Radogast 2 - Return of the Clones

They aren't going to take very long to fill the pots with roots. This will be fun to watch. Oh Rad, that enormous community reservoir!

Between the soil and the SWICK I think you're going to be pleasantly surprised. Get ready.
 
Hey Radogast catching up on journals mate and yours looks like its kept you busy. Gnats drove me so mad on my last grow mid last year I ended up drenching with nematodes. It was like the clouds parted the sun came through and all was good in the world after that. Subbed!
 
I like your water level for the SWICK, that is a nice addition to the system. I think you are gonna be surfin' on the front of the wave now :) I can't wait to see the giant buds you are gonna have! :slide:
 
That looks like alotta greenery in that room, some for now and some for the future. Busy busy.
 
Growlow said:
Hey Radogast catching up on journals mate and yours looks like its kept you busy. Gnats drove me so mad on my last grow mid last year I ended up drenching with nematodes. It was like the clouds parted the sun came through and all was good in the world after that. Subbed!
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Toon stress such a knowledgeable good grower, I'm somewhat shocked to read you are bothered by gnats. Glad you are hear. I've got some real questions on soil teas coming up.
 
xtrchessreal said:
I like your water level for the SWICK, that is a nice addition to the system. I think you are gonna be surfin' on the front of the wave now :) I can't wait to see the giant buds you are gonna have! :slide:
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We'll see about the buds :)

The watering system should help with my inability to notice when the girls are thirsty (or drowning.)

I'm trying to kick the bottled nutrients habit.

Leaving the highway of hydro store nutrients and hiking the forest paths of fungus, earthworms and herbal teas FEELS right, but the paths are deer trails to my eyes.

The soil should have enough 'starter' food for a couple more weeks, but i'd like to get the soil food web active and healthy. Three only 'living' inputs so far are:

Packaged earth worm castings (build-a-soil): dry, in bricks. This is in 4 of 5 pots (I ran out.)

Earth worm transplant: I worked about 4 handfuls of worms, food, and castings from my worm bin into the top of the soil in 1 of 5 pots. I was going top go with a 2 inch layer, but then I realized I didn't know what teas or fungal encouragement I would be adding and decided I could wait until I have a plan.

Lobster Compost: this is nice earthy smelling stuff. Damp like a moist sponge.

Rhizo boost: An unspecified about of mycorrhizae. Powder sprinkled on and near existing roots.

- - -

Supplies include:

Kelp powder,
Roots brand soluble myco,
Worm bin with worms and castings,
Coast of Maine Lobster Compost,
Popcorn, molasses, and various garden herbs.

Tea bubbler (two airstones in a 5-gallon bucket.)



Those are the deer paths followed so far. I'm still trying to figure out what to turn into a marked trail.
 
SBG said:
That looks like alotta greenery in that room, some for now and some for the future. Busy busy.
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A bit too much greenery :)

The 5 gallon buckets are 345 day old clones that failed to thrive (bad ph.)
They are now clone mothers until the next generation takes hold (still waiting on some roots.)

When I have happy plants ready to go into the flowering room, I plan to place 5-gallon buckets of the scraggly old clones alongside on the edges of the light. That will drastically reduce the size of the greenery to something manageable. As they stand now, it's not worth turning on an HPS600 to flower the 5-gallon clones for under 1 oz per plant.

However ....

If the SWICK works well, I plan to run a SWICK flowering room too. If that happens, I'll either find drip trays to keep their water separate from the SWICK, guerilla grow, chop them, or just leave them struggling around the edges of the lights.

Dang... I sound more pessimistic than I feel.

I am thrilled as all get out that I have growing plants. :yahoo::yahoo::woohoo:

The next wave in the 5 fabric pots are regular seeds. I think two have female pre-flowers.

The wave after that is a lot of plants, 10 females and 3 regular. There should be between 4x4' and 4x6' available space for them in the flowering room. I will probably need to hold a few back in the garden room and let them get big. Not a bad problem to have!

We can figure that out together, but I also may have inputs on the home front :)
 
I think that's a solid plan Rad, and I'd plan on a SWICK in the flower room. That's when it really comes into play.

It won't take you long to blaze those trails. Just dial in the regular amendment drenches and teas and let them ride. There's enough food in those pots right now to carry your plants right through to harvest and way, way beyond Rad. The one with less vermicompost can be compensated for with top dressing, and I assume you offset that lack by an increase in the Coast of Maine compost? Your plant won't skip a beat. That's some of the finest compost available.

You could have done the 2" with vermicompost. It wouldn't have made any difference in the teas or drenches. The top dressing is it's own reward.

Green and growing plants Rad. What a beautiful sight.
 
SweetSue said:
I think that's a solid plan Rad, and I'd plan on a SWICK in the flower room. That's when it really comes into play.

It won't take you long to blaze those trails. Just dial in the regular amendment drenches and teas and let them ride. There's enough food in those pots right now to carry your plants right through to harvest and way, way beyond Rad. The one with less vermicompost can be compensated for with top dressing, and I assume you offset that lack by an increase in the Coast of Maine compost? Your plant won't skip a beat. That's some of the finest compost available.

You could have done the 2" with vermicompost. It wouldn't have made any difference in the teas or drenches. The top dressing is it's own reward.

Green and growing plants Rad. What a beautiful sight.
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Thanks SweetSue.

I hope you know I highly value your opinions.

Without a microscope, how can I tell my soil web is growing and maturing?

I tried smelling. 4 of 5 pots smell very good. One of the 5 has a sour smell that makes me think the anaerobic bacteria are getting the upper hand. Having the pots out in the open air should help.

Unless I hear a better idea, I'll start a compost tea tonight. Compost and molasses tea with kelp and a touch of mycorrhizae added just before watering time sounds like a good health boost.
 
Sounds good.

Could you do a tea with kelp and neem or should you do them teas separately?
 
Radogast said:
Toon stress such a knowledgeable good grower, I'm somewhat shocked to read you are bothered by gnats. Glad you are hear. I've got some real questions on soil teas coming up.
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Yeah you know, You can have all the experience and knowledge in the world but mother nature is top dog. I am proud to say besides a res issue last year due to res temps over 90 degrees, I have not had a single fungal or mildew issue for over a decade. Gnats are just one of those things unless you are treating the soil you buy with nematode drenches every time... the likelihood of having a gnat infestation would seem to be pretty high. From my own personal experience every bag of organic dirt I've bought in the United States has had at least a couple gnats hiding in them. Since my cleaning measures are over the top and my rooms are entirely sealed pulling in hepa filtered air. For me when gnats show up now I know it'll be short lived. My living organic soil has an abundance of nematodes and other beneficial insects and fungi/bacteria/protozoa. Those lil suckers won't be able to hang any more.... and they don't.

I'll be happy to answer any and all questions about teas. I'm going to also in my newest journal be sharing free source info on my VEGANIC compost tea recipe which until now I've kept under wraps, mostly due to wanting to fine tune it. Which to be honest I am still doing, as with technology advancing I'm getting a better grasp on the food web and its relationship, how to amend it and replace essential minerals and nutrients after harvest.... without wasting or over dosing. I'll be doing lab runs from dirt core samples taken after each harvest trying to map out specific nutrient requirements for specific strains.
 
SweetLeef said:
Sounds good.

Could you do a tea with kelp and neem or should you do them teas separately?
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Neem/kelp tea every 6-8 weeks SweetLeef.

Rad, the pot that smells a bit sour to you, is the mix the same as the other pots? You're correct about having them out. The fabric pots on a SWICK will regulate themselves.

You started growing a micro herd when you built the soil and put it aside to cook. When you hit it with a compost tea you add in a booster shot of microbes. You have to take it on faith. We're gardeners. We understand faith. If that pot doesn't start to sweeten up I'd add more good vermicompost top dress and hit it with a quick spray of water every day or so to help it work into the soil.
 
SweetSue said:
Neem/kelp tea every 6-8 weeks SweetLeef.

Rad, the pot that smells a bit sour to you, is the mix the same as the other pots? You're correct about having them out. The fabric pots on a SWICK will regulate themselves.

You started growing a micro herd when you built the soil and put it aside to cook. When you hit it with a compost tea you add in a booster shot of microbes. You have to take it on faith. We're gardeners. We understand faith. If that pot doesn't start to sweeten up I'd add more good vermicompost top dress and hit it with a quick spray of water every day or so to help it work into the soil.
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That pot that smelled off is already smelling better.

It was the third out of five pots I blended that day, so yeah pretty much identical to the others.

I adjusted the light placement to center over 3 ft side instead of 2.5 ft wide.

20150427_211712.jpg
 
One of these days you should paint that wall Rad. :blushsmile:
 
I posted this below on another thread. When I realized it described my current grow philosophy, I thought some of you might be interested.

Looking at my room last night, I realized I had reated 3 sections: Seedling and early veg table, Late Veg SWICK, and Flowering room (currently empty)

- - - - - - - - - -

It may be that there is less root growth in constantly moist soil, but that may or may not be a bad thing.

When the soil has a 'damp sponge' moisture, earthworms, mycorrhizae and the soil food web thrive. Interacting with the plant roots, they are 'root extensions' to transport exotic nutrients on demand. Meanwhile the actual roots have available moisture.

In a sterile soil or soilless environment where nutrient feedings are scheduled to feed the plant, a cycle of damp and dry makes sense. it helps keep bacteria, gnats and all other life to a minimum. as long as the plant is fed the right mix at the right times, this can work well. it is the method used and promulgated by most of the cannabis elders such as Jorge Cervantes. Jorge also likes Sea of Green (many small plants) for the same reason.

In a living, nature styled grow, a constant moisture that encourages abundant plant, insect and soil life. That natural abundance is extremely compatible with a SWICK system.

Hydro growers have the same choice: sterile water or living water. Certain hydro setups work better with the styles. In the world of hydro, according to The Cap'n one must choose one or the other, because blended a[proaches tend to (evenbtually) go very bad. Soil is less touchy, but the principles are probably similar. One feeding of bottled nutrient salts can be devastaing to the soil food web.

I BELIEVE I am essentially correct in the above statements. (I am betting my grow upon it.) Howevr I can't claim expertise. I have a total of about one week on a SWICK. I am raising seedlings up to the first gallon size in a blend of sphagnum moss, compost and perlite without nutrients. Then in late veg, transplanting into 10-gallon fabric pots with a no-till, perpetual living soil. I intend to flower out in a SWICK as well.

So, I hope you don't find it an imposition that I refer to my grow to illustrate the principles I have gathered through readings and lectures on the permaculture boards. All I know is what I have experienced as informed by what I have read.
 
This was an excellent post on the SWICK. I appreciate your thoughtfulness concerning the method. It's not something I want people to try just because I say it works. It needs exploration and thoughtful consideration of the whys to overcome the resistance born of familiarity with wet/dry cycles. Your point about the SFW being an extension of the roots is spot on Rad. You keep amazing me.

May I copy this on the SWICK thread?
 
Radogast said:
We'll see about the buds :)

The watering system should help with my inability to notice when the girls are thirsty (or drowning.)

I'm trying to kick the bottled nutrients habit.

Leaving the highway of hydro store nutrients and hiking the forest paths of fungus, earthworms and herbal teas FEELS right, but the paths are deer trails to my eyes.

The soil should have enough 'starter' food for a couple more weeks, but i'd like to get the soil food web active and healthy. Three only 'living' inputs so far are:

Packaged earth worm castings (build-a-soil): dry, in bricks. This is in 4 of 5 pots (I ran out.)

Earth worm transplant: I worked about 4 handfuls of worms, food, and castings from my worm bin into the top of the soil in 1 of 5 pots. I was going top go with a 2 inch layer, but then I realized I didn't know what teas or fungal encouragement I would be adding and decided I could wait until I have a plan.

Lobster Compost: this is nice earthy smelling stuff. Damp like a moist sponge.

Rhizo boost: An unspecified about of mycorrhizae. Powder sprinkled on and near existing roots.

- - -

Supplies include:

Kelp powder,
Roots brand soluble myco,
Worm bin with worms and castings,
Coast of Maine Lobster Compost,
Popcorn, molasses, and various garden herbs.

Tea bubbler (two airstones in a 5-gallon bucket.)



Those are the deer paths followed so far. I'm still trying to figure out what to turn into a marked trail.
Click to expand...

Check out the line of fertilizers and mineral amendments from Down to Earth. They have a product called Bio-Live. Which is filled with so much goodness it's almost too good to be true. You have your ecto and endo myco's. A bucket list of beneficial bacteria, protozoa etc. It's in powdered form and looks like the sweepings of a woodwork shop. Your plants will thank you many times over and will get the soil food web amped up and going for ya ;)
 
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