Re: Aberration Goes ker Bloom! - 2009
I am just starting to investigate all the ingredients and their preparation. Is there a logical starting place for me to start to work some of this stuff in, and is there a particular mix you think I should start with? Like a novice mix.
I could tell you what to start with: Organic Supplement, Soil Nutrient, Biggest Bloom, and Cal-mag. But three of those are local, so to do this, we will have to break mine down and find a way to re-create it where you are. More below...
Also, should I learn on my outdoor garden plants first - then move to te cannabis, or do you think I should jump right in?
Start with one or two cannabis plants. They are more nuanced than any of the other flowers, herbs, or just plants I have tried. I haven't grown an extensive array though, so... In any case, start with cannabis. But there's no need to put all your eggs in one basket.
Actually while I was typing this I realized I have a particular problem perhaps we could start with. I would like to increase the N for my plants in early bloom. I could keep them on the PBP Grow a little longer, or use more with the Bloom, but it seems when I do that I get P deficiencies. So I like the PBP mix basically, but I wanna add a little N. Organically. Any suggestions?
I would use Feather Tea, because that's what I have here. It's like 3-0-0 I think.
Finally, any tips for where to get some of the stuff would be helpful. I know things like the Notrazime are local to you only.
Thanks in advance.
I have been talking about breaking my nutes down to the numbers so I can look for alternate ways of supplying the same thing with other products. Not that I don't like the nutes I use, but if I could buy fewer I'm all over that. Also, what if my current sources go away for some reason? Makes sense to do this. I might learn somthing too.
So maybe I could start by posting what is in the nutes. Then we could survey what is nationally available and see if we can mix the same soup in a new kitchen, so to speak.
I prefer to be entirely organic. I am not sure that I am. I feel that organics is definitely advantageous, but I do not believe that I must be absolutely strict about it. For instance, I use PBP Grow during veg. It says it is "natural and organic". It is likely not OMRI listed or they would have the logo on the label.
But I also know that as long as they grow happy, this will make no difference in the bud, because the bud will be assembled from something else. Almost everything the plant takes is will be disassembled and reconstructed into new molecules. Organic is more gentle, less likely to include nasty chemicals and is more bioavailable, especially with a soil culture. It will produce superior pot. But I do not shy away from using some products that are not 'organic' if I feel the result is worth it.
I also suspect that there is other stuff in these nutes that is not listed because it is not legally consequential. Organics are mixed from organic sources. They are practically by definition not homogeneous. This is not an issue if the unnamed ingredients have little effect on the plants, but it could get more troublesome if the plants notice the difference.
My feeding philosophy is to give them all they will take, as often as possible, and from as many varied sources as practical, without causing damage. A little burning at the tips or minor curling is not a big deal. Some plants maintain burned tips their entire life, and if they are otherwise healthy they will still rock. I think they do better when they get any particular item from multiple sources.
Finally, just to make sure
anyone reading understands, 3-0-0 is shorthand for 3% nitrogen (N), 0% phosphorus (P), and 0% potassium (K). It is also referred to as NPK, because K is the chemical symbol for potassium. These are the macronutrients. They are your primary concern.
There are also micronutrients and various metals the plant likes too, but they need little of that stuff by comparison, but don't think they can't live without them - some more than others. This group of items includes:
Boron (B)
Calcium (Ca)
Copper (Cu)
Iron (Fe)
Magnesium (Mg)
Manganese (Mn)
Molybdenum (Mo)
Zinc (Zn)
Plus other even more minor trace nutrients that don't need to be listed here. I highly recommend "Marijuana Garden Saver" (J. C. Stitch, Edited by Ed Rosenthal). Go buy it first.
So anyone who wants to participate, could go see what they can buy locally. Write down contents. We can compare. Maybe we can find unexpected sources for some things.
For starters, here are the first 3 items in my bloom feed:
Code:
Biggest Bloom: 0-3-0 (local)
Total N 0%
Available Phosphate (P2O5) 3%
Soluble Potash (K2O) 0%
Chlorine (not more than) 0.5%
Also contains non-plant food ingredients:
Humic Acid (leonardite) 0.1%
Kelp Extract (Ascophyllum nodosum) 0.05%
Derived from: Worm castings, sea bird guano.
Code:
Plant Growth Enhancer (PGE, local)
Organic acids, humus, vitamin B1 & natural plant growth promoters.
Also contains non-plant food ingredients:
Humic Acid (leonardite) 5%
Kelp Extract (Ascophyllum nodosum) 5%
Vitamin B1 0.01%
Code:
Silica Blast (Botanicare, national)
2.0 % Silicon, derived from Sodium Silicate and Potassium Silicate
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On another front, I harvested KK2.1B and BD.1J. BD is going to be great. KK might be weird since she is 40% dreads. They are drying now. I haven't put anything in to replace them, but I will very soon.
I also gave away a bunch of plants. From large veg, L1 is gone. From small veg, all of the older plants still in 3.5" pots, except KK2.2B are gone. That includes PS.2A, PS.2B, MT1.1A, MT2.1A, CryLo.2A, CryLo.2C, KK2.2A, and G13xGB.2B. I only still have KK2.2B because I missed her when I was packing them up for transport.
BD.2A and BD.2B are about 25" each and will be fine going in I think in a couple days. I need to put them in 10 gallon pots. Or maybe I will move to 25 gallon pots. The only thing holding me back is the sheer volume of soil.