In The Lab

[Major PITA]

@Max-
You should read the instructions in Doc's signature. Great info there.

 

[MaxYields]

@Max-
You should read the instructions in Doc's signature. Great info there.

Should I read this entire thread? I have looked over the most recent instructions 20+ times and there isn't anything on how much water you're supposed to mix it with... Just 1/2oz (just found that after looking again, my fault.) per 6 plants.

I'll continue to reread it and maybe I will continue to make connections and figure things out. I might just smoke too much weed to follow these instructions haha

Thanks for the response Major PITA

 

[Neiko]

Should I read this entire thread? I have looked over the most recent instructions 20+ times and there isn't anything on how much water you're supposed to mix it with... Just 1/2oz (just found that after looking again, my fault.) per 6 plants.

I'll continue to reread it and maybe I will continue to make connections and figure things out. I might just smoke too much weed to follow these instructions haha

Thanks for the response Major PITA

This may help you, I copy and paste to word things I think I might need later. i don't know who to give credit to for this but here it is:
1 ounce is 30 mils
1 gallon is 128 ounces which is 4 quarts
Divide by 6 for drench #s
.5 oz =15 mils divided by 6 is 2.5 mils per plant with drenches
Rule of thumb I use for sprays is 1 mil per ounce of water brix or destress
.25 oz = 7.5 mils divided by 6 is 1.25 mils per plant with transplant
You can adjust after you know what strains like what and how much.
Give pure water between drenches. No tea in the water. Doc says he has best results drenching every other watering. I usually do a light water and a heavier water between drenches. Drenches are 8- 14 days apart. Always tea with drench, no tea with water

I do mine the same way - alternate water with drench, and I try to alternate drenches. So ... Trans - water - Energy - water - Trans - etc. That's the baseline we should all be starting with. That works,period.

Since I've been putting 1/4 transplant in ALL watering/drenches, I haven't done a transplant drench. Also, since my plants have decided they like water of some sort 3x wk, AND my concerns with the soil running out of energy, I've been alternating energy+1/4 trans, water + 1/4 transplant, water + 1/4 transplant, Energy + 1/4 transplant until last week when I gave both cat drenches. I suppose their next water should be just that...water. But they look good.

 

[Major PITA]

Max, the instructions say to mix the foliars at the rate of 1 oz. per quart of water.
My understanding is, the drenches are spec'd per plant because that's how much they should have regardless of how much water it takes to "drench" them. Same with the Tea.
Each member seems to put a slightly different spin on how they put all the basic info together. But they all end up with great results.

 

[Shrike]

...just remember that when your plants are small that they will not need anywhere near that full quart or more of water mixed with that oz.

...many of us have used small 2 or 4 oz spray bottles mixed at 1ml of DeStress or Brix to each oz of water when the plants are still very small.

...you can mix up more if you want, but the DeStress can only be stored for 5 days or so in a fridge, while the Brix MUST be used when mixed and any leftover MUST be thrown away (it will bloom real fast).

 

[NematodeNate]

...just remember that when your plants are small that they will not need anywhere near that full quart or more of water mixed with that oz.

...many of us have used small 2 or 4 oz spray bottles mixed at 1ml of DeStress or Brix to each oz of water when the plants are still very small.

...you can mix up more if you want, but the DeStress can only be stored for 5 days or so in a fridge, while the Brix MUST be used when mixed and any leftover MUST be thrown away (it will bloom real fast).

That answers my question about sprays when they r young....we start the sprays at 5 sets of leaves? And when spraying.....don't saturate so much that the solution runs off the leaves? I believe I read that here.....

 

[Shrike]

Start the Brix @ 5 sets of leaves...you can use a half strength DeStress spray with less sets of leaves if the plants are showing any real problems.

 

[MaxYields]

Neikodog, Major PITA, and Shrike,

Thank you very much. Admittedly I feel bad asking those questions but I just hate drawing my own conclusions in these types of situations... I didn't spend the money on the Kit so I could guess what to do and then mess it all up because of a bad decision... I enjoy pre-planning. That's the OCD coming out of me.

So again, thank you all so much for helping me out, I really needed it and it has helped settle my thoughts and concerns. I also apologize in advance if I come back with more questions... You're all helping me more than you can imagine!

 

[Neiko]

These questions help a lot of people that lurk and it kind of consolidates the information again. I like it when these come up again because the new things that people are doing get included. Just copy and paste this stuff to come back to later. I don't have the answers but I know where to get the info.

 

[Doc Bud]

These questions help a lot of people that lurk and it kind of consolidates the information again. I like it when these come up again because the new things that people are doing get included. Just copy and paste this stuff to come back to later. I don't have the answers but I know where to get the info.

This thread in particular is all about using the kit. General questions are best asked in the Q and A thread.

Also, instructions are linked to in my signature! There's nothing wrong with doing a basic grow or two before getting all fancy like many of us are. When I need to have really nice plants I usually go pretty much back to basics.

 

[Shrike]

Questions are what help all of us learn, M.Y.

I had to read, re-read and then re-read some more before enough of this sunk in. I also did what many have done by going through all of the HB threads and copy and paste anything that I thought was important. I categorized it all and now it is an invaluable addition to my beginning HB grow.

It's not that all of the instructions are not here or completely outlined by Doc. It's that we are all still learning how best to use what is an evolving "kit" from Doc, that reacts differently to some different strains. But, overall, by following the general instructions, you will still end up with fantastic plants! The "extra" magic comes as we learn how our plants react to everything we give them and then adjust our formulas to give the plants that extra kick that makes the outcomes incredibly stellar!

I've just started to flower my very first HB grow, and I'm having an great time learning the Doc HB way! My plants look fantastic and I am champing at the bit to see what kind of flowers this great kit will produce for me.

Just take it one step at a time...it is incredibly hard to really screw any of this up. This method is very forgiving and fixes are no farther away that a question or two asked on here to very helpful, friendly people!

 

[NematodeNate]

These questions help a lot of people that lurk and it kind of consolidates the information again. I like it when these come up again because the new things that people are doing get included. Just copy and paste this stuff to come back to later. I don't have the answers but I know where to get the info.

I like the copy and paste idea......duh.....I have just been remembering the page numbers of info that makes senses......like page 71, bam...that was just a little test for myself....lol

 

[BrixKlinger]

I enjoy writing, even instructions, and have considered several times trying to consolidate what I know from all the instructions and q and a. However I did not do what some of you have done with all the cut and pasting, and therefore very behind you in your personal efforts.

If anyone wanted to get involved in a collaborative effort to run a constantly updated sticky in an effort to bubbletea all the good stuff to the top, I would be more than happy to assist in any way.

I know from reading Doc is constantly wanting to have something like this accomplished, but he really has a ton on his plate.

This sort of thing needs some things like:

a team
a plan for execution
someone who knows how to follow the forum guidlines (i'm terrible at it, mostly just new, used to my anarchic snowboarding forum)
Docs blessing

Theres nothing wrong with reading through all of the content, but it is becoming overwhelming. It really isn't reasonable to expect someone to read 1000 internet pages to find an answer.

Luckily the organic and live nature of forums allows us to answer question on the fly, it also allows us to "write the book" and then change it at will.

 

[Neiko]

This thread in particular is all about using the kit. General questions are best asked in the Q and A thread.

Also, instructions are linked to in my signature! There's nothing wrong with doing a basic grow or two before getting all fancy like many of us are. When I need to have really nice plants I usually go pretty much back to basics.

The instructions in your signature are a great starting point but I find it creates confusion for new users until they "get it". People always want to know how much of what in how much water. We almost need a newbee guide to re-program how to approach the measurements. Sometimes I see people talk about dividing the amounts by the plant and then by how much soil. Even with seedlings or young plants you have to adjust the amounts because the directions are mostly for flowering plants. I've made mistakes because of this. Also it gets confusing for people when they only have a couple of plants. I am starting to "get it" but I still have to refer to my notes. As the techniques evolve, new people read that stuff and assume that it is something they need to remember to use the kit to the full potential. I'm with BrixKlinger on an easy to find complete instruction kit that filters out the 1000's of posts. I am willing to help, I did take technical writing in college.

 

[Major PITA]

I know I will have questions when I start my grow. I'll only have two outdoor plants in an entire kit's soil.
My assumption now is that the usual drenches (1/2 oz) and tea (2.5 ml) will be divided between the two since the soil is still the same amount spec'd for 6 plants (?). The foliars seem obvious: mix up as much as you need, maintaining the same concentration (1 oz/qt).

 

[Doc Bud]

I know I will have questions when I start my grow. I'll only have two outdoor plants in an entire kit's soil.
My assumption now is that the usual drenches (1/2 oz) and tea (2.5 ml) will be divided between the two since the soil is still the same amount spec'd for 6 plants (?). The foliars seem obvious: mix up as much as you need, maintaining the same concentration (1 oz/qt).

You're outdoors? What I'd do is use a hose end sprayer and put an ounce and a half of the drench, 10 mils of tea and water in the sprayer, try to distribute it equally to each plant as they need it, and you're good to go.

 

[MaxYields]

I know I will have questions when I start my grow. I'll only have two outdoor plants in an entire kit's soil.
My assumption now is that the usual drenches (1/2 oz) and tea (2.5 ml) will be divided between the two since the soil is still the same amount spec'd for 6 plants (?). The foliars seem obvious: mix up as much as you need, maintaining the same concentration (1 oz/qt).

Hey hey PITA!!!!! That is so cool, we are literally doing the exact same thing for our first HB grows.. I will also be growing outside, in Denver! We should definitely exchange information and discoveries as we go. I placed my order a couple days ago, are you growing in two pots or a raised bed? I am goin with 30gal cloth pots...

I'll shoot you a friend request and a PM in a few minutes

You're outdoors? What I'd do is use a hose end sprayer and put an ounce and a half of the drench, 10 mils of tea and water in the sprayer, try to distribute it equally to each plant as they need it, and you're good to go.

Already got my sprayer!!! Excited to water this way, going to get an atomizer as well to Foliar Feed... does that seem like a good way to go about the foliar feedings?

Thanks for all of the help.

 

[Major PITA]

You're outdoors? What I'd do is use a hose end sprayer and put an ounce and a half of the drench, 10 mils of tea and water in the sprayer, try to distribute it equally to each plant as they need it, and you're good to go.

Yes - they will start indoors but move outside around June 1st.
I think I must be missing some fundamental concept about using the kit.
Since the kit is designed for 6 plants / 32 sq ft / 40 gal total of HB soil (m/l), I figured the amount of drench and tea would remain the same once the plants are up-potted into their final home. But you're saying to use 50% more drench and 4 times the usual amount of tea even though the amount of soil is the same and I only have 2 plants? So each plant gets 12 times the tea they would get if I was growing 6 plants in 7 gal pots?
Please help me understand why. Also, won't I run out of drench and tea quickly?

 

[MaxYields]

You're outdoors? What I'd do is use a hose end sprayer and put an ounce and a half of the drench, 10 mils of tea and water in the sprayer, try to distribute it equally to each plant as they need it, and you're good to go.

Few questions, I have a Miracle Gro Hose End Sprayer, it has definitely had Miracle Grow in it, maybe other things.. It was just chillin' in my shed so I grabbed it. It says, "it sprays 4-gallons per minute liquid plant food"... now Im guessing that is 4-gallons of water with however much plant food you put in the canister... Do you think that will distribute the amendments evenly enough?

Also, should I be worried about the Miracle Gro chemicals that were in there? I will give it a good wash and its probably a good couple years old.

Thanks everyone.

@Curso, thanks for the mister suggestion. Looks way better than the Atomizer I was going to get and it has an adjustable nozzle! Perfect for spraying the underside of leaves!

 

[Doc Bud]

Few questions, I have a Miracle Gro Hose End Sprayer, it has definitely had Miracle Grow in it, maybe other things.. It was just chillin' in my shed so I grabbed it. It says, "it sprays 4-gallons per minute liquid plant food"... now Im guessing that is 4-gallons of water with however much plant food you put in the canister... Do you think that will distribute the amendments evenly enough?

Also, should I be worried about the Miracle Gro chemicals that were in there? I will give it a good wash and its probably a good couple years old.

Thanks everyone.

@Curso, thanks for the mister suggestion. Looks way better than the Atomizer I was going to get and it has an adjustable nozzle! Perfect for spraying the underside of leaves!

RE: hose end sprayer.

Put a splash of dishwashing detergent in it, fill it with water, and spray into a 5 gallon bucket until the tank is empty. You'll have cleaned your sprayer and figured out how much water comes out the end and how long a tank of drench/tea would last.

As long as you evenly distribute it to both plants, you're good to go! I would try to FINISH your watering cycle on the drench, however. So if the plants require say 4 gallons each, water first and drench on the last 2 gallons, etc.