Alfalfa tea update; On the 30th of January I used a tea consisting of 1/2 cup powdered alfalfa range cubes and 2 tablespoons of molasses in 4 gallons of rain water. I had bubbled it for 24 hours and it had created quite a foam. I was going to add worm castings and pond zyme but decided I wanted to limit the tea test to mostly alfalfa. I am using OC+ as a base nute and things were going fine but adding the tea seemed to really help bud developement and I added the tea again (bubbled again for three days before) on the 8th of February. Bud developement has never been better at the 4th week of 11/13. I am considering using the tea one more time next week. I put approximately 30 ounces of the tea in each pot which has 2.5 gallons of soil in it. From then on it will be Snow Storm Ultra and molasses only till finish. This is a wick system and the reservoir has only tap/rain water in it. My buckets are designed to keep the tea seperated from my reservoir (hopefully).
Doc Bud: All Organic OG Kush SCROG
- Thread starter Doc Bud
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- #402
What you said! Play around, figure out what works for your situation.....build the soil.
You're doing all that....success is in your future, barring environmental issues.
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- #403
The closer I get to harvest the less I want to add anything that might cause problems. my worm farm is getting a slow start for some reason but I have plenty of castings already and may add some to the last addition of aerated tea I'll use that has anything other than SSU and molasses in it. Next week.
FrankFoster
New Member
that's the reason I switched from soil, to soilless. Dirt to hydro, but I miss it. Because using soil is easy, less work, and requires almost nothing except water.
But not having bugs in the basement of my place, totally worth it.
Doc
Do you think a product like this is worth looking into?
Welcome to The Direct Root - Your directroot to a green thumb - 5' EcoSpike
They don't say what is in the fertilizer, but I have emailed them for a fert analysis. Or who makes the ferts for them.
I think I have seen them in the stores before without the ferts included.
Would it be good way to administer ones own concoction of nutes?
Do you think a product like this is worth looking into?
Welcome to The Direct Root - Your directroot to a green thumb - 5' EcoSpike
They don't say what is in the fertilizer, but I have emailed them for a fert analysis. Or who makes the ferts for them.
I think I have seen them in the stores before without the ferts included.
Would it be good way to administer ones own concoction of nutes?
- Thread starter
- #407
I don't see the need for such a thing. Healthy soil is what we're after. There's no need for a spike like this as long as the soil is good.
The entire ball of dirt needs nutrients and microbes and there will be different zones in the dirt, some airy and dry, some moist and teeming with fungi and bacteria....alll normal and proper.
Just make a good soil and top water. Let the critters do all the work for you.
My soil used to form a thin crust after waterings....I could scratch it and loosen it very easily....but it crusted.
That was before I top dressed with the rock powders! As soon as I did that, two things happened.
1.)a bunch of gnats flew into the sticky traps and/or died on the floor
2.)The dirt never crusted over and stayed fresh the whole time.
The OG's got just over 2 weeks of mineralized soil and they greatly benefited from even that. Add your rock powders and grow on! Skip the spike.
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- #408
Final yield on the OG gonna be just over 3 pounds.
It's not all dry yet, let alone cured, but I can judge pretty accurately based on how much space the buds are taking up in the curing room. Each wire holds about a pound, and I've got 3 full wires....and two paper bags full of nugs on top of that. I think we're looking at 3 lbs plus 2 to 4 ounces on top of that.
I'll take a couple pics and the close out the journal. Look for a new journal in which I'll document my foray into the quest for High Brix product!
It's not all dry yet, let alone cured, but I can judge pretty accurately based on how much space the buds are taking up in the curing room. Each wire holds about a pound, and I've got 3 full wires....and two paper bags full of nugs on top of that. I think we're looking at 3 lbs plus 2 to 4 ounces on top of that.
I'll take a couple pics and the close out the journal. Look for a new journal in which I'll document my foray into the quest for High Brix product!
OrganicTreees
New Member
I'd love to pull a pound harvest let alone 3#'s.. I bet if I wasn't constantly battling bugs I'd have a better shot. Can't wait to see some pics of that!
Tonight I'm nuking the entire room with some rosemary/lavendar/clove spray.. I'm striving to pull plants as nice as yours.. I have more than enough plants to be pulling pounds but these damn bugs are just ruining my garden.
Tonight I'm nuking the entire room with some rosemary/lavendar/clove spray.. I'm striving to pull plants as nice as yours.. I have more than enough plants to be pulling pounds but these damn bugs are just ruining my garden.
- Thread starter
- #410
If you copy me, you'll get a pound from 4 or 5 plants, depending on strain. IE, Blue Dream, Jack H. or most Indica's. Long flowering exotic sativa's are different.
Bugs.....I hate 'em.
If I were you I'd get some nasty stuff, like Avid. Wear a good respirator, and spray EVERYTHING 3 times, 4 days between sprayings.
During the course of the grow, if the plants are kept really healthy, they can withstand the bugs. The spraying with compost/worm tea makes all the difference! Not only do the bugs not like it, it heals the damage they do.
OrganicTreees
New Member
thats the plan bro, I'm almost done building my vertical system, and I'm incorporating using multiple sized containers, so I can run my 1-2gal SOG for 12 of the sites, and then stick up to 7 3-5 gallon pots on the bottom row.. We'll still have to see if all of this will fit, but thats the plan right now. It's a stacked structure running a bare bulb in the center.. I'll be sure to put some pics up when it's up and running.
I'm trying to do my best at controlling these mites without using chemicals.. So far I've been really successful using a homemade rosemary oil spray in a pump sprayer.. If i spray the plants every 3-4 days it greatly reduces their numbers.. I sprayed the flowering plants yesterday, and didn't see any signs of live mites, but there were still some eggs.. I got some lavendar and clove oil today along with more rosemary oil, so tonight I'm going to hit veg with that mix and see how they react.. I've done really good at keeping them off my THC Bomb and Hawaiian Snow seedlings that are about a month into veg right now.. They're super healthy with very very minor leaf damage, so I'm confident the mix works.. It's just a matter of being on top of it consistently. If that doesn't work soon though I'm going to resort to chemicals. I'm cycling my most damaged and biggest mothers also, trying to reduce the amount of foliage I have to spray until it's under control. I have some strains I want to phase out anyway from not being up to my standards.. (ie, my world of seeds AK is WAY too stretchy for my liking)
I have 4 varieties of chives I just planted that are finally breaking ground, so I hope that smell begins to drive them away.. I want to have one plant of chives next to every cannabis plant I have so help repel them.. I had to delay my hydro shop visit until this coming friday when I'll be getting 20lbs of EWC. I will be making teas right away and using it as a foliar like you suggested. I had such good yields last summer and was smoking so good.. I am dedicated to getting back to that with even bigger yields and quality
I'm trying to do my best at controlling these mites without using chemicals.. So far I've been really successful using a homemade rosemary oil spray in a pump sprayer.. If i spray the plants every 3-4 days it greatly reduces their numbers.. I sprayed the flowering plants yesterday, and didn't see any signs of live mites, but there were still some eggs.. I got some lavendar and clove oil today along with more rosemary oil, so tonight I'm going to hit veg with that mix and see how they react.. I've done really good at keeping them off my THC Bomb and Hawaiian Snow seedlings that are about a month into veg right now.. They're super healthy with very very minor leaf damage, so I'm confident the mix works.. It's just a matter of being on top of it consistently. If that doesn't work soon though I'm going to resort to chemicals. I'm cycling my most damaged and biggest mothers also, trying to reduce the amount of foliage I have to spray until it's under control. I have some strains I want to phase out anyway from not being up to my standards.. (ie, my world of seeds AK is WAY too stretchy for my liking)
I have 4 varieties of chives I just planted that are finally breaking ground, so I hope that smell begins to drive them away.. I want to have one plant of chives next to every cannabis plant I have so help repel them.. I had to delay my hydro shop visit until this coming friday when I'll be getting 20lbs of EWC. I will be making teas right away and using it as a foliar like you suggested. I had such good yields last summer and was smoking so good.. I am dedicated to getting back to that with even bigger yields and quality
I have also read that rosemary oil is really good for pest control... Here are some other things I have found suggested that work for different pests...
Neem oil
cedar oil
rosemary oil
habenero/jalapeno juice
peppermint tea
tobacco juice/tea
garlic cloves
green and yellow onions
cinnamon
basil
cloves
worm casing tea
vinegar
These are just some of the ones I could remember from doing a little looking around.
I use a neem/peppermint tea/hotsauce/tobacco blend to repel my fungus gnats and seems to work good...I only spray soil top and pots, not the actual plant, but seems to send the gnats off flying in distress..
OrganicTreees
New Member
I have tried cooking several chopped habanero's into water for about 20 minutes and straining it, cooling it, then adding rosemary oil to it for foliar spraying for mites. I found better results when I used it this way, although it was hard on the eyes and lungs when using it so I stopped.. I also spray up until harvest with the rosemary/water combo without any ill effects, and I don't feel right using peppers on buds I'm about to smoke, I just feel it would add some harshness to the smoke.. I'm hoping my garlic chives get big enough to scare some mites away.
Thanks for posting that, I'm taking notes so I can alternate my oil sprays. I think chemicals should be an ultimate last resort, and that's only if I have webs everywhere and from using what I've been using, I've been able to be completely web free for a while now. I rarely see people using healthy ways to get rid of pests.. For something we plan on smoking and giving to sick people, it should be as pure and clean as possible.
the peppermint, I read is really good for getting soil bugs out. I've only ever used the rosemary as far as oils go, so I'm excited to combine the lavendar and clove oils. I'll report back with my results.
I don't know if it's been mentioned, but I've also read in a few places of people planting garlic in with their plants (as long as they're using bigger pots, like 5 gallons). The garlic grows along with it and the smell makes mites not want to go near the plant, and doesn't take up enough space to compete for root room.. It's something I might look into if I can't get them under control this way.
Thanks for posting that, I'm taking notes so I can alternate my oil sprays. I think chemicals should be an ultimate last resort, and that's only if I have webs everywhere and from using what I've been using, I've been able to be completely web free for a while now. I rarely see people using healthy ways to get rid of pests.. For something we plan on smoking and giving to sick people, it should be as pure and clean as possible.
the peppermint, I read is really good for getting soil bugs out. I've only ever used the rosemary as far as oils go, so I'm excited to combine the lavendar and clove oils. I'll report back with my results.
I don't know if it's been mentioned, but I've also read in a few places of people planting garlic in with their plants (as long as they're using bigger pots, like 5 gallons). The garlic grows along with it and the smell makes mites not want to go near the plant, and doesn't take up enough space to compete for root room.. It's something I might look into if I can't get them under control this way.
OrganicTrees, sounds like you have the plague there.
I grow in coco - semi organic. I have no bug problems whatsoever. Used to have aphids, gnats and spider mites bad. Silica is my main defense. I use protekt both foliar and in feed. I also top dress with a little amorphous diatomaceous earth in the beginning of my grows, and perlite in the media. My plants only need protection during veg and early flower. After that they are strong enough to fight off most attacks on their own.
I also elicit a SAR response at key points in the cycle with chitosan and aggressive pruning; all of which helps the plant get stronger and more resinous. The silica really makes the plants strong though and I believe this is what makes my garden so easy to keep. The only other things in my arsenal are neem, rosemary and H2O2.
Well good luck with the bugs my friend!
I grow in coco - semi organic. I have no bug problems whatsoever. Used to have aphids, gnats and spider mites bad. Silica is my main defense. I use protekt both foliar and in feed. I also top dress with a little amorphous diatomaceous earth in the beginning of my grows, and perlite in the media. My plants only need protection during veg and early flower. After that they are strong enough to fight off most attacks on their own.
I also elicit a SAR response at key points in the cycle with chitosan and aggressive pruning; all of which helps the plant get stronger and more resinous. The silica really makes the plants strong though and I believe this is what makes my garden so easy to keep. The only other things in my arsenal are neem, rosemary and H2O2.
Well good luck with the bugs my friend!
OrganicTreees
New Member
thanks for your insight, I definitely have a plague on my hands.. I had not seen a bug in my garden in about 2.5 years, and I can only blame myself for getting them.. I brought a cutting in from outside when the seasons were changing and little did I know at the time, that plant attracts spider mites. I had the cuttings in my cloner along with other clones at the time that were waiting to be planted, so I brought it upon myself. It definitely opened my eyes to how easy you can ruin your crop.. I haven't had a decent chop in the last 8 plants I cut down. At least the next batch I've been aggressive with are at week 5 and are already fatter than the widows I had recently chopped at 9 weeks.
I'm curious as to how the plant will fend off bugs, the science behind it.. Do any of you guys know how that works? Does it emit some chemical or scent that turns the bugs away?
I'm curious as to how the plant will fend off bugs, the science behind it.. Do any of you guys know how that works? Does it emit some chemical or scent that turns the bugs away?
Azamax! is what your looking for. You can use it as a spray, but the best way to to feed it to you girls every other watering and from then on it repels all insects. Used it for two out door grows and it worked just fine. We have all kinds of weird insects over here.
OrganicTreees
New Member
how much do you typically use? It's a bit on the pricey side, but if it works, I may get some for soil drenches and get ahead of them
Hi my friend. One fluid oz per gal at first, every other feeding. If it doesn't work at that level, one can go all to way to 4 fluid onces per gallon. Brother you are right, very expensive. I used the lowest level all grow. No problems.
Stoned4daze61
New Member
OMM is right ! Azamax works wonders and it's says it can be applied up to day of harvest, although I find no need to use it once buds start forming because I'm bug free by then 
The science behind these things:
Protekt silica: silica is the stuff that makes plants strong. Compare a bamboo leaf to a leaf of lettuce and you will see the difference. Silica is a basic building block for plants - silica is used to build cell walls. This makes the cells of the plant stronger and generally more difficult to bite into for insects. Silica also increases heat and drought tolerance in plants as well. Personally I would not grow without it. I cut it out in mid flower as I want the bulk of the flowers to be less tough.
Amorphous diatomaceous earth: I use food grade. Do not use the crystalline DE - this is basically shards of glass and can give you silicosis. Since amorphous DE has not been heated as high as the crystalline stuff it is not as dangerous - but still avoid breathing any kind of dust if you can. DE is great protection against fungus gnats. Silica is a drying agent and when the bugs wade through it, it sucks the moisture out of their bodies. Like perlite, it is another source of silica.
Neem: neem does not kill insects, instead it has a number of hormonal effects that cause the bug to shut down. Insects will stop feeding, and breeding and eventually die off. Foliar applications are good. A neem drench is highly effective as it goes systemic within the plant and works on any insects feeding on the plant. It will stay in the plant for roughly two weeks. Go really light on this as a drench or it will burn your plants. Neem is cheaper than Azamax (a derivative of neem) and has more beneficial components. I'm not sure how neem affects beneficial bugs. Since they are not eating the plant - its not clear to me whether they are hurt by a neem drench or not. Obviously a foliar application will not hurt the bennies in the soil. I guess I would use Azamax in late flower rather than neem. I think using neem closer than two weeks from harvest flavors the buds.
H2O2: hydrogen peroxide, is a powerful oxidizer that breaks down into water and oxygen. Highly effective on PM - 3% destroys PM on contact. A mild solution of vinegar and H2O2 (aka paracetic acid) is a powerful no-rinse cleaner. I use H2O2 in the res to fight or prevent root rot. It is an indiscriminate killer so I do not put it into my res unless I really need to as I want to keep the micro herd alive. It also provides oxygen to the roots, but it does do some minor damage as it oxidizes the root tissues - not a big concern unless you use a lot of it.
Chitosan: the stuff that makes up exoskeletons of shell fish; there are other sources as well. Applying this as a foliar spray causes the plant to think it is under attack. It responds with several immune response vectors, one of which is to add more resin to the flowers. Aggressive pruning at key points in the cycle also has the same effect, causing more resin production and swelling of the calyx. I have tried harpin protein as well to elicit a SAR response, but I am not yet sure if it is effective on cannabis.
Protekt silica: silica is the stuff that makes plants strong. Compare a bamboo leaf to a leaf of lettuce and you will see the difference. Silica is a basic building block for plants - silica is used to build cell walls. This makes the cells of the plant stronger and generally more difficult to bite into for insects. Silica also increases heat and drought tolerance in plants as well. Personally I would not grow without it. I cut it out in mid flower as I want the bulk of the flowers to be less tough.
Amorphous diatomaceous earth: I use food grade. Do not use the crystalline DE - this is basically shards of glass and can give you silicosis. Since amorphous DE has not been heated as high as the crystalline stuff it is not as dangerous - but still avoid breathing any kind of dust if you can. DE is great protection against fungus gnats. Silica is a drying agent and when the bugs wade through it, it sucks the moisture out of their bodies. Like perlite, it is another source of silica.
Neem: neem does not kill insects, instead it has a number of hormonal effects that cause the bug to shut down. Insects will stop feeding, and breeding and eventually die off. Foliar applications are good. A neem drench is highly effective as it goes systemic within the plant and works on any insects feeding on the plant. It will stay in the plant for roughly two weeks. Go really light on this as a drench or it will burn your plants. Neem is cheaper than Azamax (a derivative of neem) and has more beneficial components. I'm not sure how neem affects beneficial bugs. Since they are not eating the plant - its not clear to me whether they are hurt by a neem drench or not. Obviously a foliar application will not hurt the bennies in the soil. I guess I would use Azamax in late flower rather than neem. I think using neem closer than two weeks from harvest flavors the buds.
H2O2: hydrogen peroxide, is a powerful oxidizer that breaks down into water and oxygen. Highly effective on PM - 3% destroys PM on contact. A mild solution of vinegar and H2O2 (aka paracetic acid) is a powerful no-rinse cleaner. I use H2O2 in the res to fight or prevent root rot. It is an indiscriminate killer so I do not put it into my res unless I really need to as I want to keep the micro herd alive. It also provides oxygen to the roots, but it does do some minor damage as it oxidizes the root tissues - not a big concern unless you use a lot of it.
Chitosan: the stuff that makes up exoskeletons of shell fish; there are other sources as well. Applying this as a foliar spray causes the plant to think it is under attack. It responds with several immune response vectors, one of which is to add more resin to the flowers. Aggressive pruning at key points in the cycle also has the same effect, causing more resin production and swelling of the calyx. I have tried harpin protein as well to elicit a SAR response, but I am not yet sure if it is effective on cannabis.