First Indoor Grow

[Ranger275]

Howdy Brother,
Keep your chin up! Indoor is weird, from what little I've seen. When it goes well, it's great; but when problems come they strike fast and hard. I'm just moving indoors myself, so this is just my impression. We both look forward to Spring I think.
For advice on small pots I strongly recommend checking out breal and B A R. Both have much experience, are good and patient teachers and are really cool. Glad you found Conradino23; I think he's brilliant.
Wow! Your outside grow is going to be awesome w/soil so well-prepared. Even though goat manure isn't too hot, I think you were wise to start preparation early. MotherNature will not be rushed.
Thx for the Invitation. It was gladly accepted. Follow GreenDreamz advice about the flush/dry/feed. He knows, he's been through something similar recently.
Stay cool, Brother.

 

[Ranger275]

Forgot to ask: what's leonardite? What does it do?

 

[seraphoguz]

Forgot to ask: what's leonardite? What does it do?

Leonardite is a great source of humic and fulvic acids.
But I copied and pasted a topic by Cindy Rea below which will describe it in detailed.

''HUMIC ACID is nature's "black nectar from the gods". Known by its rich dark brown-to-black color, this organically charged biostimulant has proven to have powerful and significant health effects on humans, animals, plants, and the environment, demonstrating the essential unity of all living things.

Because human bodies are made of materials that come from the earth, it is often the case that materials from the earth are agents of health. Humic acid was used by ancient cultures and in folk remedies for a wide variety of illnesses. It is known to be a powerful free-radical scavenger and a natural antioxidant. Humates taken internally are believed to boost the immune system by attacking unwanted injured or dead cells, thereby decreasing or eliminating infection. Experimentally, humic acid has been used both topically and internally to treat and prevent infection in burn victims. The humates destroy the invading infectious cells, allowing the healthy cells to take over. Russian scientists have had measured success in trials using humic acid to treat radiation sickness in rats.

Ingestion of humic acids through organic foods and clean natural water from unpolluted rivers is believed to reduce or block the body's absorption of heavy metals and pesticides. This may help diminish the buildup of cancer-causing toxins and pollutants in the human body. It is believed that humic acid is anti-carcinogenic.

Humic acids have also been employed as veterinary medicine therapy successfully using peat mull (extracted humic acid) to prevent the transmission of foot and mouth disease in pigs.

Before mega-production farming practices depleted our land of its natural goodness, humic acid was an abundant part of the soil. Plants and animals nurtured on the land ingested a balanced diet that included humates. Unfortunately, this is no longer the case. Animals and soil-grown plants have been deprived of the many health benefits that humic acid delivers.

Humic acid can be extracted from recently composted organic manure or peat, but it is not as effective in absorbing and distributing micronutrients as the humic acid that is derived from Leonardite. (Recently is a relative term, which in this case refers to several thousand years.) The humic acid referred to as "black" in hydroponic formulations is the rich material extracted from naturally oxidized and carefully selected sources of Leonardite.

Leonardite is a naturally occurring hydrocarbon shale formed in the earth over millions of years by the chemical and biological decomposition of prehistoric plant and animal matter. Being highly decomposed, natural humus, and having been subject to a significant level of microbial activity, it contains high concentrations of the organic humic and fulvic acids. This organic acid concentration varies from deposit to deposit. Some of the highest quality Leonardite deposits in the world are found in South America.

Humic acid has virtually been leached from our agricultural soil, and crops have endured the deficiency. The natural antioxidant protection provided to plants rich in a humic-based soil is not available.

Humic acids help to improve the soil's water-holding capacity, improve the soil structure, and help to maintain soil stability. Humic acids readily form salts with inorganic trace minerals in a form that can be more easily utilized by plants.

Humic acids promote vigor, disease resistance, and root development in agricultural crops. The result is faster growth. The acids assist roots by increasing soil permeability, increasing water retention, reducing water evaporation, and promoting the growth of beneficial microbial colonies in the root zone. The creation of a healthy, microbially active root zone environment creates stronger plants that take up nutrients better.

In a hydroponic environment humic acid supplementation offers many of the same benefits to plants that it does in a soil culture. Because hydroponic growing takes place in an enclosed environment, it is possible to specifically target plants with a minimum of waste.

Adding a humic acid based solution, referred to as "BLACK" in hydroponic preparations, to the nutrient reservoir will increase the efficacy of the nutrients, making both micro and macronutrients more readily available to the root zone. Humic acid's high cation capacity serves as a chelator, which helps plants better assimilate all the nutrients in the solution. The chelation process helps make and keep nutrients readily available to be used by plants as needed.

Environmental stresses can cause irreparable damage to plants, stunting or delaying growth, prohibiting flower production, or even causing death. Free radical molecules result from stress such as high heat or temperature fluctuations, too high humidity, pesticide applications, and nutrient deficiencies or toxicities. The biostimulant activity of humic acid black produces antioxidants that combat these free radicals, making plants more resistant to these and other environmental stressors. Humic acid black remains in the cells, providing ongoing protection.

One of the organic compounds in humic acid black is carbon, which manufactures sugars in plants. Sugars are especially important during flowering because plants require an increased amount of carbohydrates to produce fruit. The carbohydrate infusion delivered in humic acid black will also organically enhance flavour, colour, and aroma of fruit.

Seed germination is accelerated when humic acid black is added. Humic acid's effect on seed germination is similar to its effect on rooted plants. Humic acid, carrying both micronutrients and water, is drawn into the seed through the pore, stimulating growth of the radical. Not only do they germinate faster but also there is a higher percentage of seeds germinating.

Beneficial bacteria and fungi reproduction created in the presence of humic acid black biologically increase plant growth. The microbial activity produced by these bacteria and fungi are excellent root stimulators. Humic acid black has also been shown to lower pH to a more neutral level, helping with the availability of nutrients. All this translates into healthier, stronger, and more pest-resistant plants.

Humic acid black is an environmentally safe biostimulant that can be used throughout the entire growth cycle. The addition of humic acid black to a high-quality nutrient regimen will result in superior quality crop production, whether it is through soil or hydroponic cultivation. The crops will, in turn, be ingested by animals and humans, enriching the diet of the entire food chain.''

 

[Ranger275]

Wow! Ask, and you shall receive. Thx, Brother. Very informative article. I'll be using this in the future.

 

[seraphoguz]

Day 39 into flowering
I removed all the damaged leaves below,only popcorn buds with sugar leaves left.
Getting dense day by day.N deficieny still continue.Dried out for 6 days after flush and feeded her two days ago with half dose of grow and bloom nutes.Plain water and molasses for next watering and then again with nutes.
8 weeks or maybe 12 weeks in total means more then a couple of weeks to wait.
I’ve got a hand microscope but it’s so hard to focus with it.I prefer a head high so %20 cloudy thricomes is what I’ll look for.

 

[Radogast]

It's getting to be all bud and sugar. Good job.

 

[SweetSue]

Yummy, and such a stately group of colas.

 

[Ranger275]

Dude, I gotta say, I think you're kicking ass.
Re Post#78: Right on w/the nettle tea. Gaia won't be rushed. She achieves mighty things, but @ Her own pace.
Hoping my herbs follow the example set.

 

[Green Dreamz]

Sorry to hear your still battling the N deficiency:/.......question for you .....you said you like a head high.....i have been told that the best time to take for a good head is 50/50 clear/cloudy.......have you taken at 20 before and have you gone longer to see the difference with your outside girls?

 

[SweetSue]

For a good head high you want to harvest when the ratio of cloudy is more than 50%. To wait until you're at the 50/50 point means you may miss the window if life gets in the way and you end up with too many amber trichs and the potential for a couch lock high. I think it's better to take them when you get about 40% amber if a head high is your goal.

 

[seraphoguz]

Because of a thunderbolt I lost the internet connection and I didn’t prefer mobile for some security issues.
Day 54 into flowering for today but the photos below were taken two days ago.Thanks for the infos above about the harvest time.Looks like I’ve got a couple of weeks more.I ordered a jewellery loupe because it’s so hard for me to look with a microscope.I’ll fix the loupe to my phone’s cam and try to shoot with it.

 

[seraphoguz]

Sorry to hear your still battling the N deficiency:/.......question for you .....you said you like a head high.....i have been told that the best time to take for a good head is 50/50 clear/cloudy.......have you taken at 20 before and have you gone longer to see the difference with your outside girls?

I've tried outside first and this indoor grow right after that indeed.That's all
I've been smoking weed for a long time but I'm an absolute beginner grower.So my answer is a big NO but I'll certainly do some harvest experiments with outside ladies this year.

 

[seraphoguz]

For a good head high you want to harvest when the ratio of cloudy is more than 50%. To wait until you're at the 50/50 point means you may miss the window if life gets in the way and you end up with too many amber trichs and the potential for a couch lock high. I think it's better to take them when you get about 40% amber if a head high is your goal.

I'll share some links if I can find them again but I'm pretty sure I've seen some posts which were recommending %20 cloudy trichs for sativa dominant hybrids.Probably I misunderstood totally.
Your suggestion is very new for me.According to what I knew,cloudy/opaque trichs turn into amber coloured trichs and that refers to a body high.
Btw I begin to think that a late harvest will be better then an early harvest for a noob like me.Every kind of high is better then an uneffective buzz.
Sorry for that terrible english,hope I was clear

 

[seraphoguz]

Dude, I gotta say, I think you're kicking ass.
Re Post#78: Right on w/the nettle tea. Gaia won't be rushed. She achieves mighty things, but @ Her own pace.
Hoping my herbs follow the example set.

Thanks dude
This year I'll try outside in my backyard with lots of companion planting.
Squash,melon/watermelon,cucumber,corn,sunflower,greenpepper,okra,eggplant,beans,basil,parsley,comfrey,borage.
It's so complicated for me and I need a good plan to combine them together.
Still searching.

 

[Ranger275]

So strange: buds look great but the leaves look unhealthy. Your English is just fine. May not be the mother tongue, but you're definitely getting your point across.

If you're looking for a system of planting for your garden, you might want to check out one of my gardening heroes. An Australian guy named Bill Mollison wrote a book called Permaculture: A Designer's Manual. A little expensive, but worth every penny. If you google permaculture, you'll get a lot of good ideas.
Good luck.

 

[seraphoguz]

So strange: buds look great but the leaves look unhealthy. Your English is just fine. May not be the mother tongue, but you're definitely getting your point across.

If you're looking for a system of planting for your garden, you might want to check out one of my gardening heroes. An Australian guy named Bill Mollison wrote a book called Permaculture: A Designer's Manual. A little expensive, but worth every penny. If you google permaculture, you'll get a lot of good ideas.
Good luck.

We are on the same side
Permaculture is the source that inspires me too.
I moved from a big city to a village one and a half year ago.I'm telling that to express myself clearly.I'm a noob in everykind of growing including weed too.So although I knew what permaculture is,still looks like quantum physics.I've tried a small vegetable garden last year.Taste and yield wasn't so bad or good,just average.This year I'll try to take it a step further.Permaculture,brix,organic gardening and all smiliar stuff contains a lot of good issues but I need time to see the big picture,connect the infos in mind and get rid of the unnecessary details.But I enjoyed that so much,I decided to grow weed when I found myself researching agriculture articles.
Now at these days I'm reading a book written by Masanobu Fukuoka in 70's,The One-Straw Revolution-An Introduction To Natural Farming.
Thanks for the advices again dude.
Btw I have no idea about the leaves,maybe you can't notice from the photos but yellow leaves include some red or purple lines too.Phosphorus deficiency ??? Will it effect the potent of the buds ? One to three weeks left I guess so do you think I have time to fix that kind of problems ?

 

[Ranger275]

Fukuoka's book is excellent! I don't follow it religiously, but am certainly mindful of the ideas. Sepp Holzer is an Austrian guy who also does permaculture. Makes amazing use of his topography.

Bad leaves will definitely affect the potency of the buds. There's not much time left, but you might want to flush really well and let it dry almost all the way dry. Then feed 1/2-strength nutes. No guarantee, but may help. That, or just harvest early and enjoy! I hope you like a more up-high, than sedative effect.

Most gardens follow your garden's pattern. It takes a while to build up the basis of a good garden: healthy, living soil. If you had an ok year last year, you should consider yourself lucky. Following years will only get better.

So, where are you from Brother/Sister? You don't have to answer. I was curious because your English is so good. A few little mistakes, but you use idiom and slang! Very cool.

 

[SweetSue]

I'll share some links if I can find them again but I'm pretty sure I've seen some posts which were recommending %20 cloudy trichs for sativa dominant hybrids.Probably I misunderstood totally.
Your suggestion is very new for me.According to what I knew,cloudy/opaque trichs turn into amber coloured trichs and that refers to a body high.
Btw I begin to think that a late harvest will be better then an early harvest for a noob like me.Every kind of high is better then an uneffective buzz.
Sorry for that terrible english,hope I was clear

You are probably right about the Sativa-dominance and ratio of trichomes. I had to be talked down from the anxiousness to harvest early. You want the reward so badly and you're so apprehensive about harvesting early.

Nice close up shots seraphoguz. They make it easier to make that determination. You're getting close now.

 

[Radogast]

Thanks dude
This year I'll try outside in my backyard with lots of companion planting.
Squash,melon/watermelon,cucumber,corn,sunflower,greenpepper,okra,eggplant,beans,basil,parsley,comfrey,borage.
It's so complicated for me and I need a good plan to combine them together.
Still searching.

I don't think you necessarily need a plan, nature has a plan.
Both Fukuoka and Sepp Holzer do a lot of broadcast seeding of multiple seed types into suitable environments.
They then let the individual plants sort out their own individual relationships.

This technique of overseeding is easier if you raise your own seeds.

My soil fertility, and herbicide levels are not good due to massive weed killers and lawn fertilizer from previous owners.
My wildflower seeds barely germinated. I am also only 1.5 years in a small town after living in cities.

This year, I am concentrating on raising comfrey, volunteer soil conditioning plants (weeds!) and hardy medicinal herbs.
I'm hoping to improve my outdoor soil health to where the worms and herbs are conducive to flowers and fruits.

 

[SweetSue]

" Volunteer Soil Conditioning plants". I like the sound of that.

Try adding some rock dust Rad. I can't think of any reason why it wouldn't speed the process up for you. Worms will spread it throughout the property for you. Grow lots of comfrey and use it everywhere. Cultivate thistles for the gold finches as well as the value to the soil. It's unfortunate that so many people use weed killer chemicals without any thought to who might be coming behind them isn't it? I figure a couple years under your care and your land will become an organic oasis.

I seem to recall mushrooms are great for detoxifying the land, though I can't remember where I read it. Worth investigating.