The Gee Spot - You Finally Found It

[Gee64]

End of week 5, still look pretty good, aside from the mites and thrips damage, so the drying out of the pots got me over the 4 week mark that I've had issues with. It looks like I'll get to week 6 and the end of which I typically drought, though I think I'll let this one go another week and see if I can get the brix level to rise.

Brix is still stuck at 11, fuzzy calcium line. I'm hoping the extra P I'm giving it with my Fruit & Flower can increase the dump trucks on the road, but so far no joy. It's only been about a week so maybe the extracts require the 2 week microbe cycle to be taken up. They're supposed to be plant available but who knows.

So, it's getting a bit too late to see any noticeable improvement in this plant, but if I can get the brix up over 12 after I hit the 2 week window next week, then that will help inform the next round.

I'd really like to get it up over 12, since I want to test whether I can have high brix while utilizing the reservoir capabilities of the SIP. The next round's been flipped and its the one using the smaller, center column wicking footer (the old what's old is new again as that's the style of SIP I started out with).

Try using your F & F right from the day you plant them. You need that P right from day 1.

It will be cool to see if the old-is-new SIP will work better.

Have you tried a sugar boost? molasses or organic cane sugar?

That may push you over 12.

 

[Gee64]

Last year my red currants brixed at 7. I added a good layer of compost and used weed soil and today they brixed at 15.

 

[Azimuth]

Try using your F & F right from the day you plant them. You need that P right from day 1.

I did that on the old-is-new one so hopefully that will be reflected.

Have you tried a sugar boost? molasses or organic cane sugar?

No, but I wanted to see if the F&F would do it on its own. Not opposed, though.

 

[Gee64]

I did that on the old-is-new one so hopefully that will be reflected.


No, but I wanted to see if the F&F would do it on its own. Not opposed, though.

Sugar primes the pump. A one time dose sometimes is all it takes to strengthen the microbes and brix rise.

The microbes themselves are 1 of the 5 parts. 3 tbsp in 5 gallons of water is a good ratio for blackstrap molasses.

Pour the excess in your flower gardens to make better F & F with.

 

[Azimuth]

Sugar primes the pump. A one time dose sometimes is all it takes to strengthen the microbes and brix rise.

The microbes themselves are 1 of the 5 parts. 3 tbsp in 5 gallons of water is a good ratio for blackstrap molasses.

Pour the excess in your flower gardens to make better F & F with.

And need to bubble it for 24 hours?

 

[Gee64]

And need to bubble it for 24 hours?

No, not if it's just molasses. If you add ewc then yes to let the populations explode. I would just mix it and pour it in and see what it says in a few days. No harm in adding EWC either tho.

 

[Gee64]

Day 42, 42, 28, and 25.

Brix is still 15 even under the small lights and the calcium line is extremely fuzzy. I need to dial it back to 50 ppm. It's releasing too much nitrogen and under the low light the plants aren't moving the water fast enough and some clawing is setting in. If I don't dial the calcium back all that available nitrogen will crash brix. I need to tweak the Gaia Powerbloom top dressing. It has something in it thats high in nitro. The 2 younger ones that never suffered the calcium deficiency are doing much better.

A bit of clawing but not bad.

Way too much clawing.

The flowers themselves are really cool. The 2nd blush of pistils that Matt mentioned is coming on full tilt. It's pretty cool. It's not just more white hairs, its new stacks of calyxes forming a 2nd layer of buds. If Matt is right that there should be 3 or 4 blushes then these buds will get really thick.

I'm glad I kept the programmers. I'm going to grow this again in a 10gal of real soil.

 

[Gee64]

@Azimuth I have a question.

Now that you have cycled thru some top waterings and some bottom waterings, are you noticing any differences in the moisture gradient between the 2 when you probe the pots?

 

[Azimuth]

@Azimuth I have a question.

Now that you have cycled thru some top waterings and some bottom waterings, are you noticing any differences in the moisture gradient between the 2 when you probe the pots?

I haven't really taken on that experiment yet as I wanted to get a baseline from the combination of only top watering, along with the lower moisture level in the pots. Plus this pot was with the larger portion of soil sitting in the wet and that likely won't be representative of my set-up going forward.

Next run will have the smaller, central footer and that is something I want to test. But first I want to see if I can get brix over a 12 reading. I hit it with the molasses water yesterday so I'll give it a few days and see if that will do it.

So, I've got the next two experiments lined up. First will be the old-is-new-again smaller central footer, but still in a 2 gallon bucket, and after that will be that same smaller footer but using an 8" net pot instead of the bucket.

For next round, assuming I can get brix above 12, I want to test to see if I can keep it above 12 while engaging the reservoir, and if so, do I get different results with various reservoir levels. I really like the SIP concept and the explosive growth I get, but I want high brix more so want to see if I can get the best of both worlds.

I do think it will work since brix went from 5 to 11ish just with letting the soil dry out and the plant still looks pretty good two weeks after I normally start seeing issues, so that leads me to believe that my soil mix and nutrient potions are not the issue. Rather overly wet soil has prohibited the microbes from doing their jobs and therefore hopefully a small tweak to the design will avail the plant of a limitless water source while not subjecting the main soil bank and the microbes to overly wet conditions.

At least that's the plan. But, as Mike Tyson once said, "Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face." So there's that....

 

[Gee64]

I haven't really taken on that experiment yet as I wanted to get a baseline from the combination of only top watering, along with the lower moisture level in the pots. Plus this pot was with the larger portion of soil sitting in the wet and that likely won't be representative of my set-up going forward.

Next run will have the smaller, central footer and that is something I want to test. But first I want to see if I can get brix over a 12 reading. I hit it with the molasses water yesterday so I'll give it a few days and see if that will do it.

So, I've got the next two experiments lined up. First will be the old-is-new-again smaller central footer, but still in a 2 gallon bucket, and after that will be that same smaller footer but using an 8" net pot instead of the bucket.

For next round, assuming I can get brix above 12, I want to test to see if I can keep it above 12 while engaging the reservoir, and if so, do I get different results with various reservoir levels. I really like the SIP concept and the explosive growth I get, but I want high brix more so want to see if I can get the best of both worlds.

I do think it will work since brix went from 5 to 11ish just with letting the soil dry out and the plant still looks pretty good two weeks after I normally start seeing issues, so that leads me to believe that my soil mix and nutrient potions are not the issue. Rather overly wet soil has prohibited the microbes from doing their jobs and therefore hopefully a small tweak to the design will avail the plant of a limitless water source while not subjecting the main soil bank and the microbes to overly wet conditions.

At least that's the plan. But, as Mike Tyson once said, "Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face." So there's that....

Well here is some hopeful insight for you.

The new watering technique is definitely boosting your microbial population and it's health so when you recycle this soil it will be the best soil you have recycled AND the best used soil you have used in a mix, and brix is all about the rich getting richer.

So you have O2, calcium, and microbes in check now, it can only be carbon and P that need tweaking to get you over 12.

Once you get it right you will easily be able to recognize when a SIP configuration will work. You're close.

Crank up the mineral content in your crumble inputs. Go heavy. Flowers are minerals and meals. Use lots.

 

[Gee64]

Day 43, 43, 29, and 26.

3 more days and the flower light should be back in business. They are stuffed in tight in here.

The leaves on the older 2 are ugly but the flowers sure are cool. New calyxes and hairs popping like mad.

The younger ones were spared the calcium issue. They should do much better.

Stacking is starting now.

I think next grow will be 2 LC-18's, one Wild Lady, and 1 RV clone, or maybe one of the freebee seeds @Lerugged threw in. Malawi's and Miss Sticky's. I need to decide soon.

I also need to remix all the tubs of soil again this week. Maybe do a soil ph test on it and see how the cooking is coming.

I'm exvited to get back to real soil, it's been a long run of screwing around.

I do think 10gals of Gaia 2.0 would work well tho and it's capable of high brix. Even small pot grows if you run dolo water from day 1 at about 50ppm. It's really cheap high brix. But I want some killer buds. I miss that.

 

[Gee64]

Well Matt, the clones will think they are back in The Cape. It's blowing about 50mph outside right now with sideways rain

 

[Gee64]

The revegger is finally coming around. The weird curly leaves seem to be done and the single blades are turning into 3's so regular leaves should be popping next.

We had a huge storm blow thru last night but everyone survived. A strange bright sunny break happened this evening so I ran out for some quick pictures before the next thunder storm rolled thru. The light was brilliant.

The clones seemed to flourish in the storm.

They are bushing out nicely. This one is going to be my mother.

The one I planted in the 100 litre tote is taking off and branching nicely. In a couple days we are forecast for high 90's and possibly over 100F and they are ready.

 

[Gee64]

Day 44, 44, 30, and 27.

No brown hairs on the younger ones yet.

The older ones have as many white hairs, if not more than the brown flush now. They are filling in quickly.

This plant is pretty cool.

The new driver for the flower light should be here in the next 48 hours.

Brix was 15 and with the storm rolling thru it dropped to 13.

 

[Carmen Ray]

I love the gate behind the revegger. Is that your wife's handywork?

 

[Gee64]

I love the gate behind the revegger. Is that your wife's handywork?

It's actually a metal panel. Our yard is tiered and the top tier is 9 feet up. We had to put a fence along the 9' drop part and weren't sure what to do and then she found that at a local plant shop so we built it into the fence.

In the mornings the sun shines thru it onto the ground of the upper tier and we get that pattern, and in the evenings the sun sets on the other side of it so it shines it's pattern down onto the house wall in the outdoor dining area.

That whole upper tier is my current construction project so all my pots sit up there in the dirt.

 

[Gee64]

It's a never ending race to improve property value. In the next couple years the plan is to fully retire onto acreage somewhere in the Gulf Islands or The Discovery Islands in the Salish Sea which is the area between British Columbia's southern coast and Vancouver Island.

The Islands are very temperate making year round gardening possible.

So gar Gabriola Island and Quadra Island are at the top of our list. This year we plan to explore Cortes Island and Pender Island.

 

[Carmen Ray]

I knew you loved to roam and gather on wildish islands, but that's a whole different level, actual island living. Good for you Gee.

The panel is lovely to look at and since your wife spotted it and had the vision for it, let's call it an Environmental Sculptural Panel With Found Object?

 

[Gee64]

let's call it an Environmental Sculptural Panel With Found Object?

That's actually EXACTLY what it is!

 

[Gee64]

The coming of Summer. Bring it, I'm ready. Desert heat