Breaking New Ground Lootz' 2x4 NoTil LOS Bed ViparSpectra XS1500 Pro

[lootznbootz]

Hello & Welcome ​

To what I expect to be a banger of a grow and journal!

This is the SAME journal as before only now were officially Sponsored by @ViparSpectra
This grow was already very exciting and now thanks to Vipar, there's even more to be excited about!

If you read the original, then you've seen most of this already. Vipar requested we start a new journal, so nothing has changed but...
what you haven't seen is the 2 XS1500 Pro!
I will detail those in my next post!

This grow will NOW feature 2 XS1500 Pro in the 2x4. I unboxed them and put them over the garden immediately!
They will finish vegging and flower under them!
The link for them can be found Here

I just finished my first grow back after a few years away from the hobby. It featured 4 plastic pots Vs 1 SIP using Roots Organics bottles, under 3 150w IONGRID's from ACI.
It was a whirlwind to the finish, but we did finish! If you're interested in checking that journal out, you can find it Here.

I'm about 6 weeks into flower on my second grow since my return. That grow features 5 SIPs VS 1 plastic pot. Using Roots Organics bottles under 2 XS2000's from Vipar. It has its own set of challenges but is going strong! You can find and follow along with that grow Here.

Since getting back into the hobby, I feel like I have been making up for lost time, looking for the best method to fit my lifestyle and grow the best flower I could.
I knew that I wanted to grow organically, which is why I was drawn to the most organic labels I could find while sticking with a bottle program like something I was used to.
Throughout both of these grows I've learned and relearned an amazing amount of knowledge.
I've also come to learn that using bottles and the bottled way of feeding the plants just does not work for the number of plants I need to grow.
I have nothing against Roots Organics and their products. It is more to do with the methodology of using bottles.
I think their products are solid and could get really good results. Check out @Grand Daddy Black who uses their dry nutrient line for an example of what their products can really do!
I tossed this idea around for a while as well.
I spoke to the owner of my local garden supply store that I've built a relationship with over the past year since purchasing my soil, nutrients and any other odds and ends I need. He recommended I check out Build a Soil.
Let me preface this by saying I AM IN NO WAY ADVERTISING OR PROMOTING this company other than to tell you what I'm using and how i got there.

I watched their videos on YT and really enjoyed the content. It really helped me to understand and visualize the process.
I found comfort in the fact that they repeatedly say you do not need to buy anything from them.
If I wanted to follow their recipe with inputs I could only source locally and never purchase anything from them they would help as best, they could to get me going in the right direction.
I felt like if I was going to take such a deep dive into this method customer service like that could go a long way if I run into problems later on.

That being said.
The company isn't doing anything new or proprietary. (They never claim to be)
They are simply using the Clackamas Coot recipe with a few minor tweaks which is as follows:

• 1 Cubic Foot of BAS Worm Castings
• 1 Cubic Foot of Oly Mountain Fish Compost
• 2 Cubic Feet of Organic New Mexico Pumice
• 1 Cubic Foot of Par Boiled Rice Hulls
• 1 Two Gallon Bag of BAS PreCharged Bio-char w/Rootwise Mycrobe Complete
• 4 Cubic Feet of Fluffed Organic Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss
• 2 ozJay Plantspeaker's Quillaja Extract Powder 20
  • >=20% Saponin (Most Raw With sugars and Polyphenols)
• 1/2 lbKashi Blend
  • Kashi Blend is derived from organic molasses, organic rice bran, organic wheat bran, organic soybean meal, organic insect frass, EM-1, and trace minerals.
    
    Post Fermentation: Organic powdered malted barley and charged biochar that's been inoculated with Rootwise Mycrobe Complete
• 1 8 lbClackamasCoots Style Nutrient Kit
  • Crustacean Meal - Crab and Shrimp
  • Kelp Meal - Thorvin Brand Ascophyllum Nodosum
  • Neem Cake/Karanja Cake - 70/30 Premium Organic Neem Cake Imported from India (West Coast Horticulture or Neem Resource)
  • Milled Malted Barley Organic 2 Row
• 1 27 lbBuildASoil Mineral Mix
  • BuildASoil Basalt - Our Favorite Rock Dust for trace minerals. Highly paramagnetic.
  • Gypsum Dust - Calcium and Sulfur
  • Oyster Shell Flour - Calcium Carbonate - Adds available calcium and limes the Peat moss.

This is their Take and Bake kit and mixes up about 70 Gals of soil. I purchased 2 of these. 1 we will be using and highlighting here in the 2x4 soil bed.
The other will be for the 3x3 bed when the SIP journal finishes out in a few weeks.

This soil kit as is SHOULD BE enough for a water only grow, barring you don't grow too big of plants for the size container you're in.
With that being said I went ahead and ordered a nutrient kit as well which is said to be enough for 1-12 plants.

It contains the following:

Size	Product Name
2 Gal	BuildAFlower Top Dress Oly Mountain Fish Compost, BuildASoil Worm Castings, Diamond K Ag Gypsum, High P Organic Rice Bran, Thorvin Icelandic Kelp Meal, Organic Mustard Seed Meal, BuildASoil Pre Charged Bio-char with Rootwise Mycrobe Complete
1 oz	BuildASoil Aloe Vera Powder Aloe Vera Powder Flakes
2 oz	Rootwise Bio-Phos A full-spectrum soil inoculant formulated with an emphasis on microbes which mobilize Phosphorus in all soils.
2 oz	Rootwise Mycrobe Complete A diverse inoculum of Beneficial Microbes and Mycorrhizae which establish soil-to-root relationships that may assist nutrient uptake, pathogen resistance, and overall plant vigor.
1 Log	Blue Oyster Mushroom Straw Log Made from certified organic straw and a specially selected Blue Oyster colonized grain.
2 oz	Jay Plantspeaker Organic Quillaja Extract Powder >=20% Saponin (Most Raw With sugars and Polyphenols)
1/2 lb	BuildASoil Cover Crop Blend 12 seed 60% Clover Seed from 4 types of clover.
3 lb	BuildASoil Craft Blend Thorvin Premium Kelp Meal Wild Flax Seed Meal Alfalfa Meal BuildASoil Organic High P Bran Camelina Meal Crustacean Meal Fish Meal 3x Fish Bone Meal Soybean Meal Sul-Po-Mag (Also Known as K-Mag or Langbeinite) Organic Malted Barley Volcanic Tuff Micronized Basalt - Blue Ridge Meta Gypsum Oyster Flour
100g	BuildASoil Big 6 Micros Manganese and 5 other Micro-nutrients like Boron, Cobalt, Copper, Molybdenum and Zinc
1.5lb	BuildASoil Aminos Plant based water soluble nitrogen 16-0-0
1 qt	BuildASoil EM-5 Purified Water, Organic EM-1, Organic Apple Juice Concentrate, Organic Grape Alcohol, Organic Yucca Extract, Organic Apple Cider Vinegar, Organic Peppermint Essential Oil.
2 lb	Kashi Blend derived from organic molasses, organic rice bran, organic wheat bran, organic soybean meal, organic insect frass, EM-1, and trace minerals. Post Fermentation: Organic powdered malted barley and charged biochar that's been inoculated with Rootwise Mycrobe Complete
1 lb	BuildABloom
1/2 lb	BuildASoil Freeze Dried Coconut pure all natural freeze dried young coconut water powder

After cleaning my tent with a couple of different products. All safe to use around organics of course!
I put together the soil bed and set it into my tent.
The kits did come with a 100 gal pot to mix the soil in, but I chose to mix it in the tent in the final container.

I layered the ingredients and moistened the peatmoss as I went so it wasn't completely dry but also not too heavy to mix.
This was a lot of soil and is heavy! It took a lot of effort but luckily less time as my dad stepped in to give me a hand.
We made sure to get it thoroughly mixed all the way through to the bottom.

Then I watered 5% of the soil volume which is 3.5 gallons.

I sprinkled the 1/2 lb of Kashi Blend into the top of the soil and scratched it into the surface. I then watered another 1/2 gallon of water to tie it all in.

I put my tent on a 16/8 schedule and left only the middle board on 10% for the first few days.

After 2 days there was a nice fuzzy layer of mycelium covering the top of the soil. Things were officially in motion!

A couple weeks ago in preparation for this grow I took 12 clones from my Purple Bubba Kush Mother from Greenpoint Seeds.
This strain has somewhat taken over my grows and I'm excited it's the first strain to take advantage of the organic system.

The reason for taking so many clones? I needed the space and needed to reset my mother.
In order to veg these clones I had to crank the lights and really ramp them up which would have made my mother plant far too large to maintain in good health. I was better to take as many clones as I could from her and start over with a smaller plant.

The clones have been sitting in solo cups of LUSH soil and had only had water until Saturday 3/25. I watered them with the first bits of the system.

I mixed less than a 1/4 teaspoon of

• Rootwise complete
• Aloe
• coconut
• Quillaja extract

To 1 Gal of water and watered the solo cups.
I then realized that I should have added the Rootwise to the water when preparing my soil initially, so I gave the top of the soil bed a spray but made sure not to disturb the mycelium just yet.

I zipped the tents up and left the garden for the weekend.

On Monday 3/27 mycelium growth had about stopped and so I gave the soil a check. The surface temp was not hot to the touch.
The mycelium had colonized the top layer of soil and formed a crust.

I gave the soil bed a good mixing again and found a few dry spots throughout the soil. No unmixed pockets of any one ingredient and there was some heat when digging into the soil.
No more than my own body temperature.

The clones in solo cups that had been chosen for the soil bed had dried their cups again. They all seemed to have liked the bits of additional nutrition as well.
I decided that in an attempt to get them a little larger before going into the soil bed I would uppot them so that they can stretch out a bit and add some growth while the bed finishes getting ready. Also help to avoid them being rootbound going into the bed and going so dry in-between me being able to water them.

I decided to give them a "feeding" if you will following the BAS Nutrient schedule.

I went with miniscule amounts again just to be on the safe side, but also because its not really about feedng the plants as it is about feeding the soil.
Granted they are in LUSH soil for now but I think it will be better to maintain these elements later if we build a base in the soil now.

So, to give them "something" at transplant I gave them less than a 1/4 teaspoon of:

• Aminos
• Big 6 micros
• Rootwise complete
• Q (wetting agent)

After transplanting them I went to the soil that had been remixed a few times throughout the day and sprinkled in the cover crop seeds.
I used that same water for the transplants to water in the cover crop.
I then layered in the mulch layer and watered it in as well. The mulch was covered in beneficial mycelium and had a bit of moisture to it already, so I didn't need to add much.
After that was done, I dropped in no more than 10 red wrigglers from my local worm farmer. I'm very fortunate to have a quality worm farmer very very very local to me.

There is nothing to do other than maybe I could sprinkle some water over the top just to keep the cover crop moist and germinating but I will choose to wait and do that tomorrow.
I was able to find a seed or 2 that look to be germinating so I won't rush it.

Although the soil bed is on the drier side right now, I'd much rather that than too much moisture I have no way of removing.
Which is why the cover crop will come in handy to regulate that a bit on the top layer before we put our plants in.
When I do transplant them into the bed, I will be aiming for closer to the 10% of soil volume to water in.
That will be the most water I will ever put into the bed at one time and only if it truly needs it.
Otherwise, I will be sticking to less is more and going with 3.5 gals or 5% and using that as a guide to maintain the right moisture levels.

As far as waterings go I will be using R/o water. I know it's not needed but it's the only "filtered" water I have so better that than tap although tap shouldn't be an issue either.
I will not be adjusting PH or even checking the PH of water going into the soil bed.
I also will be following the advanced supplementation schedule but will be following it very loosely as I find my own way to managing the needs of my garden. Falling back on it for reference when and if needed.

I think that brings us current and gives a pretty in depth look at what this grow is about.
If you have any questions or comments maybe suggestions please chime in. I'm looking forward to any help with LOS as I can get and Thank you in advance!
Also as always I say it every time becasue I mean it THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME!
The one thing you can spend limitlessly but never get back and the fact that you spent some following along with me means alot!

A couple more tags before I forget
@greenvein
@StoneOtter
@AspenCultivator
@Melville Hobbes
@Keffka
@Kanno26
@sjb504
@Carmen Ray
@CrochetingHybrids
@Bill284
@Fudo Myoo
@Braddah Waiheesohai
@Weffalo
@InTheShed
@Emilya Green

Please feel free to tag someone you think might enjoy this journal.

I will follow this with a look at our lights and an update to bring everything current.
This will be the journal to follow going forward.

 

[lootznbootz]

I already own a pair of XS2000's and fell in love with them the moment I turned them on!
The light intensity and spectrum were much different than my other lights and the plants loved them!
I was impressed with the build quality and value of the lights and have enjoyed using them every step of the way!


With that being said when I saw the XS1500 Pro I knew it was going to be an awesome light!

Probably the coolest feature that grabbed my attention and makes this light stand out from their other models was the lenses!

"optical lenses design that ensures more concentrated light and less light loss to achieve the most uniform PPFD for optimal photosynthesis and growth, ensuring plants absorb balanced PPFD in each corner, enhancing balanced growth for healthier growth and higher yields."

The lenses are small bubble like and encase each individual Samsung LM218B+ diode.
The light penetrates much further and easier than other lights in my grow room. I used the Photone app to compare it with a similar wattage light and the XS1500 had a higher par at lower comparable power levels.
This was very encouraging to see!

Great intensity and penetration don't mean much if the spectrum is wrong. (Remember the "blurple" era)

"OPTIMIZED SPECTRUM & SUPERIOR HEAT DISSIPATION: Consists of 660nm red light, 3000K 5000K white light, and 730nm Infrared (IR) light, emits a wide waveband to provide plants in all stages from veg to flower with everything they need in the natural sunlight. Silent fan-less design. The large areas of solid aluminum heat-sinks is essential for heat dissipation while ensuring a long lifespan."

​

One key takeaway I noticed after stepping back and looking at the lights over my garden, the spectrum makes it look "HD"
I know what it sounds like but it's true! The light truly makes looking at the plant's crisper and clearer!

"LOWER RUNNING COST GROW LIGHT FIXTURE: Consumes only 150W compared to traditional 250W HPS/MH! Perfect for 3x3 ft vegetative coverage and 2x2 ft flowering coverage. 2pcs XS1500 Pro fixtures are prefect for 4X2 ft grow tent. Remember to properly adjust the brightness accordingly to your plants desired level for optimal growth."

As you can see the coverage is perfect for a 2x2 area. The daisy chain feature makes it incredibly simple to cover a 4x2 or more!
Upon setting them up and adjusting height, following the booklet provided with the lights shows that at 12" above the canopy the power level corresponds to the amount of Par.
This means at
12" and 100% Par is 1000 at the center.
12" and 75% Par is 750 at the center
12" and 50% Par is 500 at the center
12" and 25% Par is 250 at the center

Again this was tested with the Photone app. Tho not entirely accurate it does correlate.
This will make it super easy to ensure that at the proper height you have a good idea of what par is throughout the tent at every stage of growth.

This light was definitely designed and well thought out for growing in smaller spaces while still being very expandable for larger spaces.
Hanging them in the 2x4 tent they hung perfectly at the recommended space between the lights with no extra effort.
Little details like that at unboxing give me confidence that these lights were engineered to be awesome and at a very surprising price point.

These lights hit on every detail that you would look for in a grow light.

To get your hands on one click Here

 

[InTheShed]

 

[lootznbootz]

Ok so now that we got that out the way. Let's get a quick update to bring everything full circle and get us up to speed officially!

I transplanted the ladies from 1 gal plastic pots of LUSH to their final home on Saturday 4/8/23.

I needed space in the mother tent, and they were not only crowded but stretching a bit because of it.
I don't want all my clones frying or growing too crazily while I wait for the next tent to finish up, so it just made more sense to get the show on the road.

I dug a hole and sprinkled in a 1/4 teaspoon of Root wise myco to each hole and dropped them in.
Because they had just been transplanted from solo to 1G the roots weren't bound but looked very healthy.
They didn't seem to notice the multiple transplants in a couple of weeks and hit the ground running.

I sprinkled a tablespoon of Kashi Blend at the base of each plant and watered them in with 4 gallons of water.

As for watering this past week I've alternated days giving only a gallon or 2 of water when I feel the topsoil drying out a bit.
The kashi blend I sprinkled has made a white fluffy cover at the base of each plant.

The cover crop has come in full strength and looks very healthy. Contrasting against the canna plants is very cool to see.

I placed the net a foot above the edge of the bed.

I let them go all week unbothered to adjust and get comfortable. They did and began to reach above the net.

Timing happened to be spot on. As soon as my lights arrived from @ViparSpectra I unboxed them and set them up in my tent.

I dialed them in to 12" above my net, and set them to 75%. I hung the lights and they naturally stay 9.4 inches apart.
It's almost as if they were designed specifically with that in mind?
This brought my par checked with the photone app about 700 across the net.

Then to finally get this show on the road I chopped their heads off at the height of the net, to encourage them to bush out a bit more before reaching through it.

I don't plan on vegging for "too" long on this one. It shouldn't take much to fill this net and I do not want to be crowded.
The best way to describe it is "scrog-lite" ,"diet-scrog", "Scrog & low", the "splenda of scrogs if you will.

The plants are loving this soil and I'm loving the hands-off approach to this method!
They are so lush and green and so happy! I'm just here to help them in any way I can but it's their show for sure!
It is taking some getting used to letting mother nature take the wheel. Then I look at the plants and I'm like ehh this mother nature lady might have this stuff figured out...

As for the XS1500 Pros I'm freaking blown away. They come wrapped perfectly as usual. Look so clean and sleek. Are lightweight and easy as pie to hang. It took me 5 minutes from the time I opened the box to the time I was sitting back looking at them dialed in.

I said it in my review, but the plants look like I went from watching 720p to 1080SUPERHD 8K in Virtual Reality.
The spectrum is just much crisper and clearer looking than the other lights I own.
Even the XS2000's I own have that same "HDness" to them but not like the XS1500's.

I have to attribute that to the lenses which I believe are a real difference maker with this light.
It's been less than 24 hours with the lights so there's plenty more to look forward to with them but out the gate I'm impressed!

Thank you for stopping in and checking me out. Sorry if there's any confusion. I tried to make this as seamless as possible. We should be on the right track now tho!

Seeing as tho this grow is now sponsored there will be regular updates so please stay tuned!

 

[Bill284]

Love to see different methods from mine do so well.
That soil is something to behold.
Excellent work my friend.
Can't wait to see those babies become beasts.
Take care.




#VIVOSUN #Love What You Grow
Bill284

 

[lootznbootz]

Love to see different methods from mine do so well.
That soil is something to behold.
Excellent work my friend.
Can't wait to see those babies become beasts.
Take care.




#VIVOSUN #Love What You Grow
Bill284

Thanks Bill!

Indeed! I feel the same way seeing you all grow in soilless mediums!
It's an art to be able to manage it the way you all do!

This is all so new to me still, but it is encouraging to see the results so far!
I'm confident this will be one of if not my best grow ever. Fingers crossed I'm right.

 

[lootznbootz]

@Gee64 @Keffka

Hello gentlemen, I wanted to ask you all about water...

So the common thought is that using R/o water is not ideal right?

"It has nothing in it as far as minerals because everything has been stripped out"

Which then leads to "it will leach or grab onto anything into the medium and hold onto it"

This brings me to my question. If I put 0ppm water into my soil that let’s assume is balanced when we start, and there is never any runoff, is it safe to say that the leeching or holding onto minerals isnt a concern?

If the water never leaves the bed or never drains through to a runoff is it safe to say those minerals that the water “grabs onto” stays in the soil and available to the root zone?

Am I even on the right path remotely?
what is your opinion on tap water?

I have the R/o filtration system that I’ve been using and I just want to make sure that I’m not 1 causing any harm to my soul by using it and 2 causing myself more work by collecting it in the first place.

Do I have to let my tap water sit or fresh out the tap is fine?

Basically I’m asking for a lesson on water on a living soil.

 

[Keffka]

@Gee64 @Keffka

Hello gentlemen, I wanted to ask you all about water...

So the common thought is that using R/o water is not ideal right?

"It has nothing in it as far as minerals because everything has been stripped out"

Which then leads to "it will leach or grab onto anything into the medium and hold onto it"

This brings me to my question. If I put 0ppm water into my soil that let’s assume is balanced when we start, and there is never any runoff, is it safe to say that the leeching or holding onto minerals isnt a concern?

If the water never leaves the bed or never drains through to a runoff is it safe to say those minerals that the water “grabs onto” stays in the soil and available to the root zone?

Am I even on the right path remotely?
what is your opinion on tap water?

I have the R/o filtration system that I’ve been using and I just want to make sure that I’m not 1 causing any harm to my soul by using it and 2 causing myself more work by collecting it in the first place.

Do I have to let my tap water sit or fresh out the tap is fine?

Basically I’m asking for a lesson on water on a living soil.

I use and prefer RO water for growing, drinking and cooking. Tap water is disgusting and the list of poisons/pollutants and heavy metals in it is long. Lots of places generate water reports about what is in the tap water, but who watches the watcher on that? There’s been multiple instances where city water managers have goosed the stats to say one thing while deciding on their own what should or shouldn’t be in the water. Municipalities are able to get away with quite a bit in terms of what’s acceptable in the tap water and I’m just not okay with the acceptable limits and pollutants.

If you are going to use tap water for growing then you’re going to want to let it sit out for 24 hours to release any chlorine in it.

Since I’ve switched to RO water I have noticed a considerable difference. I can smell the chlorine in tap water easily these days, and I’m not a big fan of sanitizing my insides with chemicals. I no longer get a stomach ache when consuming my water and have noticed my food tastes brighter when using RO.

That’s just the drinking portion of it. The growing portion of it in my mind is as follows. Assuming the water report is accurate, I still do not know what the ratios of the minerals in the water are. I don’t know if the calcium and magnesium are balanced, I don’t know what quantities they’re in, and I don’t know what other lingering minerals and heavy metals there are. These numbers can also fluctuate from season to season so while you may know this information in the spring, come fall, they’ll change. This is of course assuming your water provider is on the up and up to begin with. This isn’t something I want especially if I’m reusing soil. A few rounds of polluted water will cause quite a buildup of heavy metals/pollutants in an otherwise healthy soil.

I like using RO water because it strips out everything and I am left with only pure water. That’s where I want to start from so I’m not guessing or chasing my tail. You’re on the right track with, if there’s no runoff, there’s no leeching. If your soil is healthy and alive, you’re not gonna be able to leech out minerals with a quart or gallon of pure water at a time.

The bacteria and fungi in the soil will be holding on to those nutrients quite strongly and a little water isn’t gonna break those bonds very easily. Otherwise, we would have no fertile fields, and agriculture wouldn’t exist.

You could definitely get away with using just pure water (if your mix has enough calcium and magnesium to begin with), and you would be amazed by your results, however, cannabis loves a steady diet of calcium and magnesium.

We like to use living water. This means using aquarium water as a mix in to the pure water (it’s a bit more advanced than that but the idea is the same), or sprinkling a little Dolomite lime into our pure water to bring your PPMs up to 50ish. Having your pure water mixed with Dolomite lime and reaching 50 ppms will make your plants extremely happy. It will give them a steady diet of calcium and magnesium allowing them to grow stronger and photosynthesize more efficiently. Without jumping too deep into the science of it, your plant will recognize this steady diet and won’t spend time/energy hunting those resources down. This leads to happier, stronger plants that can prioritize growth over survival.

I would use pure RO water before I used tap water. This is mainly because we’re using LOS and recycling our soils. It removes any sort of accumulation issues. Plus, whatever is in that water, is gonna go into your plant, and I don’t want polluted plants/buds.

In America tap water can be as high as 500 ppm and still be acceptable. The average ppm is 200-300, mine is 91 and I still don’t use it.

Since so much of what we do is dependent on balance and making sure everything is always balanced, we want to remove any doubt or chance that we will become unbalanced. Tap water is far too variable, and unpredictable, to use and keep balanced.

 

[lootznbootz]

I use and prefer RO water for growing, drinking and cooking. Tap water is disgusting and the list of poisons/pollutants and heavy metals in it is long. Lots of places generate water reports about what is in the tap water, but who watches the watcher on that? There’s been multiple instances where city water managers have goosed the stats to say one thing while deciding on their own what should or shouldn’t be in the water. Municipalities are able to get away with quite a bit in terms of what’s acceptable in the tap water and I’m just not okay with the acceptable limits and pollutants.

If you are going to use tap water for growing then you’re going to want to let it sit out for 24 hours to release any chlorine in it.

Since I’ve switched to RO water I have noticed a considerable difference. I can smell the chlorine in tap water easily these days, and I’m not a big fan of sanitizing my insides with chemicals. I no longer get a stomach ache when consuming my water and have noticed my food tastes brighter when using RO.

That’s just the drinking portion of it. The growing portion of it in my mind is as follows. Assuming the water report is accurate, I still do not know what the ratios of the minerals in the water are. I don’t know if the calcium and magnesium are balanced, I don’t know what quantities they’re in, and I don’t know what other lingering minerals and heavy metals there are. These numbers can also fluctuate from season to season so while you may know this information in the spring, come fall, they’ll change. This is of course assuming your water provider is on the up and up to begin with. This isn’t something I want especially if I’m reusing soil. A few rounds of polluted water will cause quite a buildup of heavy metals/pollutants in an otherwise healthy soil.

I like using RO water because it strips out everything and I am left with only pure water. That’s where I want to start from so I’m not guessing or chasing my tail. You’re on the right track with, if there’s no runoff, there’s no leeching. If your soil is healthy and alive, you’re not gonna be able to leech out minerals with a quart or gallon of pure water at a time.

The bacteria and fungi in the soil will be holding on to those nutrients quite strongly and a little water isn’t gonna break those bonds very easily. Otherwise, we would have no fertile fields, and agriculture wouldn’t exist.

You could definitely get away with using just pure water (if your mix has enough calcium and magnesium to begin with), and you would be amazed by your results, however, cannabis loves a steady diet of calcium and magnesium.

We like to use living water. This means using aquarium water as a mix in to the pure water (it’s a bit more advanced than that but the idea is the same), or sprinkling a little Dolomite lime into our pure water to bring your PPMs up to 50ish. Having your pure water mixed with Dolomite lime and reaching 50 ppms will make your plants extremely happy. It will give them a steady diet of calcium and magnesium allowing them to grow stronger and photosynthesize more efficiently. Without jumping too deep into the science of it, your plant will recognize this steady diet and won’t spend time/energy hunting those resources down. This leads to happier, stronger plants that can prioritize growth over survival.

I would use pure RO water before I used tap water. This is mainly because we’re using LOS and recycling our soils. It removes any sort of accumulation issues. Plus, whatever is in that water, is gonna go into your plant, and I don’t want polluted plants/buds.

In America tap water can be as high as 500 ppm and still be acceptable. The average ppm is 200-300, mine is 91 and I still don’t use it.

Since so much of what we do is dependent on balance and making sure everything is always balanced, we want to remove any doubt or chance that we will become unbalanced. Tap water is far too variable, and unpredictable, to use and keep balanced.

This was exactly what I was hoping and slightly expecting to hear! Thank you!
I’m going to continue as I have been and make sure to keep my R/o filters fresh!

So far I’ve had no issues but you know sometimes those questions get to lingering and stick like a splinter in your mind!

 

[Melville Hobbes]

 

[Greenvein]

Congratulations on the sponsor brother them lights look amazing I see a few people are running them so will be good to see how they perform, I don't know they use the 281's though.
Your ladies and their bed look sweeeet! LETS GO

 

[sjb504]

Super awesome , can't wait to see you put some beans in it..

 

[Azimuth]

I'd like to follow along if you have room.

 

[Gee64]

This was exactly what I was hoping and slightly expecting to hear! Thank you!
I’m going to continue as I have been and make sure to keep my R/o filters fresh!

So far I’ve had no issues but you know sometimes those questions get to lingering and stick like a splinter in your mind!

Just make sure your soil has adequate balanced calcium/magnesium. Think nature... Rain is zero ppm and it never gets ph'ed. The soil must provide. Runoff, as I demonstrated a few months back in The Gee Spot was 1300+ ppm. Thats a lot of nutrients washing away. Chlorine is an antiseptic...its job is to kill microbes, and its in tap water. Many will argue that but they obviously are regurgitating online stuff. If you compare the 2 side by side you won't use tap water any more. Spring water with a high ppm of cal and mag can be beneficial, but if it has other minerals in it you will need to ph it, and over time that forces the rhizosphere to comply to unnatural hardships...tail-chasing will rear its ugly head, especially if you recycle that soil.

 

[lootznbootz]

Nice to have you along for the ride

Congratulations on the sponsor brother them lights look amazing I see a few people are running them so will be good to see how they perform, I don't know they use the 281's though.
Your ladies and their bed look sweeeet! LETS GO

Thank you! Yea they are the newest craze
I didn’t realize they used them either but that’s what the booklet says

Super awesome , can't wait to see you put some beans in it..

Thank you for now I’m running with clones.
I have a couple more grows before I start new seeds

I'd like to follow along if you have room.

Of course your always welcome!

 

[Gee64]

Lootz thats a beautiful garden Your soil mix and ammendments should perform really well

 

[Keffka]

Lootz thats a beautiful garden Your soil mix and ammendments should perform really well

He was a receptive disciple, so I decided to let loose with the information on him. He’s taken it and ran with it a lot like I did, but really amped it up. We’ve got another one in @Savvage61 as well. Slowly changing the game. It makes me happy we’re not just two old men yelling at each other in a cave any more

 

[Gee64]

He was a receptive disciple, so I decided to let loose with the information on him. He’s taken it and ran with it a lot like I did, but really amped it up. We’ve got another one in @Savvage61 as well. Slowly changing the game. It makes me happy we’re not just two old men yelling at each other in a cave any more

Led really changed our cave

 

[lootznbootz]

Lootz thats a beautiful garden Your soil mix and ammendments should perform really well

Thanks Gee I am very proud of it a lot of work and research and money most importantly has gotten me to this point but I told myself when I started if I can’t truly search for the bottom of the rabbit hole then there was no point in following the rabbit.
I’d say I’m far enough down it now that it wouldn’t make sense to turn back now
Honestly the first run in the soil should be a cake walk it’s pretty much a water only at this point but the he next run and trying to amend my bed is going to be the challenge I think.
Growing plants is easy
It’s the science part under the soil I’m questionable about but we’ll get there I’m sure!
Glad to have you here for support!

He was a receptive disciple, so I decided to let loose with the information on him. He’s taken it and ran with it a lot like I did, but really amped it up. We’ve got another one in @Savvage61 as well. Slowly changing the game. It makes me happy we’re not just two old men yelling at each other in a cave any more

Thank you
I’m nowhere close to understanding “everything” you 2 old men scream at each other about from beyond your cave walls. But I’m sure glad you do!

 

[Gee64]

Lootz, ambient room temp, and soil temp in particular, really makes a difference in living soil. I try for over 80F and never let the air below 76F which keeps the soil at 70F or above. 74F for soil and things really get robust but..... the warmer the soil the faster the microbes eat the soil and multiply.

Thats not a bad thing unless your soil gets too warm and the microbial population gets too strong and then a couple things can happen.

One is that myco fungii gets overwhelmed by microbes and gets eaten, and the other is that the microbes eat all the microbe food in the soil before the plant is ripe and go dormant and your primary source of CO2 goes dormant. So you need to find the right conditions to go the duration.

All that being said, if you store your water in your tent it will warm up so it doesn't cool your soil and it will also act as a heat sync to steady the environment. If you water from a bucket in the tent and then replace that water immediately, as opposed to emptying the bucket completely and then refilling it, both temp and RH will be more stable.

All your work now is in topdressing, watering, and possibly some cold hydrolyzed fish ferts from time to time if your plants get stressed. The aminos in fish ferts are excellent stress relievers.