A beginners guide to asking for help/HELP US HELP YOU
Originally Posted by StoneyBud at MP

I'm working on a Master list of all the common questions asked by people when they either start a grow or experience problems during a grow.

I'd like to use this thread to expand on the list and refine it. Then, we can all use the same questions to ask and we'll all get familiar with the information given.

After each improvement, I can work on it until the last post in the thread will have a whole **** load of questions that can be asked as groups.

I'll arrange it so all of the "Dirt" questions are in a block, etc. Then if someone does post without enough information, we can help them out with a common list of questions.

Here's what there is so far:

THE UNIVERSIAL QUESTION LIST

This is a standard question list that you can use to help all of us, help you.

Please answer each question that could apply to your grow. Put the answers below each question please.

Please copy and paste this list into a saved file and use it to refer to when asking the group a question.

Please post only the questions and answers that apply to your grow. This will make answering your question much easier.
WHEN ANSWERING, PLEASE POST THE ENTIRE QUESTION AND ANSWER FOR EASE OF READING.


1. How tall are your plants now?

2. How far from the lights are the tops of your plants? Is this a constant distance or have you changed it recently?

3. How old are they?

4. What strain are they?

5. Did you start them from seed or clone?

6. What type of containers are you using and what size are they in gallons?


WHAT TYPE OF GROW DO YOU HAVE?


7. Dirt?

8. What mixture of dirt or type of dirt did you use?

9. Is it a type that has added nutrients like "Miracle Grow"?

10. What mixture of perlite, vermiculite and other additives have you used if any?

11. Hydroponic?


WHAT TYPE OF HYDROPONIC SYSTEM DO YOU USE?


12. Ebb and Flow

13. NFT

14. Bubbler/Deep Water


WHAT TYPE OF MEDIA DO YOU USE?


15. Gravel

16. Hydroton

17. Rockwool slab


WHAT TYPE OF LIGHTS DO YOU USE?


18. Fluorescent

19. Halide

20. HPS

21. Wattage?

22. Ballast, is it digital or analog?

23. Is it remote or in your grow area?

24. What nutrients are you feeding your plants?


HYDROPONIC FERTS?


25. What brand? What mix? What strength?

26. How often, and when was the last time?


SOIL FERTS?


27. What brand? What strength? What mix?

28. How often, and when was the last time?


ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS OF THE GROW AREA


29. Do you use ventilation for your indoor grow?

30. If so, what do you use?

31. Do you use a fan?

32. What type of fan and where is it pointed? What speed?

33. Temperature of the grow area?

34. Humidity of the grow area?

35. Is CO2 being introduced? What method?

36. Do you use Odor Control, (carbon, ionizer, ozone gen)?

37. Do you use LST? HST?


Help Us Help You, Pre Set Questions.
Cut the relevant section out of this post and paste it into your problem post, it will help us help you.

Pictures are always essential

SOIL:

How long has this problem been going on?

What STRAIN are you growing?

What was the establishing technique? (seed or clone?)

What is the age of your plants?

How long have they been in the soil mixture they are in now?

How Tall are the plants?

What PHASE (seedling, vegetative or flower) are the plants in?

What Technique are you using? (SOG, SCROG etc)

What size pots are you using? (Include how many subjects to pot)

What substrate/medium are you using? What brand of soil mixture are you using?(percentage of perlite, vermiculite...etc?)

What Nutrient's are you using?

How much of each nutrient are you using with how much water? *Knowing the brand is very helpful*

How often are you feeding?

If flowering, when did you switch over to using Bloom nutrients?

What order are you mixing your nutrients? (example: veg nutes 1st, bloom 2nd ect)

What is the TDS/EC/PPM of your nutrients used?

What is the pH of the "RUN-OFF"?

What method of pH test was administered? Using Strips? pH pen?

How often are you watering?

When was your last feeding and how often are you feeding?

What size bulb are you using?

What is the distance to the canopy?

What is your RH Factor? (Relative Humidity)

What is the canopy temperature?

What is the Day/Night Temp? (Include fluctuation range)

What is the current Air Flow? (cfm etc.)

Tell us about your ventilation, intake exhaust and when its running and not running ?

Is the fan blowing directly at plants?

Is the grow substrate constantly wet or moist?

Is your water HARD or SOFT?

What water are you using? Reverse Osmosis (RO)? Tap? Bottled? Well water? Distilled? Mineral Water?

Are you using water from a water softener?

Has plant been recently pruned, cloned or pinched?

Have any pest chemicals been used? If so what and when?

Are plant's infected with pest's?


HYDROPONICS/Aero Ponics/Coco/Soiless/

How long has this problem been going on?

Are you growing in a PVC grow tent? (example: Hydrohut or any other non brand tents)

What system are you running? (DWC? Ebb flow? Aero? Water Farm? Flood Tables? and so on...)

What STRAIN are you growing?

What was the establishing technique? (Were the seed or clone?)

What is the age of your plants?

How long have they been in there mixture they are in now?(coco,soiless etc..)

How tall are the plants?

What PHASE are the plants in? (seedling, vegetative or flower) are the plants in?

What Technique are you using?

What substrate/medium are you using?(Hydroton, RockWool etc.)

What is the Water temperature?

What color are your roots? White? Brown? Are your roots slimy?

What Nutrient's are you using?(If growing soiless)

How much of each nutrient are you using with how much water? *Knowing the brand is very helpful*

How often are you feeding? (If using soiless)

How often are you giving nutrients? (If using soiless)

If flowering, when did you switch over to using Bloom nutrients?
What order are you mixing your nutrients? (example: veg nutes 1st, bloom 2nd ect)

What is the TDS/EC/PPM you are using?

What is the pH of the "Tank"?

Are you sure your calibration is correct on your equiptment?

When was your last watering?

What is your water temps?

When was your last feeding change? (ie. grow-bloom-micro-additional)

How often do you clean your system: example: Flush out water replace with clean water and nutrients?

What size bulb are you using?

What is the distance to the canopy?

What is your RH Factor(Relative Humidity)?

What is the canopy temperature?

What is the Day/Night Temp? (Include flucutaion range)

What is the current Air Flow? (cfm etc.)

Tell us about your ventilation, intake exhaust and when its running and not running ?

Is the fan blowing directly at plants?

Is your water HARD or SOFT?

What water are you using? Reverse Osmosis (RO)? Tap? Bottled? Well water? Distilled? Mineral Water?

Are you using water from a water softener?

Has plant been recently pruned, cloned off of or pinched

Have any pest chemicals been used? If so, What and When?

Are plant's infected with pest's



I ask you not to reply to this post, it is only to help people explain their set up and allow for diagnosis purposes.