Driver

My babies are 5 and 3 dyas old, when should i start using ferts on them, i have peters 20-20-20 is that ok for veging and if not what would ya recomend, thanks
driver

organic

the Peters isn't that great of a choice, it doesn't have the right ratio of NPK for veg growth and it's easy to overfert and burn with it. A better choice is fish emulsion (Alaska fish fertilizer) which won't burn and is ideal for veg growth. There are lots more choices though, try reading through more posts in this forum for ideas.

- organic

dragfameson

5 and 3 days old? wait at least another 2 weeks till you give them any fert. and when you do first start with a 1-2-1 solution.
-drag

Driver

Drag you rule!! your awlays replying to all my posts! thanks a bunch, heres another question for ya.... is it absolutely nessacary to run a fan all day long i cant becuase it makes some noise so i am only able to run it at certian times im trying to get a new one that is quiter... just looking for more advice this is my first grow im not expecting anything great but i also want to do it right ya know
thanks a bunch
driver

dragfameson

absolutely not, you dont have to keep them on 24/7. what fans are basically used for is to keep hot temps down. if you dont have a too hot temp problem you dont have to really worrie about it, but it is still good to have one on them for a portion of the day; 1. it will make the plants stronger, 2. it is good to have good ventilation so your plant can get all the oxygen they need to thrive!
your welcome.
-drag

organic

driver, you can use the 1-2-1 right at first (first fert or two) but then for the rest of the veg cycle you'll want a 2-1-1 ratio. 1-2-1 is primarily used for flowering

the reasoning behind this is that P is good for building roots and also for producing flowers (buds). By giving it a shot of P in the seedling stage, the plant is encouraged to grow a strong root system which will lead to a healthier plant and bigger buds. For the rest of veg growth, though, the plant needs mostly N to promote rapid, healthy leaf and stem growth. That's why you use the 2-1-1.

When you start the flowering cycle, then you switch back to the 1-2-1 to stimulate bud growth, because you don't care as much about the leaves and stems at this point. You want the goods!

just remember to use a dilute solution (1/4 strength) when you start. underferting is better than overferting, same with water.

hope this helps

organic

dragfameson

organic, maybe you miss understood, but i did say in my post to start off with a 1-2-1 at first because i know it is good for seedlings. organic, it is ok to use a 1-5-1 solution durring flowering, because i have some of this, and really dont wanna have to worrie about buying a 1-2-1 if i could use the 1-5-1 i already got? and Diver, if you could get you hands on some silicon, it think it is, put it around your fans back and it will cut out a lot of the noise and vibrations!
-drag

new2groww

what does 20-20-20 mean? what are some good kinds of soil to plant the seeds in? I'm going to go get some soil real soon, please help me.

organic

Drag, you've probably already had this answered since you posted it, but the 1-5-1 is just fine for flowering. You want something that's *close* to the 1-2-1 ratio, it doesn't have to be exact. Basically you just want lots of P and not so much N.

New2, the numbers 20-20-20 stand for the amounts of the three major plant nutrients, Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium or NPK. (K is the chemical symbol for Potassium.)
Any commercial potting soil is fine to use, but it's reccommended to add perlite (about 1/3 the amount of soil) to make sure the soil doesn't compact.

Since you are so new to growing, please read this post before you post any more questions. It will give you a good friendly primer on growing to get you started.

Good growin'
rganic