My secrets of success with True AFs.

[S_a_H]

Hey man.....

Did you mix a 1/2 cup of the Happy Frog into the bag of Ocean like you did with the POM ?

At what point while using the Happy Frog stuff did you burn your plants with it ? What was the strength used ?

S_a_H

 

[IceColdCrickets]

NO, dont mix in to the Ocean Forest soil. It was when I feed Medium TEA, if you stick with Mild Tea you should be ok. JUST be sure your strain needs the extra dose,, going longer between feedings is ok. If you know your strain it is a lot easier to dial in. But Mild TEA should be perfect through out your grow, and dont forget to add the molasses, to prevent any Magnesium and Calcium problems with some strains.

 

[S_a_H]

Hey man have you used any of the other Black Gold products like the soils ?


First things first: Black Gold® Natural & Organic is the exact same recipe as Black Gold® All Organic. Why the name change? State regulations prohibited us from continuing to use the “All Organic” name since the product contains both perlite and pumice. These two ingredients are not carbon based; therefore we could not use the words “All Organic”. But we can and are using the very same formula as before and calling it “Natural & Organic”; you’ve got to love those regulations!
Whether you buy your groceries at a natural food market or you just want the best for your family, many of us are buying more organic products these days. And when it comes to home gardening, organic gardening has become the norm.

Black Gold® Natural & Organic is the all-purpose organic potting soil that fits all your needs: convenience, quality tested organic ingredients and a proven track record of performance. The product is OMRI Listed, which means you don’t have to just hope the manufacturer meant well when they made their product. All of Black Gold® Natural & Organic’s raw ingredients and manufacturing processes have been reviewed by the Organic Materials Review Institute. The end result is that Black Gold® Natural & Organic is suitable for producing a certified organic garden. Think of OMRI as the “Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval” for organic production. At Black Gold® we have our organic products reviewed by OMRI so gardeners can garden with confidence.

You can use Black Gold® Natural & Organic anywhere you would use an “All-Purpose” potting soil. Outdoors, Natural & Organic is the potting soil of choice for herb gardens, patio vegetable containers and baskets, or as an amendment to your garden. Indoors, Natural & Organic is ideally suited for house plants, terrariums or projects with your children. Additionally now that Black Gold® All Purpose has controlled fertilizer incorporated in it, Black Gold® Natural & Organic has become the preferred all-purpose potting soil for gardeners wanting to regulate the fertility of their plants.

Black Gold® Natural & Organic may have a new name, but it’s the same premium quality potting soil that has made organic gardeners successful for over 20 years.


S_a_H

 

[IceColdCrickets]

I use Black Gold Worm Castings, and the ferts, never had the opertunity to use thier soil products as it was never available locally. Check it out should be fine, all other products I like, might show something about the rest of the products. let me know what you do, I want to know how they are.

ICC

 

[S_a_H]

I have already purchased the needed FF Ocean Soil so I am stickign with that this round but for the next run i'll try some of the Black Gold soil.

I also drove all over kingdom come today and I managed to find a box of the Black Gold Rose fertilizer at Fred Meyer's for $6.99.

So i'll be trying the FF Fruit & Flower and the Black Gold Rose stuff side by side....oh and I also picked up a quart of Mollasses.

I already started germing a dozen Sour Streak ( Blue Streak x Lisa Marie ) seeds and tomorrow i'll start germing a dozen of the Sour 60 seeds MD sent me.

S_a_H

 

[IceColdCrickets]

Sweet! Nice to see someone else do the Fox Farm vs The Black Gold side by side. I will be working on finding other ferts to use for the TEA, as the FF and BG seem to be hard to find for a lot of people.

I cant wait to taste the Sour60 in this setup, where the hell are they anyway? everyone is waiting.

 

[S_a_H]

Mild TEA- For Weeks 1 - 3
First you must test your pH of the water use,, bring it down to around 6.5-7. Then add 1 table spoon of Fox Farm Peace Of Mind Fruit and Flower, per gallon of water. You will need an air stone to bubble this solution for at least 4 hours. Water your plants very well with this TEA until you gets some run off,, if your soil is very dry before applying the TEA please water it first with plain pHed water, then apply.. you want some run off. Only use this TEA at days 7-10, and again around day 17-21.

Medium TEA - For Weeks 4-6
Again pH your water to 6.5-7. Then Add 2 table Spoons of FF Peace of Mind Fruit and Flower per gallon of water. Bubble it for at least 4 hours. *Optional* Add 1/2 teaspoon of Mild unsulfered molasses per gallon. This TEA is very strong and should NOT be used when your soil is dry. Water first then feed the TEA to get run off. Feed this on Day 28 and again on Day 42.

Hot TEA- *Optional* For Week 7-8*Warning* very hot tea can burn!! Be careful!!
You can use this during the last few weeks of your AF strains grow cycle to boost end yield and qualtiy. If you use this TEA only use it 1 time before flushing for harvest. Use at day 56 ONLY! Most Strains will be fine with the Medium Tea used on days, 28, 42, 56. If you think your plants can handle this HOT TEA then go for it but I am not responsible for burnt buds.
Again pH your water to 6.5-7, then add 3 table spoons of FF Peace of Mind Fruit and Flower per gallon of water. Add 1 teaspoon of mild unsulfered molasses per gallon of water. Bubble for at least 4 hours. Again make sure your soil isn't too dry before applying this TEA.

I know a few people have asked about this and now I am in the same spot.

I have a 12/12 strain running and I want or would like to use this same method on them can you give us your best guess as to what kind of schedule would be best and nute strengths ?

As soon as I find out what LED light that I am getting i'll start the Sour 60 seeds for that test run.

S_a_H

 

[tokerofdakill]

ICC, very nice man. we are wanting to use ur setup on the blue streak and desiel ryder from the bay..but this is mainly going to be for seed production. will be growing in a closet thats 6'x 3.5'..but was thinking of just using half of it to start with. so thats 3x 3.5'x10 feet of growning space.got a couple of ?'s as a newbie to indoor and af's.Was wanting to go with a 600 watt hps from digital greenhouse. this light will be fine for this setup right? it wont be to much will it? only gunna run maybe 3-6 plants at a time..might go with full closet later, but would need another light im sure..thanks alot

 

[IceColdCrickets]

ICC, very nice man. we are wanting to use ur setup on the blue streak and desiel ryder from the bay..but this is mainly going to be for seed production. will be growing in a closet thats 6'x 3.5'..but was thinking of just using half of it to start with. so thats 3x 3.5'x10 feet of growning space.got a couple of ?'s as a newbie to indoor and af's.Was wanting to go with a 600 watt hps from digital greenhouse. this light will be fine for this setup right? it wont be to much will it? only gunna run maybe 3-6 plants at a time..might go with full closet later, but would need another light im sure..thanks alot

Well seems to me that you have a lot of room there. 10 ft tall, well i would try to figure out a way to make a grow tent in side that space,, any plant grown indoor should never get that tall as the light will only penetrate about 3.5-4ft through the canopy. Also, you would have to put a wall up or use black and white plastic to cut the space inhalf and reap all the benefits of having the light stay in one local area, instead of bouncing into the unused area.

Now a 400 Watt HPS will cover a 3.5 x 3.5 area well with a good hood, other wise stick with 3 x 3. Now a 600 watt will cover a 4 x 4 easy, so it will be fine in your 3 x 3.5 but a bit over kill and not really worth the extra wattage used for the amount of return if you dont use all the space that a 600 watt can cover. The other thing that would concern me is the heat from the 600 having to keep it higher away from the tops so it doesnt burn the plants,, but you are growing AFs and have a tall ceiling so no problems. If it was me I would use a 400 watt HPS with a digital ballast for the 3 x 3.5 area and then add another for a very nice 800watt spread over the 6 x 3.5, that would be rockin!

As for plant numbers 3-6 AFs under a 400 watt ,,, that is where your efficientcy would suffer. Even if you grow them using the best soil and large containers they would never cover that amount of area. Wasting energy, and no yeild return from wasted space. Even if you could make them pull an OZ each plant which is very unlikely due to your newbie status for indoor, they would still yeild very little when compared to an AFSOG.

AFSOG uses the standard 5.5in x 5.5in sqare pots you can fit 48 flowering female plants under that light in the 3 x 3.5ft space. And if they only yeild 7 grams each plant you will pull 12 ozs. The yeild doesnt lie, AFSOG is really the only way to grow AFs for yeild. In this setup I average 10-12 grams per plant putting my 48 plants at 1 lbs or more.

Now I know you seem to be concerned on plant numbers, well that is the down side to the AFSOG, you need to plant large numbers to get the yeild, but the yeild is almost a sure thing as long as other factors prevent the plants from growing correctly. Where planting a few plants and hoping for the largest yeild can be disapointing with AFs, and it takes skill and knowlegde of the strain before you can pull the most out of it.

So, if you have the ability to do the AFSOG I would recommend you do so, and when you start it you need to start the seeds in 16oz cups until they show sex, after they show sex is when you plant them into the 5.5 x 5.5in pots.... You know what ,, i will start a new thread as i was going to do anyway about this, I will have it up for you to look at in the AM.

Good luck and get your 400watt HPS, digital are the best. I will find out which ones my buddy just got and let you know the brand, as they were very nice.

But if you still only want to do 3-6 plants at a time,, get a 150-250 watt HPS and make a small grow tent 2 x 2 ft or so, for your personal smoke.

P.S. sorry i didnt see that it was for seed production, in that case get the smaller light and grow some seeds, Or get the bigger light grow some seeds and then have enough to pull off a few AFSOGs during the winter months when you cant grow outdoor.


ICC.

 

[tokerofdakill]

ty for ur help icc.. went with the 600 today b4 u made ur post. oh well. so what if grow space is streched out to3.5x 5 ft would that be better? think that would help? but there are only 20 af beans to grem,but also have 5 white widow fem beans,5 ppp's and whatever bay mite send as freebies.. could they be started 1/2 way thru the af's cycle and then be left under the 600 till they finish?..what about 2 gallon pots for the af's, after they start sexing in the small cups. or is this a waste of space also? there are movable shelves in the closet that will alow for light to be at,2ft 4ft,6ft, and 8ft and be very secure.and yes this is just for a seed run..and if wanna go full closet just get another 600 for the whole space rite? as far as heat it only stays 68 or less in the closet so a little heat shud help rite? mite save us from running a heater this winter..thanks for all ur help, will make post soon maybe..mite need ur help too lol ill ask if i do.. dont need personal rite now did ok outside..need to pull this off and get all the af seed possible..how do u think blue streak and d. ryder will do outdoor?and yes the concern for # of plants is due to leo, but it is what it is.would love to do 48 flowering females here, but dont have the seed my friend.lol

 

[the.rise]

ICC if i dont have the ability to make tea, would you recommend using fox farm organic nutes mixed in with my waterings on a schedule similar to your own? my local hydro store still has peace of mind F&F 5-8-4 as well as ocean forest potting mix so id be able to get the same supplies just not apply them lol.

 

[IceColdCrickets]

ICC if i dont have the ability to make tea, would you recommend using fox farm organic nutes mixed in with my waterings on a schedule similar to your own? my local hydro store still has peace of mind F&F 5-8-4 as well as ocean forest potting mix so id be able to get the same supplies just not apply them lol.

Why cant you make the TEA if you can get the stuff???

Anyway, the problem here lies that you can't put that much solid newt on the top of the soil even when mixed with water through out the grow. You see with the TEA you strain out the solid matter that doesn't dissolved, so only the good stuff gets fed to the roots. Leaving all that soild mater on top of the soil getting thicker every time you feed and lead to a lot of problems like, root burn, rotting organic material invites BUGS! and the list goes on. Making the TEA as directed is the only real way.

ICC

 

[the.rise]

=( i just dont have an aero stone or any knowledge of how to go about making the tea other than what you have described. im taking a trip to a local hydro store today and im going to ask them if they have the supplies to make a proper organic tea.

ill do what i can because everybody using ICC's way of growing makes beautiful greenery regardless of the wattage

 

[socbutter]

Do not go to the local hydo shop in Florida.

Pigs are watching the grow shops.

Be careful........peace

 

[the.rise]

went out to the store earlier and grabbed a pump/aero stone and a 5gal bucket. the guys there made it really simple for me and i cant wait to try your method asap! ill be posting back here with updates n will probably botch this first crop but whatever, its a learning experience being my first time

 

[IceColdCrickets]

went out to the store earlier and grabbed a pump/aero stone and a 5gal bucket. the guys there made it really simple for me and i cant wait to try your method asap! ill be posting back here with updates n will probably botch this first crop but whatever, its a learning experience being my first time

Glad you were able to get the supplies, but did you get the foxfarm Peace of Mind Fruit and Flower and the Ocean Forest Soil?

If you did and you make the TEA correctly, which is a simple as it can get. If all other plant requirements are met, light, water, etc. then you will have a successful crop. This method is for everyone to start growing there own or for experts to grow better then what they are currently doing. It is by far the easiest way to get excellent results from soil based grows.

I will be looking for the updates!

ICC, feel free to ask Questions when you need help.

 

[the.rise]

they actually had just recently ran out of the peace of mind f&f boxes and all they had was the newer happy frog. am i just making this up or do i remember reading that i should use less of the happy frog? or none at all when mixed with the ocean forest? i actually looked to see if they had black and gold and do not remember seeing any rose and flower to replace the happy frog with.

im havin troubles finding black strap molasses around here, should i go online?

im going to be attempting a semi-sog with 24 plants put into the 38x43 cab in 6inch square pots under 400w of cmh and possibly side lighting with cfl/led depending on how my paycheck is friday

 

[IceColdCrickets]

they actually had just recently ran out of the peace of mind f&f boxes and all they had was the newer happy frog. am i just making this up or do i remember reading that i should use less of the happy frog? or none at all when mixed with the ocean forest? i actually looked to see if they had black and gold and do not remember seeing any rose and flower to replace the happy frog with.

im havin troubles finding black strap molasses around here, should i go online?

im going to be attempting a semi-sog with 24 plants put into the 38x43 cab in 6inch square pots under 400w of cmh and possibly side lighting with cfl/led depending on how my paycheck is friday

Im currently testing the Happy Frog, Fox Farm said it was the same thing just under a different name but I had some burn when used it next to the Fruit and Flower, with the same strain. So, please DONT pre-mix it in to the Ocean Forest soil, just start using the MILD TEA around day 7 -10 unless they show signs of needing fed. I would stick to the MILD TEA with the Happy Frog as long as directed to do , and just TEST the MED TEA on ONE plant before adding it to all of them. That way if it burns you will not screw up the rest, and just stick with the MILD TEA.

You dont use Black Strap, Use MILD Molasses.

400 watts of what? cmh?

great AF-SOG is the way to go , but you could put more in there in that amount of space, OR at least use bigger pots on them, why waste root space? I would do 20 in 8 inch pots, give you a better chance to get more yield with less plants.

Let me know what you deside to do, I will help ya much as I can.
ICC.

 

[the.rise]

i would like to get more fit into the cab but for my first run i dont wish to exhaust my seed stock =) ive got 45 to play with and if these pots prove to not give enough root mass for say.. 14grams per plant then ill surely move it up next time. this is a test run id be happy with 4oz final yield

the square pot dimensions are 6"x6"x7" which is about 3/4gal correct?

yes its 400w cmh

okay ill find mild unsulfered molasses, and ill keep each of the teas mild. i picked up some super thrive, and am interested in testing it on half the plants just to see if theres any extra growth. this stuff is quite potent so i assume the amount ill be adding to my tea or water will be quite small

 

[tokerofdakill]

icc hey man, seed is here just waiting on light now just gotta get the 20 amp gfi put in will do so in a few days.. plan on making box inside closet at 3.5x3x5 or do u think i shud go taller than 5 ft? mite later wanna do sum regular strains and not just af's..but im really wanting to add the other 600 and go with the full 6x3.5 space but well see how this goes 1st..like i say it is 68-70 in closet now, so heat shudnt be an issue rite?was thinking of making grow box outta plywood and the walls, then lining it with mylar and topping with 600 watts of hps..and yes there is only 20 af seed's here so thats all there is to go into this space.but 600 watt is on way, so no turning back to 400.but its a seed run only..other ? is. will it be ok to mix the blue streak and d. ryder? wud like to cross them seperate but have never delt with inside breeding..shud both be ran at once or just 1 at a time?thanks Toker