Ok. You got a solid start here. Lets just go through your ?'s 1st.
1. 3-4 weeks cook time when raw organic material is added. Which is basically all your amendments.
2. You making basically 1/2 cf of soil. My math says you'll be fine on amendments. 3-4cups / cf plus 2-4 cups minerals. / cf. but you ffof has plenty already so I think your good to go. Careful with dolo lime. Not my favorite.
3. Ok. My best advice for you. Do NOT germ I'm this soil! Do yourself a favor and get seed starter plugs or start In a 2 oz bathroom cup of light warrior only. Full the roots them transplant into say a 1/2 g pot, still just plain soil, no need for nutrients yet. Once your plant is established and has many nodes I would ten go into your 3 gallon flowering pot.
So basically don't layer anything, start in small pots and transplant as needed.
Get a "dummy" pot to hold the place for your last transplant. Then your can "cook"your soil right in your final pot, I like give my cooking soil a Ewc tea once. This jump starts the soil food web. And when your adolescent plants hit this soil which hasn't been disturbed! They jump into action!
But long term. I would keep ffof for veg or emergency. And start a super soil. 33%each peat, perlite, Ewc. 4 cups nutrients. 2-4 cups minerals.
Good luck and welcome to organics. Stick to it! It's te only way to grow !
So, I understand using a "dummy" pot in my final, makes transplant easier, while extending the cook time of my soil. The questions I have are:
1) Since I'm growing an auto strain, I've read its not recommended to transplant (But, I've read other posts that say it really depends on the strain/plant)), so what is your opinion?
2) If I do start it in a party cup or smaller 1gal pot, for example, should I just go with straight Light Warrior, or maybe a 60/40 or 70/30 mix of LW/FFOF?
3) Any advice for minimizing any shock from the transplant for an auto strain?
4) I've also read of a method, not unlike the dummy pot, but actually cutting the bottom off a party cup, and placing that in the final, surrounded by the super soil. Once the plant is established, the cup can be removed, and its already in the pot, no transplant needed.....Any experience or opinion on that method?
Sorry for the additional questions, just trying to nail down my game plan....lol
Thanks!!!!
