hello again all i was wondering if someone could explain what EC means? i have an understanding of ph and ppm but no idea what EC means. and while we are on the subject of ph and ppm when growing in soild do i need to check the ph of both the soil and the nutrients? my guess is i must test both. that being said does anyone have any opinions on advance nutrients new line of ppm/ph perfect nutes? the ones that supposedly self adjust. is this marketing bullshit or actual product pros?
EC stands for Electrical Conductivity. The higher the nutrient levels in the solution, the higher the Electrical Conductivity. PPM stands for Parts Per Million of TDS or Total Dissolved Solids. You can get more detailed info here. http://www.genhydro.com/genhydro_US/faqstrength.html You need only pH your water and nutrient solution and your soil should stay within the proper pH range as long as you start with a high quality soil with the proper amendments already in it.
Ras once again you answered my question about EC, thank you. as fpr soil i am thinking of starting the germed seeds in those lil compressed peat things and once i have good roots started planting in a solo cup with light warrior from fox farms. i hear that ocean forest may be to "hot" for seedlings. and once the roots get near the bottom of the cups then planting into final pots with ocean forest. but i am open to any suggestions as far as soil is concened. and nutes lol
For soil i go for the cheap supermarket soil. I even use the stuff with time release nutes in it lol. Add to that a little garden lime to keep the PH in check and 1/4 perlite for drainage and O2 and your laughing Heres an example for a basic cheap cupboard soil grow. http://www.growkind.com/forum/showthread.php?t=40878
Soil huh? Fox Farms makes quality products, great all organic soil mixes. Here is what I suggest with the FF Ocean Forest soil. It tends to be too hot for seedlings, you are correct on this. What most growers I know do is they mix the Ocean Forest and Light Warrior together at a 50/50 ratio. It cuts down the nutrient levels to just about the perfect level as well as lightens up the mix and allows better drainage and air flow for better root development. Or some people like to use the Fox Farms Happy Frog Potting soil. It's a little milder than the Ocean Forest and a little less expensive and can be used straight out of the bag but i would add about 20% additional perlite. Now I also know some good growers that like to use Kellogg's brand Organic potting soil, it's cheap and widely available at most home improvement/garden centers. I would add some dolomite lime and perlite to the mix if you go this route. I do know that my friend uses the Kellogg's and grows some dank buds. He used to use the FFOF but switched to the Kellogg's and says he had just as good of results. A good soil mix is important but you're going to be feeding them eventually so as long as the consistency and texture are right and there is some dolomite lime in it to help keep the pH in check you can grow dank buds in a wide variety of soil compositions. Personally I have been using a brand of soil called Gold Medal Plus Dr. Earth. It's made by Kellogg's as part of their Master Nursery Line of products. I get it at the local nursery for $12 per bag. I like it a lot, it's a bit expensive but no as much as FFOF and it still contains all the amendments I want. Pretty much it has all the same ingredients as the FFOF but in the perfect ratios. I use it straight out of the bag with great results. It's not necessary to spend big money on soil. It all depends on how much work you want to put into either making your own soil mix to save money or how much nutes you want to give during the grow process. Less nutes in the soil and you'll need to feed more often and you'll go through more nutes, but the soil will be cheaper, or spend more on soil and you'll need slightly less nutes. It really comes down to what's available, what you as the grower feel comfortable with, and what you find works for you (this one is all about trial and error through experience). I hope you find this info useful, cuz it was long winded and I hope I didn't just waste all my time typing it. :thumbs-up:
why buy a bag of soil if you gonna mix it? Why not just buy the soil that works for you don't have anything to it. I mean if you have to add something to it or thin out the mix of something why not just making an entire batch of soil custom made yourself it will be cheaper in the long run. Most are basically this Peat moss,compost,perlite,dolomite lime,worm castings Azomite or glacial rock dust for trace elements.this is a good starter mix I would add alfalfa meal brewers yeast soy meal malt extract guano soft rock phosphate maybe some stutzman farm chicken compost. I firstly can start my clones in the soil I make and 04 to 6 weeks without feeding my adultplants after transplanting from solo cups or 1 gallon pots into 5 gallon pots I make 3 cubic feet for about 15 dollars that's 20 gallons or 2 bags of fox farm ocean forest
thanks very much Ras i did find your info very useful. as a newbie it gets overwhelming with all the choices for soils and nutes. so i do appreciate the time and effort you put into your response. you are one of the people i will owe a large debt of gratitude to once i harvest my first buds. you have responded to almost all of my questions. not to mention helped make me feel confident i can grow dank buds. Mt King thanks for the input regarding making my own. my problem is i have limited space to store any large amounts of soil or components to make a custom mix. not to mention how nervous id be that i screwed something up and will kill my babies... lol. and you are yet another of those people who are beyond helpful with your advice and replies t my tireless barrage of questions. you both are aces in my book. all i want is to have plants that give me some nice sweet buds. i think i ordered good genetics. im sure im gonna use good soil. have a 400W HPS on the way for a 4'x2' grow space which is 6250 lumens per square foot (everything ive read says 5000/sq' is optimal more even better) light is covered. just have to pick my nutes still not sure which brand or how elaborate to go. light is on its way, seeds are on their way, im toooo freakin excited
e c=tds E c Is an abbreviation for electric conductivity They use a meter to measure the positive electrons between the meter probes I figured since nobody gives a proper explanation I might as well throw that in there
Thats how we roll... As far as soil goes: Pro-mix is a sterile mixture of peat moss, pearlite and vermaculite. It is also specifically for plants requiring a pH of 5.2 to 7.1 or so...Perfect for our cause! As far as soil additives, I like to use Shrimp compost and Bat guano. Shrimp compost is shrimp compost, so just head to your local harware megastore or nursery and pick up a bag, 3-4 bucks tops. Bat Guano comes in to varieties, Grow and Bloom and gets quite pricey. Im talking 30-35 bucks for a lil 4.4 lb tub...but dont get me wrong, helps get you 4-5 weeks of results in 2-3 weeks of real time. How much does an extra 15-20$ sound to you now...? I use a storage bin I picked up at Canadian Tire to mix my soil in. I think it might be 10-12 gallon bin with a lid. I fill it up 3/4 of the way with Pro-mix, then mix in 5-6 cups of Shrimp compost and 2-2 1/2 cups of Bat guano(Bat Grow in veg, Bat bloom in bud). Thats what Ive been doing until his point. So far, so good! As for Nutes, check out www.botanicare.net I found and used the very same feeding chart you'll find there. I ran the Pure Blend Pro series and found their regiment too strong, atleast for Master Kush anyway. My next go 'round, I'll be cutting their listed values in half and using that as my 'Full Strength' dosage. I suggest you do the same. For General Organics, look up my 'I love the hydro store guy' thread. I posted 2 pics, including the feeding regiment right off the box and everything included. Personally, I like using Botanicare's PBP Grow & Liquid Karma along with G-O's Bio Root and Bio Weed and CalMag. I got bushes, now pumping out SPEARS! Peace, JJb :beerchug-2:
