Below is a list of top growing mistakes that many beginners face.
So you’ve decided on starting your first home grow expedition! You’ve put aside some space in your home, you’ve figured out how much time you’re willing to put aside for maintaining your plants and you just set up your first all-in-one home grow kit.
Now is the time to start growing. For many new growers, the resources available can be hard to grasp. If you look at any online forum, there can be a thousand answers to one simple question. This is common no matter where you look. It can also be overwhelming.
Here are the top growing mistakes that beginners make when starting their first home grow.
Worst Growing Mistakes: Lighting
While most places will tell you that you simply switch the lighting for your plants, you may not want to just flip the switch once your plants are ready to go into the next stage of growth. This can actually shock your plants. Remember, plants are living things. While they may not feel pain, they can easily get confused. That is why flipping from an 18/6 light time to a 12/12 should be a gradual process. I typically let my plants move gradually for about 1-2 weeks. We recommend that about halfway through the week decrease the time that the lights are on. By the time you get to the second week, you should be closer to 12 hours on and 12 hours off. By the end of the second week, your plants will be adjusted to the light.
Keeping The Inside Of The Tent Too Hot Or Too Cold
One of the biggest issues that many people have when starting out is where they place the tent. For many people living in colder areas across the country, having a tent in a basement might not be the most ideal area. Although you may have a lot of space, unless you heat the basement at the same temperature as the rest of your home, the environment will be too cold. The most common issue that we receive is that the tent is not reaching the right temperature to adequately grow its plants. When asked where the tent is located in their house, they will likely say the basement or in an attic.
On the other side of the spectrum, the attic might not be the most ideal space to grow plants either. As many attics are less temperature controlled, in the summertime the humidity and stuffy environment can simply choke out your plants. This can cause shorter growth and a less bountiful harvest.
Over/Under Watering
While you may want your plants to grow big, healthy, and strong, there is a drawback to providing too much water…or even giving too little water.
Overwatering your plants will stress that plants to a point where they might be absorbing too many nutrients. This is typically a bad start for any first-time grower.
We simply state to give your plants 16 ounces of water every day/other day.
A great way to check on how your water levels are doing is to simply weigh your 5-gallon pot PRIOR to giving any water. From there you will have a good reference point in regards to when you may need to water your plants again. If you weigh your 5-gallon pot and it’s significantly heavier than expected, then you know it may be time to back off on water for a day – or even two. Make sure the weight is correlated to your watering times.
A more simple method is the finger technique. Simply place your finger down into the soil to check if it is still wet. If you get to the first knuckle and it’s dry, then you know it may be time to give you plant some water!
This article was brought to you by nhcannanow.
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