Myself and at least one other forum member are in a crossroads situation of a grow. Newbies with starter plants in a medi-cannabis grow that could be a little heartier. My experience: I used a good planting media to start, but I used an inferior potting soil and am kind of feeling the regret. This week I am going to get some premium topsoil and some vermiculite and perlite. Previously all I have done, aside from lighting, turning, and ventilation, is add some epsom salts to the soil; it did green everything up quick. I have a family member that did a few large grows that were very successful until he decided MMJ was not personally for him; but he does have some enthusiasm of watching someone else’s grow and does throw out some advice nuggets out here and there.

A few things I have gleaned: Going all out with special feeding regimens, and pH testing and the like are not really for me. I am not going to the Cannabis Cup; I want to be able to maintain the amount of plants the state allows for my own medical needs. I found the strain that works for pain without inducing couch lock (Blue Dream) for me, ymmv. It seems to grow easily, and I want to "work smart, not hard." I want to share some soil guidelines that I found, which seem to be pretty comprehensive. I am going to make changes, learning as things proceed.

http://herb.co/2016/05/06/super-soil-2-best-soil-for-marijuana/

My immediate concerns are transferring to a better planting medium and adding vermiculite, and using some epsom salt to boost magnesium and green everything up. Just want to get my stalks stronger before flowering so they can handle the weight of the buds. Probably going to push flowering back another 4 weeks since I should have started with a more supportive soil mix. If anyone has grow experience/tips/anecdotes/opinions, please jump in here and share.