Keffka's Stonington Soil, Bag Seed, 2022 Setup Indoor Grow

[Keffka]

I can’t recommend this book enough.. even if you have no desire to run Revs style, his breakdown of the amendments and additions and their specific uses is unmatched. Having all of that information in one consolidated space, plus his recipes for teas makes this an incredible reference material.

 

[Gee64]

Keffka said "You’re giving the plant the exact tools to make its own decisions."

Thats exactly spot on!

 

[Gee64]

I can’t recommend this book enough.. even if you have no desire to run Revs style, his breakdown of the amendments and additions and their specific uses is unmatched. Having all of that information in one consolidated space, plus his recipes for teas makes this an incredible reference material.

Yes his teas work really well. Hes the guy that put me onto watering them down 50/50. It makes sense and a huge difference.

 

[Gee64]

What are you using for your 5-5-5 all purpose? I was looking at Gaia Greens 4-4-4 all purpose but I don’t think it’s OMI found so

What are you using for your 5-5-5 all purpose? I was looking at Gaia Greens 4-4-4 all purpose but I don’t think it’s OMRI

lol Gaia green 4-4-4. Its the closest I could find. I also tried Gaia Power Bloom which is slightly higher numbers and didnt see a difference. I also tried power bloom over Revs spikes and Revs are far better according to the roots and the scale.

 

[Keffka]

Yes his teas work really well. Hes the guy that put me onto watering them down 50/50. It makes sense and a huge difference.

So The Rev mentioned that there is an abundance of micro beastie life at the drain holes on containers, so he likes to throw some extra N there for them.. My question is, in a fabric pot there’s obviously no “drain holes”, should we be layering all around the fabric? My thought is, since the drain holes have extra life, then that must mean in a fabric pot there’s life all over the sides as well as the bottom.. should we be throwing a N layer on the sides of the pot as well for the life?

 

[Gee64]

Outdoors I

So The Rev mentioned that there is an abundance of micro beastie life at the drain holes on containers, so he likes to throw some extra N there for them.. My question is, in a fabric pot there’s obviously no “drain holes”, should we be layering all around the fabric? My thought is, since the drain holes have extra life, then that must mean in a fabric pot there’s life all over the sides as well as the bottom.. should we be throwing a N layer on the sides of the pot as well for the life?

I just use the high nitro bottom layer and it works great. Nitrogen is actually really easy to get. Its free in the air but only in organics. If you have calcium to keep your soil structure open then every time a high pressure ridge rolls thru the pressure pushes it into the soil and every watering it gets sucked in. Air is 78% nitrogen. The catch is to be able to use it you need the beasties to process it. Its actually the fert growers that have to buy their nitro. The nitro in his mixes just ensures your grow has some. Too much nitro is bad too thats why he puts all the warnings on the blood meal. Too much will heat your soil like a compost pile and actually burn the roots. I have never had a nitro deficiency but I did add blood meal as a topdressinng just to see. Nitro toxicity 2 days later. Sorry Ms Panama Red.

 

[Keffka]

Outdoors I

I just use the high nitro bottom layer and it works great. Nitrogen is actually really easy to get. Its free in the air but only in organics. If you have calcium to keep your soil structure open then every time a high pressure ridge rolls thru the pressure pushes it into the soil and every watering it gets sucked in. Air is 78% nitrogen. The catch is to be able to use it you need the beasties to process it. Its actually the fert growers that have to buy their nitro. The nitro in his mixes just ensures your grow has some. Too much nitro is bad too thats why he puts all the warnings on the blood meal. Too much will heat your soil like a compost pile and actually burn the roots. I have never had a nitro deficiency but I did add blood meal as a topdressinng just to see. Nitro toxicity 2 days later. Sorry Ms Panama Red.

He also mentioned he uses Calmag+ from General Organics but when I was reading about it, it says it isn’t approved for organic use in Cali.. I found organic calmag derived from natural sources that is OMRI.. What path did you take?

It’s these little details that tripped me up on this first grow that I’m now glad I know I need to ask about lol

 

[Gee64]

In compost, just like in a human diet, you need proteins. Proteins are all your greens in the mix. They need to be present and in balance with the browns which are your carbons, for carbon to burn. If you google protein it says "A nitrogenous material" so you are already adding alot of potential nitro. I found feathermeal to be the hardest ingredient to find. Well other than the 5-5-5 which I think is in the unicorn family Finally found a gunny sack of FM for 40 bucks.

 

[Gee64]

He also mentioned he uses Calmag+ from General Organics but when I was reading about it, it says it isn’t approved for organic use in Cali.. I found organic calmag derived from natural sources that is OMRI.. What path did you take?

It’s these little details that tripped me up on this first grow that I’m now glad I know I need to ask about lol

On his advice I bought a bottle of GO Camg++( I think its called). After researching, it really looked like it was the best, but that was 5 years ago. Since I have realized the value of EWC I have only used it as a rescue tool a couple times. Dont get too bent on OMRI. Dont get me wrong OMRI parameters are paramount to keep your beasties from being killed by synthetics but GO CaMg++ has never harmed my grows, only rescued them in pretty much the exact scenario you were going thru last month. Chlorosis from tight soil ( Mag heavy) and once the soil goes tight any water is enough to suffocate the roots as they are already breathing thru a magnesium straw.
On a molecular level all good soils are based on colloidal clays which are magnetic microscopic chelators and soil structure aids. As terrible as 911 was it makes the perfect example here. Think of soil particles as dinner plates stacked in your cupboard as you envision this. WTC were unbelievable tall buildings reduced to about 30 stories tall if you count their basements which filled with rubble. If it was soil it would be mag heavy after destruction. The magnetics in the dinner plates are like real magnets, one way they stick but turn one magnet over and it repels the other. When cal neutralizes mags grip with one of the 2 ++'s in essence every 2nd plate reverses polarity and stands on edge between 2 flat ones forming I-beam like structures so... If destroyed WTC is soil thats mag heavy then adding cal will stand it completely back up, air and water pour into all the hallways, phos starts loading nutes to haul up and down the hallways and microbes have streets, fungii have tunnels. Its called soil structure. That is exactly why cal and mag come ratio'd together. To get that structure not too tight and not too dusty. O2 rushes in and everything fires up like nitro-methane in a keith black hemi in Kenny Bernsteins car. Horsepower literally appears out of thin( nitro heavy) air. So as long as its organic calmag without synthetics phos it can now safely do its job. Especially in veg. We always talk about phos in flower but veg needs it too. Phos doesnt actually get eaten really, trace amounts yes but really it vibrates sideways in the soil attracting foods and its slow to mine so in veg you dont have or need alot. In flower you need tons. Mining it in flower is too late so you need cal to stand the wtc back up on day 1. Every day your beasties cant mine phos bites you in flower and yield drops but more importantly brix drop. I have never scienced Doc Buds High Brix but Im thinking its capitalistic cal and Phos with "rescue drenches"..hmm any idea what that may be? and some light food so you see a growth spurt asap. Brix go over 12-13 and pests are...hmmm exactly what is a pest? Ive heard about them but never actually seen 1 No bullshit there...NEVER. NOT AN APHID OR GNAT OR SPIDER MITE. Most of my grows brix at 17-19 but I did have 1 at 22. Not sure what I did tho.

 

[Gee64]

If you get a brix refractometer( dont rush out let santa bring it if you want one, your brix will be fine Im sure) it will also tell you generally how your cal levels are. If the indicator line is crisp and sharp you are low on cal. If its fuzzy you have lots. The fuzzier it is the more you have.

 

[Keffka]

In compost, just like in a human diet, you need proteins. Proteins are all your greens in the mix. They need to be present and in balance with the browns which are your carbons, for carbon to burn. If you google protein it says "A nitrogenous material" so you are already adding alot of potential nitro. I found feathermeal to be the hardest ingredient to find. Well other than the 5-5-5 which I think is in the unicorn family Finally found a gunny sack of FM for 40 bucks.

I live about a mile north of 8 mile road which is the border between the city and the metro area supporting the city. We have a massive industrial and logistics hub, as well as a major international airport, and international bridge/tunnel. Legalization happened here a few years ago and for years before that hydro stores were pretty common.

I say all that to say, I have pretty much unlimited access to so many different products, companies, and distributors. Out of everyone in our area, no one carried feather meal and no one carried steer manure. The main store I go to that is a mom and pop is hands down the best one. They carry most of every major brand, including Down To Earth, Gaia Green, etc. and their prices are always at least a couple bucks cheaper than online. The guy I interact the most with (the owners son) very obviously spends a lot of his time online in the same places we do so he knows what’s big and what’s not. Even they weren’t carrying feather meal and steer manure.. They had crushed oyster shell, azomite, you name it they had it, except feather meal and steer manure lol. They have access to it through their supplier and they’ll order some for me if I want it so it’s not like it’s unavailable to me, but I’m thinking of heading a bit north (or west).

We have a lot of farm and forest land outside of the metro area, and so we have quite a few farm supply and tractor supply stores once you get there. (Which in reality because of our roads only takes 30-45 minutes) I’m thinking I’ll have far greater luck getting larger amounts of specific stuff like FM and steer manure from the farm supply stores than I will from the grow stores around here.

Worse comes to worst I can just have my grow shop order it for me, but I still need to track down steer manure.

Steer manure is another interesting one.. A lot of the beneficial bacteria that cannabis likes, is found in cow manure. I wonder if there’s going to be some correlation between the beneficial bacteria in cow manure, and the observation from Rev that steer manure seems to really fuel high quality buds.

As far as 5-5-5 goes.. I haven’t seen it in any brick and mortar stores but I have seen a couple online..

I saw those but didn’t pull the trigger on them. I was reading about the specific products Rev uses instead of the 5-5-5. He said the Botanicare “Pure” Grow and Bloom.. the Grow is 7-6-9, and the bloom is 5-7-10. I haven’t decided which I want to do yet. I’m leaning more toward the 4-4-4 from GG just so I can get my feet wet with layering and spiking before really diving in whole hog. It’ll give me a chance to see what I need more of and what I need less of without changing too many variables.

 

[Gee64]

Do you have the original book or the revised 2nd edition? Its copyright 2016.

 

[Keffka]

Do you have the original book or the revised 2nd edition? Its copyright 2016.

Looks like I have the original.. I’ll see if I can get the revised or if I’ve gotta purchase it.

 

[Keffka]

Do you have the original book or the revised 2nd edition? Its copyright 2016.

The 2nd edition isn’t available as an ebook, it’s only available in paperback smh.. He must’ve lost a lot of money to the original ebook or something cuz it’s pretty financially foolish to not release an ebook version. For instance he’s lost my money on a second book (I don’t take kindly to attempts to prevent piracy that punish the consumer). Oh well.. I’ve got the basics down, and have already been able to source Kelp meal, bone meal (steamed, I have unsteamed already), 4-4-4, EWC and perlite for cheaper than I originally thought. Composted Steer manure is down the street as well for a steal (3 bucks for 40 pounds).. I found perlite 5.79 for 8 quarts.. The EWC is only temporary as I build myself a worm farm.

Somehow I didn’t put it together in my head that I can source these products from any number of places and any number of brands I don’t need to stick to canna specific stuff

From what I can tell of the 2nd edition it’s added a lot of pictures which I don’t need, and has probably updated a few of his recommendations which is ok, I know what the actual products are I’m looking for and why, I can sort through brands myself. I’ll keep my eye out for the book around here and see if my library will order a copy. If I spend the money on the book myself I’ll just scan the pages and upload them out of spite lol (the idea of putting knowledge behind a paywall goes against my values), so instead I’ll look elsewhere, there’s a few libraries far away from here that carry it so no reason mine shouldn’t.

I remember you mentioning something about my age before, I’m 37, so I’m an older millennial with one foot in and out of technology. I remember life before the internet and cell phones, but I was a teen when Napster hit, so I embrace technology for a lot of stuff like books and music, but I can’t understand the appeal of stuff like Instagram and twitter. I am a disabled veteran though so that usually helps alleviate the typical stereotypes associated with millennials

 

[Gee64]

Well 1st off your neighbor to the north thanks you for your service. We greatly benefit from our geography. And yeah your correct on your assumption of book 2. Different recipes for teas, led's are just starting to creep in. Also a bit of a hash making section, and just as the 1st book its a fun read.

 

[Keffka]

Well 1st off your neighbor to the north thanks you for your service. We greatly benefit from our geography. And yeah your correct on your assumption of book 2. Different recipes for teas, led's are just starting to creep in. Also a bit of a hash making section, and just as the 1st book its a fun read.

No worries, it was service or eviction, the system works lol. We love the northerners! Went to my first real casino and had my first legal alcoholic beverage in Windsor. We’re closer to Canada than we are to the rest of America (literally a 15 minute drive to the bridge or tunnel for me, I look at Canada from my doctors office all the time). We’ve thought about moving to Canada, and have a citizenship route available, it just depends on how these next few years play out. I thought War was an honorable thing until I was in one, my sons don’t need that “honor”.

Bummer and serious shit aside I figured the 2nd edition would be like that.. There were a few things he kept mentioning in the first book where I’d chuckle, like trying not to talk shit about LEDs but also not willing to let go of his HIDs.. He never mentions fabric pots at all, he seems pigeon holed into a few select brands, and did you see the prices on some of the stuff he bought?!! Man I’d love to have seen prices like that I’ll still keep my eye out for the book and maybe I’ll purchase it because to be fair, the knowledge I’ve gotten is worth throwing a few more bucks his way, plus it’d be nice to have his newer recipes on hand. I imagine with legalization spinning up, and new companies and products coming available he probably has a few additional recommendations as well

I’ve got a tea on the bubbler right now that I need to dilute and water in.. I’ll post pics of her progress in a little while

 

[Gee64]

No worries, it was service or eviction, the system works lol. We love the northerners! Went to my first real casino and had my first legal alcoholic beverage in Windsor. We’re closer to Canada than we are to the rest of America (literally a 15 minute drive to the bridge or tunnel for me, I look at Canada from my doctors office all the time). We’ve thought about moving to Canada, and have a citizenship route available, it just depends on how these next few years play out. I thought War was an honorable thing until I was in one, my sons don’t need that “honor”.

Bummer and serious shit aside I figured the 2nd edition would be like that.. There were a few things he kept mentioning in the first book where I’d chuckle, like trying not to talk shit about LEDs but also not willing to let go of his HIDs.. He never mentions fabric pots at all, he seems pigeon holed into a few select brands, and did you see the prices on some of the stuff he bought?!! Man I’d love to have seen prices like that I’ll still keep my eye out for the book and maybe I’ll purchase it because to be fair, the knowledge I’ve gotten is worth throwing a few more bucks his way, plus it’d be nice to have his newer recipes on hand. I imagine with legalization spinning up, and new companies and products coming available he probably has a few additional recommendations as well

I’ve got a tea on the bubbler right now that I need to dilute and water in.. I’ll post pics of her progress in a little while

We always have room for more up here. Yeah no fooling about how low the prices used to be. I felt the same. I found his 1st book online for "free" and loved it so much I spent $25 on the new one just to square my debt with him. I gained a wee bit more than $25 worth of knowledge from it. Cant wait to see the ladies. You will have to rely on tea and feeding alot now so watch your calcium to magnesium ratios. Mag may start to tighten your soil. When your pots are on the drier side squish them gently. If it squeezes like a pot of soft fluffy soil you are good. If it feels lumpy or crusty mag is getting heavy and you need to water in some dried crumbled EWC to get the calcium down to the mag. Usually 2 doses of EWC administered about 48 hours apart will get the soil back. Its the BSM bringing the extra mag and sooner or later it will likely happen so watch for it right before every watering now. That being said, you can afford to sweat some out now so a higher vpd about 1.45 shouldnt be hard on them. See if you can get that vpd with a humidity around 50-52 so your ready to drop it into the high 40's for the final push. Chunky season is about to begin. Use your humidity to slowly, I do mean slowly, to get your light in closer to penetrate to your lower buds. I usually go up to about 55-56 RH at this point and lower in the light, then slowly dial the humidity back after the light move. Just try for an inch lower and see how it goes.

 

[Keffka]

We always have room for more up here. Yeah no fooling about how low the prices used to be. I felt the same. I found his 1st book online for "free" and loved it so much I spent $25 on the new one just to square my debt with him. I gained a wee bit more than $25 worth of knowledge from it. Cant wait to see the ladies. You will have to rely on tea and feeding alot now so watch your calcium to magnesium ratios. Mag may start to tighten your soil. When your pots are on the drier side squish them gently. If it squeezes like a pot of soft fluffy soil you are good. If it feels lumpy or crusty mag is getting heavy and you need to water in some dried crumbled EWC to get the calcium down to the mag. Usually 2 doses of EWC administered about 48 hours apart will get the soil back. Its the BSM bringing the extra mag and sooner or later it will likely happen so watch for it right before every watering now. That being said, you can afford to sweat some out now so a higher vpd about 1.45 shouldnt be hard on them. See if you can get that vpd with a humidity around 50-52 so your ready to drop it into the high 40's for the final push. Chunky season is about to begin. Use your humidity to slowly, I do mean slowly, to get your light in closer to penetrate to your lower buds. I usually go up to about 55-56 RH at this point and lower in the light, then slowly dial the humidity back after the light move. Just try for an inch lower and see how it goes.

Man it’s creepy how you keep saying exactly what my mind is thinking lol.. I just finished watering in my EWC from a couple days ago with the tea this morning. I was gonna mix up some EWC and perlite this afternoon and sprinkle across the top to be there for the evening/morning water.

I was also in the process of beginning to push the VPD a bit higher.. she’s filled up with microbeasties, fungi, and fuel, may as well ramp her a bit.. I also elevated her one inch this morning to try to get a little more oomph so we’ll see what she does.

The perlite I found for 5.79/8 quarts looks really good too.. it’s got a little chunky, some coarse, and some of it is almost dust, which is awesome for aeration

You can see how small the pieces get.. I had them set 2 bags to the side along with blood meal, steamed bone meal, some 4-4-4, and a bag of castings for 30 bucks total so I’m happy with that. I still need to order Kelp Meal and feather meal to be able to make The Revs spikes.. I’m gonna go with the Neptune’s Harvest stuff and see how that works as far as kelp meal goes. I’ll lay out my plan in another comment, here’s todays pics right before tea

 

[Gee64]

Dude! You have them looking good Its amazing how much weight shes put on since last pics. Beauty. Yeah you seemed to have grasped the organic principles both quickly and well. Keep reading her she should be very routine and predictable now right thru til she starts finish. No Bad Days. Make that her motto.

 

[Gee64]

These are the ones I was mentioning. They fit perfectly inside a milk crate. 6 gals of soil with 4 Rev spikes and I got a beauty of a 10 week sativa. Durban Poison. Just RO water with a little bit of topdress EWC and 2 sprinklings of fossilized bat guano. They are really well made with small loops up each corner if you want a bamboo pole upright in each corner.