How to get started growing indoors organically - No bottles

[COorganics]

Thanks closed circuit and sue for the responses so far. Come on (other)guys what do you think? What have you heard?

 

[newoldguy]

I answered both. There isn't much to say about mineral ratios. If you get it tested then you will know. But I guess I don't believe in "perfect" proportions. In the great outdoors every soil has its properties and variances.

I think the difference between soils, ie mineral variance, is what gives (outdoor grown) plants their taste variety,
you might get a spicy columbian from one acre and a mile away get just a so-so taste.

It might be worthwhile to grow clones and change the mineral proportions between a few of them and check the taste when done.

Just some rambling thoughts.

 

[PlanetJ]

On flushing, we already have an excellent topic. I will not flush again after reading it in any case
A critical look at preharvest flushing

Nutrient levels ... dunno .. without a soil test, it would be either guessing, or a pretty amount of manual labour, finding the composition of the base materials, and working out how much it would translate to given the volume of soil on hand. I'd go by the plants .. see a deficiency ? Work out which, and amend the soil. Given that this mix was tailored to cannabis, I feel no real need to doubt the mix up-front, given the stellar results I see with it.

 

[Conradino23]

Outdoor you rely on your soil like I do for example, even if I provide more nitrogen, calcium, magnesium and potassium to boost vigor and strength. Indoor you rely on a fair description of your store bought soil and you try to figure how much is too much and how much is too little. High brixers for example mix Promix with EWC and later get on with their drenches + foliar feeding, but I saw a lot of problems in these grows anyway as nutrient needs are strain dependent! Then it all depends on ths amount of lumens plant get, and the size of its rootball. Short answer is, the less light and the smaller pot your plant has the less nutrients you should put in, especially nitrogen which in abundance can really lead to fluffy buds and harsher taste. I verified it on two strains grown in the same conditions and I'm convinced it checks. The best way to go in my opinion is to put minimal amount of NPK, even lock it out slightly by putting more uncomposted organic matter and boost the level if needed with compost, EWC or hyperaccumulator tea. This approach works fine.

 

[COorganics]

Thanks guys.

 

[Tomtos]

Hey COorganics, thanks so much for posting this thread!

I'm living here in Oregon and am getting prepped for my first grow. Since Im a recreational user and I must keep everything above board here at my house, I will be waiting till July to start the fun. I have been doing a lot of research mostly here online and at my local indoor garden shop. The only real question mark in my plan has been what kind of medium to use.

Because I am planning to use CFL's initially, I came across Sweetsue's journal. Needless to say... After seeing her AMAZING results and following the link to this thread I think that my medium question has finally been answered!

This way of doing it just seems to be ideal, even for a beginner like me. For now I have just ordered the CC style nutrient kit from Buildasoil and will source the rest of the ingredients locally so i can start getting my soil ready now.

I just wanted to take a second to say thanks to you and everyone else posting on here, asking great questions and posting links! I've read everything in here and all of the links. I'm still ready to go LOS!

Look for my first journal in a few months and I'm sure I'll have questions once I get going.
Take care till then!

 

[COorganics]

I had a long post typed out but I was waiting to actually post it, then I lost it. Bummer!

 

[COorganics]

Tomtos, welcome aboard, and FYI you can go to the concentrates store in Oregon for everything you need to get set up soil wise.

Edit:
You may find this one helpful if you read through the whole thing + links. There is gold in there.
COorganics - All Natural - No-Till With ACT's - Winter Attic Grow

 

[PlanetJ]

Thanks for that ... get it in your signature bud

 

[PlanetJ]

The issue with your topics, CoOrganics, is that before I know it, I have 20 tabs open and forgot where I was Loving it tho

 

[COorganics]

I don't like to add to signature. This way it filters it a little. I only wanna help those who are already looking for the right path. I don't wanna discuss myth based gardening every 10 minutes.

 

[PlanetJ]

Whut ? Are you .... the Lord ? (helping those that help themselves )

Roger, I will just have to create a bookmark library then

 

[ClosedCircuit]

I don't like to add to signature. This way it filters it a little. I only wanna help those who are already looking for the right path. I don't wanna discuss myth based gardening every 10 minutes.

You should at least link some of your other journals in the beginning of this thread. I'm not sure how often people will look through another users profile for their journals.

 

[PlanetJ]

For the love of God, do NOT forget the Bio-Char!

I missed this earlier or forgot to ask .. what is bio-char, and what does it do, and where do I add it ?

 

[36Gr0w]

Frequently Asked Questions about Biochar | International Biochar Initiative

 

[Conradino23]

Bio-char is basically carbon, semi burnt wood which you use to stimulate nitrification and hold onto nitrogen in the same time. It's a perfect home for mycos and bacteria. There have been studies done on bio-char and if you're interested there's already a topic in this section, jusy click back.

 

[COorganics]

I'm trying to make biochar in my wood stove at home, I'll let you know how that works.
Basically, I am thinking of loading up the woodstove and cranking on fullbore until it's all red hot coals and then just completely sealing it off and putting into new fresh logs it's a lack of oxygen and high heat I think I will be able to make good biochar fairly easily that way. I have local nettle kill lodgepole pine to work with.

 

[COorganics]

Pyrolysis - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I don't see why I can't do this in my wood stove. If I do it a lot I better clean chimney more frequently though.

 

[PlanetJ]

Could the LOS gods please comment on this ?

 

[ClosedCircuit]

I missed this earlier or forgot to ask .. what is bio-char, and what does it do, and where do I add it ?

I was joking/being overly serious...but it is helpful to the soil.