure and mix with pro mix soil vegetable and herb mix. If you like coco go for it you are going to learn alot.
I feed at half or quarter strength starting off with the sprout about 1inch tall. Then adjust the strength of your nutrients according to what the ppm meter tells you and will depend on what your grow medium is that will set the ranges you are looking for.
Also I should note that i tried using coco and pearlite peat moss in holes in the ground and the would dry out very fast on hot days and storm’s would wash out the top 3 inches or just completely wash out of the hole . Your environment might be better than where i am.
The rain water is good nothing wrong with it. If you save it watch for slime and watch for a bad smell. You are doing the right thing asking questions before burning up your crop and setting your self up for success. I probably didn’t answer everything but hopefully this helps you out.
Yep, i agree totally with @ThcinKC Dont get too frazeled with all the info we all start somewhere and that is the way we all learn to grow. Pop those beans in some medium and go fir it, if you run into trouble this forum will help you along. As long as you kno the basics you will be fine to start. Happy Growing!!
@Tomjones…read n believe
A PH n PPM Meter set is CRITICAL to a successful grow!!!
Without…you are flying blind and 8 ph will kill you plants.
Amazon has sets and solo meters. A affordable PH n PPM Meter set is $20
Im brand new as well. Just finished my first week. Only advise I could give is to just step back and read. Whatever question you have, there is a topic about it 90% of the time. Just read or watch and read some more. Write things down and make your own little go to “bible” or journal. I have sat back for about 3 months and just watched on YT or now I have found this forum(which is the shiznit)!!! You will feel way more confident, I sure did. Good luck on everything, there are a mass congregation of brain cells in this forum. Read read read!! 
@imSICKkid agreed! And patience… the toughest part for me in the waiting. Figure 180 days or so from seed to cured bud and people think potheads are slackers. HA! as if…
You know they say delayed gratification is one of the single best predictors for success in life? We should all be ruling the world
@basementstealth for real!!! You can buy all the expensive stuff but ya can’t buy patience haha personally for me having my weather station with the remote sensor for my tent has helped with the whole “go look in the tent to check things”. I never have to go jack with it or check it because I see the numbers from my phone.
ive watched countless hours of growing on yt and still get it wrong sometimes also bought a ppm meter yesturday wont arrive till the 18th i have already popped them and will be sure to add some photos soon one of my seedlings is really stretched i guess that its because it wants sun? my parents came to see me over the weekend so ive had to hide themm abit and they havent gotten much light? will add some photos of them
I also have a nutrient called thrive veggie and herbal which they have loved before its in a liquid, now the first photo is the autoflower and im wondering why its stretching so much or is it because she really needs abit of light
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@ThcinKC was i reading it right when you said you feed seedlings quarter dose of nutrients when they are about an inch tall? Does this mean next misting i should add a tiny drop to my spray bottle? Obviously not spraying the plant but the soil around it? They have only bewn given water
That is what what i do i give them feed at a quarter the recommended dose on the feeding schedule and my seed are usually done in little peat cups with or solo cups and give till i see runoff and i do it 2 times a week and when they get bigger i feed at half strength of 2 or 3 time a week depending on the ppm meter tells you how hungry they are hope this helps you
This is my journal hope you check it out
Thanks @ThcinKC and @WickedAle @ThcinKC mine are currently in solo cups im having trouble with uploading photos
@ThcinKC the first photo is my white widow photo period
And the second is the autoflower how do you think they are doing? Their 6 days today from planting in soil and coco
And this is going to be the first feeding i give them ive done about a quarter of a teaspoon which is 2.5ml to 3 liters of water
What are your thoughts do they look healthy? Ive been putting them outdoors and during the afternoon just under a few cfls for a few more hours