Colombian Andes Greenhouse SIP CBD Auto Grow

[CBDMed]

Hi Azi.
I need to ask for your help with the banana-worm-castings tea that you taught me how to make before.
The reason why is that the main transport road for the country is collapsing, and resupply has slowed to a crawl.
I only have a tiny amount of the PK 13-14 left. I have more ordered, but resupply is very limited and delayed operation. Store shelves are going bare. Gas is hard to get right now.
I need to save what tiny amount of PK 13-14 I have left for the two Purple Kush Autos, because I need to put their PK down the fill tube (so they do not mold).

For everyone else, I have several jars of banana-worm-castings tea that I made right before the move--and I am so very thankful I did, because it is my only liquid source of P or K right now, and I really need it, because these SIPs really have everything on overdrive!
I kept upping the dose of PK 13-14 for the Afghan Mass XXL. I was at the maximum recommended dose during heavy flower, but still it seems that she did not get enough, because so she got hurt.

So now everyone gets top-fed with nana-worm-casting tea, recharge, molasses, and a tablespoon of whatever they got in BioNova Veganics Bloom (mostly algaes, I think).
None of these little girl autos drains their tank in less than 2-3 days, so in order to minimize flies and humidity, I thought I would top-water every other day.
I want to make sure I feed them enough P and K, so I wanted to double-check the dosages with you, just to be sure I understand what I am reading.

Dr. Google sez there are 67.62 tablespoons in a liter.
So if you put 2 Tablespoons in a liter you get 1:34.

Does that probably correspond to the maximum dose of the PK 13-14 during flower (which was not enough, because she did not have enough [because she is in a SIP])?
It seems so hard to know what to do, because I don't want her to get damaged because of lack of P or K, but I don't want to overdo it, either.

I think I know how to spot PK deficiency--but what are the symptoms if they get too much?? (So far I have not had that problem, but now we are dealing with different stuff...)
Any advice on getting the dosage right?
Thank you!

 

[Azimuth]

2 tablespoons equal an ounce and there are 32 ounces in a quart which is roughly a liter, so, 1:32 for a quart so you're on target there. You  can go as much as 1:20 if you feel you need more, so that would be 3 Tablespoons per liter.

 

[CBDMed]

Thanks, Azi! We are eating bananas a lot, making jars as quick as we can.

 

[CBDMed]

Top-watering question:
If I am top-watering, do I still add molasses and recharge once a week? Or do I add them more often than that (because the SIP speeds things up so much)?
Confession: frankly, I'm not real clear what the role of microbes and molasses is. I think maybe Recharge has beneficial microbes, and when we feed them molasses for food they make lots of beneficial poo that the plants eat (or something like that). Mmm... yummy! I am glad the plants like it!


But I have no idea whether adding Recharge and molasses makes more N or P or K, or how that works. (Does that mean that right now, the microbes are smarter than me?)
What am I really doing by adding Recharge and molasses each week?
And what happens if I add it twice a week (because of the SIP)?

 

[CBDMed]

Hi @Azimuth ,
Could you please help me become smarter than my cannabis plants?
I am trying to understand how cannabis plants eat.
If I understand correctly, we put N, P, and K in the soil, and then the bacteria eat the stuff in the soil, and this makes bacteria-poo, which is what the plants eat.

So then, when I water with molasses and recharge once a week, what exactly does that do?
Is it boosting or adding N? Or P? Or K?
Or what exactly does this increased bacterial activity add, or do?

 

[Bill284]

Hi @Azimuth ,
Could you please help me become smarter than my cannabis plants?
I am trying to understand how cannabis plants eat.
If I understand correctly, we put N, P, and K in the soil, and then the bacteria eat the stuff in the soil, and this makes bacteria-poo, which is what the plants eat.

So then, when I water with molasses and recharge once a week, what exactly does that do?
Is it boosting or adding N? Or P? Or K?
Or what exactly does this increased bacterial activity add, or do?

I use bokashi, frass & DYNOMYCO to make a root zone full of life.
The microbes and fungi pamper and protect my roots.
Keep them healthy.
But they also feed the roots exactly what they need while doing this.
Then when I give molasses it feeds the microbes, they multiply when fed.
So it keeps the microbes healthy and happy.
That's a Win / Win.
Just my 2 cents Azi can explain it better.
Hope you had a nice weekend my friend.
Take care.




#Vivosun #Love What You Grow
Bill284

 

[Azimuth]

Hi @Azimuth ,
Could you please help me become smarter than my cannabis plants?
I am trying to understand how cannabis plants eat.
If I understand correctly, we put N, P, and K in the soil, and then the bacteria eat the stuff in the soil, and this makes bacteria-poo, which is what the plants eat.

So then, when I water with molasses and recharge once a week, what exactly does that do?
Is it boosting or adding N? Or P? Or K?
Or what exactly does this increased bacterial activity add, or do?

In an organic grow, any nutrients you add essentially get added to the nutrient bank accounts in the soil which the plants cannot access directly themselves so they call on a personal shopper (the microbes and fungi), tell them what they want and pay them essentially in sugars which they push out of their roots.

The shoppers then go out and search for what is requested to bring back to the roots.

In the meantime, the microbes and the fungi are all swimming around, feeding and competing and consuming each other. Some of them consume the various elements in the soil which ties them up in their bodies, but which then get released either through their waste or when they get eaten themselves.

By feeding simple sugars to your soils, you are in turn feeding the microbes which temporarily increases their numbers and therefore the amount of nutrients they process and therefore become available to provide to the plant via those microbes when requested.

Feeding them this way will favor certain microbes over others and temporarily throw the system off a bit which is why you don't feed them this way constantly. However the life cycle of these soil inhabitants is extremely short (populations can double every 20-30 minutes for a bit)
so all of this activity can process a lot of nutrients in a short time making them more available in the soil.

That's what we are doing when making the JMS (Jadam Microbial Solution), temporarily exploding the population to more quickly process nutrients.

The molasses don't add an appreciable amount of the NPK, but are mainly a food source to boost microbial populations, whereas your fish fertilizer is more of a fungal food to feed your fungi. You need both in a properly balanced system.

 

[Bill284]

In an organic grow, any nutrients you add essentially get added to the nutrient bank accounts in the soil which the plants cannot access directly themselves so they call on a personal shopper (the microbes and fungi), tell them what they want and pay them essentially in sugars which they push out of their roots.

The shoppers then go out and search for what is requested to bring back to the roots.

In the meantime, the microbes and the fungi are all swimming around, feeding and competing and consuming each other. Some of them consume the various elements in the soil which ties them up in their bodies, but which then get released either through their waste or when they get eaten themselves.

By feeding simple sugars to your soils, you are in turn feeding the microbes which temporarily increases their numbers and therefore the amount of nutrients they process and therefore become available to provide to the plant via those microbes when requested.

Feeding them this way will favor certain microbes over others and temporarily throw the system off a bit which is why you don't feed them this way constantly. However the life cycle of these soil inhabitants is extremely short (populations can double every 20-30 minutes for a bit)
so all of this activity can process a lot of nutrients in a short time making them more available in the soil.

That's what we are doing when making the JMS (Jadam Microbial Solution), temporarily exploding the population to more quickly process nutrients.

The molasses don't add an appreciable amount of the NPK, but are mainly a food source to boost microbial populations, whereas your fish fertilizer is more of a fungal food to feed your fungi. You need both in a properly balanced system.

Thank you so much Azi
Hope you had a great weekend.
Take care.




#Vivosun #LoveWhatYouGrow
Bill284

 

[CBDMed]

I use bokashi, frass & DYNOMYCO to make a root zone full of life.
The microbes and fungi pamper and protect my roots.
Keep them healthy.
But they also feed the roots exactly what they need while doing this.
Then when I give molasses it feeds the microbes, they multiply when fed.
So it keeps the microbes healthy and happy.
That's a Win / Win.
Just my 2 cents Azi can explain it better.
Hope you had a nice weekend my friend.
Take care.

#Vivosun #Love What You Grow
Bill284

Hey @Bill284 , thanks! That was helpful!

And how often do you feed molasses? 1-2 Tablespoons every other week? (Or what?)

(PS, your new avatar still cracks me up!!)

 

[Bill284]

Hey @Bill284 , thanks! That was helpful!

And how often do you feed molasses? 1-2 Tablespoons every other week? (Or what?)

(PS, your new avatar still cracks me up!!)

I put a spoonful in a few liters and give everyone a drink about every week or so.
Some nutrient companies make products like Nature's Candy you can give more frequently that has more than 1 sugar in it.
Plus other helpful ingredients.
Otherwise every 7 or 8 days works for me.
Do you have access to any microbial tea's?




#Vivosun #LoveWhatYouGrow
Bill284

 

[CBDMed]

In an organic grow, any nutrients you add essentially get added to the nutrient bank accounts in the soil which the plants cannot access directly themselves so they call on a personal shopper (the microbes and fungi), tell them what they want and pay them essentially in sugars which they push out of their roots.

Ahhh, so N, P, and K are like deposits at the bank.
Microbes and fungi are the agent shoppers who have account access (and not the plant).
Molasses feed the microbes and fungi, which helps to speed up their processes, so they can withdraw all the money from the bank a lot sooner??
So they are not adding NPK, they are helping you to access the NPK that you already have on deposit?

The shoppers then go out and search for what is requested to bring back to the roots.

Ahh......

In the meantime, the microbes and the fungi are all swimming around, feeding and competing and consuming each other. Some of them consume the various elements in the soil which ties them up in their bodies, but which then get released either through their waste or when they get eaten themselves.

Ahh, ok! Got it! Thanks!

By feeding simple sugars to your soils, you are in turn feeding the microbes which temporarily increases their numbers and therefore the amount of nutrients they process and therefore become available to provide to the plant via those microbes when requested.

Got it.

Feeding them this way will favor certain microbes over others and temporarily throw the system off a bit which is why you don't feed them this way constantly. However the life cycle of these soil inhabitants is extremely short (populations can double every 20-30 minutes for a bit)
so all of this activity can process a lot of nutrients in a short time making them more available in the soil.

Ok, great!
So how often to feed molasses in a SIP? Still one or two tablespoon per gallon every two weeks still? (Or more than that, because the SIP speeds things up?)

That's what we are doing when making the JMS (Jadam Microbial Solution), temporarily exploding the population to more quickly process nutrients.

I will have to check that out. Is that a simple one to make and to learn?
(Still hoping to get time to make LAB one day soon.)

The molasses don't add an appreciable amount of the NPK, but are mainly a food source to boost microbial populations, whereas your fish fertilizer is more of a fungal food to feed your fungi. You need both in a properly balanced system.

Ahh, ok, thanks!
I have not used any of the fish-stink yet, because it is really smelly. (I am waiting until we get onto the land, and have outdoor plants needing N. Then I will use the fish-stink).

Only, is the Banana-worm tea also a fungal food? (Or not really also a fungal food?)
Meaning, do I also add Re-charge when I use Banana-worm tea and molasses?
Or is Re-charge Re-dundant, because the banana-worm tea already provides microbes (and molasses is just food for microbes)?

 

[CBDMed]

I put a spoonful in a few liters and give everyone a drink about every week or so.

Ahh, ok, perfect! Thanks!

Some nutrient companies make products like Nature's Candy you can give more frequently that has more than 1 sugar in it.
Plus other helpful ingredients.
Otherwise every 7 or 8 days works for me.

Ahh, ok.
So, having more than one kind of sugar is a plus?

So, top-dressing with Nature's Candy would be an alternative to molasses and Re-charge?

Do you have access to any microbial tea's?

Great question.
Not sure, really.
I have Azi's Fish-Stink-in-Water tea (which I would rather not use indoors--at least not much), and Azi's Banana-Worm-Poo tea (aged about 2-3 months). So those count?
Also, I was watching a video about how to make LAB, and it seemed really simple, but we have not got there yet.

I have a fish tank bubbler and made worm casting tea one time. (I am not sure if that is what you might mean.)
Then @Emilya Green said to use Re-charge instead, so I have been using Re-charge.
(I am still not really sure why adding extra worm castings to the soil does not do the same thing as worm casting tea.)

And as long as we are here, may I please ask, what does DynoMyco do?
Is that microbes?
Or what does DynoMyco (or other Myco) do in the big scheme of things?
THANKS!

 

[Bill284]

Ahh, ok, perfect! Thanks!


Ahh, ok.
So, having more than one kind of sugar is a plus?

So, top-dressing with Nature's Candy would be an alternative to molasses and Re-charge?

Great question.
Not sure, really.
I have Azi's Fish-Stink-in-Water tea (which I would rather not use indoors--at least not much), and Azi's Banana-Worm-Poo tea (aged about 2-3 months). So those count?
Also, I was watching a video about how to make LAB, and it seemed really simple, but we have not got there yet.

I have a fish tank bubbler and made worm casting tea one time. (I am not sure if that is what you might mean.)
Then @Emilya Green said to use Re-charge instead, so I have been using Re-charge.
(I am still not really sure why adding extra worm castings to the soil does not do the same thing as worm casting tea.)

And as long as we are here, may I please ask, what does DynoMyco do?
Is that microbes?
Or what does DynoMyco (or other Myco) do in the big scheme of things?
THANKS!

DYNOMYCO

It increases my root volume and health.
Great stuff @DYNOMYCO




#Vivosun #LoveWhatYouGrow
Bill284

 

[CBDMed]

DYNOMYCO

It increases my root volume and health.
Great stuff @DYNOMYCO




#Vivosun #LoveWhatYouGrow
Bill284

Ok, great! Thanks!!


Only, "inquiring minds want to know..."
How does Dynomyco work with @Azimuth 's Super Shopper bacteria?

(Meaning, I guess, how does Dynomyco interact with Re-charge / microbial tea, NPK, and roots???)
@Azimuth??

 

[Bill284]

Ok, great! Thanks!!


Only, "inquiring minds want to know..."
How does Dynomyco work with @Azimuth 's Super Shopper bacteria?

(Meaning, I guess, how does Dynomyco interact with Re-charge / microbial tea, NPK, and roots???)
@Azimuth??

I use bokashi & frass they act symbiotic with dynomyco.
Helping each other improve the root zone health and nutritional uptake.
It's a circle of life in the root zone.
All Helping each other help feed the roots what they need when they need it.
Like adding high octain fuel to your Hemi Cuda, sure it's already fast but hold on.




#Vivosun #LoveWhatYouGrow
Bill284

 

[CBDMed]

I use bokashi & frass they act symbiotic with dynomyco.
Helping each other improve the root zone health and nutritional uptake.
It's a circle of life in the root zone.
All Helping each other help feed the roots what they need when they need it.
Like adding high octain fuel to your Hemi Cuda, sure it's already fast but hold on.




#Vivosun #LoveWhatYouGrow
Bill284

Ok, thanks, Bill! I am getting a much better picture.
Just do whatever helps to improve the root zone health and nutritional uptake.
And DynoMyco is great for roots?
Got it! Thanks!

 

[CBDMed]

In an organic grow, any nutrients you add essentially get added to the nutrient bank accounts in the soil which the plants cannot access directly themselves so they call on a personal shopper (the microbes and fungi), tell them what they want and pay them essentially in sugars which they push out of their roots.

The shoppers then go out and search for what is requested to bring back to the roots.

In the meantime, the microbes and the fungi are all swimming around, feeding and competing and consuming each other. Some of them consume the various elements in the soil which ties them up in their bodies, but which then get released either through their waste or when they get eaten themselves.

By feeding simple sugars to your soils, you are in turn feeding the microbes which temporarily increases their numbers and therefore the amount of nutrients they process and therefore become available to provide to the plant via those microbes when requested.

Feeding them this way will favor certain microbes over others and temporarily throw the system off a bit which is why you don't feed them this way constantly. However the life cycle of these soil inhabitants is extremely short (populations can double every 20-30 minutes for a bit)
so all of this activity can process a lot of nutrients in a short time making them more available in the soil.

That's what we are doing when making the JMS (Jadam Microbial Solution), temporarily exploding the population to more quickly process nutrients.

The molasses don't add an appreciable amount of the NPK, but are mainly a food source to boost microbial populations, whereas your fish fertilizer is more of a fungal food to feed your fungi. You need both in a properly balanced system.

Hey Azi, this was great! Thanks!
But how does DynoMyco fit into your bacteria Super Shopper world?
Is there an analogy that fits DynoMyco (or just Myco in general)?

 

[Azimuth]

Hey Azi, this was great! Thanks!
But how does DynoMyco fit into your bacteria Super Shopper world?
Is there an analogy that fits DynoMyco (or just Myco in general)?

There are two very different and complimentary organisms in an organic soil grow; myco and bacteria. The myco work directly with and inside of the roots and those are fed with more fungal foods like your fish fertilizer, and the other microbes are fed with a more bacterial dominant source, like regular compost, many compost teas (depending on ingredients used), molassses and the KNF/Jadam extracts.

You need both for a healthy soil. I get some version of myco with the leaf mold component of my soil mix but there are many different kinds and there's no way for me to tell if I have any of the various strains found in the commercial products without testing. They are usually listed on the label of the commercial products.

The myco attaches to the roots in a very fine web-like structure and actually extend the roots reach in the soil and they are much thinner and so can get into spaces too small for roots like the cracks and crevasses in biochar.

The myco has to attach to a living root to do its thing which is why many growers dust their seeds and rootballs in the stuff when planting/up-potting.

 

[CBDMed]

There are two very different and complimentary organisms in an organic soil grow; myco and bacteria. The myco work directly with and inside of the roots and those are fed with more fungal foods like your fish fertilizer, and the other microbes are fed with a more bacterial dominant source, like regular compost, many compost teas (depending on ingredients used), molassses and the KNF/Jadam extracts.

Ahhh, ok! Great to know, thanks!
Bacteria = microbes = super shoppers
Myco = super shopper network extender

You need both for a healthy soil. I get some version of myco with the leaf mold component of my soil mix but there are many different kinds and there's no way for me to tell if I have any of the various strains found in the commercial products without testing. They are usually listed on the label of the commercial products.

Yeah.

The myco attaches to the roots in a very fine web-like structure and actually extend the roots reach in the soil and they are much thinner and so can get into spaces too small for roots like the cracks and crevasses in biochar.

Ahh, ok. Like mushroom mycelium? (Primary decomposers.)

The myco has to attach to a living root to do its thing which is why many growers dust their seeds and rootballs in the stuff when planting/up-potting.

Yeah, ok. Thank you! That helps a lot!

 

[CBDMed]

Whoosh!
Speaking of microbes and all that, we asked our helpers to get us enough leaven to bake some loaves of bread, and they must have thought we said we were opening a bakery, because they bought us wayyy too much baking leaven! (We are not opening a bakery! Lol!)

Big sigh....
I am scared to ask, but does leaven compost well, and leave goodies for plants?
Or will it potentially unbalance a soil mix (and it is better to give it away to the neighbors, or trade it with an actual bakery)?

This is what the supersoil from the bottom of the cooking bin looks like. (It is wetter than the rest.)