How often to Fertilize?

[tippsy25]

So here's the story.

After a couple of attempted soil grows with little success (Im quite a newbie but kept having trouble with over-watering, over fertilization and poor soil choice/composition) I decided to undertake a little experimental grow...

 

Im using:

One 48 watt CFL (3000k) and one 13 watt CFL (2700k). Homemade aluminium reflector. 18/6 cycle

Gravel grow medium (from backyard (sterilized)) with roughly 10% sand soil

Tap water (left out for few days to let nasties to evaporate.

Currently in a small pot (15cm diameter) will repot to 25cm for flowering.

 

Now i thought i would attempt the gravel as it drains extremely well (too well) and let air to the roots. so i then added around 10% soil to provide a little bit of moisture control (to hold a bit of water but not enough to severely restrict air) and gravel will have zero nutrients so I can control its entire intake.

 

So far its a resounding success. Two weeks in and its already doing better than any of my previous attempt. Nice and green and strong looking and growing much faster. No yellowing. I've been watering it 3 times a day (no its not to much as the gravel holds next to no water and there are NO signs of over-watering). Im going to put it into 12/12 flowering in 1 weeks time to keep it small as i dont have a strong light set up.

 

I have a dissolvable fertilizer (Manutec Bloom Booster with high P/K ratio for flowering). I know its a flowering fert (but i figured it was better than nothing) so i gave it a little (small amount and quite dilute) a few days ago and there have been no adverse effects and growth seems to be growing strong.

 

So, just wondering. Considering the set up i've got going, how often should a feed it nutes (since, im assuming, not a lot will be held around the roots due to lack of soil and therefor i might have to fert more often)? I dont want to over fertilize but also dont want to under fertilize and end up with a real runt.

 

I would like to put pics up but my camera is out of service for the time being unfortunately. But once its up and running i may start a grow diary...

 

Cheers

[Syb3 rm3nt41_%20]

ermmm, 90% gravel ? ... doesnt sound very ideal good luck keeping up NPK..

 

Peace n pot.

[Mudguts]

I smell april fools

 

Edit* Soz i stopped reading your post after seeing" cfls and gravel " but then I read the rest. Mate If its working for you then well done. Something a little out of left field. Good luck and hope you go the whole hog and share with some pics.

 

MG

Edited April 1, 2010 by Mudguts

[pisspotgrower]

Sounds interesting man, plants need food as medium dries up when plants tell ya , As i haven't grown in gravel before not sure on what sorta times u gona need water it or not. just try not let ya roots go completely dry i guess . GOOd luck n post pics

[tippsy25]

cybermental

yea the 10% soil is there to hopefully hold enough. And now you see my problem? How much nutes IS it holding and how often to i have to top it off?

 

Mudguts

haha yea im expecting many relies like this. Seems weird i know, but like i said, its an experimental grow. Just wanted to see how it worked and to my amazement its going great!

 

pisspotgrower

yea same reply i gave to cybermental. also, im not entirely sure how often i should be watering as its hard to tell how much water it is holding. But like i said, i've been watering at 3 times a day and its def not over watered and no signs of being under watered as of yet.

[pisspotgrower]

cybermental

yea the 10% soil is there to hopefully hold enough. And now you see my problem? How much nutes IS it holding and how often to i have to top it off?

 

 

Yer only problem with experimentation is u gotta try n learn it ya self as bit outa the ordinary, not something that is usually tried so cat help much, But as i say if it not broke dont need fixin so if u happy so r we

 

Gl n look foward seein the pics:)

[tippsy25]

Yer only problem with experimentation is u gotta try n learn it ya self as bit outa the ordinary, not something that is usually tried so cat help much, But as i say if it not broke dont need fixin so if u happy so r we

 

Gl n look foward seein the pics:)

 

Yea I was just hoping some more experienced gardeners would have some information or know how that i definitely dont have... But I understand the lack of response to my question. So i will just keep at it and see how it turns out.

 

Hopefully will get some pics up later tonight or tomorrow as im going to borrow a mates camera. I will start a grow diary and then post the link to that diary in this thread.

[torana2000]

Yea I was just hoping some more experienced gardeners would have some information or know how that i definitely dont have... But I understand the lack of response to my question. So i will just keep at it and see how it turns out.

 

Hopefully will get some pics up later tonight or tomorrow as im going to borrow a mates camera. I will start a grow diary and then post the link to that diary in this thread.

it would be like you are growin in clay balls same sort of thing, when i used to do f&d with clayballs i would water every 3 hrs for 15min in veg then every 2hrs in flower thats with hydro nutes to so ya can go from there i guess...

 

soil is the easyist thing to grow in dunno how ya can stuff it up with that a bit to over eager me thinks

[louise]

You'll need to get a trace element feed to go with the bloom booster, good luck with all the watering.

[tippsy25]

You'll need to get a trace element feed to go with the bloom booster, good luck with all the watering.

 

Yea i figured that might be the case.

 

The Bloom Booster has:

Nitrogen 6.19 %WW

Phosphorus 14.64

Potassium 16.8

 

Sulphur 7.36 %WW

Magnesium 0.06

Manganese 0.24

Iron 0.05

Zinc 0.03

Copper 0.02

Boron 0.02

Molybdenum 0.0014

 

are these trace amounts going to be enough or at all suitable???

either way, i gave it a dilute feed today with the Bloom Booster as i figured it might be needing something after 2 weeks of growth, and figured what i had was better than nothing.

 

and yea, watering 3 times a day so not that bad... one in the morn when i get up for work, one when i get home and one before lights out. the 10% soil seems to be a good amount and is holding just enough water.

Edited April 1, 2010 by tippsy25