No, it’s Black Gold. But what I’ve been doing and it’s been successful is I put in layers of black gold and Roots organic. I had full bags of both and thought it was a shame to waste the Black Gold so I gave that a try and it’s been working. The Roots Organic has quite a bit more perlite in it which I like.
To be fair to the Black Gold, when I went back to the store that I bought it from and told the employee there the trouble I had with it he was genuinely surprised and told me that that’s all he uses for his plants and has never had a problem. Perhaps it’s not a soil for beginners to use but might be fine for those more experienced.
If I were to use 100% black gold again I would be very careful feeding them. When I was using it on my first grow the TDS coming out was in the mid-2000s. So I had to stop adding nutrients however I was getting deficiencies because obviously the soil was high in some nutrients but lacking in others. That’s where I ran into trouble.
I use that cheap $5 meter the same way that you do. But these days I use it just for the light. I have two LED units side by side and I just run that meter over the canopy to make sure that the spread of light is even. Works like a charm.
@BobWags yes sir! Thats what i use it for just for checking were best spots for light. It came in a bundle package with a dig. ph. Meter and a dig. Ppm meter but it has been useful for checking light
My VFT’s were in a vermiculight sand and pmoss. The did great. Also killed a few until i figured out they dont lile tap water. When i started using bottle spring water ph7.
hi…sorry that it takes me a while to respond i read your messages and responses when i wake up in the morning and i don’t get the time to write back until i come back home from work…i bought my VFTs live through the mail…one almost died after it was delivered to the wrong address and i got it 3 days late…there is one carnivorous plant i am interested in its the Drosophyllum lusitanicum ‘portuguese dewy pine’…apparently it can live in regular soil
anyway, there are rumors that the soil that i mentioned earlier, ‘black magic’ was specifically designed and engineered to grow cannabis…i have a bag of it sitting in my balcony…i’m placing the url to the website at the bottom of the page
an update on my 2 AWW’s…the first seed i planted into the plug on monday is already growing…the taproot has already penetrated deeply into the plug…the top of the plant is already about 1 inch above the top of the plug…is it ready to be placed under the grow lamp?..i have 2 types of LEDS grow lamps…a 36 watt red/blue colored bulb and an all blue 24 watt blub…here’s an overhead pic…which of the bulbs do i use?..thanks for your patience and i appreciete all of your info and help…
well its the plug…the instructions to the plug said to keep a quarter of an inch of water at the bottom of the plug to keep it hydrated…i was going to wait until the roots started to pop out of the bottom plug before i transplanted it into real soil…i wasn’t expecting it to grow that fast and aggressively…that might be because of the clonex that i used on monday…the cup was an unused paper espresso coffee cup…i was going to purchase a smaller cup but that size was unavailable so i had to opt for these…i can get it into real soil sooner if need be…
TBH @huncame I would immediately cover that root in the center of that cube. Rip/cut off a corner of the existing cube and fill that hole with the root it can’t have light shining on it. It will give her some juice or “energy” to push that shell casing off of her back then I would for sure get into soil or hydro at that point. Whatever method you prefer
will do…i will try to do that tonight or definitely on friday (i live on the west coast of the US)…i’ll be planting it into the black magic soil that i mentioned earlier…i want to do that now but i can’t…my damn day job is so @#!$% far away…i commute for work early in the morning and come home in the evening…both ways wrestling with traffic jambs, accidents on the roadways, etc… thankfully, i don’t work tomorrow…
I use those r.r.plugs too. Just plant gently. Put plug level with top of soil then to support the new seedling very carefully mond around it for some support. Let grow until you get a few leaves with a gentle gentle breeze. Then fill the pot up with soil to top of the mound. Good luck. Ill try to follow along if u dont mind? I love whitewidow!
i wouldn’t mind if you did follow along, thank you for helping…besides, i like making new friends…i would’ve botched this one without all the help and suggestions you and everyone else here in the forum has kindly given me…i potted the plant into a 5 inch (12.7cm) pot about an hour ago and set it up just as you recommended…and it all went ok…i was as careful as i could be…i was nervous the whole time…i planted it into the black magic soil that i mentioned earlier, and have it under a blue grow lamp…i have it (grow lamp) about 3 inches (7.62 cm) above the pot…i have taken temps at the surface is about 84F (29c)…i used an automotive/AC IR scanner to take the temp…at night i plan to move the pot back into the heated propagator…btw, black magic contains:
i also ordered the PH meter and i’ll get it in by next week…my second AWW that i planted this past tuesday is really taking its time growing out…i also dipped it into the clonex…it appears to be alive…its cracked open and i can see white on the inside of the shell but there has been very little movement for it to grow up…but it has already rooted and embedded itself into the plug…i was wondering placing a grow lamp on it to motivate it to come up…would that work?..side news: i’ll be getting auto blueberry strain soon too…and again thank you and everyone’s insight…i’ll continue to keep you posted…here are pics:
Not sure if i reading it right. But if your growing autos. You should really try to plant into the forever home. Autos dont do transplanting very good.other then that sounds like your on the right track.
As for the one thats taking its time. Make sure a peice of the rapid rooter is covering the seed and put under a light, heating pads really help here. My last run all 6wwa all came up in less the 24hrs. I soaked the seads in plain bottled spring water for 12hrs(until they sink) then placed right in rapid rooters and rip a chunk off cover the top of the hole. Good luck happy growing any questions please feel free to tag me
yes, i am trying to grow the white widow autos…i wish that i could grow them in their permanent home…but i can’t bring in the big pot indoors…because, my mom won’t negotiate that…lol…so i’m stuck using this methodology…about a month and a half ago, i did plant one of the WW auto seeds directly into the big pot…it didn’t workout too well…while the seed did sprout and grow, it stretched out and it looked like an alfalfa sprout…it had a very thin and tall stalk…i lost that seedling after i slipped on it and crushed it during a watering…RIP …the AWW growing out now that is under the blue light, is the first that actually grew out right…a short, firm, and a thick stalk…when the time comes and i must transplant it, i am thinking about brushing on more of that rooting hormone gel to reduce the shock…perhaps this may be a positive, i am using the same soil in the 5 inch (12.7cm) pot as in the forever home…i have to use auto seeds because i don’t have any room in our apartment unit for a grow tent, all of the equipment, and the set-up that comes with it…our closet space is very mediocre…that’s why everything on my end is very small time…the perils of living in a small apartment…lol
as for the shy seedling, i have kept on a heat 24/7 since tuesday…i will do as you suggest and cover the hole and place it under a growth lamp…over all, my problem is mainly logistics…what i can do and the space i have to do it in…i hope that i can pull this off and can make it work…if not, its a learning experience…
hi dbrn32…i tried the blue LED and something interesting happened…when used the all blue bulb, the cotyledon closed up within a few hours…when i changed to bulb to the red and blue or when i took it out of the blue light, the cotyledon would open up again…the wavelength of the blue LED bulb is between 400nm ~ 520nm…is the plant protecting itself because the wavelength of the light is too strong?..or should i have kept it on anyway?..note: i used this bulb for only 2 days to be on the safe side to prevent any possible damage to the plant…
Not sure. Did you keep them at same heights either way? The blue light will provide a lot more photons at the same power as a red light.
I would say go with whatever seems to be working the best. I have no experience with those particular bulbs at all. So whatever you’re seeing first hand is what I’d go with
i had the blue bulb much closer in before approximately 3 inches (7.62 cm) above the plant as seen in one of the pics above…i did that mainly to provide warmth and the benefit of the photons…i reinstalled the blue bulb and i placed have it approximately 7.5 inches (20 cm) above the plant…we’ll see what it does…
then I would for sure get into soil or hydro at that point. Whatever method you prefer
thankfully, i don’t work tomorrow… 
