Outdoor New here. 1st Grow Help.

[Crow]

Hello beautiful people, I am new here and will be starting my 1st auto grow when my seeds arrive in a couple weeks. I am currently in my prep stage. I live in TN we have a good climate for growing, I will be growing 3 plants in a large dog crate (to keep out critters) I am thinking 3 to 5 gal pots and farm fox ocean forest. I live on a hill in the deep country and plants will be in constant sun, the crate is big enough for good space in between the pots so blockage won't be a problem. I have 6 strains coming, and was wondering what you guys recommend.
I have:
Candy Kush Auto
THC Bomb Auto
Buddha seeds Purple Kush Auto
Sweet seeds auto + speed
Jack 47 Auto
Sweet Skunk Auto

Ive heard it's best to put the germinated seed I the pot you intend to grow in instead of messing with transplants. Also should I add anything to the farm fox soil while I wait for the seeds ? Any advice on the outdoor grow would be helpful. Thank you very much.

 

[StickMan]

Welcome to the AFN family and to the wonderful world of autos Crow!

I am thinking 3 to 5 gal pots and farm fox ocean forest. I live on a hill in the deep country and plants will be in constant sun,

You will get varying opinions on this, but I always go for a bigger container size for the roots.

Can't give you any advice on your strain selection, but someone will be along soon that has grown some or many of them.

Ive heard it's best to put the germinated seed I the pot you intend to grow in instead of messing with transplants. Also should I add anything to the farm fox soil while I wait for the seeds ? Any advice on the outdoor grow would be helpful.

Crow, you are correct that it is always best to plant autos in their permanent home. You do not want to start them directly into the foxfarm ocean forest. You will want to get yourself some Fox Farm Happy Frog as well. I have never used OF, as I make my own soil, so I am not sure if it is too hot by itself for autos or not. Again someone who has, will let you know. Go ahead and fill your container with the foxfarm ocean forest (cut if necessary)You will then want to scoop out the middle of the container, about the size of a party cup, and fill that with the HF. Plant your seed in there, and there will be enough food in there until it reaches the OF mix. HF is all I have ever used for starting my seeds/plants.

Sounds like you have the critter problem taken care of, so all you need to do is water and feed good, and reap your bountiful harvest.

Crow, you can head over here AFN's 24/7 Live Help thread and ask if anyone has grown any of these strains, and some one will definitely be able to awnser the question about the OF.

Tell them I sent you there, so there is no confusion on you asking the same questions on more than one thread.

Peace

Peace



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[Crow]

Thank you very much StickMan, I will pick up a bag of Happy Frog tomorrow with my OF. As far as nutrients, I've read that a Blackstrap molasses and Indonesian bat guano mixture works wonders once the flowering stage begins. I also will be watering with rain water and room temp spring water. I would like to go as natural as possible. I just don't know how the water, feeding regiment should go, I've read that once the top of the soil begins to crust you should water but I don't want to over do it. I know it'll take trial and error and I can't expect a perfect grow, but I do have the spare time to do things right with the knowledge I can gather !

 

[StickMan]

Crow, if you haven't checked this section out Organics, I encourage you to. There is a bountiful amount of info on there regarding growing organic. Like I said I make my own soil with everything in it, but I do give them veg and flowering teas at times that include guanos, BS molasses and other organic goodies.(lots of good recipes on the link I posted).

As far as watering, a good rule of thumb is to stick your finger down to the knuckle, if it is dry water. You will get the feel by how light the container is when dry compared to wet, as far as them needing water. I have found that adding about 1 gallon of water for a 5 gallon container works well for me. You will certainly need to keep an eye on them often for water when it gets hot. Always a good idea to break up the top 1/2 of the soil before you water, but you want to be careful of surface roots at the same time.

Peace

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[Shadowbuck]

Ocean Forest is indeed a rather "hot" soil. Transplanting isn't really too big a deal as long as you do not mess with or damage the roots...but since most people like to fiddle with things without knowing any better it is advised to just grow auto's in their permanent home to avoid the dreaded stunt. One possibility would be to add just enough OF to the pot and leave yourself room to add about a 4" layer of happy frog as it's a milder soil...thus allowing your plants to grow down into the OF as they get bigger. Based upon your strains I would suggest for your first three: Candy Kush, THC bomb, and either sweet skunk or speed. That would give you some nice variety to smoke on while you're growing the other three this fall lol.

 

[Crow]

Thank you both so much, I bought a large bags of both today and I'll do OF on the bottom for when the roots are stronger and HF on top. I have my cage ready and now dirt, all I need now is my seed order in and we'll be ready to rock ! I appreciate the advice guys !

 

[StickMan]

That is what AFN is all about, helping and learning from each other.

Don't ever hesitate to ask questions.

Peace.

 

[Crow]

Also this may be stupid but I'm going to ask anyway, I assume natural spring water will suffice well for watering ? My land has a natural spring that I was planning to use to water my ladies.

 

[pickpocket33]

Test it first. I use tap water for all the goodies and nutrients in it. No chlorine.. phed. etc.. So... same thing. In fact the difference between natural spring and say Aquafina is closer then you think.

And don't say its a stupid question, a guru will be here soon to give you the down low and ill learn from his response too. I think I covered it but theirs ALWAYS something these guys know from experience. Good luck! If in doubt I use tap with no chlorine.

Im on my first grow too! Enjoy it! :Sharing One:

 

[Shadowbuck]

Test the ec of the spring water. High ec (higher than reg water should be) is indicative of "hard" water. Hard water is ill suited for adding nutes.....because there's already a high amount of minerals and salts in it which can cause problems with nutrient lockout and ph instability. That's my 2 cents