I came here as a complete novice.... had just bought a grow light, a few pots and got a couple of seeds started. No idea about how to grow if I'm honest, so used the forum to connect and learn.
I can sum up the basics, but my biggest breakthrough was one of the last things to click. So for all new and aspiring growers here is my summery.
1. Water.
You have to know the water you are using, and adjust it to be available as a platform for your nutrients. EC is the technical term for hard or soft water. What matters is you need EC 0.4 to start with. This is the right level of hardness for plants to be able to take up nutes whether in soil or not. Cal-mag is your best friend, MgS04, or Epsom salt is the next best thing to EC soft water. If you have hard water then you need to buy RO or distilled water and harden it with CaMg.
2. PH.
So I read 5.8-6.2 is ideal..... that is an iron law. When my res gets over 6.2 the girls stop feeding. In soil try to maintain 6 - 6.5.
3. Light intensity
LED or whatever... start at 75%. Or increase distance while on 18/6. When you reduce light hours you reduce the amount of light energy per "day". So when you flip to 12/12 you need to make up for it by increacing light intensity. Ramp up to 100%, lower light. Now the key here is obviously not burning the plant but to keep its momentum. Wait for the last phase, the ripening process then back off the lights again while they on a water flush if that's your thing.
4. Patience
Yup, the hardest part. However the most beneficial to yield. Big fat solid buds taken early shrink into smaller looser (fluffy) buds.
No one wants that.
If you take the time to learn the basic life cycle and nutritional needs of your plant then you will get a better result than following Instructions from light manufacturer or nutrient bottle.... finally, I don't count weeks anymore. I grow the size and shape I want however long it takes and OBSERVE the plant as it changes throughout its life cycle.
Happy growing team ðŸ‘
I can sum up the basics, but my biggest breakthrough was one of the last things to click. So for all new and aspiring growers here is my summery.
1. Water.
You have to know the water you are using, and adjust it to be available as a platform for your nutrients. EC is the technical term for hard or soft water. What matters is you need EC 0.4 to start with. This is the right level of hardness for plants to be able to take up nutes whether in soil or not. Cal-mag is your best friend, MgS04, or Epsom salt is the next best thing to EC soft water. If you have hard water then you need to buy RO or distilled water and harden it with CaMg.
2. PH.
So I read 5.8-6.2 is ideal..... that is an iron law. When my res gets over 6.2 the girls stop feeding. In soil try to maintain 6 - 6.5.
3. Light intensity
LED or whatever... start at 75%. Or increase distance while on 18/6. When you reduce light hours you reduce the amount of light energy per "day". So when you flip to 12/12 you need to make up for it by increacing light intensity. Ramp up to 100%, lower light. Now the key here is obviously not burning the plant but to keep its momentum. Wait for the last phase, the ripening process then back off the lights again while they on a water flush if that's your thing.
4. Patience
Yup, the hardest part. However the most beneficial to yield. Big fat solid buds taken early shrink into smaller looser (fluffy) buds.
No one wants that.
If you take the time to learn the basic life cycle and nutritional needs of your plant then you will get a better result than following Instructions from light manufacturer or nutrient bottle.... finally, I don't count weeks anymore. I grow the size and shape I want however long it takes and OBSERVE the plant as it changes throughout its life cycle.
Happy growing team ðŸ‘
