First try and recycling

[self]

great thread! just read it through and through with a break to reread simon on lst.
smoking mandala with some sour d kief and soaking up the knowledge. everyone in on this thread is dialed in and rocking their shit, much respect to all of y'all.
heading to mad's next to catch up on whatever grows above his living mulch.

peace ~self

 

[pinecone]

week 8 update

Things are going reasonably well, but the some select tips are burning a bit. The issue seems to be worse on the pollinated branches and those beneath the bulb so I'm not sure if it is a fertilizer issue or a pollination and radiant heat issue. In any event it isn't a big deal. The plants did get some N. guano between week 6 and 7 and some molasses here and there.

The plant have definitely slowed down on the uptake of water. I figure the plants have 2-3 more weeks, but I'll wait to chop as long as they take to mature.

SSH 2.1 and 2.2

SSH 2.1 bud shot: Some tip burning is evident.

SSH 2.2 bud shot: Again there is some mild tip burning. This one is just starting to pop.

 

[heady blunts]

mmm that is going to be such good smoke

i think the tip burn is from this heat. it's been so damn hot. i'm gettin it in my garden too. the buds seem happy though

 

[pinecone]

Thanks for stopping by heady.

mmm that is going to be such good smoke

Although I'm smoking good now I'm very much looking forward to having these plants dried and cured. I plan on running one or both of them back. Unfortunately, I'm not going to be able to sample them before I decide which one to run again. SSH 2.1 is more fragrant and frosty, but the buds are thin. SSH 2.2 is will definitely yield more. It is less frosty, but I've learned that sparkle doesn't relate that strongly to potency or high quality.

i think the tip burn is from this heat. it's been so damn hot. i'm gettin it in my garden too.

In my case it would have to be radiant heat from the plants being too close to the bulb. It has been hot here also, but the room that I have the cab in air conditioned and the cab itself hasn't really heated up.

Pine

 

[thing]

Nice experiment. Looks like keeping it simple works.

 

[pinecone]

after 10 weeks update

Getting closer, but not quite there yet. I would estimate they both need another 2-3 weeks to finish properly. They will get it.

I've basically done nothing but water since my last update. The are starting to get heavy, but are also looking a bit beat up from what I suspect are sub-optimal conditions in the cab (too close to the light, not enough airflow, ect). They a have started to pale out a bit and have also slowed down considerably on water consumption.

Pine

Front shot of both plants: The largest colas are the size of 12oz beer bottles. By comparison SSH 2.1 buds are long, skinny, viney (by comparison) with longer and more prominent fox-tails and sharper-pinier aroma, and more frost.

The tops:

Size view: This is the SSH 2.1 side or the left side from the front pictures. Without staking the tops would be on the floor. In fact the only reason I took them out of the cab is to do some additional staking for support.

Bud shot from unknown SSH: If I had to guess it is 2.1.

SSH 2.1 bud shot: Lots of fox-tailing on this one

SSH 2.2 bud shot:

 

[prowler]

tag

 

[pinecone]

after 12 weeks update

After 12 weeks my plants are not ready for harvest yet by any ripeness indicator. Both plants are still throwing off white pistils and the trics are mostly clear. Tonight I'm going out of town for a week or so. I'm going to give them 2.5 gallons of water today and see where they are when I get home. If they are wilting and dying for lack of water they will get chopped when I return. If they aren't I will let them go to 14 weeks or longer.

Sometime between 10 and 11 weeks I accidentally broke off a small SSH 2.2 bud. I dried it, stuck it in the curing jar with the buds I have now, and smoked it. To my surprise, I pulled 4 seeds out of it, leading me to think I wasn't careful enough with the pollen and that it got around. I have not noticed any male flowers on the plants so I don't think it was a self or sister pollinated. Anyway I may have bunch of seeds.

Pine

the cab today: There is more headroom now because all the buds are laying down due to their weight.

SSH 2.2 bud: This plant makes floral clusters that look exactly like hop cones.

SSH 2.1 bud: Lots of crazy fox-tailing on these.

Virus?: The SSH 2.1 looks like it might have a virus of some sort. The leafs have some rust spots and are curling and crispy (even though they are green). I've never seen this on my plants before and SSH 2.2 is not affected.

 

[pinecone]

I chopped right at 13 weeks and replanted cuts from the same two plants straight away. They are doing well.

Pine

 

[pinecone]

no-till cycle 2 update

no-till cycle 2 update

I'm on my second no-till cycle now (same mix since February 2011). I've continued to try and simplify my grow by doing less rather than more. This time I did not remove the stumps; I just planted the new cuttings in a different area. I have not watered in any compost tea or added anything to the container save for a chopped up Bocking 14 Comfrey plant that I harvested from my yard, the left over plant material from the prior crop, and trimmings from the current plants. I've also been watering less frequently, but using more water. I estimate that I've been watering 2x per week with 4-5 liters at each watering. So far the plants look really good - better than the last run I think. They are about a month into flowering.

Pine

 

[prowler]

You're a pioneer m8. Keep us posted.

 

[pinecone]

This is my second time and last time around with these two SSH plants. I didn't keep any cuts. Last time they went 12 weeks. This time they will go longer, in part, because I don't have any new plants to throw in the tote. I'm thinking about just picking up red clover from the local nursery to plant until I can get some more seed plants sexed. I'm not exactly sure when these plants started 12/12, but I'm guessing it was around September 1 so they are about 11 weeks into flowering.

This has probably been my easiest grow overall. I haven't given the plants anything, nor have I done the extensive pruning and staking job that I usually do. Because of cooler temps there is less foxtailing on the buds. There are also more fall colors, particularly on one of the plant which is showing a lot of purple in the leafs and leaf stems.

One interesting thing that I noticed today is an earthworm in the soil-duff under the mulch. I have no idea how it got there. It was mature and I haven't added anything that would have the potential for bringing along earthworms since Spring.

Pine

Pictures

 

[spiralofeyes]

Wow,set it and forget it,huh? Didn't think that level of ''organicness'' was attainable indoors....thanks for proving me wrong,bro.

 

[pinecone]

Wow,set it and forget it,huh?

Close - I still have to water a couple of times per week on average, but blumats would probably solve that. On that topic - last crop I watered a little bit everyday. This crop I went as long as 5 days between watering. With the daily watering I had roots growing into the mulch so I think there may be a benefit to more frequent watering or a blumat kit.

In part what I'm trying to figure out how many of things that make growing cannabis time consuming, tedious, or expensive can be done away with. So I already know that you don't need pH pens, bottled "nutes", drainage holes, separate pots for different plants, or to till between plantings. What I'm trying to figure out going forward is the extent to which the soil in my no-till systems needs to be amended between crop rotations as well as the importance of compost teas in the context of a system that is already pretty alive. It might very well be the case that all that is really needed to keep the system functioning at a high level is continued planting and the addition more mulch between crops.

Pine

 

[guest2012y]

"In part what I'm trying to figure out how many of things that make growing cannabis time consuming, tedious, or expensive can be done away with. So I already know that you don't need pH pens, bottled "nutes", drainage holes, separate pots for different plants, or to till between plantings. What I'm trying to figure out going forward is the extent to which the soil in my no-till systems needs to be amended between crop rotations as well as the importance of compost teas in the context of a system that is already pretty alive. It might very well be the case that all that is really needed to keep the system functioning at a high level is continued planting and the addition more mulch between crops."

Pine[/quote]

Not far off from what I am now implementing. There seems to little need for an ACT at this point. I have the idea that if you want to incorporate an ACT,that you may want to wait until mid-flower.

My idea being that if you are topdressing to "maintain" the system,then the breakdown rates of the material added would in theroy build up around that time and be ready for an ACT....which would then of course release more immediatedly availabe nutes around the time the common exhaustion of food happens.

Fact remains that cannabis plants can be heavy feeders depending on type and exhaust the food sources of indoor potted plants due to that confinement of the roots in smaller spaces compared to the native ground.

This is where the cover crop/living mulch comes in and completes the natural system by fixing nitrogen and improving the soils biosphere...improving drainage and aeration,maintaining existing bacterial and fungal colonies,etc. All and all reducing the need to actually amend with the amount of fertilization/mineralization material previously needed.

Less ends up being more.....that's how the natural system works out there.

 

[pinecone]

My idea being that if you are topdressing to "maintain" the system,then the breakdown rates of the material added would in theroy build up around that time and be ready for an ACT....which would then of course release more immediatedly availabe nutes around the time the common exhaustion of food happens.

Top dressing to maintain with what? My default is going to be to add nothing, but left-overs from the prior crop, fresh or dried comfrey, and more mulching material if the existing mulch is looking a bit thin.

Obviously the plants I have going now are yellowing out. Is this yellowing a result of depleted nutrients or just part of the plants' natural life cycle? I'll be curious to see how new plants do when they are plugged in. Are they going to yellow they way that did on my first no-till crop - or is there now enough nutrients stored in the biomass of the soil ecosystem to keep them going without more top dressing more guano, castings, alfalfa, kelp, ect?

There might be some subtle difference between our systems in that you have pretty large plants in smaller containers and I have smaller plants in a larger container. My hypothesis is that the larger container allows for a high ratio of nutrients stored in biomass to plant needs, so that less amending is required between crops.

Pine

 

[guest2012y]

Well we are taking biomass out of the soil in the form of the flowers..(which make up a large % of the biomass at harvest)...that nutrition is not making it's way back into the loop.

I'll also bet that because you have that larger soil mass you won't have to do anything for a while. If this really can go with no additional topdressing I do not know. Who does?


I have a topdress mix made up ready to go just in case containing the following:
I will apply 1 to 2 tablespoons of this at an undetermined rate...proly once a week or less.

spray dried fish hyrdolysate
fish bone meal
kelp meal
neem seed meal
oyster shell
comfrey
N. bat guano
EWC

On my second round no-till one of the pots yellowed out b4 it should have,on the 3rd round it's fine. I suspect that having things like bio-char,rice hulls,leaf litter,etc. in the soil that there was sequestered nitrogen...on top of the no-till pot finally balancing out in the soil...finding it's groove so to speak...I dunno

 

[pinecone]

Well we are taking biomass out of the soil in the form of the flowers..(which make up a large % of the biomass at harvest)...that nutrition is not making it's way back into the loop.

The way I'm thinking about it is that as long as you have decomposing organic matter you are going to have bacteria. As long as you have bacteria you are going to have criters that eat bacteria. As long as you have the criters that eat bacteria you are going to have their waste. As long as you have their watse your plants are going to something to eat. Is it going to be enough to eat? There is only one way to find out.

Pine

 

[Avinash.miles]

super interesting thread i may try something like this. I used to reuse all soil mixed 50 50 w fresh hp or bx promix
nowadays im pretty wasteful, need 2 change that, and go back to reusing, thanks for keeping us aware

 

[RosettaStoned]

Started a micro-grow and I am definitely using a lot I learned from this. Those nugs look beastly