Distinguished and Nurtured Kind

[dank.frank]

Here is a perfect example of why a cover crop that grows above the soil surface, which provides shade to the ecosystem, by creating a low canopy to trap moisture is so useful in a soil bed. Notice the moisture on the underside of the plastic. That aside, I'm very pleased with how this new media is draining. It's got just the right balance of retention vs porosity, I think.

I have a sheet of 6mil plastic down on the soil bed while trays and such are sitting there for vegging plants. The lighter brown color in the soil is that which has dried out due to evaporation. The soil under the plastic, has retained it's moisture. As a result, fungal activity has begun and hyphae are spreading. More interesting, every where there is a small piece of wood, there is increased activity. Organic matter aids in decomposition by hosting fungal activity which in turn increase biological availability of nutrients.


Not sure if this thread is for soil nerds or cannabis geeks!

dank.Frank

 

[White Beard]

Works for me on both levels. I spent much of my adolescence turning red clay into soil, learning about compost, worms, amendments, garden design from the growing POV (as opposed to prettiness), shoveling out stables for manure, and basic backyard vegetable gardening (my mother hybridized daylillies, and an artist’s ideas about how it should look, so I got plenty of practice at digging, too).

Guess that makes me a soil nerd as well as a cannabis geek...but that was 50 years ago, so I’m imagining coco for my comeback: at my age, I want to ease back into the soil...so to speak. More of the cannabis geek now, but really enjoying your sharing on the soil - on all of this, really. A privilege to watch and learn!

 

[TheBlaze]

Definitely subbed for this.

Some healthy younguns you have there Frank.

 

[DoubleTripleOG]

Speaking of microbe life. I just noticed some last night. The run-off from the fresh Happy Frog I use at flip, must be loaded with bennies. Cause "wherever there is wood"(the entire floor under the shelves my plants sit on), the few places water hits the floor, there's bennies growing on the floor. Couple plants from not the last, but harvest before that were sitting directly on the floor. Under them it was totally inoculated, white fuzz everywhere. Those plants also did super awesome.

 

[Ibechillin]

The beneficial bacteria eat/decompose wood, i learned awhile ago they use nitrogen as a fuel source to do it and will compete with the plant for it if not enough for both.

 

[dank.frank]

@White Beard - Glad to have you along for the ride then, for sure. LOL.

@The Blaze - Thanks! Just wish there were more of them. It's been a bumpy start.

@DTOG - That'd be fungal growth, likely, not bacterial. All the same, I get what you are saying. Not trying to be "corrective". One of the things I like about using compost made from local materials is the influx of the local microbiota. This is probably much more important in outdoor growing than indoor, but it's a factor I've always considered "beneficial" to growing in any given region. Go lift a dead log in the woods, you'll see the same decay. Not to say it's being caused by the same species of bacteria or fungi or the same environment, but merely to say, nature and it's natural processes are happening all around us everyday. Until we study such things, gain an understanding and become aware of it, it goes unnoticed and taken for granted.

@Ibechillin - Some decomposing critters consume nitrates as a fuel for their colonies, others use other critters. Just depends. I've never seen nitrogen shortage as a result of bacteria though. Ever. Not even in compost piles where 30:1 C:N ratios existed. I think that is one of those "while technically correct" facts, that is taken out of contextual relevance and so grossly contorted as a means to undermine the microbial/fungal/organic/soil food web platform that it borders on hilarious. If there isn't enough nitrogen to fuel some bacteria, trust me, there is certainly not enough nitrogen to grow a few blades of grass let alone a cannabis plant. But yes, technically, correct information.

If you are really concerned about that, plant clover as your cover crop and recover some atmospheric nitrogen.



dank.Frank

 

[Ibechillin]

My understanding is that it takes more nitrate to decompose wood than it provides after decomposition therefore being a process of lost nitrogen. It made me think twice about using wood chips etc in a soil mix, merely mentioned it to strike up conversation on the subject.

 

[dank.frank]

With standard crops, you'll know to apply 120lbs of nitrogen per cycle. You'll put down 80 to start and come back later with side dressing or drip irrigation 2 more 20 lbs applications to continue pushing crop growth. Nitrogen is a mobile element at that, so it's always in a state of "leaving" the soil system to begin with. It's almost always in cycle.

https://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.php/Nitrogen_Cycle

I don't think it's something I really worry about in rapid transition gardens like cannabis. I'm sure we loose far more nitrates through run off than we do through microbial denitrification. I generally try to water with zero runoff, for this very reason. That is going to be one of the challenges I must learn to adapt to with this new media and soil bed - minimizing run off by watering JUST the right amount while not allowing the surface of the soil to become hydrophobic or the bottom of the soil to become constantly saturated.



dank.Frank

 

[dank.frank]

Post #115 - Seeds went into stater mix. That is 12 days. First transplanting for the Cobalt Haze and going into full strength soil mix. They are just starting to push their second internode. Leaves are looking wide for any type of haze or haze hybrid cross. I have a feeling though, they are going to thin out as the plants mature.

What is managing to grow, is quite happy at least.

dank.Frank

 

[TheBlaze]

Nice healthy roots.

I'm sure your plant count will increase exponentially in the near future.

 

[dank.frank]

@TheBlaze - More than likely. The Med Tree Seeds Suzy Q Bx2 female is going to ready to start taking some snips off of in about a week. It was always the plan to run a full room of the CBD variety out the gate. Need to be able to take about 12 cuts and then keep the 8 healthiest for flower.

That female has been through it. She's still nutrient shy after being on the brink of death for months. She was revived by planting her in the old soil that had been recycled several times but not amended for a long time. That did just enough to revive the roots. The last transplant into 1/2 gallon of the new mix showed some clear transplant shock. She's just starting to really grow out of it as her roots are spreading into real soil and just really starting to show signs of being willing to take nutrients. I'm truly surprised she lived at all, honestly.

Looking forward to seeing what the cannabinoid profile is on her when mature, especially with the new hemp legislation signed in the farm bill. The Suzy Q Bx2 line is basically a 42:1 CBD:THC line and certainly has the ability to produce phenos with 10%+ CBD that have less than .3% THC.

With the right plant, it could get very interesting. Until then, it's time to try more seeds. Going to soak 4 of the Sis x Topanga and try a few different strategies.



dank.Frank

 

[dank.frank]

Solstice. Full moon. Time to start seeds. Made a kelp tea solution using 8oz boiled, lukewarm water and 1 tsp of kelp meal. Soaking 4 Chem Sis x Topanga from MeltingPot and 2 Ghost OG x Bubba (Spook) from Nspecta over at CSI: Humboldt.

Figure we'll increase the number of potential ladies with a couple of fem lines.



dank.Frank

 

[sdd420]

Thanks bro I’ll drop some too. I am fairly new to organic and totally unaware of stuff like that. Does it really make a difference? Thanks again for sharing your grow. Peace sdd

 

[dank.frank]

I'm not sure if it really makes a difference although many different cultures have done so for ages. I figure with all my failures, it certainly can't hurt. It's actually something I had forgotten about until just recently. Again, I'm rusty.



dank.Frank

 

[sdd420]

No problem it was time anyway, I have maybe 10 days maximum left on my last grow. I can use any help I can get haha. Peace brother

 

[White Beard]

The seed knows not its fate as it tumbles to the ground... In the beginning, it is always dark

 

[dank.frank]

I took the seed starter soil, got it saturated and put it in the microwave for 5 minutes. Thermometer said it was 220 at the edges and 260 in the center. I suppose that should be good enough to sterilize the media before use. Seed tray was washed and bleached. Soil filled and then covered to prevent anything from getting it in.

I'll use unbleached, natural coffee filters this time. I'll also moisten and microwave them for at least 2.5 minutes. I will place a pipette drop of bleach or three in each bit of water before pouring the seeds onto their home to germinate. I'll also not be placing them directly on the hood of the lighting fixture. I do think they've been a bit too warm there. I also remembered to roll some sand paper and rattle them around until no exterior seed coat stripes were left and the seed edges looked white. Maybe 2 minutes. I did do a hydrogen peroxide soak for about 4-5 minutes, so maybe more of a rinse before they went into the kelp tea to soak. They sunk in the tea in about 30 minutes, actually, which I took as a good sign, and why I only soaked them in it for about 4 hours. I really want to be extra careful not to drown the seeds.

Hopefully with these precautions, I'll see better results. Chem Sister is one of my all time favorite plants. I've never experienced any form of the Topanga Pure Kush, but I know it to be more OG like in it's behaviors, so I understand what to expect from the hybrid. I expect there to be some winners in the line simply because Sis breeds consistent fire.



dank.Frank

 

[dank.frank]

https://www.icmag.com/ic/showpost.php?p=6136414&postcount=1318

A bit of research answers a lingering question for me. I know MeltingPot didn't make the Chem Sis x PK seeds, but shared some of his stash. I couldn't remember who it was he said made them. They are basically 5 years old, so there is a potential for these to sprout. Time will tell!



dank.Frank

 

[ChemDgMillionre]

Damn you.... I’ve been keeping myself from popping more of those pk hybrids for a few weeks now. Figured it would be nice to not get in over my head with too many beans going... but now I have to! The sis x was actually the ones I wanted to pop, thought I had the s1 still but no dice (pretty sure that’s happened multiple times now lol). Bunch of those dudes made beans, can’t remember who reversed her, but mine came via Ottoman. There’s a thread out there somewheres!

 

[dank.frank]

@CdM - Dig in and join the fun. Be nice to see someone else growing something similar at the same time. I've been digging through the thread to see some examples for the last couple hours.

I let the seeds soak for about 4 hours and then put them into their new homes under filters. We shall see.

Gave a couple stem rubs on the Suzy Q Bx2 males. One is very faint and almost a non-existent smell. The other, is very tacky to rub and is very terpy. Still smells exactly like old Dr. Atomic NL, but the smell is certainly intense and the stem is certainly gummy.

In a normal situation, the choice of thinning the heard is obvious, but I'm not really sure the status quo for CBD pursuits. Who wants bland flowers to begin with, but at the same time, if you can't grow it as hemp...



dank.Frank