The Gee Spot - You Finally Found It

[Keffka]

@Gee64 I heard then read that gypsum has very low water solubility. This means that theoretically, we should be able to top dress gypsum from fairly early on for a nice slow source of calcium and sulfur. I also heard from the same source that it’s pretty difficult to overdo sulfur. Even when it’s at high levels in the soil the plant tissue doesn’t reflect it. Pumping more sulfur through gypsum could also really help crank up the profile.

Thoughts? I think I may try it on one or two plants and see what happens.

 

[Stunger]

@Gee64 I heard then read that gypsum has very low water solubility. This means that theoretically, we should be able to top dress gypsum from fairly early on for a nice slow source of calcium and sulfur. I also heard from the same source that it’s pretty difficult to overdo sulfur. Even when it’s at high levels in the soil the plant tissue doesn’t reflect it. Pumping more sulfur through gypsum could also really help crank up the profile.

Thoughts? I think I may try it on one or two plants and see what happens.

I'm also interested in Gee's thoughts on gypsum.

I've top dressed with it for a while altho for my current grow I am using a trough for the first time, with a new soil mix that has 2 layers of gypsum within it. So I haven't bothered to top dress with gypsum this time, but I will mix in some in the our outdoor offseason when I refresh the soil for the following grow.

 

[Azimuth]

I'm also interested in Gee's thoughts on gypsum.

I've top dressed with it for a while altho for my current grow I am using a trough for the first time, with a new soil mix that has 2 layers of gypsum within it. So I haven't bothered to top dress with gypsum this time, but I will mix in some in the our outdoor offseason when I refresh the soil for the following grow.

The sulfur in Gypsum is supposed to enhance terpinene production.

 

[Gee64]

Gypsum is calcium and sulphur and it won't really change the soil ph much. So it's pretty convenient.

It's what I use in my soil mix for sulphur input, and I deduct it's calcium content from the overall calcium content so I know how much calcium I still need in my mix. Then I add dolomite, which is calcium and magnesium, until I get the amount of magnesium I want in my mix, as dolomite is mag-heavy, then I still need a little bit more calcium, but no more magnesium or sulphur, so I add in oyster shell flour, which is calcium carbonate, and some traces.

So by adding in the right ratios of all 3 calciums, I achieve other goals in ratio (mag and sulphur), so, if I was going to use any calciums in my topdressing, I would include all 3 in proper ratio so you don't throw the balance of the mix out of whack.

I find EWC is always enough calcium in a top dressing if the pot had enough in it to begin with. So I don't use any other calciums in my top dressing except whats in rock dusts.

But if you make gypsum your only topdressing form of calcium, you may end up sulphur heavy and too much calcium on the cal to mag ratio.

As long as you are aware of this and can manage it, gypsum is good stuff.

I think calcium is safer cooked in vs topdressed though, with EWC being the safe exception.

 

[Keffka]

So I don't use any other calciums in my top dressing except whats in rock dusts

What rock dusts are you using?

 

[Gee64]

What rock dusts are you using?

I use azomite sometimes, and glacial rock dust on occasion as well. Bat guano also has calcium in it.

 

[Gidorah]

Hey Gee, tomorrow will be the beginning of the 9th week of flower here in the tent. You were right, the Eleven Roses is a beautiful plant! Just finished droughting them and spun them all 180 degrees as you'll see in the picks. Need to invest in a light with better coverage. Some pics...
First is the Acapulco Gold

 

[Gee64]

Hey Gee, tomorrow will be the beginning of the 9th week of flower here in the tent. You were right, the Eleven Roses is a beautiful plant! Just finished droughting them and spun them all 180 degrees as you'll see in the picks. Need to invest in a light with better coverage. Some pics...
First is the Acapulco Gold

Very nice!. Thats last shot is beautiful! What a cool looking canopy. It looks like Autumn in the mountains. I love the really long trichs on the AG. Did droughting go well?

 

[Gee64]

Hey Gee, tomorrow will be the beginning of the 9th week of flower here in the tent. You were right, the Eleven Roses is a beautiful plant! Just finished droughting them and spun them all 180 degrees as you'll see in the picks. Need to invest in a light with better coverage. Some pics...
First is the Acapulco Gold

Very nice!. Thats last shot is beautiful! What a cool looking canopy. It looks like Autumn in the mountains. I love the really long trichs on the AG. Did droughting go well?

 

[Gee64]

Apparently I'm stuttering

 

[Gidorah]

Very nice!. Thats last shot is beautiful! What a cool looking canopy. It looks like Autumn in the mountains. I love the really long trichs on the AG. Did droughting go well?

I went on a 2 week trip again so i topped off the reservoirs before i left. Plants were still drinking good, needed a refill every 3rd day or so. That puts me at about 10 days with no water. I do see some trichs with no heads on them but I have nothing to measure its success besides the droughting thread info so im hoping it worked.

Now we wait for ripeness....

 

[Gee64]

Keep your eye on that Rosie one, mine changed colors throughout the days in the last week. It put out a few leaves in a coffee brown color I have never seen before. I bet She's starting to really smell.

I love the AG, it's at the top of my list of things to grow but never quite gets started.

 

[Gee64]

I have been deep in home reno's for 2 weeks, so sorry for no updates. The plants are still alive and finally perking up. It was a lot of work but I think I will win. I mixed up some soil too, on a new recipe I want to try. I will tell you all about it soon, the reno's are nearing completion.

 

[StoneOtter]

Work happens friend.

 

[Carmen Ray]

Looking forward to hearing what renos, and seeing plant update G man. What you been fixing up?

 

[Gee64]

I have been removing popcorn ceilings and then a full painting of the downstairs bedrooms with some drywalling tossed in for good measure.

 

[Gee64]

So now's probably a good time to put on a pot of coffee.

On Feb 3rd I rescued the plants from the over calciumed soil. I cut the soil 50/50 with used soil from my last grow and repotted into that. The plants initially seemed happier but then stalled and literally sat there doing nothing. They didn't regress, no leaves got cannibalized, and they didn't grow either but it's organics, so it can take 10-14 days to show change, so I was willing to wait.

They got a full root drench at repotting with just RO water, and on Day 6 they were drying down so they got a thorough watering of fish ferts.

On Day 12 they got a light watering of RO water. So far they hadn't changed.

By Day 14 with no change I knew it wasn't right so I soil PH'ed the pots. They were all 6.9. Too high.

So I hit them with fish ferts again, as fish ferts will promote fungus, and fungus lowers PH. No go. Too much calcium still.

So on Day 21 with all 4 still stuck in growth, I slowly sank the pots, 1 by one, in a 5gal bucket of RO water until the rootballs were fully submerged under their own weight, and 15 minutes longer.

Then onto a rack to drip out. One by one. My intent was to help the heavy calcium fall out the bottom but not leach all the nutes with it, so when I pulled them out I removed them slowly.

Then after dripping for 30-ish minutes, each pot got 4 litres of RO water slowly poured thru it. Slowly, no run-off over the edges, it all absorbed thru and gushed out the bottoms of the soaking pots.

Then I dripped them out again, added EWC up top, and each pot got 1 litre of fish water, which pushed another litre of RO water out the bottoms. I finished that all up late on Day 21.

On Day 23 2 pots were at PH 6.2 and 2 at PH 6.3.

Today is Day 25 and I see healthy looking new growth popping out of 3 of them, and LC-18, although she doesn't look good, is definitely looking like she will get better soon.

So that's cool, because I started 4 seeds of Batchelor Kush (Rose Kush female x C-99 male) because I made the seeds and they are free to experiment with. As a hybrid, they grow well. It's the strain from my cloning link in my sig.

I started 4 regular BK's hoping for 2 Ladies. Their purpose will be to run ahead of my next Table Mountain Sativa grow to test the new mix before I torture any more of my TMSC seeds. They are in a mix of 1 part used soil, 1 part EWC, and some coco by eye, about half a part, and then 1 part perlite.

The mix I'm going with isn't fully confirmed, but I have 20 gallons of soil in 1 tub cooking, and 10 gallons of another soil cooking in a seperate tub. The 20 gal tub is 10 parts The Answer organic potting soil. (Pete moss and aged forest stuff, 5 parts EWC, and 5 parts perlite, ammended with 30 Tbsp Gaia Green 4-4-4. The 10gal tub is 7.5 parts The Answer, 2.5 parts Seasoil ( a mix of wild salmon guts and aged forest stuff all fully composted), 5 parts EWC, and 5 parts perlite, with 10 Tbsp Gaia Green 2-8-4 PowerBloom, and 5 Tbsp 4-4-4. It's all been cooking for 3 days.

I also added 2 cups of prilled dolomite to the 20 gal tub. I have never used any of these products in a grow yet, but on paper they look great and I have been wanting to try this for awhile.

I don't think it will flower on it's own, but I think it will veg well. So I will not use any spikes or layers, I will only follow the topdressing instructions, and see how it goes.

If they start to look hungry I can always feed them thru and strengthen the next round of soil.

My plan as of now, is to mix the 2 tubs after cooking, add 3.5 gals more EWC, and 1.5 gals perlite at potting, and in about 3.5 weeks move these TMSC's into it in 10gals for flowering, and if these 4 don't keep perking up, then continue the trials with the BK seeds that are sprouted.

If this Gaia Green thing works it will be a really easy way for beginners to make their own soil.

If it all goes South I will cook up a fresh batch with my favorite recipe and get on with it.

I'll post some pic's tomorrow.

 

[Carmen Ray]

but it's organics, so it can take 10-14 days to show change, so I was willing to wait.

This is a pivotal piece of information. In an autoflower grow one does not have 10 to 14 days to correct an imbalance, so I think autoflowers are often blamed as being finicky when in fact they are not at all, they are just on a different timeline. I'm looking forward to your autoflower grows. Have you done anymore window shopping for genetics?

I also added 2 cups of prilled dolomite to the 20 gal tub. I have never used any of these products in a grow yet, but on paper they look great and I have been wanting to try this for awhile.

Lol, risky! Did you say you will grow the Bachelor Kush in that to test it?

 

[Gee64]

This is a pivotal piece of information. In an autoflower grow one does not have 10 to 14 days to correct an imbalance, so I think autoflowers are often blamed as being finicky when in fact they are not at all, they are just on a different timeline. I'm looking forward to your autoflower grows. Have you done anymore window shopping for genetics?

I still haven't had time to hunt genetics yet. I've been poking around at seeds but haven't committed to anything yet.

Lol, risky! Did you say you will grow the Bachelor Kush in that to test it?

lol I will definitely run the Batchelor Kush in it first. They should be ready for uppotting in about 10 days. Also if these 4 TMSC's fully recover, they will get tested in it for flowering. My regular reliable mix calls for 1.5 cups dolomite per 10 gallons of soil, so this is actually lower than normal.

If the Gaia Green experiment works, great!. If not, I will resort to my proven recipe and quit trying things.

How about You Carmen, have you got a date picked to start your next grow? A strain picked out perhaps?

 

[Gee64]

Here is the group shot. Finally some new green out the tops.

RVDV 1. The new growth looks good.

LC-18. You can see the sttress in her new leaves still, but at least she grew new leaves.

RVDV2. Her new growth looks good. She has very long leaves coming in .

Iklwa. The tops all look green and healthy.

All 4 still show the slightest hint of tip burn on the new leaves but hopefully the next sets to come in are perfect.

RVDV1.

Poor tall LC. I hope she mends. I think she will.

RVDV2.

Ikky.