SoilGirl's Indoor Organic Soil Medical Grow Journal - Mars II 1600 & Other LEDs

[SoilGirl]

Clone/Veg Update!

Got lots of pics tonight so I'm going to try to keep the commentary dialed back... a little.

Let's start with the newly transplanted, topped, Ghost OG clone!

Check out how well rooted... but since that cutting was taken the 26th of November, it better be! Geesh, and the CK#1 clones that were taken with it aren't even showing a root! I wonder why my clones are taking so long this batch >.< Anyways, I think this clone has a fluxy future ahead of it

I also took some other cuttings today, one RCB and one topped Blue Blood cutting

Blue Blood #2 before taking the cutting:

The cutting:

Blue Blood #2 post-cutting:

Here's the RCB node I took as a cutting, its the one closest to the center of the pic. It always has struggled to find light and was smushing together the nodes on the right side of RCB. I was going to prune it off, but I think this is much more economical

the cutting: (by the way, for these cuttings I used Dip 'N Gro concentrate)

>.< ok. no cutting pic. LOL. Well you saw the node. I'll get a pic of that another time hahaha. I swore I took that pic...

anyways here's Red Cherry Berry - after taking the cutting. Can't even notice huh? lol. I'm gonna keep letting it grow, and take it easy on the defol for a while. By the way, the node I snapped, survived

OG Kush PR!
Lol, just to emphasize the point of what a difference some new well cooked soil and a transplant can make, this was OG Kush PR on the 7th, exactly one week ago:

This is it now. The training goes on, and its starting to build up some strength, and a nice canopy. Getting excited for this one.

Dinafem Diesel!
Really having a growth spurt. This plant continues to impress me. Some reviews aren't kind to Dinafem Diesel - lets hope some good organic soil and a strong LED bring out the best of it.

This is Diesel before a little defol, then after:

Also, I moved Corleone Kush #1 and 2, Ghost OG, and Black Bubba under the Mars II 1600 today in veg spectrum. They're not going into flower, but they're in the flowering room now, I don't have enough light in the veg room so I was running out of room with the cloning showing its first results. It just makes life easier for me with them in their new spots. I'll be flowering them in 2-3 weeks.

Corleone Kush #1
Letting it go vertical, as much as it is willing to haha. I also topped it on each end of the 2 main branches. This one has grown slowly, but with really nice node spacing. I'm hoping for 3-6 inches of vertical growth in the next couple weeks before flower, but if that doesn't happen...whatever. I gotta get these budding.

Black Bubba Kush Mini-Flux
Also letting it go vertical, and released the weaker nodes to let them get a little height on the big ones, which will translate into strength and even out the nodes. (as per instruction of LA ) ....and, I topped the side of the plant that wasn't topped also. we'll just have to see how it goes I guess lol.

Ghost OG #1:

Doing great, and the node I snapped here also survived haha. This one's been trying to go vertical for a week or two now, so this is just what it was waiting for. I'm excited to get this one flowering and sample it for the first time, it's giving off a pine-resiny smell that's delicious. And its leaves definitely have some OG personality to them

I think that's all...

...........oh.. right. Corleone Kush #2
...although you guys could just leave now if you want lol. I won't hide it, this plant bugs me, it just looks sloppy and lousy. I bet it's a guy. If it is it will die >.< no breeding this one. It's only alive on the off chance it gives me some good buds despite it's crappy beginnings.

We'll see.

Thanks for stopping by, time for some Euphoria, a movie, and bed.

 

[akisunni]

How many different strains do you have in rotation currently? I am at 4, if the Bag seed isn't from one of the other three via random luck. Your grow is looking great. I love the Flux look.

 

[drcannabi]

Yay! Looking fantastic soilgirl!

Can I ask what the lineage is of that black bubba? I like the Flux on it too. I've wanted to try that technique for a while now.

Awesome plants!

 

[SoilGirl]

Hi akisunni.

I think 8 as of now haha, there's OG PR, Ghost OG, RCB, CK#1, CK#2, (they're probably very different phenos), BBK, Blue Blood, and Dinafem Diesel. But after the mini-flux, we're gonna say bye to BBK for now. I may introduce a new strain or two, may not, it depends on how the ones I have do and how much room I have. I know that I have 4 strains I'm already interested in keeping around, Blue Blood, OG Kush PR, Diesel, and either RCB or Ghost OG. The CK's I just have so many seeds of, I felt like trying them.

drcannabi, I talked to the dispensary that I got those seeds at and it turns out rather than the Black Russian x Bubba Kush BBK that most people know, it was something they got from a small-time local breeder that was Black Domina x Bubba Kush. They say they kept an amazing pheno around, but I've tasted their BBK and its anything but amazing lol. Mine's turned out much better than theirs was, but still I just am not jumping at the chance to grow it again. I may try another grow with some, or just give the seeds away.

- also, thanks so much for the kind words guys.

 

[drcannabi]

Thanks soilgirl!

I've wanted to try Black Domina for a while. It's supposed to be serious night time meds. To bad that cross isn't a keeper for you. Searching for a keeper is half the fun...

 

[Teddy Edwards]

Hey hey, SG. Exemplary update. So good to see. Fabulous stuff. All that soil work is really paying off, eh? As an old English gardener always used to say on the radio when I was a kid, "The answer lies in the soil".

 

[SoilGirl]

Hi guys, so two things I forgot to mention in my update. 1, I've been opening up new growth nodes once a day, and trying for twice a day, on LA's instruction to help encourage tight node spacing. I wasn't doing this before on my flux-ish plants haha, because tighter node spacing while I'm trying to get the nodes to reach outwards and get some growing space with how tight their nodes were growing already sounded like it would make things slower haha. But when you're going vertical and starting to leave nodes on to grow, this is very important. You've seen LA's monster colas/plants! No arguing with those!

2, I also realize I was taking too uniform an approach to growing all of these strains, since you guys brought up the genetic diversity I finally have going, it got me thinking. For example, RCB doesn't want to be a flux-ish plant haha. It just doesnt. It's been fighting hard to straighten itself out since the second I started training it, and shaping it the way I want is proving slow... whilst doable. On the other hand, I have a feeling Ghost OG will make a great flux now that I have that beautiful topped clone started. It's just been an easy-to-train, swings-with-all-my-punches sort of strain, so resilient. In the future I won't be growing RCB or Ghost OG the way they were grown so far again. RCB wants heavy topping and light LST, Ghost OG wants your very worst abuse, just to laugh it off, so fluxing sounds like the ticket. It's an ongoing learning experience, I need to let my plants keep more of their individuality, and for me, it just feels right to avoid a one-size-fits-all training approach.

(By the way, did you guys know I've never done such hardcore training as what I'm doing now? Maybe I come off as confident and experienced LOL, but I'm really not. I just read a lot about it and saw so many beautifully trained plants, I was inspired!)

 

[drcannabi]

Very cool soilgirl. I think following your innate instincts is generally the right move when training a plant. Of course I've never done it to the extreme like some of you on here.

I think your philosophy sounds solid. Again I've never fluxed a plant, but it stands to reason some would be easier to train than others.

 

[SoilGirl]

Thanks soilgirl!

I've wanted to try Black Domina for a while. It's supposed to be serious night time meds. To bad that cross isn't a keeper for you. Searching for a keeper is half the fun...

Very cool soilgirl. I think following your innate instincts is generally the right move when training a plant. Of course I've never done it to the extreme like some of you on here.

I think your philosophy sounds solid. Again I've never fluxed a plant, but it stands to reason some would be easier to train than others.

Thanks for the kind and reassuring words drcannabi yes, its too bad BBK isn't a keeper, but like you said haha, if I just started off with all the best strains I could ever want, I'd still feel like I missed out on the search for them - I've never had this wide a variety of genetics. I'm really getting excited to find out what they're packing haha.

I agree a lot of training your plants should be in your instincts, but experience is always the best teacher. If I hadn't trained RCB the way I have, I wouldn't have learned that it doesn't do well that way. This is why I try to keep strains around for several grows, the first time you grow a strain is hardly ever optimal, you can always learn from that first time around and make adjustments so the later plants do much better.

Hey hey, SG. Exemplary update. So good to see. Fabulous stuff. All that soil work is really paying off, eh? As an old English gardener always used to say on the radio when I was a kid, "The answer lies in the soil".

It most certainly is and does, Mr. Teddy! thank you, you sweet old flatterer. I hope you're getting to feel better today.

 

[SweetSue]

SoilGirl, your updates amaze me. I am enthraled that you can raise so many children at once and not go stark raving bonkers! lol

The plants look fabulous. If I ever go to a photo flowering strain I intend to learn from LA. Just reading the flux thread makes my heart beat faster.

 

[SBG]

(By the way, did you guys know I've never done such hardcore training as what I'm doing now? Maybe I come off as confident and experienced LOL, but I'm really not. I just read a lot about it and saw so many beautifully trained plants, I was inspired!)

thats how I got started in this whole growing in a box thing. stumbled into this site and haven't left. My Veg section in my cabinet and my cloning station on top of my bookcase looks like a bunch of science projects, some work others keep breaking. want to try all these different growing methods to try and find the best one for my cabinet and which plants work best in a cabinet.

 

[daTenshi]

Loving the update
Some great training techniques! You really were inspired, they are gonna be gorgeous ladies.

 

[SoilGirl]

SoilGirl, your updates amaze me. I am enthraled that you can raise so many children at once and not go stark raving bonkers! lol

The plants look fabulous. If I ever go to a photo flowering strain I intend to learn from LA. Just reading the flux thread makes my heart beat faster.

Hahaha hi Sue! - I imagine that my green children aren't nearly as tough to raise as real children, but yeah it can be lots of work at times lol. I'm still having fun doing it I may only be 22, but it still keeps me young

And omg right lol? LA's journals are awesome, and the monsters he ends up with... crazy. We're lucky to have him around

thats how I got started in this whole growing in a box thing. stumbled into this site and haven't left. My Veg section in my cabinet and my cloning station on top of my bookcase looks like a bunch of science projects, some work others keep breaking. want to try all these different growing methods to try and find the best one for my cabinet and which plants work best in a cabinet.

Hahaha well may your search lead you to many fine buds my friend - I used to use the tutorials here for years before I actually joined, now that I'm here, I can hardly imagine losing all these resources, or not sharing my grow with people

Loving the update
Some great training techniques! You really were inspired, they are gonna be gorgeous ladies.

Aw thanks daTs though I deserve little (no) credit for the techniques haha, I'm just copying what I've seen - but yes, they will be gorgeous

 

[SoilGirl]

A Few Things to Share



First off, I finally stopped delaying and mixed together a huge batch of flowering soil, pretty much following the recipe on page 1 of this journal to a T, except with a big handful of eggshells (I also baked and ground up 70-80 egg shells today) and lots of leaves from the outdoor leaf mold pile.

I'm waiting to see if I should add this Sul-Po-Mag I just picked up, I'm not feeling entirely safe adding it yet since it seems geared towards force feeding, I want to see what Corgie or other experienced no-bottles organic growers think about it, I know brightlight uses it, but it seems like it's just naturally occuring sulfur/magnesium salts.... and salts are something I'm very wary about having in or around my soil.

Anyways, I watered it in with rain water and Photosynthesis Plus Microbe Life, a great liquid inoculate. You can smell the life inside (stinky!) every time you open the bottle lol. Then I covered it to cook with aluminum foil with a couple holes poked in to let it breathe. I'm excited for this batch, there was some good decay and mold in those leaves, and tons of other inoculates in everything else I added.

Also I'm going to be building a big worm bin soon! I'll share that with you guys, I found some simple instructions for a DIY bin. My worms are going Crazy!! I checked on the can today and fed them a bunch of spoiled kale and broccoli and topped them off with some new leaves, which I sprinkled with water. I think they loved it. I'm getting very excited because, I stuck my hands into the top layer; it is some true, quality vermicompost! Like nothing I've ever felt before.. Before, I was just throwing all our scraps into our compost/worm bin, now I'm being more selective. Thanks to COorganics (Corgie ) for helping me with that!

My worms also are so strong in there, that they're eating whats left of the BSF larvae! It's incredible lol! They literally find a maggot, then smother them in a seething mass of red wigglers, and then eat them!!! I was wondering why they kept clumping up in balls, (I literally grabbed a baseball sized clump of teeming worms!) so I kept watching this for a little while, and discovered a fat maggot at the center of every ball. LOL its like watching some alien war I've created..

Anyways, some other news, here are some better Black Bubba Kush nug pics, as promised, idk why I didn't just take a picture of a more normal nug like this in the first place haha.

Maybe I've been hard on my BBK, I do enjoy it after all... its getting a little better with cure.... just, its like I have to settle for BBK. When I see the two jars sitting there, my hand always goes for Euphoria, unless I say to it, "Hey hand, steady, we can settle for BBK right now, then later we can actually get Stoned. >.<"

But anyways that wasn't really my news.... Because I was doing that BBK photoshoot... I felt like maybe you'd like to see a different Euphoria nug too.... well I got sidetracked from that photoshoot, because look what I found winking at me in one more leafy/scraggly Euphoria nug....

so I picked it out... the only viable seed I've ever found in my buds besides from that hermie Lucy that froze in the rain. (and I got hundreds of those - geesh, I could probably use them as living mulch )

I know most growers would be like "Shit! Seeds! I grew a hermie!" well, its the only one I found :O maybe there's more, but I wouldn't call it a full on hermie... honestly I couldn't be happier, because my chances of growing Euphoria again just skyrocketed I think - it must have been a self pollination, right?

Ciao for now 420 friends!

 

[Gfcollective]

people are always upset it seems when they find seeds in their flowers. i had the same issue with a really great flower from a collective on the west side here in washington. called Snowmonster (believe its a pgsc knockoff) i found one seed in it so i through it in my fiances Basil pot and i forgot about it, next thing i knew it was 4 inch tall.. Female? male? i dont really care, i just chopped 11 males and made them into giant "sage" like burners, once they dry ima go light em on fire outside and smell up the block Cleanse this damn town ha

if i had the room i would start breeding but i dont have the plant count or room to cross pollinate then reverse pollinate. so the males just get chopped for now. but like you said, you have the chance of bringing those genetics into your own garden? why not take it.

very nice soil girl, i love the picture of your soil mix. i will attempt this myself this coming summer. as i plan to grow outside this year as well. Have you or Corgie (sorry if thats just between you two) thought of making a blog about this?

I&i

 

[SoilGirl]

people are always upset it seems when they find seeds in their flowers. i had the same issue with a really great flower from a collective on the west side here in washington. called Snowmonster (believe its a pgsc knockoff) i found one seed in it so i through it in my fiances Basil pot and i forgot about it, next thing i knew it was 4 inch tall.. Female? male? i dont really care, i just chopped 11 males and made them into giant "sage" like burners, once they dry ima go light em on fire outside and smell up the block Cleanse this damn town ha

if i had the room i would start breeding but i dont have the plant count or room to cross pollinate then reverse pollinate. so the males just get chopped for now. but like you said, you have the chance of bringing those genetics into your own garden? why not take it.

very nice soil girl, i love the picture of your soil mix. i will attempt this myself this coming summer. as i plan to grow outside this year as well. Have you or Corgie (sorry if thats just between you two) thought of making a blog about this?

I&i

I think it's more my thing than his hahahaha. But I believe this is what you're looking for haha: How to get started growing indoors organically - No bottles

Idk whether my soil qualifies as living organic lol. It's living. and it's organic. But its still not the same thing as Corgie does, my soil approach lies somewhere between PeeJay and Corgie's different ways. And I'm hoping to move more towards LOS and re-used/no-till soils - just gotta use the things I've bought so far lol and I don't think a no-till is the best way to use them up. If you copy or semi-copy what I'm doing now I'm sure it will be great; but maybe you should follow Corgie more closely than I, his no-till LOS seems, frankly, better. Now that I'm more informed about it, that is. (actually taking the time to knock out some of the many links he sent me)

And right? I so want to create my own good strain, doesn't every grower lol? and I'm in love with Euphoria. Never gonna get over this girl lol. I think it's a blessing in disguise, it must be a self-pollination, otherwise those buds would be riddled with seeds... right? lol. >.<

Always nice to hear from you Gfc, stay well!

 

[drcannabi]

A Few Things to Share

I know most growers would be like "Shit! Seeds! I grew a hermie!" well, its the only one I found :O maybe there's more, but I wouldn't call it a full on hermie... honestly I couldn't be happier, because my chances of growing Euphoria again just skyrocketed I think - it must have been a self pollination, right?

Hi soilgirl, excellent update again! I love it!!!

If you didn't find a male part then it was most likely caused by a "female pollen sack". They are harder to see than male nanners and generally come straight out of a bud instead of at a node. If the pollen came from a female pollen sack the seed should be a female (as I understand it). Community - Please correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[SoilGirl]

Thanks for clearing that up doc! Makes sense to me.

And Gfc, by the way, PeeJay's 3 stage soil approach really is tried and true and I only have good things to say about it and him. So I don't want to discourage you from trying it if thats what you want to replicate, I just think Corgie's way is a notch above. PeeJay's way is just a very hard to mess up way to get organic buds that are like a 9/10 consistently, if you follow his instructions to a "T". I just want to go the extra mile and make it to 10/10 lol. I know I'm not there, but I know I can make it. I plan to soon

Since we're talking about it... so far here are the steps I've taken to move more towards No-Till/LOS and away from PeeJay's style. Or at least these are the ways I improved upon his directions.

1: Mulch. I think thats a pretty big step towards the next step...

2: Watering. I used to let there be a wet and dry cycle like PeeJay does. That's no bueno, kills your microbe life. Now I never let the soil dry out... I'm pretty much watering a little bit all the time. With a water bottle haha.

3: I'm now starting my own worm bin, I have a thriving community of red wigglers and actually quite a bit of actually very nice vermicompost (Its not the best I'm sure - but, It's definitely good stuff.) if I could just find a way to easily harvest it...

4: I've made a leaf mold pile. The insides get white spider-webby mold, the bottom gets wet black mold, and its the best thing I could have done for my compost and my worms. Thanks to my leaf pile, my compost bin, and my worm bin, (and you know what, our chickens deserve some recognition too, they're providing feathers that will be made into feathermeal, organic poo that's being composted, and eggshells for a calcium amendment) I have a lot more consistent organic matter to add to the soil food web.

5: once I get the worm bin built, my next priority will be buying the equipment for making consistent ACT's. Airstones, pumps, buckets, blackstrap molasses, whatever else I'm probably forgetting.

And some more areas to improve: ... I want more and different amendments. Peejay's amendments are great, I've loved them, but I feel like I could expand upon them and do better still... things like rock dust, kelp meal, oyster shell flour, neem meal, etc.

I want to start getting some dynamic accumulators for mulching and dressings, an aloe vera plant would be lovely, living mulch, hmm... what else. Oh right I need to figure out how to get a thermophilic compost pile going. Our composter, works, its compost, but I know we can do better.

And I'm going to do a 10 gallon LOS No-till, my mind is set, from clone in a 10 gallon smartpot, and probably fluxed. That complicates my mix a lot, because I can't use PeeJay's 3-stage instructions. I'll have to just go with my gut on the mix, and from then on start feeding the herd only through top dressings and mulch and teas; my last major step away from the whole force-feeding thing organic growers should avoid.

I'm sure there's many more areas to improve...but those are the ones on my radar immediately. Make the journey to LOS with me people! Make it easier for me haha! It's intimidating to go from being pretty dang successful with PeeJay's style, to hopefully-more-successful in uncharted territory. (for me) >.<

- wow that turned into a big post lol

 

[Gfcollective]

Thanks for clearing that up doc! Makes sense to me.

And Gfc, by the way, PeeJay's 3 stage soil approach really is tried and true and I only have good things to say about it and him. So I don't want to discourage you from trying it if thats what you want to replicate, I just think Corgie's way is a notch above. PeeJay's way is like a simple, very hard to mess up way to get organic buds that are like a 9/10. I just want to go the extra mile and make it to 10/10 lol. I know I'm not there, but I know I can make it. I plan to soon

i honestly will never try this inside my personal house, if i ever get to the point to where i have a building i dont live in im growing in, i will attempt to have a living soil. im perfectly fine with my line of nutes from the dutch, i use it in my veggie garden as well.

i am a insane clean freak/germaphobe and i have a fiance to consider as well. there is no way i will have any pests including lady bugs in my house, i tried that once and will never do that again (stick to my ol faithful spray).. i have gone a full year now with no mites in my gardens (fiances elderberry did get hit this year but that was outside) i believe its because of how clean i keep my house inside and out, as well as i clean before and after every watering/time i go into my garden. i honestly spend more time cleaning then i do tending my ladys. it could be because i have healthy plants who knows. i had a small case of thirps about 6 months ago was about a month maybe lil less after i brought home some clones from Cloneville. if they came from there or not i dont know, but after a few applications of my spray i havent seen any more.

but when i go outside this next summer, i will for sure attempt this. i plan on having a few raised beds for my veggies this year and thats where i test all my experiments. this last year i made my own soil with bat guano worm castings vermi peat moss and there was a few other things on my list, i have the recipe at home in my notebook. but they turned out great, i only had to add nutes to the plants i had in smaller pots, i only had one raised bed this year

i want the snow so bad, but i also want to start working on the outside garden.

I&i

 

[drcannabi]

Hey soilgirl,

I've got 2 commercial and 1 home made 5 gallon AACT brewers. I also have a 12 gallon commercial brewer for the big jobs.

I can highly recommend a good AACT brewer. Let me know of you have any questions. I've done a crap load of experimenting and have spent more $ than I care to admit. I have some hard knock knowledge of what's required of a good AACT brewer.