i would say im intermediate level grower with not much money but if you see me doing something wrong holler. started germ 4/3/21
Originally published at: https://homegrowndiary.com/diary/320-oh-boy-here-we-go/week/1
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the strain is og kush auto. the lights are 1200 watt leds and are 18 in from the plants. the dirt is organic with alfafa meal and kelp. keeping a grow diary for the first time
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Hello Empress. I’m not a very experienced Grower, so I will not be hollering at you lol. I will, however, be your Cheering Section. I’m about 75 days in, on a soil Grow of Afghan Kush Feminized (photoperiod). Thread is on this forum.
Looks good so far! Did you mix in a plentiful amount of Perlite, with your soil? What kind of nutrients do you plan to use?
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nooo thats where my knowledge is lacking. idk what i need to add or when or why. im using potting soil and thats it lol. i would love some pointers. maybe i should say im a beginner grower instead 
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OK then. I can tell you what I’ve done, what was a mistake and what was not.
I also have a 1200w “Green-Go” LED light. I grow in Fox Farm Ocean Forest soil at the moment. I added a generous amount of Perlite to the soil, as a previous Grow was lost to Root Rot. I didn’t know it, but my soil had become Compacted, and was soaked already, before I watered it heavily. Death quickly followed. I add 20%-25% by Volume. It is commonly recommended that you put your seedlings into the soil and NOT fertilize them for a few weeks. They’ll get what they need, from the soil. Autoflowers are Touchy; they don’t usually tolerate heavy doses of fertilizer, especially while young, so reduce your measurements by 1/2 and EASE INTO it. If they tolerate the Recommended dose, ok…try a little more.
The most common problem encountered by Newbies is Overwatering. The symptoms are basically the same as Underwatering…drooping leaves. Avoid this, if you can. Amazon sells Meters for checking soil moisture, for 10 bucks. They are supposed to check PH level too, but I never met one that worked right. However, they WILL check your moisture level in your soil, so they are of some use.
Fertilizers: I use Advanced Nutrients 3-part formula. Micro, Grow, Bloom. FOLLOW the directions exactly! It’s been great for my plants. There are many to choose from, and yes - they’re all a bit expensive. But how much is your Time worth? I use the same argument, when selecting Seeds. Why invest 3-4 months of your time, when you have NO idea where your seeds came from? IMO, better to buy from a good place. That way, no Males, no 11-foot Sativa strains growing sideways in your little tent 
- more to follow -
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Oh - and: Light Schedules? Since you’re growing Autoflowers, it matters little. You can set them either to 18 on, 6 off, or 20/4, or even 24 hrs nonstop. Makes no difference. The more light they get, the faster they grow.
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What you DO HAVE is everything needed to grow, most importantly, a community behind you
I see the seeds are sewn, good.
Do not place them right into the containers (if you have already, no problemo). Best to start them in small cups…solo, peat, coir, etc…NO NUTRIENTS…the seedlings have enough food to feed themselves for easily 2 to 3 weeks. Each of us has a preferred method of startup. You do what works best for you - time, energy, space, environment…
It is much easier to control watering in small cups till the plants are healthy enough to place in their final containers. Then you are not watering this big pot for a small plant. The organic containers get placed right in the soil so it makes transplanting easy. I start in peat pods 36m. Then I move them to 3" peat cups. I get easily a month before they go in a container and nothing but water. I do add peat, coco, sometimes perlite to my cups but if your soils not HOT…not necessary. You are using Whitney organic…I have used it before but I amend it with coco coir…I mix about 25% coco (or peat…each works). The soil is a basic .15N, .10K, .15P not high on the nute scale but each soil is different and how it is with seedlings may not be how it is with plants. My issue was gnats…Most organic soils contain gnats. Now I make my own and still we deal with gnats but I can control them. Consider amending the soil and deciding on a good nutrient foundation for your gorw. You do tha t by deciding how serious you are in your harvest. The more time and energy (which means $$ and patience), the greater the return. But you can grow basic and get a basic return…not every grow has to be a monster crop…
Light - at least 18-24" away, and half power if possible or make it a little higher like 30" during seeding. Lower the light or rasie the power as the plant matures. By the time you get to full veg mode, you should be 100% power and about 18" high.
seedlings like temps around 80° and humidity pretty close to that. You can keep the light on 18 or MORE hrs a day. I do dark time in the daytime to keep the heat down (noon to 6pm).
so are you growing auto or photo period plants? That will determine when it is time to amend the soil
You can buy all the meters you want but if you pay attention to your plants, their look, the weight of them in their container…you can tell when it is watering time. If you run into issues, that is where you ask the forum and we will be GLAD to help…
so what did you germ? I see 5 seeds…
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okay so over watering ive not ever had a problem with. over feeding yes and this time i will not add any food until they start flower cycle. and huh i didnt know you can put autos under 24. i have them. right now 18/6 and when they flower i take them to 12/12. i thought that applied to all weed plants so thanks for that. do you still keep them in 24 light when flowering?
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oh and i have them in 7 in tall pots atm. thats theyre baby pots theyll stay there for two weeks then when they get big enough amd strong enough to transplant i put them in 5 gal paint buckets that i cut drain holes in the side 1 in from the bottom. i also have a 4 in duct fan with tubing for ventilation and all openings at the top closed but the bottom open to allow passive air flow. what i lack is knowledge on what things to add and when to correct certain issuea like unbalanced ph
as far as the gnats when i put them in their big girl pots i cover the top with a dusting of diatomaceous earth. works like a charm. occasionally i will have the dust the top soil with it twice during a grow but normally i only have to do it one time.
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the temp i have right its a solid 75-80 degrees but not the humidity atm thats only 33% so how do i increase that?
i cant afford fox farms soil its incredibly expensive where i am. i do use fox farms food. i have four germed but im babying the fifth i think itll still germ.
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when i pick up a ph meter ill get some peat or coco noir 
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If the plants you are growing are Autos (for sure), you do not put them under a 12/12 schedule. Leave them at 18/6 or whatever. The plants will know what to do, and when to do it. That’s what makes them…Autos.
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Yes a good supply of fresh air is needed. I put a small Oscillating fan in my tent on Low, to stir the air and imitate a natural breeze. NOT blowing the plants all over the place, just enough to make the leaves quiver.
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33% You must be in Colorado (where I am). Low humidity here, always. I do not try to increase my humidity. Others here may advise it. Not me.
no im in the state of Washington which is wet af. pardon my french. 
its always cold and wet here
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Personally I do not like 24/0 for anything except seeding. Once my seeds sprout, I leave under 24hrs light for the first couple weeks. Eventually I turn down to 18/6. I used to do 20/4 and that is ok…they do like some rest but I do it more for the heat control. Lights throw a ton of heat and the hottest part of the day I do not wanna mess with temps so that is when I lights OUT
Ph…if you are using bottled, distilled or RO water…not really an issue until you start add nutrients. That is what changes the balance. If you use DRY organic things…no worries
I use Happy Frog Organic ALL PURPOSE for the early veg and Dr Earth BUD AND BLOOM ORGANIC for flower time. Dry…I “TOP” off the pots…just mix some up with a little soil and scratch it in, like every 4 to 6 weeks
I do add Molasses (dry is best)…around 1 tsp per gallon and use it every time I water
I also make a tea - eggs shells boil for 20/30 minutes, about 1 cup per quart of water, 1 tsp of epson salts…I use both as a spray (every 3 days, at lights off) and with watering about once every week or 2
and I do add the molasses to it when I water
Raise humidity…place pots / pans / containers of water in the tent. Shallow pans are best…more surface area.
I use one of those cheap Artic Cooler devices…Around $30 online and I add water twice a day. Not needed if you use the standing water methods…Key here is I use it during DRY time. I add ice to the container, frozen water bottles near the fan intake / output and it helps keep my temps down near 55-60 degrees along with humidity at same level when drying…I get a 10 day or more dry time, no mold and it makes for perfect buds
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Ahh. Funny…in my tent, the RH is a steady 33-34%, year-round. Hmm.
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