The Gee Spot - You Finally Found It

[Gee64]

Your little ladies are looking exquisite! Nothing changed much on my end. Added another cup of water yesterday to all the reservoirs, its been 2 days. In another 2 days, will add one more cup then 2 days after that, will fill the reservoir up and my first application of Geoflora. Happy Friday, enjoy!

Glad to hear they are progressing nicely.

I'm in a similar boat with my babies.

I have been gently watering right around the seedlings to keep the wet zone centered and moving down for the roots to chase, and to a much lesser degree I have been spraying the entire soil surface just to keep things from going bone dry on the outer perimeter of the pots.

I use a cheepo water meter that you poke into the soil. The meter shows the outer edges at optimal and the center a bit wet, which is what I wanted.

Now I have no dry spots, and I will stop watering for a few days and monitor the moisture.

I will still lightly spray the surface with my sprayer set to "mist" and check it for clumping/crusting every time it dries out.

As the center dries I want the tap root to chase it down. Usually around day 21 they are ready for a more normal watering practice, and then they really start to grow.

 

[Gee64]

Durban Poison - Day 40 of Flower.

The Durbans are dropping lower leaves. Not at a crazy rate but every couple days 3 of the 4 lose a leaf or 2. The gangly tall pheno doesn't eat as much and isn't dropping leaves.

1st run soil quite often is quirky. The greensand (potassium) and the soft rock phosphate (phosphorus,calcium, and traces) take a long time to break down.

Run #2 is always better.

I'm actually surprised they are not showing specific deficiencies yet. I will continue feeding with EWC, mineral mix, and fish water. I am going to try to get through without any other intervention.

As for the South African Gals in the same soil, I will try some banana peel tea starting at mid stretch, to see if I can avoid this when they start to flower.

I still have 8-10 fan leaves per plant below the canopy and in the dark, and in 11-18 days they will start to finish, so I hope I'm good.

If it starts to accelerate I will mix a mid level tea, but I think I can make it. I don't like to add anything extra both on a 1st run and this late in, as it can effect the balance on the soil rebuild, but if I have to I will.

After this soil gets cooked again, both phosphorus and potassium will be more available.

Can't see the finish line yet, but the home stretch is right around the next corner.

Gonna be close!

.

 

[Jon]

Durban Poison - Day 40 of Flower.

The Durbans are dropping lower leaves. Not at a crazy rate but every couple days 3 of the 4 lose a leaf or 2. The gangly tall pheno doesn't eat as much and isn't dropping leaves.

1st run soil quite often is quirky. The greensand (potassium) and the soft rock phosphate (phosphorus,calcium, and traces) take a long time to break down.

Run #2 is always better.

I'm actually surprised they are not showing specific deficiencies yet. I will continue feeding with EWC, mineral mix, and fish water. I am going to try to get through without any other intervention.

As for the South African Gals in the same soil, I will try some banana peel tea starting at mid stretch, to see if I can avoid this when they start to flower.

I still have 8-10 fan leaves per plant below the canopy and in the dark, and in 11-18 days they will start to finish, so I hope I'm good.

If it starts to accelerate I will mix a mid level tea, but I think I can make it. I don't like to add anything extra both on a 1st run and this late in, as it can effect the balance on the soil rebuild, but if I have to I will.

After this soil gets cooked again, both phosphorus and potassium will be more available.

Can't see the finish line yet, but the home stretch is right around the next corner.

Gonna be close!

.

Hey @Gee64 - couple questions about this post:
- why the banana peel for the South African girls? Why are they different?
- when you cook the soil again, can you please talk a little about what that looks like process wise beginning with harvesting the current plants?
- how much viability do you feel the leaves below the canopy have?

Thanks!

 

[Jon]

Yes, that's one of my concoctions. The only difference is I add some microbes in the mix to enhance the breakdown. I use worm castings which, in my experiments, worked better than LAB and even the more standard suggestion of leaf mold soil. Plus it's super easy to access for me since I make the castings routinely.

I think the fermenting step helps make it shelf stable as well as enhancing the breakdown of the material. I've had some of my stuff now for years.

I have both a veg and flower "Swamp Juice" as I call them which is a mixture of various extracts I have on the shelf. Bananas are good in flower as are pumpkins, but I also do a fruit and flower mix which is exactly what it sounds like, fruits like apple, blueberry, banana, cranberry, etc., really most anything will work. Same with flowers.

I'm planting a lot more flowers in the yard for this exact reason. Big showy ones like daylily and peony for example because that's what I want to produce in my other plants, big showy flowers.

Yet another “damn Azi, once again you leave me in the dust” moment…

 

[Gee64]

Hey @Gee64 - couple questions about this post:
- why the banana peel for the South African girls? Why are they different?
- when you cook the soil again, can you please talk a little about what that looks like process wise beginning with harvesting the current plants?
- how much viability do you feel the leaves below the canopy have?

Thanks!

I'm seeing a bit of deficiency. It's not bad, but I have lost a few leaves this week.

The SA girls are in the other half of this batch of soil so whatever goes wrong on this grow will likely replicate itself with them, so preventatively I can get them through a bit better.

Banana peel tea is high in both phosphorus and potassium, and I think a bit more of each will make them happier. I'm dying to try it.

I think I will make it to the finish, but I would like to get there without losing leaves.

Overall this is a great mix for a 1st run. It will be even better on it's 2nd run when the greensand and rock phosphate has become more available.

I can certainly talk through my process for cooking.

In a nutshell, I chop the plant, set the pot in a dark corner, and leave it there for a couple months to go dormant.

Then I cook it for 2 months, then I use it.

I will go into more detail when I do it.

When I chop these Durbans, my Purple Kush pots will be 2 months dormant, so they will get cooked. Well 3 of the 4 will be dormant, I dissected one, so its in the tote, but not cooking yet.

 

[Carmen Ray]

Please will you explain what you mean by cooking the soil. Is this what you mean: You leave the root ball inside the pot and literally just put it to one side for 2 months? Does it have to be in the dark? Is the "cooking" part after you have added the amendments to rejuvenate the soil?

I have about 50 L of used soil in totes. I haven't removed the fine roots. It's been sitting there since early Oct. What should be my next step with this left over soil? I can buy an all in one amendment by Dirty Hands Inc, called Elemental Blend. It contains all of the things that go into the original soil mix. Should I comb through the soil and remove the root material?

The Elemental blend includes the following ingredients:

Alfalfa meal - A slow releasing natural fertilizer that contains a natural growth hormone- Triacontanol, which stimulates development.
Biochar – Increases the number of beneficial soil microbes especially mycorrhizae. Water retention and cation-exchange is improved.
Crushed barley – An abundant source of enzymes and a great sugar source for microbes. High in amino acids, various nutrients and silicon.
Zeolite - Increases cation-exchange capacity, infiltration and retention of water.
Cannakashi – Similar to bokashi but with added fish meal. Used to inoculate with EM (Effective microbes).
Basalt Rock Dust - contains 72 minerals and trace elements. It stimulates soil micro-organism activity and contributes to building humus.
Soft Rock Phosphate – Slow release fertilizer (P)
Diatamaceous Earth – A naturally occurring silica sediment and used for its natural insect repelling properties.
Seabird guano - Natural slow releasing fertilizer, with nutrients and trace elements
Gypsum - Natural raw source of sulfur and calcium.
Dolomitic lime - Natural soil buffer and raw source of magnesium and calcium.
Calcitic lime - Natural raw calcium source.
Fulvic Acid - highly beneficial for the soil and the plant
Humic acid - a great soil conditioner.

Should I add this now and leave it to "cook" until May '24 when I will start my next grow?

 

[Jon]

I'm seeing a bit of deficiency. It's not bad, but I have lost a few leaves this week.

The SA girls are in the other half of this batch of soil so whatever goes wrong on this grow will likely replicate itself with them, so preventatively I can get them through a bit better.

Banana peel tea is high in both phosphorus and potassium, and I think a bit more of each will make them happier. I'm dying to try it.

I think I will make it to the finish, but I would like to get there without losing leaves.

Overall this is a great mix for a 1st run. It will be even better on it's 2nd run when the greensand and rock phosphate has become more available.

I can certainly talk through my process for cooking.

In a nutshell, I chop the plant, set the pot in a dark corner, and leave it there for a couple months to go dormant.

Then I cook it for 2 months, then I use it.

I will go into more detail when I do it.

When I chop these Durbans, my Purple Kush pots will be 2 months dormant, so they will get cooked. Well 3 of the 4 will be dormant, I dissected one, so its in the tote, but not cooking yet.

Thanks for the detailed answer! Got it. What about leaves below the canopy? I didn’t phrase my question very well. What I was wondering is, if a top leaf is working at 100% photosynthesis, what do you think the below canopy ones work at? I figure maybe 40-50% on that imaginary scale.

 

[Jon]

Please will you explain what you mean by cooking the soil. Is this what you mean: You leave the root ball inside the pot and literally just put it to one side for 2 months? Does it have to be in the dark? Is the "cooking" part after you have added the amendments to rejuvenate the soil?

I have about 50 L of used soil in totes. I haven't removed the fine roots. It's been sitting there since early Oct. What should be my next step with this left over soil? I can buy an all in one amendment by Dirty Hands Inc, called Elemental Blend. It contains all of the things that go into the original soil mix. Should I comb through the soil and remove the root material?

The Elemental blend includes the following ingredients:

Alfalfa meal - A slow releasing natural fertilizer that contains a natural growth hormone- Triacontanol, which stimulates development.
Biochar – Increases the number of beneficial soil microbes especially mycorrhizae. Water retention and cation-exchange is improved.
Crushed barley – An abundant source of enzymes and a great sugar source for microbes. High in amino acids, various nutrients and silicon.
Zeolite - Increases cation-exchange capacity, infiltration and retention of water.
Cannakashi – Similar to bokashi but with added fish meal. Used to inoculate with EM (Effective microbes).
Basalt Rock Dust - contains 72 minerals and trace elements. It stimulates soil micro-organism activity and contributes to building humus.
Soft Rock Phosphate – Slow release fertilizer (P)
Diatamaceous Earth – A naturally occurring silica sediment and used for its natural insect repelling properties.
Seabird guano - Natural slow releasing fertilizer, with nutrients and trace elements
Gypsum - Natural raw source of sulfur and calcium.
Dolomitic lime - Natural soil buffer and raw source of magnesium and calcium.
Calcitic lime - Natural raw calcium source.
Fulvic Acid - highly beneficial for the soil and the plant
Humic acid - a great soil conditioner.

Should I add this now and leave it to "cook" until May '24 when I will start my next grow?

Wow, @Carmen Ray, you have your next grow starting date down to the actual day? Jeez, I thought I planned well. Good stuff.

 

[Gee64]

Thanks for the detailed answer! Got it. What about leaves below the canopy? I didn’t phrase my question very well. What I was wondering is, if a top leaf is working at 100% photosynthesis, what do you think the below canopy ones work at? I figure maybe 40-50% on that imaginary scale.

Geez, I'm not sure, but I bet it's even less than that. It's pretty dark down there.

 

[Azimuth]

Yet another “damn Azi, once again you leave me in the dust” moment…

Lol. I just fell down a different rabbit hole is all. I saw you fell down the lighting hole among others.

 

[Gee64]

There should be a sign that says "Danger:Rabbits"

 

[Gee64]

Good morning Everybody️.

Sorry for no photos yesterday. I didn't get the top dressing done either.

I got a touch of something and wasn't feeling the greatest.

Today seems better, but regardless, the top dressing must happen today.

The babies are starting to grow faster. I will grab some pictures when lights come on.

 

[StoneOtter]

Brother those Durbans are droolworthy! Mahamana!

 

[Gee64]

Please will you explain what you mean by cooking the soil. Is this what you mean: You leave the root ball inside the pot and literally just put it to one side for 2 months? Does it have to be in the dark? Is the "cooking" part after you have added the amendments to rejuvenate the soil?

I have about 50 L of used soil in totes. I haven't removed the fine roots. It's been sitting there since early Oct. What should be my next step with this left over soil? I can buy an all in one amendment by Dirty Hands Inc, called Elemental Blend. It contains all of the things that go into the original soil mix. Should I comb through the soil and remove the root material?

The Elemental blend includes the following ingredients:

Alfalfa meal - A slow releasing natural fertilizer that contains a natural growth hormone- Triacontanol, which stimulates development.
Biochar – Increases the number of beneficial soil microbes especially mycorrhizae. Water retention and cation-exchange is improved.
Crushed barley – An abundant source of enzymes and a great sugar source for microbes. High in amino acids, various nutrients and silicon.
Zeolite - Increases cation-exchange capacity, infiltration and retention of water.
Cannakashi – Similar to bokashi but with added fish meal. Used to inoculate with EM (Effective microbes).
Basalt Rock Dust - contains 72 minerals and trace elements. It stimulates soil micro-organism activity and contributes to building humus.
Soft Rock Phosphate – Slow release fertilizer (P)
Diatamaceous Earth – A naturally occurring silica sediment and used for its natural insect repelling properties.
Seabird guano - Natural slow releasing fertilizer, with nutrients and trace elements
Gypsum - Natural raw source of sulfur and calcium.
Dolomitic lime - Natural soil buffer and raw source of magnesium and calcium.
Calcitic lime - Natural raw calcium source.
Fulvic Acid - highly beneficial for the soil and the plant
Humic acid - a great soil conditioner.

Should I add this now and leave it to "cook" until May '24 when I will start my next grow?

When you harvest a plant, the rootball/rhizosphere is very much alive, but on it's way to dormancy as it knows the plant is finishing, so if you set the harvested pot aside for a couple months the microbes will go dormant and wait for the next grow, and myco will spore off in the soil and go dormant.

So I do that.

Then I break the rootballs up, roots and all, add all the ammendments, water it if needed to about the dampness of a plant that needs watering, and let it sit for a couple months. The microbes wake up and start composting. Cooking.

Leave all the roots in, as they are loaded with minerals and a great source of carbon, plus all the microbes that are in it.

During the cooking process I mix the soil about every 3 weeks.

I would imagine that Elemental Blend will work quite well. Some of those blends are meant to be mixed in, some cooked in, and some top dressed, so you will have to read the instructions on that one, but the ingredients look great.

 

[Gee64]

Brother those Durbans are droolworthy! Mahamana!

Thanks Stone. They do look yummy, but the devil's in the driveway.

I gotta let them roll until the deficiency identifies itself so I can correct it properly.

It's not bad, but it's creeping in. It just hasn't shown it's cards yet.

I'm almost wondering if it's residual from when the light was way too high about 3-4 weeks ago, and I could see a mag def starting.

I dialed the PPFD back to 1000 and it went away, but it may have left some residue thats popping up now.

Gotta be patient and watch a bit longer. It should show up definitively pretty quick now.

For new soil, a new light, and a defective light for 11 days right before flip, they are doing surprisingly well.

Plus the extra calcium tossed in right at planting had me worried, but as far as calcium goes, this run is my best yet.

Next rebuild I think with the extra 25% calcium, I won't add extra oyster shells, I will replace them with extra dolomite instead. So my extra 25% will be a bit of gypsum and a bunch of dolomite.

 

[Carmen Ray]

Wow, @Carmen Ray, you have your next grow starting date down to the actual day? Jeez, I thought I planned well. Good stuff.

Lol! It's not that hard. I have annual visitors who leave in May. I decommission the grow until after they have gone. I grow from May to Jan / Feb and then break.

 

[Carmen Ray]

When you harvest a plant, the rootball/rhizosphere is very much alive, but on it's way to dormancy as it knows the plant is finishing, so if you set the harvested pot aside for a couple months the microbes will go dormant and wait for the next grow, and myco will spore off in the soil and go dormant.

So I do that.

Then I break the rootballs up, roots and all, add all the ammendments, water it if needed to about the dampness of a plant that needs watering, and let it sit for a couple months. The microbes wake up and start composting. Cooking.

Leave all the roots in, as they are loaded with minerals and a great source of carbon, plus all the microbes that are in it.

During the cooking process I mix the soil about every 3 weeks.

I would imagine that Elemental Blend will work quite well. Some of those blends are meant to be mixed in, some cooked in, and some top dressed, so you will have to read the instructions on that one, but the ingredients look great.

Great, thank you!

 

[Azimuth]

When you harvest a plant, the rootball/rhizosphere is very much alive, but on it's way to dormancy as it knows the plant is finishing, so if you set the harvested pot aside for a couple months the microbes will go dormant and wait for the next grow, and myco will spore off in the soil and go dormant.

I might start doing that, adding a step to my process. I had to add an extra bucket this round because I'm growing the two Strawberry CBD plants together to test the coco vs compost mix, but I'll be returning to my more normal count from there. That gives me an extra bucket I don't need in current service so can let the mix sit in it after harvest for 6 weeks until I need it again.

I normally just dump the root ball directly into my old soil storage bin right after harvest which I imagine is probably similar, but I can try it this way as it's simple enough, I'll just wait 6 weeks before I dump it.

Do you think there is an appreciable difference by letting the root ball sit untouched for a few weeks vs breaking it up immediately upon harvest? I'm not currently amending and cooking the soil storage container so maybe there's not much difference?

 

[Gee64]

I might start doing that, adding a step to my process. I had to add an extra bucket this round because I'm growing the two Strawberry CBD plants together to test the coco vs compost mix, but I'll be returning to my more normal count from there. That gives me an extra bucket I don't need in current service so can let the mix sit in it after harvest for 6 weeks until I need it again.

I normally just dump the root ball directly into my old soil storage bin right after harvest which I imagine is probably similar, but I can try it this way as it's simple enough, I'll just wait 6 weeks before I dump it.

Do you think there is an appreciable difference by letting the root ball sit untouched for a few weeks vs breaking it up immediately upon harvest? I'm not currently amending and cooking the soil storage container so maybe there's not much difference?

My theory is that if you are going to let everything go dormant, then don't destroy their home. Set the pot in a dark corner and leave it.

It's really more for the myco for what I want.

That used soil, after sitting for a couple months, is what I start seeds in, so I want the new grow to pick up right where the old grow left off.

Dormant soil is a fantastic innoculant. I want myco to spore out as much as possible. Once cooking starts I don't think much of that myco survives, but when you moisten the new mix to cook it, those dormant microbes come back really quick.

I have done runs on only a 3 week cook time and they worked fine. I like 10 weeks, but sometimes you need it quicker.

Does it ACTUALLY make a difference? Yes on the used soil to start seeds in, a big difference. As for the rest of the process until it's growing weed again, I'm not sure.

 

[Azimuth]

Ok, thanks. Easy enough to set the bucket in the corner for 6 weeks before dumping. Really doesn't change much of anything for me except for when the dumping occurs.

Interestingly, when I first built my SIPs I did an extra bucket thinking I might do something like this just for the convenience so I wouldn't have to rush to clean out a bucket to uppot a new plant at the same time I was harvesting an old one, but I ended up flowering one less at a time so it still works out.