Feeling a bit dejected

sstressed said:
i spent a couple of months using, my mighty dail-up connection to read everything i could on growing. i was a couple days from going hydro and then went with soil because of one comment about losing a whole crop in hydro due to being stoned and over feeding them. i did exactly this a few years later.

first grow was good, eight 5 gallon pots, 8 F1 seeds. i got, 8 ounces dry. that was my smallest crop in 25 years of growing 24/7. i now use LEDs and am annoyed at how i can't come close to 8 ounces.

FUCK! :)
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I have so many questions!!!
 
To answer the original question, Lots, likely all of the possible problems.

I spent the winter reading, formulating a plan.
That plan still isn’t where I would like it 2nd time around and it shouldn’t be.
With all the incredible gardens here it would be silly of me to think I should expect similar but I’m seeing a markedly better result than last year and that alone is a plus.

The most noticeable relief for me this year, is that armed with a bit more knowledge I’ve been able to park the helicopter parent mobile and end up having more time to enjoy watching the different things they encounter along the ride, and with the time to correct.
Was pretty scary waiting 11 days at different stages to water but they didn’t need it at the time.

Let us noobs not forget that there are many folks here that have been doing this as long as many of us have been alive.

Don’t give up
I’m working with bag seed because I don’t know diddly. Made no sense to me to add the pressure of purchasing specifics, until I at least had a feeling I could take something from seed to harvest and call it a success, in my own eyes at least
 
The OP is growing in Promix vegetable and herb, is it treated as a soil less media, a soil, or a hybrid? The ingredients are: Canadian sphagnum peat moss (60-75%) Peat humus, Compost, Perlite, Gypsum, Limestone Organic fertilizer (for 3 months), Mycorrhizae. Inquiring minds want to know.
 
Please don't get discouraged. All growers are different and all grows are different. Just like everyone has said, there isn't one streamline approach and not everyone progresses at the same rate-just like in school or in sports. It is NOT evidence that you are not a good grower. In fact, presenting as you did with this thread just shows how much of a good grower you will become.

I've met many people who I know that will never be good at growing cannabis or gardening, simply because they don't have the heart. Those that want it, will ultimately have it and I believe that wholeheartedly.

This forum is the place to be when all else fails, when all is going well, and when you are stuck in the middle trying to sort things out.

My opinion, as would be most here, would be to start a journal with new seedlings and let us help coach you along the way. When you post pics from the start and let everyone in on how you are growing and with what tools and amendments, it will be cake for anyone here to assist in guiding you down the right path.

Please like I said, do not abandon this love and this desire. Utilize this amazing platform to do a the wonderful green things you want to do. No one here would hesitate to help you along the way.

I've got links below in my signature line so you can see grow journals and how they encapsulate the necessities of a grow while following the journey. Many comments, many questions along the way. There is also a link on how to create one yourself.

Feel free to jump in and start one mid way if that's where you are right now.
 
CelestialNurseries said:
perlite repels water and vermiculite absorbs it. Just a FYI
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I used to think that but became curious several years about about if and how much water was absorbed.

Playing around with the Perlite shows that it will absorb and hold onto some water. One website says up to 45% of what is applied but that amount depends on the size/grade of the Perlite. Vermiculite definitely seems to be better at water absorbing.

I mix my weed growing soils or plain potting soils in a wheelbarrow. If it is a breezy afternoon I will pour the Perlite into a larger bucket and add water to it before dumpint it into the barrow. The extra water weight in the particles is enough to keep the stuff in place until I can get the other ingredients added. There is little to no water left over in the bucket.

Throughout the grow the water also brings in extremely small particles of the mineral soil/compost and the Perlite is no-wheres near as white as at the beginning and just blends right in. I figure that this change in the color is why some growers think that all their Perlite floated away when they put too much water on the soil at one time.
 
Hey @bobj... hang in there brother.

Before I started growing cannabis I spent 100s of hours doing research... it's true. That may sound extreme, but I originally planned to grow CBD hemp and produce a product line. I bought the two best books I could find on cannabis cultivation. I had A LOT to learn, and I had to learn the whole thing, from growing to extracting, legal aspects, and very much more.

I created my own soil mix like my life depended on it, and really put my heart into it. I needed to produce a very pure product, because cannabis plants pull impurities out of the soil, and that winds up in the resin and... the CBD oil. This is the hidden secret of the CBD oil industry... how much heavy metals are in your product. I decided not to use any animal-derived ingredients, except for bat guano and seabird guano – that's what spirit guided me to do.

As with a lot of things, when growing cannabis you get out of it what you put into it. So, I recommend to you to just step back and take to heart what really makes those plants thrive, from seed to buds. I love growing cannabis, and the really cool thing about it is, if you are humble, you will learn more and more all the time. I literally learn multiple new things almost every day, and this forum contributes greatly to that. In fact, this is the best damn online forum I have ever experienced, and I've seen quite a few!

I'm an organic living soil outdoor grower, and I'm not the only one on this forum of course. Check out our results and listen to us... we've all been at the beginning when we planted our first seeds, and we've all had plants not do well, and we've all had plants grow really well, too. The whole thing is rather "formulaic", actually, meaning... if you follow the parameters, you have a great chance of a very good outcome... provided your growing environment is conducive (i.e. climate, temperature, humidity, sunlight, etc.). In a big way, though, it's also a spiritual connection... with the plants. That connection is very important to me. The more love you give them, the more they love you back! Hmm... what beautiful, magical messengers they are!

keep going & happy growing! :)

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I will put it simple.
If you lucky enough to grow anythig really worth smoking.
Out your first few goes your doing REAL well.
Took me many moons ago a good few years.
Before i really thought im starting to know what im doing.
That being said not everyone will take so long.
But i would bet good money most growers have the same story.
Read as much as you want.
I feel its a life style/hobby you learn by doing and making the mistakes.
And learning from them , keep doing your thing my friend.
o_O

o_O o_O o_O:thumb:;);):cheer:
 
Emilya said:
Bob, no offense meant, but this is exactly what I accuse others of; using the PM system to make contradictory comments privately disputing or even disparaging someone who has given some advice. I consider this to be a cowardly act and I have caught several doing this to me and I don't like it, so I am not going to do the same thing to anyone else. I don't mind a quick question or two via PM, but I don't want to use the private chat to discuss something that might prove to be instructive to many of our members, especially after you have publicly posed the original question. I also want you to be able to know that if I advise you about something, I am doing it in public, in full view of my peers on this forum, which should provide some added assurance that at least I believe that what I am saying is true and able to pass peer review. If someone needs to argue with me about any advice I give, I want their words, white papers and/or video evidence to be on open display so that we can have a group discussion and so that I can fairly counter their arguments.
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I agree. Everyone should be able to learn from posts and comments...
It is my second year growing. I am in eastern ontario, Canada. Last year I tried to started the seeds in the house and followed the methods suggested in articles and it was extremely difficult ... once they were started , everything went well. I use old horse manure and they are in a risen garden ( I use old livestock water things. I found that it is easy to control weeds and bugs and easier to keep soil humid. I use fertilizer once a week and water every day except when it is raining).
This year , I put seeds in the tub and cover the soil with leaves and they practically all came up except 2 seeds. I will do the same way , this year. What happened though, is that all the plants were males except 1 and there is a possibility that 2 males fertilized my one female 🙄. Those 2 did not show their sex late and I was not home when it happens ... so they were beside that female for few days... time will tell.
 
Coucou said:
I agree. Everyone should be able to learn from posts and comments...
It is my second year growing. I am in eastern ontario, Canada. Last year I tried to started the seeds in the house and followed the methods suggested in articles and it was extremely difficult ... once they were started , everything went well. I use old horse manure and they are in a risen garden ( I use old livestock water things. I found that it is easy to control weeds and bugs and easier to keep soil humid. I use fertilizer once a week and water every day except when it is raining).
This year , I put seeds in the tub and cover the soil with leaves and they practically all came up except 2 seeds. I will do the same way , this year. What happened though, is that all the plants were males except 1 and there is a possibility that 2 males fertilized my one female 🙄. Those 2 did not show their sex late and I was not home when it happens ... so they were beside that female for few days... time will tell.
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Hey @Coucou and welcome to the forum!

I use feminized seed and then make clones... check out my Journal (link below).

I contacted a Quebec seed company recently, and they actually advised sprouting their seed directly in soil, instead of the usual wet paper towel method. Their seed is very fresh and alive.

happy growing! 🪴
 
bobj said:
I did not anticipate as many problems occurring as they are. First nitrogen deficiency, then what seemed like a mag./sulphur def., and now whatever it is that's affecting my plant (I have no idea).

How many issues did you encounter when you did your first grow? Is this normal for a grower to experience this many problems when they grow pot? I chose soil to try and absolve myself of more responsibility, and now I'm not sure if I made the right choice..
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used to have a lot of issues. Mostly they came from not being able to keep the nutes consistant, and from not using a live soil designed for cannabis.
There are great tutorials here, and many seed banks also have great tutorials on their websites.
I did not have consistantly good results until I started giving the plants what the plant needed.
Every aspect of your grow is critical. It is called weed, but it only grows like one under the right conditions.
I will name some brands, but there are others just as good.

So what are the right conditions?

The right soil.
What gives me the best results for indoor is FoxFarm (FF) Ocean Forest mixed with FF Happy Frog and perlite. It both holds water easily and flushes well, and has the perfect blend of organic nutrients to feed a plant through the first 30 days.

The right water.
At a minimum, you must stay between 6.2 and 6.8 pH. To acidic or too alkaline will prevent some nutrients from being picked up by the roots. Keeping the water pH balanced will allow the roots to do their jobs.
I use a reverse ozmosis filter for my water. Its really unnbelievable how many little issues with nutrients that solved. My water comes out at 6.4 pH every time, and without all the aditives and trace elements, there is nothing that I do not account for in the nute mix.
You have to keep the roots wet, but not soaked. When they are too dry, they cannot absorb anything, and if kept too wet in soil they will rot. Use the fabric bags, and water till there is the first trace of runoff. Water when the soil feels dry two inches down.

Nutrients.
Use liquid organic nutrients that are formulated for cannabis. Start the nutes at day 20 on the light feeding schedule. At day 30 move to medium feeding schedule. Use nute mixes formulated for the stage the plant is in. Veg food, flowering food, and extra Cal-Mag or straight Mag from first sign of flowering.
Again, there are a lot of brands that are good. I use FF Grow Big for Veg phase, Big Bloom and Tiger Bloom, and FF Bushwacker Cal-Mag during flowering. I also use the original Bud Candy.
I feed two waterings out of three, and start the Bud Candy when I switch lighting if photo or at first sign of flowering if auto. The Cal-Mag is once a week.

Humidity and temp
Pot has an optimum growing temperature range, but as long as there is sufficient air movement and the humidity is right a little out of temp range can still work. Absolutely the grow room humidity must be between 40% and 65% RH. Use a dehumidifier, oscilating fans, and a good exhaust fan.

Lighting.
Get a high quality LED bank with a flowering coverage 1 foot larger than your space. There is no such thing as too much light density. You want corner measurements of at least 1100 lumens at 20". If possible get a light that has a veg setting and a flowering setting. I use a grow tent to control both inside and outside light. If you cant get a tent, line all surfaces in the room with mylar.

Just following those steps will eliminate all the issues you have had. If the idea is to be responsibility free, growing might not be your gig. If the idea is to keep it simple, using a single brand for as much as possible will reduce chances of nute imbalances.
If you do all this, it can be simple. However, it is a daily task. Every single day.
Two other common issues are mildew/mold/rot and insects. If fungus issues arise, go to a nursery and get a bacterial antifungal spray. Safe to the day of harvest. Bacteria that can only eat fungus, spores, and mitachondria eat till its gone and die. No residue.
If you get bugs, buy ladybugs or preying mantis.
Other than that, read as many tutorials as you can. I've grown since the '70s and am still learning. It does get easier...
 
I.o
 
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