Pawpaw Medicine Tent 2.0 Perpetual Grow Journal

[Savvage61]

I already showed Pics of my work condo, @Gee64 he has a Highrise with a Penthouses lol. he has a awesome worm farm container. But my worms come from the other side of the tracks they live in a Bin from Lowes full of Holes

1. firt lay a bottom of sawdust, mulch, shredded paper and much more

The next layer I pre-mixed Happy Frog, Geoflora, Jobe Microbe enhancing compost,Bokashi. this is what I had around the house. as I learn I will improve my soil I plan on adding some Coco coir this week (any suggestions about worming admendments PLEASE share)

THEN MIX AND MIX AND MIXAND MIX SOME MORE

THEN MIX AND MIX AND MIXAND MIX SOME MORE. Then add it in the bin on to of paper shredding's (do not mix with paper cover the paper with the soil.
add worms

700 red wigglers

. I am using what they call the trough method.
1. make a trough on one end of the bin. add compost (greens,yellows and Browns) and cover it up. it will attract the worms and they will go there and eat and poop (worms never heard of dont shite where you eat) when compost is about gone do the same thing on the opposite side and reap the EWC from Prior side, Rinse and repeat. this is what I have learned so far having issues with your Grow? become a worm farmer

KEEP TEMPS BETWEEN 40*F/05*C TO 90*F/33*C you dont want that smell you get 2 days after ya went fishing and left the worms in the trunk.
Thought for the Day "every worm in the worm bin, is one less Apple you gotta worry about
Stay safe enjoy your day all you folks from the USA Happy 4th of July ( and all my friends from GB and Canada, all is forgiven lol)

 

[Keffka]

Thx Bud I needed That! Im been pondering something I have a lot of FFOF as you know it contains everything need to make super soil especially using Geoflora mixed in the soil If I add some Bokashi or compost starter and let it cook for at least 30 day I will also be adding some store bought EWC and what I harvest from my worms (that a question for later) any way I done expect it to act like SS but will it be a better soil? SWEET!!!! MY worms just got delivered I finished their condo move in day

Yes it’ll be better. Pretty much any amending, to include just adding EWC and perlite will improve the soil. Cooking it (just keeping it moist and containered with decent airflow in this case) will help get the micro biology active and working so your plants can hit the ground running.

The big draw of EWC that hasn’t been fed a specific cannabis diet is the vast amount of life it brings to the table. When you learn about the soil food web they talk about all these smaller, beneficial organisms like nematodes that all have a job to perform. EWC helps to introduce that beneficial life. Letting EWC cook up a bit should help get the populations up and balanced for their environment.

 

[Carmen Ray]

It's very interesting reading about your soil. I have had issues with my soil every grow for the last couple of years. I use a soil that I thought was a LOS but I see it is advertised as a Super Soil. It is too much for the plants and a couple of weeks after transplant they develop necrotic leaf issues, meaning as soon as their roots make their way out of the seedling mix.

I am going to cut that soil with mushroom compost and perlite, and feed it worm castings, microbes and fish hydrolysate. I don't know how to grow with a super soil. They say to just add water but that is not my experience. I will be changing soils going forward because of my lack of understanding.

Any ideas on how I should be using it?

I want to make a worm farm too.

 

[Keffka]

It's very interesting reading about your soil. I have had issues with my soil every grow for the last couple of years. I use a soil that I thought was a LOS but I see it is advertised as a Super Soil. It is too much for the plants and a couple of weeks after transplant they develop necrotic leaf issues, meaning as soon as their roots make their way out of the seedling mix.

I am going to cut that soil with mushroom compost and perlite, and feed it worm castings, microbes and fish hydrolysate. I don't know how to grow with a super soil. They say to just add water but that is not my experience. I will be changing soils going forward because of my lack of understanding.

Any ideas on how I should be using it?

I want to make a worm farm too.

Is this a commercial super soil, locally purchased, or personally prepared? It sounds like what you’re experiencing is a super soil that hasn’t fully cooked (composted), OR that you’ve acquired a true subcool super soil that’s meant to be cut/layered when used.

Most “just add water” commercial super soils require you to be in at least a 15 gallon to achieve the “just add water” effect. Going into smaller containers would require top dressing, however a necrotic death wouldn’t happen just because the plants are hungry.

Do you have a link to the soil you have, or an image of its ingredients/directions? That should give a better idea of what you’re working with

 

[Carmen Ray]

Is this a commercial super soil, locally purchased, or personally prepared? It sounds like what you’re experiencing is a super soil that hasn’t fully cooked (composted), OR that you’ve acquired a true subcool super soil that’s meant to be cut/layered when used.

Most “just add water” commercial super soils require you to be in at least a 15 gallon to achieve the “just add water” effect. Going into smaller containers would require top dressing, however a necrotic death wouldn’t happen just because the plants are hungry.

Do you have a link to the soil you have, or an image of its ingredients/directions? That should give a better idea of what you’re working with

I do Kefka, thanks for looking into it for me. The guy who owns Dirty Hands Inc grows massive outdoor plants in enormous cloth pots. He grow trees water only in this soil.

 

[Keffka]

I do Kefka, thanks for looking into it for me. The guy who owns Dirty Hands Inc grows massive outdoor plants in enormous cloth pots. He grow trees water only in this soil.

This is interesting. That’s actually quite an impressive mix/ingredient list they have there. However one thing that did jump out at me is the use of calcitic lime. @Gee64 correct me if I’m wrong but isn’t calcitic lime also just called “garden lime”?

Calcitic lime is usually used for grasses in my experience, or plants that prefer a neutral to alkaline environment so something closer to a land race/full blooded sativa. Are you growing strictly autos and having these issues or is it occurring across photos and autos Carmen? Sativas and indicas?

Overall it appears to be a pretty powerful soil in comparison to your average commercial super soils, however it shouldn’t be so powerful that you can’t grow in it without cutting it.

I checked a few forums in passing and one thing I noticed was water retention. This soil seems to hold a lot of water. The peat moss of it though can quickly turn hydrophobic if not kept moist enough. This can in turn make the soil real hostile to microbes and crystallized (burning and necrosis) real quick if it dries out. This leaves you in an unappealing situation. Cannabis likes a wet dry cycle but LOS super soils like this one don’t.

I have more questions than answers lol.. do you have journals detailing your use of this stuff so I can get a good idea of what you’re experiencing?

 

[Carmen Ray]

This is interesting. That’s actually quite an impressive mix/ingredient list they have there. However one thing that did jump out at me is the use of calcitic lime. @Gee64 correct me if I’m wrong but isn’t calcitic lime also just called “garden lime”?

Calcitic lime is usually used for grasses in my experience, or plants that prefer a neutral to alkaline environment so something closer to a land race/full blooded sativa. Are you growing strictly autos and having these issues or is it occurring across photos and autos Carmen? Sativas and indicas?

I used it with photoperiod plants outdoors, no problem. Indoors I have had the leaf issue across all grows, although only one of the two plants in my present grow is presenting with this particular problem.

Overall it appears to be a pretty powerful soil in comparison to your average commercial super soils, however it shouldn’t be so powerful that you can’t grow in it without cutting it.

I checked a few forums in passing and one thing I noticed was water retention. This soil seems to hold a lot of water. The peat moss of it though can quickly turn hydrophobic if not kept moist enough. This can in turn make the soil real hostile to microbes and crystallized (burning and necrosis) real quick if it dries out. This leaves you in an unappealing situation. Cannabis likes a wet dry cycle but LOS super soils like this one don’t.

I'm swicking these plants. I did a swick grow last time too. The leaf issues predate the sub irrigation though. I had the same trouble with the wet / dry cycle.

I have more questions than answers lol.. do you have journals detailing your use of this stuff so I can get a good idea of what you’re experiencing?

I discuss the issue in my current journal. The link will take you to the thread starter. Thanks for your interest Keffka.

 

[Savvage61]

@Gee64 and or @Keffka or any other worm farmers. I fell asleep watching worming videos on you tube (having trouble falling asleep? watch worm casting harvest on youtube lol)_ Gee64 your layered machine is awesome and must save a lot of work. I didnt realize that till last night. My bin is 27 gal I have a layer of shredded paper and 6 to 8 inches of composting soil on top 700 red wigglers Im guessing 1 pound?

anyway could you guys give and Idea how long I wanna wait till I harvest the EWC. when I do harvest does it require adding new soil?. I have a 3/8 screen sifter what goes thru that I can add to my soil?
I learned a couple ways to get my worms with a worm trap or the trough method

what do you do from harvest till you add it to your soil mix?
will I have Gnat issues?
do I need to let the ewc dry out a bit?
should I add them to a feed sack ?
I am doing my research these are questions I could not find a answer too

Thx in advance

 

[Gee64]

@Gee64 and or @Keffka or any other worm farmers. I fell asleep watching worming videos on you tube (having trouble falling asleep? watch worm casting harvest on youtube lol)_ Gee64 your layered machine is awesome and must save a lot of work. I didnt realize that till last night. My bin is 27 gal I have a layer of shredded paper and 6 to 8 inches of composting soil on top 700 red wigglers Im guessing 1 pound?

anyway could you guys give and Idea how long I wanna wait till I harvest the EWC.

My setup sets its own pace. It gives me a tray (4 gallons) every 2 weeks and I have 4 trays, so each tray takes 8 weeks. I am not sure how long a tub would take but I believe @Azimuth has been tubbing for awhile now.

when I do harvest does it require adding new soil?.

I harvest the entire tray, refill it with soil, carbon, and scraps, and start it on its next 8 week journey.

I have a 3/8 screen sifter what goes thru that I can add to my soil?

I use my hands. Things like avocado shells sometimes don't fully break down so I pick them out and toss them into the next tray I am starting.

I learned a couple ways to get my worms with a worm trap or the trough method

I can't help you there, in my farm once all the food scraps are processed by the worms they vacate upwards to the next tray.

what do you do from harvest till you add it to your soil mix?

I let mine sit in a tote with a few air holes in the lid, for 8 more weeks minimum. Usually longer.

will I have Gnat issues?

I never have and I live in the fruit fly capital of the universe. The trick is to never let scraps be exposed to the surface. Always cover them with bedding mix.

do I need to let the ewc dry out a bit?

My tray has a lower reservoir below all the trays where excess moisture drips into, with a spigot to remove it. Again, @Azimuth or @Keffka can help you here.

should I add them to a feed sack ?

Not sure what you mean.

I am doing my research these are questions I could not find a answer too

Thx in advance

It takes a few goes, and different seasons change temps and humidities so things speed up and slow down but I can tell you this. If you are patient and careful your worm population will grow into the size of your bin, with the amount of available food also playing into the overall population. The more worms you can support, the faster they multiply, the faster you get more castings. As long as they don't dry out or starve and are not too cold (I run mine indoors at 72 degrees 365 days a year) it will work beautifully. I have seen many online dumping the entire tote onto a sheet in a sandcastle pile with the lights on to drive them down, and every hour they harvest off the top layer until only a third is left with all the worms in it, then back into the tub and reload it. Again @Azimuth or @Keffka will know.

 

[Savvage61]

@Gee64 man you do have a worm condo. I seen a couple videos doing the layers Ill figure it out as I go. must be an old stoner thing Im really enjoying the worm composting. I appreciate the help.

the Feed bag is just a burlap type bag they store grain and other goodies in .
Thx have a good one

 

[Gee64]

You could probably build a condo with totes. My trays are 4 gallons so 5 gallon totes would probably work quite well.

 

[Azimuth]

My setup is similar, but with totes instead of trays, but very similar in practice. I only have 3 totes about 7 gallons each, but wish I had a fourth as the material would be better broken down with extra time.

Mine is pretty simple. I have three, 7gal totes nested in each other and all sitting on another one with a lid that has a pvc pipe frame inside to hold the weight.

This bottom one has holes in the top lid to let excess liquid drain through and a spigot at the bottom which I leave open with a catch pan container to catch the drippings. I use this leachate to prime my compost pile.

The three nested totes (wish I had a fourth) are all the same and labeled so I can note any changes to inputs, etc. They each have many holes in the bottom big enough so the worms can easily migrate up and down through them. They also each have many smaller vent holes in the upper few inches of the sides to help with air flow although that's really only needed for the uppermost one in the series since when they nest there is enough side air between the totes. I also use inverted plastic cups in the bottoms of each container to prevent the material from fully compressing with the weight from the totes above.

The top one has a lid to keep it dark and the moisture in but you could easily use a wet piece of burlap or newspaper or something like that instead.

That's pretty much it.

I harvest every two months which means each tote sits for six months for the material to break down. Sometimes not everything has broken down so adding a fourth bin would allow for an extra period for more fully finished castings.

To harvest, I dump the contents out on a tarp in a pile in bright, indirect light in the breeze which causes the remaining worms to huddle in the middle bottom in a pile which makes it easy to move them to the new upper container without having to go through the castings in small handfuls.

The breeze helps to dry them out a bit making them easier to process which I do by running them through a colander to screen out the bigger stuff. A second smaller sift would allow you to screen out the egg capsules if you wanted to separate them for some reason.

They're pretty mucky at harvest, so I mix and fluff the pile with my hands periodically and once they're dry enough to go through the colander without clogging it up I screen them and store them in a container for use.

Feeding the worms is dead simple as well. We collect kitchen scraps throughout the week in a countertop composting container and I dump those contents on the top of the uppermost tote, level them out with a garden trowel, add some amendments like rock dusts, malted barley, neem meal, etc. and then cover that with a layer of compost or leaves, or something like that.

Running your kitchen scraps through a blender with some water would be better and make for faster and more finished castings but I'd have to get a dedicated blender for that which I don't have yet.

The kitchen scraps are mostly water so you won't get much of a harvest from just them, but it's the other brown organic matter you add along with them that gives you the bulk at harvest.

To start a new tote I just line the bottom of the empty container with some brown material for bedding like leaves, compost, CSPM, coco, etc., dampen it, add some starter worms and then fill as I go.

My grow is pretty small all the way around but this concept could easily be scaled up to handle larger amounts of inputs leading to a correspondingly bigger castings harvest as well.

 

[Keffka]

I used it with photoperiod plants outdoors, no problem. Indoors I have had the leaf issue across all grows, although only one of the two plants in my present grow is presenting with this particular problem.

I'm swicking these plants. I did a swick grow last time too. The leaf issues predate the sub irrigation though. I had the same trouble with the wet / dry cycle.

I discuss the issue in my current journal. The link will take you to the thread starter. Thanks for your interest Keffka.

@Gee64 is it possible his indoor environment is too weak for the soil?

I’m intrigued that it works well outdoors but he seems to be struggling indoors. I don’t think his environment is overwhelming anything but LEDs oftentimes add requirements.

Gonna have to really dig into this because the mix looks solid

 

[Gee64]

@Gee64 is it possible his indoor environment is too weak for the soil?

I’m intrigued that it works well outdoors but he seems to be struggling indoors. I don’t think his environment is overwhelming anything but LEDs oftentimes add requirements.

Gonna have to really dig into this because the mix looks solid

It could be a myco thing. Outdoors, myco is everywhere but indoors you need to supply it. A myco drench can never hurt.

 

[Keffka]

It could be a myco thing. Outdoors, myco is everywhere but indoors you need to supply it. A myco drench can never hurt.

MYCO!! I can’t believe I forgot about myco.. @Carmen Ray what’s your myco situation? Do you use it in your containers indoors?

 

[Carmen Ray]

MYCO!! I can’t believe I forgot about myco.. @Carmen Ray what’s your myco situation? Do you use it in your containers indoors?

Yes I do. Every step of the way. Thank you for your help. I am done with this soil though. I am not going to continue to use it after this grow. Too many plants with necrotic leaves. I think photoperiod plants outdoors in the ground is a different kettle of fish to autos in pots indoors. Literally every single grow this happens.

 

[Keffka]

Yes I do. Every step of the way. Thank you for your help. I am done with this soil though. I am not going to continue to use it after this grow. Too many plants with necrotic leaves. I think photoperiod plants outdoors in the ground is a different kettle of fish to autos in pots indoors. Literally every single grow this happens.

I agree.. I think it’s possible it may just be too much for autos.. I’m not very familiar with them but everything I’ve read talks about their sensitive and fickleness. I can’t speak to it but it wouldn’t surprise me.

 

[Savvage61]

hey guys remember I said I didnt wan t to show my indoor grow till I got the issue under hand, there were sevral issues I had But I did what I could with help from you guys it was a cal/mag and root issues that will be prevented next time,

the plant I thought was dead found new life outside. My outside plants were doing great, better than My indoor grow, I had been running my temps 70F-75F 18C-22c I outside temps are much higher so I bumped my Temps up 10 degrees. with regular weekly gulps of worm tea and here they are a little rough from wear But they are days away from the flip

. Im sure the net would get filled by the stretch but the front plant needs a little more recovery. I will trim any undergrowth that is left. I will clear out the dead leaves thinn out the top to allow good air flow then tuck ,duck and weave the stems thru the net. as the net fills I belive I will have to add a second net once the net is full everything Goes UP.

** a little trick I picked up is next time I have a problem and it isnt in the grow notes. I will check the Parent strains. with these strains the grimm truffles- white truffle /Cinderella99xx apollo- Genius and Cinderella 99xx. I looked up Cinderella 99 Mr Souls Strain from BGS. here are the grow notes from C99XX

CXX is a fast flowering plant needing plenty of light and nutrients, she also likes silica and extra calcium and magnesium. We grow CXX as multi-headed bushes with tomato cages or stakes for support. They also work well in a SOG or SCROG arrangement.

Now I understand why I was having Cal mag issues. so if you are having issues you dont understand Check the Parent traits and even the Phenotypes if possible.

I started cloning prep ill talk more about this week and ask more questions . Ill show you the DIY copy of the fast root cloner for under $20 that I made along with how to make it.
although my journal is new and full of mistakes and lessons learned .Gotta admit along with AWESOME FOLLOWERS, we have variety, from LOS ,Worm Farms to cloners and more

@Azimuth @Keffka notice the paragraphs ? we also have better Grammar
thx everyone have a Great weekend

 

[Azimuth]

 

[Savvage61]

Hey Im still alive, I haven't been around lately I have had some heart issues, trust me it is a scary thing especially when you are getting older. But I will be ok and live for a bit longer. But im in a forced rest, my wife wont let me do anything and she been tending my plants and everything else shy of wiping my butt. ya think I would enjoy that, but I dont it is amazing the things that go thru your mind when you face something like this But I am sure there are enough old stoners around here who have gone thru something like this or even worse I case the best way to explain it is coming face to face with my mortality and realize not that invincible 20 yr old man any more

on a positive note my girls are doing great starting to flower. Ill be back on my feet next week. and give peeks at my gals
it felt odd telling the Doc I smoke Pot. at that point she asked do you know where it comes from, dispensary, off the street with the concern of the weed having fentyal or treated with something else. I said "I GROW MY OWN! with a proud smile. the doc said thats the best way to safe, and Dont worry the DEA wont be picking waiting for you when you walk out the door

. things have changed a lot in my life time thats the a positive thing about getting old, and look at what happened during my life time, from the Kennedy's assassination. putting a man on the moon to legal weed, what A life. I plan on hanging around to see even more

so ill be back on Monday
everyone stay safe
and be sure to tell your Partner, your family and friends
how much you love them and how much they mean to you

later my friends