Tips needed on first auto flower grow

[billygoat]

hi mate,

 

check out my last grow thread in the link in my sig.... first time with Auto's and they turned out OK.... similar set up to what you are proposing..

[Sir PsychoHashy]

You are right about the coco from Bummings being a bit dodgy for canna, but you can fix it.  Somewhere on the boards is a tute by Lou about flushing/amending the cheap coco, and I believe it also mentions which bricks are the best to use, can't remember which one but you want to get one without added fertilisers etc.  I used it once, flushed the shit out of it, but didn't go to Lou's lengths, and was not impressed.  At the end of the day I take the lazy route and get the 5kg mega bricks by Nutrifield, pre buffered etc, cheapest prepared coco option I could find, and works great.  Perlite isn't essential either, but does help, as do worm castings if you can get them.

 

It is worth controlling your PH, and monitoring the strength of your nutrients, but let the plants tell you how strong rather than the bottle directions.  So long as you stick to the basics they will generally grow themselves, but don't expect massive yields from auto's.  1-2 oz per plant in your setup is your most likely range.