Keffkas Coast Of Maine Line, TLO/LOS Style, Bagseed, Indoor Grow

Welcome to the newcomers and welcome back to the returning folks! I’m going to be launching a second grow with the same bagseed I sourced for my first grow that turned out excellent after a major intervention. All of the hardware will be the same, the area will be expanded, and the style will be refined.

Last grow I learned some lessons, and shot off into multiple avenues of learning. I read True Living Organics by The Rev which lead to Teaming with microbes, teaming with nutrients, and teaming with fungi. I couldn’t put them down and have now read each multiple times, learning something new every time. I’ve also watched many of Dr Elaine Inghams soil food web lectures. I am going to take the lessons I learned from my grow, and the knowledge from the books and lectures, and apply them to this grow and hopefully can double my results four times over.

I believe the plant in concert with the soil food web can grow itself far better than I could ever even dream of doing. I have seen the results of giving the plant the reins. SIP and TLO/LOS growers know what I’m talking about!

Safety First:

Safety is huge when it comes to growing indoors. The last thing any of us want to do is burn our homes down trying to grow plants. For safety I have a smoke detector installed, and a fire extinguisher by the door. I use only UL listed extension cords, surge protectors, and timers. My light is American made, IP65 water resistant rated, UL 8800 certified, and it is on its own circuit. The heater(s) when needed are placed on their own circuit that is shared by the blower. I make sure the heater(s) have at least 3 feet of clearance all around them and keep the plug elevated or on a heat resistant surface. The rest of the equipment in the room (fans, humidifiers, etc.) is on a separate circuit dedicated to the room as well


Hardware (Light, Area, Equipment, etc.):

For my light I will be using a ROI E720. I won’t mention the company but the light is easily googled.

I will flower a 4x4 area in my attic. Last grow I used cannibalized gorilla grow tent pieces and made a makeshift tent in the attic. This time I pushed the wall pieces out giving me up to 3 extra feet in some areas so I will be able to walk around my entire grow area freely.

I have one oscillating fan, one small clip fan, a 6 inch blower, and a humidifier. High humidity is not an issue until summer time, which I will not be growing during the summer indoors.

Medium and Mix Breakdown:

So this will be a TLO/LOS style using Coast of Maine Stonington blend soil, with coast of maine amendments. I also have some 4-4-4 organic all purpose from Jobes I will be using in my base mix.

I do not use chelated nutrients. I originally was going to try to do an “organicish” grow where I’d use any products listed as OMRI but quickly realized that was a terrible idea and wasn’t really “organic”. This left me with a surplus of items and soil, so I will be using the rest of the soil and the amendments in this manner so when this grow is complete I can begin recycling and building a new soil from it.

It is a peat based soil however the peat is sustainably harvested and will have a long decomposition time due to its origin. This will allow me to recycle this soil multiple times while I hunt down a long term replacement.

The base mix will be 4 gallons of Stonington blend Platinum growers mix (aka organic growers mix) , 4 gallons of perlite, 4 gallons of Gaia green EWC (my grow shop didn’t have CoM EWC) and 4 tbsp of 4-4-4

This will make (4) 3 gallon smart pots.

I’ve chosen perlite for its surface area and ability to withstand the high levels of microbial action that will take place.

I will use spring water and seedling starter mix during seedling stage and transition to RO water and my base mix for veg and flower when I uppot.

Amendments/Nutrients:

I will be using layers and spikes which I will breakdown the details of as I create them. They are what they sound like. Specific layers of organic matter and nutrients in the container with spikes of amendments/organic matter driven through the entire medium.

The ingredients for layers and spikes will be CoM lobster compost, EWC, Stonington Blend Plant Food (alfalfa meal, kelp meal, etc.) CoM fish bone meal, and perlite. I have blood meal and steamed fish bone meal on hand in case of emergencies but I don’t believe I’ll need it. As I make the layers and spikes I will more fully detail exactly what they’re made of.

Myco was an issue last grow. I spawned it early in the grow but along the way it was either outcompeted or destroyed. This time I’m not taking that chance. Myco is so crucial to obtaining nutrients in hard to break bonds, it can deliver up to 50% of a plants P need alone! I will be rolling my seeds in myco, lining my first hole with it, and when transitioning to veg I will dust the root ball. I will use fish fert initially to feed the fungus until it obtains colonization then will let the bacteria unleash itself.

I may need to use a compost tea or two just to maintain a balance in the soil food web. The additional organic matter I will be adding in layers and spikes should ward off carbon issues.
I will post the tea recipes I use as well as pictures so everyone can follow along.

Conclusion:

I will attempt to be as transparent, informative and responsive as possible. I will post amounts, measurements and ingredients as they’re used. If you look back at my previous grow journal you can see I have a tendency to overshare and update often lol. I believe that these journals are where some of the best information and discussions can be found. Anyone and everyone is welcome to comment, criticize, recommend, or quietly follow along. Linking to other journals, images, and outside sources is welcome as long as it is somewhat on topic.

I have no sponsors, I have no sponsored equipment, and I am not employed by any growing related service. I’m a disabled veteran that works part time picking up dog poop and the rest of the time is spent with my kids and my plants. Any mention of any product I use should not be misconstrued as having the support of 420 magazine or it’s staff. I am an independent private grower who uses what I can find to grow what I can. I live in an American major metropolitan area so any products I use should be relatively easy to find or source for those in similar circumstances.

If for some reason I do have some sort of personal interest in a products success I will state it explicitly and clearly.

That’s it for the introduction! I am starting to wind up the grow now and will post as soon as I get seeds in water!
 
Well COUNT ME IN! and am I first?!
This seems very exciting and im going to be watching very closely to begin my own truly organic journey!
🤓:nerd-with-glasses:
Counted in, and you’re the first to comment so yes lol! I am prepping stuff today and will begin posting pictures this evening once I’m organized.

Thanks for being here, I’m happy to hear you’re interested in organics! I’m a big believer in Mother Nature knowing how to handle herself if I give her the tools and resources.

If just one person learns one thing from me it’ll make the whole journal worth it. If you have any thing to add please feel free, and as always if you have any questions, comments, or concerns, definitely let me know.
 
I'm in😊👊. How many sproutlings are you thinking for this grow?
I’m thinking I’ll do 8 this time. I want 4 plants to flower so I’m gonna increase my odds. If I have to cull I’ll take out the weak performers.

This will also give me a chance to try that voodoo juice on a couple of them to see how it does with the myco. I verified through the manufacturer it can be used in soil. It’s all bacteria though so I want to see how well it plays with the myco. The same bacteria are also in the great white myco but in less numbers.

As long as I can get the myco to establish, the bacteria is easy peasy to reintroduce.
 
I'm in and will tag @StoneOtter @Bode @cbdhemp808 @danishoes21

I know I'm mising a few that I'll think of later, but all are interested in organic grows.

Looking forward to it, @Keffka :thumb:

Hey Az, welcome! The more the merrier, especially in this community. Can’t wait to see what kind of discussions spawn.


Welcome back Mel! I look forward to the bits of knowledge you sprinkle throughout the grow!


Hey cbd! You’ve got a helpful perspective that’s always welcome!

Man that’s already some really good folks to have here, this ought to be a fun journal!

So the Mrs wanted to watch a couple movies together this evening. Since she so rarely explicitly states she wants something I was not going to say no. Plus she doesn’t complain about my money hole hobby and the hours I spend in the garden, because she knows it makes me happy. She’s a great partner and if something as simple as watching a movie makes her happy its a no brainer.

With that being said, I pushed my plans for starting until tomorrow. I do have a few images to share though so everyone has an idea of what to expect.

When I talk about layers this is what I mean.. In the image you can see an average layering job on the pot.

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While I won’t be following the recipes in these images to the letter, the idea is the same.

Here is an example of what the spikes are:
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So that is a visual on the layers and spikes. Here’s a visual of my little helper all worn out from moving bins
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Tomorrow I will share pictures of all of the products I plan on using and hopefully we can get germinating! Here’s just a quick snapshot of what my mix is currently looking like before I add the EWC

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Highya Keffka,

First, thank you to Azimuth for getting me over here!

I grow exclusively organic. My grows are in my garden during spring summer and fall. Love organics! I'm pleased to see another of like mind! Getting everything dialed in will make these ladies soar! Good luck on your grow. Happy Smokin'
 
Hope you dont mind if I follow along!
Not at all, welcome!

Highya Keffka,

First, thank you to Azimuth for getting me over here!

I grow exclusively organic. My grows are in my garden during spring summer and fall. Love organics! I'm pleased to see another of like mind! Getting everything dialed in will make these ladies soar! Good luck on your grow. Happy Smokin'
First, welcome, thank you for stopping by. I love organics too lol! We’re working towards buying a home (renting currently ugh, the things I’d teach my younger self smh lol) and I cannot wait to be able to establish my own personal outdoor garden as well as greenhouse. The attic is very restricting 😂

I've read The Rev's book. Don't follow it an any particular detail, but some good info in there. StoneOtter does and he's got a new journal up where he's gonna run The Rev's soil in a SIP. Should be epic.
Yeah I was talking with Stone about the SIP. It seems to me to be a completely complimentary setup to TLO/LOS. I’m giving the plants the tools to do everything else, it’s water source is a natural extension of that imo. I’ll be SIPping eventually, I want to find a mix I really groove well with so I’m ready to capitalize on the SIPs potential.

Got room for me I wanna watch 👀?

Of course, there’s always room for more around here! This is one of the friendliest and chillest places I’ve ever been in both reality and on the internet.

I'm ready to see more magic Keefka! Nice start!
One of the huge lessons I learned last time was to pre-pre-prepare lol. Get everything lined up in the beginning so I’m not jumping through my butt 2 months later lol. I’m excited to see the difference, and I’m excited for your SIP experience(s).


I agree with them. Keep it up. I trolling alot. I hide in shadows.

It’s all good, I lurked for a long time before actually signing up. Welcome!

Alright let’s look at some stuff!
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Here’s a picture of some of the dry nutrients.. I’ll be using the all purpose in my mix at a tbsp per gallon of soil. The blood meal and steamed bone meal are on hand for emergencies, they won’t be utilized unless something goes sideways.
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Here’s the back of the fish fertilizer (Hydrolyzed) for myco feed. The back of the voodoo juice Benny bacteria as well. I’ll be using voodoo juice on a couple of the seedlings to see how they react and whether they can live harmoniously with myco or not. These same bacteria are in the great white myco but in far greater amounts.
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Here are the CoM nutrients I plan on making the spikes out of. My logic is, these amendments are designed to compliment the rest of the line, therefore they should be very available in this mix.
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I am still contemplating whether I want to layer the dry nutrients as well since I do plan on spiking just EWC in 2 of the spikes.
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Here’s the seed starter.. I’ll be cutting this with perlite, and possibly my soil mix, I’ll decide as I look at it but I’ll be doing 75/25 starter/perlite
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Here’s one of the worst kept secrets of organic and TLO/LOS.. EWC!! Quality EWC will change your life. This stuff is packed with nutrients and beneficial microlife.. I am in the process of setting up my own worm farm but until then, this will work. EWC is so critical I cut it 1:1 with ANY soil mix I use.
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Smart pots! A 5 gallon with a bunch of 3 gallons in it. Smart pots work really good with TLO/LOS. The micro life we’re looking to utilize loves oxygen. With a smart pot it’s not limited to just the top and the outlets, the entire ball will get fuel!
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I have a bin full of lobster compost I plan on using as well, I’ll make sure to take pictures as I use it. This post is part 1 of 2 due to picture limits.
 
Here’s the myco I’ll be using:
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Great White is the name of it. As I wrote in the intro, I plan on rolling my seeds in it, then planting said seeds into a hole with more myco sprinkled in. The seedling mix comes with a myco charge in it which should help aid whole container colonization.

Solo cups! Each cup has a 1/4 inch hole in the bottom with 4-5 1/8 inch holes around the side near the bottom. If anyone has any efficient or quick methods of popping holes in solo cups I’m all ears. The bottom holes were easy enough, just stack the cups then drill a hole with a 1/4 inch bit. However the holes along the side near the bottom all have to be individually punched, it’s annoying lol.
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Here is the carbon filter I use for my tap water currently. I typically will fill up 2-3 gallons with dechlorinated tap water and will cut it with equal parts distilled water. This brings my TDS to around 60 ppm which is tolerable but not ideal. While I’ll be using spring water for the seedling stage for its nutrients, I want to use pure/distilled water once we hit veg. This will help keep the balance and prevent crystallization in the medium. I’ve priced my RO system and am just waiting for my Christmas bonus to purchase it. It should be ready to go before I leave seedling.
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Here’s an image of the seeds I’m gonna be planting. The seeds not in the bags are the bagseed seeds. They came from quality genetics that were pollinated by negligence in my MILs grow so while I don’t know what strain, I do know they’re decent. The seeds in the bags are also from the same situation but they’re going to be either green crack or Buddha Tahoe.
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Here is the recycling area.. I’ve got some leftover 1:1 soil : perlite in a bin along with my last plants root ball split open for examination.
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One of the good things about laying everything out before actually starting is I can see if I’m missing or low on anything. I have a tendency to overlook stuff and it can burn me. With this layout I realized I don’t have any extra straight perlite unmixed so that’s gonna be a requirement I need to meet asap. Perlite gets use in my spikes and layers. Decomp happens fast and hard in this system and I cannot afford the compaction because oxygen is critical to the micro life. The micro life doesn’t feast on perlite. I use the smallest possible I can find.

I also don’t have enough mulch. Mulch is pretty important for keeping the entire pot happy. It provides a protective barrier so that the roots and micros can reach right up to the surface for the treasure hoard I layer there. It also helps with water retention and has a whole bunch of other benefits with no real negatives.

I’ve heard of people introducing “pests” through it but when growing in this style, “pests” are usually organic matter in the making. They won’t really be able to compete with the environment I’m attempting to foster.

I’ll also need a calmag supplement for the RO but I have time on that.


So for germination I am going to place the seeds in a jar (the bagged seeds in their own jar) of dechlorinated tap water. We’re growing organic, sterile isn’t really a thing except for emergencies or very specific situations. I’ll keep the jar somewhere dark and warm, like my laundry room shelf.

After about 12-24 hours I will check the seeds to see if they’ve begun to split. There’s usually evidence of this. You’ll be able to see ripples in the water around the seed that look like water is being sucked into it. If they’re on the bottom they’ve split, if they’re floating and I tap them and they drop easily and deep they’re good.

Once I’ve confirmed they’ve split I will roll them in myco then toss them in the myco hole. I’ll take pictures of the process as it plays out and explain as I go.

That’s what I got for tonight. I know it can seem like a bit at first but it’s really not that much. There’s an initial burst of work in the beginning then the plant and soil food web takeover and it’s hopefully pretty smooth sailing.
 
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