In The Lab

Re: "In the Lab" with Doc Bud

Mrgivemethat said:
Very informative doc question high brix with air or smart pots? Also what is you veg length and how long does your teas take to brew? Thanks doc :adore:
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I see know problem using air pots or smart pots as long as they are a minimum of 5 gallons. I'd prefer 7.

Veg times vary. When growing from seed, I often do zero veg time and start them on 12/12. From cuttings, usually 3-4 weeks after the cutting roots and is put into dirt

There is no tea brewing with the Kit. Everything is premixed, just add water and it makes its own sauce. :cheesygrinsmiley: The microbial product included in the kit is highly concentrated and does not need brewing. Plus, the soil has myko AND the root innoculate has all kinds of beneficials.

Feeing with the kit takes maby 1 minute to pour an ounce of liquid into a gallon of water, and maybe another minute to figure out how to get that gallon of feed water in half so you can make 2 buckets, etc. No pHing, no PPM testing. Very, very easy.
 
Re: "In the Lab" with Doc Bud

Mrgivemethat said:
I like the sound of that doc and after harvest what do you do with your left over soil? Is it at all reusable? And does the kit come with the soil or just with amendments?
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The kit comes with everything except soil and worm castings. The worm castings are optional.

The soil is definitely reusable and will actually improve after a couple runs. I'm getting ready to test the soil after a run to reformulate the amendment, so soon I'll be offering a kit for soil that's already been used. Probably less money for that kit, but not too much less, because the sprays are still needed, etc.
 
Hey Doc

So I've been searching for pro mix in my area and its kinda hard to find, I'm wondering if it's the blue bag of HP professional or the orange bag with mycorrhizae? Thanks.
 
Re: "In the Lab" with Doc Bud

BlazinThat said:
Hey Doc

So I've been searching for pro mix in my area and its kinda hard to find, I'm wondering if it's the blue bag of HP professional or the orange bag with mycorrhizae? Thanks.
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Orange bag with mycorrhizae. I'll be including more soils in the program as we go forward. Right now the kits are exactly what I'm doing on my last grow. I'll update and improve them as feedback rolls in from those who have them now.

I'll make sure everyone knows when another soil is included. I'll probably try to get Sunshine Mix next.

==========================================================

Root Scoring Technique for Transplants

We want a large, healthy mass of roots at all times, but the early stages of flowering are very important, especially if we did a good job in the veg room and have a healthy, nearly bound, ball of roots.
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By taking a box cutter and cutting into the root ball, from top to bottom, we encourage lateral branching of the roots, as opposed to more circling. This way, they'll grow out and fill the flowering container.
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in a square pot, make four scores, on all four sides. In a round container, also make four scores at 90 degrees to eachother.
It's a simple technique used by nurseries all over the world. It works in our gardens very well!
 
Re: "In the Lab" with Doc Bud

Isn't damaging / handling the roots supposed to be bad? Based on what I've previously read.


Thanks
 
Re: "In the Lab" with Doc Bud

Doc,

I mixed my soil today and have a question.

Do I need to mix up the cooking soil occasionally, or just let it set?

And one half of the batch will be in a container about 4 or 5 months until the other grow is finished. Will it need stirred or any water added now and then?

I used a bale of Promix BX, which is all that i could get. I added 24 qts perlite, which is 22% and 25 lb worm castings. Added the amendment, mixed it all up.

I filled each container half way, watered with half the starter, filled the rest, then watered with the other half.

It fit nicely into two 37gl Rubbermaids from HD $18 each.

I am thinking of making a wire rack and placing some gnat trap sheets in there JUST in case there were any of those little buggers in the bale.

Current grow today mineralized promix organic plants have the most branching I have had yet on my plants.

They are very healthy and brix of 10 today and hadn't been watered for a week. Only a few mistings with Stump Tea.
 
Re: "In the Lab" with Doc Bud

Mrpoker said:
Isn't damaging / handling the roots supposed to be bad? Based on what I've previously read.


Thanks
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Handling the "root" of a tiny seedling is damaging. A nasty root ball like that having a few roots cut just lets it breathe. No damage at all.
 
Re: "In the Lab" with Doc Bud

Hash Hound said:
Doc,

I mixed my soil today and have a question.

Do I need to mix up the cooking soil occasionally, or just let it set?

And one half of the batch will be in a container about 4 or 5 months until the other grow is finished. Will it need stirred or any water added now and then?

I used a bale of Promix BX, which is all that i could get. I added 24 qts perlite, which is 22% and 25 lb worm castings. Added the amendment, mixed it all up.

I filled each container half way, watered with half the starter, filled the rest, then watered with the other half.

It fit nicely into two 37gl Rubbermaids from HD $18 each.

I am thinking of making a wire rack and placing some gnat trap sheets in there JUST in case there were any of those little buggers in the bale.

Current grow today mineralized promix organic plants have the most branching I have had yet on my plants.

They are very healthy and brix of 10 today and hadn't been watered for a week. Only a few mistings with Stump Tea.
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That sounds great bro!
The quick and dirty way to re-mix the soil is to pour it from one can to the other. The dry stuff on top goes to the bottom, etc.

You'll be OK if you don't. Just try to mix up the first 2 feet a bit.
 
Re: "In the Lab" with Doc Bud

The Most Important Garden Tool

So, the plants are growing and only need water once a week. Just hold a wand and put a couple gallons into the pot....everything is pruned, stakes are in place where needed, the environment is in check.....What should I do!
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By far, the most important thing to do in the grow room is keep it clean. In hydro, I'd go so far as to strive for sterile, but in soil, clean is the goal.

What do I mean by clean? Here's my daily routine:

1.)Sweep all organic matter off the floor, pick up all leaf litter
2.)Examine the corners, floor under the trays, and inside the trays themselves for signs of mold, mildew or anything else.
3.)Examine the AC unit for mold/mildew in the vents. (found some last week)
4.)Spray anything slimy with bleach solution.

Bleach Solution: 2 tsp bleach per quart of water. Spray and let it sit for 2 minutes before wiping it up.

Weekly, or after a spill, mop the floor inside and especially just outside the grow room. I mop a path from front door to the back of the grow space every week.

Mold, mildew and other nastiness forms down low, on the moist floor and in the corners. Get a high quality mop and bucket and save yourself untold trouble!
 
Re: "In the Lab" with Doc Bud

Root Drenches for Young Plants

As stated a page or two ago, the goal for vegetative growth is primarily roots. We want a huge root ball with lots of pent-up growth energy when we transplant.

This is accomplished by letting them dry out in veg and watering them at the last minute before they really start wilting.

Another technique that will really produce nice plants is a root drench. I usually do this twice during veg, the second time being a day or two before transplanting.

Here's how I do it:

Fill 5 gallon bucket with water/tea/food....whatever it is you're doing. In the case of my kit I make the bucket like this:

1 ounce of Energy
2 mils Tea
1 ounce Transplant

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Then, I let each plant soak in the bucket so that it is drenched, through and through. Pouring water in from the top can help them float a little lower so the plant doesn't tip over.

This is the important part:

After the drench, you want to drain as much water out of the pot as possible. Tilt the pot this way and that until it stops dripping.
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Re: "In the Lab" with Doc Bud

Well, I'm interested that you are so fixated on microbes as root stimulators. I'm a newby and don't know shinola, but it's interesting to me that you are very concentrated on early root formation, but don't seem to be too concerned about air pruning. Do cannabis plants seem to be that dependent on a symbiotic rhizome complex in your experience?
 
Re: "In the Lab" with Doc Bud

canabinerd said:
Well, I'm interested that you are so fixated on microbes as root stimulators. I'm a newby and don't know shinola, but it's interesting to me that you are very concentrated on early root formation, but don't seem to be too concerned about air pruning. Do cannabis plants seem to be that dependent on a symbiotic rhizome complex in your experience?
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Hey! Welcome to my instructional thread.

Microbes....mycorrhizae to be specific, create a symbiotic relationship with roots and soil. They feed the plant, water the plant, stimulate the plant's immune system, AND create healthy soil while doing all that.

All plants are designed to have some sort of symbiotic root cultures. Furthermore, they grow best when the biota (living stuff in the soil) is healthy and vibrant.

My methods are based on hard science. This is not opinion or just another cool way to grow. This is High Brix. We measure things, are meticulous in constructing our soils, and very precise when it comes to feeding.

The soil is the gas tank.
The plant is the engine
The foliar sprays are the turbo charger.

The soil is designed to have the right ratio of elements in order to achieve high brix. The plants are very happy with this and make all kinds of sugars and proteins in the leaves. The foliar sprays create even more sugar and proteins AND due to the high levels of phosphorus are able to transport the excess to the roots, Where the microbial population feast on sweet root exudates and feed the plant in turn.

It works VERY well.
 
Re: "In the Lab" with Doc Bud

Don't get me wrong, I'm not questioning you... I'm just asking questions. You're obviously producing some pretty impressive results. I'm pretty familiar with root symbiosis, in nitrogen fixating plants etc. And I'm sure that the people selling nutrients untder the name "microrhizzia" want people to think that thats the way to produce more yield. But I'm seeing people producing pretty impressive results in what I observe to be pretty sterile (with regards to microbes) environments.

I am not familiar with "Brix" at all, can you explain that some?
 
Re: "In the Lab" with Doc Bud

canabinerd said:
Don't get me wrong, I'm not questioning you... I'm just asking questions. You're obviously producing some pretty impressive results. I'm pretty familiar with root symbiosis, in nitrogen fixating plants etc. And I'm sure that the people selling nutrients untder the name "microrhizzia" want people to think that thats the way to produce more yield. But I'm seeing people producing pretty impressive results in what I observe to be pretty sterile (with regards to microbes) environments.

I am not familiar with "Brix" at all, can you explain that some?
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Brix refers to measuring the refractive index of a liquid. Any liquid, but in our case leaf juice. In plants, brix measures sugar and mineral content. The higher the brix, the more mineral dense and sweet the produce is.

Plants with high brix are healthier. What this means for us is you don't worry about mites. No pesticides. It tastes better and the effect is different/better.

But this is an instructional journal! If you wish to learn more, google high brix and check out my other journals.
 
Re: "In the Lab" with Doc Bud

Foliar Feeding

Foliar feeding is the secret for achieving high brix. It's rather counter-intuitive, but we're actually feeding the soil with the foliar sprays, not just the plant. The proper foliar spray will increase carbohydrates, phosphates, calcium and other things in the leaf tissue. This is then sent down to the roots as Root Exudates.

The root exudates then become food for the biota, which exchange their boring rocks, minerals, NPK and other stuff to the roots, for a hit of that sweet exudate. Mmmmmmm. They love it.

Before we get into it, there are a couple cautions.

1.)Do NOT invent your own foliar spray! It's not about NPK, it's not about feeding deficiencies, and it's not about trying to approximate these products with stuff off the shelf in a hydro shop. To just share a couple examples, ammoniacal forms of nitrogen will stimulate reproductive growth. Nitrates will stimulate vegetative growth. Do YOU know how much of each to put in your home-built foliar spray? I don't either.

2.)Do not waste the "right" foliar spray in the wrong soil. Let's say you ordered my kit but have plants growing in regular organic soil......don't try using high brix foliars in this situation. They won't do much, because the soil probably isn't right. You're just wasting good sprays. Use the right spray with the right soil.

Don't screw around. Use the right sprays at the right time. The wrong foliar spray will seriously impact your grow in a negative way!

The kit contains two foliar sprays:

Brix and Stress.

The following instructions work for either one.

Using 32oz of water, add 1 ounce of either Brix or Stress. Do NOT mix them!!!
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Shake it up and spray a fine mist on the plants, trying for the underside of the leaves as much as possible.

These pictures were taken while I was spraying these plants. As you can see, they're not dripping like in a rain, they're just moist and misty. The sprays are very low pH, and will quickly penetrate the waxy layer of leaves and get into the plant tissue. Again, don't try to lower the pH of a homemade foliar spray.....it probably won't work and might do a great deal of harm.

1 ounce of Stress or Brix will cover about 60 square feet.

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Re: "In the Lab" with Doc Bud

hozona said:
Using BPN liquid seaweed as a foliar spray for my current grow...have seen some good results with it. Thanks for the informative post:cheesygrinsmiley:
:tokin:
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Yep. I've sprayed seaweed, compost tea, microbial tea....all sorts of stuff. I had good results too.

Then I learned what a real foliar spray was and saw what "good results" really are. There is a HUGE difference between spraying seaweed and a purpose built foliar spray.
 
Re: "In the Lab" with Doc Bud

When you say "purpose built" foliar spray, what do you add and how much per gallon?
And also i was curious to what soil amendments you use? Maybe you could share a secret soil recipe :cheesygrinsmiley:
 
Re: "In the Lab" with Doc Bud

koffeekush said:
When you say "purpose built" foliar spray, what do you add and how much per gallon?
And also i was curious to what soil amendments you use? Maybe you could share a secret soil recipe :cheesygrinsmiley:
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This thread is about my kit that I sell. There are no secret amendments I'm not sharing. I have a custom amendment that is for ProMix HP only. The sprays are designed to go with the amendment. They are formulated by a lab and a bunch of PhD's and are designed to grow high brix plants. My other journals explain what that means, this journal is all about how to use my kit.

If people copy me on this thread, they'll have plants that look just like mine. Some people think my stuff is above average....
 
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