First cabinet grow, abundance of questions

First off, I've been lurking a while but havnt seen much mentioned on what combinations of potting soil etc to mix

I plan on growing indoors using CFL (which I posted a question in the lighting section that would appreciate help with)

I was wondering what the best combo for dirt mix is, I see people mixing 4-1-1 potting soil with other shit, like what is the best potting soil etc, what to mix with.

Also, what ferts do you guys use and when do you time them? I figure wait 2 weeks to do anything to the plants.

My cab is 4 feet tall x 4 feet wide and almost 2 feet deep. I plan to do 2-3 plants in there maybe even section a small portion for vegging, but what is best for this size box? I figure I will top the plant and then tie it down to keep grow short and wide.

Any help is appreciated, thank you

I have only done a couple of soil grows but I've used Fox Farms - Lite Warrior for the seedlings since it's quite mild, transplanting into Ocean Forest after a couple or three weeks when they can handle it. I use 25% Perlite with both. I also put a 1/2" layer of Perlite at the bottom for good drainage.

First time I tried to grow I used a recipe with Ocean Forest, worm castings, top soil, blah, blah, and it burned the crap outta my seedlings so I always start them with the Lite Warrior now.

Two or three plants should be good in that space - may get crowded but manageable.

Happy growing! :thumbsup:

Thank you sir, that was the advice I needed. Where can all the suggested items be found? I have walmart, home depot, lows etc all within 3-4 miles of my house.

Also, should I keep the cfl's within a foot of the plants at all times? Say as they grow adjust them higher with growth.

You won't find Fox Farms at those big box stores, although you can probably find something suitable. Do you have any Hydroponics shops near you?

I'm sure you'll get more answers from folks who've used different soils from HD, Lowes etc and found what works for them.

You can get the CFL's closer than a foot away... 3-6 inches when they are brand new seedlings and only a couple inches away once they are able to take it. Also depends on the CFL - my 150 watt CFLs (true watts - 650w eqv.) is hot as blazes but I'm assuming you have something more normal than those monsters.

I plan on using 6 of the 42 watt (150 equivalent whatever) lights, unless I should maybe mix the spectrum and throw in some daylights, or even add another fixture with a few more daylights maybe lower in the foilage

Me and roomy are both going, and he just brought me home some K-2's and says hes got some kush for himself. I figure k-2's are a better yielder at short sizes so im happy.

Any help on what dirt would be great, and what ferts to use when

I just recently started my first grow, and I made the mistake of buying soil at home depot. I determined when I got home that I didnt really like it after all, and threw it in my tomato plants. Then I hit up my local garden store, same thing. Threw it on my peppers. I finally just decided to drive almost two hours away to the nearest hydroponics store. It was the best move I ever made - I got my mylar, fan, everything else to finish off my cab, and got some fox farms. They were out of the ocean blend, so I got some fox farms Happy frog, and it seems to be doing great. Plus I like frogs, and I have frogs, so I thought that was some good vibes. Anyway, hope this helped. Im gonna go watch my frogs eat :hippy:

Thanks for the advice, I just bought all that shit from lowe's but I dont think im gonna use it, I found a hydroponic supply store thats not too far down the road, definetly gonna get the dirt from there.

Peters is a good fert to use yeah?
Whats good, high first two numbers in the vegging, then the last number for flowering?

Just went to the local hydro place, got the fox farms.. tested all the lights, fans working.. everythings good to go. Will get pics shortly

I just got the ocean stuff, as the lite warrior was a fortune on top of it... 4-1-1 ocean forest, vermaculate and perlite