Fox Farms Ocean Forest

[Locrian99]

Hey all, I’m starting to prep for my 2nd grow. Amazon is bringing me goodies to set up a veg tent that I may also do some autos in at a later date. Going with a viparspectra 350w dimmable in a 32x32x63 tent for it.

Have seeds waiting, Aurora Indica, Wonder Woman and Girl Scout cookies all photos from nirvana. Am going to be using 5 gal smart pots with FFOF and pretty much the full FF nute line from the soil feeding schedule (don’t have the flowers kiss at this point).

Anyways the question... I’m going to be germinating my seeds in rapid rooters and ten my plan was to place the rapid rooters after the roots start showing in solo cups with the FFOF, the guy at the grow shop says the OF I’ve heard some concerns over the OF being a bit hot for seedlings, the guy who owns my local grow shop especially. I’ve learned from my experience with him to take his advice with several grains of salt lol. Any thoughts on that? Also I was thinking I’d add 15-20% perlite to the FFOF just to boost drainage seems pretty common, just wondering if the smart pots will make that pointless with their added drainage. Any input welcome thanks all.

[PuravidaC]

Hey 99. I have always used FFOF and have heard the same as you about it being hot so I use a generic "starter mix" in solo cups, then stir a little more starter mix in the hole I make when I transplant to final container. Seems to work fine although I have read that some folks use Happy Frog for autos as it isn't as hot as FFOF. I haven't added perlite to FFOF because it has some already and my fabric pots are draining fine but I plan to add perlite next time. I've had issues with over watering this grow because I thought fabric pots would dry out quicker than my old 5 gal plastic pots so additional perlite can't hurt!

[Locrian99]

Thanks man I found an old thread on here from last year I think you even commented on it that mention the happy frog (which is what my plants in flower are currently in), doing a mix et. By generic starter mix do you mean something like black gold seedling mix? I was out xmas shopping today and was at a store with a garden center, I was looking at it but after all I’ve read on miracle gro I kind of lumped it in the same.

[PuravidaC]

My understanding of starter or seedling mix is it has very little or no nutrients so delicate seedlings don't get burned. Seedlings use stored energy for the first week or so anyway and don't need nutrients from the start, in soil. Coco and hydro are different, but I'm with you on miracle grow, even their "organic" mixes.

[Locrian99]

I suppose I could just mix up what I’ll fill the solo cups with and run water through it to 100% run off and put the rapid rooters in there when ready and the soil had dried out some. I’d think that’d “cool” it off some.

[Trichomefarmer88]

I use ffof as well but I like to doctor it up a bit... I use Coco coir mixed 40 %Coco 60% ffof for my seedlings that I also use rapid rooters works great... but how I use it is mix dolomite garden lime in it cause I've read that the oysters shell they use for pH buffer only last about a month are so... I also add 10%perlite and about 25% sphagnum peat moss ( I run it threw a screen to get the chunks of wood out... But that seems to work great for me.. haven't had one pH problem since I switched from using straight ffof almost two years ago now.. happy growing an good luck

[PuravidaC]

Interesting TF88. Have read some complaints lately about FFOF ph being too low but my last couple of bags have had slightly high ph. And I thought oyster shell broke down slowly. How much lime do you add per bag?

[Trichomefarmer88]

I use it lightly at half Tbs per gallon of dirt.. an I agree I heard the shells last but maybe they've lightened up on it are something? But my pH is never higher that 7 and seems easier to maintain at 6.5 an so on... I like changing my pH around... But from my understanding with the lime is it buffers at 7 so if higher it should also take it down right? Not so sure... I don't even check it anymore I just add the lime and mix everything up then check it...

[D.A.A.S.69]

That's the way I do my soil is like you TF88, I just throw a handful or two of pulverized dolomite in it, when I start.
Your gonna hear good an bad about FFOF soil, the last 2 big sacks I got were both below 5.0 ph, in both sacks, but I think my bags might have been real old when I bought it, the man I bought it from didn't even know how old it was. You need to read what Mr KIND, of KindSoil says about it FFOF, in his comparisons, on his website. He says it ain't to hot ,he says the ph is way to low, that's why my autoflower seedlings were not speed demons in that grow, it took them along time to start growing, but when they finally started growing they did just fine.anyway that's why I'm back in coco and never should have left coco, some of it like coco-loco has plenty of good stuff in it to last young plants for at least a month.Been alot of good pot grown in FFOF over the years.the main thing is make sure it's in the right ph range from the start of your grow, so they can grow an not stall from the beginning especially for autoflowers, no big deal with photos, they aint in a hurry like autoflowers. Good Luck with everything, you might want to think about a taller tent if your gonna use LEDs, they can bleach your plants real quick before you even know it, even if you keep them tied down real good,if you get a good growing strong plant, your gonna have parts growing into your lights, an extra foot in tent height would be wonderful, my tent is the same as yours, an I like using leds, cause they grow pretty plants,but I wish my tent was taller, it's just so handy when you have plenty of room to work.

[Locrian99]

Hey daas the 63” tent I’m going to use primarily for vege maybe do some autos in there. My flowering tent is a 48x48x80 with a 600w hps

[D.A.A.S.69]

Hey 99, your good then, good luck ,I think your gonna do fine. It's hard to beat those 600s, leds do a damn good job though, as far as pretty plants go. Such a pretty green color on plants grown with leds.