GROW TENT: BEST GROW MEDIUMS FOR YOUR GROW TENT.

Gardener: Best tips for grow mediums, how to choose a grow medium for indoor growing.

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Growing indoors can be a great experience especially for those just starting out. Growing in a grow tent enables you to control pretty much every aspect of your grow and manipulate your growing environment to suit the needs of your plants. Now that you have your tent and equipment its time to think about what grow medium is best for your space. Soil, Coco, soilless, and hydroponic are just a few mediums to choose from for your grow tent.

What are the best things to know about mediums and the way they effect your growing experience?

Tip #1 - Perlite, Perlite, Perlite!

Perlite is your best friend when it comes to growing in containers whether outdoor or indoor. What is perlite exactly and why should you use it? Perlite is a volcanic glass that's heated to 1,600 degrees F, (871 C), where it then pops like popcorn expanding to over 13 times its size to produce an extremely light material. This white grainy substance is covered in cells that absorb moisture on its exterior making it extremely useful for delivering moisture to plant roots, causes less over-watering, provides aeration to the soil or grow medium including itself. Be sure to experiment with ratios of perlite to soil. Most recommend a 70/30 mix, I personally like a 60/40 with both soil and coco.

Mixing perlite with soil or coco coir allows growers to have the ability to choose from a larger range of soil like grow mediums.

Tip #2 - Will my flower taste like dirt if I grow it in Soil?

This is a myth that has been around for quite some time. The short answer to this question is no. The Tip to remember here is to know what growing medium the strain you choose grows best in. High quality soils like Fox Farm can usually pack a punch with any strain but you won't know for sure until you try different mediums yourself. The taste of your cannabis depends on a number of factors and your growing medium of choice can help but the biggest factors are the genetics of the strain and how your cannabis is harvested and cured. You can very well have a loud odor when you cut your flowers but, when you go to enjoy them they don't taste the same because of a bad drying or curing process.

"People have used Marijuana, or Cannabis for at least 3,000 years to treat their aliments." - National Institutes of Health

Tip #3 - You need wind!

Growing indoors helps the grower become more familiar with all the components of growing work simultaneously together to fortify a hearty grow. You now have your tent or room, lighting and ventilation, and a grow medium, but another important component for all growing cycles is the wind. Getting air to your plant roots helps for proper nutrient intake and making sure your soil isn't to wet or too dry. Growing in a grow bag or aerated material like terra cotta can tremendously help your fans circulate through your canopy and through your grow medium and container reaching plant roots.

Choosing the proper fan for your growing environment is an essential tip for mimicking outdoor winds. It helps new seedlings strengthen their stems, aid in growing more root endings, deters pests, allows for good air flow to your entire canopy, and aids in dense bud formation. Most clip fans work well but, if your lighting creates more heat than you like you'll need to place a larger circulating fan that cools the air that passes through. Regular room fans will build up more dust and lint in your grow room versus fans specifically made for growing in indoor environments.

Tip #4 - Coco Coir is what exactly?

Coco coir has been a personal favorite of mine, each brand definitely has its own mix and plants can grow drastically different depending on the brand. Coco Coir is natural fibre extracted from the outer husk of a coconut. Coir pith is said to be the powder-like spongey material as a result of processing coir fibre. Pith is chemically similar to coir, but has much shorter fibers. Coco peat is either coir or pith and can also be a combination of the two.

This tip is one to remember if you're planning on choosing this grow medium for your next harvest. Knowing the differences between coco coir, coir pith, coco peat are essential so you know exactly how to treat it for the benefit of your plants. All three have excellent water-retaining properties. Because of these properties watering schedules need to be spaced out unless your grow tent takes moisture out of the air and soil at a faster rate than what would be considered normal as most lighting and ventilation systems will do especially in smaller environments like tents.

Tip #5 - Check your strain!

Now it is easier than ever to find detailed strain information. Including complete genetic strain information, growing environments, lighting, indoor or outdoor, yields, growth per week, total growth cycle, harvest dates, taste, smell and so much more. This information is made available to give you the best start for your garden. Some of the best genetics can get pricey so you want to make sure you create the best foundation to sow your seeds. What goes into your growing medium is what you will get out of it.

If your busy choose a grow medium that is able to withstand less attention, but still let your plants thrive. Think about choosing a strain that is easy to grow, female, or an auto. Autos are super popular because they will flower regardless of your light cycle. A tip to remember for an auto is, growing with photoperiod strains is not recommended. Autos usually flower much faster than photoperiod seeds having a plant in flower while others are in vegetative growth can cause your auto to produce lower yields.

Look up strains via these websites

Flavor Fix

Leafy

LaternNow

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