CoffeeShopSeeds Sponsored Grow: Emmie’s Huge 1 Month Interval Constant Harvest

[Emilya Green]

PS, be sure not to over-fertilize.

I fear that I might underfertilize. I am using GeoFlora Nutrients which get top dressed once every 2 weeks. It is an organic grow, so there are no built up salts and no need to flush.

 

[ReservoirDog]

I will be shortening the fill tubes... not sure what I was thinking, but these are rediconculous. And yes, I have the drainage holes at the 5" mark, right in the front of the tubs.

I did same thing first couple tubs. The tall thing just gets in the way and throws quite a shadow. Double-checking just in case: did you remember to angle-cut the bottom end of fill-tube? (I did that too!)

 

[ReservoirDog]

I know its organic, but build up can still mess with pH. Because we never wash anything thru the bottom, it makes a big difference to the soil chemistry. Just planting a bug in your brain. What I love about SIPs too is how efficient it is with resources. I've known people to grow the same soil, for 5 grows and only top-dressing like you and Azi, and once per grow checking the odd 'runoff' or slurry. I do hybrid salts/organics (mainly castings).

 

[Emilya Green]

I did same thing first couple tubs. The tall thing just gets in the way and throws quite a shadow. Double-checking just in case: did you remember to angle-cut the bottom end of fill-tube? (I did that too!)

yep, I did remember to angle cut the bottom of it so it cant jam up down there.

 

[bluter]

I fear that I might underfertilize. I am using GeoFlora Nutrients which get top dressed once every 2 weeks. It is an organic grow, so there are no built up salts and no need to flush.

can you run it a touch hot ?

some organic based nute growers have had a little success getting ahead of the schedule. i suspect they aren't really running hot, but were actually running lean, and didn't see or realize as the plant was making the most of the nute available, and not exhibiting an issue until it got even hungrier.

 

[Emilya Green]

I know its organic, but build up can still mess with pH. Because we never wash anything thru the bottom, it makes a big difference to the soil chemistry. Just planting a bug in your brain. What I love about SIPs too is how efficient it is with resources. I've known people to grow the same soil, for 5 grows and only top-dressing like you and Azi, and once per grow checking the odd 'runoff' or slurry. I do hybrid salts/organics (mainly castings).

PH needs in our grows is very much misunderstood. Some nutrient systems require strict adherence to pH in certain ranges, but my microbes nor soil nor plants do not care about the pH unless it goes over 9 or under 4. As long as the pH is in the liveable range, I really don't care what the pH does and neither will my grow. One of the main reasons I went organic was so that I never had to stress and worry about my pH ever again. I went with GeoFlora so that I also didn't have to stress or worry about chlorine.

I do think that my nutrients will end up going further than they would in a typical top watering situation, but I am not going to count on that and am happy to feed them every two weeks as is called for. My soil will not be depleted in any way during this grow since everything the plants need is coming in via the bi-weekly feedings, and I would expect this same soil be able to be used for 4 or 5 grows without a problem, and after that I will probably just have to add some more perlite or pumice to get it back into shape.

Today I have bought half inch plywood, 12 roller casters and mounting hardware, so I can build roller sleds for my 3 big tubs. We moved them to the big bloom room last night, but it was clear that we were in trouble without being able to move these tubs around freely as we trim and clean up the plants for bloom. The next several days are going to be used in cleaning up the mess we created in that little 6x7 room, with these plants growing into each other and against the walls for additional support. Now, more out in the open, we have some branches dragging and tomato cages needing to be built for vertical support of these huge plants. It's a problem, but as someone said earlier, it's one of those good problems to have. In the end, I am going to have some beautiful and gigantic plants and a watering and feeding system that can't be beat.

 

[Emilya Green]

can you run it a touch hot ?

some organic based nute growers have had a little success getting ahead of the schedule. i suspect they aren't really running hot, but were actually running lean, and didn't see or realize as the plant was making the most of the nute available, and not exhibiting an issue until it got even hungrier.

I could feed a bit more, or feed early, but so far, following the recommendations from GeoFlora to supplement the grow with Terpinator, I have not seen any signs of deficiency... even with these huge plants. The next feed (tomorrow) will be bloom nutes, and then we will get a good idea if the nutes are indeed supplying what is needed. If my 5g SIPs are any indication, we will be just fine by using recommended amounts and schedules.

 

[7Dust2]

PH needs in our grows is very much misunderstood. Some nutrient systems require strict adherence to pH in certain ranges, but my microbes nor soil nor plants do not care about the pH unless it goes over 9 or under 4. As long as the pH is in the liveable range, I really don't care what the pH does and neither will my grow. One of the main reasons I went organic was so that I never had to stress and worry about my pH ever again. I went with GeoFlora so that I also didn't have to stress or worry about chlorine.

I do think that my nutrients will end up going further than they would in a typical top watering situation, but I am not going to count on that and am happy to feed them every two weeks as is called for. My soil will not be depleted in any way during this grow since everything the plants need is coming in via the bi-weekly feedings, and I would expect this same soil be able to be used for 4 or 5 grows without a problem, and after that I will probably just have to add some more perlite or pumice to get it back into shape.

Today I have bought half inch plywood, 12 roller casters and mounting hardware, so I can build roller sleds for my 3 big tubs. We moved them to the big bloom room last night, but it was clear that we were in trouble without being able to move these tubs around freely as we trim and clean up the plants for bloom. The next several days are going to be used in cleaning up the mess we created in that little 6x7 room, with these plants growing into each other and against the walls for additional support. Now, more out in the open, we have some branches dragging and tomato cages needing to be built for vertical support of these huge plants. It's a problem, but as someone said earlier, it's one of those good problems to have. In the end, I am going to have some beautiful and gigantic plants and a watering and feeding system that can't be beat

Yep and your right. Rain water has pH of 7.2 -7.8 most time. In my rain barrel so makes u want ask why worry about it when natural rain is much higher and they do just fine in the wild

 

[bluter]

I could feed a bit more, or feed early, but so far, following the recommendations from GeoFlora to supplement the grow with Terpinator, I have not seen any signs of deficiency... even with these huge plants. The next feed (tomorrow) will be bloom nutes, and then we will get a good idea if the nutes are indeed supplying what is needed. If my 5g SIPs are any indication, we will be just fine by using recommended amounts and schedules.

i really don't see anything at all that would bother me. just curious why you were concerned about an underfeed.

 

[Emilya Green]

i really don't see anything at all that would bother me. just curious why you were concerned about an underfeed.

just still trying to wrap my head around the bottom watering being able to activate top feeding nutrients and microbes... it's one of those, "I see it, but I don't believe it" situations.

 

[bluter]

just still trying to wrap my head around the bottom watering being able to activate top feeding nutrients and microbes... it's one of those, "I see it, but I don't believe it" situations.

good chance it's simply tied in to wicking action. stuff kinda travels both ways as well.

edit : dunno if you've seen them, my mom's outdoor hydro garden works on the same principle. it's fed/watered from both ends though. you can leave it for ages though to go on vacation etc.

 

[Emilya Green]

I did same thing first couple tubs. The tall thing just gets in the way and throws quite a shadow. Double-checking just in case: did you remember to angle-cut the bottom end of fill-tube? (I did that too!)

What I did forget to do was to retrieve my good expensive 1/4 inch drill bit that I had dropped into the bottom of one of the new tubs, before I piled soil on top and built the tub to completion. Someday I will need to tear it down and retrieve that bit before its ruined.

 

[Azimuth]

I will be shortening the fill tubes... not sure what I was thinking, but these are rediconculous. And yes, I have the drainage holes at the 5" mark, right in the front of the tubs.

You might consider shortening them on both ends. If the fill tube only goes to the top of the reservoir and stops above the level of the drain hole you get air intake to the roots even when the reservoir is full.

 

[ReservoirDog]

Yep and your right. Rain water has pH of 7.2 -7.8 most time. In my rain barrel so makes u want ask why worry about it when natural rain is much higher and they do just fine in the wild

Thanks Dust. (May I call you Dust?) I've come to appreciate that, in the real-world and mine, the medium is the control for pH, after a few good reads, talks, and thinks, I can dig it.

I raise the over-ferts point out of skittishness - in a sense - because I have experience of only 1 - ok, now 2 - full, outdoor vegetable seasons (mixed organic and Sunshine4 mix/MC2pt tubs, tomatoes and cukes) and this one 420 grow currently at day 19 from 12/12 flip, growing in SIPs, and with comparatively light forum coverage online, on some days it doesn't feel like a lot of 'data' to go on.

Come to think of it, it's mostly just on those days when Emilya switches her entire show over to tubby-SIPs. The other days it's just a great adventure. My peppering with questions and reminders is coming from a place of nervousness.

What I do know, is they sure do grow the %^$#@ outta tomatoes.

 

[ReservoirDog]

You might consider shortening them on both ends. If the fill tube only goes to the top of the reservoir and stops above the level of the drain hole you get air intake to the roots even when the reservoir is full.

Yes, or, if you have a cutting phobia, as I at one time did (and honestly still do with wood) you can drill a buncha holes starting above the 5-inch line as I have done with some tubes so I could still 'ground out' the angle-cut fill-tube on the floor of the tub for stability. Good catch Azimuth, methinks this cross-breeze feature is a core capability required for the astonishing moisture cycling benefit we observe. Is a wonderfully 'au natural' O2 replenishment method, and indeed by many, many serious growers considered to be superior to any forced oxygenation. I have no data nor indeed any theory to support this, but many credible folks do and it seems straightforward and inexpensive to lab test.

Look, depending on the metal makeup of that forlorn drill bit, and how much you paid for it, you might want to just suck it up and dive back in. I've seen some things in my time as a professional mariner in the bilges of boats that'd turn your hair grey. Can get real bad, real fast, esp. for 'carbon steel'. Thankfully, it'll be nice Missouri tap water in there, (if I recall) and thus electrolysis not an impactful concern, but there are others.

I sure am looking forward to my LOS soil being ready to use, I'm a first-timer, really, but I've sworn to wait until March at the soonest. I'm giving it a full year because it was made from very raw materials in every case and literally hundreds of gallons of worm tea were required to spark some apparent micro-fauna/fungi. (it's a lot of soil, 35ftx4.5 ftx3ft) I do adore my MC2pt, but now, having eliminated 'watering' from the regime, I'm giddy with the thought of doing away with nute mixing while I'm at it. However, even if the soil is ready earlier, I don't think my sole planned amendment, my recipe-fed worm castings, will be ready for action until another cycle has come and gone, minimum. Can't rush Mother Nature - 'cept when you can. Har! Thnx for the space E., and the tolerance.

 

[Azimuth]

However, even if the soil is ready earlier, I don't think my sole planned amendment, my recipe-fed worm castings, will be ready for action until another cycle has come and gone, minimum. Can't rush Mother Nature -

My castings go for 4-6 months to finish. I have three bins that each get filled over a two month period and then rotated through the stack. Faster ends up with less finished castings.

 

[ReservoirDog]

That's helpful. Thank you Azi. Do you have an estimate for the weight/number of worms and the volumes of your containers, or ballpark?

 

[Azimuth]

The containers are 7 gallons I believe. No idea on the worms. They are free to migrate through the three bins and their numbers are self regulating based in available food and real estate.

When I havest a bin I go through the castings for extra worms and eggs and spread them around my pots or throw them back into the active mix.

 

[Emilya Green]

I am in the process of changing grow rooms around, but instead of a rotation, we are simply exchanging the two Bloom Rooms. Moving the 27 gallon tub SIPs without wheels was a chore, but it has happened. The big lights have also been moved, so that the girls never missed a moment of their big @Cultiuana CT-720 or their far red light strip. I will report more on them tomorrow, after I have been able to give at least a few of them a good trim and have fitted them with a creative plastic tomato cage build. Right now they don't want to be seen, and are like a group of cute girls just back from a week long beach camping expedition. Their hair is a mess, sand is stubbornly stuck in places it may never get out of, their skin is ruined, eyes are swollen and sunburned... you get the picture. They had a wild time back there in that tiny room, and really thought they were getting away with something. Not any more. Vacation is over.

These will help a lot. This mistress has her secret weapon built and now the carefree plants don't stand a chance. Here we are on the 7th day of transition and surely they are about to switch over to bloom. It is time for me to trim out the lower third of the plants to create some airflow under there and save energy for the top buds. It is time to trim out the middle and untangle that mess, so that light and air can get to the majority of the buds with less risk of mold or other pests hiding in the darkness. It is time to shape them into proper and pretty young ladies who are ready to bloom. And now with nice rubber wheels underneath them, it will be easy to move them all about while this is being done. In a few days, the main Bloom Room will be a showroom of big beautiful plants, now able to spread out and achieve their best under this amazing light.

Today was feeding day, but no one looked hungry. I am not going to stress a day or two at this point. I know they need it, but tomorrow is another day. Today was frustrating, dealing with Lowe's and their incompetent staff, and their seeming inability to get a custom wood cut order correct or match mounting hardware with the 4mm holes in the swivel casters. Three trips to the store... and I'm not done yet and will soon have custom sleds under every SIP, and with SIPs in every room.

 

[Emilya Green]

Here are the new SIPs, with seedlings about to come up. At least the setup is pretty! I also cut down the fill tubes and like the idea of drilling holes in that tube from about 5.5 inches down to where the angle cut begins so that oxygen can get down into the rez at any point. The light level right now is 975 fc or 10k Lux. Someone remind me to put the rest of that Mylar up behind these and off to that left side.