Hempy Headquarters

[beez0404]

I've just recently started learning about and growing in hempy pots. So far I am enjoying it although I am not wrapping my head around the whole idea that it's easier. But that is neither here nor there.

I continue to grow a couple plants in Pro Mix BX and for almost a year have fed them like this................Right now I have 4 clones off the same plant in flower. I know how much liquid each plant will consume weekly and combined it works out to 5 gallons a week total for all four plants. Instead of feeding them all say on Monday and then watering them on Thursday I mix up a gallon of water with all of their nutrients in it. I then pour 1/5 of the mixture into 5 one gallon jugs and fill them with water. Each plant is fed just under (I don't measure precisely) 3 cups a day.

So each plant is receiving roughly 2.75 cups of 1/5 strength nutrients 7 days a week.

I would say this works for me because I am growing 4 plants of the same strain. And water/nutrient uptake and need is strain specific I have found in my limited time growing.

PLEASE be gentle guys. This is not an easy thread in which to share.

 

[Tead]

Gentle!?!?
No... Sue's gentle and kind... I represent the dark side.... fear me!!!

Oh... Sue said I should be nice in the playground. Sorry.

We're just all so down with endless hempy banter. You can dance around every fine point forever and Tead loves a good dance!

 

[TorturedSoul]

Lol @ "dark side." I always figured that introducing folks to cannabis equated to...

...bringing them into the light.

And this is probably the "gentlest" cannabis-related forum I know of, or at the very least, tied for first place (as I cannot imagine any being more so).

People do have debates and/or disagreements from time to time. But that's because we are not clones (and because there are often multiple ways to accomplish the same thing). Don't worry about anything like that - and do NOT fear sharing your take/opinion on a thing. Even if someone disagrees (and you can probably find someone in this life who'll disagree with just about anything, even that the sun is overhead at noon ), it still encourages others to share, increases the general pool of knowledge, or both. And who knows, lol, your idea on a thing might end up being the best way... if not "in general," then perhaps at least for some; always remember that what works best for one person may not be what works best for another (for a variety of reasons).

I hadn't even been considering this method of growing (even though it worked in the past for myself and others) until I encountered this thread. Now it's back on my list, lol.

Think of us as a bunch of old farts at the (old-fart-)bar, debating, sometimes arguing a bit, maybe telling a fish story or two. Occasional disagreements? You betcha. Still friends tomorrow evening, and ready to go at it (the discussion) again? Yep.

 

[Tead]

Think of us as a bunch of old farts at the (old-fart-)bar, debating, sometimes arguing a bit, maybe telling a fish story or two. Occasional disagreements? You betcha. Still friends tomorrow evening, and ready to go at it (the discussion) again? Yep.

Food.... don't forget food!

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[DrDoob]

Food.... don't forget food!

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Oh my goodness, I want that!

 

[Tead]

I really haven't had a 'argument' with anyone here. I've had plenty of disagreements and discussions, but I really feel that's the natural and healthy way of communicating.... indeed what I search out. I want other ideas and words of disagreement... and I think other folks want and deserve my honest words. Open free words flowing like water... Tead's a fan!

 

[Tead]

Oh my goodness, I want that!

I'll smoke ribs for anyone except Richard Nixon. Bring it on!

 

[SweetSue]

I figure, with hempy, you are adding fresh nutrients every couple days or so, so how much does the plant really use during that period?

Thanks.... I've been studying for hours and I'm a bit screen-blind at the moment Felipe. This time I left the joint here. Lol!

That's all it was @TorturedSoul. I walked away with his joint, as I'm prone to do. Lol!

Anyway Felipe.... I don't know about your plants, but once mine hit flowering they drink up every drop of the nutrient mix between waterings. Lol!

My MegaCrop specimen is looking healthier than my RX Technologies girls. This could get interesting.

 

[SweetSue]

@beez0404, did you catch that you can feel free to share here? The guys always play nice with everyone. Tead likes to be ......Tead, and honestly, we wouldn't have it any other way. Lol!

 

[FelipeBlu]

Anyway Felipe.... I don't know about your plants, but once mine hit flowering they drink up every drop of the nutrient mix between waterings. Lol!

Oh yeah, they will get thirsty, but drinking up all of the water doesn’t necessarily mean that they can use all of the nutrients that you put in the water. Here ya go,,

 

[SweetSue]

Oh yeah, they will get thirsty, but drinking up all of the water doesn’t necessarily mean that they can use all of the nutrients that you put in the water. Here ya go,,

Alright....you have a point. Hadn’t thought of it like that. I figured if they drank it they used it. I haven’t had a single problem with RX Tech since I started.

Thanks...

You’d be shocked at how little cannabis I’ve actually had today.

 

[beez0404]

The last 2 weeks I have been carrying my hempy girls into the bathroom, pouring out as much of the leftover water/nutrients as I can without spilling any perlite. Then I fill the tank to overflowing. I let it run till it is close to stopping and at that point I tilt the pot backwards to make the overflow stop. I dry around the hole and put a piece of duct tape over the hole and put them back in the tent. Bear in mind the overflow still coming out is in the form of drips at the time I put the tape over the hole.

Is there any proven reason why this would be detrimental to the overall health of the plant? Oxygen can't enter the hole because the water would stop it. It's just so much neater and easier for me not to have water leaking out and filling up the catch saucers raising the humidity. Not so bad now with all the girls in veg but when they start flowering that won't be a good thing. The plants show no signs they know about what I'm doing or don't like it.

And I have tried the method of tipping it to pour some of the reservoir out. But the water still finds it's way out eventually. Almost like the perlite holds onto it and when I put it back in the tent it says okay let er go.

Anyway, do you guys know of any proven reason why putting duct tape over the hole after changing out the water is a bad thing?

 

[beez0404]

Oh, and here is what happens when you think you know it all about breeding/pollinating/seed making.

20180711_130720.jpg

• beez0404
• Jul 11, 2018

Above is a photo of my green crack plant that finished it's 8th week of flowering yesterday. Did you know a plant 6 weeks into flower can get pollinated? Well I do now. Lesson learned. The branches you see left on her have seeds (not a lot of seeds) but still seeds. So she was taken outside to bask in the sunshine for about 4 more weeks. If she stays alive I'll have some Northern Light #5 X Green Crack seeds. And the buds which right now have about 20% amber crystals should be ripe for a good sleep aid.

 

[FelipeBlu]

Anyway, do you guys know of any proven reason why putting duct tape over the hole after changing out the water is a bad thing?

Nope (someone else will probably give you the long answer)

 

[beez0404]

Long answers? Here in the Hempy thread?

 

[FelipeBlu]

I figured if they drank it they used it.

Yeah, they’re greedy plants. They will rather indiscriminately suck up much higher levels of nutrients than they can use - probably to store in fan leaves for possible hard times.

But most of the time, some excessive nutrients can cause problems.

However, for hempy, since we’re fertigating frequently, and can’t overwater, we can take advantage of the flexibility of cannabis, and feed at a lower concentration, unless we see a need to increase. Then, we can do so immediately.

 

[SweetSue]

@beez0404, when that hole is open I’m sure there’s some air exchange going on, though likely insignificant.

The only way you’ll know if it creates problems in the root zone is to try. I can’t see how it could hurt. I also never see any significant increase in the humidity of my tents with the liquid drips in the saucers. Believe me, I’ve often wished it would.

Yeah, they’re greedy plants. They will rather indiscriminately suck up much higher levels of nutrients than they can use - probably to store in fan leaves for possible hard times.

But most of the time, some excessive nutrients can cause problems.

However, for hempy, since we’re fertigating frequently, and can’t overwater, we can take advantage of the flexibility of cannabis, and feed at a lower concentration, unless we see a need to increase. Then, we can do so immediately.

You make a good point Felipe.

I’m using bottles of RX Technologies that were their precious formula, which was a half-strength dilution of their current formula.

It’d be easy to do a side-by-side to see the advantages or disadvantages. The challenge for me is space. I’d want them to be photos, and that’ll take some creative scheduling.

On my way to bed. One more hit...



Goodnight gentlemen.

 

[TorturedSoul]

Oh yeah, they will get thirsty, but drinking up all of the water doesn’t necessarily mean that they can use all of the nutrients that you put in the water.

Yeah, monitor EC while that's occurring, that'll tell you what's going on (in that regard) in a vague kind of way. Won't give you specifics, of course (unless your equipment includes test kits for specific elements - which is rare in this hobby). And if you are feeding with "organics" instead of good, clean, salt-based nutrients, then it'll probably be less than helpful.

Monitoring pH in addition to EC will be helpful, too. For example, if your plants are consuming the phosphorous content, it'll likely be reflected by a rise in the pH.

Food.... don't forget food!

View media item 1566647

Yikes! I don't like my food mooing at me, but at first glance I thought I was seeing a still from the episode of The Coroner that was called "The Arsonist."

Still... All things considered, I'd much rather have to snap off charred pieces of my supper than interrupt its grazing activities, so throw a piece this way.

























There better not be any traces of burnt clothing in it!

 

[TorturedSoul]

I’m using bottles of RX Technologies that were their precious formula, which was a half-strength dilution of their current formula.

It’d be easy to do a side-by-side to see the advantages or disadvantages. The challenge for me is space. I’d want them to be photos, and that’ll take some creative scheduling.

I'd like to see more side-by-side nutrient tests. The companies aren't real big on that, though. Back in 2009 or 2010, I emailed all the nutrient companies for which I had contact addresses for. I basically sent each a form letter stating I was wanting to do a comparison grow and wanted them to put together a kit (their choice of products) that'd be sufficient to take one freshly-rooted cutting through a two-month vegetative period and on to harvest. I was even considerate enough to list all the companies that I was sending the email to.

Out of all the emails that I sent, Dutch Nutrient Formula sent me a partial kit (two-part grow, two-part bloom, and fulvic acid - was sufficient for growing, but not everything in their feeding recipe)... and General Hydroponics sent me bottles of their three-part Flora series - and every single supplement on their "Expert" recipe. I even received bottles of both pH Up and Down. The rep told me that she thought I'd be real pleased. Apparently, she wasn't worried that her company's products would fare poorly.

I was disappointed that I didn't get a full line from anyone else; no comparison grow was possible. But the GH stuff worked well. Best? Who the <BLEEP> knows, lol? But it covered a large single-plant (about a 2¾' x 3¼' SCROG, nicely filled) DWC grow. Still have about a pound of the Rare Earth product they sent me because a little bit of that stuff goes a LONG way, and because it scares the willies out of me after a slight over-application of the "silicon, humates and 72 rare earth minerals" in a later DWC caused every single leaf to drop within 24 hours - upon testing the pH, it was reading "sky-high" .

Shame the former owner of General Hydroponics sold his company to the Scotts Miracle-Gro monster's Hawthorne Group shell company.

Anyway... I've written to nutrient companies throughout the years, and every one except for FoxFarm either sent me at least one item or offered to do so if I'd cover shipping. But mention that you're doing a comparison and they don't seem to like it. Maybe it's because they realize that, aside from maybe some small difference one way or the other, there's no real "huge and clear" winner. It all works.

Or maybe it's just like trying to get one mechanic to look over your vehicle that another one screwed up and then make a statement in court to that effect, lol, IDK. I'm just doing what I do (rambling) . Speaking of which, who remembers: "He say dope, he say dope, he say dope! Concert come, nobody buy dope."

 

[Tead]

And I have tried the method of tipping it to pour some of the reservoir out. But the water still finds it's way out eventually. Almost like the perlite holds onto it and when I put it back in the tent it says okay let er go.

Unless my babies are young, I don't usually see enough left over in the bottom of the pot to dump out before fertigating.
I water, then set them aside for 5min-ish while they bleed, then just don't worry so much about the puddle in the bloom room.

Anyway, do you guys know of any proven reason why putting duct tape over the hole after changing out the water is a bad thing?

No, but when one draws outside the lines, one risks discovering the drawbacks of diverging from the herd.... or perhaps a greener pasture.
Having said that, I can't imagine any issues. What about a small rubber plug or maybe a golf tee?

Long answers? Here in the Hempy thread?

Hmmmm..... I'd think he's talking about me, but TS has been afoot.... Tead suspects otherwise.

Monitoring pH in addition to EC will be helpful, too. For example, if your plants are consuming the phosphorous content, it'll likely be reflected by a rise in the pH.

I've tried monitoring runoff. Never have I been able to get any meaningful info this way. I know it seems like it would be easy... but it's never worked out for me.

at first glance I thought I was seeing a still from the episode of The Coroner that was called "The Arsonist."

Well... pig, not human... but the same process on very similar meat. Don't worry baby... we know howto cook... we might offer up some crawfish now and then, but we generally like to stay with the more traditional ingredients.

A dark human might wonder if we could tell the difference if presented side by side after a day in the smoker.