Bio char

[seaofgreen18]

Howdy, glad to have you on the thread we talk all kinds of stuff here but questions for you.about the char you use
1 is it charged?
2 if so how are you charging it?
I either use compost tea or I send it through my worm bin when pre composting my worm feed, composting with char works well takes care of smells and accelerates the the breaking down process. I do a living soil bed I don't use any chemicals either for pests or anything I've had this soil 3 years now ALL organic

I got cords hanging because my lights are on a mover it stretches the cord if I don't have loops it looks kinda sloppy but it works and it's safe no chance of pulling cords from the ballast they trave about 3 ft either way depends on how far I set it to travel

 

[seaofgreen18]

Retro fitted some wine making supplies For activating em

 

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YOUR SCIENCE FACT OF THE DAY​

Some mushrooms are bioluminescent, meaning they can produce their own light and glow in the dark. They achieve this amazing effect due to luciferins, the same compounds that allow fireflies and some sea creatures to glow at night. Mushrooms use their bioluminescence, sometimes called foxfire, to attract insects that then spread mushroom spores throughout the forest, enabling the fungi to reproduce. One example of a bioluminescent mushroom is Mycena haematopus, or bleeding fairy helmet, which can be found in Europe, Asia, and North America.​

 

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BIOTIC OR ABIOTIC

Experienced growers who perform regular scouting can easily recognize patterns in their canopy. With multiple cultivars, as most cannabis growers tend to run, this can get tricky. However, if you pay attention to each cultivar as its own project it is greatly simplified. Growers should be looking for areas of chlorosis, yellowing of the plants, and necrosis, brown dead tissue that cannot regenerate. Wilting and leaf angles are more important as environmental signalers rather than as indicators for nutrient issues and we will discuss that separately. The first step we need to take in diagnosing a plant issue is to determine the cause of the visual cues we are evaluating. That first step is to determine if the cause of your plant's stress is biotic (think pests and pathogens) or abiotic (think nutrients and environment).

 

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A biotic symptom is almost always displayed randomly throughout the crop, unless you wait far too long and then it will affect the entire crop. Pests and pathogens tend to jump around from area to area and plant to plant, skipping some plants entirely and going after others. Be sure to include a sufficiently strong scope in your scouting tool kit. Examine the underside of leaves with a strong handheld scope. The crucial importance of proper scouting can not be over emphasized! A real life example would be a grower showing signs of K deficiency that after scoping realized he had been fighting russet mites for months with K inputs! You can't act appropriately without a proper identification, regardless of whether you are dealing with a biotic or an abiotic issue. If you are looking at an individual plant for symptoms ask yourself if there is a discernible pattern on the leaves? If you were to fold a leaf over would it line up with damage on the other side fairly consistently? If your response is yes and you are seeing patterns; entire benches or quadrants within your canopy, then you are most likely dealing with an abiotic stress. Abiotic stresses are caused by nutrient issues and environmental issues. If you find that you are dealing with a pest issue you need to contact a licensed, qualified professional. While trying to remain brand agnostic you can not do better than contacting Suzanne Wainwright Evans, The Bug Lady at "Buglady Consulting" for commercial facilities. If you are a small personal grower, reach out to us and we will see if we can help or if it would be worth investing in a consultation with an IPM specialist.

 

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Now the fun part. Let's get started with nutrient symptoms! Once we have recognized a pattern within the canopy or single plant, and eliminated pests and pathogens as the culprit, we are ready to dive into our dichotomous key. (NOTE:Assessing crops for patterns is a good indicator that you can eliminate IPM issues as the culprit for the most part. However, you can never be sure without testing. KIS offers pathogen test kits if you are concerned about Hop Latent Virus or other pathogens common to cannabis) Most of you will be familiar with dichotomous keys from high school biology or field guides. A dichotomous key offers clearly defined options for the investigator. To begin our key we first need to determine where on the plant we first started seeing issues. Again, this is another reason that regular scouting should be performed by the same individuals. If scouting is delayed or skipped altogether it will be next to impossible to determine where the issue first started showing on your plant. This is incredibly important as the location of the initial deficiency clue will tell us whether the nutrient is mobile or immobile within the plant.

 

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Obviously all nutrients are "mobile" as they have to move into the plant. What we are discussing is whether they are able to be translocated from one location in the plant to another. If they are able to translocate then they are mobile. The apical or growing tips of the plant are the most important to the plant for reproduction so they will get the benefit of moving mobile elements from the lower leaves to the top leaves if sufficiency is not maintained throughout the growing cycle. That is why you will see mobile element symptoms at the bottom of the plant. Those nutrients are being sacrificed in lower tissues and reallocated to the important growing, apical tips.

 

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If an element is immobile it cannot be translocated. Therefore, if there are insufficient mineral nutrients for an immobile element it will show in the growing tips first. If a nutrient is partially mobile then you will see it throughout the entirety of the plant.

 

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MOBILE NUTRIENT SYMPTOMS - BOTTOM OF PLANT
lower leaf symptoms
These are mobile elements, as explained previously and there are only four. (assuming you are already aware of the nutrient elements that are required for plant growth. Environmental nutrients are C,H and O and are supplied by natural processes through water, carbon dioxide and O2 in the rhizosphere. The following macronutrients are needed in large quantities: N,P, K, Ca, S, and MG. Micronutrients are just as crucial but are usually recycled in plant metabolism processes rather than complexed into plant tissues meaning less is needed.The micronutrients required for growth that we are concerned with are: Cu, Z, Fe, B, and Mo.

 

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If the first symptoms you are seeing are on the lower leaves we need to decide if the nutrient in question is N, P, K or Mg. These are the mobile elements. If the first symptom you are seeing is chlorosis, yellowing, on the lower leaves then you can narrow your target to two mobile elements; N or P. While both show lower leaf yellowing, chlorosis, that can run to necrosis if left far too long we will concentrate on the differences not the similarities to determine which nutrient is insufficient. While both show chlorosis of the entire leaf N has a tell tale clue. If the lower leaf comes off cleanly with a firm pull or snap then this is leaf abscission and you are in need of N! The leaves will drop off the plant where the petiole or leaf stem attaches to the main stem if left to itself. In ornamentals you will see early flowering. We already know that excess N will slow flower production so that is an easy connection to make. If tugging on a chlorotic lower leaf with a P deficiency the leaf doesn't pop off easily. P deficiency will distinguish itself by displaying a deep dark foliage aside from the lower yellowing and they will have shorter and fewer roots. This makes for a clear and easy distinction between N and P. Yes, you need to inspect your plant's roots. Pests and pathogens as well as nutrients and watering practices can affect root growth and without strong roots no amount of sufficiency will promote vigorous growth or fruitful harvests. At the very least be sure to inspect the roots of "problem" plants and all plants at time of harvest. P deficiency is also commonly associated with purpling of stems, leaves, and petioles. This is not always the best indicator, however, as temperature and cultivar can also be heavy influencers of the accumulation of red and purple pigments in the plant.

 

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If the first symptom you are seeing is interveinal chlorosis, yellowing between the veins, then you are dealing with Mg. Tiger striping of lower leaves is a dead giveaway that you are dealing with Mg. Keep in mind that Mg is the carrier molecule for P so a Mg deficiency will often show as a P deficiency as well. Once Mg is sufficient the P symptoms will also disappear, assuming adequate P in the soil solution.

 

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PARTIALLY MOBILE SYMPTOMS-THROUGHOUT THE PLANT

Partially mobile elements are even easier because there are only two to worry about; Sulfur and Molybdenum. Sulfur excesses are almost never a problem in cannabis. I have seen ridiculously high amounts of sulfur with no issues but it can be too low sometimes. I always hedge on the heavy side as sulfur is needed for all of the volatiles that we want in a finished flower. If you are seeing uniform chlorosis across the entire plant then you have a sulfur deficiency. Remember it's where it starts not where it ends up that is important, That's why we want you to do daily scouting. Severely advanced sulfur deficiency will advance to necrosis on the tips but again it will be uniform throughout the plant, not just lower leaves or growing tips. A plant that is pale all over is most likely suffering from a sulfur deficiency.

 

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chlorosis first. If you are seeing yellowing at the top of the plant your plant is deficient in either Fe or Mn. Chlorosis at the top of a plant can show as interveinal, uniform or marginal chlorosis. If the color transitions from pale yellow to white you are dealing with iron. Iron is one of the most commonly seen deficiency symptoms across all fields of agronomy. Management of pH and chelated forms of iron are often required to get sufficiency levels of iron into the plant but the symptoms are clear. It is a pale to white chlorosis at the top of the plant. In extremely severe cases you may get necrotic tissue. If, on the other hand, the symptom you are seeing at the top of your plant is chlorosis accompanied by tan flecking, irregular spotting with angular shapes, you have a Mn issue in in young plants. Mn drops off quickly as the pH climbs and I've seen many a garden that had a Mn issue early on because the grower was feeding with tap water that was out of range.

 

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Necrosis and distortion. If you are seeing necrosis on the growing tips we are dealing with Ca or B. The incidence of having oversupplied or burning your plants with organic inputs is very rare unless you are adding hot (not fully composted) manures or composts so seeing necrosis on your top leaves is almost always a Ca or B issue. Again we want to look for the differences. If the issue is with Ca you will see necrosis and distortion but you will also see cupping in most crops. In ornamentals you will see incomplete flower formation. Most gardeners are familiar with blossom end rot in tomatoes or cork spot on apples. These are the same symptoms expressed in the firm fruits of those species.

 

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Boron also shows necrosis and distortion but differs from Ca in that you will get very tight internodal spacing. Often the apical points will be growing so closely between nodes that the plant takes on the appearance of a tightly packed rose flower. Thus, "rosettes" make the diagnosis for B fairly easy. As opposed to the incomplete or twisted shape of a Ca deficient leaf B deficient leaves will pack very closely together.

 

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Ca travels in the xylem only and so is very dependent upon transpiration. Experienced growers will recognize leaf burn due to fans pushing too many cfms. Often misdiagnosed, the fast air transfer pulls water through the plant so quickly that the large Ca molecule has a hard time moving through the plant leading to a necrotic burned look along the margins, not to be confused with K issues. This marginal necrosis will only be on plants directly in front of the strong fans. Ca can also be sufficient in the soil solution but not in the plant if the temperature or relative humidity are out of range.

Finally, look at Cu and Z. Both will show leaf roll or curl at the top of the plant. Most cannabis growers are familiar with "tacoing" or "canoeing" in heat stressed cannabis but this references a tip to petiole roll as opposed to the closing roll seen in heat issues. Cu also shows as chlorosis and rapid necrosis on the most recently matured leaves. We are looking just below theapical points as opposed to the tips themselves as we would for Fe or Mn. These are rarely seen and most often only diagnosed by soil tests in cannabis.

 

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Now that you know what you could be lacking you need to determine why. Is it simply insufficient quantity of a given element or is there an environmental issue (relative humidity, temperature, light or lack of sufficient PPFD) but that is another complex topic too big for this

 

[seaofgreen18]

Why Cover Crops Don't Belong in Indoor Gardens​

I’d like to start by saying cover crops are amazing and have a ton of benefits. They are one of the best ways to improve soil health in agricultural soils. Cover crops can be used to increase organic matter, effectively raising cation exchange capacity in soils where it’s impractical to bring in compost or mulches. Certain cover crops like radishes help with compacted soil by breaking through tough layers of subsoil, making it easier for your main crop to increase it’s rooting depth. Having a cover crop protects the soil from erosion due to wind or heavy rains, and also reduces water evaporation by keeping soil moisture levels more consistent. They also have the ability to add nutrients to the soil, like fixing atmospheric nitrogen through their relationship with N-fixing bacteria. And let’s not forget that cover crops promote soil biology, which is key to creating and maintaining healthy soils.

 

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The biggest reason to avoid cover crops indoors is because they can be habitat for pests and pathogens. While certain cover crops can function as banker plants or trap plants, it’s best practice in greenhouses to run those plants in their own containers. In outdoor environments we have a variety of natural predators and much greater diversity of insect populations that help keep the random thrip or spider mite in check. In controlled environment agriculture, we lack that natural diversity and protection, and a pest can rapidly get out of control, causing massive crop damage and economic losses.

 

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Cover crops make fertility targets more challenging. For those of us that are soil testing and working to optimize soil fertility, knowing the release rates of nutrients is crucial to maintaining balance and sufficiency. In my experience, cover crops can oversupply some nutrients like N for example, while leaving deficits in other important nutrients like phosphorus. It’s an added variable that makes an already challenging process more difficult.

Cover crops can compete with our main crop for nutrients and resources. When timing is off on sowing, cover crops can shade out your main crop or pull more nutrients into their biomass, leaving your main crop stunted or stressed, making it more susceptible to disease and pests.

Re-amending soils becomes much more difficult with a cover crop in place. When re-amending, I believe it’s important to lightly mix the nutrients (dry amendments) into the first 6”-8” of the soil. If you want to read more about the “why,” you can check out this blog post here. This allows nutrients to be in the rhizosphere and more available to the plants when we are doing intensive cropping and have only 24-36 hours of down time between flower cycles. When you have a cover crop, you cannot really mix the soil and would need to wait for the cover crop biomass to break down somewhat before planting if you did want to lightly till the soil.