To all new/beginning growers

i agee with you pothead...the next best thing to puffing on high quality budz is... contributing to growing high quality budz...itz enjoyable...peace and luv :rasta:

this is my first grow, i'm using a hydroponic system but i only check mine every couple of days, its very easy i find and i get excited every time i'm going to check ,relax while i'm there and come away contented. money and time well spent i'd say - and i've yet to smoke any :)
i started this with a "give it a go" attitude but now really enjoy it - am already viewing the crop as a bonus!
As for hydro being hard - i knew nothing ,have done nothing apart from feeding every couple of days and adjustin the ph weekly and i got these comming - when you compare these to the dead tomatoes in my garden i know which i think is easiest!
http://boards.cannabis.com/showthread.php?t=70689

Im not against hydro don't get me wrong. If you do your
research and put a little time and effort into it before
the grow you will be pleased at results from either method.

Im just stating that some new growers try and fit all they hear
into their first time and end up with a mess and disappointment.

But I prefer soil over hydro just a personal preference for me.

what you put in your plants......is what you get out....

Some basics on plant foods and fertilizers for new growers.

Fertilizer labels always have three hyphenated numbers, such as
20-20-20, which is called the guaranteed analysis. If you remember
anything from high school chemistry, perhaps N-P-K will help N=nitrogen
P=phosphurus K=potassium.

NITROGEN: It is the main nutrient plants use to grow new leaves
and stems.
PHOSPHORUS: promotes the growth of roots and the formation of
flowers(buds)
POTASSIUM: supports all phases of growth and helps plants with their
natural defenses against disease and insects.

This is why you have differnt levels of N-P-K for each
stage of growth.

Keep in mind plants do not live alone on N-P-K. They also need
other nutrients, including calcium, magnesium and sulfur.
This where some compost could provide these other nutrients
needed.
Here is one easy and cheap way to add these other needed
nutrients to your plant.

take about 1 gal. of fresh compost 4 gal. of warm water
put the compost into a pantyhose tie it at both ends.
put that into the 4 gallons of warm water let that sit for
about 3 day. Give your plants a good watering with that
every 3 weeks it will help out in providing extra nutrients
to your plants that some commercial plant foods do not
contain.

(Anyone else that has some tricks of the trade maybe post them here
to help out new growers. I hope that wasn't complicated i tried not to
get to over the top in my explanations of all that.)

Happy growing!!!!!!!!

deep water culture is easy as falling off a log... i use RO water and my rez temps stay 68-70 ... i don't even do water changes... just add back water and enough nutes in a fixed ratio to keep my ppm's on target.

keep your area clean and the rez cool and light tight, you're good to go. i started off in DWC and am glad i did it, it's cheap, low maintenance, and works well enough i don't want to try anything else really.

truly all it takes is a little effort, and a great place like this to glean some knowledge.

I grow in Soil too.
I just don't think hydro is that difficult.

As far as checking your plants every 3 days or so.
Thats not enough in my opinion.
I've seen plants hermie in 3 days.
I've seen them die from pumps dying.Things that could be avoided with a little attention.
Also mites always invade an unattended garden.

Yes i agree if you are growing indoors at least check
on your plants once a day. For wilting color changes
or anything else that might indicate disease or insect
infestation.
Outdoor growing might not be as easy to keep tabs on
if you have a plot that is miles away from your house, so
any preemptive measures that can be taken against plant
disease and pest control is a must.