420 Magazine's Official Girl Scout Cookies Comparative Grow By Emilya

[Diatomacious]

Here, I will just let the pictures tell the story.

Your soil mix looks spot on. Love that green.

 

[Emilya Green]

Veg, Day 3

This last 24 hours has brought us another round of incredible growth, again practically doubling the amount of leaf space gathering light in the room. Several of the plants have almost drained their containers again in this 24 hours, but still I am not inclined to water so quickly... first because they are not yet completely dry and second, because I don't want half of these plants jackrabbiting ahead of the others in the room. At this point I am happy to slow down the fast ones a little bit and allow the slow ones time to get their roots in order.

Everyone was lifted up and evaluated and rotated and moved to new positions on the table. The light intensity seems about right, with 3 of the plants showing the odd leaf twist that others have noted... I am thinking it to be a reaction to the light being right on the edge of being too much. I have segregated those 3 plants together on the table so I can continue watching this phenomenon.

Just based on the incredible water usage and the amazing growth rate, I can see that something is indeed different about this grow. I can already see that contrary to the way that a lot of my grows go, these plants are not going to be long in these solo cups. It is common for plants to go 2 and even 3 weeks before they can hit my threshold to get transplanted, being able to drain their cups in 36 hours or less. These plants are going to do it in a week!

I can only give credit to the seeds and the soil mix at this point, because I am not doing anything different with my method or the lighting. Starting the seed in light soil at the top and letting it first grow down into the activated soil in the middle which was greatly enhanced by the use of Vulx, the @DYNOMYCO and @GeoFlora Nutrients mixed in as a layer right under the seedling soil layer, the supersoil layer in the bottom third and the layer of aged cow manure at the very bottom, all have to be part of what is happening here.

Stay tuned... I believe that this is going to get very very interesting.

 

[XiwsX561]

Woooo!!! About damn time! Geeeeez...making us all wait with anticipation like this is just plain cruel!

I am stoked to watch your grow. I'm using The Rev's 2.2 soil mix. Just started mixing it yesterday. Gives me at least 2 months to cook. Should be long enough...right?! I'm going to add some of the Soil Activator to it today too. Looks like amazingly potent stuff!


I'm curious if you think the spikes will be necessary if we are utilizing @GeoFlora Nutrients . This is where I'm a little stuck on how to proceed with the TLO method Rev recommends. I will be growing one of my plants the Rev's method and the others using the GeoFlora products.


I'm so glad you posted about this. I have the mosquito bits but I wasn't sure if I could/should use them with the TLO soil. Safe to assume then that I can dissolve the mosquito bits in the water jugs I plan to use for feeding and watering? Or can I just mix it in with my soil now? Is it safe to sprinkle it on top of the mulch and let it dissolve as I water?

Thanks for letting me hit with 20 questions... already! I hope you have been well @Emilya and I genuinely thank you for your personal investment of time to this forum community. You are appreciated!

What is masquito dunk? Not Nemotodes is it? And @Emilya there u go with rocket science soil.... I have the Dyno and geoflora as well as soil activator and and I have both ffof and ffhf, I kind have an idea what it is but I don't. And I don't have time to cook I'm soaking already. I do like and use both Xtreme gardening anzo and myko but DynoMyco take its place but maybe still use the Anzo especially during transplant. But being I have both soils and the soil conditioner can you give me a rough idea just what to do as far as a mix well this would be for final pot as I will start them in gRodan rockwool. Thanks this will be my first ever soil bloom. But I can't wait to put them in sealed room.

 

[Emilya Green]

What is masquito dunk? Not Nemotodes is it? And @Emilya there u go with rocket science soil.... I have the Dyno and geoflora as well as soil activator and and I have both ffof and ffhf, I kind have an idea what it is but I don't. And I don't have time to cook I'm soaking already. I do like and use both Xtreme gardening anzo and myko but DynoMyco take its place but maybe still use the Anzo especially during transplant. But being I have both soils and the soil conditioner can you give me a rough idea just what to do as far as a mix well this would be for final pot as I will start them in gRodan rockwool. Thanks this will be my first ever soil bloom. But I can't wait to put them in sealed room.

Check out our sponsor, @Sierra Natural Science and their product, Mosquito Bits. The dunks are just an industrial sized version of the same thing, because I am treating my water 55gal at a time. It is not nematodes, it is a poison that stops larvae from reproducing in the soil. Stop the gnat cycle at any stage and you wipe them out.

I do not mix my soils when I build new containers. I use layers of various types of soil. I use Happy Frog as a starter soil, because that was what it was first intended to be used for. I am using a product that is no longer available and that I don't know another source for as a secret weapon ingredient in the middle of my containers, called Vulx. I suspect that similar results could be gained using vermiculite or moisture retention beads, but I like Vulx and have used it in this grow. This makes the middle of my containers a very nutrient rich and moisture holding layer. It is my belief that because this is where the bulk of the rootball forms, that this is very important. Then I use a mineralized supersoil as the bottom third of my container, that all by itself could provide everything the plant needed all through the grow. I also use thin layers of worm castings as I build up the containers, aged cow manure as the very bottom layer, and I have been seen putting a thin layer of blood meal just under the surface of the soil. Layering... way better than mixing. It allows the roots a choice as to whether to deal with a particular nutrient, and to be able to specialize in that area of the container to better deal with it. Mixing can not give you that, nor can it allow different areas of the container to have different functions based on the soil type found there.

 

[HashGirl]

this 24 hours, but still I am not inclined to water so quickly... first because they are not yet completely dry and second, because I don't want half of these plants jackrabbiting ahead of the others in the room. At this point I am happy to slow down the fast ones a little bit and allow the slow ones time to get their roots in order.

Managing 12 plants at a time is time consuming. Personally, I don't mind when they grow at different rates because it means that I probably won't have to deal with all of them on the same day.

What is your reasoning to keep them all at relatively the same maturity?

 

[Emilya Green]

Managing 12 plants at a time is time consuming. Personally, I don't mind when they grow at different rates because it means that I probably won't have to deal with all of them on the same day.

What is your reasoning to keep them all at relatively the same maturity?

For exactly the reasons you state, but with a different slant. By forcing my plants to be consistent with each other, I might need to take more time while watering, trimming, training or whatever process I am doing at the time, because I am doing it to all 11 of them (#12 is still AWOL) but here is the point...

Where you basically need to check in on them every single day and re-evaluate and deal with what needs to be done on that day watering, trimming, training, I can put mine on autopilot for days at a time sometimes, where just a glance into the room will tell me all I need to know for that day... if even that. I have been known to actually take day trips and weekend drives to other towns during the grow... only possible because I have this consistency. I have found that for me, this ends up being more efficient and a less stressful growing experience.

 

[XiwsX561]

Check out our sponsor, @Sierra Natural Science and their product, Mosquito Bits. The dunks are just an industrial sized version of the same thing, because I am treating my water 55gal at a time. It is not nematodes, it is a poison that stops larvae from reproducing in the soil. Stop the gnat cycle at any stage and you wipe them out.

I do not mix my soils when I build new containers. I use layers of various types of soil. I use Happy Frog as a starter soil, because that was what it was first intended to be used for. I am using a product that is no longer available and that I don't know another source for as a secret weapon ingredient in the middle of my containers, called Vulx. I suspect that similar results could be gained using vermiculite or moisture retention beads, but I like Vulx and have used it in this grow. This makes the middle of my containers a very nutrient rich and moisture holding layer. It is my belief that because this is where the bulk of the rootball forms, that this is very important. Then I use a mineralized supersoil as the bottom third of my container, that all by itself could provide everything the plant needed all through the grow. I also use thin layers of worm castings as I build up the containers, aged cow manure as the very bottom layer, and I have been seen putting a thin layer of blood meal just under the surface of the soil. Layering... way better than mixing. It allows the roots a choice as to whether to deal with a particular nutrient, and to be able to specialize in that area of the container to better deal with it. Mixing can not give you that, nor can it allow different areas of the container to have different functions based on the soil type found there.

Gotcha well I too do mix 55 gallons at a time I typically last me two maybe two and a half days lol. Think I need a bigger Rez. I have one for holding fresh water with a float valve coming from the RO and then I have my mixing one. But since I only have Happy frog and ocean Forest everything else I have tea by Roots organic that I would subside I think the geoflora and then the soil conditioner I'm not sure how to use I have to read it but if you have any tips I'll take them and I can't use the rainbow with like the blood meal of feather Meal all that stuff because that would not give a fair shot to geoflora and recharges fed to them I only have the soil conditioner. So as far as the comparison grows I will only be using the soil conditioner the dynamyco and geoflora as the main nutrient Mycorrhizal air conditioner I can still use the other supplements such as recharge or I guess stuff like that microbes teas I'll do my best so but as far as you're considering you said start off with the fox farm and then transfer it into ocean Forest which typically has enough nutrients to last 4 weeks for seedlings upwards of 6 weeks sometimes even more.

 

[Emilya Green]

Gotcha well I too do mix 55 gallons at a time I typically last me two maybe two and a half days lol. Think I need a bigger Rez. I have one for holding fresh water with a float valve coming from the RO and then I have my mixing one. But since I only have Happy frog and ocean Forest everything else I have tea by Roots organic that I would subside I think the geoflora and then the soil conditioner I'm not sure how to use I have to read it but if you have any tips I'll take them and I can't use the rainbow with like the blood meal of feather Meal all that stuff because that would not give a fair shot to geoflora and recharges fed to them I only have the soil conditioner. So as far as the comparison grows I will only be using the soil conditioner the dynamyco and geoflora as the main nutrient Mycorrhizal air conditioner I can still use the other supplements such as recharge or I guess stuff like that microbes teas I'll do my best so but as far as you're considering you said start off with the fox farm and then transfer it into ocean Forest which typically has enough nutrients to last 4 weeks for seedlings upwards of 6 weeks sometimes even more.

I never would never handicap my plants by growing in just Ocean Forest. It is commonly heard that it has enough nutrients for 4 weeks, and while that may be true that it can supply enough Nitrogen for a vegging plant for a while, an action such as that would result in unremarkable plants. Since the soil is not mineralized, there is very little in there for a blooming plant. I choose instead to actively fertilize my plants at all stages, giving them more than enough to thrive, indeed I am trying to make them overachieve. I have through experimenting realized that @GeoFlora Nutrients can supply all that is "needed" for these plants to develop fully right up to the end, but I want to push my plants harder than that, so I have provided more raw nutrients, but in a safe form. I also give supplemental nutes and supplements throughout the grow. The supersoil in the bottom of my containers is not immediately bioavailable to the plants, so it can't overload the system, because it still requires the microbes living in my soil and brought in with the Geoflora, to process and feed those nutrients to the plant. I could add recharge and teas, but there is no need... the microbes supplied with the every 2 week applications of Geoflora seem to be doing a fine job all by themselves.

Keep in mind that in a true organic grow, the microbes and the plants work together to decide what nutrients are actually being fed to the plants. This allows 3x the amount of nutrients that will be needed to be in there and available to the plant if it needs or wants the microbes to bring it to them, without overloading the plant, as would happen in a grow using bioavailable nutrients. The stuff is in there, locked in my soil, but because of the organic feeding cycle the plants will not be overfed and the Geoflora and its microbes gets a "fair shot" by being the controlling factor.

 

[BakedARea]

I choose instead to actively fertilize my plants at all stages, giving them more than enough to thrive, indeed I am trying to make them overachieve.

This is another area I feel I underperformed as a cultivator last season. I think my ladies were struggling and I just didn't know the signs to look for. This year, my goal was to properly fertilize and keep them happy with as many nutrients as they need so they can overachieve when they want to.

I have through experimenting realized that @GeoFlora Nutrients can supply all that is "needed" for these plants to develop fully right up to the end, but I want to push my plants harder than that, so I have provided more raw nutrients, but in a safe form. I also give supplemental nutes and supplements throughout the grow.

This is one of the reasons I was so stoked to be selected for this grow and being able to incorporate their nutrient line. I wanted something to simplify things for me and still produce some amazing finished buds. I truly think that @GeoFlora Nutrients can do that for anyone.

I also, will be experimenting with a couple pots that will have supercharged or "supernatural" soil. I will be utilizing The Rev's recipe. It has a smorgasbord of supplemental nutes that can only be good for the plants. The top dressings and spikes will be all @GeoFlora Nutrients though.

I mean look at this ingredient list! This is some good shiiii...stuff!!!

 

[XiwsX561]

I never would never handicap my plants by growing in just Ocean Forest. It is commonly heard that it has enough nutrients for 4 weeks, and while that may be true that it can supply enough Nitrogen for a vegging plant for a while, an action such as that would result in unremarkable plants. Since the soil is not mineralized, there is very little in there for a blooming plant. I choose instead to actively fertilize my plants at all stages, giving them more than enough to thrive, indeed I am trying to make them overachieve. I have through experimenting realized that @GeoFlora Nutrients can supply all that is "needed" for these plants to develop fully right up to the end, but I want to push my plants harder than that, so I have provided more raw nutrients, but in a safe form. I also give supplemental nutes and supplements throughout the grow. The supersoil in the bottom of my containers is not immediately bioavailable to the plants, so it can't overload the system, because it still requires the microbes living in my soil and brought in with the Geoflora, to process and feed those nutrients to the plant. I could add recharge and teas, but there is no need... the microbes supplied with the every 2 week applications of Geoflora seem to be doing a fine job all by themselves.

Keep in mind that in a true organic grow, the microbes and the plants work together to decide what nutrients are actually being fed to the plants. This allows 3x the amount of nutrients that will be needed to be in there and available to the plant if it needs or wants the microbes to bring it to them, without overloading the plant, as would happen in a grow using bioavailable nutrients. The stuff is in there, locked in my soil, but because of the organic feeding cycle the plants will not be overfed and the Geoflora and its microbes gets a "fair shot" by being the controlling factor.

Yea with my first organic auto I did mix rainbow in and the NPK is alrdy and it's been under the test lamp but knowing I'd be bored while I wait for photos they had buy 10 get 10 free so did one with the organic in coco and one in the soil just water water Xtreme gardening 2 part microbe compost tea , water and hi brix or water and roots organics terp tea grow that can be used as a base. I do also have the earth juice liquid calcium I use from time to time says as foliar spray or root drench which I'm not familiar with prouduct or root drenching. I have put a little in nute soultion tho. But as far first for everything and small lamp seems to be doing well no discoloration no tip burns nada. I also have Aurora grow amino and bloom I'm not 100% sure but they are by Roots organic and I believe they organic just liquid. Oh and recharge organic?
As far as supplements DC of have hi brix, amino and it's a good high qualify amino. I really dunno what else for soil. I won't really need the rainbow but like u said and put it on like a middle layer that way it's got all the nutrients and stuff where the Rootball will should be. Any think that's a must I'm missing? Oh I will use anzo and a bit of epson salt around the base of the stalk. I have to go to hydro store anyways today do please let me know. I'm not sure that's why I haven't used it but I also have a general hydroponics floralicious Plus.

#MarshydroFCE4800

 

[Emilya Green]

Yea with my first organic auto I did mix rainbow in and the NPK is alrdy and it's been under the test lamp but knowing I'd be bored while I wait for photos they had buy 10 get 10 free so did one with the organic in coco and one in the soil just water water Xtreme gardening 2 part microbe compost tea , water and hi brix or water and roots organics terp tea grow that can be used as a base. I do also have the earth juice liquid calcium I use from time to time says as foliar spray or root drench which I'm not familiar with prouduct or root drenching. I have put a little in nute soultion tho. But as far first for everything and small lamp seems to be doing well no discoloration no tip burns nada. I also have Aurora grow amino and bloom I'm not 100% sure but they are by Roots organic and I believe they organic just liquid. Oh and recharge organic?
As far as supplements DC of have hi brix, amino and it's a good high qualify amino. I really dunno what else for soil. I won't really need the rainbow but like u said and put it on like a middle layer that way it's got all the nutrients and stuff where the Rootball will should be. Any think that's a must I'm missing? Oh I will use anzo and a bit of epson salt around the base of the stalk. I have to go to hydro store anyways today do please let me know. I'm not sure that's why I haven't used it but I also have a general hydroponics floralicious Plus.

#MarshydroFCE4800

You are really making this complicated with all those additions to the grow... but whatever works!
Is recharge organic?
Recharge is simply the microbes that make an organic grow work. They are the workhorses that make an organic grow function and without microbes, you can have all the "organic" (not man made) ingredients you want in the container, with it still not using the organic feeding cycle. The roots organic and the teas and all that stuff is designed to be able to make all of this happen, even if you don't have a mineralized soil... and everything you need comes in the various expensive bottles along with the microbes. And then, on top of all that you want to add more additives, anzo, espom and floralicious... and as long as you don't get in the way of the microbes, I see nothing wrong with adding to things... just be careful and be careful not to put so much bioavailable "juice" in the mix that the microbes no longer have anything to do. I think in the end you are going to find that simple is better... that is why I like the Geoflora and preloading the soil, rather than using a lot of extra supplements and sprays and topical applications of this and that. We are both doing essentially the same thing though, I with my terpinator and calmag, and you with your drenches and topicals, and as said before... whatever works!

 

[ChronicTrees]

Veg, Day 3

This last 24 hours has brought us another round of incredible growth, again practically doubling the amount of leaf space gathering light in the room. Several of the plants have almost drained their containers again in this 24 hours, but still I am not inclined to water so quickly... first because they are not yet completely dry and second, because I don't want half of these plants jackrabbiting ahead of the others in the room. At this point I am happy to slow down the fast ones a little bit and allow the slow ones time to get their roots in order.

Everyone was lifted up and evaluated and rotated and moved to new positions on the table. The light intensity seems about right, with 3 of the plants showing the odd leaf twist that others have noted... I am thinking it to be a reaction to the light being right on the edge of being too much. I have segregated those 3 plants together on the table so I can continue watching this phenomenon.

Just based on the incredible water usage and the amazing growth rate, I can see that something is indeed different about this grow. I can already see that contrary to the way that a lot of my grows go, these plants are not going to be long in these solo cups. It is common for plants to go 2 and even 3 weeks before they can hit my threshold to get transplanted, being able to drain their cups in 36 hours or less. These plants are going to do it in a week!

I can only give credit to the seeds and the soil mix at this point, because I am not doing anything different with my method or the lighting. Starting the seed in light soil at the top and letting it first grow down into the activated soil in the middle which was greatly enhanced by the use of Vulx, the @DYNOMYCO and @GeoFlora Nutrients mixed in as a layer right under the seedling soil layer, the supersoil layer in the bottom third and the layer of aged cow manure at the very bottom, all have to be part of what is happening here.

Stay tuned... I believe that this is going to get very very interesting.

Great looking seedlings! Nice, and dark green! Love It! Girl Scouts Cookies sounds great for me right now! I’m In!

 

[Emilya Green]

Veg, Day 4
This is remarkable. How in the world did these small plants drain all of that water in a day and half? Wow. Every plant needed water, the lower leaves had even dropped. They were properly watered to runoff and moved into new positions. The third set of leaves is coming out in a few of these already. I am astounded. The growth again in one day is nothing short of amazing.

More of the plants have gained a twist in the leaves. I no longer believe it has anything to do with the intensity of the light. This looks genetic. I am not worried about it, but it is curious. Oftentimes breeders will isolate a trait like this on a line that is showing the taste profile and growth patterns they are looking for, and when we grow out the seeds we encounter this "marker" that helped them track these traits. This is what I think is going on here... I don't think it is a problem. I watered at 1800 hours today... lets see what sort of wet/dry cycle we have going.

 

[Emilya Green]

I went back and double checked. It was not a day and a half... it was almost exactly 3 days to drain the entire cup of water. Still, at this stage, that is remarkable. These plants are moving fast!

 

[Emilya Green]

Veg, Day 5

The intense growth continues and several of the plants used half of the water in their containers. Several others are still on the 3 day track. While moving and rotating this evening I lined them up by size. To slow down the big ones I put them on the outside of the light pattern on the table, while the smallest ones are directly under the brightest section of the light so that they grow the fastest. It is all about getting everyone to even out as best I can manage... this is not a race.

 

[BakedARea]

They are looking fabulous!

It is all about getting everyone to even out as best I can manage...

This sentence just put something into perspective for me. Thank you.

I have not been thinking about the evenness of the canopy. Just focused on keeping them alive. This is a good practical approach to controlling growth from the time they are born until the end. Moving them around the light's output. Duh!

That is a 3 emojis that represent me while reading your post. Your welcome.

I have a couple other variables which I think altered the growth potential for a couple of mine, ultimately making them shorter. Testing out different containers again. Anyway, when they are due for an uppot, do you think I should maybe pull the trigger sooner on my shorter two to give them a head start and then uppot the larger one a few days later?

 

[Emilya Green]

Anyway, when they are due for an uppot, do you think I should maybe pull the trigger sooner on my shorter two to give them a head start and then uppot the larger one a few days later?

Exactly the opposite. Let the big one stall out a little while needing to be uppotted, even if it gets a couple of yellow leaves at the bottom while it complains, while the others catch up. Try really hard to uppot them all at the same time or any lead or deficit will be greatly magnified.

 

[BakedARea]

Makes sense! Different perspective I didn't even think of.

 

[Brett Blaze]

They all look great.

 

[Mdlroad]

Veg, Day 5

The intense growth continues and several of the plants used half of the water in their containers. Several others are still on the 3 day track. While moving and rotating this evening I lined them up by size. To slow down the big ones I put them on the outside of the light pattern on the table, while the smallest ones are directly under the brightest section of the light so that they grow the fastest. It is all about getting everyone to even out as best I can manage... this is not a race.

As expected looking wonderful