Newbie Grower, Carmen Auto x Diva, Outdoors

[CBDMed]

Hi Azi.
Ok, I got the project done. Quick break.
It looks like the clear 5g buckets nest solidly.
There is about a 4" (20cm) gap between them.

My 3" net pots got lost in the customs nightmare, and hopefully I will see them some day.
So, I am expressing some 4" net pots (upgrade) that will probably take about a week or two to get here.
Is there some way to fake a net pot in the meantime for this first prototype, and then I can retrofit with a 4" net pot later?

Since the two buckets nest so well, I only need to put a 4" hole for the net pot (and then figure out how to fake a net pot).
Then I need to cut a hole in the bottom of the fabric container. One man on a video said his roots grow right through his bags, no worries, but wouldn't it be better, not to constrict them?

My questions:
I know I want to put an overflow hole / air gap just below where the upper bucket rests--but how should I make the hole? (1/2"? 3/4"? 1"?)

Then I run a fill-tube through vertically through the top bucket (on one side) into the reservoir, and "Viola!" ??
I have some 1/2" pipe already. Is that big enough? Or will I find myself wishing I had gone with 3/4"?

So, then I FILL the 5g cloth bucket-with-the-hole-in-the-middle supersoil EXCEPT for a Solo cup's worth of regular dirt, for the seed to get started in?
Then water from the top for the first week or so, until roots are seen in the reservoir?
(And cover the outer plastic bucket with something, so that the roots are not exposed to light?)

Or how would you say?
Thanks.

 

[CBDMed]

Oh, also, Azi, I am ordering seeds.
I found comfrey, and stinging nettles.
I did not find dandelion (!! Kidding, right??) or horsetail ferns, but I will keep looking.

My questions:
Are cattails good for anything? Or only horsetail ferns?
And I confess a little bit of ignorance: Is it horsetail? Or horsetail fern?
I think the two are related, but not the same.
It would be great if you knew the latin.

Also, if there are others I should order besides dandelions (if I can FIND them!) and horsetail (or horsetail fern)?
There is a flat shipping charge, so it would only be the cost of the seeds.
Thanks.

 

[Azimuth]

Is there some way to fake a net pot in the meantime for this first prototype, and then I can retrofit with a 4" net pot later?

I use a 4" food container that had salsa or something in it. It had a slight taper to it and fit nicely in the hole I made with a hole saw. I made lots of little holes all around to allow good transfer of water but small enough to contain the connecting media.

I know I want to put an overflow hole / air gap just below where the upper bucket rests--but how should I make the hole? (1/2"? 3/4"? 1"?)

If for outside plants it should be big enough to accommodate a good rain. If under cover a small one will suffice since you'll control the fill rate by how quickly you pour.

I have some 1/2" pipe already. Is that big enough? Or will I find myself wishing I had gone with 3/4"?

I use 1/2" and it is more than adequate for me. A larger pipe will allow faster pouring if you're impatient.

So, then I FILL the 5g cloth bucket-with-the-hole-in-the-middle supersoil EXCEPT for a Solo cup's worth of regular dirt, for the seed to get started in?

Sounds good.

Then water from the top for the first week or so, until roots are seen in the reservoir?
(And cover the outer plastic bucket with something, so that the roots are not exposed to light?)

Yes.

Oh, also, Azi, I am ordering seeds.
I found comfrey, and stinging nettles.

Comfrey can be quite invasion. I bot roots of a sterile variety called Bocking 14.

Are cattails good for anything?

Don't know anything about cattails.

And I confess a little bit of ignorance: Is it horsetail? Or horsetail fern?

Horsetail Fern. There are several different varieties. I think what I have is field horsetail (Equisetum arvense).

 

[Azimuth]

You could also build it like Buds suggested and make a SIP from each of your two buckets. For that you'd need an internal, upside down container maybe a cut down nursery pot, or a Tupperware food storage container, something like that. Something that takes up the majority of the diameter of your bucket and cut down to a height of 3-4 inches or so. Then when put in upside down it forms the void for water/air and your medium would fill in between the bucket and that upside down container.

I've built most of my smaller 1L SIPS that way and they work fine.

 

[CBDMed]

I use a 4" food container that had salsa or something in it. It had a slight taper to it and fit nicely in the hole I made with a hole saw. I made lots of little holes all around to allow good transfer of water but small enough to contain the connecting media.

Yeah, ok! Great idea!

If for outside plants it should be big enough to accommodate a good rain. If under cover a small one will suffice since you'll control the fill rate by how quickly you pour.

Ok, that makes sense! I plan to be under a plastic or inside a greenhouse, so a small one.

I use 1/2" and it is more than adequate for me. A larger pipe will allow faster pouring if you're impatient.

Well, I am sure some people would think I am impatient. I think I just have a lot to do, so if I can save time or money, that is great!!
But I already have some 1/2" pipe.

Sounds good.


Yes.


Comfrey can be quite invasion. I bot roots of a sterile variety called Bocking 14.

Ok. My plan had been to find a nice wet spot, and let it move in and take over. That and the nettles.

Don't know anything about cattails.


Horsetail Fern. There are several different varieties. I think what I have is field horsetail (Equisetum arvense).

Ahhh, ok! Equisetum arvense.... Muy bien! Gracias!
I have to go to town today. Hopefully I can find the right salsa buckets and flower pots and things.

 

[CBDMed]

Hi Azi!
Sorry for any confusion!
I looked it up. Please correct me if this is wrong, but Equisetum arvense - Wikipedia says that Equisetum Arvense is horsetail (not horsetail fern).
So to confirm, I want Equisetum Arvense (common horsetail)? Or I want horsetail fern?
Thanks very much!!

 

[CBDMed]

You could also build it like Buds suggested and make a SIP from each of your two buckets. For that you'd need an internal, upside down container maybe a cut down nursery pot, or a Tupperware food storage container, something like that. Something that takes up the majority of the diameter of your bucket and cut down to a height of 3-4 inches or so. Then when put in upside down it forms the void for water/air and your medium would fill in between the bucket and that upside down container.

I've built most of my smaller 1L SIPS that way and they work fine.

Ok, yes.
Great idea!
Thanks, I have not had time to read anything. Things are opening up at work, and we are really on a tear, and it looks to be that way for a while, so I might be a little scrambled than usual for a few months. Plus we are getting ready to move, so pleas forgive me if my communications are spotty.
And thanks again!

 

[Azimuth]

I looked it up. Please correct me if this is wrong, but Equisetum arvense - Wikipedia says that Equisetum Arvense is horsetail (not horsetail fern).

Same same.

 

[CBDMed]

Same same.

I will order it....

But thinking about the SIP, is the fill tube really necessary if I will pour water over my spreader roots every few days?
Why not let it soak down and through, and treat it like a reservoir?
And do we try to keep the reservoir topped off?

 

[CBDMed]

Ok, the 3" net pots and the hole saws got here today.
So, something like this??

Prolly don't need half of those holes in the blue stand, but.

Something like this?

And then just cut a hole in the 5g cloth bag for the net pot, load the net pot with regular soil,
and then load up the 5g cloth bag with supersoil (except for a Solo cups' worth of regular soil, for planting),
and begin the experiment as normal??
Or is there better?

 

[Azimuth]

But thinking about the SIP, is the fill tube really necessary if I will pour water over my spreader roots every few days?
Why not let it soak down and through, and treat it like a reservoir?

Yes to fill tube. If you always water from the top the soil will stay too wet. I usually only water from the top once a week (maybe twice) when I fertigate with my Jadam and KNF extractions. I also top dress once a week typically.

And do we try to keep the reservoir topped off?

I don't. I let it go dry between waterings. And I always start with a little in there even before the roots reach it. Then I try to give it what it will use in a day or two. Eventually it will drain as much as you give it every day. If you're around during the day at that point it probably would help to add water more than once a day, although I've not done that.

Ok, the 3" net pots and the hole saws got here today.
So, something like this??

Perfect.

Prolly don't need half of those holes in the blue stand, but.

Looks good, the more the merrier. Remember the holes are for air as much as water (maybe even more so)

Something like this?

Perfect!

And then just cut a hole in the 5g cloth bag for the net pot, load the net pot with regular soil,
and then load up the 5g cloth bag with supersoil (except for a Solo cups' worth of regular soil, for planting),
and begin the experiment as normal??
Or is there better?

That sounds good. Water from the top as you normally would for the first week or so, but by then a seedling should have found the reservoir. Converting existing plants takes a couple of weeks for them to get their water roots going.

I also start with a little bit of water in the reservoir as a bit of a prize for the roots once they reach it.

Finally, be sure to pack the soil in the connector cup well to help with the wicking.

 

[Mountainman80]

Hi all. I am a newbie grower who recently moved to Colombia. I have a ton of reading to do, and am trying to catch up (with very limited time). If my questions are answered in some thread, please just point me at it, but I do seem to have an immediate problem I could really use help with. Thank you all very much for your help (in advance).

I hope I will give the needed information. If you need any more / other information, please just ask.

Me: I grew photoperiods a few times indoor in the States, but long story short, the community guard here told me that the best place to grow is on the roof, and it is a good idea to follow advice here. So, I built a hoop tunnel on the roof, and am growing there. Only, it has to be autos because of some strong night security lights (so it never really gets dark on the roof).
It was winter here, so last week was maybe highs of 70F, lows of 55F.
I was watering wrong before, but it had NO water for a month, and then light watering of the spreader roots for the last week (thanks to Em).

I have been trying to use banana peel tea since last week (since we are in bloom).
Em and @Azimuth want me to learn about fermented teas, but that is a ways away.
I just found access to bottled nutes, but they are expensive here!
I just found good soil last week (plus the components to make supersoil---hooray!), but I did not know where to get good potting soil for my first grow, and the locals encouraged me to use the local soil for my potting soil, so I did (and now I learn that it is not a good soil for pots. Rather, it is a lumpy black clay).
Long story short, I made my own potting soil, which I did not open up nearly enough. The soil is maybe 1/3 black soil (clay), and then the other 2/3 is maybe equal parts of coco coir, perlite, rice hulls, and worm castings, with a little rock dust and egg shell powder mixed in (so it is heavy).
@Azimuth helped me to fix the soil mix for future grows, but in this grow I am just trying to salvage what I can of the damage I caused by overwatering seeds in a large pot.

I also messed up because I put auto seeds in big pots, and then overwatered, so the plants ended up all stunted.
I got pointed toward @Sense Emilia's excellent post about watering autos in large containers, and she is helping me to try to save what I can.
The soil finally dried out about 2 weeks ago, and I have been following Emmie's advice in doing shallow waterings far from the stem, trying to correct the overwatering situation.

Last week, the fan leaves on this girl all turned yellow, and withered. I had never seen that before, but since this is my first batch of autos, and this is my first auto, I was wondering if that is just an auto's way of finishing up, so I trimmed the fan leaves, and kept on going.
Then a lot of the small fans around the buds also started to wither.
That was last week.

Just today I noticed a branch that had turned soft brown, and some other buds that were turning soft brown.
At first I just trimmed the withered parts, but then I thought I should just harvest, to protect the rest of the crop.
You can see where the branch is withered halfway to the main stem.

Then I noticed some other buds withering.

And then I saw more withering, close to the stalk.

Here is the whole plant before I cut it.

And here is after I cut it down.

I am mildly autistic, so I need CBD, so the seeds are Delicious Seeds' Auto Blue Ace,
Sexo: Feminized
Lineage: Carmen Auto X Diva
Genotype: INDICA AUTO CBD
Grow Metod: Indoor/outdoor
Flowering time: 60-65 days from seed to harvest
Yield: 400-500gr m2 indoor/50-100 gr/pl outdoor
Taste: Sweet citric fruit
Smell; High
Effect: Medicinal
Ratio Thc/Cbd: 1:2
CBD: 8-16%
Medicinal Value: Very High
Irrigation tolerance: High

There were originally 8 plants. I got eaten, and another wilted over in the seedling stage (probably from my earlier overwatering). Now there are 6 (except I just cut this one down).
They are 5 gallon soft pots, with a fairly heavy homemade soil that has still way too much clay.
It was coming up on its final stages (except I just cut it down).

It is an outdoor grow. I have had enough pests to where I want to go back to growing indoors, but that cannot happen until I move, so I need to keep going with this.
I am using a mix of Neem oil and Natural dish soap (I could not find organic) for pest control.

Thank you very much for your help!
I will try to remember the sponsors when it comes time to buy again.
If there is anything I forgot, or if you need more information, please ask!
Thank you!

That's something iv had growing outdoor I couldn't ever figure out what caused it mabey I can find awnsers on here next time I can catch it cure it

 

[CBDMed]

Yes to fill tube.

Ok. I will try to fit it tomorrow.

If you always water from the top the soil will stay too wet. I usually only water from the top once a week (maybe twice) when I fertigate with my Jadam and KNF extractions. I also top dress once a week typically.

Ok, good to know, thanks!

I don't. I let it go dry between waterings. And I always start with a little in there even before the roots reach it. Then I try to give it what it will use in a day or two. Eventually it will drain as much as you give it every day. If you're around during the day at that point it probably would help to add water more than once a day, although I've not done that.

Perfect. Thanks!

Perfect.


Looks good, the more the merrier. Remember the hopes are for air as much as water (maybe even more so)

Ok, thanks for that!\
I added another row of holes on the crown, which should be just barely under the soil bucket.
Tomorrow I will add a hole for the fill tube, and then I will also find some sandpaper (or a good reaming knife) and clean up all of the loose nubbins (so they don't find their way into everything).
Then I should be ready to pack soil, and plant?

(All things considered, I want to joke that it would have been easier to use a few rounds of #4 buck. But the way the world is today, it is probably better not to do that...)

Perfect!


That sounds good. Water from the top as you normally would for the first week or so, but by then a seedling should have found the reservoir. Converting existing plants takes a couple of weeks for them to get their water roots going.

That just sounds so good!

I also start with a little bit of water in the reservoir as a bit of a prize for the roots once they reach it.

Siiiii......

Finally, be sure to pack the soil in the connector cup well to help with the wicking.

Ahh, ok! Good to know. Thanks!

 

[Azimuth]

Are you going with the single, or nested bucket setup? If the single bucket, you wouldn't even need that net cup. On the next one, just put the blue container upside down and pack the soil around it. Some of the soil will sit down into the water and wick it up into the upper mix.

 

[CBDMed]

That's something iv had growing outdoor I couldn't ever figure out what caused it mabey I can find awnsers on here next time I can catch it cure it

Hi Mountainman!
You can drop your rucksack to the side of the door. (Weapons unloaded, please.)
I think my big problem here was that I could not find good soil, and the locals told me to put regular dirt in the pots.
Then the hardware store (where they sell dirt) sold me the wrong stuff, and then when they stalled, I gave them way too much water.
Anyway, now I have a much better routine, thanks to help from @Emilya, and @Azimuth , and many others.
And now, @Buds Buddy stumbled across this new SIP, and check out his pictures on his thread!
So I am trying to learn this new SIP thing. Everyone seems to be having good success.

 

[CBDMed]

Are you going with the single, or nested bucket setup? If the single bucket, you wouldn't even need that net cup. On the next one, just put the blue container upside down and pack the soil around it. Some of the soil will sit down into the water and wick it up into the upper mix.

Thanks!
I was thinking about a single bucket like this, but with a fill tube (and no blue plastic nubbins):

Probably an Auto Blue Ace CBD (from a sponsor), because I planted five of them about a month ago, so I can compare the two grows.

Ok, so I don't need to use a 5g cloth bucket for a liner??
Just add the fill tube, put the supersoil straight into the container, leave a Solo cup's worth of regular soil, plant, and go?
And then find a way to shade the roots?

Also, a quick question, if eggshell calcium takes forever to break down, does it need to be composted?
(Or just compost everything on principle?)

 

[Azimuth]

Ok, so I don't need to use a 5g cloth bucket for a liner??

You still need some way to block the light from the roots. I was talking about the black net pot in the middle of your blue container.

Just add the fill tube, put the supersoil straight into the container, leave a Solo cup's worth of regular soil, plant, and go?

Sounds like a plan.

Also, a quick question, if eggshell calcium takes forever to break down, does it need to be composted?

Eggshells take years to break down. For me, a better way to use them is to make Water Soluble Calcium. Once it's made it is readily plant available.

 

[CBDMed]

You still need some way to block the light from the roots. I was talking about the black net pot in the middle of your blue container.

Ok, so if I want to skip the net pot, I can pack soil around the blue pot, and then set my cloth pot on top of that.
And will I drill holes around the outside to accommodate the roots?
Or let the roots fend for themselves?
(Can they fend for themselves through a cloth pot when they are young?)

Sounds like a plan.

Eggshells take years to break down. For me, a better way to use them is to make Water Soluble Calcium. Once it's made it is readily plant available.

Ahh, ok.
My time schedule is just always on overload.

I am putting dolomite lime in the supersoil.
Since this mix seems to be deficient in calcium, at the moment I am adding Roots Organic CalMag to the water (first ingredient).
I have some eggshell powder, so if it does not react, I thought for grins I could also add eggshell calcium in with the supersoil, and just let it cycle in there for however long.
And then I can add extra dolomite with the next batch of supersoil, if I still think I need to.

I know I CAN make eggshell calcium liquid... but it is time (which I haven't got).
So I am looking for the cheapest, easiest ways, least effort ways, even if they take time to break down.
(Pan frying eggshells doesn't seem to be my thing, haha....)
I hope I am making sense.

 

[CBDMed]

Same same.

Ok, maybe is it just me?? I can find horsetail shoots all over Etsy, but I don't see horsetail or horsetail fern seeds.
Is there a source for horsetail seeds?

 

[Azimuth]

Don't know. It's usually propagated with the underground stems/roots and quite difficult to eradicate because it spreads so easily with such small amounts of root.