New Grower Need a GOOD mix.

[JJ05]

Never used promix but have used fd's ff nute schedule-works great and gives you a place to start. It does end around week 6 so if you have a strain that goes longer then that you'll have to improvise with your own nutes schedule.I followed it for my first grow of cobra and liked it and so did the plants,now on my 2nd and 3rd grows and improvising a little more on my own. One of the many things i've learned here is to watch your plants and they'll tell you what they like and don't like in the nutes department.

which soil do you use?

 

[fullauto]

I use fox farms ocean forest soil. Used it on my cobra grow and now my pineapple express and blue widow grows. If you get any of it,check the soil ph right out of the bag BEFORE you plant as the last few bags i bought the ph was in the low 5's and had to use some powdered dolomite lime to get it into the low 6's. Other then the low ph out of the bag i like it.

 

[Muddy]

Pro Mix is a great medium and what I've been using for awhile. Which one you get depends a bit on your lights. BX is good for seedlings and for HPS lighting, HP for CFLs and LEDs. BX hold a little more water and tends to dry out a bit fast under HPS lights.

Yes, since it's a nuteless mix you can start feeding a little earlier. Generally by about 12-15 days the plants will have used up the starter nutes and you may start to see a little N deficiency. Depending on the strain I usually start feeding them a light dose of nutes around that time.

If you do amend it with your garden soil make sure you sterilize it first. You don't want to bring any bugs into your grow area.

 

[Muddy]

Sorry, but what you're seeing is not the mychorizzal fungi. They take approximately 2 weeks to become active and then only when roots are present. The amount contained in Pro Mix is sufficient to establish a viable colony of fungi and there is no need to add any more unless the Pro Mix is amended. Yes, chlorinate water can kill the fungi, along with certain chemical fertilizers.

well your promix might not have enough myco in it for it to be visible, but you can see white fuzz growing if left in the dark, also if you plan on using mycorrizhae don't use tap water as it has chlorine in it and the chlorine will kill the myco, i dont have to worry about this because i have well water. Yeah for big grows it doesnt make sense ( i only grow in 1 gal milk jugs) but there are some cheap african violet potting mixes out there too.


This mix is basically like feeding your plant filet mignon

you can get 12 gallons of the african violet potting mix for 20$ and if 1/3 of your final product is cow shit you can stretch this mix into 16 gallons for around 20$, not terribly expensive but works for me

 

[JJ05]

Pro Mix is a great medium and what I've been using for awhile. Which one you get depends a bit on your lights. BX is good for seedlings and for HPS lighting, HP for CFLs and LEDs. BX hold a little more water and tends to dry out a bit fast under HPS lights.

Yes, since it's a nuteless mix you can start feeding a little earlier. Generally by about 12-15 days the plants will have used up the starter nutes and you may start to see a little N deficiency. Depending on the strain I usually start feeding them a light dose of nutes around that time.

If you do amend it with your garden soil make sure you sterilize it first. You don't want to bring any bugs into your grow area.

Muddy this will be an outdoor grow. Should I go with Promix Potting soil? Also you say 12-15 days after sprout hit them with a very light dose of nutes. Basically use FDs feeding sched but 1/4 recommended strength?

 

[Muddy]

Outdoors is a totally different animal. Given that you'll get periods of rain where you won't be able to feed them, so it's a lot harder outdoors to keep them on a regimented feeding schedule. You may get a good rain, then just about the time when they are dry enough to feed, it will rain again. Outdoors I prefer to take the Pro Mix and amend it with composted manure or worm castings. That way the plant has something to feed on when you can't give it liquid nutes.

 

[JJ05]

Outdoors is a totally different animal. Given that you'll get periods of rain where you won't be able to feed them, so it's a lot harder outdoors to keep them on a regimented feeding schedule. You may get a good rain, then just about the time when they are dry enough to feed, it will rain again. Outdoors I prefer to take the Pro Mix and amend it with composted manure or worm castings. That way the plant has something to feed on when you can't give it liquid nutes.

Thanks for the advice. How much wormcastings should I use for how many gallons of mix?

 

[Muddy]

About 25 or 30% worm castings is good, along with an equal amount of perlite. Wet it down with some pH balanced water, let it sit for 3-4 days and check the pH. You may need to add some dolomite lime to the mix to raise the pH if it's low.