A World On A String

[spiralofeyes]

I'm liking the idea of hybrid coco.The main reason I switched from organic soil was that having hundreds of pounds a year of ''good stuff'' flown/trucked up here just seemed to defeat the whole purpose as far as reduced environmental impact.
Keeping two 30 gallon bins of soil and mixing up different types of shit,blood and other nasty stuff inside my apartment got really old as well.Not smooth,not stealth.

Freaked out a few weeks ago as I was upcanning some seedlings,found what I thought were eggsacks. Turned out to be harmless/beneficial trichoderma. But my time among the organic fanatics taught me salt was poison for the microheard...not so I guess.
Or,to be fair,it's not an either or kind of thing. Seems mycos atleast can tolerate the consistent low-ish ppms from h3ad style,at least. Got me thinking....
I might start flushing with molasses too...maybe even try some FPE from local flora come spring.Nettles and horsetail are abundant along the forest trails I run.... A little of both hydro and organic styles seems like a great way of having my cake and eating it too

 

[THE PABLOS]

I don't like soil indoors. It's dirty. If you make your own soil mixes...it gets even dirtier. I used to do it. Takes up more space..more labor intensive

I used to also use blood and bone meals...indoor gardens and outdoor gardens. Stuff works great...especially outdoors...but when I think about how it comes to be...really it's a nasty bit of business. My veggie gardens would smell of death...for a day or so...after application.

Christ...if you mix blood/bone meals...glacial rock dust...perlite etc...you have to wear a respirator (at least I did...especially indoors)....because the organics are still a bit hazardous. Bat poo as well...not eco friendly to the bats (collecting from) or very good if inhaled while mixing....

Coco is good stuff. I reuse it in my outdoor veggie gardens...and it holds a consistent PH easily. Easy to transport...easy to work with...sustainable...and a hell of lot cleaner than soil.

The recipe/formula of GH 9/6 is really a low ppm easy method...nice to balance out consistency in the medium. I still use a modified version...just to keep a base line...but I've been using the molasses/worm castings (with a sprinkle of water soluble Mycorrhizae inoculant) just as often.

I'm unsure whether non organic derived salts kill anything in the low doses I use. I have no idea what kind of micro herd I have growing. I do know: If a plant looks happy....that's generally...a good thing. My plants seem happy enough to me. I've no desire to be a text book type cultivator.

* Like I said previously: haven't checked my PH in at least a year. I'm sure it fluxes all over the place when I'm using different nutrient blends. PH fluxes could be the reason I'm seeing some of the intersex in the 1st few weeks of flower within some of the Hell Hound expressions. If it was really a pain in the ass...I'd fix my meter and check PH constantly...but feel i know my water and medium well enough to just eyeball away the day...keeping plants in check

EDIT: quick footnote on using Nettle, Dandelion, Willow, Rosemary etc. Problem with making feed teas with that stuff is: You have to be able to use it quick. When that stuff starts to decompose....it stinks like hell. I gave up on it for now. The molasses and worm casting tea seems to have a bit more shelf life...not as funky to work with indoors

Organic Fanatics crack me up...as they flip on their electric indoor plastic gardens....and use shits that have environmental impacts on the species of animal the shits were collected from. Pompous fools...some of them

 

[spiralofeyes]

I dig coco. Four bottles,a brick, pots, I'm good to grow. Doesn't stink,doesn't stain. SO EASY.If anything looks unhappy:Flush and re-nute. Up until this point that has resolved any issue I've had. None of the mysterious lock-outs,stalls or burns I had with organics. The organic purists can tut,stroke their beards and wag fingers about building good soil all they want. I couldn't do it.And not from lack of trying...two years....long enough. Still ended up having to buy bottles to pull the girls trough. And then what is the point? Might as well buy some other bottles and leave all the other stuff out.

Can't say I ever noticed all the purported gains in quality of buds either. Or,more to the point. I couldn't fault my well flushed and cured coco buds compared to the same cut run organically.Different...sure,slightly. Worse? Nah-uh. Might be my uneducated palate,or that I was being honest with myself. Still sample stuff my buddies buy on the ''open'' market,which really puts it into perspective for me. Me weed is good. Period.

That said,I wouldn't mind some more beneficials in my coco as a safety net. So I'll work on that. Molasses is a cheap and cheery way to go. Wish a wormbin in the apt. wasn't so damn impractical.

edit: I've also been considering humic and fulvic acids...and smartpots.

second edit: About plant based teas/extracts. Shit,I hadn't considered shelf life. And the stink...Do you think I could freeze a fermented plant extract?

 

[THE PABLOS]

It's mostly genetics. You can grow anyway you want...but it always comes down to the genetic material. Pot snobs need to get on with themselves. Sometimes it seems there are a lot of spoiled children.

I'm not a cheap person by any means...yet I really don't like spending a small fortune on elaborate nutrients...elaborate grow systems...or elaborate electric bills

People get all excited about their "organic" pot....but then fill themselves with processed non organic foods. It makes no sense to me...not at all. I fail to take most anyone very serious...especially myself. I wrestle with the non organics of growing indoors...mostly because of dirty electricity...less concerning salts

Little harvest out of a winter bed...thinning out some veggie rows. Winter gardens are much slower as they get less sun...and less desirable temps. Still productive though



Along with these beets, carrots, and turnips....brought in some Chard, salads, and lettuces. Probably roast the beets on a makeshift grill I have set up...in the front yard. Roast them over an oak fire

The chard/beets/carrots can be cooked down into a stalk type soup...not to mention I was eating some as I harvested...getting that earth into my system. I'm hard pressed to find colors in my canna garden...that can compete..with the colors in my veggie gardens. If I could grow weed the colors of some of my veggies...I'd be a legend...talking deep deep color

EDIT: never thought about freezing extracts...but again..it would probably make a mess...and take up freezer space

 

[unclefishstick]

yeah the organics thing,i didnt have time to build a soapbox to stand on to make it work! and i couldnt figure out when in the composting process the smug sense of self satisfaction would start growing...plus if room fulls of actual scientist at nasa cant figure out how to make soil i doubt a bunch of old hippies can really do it at home...im just gonna stick with veganics...2+ years of easy stress free gardening...and the fact that i have 105 different plant species in the house thriving on veganic nutes makes a pretty strong argument in their favor...and not losing 30-50% of my yield by switching....

 

[Infinitesimal]

the thing I will say about organics is... by quoting you pablos... "you are what you eat" and I think the same goes for the plants we grow and consume... chelated salt nutes are processed from crude oil... not something that I want my plants to be made of... and not something I want to consume...

but I completely understand what you mean... about the ecological effects of harvesting some of the organic materials and the snobby attitude about organic pot... especially when some of those same folks done eat organic and sustainable foods.

I'm not one to thumb my nose at some high quality "fert" grown cannabis especially as I don't eat vegan or even 100% organic... or even mostly organic for that matter, but would definitely like to eat much more organic and sustainably grown foods... but I will never give up meat!

 

[unclefishstick]

and just so you know P,i talked to bacon jesus today,he still loves you and his crispy salty arms will always be open to you!

 

[THE PABLOS]

I'll continue to experiment with my semi organic feed regiments...and believe me when I say...I'd really like to not have to buy any bottled plant nutrients. The matter seems to always come back to convenience...as making up your own stuff takes a lot of effort to get right. I'm not interested in spending all kinds of money on a bag of this...a bag of that...until I have 20 different ingredients sitting on the shelf...just so I can make a blend that seems natural. I've done it...and it just gets stupid after a while. This comes more into play if you are avoiding slaughterhouse products...and certain poo products...then it starts getting really stupid.

The reality of oil based plastics...oil based nutrients...and the detrimental pathways it takes to generate public electricity are the downsides of indoor gardening. It would be a whole lot less environmentally detrimental if Cannabis was simply accepted and prohibitions ended. I'd not be growing indoors at all...or hardly at all.

Technically...one could say that oil is organic...it's the refinements that become the problem. Kind of hard to escape the powers of oil in this age of ours. I mean...where is one to draw a line? The stuff comes out of the ground. Crude oil is natural.

Regardless...eat whatever you want...feed your plants whatever you want...if it makes you happy and gets you the results you seek. I'm no martyr for any cause. Opinionated...yes

 

[southflorida]

yo...TP dude...hope you stepping up your game...you know you've got CO breathing down your neck...if your dank is not "totally gnarly" man...might as well close up shop

 

[THE PABLOS]

lol...I know. It's all about competition and it sure is intense. Don't know if I can take it.......fuuuuuuck it

 

[southflorida]

that competition mindset really fucks up shit...all my serious financial downfalls have always been because I tried to compete against someone, and became blinded by this desire...in fact so blind that I made some of the dumbest moves imaginable. I mean so bad...when I look back, all I can say is, fuck, how could I have made such a dumb-ass decision?

 

[THE PABLOS]

that competition mindset really fucks up shit...all my serious financial downfalls have always been because I tried to compete against someone, and became blinded by this desire...in fact so blind that I made some of the dumbest moves imaginable. I mean so bad...when I look back, all I can say is, fuck, how could I have made such a dumb-ass decision?

This competition the dude is talking about...doesn't even exist. Only in internet discussions.

I thought we were all about gardening...and growing herb...not in a media style hyped competition.

He's right though...I shouldn't waste my time on these folks or their delusions.

Edit: I've forgotten why I come to this sight. Should just stay in my threads...and not participate in all the consumer driven bullshit. I forget myself. It will be my undoing on ICmag......as I lose interest real quick when I realize...shit never changes

 

[southflorida]

no doubt...i'm even thinking of seriously cutting back on the time I spend here...and this includes not only posting...but lurking...shit is addictive in many ways...and i can see how over the years i have cut back on experiences with people in the real world...and slowly but surely increased the time i spend sitting online...in fact my wife tells me this every night...lol

 

[THE PABLOS]

It's an electronic drug is all. I like the story telling and sharing the garden...but when I start interacting with the bullshit....I know its time to move on

Peeps are insane...I know this to be true. I'm taking another leave of absence. Peace out

 

[unclefishstick]

This competition the dude is talking about...doesn't even exist. Only in internet discussions.

I thought we were all about gardening...and growing herb...not in a media style hyped competition.

He's right though...I shouldn't waste my time on these folks or their delusions.

Edit: I've forgotten why I come to this sight. Should just stay in my threads...and not participate in all the consumer driven bullshit. I forget myself. It will be my undoing on ICmag......as I lose interest real quick when I realize...shit never changes

yep,growing just isnt a team sport in a lot of ways,too many years of lingering paranoia for the older generation to be very open about it,and many of the youngsters are just growing money trees and think its cool...its just something i happened to have learned to do,i dont regard it as any different than being able to cook...

i love hanging here on ic and talking to folks,but i have learned to just stick to a few threads,less frustrating...i also try to stay out of walmart after 10 am for the same reason....

 

[village green]

Ah the joys of the canna boards. For purely selfish reasons, don't stop posting. A ten percent adult quotient is slim already.

 

[spiralofeyes]

^Hehe,word.Keep rattling some cages when you feel like it. Too many entitled,childish people,who think the world owes them something.

 

[budman678]

pablos, as always homie...you'll be missed...i dont even grow anymore but i still come on here for a few certain threads/members....

youre one of them. anyways, ive got a lot going on. my wife and i are about to bring our first baby in the world so no growing for me...not for the immediate future

 

[Madjag]

P*P*P* = +__+ peace

P*P*P* = +__+ peace

Yep.....

 

[Mr. Alkaline]

I know internet friends are just that, but if u ever come my way, I'll go run with you.
When I was in college, I was termed "the perpetual prop" at the track, cause everyone came and left and I stayed for about 4 hrs solid. I wanted to open my own Wellness Center, but when my brother died, I went into mission work. But I still have ideas about designing gym equipment and treating cancer with diet and lifestyle.
My brother and I used to climb trees with those ninja hand and foot claws...he was a beast like the Pablos, but that's what drew him into the service....he wanted to fuk people up.....kinda like my dad and his dad....shit, I come from a long line of asshole bullies now that I think of it.....happy to be your internet friend TP,