Outdoor Grow questions

[chucknorris]

First of all I live in Australia, NSW 28.6 latitude sub tropics.
I am going to try grow outdoors in a poly tunnel with 8 gallon pots 6-10 plants (Mi5, Afghan kush ryder, Auto bomb if all goes well more later on)
I will be using this soil http://www.yates.com.au/products/pots-and-potting-mix/all-purpose-potting-mix/yates-professional-potting-mix/
Q 1: Do I still need nutes If I use that soil?
Q 2: Will I be able to grow year round with decent efficiency?
Q 3: Should I plant the seeds as soon as they germinate or will it stunt them with that kind of soil if so tell me know how I should do it
Q 4: Will using a poly tunnel be fine? It's high/wide enough.
Q 5: Is 8gallon to big?
Q 6: Will I be able to produce kick ass yields?
Q 7: Should I mix some perlite Into that soil?

 

[Red eyed c]

Welcome to AFN mate,nice profile name,chuck Norris kicks ass,literally that soil is loaded with ferts so I'd say don't start seeds in it,a seedling soil would be better,or a general un ferted compost would be perfect.you can start seeds in that and then have your own nutrient feeding schedule.a lot of growers at AFN use the tiered cup method.take 2 party cups,cut the bottom off one and pierce holes in the bottom of the other.slide the bottomless one inside the other and fill with soil and add seed.once sexed or big enough you can simply slide out the cup with the plant and sit it in a bigger pot .8 gal pots are prob to big for most autos but mi5 can get huge and other super auto will require pots that big.2 or 3 gal will grow nice plants and if you have good weather all year you should be able to grow nice plants in your polytunnel mate.and as for perlite,which ever soil you choose if it ain't got any in it add some it with help with drainage :smokebuds:

 

[Hugo]

Exactly my thoughts

Welcome to AFN mate,nice profile name,chuck Norris kicks ass,literally that soil is loaded with ferts so I'd say don't start seeds in it,a seedling soil would be better,or a general un ferted compost would be perfect.you can start seeds in that and then have your own nutrient feeding schedule.a lot of growers at AFN use the tiered cup method.take 2 party cups,cut the bottom off one and pierce holes in the bottom of the other.slide the bottomless one inside the other and fill with soil and add seed.once sexed or big enough you can simply slide out the cup with the plant and sit it in a bigger pot .8 gal pots are prob to big for most autos but mi5 can get huge and other super auto will require pots that big.2 or 3 gal will grow nice plants and if you have good weather all year you should be able to grow nice plants in your polytunnel mate.and as for perlite,which ever soil you choose if it ain't got any in it add some it with help with drainage :smokebuds:

 

[chucknorris]

Ok thanks man would cow manure work to start the seedlings in I have a bag of that leftover from my real garden. Btw sorry if this is a dumb question but will it matter much if I dont feed nutes at all? or would that just be horrible?

 

[Hugo]

In soilless mixes with ammendments people usually start feeding after 2 to 3 weeks old, sometimes only at 4. I'd say some nute is always helpfull. MJs will grow no matter what you decide, but they will give you bigger yelds if you pay attention to her life cycle and nutrient demands. I would advice you to get Promix instead of that brand you mention.

I dunno about cow manure. It should be fine, but more experienced growers will say better.

 

[Red eyed c]

I wouldn't run cow manure either mate it could be to hot,seeds are very touchy.basic compo is yr best bet,no burning them..canna needs feeding mate if you want decent buds.if your using un ferted soil you need some kind of veg/flower nutes.you could give that soil a run that you linked,but don't start seeds in it.transplant into that once they sex or after a couple of weeks and see how they do.one other tip,if possible grab your self a ph pen if you ain't got one,this is super important kit.keep all water and feeds going in around 6.3 ish and that's the golden zone for soil growing.

 

[chucknorris]

Have you got any advice on what nutes to get preferabley cheap? and cheap/free postage by any chance

 

[bgrt]

you can use cheapo nutes from a gardening centre/section just get the NPK ratio right for veg you need something higher in N and for flower you need something higher in P and K and lower in N
most nutes have this listed on the back, as a general rule miracle grow is usually too strong or maybe thats just the time release stuff.

you should also get a micro nutrient mix for trace elements, i think there are seaweed mixes that have most of that in them.
someone else will probably come along with something a bit more concrete.

brand wise i have used canna terra and general hydroponics 3 part and both of these were good and i had no problems(so far) with nute burn etc.

 

[Red eyed c]

There's a tonne of different nutes out there mate,do you wanna grow organic?
Here's a link to the fertiliser and soil threads mate lots of good info there https://www.autoflower.org/forum38/forum26/

 

[chucknorris]

Alright thanks heaps for the help.