[Harry Gypsna]

Well im reading this for the 10th time now mate lol.....gonna try with the less is more thing for the new BC Sweettooths to go into flower.... in a quality compost with added john innes...gonna trabsplant from 11 lite pots to big 30= littre cement tubs, and water in with those biostimulamts I use...no nutrients though and see how they go...leave em to settle into the pots for about 7 days and them moving to the flower room....Im guessing ill probably bee feeding arounf 14 days of bloom...im thinking I say v=coz im not sure...
the particular compost says that(for tomatoes and such) that there is enough nutrients in the soil for the 1st 4-5 weeks....most garden centre sould Ive used say 1-2...so this is quite a rioch one comparitively, and its very "Clean", and by that I mean no chunks of root and under-rotted bark, no weeds at all since using this one, and no bugs in it( a common problem wioth the cheapos...the fungus gnats I had came from some crappy soil) and itis wonderfully dark and very nice texture to it....it really is fluffy and doenst compact much at all....Ive done the squeeze test(squeeze it in ur handthen see how easily it breaks up when prodded and poked lol) and it just collapses at the slightest tpouch, so very aiory..with a tiny bit of perlit, ...im going to add more, but not as much as I used to do...tryingto cut back from the 50/50 soil/perlite mix... I gues it was really like growing a soiless mix more than anything before. ill probably go 5 soil to 1 perlite(in whatever measure you use) and see how that goes..,. also going to thinkabout getting some guano...found a good sup[plier for fossilised seabird(in grow and bloom types).... and bat guano.... Im really wanting to have a go at ral soil growing...that is not using a general purpose hydroponic nutrient(which is perfectly suited to soil and is intended to be used as such) such as Vita-link which i use now....gonna stick wioth it for the hydro though coz its good . stuff. I didnt like the gloopyness of bio-bizz, it was really thich and took some shaking beforehand to get it all even consistency again(not watery with big thick gloopy bits in chunks lol) so im going to try plagrons range and see what they r like fr my soil plant...even if I am turning more and more towards hydro im still gonna be playing in the dirt because watering em is just so theraputic...doing it slowly and watching the water run round the soil, diving into tiny rivers and then sinking away.....Excuse me for my daydreaming lol.....
so expect many questions mate lol thanks in advance Mike...
Be lucky now,
Harry

[MandalaMike]

Hi Harry,

I had to read your post ten times too...
not sure where the question starts and where it ends... (just kidding).

So let me list the basics first: you got quality composted soil (well done :wink: ), 11-30L pots, indoor grow, BC SweetTooth (any difference to Breeder Steve's?), and you want to fertilize less but are thinking of using bat guano (!), and a hydroponic fertilizer (because you don't like globs in your feed), plus mixing in 1/5 perlite into the fluffy soil.

How large are you intending to grow your plants? Once they have rooted in 11L you might find a 30L pot too big for the rest of the grow. In case some plants look like they can use the full size then by all means fill up the pot. But if you see that some have a poorer root development, or are smaller, then just fill up the pot to 20L.
If you stick a small plant, or one with poor root development, into a too large pot then you get probelms with overwatering, etc.
Always let the plants decide what they need with regards to pot size and nutes.

I definately agree that you should not use a 50/50 mix of perlite and soil! That is actually one of the things I strongly advise against in cannabis cultivation. You deplete/dilute the natural nutrients available in the soil for the plants. This forces you to feed them early, which in turn can quickly lead to high salinity in the soil, and all the complications that go along with that.
Cannabis does not like this kind of mix. It's not hydroponic and it's not organic. The plants have difficulties coping with this situation because the roots keep hitting spots where there are no nutrients (perlite), and when you feed them regularly, they grow into areas where there is an oversupply of nutes. So either way - stress.
For your particular soil you don't require more than 10% perlite added (if you need any at all by the way).

Next point is bat guano (like the Kalong Bat Guano). Now that's super potent stuff. The urine in the guano supplies the plants with readily available Ammonium (nitrate) which easily burns the plants or causes unwanted vegetative growth during flowering. So even if you use what you think is a little bit of it - it can harm your indoor plants. I would only recommend products like Kalong bat guano to growers who are growing in a greenhouse, outdoors, for big mother plants, or experienced cultivators who use it diluted in teas, etc.
Some organic ferts in liquid form are based on guano. These are usually less potent and can be used safely in modest amounts.

Actually, so far we have heard very good reports from growers using Bio Bizz (lowest dosage recommended and not more than once a week). Our Kalichakra loves this feed! But a hydro fertilizer is of course also a good buy (like from General Hydroponics).
Start fertilizing once you see a slight deficiency, ie. leaves lose some leaf shine, slight yellowing of bottom leaves. During peak flowering a mild dosage of bloom helps boost flower production.

Grow on, Mike

[Harry Gypsna]

right ill try to not jump about so much and type slower so i dont fuck up so much LOL.
right, yup I want to be adding less nutes at waterings.
I plant to start mixing a nice soil up for flowering in with the bat guano(only flowering though) and have a few other things like seaweed meal and such...
the thing i said about hydroponic fertiliser was about the fact that is what I use now, and it isnt to my mind really truly soil growing if using a hydro nutrient.
this is the tub im planning to trnsplant to, with a pot the same size(11litre square) both of the intended plants are currently in,sitting inside to show the size. of the tubs to you.

these are the plants ...

that pic taken last week should give you an idea of the size of the plants(about 3 1/2 foot i think not including pot the one in flower at the mo didnt grow on in flower much so I vegged em big) u can use the bricks in the wall as a reference for scale(haha a stroke of genius lol)...this is why im going for such a massive pot...I dont want that problem we discussed before again.... but a 20 litre pot has just opened up soto speak so once ive washed it I spose I can use that for one of them if its big enough.
im gonna stop vegging em so big though...better to have 4 plants in the best position I reckon.
I still have my bio bizz nutes, but theyre a yearold now so theyre gonna be well rancid I guess. i wanna give the plagron a try, ive seen some awsome stuff grown on their lorganics...and thats the direction im heading with the soil..even if im doing dro for production purposes in the future, ill still have a small soil garden for pleasure because its just so much fun for me.
one last thing...do you know how much epsom salt to use to correct a magnesium deficieny??? and is it OK to use a preventative dosage and ifso what would that be... and that is for hydro aswell as soil i would like to know for please if youhave any idea....
Im getting more into the work sode of it again now...had to give my self a kick up the arse because I rewalisd that all my plants were looking like shit lately and i knew I can do better so im being a bit more diliogent with the "Chore" type jobs and trying to focus on the details a bit more....
gonna need a new fan too coz this 250M3 per houir isnt doing the trick with 1400watts of HPS...evn though it is over-rated for my size room...oh well il do something with tis one...
right must go..
thanks in advance for any help I get
Ill be starting the Hashberry about 2 weeks before xmas mate...
Be lucky Mike....
Harry
il b

[MandalaMike]

Originally Posted by Harry Gypsna

one last thing...do you know how much epsom salt to use to correct a magnesium deficieny??? and is it OK to use a preventative dosage and ifso what would that be... and that is for hydro aswell as soil i would like to know for please if youhave any idea....

You should use a complete fertilizer with 1-2% Mg as a preventive measure. The uptake of nutrients is regulated by a combination of minerals which is why a complete fert has definative advantages.
You can also mix some dolomite lime into the soil, but check the pH first.
To correct a deficiency use 2 teaspoons of Epsom salts per gallon of water. Keep watering with that till symptoms disappear.

Your plants are really BIG! You should put them into flowering quick.
Don't veg the Hashberry's that big. :wink:
Put them into 12/12 at 10-12 inches.

Grow on, Mike

[Harry Gypsna]

lichakra clone is coming olong now....I topped her to get a few cuttings from her......Ill certainly not let them get any bigger than 10-12 inches before i flower them....
now dolomite lime, ive read that before, BOG recommends it if needed too I believe. Is it different from normal garden lime that you can get at the garden centre, or will garden lime be any good??? Bonus on having lime around is it will be no problem diosposing of the remains of any burglars or crop thieves LOL....Joke, really I just compost em direct and fertilise the plants with em lol....OK, now I took that joke too far.....
Seriously though is dolomite lime a special kind of lime??? My water is usually around 7.2-7.5 on my PH meter outta the tap(well left to stand and evaporate the chlorine...).....which when I asked someone a while ago he said that should be fine for soil use.....what do you think?? I have PH down so if it needs to be lower i can do it,... the soil im using claims to be ph neutral which is about right is it not???
I guess you could say im giving my soil growing a complete overhaul..lol.....
Cheers mate
Be lucky now, and dont worry, I wouldnt dream of growing the Hashberry that big,...
Harry

[dociron]

#1) yes, "Dolomitic Lime" is very good stuff, also an "upper" for ph
#2) if your water is that high to begin with,
you do need to knock it down a bit, imho.
I have very high ph water, it actually eats the pipes!! lol

Take care and stay safe.....................docir on






































oh? go ahead GROW that Hashberry!!

we have the great opportunity to work with a very experienced coco test-grower

Mike, does this person post on any forums? I've been trying to get something healthy in hand watered coco using pure blend pro and it's giving me fits. Sure would like just to read some good online journals from this person

[MandalaMike]

Originally Posted by Personal Grower

Mike, does this person post on any forums? I've been trying to get something healthy in hand watered coco using pure blend pro and it's giving me fits. Sure would like just to read some good online journals from this person

Yes he posts but in German!
If you give me some specific questions I could forward them to him. He uses only General Hydroponics ferts though.

Mike

[dogg]

hey yall , i just got a ec ,salnity,tds pen and have a couple questions .
it has a 3 different starting points 0.4,0.7 and 1.0 . which one of thesed o you use ?
for instance , my plain water has a reading of 146.3. i just dumped a bunch of salt in it and have a reading of 1500. what is the ec value of these numbers ..and is there some math you can share to get the numbers .
thanx

[Sleepy]

Originally Posted by dogg

hey yall ..and is there some math you can share to get the numbers .
thanx

here's a chart...

hope that helps.