Colombian Andes Greenhouse SIP CBD Auto Grow

[CBDMed]

You should be able to calculate N based on the particular recipe of the supersoil, and also account for your modifications. Do you know the recipe of the supersoil you are using?

Thanks, @cbdhemp808 !
I dropped onto Azi's SIP Club thread, said "Hi!" to Krissi, and she asked some folks to stop by for a chat.
Two of dem be using da supersoil with no issues, mon!
One had PK issues (Buds).
A fourth SIP supersoil user (Keffke) said he has never had any issues with his supersoil in his SIPs, so it must be some kind of amendment I made.
Lol!

I explained the whole Rice Hull Saga.
If anyone asks me, it sounds like your thought was correct, in that the rice hulls are probably breaking down slowly, and thus slowly stealing N (and probably also some oxygen--but at least with the SIPs they have a fighting chance with oxygen!).

Keffke said not to add N unless I am 100% sure that is the root cause, because supersoil is balanced, and if you add extra N to the mix when N deficiency is not the root problem, it can have unintended side effects.
So... since the dog water seems to be working so well, and it is free, then maybe just keep on keepin' on??
Thanks for your help!

 

[Keffka]

Thanks, @cbdhemp808 !
I dropped onto Azi's SIP Club thread, said "Hi!" to Krissi, and she asked some folks to stop by for a chat.
Two of dem be using da supersoil with no issues, mon!
One had PK issues (Buds).
A fourth SIP supersoil user (Keffke) said he has never had any issues with his supersoil in his SIPs, so it must be some kind of amendment I made.
Lol!

I explained the whole Rice Hull Saga.
If anyone asks me, it sounds like your thought was correct, in that the rice hulls are probably breaking down slowly, and thus slowly stealing N (and probably also some oxygen--but at least with the SIPs they have a fighting chance with oxygen!).

Keffke said not to add N unless I am 100% sure that is the root cause, because supersoil is balanced, and if you add extra N to the mix when N deficiency is not the root problem, it can have unintended side effects.
So... since the dog water seems to be working so well, and it is free, then maybe just keep on keepin' on??
Thanks for your help!

I posted it in the other journal but I think cbd got it as well.. Your rice hulls are decomping which most container growers would probably never realize, but the oxygen from the SIP is really energizing the entire process.

If what you’ve chosen has been working then I wouldn’t fix it. This is something you can easily fix going forward so you won’t be forced to rescue tons of plants just by adding a bit of blood Meal. I like to use layers and spikes for extra nutrient supplies like nitrogen.

 

[CBDMed]

Hi @Keffka !
Thanks for posting here! (It greatly simplifies my life!)

I posted it in the other journal but I think cbd got it as well.. Your rice hulls are decomping which most container growers would probably never realize, but the oxygen from the SIP is really energizing the entire process.

I am not sure if @cbdhemp808 is on the other thread or not, but he has been helping me here, so thanks for posting here. You are probably right. The SIP probably speeds up the entire decomposition process. It has been amazing for the little girls!

If what you’ve chosen has been working then I wouldn’t fix it. This is something you can easily fix going forward so you won’t be forced to rescue tons of plants just by adding a bit of blood Meal. I like to use layers and spikes for extra nutrient supplies like nitrogen.

Yeah, that makes total sense. It ain't broke, so leave it alone??

So, may I please ask, what do you do for layers and spikes? (What is your routine?)
I am very interested to leave the girls something for when they are in bloom.
And sorry to show my ignorance, but why is a layer or a spike better for that, than just blending it in with the soil evenly?

Also, may I please ask you? I need to recondition soil / supersoil from partially spent auto buckets.
Years ago (when I knew even less than I do now) I used 5g and 7g buckets for all-summer greenhouse grows with 1/3 supersoil in the bottom, and then just add water.
With a 5G bucket, there was plenty of food to fuel 5-6' tall bushes maybe a yard wide, with many colas.
I eventually went to 7G buckets, but that was mostly a water issue (because I had to water twice a day in summer with 5Gs, but with a 7G I was ok).

In contrast, now I have several 3G and 5G fabric pots that I used for autos, but they never really got very big (even for autos), so I think the soil is mostly unspent.
(It was an outdoor winter greenhouse grow, and maybe also cold. Plus, this was the grow that made me realize why people add aeration, lol!

So, do I recondition the supersoil?
Or do I just re-use it (and maybe use a touch more)? Or do I re-cook it? And if I re-cook it, how do I know how much of what to add?
(Some of them got top-dressed with GLN Sweet Candy. All of them had molasses.)
I just don't see how a 1-foot plant could possibly have made anything more than a dent in the nutrition of those buckets! (But if I should re-cook, then I would prefer to do that.)
(By the time I finish with aeration, probably it would be @ +/- 2 big garbage cans full.)

 

[cbdhemp808]

Two of dem be using da supersoil with no issues, mon!
One had PK issues (Buds).
A fourth SIP supersoil user (Keffke) said he has never had any issues with his supersoil in his SIPs, so it must be some kind of amendment I made.

I had never heard of supersoil before this thread. Looking around a bit online, it seems there are various recipes for it. So that is why I was asking if you knew the recipe for yours. At any rate, whatever NPK was in the original bag(s) of supersoil you used, that was cut in half by the addition of your rice hulls, correct? So, that right there eliminated a lot of the N.

 

[CBDMed]

I had never heard of supersoil before this thread. Looking around a bit online, it seems there are various recipes for it. So that is why I was asking if you knew the recipe for yours.

Ahh! Now I understand your question. I only knew of the one recipe.

Subcool’s Super Soil Step-by-Step

There’s nothing that compares to the flavor of properly grown organic pot: The subtle tastes and aromas created by using only “Mother Earth” are overwhelming to the senses when it’s done properly. As with vegetables, a rich organic soil can bring out the best in cannabis. Over the past 20 years...

hightimes.com

• 8 large bags of a high-quality organic potting soil with coco fiber and mycorrhizae (i.e., your base soil)
• 25 to 50 lbs of organic worm castings
• 5 lbs steamed bone meal
• 5 lbs Bloom bat guano
• 5 lbs blood meal
• 3 lbs rock phosphate
• ¾ cup Epson salts
• ½ cup sweet lime (dolomite)
• ½ cup azomite (trace elements)
• 2 tbsp powdered humic acid

It makes sense that there are other recipes. I just don't know what they are yet, except for this guy (who I am brand new to).

Super Soil Mix Perfected - A Closer Look At The Super Soil Recipe

Subcool's Super Soil was something that gave me good results to begin with, but a closer look at the recipe and some research of my own, there's definitely a better solution. Let's breakdown The Super Soil recipe.

buildasoil.com

At any rate, whatever NPK was in the original bag(s) of supersoil you used, that was cut in half by the addition of your rice hulls, correct? So, that right there eliminated a lot of the N.

I am sitting here thinking I still must not know how plants work.
Don't lots of guys add 40% aeration, and have no issues at all?
So I can only imagine the rice hulls are decomposing faster in the SIP environment, and thus are eating N (and O2).
But if the soil is fluffier, and the girls' little roots can breathe better, then don't they grow faster through said soil? (Meaning, maybe technically the roots need to grow more to get the same amount of nutrition, but then on the other hand, they CAN grow easier and better, because now they have sufficient air???)
Or how do roots really work?

 

[InTheShed]

Doesn't the decomposition of the rice hulls leave you with more compact soil in addition to less N from the process? The advantage to perlite or pumice is that they're inert and the roots ignore them.

 

[CBDMed]

Doesn't the decomposition of the rice hulls leave you with more compact soil in addition to less N from the process? The advantage to perlite or pumice is that they're inert and the roots ignore them.

Hi Shed!
Big sigh.... Yes, the original plan was to add 50-50 soil and rice hulls. I fully expected them to compact some in the mixing so that it mimicked more like a 60-40, but SURPRISE! That did not happen! Instead it is more like 50-50 with rice hulls.

I thought that as they break down slowly, over time, I can add Perlite to restore aeration. Only, it seemed better to add the rice hulls first because they will break down and leave silica, whereas Perlite just breaks down into smaller pieces of Perlite. (So if you add the rice hulls first, eventually you get both. But if you add the Perlite first, how do you get the silica??)

It might be safer to do 60 soil, and then break up the aeration as 20-20 Perlite and Rice Hulls, or perhaps 30-10, or whatever). However, if this works, it should put silica in the soil faster, so I am actually thinking of mimicking the same 50-50 ratio when I go to recook this (half) spent soil... (Please scream if that is a spectacularly bad idea... lol!)

 

[InTheShed]

Don't know anything about recooking soil but...

Perlite just breaks down into smaller pieces of Perlite.

I've never had perlite break down into smaller pieces, and I dump all my used soil into my garden. And...

But if you add the Perlite first, how do you get the silica??

There are other ways to add silica, from diatomaceous earth to potassium silicate to horsetails to calcium silicate (like wollastonite), among others.

 

[CBDMed]

Don't know anything about recooking soil but...

I've never had perlite break down into smaller pieces, and I dump all my used soil into my garden. And...

There are other ways to add silica, from diatomaceous earth to potassium silicate to horsetails to calcium silicate (like wollastonite), among others.

Ahhhh, ok. Thanks! Good to know that!

For the horsetails, are you talking KNF and brown sugar plus worm (1:1000)?
Or are you composting them? Or how do I best access / use it?
(They have horsetail all over the valley. It is everywhere [and no one cares]. I just have to find it on a clean piece of ground [i.e., no Roundup or chemicals]).

And diatomaceous earth is easy to get.
From WIkipedia:
"The typical chemical composition of oven-dried diatomaceous earth is 80–90% silica, with 2–4% alumina (attributed mostly to clay minerals), and 0.5–2% iron oxide.

Is the aluminum ever an issue (Alzheimers)?

 

[InTheShed]

For the horsetails, are you talking KNF and brown sugar plus worm (1:1000)?
Or are you composting them? Or how do I best access / use it?

I'm not doing any of that! I use monosilicic acid from a bottle.

To find an answer, hang on while I google that shit:

"Equisetum is used mainly because it contains a tremendous amount of silica. I am sure you have all heard that it is sometimes called "Scout's scouring brush" because it can be used to scrub clean pots and pans while on a camping trip. Here, the idea is to concentrate the silica which is in your equisetum.

To make a tea with your horsetail, take 10 to 12 ounces of stems and fronds by weight and boil them in 1 gallon of water for about 30 minutes. What could be easier?

After it has cooled, strain the liquid and put it into a spray bottle for foliar application or a watering can for use as a soil drench. The silica from the equisetum has been concentrated by the boiling process. Some people claim this protects plants by acting as a prophylactic against pests and diseases."
Source

Also:

"How it’s used
Equisetum is used both as a tea and a concentrated fermented brew. Both can be used as a foliar spray on plants/crops and the soil, though being more dilute, the tea tends to be used more as a foliar spray, and the fermented brew as a drench on the soil. The two complement each other. As a foliar spray in the greenhouse, for example, the tea balances the moist environment and helps prevent aphid, whitefly, fungus, and damping off. As a soil drench, the fermented brew is said to help balance beneficial fungal and bacterial organisms in the soil by increasing their populations.


Picking and drying Equisetum
To ensure the best quality, pick the fronds and stems, cutting them at the base, before mid summer. For a year long supply you can dry the equisetum easily by laying it out on a kitchen cooling rack to allow for air circulation in a warm sunny place until it feels dry and brittle. It can then be stored in a paper bag in a dry place ready to use as you need it.


a) To make Equisetum Tea
Simmer 50-100g fresh horsetail in 1-3 litres of rainwater in a covered pan (eg a stock pot) for 30 minutes.Turn off the heat, and let the infusion cool. When cold, strain the liquid, transfer to bottle(s) or a similar suitable container with a lid. It is now ready for use, and will keep for several weeks. For long term storage, use fermented equisetum.

How to apply Equisetum Tea and Ferment
Both can be used as a prophylactic and a treatment, though as a prophylactic, the stronger ferment is recommended. The tea is usually applied diluted 1:5, preferably in rainwater, and the ferment 1:10. For prophylactic treatments dilutions, up to 1:50 have been effective.

• Only dilute just before you’re ready to use. Stir /dynamise in the usual biodynamic fashion for 15-20 minutes.
• If spraying, use a garden sprayer set on the fine setting and spray directly on plants /crops misting both upper and lower leaves.
• The best time to spray is from sunrise to mid-morning. If drenching, drench the soil using a watering can."

Source

Is the aluminum ever an issue (Alzheimers)?

No idea but I'm sure opinions abound.

 

[cbdhemp808]

Don't forget greensand, i.e. glauconite. It's what I use for iron and silicon, and many other trace minerals. [ source ]

 

[StoneOtter]

Hi @Keffka !
Thanks for posting here! (It greatly simplifies my life!)

I am not sure if @cbdhemp808 is on the other thread or not, but he has been helping me here, so thanks for posting here. You are probably right. The SIP probably speeds up the entire decomposition process. It has been amazing for the little girls!

Yeah, that makes total sense. It ain't broke, so leave it alone??

So, may I please ask, what do you do for layers and spikes? (What is your routine?)
I am very interested to leave the girls something for when they are in bloom.
And sorry to show my ignorance, but why is a layer or a spike better for that, than just blending it in with the soil evenly?

Also, may I please ask you? I need to recondition soil / supersoil from partially spent auto buckets.
Years ago (when I knew even less than I do now) I used 5g and 7g buckets for all-summer greenhouse grows with 1/3 supersoil in the bottom, and then just add water.
With a 5G bucket, there was plenty of food to fuel 5-6' tall bushes maybe a yard wide, with many colas.
I eventually went to 7G buckets, but that was mostly a water issue (because I had to water twice a day in summer with 5Gs, but with a 7G I was ok).

In contrast, now I have several 3G and 5G fabric pots that I used for autos, but they never really got very big (even for autos), so I think the soil is mostly unspent.
(It was an outdoor winter greenhouse grow, and maybe also cold. Plus, this was the grow that made me realize why people add aeration, lol!

So, do I recondition the supersoil?
Or do I just re-use it (and maybe use a touch more)? Or do I re-cook it? And if I re-cook it, how do I know how much of what to add?
(Some of them got top-dressed with GLN Sweet Candy. All of them had molasses.)
I just don't see how a 1-foot plant could possibly have made anything more than a dent in the nutrition of those buckets! (But if I should re-cook, then I would prefer to do that.)
(By the time I finish with aeration, probably it would be @ +/- 2 big garbage cans full.)

Here's 'The Rev's" spike recipes. At least one each flowering and veg spike. I use 2 each in a 7 or 10 gal pot.

 

[CBDMed]

Here's 'The Rev's" spike recipes. At least one each flowering and veg spike. I use 2 each in a 7 or 10 gal pot.

Looks great!! (Kind of like a Jobe's Tree Spike?)
Only, I still don't really get why a spike is better than blending it into the soil. What are the advantages of spikes over uniform blending? (Or is it just a different strategy??)

 

[CBDMed]

Don't forget greensand, i.e. glauconite. It's what I use for iron and silicon, and many other trace minerals. [ source ]

Ahh, ok! Thanks, CBD!
I will see if I can source greensand locally here.

 

[StoneOtter]

Looks great!! (Kind of like a Jobe's Tree Spike?)
Only, I still don't really get why a spike is better than blending it into the soil. What are the advantages of spikes over uniform blending? (Or is it just a different strategy??)

If you blend it in it will be too much. The mix will be excessive in something and have a bad grow. This is added to a soil before roots touch it and they will take it as needed late in the grow after it becomes more friendly for roots to handle. It's not just fertilizer, it's supercharging an already fertilized soil.

 

[CBDMed]

If you blend it in it will be too much. The mix will be excessive in something and have a bad grow. This is added to a soil before roots touch it and they will take it as needed late in the grow after it becomes more friendly for roots to handle. It's not just fertilizer, it's supercharging an already fertilized soil.

Ahh, ok ! That makes perfect sense! That's great!!
Kind of like putting a salt lick out for the cows, and they take what they want?

Here's 'The Rev's" spike recipes. At least one each flowering and veg spike. I use 2 each in a 7 or 10 gal pot.

And about how much is applied here?
Or, how far down do those spikes go?

 

[CBDMed]

Ohhhh, SNAP!
I was able to top the Afghan Mass XXL between nodes 4 and 5 a few days ago.
I thought I would bend her over, and I did not get very far, and I heard something snap (the stalk)?
I remembered that in Supercropping you intentionally damage the stalk, so it will grow back stronger and more robust (but only do it in veg unless there is an emergency).
And then I also remembered what some people said, that the stalks are a little hollow, and brittle, so I just left her alone, and talked nice to her.
Only, if I cannot bend her over, what is my training strategy for HST? Try to use stakes to gently bend down the top two, and hope the others catch up?

 

[CBDMed]

Well, this is a new strategy for me!
I took the top 4 fans, so that the larf could get light and develop.
If the stalks are hollow, and brittle, is there a better way to handle HST and LST in the future, so they don't snap??

 

[InTheShed]

Are these autos? Not many folks recommend high stress training for autos.

 

[CBDMed]

Are these autos? Not many folks recommend high stress training for autos.

Oh!!
Oy!! Well, I was just trying to copycat @Emilya Green. ("Monkey see, monkey do...")
I was just stoked because WITH a SIP, my auto Northern Lights CBD is finally maybe a third as big as her auto was, WITHOUT a SIP (Hahaha)!

It's just all "monkey see, monkey do" here!
(Monkey mess up, hopefully monkey learn over time?? Haha oy...!)
I was hoping to do the same thing with the Afghan Mass XXL as with the NL CBD, but if the stalks break, I need a new strategy for that strain.... (Any ideas?? :hopeful

It felt like a lot to take the top four fans, but I could not think of any other way to get light to the lower branches.
I am hoping to bend the newgrowth flat as it develops (i.e., while it is still soft) with long training hoops, and hopefully the lower branches will catch up as she grows??
If that is wrong, then I am out of ideas (and I hope that Emmers will know what to do).
(Not sure what is going on with my camera. There are vertical lines in the grow room only. Is it some kind of 50Hz / 60 Hz refresh issue? It started a few days ago. It is iPhone SE 2020.)

The goal is to get her to grow like the NL CBD (copycat of Emilya).
Other than that I am just trying to remove any fan leaf that is pointed either in, or sideways, or blocks a bud site, to open up the center of the plant. (And that is the extent of my strategy...)