Organic Living Soil w/ Amare Tech HiLED's

Veg update:

Golden Goat mother is desperately needing to be transplanted and trained out!! She is the tallest girl in the garden due to the fact that I cant train her since she is in an awkwardly shaped plastic pot. She will be transplanted into a 7gal fabric pot as soon as the pot becomes available, my last flowering GSC in my 2x4 area is currently occupying it. Should be able to transplant by this weekend though as the GSC is ready to be chopped! I went ahead and top dressed her with about an inch of Vermicompost so she should be just fine until then.



Transplanted one of the GSC's in the 1gal pot into a 7gal pot, will be training her out in the next few days. For now I am letting her get used to the transplant and begin to grow again before I do any training.



The other GSC in the 1gal pot is doing fine, going to be keeping her around sort of as a "back up" plant if anything happens to the other GSC girls. I just transplanted one and will be flipping the other to flower so its good to keep extras if you don't plan on cloning the specific cultivar for the upcoming run.



The 7gal No-Tills are doing great! The GSC is ready to be flipped to flower and will be moved over here soon. Waiting until I can pick up another Corrugated L piece of steel to hang the lights and I will hang a 260 and flip her to flower.



Bodhi Pura Vida clone is getting nice a bushy, going to train her out a bit and am considering even using her in a SCROG but we shall see!





Group shot, still using a single SolarSPEC-260 to cover a 4x4 area. Top dressed everything with an inch layer of Vermicompost.



I did a test after reading this article:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/07/120701191636.htm

"Plant scientists have imaged and analyzed, for the first time, how a potted plant's roots are arranged in the soil as the plant develops. In this study, to be presented at the Society for Experimental Biology meeting on 30th June, the team has also found that doubling plant pot size makes plants grow over 40% larger. From their 3-D MRI root scans, the researchers observed that potted plants quickly extend their roots to the pot's walls. It is likely that the plants use their roots to 'sense' the size of the pot, although the details of how the roots relay the message about the pot's size remain the plants' secret. They also looked at 65 independent studies across a wide range of species including tomato, corn, pine tree, cactus, wheat, and cotton plants, and found that all species reach larger sizes when grown in a bigger pot. On average, doubling pot size allowed plants to grow 43% larger."

I took two GSC clones taken from the same mother and the same time and planted at the same time in the same soil. They have been given the exact same thing and have been growing the exact same time. Only difference is one was planted into a 1gal Smart Pot, the other, into a 7gal GeoPot.

Here is the 1gal Smart pot Transplanted on Jan 5th after a 100day Veg, this shot was taken before transplanting her into a 7gal GeoPot to train her out and continue with her growth:



Here is the 7gal GeoPot Transplanted on Jan 5th after a 100day Veg:





It was as the article said, about a 40% difference in plant size just from using a bigger pot! After seeing these results I am now moving up to 25gal Root Pouches and they will all be No-Tills. So I will just drop in a clone from a small 2" x 2" square pot into a 25gal pot and the rest is up to the training, lights, and soil!

Flower Update:

Harvested one GSC already while the other GSC in the 2x4 tent is going to be coming down within the next two days, she is nice and amber all over and extremely dense!! Cant wait to see how she is finished!







Tons of amber everywhere!!



Bodhi Seeds Pura Vida is doing absolutely amazing!!! I noticed her starting to develop glands on Day 20, here she is on Day 21 since flip to 12/12. I had set the light @25" away from the Cree XTE 5w chips & 23 1/2" away from the Cree CXA2520 COBs on the 7th of April. Last night when I measured she had grown to 20" away from the Cree XTE 5w chips & 18 1/2" away from the Cree CXA2520 COBs. I noticed she had some slight discoloration (slightly amber/brown) starting to form on a few of the white hairs on the top of my tallest flower. So I raised the light to 22" from the Cree XTE 5w chips & 20 1/2" away from the Cree CXA2520 COBs. Thinking that might be the "sweet spot" for this particular cultivar, going to stabilize it at these heights (raise it as she grows) for the next few days and take note.











She is stacking up so much better than I expected!! Really excited for this run! Finally have some lineage on this specific cultivar from Bodhi Seeds. It is a LA Pure Kush x Appalachia, phenos are Indica/Sativa w/ a strong Sativa dominant play on the Kush & Chem families. It has a 9 week typical maturation time.

A little back info on the genes:

LA Pure Kush x Appalachia = Pura Vida
LA Pure Kush is a Hindu Kush x Indica
Appalachia is a Green Crack x Tres Dawg
Green Crack is a Skunk #1 x Unknown Indica
Tres Dawg is a Chem Dawg d x Double Dawg
Skunk #1 is a Afghanistan x Mexico x Columbia
Chem Dawg d is a Unknown Indica x Indica
Double Dawg is a Chem Dawg d x (Chem Dawg d x Afghani #1)

While I don't know much about the cultivars listed, I have seen a few of the cultivars mentioned by themselves & I think it explains her great stature and potency already visible! Every Green Crack I have seen is extremely resin covered early on & I have read more than one person rave about the Skunk #1 and her great stature and size.



My apologies for not updating recently, I have had some health issues going on but I will be a lot more frequent now that all is better! Hope all has been well out there with everyone, happy growing!

GSC Harvest:

I harvested the last GSC in the 2x4 area last night. Switched to 12/12 on March 25th & harvested April 18 Day 77 of flower. Buds are extremely dense from top to bottom, with great a aroma and color!!



Even with buds hanging almost to the floor thru the entire grow, shaded slightly by the rim of the pot. The density remains the same all the way thru!











After I removed the support straps the plant completely collapsed, buds could barely keep themselves off the floor.





I cut the plant and split her in half, then I hung her upside down from the ratchet hangers for the light. Have the small oscillation fan on low moving air around the tent and the intake fan set on low coming on for 15 minutes and off for 15 minutes.

Veg Update:

Transplanted the Golden Goat mom into a 7gal GeoPot, sprinkled some Vermicompost around the base of the root ball and then top dressed with about an inch of it. The root ball was very restricted and she was greatly needing to be transplanted.



After I got her planted I trained her out and removed the fan leaves the would restrict the lower growth from turning and growing upwards.



Also trained out the GSC that was in the 1gal Smart Pot I transplanted into a 7gal GeoPot a few days ago, she is going to bounce back very nicely!



The 1gal GSC is still doing great may train her a bit more and put her in the Flower area.



7gal No-Tills are coming along fantastically, GSC is going to be flipped to flower her in a few days. She is very bushy and nice and tall, going to stake her up early on to prevent any buds from flopping over.



Bodhi Seeds Pura Vida Mom is going to be trained out a bit more, debating on either putting her into a SCROG in the 2x4 area or just flowering her out with the rest of the girls in the 5x12. Either way she is beautiful!



Also acquired a new cultivar, it is a clone called Wizards Fire from OZ seeds. It is a cross between an original Sour Diesel male & an LA Affie female. Transplanted her into a new pot and covered with mulch. Everyone received a Coconut SST w/ Aloe & Silica & a IPM foliar spray of Neem, Essential Oil, Aloe, & Silica. With the training out of the various plants I needed to start using the other 4x4 side of the 4x8 area. So I took another SolarSPEC-260 and centered it over the 4x4 area.





Group shots of the 4x8 area.

Veg Update: (April, 28th)

• 2tsp 7.8% Silica solution added to 1gal of water, foliar sprayed the Vegging girls. Applied on the morning of the 28th (their night time).
• Using 1/4cup (1oz) Malted Barley per gal of water, making 5gal in total.
• Took the 1 1/4 cup of Malted Barley & added it to a Nutribullet and ground it into a fine powder.
• Placed the MB powder to a bag used to ship worms in, tied it off loosely and placed it into the 5gal's of water.
• Added 7tsp of BioAg Fulvic Acid to the 5gal of water to act as a catalyst for the enzymes in the Malted Barley.
• Let this brew together for 4 hours, stirring occasionally pressing down on the bag of MB with the stick I use to stir with (very thick plastic chopstick).
• Before it was done, the day before I had picked up some Aloe from the store. So I sliced along the tip and down the sides about a foot, sliding in a knife along the top outer shell and cut along the top exposing the filet.

• Taking a spoon I scraped out the inside and added 1 1/4cup to the Nutribullet.
• To pour/transfer the Aloe out of the filet (harder then it would seem at first), I scraped the tip of the filet down towards the bottom then sliced off the tip.
• I separated the gel from the skin on the bottom and started cutting the gel into chunks.
• After the filet was in small pieces I just slid them down the skin and into the measuring cup. It is recommended to use roughly 1/4cup of Aloe gel per gallon of water you will be using.

• Poured the aloe from the measuring cup into the Nutribullet cup w/1cup of water and blended it all up. The Saponins activated very quickly, filling the cup with suds!

• Added the blended aloe to the MB tea that had been bubbling for 4hrs, along with 10tsp of 7.8 Potassium Silicate solution.
• Let it all mix together, then I removed the bag containing the barley as well as the air stone. Using a hand watering container I scooped out the water and added it to my pump wand sprayer & watered all the girls (Veg & Flower) down.

Golden Goat:


Girl Scout Cookie:



Wizards Fire:


Bodhi Seeds Pura Vida:

Flower Update: (April, 28th)

• Added the 7gal Girl Scout Cookie No-Till into the Flower Area, the 28th was Day 1 for her!
• Moved over the SolarEclipse-350, adding a SolarSPEC-260 next to it.
• Placed the 7gal pot into a tray and then on top of a dolly & centered her under the SolarSPEC-260.
• Gave her a Silica spray along with the Veg girls and will continue with Silica sprays as well as my IPM sprays until day 10-15 of Flower.
• She started Flower at 22"-26" tall on the sides, 30"-34" tall in the center & 31" around.
• Placed the light @21 1/2" away.
• Bodhi Seeds Pura Vida is just doing her thing! Started showing some orange hairs on Day 35, so far she is almost like clockwork on her timing!
• Day 5 she had completed the formation of the "crown" & started throwing hairs, Day 15 she was done with what my girl likes to call the "afro nug stage" & started getting very dense, Day 20 she started throwing trichome's & was stacking vigorously and has continued to do so with Day 35 starting the orange hues setting in on the hairs.

Group Shot:


Girl Scout Cookie, Day 1:



Bodhi Seeds Pura Vida, Day 35:

i
hello brother! im just checkin in, your opp looks beautifu!l will be workin my way in over here. and prob. phasing out over there, im really gettin bummed on all the "real" fake talk over there. so new pastures should allow me and my garden to flourish... im hopin !!but keep up the great work my bro! and" we gonna blow it up with these hi led's" by AMARE

RB73 said:

i
hello brother! im just checkin in, your opp looks beautifu!l will be workin my way in over here. and prob. phasing out over there, im really gettin bummed on all the "real" fake talk over there. so new pastures should allow me and my garden to flourish... im hopin !!but keep up the great work my bro! and" we gonna blow it up with these hi led's" by AMARE

Click to expand...

Hey man thank you& welcome aboard! Sorry I haven't been too active lately, I have a lot going on with the grow at the moment, have some very nice updates for ya here in just a second! Which panel(s) is it that your using from Amare?

Flower Update:
Harvested the Bodhi seeds Pura Vida on Day 60 (May, 23rd)

Moved over the Golden Goat to start flower on the 23rd, here she was last night on day 7 of flower

Also moved over the Pura Vida to start on the 23rd, day 7 of flower

GSC is doing alright on day 32 of flower, she is root bound and starting to yellow up pretty fast. We shall see how everything goes

Moved over the other GSC to flower last night

Group shot

Soil Update:
After countless months of planning & saving the garden is finally ready to be converted over to running all No-Till containers!! Mixed up over 100gal of soil to start off with & will mix up more as space becomes available. So here is how I went about mixing my 100+gal of soil.
Went down to HD & picked up two 3cf compressed bales of CSPM (Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss). Some names you might find it under would be Premier, Fafard, Sun Gro Horticulture (uses 3 or 4 names regionally). As long as you buy CSPM you'll be fine, just look at the sides & bottom of the bales to find the CSPMA (Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss Association) logo. The name on the bale doesn't really matter, just the certification. Reason for this is two things:

1. Quality
2. Processing method (harvesting)

The key to the quality of the material is in its structure and due to the fact that they harvest in Northern Alberta which produces CSPM with very high levels of Microbial activity. Now some will argue that Peat isn't sustainable, in fact it is, we just have to be smart about the rates & methods in which we are harvesting it. Peat moss harvested from the ancient peat bogs in Canada are harvested at a rate that is a fraction of the production rate. Peat bogs in Europe however are in danger of being harvested at too fast of a rate. This is why it is best to source Peat Moss from Canada if possible.

Now when you get your CSPM it will be in a compressed 3cf bale and more often times then not is close to bone dry upon purchasing. After hydrating the bale you end up with around 6cf of CSPM.



Mixing the Soil:
Base Mix

• I used a medium sized kiddie pool from Kmart to do the final mixing in. Wheelbarrow to hold the 3/8" Lava Rock, and the 45gal trash can for the CSPM. Had to do everything in a small space instead of out in the yard as we had 35-45mph winds for days, about a week! So had to do my best to keep everything from flying around everywhere.
• The compost I am using is "Bu's Blend Biodynamic Malibu Compost". It is made from Composted Dairy Cow Manure, Straw, Vineyard Wood Chips, Yarrow, Chamomile, Valerian, Stinging Nettle, Dandelion & Oak Bark. It is a very fine consistency, airy and light, a lot like beach sand. Yet has such a rich and earth smell, very pleasant & very high in humic substances!

• I was able to source some 3/8" Lava Rock from a rock supply yard for $55.00 a truck load! So now I have plenty of Lava Rock for not only my soil but for filling my SIP trays as well.
• I picked up a 1gal bucket from the paint section at HD, has 1-4 Quarts marked on the inside and this is what I used to measure out the Base amendments (Compost, CSPM, & Lava Rock).
• What I did was take 4-4-2 (quarts) of each component to wind up with 2.5gal each of Compost, CSPM, & Lava Rock. For a total of 7.5gal or 1 cubic foot, add this all to the kiddie pool and you have your base.
• I found it was easier to mix up the base soil before adding any amendments to it. So take a rake, shovel or pitchfork and move the soil about until you get a nice even mixture. You will notice the mix become very earthy in smell as it is close to being mixed thoroughly. When it is finished you should be left with something that looks along the lines of this.

Now comes the fun part, adding your amendments! It is rather difficult when ordering amendments online as you want to make sure you have enough to cover all of your needs. This is very difficult to do without a rough estimate of how much each item you will be using weighs. So I have included my weights in 1cup measurements & what that equates to in grams & pounds.

Amendments

1.) Ahimsa Organics pure full strength Neem Cake- 1cup = 146.8 grams or 0.32lbs. Added @1cup per cubic foot of base soil.



2.) Crustacean meal- 1cup = 110.0 grams or 0.24lbs. Added @1cup per cubic foot of base soil.



3.) Acadian Seaplants Kelp Meal- 1cup = 178.1 grams or 0.39lbs. Added @1cup per cubic foot of base soil



4.) Classic Stone Gypsum- 1cup = 237.0 grams or 0.52lbs. Added @1/2cup per cubic foot of base soil.



5.) Basalt Microfines Rock Dust- 1cup = 225.2 grams or 0.49lbs. Added @4cups per cubic foot of base soil.



6.) Black Owl "Environmental Ultra" Bio-Char- 1cup =32.8 grams or 0.07lbs. Added @6cups (5%) per cubic foot of base soil.



So for the record I am using (per cubic foot):

1cup Neem Cake
1cup Crustacean Meal
1cup Kelp Meal
1/2cup Gypsum
4cups Basalt Rock Dust
6cups Bio-Char

Added the amendments to the top of the base soil & mixed everything all together. The consistency was nice and fluffy, working on getting some videos going so once I do I will get a video showing the ideal consistency. Couldn't quite do it justice with a still shot, so I will be mixing more soil soon and get a video for you all.



Everything was mixed on May 7th and placed into five 25gal pots

Room Build Update:

I ditched the 4x8 tent and put up a make shift wall to section off a 5x8x8 area for Veg. Had to re-run my ventilation set up, so far that is the only thing I have yet to get in check. Need to pick up two more fans and a carbon filter, should be the next task for me.



So now that the Veg room is running right next to the Flower area I was able to set up the next part of the grow, my SIP trays!! So after some looking around I was able to find some cement mixing trays from Home Depot for 12$, not bad considering what I was going to have to pay to build my own box.

• The tray is 21" Wide x 35" Long x 8 1/2" Tall.

• I took the trays and filled them with 3/8" Lava Rock leaving only 2 1/2" remaining before the rim of the tray. Before filling I took a 1" pipe and cut it to length and drilled some holes in it placing it in the corner of the tray. As I filled the tray with the Lava Rock I held it in place to keep any rocks from sliding under the pipe. When filled with water it will seep threw the holes and into the pipe and I will be able to tell when the water is running low. This will allow me to make sure as much water as possible has been drained before re filling each time.

• After filling I placed the trays on top of 1000lb capable moving dollies, centered them and attached some rubber straps to keep them in place while moving. To do this I drilled some holes on each side of the tray's rim & ran the straps as close to each wheel as I could for stability. After they were finished I placed the 25gal pots on and they fit perfectly!

Veg Update:

Now that the Veg area is connected with the Flower area all that is needed is to roll the plants as they finish Veg through and into the other side to begin Flower.



All soil was mixed and filled into the 25gal pots on May 7th, on May 13th the entire topsoil was completely covered in Mycelial growth!



On May 17th the Mycelial growth was still running strong and even had some wheat sprouts coming through from the mulch.



Pulled the mulch back to top dress with a cover crop on May 23rd.



For now I have five 25gal Fabric pots on SIP trays in the Veg area. One has recently had a Wizards Fire transplanted into it on the 30th. She was previously in a 5gal pot but as I didn't want to disturb much of the new soil or mix with my old soil. I washed all the soil she was previously in off and transplanted her 4"x5" root ball into the 25g No-Till pot.



Never tried rinsing off the old soil before so it was quite a new experience haha. Wasn't quite sure if she would pull threw but it seems as though she is going to make it! She is a bit droopy but still maintaining turgidity in her leaves so I believe she is fine! Here she is just a moment ago.



Her tops have all turned and are looking towards the light so we shall see how she continues forward! For now she is 23" away from a SolarSPEC-260.

Flower Update:

GSC @ Day 53 of Flower.



Bodhi seeds Pura Vida @ Day 28 of Flower.



Golden Goat @ Day 28 of Flower.

Veg Update:

So I finally received all three of my SolarSPEC-150's I purchased for the Veg area. Got them hung over the girls and they have just exploded with growth! I will be purchasing an additional SolarSPEC-150 eventually but for now I am using one of the SolarSPEC-260's in conjunction with the three SS-150's.



Also have some new members of the family to welcome! Their roots were all sprinkled with VAM & were transplanted into the 25's on the 10th of June. Some of the clones were a bit choppy & droopy when picked up but they are already bouncing back just fine!

Grateful Dead OG, a cross between Dead Head OG & either King Louis 13 or Skywalker OG. Both cultivars were present during the accidental pollination so it could be either or. She has started to get some new growth going, was worried she wasn't going to make it for a while.



Blackwater, a cross between Mendo Purp & SFV OG Kush. I planted two of them into the same pot in opposite sides.

• Mostly Indica dominant with a 60 day (8-9 week) flower time. I planted two of them into the same pot in opposite sides.

Krystalica, a cultivar supposedly made up of landrace genetics from Kerala, South India; Nepal.

• Sativa dominant (75%) with a 65-75 day (8-9 week) flowering time
• THC: 18-20%
• CBD: 0.3%
• CBG: 0.5%
• Effect: A "smooth" but potent sativa-dominant high, helps to relax but keeps you awake at the same time good for ideas and creativity, suitable for persons with a high THC tolerance. Can facilitate a refreshing sleep at nighttime.
• Aroma: Fruity-sweet (pineapple bubblegum or strawberry), herbal, earthy-musky.

Kali Chakra, a cultivar containing landraces from South India; S. E. Asia.

• Mostly Sativa with a 65-70 day flower time but is not un common to go 11 weeks.
• THC: 17-19%
• High: Very pleasant and smooth sativa high with no negative side effects, mood-enhancing to euphoric, sensual and stimulating. Great for active recreation or relaxation.
• Aroma: Fruity, minty-sweet.

She was starting to get nice and bushy, surrounded by growth and I decided to plant a cover crop of only Crimson Clover and thin out the mulch a bit. So I decided to chop and drop the vegetation surrounding her and train her to start working on the structure.



Wizards Fire just exploded after she got settled in! Trained her out as well, she is a bit wobbly so I am doing Silica foliars on them every other day instead of once a week and it has made a huge difference. I will be continuing to do this with all my cultivars now regardless as it just seems to make them "pop", so beautiful! Here she is right after the training and before the Silica foliar.



After the silica foliar.



Group shot.




Hope all is well out there! Happy growing!

Looking good man! Thanks for the update.

DonPetro said:

Looking good man! Thanks for the update.

Click to expand...

Thank you bro, it has been quite a lot of work getting it all set up but it is turning out exactly how I had planned. Thanks for stopping by man!

Flower Update:

Harvested the GSC @ Day 66 of flower.



Bodhi seeds Pura Vida @ Day 41 of flower.



Golden Goat also @ Day 41 of flower. She is stacking like crazy with some of the most resin covered and aromatic buds I have ever seen/smelled!! Cant wait to get her into one (or a couple) of my 25's!



Group shot of the flower area.

Veg Update:

Grateful Dead OG.



Blackwater OG.



Krystalica.



Kali Chakra.



Wizards Fire.



Group shot of the Veg area.