Indoor First Grow odds are against me. Please help. Especially for those that have used Peatmoss.

[DvS]

Currently I am located in what could be considered a third world country. I do not even have access to postal service to order what I need, but here is what I have been able to come up with. Maybe some more experienced growers could assist me.

Peat Moss: The brand is THE GULF PEAT MOSS I have searched the web for hours trying to find out the specifics on it. The bag says its PH is 7.2, and that it contains N P K and C, but for the life of me I cant understand why they just couldnt put the ratios on the bag. The bag does say "it has everything a plant needs" for some reason that's not good enough for me.

From what I have read peat is not the easiest medium to work with but I am willing to give it a shot. I have read about the drainage issues with peat, but I cannot get perlite, or vermiculite. I have tried extensively but no luck, so what do I have lots of is SAND. I have read about the ratios of peat to sand most say 2:1, some 3:1 peat to sand. I have been putting sand in small pots and adding water to check for drainage what should I expect to see drainage wise to make sure the sand I have will actually increase drainage.

Another question I have is how much is adding the sand to the peat going to change the PH level of the peat, and in which direction up or down.

Nutrients: I was able to obtain a bag of what looks like little rocks that is supposed to contain N P K in equal ratios. (I Hope) I would assume for feeding that I can just crush them up to powder, and add to water starting in extremely small concentrations, and see how the plant reacts. I will upload pic when I can.

The plant will be feed with neutral PH bottled water (store bought), so I do not need to use tap or any other water source.

It is amazing that I am in a third world country with 24/7 access to internet, but I cannot get the things I need to grow a plant.
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If I get any replies I will most likely turn this thread into a grow log once I get started, but I need to figure out my issues before I begin.

As far as where it will be grown. I have a modified dresser. I have completely painted the interior flat white. After some searching I was able to obtain more than enough CFL lights for one plant. I do have both spectrums for veg and bloom. There will be three lights running at a time I did the lumen calculations, so I have plenty of light. I have added a single intake, and two exhausts which will provide more than enough air circulation. Intake is on the bottom, and the two exhausts are located on top. So the grow area is complete, and I am really happy on how it turned out. Just need to know the answers to the questions earlier in the post, and I am good to go. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.[/FONT]

 

[Muddy]

Welcome to the forum. While sand won't hold water and oxygen the way perlite does it will help with drainage. I'm not sure what effect it will have on the pH but I would think it's probably neutral and won't have much effect. I assume that since you are in the third world that manure should be plentiful. You might consider adding some composted manure to your mix. A pH of 7.2 is high for growing MJ and manure would help lower it some. Maybe a mix of 3 parts peat, 1 part manure and 1 part sand to start with. Although I've never tried it myself, I've heard that styrofoam can be an effective replacement for perlite if broken up into small bits. I assume the fertilizer you found is probably a chemical one. One where all 3 values are the same might be okay for veg but might have too much N and not enough P and K for flowering. If you can get some manure you could also make manure tea for feeding.

 

[DvS]

Thanks Muddy, that is some good info. I had initially tried to go the compost route at first, any type even manure, but it was actually easier for me to get the peat, and since my time here is limited I cannot create my own. I think I am going to go ahead with the peat and sand, and do my best to read the symptoms the plant is giving me. I may not be successful, but I am sure I will learn a few things along the way. Especially since this is my first attempt. What more can you tell me about the manure tea?

 

[Muddy]

Sometimes you just have to work with what is available. Manure teas are just manure that has soaked in water. It's then strained and the water used to feed the plants. I haven't used them myself in years but do a search of the forum and you'll find some good information and several good "recipes".

Do you have a pH meter or access to one? A pH of 7.2 is too high for growing MJ and you're sure to have issues. If you can mix in the manure that should help lower it but it would be better if you knew where you were at with it.