[dank.frank]

I want to talk a bit about my philosophy on growing - I was going to make a separate sticky, however, I figure the prevalent philosophy is directly related to the fact I am an organic gardener...

Ya know, this needs it's own sticky. IF it provokes you to go read a few other stickies, then purpose served. (**edited and moved**)

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Part I - Foreword
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It should be said, there are MANY who do NOT agree with me. I'm not going to attempt to present 10,000 .pdf articles to quantify my statements...

If my experience as a grower is useless to you (which is PRIMARILY what I base ANY opinion or practice on - MY personal experience - regardless) then the chances are you shouldn't be on this part of the forums in the first place...hahaha.

This being said, I personally believe the world is INFINITELY complex. This is embodied in such thoughts as - "the more we learn the more we understand we truly know nothing" - I abide by this at large.

Every time I have discovered "new" information, I am lead to discovery some individual in this world has already dedicated not a couple hours or a few years - but their ENTIRE LIFE - every breath, to understanding some minute part of a much more grandiose equation....

That being said, I HAVE ALWAYS taken science into the FULLEST consideration - but that is it. I consider it. It is more information stemming from sources that are ultimately in part much like myself - fallible - capable of mistake...misunderstanding...o r rather, a LACK of understanding due to an incompleteness of the FULL picture.

Science is merely an attempt to understand, explain, or replicate and event or occurrence that was first witnessed in nature or is believed to happen within the laws of nature. Which in my opinion, nature at the end of the day will always trump science and our limited understanding of itself. (nature)

So it is in part fair to say, I take EVERYTHING with a grain of salt, until I have put it to practice and seen for myself the direct results - until I have EXPERIENCED. At the same time is is fair to say my idea of growing is some what idealistic in that I merely try to replicate nature as much as possible even when I don't fully understand or agree.

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Part II - Plants
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A plant NEVER grows wrong or improperly or incorrectly. It's impossible. Plants (any plant - demystify cannabis - it is merely a plant) have a genetic code they follow. A predisposition to behave, want, require certain variables to perform at their optimum; or to even live at all for that matter. No matter what situation a plants primary purpose is to ensure it's genetic survival. Primarily, to live another generation, to make seed which will fall to the ground, etc, etc. so goes the process. To ensure this survival, a plant will allow the very best genetic material it posses to be expressed given the variables it is being subjected to. Meaning, a plant NEVER grows incorrectly - we as growers merely fail to provide the best possible variables to get the desired genetic response. A prime example of this seen clearly when different phenotypes surface of the exact same clone as a result of environmental variations.

Plants merely respond to the variables they are subjected to - they respond to environmental stimuli. Essentially there are two main environmental zones a grower must control: the environment around the foliage and the environment around the roots. If you provide the proper stimuli within these two primary zones you will grow successful plants. Given enough time, you learn to maximize the environmental conditions (dialing in) and the end result is a plant that presents itself, phenotypically, with the best genetic material that is possible can...

Most people will agree on what the proper environmental conditions for environment surrounding the foliage so it really makes no logical sense to discuss that (nothing new to add there), however, people treat the environment around the roots different on nearly every aspect ranging from feeding methods to planting medium.

Since environment is the ONLY factor which has any direct result on how plants perform, it becomes important to understand when we feed a plant, food is input - environmental stimuli. This means food source and how it is provided plays a direct result on the genetic information that will surface as the plant expresses phenotype. (remember: genotype + environment = phenotype)

Personally, I want the TRUEST expression a plant has to offer. A genetic expression that is not altered by how I choose to interact the plant. This is important when attempting to evaluate varying nuances of many plants. In nature, when a plant grows the only thing to alter it's life is the ground it fell on and the water it gets from the rain. (more or less)

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Part III - Soil
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In an effort to replicate the behavior of nature and achieve a more accurate genetic expression, I began the pursuit of organics and eventually a true "just add water" soil was the result...ie seed falls and it rains...

In nature, the soil is replenished (fertilized) by MANY different things, primarily, via the death and/or decay (decomposition) of other living/non-living matter. On any given day an animal may excrete it's feces on the land which is later washed in by rain and decomposed by soil micro-organisms and eventually made usable again for roots (plants) to utilize. Animals live out their lives and die, their entire bodies: fur (feather) flesh, bone, blood, hoofs, etc. - ALL decomposes back into the earth (soil) to replenish itself for another year. When all the trees (or any plant for that matter) let go their leaves - they fall to the ground, trapping moisture encouraging bacterial growth and begin to decompose, eventually helping restore the land for another season of growth...

It's nature. It's a process. It's diverse. Any part or element that occurs and is present in nature, I want present in any soil I attempt to recreate for myself. This means REAL DIRT is essential to having a proper medium...as is variety of input. The key to increased microbial soil activity is providing a diverse range of stimuli to produce a diverse range of reactions within the medium, increasing it's "nutritional value" and exponentially increasing the environment (roots plants) have to thrive within.

All that being said, I try to feed the soil some "nutrition" from what I view as the three main areas the earth (soil) recycles and provides for itself - 1. animal matter, 2. earth matter, 3. plant matter. I think these things are all relatively obvious - but for quick examples: 1. blood, bone, manures, guanos, etc. 2. rock dusts, minerals, clays, etc. 3. alfalfa meal, kelp meal, neem meal, comfrey, yarrow, etc.

From each of these various areas one can select a "best" set of ingredients that serves / functions many various purposes through out a soil...not all geared towards feeding the plant but also ingredients that work in conjunction with beneficial soil microbes and encourage and foster their presence in the medium.

The end goal being, again, to have a fully organic medium which feeds a plant without altering phenotype representation by only having to mimicking rain...ie a replication of nature.

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Part IV - Disclosure
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I'm sure there are different words and theories for expressing the same concept(s) in much more complex and technically correct ways...BUT that is not the purpose here. I am merely providing a bit of simple, explanatory information as to why I utilize the particular methods I do...this is not an attempt to say this is the only way or even the right way. It is not a conversion effort. There is no purple coconut water to drink in a plastic cup at the end of the ceremony - sorry to disappoint. Again - this is just and effort at a VERY brief and loosely explained version of a couple theories / practices I utilize in my own personal attempt at producing medicine for myself...

Hope this has been helpful to some...there are plenty other stickies to read!




dank.Frank