My First Plant - Cookie Killer (Auto)

[Bill284]

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.

No one magic pill I agree.
But without life in the root zone my girls wouldn’t be able to get enough nutrients to grow as big and healthy as fast as I like.
So it may not be a magic amendment but really like the combination I use.
Cheep easy and very helpful part of my grow.
Just like they used to say about America Express “ Don’t leave home without it”



Stay safe
Bill284

 

[Trump]

No one magic pill I agree.
But without life in the root zone my girls wouldn’t be able to get enough nutrients to grow as big and healthy as fast as I like.
So it may not be a magic amendment but really like the combination I use.
Cheep easy and very helpful part of my grow.
Just like they used to say about America Express “ Don’t leave home without it”



Stay safe
Bill284

I don't consider fungal and bacterial amendments magic pills. I consider them fundamental to any grow so they get included in the "basics".

I'm talking more about bottled magic potions that salesmen tell you will increase your yields up to 20%.....

We had a newb sales guy from Mills come in and talk about a bloom booster. It was cal/mag mixed with a few other micros.....pass....

 

[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.

Is this what you are using?

 

[Trump]

Is this what you are using?

Yep!

 

[Keffka]

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.

Completely agreed with this. The first and biggest tip I give new growers, which they don’t like hearing lol, is to learn the basics/fundamentals of gardening/growing plants. You’ll get way better results from learning the basics than you will from any method, container, product, strain, magic bullet, etc. I almost always try to aggressively insist people choose a method and stick with it until they’ve mastered it in its basic form.

Very few products/items will ever give you much more than a few points difference which like you said, is a lot when you’re growing a quarter million plants, but is almost negligible when you grow 10-20 per year. Oftentimes these products just lead growers to more issues and a whole lot of tail chasing. I’ve also seen where growers will change a container, their light, use a new watering method, then add a product, and be convinced that product made the difference.

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!

This is actually from a book called Teaming With Bacteria by Jeff Lowenfels. He has a series that is on my list of required reading for organic gardeners. They’re called:

Teaming with Nutrients
Teaming with Microbes
Teaming with Fungi
Teaming With Bacteria

You can find the first three with relative ease on google, the fourth one has to be purchased. They’re all great books and I refer to them a lot.

No one magic pill I agree.
But without life in the root zone my girls wouldn’t be able to get enough nutrients to grow as big and healthy as fast as I like.
So it may not be a magic amendment but really like the combination I use.
Cheep easy and very helpful part of my grow.
Just like they used to say about America Express “ Don’t leave home without it”



Stay safe
Bill284

You use pretty basic stuff to achieve what you do. Your bokashi and frass is just an alternate version of my compost and earthworm castings. Even in coco grows good bacteria is very useful, especially if you’re establishing it yourself like you do

 

[SmokingWings]

The first and biggest tip I give new growers, which they don’t like hearing lol, is to learn the basics/fundamentals of gardening/growing plants. You’ll get way better results from learning the basics than you will from any method, container, product, strain, magic bullet, etc. I almost always try to aggressively insist people choose a method and stick with it until they’ve mastered it in its basic form.

Yes, this. The learning process might seem like it is unnecessary to someone who has not grown anything ever before but it can be enough to let them know if gardening, especially inside a house and in a tent is something for them.

 

[Terrapin Station]

I'm trying to determine if the MorBloom, 0-10-10 is having any effect at all during flowering.

Here is a pic of a flower 4 days ago before MorBloom (bottom) and the same flower today after (top). I don't know if this is just normal growth or if the MorBloom made any difference?

I can see this has not had any negative affects on my plant but I'm not sure how to evaluate whether it is having any possible positive effects either?

 

[Bill284]

I'm trying to determine if the MorBloom, 0-10-10 is having any effect at all during flowering.

Her is a pic of a flower 4 days ago before MorBloom (bottom) and the same flower today after (top). I don't know if this is just normal growth or if the MorBloom made any difference?

I can see this has not had any negative affects on my plant but I'm not sure how to evaluate whether it is having any possible positive effects either?

Leaves are preying and the color is great.
P&k draw is just starting to ramp up.
In soil it can take upto a week to see the effects of a change in feed.
As it was only a 50% solution I wouldn't expect any huge difference to occur.
Especially this quick.
As long as she maintains a decent consistent green and develops correctly you will have a successful harvest.
Pardon my memory laps what is the total watts she is under?


Stay safe
Bill284

 

[Azimuth]

Time between photos could simply account for that difference.

 

[Terrapin Station]

Leaves are preying and the color is great.
P&k draw is just starting to 4amp up.
In soil it can take upto a week to see the effects of a change in feed.
As it was only a 50% solution I wouldn't expect any huge difference to occur.
Especially this quick.
As long as she maintains a decent consistent green and develops correctly you will have a successful harvest.
Pardon my memory laps what is the total watts she is under?


Stay safe
Bill284

This is encouraging to hear .

I have a Spider Farmer SF1000D. I thought it was a 1000W light when I bought it, but I've been told here it's actually a 100W.

I moved it to 12" this morning to finish flowering which is supposed to be 960 PPFD top center with this light.

 

[Bill284]

This is encouraging to hear .

I have a Spider Farmer SF1000D. I thought it was a 1000W light when I bought it, but I've been told here it's actually a 100W.

I moved it to 12" this morning to finish flowering which is supposed to be 960 PPFD top center with this light.

That’s what I thought.
As she isn't getting enough light to chew through nutrients I don't think you will need full strength maxbloom or what ever it's called.
Just try an perfect your watering technique for your next grow.
This will help you learn her needs somewhat.
Until you have a stronger light to flower under the garden will grow ok but won't knock your Sox off.
Keep things steady and pay attention to her closely.
She will grow, change and swell , it's all part of her life cycle.
Something you will need to recognize going forward.
Enjoy, most importantly.
Talk soon.


Stay safe
Bill284

 

[Trump]

This is encouraging to hear .

I have a Spider Farmer SF1000D. I thought it was a 1000W light when I bought it, but I've been told here it's actually a 100W.

I moved it to 12" this morning to finish flowering which is supposed to be 960 PPFD top center with this light.

Down load a light meter so that you can properly place your light and give your plants the light they need.

I recommend Tent Buddy if you have an android phone. Not only will it give you immediate PPFD calculations but it will also calculate your DLI depending on the type of light you have. I'm not an IOS fan so I'm not up on the best app for Iphone. Last I remember Photone had a very accurate app for IOS.

 

[Trump]

Completely agreed with this. The first and biggest tip I give new growers, which they don’t like hearing lol, is to learn the basics/fundamentals of gardening/growing plants. You’ll get way better results from learning the basics than you will from any method, container, product, strain, magic bullet, etc. I almost always try to aggressively insist people choose a method and stick with it until they’ve mastered it in its basic form.

Very few products/items will ever give you much more than a few points difference which like you said, is a lot when you’re growing a quarter million plants, but is almost negligible when you grow 10-20 per year. Oftentimes these products just lead growers to more issues and a whole lot of tail chasing. I’ve also seen where growers will change a container, their light, use a new watering method, then add a product, and be convinced that product made the difference.

Yes. One of the things that I wish more newbs would take the time to learn is how nutrient ions work along with basic plant biology. Understanding how your plant eats is essential in being able to feed it correctly and, again, optimize that part of the equation. Once all parts have been understood and mastered, only then can you move onto more sophisticated grow styles. The foundational underpinnings will guide you in mastering the more advanced techniques faster and with less issues.

Watching newbs trying to run their first grows through an RDWC system can be painful to watch. I get that this style will produce explosive growth but do you know how to control the growth or deal with issues that crop up within that system?

This is actually from a book called Teaming With Bacteria by Jeff Lowenfels. He has a series that is on my list of required reading for organic gardeners. They’re called:

Teaming with Nutrients
Teaming with Microbes
Teaming with Fungi
Teaming With Bacteria

You can find the first three with relative ease on google, the fourth one has to be purchased. They’re all great books and I refer to them a lot.

Honestly, I think it should be required reading for all, organic or not.

 

[Terrapin Station]

That’s what I thought.
As she isn't getting enough light to chew through nutrients I don't think you will need full strength maxbloom or what ever it's called.
Just try an perfect your watering technique for your next grow.
This will help you learn her needs somewhat.
Until you have a stronger light to flower under the garden will grow ok but won't knock your Sox off.
Keep things steady and pay attention to her closely.
She will grow, change and swell , it's all part of her life cycle.
Something you will need to recognize going forward.
Enjoy, most importantly.
Talk soon.


Stay safe
Bill284

When you might have time I'm wondering what light you would recommend to buy next if I was going to grow another solitary plant same kind of plant in the closet after this one please? Thank you!

 

[Terrapin Station]

Down load a light meter so that you can properly place your light and give your plants the light they need.

I recommend Tent Buddy if you have an android phone. Not only will it give you immediate PPFD calculations but it will also calculate your DLI depending on the type of light you have. I'm not an IOS fan so I'm not up on the best app for Iphone. Last I remember Photone had a very accurate app for IOS.

It turns out Tent Buddy is for an older version of Android than mine. I couldn't get it but I got the Photone. Thanks!! I had no idea this was an option.

 

[Terrapin Station]

Well this is a surprise.

I just downloaded the Photone app.

Spider Farmer says my light at 12" is 960 PPFD. But I'm showing 571 PPFD.

What's even more surprising is when I move my phone to 1" below the light it's also reading 571 PPFD like this is the max power for this light. If the Photone app is accurate, this isn't cool. Hmmm . . .

 

[con]

Well this is a surprise.

I just downloaded the Photone app.

Spider Farmer says my light at 12" is 960 PPFD. But I'm showing 571 PPFD.

What's even more surprising is when I move my phone to 1" below the light it's also reading 571 PPFD like this is the max power for this light. If the Photone app is accurate, this isn't cool. Hmmm . . .

Hi @Terrapin Station hope you don't mind if i follow along, if you're using the photon app on a android phone you should calibrate it to the spider farmer PPFD chart they provide its pretty accurate for i phone no calibration needed but with a android calibrate it with the 8 inch readings spider farmer has, i use photon on my android its accurate enough to get you in the ball park, i also have spider farmer lights

 

[con]

Hi @Terrapin Station hope you don't mind if i follow along, if you're using the photon app on a android phone you should calibrate it to the spider farmer PPFD chart they provide its pretty accurate for i phone no calibration needed but with a android calibrate it with the 8 inch readings spider farmer has, i use photon on my android its accurate enough to get you in the ball park, i also have spider farmer lights

and with photon you need to purchase the full spectrum to get a better reading for your lights

 

[Trump]

It turns out Tent Buddy is for an older version of Android than mine. I couldn't get it but I got the Photone. Thanks!! I had no idea this was an option.

That's weird. I just bought an S23 and I had no issues downloading it.

 

[Terrapin Station]

That's weird. I just bought an S23 and I had no issues downloading it.

Here's what I get . .