The Perpetual Healing Garden - SweetSue's Joyful Return

[SlowToke]

Ahhhhhh..............

Replenished stores. These babies are potent guys. Not to be taken lightly.

Nothin' says lovin' like something from the oven!

 

[ShiggityFlip]

Ahhhhhh..............

Replenished stores. These babies are potent guys. Not to be taken lightly.

Legend has it that just licking a Ss brownie will leave you semi-catatonic.

 

[Heirloom]

May I ask what is biochar? And how does an oil distiller work, is it easy to use? Please forgive my interjection of newbiness. Very cool toys my dear.

Thank you and everyone in advance for the replies. KiG

Hi Snidrajsed,

As the maker of that biochar, I can tell you a little more.

Biochar is found in very old, very fertile intensively farmed lands around the world. Most notably in the Amazon basin where Portuguese explorers found vast expanses of soil that was very different from the native soils. It was dark, almost black. They called it "Terra Preta", literally translated it's black earth.

A google search on Terra Preta will have you reading for a while.

Anyhow, biochar is, as stated, charcoal. In essence it's activated carbon. But it is produced a certain way, through a process called Pyrolysis. That is combustion without exposure to an air (oxygen) source.

I generally use chipped wood, or wood mulch (made here on farm). Once the pyrolysis is done, the closed container is opened and I drive a metal tube attached to a hose down to the bottom and crank on the hose water. That quenches the whole container with steam. My understanding is that process drives off and steam cleans the char of residual resins and what not. At that point it is considered activated carbon, or charcoal.

Then I take that batch of char, drain the water and place the char in a metal tub over my burn barrel. I burn some boxes or whatever I have and the heat dries the char well, driving out all the moisture.

I will have tea already bubbled and ready to go using boxed dry individual fertilizer ingredients. Alfalfa, kelp, cascade minerals, crustacean meal, gypsum and lanbeinite. Not a ton of any of them.

The tea pours over the tub of char and I stir it all in. It sits. I stir. It sits more. Eventually the water evaporates. Depending on volume, temp and humidity it could be a month or more. Eventually I have a dry, precharged biochar.

If you don't go through the tea soaking process, the char will rob the soil of nutrients until it is, uhh, in equilibrium I guess.

Benefits of biochar?

Sequestered carbon into the soil. Char takes FOREVER to break down. That carbon is no longer in the atmospheric carbon cycle.
Biochar slows microbial activity. Slowing the break down of organic matter and prolonging the resulting nutrient availability.
It helps with water management (retention).
Properly made, it's a cation exchange mega warehouse. That means it stores lots of nutrients.
Microbes love it. More nooks and crannies than an english muffin.

The surface area of the char is incredible. That's why it has high CEC, water holding and microbe activity.

Biochar. It's a good thing. And a labor of love.

Can you feel the love Sue? Maybe you smelled it.

Oh, wait, that sounded all wrong.

 

[STIHL LOGGER]

Woohoo! Sue has babies ready to go!

 

[SweetSue]

Heirloom I knew you'd jump in and thank you so much. I can't give reps again, the gremlin still lurks, obviously. Instead you have my undying affection.

Guys, my brownies are killer. That one gram of Carnival - I can't believe I didn't get a seed to pop. Definately next round.

Yes STIHL, I have babies ready to go.

The Dark Devil Auto gets the closet and the Vero 240 all to herself. I'll be visiting her often, you can be sure.

And so it begins. Let me get back to it. Pictures later, I promise.

Get out there and spread that joy.

 

[SweetSue]

Lighting Woes

*sigh* Now I understand the frustration guys. When I took the tent down it was in a rush and I didn't check everything thoroughly. One of the things I didn't do at the time was check the light panels for wear and tear. I dusted, packed and went. I pulled out the Dorm Grow 450.

This panel cost me next to nothing. When I got it the company graciously repaired it and returned it to me. That tempers my frustration considerably.

Let me pull out the Mars-Hydro panels.

 

[MagicJim]

Oh yeah....I see several that appear to have suffered some heat damage.

 

[Bearswhowalk]

miss seeing your callestetics mat impression in my garden come see a old one eyed fat man sometime

 

[Graytail]

LOL, so the Dorm Grow failed to make it even a year - twice! - with two different users! They fixed it and it failed again!



And they knew it would be used by a 420 poster, so thousands of potential customers could watch!

 

[Dave Groomer]

LOL, so the Dorm Grow failed to make it even a year - twice! - with two different users! They fixed it and it failed again!



And they knew it would be used by a 420 poster, so thousands of potential customers could watch!

Email them. It may not help....but it also might.

 

[Bearswhowalk]

lol, so the dorm grow failed to make it even a year - twice! - with two different users! They fixed it and it failed again!



And they knew it would be used by a 420 poster, so thousands of potential customers could watch!

note to self do not buy dorm grow

 

[SweetSue]

All done. Everyone's sitting between 24-30" from their lights.

The Auto tent. Auto Jack Herer in the back left, the Med GOM 1.0 in the back right with the biochar, and the Fantasmo Express in the front. Under the Advanced DS 350 running at approx. 20% power and planted in LOS, topped off with EWC, watered in.

The photo tent. On the left CBD Critical Cure, on the right Critical Mass. They're both in Doc Bud's High Brix Blend kit soil. They got their Transplant drenches - 5 ml Transplant and .5 ml Tea.

I used the Mars-Hydro panels until the Budmaster arrives. They're both 300w, the smaller one a 60x5 and the larger one a 100x3.

The tiny closet, home of the Dark Devil Auto, planted in one of the LOS no-tills, topped with EWC and watered in. She gets the Timber Vero 240 running at about 20-30% power for now.

Plants are in their final pots. Lights are on, ventilation system humming, tents are zipped up and cooking. I need a couple more small fans to hang, but that's it for now.

Time for some lunch.

 

[SweetSue]

LOL, so the Dorm Grow failed to make it even a year - twice! - with two different users! They fixed it and it failed again!



And they knew it would be used by a 420 poster, so thousands of potential customers could watch!

Not a good track record is it? I hesitate to pass it off on someone else. It only cost me the shipping from Doc, so I didn't lose anything, but your point is valid. It failed for Doc and it failed again for me. I can't in good conscience hand it off to anyone else.

Maybe they underestimated the numbers of readers.

 

[SweetSue]

Whew!! It's such a relief to finally have them in their pots and in the tents.

 

[SlowToke]

Heirloom I knew you'd jump in and thank you so much. I can't give reps again, the gremlin still lurks, obviously. Instead you have my undying affection.

Well, my reps are working, so here you go, Heirloom. Fantastic explanation!

Man, I learn good stuff on this forum every day!

 

[Stinky Snid]

Just want to say thanks for the explanations on biochar and that distiller for cco. So much great information, I'll save the posts for further research.
KiG cheers

Ps. Those brownies must be just heavenly.

 

[SweetSue]

Just want to say thanks for the explanations on biochar and that distiller for cco. So much great information, I'll save the posts for further research.
KiG cheers

Ps. Those brownies must be just heavenly.

You're welcome dear. Yes, the brownies are not only delicious but potent. There's a gram of high-quality buds in each slice, the coconut oil extraction enhanced with the addition of lecithin. They definately hit harder. The expectation in adding the lecithin and using coconut oil is that more cannabinoids will make it past the liver enzymes before being degraded and end up as healing energy in the system overall.

This is the craziest twist of fate for me. I've been strictly a recreational smoker for over 35 years. It's only in the past few months really that I became aware of concentrated cannabis oil. I know that's hard to believe, but I hadn't really paid any attention to RSO until stumbling onto the oil threads after coming to this site. It's changed my entire perspective. Now my grow is heavily weighted to oil production and I barely smoke or do anything other than have my two brownies a day. To be honest, that's 2 grams a day, no small amount, but I get it simply and easily and it keeps me just where I want to be.

I'm enjoying them while I can. The stash will run out sometime in the next two weeks and as you can plainly see I just transplanted. I've got another three months before anything is usable. Having just gone through two months without I don't relish it at all, but I know with certainty I'll survive. I also know I won't be sending my money out onto the street for any more, so I'll just have to lean into it and keep going.

 

[Stinky Snid]

You're welcome dear. Yes, the brownies are not only delicious but potent. There's a gram of high-quality buds in each slice, the coconut oil extraction enhanced with the addition of lecithin. They definately hit harder. The expectation in adding the lecithin and using coconut oil is that more cannabinoids will make it past the liver enzymes before being degraded and end up as healing energy in the system overall.

This is very interesting, I'll be passing that tid bit of knowledge to my coworker. It increases your medicine relief with the same amount of cannabis, now that's what this site can do for someone willing learn. Is there any literature here about that, I'd like to pass on some good facts since he is sceptical of using edibles for his child. I've tried to convey some of the stuff I've learned on these threads but without the tangible proof he seems to dismiss it. A nurse even asked if he'd considered medical cannabis pills or tincture for relief, he's now come asking for some more information.

Thanks for being so sweet, Sue. cheers

 

[SweetSue]

This is very interesting, I'll be passing that tid bit of knowledge to my coworker. It increases your medicine relief with the same amount of cannabis, now that's what this site can do for someone willing learn. Is there any literature here about that, I'd like to pass on some good facts since he is sceptical of using edibles for his child. I've tried to convey some of the stuff I've learned on these threads but without the tangible proof he seems to dismiss it. A nurse even asked if he'd considered medical cannabis pills or tincture for relief, he's now come asking for some more information.

Thanks for being so sweet, Sue. cheers

Edibles for a child would certainly be a concern, but there are strains being bred now that have a balance of THC/CBD that you can (I'm hoping) negate euphoric effects of any converted THC. Charlotte's Web was developed for this very reason.

There're two different strains in my tents that were chosen with this in mind, because my daughter doesn't think it's realistic to expect someone with her anxiety levels to not swallow for twenty minutes, essentially taking tacking off the table for her. So we plan to do everything we can to increase bioavailability and I chose strains that were high in CBD and low in THC, adding the precaution to make the THC content from indica strains. She has an unbelievable anxiety disorder and once had a panic attack while mildly buzzed. I can't say I could deal with it as bravely as she does.

My baby'll be 34 this year. She covered this disorder for most of her teen years, and we suspect she's had it her entire life. We homeschooled and just thought of her as quirky. I mean, have you met her mother? Had we been aware of the potential of CCO when we realized she had serious issues we'd have set up a garden right then and there.

You can't live with "what ifs". This is real shit. I'm beginning to believe we actually have a fighting chance here. Do you have any idea how terrifying that level of hope can be? Good thing I cry so easy. It gets it all out so I can deal with here and now.

You caught me in a chatty mood. We live in an old apartment building and if I don't sit on the washer during the spin cycle it vibrates the entire building. Welcome to my wonderful world.

Back on the path I wish you'd take this over to the Oilers United thread and ask there, because the think tank that hangs out over there stunns me and I'd like to hear their collective take.

I'll see what I can pull together about the emulsifying effects of lecithin and how that improves CCO. Oooo..... A study project.

 

[Radogast]

You caught me in a chatty mood. We live in an old apartment building and if I don't sit on the washer during the spin cycle it vibrates the entire building. Welcome to my wonderful world.

This is one of the best excuses I have heard for a woman sitting on the washer during spin cycle

Thanks for protecting us from excess vibrations.