My fertilizer thoughts.

[WashougalWonder]

I could have said manure thoughts, but heck, as you see, twisted I am.

This could be quite lengthy, I am under bedrest orders for a little while and am bored out of my mind. Stoned too, so it may ramble a little, but I hope to share my latest theories and assumptions on fertilizer......as it relates to my garden. What works for me may not for you!!!!

A brief description of my methods.
My water is RO because I have high salt and Iron content in my tap water. Clone in rockwool to root show, then into 4" pot of FFOF, and to the covered tray with warmer and vents open. When just about to the top of the lid, transplant to 1/2 gal pots FFOF and remove from humidity tray. Transplant to a 1 gallon for a couple weeks, then the 3 gallon. FFOF for every transplant.

Last transplant I put in a little (1/2 teaspoon) of 16-16-16 in the very bottom, at least an inch of FFOF before the plant goes on top. After a week, another 1/2 teaspoon....or just as it goes to flower room.

This seemed to be all I could do for these plants because if I tried to give any fertilizer other than Floral Nectar, I had severe problems with yellowing and spots on the leaves becoming brown and not showing any signs of fungus or disease, these spots would just die. Did not really effect the plant unless it got really bad.

If I watered and flushed it only seemed to get worse, transplanting seemed to improve it, but I find it ridiculous to transplant for a 2 week period of time and I am physically challenged at that size. I tried multiple things to cure the problem. Iron, CalMag, Kool Bloom, Sweet, nothing, 30-0-0, guano, and on and on, and on. It always seemed to have no effect, or worse, stress the plants.

Reading posts here made me do a bunch of thinking. (I have learned more here since I started coming than in the previous 5 years).:thumbsup: I see common errors among the beginners...such as over-tending. Thusly I considered this topic advanced. If you don't have the patience to watch without acting, don't read any further, you will injure your plants. Stick with good potting soil and water and light. Actually that is all the plant needs if you transplant on a frequent basis. Think of your potting soil as your nutrients attached to a batch of mix for a hydro setup.

You see, my current theory is that the potting soils have enough nutes in them to last for 6-12 weeks depending on the mfg. So, why do we add more perlite, or more bat guano, or this fert, or that nute? The stuff in the mix was balanced until the grower starts to mess with it. This includes runoff. If it runs off, it is not available for the plant. Have you ever gone out in the middle of a field and dug a hole and felt the moisture? Damn, sometimes you wonder how stuff can be green. Moist is enough. Plants give notice when they are thirsty.

Obviously I want to grow the best in the Northwest. So, I would like to supplement the good of what I do, and drop the bad part (creating imbalances in buffered medium). Therefore, I constantly experiment. I THINK I might have stumbled on a good combo for me with FFOF, and RO water. I am only 3 weeks into this.

I have continued the 16-16-16 in the same manner. Floral Nectar is the safest of these related to injuring/burning the plant, with Kool Bloom the hottest and most sensitive. The combo of those two really created a noticeable imbalance, such I finally identified as being a K deficiency. About 3 weeks ago I implemented a new structure/schedule and have had some very positive results. No more dead spots. Yellowing is minimal until the very end. Buds are fatter, trichomes are up too, but some of that is UVb. Less tip browning.

My current experimental formula is:

10 eyedrops per quart/per plant, at 4, 6, and 7 weeks. I don't water enough to get drainage until the last 2 weeks.
These are the products, the key was the Snowstorm in conjunction with the rest as I had a potassium deficiency until I used that.
Floral Nectar
Snowstorm Ultra
KoolBloom

This one has a week to go, is a Haze, hardly yellowing at all. Best things have looked in quite awhile at this age.

It is so cool to be able to use this as a hobby to occupy my mind. I love playing farmer.:stoned:

WashougalWonder Reviewed by WashougalWonder on 02-21-2010. My fertilizer thoughts. I could have said manure thoughts, but heck, as you see, twisted I am. This could be quite lengthy, I am under bedrest orders for a little while and am bored out of my mind. Stoned too, so it may ramble a little, but I hope to share my latest theories and assumptions on fertilizer......as it relates to my garden. What works for me may not for you!!!! A brief description of my methods. My water is RO because I have high salt and Iron content in my tap water. Clone in rockwool to root Rating: 5

[stra8outtaWeed]

It is so cool to be able to use this as a hobby to occupy my mind. I love playing farmer.

blows farmville on facebook away....haha!:smokin:

i have people ask why i don't play farmville:wtf:

[WashougalWonder]

Interesting, one species does not like that.........my White Widow. Not sure if it is the plant age or something else. (I was given a clone in '03).

It took one dose at 3 weeks, second at 6 weeks set off some sort of imbalance. Plant will be okay, but I know not to nute that one.

Again I am of firm belief that FF Ocean Forest has enough nutes to grow from start to finish with no extra nutrition. I still gotta play tho. :jointsmile:

EDIT: That is with regular repotting as needed....think of it as adding nutes and new shoes.

[Rusty Trichome]

Every time you transplant, you are adding more nutes from the addition of more FFOF mix. Likely over time, yes...they will require less nutes overall, but the transplant isn't supplying everything she desires. Which is likely why you need the additives.

In mid to late flower, have you tried replacing the sugar beet extracts (CalMag...) with molasses yet? (average unsulfered molasses N-P-K...1-0-5)

Molasses and our plants

[scott9116]

Good info on the molasses RT. I had always thought of molasses as just a source for carbohydrate energy. I've tried honey thinking that the effect on the plants would be the same and easier to mix into water. Honey made for some great tasting weed. The flavor was really amazing on Hashberry (sometimes too ashy for my taste) Northernlights tasted like lemon-mint candy. However, I think it caused some PH or lockout probs that I never really figured out (weird dead spots on leaves looked like light burn). Plants were much hardier on mole-asses. Yield was about the same for both additives, better than without in ANY SOIL. IMHO you can't go wrong with molasses when it comes to yield and over all health and "bang-for-the-buck".. Honey tastes better just be prepared to keep a close eye on 'em. Both can attract and feed some happy and overly-healthy soil bugs. I wouldn't use either outdoors.

WashoulgalWonder- Just curious what are you paying for FFOF? In my area it's insane, $20-25 per bag plus a 60-65mi drive.

[khyberkitsune]

"Interesting, one species does not like that.........my White Widow."

I thought it was just me but it seems that WW is a finicky plant all around. It hated my HPS light (while the rest of the other strains I had just loved it to death,) it was really finicky with nutes (1/2 strength the entire way and STILL kept getting tip burn) and boy was it EVER finicky about temperature.

[WashougalWonder]

I have used molasses/sugar cane derivatives and am most pleased with them for bulking. I give one time 3 weeks before harvest or I screw up the osmolarity.

Also I am trying some stuff that is mostly K, called Snowstorm Ultra. It seems to help with bulking and with the induced K deficiency I seem to get every round.

I think I pay about 15 a bag and it is 20 mile drive for FFOF, just had price increase so not sure, was $13