When do you P/K boost?

[Cerathule]

I don't use coco. Tried it for orchids years ago. Is more of a trend and doesn't offer anything exciting for me. I apply osmocote to my orchid mixes now which are bark based blends I make up.

Give it a try maybe, you could be positively surprised about root growth. Coco retains alot of air/oxygen. If it's a good quality, without much dust, seasalt or sand.

 

[Old Uncle Ben]

Give it a try maybe, you could be positively surprised about root growth. Coco retains alot of air/oxygen. If it's a good quality, without much dust, seasalt or sand.

If I got more root growth I'd have to find a way to sell it!

 

[cfl...KING]

One thing to keep in mind is if running indoors with shorter veg time than outdoors a root stimulator will help achieve this faster.

 

[I Care]

I dialed the warmth back on this photo so you’re not just looking at low kelvin light spectrum drowning everything out.

Above all else, I realized I had to focus on abating the salt build up that accumulated over many months of 6-4-4. Going to flip to a 2Pt 2-4-4 1Pt 5-0-1, 1Pt 0-0-1 and 1Pt Molasses(~1-0-5).

I’m remembering now what you are supposed to do with a P/K booster. You’re supposed to do gentle feeding with only P/K. I have not yet done an exclusive P/K treatment. I have only used it as a means to gently reduce N and P salts in the soil. Rather than resorting to flushing when this plant is trying to produce its healing medicine.

N issue might be related to constant direct low Kelvin exclusive lighting.
Could be the reason that the P/K has been instrumental in producing sweet and savory indoor fruits; under high intensity lighting, for thousands of indoor exclusive growers, going on couple decades now. Seeing as we can’t keep all the leaves on the plant using overhead lighting so there’s nowhere for the N to go but to the top where the only good lighting is available…. I do have a ridiculous spread with much smaller pot (by 3) than I would prefer. Surely also part of the salts issue. Keeping foliage just may not be possible for the plant based on the confines of the available media.

I do see the possibility. Less intense lighting spread wide and fa; such as the natural forces of the sun, or broadly spaced lighting used in commercial spaces; therefore high N to keep all your vegetation is huge benefit. Then, because of what is said for the nutrients being stored in foliage. The effort of giving exclusively P/K a couple times in flower won’t be needed to achieve the rewards of having some high quality puffage.

Edit: heck I don’t even have a drainage set up here for doing the amount of run off that I would like to do with every watering. I’m growing this thing like a house plant. Oh the humanity.

 

[mexweed]

Having plants in the same environment with ones that rooted faster as clones or filled out a container faster, ones that would make a huge plant in a small container vs ones that would stay smaller and end up looking root bound, different phenos of the same strain and one would drink more/dry out faster, that's a difference in genetics independent of environment since the environment is the same for all of them, all of the plants are dependent on the environment to grow

 

[goingrey]

Genetic variation can be taken out of the equation by monocropping clones. Then you can see what PK boosters, root enhancers, whatever do... or don't.

I do wonder how much of the potential ~10% increase in yield is THC. Of course even if it's all biomass no one will notice a difference in the bud if it's 18% THC vs 19% THC for example (except in lab tests) but a commercial grower will for sure see the difference on the bottom line if you get an extra 100g per light, even after reducing the cost of the expensive bottle... Can see the attraction to them.

Home growers running random (not dialed in) seeds, hard to quantify a benefit..

Also is it some kind of deal with the devil? I see Canna PK 13/14 is supposed to be diluted with ratio of 1:666.

 

[Old Uncle Ben]

Seeing as we can’t keep all the leaves on the plant using overhead lighting so there’s nowhere for the N to go but to the top where the only good lighting is available….

What's this "we" shit, Tonto? Speak for yourself. Glad my N can't read, cause it's out there doing homey some guuuuud, top to bottom.

I manage to keep 95% of the leaves on until harvest which results in higher yields. A practice contrary to the defoliating drills and bloom food drills so prevalent in the Cannabis World of Stupidity.

Beginning with my avatar, a Jack Herer 1999. Notice the big collection of buds (white) at the bottom of the plant and this one was crammed into a tight space with others. This 3 gallon pot with its giant 6" wide solid cola is sitting on my dining table ready for harvest.

Progeny from a cross I did back in 2002, C99XPeak 19. Potent, high grade weed.

Recently......Tom Hill's Monkey Balls (backcrossed Deep Chunk). Harvested this about a week after taking the photo outdoors. NO....loss of lower leaves. Grown indoors under a ViparSpectra.

......and there are plenty more examples upon request.

Uncle Ben

 

[I Care]

Anybody but you

 

[I Care]

@Old Uncle Ben and @CharlesU Farley
Guys, nothing bad intended. Not here to piss anybody off, expectations are the same with every member.

I literally mean that with the laughs straight back at you Uncle Ben

What's this "we" shit, Tonto? Speak for yourself. Glad my N can't read, cause it's out there doing homey some guuuuud, top to bottom.

I manage to keep 95% of the leaves on until harvest which results in higher yields. A practice contrary to the defoliating drills and bloom food drills so prevalent in the Cannabis World of Stupidity.

Beginning with my avatar, a Jack Herer 1999. Notice the big collection of buds (white) at the bottom of the plant and this one was crammed into a tight space with others. This 3 gallon pot with its giant 6" wide solid cola is sitting on my dining table ready for harvest.

View attachment 18929792

Progeny from a cross I did back in 2002, C99XPeak 19. Potent, high grade weed.

View attachment 18929793

Recently......Tom Hill's Monkey Balls (backcrossed Deep Chunk). Harvested this about a week after taking the photo outdoors. NO....loss of lower leaves. Grown indoors under a ViparSpectra.

View attachment 18929794

View attachment 18929803

......and there are plenty more examples upon request.

Uncle Ben

I went to home creepo the other night, they didn’t have what I need then as I walked out I was seriously upset with myself not remembering to get some osmocote. They have the 2 lb jars that are the same NPK as Uncle Ben’s osmocote recommendation, while the 8 lab bags are different NPK with higher Nitrate, lower Phosphate and Potassium.

When it comes to keeping a healthy mother plant, there’s nothing that makes more sense than osmocote. It’s expensive, but I see a huge benefit to using the 12 month when keeping mother plants and it would be a life time supply if I keep it dry.

The current situation… massively improved plant health right now. direct thanks to various posters here calling out your observations. Major results after dialing in atmospheric variables as well as nutrient variables.

77F 65%humidity target during daylight hours.
Alternating micros, todays feed was equivalent to 1tsp/gal of 11-12-14
Week 4 and I see some resin production.

Big Thanks!
I Care

 

[Brother Nature]

New growth's looking good from that photo.

 

[Old Uncle Ben]

@Old Uncle Ben and @CharlesU Farley
When it comes to keeping a healthy mother plant, there’s nothing that makes more sense than osmocote. It’s expensive, ....

Big Thanks!
I Care

Expensive? Osmocote literally costs pennies per plant. If I had to guess, like $0.10 per 3 gallon pot for the entire life of the plant.

How much did you spend on those rocket fuels? I bet each one of those bottles are a good $20 + USD each.

BTW, no offense taken. It's all good.

As an aside, any of you have any first hand experience with Ace Seeds Orient Express? I've got 3 newly hatched babes growing in my 20 oz. germ pots. Am thinking about shit canning them in lieu of some original C99 backcrosses seeds I'm soaking (1 out of 4 has a tail out) or a C99 X (C99 X Peak19) cross I did in 2003. Just dropped 4 of those seeds in water this morn. Once that classic of mine is gone, it's gone. Should be an awesome cross. And yes, am hoping they germinate after 20 years of cold storage. Did (original C99) backcrosses a few years ago and 21 years ago too.

Orient Express, freebies from Mandala, has meh reviews and is a couple of weeks later than what I need to finish with this spring.

Here's my C99 X Peak19 cross I did years ago as part of the Griffin's Spin-out experiment. Solid as a rock, great sativa high, short 8 week flowering.

5 weeks flowering!

Harvest

Uncle Ben

 

[xtsho]

If you do use a P/K booster, the delivery method is critical to achieve maximum benefit. Direct injection into the plant is going to deliver the nutrients more efficiently than from the root zone. The effect is immediate. The buds will swell by 30-40% almost overnight. It's an instant boost of P/K.

To use the injection method you'll need a small reservoir, pump, 3mm or less tubing, and a timer. That's if you want to automate the process. You can also do it manually using a syringe and injecting the plant with the solution but that will require more of your time.

The first time I used this direct injection method the buds got so large and heavy that I had to tie into the ceiling rafters and use rope to support the plant. Some of the buds were larger than a basketball.

 

[Ultramarin]

If you do use a P/K booster, the delivery method is critical to achieve maximum benefit. Direct injection into the plant is going to deliver the nutrients more efficiently than from the root zone. The effect is immediate. The buds will swell by 30-40% almost overnight. It's an instant boost of P/K.

To use the injection method you'll need a small reservoir, pump, 3mm or less tubing, and a timer. That's if you want to automate the process. You can also do it manually using a syringe and injecting the plant with the solution but that will require more of your time.

The first time I used this direct injection method the buds got so large and heavy that I had to tie into the ceiling rafters and use rope to support the plant. Some of the buds were larger than a basketball.

View attachment 18932230

the risk is way too high! I tried it once, my flowers truly exploded overnight for shure, but the shockwave caused damage to neighboring houses...

 

[Old Uncle Ben]

If you do use a P/K booster, the delivery method is critical to achieve maximum benefit. Direct injection into the plant is going to deliver the nutrients more efficiently than from the root zone. The effect is immediate. The buds will swell by 30-40% almost overnight. It's an instant boost of P/K.

To use the injection method you'll need a small reservoir, pump, 3mm or less tubing, and a timer. That's if you want to automate the process. You can also do it manually using a syringe and injecting the plant with the solution but that will require more of your time.

The first time I used this direct injection method the buds got so large and heavy that I had to tie into the ceiling rafters and use rope to support the plant. Some of the buds were larger than a basketball.

View attachment 18932230

Man, speaking of gimmicks....and I thought the P/K "boost" drill was wacko......

The salts are not in a chemical form that's useful to the plant not that you're gonna hit the xylem or phloem or whatever you're trying to do. Roots are there for a reason, use them and not some forum gimmicky stuff, please.

Uncle Ben

 

[xtsho]

Man, speaking of gimmicks....and I thought the P/K "boost" drill was wacko......

The salts are not in a chemical form that's useful to the plant not that you're gonna hit the xylem or phloem or whatever you're trying to do. Roots are there for a reason, use them and not some forum gimmicky stuff, please.

Uncle Ben

That photo was just for show. I topped that plant and the stems were hollow so I stuck some 3mm tubing I used for Blumats and stuck it inside the stems. I originally posted it as a joke on a different forum.

Not surprisingly there were people that thought it was legitimate.

 

[Old Uncle Ben]

That photo was just for show. I topped that plant and the stems were hollow so I stuck some 3mm tubing I used for Blumats and stuck it inside the stems. I originally posted it as a joke on a different forum.

Not surprisingly there were people that thought it was legitimate.

Got me!

 

[Ultramarin]

Got me!

no wonder! so many here are addicted too their little bottles, it's only a matter of time until someone gets the idea to inject that stuff...

 

[Jaken]

I would dim the lights and use a low ppm complete fertilizer for now.

Lol don't worry about 1led bright

 

[Jaken]

Never have, never will. Looks like they got to you too.

Here is one of the original, real C99 I bought from The Brothers Grimm back in 2001. Note - this isn't your usual forum posted top 4" of bud folks post around here to look kewl. That's about 13" or so of a fat main cola. Flowering plants in the background are nice and green.

View attachment 18927245

You guys tend to over think this food thingie making it so confusing, resulting in subpar results. You might fail due to nutrient antagonism issues while blaming your problems on lame stuff like pH imbalances, lack of Mg, Ca, etc. Cannabis is quite pH tolerant when it comes to processing salts via the roots. I never worry about it. I throw together a bulk load of soil with whatever I have stockpiled which might include washed coarse sand piled outdoors.

Just telling it like it is based on over 20 years of observations and postings.

Uncle Ben

You did 20 years once before? Was ray there 2

 

[Jaken]

By N rich foods, what NPK are you talking about? What product?

I read my plants, during my last garden I added a high N food late into flowering because I didn't like the yellowish tone of my leaves.

This Peters fertilizer is rich in micros too which alleviates any micro deficiencies. I bought a 25# bag back in 2017, still using it around the farm.

This note is straight from my journal:

Jan. 31 – Soaking 2 Canna. Choc. Chunk. Sprayed Lapis Mtn. indica with bifenthrin, soaked pot with Peters 25-5-15, 1 tsp./gal. Set lamp to 75%.

The bifenthrin was for mite control in case you're wondering. Yes, it worked.

Uncle Ben

Lol bifem for p.k