Take your soil sample from several different spots you plan to grow in(about 4"-6" deep) mix it all up and take it to your local agricultural extension office(every county in the U.S. has one). They do lab testing of soil and make recommendations for between $5-$7. Peace!
I don't really know where to ask this question so I'm just going to ask here. Hope I'm not interrupting something I'm sorry if I have. I got some FFOF soil and It had bugs in it I think thrips. So the shop sent me new soil is there any way to check for bugs before I use it? Ravekid
Norma Stits- Well spoken and great information I would like to restate as well as add a couple points with a much louder yet super stony vocalization just for the beginning green thumbs out there. Any company selling anyone on anything is going to up-sell for one. The more nutes you use the more you buy. The person setting the "balanced amount" is not only paid to do say, but more than likely has never tackled a grow. and not to just completely bash on the feed charts we get with our purchases, it should be well known and understood that its probably well thought out yet generalized math. Nobody has the same tap water, no filters operate exactly the same specifically when it comes to all the different tap water or methods of filtration. They didn't send out the intended instructions to consider if you have well or tap water, use any filter of any sort,as that yould likely be pretty impossible figure that out, and on top of that now to think of it...I never have looked but surely never noticed if there ever on any nuts or adds ive ever picked up if it even gives you a basic principle for what the math was equated on such as even a starting PH or PPM of your water they used to base the equation off of. Again, totally not defending any nute companies because they overdose everyone regardless. It is EXTREMELY important specifically for a beginner grower to understand the feed chart is just a general rule of thumb to be adjusted according to growing conditions. You cant just mix your water in with the properly advised amount of whatever addatives and just go to town and feed your plants and expect anything spectacular. In most cases they won't last long with that approach. you got to get in there and get intimate with these lasies it's super important. The crappy part is that a beginning grower has no way of understanding how to compensate for anything they don't even know what it is they should compensate for. Sadly it always rings back to trial and error and getting an understanding of how all the elements interact with eachother in terms of raising or lowering ph/ppm or straight locking eachother out due to improper proportions mixed in feed. And don't even get me started on PH down. I know half of us need PH up but I seriously can't handle the concept that I even need to use it. Sorry I don't want a bunch of acid or alkaline to lock out my soil continuity. Ughh. It has been a long day in the grow room dealing with the usual crap we don't want to discuss when we're frustrated yet can manage tomorrow. Always test your water source and adjust from there, and then when you need help with nutrient deficiency seek advice when the very well written out and explained plant sickness charts get you lost. And they will when there is five different reasons your leaves are turning yellow when you thought you at least had ur water and feed mix correct.Again this was super informative info and I hope someone at least walks away understanding the whole concept here. I always save posts like yours so that when I do have issues, I can go back and look at this massive collection of information to see if someone already had the same issue or how they handled a certain issue. Everyone grows differently, and the best advice I could give is to take in everything you are seeking, check that up with facts and reviews, and then ur still gonna have to test it out and come to your own conclusion. Water hardness and softness can change everything even if its filtered though every filter sold, and especially if it is indeed filtered in that way. No nute mix works the same for everyone and will surely need a personal adjustment. I have a seperate grow where sadly I have to "experiment" on my loved ones to not only see what results I can get, but have a better understanding of how the nutrients I personally use will effect my plants first and foremost, but also see how different water affect that WHOLE thing as well. You always need to know what you have flowing from what faucet us using before you can plan your nutrient strike. Do you think this item an inexpensive solution for soil testing? I found items that are much more expensive on the web so I'd appreciate opinions if possible. and that is nothing you ever want to spend ur money on as leapfrog said. The only way to even have an acceptably accurate number (yes arguable) obtainable at home is to flush plants with distilled water using again completely controversial methods but I flush with a 3:1 distilled to plant holder ratio. you have a three gallon pot flush with nine gallons. And then go wait for at least a half hour and go run more distilled water and test the runoff using a multi meter to see ur ppms and PH. I prefer the pool style liquid test solution for this but also use my hannah probe as well just because thats how I roll, but in essence I do trust the liquid test solution a bit more for this specific task. Even at this, you won't get an entirely accurate reading. It may not be something to completely over think if your plants are doing fine.If they are ugly and ur ph and ppm runoff is at the levels it should be, then there are other issues than what the meter can tell you. Get a chemical soil test kit for approx. $10 @ Home Depot, Lowe's etc. I have never needed one of these as I grow the way my mentor taught me and havent needed one but I am extremely curious how accurate those work. Without doing any of my own research on them, my understandng is that you need to take multiple samples from different parts of your grow medium and average it out I suppose? I am debating in my head if that does sound more accurate than the overly exhausting flush and test meter method(done the proper way of course). Are you Im going out in the next couple days and buying an actual water element tester. Im done worrying about whats in water and fighting that battle at a new grow everytime. I hope the dang thing works so I don't need to figure out how to adjust the same dang soil as well according to each source of water. And again, referring to the first part of my post. The soil you buy will typically have some mixture of any number of nutrients which you should be well aware of and understand which type you choose and why you choose it, but water is going to change the elemental composition in the same brand of soil depending on the water running through it. Again elements can cancel eachother out due to incorrect mixture ratio and you will never know it is happening if you dont understand what is actually in your water.
What has your experience or knowledge been with how old/big a seedling needs to be before starting to give it nutrients? Sent from my iPhone using Grasscity Forum
I couldn't read every word but your over thinking it. Figure out what you did wrong and dont do it. Try and get to the point. Thst might be what's wrong. Your over thinking it. Stop growing MARIJUANA and just grow the plant it is. Its just weed brother. Just like any other plant. Mans been doing this a while now. I not sure what people look up for info but act like a tomato and grow clean enough to eat. You wont have no problems unless your lazy, slow or dirty. I ll give you one word and you take it from there. from NPK. here's to your next and last nutrient family. RAW. you will need training it's out there and free but I studied for about 6 months.
Number one rule for Cannabis is to only reduce your Nitrogen in your feed during flowering does nothing beneficial to add more Phosphorus or Potassium to what you currently use. even in organics amending soil during flowering to add more of a flowering nutrients does little overall, your plant will do better by using up more of the same nutrients feed cycle it is on but with just less nitrogen.