Mystery Seed's 400W LED Grow Journal - ScrOG - 2'x2'x5' Tent

[MysterySeeds]

Hey there Mystery, saw you over on SS's journal and thought I'd drop in and now Subb'd! Nice looking plants there too BTW. Great job nice looking buds there buddy, cant wait to see the big beautiful flowers!

I see you're running MarsII LED lamps, I'm running a MarsII 900w (5w LEDs) and 2 450 Reflector series (3W LEDs) with no glass cover in the same tent with excellent result.

I run LOS soil like SweetSue and trying to get to all no-till next run, I'm almost there. I've not tried the swick system yet but it's looking pretty good there in your setup. I've over watered before so I'm paying attention here.

Thanks for stopping by, Bobrown. For a second, I thought you meant you ran all three lights in the same 27" x 27" x 63" tent that I use. That's a lot of light for a small space, but then I read through your journals and it all made sense. Since I plan to use LOS or High Brix next go round, you can expect me to be paying attention to your grow/s as well.

 

[MysterySeeds]

Oh yeah, count me in! I'm mighty impressed MysterySeeds. Excellent documentation. I could only give you one of the four reps I wanted to.

Healthy, happy plants and great narrative. I like it.

One point I need to clarify: my drenches have nothing to do with salt build-up. They are micronutrients for the soil, because I won't be tilling this soil, but will continue growing in it indefinitely.

I'm a sucker for gorgeous leaves and your grow is full of them, all with rich, fabulous color. Great job.

Thanks for the compliments Sue. It's great to have you along for the journey. My apologies for misquoting you about the drenches. I realized my mistake afterward, but didn't have the post-editing privileges to change it. That said, I'll go back and post a note below detailing my mistake. I do, however, plan to finish this current grow out with the nutes I have on hand, which will probably require a thorough soaking or two to prevent salt build up.

The fellow at the garden supply store encouraged me to try a super soil or LOS from the start, but I didn't listen and went with the salty chemicals instead. They seem to be doing alright, but I can't wait to make the switch to something more natural. Again, thanks for the informative threads and blog posts; your knowledge is contagious.

 

[MysterySeeds]

Re: SWICK Watering System

In her post, SweetSue also mentions "drenching" the plants once in a while to prevent salt build-up.

This statement is INCORRECT. I mixed up SweetSue's organic drenches with my own knowledge of inorganic nutrients, salts, and salt flushes. In SweetSue's own words, "One point I need to clarify: my drenches have nothing to do with salt build-up. They are micronutrients for the soil, because I won't be tilling this soil, but will continue growing in it indefinitely." My apologies if I've confused anybody.

 

[MysterySeeds]

Everything looks so healthy Mystery. This is going to be one great grow. Looks like the SWICK is working for you. I'm thinking my grow probably needs more nutes now considering they are a lighter green. Tomorrow I change my DWC water again.

Thanks, Green. So far so good with the SWICK system. I'll keep y'all updated if anything changes with it. Hope the DWC water change goes smoothly for you.

 

[SweetSue]

Thank you MysterySeeds. It's frustrating to discover the blatant mistake after the 420 minutes is up. I've made my share of mistakes as I've gone along. I recently posted two Day 21s and didn't discover it until Day 35. All you can do is laugh with life.

 

[MysterySeeds]

Youre plants look awesome and I really like that stealthy cabinet box. Very cool. I like your SWICK set up, as well.

Thanks for the kudos, Sorenna. I ended up moving my plants from the stealth cabinet to the tent to save a few dollars in electricity and because the LED, though only 138w, started to burn my babies at the maximum 12" I could keep it above the plants. Guess I'll have to stick with CFLs in that box.

 

[Whitty08]

Thanks Whitty. I'll try to stay updated with any changes or improvements to my SWICK system. If you do implement it in your next grow, choose a fabric pot with a thin wall so the water can easily wick through the fabric. Brands like Smart Pot or Gro Pro work well.

As for choosing Strawberry Cough or Moby Dick, the choice is yours. If it were me, I'd choose both! So many strains, so little space. #mjgrowerproblems

I wish I had that kind of space in my tent at the moment. Got to wait a few more weeks till I know the snow won't harm the plants I have in my tent and I can put them outside and keep the marijuana in the tent then I would have plenty of space.

 

[Arcanum]

Plants are looking great, I am very impressed with the window garden, great idea!

 

[MysterySeeds]

Re-topping, LST, and saying "Goodbye"

Day 42 Update:

So... things have happened. Not to be dramatic or anything, but three of my babies have flew the coop and they aren't looking back. Bubbalicious #2 moved to a friend's greenhouse, and baby Papaya #3 and #4 moved to another friend's backyard where they will be grown in the fresh air of Southwest Colorado. It was a sad day, but they were meant for different and hopefully greater purposes - plus, my tent was getting a little full.

On top of the move, I topped Mystery #1 and #2, re-topped Papaya #2 after an unsuccessful FIMing, and started LST on Bubby #3 and Mystery #1. The SWICK container is slowly drying out after I filled it on May 1st - only a half-inch of water remains. (Note: I continue to top-water the plants in plastic pots as they don't seem to do as well with the SWICK system as the fabric pots do.) The temps have dropped a little in Colorado, so my tent has hovered around 65'F and 60% RH for the last few days. I've top fed 1/2 strength nutes to the plants every other day. Several gnats have made their way into my tent, so I bought a few sticky traps in an attempt to keep them from making it a home. No worries on my end.

One more thing before the photos, Bubbalicious #3 showed itself to be a slight "hermie". I found 5 little pollen pods, which I promptly plucked. Let us hope the she/he decides to stay on the more feminine side of things. I'm currently wearing a skirt to show her that it's okay to be feminine. Anyway, the photos:

{Day 39}Group shot. [May 2nd, 2015]

{Day 39}Papaya #1. Several days after being topped. [May 2nd, 2015]

{Day 39}Papaya #2. Several days after being FIM'd, which didn't turn out as planned so I re-topped it. [May 2nd, 2015]

{Day 39}Bubbalicious #1 [May 2nd, 2015]

{Day 39}Bubbalicious #3. I found those little man parts attached to her nether regions. [May 2nd, 2015]

{Day 39}Mystery #1 and #2. [May 2nd, 2015]

{Day 39}Mystery #1 after a little LST. [May 2nd, 2015]

{Day 42}Group shot. [May 5th, 2015]

{Day 42}Papaya #1 [May 5th, 2015]

{Day 42}Papaya #2 [May 5th, 2015]

{Day 42}Bubbalicious #1 [May 5th, 2015]

{Day 42}Bubbalicious #3 two days after a little LST. [May 5th, 2015]

{Day 42}Mystery #1 responding well to the LST and a topping. By the looks of the leaves, I think this may be a sativa. Knock on wood that it's a lady.[May 5th, 2015]

{Day 42}Mystery #2 a day after topping. The leaves on it are very wide a robust, so I believe this is an indica dominant plant.[May 5th, 2015]

Some baby kale that's getting ready to go outside.

No major updates on the SWICK system. It's working well at keeping the soil in the fabric pots moist, but some local growers are warning me against keeping the soil moist to avoid gnats and other pests. I'm gonna stick with it, though I do plan to let the perlite dry up a few times to see if it makes a difference in growth. Otherwise, I ordered Doc Bud's High Brix Kit and had the local gardening store order some ProMix HP Myco and earthworm castings. Gotta get my soil cooking for the next grow. Think I might try growing a high-CBD strain next time. Any suggestions?

That's all for now. Have a fulfilling day!
-X

 

[Sorenna]

Even though they are plants, its still a little hard to cut the apron strings, huh? Im glad they have nice new homes. Even after 3 leaving, you still have 6 plants, right? Six plants that look fantastic, by the way. If the you think the one is a sativa, will you be cloning it? Just curious.

Everything looks great inside your tent. Very nicely done.

 

[MysterySeeds]

Even though they are plants, its still a little hard to cut the apron strings, huh? Im glad they have nice new homes. Even after 3 leaving, you still have 6 plants, right? Six plants that look fantastic, by the way. If the you think the one is a sativa, will you be cloning it? Just curious.

Everything looks great inside your tent. Very nicely done.

Thanks for the compliments, Sorenna. It's a little hard letting go of something you put time and effort into, but they did go to great homes. The act of giving away small plants and seeds makes me feel a little like Johny Appleseed.

With three gone, I'm still left with six plants: 2 Papaya, 2 Bubbalicious Autos, and 2 Mystery plants. I plan to veg the 4 photo-plants until the 2 autos finish, then I'll start flowering the photo-plants. A few weeks into flowering, I plan to take clones and re-veg them - that is, if they're female. The process is called "Monstercropping" because the flowering clones when rooted and switched to an 18/6 light cycle will go back into the vegetative state and produce a plant with very tightly spaced nodes and bud sites. That said, I may try to take a few clones before switching the light to 12/12 so I can compare them to the flowering clones.

If the mother plants flower well, then I'll decide which clones to keep and what ones I can give to friends. If Mystery #1 turns out to be a female sativa with good qualities, she'll definitely be kept for next round. Next grow, I plan to grow one or two of the clones, and start a few new seeds. I'm thinking of trying Charlotte's Web from Old School BA, which has a range of phenotypes that include high-CBD and low-THC, high-CBD and high-THC, and low-CBD and high-THC... All of which sound like good combinations to me. A description from their website:

Charlotte's Web Pheno

This high CBD strain does well both indoors and outdoors and can withstand many types of stresses. There is a range of phenotypes, which tend to be vigorous, fast growing and can require management of stretching if given extra time in vegetative growth. Despite the potential for stretching, they are medium sized plants with closely spaced buds. They benefit from topping, tying or supercropping of the main stem prior to flowering, in order to level the canopy and allow branches to extend up rather than sideways. With many of the phenos, the buds can have extreme levels of trichomes and can vary from dense rock-like buds to more spongy and oily buds.

The smell and taste are a combination of musky or skunky along with perfume/ floral aromas. These seeds will produce mostly high-CBD plants with between a 1:1 and 4:1 ratio of CBD:THC, ideal for people avoiding the psychoactive effects of THC. On average, 25% will have very high CBD with almost no THC. Then 50% will have both high CBD and high THC. The other 25% of the seeds will produce high-THC phenotypes. On average, 1 of 4 seeds will have 1% THC and from 13% to 23% CBD.

Keeping cuttings will allow you to preserve the phenos with the desired levels. Lab testing is recommended, to identify the right amount of CBD for your needs. CBD-rich cannabis has been found to be therapeutic in different combinations for different types of ailments. It has also been found that mixing high-CBD bud with high-THC bud in varying amounts can offset THC's side effects such as memory loss and confusion and also prevent the burn-out, lethargy, or physical dysphoria that can follow smoking too much strong weed.

 

[Sorenna]

Thanks for the compliments, Sorenna. It's a little hard letting go of something you put time and effort into, but they did go to great homes. The act of giving away small plants and seeds makes me feel a little like Johny Appleseed.

With three gone, I'm still left with six plants: 2 Papaya, 2 Bubbalicious Autos, and 2 Mystery plants. I plan to veg the 4 photo-plants until the 2 autos finish, then I'll start flowering the photo-plants. A few weeks into flowering, I plan to take clones and re-veg them - that is, if they're female. The process is called "Monstercropping" because the flowering clones when rooted and switched to an 18/6 light cycle will go back into the vegetative state and produce a plant with very tightly spaced nodes and bud sites. That said, I may try to take a few clones before switching the light to 12/12 so I can compare them to the flowering clones.

If the mother plants flower well, then I'll decide which clones to keep and what ones I can give to friends. If Mystery #1 turns out to be a female sativa with good qualities, she'll definitely be kept for next round. Next grow, I plan to grow one or two of the clones, and start a few new seeds. I'm thinking of trying Charlotte's Web from Old School BA, which has a range of phenotypes that include high-CBD and low-THC, high-CBD and high-THC, and low-CBD and high-THC... All of which sound like good combinations to me. A description from their website:

Johnny Appleseed was always one of my favorite stories as a kidlet. It sounds like you have a great plan. I hope the sativa looking one turns out to be a female. Ive havent done any cloning, but I think one day, not my current grow, Ill pick a lovely lady to bear new babies for me. My life is just too unsettled right now to think of anything except simple and quick grows. A perpetual grow sounds lovely. We'll see about it someday.

Ive heard of the Charlotte's Web strain, which is high in CBD. Pretty cool how that strain came about.

 

[MysterySeeds]

The Basics of Doc Bud's High Brix Kit w/ Instructions

So... I created a blog post to wrap up what I've learned so far about "brix" and Doc Bud's High Brix Kit. Thought I'd re-post here for any fellow noobs out here. The original post can be found at: The Basics of Doc Bud's High Brix Kit w/ Instructions - Blogs - 420 Magazine ®

"Insects and disease are the symptoms of a failing crop, not the cause of it."
- Dr. William Albrecht

Known to many simply as "The Kit", Doc Bud's High Brix Kit makes growing healthy, happy, and heady plants easy.

For those who don't know what "brix" is, here is a short description from Doc Bud himself:

Brix is a unit of measurement that tells us how much sugar, minerals and other dissolved solids that are in a liquid. In our case, the liquid is leaf juice and occasionally a small bud. Average brix for a solid organic grow is going to be 7 to 10. Moderate brix levels clock in at 10-12. Once you get over 12 brix you're in High Brix territory. The highest I've measured to date is 17.

Once brix gets over 12, pests aren't a problem and it is very unlikely any diseases will ruin your crop. The higher the brix, the healthier the plant.

The high changes a bit as well. It's still strong, but its also softer and fuller. I've tried to describe it many times but tonite I'll say it like this:

Let's say you're cold and want to get warm. If you smoke organic or hydro weed, and electric blanket appears and you soon warm up. However, if you had smoked High Brix weed, a thick down comforter appears instead and you soon warm up. If I could get brix over 23, a naked nymph appears with the blanket. So, I've got some work to do.

There are four bases to achieving high brix soil:

1.)Foundational minerals. These are your rock powders, Limestone, Soft Rock Phosphate, Gypsum. Other things could conceivably be used as well, but those are cheap, reliable and available. The single most important mineral for High Brix is Calcium, followed by Phosphorus.

2.)Soil Energy. ERGS (Energy Released per Gram per Second). No energy in the soil, no growth of the plant. Fertilizers, organic material, salts....all increase ERGS.

3.)Soil Biology. These are the microbes, nematodes and fungi that inhabit the root zone and break down all the organic material and present it to the plant. We accomplish proper soil biology with humus and we boost it with microbial teas and root inoculates.

4.)Trace Elements. The "micro's." Magnesium, zinc, boron, iron, manganese, copper, molybdenum, sulfur, etc.

We don't put these things in the soil in the typical NPK ratio's that you see on plant food bottles. These things go into the soil in order to make the soil biology happy. For example, most of the phosphorus isn't available to the plant at all. Same with the calcium. But the microbes love it.

The plants, courtesy of the soil life, get anything they want, as much as they want. They never burn, they never lack.

That's the soil.

You supercharge the Brix in the plant tissue via Foliar Feeding. Phosphorus is the "shipping specialist" in the plant. Most things the plant needs come piggy backed as a phosphate, so increasing the phosphorus and calcium levels in the plant increases the sugar content in the leaves, which the plant sends down to the roots in the form of "root exudates." These root exudates feed and signal microbes and fungi that live on the roots, and they take the sugar and use it to form humic/fulvic acids so they can digest minerals and organic matter and feed the plant.

The foliar sprays act like a supercharger, while the soil acts like a gas tank. The microbes are the engine.....and the plants are the passengers who enjoy the ride.

That's High Brix.

The kit isn't "high brix" in itself, but rather a combination of amendments, teas, drenches, and foliar sprays that help create an environment conducive to growing plants that test at a "high brix" level.

A few helpful links:

• Brix - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
• Welcome to High Brix Gardens | HighBrix Gardens
• Doc Bud - High Brix Q&A With Pictures
• Brix/Specific Gravity Refractometer w/ATC : Northern Brewer

The kit sells for around $92 and is available by sending Doc Bud a private message or posting to his Q&A thread. The ProMix HP Myco and earthworm castings must be bought separately, and will cost about $80 depending on where you buy them.

What comes with "The Kit":

I'd still like to know what's in that High Brix kit.

All you have to do is ask!

First of all, I'm not in any way, nor are my products in any way affiliated with "HiBrix" from Australia. I use no chelating agents of any kind, all of my products are GMO free, all the way down the food chain.

So, here's what's in the kit:

Amendment: Carbonized Limestone, Soft Rock Phosphate, Organic fertilizer ( yeast based), bio-char, mycorhyzae, ammonium phosphate, copper sulfate, iron sulfate, kelp meal, some salt of molybdenum, zinc and 20 mule team borax.

Recharge: very similar to the Amendment but with a tad of magnesium added.

Tea: Liquid Humic acid with beneficials

Roots!: various rock powders, mainly limestone, gypsum and soft rock phosphate, with biochar, trace minerals a mycorhyzae that have been born and bred on the rock powders.

Growth Energy: Liquid calcium nitrate derived from naturally occuring chilean nitrate. Trace minerals.
Transplant: Cold water fish hydrolysate, chilean nitrate.
Cat Drench: fish hydrolysate from cold water fish, ammonium phosphate, ammonium sulfate
Brix foliar: fish hydrolysate, calcium phosphate, phosphoric acid, dextrose, kelp based natural plant growth regulators (PGR's...auxins, kinens, etc.)
DeStress Foliar: Kelp, phosphoric acid, PGR's, dextrose.

I think I got every ingredient. Essentially, it's just rocks, naturally occuring salts, fish juice, microbes, small amount of carbon and organic matter.

The soil is very much alive....which is the entire point of High Brix growing.

My system is designed with a post-prohibition mentality and all of these products are good to go right out of the bag/bottle with sprayers, broadcast spreaders, fertigation and all manner of greenhouse Dosatrons and related products.

But they can also be adapted to small hobby grows, just as easily.

So, you LOS/TLO folks are like our favorite cousins. We're about the same things, we just have a different style and understanding. I'd like to grow by the Hectare....but I'd also like quality to be BETTER than what I now grow AND I can't spend all day brewing AACT in a swimming pool to food everything!

So, products designed for farming and market gardens appeal to me. No bugs, high quality every time, flexibility, consistency.

But please don't say I'm using chemicals or chelation! That's not me, that's someone else from Australia!

If you're skeptical about Doc's Kit , do a quick search for grow journals containing the words "high brix" and you'll find nothing but the tastiest and most beautiful nugs.

Here are the basic instructions:

Updated Instructions: October 2014

The Kit:

The End User will need the following:

3.8 cu ft bale of ProMix HP myco, or Sunshine #4 or Promix BX myco. Perlite can be added to the BX in order increase porosity for indoor growing.

20-40 pounds of organic worm castings that show an NPK of zero K. (1-1-0)

A proper growing environment, basic gardening skills, 7 gallon pots and a sprayer capable of putting out a fine spray.

The Products:

Drenches

Growth Energy: This product increases soil energy and provides vegetative growth energy and bulking of fruit and flowers once formed.

Transplant: This product, being organic, slightly favors reproductive growth of seeds, flowers and fruit. It is used to feed the microbial colony in the soil mostly, but it also boosts reproductive growth.

Cat Drench: This product increases soil energy, highly favors reproductive growth and provides cations and the ammonia form of nitrogen, which strongly stimulate fruiting and flowering, as well as seed production.

All drenches are mixed at 1/2 ounce per 6 plants(30 sq. feet of garden space for those in raised beds) Applications up to 1.5 oz can be applied without harm, but very few plants require this much. Heavy feeders might try .75 oz before mixing stronger.

Another practice some container growers are finding helpful is to include 1/4 strength Transplant with every watering.


Foliar Sprays:

Brix: Sprayed every week to 10 days, this product encourages reproductive growth and essential oil and resin production. Brix foliar should not be skipped, even if the plants look perfect.

De-Stress: This product helps plants heal, deal with stress and provides a broad spectrum of trace minerals. This can be sprayed 1-2 times per week when there are signs of plant stress. If the plants look "perfect" there is no reason to spray with De-Stress. Also, mixed at 50% strength it helps high brix clones root much faster.

Both foliar sprays are mixed at 1oz per quart of RO. Use Brix immediately after mixing. De-stress can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Soil Amendments

Amendment: this product is mixed into the bale of Promix, watered, and allowed to "cook" in a barrel for a minimum of 30 days in order to get the soil ready for planting. Please note that the most recent version of amendment has the old "conditioner" added to it already!

Re-Charge: This product is similar to Amendment, but has a few additions and ommisions. It is designed to be top dressed during the 3rd week of the bloom cycle. Outdoors, apply re-charge when buds have set. It's best to scratch it into the top layer of soil and gently water it in to avoid soil compaction.

Roots!: This is a microbial inoculate. A light dusting on rootballs during transplanting and a small amount at the bottom of the hole where seeds are planted is the proper use for this product. 1 Tablespoon per transplanted cutting sprinkled in and around the hole is perfect. More can be used when transplanting from the Veg area to the Bloom containers. Water with 1/4 Transplant for the first application of Roots!.

Tea: This is a liquid humate product loaded with beneficials. It is mixed with each feeding at the rate of 2.5 mil per 6 plants (30 square feet)


So, how does all this work together?

Upon acquiring the Promix HP myco, the worm castings and enough plastic barrels to contain 60 gallons of soil:

Carefully and thoroughly mix the following:

Amendment
Promix
Worm castings.

Place the above dry mix into barrels and water with 3-5 gallons of water. Stir it, mix it, turn it over....and let it sit covered for one month. Temps must be no lower than 62 degrees and no higher than 85 degrees. Lower temps can take another week to "cook" while higher temps might be ready sooner. 1 month is usually spot on.

Once the soil has cooked, it's now time to plant!

Seeds:

Using a gallon sized container of newly cooked High Brix soil, make sure the soil is still slightly moist from the barrel. Not soaking wet....but moist.

Using a pencil, or chopstick or a non-functioning vape pen, make a divet in the soil about 1/4 inch deep. Add a small amount of ROOTS! in and around this hole, in which you deposit the seed and lightly cover with surrounding dirt. Gently water with 1/4 strength Transplant if needed to keep the soil moist, but not wet.

Clones:

Pretty much the same as seeds, but use enough ROOTS! to completely dust the roots and put a small amount at the bottom of the hole. Water with 1 pint of water, or 1/4 strength Transplant drench.

Upcanning of larger plants:

Vertically score the roots, dust all roots with ROOTS!, place some in the bottom of the hole, gently position rootball and soak the medium with water and 1/4 strength Transplant.

Water All seeds, all newly transplanted clones and newly tranplanted vegging plants with 1/4 strength Tranpslant

Use of Foliar Sprays:

Spray Brix and De-Stress 1 time weekly, not on the same day! De-Stress can be sprayed twice a week if the plants continue to exhibit signs of stress.

Mix each spray at 1 oz per quart of RO, using a fine mist try to get the underside of the leaves.

Using Drenches:

Tea: All drenches are "served" with 2.5 mils of Tea. No execptions.

In High Brix growing, drenches do far more than feed the plant. They signal the plant to grow or re-produce, and they keep the biology in the soil happy and productive. This is where the magic happens! Water with straight water plus 1/4 strength Transplant between drenches with one exception.*

Growth Energy: used nearly exclusively in veg. This is where strong stems and healthy leaves come from. It is also used during the latter half of the bloom cycle to bulk up fruit and flowers. Mix at 1/2 oz per 6 plants. Stronger doses can be used if needed, but generally you'll just waste product. Finishing the growing cycle on Growth Energy results in a sweeter produce.

Transplant Should be used during the bloom phase alternating with Growth Energy. It is used at 1/2 oz per 6 plants (30 square feet.) Some growers have found that essential oil and resin production can be increased by using 1/4 oz of Transplant evenly distributed to every plant with each and every watering....whether with a drench or with just plain water. Please note, this does not mean 1/4 TO EVERY PLANT, but 1/4 oz divided equally to all plants.

**Cat Drench: This is used right when buds set. It is strongly reproductive in effect and if used at the wrong time will result in stunted growth and lower yields. Used at the proper time, unprecedented resin formation takes place. It is used twice in a row (no water in between applications). Using Cat Drench late in bloom may increase certain flavors and smells, but it also results in a more "gamey" flavor in produce.

These are the basic instructions for using the kit! A few pointers:

When in doubt about which drench to use, use Growth Energy.

If the plants seem weak and need a boost---almost never happens unless you made a mistake or there has been some environmental issue or circumstances beyond your control---try this:

1 oz. Transplant per gallon of water with 6 mils of Tea. Feed a solution with this composition to all the plants. It will re-colonize the roots and get things back on track. Do not do this if you aren't having any problems.

The original instructions post from Doc Bud can be found at: In The Lab


If you're curious, here is a graphic created by Dr. Carey Reams, the father of "brix" growing, that charts the levels of brix in various plants:

Below the chart is a quote that helps explain how a "higher refraction index" (aka "high brix") affects plants:

"Within a given species of plant, the crop with the higher refractive index will have a higher sugar content, higher mineral content, higher protein content and a greater specific gravity or density. This add up to a sweeter tasting, more minerally nutritious food with lower nitrate and water content, lower freezing point, and better storage attributes."

If you have any questions that weren't answered here, head over to
Doc Bud - High Brix Q&A With Pictures and ask Doc directly. Customer service at its best!

Hope that helps all of you prospective High Brix growers. Until next time, happy growing!

 

[MysterySeeds]

Mixing up Doc Bud's HB Kit

On May 8th, I mixed up a half-batch of Doc Bud's soil mix which contained 2cu ft of ProMix HP Myco soil, 15lbs. of Wiggle Worm earthworm castings, and half of Doc Bud's soil amendment by weight. I only plan to grow 2 or 3 plants in my tent next grow, and I didn't need 60-gallons of soil to fulfill that purpose. The benefit of this approach is that I'll be able to use Doc's Kit for several smaller grows instead of one big six-plant grow.

Anyway, a few photos:

What comes with Doc's Kit.

A 2.8cu ft loose-fill bag of ProMix HP Myco. I only used about 2cu ft of this bag.

15lbs bag of Wiggle Worm earthworm castings.

The ingredients before I mixed them together. I used two 18-gallon plastic totes to mix the approximately 25-gallons of soil.

After thoroughly mixing the three ingredients in my two totes, I added a gallon of water to each tote (or two gallons of water total) and mixed the soil again. Then I put the tops on the totes and placed them in a corner of my room which stays between 60-68'F. Because the temps are a little lower than Doc recommends, I plan to let the soil cook for an extra week before transplanting any clones or seedlings into the mix.

That's all for now.

 

[MysterySeeds]

Day 48 Update

Day 48 Update

I finally transplanted Bubbalicious #3, Mystery #1, and Mystery #2 into bigger pots. The Bubblicious #3 went from a 1/2 gallon plastic pot to a 1-gallon farbic pot. Mystery #1 and #2 went from 18oz yogurt containers into 2-gallon fabric pots. I know they're smaller containers than I'd like to finish them out in, but I wanted to use the SWICK system when I leave for the next 5 days and plastic pots just don't work as well for the purpose.

The photos:

Mystery #1 before the transplant.

The roots of Mystery #1.

The roots of Mystery #2

{Day 45} All of the plants back in the tent set-up with a SWICK watering system. (May 8th, 2015)

{Day 48} Today's group shot.(May 11th, 2015)

When I wake up each morning and my plants greet me with raised arms (aka "praying leaves"), I know I must be doing something right. Hallelujah! Can I get an amen?

Tomorrow, I leave town until Sunday, so I'll see you all in a week. Until then, stay high and happy!

 

[Sorenna]

Nice posts, nice update. I really like the "praying one". Things are looking great in your tent.

 

[db003]

love the size of those fan leaves let me know who you like the hi brix I was thinking of using coco coir base soilless next grow not sure yet I am still on this grow lol keep up the good work

 

[SweetSue]

You've been a busy beaver MysterySeeds. Excellent update and a blog to be proud of.

Have a safe trip and we'll see you around the threads.

 

[arellanobrian]

I hope to make a high brix soil mix someday i hope it works for you friend

 

[MysterySeeds]

Day 61 Update - Lots of Growth

Day 61

I'm back!

It's been 13-days since I last spent time with my plants, and I sure missed a lot. During my absence, my roommate only refilled my SWICK watering system once and I came back to a tent packed with healthy plants.

On a less enthusiastic note, I believe that my two mystery plants have turned out male. Mystery #1 had three pollen sacks, while Mystery #2 had what appeared to be one pollen sack. This is kinda a bummer as Mystery #1 appears to be a sativa, and it would've been nice to have a sativa in the mix.

Before pulling Mystery #1 and #2, does anybody have any advice? Both plants sprouted males parts where I topped them with no strong evidence of other pollen sacks. Could that mean the plants were stressed and only developed male parts at that top node? Or are they a lost cause?

{Day 61}Group shot (May 24th, 2015)

{Day 61}Group shot (May 24th, 2015)

{Day 61}Pollen sacks on Mystery #1 (May 24th, 2015)

{Day 61}Pollen sack site on Mystery #2 (May 24th, 2015)

{Day 61}Bud shot from Bubbalicious #2 (May 24th, 2015)

Thanks in advance for any advice with my supposed male plants? I'll update in the next few days with more detailed photos and notes. Until then, sleep well and live well.