The Gee Spot - You Finally Found It

[Carmen Ray]

Gee, your desert is exquisite green. It reminds me of the Karoo desert here. I was just looking at those cows, thinking how well fed they look for desert bovine.

 

[Gee64]

Gee, your desert is exquisite green. It reminds me of the Karoo desert here. I was just looking at those cows, thinking how well fed they look for desert bovine.

If I only ate meat.... they are really well fed back there.

 

[Azimuth]

I suspect the combination of biochar and leaf mold is making it too wet. Can you cook a batch with no biochar, and go 10% leaf mold. See how that reacts. 5% may even work better. I prefer perlite over all other areators for 1 reason, its really easy to add it right at the time of uppotting and adjust by eye, not percentage. The white color gives you a good visual.

The biochar is 10% of overall mix, and the leaf mold is 7.5%, but also equal 7.5% parts of compost, worm castings, and coco.

Wonder if maybe I'd be better off not mixing in the castings but rather deliver them up top. Castings can be pretty dense and mucky which may also be an issue.

And maybe less biochar. It's supposed to be really good for cec, much like basalt dust, but also is good at hanging on to water.

I've said this to many before you Azi, what you see and what you get are 2 very different things. Low brix usually means too much nitro, so they look lovely and green.

You need to fix that excess nitro before flower or you are robbing weight and bud density.

Slow and steady is important now, you only have 5 things to check. Calcium and air come 1st. Then you need to boost microbes, then worry about phosphorus, and when those 4 are good, carbon will take care of itself from the air.

I'm going to have to flower it out since I'm out of space, so I think what I'll do is let the pot dry down a bit and see if that helps. If not, it'll just do what it'll do. I'm starting to wonder if the thing is male. Last time I went this long without pistils it turned out to be male. Feminized seeds, but...

I'm really thinking the calcium level should be handled with the 4 calcium I added at the beginning, though maybe since it's the first round maybe not enough has become available? Also, it's been about 10 days since I started adding my top dressing and castings so some of that should be coming available if it's not already.

So, I'm almost there time wise but if it's too wet I'd rather not add even more water even if its calciumed up or microbe tea'd up, seems to me maybe it's better to reset with a drier soil by letting some time pass between waterings.

 

[Azimuth]

Hydroton for aeration?

Yes. Think of it like really big perlite. Inert and lots of tiny holes so good micro air pockets. It'll float if tossed in a bucket of water.

I do think perlite would likely be more effective . It's certainly more popular and probably because it works so well.

But I'm trying to eliminate outsourced inputs and I can easily screen out the little balls after a grow and reuse them in the next round.

 

[013]

Thanks Azi, Wow no shit…I didn’t know it would float, never used it but figured it was hard coated and non porous from manufacturing process.

I’ve mostly switched over from perlite to pumice but would like to find a more chunky pumice particle size for recycling in my grows.

 

[Gee64]

The biochar is 10% of overall mix, and the leaf mold is 7.5%, but also equal 7.5% parts of compost, worm castings, and coco.

Wonder if maybe I'd be better off not mixing in the castings but rather deliver them up top. Castings can be pretty dense and mucky which may also be an issue.

And maybe less biochar. It's supposed to be really good for cec, much like basalt dust, but also is good at hanging on to water.


I'm going to have to flower it out since I'm out of space, so I think what I'll do is let the pot dry down a bit and see if that helps. If not, it'll just do what it'll do. I'm starting to wonder if the thing is male. Last time I went this long without pistils it turned out to be male. Feminized seeds, but...

I'm really thinking the calcium level should be handled with the 4 calcium I added at the beginning, though maybe since it's the first round maybe not enough has become available? Also, it's been about 10 days since I started adding my top dressing and castings so some of that should be coming available if it's not already.

So, I'm almost there time wise but if it's too wet I'd rather not add even more water even if its calciumed up or microbe tea'd up, seems to me maybe it's better to reset with a drier soil by letting some time pass between waterings.

Definitely let it dry down 1st. When I add anything dense, like EWC or coco I always cut it heavily with perlite. About .5 gal perlite per gallon of ewc or coco. Do you have a cheapo water stick. The probe with the moisture indicator needle up top? They are better than most people give them credit for. I have them laying all over the place. I use them every day. You want a perfect 5 on the scale, but 4-6 is great. 2 bucks at the dollar store. buy 3 and see if they read the same. Scrub them with steel wool before you use them.

 

[Gee64]

.

 

[Gee64]

The Victims are still hanging in there. Day 42. 2 weeks to go.

It's time to start topping the aeroclones. They took really well.

The one tallest one is the one that pushed roots out the bottom of the pot on I believe it was Day 12. The other 3 popped out today on Day 20, right on schedule.

 

[Azimuth]

Do you have a cheapo water stick. The probe with the moisture indicator needle up top? They are better than most people give them credit for

I do. Let me check.

Edit: mine is pegged. But it's a SIP so expected to be high. But, also shorter buckets than the standard SIP so higher perched water table.

But maybe I need to modify my approach with the shorter containers. Treat them closer to a standard pot without the constant access to water.

 

[Gee64]

TMSC - Day 38 of Flower.
The Gaia mix is completely floundering now. RV1 the sprawl is just too much for it.

I started a tea yesterday and today I added the EWC. Tomorrow it gets served. Hopefully I can stop the pain.

Calcium is in trouble. They will get more dolomite water before they get their tea.

Stamens are turning quickly.

Mutey is still muting along.

The main trunk is getting covered in buds. Stacking i suppose you could say. Bizarre is a better word for it, but really fun and cool to watch.

Ikky is still rolling along, but I suspect her soil is almost depleted too. She will get rescued too, whether she shows detriment or not.

Ikky's beard.

And a random Iklwa cola.

 

[Gee64]

I do. Let me check.

Edit: mine is pegged. But it's a SIP so expected to be high. But, also shorter buckets than the standard SIP so higher perched water table.

But maybe I need to modify my approach with the shorter containers. Treat them closer to a standard pot without the constant access to water.

Can you do me a favor please. Can you run one SIP, whether all thru flower or not doesn't matter, just run one with a small res and fill it via top watering. Let the filler tube just be an air hole. Then monitor brix and water table. When the water stick says it's dry, fill the res via top watering again.

Please please please pretty please, and keep us updated.

Even if space says you have to do it outside.

 

[Azimuth]

When the water stick says it's dry, fill the res via top watering again.

Can do, though I rarely fill the reservoir completely. I can fill it from top watering if that's important to your theory, otherwise I'd water enough from the top to provide a day or two's worth of water.

Even if space says you have to do it outside.

As if. Outside will likely never happen.

But I can water it from above with this current plant for science. The reservoir was empty today and normally I would have added water, but left it dry. I'll let it go a couple of more days and test the brix again before I flip it this weekend. It just caught this week and water uptake has suddenly increased markedly so I'd imagine it shouldn't take too long to dry the container.

I can try the top watering approach for a few weeks and try to get a feel for schedule and frequency.

 

[Azimuth]

When the water stick says it's dry, fill the res via top watering again.

Can the probe simply be left in the container or will that corrode it do you think?

 

[Gee64]

Can do, though I rarely fill the reservoir completely. I can fill it from top watering if that's important to your theory, otherwise I'd water enough from the top to provide a day or two's worth of water.




As if. Outside will likely never happen.

But I can water it from above with this current plant for science. The reservoir was empty today and normally I would have added water, but left it dry. I'll let it go a couple of more days and test the brix again before I flip it this weekend. It just caught this week and water uptake has suddenly increased markedly so I'd imagine it shouldn't take too long to dry the container.

I can try the top watering approach for a few weeks and try to get a feel for schedule and frequency.

Water it to whatever level of fullness you want in the reservoir. I would say start with the level you already use. I'm curious to see if your brix climbs.

If you don't mind, use your water stick so when the res goes dry you can see how long it takes for the rest of the pot to get down to about 4 on the stick at about half depth in the pot and then refill when the stick tells you to.

If brix climbs we are onto something.

Don't let the bottom dry below 5, those roots expect to stay wet, we just want to get more air in and cycle calcium properly.

My bet is that brix starts to rip up in 14-21 days.

 

[Gee64]

Can do, though I rarely fill the reservoir completely. I can fill it from top watering if that's important to your theory, otherwise I'd water enough from the top to provide a day or two's worth of water.




As if. Outside will likely never happen.

But I can water it from above with this current plant for science. The reservoir was empty today and normally I would have added water, but left it dry. I'll let it go a couple of more days and test the brix again before I flip it this weekend. It just caught this week and water uptake has suddenly increased markedly so I'd imagine it shouldn't take too long to dry the container.

I can try the top watering approach for a few weeks and try to get a feel for schedule and frequency.

Can the probe simply be left in the container or will that corrode it do you think?

don't leave it in. Let it sit for about 10 seconds to stabilize, then pull it and dry it off. The abrasiveness of paper towel is awesome to keep the probe in good shape.

 

[Gee64]

Water it to whatever level of fullness you want in the reservoir. I would say start with the level you already use. I'm curious to see if your brix climbs.

If you don't mind, use your water stick so when the res goes dry you can see how long it takes for the rest of the pot to get down to about 4 on the stick at about half depth in the pot and then refill when the stick tells you to.

If brix climbs we are onto something.

Don't let the bottom dry below 5, those roots expect to stay wet, we just want to get more air in and cycle calcium properly.

My bet is that brix starts to rip up in 14-21 days.

don't leave it in. Let it sit for about 10 seconds to stabilize, then pull it and dry it off. The abrasiveness of paper towel is awesome to keep the probe in good shape.

my posts are doing weird things today. I had a double post earlier and the one above carried my last post and your that I quoted.

 

[Azimuth]

my posts are doing weird things today. I had a double post earlier and the one above carried my last post and your that I quoted.

Its all good. Maybe it's time to clear your browser cache.

My bet is that brix starts to rip up in 14-21 days.

From your lips to God's ears!

Too bad I don't have those two weeks to let it sit in veg.

 

[Gee64]

Its all good. Maybe it's time to clear your browser cache.


From your lips to God's ears!

Too bad I don't have those two weeks to let it sit in veg.

Thats Ok, stretch is veg too. Any increase in brix is a point in a direction. More importantly, I want to see what your calcium line does.

 

[Gee64]

Thats Ok, stretch is veg too. Any increase in brix is a point in a direction. More importantly, I want to see what your calcium line does.

Or hold off and start fresh next round right from the beginning with 1 clone.

 

[Azimuth]

Or hold off and start fresh next round right from the beginning with 1 clone.

Nah, no time like the present. I get regular issues about 3 weeks after pistils so there's something in my set-up that needs improvement so I'm happy to experiment with something new.

Like Einstein said, "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results." Or some such thing. I'm ready for some new/different results.

And give me your thoughts on the benefits of top watering vs. my bottom watering SIP. I assume it's got something to do with helping the calcium work its way down through the medium, but want you to flesh it out a bit if you would.

One of the advantages we tout in the bottom watering SIP is the moisture gradient that is constantly maintained in the pot so that the plant has a consistent access to moisture at whatever level it wants.

So, top watering and letting it dry a bit will be a change but it's the end results we're after so if they can be improved with a slightly different approach, bring it!