New Grower First grow starting this week - 1xNirvana Blue Mystic 1xNirvana Short Rider

[redrobbo]

No problem.But as spikerbikes water is ph 7 he will not suffer ph swings.My water is the same as his approx
and ive not had any ph probs using dolomite of lime,and thats in coco.No ph`ing for a year,so my ph meter is not important to me,but handy atm.
My suggestion of DOL instead of a ph meter is the practical one in spikers situation.He mentions hes getting a meter
in a couple of weeks anyways.
Its the old argument aint it.... to ph or not to ph.Ive done both,and i know which i prefer.

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No problem.But as spikerbikes water is ph 7 he will not suffer ph swings.My water is the same as his approx
and ive not had any ph probs using dolomite of lime,and thats in coco.No ph`ing for a year,so my ph meter is not important to me,but handy atm.
My suggestion of DOL instead of a ph meter is the practical one in spikers situation.He mentions hes getting a meter
in a couple of weeks anyways.
Its the old argument aint it.... to ph or not to ph.Ive done both,and i know which i prefer.

 

[AndyBotwin]

Chasing pH sucks, that's for sure - I moved to organic organic growing to avoid having to fool with it so much. In my case, the tap water isn't too far out of normal pH range but the ec is fairly low so it doesn't buffer pH well & I can easily get big swings. I'm a big user of dolomite lime, though and it certainly helps.

 

[spikerbiker]

Thank you All for the advice..I have a question re. Ph testing..I am going to be organic, however I know using ph will give me good learning for the future grows and allow me to understand the growing chemistry a bit better. That said, what do I test ? runoff water or the soil itself for the ph? Or the nutrient feed? Or the water or all of the above? I do have a water ph test kit...drops. So is the meter for the soil? So much to learn.

 

[Trapper]

All of the above...

Accurate8 for a soil probe, cheapest worth using...the rest are unreliable until you get into high dollar.

electronic ph pen for feed solutions, water and run-off.

the pen can be used for both as there is a calculation that compares feed solution to run-off and gives you your soil ph.

Cheers! New to me a couple weeks ago too...

 

[spikerbiker]

My final lighting will be 2 125W 2700K hanging vertically with 12 side 23W cfls surrounding 1/2 2700k 1/2 6400k. Once bloom starts I will switch the 2700K 125W veriticals to 2 6400K verticals. How does this sound?

I will be germinating tonight! My plan is 24 hours in water then into the pot. I don't really want to do the paper towel method. Also considering just planting in dirt..no water soak.

 

[Trapper]

I just soaked for 8 hours then into the soil for my first Dark Devil...popped 3 days later.

I did lightly scuff the bean in a 2000 grit sandpaper tube first though, to give the soak a better footing.

 

[spikerbiker]

Thanks Trapper, you are always spot on with advice. I greatly appreciate it. I have some sandpaper and have read about that, so I'll give it a go.

 

[Trapper]

Thanks Trapper, you are always spot on with advice. I greatly appreciate it. I have some sandpaper and have read about that, so I'll give it a go.

No problem at all...I started with this endeavor a little over 3 weeks ago, and I have learned A LOT due to the kindness and generosity of the folks here at AFN...just trying to do my part
to help out and be the type of contributor that I have come to rely on, myself.

 

[AndyBotwin]

Hey spiker, just saw your post about lighting. Maybe I'm misunderstanding your setup, but you want as much 6400K as possible during veg, and then the 2700K would be better for flowering. Mixed spectrum throughout will give you the best results in my experience, so you're on the right track there.

As for pH, once you get your Accurate 8 soil meter, you don't need to bother with runoff testing unless you suspect a problem with the meter. With organics I don't usually adjust my food/water unless it's way out of line. My plants are in flower and eating a fair amount which tends to raise pH. So I'll sometimes see a soil pH of 6.6-6.8 just before feeding. My nute mix will be down in the mid 5s once everything is in it, so I leave it where it is and it will drop the pH before the microherd and roots raise it up again. But I always have organic pH up/down on hand just in case I need to tinker with the nute solution. For instance if you're already down below 6 in your soil, you probably shouldn't feed with mix that's 5.0 or lower. The microbes will buffer it to some extent, but you don't want to go too far from optimal. Of course with synthetic nutrients pH management is a different ball game, which is a big part of why I run organics.

 

[spikerbiker]

WOOT!!!! Here we go! Well, I got a little stoned, went to germ the seeds and I put 2 blue mystic in the cup. Not sure why I did it but at the moment....So now I have 2 seeds, 2 pots so if both germinate it will be a 2 x Nirvana blue Mystic grow. Not complaining though. I took a pic of my starter cabinet, not quite finished will finish up what I need for now tomorrow. I'll show you that tomorrow. Also too a pic of the seeds in the cup, why not.This is a big moment for me, I know most of you know the feeling or will.

UPDATE:
Found another pot and will be able to fit in 3, so into the water goes 1 Nirvana Short Rider!!!!



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THANK YOU ANDY:Sharing One: I was thinking this whole time 2700K for veg and 6400K for flower. I will have to start with 2 6400K 125W...so crap, I have to spend the $40 sooner rather than later, I went ahead and bought 2 2700k and 1 6400K, should have done the other way around. I would have been so screwed! You saved me man!