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 vipergts2207
RooR
Registered: 11/16/09
Posts: 19
Loc: Ohio
Last seen: 12 years, 11 months
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 New soil mix for second grow 
#360845 - 02/09/10 04:30 PM (14 years, 8 months ago) |
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My very first grow will be coming to a close in about 2 weeks. Although I consider it successful, I've learned a lot from my first grow and know some things I want to change. One of them in the grow medium. For this grow I used Peat moss, vermiculite and perlite in a ratio of 38:31:31 respectively. I don't like how long the medium stayed moist with that ratio so I'm going to change it up to incorporate more perlite. Which ratio should I go with for my next mix? I'm thinking either 38:25:38 or 33:33:33. Or maybe you guys have another suggestion altogether.
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 coda
Registered: 04/20/08
Posts: 4,736
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Re: New soil mix for second grow [Re: vipergts2207]
#360848 - 02/09/10 04:40 PM (14 years, 8 months ago) |
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Ditch the peat moss and the verm and grow in straight perlite.
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MFDoom666: sobriety kills my buzz every time.
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TheShroomJew23
The Chemist
Registered: 10/02/08
Posts: 739
Last seen: 13 years, 8 months
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Re: New soil mix for second grow [Re: coda]
#360849 - 02/09/10 04:44 PM (14 years, 8 months ago) |
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You took the words out of my mouth Coda, stop doing that I need them. Just kidding man
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vipergts2207
RooR
Registered: 11/16/09
Posts: 19
Loc: Ohio
Last seen: 12 years, 11 months
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Re: New soil mix for second grow [Re: TheShroomJew23]
#360856 - 02/09/10 04:56 PM (14 years, 8 months ago) |
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Straight perlite would require watering pretty much everyday wouldn't it? I don't want to not be able to go away for a day or two and have to worry about my plant not getting water. With my current grow it's still moist at 7 days, which kind of screws up watering between feedings. I'm looking for something I'll have to water every 3-4 days. That will make it much easier to do weekly feedings. Suggesting all perlite makes me think that the one with 38% perlite is the one to go with.
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Inverted
CNC Machinist/Greenthumb
Registered: 06/01/08
Posts: 9,953
Loc: North Star 
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Re: New soil mix for second grow [Re: coda]
#360859 - 02/09/10 05:10 PM (14 years, 8 months ago) |
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Quote:
coda said:
Ditch the peat moss and the verm and grow in straight perlite.
It's the right thing to do
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Don't criticize what you can't understand
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TheShroomJew23
The Chemist
Registered: 10/02/08
Posts: 739
Last seen: 13 years, 8 months
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Re: New soil mix for second grow [Re: Inverted]
#360864 - 02/09/10 05:18 PM (14 years, 8 months ago) |
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If you want to have to water every 3-4 days add some verm. I do not like set raios for this kind of stuff, I just feel the mix when hydrated like you really just feel the needs of your plants and how you would feel if you were them.
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Inverted
CNC Machinist/Greenthumb
Registered: 06/01/08
Posts: 9,953
Loc: North Star
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Re: New soil mix for second grow [Re: TheShroomJew23]
#360883 - 02/09/10 05:30 PM (14 years, 8 months ago) |
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Yeah good point.
Cannabis doesn't like "wet feet". It's better to have the roots drier than sopping wet.
A week to dry the medium between waterings is far too long. You are begging for root rot. I use straight FFOF and my 2-3 gallon containers are dry in 2-3 days. In my setup, it takes about 1 day for every gallon of medium to dry out, obviously varying with the maturity of the plant, but I tend to keep big plants in small containers, with no noticeable reduction in growth.
You may have a ventilation issue if it's taking that long for your medium to dry up. I noticed when I wasn't using adequate ventilation and circulation, that it took considerably longer. In most cases at least 2x the time. Do you have this setup in a tent? box? open air? I find that a decent fan for circulation, aside from FAE, is necessary. Think about this the next time you grow a plant outdoors, almost every leaf is moving 24/7 unless it's dead calm. The plants need it for not only strengthening the stems, but also for proper transpiration.
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Don't criticize what you can't understand
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vipergts2207
RooR
Registered: 11/16/09
Posts: 19
Loc: Ohio
Last seen: 12 years, 11 months
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Re: New soil mix for second grow [Re: Inverted]
#360918 - 02/09/10 05:45 PM (14 years, 8 months ago) |
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Thanks for pointing that out the ventilation thing inverted. I hadn't considered that I will be changing that with my next grow as well. My current grow is in a dresser converted into a grow box. However conditions aren't exactly prime because I didn't want to cut it up because I'd like to convert it back into a dresser. On my next grow I will be building a real grow box which will have better air exchange. I actually have your grow box thread bookmarked because I'm planning on using that as my basic blueprint for building one. The better air exchange will definitely help dry the medium more easily on my next grow.
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coda
Registered: 04/20/08
Posts: 4,736
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Re: New soil mix for second grow [Re: vipergts2207]
#360926 - 02/09/10 05:49 PM (14 years, 8 months ago) |
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Quote:
Straight perlite would require watering pretty much everyday wouldn't it? I don't want to not be able to go away for a day or two and have to worry about my plant not getting water.
Throw in some verm as was already suggested at a 3:1 ratio of perlite to verm (hempy mixture). Personally I wouldn't use too much verm as it turns into nasty sludge after being soaked too many times. Most I've had to water my hempy buckets has been every other day and that was with a 3 foot plant in the bucket.
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MFDoom666: sobriety kills my buzz every time.
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Inverted
CNC Machinist/Greenthumb
Registered: 06/01/08
Posts: 9,953
Loc: North Star
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Re: New soil mix for second grow [Re: vipergts2207]
#361010 - 02/09/10 06:29 PM (14 years, 8 months ago) |
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Quote:
vipergts2207 said:
Thanks for pointing that out the ventilation thing inverted. I hadn't considered that I will be changing that with my next grow as well. My current grow is in a dresser converted into a grow box. However conditions aren't exactly prime because I didn't want to cut it up because I'd like to convert it back into a dresser. On my next grow I will be building a real grow box which will have better air exchange. I actually have your grow box thread bookmarked because I'm planning on using that as my basic blueprint for building one. The better air exchange will definitely help dry the medium more easily on my next grow.
Sounds great man! I'm a FAE advocate after experiencing the results first hand. My last run was basically sealed except for cracking the door with a fan circulating air inside, not even exchanging. It came out fine, but I usually am OCD and won't stop until I have most things perfected. Thanks for the compliments!  It sounds like you know what you are doing.
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Don't criticize what you can't understand
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