Watering

Hi everyone

Few simple questions, been quite a while since I grew anything just getting back into it so trying to remember details.

Have two small healthy two week old plants in closet in say 1 1/2 gallon pots with 1/2 and 1/2 mix potting soil and top soil from Miracle Grow. Each has a 120W CFL on them in a small area with white paint. Dont want to go to anymore than 2 plants.

1) How frequently should I water them and about how much.

2) I know pH is a big deal in hydro but is it a big deal to pH water if you have in soil? I think not since the soil buffers the pH. I am just using spring water from Wal-Mart.

3) I have them on 18/6 light dark for now but sometimes it is 19/5 or 17/7. Is that a big deal in growth stage? I know it is in flowering and I will get timers but just dont have any yet.

Thanks for any help.

Get yourself a timer. They are about $2. Saves a lot of hassle.
As far as I know Ph is an issue with soil too. If you get good soil and don't overfeed with chemical ferts then I think you will be ok. I flush with a gallon of water first then feed with less than half a gallon. You probably won't need to water at this stage more than once a week. You'll know you've over watered if you see mould or fungus gnats buzzing around. And the plants will look sad. I like to flood mine then let them dry right out to the point when the leaves start to droop. Don't get confused with leaves drooping for other reasons though. They sometimes do it toward the end of the 18hr light cycle because they are getting tired and ready for some sleep. Or if you over fert them. Better to half feed and worry about deficiencies than over do it.
Also, I think if you flush them too much you wash out the lime in the soil and end up with high ph so itâ??s worth lashing out on a ph tester if you are really concerned.
BobBong wisely says â??water for the size of the plant, not the size of the potâ??
Not 100% on this one but Zandor says miracle grow products are crap.. including the soil.
One post I read the guy said his miracle grow soil was full of spider mites!

Hmm that is pretty crazy about Miracle Grow.
Anyone want to eloborate??
I would think anyone could get one bag of bad soil with bugs.
Mine seems fine,
Is there soil pH meters out there?
Testing water is obvious of course.

Thanks for info

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Originally Posted by UPYooper

Hi everyone

Few simple questions, been quite a while since I grew anything just getting back into it so trying to remember details.

Have two small healthy two week old plants in closet in say 1 1/2 gallon pots with 1/2 and 1/2 mix potting soil and top soil from Miracle Grow. Each has a 120W CFL on them in a small area with white paint. Dont want to go to anymore than 2 plants.

1) How frequently should I water them and about how much.

2) I know pH is a big deal in hydro but is it a big deal to pH water if you have in soil? I think not since the soil buffers the pH. I am just using spring water from Wal-Mart.

3) I have them on 18/6 light dark for now but sometimes it is 19/5 or 17/7. Is that a big deal in growth stage? I know it is in flowering and I will get timers but just dont have any yet.

Thanks for any help.

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Miracle Gro was your first mistake. It contains time released nutrients that will not affect your plant well when you want to add your own nutrients. I reccomend Fox Farm Ocean Forest Potting Soil www.foxfarm.com
And your containers are too small. You need one gallon of container for each foot of plant growth you expect.

To awnser your questions.

1- Every few days typically. Do not water until the pot feels [almost] bone dry. But don't let it dry out all the way. Alot of the frequency depends on your conditions. Heat,humidity.etc.etc.

2- Yes pH is a big deal in any growing application. That spring water your using. Drink it but don't feed it to your plants. In the long run it causes sediment build up in the soil which is bad to put it nicely. Use Reverse Osmosis [RO Water] or Distilled Water. 69 cents at any grocery store buddy.

3- 24/0 will work better. Cannabis does not require a dark period duing vegetative growth to rest from photosynthesis. Your plants will grow faster from it. When you are ready to flower just change it to 12/12. Only two cycles in the entire plants life. 24/0 for vegetative and 12/12 for flowering.

Hope I did'nt bum you out or anything and good luck. By the way try to get away from those fluros they don't produce good yeilds and the buds are always airy. Click the link under my signature to see what I mean.

This is not the best reference in the world to growing cannabis but it's free.

www.weedfarmer.com