Dream Berry BRIX/ROLS Newb Contest Entry

[DoubleDDsNuggs]

I have tried posting in the past with limited success and then asked someone to help me and got yelled at from people on icmag for asking someone outside the forum when I should've came to them instead. now that's ironic.

I asked about using Promis for root aphids early this morning and no one has responded. I asked about the mites and other pics and not one person could say except for you. I have asked for help and then I make decisions based on what I can find out and then I get all of this? This thread is mostly me talking to myself when you look at the posts. I feel let down. I only entered this contest so my thread would get people to watch and HOPEFULLY get some advice. I have so many views and only Nes, Spaceman Spliff, Tleaf, BabyHuey have said anything. So as far as I am concerned, I think I've taught myself well considering where I started and like I've been saying this entire thread, I just started learning about organics when the contest started so it's been a month.

Spaceman spliff first said that this was a nutrient problem, then nes said it was broad mites, then I started taking pics and found stuff I wasn't sure about. I'm a fucking newb on a fucking scavenger hunt for why the fuck one leaf dropped. I have been chewed out all day and all my reading tells me that organic methods do not work on infestations and only work to prevent them or control them. So I guess I'm just done. I am just going to start buying it again because spending $500-600 per month on pot is far less than paying for all of this bullshit. I am very frustrated and I think I'm done.

 

[xmobotx]

i made a mistake or, rather a series of mistakes when I started learning a lot of new stuff ~by trying to apply everything i was learning {kind of one thing after another} & when I started having problems, I started trying miscellaneous "solutions"

my problems were more like i had created toxic soil by way over-fertilizing it & was hitting unhealthy plants w/ possibly excessive concentrations of organic remedies & w/ enough variety, it was hard to tell what may have helped or what may have hurt

since using neem seed meal {in reasonable amounts} i have had no soil pests

i didn't see any bad bugs in your pix either

 

[Nes]

To be fair, I told you I hoped you didn't have them, pointed you in the direction of resources to aid in IDing them, and told you bout my experience dealing with them.
I do agreee with keeping it simple when starting.
I think its worth stating that I also haven't seen anything I'd be comfortable saying definitively was a bad bug just by the pictures, but if you say you're having fungus gnats that aren't responding to mosquito dunks, it sounds like winged root aphids.

good luck!
Nes

 

[DoubleDDsNuggs]

So Nes, why did you choose abamectin in your ROLS? So I'm a little confused as to why you have such a differing opinion.

and you're right, you said, "In your video, when you said your gsc wasnt looking great, i thougt, oh no! hope its not broadmites. Lots of people have them right now round here it seems. You are doing Living soil though, i know gascanastans rols room was always filled with creepy crawly's, but they seemed to keep everything in check.
I dealt with them recently with qualipro abamectin. They're invisible to the naked eye so check this out and see what you think. I really hope you dont have them, but its best to catch things early!"

 

[DoubleDDsNuggs]

also, before I applied the Imid there were no flyers in the room, but afterwards, HAHAHAHA tons of flyers. They're literally everywhere and were hiding in the soil. this is worse than hydroponics when all I had to deal with is PM and root rot, but no bugs. So I'm done. I don't have any money to start over or buy pot. I smoked my last stuff from my harvest the day before and wouldn't be able to get anything really till the end of September. It would've been worth the wait if I had something to look forward to but those plants are not going to recover anytime soon, I'm so broke that I can't afford to start over completely for months which means that I am going to be sober for two months because I've been investing money into growing because it was supposed to be financially a better option in the long run and would eventually pay itself back when I didn't have to buy pot. but that isn't how it works.

 

[BayBHuey]

Wow your last post didnt sound too positive.

I am going to help you out. Just give me some time to tend to my ladies and get a few bowls and then get the details of your garden.

Try and stay positive because believe it or not your girls can sense it. I talk to my girls all the time and even play music for them.

Be back shortly

BayBHuey

 

[BayBHuey]

I think you need to be more simple.

Also not take such DRASTIC measures.

Those are the good Mites that you posted before.

You don't have Broadmites and if you have bad pests - their would be fliers and more tell tale signs like plant damage.

I see nutrient problems more so than bug damage...

RA would be in groups - not running around searching for something - also in the root zone deeper - not around the soil surface.

I don't think RA also escape the soil once its watered.

Id just take a deep breathe followed by a fat joint puff and stop trying to control nature.

If you are doing organics - expect bugs - fungus - ALGAE lol...

I'd pop those beans like Tleaf says... unless you don't want ot be organic and have bugs and stuff around... then I guess you choose the wrong path.

Not being mean... I just think its ridiculous that some one in organics resorts to chemicals and then some one like me who uses chemical synthetic nutrients will buy living predatory mites to combat issues of this nature... Its ironic and ima say it.

You realize that organics is true when there is no spraying or drenching...

Next time you wanna run around like a chicken with its head cut off - call these people Greenmethods: Your Biocontrol and IPM Resource

and let them guide you with actually organic methods lol...

Disappointed some one trying to contest in an organic grow wouldn't even think about using nature to combat nature...

Nematodes are cool - bobblehead should come thru here

good luck

Hi DoubleDD's

okay I went back a little bit to see whats going on. Now I must say LyryC gave some good info. Now I am not an organic guy. But I do know from your pics that it is nutrient burn and possibly going into lockout. Now because I said lockout dont panic. You have also been watering a lot so all these problems are compounding. We need to take a step back. Dont water again till the soil dries. No fertilizers or anything right now. Just a lot of love.

I am not familiar with nukem or any of the others you mentioned. But I would like to say anything you have to spray that many times in such a short period is not worth it. My favorite is neem oil and spinosad. Highly recommended stuff. Now one of your pics I think post 201 that is a pic of a thrip.

I would like to see some pics of what your seeing today.

And any time you have a question please ask. I will always help if I can. I think a lot of people failed to help you because your posts sound as if your more knowledgeable than they and well become fearful to help out. Hope that makes sense and I mean no harm feelings in anyway towards you by saying that. I really admire your efforts and would really like to see you succeed.

BayBHuey

 

[Nes]

So Nes, why did you choose abamectin in your ROLS? So I'm a little confused as to why you have such a differing opinion.

First off, straight to the point, I don't do ROLS.
I did use the Rev's soil recipe from TLO. I try to keep everything as sustainable as possible. I never claimed to be running a ROLS system though(which is recycled organic living soil, so if I were claiming anything it would have been OLS - up untill the abamectin). If I were to describe the outdoor crop to someone, I'd say it was grown with organic soil, ammendments and teas, but sprayed with a chemical, non systemic insecticide (approved for use on food crops up to 10 days prior to harvest) while in veg. I think the organic ammendments and soil make better tasting bud than chem fertilizers.
That being said, I was super resistant at first to go with abamectin. We wasted valuable weeks trying to diagnose and treat every nutrient issue we thought it could be, before making the positive ID on the broadmites. During that time the BM DECIMaTED the nigerians. at first it only stayed on them and made me think it was strain specific nute issue, but then it stated to spread and they started taking hold in the other strains. I used abamectin because from the experience of those I'd talked to, it was the only thing sure to work. I've got a lot riding on that crop, and the abamectin has already washed away in the rain. The Nigerians and everything else seem to have bounced back. (except the single blue orca). BM and root aphids have hit our area hard, and if you are socializing at dispensary booths and with other growers, getting clones from the shop, you can easily become a vehicle of contamination.
I referensed gascanastan's room, which is the only ROLS I've seen. He seemed to do well with it, but every time we'd move a pot in his room, things would scurry from underneith. He'd point at them and tell me what they were and that they were good. I saw that man go into his garden and collect a garden spider and her eggs in a little tupperware. He kept it until the spider eggs hatched and released them into the room. That's what i think, when i hear ROLS. I've been very tempted to try ROLS, but the main thing that gets me is not knowing enough of my soil bugs yet. - That, and I just cleared out some space in the garage for cooking recycled soil. Thought this outdoor would be a good way to start breaking away from the bottle nutes though.

You do sound pretty beat down. This can be rough! Growing is a lot of work, but so rewarding! Keep your head up! If you're going to try again, and want to try organic, I'd recommend starting off a bit simpler. forget brix or rols or w/e. throw 50% happy frog and 50% ocean forest in a pot, grab an entire line (biobizz is premium organic fert) and follow their feed chart to the T.

 

[Nes]

Here are a series of amazing diagnostic issues relating to nutrient deficiencies. Dave Coulier has these links on his signature, very helpful both in ID nute issues, but also knowing what ISNT a nute issue.
http://www.greenhousegrower.com/vid...-identifying-nutrient-deficiencies-made-easy/
http://www.greenhousegrower.com/vid...ying-nutrient-deficiencies-made-easy-part-ii/
http://www.greenhousegrower.com/vid...-identifying-nutrient-deficiencies-made-easy/
http://www.greenhousegrower.com/video/fertilizer-nutrition/v-common-causes-of-nutrient-deficiencies/

 

[DoubleDDsNuggs]

Before this, I was into synthetic PGRs, immediate results, super fast growth, hydro speed, etc. I feel like I have been eating Imid my whole life and if I use it as directed, should be okay. However, recently amended soil can hold it as it binds to organic matter for 60-140 days which is too long. The product is in the plant for way less time and is nicotine which I smoke as well. This has no carcinogens unlike other chems like acephate. We give it to our dogs but say no to humans?

But due to me mixing soil recently and using peat which is organic matter as well, I'm disposing of it properly and using the soil I have outside which will have nematodes innoculated before putting it in a steam cleaned room. That is only if I still decide to do this. I would really succeed since I was told I couldn't pull it off.

Thank you for advice guys. I'm sorry I was so upset. I felt like I had something to prove since I'm a chick and everyone watching. Just didn't want to fail but ended up anyways.

 

[DoubleDDsNuggs]

If anyone would like to share how they manage pests and identifying them, I would like some comments as we should learn together instead of lurking. There is something I'm sure I don't know about and w/I you to nention .

 

[BayBHuey]

DoubleDD's,

To identify bugs I look to the cannabis grow bible or comparable books. There are probably some pics in a sticky somewhere also. I have not looked.

For sure in your arsenal to defend bugs (I use) is neem, spinosad and Microbe-Lift Liquid Mosquito Control. Mosquito dunks are a joke you will see results with microbe lift. It is not instant, takes 3 to 4 uses before you see results. I used at a rate of 1ml per gal. Until then use pyrethins to kill fungus gnats. Spinosad will kill a wide variety of bugs that feed on leaves including spider mites. Neem can be used as foliar to kill a lot of those tiny F'ers running around or soil drench as well to help eradicate whats living in your root zone. But no water for you, in my seinfeld voice, until your soil dries. Theres probably a lot more to tell but my brain is getting scrambled.

And if you can try not to be so technical. Sounds like you graduated from Harvard LOL and you might be scaring off those that have the answers you need because they dont understand and move on instead of helping out.

Oh another thing about organics. Its slow compared to hydro/coco, so you may think your doing things wrong and then add something. Less is always more.

Hope all that makes sense, sometimes I can get ahead of myself

BayBHuey

 

[tleaf jr.]

Hey DD I see your getting frustrated with this growing thing which happens to us all at times hell go over to my thread and see that unhappy beast im dealing with ....I can say like everyone else that the pest aren't the problem you as the grower are ...no bad intentions on that comment but any problem with our gardens are our fault 100% . that being said I thing you need to restart with new soil , it seems you kind of overloaded it and threw your ph off a little try to correct that before trying to eliminate pestes because if the plant is weak they'll keep coming back. you need to be only giving correctly pHed water for a minute and let them sort there self out mean while get some more clones or seeds started to keep the rotation in order ...don't feel bad theres farmers who loose their whole crop worth 1000's to pests every year

 

[DoubleDDsNuggs]

Thank you so much guys! I really appreciate it. I talked with some other growers and they told me this:

1. people on forums prune and pluck off yellow leaves, put leaf shines and all of this stuff to make their girls look more amazing than they actually are, lie about what they're using to control pests, etc. Honestly, I thought about not telling people about the Imid because I knew that it is so controversial and I wanted my thread to go well. That is unfair to others to see fake results on a problem they are researching to find out how to fix.

2. One person told me a story about his grow of 6 ft tall plants literally falling to the floor dead. then their old friend from long ago came by and wanted to see his grow. He said he was so embarrassed and the friend insisted on seeing it. the friend walked around the room looking at equipment totally ignoring the damaged plants. His friend told him that it happens to the best of us and complimented his room set up.

3. I'm not as smart as I sound. I try to find info from peer reviewed articles on google scholar search engine. I read abstracts and find info on how others gardeners not growing cannabis are doing because I feel like the info I get from those sites might be more reliable than say a forum for mmj. I do however compare my findings to the forum results specifically for cannabis. A lot of that stuff is copy/paste from sites which I should've referenced where I got the info or at least stated that this is from a source I found. Any person can sound like me. I should also mention that I spend at least 8+ hours a day reading about growing cannabis.

Now to explain this a little better and get a little personal as I don't tell many people this but I have Bipolar 1 disorder which causes me to become manic and stay up all night obsessing over something. I try to funnel this energy into learning which has caused me to focus all of my attention on reading about growing which is why I have learned quite a bit of info. I used indica dominant couchlock to calm me down and I stay away from sativas which cause anxiety and more mania. I have no pot and I stopped taking my meds for a while because I was trying to find other ways to medicate and deal with symptoms because the meds cause me to gain weight. But it just keeps getting worse and I have fits of anger/mania so I started taking my meds again but I forget to take them often so that makes it worse. But this is why I've collected all this info and why I "sound" the way I do. this grow just might be over. the ladies are very brittle from the nuke em but the yucca sprays I gave them have seemed to help. I'm most likely chopping tomorrow and sterilizing. depends on how sad I feel.

Guess I can pop those animal cookies so we can compare notes baybhuey. can keep them in a separate house till this mess is over. I popped some pineapple chunk beans recently and since they were in the tent too, I gave them Imid. They're only on it's first leaves so I'm not sure what to do with them.

 

[DoubleDDsNuggs]

So back to learning

So back to learning

So how systemic pesticide works is it alters the DNA in a plant. I don't know why I didn't think of this earlier but with all the talk of Monsanto and GMO's, I think it makes this issue pretty cut and dry. GMOs work by a scientist altering the DNA in a plant to make it more pest resistant. Then they use these systemic pesticides to further increase the resistance to pests.

 

[Nes]

So how systemic pesticide works is it alters the DNA in a plant. I don't know why I didn't think of this earlier but with all the talk of Monsanto and GMO's, I think it makes this issue pretty cut and dry. GMOs work by a scientist altering the DNA in a plant to make it more pest resistant. Then they use these systemic pesticides to further increase the resistance to pests.

I think you are misunderstanding whatever it is you are reading. a systemic pesticide is soluable enough to be taken up by the plant and stored in its tissue. Imidocloprid isn't going to alter your plants DNa.

http://citybugs.tamu.edu/factsheets/landscape/sapfeed/ent-6006/

 

[DoubleDDsNuggs]

I was confused. the insecticide mutates or alters DNA when you consume the product so it effects you; not the plant. Here's an article that talks about cancer and mice. http://pesticides.montana.edu/PcideProfiles/carcinogens.htm

I also read about the use of Imid and the effect on spider mites where the populations increased 11 fold where overnight you can get an infestation that is so bad there are webs formed already. I know this is off topic sorta but thought I'd share it: http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0062620

When you google "systemic insecticide alters dna" there are a lot of articles talking about GMOs and pesticides causing our genes to mutate and this is passed down each generation who is also fed these chemicals. it's all a little confusing but there is new info being discovered and research being done that is linking the use of GMOs and pesticides to mutating DNA and how that effects us as humans. The switch to using Imid over the previous favorite, Diazinon was in 2004 because it of the recent findings linking it to cancer. When I read the articles I think that we have not came to a conclusion if it is the GMO or the pesticide causing the mutations.

 

[LyryC]

Try and stay positive because believe it or not your girls can sense it. I talk to my girls all the time and even play music for them.
y

I greet my ladies - every "morning" and "night" and they get a range of music from classical to dub step to jazz and heavy metal, trance and reggae lol

Only thing crazy is NOT playing music and chattin up yo ladies! Free co2!!!!!

 

[seasonsoflove]

Only thing crazy is NOT playing music and chattin up yo ladies! Free co2!!!!!

Sing us a song, you're the piano man!!

Good vibes your way doubleDD's!

 

[BayBHuey]

@LyryC, I bet your gals love you right back for it too. They love being told how beautiful they and how much you love them. It is a true relationship.

I play a variety for my girls as well. Glad to see others doing the same

@DoubleDD's, how things today? Better I hope. FYI BiPolar I know all about it. I tend to go the other way though. Growing cannabis and helping others brightens my day and gives me a sense of self worth. But when my garden isnt doing well I get down and just wont show up. Its hard to get back up at times but you got this.

May I suggest a fresh start, start slow, less is always more at this point at least until you gain the hands on knowledge of what happens.
A really good and simple fertilizer and not too expensive is Pure Blend Pro. I saw really great results with it when I grew in soil. I am not sure what nutes your using or if you are 100% organic?

I read also that you had some soil baking. Is this compost? I myself always prefer to use new sterile grow medium. i had too much trouble in the past. Just a few things to think about.

BayBHuey