Sweetsue's First Grow - Stealthy Trio of Autos Under CFLs

[SweetSue]

I actually have a thin layer of small pebbles on the bottom of my pots. The organic matter in the soil mix is high enough that the soil that sifted down into that pebble layer has made contact with the pot itself. The fabric pot acts as a wick and the soil pulls it up from there. There's no need to have any special layer in the pot, although there are a number of growers who do so. The soil will work either way.

I use perlite in the reservoirs but I used pumice in the soil mix. Perlite tends to float to the top over time. I wanted something that would aerate and stay put while it did so. Many growers use perlite and are very happy. Most of them recycle their soil between grows. A no-till garden requires long term thinking - pumice over perlite.

 

[Radogast]

just super looking plants, wow,, i talked soil all night with my wife last night. hmmmm

You wife must really love you. Mine loves me, and understands my enthusiasm, but she won't talk soil with me unless I really beg

 

[nivek]

I had to beg

 

[SweetSue]

Dale's eyes tend to glaze over when I start talking gardening.

 

[ClosedCircuit]

I actually have a thin layer of small pebbles on the bottom of my pots. The organic matter in the soil mix is high enough that the soil that sifted down into that pebble layer has made contact with the pot itself. The fabric pot acts as a wick and the soil pulls it up from there. There's no need to have any special layer in the pot, although there are a number of growers who do so. The soil will work either way.

I use perlite in the reservoirs but I used pumice in the soil mix. Perlite tends to float to the top over time. I wanted something that would aerate and stay put while it did so. Many growers use perlite and are very happy. Most of them recycle their soil between grows. A no-till garden requires long term thinking - pumice over perlite.

Thank you mam! I apologize if I'm asking questions you've already answered. Keeping track of everyone's soil becomes a blur after a while, but I'm getting better at it I suppose. Just have to keep asking questions until it sticks

I was thinking I might line the bottom of my totes with gardening fabric to replicate what your fabric pots are doing...will probably have to drill more holes so there is more contact between the fabric and the wicking medium.

 

[SweetSue]

Please don't hesitate to ask questions. I know how crazy it gets once the journal gets past 10 pages. I don't mind repeating and things evolve as you go on. For example, my first page post on my soil mix doesn't take into account my failure to rehydrate the sphagnum peat moss before adding it, so I ended up with a higher ratio of organic matter in my mix than I realized.

This oversight worked to my benefit when I installed the SWICK. Turned out my soil wicked splendidly, so I must have come close to the recommended 25% increase in organic matter. If your soil is in balance and has adequate organic matter there's no need to line it with the fabric. It would wick better with something other than fabric in a tote.

Now that I see you're using totes, you might do well to put a layer of perlite or pumice (preferred), or lava rock on the bottom. BlueJay's thread has numerous accounts to the effectiveness of doing so with totes.

Noobwannb's thread on the SWICK has pages of photos of growers using this method with totes. Tons of info there.

 

[ClosedCircuit]

Its funny what you find out unintentionally.

Would bluejays thread be on ----- by chance?

So if I lined the tote with fabric and lined the bottom with a thin layer of pumice over that it would be overkill? I'll look for noobwannb and see what I can find.

 

[ClosedCircuit]

Found noobs thread. Good stuff. Did alot of my research both here and there.

I assume when they talk about "over there" they're referencing this site?

 

[SweetSue]

Found noobs thread. Good stuff. Did alot of my research both here and there.

I assume when they talk about "over there" they're referencing this site?

??? Not sure what "over there " you mean.

 

[SweetSue]

Its funny what you find out unintentionally.

Would bluejays thread be on ----- by chance?

So if I lined the tote with fabric and lined the bottom with a thin layer of pumice over that it would be overkill? I'll look for noobwannb and see what I can find.

I'd leave the fiber out entirely.

 

[ClosedCircuit]

Throughout the thread a couple of them will mention how they know other growers who use the method "over there" (with quotes"). Noob even says in the first post that she normally uses a different forum but didn't name it.

Just assumed they meant here because 420 is pretty much the only other big cannabis grow forum.

 

[SweetSue]

You may be right.

 

[Sorenna]

Hi Sweetsue. Im very new to this site and your journal is the first one I read, all 40 pages of it. hehe. I like yours because you explain things so well, youre patient and you seem to have forgotten more than some people will ever know. I also like it because I plan to grow a couple of autos under CFL's, probably THC Bomb Auto. However, I will not be making a soil like you did and I dont think Ill be using the fabric pots (partly because I dont know why I see them used so often and partly because I havent a clue where to find them and me and sewing are not friends).

I think your plants are beautiful and I am pea green with envy. You are awesome.

Thank you for sharing your beautiful plants and your wisdom.

 

[SweetSue]

Hi Sweetsue. Im very new to this site and your journal is the first one I read, all 40 pages of it. hehe. I like yours because you explain things so well, youre patient and you seem to have forgotten more than some people will ever know. I also like it because I plan to grow a couple of autos under CFL's, probably THC Bomb Auto. However, I will not be making a soil like you did and I dont think Ill be using the fabric pots (partly because I dont know why I see them used so often and partly because I havent a clue where to find them and me and sewing are not friends).

I think your plants are beautiful and I am pea green with envy. You are awesome.

Thank you for sharing your beautiful plants and your wisdom.

Welcome Sorenna. I know that feeling of finding a journal so good it kept you engaged to the end, so thank you for that compliment. I'm humbled. For me it was PeeJay's last journal. It introduced me to a workable approach to organics. That's also where I met COorganics, who directed my attention to this Living Organic Soil.

So you have my attention. What is keeping you from at least attempting to mix a comparable soil for your own autos? Incidentally, thumbs up on the choice of the THC Bomb. We're so impressed with this strain that our next grow will include another Bomb Seeds strain. But back to the soil. To be frank, these plants are growing so well for some very particular reasons. First among those reasons is this luscious soil. It's like a one way ticket to success.

I had enough family background in organic gardening to understand why this soil was going to work as soon as I saw the recipe. From that moment on I couldn't let myself commit limited family funds on anything other than the end goal, which was this soil mix. It took me about two months to research, source, pay for, mix and cook this soil, and we weathered open heart surgery right at the beginning of the process. I have never regretted the commitment or the investment.

The fabric pots breathe all the way around. This is good for roots. They also air prune the roots. Roots apparently grow out horizontally until they hit their limit. In a hard pot they then begin to travel downwards and eventually circle the bottom. With fabric pots the roots hit air and stop. Instead of heading down, more tiny root hairs begin to develop back along the thicker root that just hit the air. In LOS this means more roots for beneficial fungi to attach themselves too and expand the nutrient highways.

Pretty neat stuff when you think about it.

The fabric pots also work best with my SWICK system, another part of my success to this point.

I like to think love and a certain amount of neglect have something to do with how happy my plants are.

 

[NuttyProfessor]

Nice to see people reading through your journal, its great you can go in to detail , unfortunately i cant read that well , i skip lines and try reading backwards from end to start lol ... if it wasnt for spell check i wouldnt post at all ... im a trail and error guy , i get things in my head, ideas and try it , if it dont work then so it may be , so far i haven't done too bad , no dead plants yet except for the sprouts the mice ate in my attic

 

[SweetSue]

Daily Update: Day 58 (THC Bomb Auto) & Day 57 (Buddha Magnum Auto)

These plants stun me every time I look over the chair and behind the screen.

Everything is running smoothly. The Bomb only took about 2 cups of water today. Buddha took her daily quart minimum. Both got their 1/4 turn. It looks like I kept from wounding any more leaf ends yesterday. I'm still learning to use the S-hooks to best efficiency. Today it occurred to me that I should be thinking about using longer and thinner ones to lift leaves away and expose buds to more direct light. Hmmmmm.

I'll close today with a glance at the main colas in the light. You get to guess which is which today. This should be easy.

Wow! Looking back at those pictures makes my heart beat faster. This is getting exciting.

Have a wonderful day everyone.

 

[SweetSue]

Nice to see people reading through your journal, its great you can go in to detail , unfortunately i cant read that well , i skip lines and try reading backwards from end to start lol ... if it wasnt for spell check i wouldnt post at all ... im a trail and error guy , i get things in my head, ideas and try it , if it dont work then so it may be , so far i haven't done too bad , no dead plants yet except for the sprouts the mice ate in my attic

That's why I try to be visual too paddy. I can get pretty wordy but I understand some people (my husband included) can't deal with that. I usually read it to him. He also never commits a plan to paper before beginning a project. It's been fascinating, these 34 years together, watching him work it through in his mind and then just do it. He's taught me so much about the creative spirit.

My daughter taught me that the best way to proof read was to read it backwards. Works every time.

You have amazing success with your plants.

 

[NuttyProfessor]

thanks sue

 

[Radogast]

Hi Sweetsue. Im very new to this site and your journal is the first one I read, all 40 pages of it. hehe. I like yours because you explain things so well, youre patient and you seem to have forgotten more than some people will ever know. I also like it because I plan to grow a couple of autos under CFL's, probably THC Bomb Auto. However, I will not be making a soil like you did and I dont think Ill be using the fabric pots (partly because I dont know why I see them used so often and partly because I havent a clue where to find them and me and sewing are not friends).

I think your plants are beautiful and I am pea green with envy. You are awesome.

Thank you for sharing your beautiful plants and your wisdom.

Sweet Sue is awesome.

The success she is getting from cfl bulbs is unusual and impressive. In my eyes, there are 4 reasons:

1) The soil. She really did a lot of research, used the research of others, and went to a bit of effort sourcing and assembling the soil. It shows. Her soil is so bursting with life it feeds her plants marvelously. It buffers against problems. GREAT stuff.

2) The watering. Overwatering and underwatering are hard on plants (although good soil really helps here.) By providing natural teas and ready access to water she has pampered her girls like they live at a spa.

3) The light. She has committed to an array of lights and daily adjustments to provide a bounty of light. CFL is not usually the best choice, but with planning and commitment she has made it work.

4) The preparation. Soil, water, light, air, bugs, etc. She planned better for these than any first year grower I have seen.

 

[Radogast]

Interesting information I hadn't noticed, after doing the SWICK you are still turning everyday.
Any roots coming through the bottom of the pots are then being pruned by the turning, right?