Volksball's First Grow: White Widow Feminized Grow Journal 2018

[volksball]

Tap water is fine. I use it for my grows. Let it stand for 24 hours first to let the chlorine evaporate. Nice set up.

Sweet! Thx! I haven't let it stand as long as you said, but will now forward. Hope I havent hurt the little guys.

 

[Killian]

I'm sure they will be fine. You can smell the chlorine in my tap water.

 

[volksball]

Cool thx. And start adding nutes around wk 3? Have the FloraNova combo.

 

[Emilya Green]

I have changed some of my opinions over the years... thats the problem with such an old article now existing across multiple forums world wide... but yes, you will see at the end of those threads where I have added thoughts as I got more and more experience under my belt.
Since I wrote that original I have gone from being a FoxFarm synthetic grower (which there is nothing wrong with) to being a natural only living organic soil farmer... and some things have changed in how I understand soil during that process.
The only problem with city water for me now is the chlorine/chloramine, which of course is put in there to kill the organic microbeasties that populate my soil. These chemicals don't hurt a synthetic grow at all, where everything is designed to be in there for a couple of wet/dry cycles and then either get used up or flushed out. It's not a matter of philosophy, it is a matter of growing science and biology and finally not believing all the hype out there on the forums that chlorine is somehow harmful to a synthetic, soil grow. It is not.

 

[Emilya Green]

Tap water is fine. I use it for my grows. Let it stand for 24 hours first to let the chlorine evaporate. Nice set up.

You should check with your city and see if they still use the old fashioned chlorine that evaporates and costs the city tons of money, or the new chloramine, which does not evaporate, whether it stands for 24 hours or longer. If you insist on getting rid of it, ascorbic acid will do it.... one vitamin C pill in a bathtub of water will drop the chrloramine right out of the solution.

 

[NOOOBIENOT]

Not a lot of cities use chlorine any more they use chloramine and this wont evaporate off so its in your tap water , get the best quality water you can R.O. is the best , then distilled , then tap water it has the most shit in it for plants but it will work , you want the lowest ppm in the plain water you can get your hands on, it makes a huge difference , 300 ppm of nutes to r.o.water is 300 ppm and 300 ppm to 250 ppm city water is 550ppm total get the picture you loose a lot of control as to what your plant is fed.p.s Walmart sells distilled water with 0 ppm for .97cents/4lt jug .

 

[Emilya Green]

Not a lot of cities use chlorine any more they use chloramine and this wont evaporate off so its in your tap water , get the best quality water you can R.O. is the best , then distilled , then tap water it has the most shit in it for plants but it will work , you want the lowest ppm in the plain water you can get your hands on, it makes a huge difference , 300 ppm of nutes to r.o.water is 300 ppm and 300 ppm to 250 ppm city water is 550ppm total get the picture you loose a lot of control as to what your plant is fed.

Very important considerations for the hydro guys... but not so much for soil... a lot of the minerals in tap water are actually needed by the plant, including chlorine by the way, and anything not used is flushed out. PPM's for soil growers is just not all that important when the parts per gallon instructions are on the side of the bottle. I went for years without a PPM meter because I had no need for one.

 

[NOOOBIENOT]

Wow that is cool you were able to do that ,my meter is almost as important to me as my left nut -lol

 

[Emilya Green]

For me it was the pH pen... I was a slave to that thing. Now it too gathers dust. This weed was supposed to be simple to grow, a gift to humankind. It is a shame that commercial interests have taken the last 30 years to complicate the process and make people believe they need all of their products. How truly wonderful it is to grow with minimal cost and fuss, without all the scientific accuracy worries that so many people seem to actually enjoy.

 

[Killian]

You should check with your city and see if they still use the old fashioned chlorine that evaporates and costs the city tons of money, or the new chloramine, which does not evaporate, whether it stands for 24 hours or longer. If you insist on getting rid of it, ascorbic acid will do it.... one vitamin C pill in a bathtub of water will drop the chrloramine right out of the solution.

Just googled it. Chlorine is what the city uses. Interesting after sitting for 24 hours I don't smell it anymore. I will have to look into it could save me a lot of work. Buying distilled water is way to much of a hassle for my grow. Good information.

 

[Killian]

I meant chloramine.

 

[thebigearl]

I just got my TDS today, (super inexpensive on amazon, as well as the ph pen) and checked my tap water, which I use for watering, and it's about 185ppm! Good to know

 

[Killian]

I just read something interesting. Leaving water sit out with chloramine in it will often concentrate the level of chloramine in the water. I'm surprised this is the first I've heard of that. No more letting my water set out. Sorry about the bad advice I gave you Volksball. Thanks for the input Emilya.

 

[Emilya Green]

I just read something interesting. Leaving water sit out with chloramine in it will often concentrate the level of chloramine in the water. I'm surprised this is the first I've heard of that. No more letting my water set out. Sorry about the bad advice I gave you Volksball. Thanks for the input Emilya.

This should prove to be illustrative of the amount of BS information you get out here on the forums. You really need to be careful which "experts" you choose to believe.

 

[volksball]

This should prove to be illustrative of the amount of BS information you get out here on the forums. You really need to be careful which "experts" you choose to believe.

I just read something interesting. Leaving water sit out with chloramine in it will often concentrate the level of chloramine in the water. I'm surprised this is the first I've heard of that. No more letting my water set out. Sorry about the bad advice I gave you Volksball. Thanks for the input Emilya.

Not a lot of cities use chlorine any more they use chloramine and this wont evaporate off so its in your tap water , get the best quality water you can R.O. is the best , then distilled , then tap water it has the most shit in it for plants but it will work , you want the lowest ppm in the plain water you can get your hands on, it makes a huge difference , 300 ppm of nutes to r.o.water is 300 ppm and 300 ppm to 250 ppm city water is 550ppm total get the picture you loose a lot of control as to what your plant is fed.p.s Walmart sells distilled water with 0 ppm for .97cents/4lt jug .

Thanks everyone! All great advice and input.

It all can be a bit overwhelming for a new grower. But I'll take the nuggets that will stick.

I suppose the easy question and tough answer is, given my grow medium and the chlorine substitute being used now in city water, would it benefit me more to buy distilled water and synth nutes? I dont mind doing it, but would hate to rob my soil of the minerals in city water. I do plan to use my FloraNova nutes, so what would be best?

Thx again everyone.

 

[Emilya Green]

Thanks everyone! All great advice and input.

It all can be a bit overwhelming for a new grower. But I'll take the nuggets that will stick.

I suppose the easy question and tough answer is, given my grow medium and the chlorine substitute being used now in city water, would it benefit me more to buy distilled water and synth nutes? I dont mind doing it, but would hate to rob my soil of the minerals in city water. I do plan to use my FloraNova nutes, so what would be best?

Thx again everyone.

My opinion is that unless you are trying to maintain a living soil, a typical soil gardener buying commercial nutes has no need to worry about chlorine or chloramine. A side benefit is that having it in the water helps keep down mold and fungus growths in those dark damp places, like in drip trays and the outsides of cloth containers.

 

[volksball]

My opinion is that unless you are trying to maintain a living soil, a typical soil gardener buying commercial nutes has no need to worry about chlorine or chloramine. A side benefit is that having it in the water helps keep down mold and fungus growths in those dark damp places, like in drip trays and the outsides of cloth containers.

Perfect. Thanks, Emilya. Your helps and the rest of those who chimed in is so valued.

 

[volksball]

So, its increasingly looking like these last two seeds will not germ. I was hoping for a big yeild from 5 plants and have been told that it's less about number of plants and more about light per plant? I'll be now growing 3 white widows in the tent shown.

Any thoughts about what I might expect if all goes right during this grow (and now with some pretty good advice!)?

Thx.

 

[Emilya Green]

First grow, anything over 1.5 oz per plant, you have done well. Better lights, better soil, better nutes, more experience... your results may vary.

 

[volksball]

First grow, anything over 1.5 oz per plant, you have done well. Better lights, better soil, better nutes, more experience... your results may vary.

1.5!? I was definitely hoping for a better grow, or at least I read differently, but who knows? There's only so far I can take this thing until I'm turning it into more than it needs to be for me.

I know adding perlite to my soil will help alot. What's a good ratio to go by?

Thx.