I haven’t besides powder adds to the main pot for the transfer. I already transferred them a week ago.I didn’t let the soil sit as long as I was supposed to but live and learn. Sat for 5 days should have been a bit longer I was told… Smdh.
No real liquid nutrients have been given yet.
What’s microbe additives as in? Like what will it do for the plant?
And good call out on the no nutrient water in-between, don’t see much read on that.
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By microbes I mean any additive that brings life to the soil and/or forms a symbiotic relation with the plant roots.
Products like fish brew’s “bold flo” or “rise and thrive soil conditioner”, “great white”, “real growers recharge”, “fish sh*t”, “EM-1”, “tribus” or any number of other mycorrhizae/fungi and/or bacterial inoculants/additives.
Ideally, you just make your own. Then you know you are getting live microbes instead of paying for a bottle that may or may not still have live (or dormant) microbes. Like with a simple compost or worm castings tea.
Also, making your own LAB (lactic acid bacteria) is super cheap and easy. That’s a great bacterial additive for soil.
All you need is some water you boiled rice or noodles or potatoes in, some milk and a jar. (I can provide the details if you want)
When I grow in soil I try to use organic methods and rely on the soil (and its micro life) to feed the plant. I provide organic food for the soil microbes and the microbes feed the plant. The plant basically trades the microbes for what it wants and they provide it. A good living soil helps keep the plants healthy because the soil is feeding the plant for you (instead of you having to worry about adding the right balance of salt based nutrients). You just provide a buffet.
If you are interested in this subject, there is an amazing book on sale right now called “teaming with microbes” by Jeff Lowenfels. The kindle version is on sale for $3.99 right now. Highly, highly recommend that book. The beginning (part 1) might be kind of boring for some people but the later chapters put all that info into practice. it’s filled with so much info. It definitely made me a better gardener.
Or check out Dr. Elaine Ingham. She has a website and lots of YouTube videos on the “soil food web”.
Build-a-soil also has an excellent YouTube video series. They put out new videos weekly. It’s mostly all about growing weed (unlike the other 2 I mentioned).
If you aren’t planning to really grow organic this first run, then this info may not be of as much interest to you.
Microbe additives are still helpful with salt based grows, but not as much IMO.
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I looked thru my stuff. I have this stuff called bio Flores 2-2-5 I believe,
Organic food material derived from beats and something else. Completely organic. Smells horrible like freaking so bad * I smelled It for educational purposes*
But it’s for the flower stage I believe.
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Details of LAB Please. I would like to add this to my journal for experimental plants. I started some new seeds
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And Im just mixing all this nutrition solution in one gallon per plant or separate water per nutrient? * Following measurements per gallon *
Sure!
Ok, so take some white rice, or pasta noodles. Boil them in water. Then drain that water into a glass mason jar (or similar). Cover the top with a paper towel. Stick it in a dark spot for a week or so. You’ll see some white stuff start collecting in the water (either at the top or bottom of the jar).
After a week, take that water (or some of it) and pour it through some cheese cloth or a filter into another mason jar. Then add 1 part of that water to 10 parts of milk. Cover it with the paper towel again and let it sit another week. (I usually do like 1/3 LAB water and 2/3 milk, that’s usually close enough)
You will see the milk water will start turning like a clearish yellow color and cheese curds form on top. Then it’s ready. Ditch the curds on top and collect the yellow water (pour through a chess cloth again).
Here’s a link on the process with some pictures:
You can use the LAB to water into your soil, make faster compost from food scraps (in a sealed bucket so it doesn’t smell) or even make your own nutrients from local plants (by soaking plants or leaves from your weed plants, etc. in water with LAB added).
Here are some of the benefits of LAB:
Lactic Acid Bacteria: Garden and Soil Benefits - Rogue Soil.
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Very useful stuff, the stuff I have is pretty expensive probably gonna bankrupt from nutrients smdh. So this is something I’m definitely going to switch over to do. I Book marked this and send myself the links to copy over into my journal.
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The plant can take a lot of abuse (not advocating that), just saying. I screwed up a lot in the beginning (I’m one to question everything). I believe if I had just followed directions, I would have greater success sooner. (I didn’t LITFA).
Read, enjoy, and explore, as many threads are not about growing.
Good growing.
Smib
Ps- I LITFA now.
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Update of Day 18: Been really hands on the past week kinda stressing… Taking a step back to just watch, document changes, and work on the basics.
Reading today Found out I was NOT properly venting/ cycling the air… Even though I have the proper equipment was not properly using it… Plant aren’t happy, 2 were ohkay, 1 showing signs of droopyness. 1 was bad… My small girl was basically in a choke hold 
made adjustments that were needed. (Also not anywhere severe was cycling air on my own opening tent, and had fan blowing 24/7 originally ) But it was not that bad I was told( was told to get over it and learn 
)
9hrs after Plants seem to be responding very well from it. Smelled them… (idk I’m weird, BUT mannn they smell like some really strong weed up close. Didn’t think they would smell strong so young)
Before Photo:
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After Adjustment: 2 that were showing symptoms seem to be straighting up. So well see in the morning next update in a couple days
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Nice! They definitely seem to like the changes that you made so far
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Looks good, are they feminized or regs?
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They’re looking good. The best thing you can do as a new grower is accept you are going to make mistakes, try to not take it too hard when you do and ask a million questions.
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Feminized. I did that so I wouldn’t have to be looking out for males or cross-pollination? I don’t know if that’s even correct or truthful I just based it off the information I gathered before I started. Wasn’t really thinking too much into seeds until I got on this form and saw how you guys manipulate plants or harvest your own seeds… It blew my mind because I thought it was way more complex. Something I’m going to try later on when my experience probably gets up a lot higher and understand nutrients and experience actual harvest and I think pollen is involved with that so that would be completely new as well.
@Srn9 It’s hard with it being my first time. Because I don’t know what’s right and what’s wrong… like I have basic standards because it’s all I know really about plants in general. Like I know factors that show the plant isn’t doing well, and factors to tell if the plants doing good. Greenness, smell of plant, discoloration, droopy ness… Basic stuff.
Overall everyone is right. Just gotta relax and take everything as a lesson. Everyone says there doing pretty well so I’m must being traveling down the right path to the right road. I’m not trying to ego boost or anything like that but I seen peoples, plus some of my friends as well and my start is a little better so I’ll take that as well.
Looking thru the window they seem to be fine and bouncing back strong from adjusting.
All alot taller and all plants are kinda lifting up towards the light?? Not a lot but enough to notice.
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Yes. You got it right. Feminized seeds should be all females.
Regular seeds have both males and females (so that’s when you have to watch for them to show their sex and then remove the males, but you shouldn’t have to worry about that).
And yes, try not to stress man. Everything is still looking good! Just try to enjoy the whole process. It’s all a learning experience. Just keep learning as you go and take notes so you can look back and know what worked and what didn’t. I know it can be stressful when you paid money for the seeds. But if you keep hanging out here, you will have plenty of new free seeds to grow before long anyway! lol
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The mistakes I made right off the bat were watering too frequently and giving the wrong amount of light. They are fairly resilient if you make corrections when you see things going wrong. I damn near scorched my first grow and they still were able to rebound with care.
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I agree with this method. I used to top early, now I wait a little longer. Also growth will slow down after topping so I like to make sure everything’s going good before stressing it while it’s still very young.
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Welcome & congrats on your new garden. 
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Good work! In my opinion the first month or so is the most difficult, so you’re getting great experience there. 
Keep it up
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Welcome to the OG community 
We are glad to have you here!!
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