New Grower What kind of nutes? And how often do I feed?

[Savin53]

Ok this is the part that I stand tall on being a nube at.. While I'm still 3 weeks away till I feed my lil bugger.. I still have no idea what to use.. I need a name
Or brand.. From lowes or Walmart.. Sounds cheap but its all we have around here and I'm not to inclined on ordering.. So anyone know a brand to get? And how often to feed it? It's be a huge help to figure this part out. Also has anyone ever used black magic soil? That's what she's in.. It's all organic no nutes.

 

[Savin53]

Anyone?

 

[gradolabs]

Do you have a hardware store? Or a good grocery store too... those plus the ones you mentioned should have nutes that might do the trick. Look for even npk ratios for veg and higher pk for bloom. Dunno what you have access to but thats usually how it goes, me thinks.

 

[wg]

Black Magic potting soil is made by Scott's, same as Miracle Grow - for the first three weeks, feed with just plain water and maybe a bit of Epsom Salt (magnesium is deficient in most Scott's products).. once you begin fertilizing for bloom all of the microbes in your soil that are doing the work will be killed.

From Lowe's/Wal-Mart get these items;

http://www.scotts.com/smg/goprod/miracle-gro-quick-start-transplanting-solution/prod10820024/ - this is your bloom fertilizer. - use when vertical growth stops.
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Lilly-Miller-Alaska-Fish-Fertilizer-5-1-1/17757316 - this is your veg fertilizer (check lowe's and walmart, i've seen it in both places and live in the sticks) - use at 3 weeks.
Epsom Salt can be had at any pharmacy or big box retailer (not Lowe's) and you should add it at least once every few feedings. If your tap water is hard, one teapsoon per gallon well dissolved. If it's soft, up to 1 tablespoon per gallon well dissolved.

 

[Savin53]

Thanks guys! And wg is black magic just not a good soil for cannabis?

 

[Savin53]

And what if I'm using distilled water..then a tablespoon or teaspoon?

 

[gradolabs]

I use a combo pen to measure the acidity (or lack thereof, here after referred to as pH) of my run off, the excess water after... watering. I also make sure the water, or water + nutes is at the proper pH level before I add it to the soil.

The runoff test is just confermation.

The same combo pen also lets me measure the turbidity, or total dissolved solids per unit of water, and my strain, whatever it is at the time (this is just an example) demands x ppm at whatever stage of growth it's at.

Hope that helps.

Also if you're using distilled water, I can already call you on a cal/mag def, so add some epsom salt to your feeding schedule.

 

[wg]

Black Magic is a little better than MG and for some one who doesn't want to order online a great choice IMO. Distilled water, I'd add 2 teapsoons every other watering when you start to feed in week 3. Grado mentions TDS in the above post, it's a great example - his water if tap, can be between 15-200PPM typically, you, using distilled water - have a guaranteed 0 PPM. Magnesium is a huge part of the flowering process of Cannabis. Calcium is essential as well, but there's not much you can do for that now.. if you can find powdered Gypsum locally, that'd be ideal. Lime will raise the pH of your medium watering with it over time. Gypsum will not.