Grow Medium and correct fert. strenght

[eL.migz]

So this is going to be my first grow coming up. I have read a lot of books and watched a lot and most have told me to go with a soiless mix without NPK so that it is a fresh slate. i was thinking 1/3 peatmoss 1/3 vermiculite 1/3 perlite with some dolomite lime mixed in. now i know that bud likes more nitrogenous ferts, but people say that equal NPK works fine for veg.

what im wondering is should i go with a 30-10-10, an 18-18-18 or a 12-12-12? if i go with one of the equal NPK's, should i add a Nitrogen only fert to it? (blood meal), these are the main ferts my local nursery carries.

thanks, i appreciate the help :jointsmile:
migs

[rah]

Hi El,

I feel like you. I am in my first grow but further along. My girls are doing great.

I purchased a primium soil mix from Orchard Supply. It has the correct ph, nutrients, and water retention qualities. My plants are hearty.

When I mixed perlite, and vermiculite, my ph whent over 7 and never got back. I will never mix it myself again.

The main thing for me was finding the right fertillizer. I use "Grow Big" for veg. state and "Tiger Bloom" for flower. I am getting good results.

I hope this was some help.

[Tomthehippie]

Working with a soil-less mix is considered slight more tricky then growing in soil its self. Nutrients will have to bed fed constantly through out the plants life.

Growing seedlings in a soil-less mix means nutes have to be applied, unlike a good high quality soil that contains enough food for roughly 3 weeks. which is great as its easy to kill off seedlings with excess feeding.

Nutrients generally change the ph of your medium. Use a ph meter after uv added nuts to water and adjust with ph up or down (an inexpensive ph adjusting solution.)

:)

[stinkyattic]

...go with a soiless mix without NPK so that it is a fresh slate. i was thinking 1/3 peatmoss 1/3 vermiculite 1/3 perlite with some dolomite lime mixed in.
That mix is guaranteed to give you problems. Believe me I have tried it. Peat moss is like pH ~4.5. Have fun. Even with the lime, it isn't going to be easy to get it right.
You are better off using coco or something if you want to go soilless.
I had excellent results with a mix of composted cow manure, leaf humus (pH buffer, wOOt), and up to 40% perlite. No pH problems ever since I switched over.

[PatrickHenry]

I've got a question along these lines. If you're using a soil-less mix, when do you begin vegetative feeding?

[Tomthehippie]

Iv Hurd when leaves start to turn yellow. Im not sure on this but i wouldn’t be surprised if there was a special seedling feed for this very reason. I assume if there isn’t a die-looted veg feed would do.

[foxysox]

If you're using a soil-less mix, when do you begin vegetative feeding?

Same as any other mix... it depends on the plant...
Start giving your sprouts ferts when they have grown 4 sets of ADULT leaves (not counting the cotyledons!).
Use a veg fert at 1/4 strength for the first feeding, and work up to full strength.
This is also about the time when you will be doing your first transplant, if you have got things worked out right...
seedling starting soil is different from what you want for veg...
stinky's soil mix is fantastic for veg, but not appropriate for young seedlings, as it is too 'hot' and may burn them.
So you're going to be giving your young veggers ferts AND putting them into 'grown-up' soil at the same time, so use superthrive too for the watering right after transplant.