Really? What's the thought process behind the P sensitivity?
Osmocote Plus Plant Food: Discuss Its Use With Cannabis Here!
- Thread starter Munki
- Start date
Really? What's the thought process behind the P sensitivity?
i might be wrong.. I might have wires crossed, sorry.. I read something in some gardening blog. I've mixed that up..
Is this stuff organic plus or plus trace elements?
Is this stuff organic plus or plus trace elements?
Osmo+
I compared it's label to the page1 version. It's close... not exact, but very close. Apparently they change the mix over time.
I compared it's label to the page1 version. It's close... not exact, but very close. Apparently they change the mix over time.
Munki seems not to have visited the forum since the end of 2014, but his thread lives on. (I hope that, wherever he roams these days, he is well.) I am glad to see that there are still a few names that I recognize from before which are still active here.
I was just about to start a thread about that when I remembered that this thread was one of the 100+ in my subscribed threads list (that I need to catch up on after being in a cave for a few years, lol).
I've got a bag of Osmocote soil in the basement (I don't think the floods have gotten to where it's at in the time it has been down there) that I bought along with a couple others when I thought I might see if one worked better than the other in my vegetable garden (and then promptly forgot about).
Has anyone used it for cannabis? If so: Adulterated or un- ? Did it work well? Did you find it to be too hot for some strains, or not nutritious enough for others (as sativas and indicas can have different requirements and tolerance levels where nutrients are concerned)?
Speaking of which: I hate to ask what has probably already been covered in this thread, lol. But, before I go back through 1,200+ posts... If one is growing a mixed garden of sativa-leaning and indica-leaning plants, I assume that different amounts of Osmocote Plus will be indicated for each strain? Has anyone bookmarked or made note of which of the (many) posts in this thread deal specifically with that?
Sorry, I've been out of the loop and am still playing catch-up.
I was just about to start a thread about that when I remembered that this thread was one of the 100+ in my subscribed threads list (that I need to catch up on after being in a cave for a few years, lol).
I've got a bag of Osmocote soil in the basement (I don't think the floods have gotten to where it's at in the time it has been down there) that I bought along with a couple others when I thought I might see if one worked better than the other in my vegetable garden (and then promptly forgot about).
Has anyone used it for cannabis? If so: Adulterated or un- ? Did it work well? Did you find it to be too hot for some strains, or not nutritious enough for others (as sativas and indicas can have different requirements and tolerance levels where nutrients are concerned)?
Speaking of which: I hate to ask what has probably already been covered in this thread, lol. But, before I go back through 1,200+ posts... If one is growing a mixed garden of sativa-leaning and indica-leaning plants, I assume that different amounts of Osmocote Plus will be indicated for each strain? Has anyone bookmarked or made note of which of the (many) posts in this thread deal specifically with that?
Sorry, I've been out of the loop and am still playing catch-up.
Evo-Rat-93
Well-Known Member
Sativas that I have grown tend to need about half as much as the Indicas .
Welcome home TS.
Lots of folks have used it with great success. I've been using it in Hempy pots (passive hydro) with good results.
Lots of folks have used it with great success. I've been using it in Hempy pots (passive hydro) with good results.
Sativas that I have grown tend to need about half as much as the Indicas .
That makes sinse err... sense, of course. I guess I'm just concerned about possibly burning one if heat/watering conditions cause more to become available to the roots than is desired - and then possibly having to transplant because of it.
I really need to sit down and read this thread start to finish. (But there are so many threads to read, lol...)
Thanks. Feels like coming home.
Yes, that was sort of what I was thinking about (among other things).
Since I've lost (due to the extreme paranoia that sent me "into hiding") all my strains, anything that I grow at some random date in the misty and distant future will be new to me - even some of the strains that I got, say pre-2000, aren't the same now due to parent stock having been lost by the breeders, desire to screw I mean change things up (I'm not a big indica fan, so I tend to shudder when I see "Improved for higher yield, denser buds, and shorter flowering time!" in a seed bank's/breeder's description :rolleyes3 ), et cetera - and, therefore, I will have to go through the hassle of learning their nutrient requirements and tolerances all over again. I'm not really looking forward to it. I have never used OC+ before, so it'd also be a new nutrient brand, too. IDK... Maybe those two factors are not the best combination, lol?
Ya know.... honestly... my words for you would be to try to re-establish your next grow using the knowledge already well entrenched in your brain. Go with what you know.
Especially since you're just jumping back in after being away. A failed grow for some minor misunderstanding of a grow routine you're not familiar with might be really discouraging. Not trying to dig in your brain... but I've seen it happen to others.
Of course, we are all experimenters so... ya know... we'll be along for the ride whatever road you travel.
Oh... and don't get me started about the seed banks.... that's an entire page rant. Super chubby liquid cooled mega growing hoolah hoop kush.... grows in 5 days and every plant puts out 5lbs. They kill me.
I do think of OC+ as just another nutrient program... just like my Dyna-Gro nutes. Got a few perlite only hempy pots using OC+ as their primary nutrient source with added calmag (well... milk and epsom salt).
Especially since you're just jumping back in after being away. A failed grow for some minor misunderstanding of a grow routine you're not familiar with might be really discouraging. Not trying to dig in your brain... but I've seen it happen to others.
Of course, we are all experimenters so... ya know... we'll be along for the ride whatever road you travel.
Oh... and don't get me started about the seed banks.... that's an entire page rant. Super chubby liquid cooled mega growing hoolah hoop kush.... grows in 5 days and every plant puts out 5lbs. They kill me.
I do think of OC+ as just another nutrient program... just like my Dyna-Gro nutes. Got a few perlite only hempy pots using OC+ as their primary nutrient source with added calmag (well... milk and epsom salt).
Truer words were never spoken, lol. Rest assured that I wouldn't bet the farm (so to speak) on it. I'm sure that I'll have both space-restrictions and lighting-related restrictions (assuming I manage to build the space and find the light(s)
) , so I won't be able to do everything that I'd like to. AND, since whatever I'll end up growing will be unknowns (to ME), I'll probably try to grow at least two or three different strains... and I know that I should either run the same nutrient type with different strains or the same strain with different nutes - but not both at once. But I might manage to have a couple of clones from the same mother with one each in soil and a mostly perlite "hempy" (or soil and DWC, or DWC and hempy, or...). If I don't end up doing that, I'll try to at least use a fertilizer that I'm familiar with (GH Flora, maybe) in one hempy and OC+ in another or something. Just to give me an idea of how well it'll work for me. I've got people who would benefit from me being able to gift a lot of harvest to them, but no one is really screaming at / begging me to produce AtM, so I can screw around (a little) if it looks likely that I can learn something useful from doing so. IDK; nothing is set in stone as of yet (other than the urge to grow - which grows, lol).EDIT: I'll probably be using epsom salts again, too. I have enough calcium in my tapwater, so no need to supplement that.
I have the same problem with indicas.
I just don't like the high, even if it's just background to a bright energetic sativa buzz - can't stand the lethargy it gives me. I've been growing for about three years this time and I've gone through 35+ strains, all sativa and sativa dominant. In most cases, "dominant" isn't enough. But I've found several great strains, with well-behaved hybrid habits and a nice clean buzz. Look me up when it's time to get some seeds. Ace Seeds has some really good strains, including a nice Panama with a warm sensual high. They seem to respect the landraces and their breeding is thoughtful and protective.
I was quite impressed with Barney's DrGrinspoon, too. It's supposedly Oregon Purple Thai x Panama Red and I believe it - very nice stone. It's the old giggly Cheech and Chong style Mexican high with a nice buzz from the Thai and a sensual awareness from the Panama. I swear I can feel all three of them separately - very interesting. Cannabiogen also has Destroyer with a similar high.
Barney's also has Utopia Haze which is an IBL Brazilian with a great "spiritual" high. But it's a long fluffy thing - not easy to manage well.
And I always recommend Carnival from Ministry of Cannabis - my alltime favorite.
It's genetics are unknown but wow, what a powerful speedy buzz! And a dream to grow - beautiful easy hybrid habit, no issues at all.
[Edit] Have you seen what Doc Bud has been up to the past few years? His "High Brix kit" is cheap and easy, if you feel like going organic.
Ah... An enlightened one
.Err, you mean the LOW? I once heard a friend tell someone, "If that's what you're looking for, why not just drive to the pharmacy and get a pill - it'd save you a lot of time." I don't have that attitude, but they're not my favorite and I deplore the fact that they seem to have almost become the same thing as (the generic term) "cannabis" in some people's minds.
Indicas are beneficial, for a lot of conditions (including some of mine). And they're helpful at the end of the night (or, alternatively, just after sunrise, lol) if one has been lucky enough to have been enjoying a great "no ceiling" sativa all day (/night). But, yeah... I have always enjoyed old-school sativas. Some of those strains, I considered myself lucky if it finished flowering in less than 16 weeks without having to be "seeded" first. Also, some of my issues are... mental in nature, so I can benefit (medically) from sativas AND indicas - I would just prefer them to be in separate strains, I guess.
For that matter, I have always suspected that hemp strains could be beneficial for a lot of conditions. Their (cannabinoid) profile would seem to fit. But I don't think I'd be growing them for... enjoyment.
I also think people put too much importance on "THC percentage numbers." Sure, I like to light a joint, take a few hits off of it, and then realize an hour later that I'm still carrying the unlit remainder around in my hand unnoticed, just as much as the next person. But there's a lot more to a good cannabis strain than pure power (or even length of its effects). I grew strawberry cough, and found it pleasant - and it certainly wasn't a powerhouse.
Breeders seem to be going nuts crossing everything they can get their hands on with everything else. I'm not sure that's really helpful. I'm pretty sure that selling a partially- to mostly-indica strain as "sativaish" and then claiming the flowering time is three or more weeks less than it actually is so that people will chop it early and think, "Oh, it doesn't mold me into the couch, it must be a sativa" isn't. But that's just my opinion.
I miss my old strains, doggone it!!! (lol)
Wow, I've not had the pleasure of growing many more than that in all the time that I've... well, a lot longer than three years. I bet it'd be fun to be your next-door neighbor
.Oh, it (almost) always is, lol. But I don't really travel - and I seriously doubt that I AM your next-door neighbor (unless you're a grouchy old fart that doesn't like classic rock & roll and real country performed by people who are all dead now).
That is sort of to be expected if one is growing a sativa under less than 100 watts per square foot (or the sun near the equator) - and even then, the bud isn't exactly going to be dense.
I have thought about trying to get some Dr. Grinspoon seeds. I've read the description and my guess is that it's probably the closest thing to "original, paleo-cannabis" that is left on this planet. <SHRUGS> Or maybe it's just some mutant and, in actuality, the bud of cannabis plants tens of thousands of years ago was t. rex sized, who knows, lol? But, regardless, I salivate just thinking about it. But I have never grown (or consumed, for that matter) any Barney's Farm strains. That might change in the future, but I'd have difficulty in choosing, as my initial foray into that brand, a strain that so few have grown.
I've had good luck with hazes in the past, but back then they were often just called "haze"
. I've enjoyed some wonderful Mexican strains, and something that originated in Thailand that was pretty special (when I could keep up with removing the male flowers). I haven't grown anything (cannabis) in 3+ years and I haven't grown anything really special for a lot longer. I used to like Simon's (Serious Seeds) Kali Mist. But I read that the parents were seized back around 2000 or so, so IDK if the current version compares. I really enjoyed Neville's Haze, too, come to think of it - but I think I went through about 40 or 50 plants before settling on a mother that suited me (although, admittedly, there were lots of "pretty goods" along that particular journey). I've read that his Mango Haze might be decent. I was "virtual window-shopping" earlier and I saw Ace's Green Haze x Thai. The flowering period was listed as being 112-126 days. If you're not too poor and too paranoid to order from a seedbank, you might wish to investigate that one. Actually, there seem to be several strains from a few breeders that read as good strains, but I haven't experienced them (some breeders weren't selling seeds commercially before I stopped shopping, lol). Some of Seeds of Africa's strains look like they might be promising.
Just think, if we'd have been born 20 or 30 years earlier with the knowledge that we have now. Why we'd be... Hmm... We'd be really old farts right now, lol. Bad idea.
And I always recommend Carnival from Ministry of Cannabis - my alltime favorite.
That's one I haven't even heard of (strain or breeder, take your pick
).Err... I took a little break from the forums for about that long, lol. I think maybe that one was just getting started about the time that I crawled into the hole and pulled it shut. I'll have to check it out.
Oops. I just realized that this ISN'T a "sativa strains talk" thread. I really ought to cancel this post but... then I would have wasted my time and words haha. But if you want to talk more about strains (it'd be okay with me), maybe you ought to send me a PM so that we don't completely derail this Osmocote Plus thread?
LOL, yeah kinda off-topic. 
But this is a really slow thread, so ...
I just want to let you know that the old Kali Mist genetics survive in a couple crosses, one of which is well worth growing - Y Griega by Medical Seeds. WOW! They claim a 27% THC test and the one I grew was in that range for sure. It has a little taint to it, and it has a suspicious rubbery odor but it's pretty darned nice. I recommend it. I ran across another surviving cross but I can't remember what it was, CRS doncha know.
Anyway, I did a OC+ run and was duly impressed with the results. The only factor to keep an eye on are temps and moisture. The OC+ will break down faster with higher heat and more water, so in a hot dry environment they can get overfed.
You can find me anytime in my journal.
But this is a really slow thread, so ...I just want to let you know that the old Kali Mist genetics survive in a couple crosses, one of which is well worth growing - Y Griega by Medical Seeds. WOW! They claim a 27% THC test and the one I grew was in that range for sure.
It has a little taint to it, and it has a suspicious rubbery odor but it's pretty darned nice. I recommend it. I ran across another surviving cross but I can't remember what it was, CRS doncha know.Anyway, I did a OC+ run and was duly impressed with the results. The only factor to keep an eye on are temps and moisture. The OC+ will break down faster with higher heat and more water, so in a hot dry environment they can get overfed.
You can find me anytime in my journal.
Outdoor & Indoor
Package Sizes and Coverage
1 lb. Bottle
Feeds up to 37 sq ft or 19 gallons of potting soil
2 lb. Bottle
Feeds up to 75 sq ft or 38 gallons of potting soil
8 lb. Bag
Feeds up to 300 sq ft or 151 gallons of potting soil
Where to Buy
Which retailers carry Osmocote® Products?
Find a retailer near you.
Guaranteed Analysis
Osmocote® Smart-Release® Plant Food Plus Outdoor & Indoor 15-9-12
Guaranteed Analysis F643
Total Nitrogen(N)† 15%
8.4% Ammoniacal Nitrogen
6.6% Nitrate Nitrogen
Available Phosphate(P205)† 9%
Soluble Potash(K20)† 12%
Magnesium(Mg)† 1.3%
0.9% Water Soluble Magnesium (Mg)
Sulfer(S)† 6.0%
6.0% Combined Sulfer (S)
Boron(B)† 0.02%
Copper(Cu) 0.05%
0.05% Water Soluble Copper (Cu)
Iron(Fe)† 0.05%
0.09% Water Soluble Iron (Fe)
0.01% Chelated Iron (Fe)
Manganese(Mn)† 0.06%
0.06% Water Soluble Manganese (Mn)
Molybdenum(Mo)† 0.02%
Zinc(Zn)† 0.05%
0.019% Water Soluble Zinc (Zn)
Derived from: Polymer-Coated: Ammonium Nitrate, Ammonium Phosphate, Potassium Sulfate, Magnesium Sulfate, Sodium Borate, Iron Phosphate, Iron EOTA, Manganese Sulfate, Sodium Molybdate, Aibc Sulfate, Copper Sulfate and Zinc Oxide.
†The Nitrgoen, Phosphate, Potash, Magnesium, Sulfer, Boron, Iron Manganese, Molybdenum, and Zinc sources have been coated to provide 12.7% coated slow-release Nitrogen(N), 7.6% coated slow-release Available Phosphate (P2O5), 10.2% coated slow-release Soluble Potash (K2O), 1.1% coated slow-release Magnesium (Mg), 5.1% coated slow-release Sulfer (S), 0.015% coated slow-release Boron (B), 0.35% coated slow-release Iron (Fe), 0.05% coated slow-release Manganese (Mn), 0.015% coated slow-release Molybdenum (Mo), 0.015% coated slow-release Zinc (Zn).
Information regarding the contents and levels of metals in this product is available on the internet at Metals Content for Fertilizer and Soil Amendment Products
WARNING: This fertilizer contains molybdenum (Mo). The application of fertilizer materials containing molybdenum (Mo) may result in forage crops containing levels of molybdenum (Mo) which are toxic to ruminant animals.
Longevity at the following average media (soil) temperatures
60° F 6-7 mo.
70° F 5-6 mo.
80° F 4-5 mo.
90° F 3-4 mo.
Package Sizes and Coverage
1 lb. Bottle
Feeds up to 37 sq ft or 19 gallons of potting soil
2 lb. Bottle
Feeds up to 75 sq ft or 38 gallons of potting soil
8 lb. Bag
Feeds up to 300 sq ft or 151 gallons of potting soil
Where to Buy
Which retailers carry Osmocote® Products?
Find a retailer near you.
Guaranteed Analysis
Osmocote® Smart-Release® Plant Food Plus Outdoor & Indoor 15-9-12
Guaranteed Analysis F643
Total Nitrogen(N)† 15%
8.4% Ammoniacal Nitrogen
6.6% Nitrate Nitrogen
Available Phosphate(P205)† 9%
Soluble Potash(K20)† 12%
Magnesium(Mg)† 1.3%
0.9% Water Soluble Magnesium (Mg)
Sulfer(S)† 6.0%
6.0% Combined Sulfer (S)
Boron(B)† 0.02%
Copper(Cu) 0.05%
0.05% Water Soluble Copper (Cu)
Iron(Fe)† 0.05%
0.09% Water Soluble Iron (Fe)
0.01% Chelated Iron (Fe)
Manganese(Mn)† 0.06%
0.06% Water Soluble Manganese (Mn)
Molybdenum(Mo)† 0.02%
Zinc(Zn)† 0.05%
0.019% Water Soluble Zinc (Zn)
Derived from: Polymer-Coated: Ammonium Nitrate, Ammonium Phosphate, Potassium Sulfate, Magnesium Sulfate, Sodium Borate, Iron Phosphate, Iron EOTA, Manganese Sulfate, Sodium Molybdate, Aibc Sulfate, Copper Sulfate and Zinc Oxide.
†The Nitrgoen, Phosphate, Potash, Magnesium, Sulfer, Boron, Iron Manganese, Molybdenum, and Zinc sources have been coated to provide 12.7% coated slow-release Nitrogen(N), 7.6% coated slow-release Available Phosphate (P2O5), 10.2% coated slow-release Soluble Potash (K2O), 1.1% coated slow-release Magnesium (Mg), 5.1% coated slow-release Sulfer (S), 0.015% coated slow-release Boron (B), 0.35% coated slow-release Iron (Fe), 0.05% coated slow-release Manganese (Mn), 0.015% coated slow-release Molybdenum (Mo), 0.015% coated slow-release Zinc (Zn).
Information regarding the contents and levels of metals in this product is available on the internet at Metals Content for Fertilizer and Soil Amendment Products
WARNING: This fertilizer contains molybdenum (Mo). The application of fertilizer materials containing molybdenum (Mo) may result in forage crops containing levels of molybdenum (Mo) which are toxic to ruminant animals.
Longevity at the following average media (soil) temperatures
60° F 6-7 mo.
70° F 5-6 mo.
80° F 4-5 mo.
90° F 3-4 mo.
pizzaguy
Active Member
Will be trying osmocote on my next run along with a foray into organics, Been following docbuds grows for awhile (hence the osmocote) and would like to maybe try the high brix kit but for the life of me cannot find where to buy one. Any info would be appreciated!
Pm home,you'll need 50 posts....
pizzaguy
Active Member
Guess I better stop reading and start posting.....
STIHL LOGGER
Well-Known Member
I've grown a few outdoor plants in 12 gal pots with oc+. Worked great. All I did was give her rain water all summer.
Guess I better stop reading and start posting.....
You can get Doc's attention by posting on one of his threads, and he'll PM you.
This is one of the current ones (he said he'd be away for a couple days though). Just post and ask him to PM you.
Doc Bud - High Brix Q&A With Pictures
pizzaguy
Active Member
Thanks Grizz and Gray!!! Knew I could count on somebody here to help out!
I Can FINALLY Join the OC+ Club Now! (LONG, but Please Read)
I just got the same product a couple days ago, lol. Same size and everything. Cost me... a dollar 
. Now... what do I do with it?
I know, I know, "Read the #^&*ing thread!" But at almost 1,260 posts, can I play the complete newbie for a minute and just post some information and get someone nice to spoon-feed me answers? (It might help others who are daunted by a lengthy thread...)
I wish to keep two to four small mother plants, which won't receive a great deal of light and which will be grown in small (IDK the exact size yet) containers. Most likely soil, cut with perlite at around a 3:1 ratio. The soil will probably be Fox Farm's Happy Frog, unless I run out (part of why IDK the size of the containers yet :rolleyes3 ). I think I have about half a bag of Ocean Forrest, but one of the strains is Serious Seeds' Kali Mist, which is 90% sativa and the other is Sensi Seeds' Jack Herer, which (IIRC) is 50%. I'm not sure about the two maybes (they may not even germinate). And Ocean Forrest is a little hot, I think?
Both of the maybes are Barney's Farm strains. One is Critical Kush and the other is Pineapple Chunk. IDK anything about them, to be honest. (If either is known for hermaphrodism, tell me know so I can pitch it into a random spot in the woods somewhere and just walk away, lol!)
I can - and most likely will - put a rooted cutting of each into the same ratio of soil/perlite mix. I might end up using some cheap (another deep-discount clearance item) "organic" (apparently that means "We left all the sticks in it!") soil that is fortified with some kind of low-concentration basic NPK fertilizer which is supposed to feed for "up to three months" (I think), simply because I have an entire cubic foot of it and might be able to buy one more bag if there's any left next week. These could be in two-gallon buckets or five-gallon buckets. I know that five-gallon buckets would be better (I generally like to run eight weeks of vegetative growth, if not a little more) - but I only have approximately nine ft² and do not wish to overgrow my space, so limiting the root space might be a good thing. IDK.
I was thinking that if I manage to get the two Barney's strains to grow (had bad luck with their freebies recently, so... IDK), I might turn them into mother plants (see above), root some cuttings of each, and stick them into 2-liter soda bottles. These could be either "hempy style" or I could use the bottles as traditional bottles (drain holes in the bottom). These could either be a soil/perlite mix, 100% perlite (but I think I'm going to have to watch my usage as I don't have all that much), some mixture of perlite and coco coir, or 100% coco coir. The thought of running 100% coco coir does NOT really appeal. If I had plenty of perlite, I might run 100% in all the bottles or 75% perlite / 25% coco coir. I might do some of each and the rest a 50/50 ratio, IDK.
If I do that, I would not have them in vegetative growth for eight weeks :rolleyes3 ; instead, I'd try to work it so that the age of the clones (so to speak) was that, but they only got a week or two of vegetative growth. Something like that. They'd probably go around the perimeter - one in each corner and one between each of the corners, for a total of eight bottles. Kind of like "fillers" - I most often run scrog type grows, but that's with only one strain (and often one plant) or with a couple strains that are very close in growth characteristics. With two strains that aren't all that similar, and neither of which I have grown in ~16 years (and I've read that the genetics of each might have changed in that time, so it could be like I've never grown them at all)... I don't think trying to do a scrog would be a good idea. So I'm thinking I should just grow them "freestyle"(?), trying to train them a little (bending the tops down below the rest of the plant to encourage branching instead of "topping," then doing some mild training along the way to try to keep them from exhibiting their sativa genetics by growing (or s-t-r-e-t-c-h-i-n-g, during the first 40% of the flowering period) right up to the ceiling, which would really suck (among other reasons, this LED panel is for medium- to high-bay applications, lol, so it'll want at least a little space between it and the canopy for best results, I suppose). Anyway, when I see pictures of grows like this, I often see, well, gaps - areas where I can see the walls and/or the floor. With a good scrog grow, like a good sog grow, you can't see anything but canopy from the point where the tops of the plants are downwards. That was what caused me to think about adding in some clones in two-liter bottles, to take advantage of and fill any open areas. I know this won't be a high-yield grow, lol; new (to me) lighting technology, I haven't grown in 3 years - and Kali Mist, at least, isn't exactly known as a high-yielding strain anyway (yield isn't the reason that people grow it ). But I have... issues, and can use the medicinal benefits. So does my brother, a couple cousins, my best friend... And my aged and infirm mother has, too, and I'd like to create some kind of "non-smoking" cannabis product for her to try. There's NO way that I'll be able to grow enough for everyone (which probably means that I'll get to sample each strain briefly, then try not to cry as I give it to everyone else) - but I'd like to do the best I can (as we all would). So... fillers.
I might stick a Jack Herer and Kali mist clone into a two-liter bottle (each). If so, I won't try to have them in vegetative growth for eight weeks, either. This will be as much to see how they do in such a container as for filler duty. If the results look encouraging... if the strains perform decently in the bottles - and under the LED in the bottles - then I guess I could add more in such a configuration next time. I've never tried such a thing with a 90% sativa (or even a 50%/50%).
I could be a little flexible on the eight-week vegetative period, I guess. But I really would rather not try to shorten it much, if any.
I'll be growing under an Amare Technologies SE350+UVB LED panel. It has six COBs and 60 mono-color LEDs, a circle of ten around each COB (I think the mono-colors are two of those dim looking red ones that everyone seems to call IR, some reds, and some bluish whites (but I'm color-challenged, so they might be whites, blues (but not deep blue, I think), or a mixture of the two for all I know), repeated six times). Both COBs and the little buggers are, AfaIK, Cree. Together, they consume approximately 350 watts - and the COBs & mono-colors are on two different switches. I'm thinking that I could run just the mono-colors as a vegetative light, but I might add in the COB lighting once growth takes off. It's my first foray into the world of LED grow light technology, so it'll be a learning experience for me (and, potentially, for anyone else who's grown before but never with LEDs and wishes to learn - and learn from my mistakes - by following along).
Growth will undoubtedly be slow, at least initially. It'll easily be in the 90s unless/until I can beg, borrow, or... beg an air conditioner. Possibly upper 90s, IDK. I've waited this long to start because it is usually cooler by now, but... it was 94°F most of the day a few days ago, and it's still around 80°F now (and it has been dark for a few hours!). So they might have a tough childhood <SIGH> . As far as temperatures go, with the COBs and mono-colors both running, it provides quite a bit of light (over a nine ft² area), so a maximum temperature of 86°F wouldn't bother me all that much. But without the COBs it cuts the illumination by... IDK, half? So I'd be more comfortable seeing a maximum daily temperature of somewhere between 77°F and 80°F. (Wish in one hand and defecate in the other - and see which one gets full first...)
I don't suppose I have to use Osmocote Plus for any of this. But I have read some good things about it. (No, NOT the entire thread, lol - it had already started three years ago when I went on a "virtual vacation," and that's when I was halfway paying attention to it - and I CRS any more or I wouldn't have to ask questions...) And IDK how far a pound would stretch, in regards to all I hope to accomplish with this grow.
With the high initial temperatures, I have some concerns about "dumping" too much fertilizer onto the young plants' roots. I am also a little worried about the "fortified" organic soil. I'll have to take a look at the bag and see what's up with it tomorrow. I will post information I glean from the bag if it would be helpful in answering my questions.
This grow will have LOTS of opportunity for me to learn. But, because of that, there will be LOTS of possibilities for calamity/disaster. So, yeah... If you can give good, solid, specific, based-on-experience knowledge/tips/HELP(!!!) in regards to the Osmocote Plus for any/all of the above, I would greatly appreciate it (and so would my family and friends)! Anything I can do to lessen the "unknown" factor will be a big help. I probably shouldn't even be trying a new (to me) nutrient. But my other options are a three year old set of (very small) Dutch Nutrient Formula Grow A & B, Bloom A & B, and DNF Gold (Fulvic Acid) bottles. Or a set of partial (opened and used three years ago! No idea about whether or not the volume was reduced by evaporation, because the levels were not marked) General Hydroponics three part Flora Series (Micro, Grow, and Bloom) bottles, or some single-component (each) Grow & Bloom "hybrid" (I think there's both "non-organic" and "stuff that was derived from organic processes" or something or other stuff in there, I don't remember). All of that stuff worked okay... three years ago. But it has been opened, been through multiple heat/cold cycles (NOT frozen, but...), et cetera. So I am a bit leery, to say the least, of using it.
I just remembered that I've got a cheap aquarium power head around here somewhere ("new old stock," lol, unused - but I have used the same model many times in the past with great success) so I could run one plant in a DWC setup. But I never liked doing that in a five-gallon bucket (for a variety of reasons), and I really don't have the room to stick a ~25-gallon plastic tote in there this time, unfortunately. So I'd like to save it for the next grow - or the one after that - assuming that the manufacturer does not ask for his awesome LED panel back at the end of this grow (I have no idea, as there wasn't really any discussion one way or the other in that regard - flip a coin... The probability might depend on whether or not I succeed in demonstrating that an old fart can learn new tricks, that is to say, whether someone who has had multiple indoor grows but NEVER under LED can succeed with LED in general and his product in particular. This product sold for $900 or thereabouts, and I have never been given anything of that value before (or even if you dropped a zero off the end of that number); then, again, it was used in another demonstration/test grow before I received it. So like I typed, "IDK, flip a coin."). Anyway, if he IS kind enough to allow me to use it in multiple grows, I'd like to try different things in order to see what allows the product to perform the best - and I was thinking that I'd like to try a single-plant nine ft² scrog grow next, with the plant in a largish DWC, with a couple month's worth of vegetative growth, or however long it takes to get the screen pretty full, so that the stretch would mainly take the form of vertical growth from screen height upwards... with Kali Mist as the candidate, being as it's mostly sativa and WILL have a stretch. In a 25-gallon reservoir, I'd probably end up with a root mass that only allowed for a three to seven gallon nutrient solution capacity at the end, lol (based on past experience). But with the lenses in place on the COBs, this panel is supposed to have decent penetration. IDK if anything could penetrate a TALL and FULL scrog canopy - but even if that is the case, I ought to be able to tell by observation and, err, testing the harvest from various canopy depths ( ) just how far it does penetrate (usefully). If I could then say, "This product, in a full canopy, penetrates THIS far," then people could use that data to plan their grows (with this product and, by a reasonable extrapolation, its newer and more powerful big brother, which is the same design only with 100 more watts and newer-generation COBs). That kind of information would be good to have for both scrog and sog growers. And with it (again, if I still have the privilege of using the light at that point), I might try a fairly packed sog grow (maybe a 3'x3' block of two-liter bottles?), and - armed with the penetration data - I could probably mix multiple strains. But... all of this is for the hypothetical future. What I really need advice/help with now is THIS grow (and thank you all very much in advance!).
BtW: Hey, STIHL LOGGER, thanks for posting those pictures! There's NO WAY I could hope to read most of the tiny writing on the actual bottle with my eyes, and I gave my jeweler's loupe to my brother to look at old coins a few years ago (and then he lost it). But I could read the text in your images. If I have any left after "stocking" this grow (kind of doubtful, I suppose), I will be able to give it to Mom for her houseplants and know what to tell her in regards to the directions printed on the bottle.
I just got the same product a couple days ago, lol. Same size and everything. Cost me... a dollar
. Now... what do I do with it?I know, I know, "Read the #^&*ing thread!" But at almost 1,260 posts, can I play the complete newbie for a minute and just post some information and get someone nice to spoon-feed me answers? (It might help others who are daunted by a lengthy thread...)
I wish to keep two to four small mother plants, which won't receive a great deal of light and which will be grown in small (IDK the exact size yet) containers. Most likely soil, cut with perlite at around a 3:1 ratio. The soil will probably be Fox Farm's Happy Frog, unless I run out (part of why IDK the size of the containers yet :rolleyes3 ). I think I have about half a bag of Ocean Forrest, but one of the strains is Serious Seeds' Kali Mist, which is 90% sativa and the other is Sensi Seeds' Jack Herer, which (IIRC) is 50%. I'm not sure about the two maybes (they may not even germinate). And Ocean Forrest is a little hot, I think?
Both of the maybes are Barney's Farm strains. One is Critical Kush and the other is Pineapple Chunk. IDK anything about them, to be honest. (If either is known for hermaphrodism, tell me know so I can pitch it into a random spot in the woods somewhere and just walk away, lol!)
I can - and most likely will - put a rooted cutting of each into the same ratio of soil/perlite mix. I might end up using some cheap (another deep-discount clearance item) "organic" (apparently that means "We left all the sticks in it!") soil that is fortified with some kind of low-concentration basic NPK fertilizer which is supposed to feed for "up to three months" (I think), simply because I have an entire cubic foot of it and might be able to buy one more bag if there's any left next week. These could be in two-gallon buckets or five-gallon buckets. I know that five-gallon buckets would be better (I generally like to run eight weeks of vegetative growth, if not a little more) - but I only have approximately nine ft² and do not wish to overgrow my space, so limiting the root space might be a good thing. IDK.
I was thinking that if I manage to get the two Barney's strains to grow (had bad luck with their freebies recently, so... IDK), I might turn them into mother plants (see above), root some cuttings of each, and stick them into 2-liter soda bottles. These could be either "hempy style" or I could use the bottles as traditional bottles (drain holes in the bottom). These could either be a soil/perlite mix, 100% perlite (but I think I'm going to have to watch my usage as I don't have all that much), some mixture of perlite and coco coir, or 100% coco coir. The thought of running 100% coco coir does NOT really appeal. If I had plenty of perlite, I might run 100% in all the bottles or 75% perlite / 25% coco coir. I might do some of each and the rest a 50/50 ratio, IDK.
If I do that, I would not have them in vegetative growth for eight weeks :rolleyes3 ; instead, I'd try to work it so that the age of the clones (so to speak) was that, but they only got a week or two of vegetative growth. Something like that. They'd probably go around the perimeter - one in each corner and one between each of the corners, for a total of eight bottles. Kind of like "fillers" - I most often run scrog type grows, but that's with only one strain (and often one plant) or with a couple strains that are very close in growth characteristics. With two strains that aren't all that similar, and neither of which I have grown in ~16 years (and I've read that the genetics of each might have changed in that time, so it could be like I've never grown them at all)... I don't think trying to do a scrog would be a good idea. So I'm thinking I should just grow them "freestyle"(?), trying to train them a little (bending the tops down below the rest of the plant to encourage branching instead of "topping," then doing some mild training along the way to try to keep them from exhibiting their sativa genetics by growing (or s-t-r-e-t-c-h-i-n-g, during the first 40% of the flowering period) right up to the ceiling, which would really suck (among other reasons, this LED panel is for medium- to high-bay applications, lol, so it'll want at least a little space between it and the canopy for best results, I suppose). Anyway, when I see pictures of grows like this, I often see, well, gaps - areas where I can see the walls and/or the floor. With a good scrog grow, like a good sog grow, you can't see anything but canopy from the point where the tops of the plants are downwards. That was what caused me to think about adding in some clones in two-liter bottles, to take advantage of and fill any open areas. I know this won't be a high-yield grow, lol; new (to me) lighting technology, I haven't grown in 3 years - and Kali Mist, at least, isn't exactly known as a high-yielding strain anyway (yield isn't the reason that people grow it
). But I have... issues, and can use the medicinal benefits. So does my brother, a couple cousins, my best friend... And my aged and infirm mother has, too, and I'd like to create some kind of "non-smoking" cannabis product for her to try. There's NO way that I'll be able to grow enough for everyone (which probably means that I'll get to sample each strain briefly, then try not to cry as I give it to everyone else) - but I'd like to do the best I can (as we all would). So... fillers.I might stick a Jack Herer and Kali mist clone into a two-liter bottle (each). If so, I won't try to have them in vegetative growth for eight weeks, either. This will be as much to see how they do in such a container as for filler duty. If the results look encouraging... if the strains perform decently in the bottles - and under the LED in the bottles - then I guess I could add more in such a configuration next time. I've never tried such a thing with a 90% sativa (or even a 50%/50%).
I could be a little flexible on the eight-week vegetative period, I guess. But I really would rather not try to shorten it much, if any.
I'll be growing under an Amare Technologies SE350+UVB LED panel. It has six COBs and 60 mono-color LEDs, a circle of ten around each COB (I think the mono-colors are two of those dim looking red ones that everyone seems to call IR, some reds, and some bluish whites (but I'm color-challenged, so they might be whites, blues (but not deep blue, I think), or a mixture of the two for all I know), repeated six times). Both COBs and the little buggers are, AfaIK, Cree. Together, they consume approximately 350 watts - and the COBs & mono-colors are on two different switches. I'm thinking that I could run just the mono-colors as a vegetative light, but I might add in the COB lighting once growth takes off. It's my first foray into the world of LED grow light technology, so it'll be a learning experience for me (and, potentially, for anyone else who's grown before but never with LEDs and wishes to learn - and learn from my mistakes - by following along).
Growth will undoubtedly be slow, at least initially. It'll easily be in the 90s unless/until I can beg, borrow, or... beg an air conditioner. Possibly upper 90s, IDK. I've waited this long to start because it is usually cooler by now, but... it was 94°F most of the day a few days ago, and it's still around 80°F now (and it has been dark for a few hours!). So they might have a tough childhood <SIGH> . As far as temperatures go, with the COBs and mono-colors both running, it provides quite a bit of light (over a nine ft² area), so a maximum temperature of 86°F wouldn't bother me all that much. But without the COBs it cuts the illumination by... IDK, half? So I'd be more comfortable seeing a maximum daily temperature of somewhere between 77°F and 80°F. (Wish in one hand and defecate in the other - and see which one gets full first...)
I don't suppose I have to use Osmocote Plus for any of this. But I have read some good things about it. (No, NOT the entire thread, lol - it had already started three years ago when I went on a "virtual vacation," and that's when I was halfway paying attention to it - and I CRS any more or I wouldn't have to ask questions...) And IDK how far a pound would stretch, in regards to all I hope to accomplish with this grow.
With the high initial temperatures, I have some concerns about "dumping" too much fertilizer onto the young plants' roots. I am also a little worried about the "fortified" organic soil. I'll have to take a look at the bag and see what's up with it tomorrow. I will post information I glean from the bag if it would be helpful in answering my questions.
This grow will have LOTS of opportunity for me to learn. But, because of that, there will be LOTS of possibilities for calamity/disaster. So, yeah... If you can give good, solid, specific, based-on-experience knowledge/tips/HELP(!!!) in regards to the Osmocote Plus for any/all of the above, I would greatly appreciate it (and so would my family and friends)! Anything I can do to lessen the "unknown" factor will be a big help. I probably shouldn't even be trying a new (to me) nutrient. But my other options are a three year old set of (very small) Dutch Nutrient Formula Grow A & B, Bloom A & B, and DNF Gold (Fulvic Acid) bottles. Or a set of partial (opened and used three years ago! No idea about whether or not the volume was reduced by evaporation, because the levels were not marked) General Hydroponics three part Flora Series (Micro, Grow, and Bloom) bottles, or some single-component (each) Grow & Bloom "hybrid" (I think there's both "non-organic" and "stuff that was derived from organic processes" or something or other stuff in there, I don't remember). All of that stuff worked okay... three years ago. But it has been opened, been through multiple heat/cold cycles (NOT frozen, but...), et cetera. So I am a bit leery, to say the least, of using it.
I just remembered that I've got a cheap aquarium power head around here somewhere ("new old stock," lol, unused - but I have used the same model many times in the past with great success) so I could run one plant in a DWC setup. But I never liked doing that in a five-gallon bucket (for a variety of reasons), and I really don't have the room to stick a ~25-gallon plastic tote in there this time, unfortunately. So I'd like to save it for the next grow - or the one after that - assuming that the manufacturer does not ask for his awesome LED panel back at the end of this grow (I have no idea, as there wasn't really any discussion one way or the other in that regard - flip a coin... The probability might depend on whether or not I succeed in demonstrating that an old fart can learn new tricks, that is to say, whether someone who has had multiple indoor grows but NEVER under LED can succeed with LED in general and his product in particular. This product sold for $900 or thereabouts, and I have never been given anything of that value before (or even if you dropped a zero off the end of that number); then, again, it was used in another demonstration/test grow before I received it. So like I typed, "IDK, flip a coin."). Anyway, if he IS kind enough to allow me to use it in multiple grows, I'd like to try different things in order to see what allows the product to perform the best - and I was thinking that I'd like to try a single-plant nine ft² scrog grow next, with the plant in a largish DWC, with a couple month's worth of vegetative growth, or however long it takes to get the screen pretty full, so that the stretch would mainly take the form of vertical growth from screen height upwards... with Kali Mist as the candidate, being as it's mostly sativa and WILL have a stretch. In a 25-gallon reservoir, I'd probably end up with a root mass that only allowed for a three to seven gallon nutrient solution capacity at the end, lol (based on past experience). But with the lenses in place on the COBs, this panel is supposed to have decent penetration. IDK if anything could penetrate a TALL and FULL scrog canopy - but even if that is the case, I ought to be able to tell by observation and, err, testing the harvest from various canopy depths (
) just how far it does penetrate (usefully). If I could then say, "This product, in a full canopy, penetrates THIS far," then people could use that data to plan their grows (with this product and, by a reasonable extrapolation, its newer and more powerful big brother, which is the same design only with 100 more watts and newer-generation COBs). That kind of information would be good to have for both scrog and sog growers. And with it (again, if I still have the privilege of using the light at that point), I might try a fairly packed sog grow (maybe a 3'x3' block of two-liter bottles?), and - armed with the penetration data - I could probably mix multiple strains. But... all of this is for the hypothetical future. What I really need advice/help with now is THIS grow (and thank you all very much in advance!).BtW: Hey, STIHL LOGGER, thanks for posting those pictures! There's NO WAY I could hope to read most of the tiny writing on the actual bottle with my eyes, and I gave my jeweler's loupe to my brother to look at old coins a few years ago (and then he lost it). But I could read the text in your images. If I have any left after "stocking" this grow (kind of doubtful, I suppose), I will be able to give it to Mom for her houseplants and know what to tell her in regards to the directions printed on the bottle.