My First Plant - Cookie Killer (Auto)

[Bill284]

I really like your system and am influenced by this. Thanks again very much man!!

That is actually the key to everything right there.
If you remember only one thing that is it.
I didn't grab a quote but basically the microbes and bacteria and fungi he refers to in the root zone are absolutely vital for a huge dank harvest.
The amount of nutrients being fed to the plant by creating this early in plants life is vital. Imo.
I use Bokashi, Dynomyco and a special blend of frass in my base before I even put it into a pot.
This creates life that I nurture threw to flower.
This gives my girls a tremendous nutritional advantage.
I maximise my harvest size and quality this way.
I recommend it to everyone.
Without it your girl is vulnerable to more problems.
It's key to my plant health.


Stay safe
Bill284

 

[Bill284]

Sounds good, I'll just carry on as is.

Up until last week, from seedling stage, I have been doing what I think is called a drenching method where I water it until water comes out the drainage holes and letting it dry in-between. The ph of the soil has been 6.5.


When I watered/fed it the other day I changed from drenching to just giving it what I thought it needed without any water draining out of the holes (less than a quart for 3 gal. Pot). It went dry pretty quickly and I watered it again yesterday with the method, no drenching anymore. So I guess I'm on the feed/water/feed/water schedule now.

There are roots right down to the bottom.
They need nutrients too.
When I see nutrients pissing out the bottom I stop feeding.
I drench my pots, even soil.


Stay safe
Bill284

 

[Terrapin Station]

There are roots right down to the bottom.
They need nutrients too.
When I see nutrients pissing out the bottom I stop feeding.
I drench my pots, even soil.


Stay safe
Bill284

I was worried that I was keeping it too wet for too long at the bottom of my plastic pot is really why I backed off the drenching. It's like I noticed the bottom layer of the pot was always very wet, even when the upper 3/4 was dry and I felt like she was asking for water by weight of pot and reading her leaves. But, I hear what you are saying man.

 

[Trump]

I was worried that I was keeping it too wet for too long at the bottom of my plastic pot is really why I backed off the drenching. It's like I noticed the bottom layer of the pot was always very wet, even when the upper 3/4 was dry and I felt like she was asking for water by weight of pot and reading her leaves. But, I hear what you are saying man.

It's not so much the volume of water you feed at each feeding as much as the frequency of feeds. In coco I can run daily and multi day feeds due to its water retention properties whereas in soil it can go every other day to every week depending on all the factors happening in regard to nutrient uptake.

The post I sent you about perched water table and media water retention mentioned this.

 

[Terrapin Station]

It's not so much the volume of water you feed at each feeding as much as the frequency of feeds. In coco I can run daily and multi day feeds due to its water retention properties whereas in soil it can go every other day to every week depending on all the factors happening in regard to nutrient uptake.

The post I sent you about perched water table and media water retention mentioned this.

Thank you. I know you also said cannabis likes wettish soil conditions. Maybe that's what I'm having trouble wrapping my head around. With my soil mix and it's media water retention it was staying pretty much waterlogged for a week at a time in between waterings and I became uncomfortable with this. But, since I ve never grown a weed plant before obviously I should defer to you on this.

 

[Terrapin Station]

I didn't grab a quote but basically the microbes and bacteria and fungi he refers to in the root zone are absolutely vital for a huge dank harvest.

Stay safe
Bill284

I think I'm keeping up for the most part here except I'm having trouble grasping where these things are provided in a super soil mix. Like in the mix that we talked about above which is predominantly FFOF is it this FF product that primarily provides the microbes, bacteria, and fungi.

For example if I go 2 parts FFOF, 1 part Canadian spaghnum peat, and 1 part pearlite will I have the above three important thing we are talking about?

 

[Bill284]

I didn't grab a quote but basically the microbes and bacteria and fungi he refers to in the root zone are absolutely vital for a huge dank harvest.

Stay safe
Bill284

I think I'm keeping up for the most part here except I'm having trouble grasping where these things are provided in a super soil mix. Like in the mix that we talked about above which is predominantly FFOF is it this FF product that primarily provides the microbes, bacteria, and fungi.

For example if I go 2 parts FFOF, 1 part Canadian spaghnum peat, and 1 part pearlite will I have the above three important thing we are talking about?

Yes and no.
The soil will have some of the benefits we speak of.
I use those ingredients I mentioned to start my root zone microbes etc.
I feed them with nutrients containing sugars.
And I keep adding new life as I go.
Consistently building up the ability to feed my roots for me.
LOS requires time and proper ingredients to bring that soil to life.
Extra work to start but the labor you save is well worth it.
I'm not a Los grower but lots of info here on the topic.
Great growers too.


Stay safe
Bill284

 

[Bill284]

I've never used it but this product came highly recommended.

 

[Trump]

Thank you. I know you also said cannabis likes wettish soil conditions. Maybe that's what I'm having trouble wrapping my head around. With my soil mix and it's media water retention it was staying pretty much waterlogged for a week at a time in between waterings and I became uncomfortable with this. But, since I ve never grown a weed plant before obviously I should defer to you on this.

That's the MG keeping it that wet. MG has a lower than normal for cannabis centric soil perlite/vermiculite ratio so it's not only going to have a higher perched water table but it will also hold more water throughout the media. Ideally what you want is for the media to hold onto the water/nutrient long enough for the plants to uptake them but not long enough to reduce the gas exchange in the soil. If the roots can't take up O² and expel CO² they will stop metabolising also known as stunting. Same goes for the bacterial and fungal colonies residing in the rhizosphere.

As far as soil amendments pertaining to fungal and bacterial colonization, I typically dust the transplant hole with some mycorrhizae from Xtreme Gardening so that the fungal colony attaches to the root system as fast as possible. In clone or seed I use a little Voodoo Juice for the first couple weeks from AN to get a beneficial bacteria colony going.

One of the tricks I use when running in coco only mediums is to add in water retention beads into the mix. This gives me the fast draining I want for maximum O² exchange but keeps more water in the media without inhibiting the O² levels much.

 

[Trump]

I've never used it but this product came highly recommended.

Curious what they're using to "unlock" Potassium while not locking out micros?

 

[Bill284]

@con Was it you who recommended microbial mass?
sorry I can't remember.
Hope your doing well Amigo.


Stay safe
Bill284

 

[Terrapin Station]

That's the MG keeping it that wet. MG has a lower than normal for cannabis centric soil perlite/vermiculite ratio so it's not only going to have a higher perched water table but it will also hold more water throughout the media. Ideally what you want is for the media to hold onto the water/nutrient long enough for the plants to uptake them but not long enough to reduce the gas exchange in the soil. If the roots can't take up O² and expel CO² they will stop metabolising also known as stunting. Same goes for the bacterial and fungal colonies residing in the rhizosphere.

As far as soil amendments pertaining to fungal and bacterial colonization, I typically dust the transplant hole with some mycorrhizae from Xtreme Gardening so that the fungal colony attaches to the root system as fast as possible. In clone or seed I use a little Voodoo Juice for the first couple weeks from AN to get a beneficial bacteria colony going.

One of the tricks I use when running in coco only mediums is to add in water retention beads into the mix. This gives me the fast draining I want for maximum O² exchange but keeps more water in the media without inhibiting the O² levels much.

That's exactly right my MG and 30% coco is holding too much water for too long for my comfort. The plant seems to be thriving to me but I didn't want to finish out my last few weeks with it being that wet.

Oh well, I guess on the other hand my first experience growing weed will be over before I can blink and then hopefully I can smoke some from her and regroup and see what I need to do next time with the remainder of these seeds.

Thanks again man!

 

[con]

@con Was it you who recommended microbial mass?
sorry I can't remember.
Hope your doing well Amigo.


Stay safe
Bill284

Hey @Bill284 i can't say if i ever recommended it but i do use Microbial Mass Pro

 

[Trump]

That's exactly right my MG and 30% coco is holding too much water for too long for my comfort. The plant seems to be thriving to me but I didn't want to finish out my last few weeks with it being that wet.

Oh well, I guess on the other hand my first experience growing weed will be over before I can blink and then hopefully I can smoke some from her and regroup and see what I need to do next time with the remainder of these seeds.

Thanks again man!

It is thriving and I would attribute that to the coco you mixed in. You're probably at the threshold where the coco improves the MG water retention levels to the point the plant can still thrive.

You have to think of it as an entire process rather than any one thing. You can have high retention media as long as your plants are pulling water quickly. This requires higher metabolism. Typically, higher PPFD and temp tend to increase metabolism and transpiration pulling more nutrient and water through the plant faster so the high water retention gets depleted fast enough not to drown the roots. Higher air temps will also promote faster soil evaporation overall so you have a lot of factors working together to impact your grow. Sometimes it's kind of like Whack-A-Mole until you're able to find the balance in the process and dial everything in.

 

[Terrapin Station]

It is thriving and I would attribute that to the coco you mixed in. You're probably at the threshold where the coco improves the MG water retention levels to the point the plant can still thrive.

You have to think of it as an entire process rather than any one thing. You can have high retention media as long as your plants are pulling water quickly. This requires higher metabolism. Typically, higher PPFD and temp tend to increase metabolism and transpiration pulling more nutrient and water through the plant faster so the high water retention gets depleted fast enough not to drown the roots. Higher air temps will also promote faster soil evaporation overall so you have a lot of factors working together to impact your grow. Sometimes it's kind of like Whack-A-Mole until you're able to find the balance in the process and dial everything in.

You described my situation perfectly. I've been keeping my light situated so it has been at the max PPFD for auto veg and flowering states. And the light heats up the closet well.

I love what you said about Whack-A-Mole. I'll always remember this going forward . . . how perfect!

 

[Trump]

You described my situation perfectly. I've been keeping my light situated so it has been at the max PPFD for auto veg and flowering states. And the light heats up the closet well.

I love what you said about Whack-A-Mole. I'll always remember this going forward . . . how perfect!

A lot of times when things go FUBAR the mole that needs to be whacked is ME!!!

 

[Keffka]

Bacteria and fungi are both very easy to create yourself without needing special products aside from a small cheap bottle of myco. Especially if you have the amendments on hand for it to begin with.

The proper bacteria starts with the seed:

Proper Germination 1/4

• Keffka
• Mar 10, 2023

Increase yield, quality, health and resilience with proper germination

Proper Germination 2/4

• Keffka
• Mar 10, 2023

Increase yield, quality, health and resilience with proper germination

Proper Germination 3/4

• Keffka
• Mar 10, 2023

Increase yield, quality, health and resilience with proper germination

Proper Germination 4/4

• Keffka
• Mar 10, 2023

Increase yield, quality, health and resilience with proper germination

As long as you don’t poison or pollute your medium/soil, these bacteria are very easy to maintain. Fungi is just as simple. A light dusting of myco on your seed, or a little in your planting hole and you’re good to go. When the plant is harvested you can set that container you used to the side. The fungi will go dormant. When you start your next grow, you grab a little bit of that soil from the container you and you can reestablish your fungi. If you want to be extra cautious, use another sprinkle of myco and you’re good to go. I’ve yet to use a whole bottle of myco before it expired. A little goes a long way.

As long as you maintain a balance in your medium, you don’t introduce anything too acidic or alkaline, keep your sodium to a minimum, and avoid synthetic chelates you should be able to maintain this forever, theoretically.

There’s tons of knowledge around here and people willing to share it. Most disagreements are very respectful, and everyone respects each others methods. It’s a great place

 

[Keffka]

I use a little Voodoo Juice for the first couple weeks from AN to get a beneficial bacteria colony going

I do like this product. It’s concentrated bacteria in a liquid form with no extra crap in it. This is a decent one.

If you’re the kind of grower that wants/needs a product or just want to spend some money, make sure the product has just bacteria/trichoderma/fungi whatever in it. A lot of products will try to slip some other stuff in there so just watch your labels. Watch your labels applies to everything really though, especially with gardening stuff. It’s easy to make a mistake with the label and damage your garden.

(This is all in relation to my methods, other methods have varying requirements and disqualified products)

 

[Trump]

I do like this product. It’s concentrated bacteria in a liquid form with no extra crap in it. This is a decent one.

If you’re the kind of grower that wants/needs a product or just want to spend some money, make sure the product has just bacteria/trichoderma/fungi whatever in it. A lot of products will try to slip some other stuff in there so just watch your labels. Watch your labels applies to everything really though, especially with gardening stuff. It’s easy to make a mistake with the label and damage your garden.

(This is all in relation to my methods, other methods have varying requirements and disqualified products)

I worked for a few Licensed Grow Ops in California so I got to see a lot of nutrient and amendment lines come through and get tested.

My personal opinion is that 99% of the "amendments" don't really pertain to home growers. Almost all of them promise increased dry weights and some of them even somewhat deliver but we're talking about 1% - 3% improvement with all factors at peak.

1% dry yield improvement is a big deal when you're growing 250,000 plants like the LGO I last worked at but for a tent grower it's not worth even thinking about.

Too many people are looking for that magic pill/nute/amendment that will improve their yields markedly. Sorry to report that up until now I haven't seen it! Again, IMO, it's more about optimizing the basics involved.

 

[Terrapin Station]

Bacteria and fungi are both very easy to create yourself without needing special products aside from a small cheap bottle of myco. Especially if you have the amendments on hand for it to begin with.

The proper bacteria starts with the seed:

Proper Germination 1/4

• Keffka
• Mar 10, 2023

Increase yield, quality, health and resilience with proper germination

Proper Germination 2/4

• Keffka
• Mar 10, 2023

Increase yield, quality, health and resilience with proper germination

Proper Germination 3/4

• Keffka
• Mar 10, 2023

Increase yield, quality, health and resilience with proper germination

Proper Germination 4/4

• Keffka
• Mar 10, 2023

Increase yield, quality, health and resilience with proper germination

As long as you don’t poison or pollute your medium/soil, these bacteria are very easy to maintain. Fungi is just as simple. A light dusting of myco on your seed, or a little in your planting hole and you’re good to go. When the plant is harvested you can set that container you used to the side. The fungi will go dormant. When you start your next grow, you grab a little bit of that soil from the container you and you can reestablish your fungi. If you want to be extra cautious, use another sprinkle of myco and you’re good to go. I’ve yet to use a whole bottle of myco before it expired. A little goes a long way.

As long as you maintain a balance in your medium, you don’t introduce anything too acidic or alkaline, keep your sodium to a minimum, and avoid synthetic chelates you should be able to maintain this forever, theoretically.

There’s tons of knowledge around here and people willing to share it. Most disagreements are very respectful, and everyone respects each others methods. It’s a great place

This reading is super good and very interesting. I'm inspired to learn more and participate in this. Even on a practical level that makes perfect sense about the paper towel method. Is this part of an academic journal. It sounds a little like a position paper?

I agree this is a Great place!