I May Have To Throw In The Towel

[rrog]

I long for simplicity. My current grow is worth shit as seen in these threads:
https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=215961

https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=216007

A real grow from hell. I've gone through SSH seeds like popcorn. Not cheap.

I have a micro grow area, but can support three 5-gal pails under SCROG. In the past I've done NL#5 in chem hydro and next a modified organic soil.

I have 650W HPS, UB-b bulb, two carbon filters RO water to start. Finished with CalMag+, etc.

I'm considering stopping this grow, and if I go that route, I need an immediate standard soil solution. I would also like some auto-drip from a reservoir. Plus fungus gnat barrier, as the little bastards are lying in wait.

I'd just like a simple soil recipe. I'd prefer to build from scratch, and add compost. I'll get whatever raw ingredients are necessary.

Having a solid backup plan will make me at least feel better if I have to pull the plug on these.

I really, really appreciate any quick soil formulas. Don't really want something that's cutting edge, just proven and simple.

Thank you all.

 

[iSMOKE.KUSH]

sub cools super soil google it

 

[Iron_Lion]

If you havent learned where you went wrong starting over with all new shit isnt going to do much for you. If I had to take a make a few assessments I'd say you needed more veg time, those are too small of plants for that size pot and you are probably over watering and/or you dont have sufficient drainage and possibly a new bulb if the one you are using is old.

 

[habeeb]

yeah man,

you need to chill for a little.. let the plants grow out worst case scenario..

if you want simple, and this isn't organic ( coco with GH salts )

this is why I tell people, if moving over to organic, always to do half your old grow, and half organic.. organic is not always fun and games.. sometimes it gets frustrating like anything in life. another option is to buy some bagged soil, cut it with some pro-mix depending on strain, get a bottled "organic" nute and fair out fine



have fun, and don't give up. if something is hard, ask yourself, am I meant to do this, or should I continue another way.. don't knock on a closed door...

 

[stihgnobevoli]

i replied to your thread, sound like fungus gnat larvae eating up your roots. if you don't get that under control you will have the same problems next grow too. sounds like its too humid, my plants grow just fine with less than 30% in everything ive used so far, soil, hydro, hempy seems to be a problem so far, may have just been my watering schedule when the roots were developing. i know people like to throw warning alwarms and all that at the mention of chemicals but i myself would get a hot shot pest strip and set it up in my room for a week so everything gets killed. i don't know whats in it and maybe it will eventually kill you one day. but you're gonna die anyway and constantly breathing the toxic air on this planet it doing just as much harm as whatever is in hot shot pest strips, but you only have to worry about the hotshot for a week, you still gonna be breathing earths atmosphere for the rest of your life till it kills you, whenever that is.

 

[RugerBaby]

Heres a solution to your headaches..


Coco
Blumats Patio set (drippers)
Reservoir of your choice
Maxibloom (nutes)
Keep ph @ 5.8

Thats it! Trust me!

 

[mountain_goat]

I'd just like a simple soil recipe. I'd prefer to build from scratch, and add compost. I'll get whatever raw ingredients are necessary.


I really, really appreciate any quick soil formulas. Don't really want something that's cutting edge, just proven and simple.

Thank you all.

sorry to hear about the woes......

...best medium ive ever run wih is simple:

-- FFOF
--25% perlite
-- sum xtra worm castings
--dolomite lime
--bat guano












...then feed w/ ff nutes

 

[merlot]

Try to keep it simple if you are having problems.

Maybe just some Roots soil, with Maxibloom through flower. Check out the KISS thread.

Hope you can figure something out that works for you

 

[Iron_Lion]

Roots wont grow in to sopping wet soil, your plants wont grow worth a shit and never fully root those pots. I bet if you ripped those plants up you'd see a really weak root system. Gnats also thrive in wet soil conditions.

 

[rrog]

Thanks for all the replies.

I don't mean to argue, as I'm not in much of a position to do that considering my shit grow. But I really don't think gnats. Yes, there are 1-2 flying around. But what access? Not through 2" of Perlite from what I've read. This is not experience talking, obviously.

I don't believe it's too much water. The previous pots were 2 gallon with air bubbling up also. When I transplanted, it went very well. I had 2 gallon pail spacers in the new 5 gallon pails, so it was lock and key fitting then in that perfect hole. They had nice root growth all over and no soil fell of as a result. Last grow was exactly the same. Precisely the same components. During the last grow I had an opportunity to tear into one of the pails after several weeks (no plant). The soil was not wet at all. In fact, in that grow thread I believe I commented how nice a water delivery system this seemed to be in addition to supplying air. Top 2-3" of soil were dry.

I had read in many threads that when doing SSH in a scrog, I should not go past 5 weeks of veg. Secondly, that's small growth for 5 weeks of veg.

My feeling is the SSH is simply to finicky and out of my league at this time. I had excellent success with what I believe to be exactly the same system as I'm doing now with Northern Lights. I'm pumping air in the bottom as before, but I'd like to shed that complexity, as I no longer really feel it's worth the added complexity. Also never experienced anything like these systems. I did have a Zinc issue, caused by the raw unconditioned coco I was using. I conditioned heavily this time, soaking the coco in 200F RO water treated with CalMag+ and pH of 5.2. Soaked for a couple days. Based on my bit of research, that should have made the coco behave ionically.

I'd therefore also like to avoid the type of coco in the next grow.

 

[merlot]

What have you been using for the gnats?

 

[DARC MIND]

for the gnats free grows
if you can source some,try using the Calcined DE(napa 8822) as texture amendment & or mixed with a "real" mulch_coco husk,cpst wood shreds,coir huskchips,etc

ther maybe some slight of imbalance going on but id keep faith in compost/casting slurrys or tea's
adding any high form of available nutrients will unlikly make things get better imo
edit:
maybe sub casting slurry for cal/mag??

 

[rrog]

What have you been using for the gnats?

The top dressing is 2" or more of perlite. If I went in my little grow room right now I could likely find one. I have yellow sticky deals around just to monitor them. Like a bug barometer. I have caught one in 5 weeks. If there was an infestation I would see more evidence, wouldn't I?

 

[rrog]

yeah man,

you need to chill for a little.. let the plants grow out worst case scenario..

have fun, and don't give up. if something is hard, ask yourself, am I meant to do this, or should I continue another way.. don't knock on a closed door...

I like your style

I may focus on the N deficiency theory. Maybe I'll try and introduce some quick nitrogen without burning. Fast release but low dose and watch what happens

 

[merlot]

If you've only found one in 5 weeks I don't think there is an issue there.. unless you had root aphids or something.

You could top-dress with a little of this or use dunks if you use a reservoir if you would like to treat for the gnats etc.

Instead of top-dressing with the perilite have you considered top-dressing with earthworm castings? I saw that your leaves were yellowing early.

You said those plants were vegged for 5 weeks? Do you top them? You want those babies filling in that screen for the scrog

 

[rrog]

I have dunks on standby, but haven't deployed them since I didn't think I had a problem. I certainly can dunk the plants just in case.

I could do an EWC tea. Would be nice to add some N, specifically. That's the theory I'm leaning toward most right now. Fits the evidence best from what I'm gathering.

The screens should have been filled, no doubt. They sure were in my last grow.

 

[merlot]

Cool, I also think the N would be a good place to start!

 

[rrog]

You suppose I could add Blood meal to an EWC tea of sorts? I would sure hate to tip the scales too much here. I had tried a bit of fish emulsion 2X, but maybe used too little (1 Tablespoon per gallon of water) and maybe it takes too long to break down.

 

[merlot]

I think you could play it safe and just add a top dress of earth worm castings to get some N in there, I've never used fish emulsion before so no idea on that one.

 

[stihgnobevoli]

the plant on the right in the soil is a pure sativa, in about 2 weeks it will look bigger than your plants. i doubt your SSH is more finicky than a pure sativa. im pretty sure those fungus gnats are eating your roots. the larvae not the flying bugs, you wouldnt see the larvae turning into adults and coming out since you have 2 inches of dry perlite on top, but i bet if you scrape away that layer of perlite and expose the soil, then pour a little water with some peroxide in it on top you will see em.

whats a finicky strain for the record?
i've only grown bagseed and i don't think i have ever come across any plant that refused to grow in whatever i was growing the rest of the plants in.