Mephisto Genetics Noob questions

[Waira]

... Derek calls it right! Many folks I know who have used Roots original or 707 found the lin=me sourcing to be a bit weak, with some pH drifting happeni9ng later in the grow,... some extar EWC is a nice addition too! I you use dolomite with auto's, make sure it's a fine, near powder grain size,.. dolomite is the slowest acting/breakdown of the lime, due to some different chemistry vs typical limestones,.. too course, and it may not get busy in time.... some of the man-made ones are nice too, a combo of faster acting and longer term releasing,...
Earth Juice makes nice stuff- .. the Natural pH Down is basically citric acid, so if don't want a 3 year supply of it, you can use canning citric acid instead,... same stuff! And tiny amounts are all that's needed unless the water is half dissolved rock!
You heard right about Fuxfarms OF soil! it's hands down the [HASHTAG]#1[/HASHTAG] problem soil I see at the Infirmary,.. my own testing with an Accurate 8 soil pH probe (you must get one of these!) showed bags in the low f'ing 5's pH- unbelievable that shit makes it to market! Also, lots of complaints about too many rock, raw sticks and bark,.. just plain poorly cooked, rushed out the door,...... they use urea ti try and speed age the forest composts, and the quality control on that and other things is dicey!... Some folks get OK bags too, so I suspect it has a lot to do with individual production plants and sourcing,.. Happy Frog seems a little better, but not always,...... I've used Sanctuary Soils Victory blend and Empire Builder (richer) before, nice stuff,... this year I tried Vermisoil, and like it a lot too for my Biotabs grow outdoors,...Vermifire is too hot for autos, at least initially,...
About the A8 pH probe, this is a must for soil/soilless growers,.. nothing beat in-pot measurement, run-off is crude at best, and a PITA to do right if you follow the guide we have here in the Infirmary sticky article section,.. between that probe, a TDS/EC meter, and a pH meter (liquids only; mandatory calibration solutions storage solutions or it will lose accuracy fast, and die young), and adjusting your inputs (Ca-Mg first, always if needed), you have all the tools you need to steer clear of most any pH issues during your grow-

 

[Zoomzoom07]

Amazing information guys and I really appreciate the knowledge and experience you've all shared throughout this post and entire forum.

I currently have a "trial" grow going right now with a 5 year old NL auto seed, that was kept in my cars center console for at least 2 of those 5 years during 100+ degree summers and below freezing winters. It actually sprouted within 48 hours! This trial run has given me the opportunity to see how ffof soil was these days and to get my environment right. The OF I bought for this trial is FULL of sticks, rocks and what looks like plastic shredded trash, oh and the PH is an astounding 5.2 according to my probe and my NL auto has suffered. I was able to bring the PH up to just over 6 with a MASSIVE flush with PH'd water. It just hit 6 weeks old and actually looks like it'll give a decent 2oz+ yield.

Thanks again guys, I'll start a journal with my new Mephisto beans and proper soil!

 

[AppleFritter]

I hope I can jump in with a question about roots. @gbd @derek420colorado Im using roots original. How often in the early stages should I be watering? My DG's are on day 13 and currently I'm letting the soil dry for 36 hours before watering again. I was told this helps the root structure.

When should I begin treating the medium as hydro?

 

[gbd]

I hope I can jump in with a question about roots. @gbd @derek420colorado Im using roots original. How often in the early stages should I be watering? My DG's are on day 13 and currently I'm letting the soil dry for 36 hours before watering again. I was told this helps the root structure.

When should I begin treating the medium as hydro?

I usually only water once per week or so during the first two weeks but I fully saturate the soil and let dry a good deal. It really depends on your environment and set up, but I typically don't start watering every other day or every 3 days until they're fully grown, typically once in dull flower. Again, it's totally dependent on your environment, the plant, and how fast your pots are drying out. You can always do the lift test to see how heavy/saturated or light/dry they are at any given time. Hope this helps a little bit.

 

[Zoomzoom07]

I just went out and bought earthworm castings, perlite and powered lime. Except I have no idea how much of these to add to the roots organic soil. Any help there?

 

[AppleFritter]

I usually only water once per week or so during the first two weeks but I fully saturate the soil and let dry a good deal. It really depends on your environment and set up, but I typically don't start watering every other day or every 3 days until they're fully grown, typically once in dull flower. Again, it's totally dependent on your environment, the plant, and how fast your pots are drying out. You can always do the lift test to see how heavy/saturated or light/dry they are at any given time. Hope this helps a little bit.

Thanks. This answer beats the bonehead on the line at Roots Organics customer help.

 

[derek420colorado]

I just went out and bought earthworm castings, perlite and powered lime. Except I have no idea how much of these to add to the roots organic soil. Any help there?

With the ewc’s you want to use about a cup per pot(if you are using 3 gallon pots that is) with the lime you want to use 1 tablespoon per gallon of water. Or if you want to top dress use about 2 tablespoons per po(3gallon)