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

[SweetSue]

Rad, I'm humbled once again.

If I could lift the pots they would indeed give access to the roots so I could keep them clean. The girls are hearty babies! I'm thinking about a stand I could lift them on to with a tarp beneath to catch the perlite mess. Who knows what I have under the Bomb? That buffer zone between the water level and the bottom of the pot may be keeping things under some point, but I can't be sure.

I just turn the entire thing - reservoir, pot and all. At this point I'm inclined to continue like that and not worry about those roots until harvest.

 

[daTenshi]

Such healthy girls !! Can clearly see how much love and care they get

 

[Sorenna]

Thank you for the welcome, Sweetsue. I can already tell this place is exactly what I need in terms of learning (because the word newbie is an understatement in my case), and support.

Im not going to use the LOS soil, though I find it fascinating, because, well, to me its intimidating. I dont know anything about gardening of anything. My goals for my first grow will mostly be to prove to myself that I can do it, learn what I really need to know-get a foundation of plant smarts and, of course, some lovely little friends at the end. Ive tried doing this before and both times were miserable, even heartbreaking, failures. I guess I just want to keep it as simple as I can, while using better materials: soil, nutrients and seeds until I get a better handle on mothering plants, then Ill branch out and try new things, like LOS or maybe hydro someday.

The fabric pots do sound very attractive. Ill think about them.

Your beauties are looking spectacular today and believe it or not, I might be just as excited as you are. lol Ill be watching and learning until the end. Have a great one.

 

[Sorenna]

@Paddysmoke. I read your current journal too and its pretty awesome. Like others, I find your ingenuity amazing. I must admit a few times that thread made me wrinkle my nose, but it also made me literally LOL. Im gonna keep watching yours, too.

 

[SweetSue]

Sorenna, that brought a smile. This is my first real grow. My goal when I began was to prove to myself that I could successfully bring a healthy plant to harvest. Just like you. The soil that chose me (sometimes it feels that way) is spectacular and makes it easy.

 

[ClosedCircuit]

Thank you for the welcome, Sweetsue. I can already tell this place is exactly what I need in terms of learning (because the word newbie is an understatement in my case), and support.

Im not going to use the LOS soil, though I find it fascinating, because, well, to me its intimidating. I dont know anything about gardening of anything. My goals for my first grow will mostly be to prove to myself that I can do it, learn what I really need to know-get a foundation of plant smarts and, of course, some lovely little friends at the end. Ive tried doing this before and both times were miserable, even heartbreaking, failures. I guess I just want to keep it as simple as I can, while using better materials: soil, nutrients and seeds until I get a better handle on mothering plants, then Ill branch out and try new things, like LOS or maybe hydro someday.

The fabric pots do sound very attractive. Ill think about them.

Your beauties are looking spectacular today and believe it or not, I might be just as excited as you are. lol Ill be watching and learning until the end. Have a great one.

Living soil really couldn't be any easier. If you go the bottled route you'll be scratching your head to figure out what product you need to buy to fix your problem. Dont forget there are several easily attainable premade soil mixes you can purchase. Making compost tea would be as difficult as it gets. Once you become comfortable with everything you can always try building your own soil later. Doing some research can be the perfect measure to gain some confidence.

Just take your time and remember these plants want to grow and be harvested!

 

[SweetSue]

Daily Update: Day 59 (THC Bomb Auto) & Day 58 (Buddha Magnum Auto)

I have to say guys, every morning as I head for the garden I wonder just what I'll be able to document that won't bore you all,

]

and then I come around the corner and find this.

Before you know it I've snapped off another string of shots that take my breath away. Let's take a closer look at the Buddha. She wanted to be first up today. Beginning with an overall view of her luscious growth.....

..... coming in closer on her side branches.....

..... with a closer look at the mass of blooming going on and the frosting spreading to cover her.....

..... and finishing with a closer look at the swelling of her buds.

Now on to the Bomb, standing majestic and tall and filled with blossoms.

Her side branches are doing their best to rival the production of the main cola.

Coming in a bit closer. That main cola in the background is stunning, no ?

Sorry this was such a blurry shot. I was getting really excited about here.

I think I enjoy watching bud swell most of all.

This shot is from the shared space and gives a nice comparison of the different leaf structures on the two strains. I need to stop at some point and study the species better. I know next to nothing about the history and biology of cannabis. The strains mean nothing more than names to me, and that strikes me as a tad lazy. It's an overwhelming amount of information to tackle. Anyone have any suggestions of the best place to start ?

Buddha took her usual quart of water to top off the reservoir, the Bomb only took about three cups. A bit of a surprise.

All's well in the garden. Life should be so accommodating. Dale has a massive diabetic ulcer on the sole of his foot that is exasperating me. Quite frankly it scares the hell out of me. I refused to recognize it as an ulcer and none of the medical staff has called it such yet (well over three months in now!) so I've only been treating it with comfrey root poultices for about a week now. The aloe vera powder I ordered from Build A Soil will be put to use healing this as well.

And so the two areas of my life flow into one stream.

Healing is often a slow process that only asks me to be consistent and remain calm. That's sometimes easier to type than to pull off, but I'm giving it my best shot. We're still able to laugh, so there's that.

Get out there and spread joy. Have a wonderful day everyone.

 

[Dutty Panty]

Looks amazing sue

 

[akisunni]

Sue,

Consider trying fresh living Aloe, cut it open, and spread its slimy side around the edges of the ulcer. I keep two living Aloe plants for burns, cuts and dog wounds (we have 4 large to extremely large dogs, as a pack they play and nip each other). Fresh living Aloe is simply amazing. From sunburns, to fleshy wounds, it seems to be the natural magic when dealing with issues like this.

 

[SweetSue]

Im not going to use the LOS soil, though I find it fascinating, because, well, to me its intimidating. I dont know anything about gardening of anything.

Sorrena brings up an interesting point that I would be remiss to ignore. At first, LOS appears to be intimidating. I acknowledge that I have put many hours into studying the theory and practice of organic mineralized soils and this mix in particular. Most of that study was self motivated, driven by my innate desire to expand my knowledge base and immerse myself in the latest interest.

This type of stuff is always found around my seat in the living room, a mere 3 feet from my garden. I'm a perpetual student who needs paper and pen. Lots of paper.

The reality is that Build A Soil offers CC's nutrient and mineral kits and it was as easy as purchasing pumice, peat moss and those CC inspired kits to mix the soil and mycorrhizal fungi to inoculate the soil at planting. The SWICK was a special bonus that I stumbled upon at just the right time.

I was going to have to invest in soil and amendments anyway. This was so easy I was surprised. It has created soil that grows my plants for me. If I did nothing more than water these plants they would grow this easily. I truly believe that. Because I want to continue this healthy soil community I have committed to studying that process and implementing the proven steps as I can afford them.

My emphasis here is that this was incredibly simple to set up and astoundingly easy to maintain. I can't say that enough. I realize I haven't yet approached filtration and air circulation because I keep the closet wide open. Having such a healthy soil will leave me plenty of time to devote to those concerns.

We're growing medicine here. Why waste time learning the ropes when you could jump right to the soil mix and learn to keep the soil happy and productive? I took the advice of the men who worked this soil out for cannabis and used the original recipe as presented. Since then I have studied enough to have found some other things that can be substituted and understand the relevance of the soil components. There is much to learn, but learning is one of my joys in life. Following that original recipe assured the success of my initial grow.

Let the soil and the worms do the gardening for you. Free yourself up to tend to lights and water. Enjoy watching the plants grow - free of concerns about deficiencies. I know for certain that this soil will provide everything the plant will desire or require for optimal growth.

It only looks intimidating at first. Once you're up and running it becomes easier and easier.



Edit: I bought Worm Power Vermicompost too. Fabulous stuff. I was so impressed that I immediately ordered and added more. And rice hulls because..... well, they looked interesting, and I love diversity. It's easy to get carried away.

 

[SweetSue]

Sue,

Consider trying fresh living Aloe, cut it open, and spread its slimy side around the edges of the ulcer. I keep two living Aloe plants for burns, cuts and dog wounds (we have 4 large to extremely large dogs, as a pack they play and nip each other). Fresh living Aloe is simply amazing. From sunburns, to fleshy wounds, it seems to be the natural magic when dealing with issues like this.

That's essentially what I'm going to do aki. I'll reconstitute the aloe, slather it into the ulcer, cover it with a comfrey juice-soaked compress and let it sit for a time. Next time I go out I'll see if I can find an aloe plant though. I can see the definite benefits of fresh.

As an interesting side to this,within three days of twice-a-day comfrey root compresses he had feeling return to the bottom of that foot. We 're not sure what that's all about, but it certainly suggests some healing is occurring.

Thanks for the reminder.

 

[Radogast]

Sorrena brings up an ihttps://buildasoil.com/products/the-clackamas-kitteresting point that I would be remiss to ignore. At first, LOS appears to be intimidating. ...

The reality is that Build A Soil offers CC's nutrient and mineral kits and it was as easy as purchasing pumice, peat moss (and worm power) and those CC inspired kits to mix the soil and mycorrhizal fungi to inoculate the soil at planting. The SWICK was a special bonus that I stumbled upon at just the right time.

...

this was incredibly simple to set up.

It only looks intimidating at first. Once you're up and running it becomes easier and easier.

I spent about 12 hours trying to source CC soil ingredients from diverse places.

My conclusion: it is significantly less expensive to buy the "nutrient kit - Clackamas Coot style" (with the minerals/rock dust) from BuildASoil unless you need a lot more than 100 gallons of CC soil. It is definitely less work.

The expense the first grow is similar to potting soil and liquid nutrients. The expense is less than hydro.
On repeat grows the expenses only get lower.

The yield will probably be higher than standard soil. Less than hydro. And tastier.

The effort and worry to achieve a good grow, and the risk of total crop loss, is a lot lower with the CC soil.

I wish I knew this a year ago.

 

[COorganics]

The risk of total crop loss is zero, and yield is on par with hydro. I think I can do 1/2 pound plants. Container size, veg time and environment are your only limiting factors, rado. Game time, bro.

 

[Sorenna]

Okay, I want to do this right from the start, because Daddy always told me if you arent gonna do it right the first time, then dont bother. So, I would like to price the ingredients, but because Ive never done anything even remotely like this, I need to know the exact ingredients and how much of each for two 5 gallon pots - yes, fabric pots, Im gonna use those too. Is there a written recipe somewhere? I tried looking back in the thread multiple times but I find it hard to pick out exactly what Id need and how much. Also, I dont want to use worms, is there something thats not living that I could use instead?

Thank you for breaking it down for me a little bit today, its still freaking intimidating but Im not much for backing down just because it will challenge me. I kinda wanted to just get my feet wet, but what the hell, Ill just jump all the way in. haha

Your beauties are looking gorgeous again. Im pretty sure I was salivating just looking about them. hehe

I know its probably too early to start my own grow journal, but when would be a good time? I kinda feel like Im hijacking your thread with what I know will be a very long list of questions.

Thanks.

 

[nivek]

thanks for the info on the fabric pots sue,, i never knew any of that, about the roots,, so interesting,,

 

[akisunni]

Sorenna,

Maybe consider starting a grow thread, or a question thread in one of the other areas, and then return and post a link to it. I am sure that Sue and friends will go there to give you some idea of where to start on your shopping list.

 

[SweetSue]

Okay, I want to do this right from the start, because Daddy always told me if you arent gonna do it right the first time, then dont bother. So, I would like to price the ingredients, but because Ive never done anything even remotely like this, I need to know the exact ingredients and how much of each for two 5 gallon pots - yes, fabric pots, Im gonna use those too. Is there a written recipe somewhere? I tried looking back in the thread multiple times but I find it hard to pick out exactly what Id need and how much. Also, I dont want to use worms, is there something thats not living that I could use instead?

Thank you for breaking it down for me a little bit today, its still freaking intimidating but Im not much for backing down just because it will challenge me. I kinda wanted to just get my feet wet, but what the hell, Ill just jump all the way in. haha

Your beauties are looking gorgeous again. Im pretty sure I was salivating just looking about them. hehe

I know its probably too early to start my own grow journal, but when would be a good time? I kinda feel like Im hijacking your thread with what I know will be a very long list of questions.

Thanks.

Sorenna, I honestly wasn't trying to pressure you into going with LOS. I understand how intimidating it can be in the beginning.

First off, the basic CC recipe: (copied and pasted from Build A Soil)

Here is the Mix as written by ClackamasCoots:

"Equal parts of Sphagnum peat moss, some aeration deal (pumice, rice hulls, lava rock - whatever is sitting in the garage) and finally some mix of humus - my compost, worm castings some black leaf mold I bought from the local 'worm guy'
To each 1 c.f. of this mix I add the following:
1/2 cup organic Neem meal
1/2 cup organic Kelp meal
1/2 cup Crab meal (or Crustacean meal when available - it has Shrimp meal with the Crab meal. It's a local product from the fisheries on the Oregon & Washington Coasts)
4 cups of some minerals - rock dust

After the plant is in the final container I top-dress with my worm castings at 2" or so and then I hit it with Aloe vera juice and Comfrey extract. Or Borage. Or Stinging Nettle. Or Horsetail ferns. Whatever is ready.

That's it. "

Back on page 5 of the journal I ran the cost of building the soil. The CC mix, pumice, Worm Power and Rice Hulls were all sourced from Build A Soil. I love to go to their site and dream.

Soil Building
$ 10.20 Mycorrhizae and Innoculants
******* to jump start the fungi population
45.61 Yum Yum mix (shipping included)
******* not at all necessary
40.00 Clackamas Coots Style Nutrient Mix (for 7.5 cu. ft of fluid)
******* this is everything you need in the recipe that isn't vermicompost, sphagnum peat moss, or pumice
20.00 Pumice (3 gal bag)
56.00 Worm Power Vermicompost (2 bags, 3 gal. each)
10.67 Sphagnum Peat Moss (3 cu. ft.)
21.00 Rice Hulls (4 gal)
******* just because I wanted it for additional aeration and they are beautiful

$ 202.48 Total investment. ($156.87 without the Yum Yum mix, which was unnecessary). I only used a small amount and only because I had it, so why not? I replaced the inoculant mix with a more appropriate one that is only Glomus intaradicea, G. mosseae, G. aggregatum and G. etynicatum. Even with pitching the original purchase it's reasonable expense to my thinking. I was lucky to have some interesting organic elements to add, but they were just a bonus. The Geo Pots ran me $14.05 for two 7 gal. size and $10.51 shipping. Worth every penny, according to everything I could find on them.

It's worth noting that much of what I purchased going in left me with excess supplies that can be used for other soil building projects in the future. I'm planning to start some container plantings of fruits and veggies on the balcony come spring. This initial soil will serve me for many consecutive grows and only get stronger and healthier with thoughtful amendments of SSTs, AACTs and top dressing with foraged elements and good vermicompost.

Worms aren't necessary, though they will do much for the soil. If you don't raise worms to create your own vermicompost put your money into good quality stuff. Worm Power is highly recommended.

There you are. Off to a good start. The soil takes a month to cook. That waiting was the hardest part. I started my journal early so that I could document the entire process. If you don't think you're up to running your own, and they do take a certain amount of commitment, feel free to ask anything here. We're all here to help each other succeed. There's no concern about hijacking here.

 

[Sorenna]

Oh, awesome! Thank you so much, Sweetsue. You are a true gem.

 

[SweetSue]

Oh, awesome! Thank you so much, Sweetsue. You are a true gem.

Anytime Sorenna. I will add that if you're going to try a SWICK you'll need an additional 25% of the aeration element.

***** I just realized that previously on this journal I had stated that as an increase in organic matter. This is an important clarification.****

I think the addition of rice hulls may have helped with this. Me and that diversify thing. It was the reason I also added exotic sands we had left from bonsai - they offered different surfaces for the micro community to inhabit.

It turned out to be a lot of fun to do Sorenna.

 

[SweetSue]

Daily Update: Day 60 (THC Bomb Auto), & Day 59 (Buddha Magnum Auto)

Beginning with a group portrait. They're holding their own, busily beefing up buds. Buddha took an extra cup of water to her companion's quart today. Both plants give off the most vigorous energy.

They almost look magical from overhead. The Bomb is all spikey.....

..... and Buddha has this voluptuous softness to her curves.

Looking closer at her top cola you can see the trichomes growing in number and size.

Viewed from the side the swelling of the buds is quite obvious.

The Bomb's top cola is progressing well.

Her buds are also growing larger by the day. We're coming close to the final couple of weeks when bud swelling is amazing. That will be great fun to watch, won't it?

Here's what really excites me. Deep inside each plant are the popcorn buds. The relative frostiness of those buds speaks to the success of my lighting array. So, we pull back some leaves on the Bomb and what do we find?

Frostiness!!!

Do the same with Buddha and

Frostiness galore!!!

That always makes me smile.

I've had a perception from the beginning of trichome production that trichomes on Buddha stand taller and are slightly larger than on the Bomb. It will be interesting to see which one is the more potent after drying and curing.

Everything back in place behind the screen. My unstealthy, stealthy grow.

Have a great day everyone. This garden is keeping me calm while life swirls in chaos this week. Trying to save Dale's foot, my sister-in-law is on her last breaths and my best friend's mother is being prepped for surgery with a brain injury caused by a fall yesterday caused by a heart attack. Whew! I better find time for Callanetics too this morning. Those exercises are what really keep me sane. I thought this year was going to be calmer than last. WTH?