New Grower First-time Grower - Nirvana Bubblelicious Feminized + Autoflower

[Peel Here]

Thanks for all the insight!

A few more questions if you all don't mind.

a) When I start feeding nutes, should I start at 1/4, 1/2, or full dose? I understand autos are sensitive to nutes, so should I expect to never give them full doses and just give them 1/2 dose every other watering or a 1/4 dose every watering? What's the best strategy? Should I ever give them full doses (2mL per L)?

b) I've recently started noticing little black flying insects in my soil. They look like gnats. What's the deal?

c) I have roots starting to poke out of the drainage holes at the bottom of my pots. Glad to see the roots are grown so far down. Is this a sign of the plant being rootbound or is it ok to see roots peeking out the drainage holes at the bottom?

 

[Muddy]

Yes, generally autos require less nutes than photo plants. Start out with 1/4 strength and work up, all the while watching for any signs of over feeding. Usually 1/2 or maybe 3/4 strength is about all they will take.

Sounds like you have a few fungus gnats. Get some sticky fly paper and hang in around the plants. That should take care of them.

Judging by the picture with the lighter as a reference your pots look fairly small so I'm not surprised that they are full of roots already. Not to worry, even a 3 gallon pot will be full by the time the plant has matured.

 

[Peel Here]

Thanks Muddy. My pots are all 1 gallon. I've read that 2 gallon pots are preferred with some poeople claiming anything larger than 2 gallons doesn't improve yield enough to justify the additional soil and space.

Any truth to this?

I'll be looking for 2 gallon square pots for my Rubbermaid box grow at the hydro shop tomorrow. However, I don't think I can fit anything larger than a 1 gallon in my PC Case grow.

What's the idea behind those pots that supposedly prune the roots? Are they worth the cost?

 

[fromseed2weed]

Hey peel, I am about to start a grow almost identical to yours, I'll be using 322w cfl's and 1 gallon containers, I'm looking foward to seeing how yours turns out good luck buddy.

 

[PrezDickie]

Peel, welcome to the world of growers and you'll fast find once your in your stuck, i started out just wanting to provide my wife with meds but now its my major hobby and i'm thinking of expanding my area, its addictive, from the different strains to the different grow styles, there is a lot of info out there and you're already in trouble if you found this forum cuz it will feed the addiction with great people and great info

Good luck and good growing my friend :smokebuds:

 

[Muddy]

In one gallon pots the roots will fill it pretty quickly, so I'm not surprised you're seeing the roots already. Nothing to worry about.

There does seem to be a point of diminishing return when it comes to pot size. I've used ones from about 1.5 gallon all the way up to 5. I find 3 gallon seem to work best for most dwarf strains. One or 1.5 gallon are a great size for micro grows like you are doing.

A lot of people have good success with the Smart and air pots. I haven't tried the air pots but have used Smart pots. They do work as advertised but I find them hard to deal with in my small grow areas. They need to be raised up off the floor an inch or so to give air circulation under the pots so I had them sitting on some pieces of 2 x 2s. It made it difficult for me to reach into the back of the area to rotate them without having to readjust the 2 x 2s. Something like a metal rack would have worked better.

Thanks Muddy. My pots are all 1 gallon. I've read that 2 gallon pots are preferred with some poeople claiming anything larger than 2 gallons doesn't improve yield enough to justify the additional soil and space.

Any truth to this?

I'll be looking for 2 gallon square pots for my Rubbermaid box grow at the hydro shop tomorrow. However, I don't think I can fit anything larger than a 1 gallon in my PC Case grow.

What's the idea behind those pots that supposedly prune the roots? Are they worth the cost?

 

[Peel Here]

For my next grow I'll be using these Premium Black Plastic Pots from Sunlight Supply:

http://www.sunlightsupply.com/p-12466-premium-square-black-plastic-pots.aspx

I can fit two of the 7x7x9 pots in my PC Case. Each one of those are 1.6 gallons.

I can fit two of the 9x9x10.5 in my Rubbermaid grow box at 3.1 gallons each.

That should take care of the roots having enough room issue.

 

[Muddy]

Good choices, they should work well in your areas.

 

[Peel Here]

Here's an update.

First, the spray-painted interior has been cracking very badly since I started this grow. Last night I scraped/peeled out all the paint and covered the interior with chrome Duck Tape brand duct tape I found at Walmart.

#1 (My dwarf)

#2

#3

I started using 1mL each Sensi Grow A&B today along with the 2mL each VooDoo Juice and B-52 I have been using since last week. Prior to the Sensi Grow today, the girls have just been eating the nutes in the Ocean Forest for the past 17 days.

Thanks for everyone's help and encouragement here. So far my first grow has been a lot of fun and a real labor of love and passion. I look forward to seeing these girls flower and then one day tasting my first bowl. It seems surreal to think that day will be here before I know it.

 

[Bikini Fettuccine]

Hey Peel the plants look really good. I like the tote set up still want to make something similar to that but haven't had time or need yet.