CBD Auto EmmyStack In AziSIPs, GeoFlora, Sweet Candy, Dynomyco, Roots Organic Soil +

[CBDMed]

Why the constant need to reinvent the wheel?

EDIT: what follows is a raw autistic rant because I am feeling pressured, and am completely out of time. I have no time to polish it. I have to move quickly today. Sorry for the rant. I am leaving it up because I value the relationships, and autistic people have a hard time communicating (by definition). So I hope you can read what follows with patience. I appreciate you all. Maybe later I will know how to summarize it, but right now I do not know. Love you all.

**



Azi, I love you man, but do we want exactly the same things here?
Or do we want RELATED and SIMILAR but slightly different things?

NOTE: I am autistic, and communication is by definition difficult.
I love and appreciate you very much, but this is TOTALLY getting on my nerves.
I am trying very hard here to communicate. I hope I am choosing the right words.
By definition, communications is hard for autistic people, and I feel pushed (which does not help).

I ask because it sounds like Shed wants to grow with MC in soil.
It sounds like you want to grow with easily gatherable things you can find or make or grow around your house without spending money, although this time you sprang for GF (not sure why).
What I want is to get to my farm some day, and learn how to doctor up the soil nute by nute with things I can grow on the farm, or find on the market here in Colombia, so I can eventually grow sustainable in ground.
However, (for more than the dozenth time) unless GF or HydroFarm open a Colombia distributorship, it will NOT be GF grows, because (as I have explained way too many times now), the shipping basically triples or quadruples the price of the product, and I cannot afford it.

As I have explained many, many times now, I have been trying to find other combinations that work, and are organic, that I can afford here in Colombia. I am so sorry I do not seem to be doing a good job of communications! (But what else is new in my life?)

Subcool supersoil is the most affordable option, so as I have said many times now, that will probably be my new standard.
Terp Tea is another affordable option, mostly because Aurora continues to ship (even after they got bought out by HydroFarm, which does NOT ship). So on the next run (which will be Supersoil), I may *experiment with adding a little Terp Tea (although I am sure I will come under criticism for that also).

The reason I am using GF right now is because when I was having so much trouble with the salted soil maybe two years ago (back when I still had money), I thought I would pay through the nose for ONE standard GF grow, just to see what it was like.
Then because I had to trash the salted supersoil, I needed something to grow with this one time, so I thought I would break out the GeoFlora. Only, because people were saying urine was good for N, I did not buy enough Veg. And the rest of the history you know already (but you continue to bring it up).

PERSPECTIVE:
Probably other people do not have autism, and so (by definition) other people do not have the same social and communications challenges, and thus they probably have different reactions to the (excellent) 420 Forum.
Only, what do I need to do, to NOT need to keep explaining and apologizing the exact same words REPEATEDLY around here for every single last thing I do on this grow, when we already know it is a patchwork-quilt from the get-go?

My ego is NOT at stake if this GF grow is perfect. My ego is at stake if I get greenbud this time (rather than brownbud, like last time).
So far, even with all of the make-shift hoop-jumps and everything I have had to do, this is by far the best looking grow I have had, so I fail to understand the panic that the residues might go somewhere else.
I have explained the problems with the supply chain at least a dozen times now, and I am utterly exhausted by it (to the point where I am thinking about looking for a different forum that understands that my ultimate goal is to grow in ground, and that as such, SIPs themselves are an artificial environment for me).
Maybe a normal person would respond differently? Probably. Normal people always seem to know how to handle these kinds of situations, and communicate without being exhausted by being hit with the same questions 12+ times, although each time it takes at least an hour or two to answer??? (But while I appreciate VERY much your and Shed's intentions to help, I am very exhausted by the repetition.)

I am SO sorry if I am not explaining well! (You will not be the first.)
So, help me out here.
I have explained my concerns about not having room in the top of the SIPs for the residues maybe a dozen times now, and about the fungus gnats, and that it will be 3+ weeks before my Mosquito Dunks are here, and 4+ weeks before I have a solution to the gnats--and by that time, the grow is almost over.
So, the net upshot is that I will have fungus gnats inside the house for maybe a month (and I thought the idea was to get RID of the bugs????)?

Shed says (paraphrase) "do not let what is perfect ruin what is good".
Ok, but I believe I have a GOOD, SOLID, FUNCTIONING plan to AVOID fungus gnats inside my grow room, even though I will probbaly not have the Mosquito Dunks for another 3 weeks.
To me, with my autism and my particular challenges, it just seems a BOATLOAD easier to put the solids outside, where there will not be gnats--and then I can hit the buckets with mushroom compost, Recharge and molasses next week (in the off week), and then monitor for deficiencies.
I understand that this varies from the manufacturer's specific directions, but the manufacturer's specific directions do NOT say how to run in a SIP, and they do NOT say how much room to leave on top!
I am sorry, I appreciate you and Shed VERY much! Only, I just do not have the same desire to follow directions to the T, to avoid issues.
Rather, for me, what I need is to learn what is going on, and which inputs to manipulate, while at the same time getting green-bud. I am so sorry that I am seemingly not-able to communicate that.

Yes, it is a patchwork-quilt grow. But so far I am happy with it, because it is green. And some of the plants are working on frost, thanks to you, and Shed , and Bill , and SmokingWings , and bluter , and everyone.
Only, GF is crazy expensive to import.

I can hypothetically jump through hoops and deal with fungus gnats for a month , and take pictures of the soil level vis-a-vis the need to cork, etc. etc., etc., but it will not really matter, because unless HydroFarm or GF open a franchise here in Colombia, I will probably NEVER EVER EVER buy GF again as long as I live, not because it is not fabulous (because it is), but because as I have said wayyyy too many times now, I CANNOT AFFORD THE SHIPPING!

PLEASE can you understand, I cannot afford the shipping, so I will not use GF again here?
So at least in my own mind, there is NO BENEFIT to "getting the first run right", so I can experiment with future GF runs (because there WILL NOT BE any future GF runs)!
How do I communicate these things clearly?
What do I say, to communicate things in a simple way?

Geoflora has been used successfully by many using the standard instructions. All you are doing with your various changes is introducing new variables with unknown impact that may create other problems that have to be chased down and resolved.

How can I make myself understood?

I'm with Shed. Topdress the Geoflora per the instructions, water them in gently (maybe by misting) and then water as usual down the fill pipe.

Azi, what do I do about the fungus gnats inside my house for a month????

Once you get it running successfully, experiment to your hearts content.

Azi, do you have anyone in your life that you love, who helps you, and whose help you are glad for--but you say the same things over and over and over to him (or her), and he (or she, inclusive) says they understand what you are saying, but it is like they did not hear you, because you have to say the same things over and over and over again, trying gently not to lose the relationship, but only to lose the beleaguered feeling??

I'm all for experimenting and do it all the time, but I try to do things the recommended way first so I have a baseline to compare the impact of whatever changes I make.

Azi, I love you man, and thank you so much for all of the help!!


However, as I have explained maybe a dozen or more times already, I CANNOT AFFORD THE RESHIPPING, so unless GF or HydroFarm open a distributorship here, THERE WILL NOT BE another GF run here, because I CAN NOT AFFORD THE SHIPPING!

How can I make myself understood????
HOW can I clarify????
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR HELP!
Autistic people have a hard time communicating, especially when there is pressure!
I do NOT care how this patchwork grow turns out, as long as it is green! (It is already far surpassing my expectations.)
I will NEVER use GF again here, unless it becomes affordable.
I do NOT have access to Mosquito Dunks for another 3 weeks!
I do NOT want fungus gnats in my house!
My ego is NOT at stake in maximizing this GF grow.
My ego IS very much at stake in learning how to manipulate individual organic and non-organic inputs long term (for if we ever get money to move onto the property).
My ego is NOT at stake with regards to growing contests.
My ego IS at stake in learning how to "farmer Juan" my own in-ground cannabis with mostly stuff we can grow on the farm, and some purchased chemical inputs.
I love SIPs, but I do NOT see them as my ultimate end-growing environment (although it could happen, because they are awesome).
I love Shed's SWICK design.
I love Azi's banana EWC tea. (I have not tried the fish elixirs yet.)
I love the 420 forum.
I want to thank you all for helping me learn how to grow my own medicine.
When autistic people feel pressured, the insinct is to withdraw, and go somewhere else.
I need to be able to experiment. It is probably an autism thing. I was voted "most scientific" in my high school graduating class, probably because I do not have many of the same coping or defense mechanisms that normal people have.
Also I had a head injury with a complete change of personality, and I do not have many of the same coping or defense mechanisms that normal people have.
I should probably re-write this letter, but I do not have time.
PLEASE believe me when I tell you that I feel beleaguered on this topic, and that I need relief, or I will have to find a different forum.

I have been writing for two hours now, and I am frustrated and upset.
I have to go feed my plants now.
I am sure this is not a "normal" response--it is an autistic response from an autistic person who feels pressured, and who does not know how to handle it.
PLEASE stop pushing me to follow the instructions exactly! I understand that troubleshooting can be very difficult when the environmental variables are always changing, but as I have already explained many, many, many times now, I already know that this run is experimental, and I am ok with it!

Thank you all again very very much for your help!
I am sorry, but I have to go now. We have huge project deadlines today by 4 PM, and I cannot be late, and I just spent the last 2-1/2 hours writing, because I value the relationship, and I seemingly do not know how to communicate.
I am VERY SORRY to have to leave it here for now, but I really need to go. I hope you will understand my blather.
I hope you all have a wonderful day, and that your best grows are all ahead of you.
Much love,

 

[InTheShed]

I'm sorry that you feel pressured by our suggestions rather than helped.

Your ultimate goal of growing in the ground is terrific but seems completely unrelated to what you're doing in this thread, which is the one you're asking questions about and the one we're trying to help with.

You have fungus gnats, yes. It will take time to get the BTi, yes. In the meantime you still need to water the plants, gnats or no. SIPs are not gnat-free in their design.

So when you're watering your plants, put the GF you have on top of the soil and water it in. You ask for help, but rather than try out my suggestion, we end up in discussions about whether there's room on top of the soil. There is.

And when I said don't let perfect be the enemy of the good, I meant that worrying about the slope of the soil or whether 1/4" of GF on top was going to bury the branches or if the GF absolutely had to be scratched in was making it impossible to get to the goal of having a well-fed plant.

Most growers here looking for help will take a suggestion from someone they trust on the site (let's say "try some calmag"), and add calmag. That doesn't seem to be the way you operate, which is fine since we all have our own ways of dealing with the world, but it makes it much more difficult for us. If it sounds like we're pushing, we're not. We are repeating ourselves because our suggestions remain the same even when you don't actually try them.

And for the record, I don't want you or anyone to grow using MC and soil. The folks I help here grow 9 ways to Sunday, very few of them using just soil and MC. I have been trying to meet you where you are given the parameters you've set out here. I apologize if my help isn't helping.

 

[CBDMed]

Ok, garden maintenance is done. watered, spread, trimmed, soap sprayed. I will miss my deadline that I cannot miss.
You are right that there is room. If I keep it wet it will looks like it will continue to break down. The bad news is that the fungus gnats are having the banquet of their lives. But three or four weeks will pass. I must run. Back when I know more what to say and how to say it.
I WILL try just spreading and watering and misting the next feeding. The gnats will still be having a heyday then, but that is what it is. I just need to see if I can find a way to knock them down.
Thank you all VERY much! I must run. I appreciate your help VERY much, and sorry my communication skills are lacking. Autistic people also often have OCD and ADHD (I do).
I hope you have a blessed tomorrow. I hope to be back either tomorrow night or Sunday.

 

[Azimuth]

@el gringuito , I'm sorry you feel that way. It was never my intent to push you to do anything and I couldn't care less whether you grow with Geoflora or not, or SIPs or not, either this grow or in the future.

Rather, you ask me and others for our help and advice/opinions and we gave them to you. You choose to follow or not at your option. It's your grow. Do what you want.

But when you bring up the same issue time after time and ask for our advice, we're probably going to give you the same advice as we did last time you asked. I have no way of knowing what your head injury did to your memory so when you repeatedly ask the same questions I try to exercise patience and answer it again, but I also try to make my answers consistent.

You bounce from 'piller to post' trying all kinds of different mixes and nutrients and seemingly never long enough to learn the lessons learned when mastering one way but, I get it. You have supply issues and are space challenged so you have to put a grow together with what you can acquire at reasonable costs.

So again, I'm not pushing you to do or grow a certain way at all, and I couldn't care any less how you choose to grow. It doesn't affect me and my grow in the least. You do what you want to do, grow the way you want to grow, use the inputs you want to use.

I was simply trying to answer the questions you posed and provide something that I thought would help you and your plants.

But it was never meant to push and I'm sorry you feel I/we are doing that, so I will bow out here and wish you all the best of luck and success in your endeavors.

 

[CBDMed]

I'm sorry that you feel pressured by our suggestions rather than helped.

Shed, I am sorry. I believe it is NOT you or Azi, but a function of other pressures on the outside, and me not compartmentalizing. So, I am sorry. Please forgive me.

Your ultimate goal of growing in the ground is terrific but seems completely unrelated to what you're doing in this thread, which is the one you're asking questions about and the one we're trying to help with.

Right.
Thank you.

You have fungus gnats, yes. It will take time to get the BTi, yes. In the meantime you still need to water the plants, gnats or no. SIPs are not gnat-free in their design.

Yes.
In an earlier SIP discussion, ResDog's advice included NOT to water the soil so much, if fungus gnats were being experienced (and NEVER to top-water).
I did not realize (was not told) that fungus gnats are a built-in feature in SIPs with an EWC layer, or top-feeding, because you have to spray the GF to keep it moist. Now I know.

So when you're watering your plants, put the GF you have on top of the soil and water it in. You ask for help, but rather than try out my suggestion, we end up in discussions about whether there's room on top of the soil. There is.

Yes, I see now that there is, and that with keeping it wet, you can get it to dissolve, and you can support your local insect population, at least until the advent of BTi (when it shows up).
In future SIP grows, we will know about BTi, thanks.

And when I said don't let perfect be the enemy of the good, I meant that worrying about the slope of the soil or whether 1/4" of GF on top was going to bury the branches or if the GF absolutely had to be scratched in was making it impossible to get to the goal of having a well-fed plant.

Yes, I am starting to understand that I just need to spread it, water it, keep it misted, and not worry about the gnats because long term there is BTi.
It is hard to explain what I was talking about, about flood fertigation, and in the future it will not matter, because I got a couple of different watering cans.

Most growers here looking for help will take a suggestion from someone they trust on the site (let's say "try some calmag"), and add calmag.

When you said to add calmag, I added calmag.
There were no technical questions to be resolved first.

That doesn't seem to be the way you operate, which is fine since we all have our own ways of dealing with the world, but it makes it much more difficult for us.

I am very sorry about that. Autism does have some plus sides, but mostly it is well-known for its communications downsides. And when you have a question, you can really be OCD about it. Sorry about that.
It is a bummer feeling like you have to apologize for how you are.

If it sounds like we're pushing, we're not. We are repeating ourselves because our suggestions remain the same even when you don't actually try them.

Big sigh.
Yes, I can see that now.
I can see that you guys have a totally different emphasis, but that you are trying super hard to help me, and you have helped me a lot. So I guess if I want the help, I am going to have to do it your way, because otherwise it makes it too hard for you (which would not be right).

And for the record, I don't want you or anyone to grow using MC and soil.

Ok.
Haha, I cannot get it here, so there is not much danger of it!

The folks I help here grow 9 ways to Sunday, very few of them using just soil and MC. I have been trying to meet you where you are given the parameters you've set out here. I apologize if my help isn't helping.

No, I apologize I let outside frustrations get to me. You guys are trying to help, and you have to help from the paradigm you understand. (What else can you do, really?) And it is really great that you guys help me so much, thank you very much.
I just have to be smarter about how I organize my experiments, and not rely on imported stuff. Then hopefully what I am doing can make sense to you guys also.

So, sorry again, and thanks for the tons of help.

 

[InTheShed]

All good El G!

I did not realize (was not told) that fungus gnats are a built-in feature in SIPs with an EWC layer, or top-feeding, because you have to spray the GF to keep it moist. Now I know.

Gnats aren't a feature of any type of grow unless the soil you get has the larvae in them or they come in from outside. If they're in the soil then the SIP can exacerbate the issue as it doesn't have a wet-dry cycle, but if there aren't any in the soil then there aren't any in a SIP.

Can you get yellow sticky fly trap cards in the meantime? Laid on top of the soil they can help keep the population down.

 

[CBDMed]

@el gringuito , I'm sorry you feel that way.

Sorry I over-reacted that way. Sorry to make it a not-good experience for you. I had time pressures I could not meet, but you guys did not cause that problem. You were just trying to help.
Please accept my apology. I hope you and Shed please forgive me. Either way, I understand and respect your decision.

It was never my intent to push you to do anything and I couldn't care less whether you grow with Geoflora or not, or SIPs or not, either this grow or in the future.

Rather, you ask me and others for our help and advice/opinions and we gave them to you. You choose to follow or not at your option. It's your grow. Do what you want.

But when you bring up the same issue time after time and ask for our advice, we're probably going to give you the same advice as we did last time you asked. I have no way of knowing what your head injury did to your memory so when you repeatedly ask the same questions I try to exercise patience and answer it again, but I also try to make my answers consistent.

EDITED: I apologize, I did not explain well.
I can understand that you are trying to help me from your way of looking at things, and that is very nice! (And what else can you do, really?)
So, having taken time to reflect, I guess the thing that I do not understand is that even though I never really did follow the GF feeding schedule beyond the pre-mix, And although we have had three major (and numerous smaller) departures from the GF feed schedule (e.g., Terp Tea, Dr. Earth, Bloom supplemented with N instead of Grow, etc.), it still seems imperative to follow the directions for the GF feed schedule, even in spite of the gnats, because the GF feed schedule is the reference that you and Shed are using. Even with all of the departures, following the GF schedule is your "lodestar", so to speak. So I need to not mess with that.
Ok, so, I did not know to order BTi before. No big deal. Another first world problem that is not a problem. We can deal with the Caribbean Squadron! In fact we love gnats for the next three or four weeks! We will try to breed as many gnats as possible, to get the GF to go down! (And then in four weeks, we will perform a planned systematic gnatocide against the entire SIP population.)

You bounce from 'piller to post' trying all kinds of different mixes and nutrients and seemingly never long enough to learn the lessons learned when mastering one way but, I get it. You have supply issues and are space challenged so you have to put a grow together with what you can acquire at reasonable costs.

Well, I appreciate that you get I have supply chain limitations, but I wonder if you understand what that looks like for me.
I can sit here and tell you that it is scientifically well-known that autistic people have a hard time when they have questions that do not get answered. It is like they can be very OCD. (I have that problem. And it is still a problem, even though I know about it. It is less, but still it is there.)
Is it going to help for me to explain what happened again? (Because apparently I did not know how to get the message across before, so why would it be different now??)
I asked maybe 3 or 4 times before the grow started about space for GF in SIPs, and no one answered. (You answered recently.) It did seem like I would run out of vertical height after so long. I did not know that you could get BTi dunks and mist the GF and it would break down within weeks. (It was looking like months before, and I was not sure how that was going to work. And when you are autistic and you are not sure, and you have questions, doubts, or concerns, you cannot move. You freeze. Sorry, even knowing about it, I cannot change it. I can make it less, but still it is very counter-intuitive for me.)

So again, I'm not pushing you to do or grow a certain way at all, and I couldn't care any less how you choose to grow. It doesn't affect me and my grow in the least. You do what you want to do, grow the way you want to grow, use the inputs you want to use.

I was simply trying to answer the questions you posed and provide something that I thought would help you and your plants.

You really helped me a lot, and I am glad for it. Thank you very much.
Sorry if communication is not easy (welcome to my world).

But it was never meant to push and I'm sorry you feel I/we are doing that, so I will bow out here and wish you all the best of luck and success in your endeavors.

Thank you very much, Azi. You really helped me a lot. I am sorry I let myself feel pressured, because it seems like you and Shed and everyone are always trying to help.
After thinking about it a lot, I just have to follow the directions, because that is part of you and Shed's paradigm. I did not understand that before, but now I do. So I can deal with the Colombian Air Force for a few weeks, haha!

I have one more GF feeding, and will try to just spread, water, and keep moist.
Then after that, it should be supersoil, which should be a WHOLE lot simpler!
Anyway, thank you again.

 

[CBDMed]

All good El G!

Gnats aren't a feature of any type of grow unless the soil you get has the larvae in them or they come in from outside. If they're in the soil then the SIP can exacerbate the issue as it doesn't have a wet-dry cycle, but if there aren't any in the soil then there aren't any in a SIP.

Can you get yellow sticky fly trap cards in the meantime? Laid on top of the soil they can help keep the population down.

Thanks, Shed.

I just found liquid BTi in an Ag store, and ordered it.
I have not seen flypaper in the small town (and no one uses it), so I would have to order it also, so they would take about the same amount of time (so BTi makes more sense).
Then when the solid donuts get here, we can see which works better, or costs less.

Does diatomaceous earth do anything to fungus gnats, if you keep it away from the buds?
(Or not really do anything to fungus gnats, as they have no hard exoskeleton shell?)

 

[InTheShed]

DE works on fungus gnats but only when it's dry, so it's not really effective on top of soil since (even if you're in a regular pot) it needs to be top watered every few days or more.

And besides the fact that it's not the gnats that are a hazard to cannabis plants (it's the larvae eating the roots), never get DE on your flowers. Definitely not good for the lungs.

 

[CBDMed]

DE works on fungus gnats but only when it's dry, so it's not really effective on top of soil since (even if you're in a regular pot) it needs to be top watered every few days or more.

And besides the fact that it's not the gnats that are a hazard to cannabis plants (it's the larvae eating the roots), never get DE on your flowers. Definitely not good for the lungs.

Eating the roots????
I have to go right this instant. But I searched for "Neem fungus gnat" and it took me to a website with several natural remedies until the BTi gets here.

How to get rid of fungus gnats with coffee grind
Coffee grind is great at removing gnat infestations. Dry the grind thoroughly – this will prevent mould from forming – and spread it over the potting soil. A thin layer will keep the female gnats from laying their eggs. Additionally, the coffee can fertilise your plants. That’s right: you can use coffee grounds as fertiliser!

How to get rid of fungus gnats with baking powder
Not only are baking powder and baking soda cheap, you probably already have some in your cupboards. Sift some of the powder over the surface of the soil, moisten, and wait. Fungus gnat larvae will absorb this moist powder and die.

How to get rid of fungus gnats with tea tree oil
Many people use tea tree oil on the skin. However, it is also a great solution for a gnat infestation. Combine 20 drops of tea tree oil with a litre of water. Water the infested plants with this mix, and you should help remove any larvae in the soil. For the adults, use some adhesive traps around the plant.

How to get rid of fungus gnats with lavender oil
Lavender oil is not only calming, but a great natural remedy for fungus gnats. The application and effects of lavender oil are similar to tea tree oil. Mix 20 drops of lavender oil with one litre of water, water the infested plants and wait. If the oil does not mix well with the water, add a tablespoon of soapberry powder to the mix as an emulsifier.

How to get rid of fungus gnats with neem oil
Neem oil is very effective against fungus gnats. It comes from a tropical tree that is used a lot to combat infestations. Mix 10ml of neem oil per litre of water and water the infested plants. Neem oil is neither harmful for humans nor pets, and has plenty of other uses!

How to get rid of fungus gnats with garlic
There are several ways of using garlic (Allium sativum) to fight fungus gnats. Garlic cloves contain the sulphurous substance allicin, which can kill fungus gnat larvae. Either cut off the tip of a garlic bulb and stick it into the potting soil, or peel and dice some cloves and spread them over the soil.


I have all of these. When I get back from my meeting I will pick one and apply it.

 

[InTheShed]

Give it a shot but skip the coffee grounds that need to stay dry for obvious reasons, and the baking powder because it breaks down to sodium oxide which is used for soil sterilization:

Soil sterilization

Soil sterilization is the act of killing or destroying the action of diseases causing organism that are present in the soil without ca...

currentagric.blogspot.com

 

[CBDMed]

Give it a shot but skip the coffee grounds that need to stay dry for obvious reasons, and the baking powder because it breaks down to sodium oxide which is used for soil sterilization:

Soil sterilization

Soil sterilization is the act of killing or destroying the action of diseases causing organism that are present in the soil without ca...

currentagric.blogspot.com

Very good, thank you!
I will go with the neem.

 

[CBDMed]

I mixed 2tsp neem oil per liter of water, and had to put 2tsp Dr. Bronner's to get it to emulsify.
I did a light top watering for the spreader roots, and a half an hour later I do not see a single gnat.


It would have been even better if I had thought of that two days ago. Sorry @Azimuth

 

[CBDMed]

Hi Shed.
Good morning to you.
As mentioned before, I have three girls who are not drinking much at all (like maybe they are taking an inch from the res a week). And I have two other girls who drink maybe 2 inches from the res. (Everyone else drinks.)
Because of this, I must drain water from the SIPs before sprinkling the GF granules with water, or those SIPs will overflow.

Since the directions say absolutely nothing about this scenario, what would you like me to do with the drained-off reservoir water?
Would you like me to:
A) Put the same water back over the GF granules without modification?
B) Put the same water back over the GF granules with calmag?
C) Put different declorinated water over the GF granules without calmag?
D) Put different declorinated water over the GF granules with calmag?

Just as a note, I will also have to drain the reservoirs from all five girls before I do the feeding in a week and a half.
Thank you!

 

[CBDMed]

Hi Shed.
Overall, RCDVB is healthy, and she drinks, but she continues to yellow and calmag mottle.
Mostly it is the lower leaves that are affected, but also some up top are starting to be affected also.

Here is a top view, of how some of the leaves (particularly on the backside????) are starting to yellow and mottle.
(The white splotch is a drop of Dr. Bronner's that has dried.)

Earlier you said to start with calmag and I am still adding calmag.
You said not to worry about fan leaves yellowing at this stage in the grow.
Do I still just ignore the yellowing of the fan leaves?

 

[InTheShed]

Since the directions say absolutely nothing about this scenario, what would you like me to do with the drained-off reservoir water?
Would you like me to:
A) Put the same water back over the GF granules without modification?
B) Put the same water back over the GF granules with calmag?
C) Put different declorinated water over the GF granules without calmag?
D) Put different declorinated water over the GF granules with calmag?

I would dump what comes out of the res in your in-ground plants outside, especially if you're mostly top watering and very little is being taken up from below.

Just as a note, I will also have to drain the reservoirs from all five girls before I do the feeding in a week and a half.

Can't you time the top watering to when you would normally be filling the res? That way the runoff will fill the res and get taken up as needed by the plant.

Earlier you said to start with calmag and I am still adding calmag.
You said not to worry about fan leaves yellowing at this stage in the grow.
Do I still just ignore the yellowing of the fan leaves?

Overall that plant looks great!

Later in flower there is less and less use in chasing deficiencies, so my first question would be how long do you think that plant has before harvest?

 

[CBDMed]

I would dump what comes out of the res in your in-ground plants outside, especially if you're mostly top watering and very little is being taken up from below.

Can't you time the top watering to when you would normally be filling the res? That way the runoff will fill the res and get taken up as needed by the plant.

This is what I am saying: I have two plants that grow maybe an inch in a week, and two more that drink maybe two inches a week. If I water the granules and the top EWC layer to help everything break down, the SIPs overflow.
This is from 18 January:

If I put any water at all on the top, I have to drain the tank on four (maybe 5) of the SIPs.

Overall that plant looks great!

Thank you very much! To you and Bill284 and to Azimuth and Smoking Wings and Bluter and WestHippie, and Nick, and everyone.

Later in flower there is less and less use in chasing deficiencies, so my first question would be how long do you think that plant has before harvest?

Truthfully, I had not even thought about it. On the GF feeding schedule there is one more feeding, in about 10 days.
Then I think they do not want you to feed anymore, but maybe harvest two weeks after that, so maybe another month or so, IF it follows the GF feeding schedule (which I believe is NOT a given).
To me, the plant wants nitrogen because it is fleshing out the long spindly colas. So if it wants nitrogen to build colas, I would think it would be a good idea to give it to it?? Or is that wrong?

I had some autos go 105 days, so I do not believe the 80 or 90 day labels they put on things anymore.
Plus I had one SDAC delay, and I thought I would have to pluck her. Now she is the biggest one, and still growing!
So I really do not know, but probably at least another month or so, if not longer.
But you have much more experienced eyes. How does it seem to you?

 

[InTheShed]

You've harvested quite a number of plants in there so you can probably get an idea, but I'm not seeing a ton of white pistils so probably 2 weeks is a good guess at this stage.

In terms of watering, if your plants are all about that size and they're not sucking up water from the res, my guess is they never really took to bottom feeding. From reading other folks SIP grows they could be at a gallon every other day into the res at this stage and size, so my thought is to top water and dump the overflow to keep the soil from getting too wet.

 

[CBDMed]

You've harvested quite a number of plants in there so you can probably get an idea, but I'm not seeing a ton of white pistils so probably 2 weeks is a good guess at this stage.

Oh.
Well, if she has two weeks to live, would you feed her again?? Or not feed her again?

In terms of watering, if your plants are all about that size and they're not sucking up water from the res, my guess is they never really took to bottom feeding.

That makes sense.
When I check the plants that are not drinking, the roots are not really into the reservoir as much.

From reading other folks SIP grows they could be at a gallon every other day into the res at this stage and size, so my thought is to top water and dump the overflow to keep the soil from getting too wet.

Yes, the big girls drink about a gallon every 2 or 3 days.
Thanks very much for the tip about draining the res before I water. I finally have a solution to the problem about how to get the GF residue wet (so it will decompose) without overflowing the res (and making a big mess all over the grow room).

 

[InTheShed]

I would feed since that 2 weeks is no guarantee!

And a siphon or transfer pump make it easy to empty a res. You can get them really cheap here at any auto supply place.