Questions from a new Grower

MarieJane`

Member
So I'm relatively new to growing and I have quite a few questions that I need answered ASAP since I plan to start growing within the next 2wks. I'll start by telling a little about how I plan to go about things and I'll separate my questions for ease of reading. So here we go:

I have about $1000-1300 to work with. I've settled on a grow closet thats about 59"x59"x78", a 600w virtual sun hps+mh lighting kit, a ph meter,a propagation kit to start my seeds, and an ozone generator. I'm going to grow 2 different autoflowering strains and do in fact plan to clone. I want to start with only 2 plants as I only have 4 seeds (2 of each strain) and then a month later I'll plant the other 2. Now for the questions
Organic Soil Mixture:
I came across Subcool's organic soil mix quite a few times and it seems to be a tried and true mix. My question is what do yall think about using Earth Juice's Amazon Bloom as a base (ingredients listed below)? Can anyone give me a step-by-step break down of how to mix it?

Pots and transplanting:
First off I would like to avoid transplanting all together so I guess my question is is that even possible? If so how? Second I've been looking at smart pots and it seems that the roots grow into the mesh of the bag so I was wondering if I could just start them in a smart pot and then transfer the entire smart pot into a bigger one and cover it with soil? I guess my main goal is to cause minimum to no stress to my babies. Also what do yall think about 2 plants in those huge sterelite bins with holes drilled in the bottom for drainage?

I think that is all the questions I have (for now ) I've been researching this for about 2years now and feel it is time to jump in and start growing since I wish to make this my career. It seems there is a wealth of info for a young woman to learn so I welcome any and all input.

Eath Juice Amazon Bloom Organic Soil:
peat moss
forest compost
coconut coir
feather meal
bat guano
marinebird fossilized guano
steamed bone meal
sulfate of potash magnesia from langbenite
neem meal
earthworm castings
sea kelp (ascophyllum nodosum)
humate ore (leonardite) yucca meal
oyster shell lime
 

bullwinkle60

Well-Known Member
You can start your seeds in the same pot you plan to grow them in and with autoflowers it's best not to transplant. I use 5 gal Smart pots for my grows and they work well for me. With respect to soil why not just use Fox Farms Ocean Forest.
 

monkeybones

Well-Known Member
a smart pot isn't meant to decompose and have the roots grow through it, so it will probably serve as more of a hinderance than just transplanting it. if you do it right, transplanting can be absolutely stress-free for the plant. some basic tips and guidelines to follow are
- to wet the rootball before removing the small pot
- to always bury the plant to within an inch or less from the cotyledons, or first node.
- jiffy pods are the easiest way to transplant a seedling into dirt
- water thoroughly after transplanting is complete, check for uneven soil and amend with more on top

if you still really don't want to transplant, there is nothing wrong with taking a new seedling - in rock wool or a jiffy pod, doesn't matter - and planting it in a large pot pre-mixed and ready for a full plant's life-cycle. in this scenario is pays to have very prime soil, subcool's soil mix fits the bill. In poorer soils with less robust structure, plants can have difficulty reaching all areas of the pot before watering compacts the soil and makes it inaccessible.
 

Deeproot

Well-Known Member
yeah, don't transplant, I ran autos for a couple cycles. auto ak and automaria, they were both pretty decent, i liked the automaria better
 

Styxwtc

Member
Cloning autos?? I thought that was a big no no bc the clones won't have time to mature they will be at the same stage as the plant it was cut from? Or am I wrong?
 
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