Common Mistakes to Avoid on your first grow
Common Mistakes to Avoid on your first grow
Growing plants isn't rocket science, but there are few mistakes that growers may make during on their first grow. The mistakes can be inmany forms, be it in terms of water, pesticides, plant count, nutrients, or size. Regardless of the type of mistake, it is the plant that ultimately suffers. The impact of these mistake scan affect your garden's potency, yield, and its overall health.
So, for your plant's safety, these mistakes must be avoided at all costs. Moreover, as a first-time grower, don't you think you should learn how to avoid these pitfalls at the earliest? So, here's a guide to help you avoid all those mistakes.
Mistakes to Avoid When Watering Plants
Many first-time growers make the common mistake of not watering their plants properly. They either water their plants too much or too little. However, the probability of overwatering them is more common. It happens because first-time growersmay think that overwatering plants can help them grow quicker. However, that's not the case. Over watering plants can lead to rotting roots, various plant diseases, and several other mildews and molds.
On the other hand, underwatering isn't beneficial for plant growth either. It can lead to slow and sickly growth, which can eventually evencause plant death. If you want to learn how to properly water plants, we have a guide available. Just make sure to give your plants a full drench within three days.
Failing to Feed Nutrients to Your Plants the Right Way
Like the mistakes made in watering the plants, first-time growers also fail to provide them with the right quantities of nutrients. Normally, growers tend to overfeed plants rather than underfeed them; but both may occur.
The reason for that is simple! When it comes to feeding their plants, growers tend to believe in the idea of "the more, the merrier." They think that if they provide more nutrients to their plants, they will grow huge and deliver potent yields.In reality, overfeeding can only compromise your plant's development and may induce nutrient toxicity in them as well. However, if they end up growing, the plant will give off a harsh tasting or an unimpressive flower.
Not to mention, overfeeding can also resultin nutrient imbalance, which is another problem. Now, if you want a detailed set of guidelines to help you avoid overfeeding, you can take a look at our guide, " How often you should be feeding nutrients?"
Failing to Test pH with Both Watering and Feeding Plants
Failing to test pH is not exactly a mistake; it's just a lack of knowledge - and possibly laziness - on the grower's part. However, some plant irregularities that you experience may not be due to a disbalance of nutrients, but instead,they're due to the imbalance in pH levels.
If you want a detailed guide on how you can balance out your plant's pH level. To sum it up, failing to adjust pH to an ideal level can lead to a nutrient lockout, resulting in many problems. Remember that your plants need a perfect combination of water/nutrient formula, with an absorption rate of 5.8 6.8.
Most first-time growers find it a hassle to test and adjust their pH, but it's a necessary element for plant growth. So, pick up your pH pen and pH adjusters; within a minute or so, you can lay the foundation to prevent all of your plant-related concerns.
Growing Extra Plants Isn't a Good Option
First-time growers are usually quite motivated and start by growing more than six plants at once. Unfortunately, they fail to realize how much work it takes to grow a single plant- let alone six of them. We recommend that you start with a few of them sothat you don't get overwhelmed.
Allow yourself to put your time and energy into tending to a few plantsinstead of focusing on an entire garden. Moreover, you don't want to overcrowd your space from the get-gosince you don't know their final size to begin with! Yes, your six seedlings might be a fit for a 3'x3' grow tent, but you may not be able to fit all six of them in the same space a few weeks later.
Underestimating the Stretch in Your Flower
Most first-time growers also take the full stretch of the flowers lightly, which proves costly after a few weeks. You may find it hard to understand this before you experience it. After you flip your lighting schedule from 18/6 to 12/12, your plants stretch towards your grow lights quickly. Half of the time, you may also see a 50% increase in your plants' height.
The reason why this is a common issue is that most of the plants are grown indoors. So, their heights are typically quite limited. Now, if those plants outgrow your tent or room, then they end up near your grow lights, which can cause heat stress to them. So, it would help if you don't neglect the plant's ability to stretch. Ensure that you account for it at least to a height of 50%, and maintain your space accordingly.
Errors in Harvest Timing
If youâre new to the exclusive club of plant growers, you would love to harvest plants as quickly as possible. However, premature harvesting could end up creating problems for your plants. Itâs understandable to get eager to harvest those plants, but itâs best if you harvest them within the ideal time bracket. On the other hand, mistakes such as this one donât necessarily occur due to impatience. In fact, most inexperienced growers donât know whether their plants are done or not.
To analyze your buds' progress rate, you can simply use a magnifier or a jewlers loupe to examine the trichomes. Now, there are other factors that you must identify as well. For starters, if you see long, white hairs on your plantsâ buds, then you still have a long way to go! Keep in mind that you can use the instruments mentioned above on the trichomes when your flowers have dark orange-colored hairs.
Now, if you can see clear trichomes under the microscope, then youâre still far away from harvesting hours. Only when those trichomes start to turn milky, then you can harvest away. You can also take it a step further by waiting until the trichomes become amber. It may have lesser potency, but you will feel a more relaxing sensation from the flowers.
In short, plant growth is an experience game. The more you learn to grow plants, the better youâll understand their harvest timing. If you want to learn more about how harvesting works, you can look at our â complete guide on harvesting your plants.â
Want High-End Plant Growth? Then, Donât Use Poor Genetics
Lack of understanding about the genetics of the plants is common among new growers. Most growers often fail to understand that no matter how good a flower is, it can grow as much as its genetics will allow. You cannot expect the same level of quality and potency from an unknown seed you found inflower instead of a premium-quality one. In other words, donât spend heavily on nutrients, fertilizers, and the environment; but, spend on good quality seeds instead. Remember, you want your plants to last for years; so, take the initial steps carefully.
Weak Grow Lights Can Become a Problem
Sun is the greatest source of light if youâre growing your plants outdoors. However, as soon as you bring them inside, you need to replicate the impact using grow lights. Most first-timers believe that they can produce the same results by using a lamp or a bulb, which you can find anywhere. But great power requires efficient equipment, i.e., grow lights.
There are several grow lights that you can find in the market today, but the most used ones are CMH, LED, and HPS/MH lights. You can also use fluorescentlights, but only during the initial stage of plant growth. These lights arenât that powerful to help you towards the growth of the flowers.
Also, donât save money by buying cheap LEDs because they donât provide the necessary light spectrum for plant growth. So, why not reduce your hassle and buy from renowned brands like Mint,Growers Choice, California Lightworks, or KIND LED?
Although these brands produce the best grow lights available today, their price makes them out of reach for many growers. So, a brand like Covert UFO can be a perfect replacement for those high-priced brands! Since they produce the same amount of light and doesnât affect your energy bill as well.
Do You Want to Set Up Your First Grow? Let Us Help You
Now that you're aware of some of the common mistakes that first-time plant growers make, you are well-equipped to avoid them. So, why not make your first-time plant growingexperience a memorable one?
At Groindoor.com we have all the resources available to help new growers seeking to grow some of the most sought-after plants. With our well-defined set of guides, you can grow your dream garden without any hassle! Apart from that, we have everything to help both commercial or occasional growers to grow their first plant successfully.
Plant experts believe that first-time growers should start growing their plants in a grow tent kit. A grow tent is a great way to get started, especially if youâre thinking about growing plants indoors. From containing their smell to allowing them to nurture in the bestpossible environment, grow tents can significantly impact your plants' growth.
We have a wide array of preconfigured grow tents up for grabs. You can also build one in your way by acquiring the necessary components. Usually, a grow tent kit comprises of the following elements:
- Grow Light
- Grow Tent
- Timers
- Thermometers
- Ventilation System
Give yourself the highest chance of success with help from Groindoor.com Happy growing!