Colombian Andes Greenhouse SIP CBD Auto Grow

[CBDMed]

I don't understand how it can need cooking that long.

I don't either, quite frankly. Except that maybe the hulls are dense. Maybe it takes them some time to break down? (I dunno, I am just making stuff up.)

 

[CBDMed]

Good luck with the hoop house! Also, was the soil cooking in a cool location? That might be the reason you weren't getting any action after three weeks.

Thanks, Shed!
It was in direct sun for about 8 hours during midday, in a climate that was about 10-12 F hotter than here.
The husks are pretty tough. I am thinking maybe that is why it takes them more time to break down. But I am not sure. (I am just making things up.)

 

[CBDMed]

Back is good! Go get em el gringuito!

Thanks, Otter! We'll get it.
This was a pretty dumb blunder to do a whole batch without running a test SIP first, but I really wanted silica in the soil, and I thought that if I added Perlite, it would take too long before it broke down, and then I would not get the silica in the soil.
But as it is, if the rice hulls break down that rapidly, then if I mixed the supersoil 50-50 with rice hulls, and the rice hulls break down to be 90% silica, then will my soil be 45% silica by the time the cooking is done????
I thought the silica would break down slowly, to be a time-release source of silica for years to come!
But soon will I have RubberSoil?? Haha.

 

[cbdhemp808]

I don't either, quite frankly. Except that maybe the hulls are dense. Maybe it takes them some time to break down? (I dunno, I am just making stuff up.)

From what I read, after they break down, they become alkaline, maybe up to above pH 8. So, perhaps they started out inert with around neutral pH, but after breaking down some, became alkaline putting your soil mix at too high pH.

 

[StoneOtter]

If you think hard you could think of a way to float the hulls out of the soil with water somehow and use it sooner if that's important.

 

[CBDMed]

From what I read, after they break down, they become alkaline, maybe up to above pH 8. So, perhaps they started out inert with around neutral pH, but after breaking down some, became alkaline putting your soil mix at too high pH.

Well, as far as this existing soil, just put it back in the cooking bin, and wait for it to finish? And then check the pH, and adjust it accordingly?

And as for any new rice hulls, compost them separately. Then mix them in, and adjust for pH?
I guess I don't understand why they mix them in all the planter pots here, then...

 

[CBDMed]

If you think hard you could think of a way to float the hulls out of the soil with water somehow and use it sooner if that's important.

Oh, cool!
("If that's important..." lol! )
Just mix it with water, float the rice hulls out, and then carefully pour off and decant the water?
How much of the supersoil values will I lose doing it that way?

 

[Azimuth]

PS do I have @BudsBuddy 's link right? Before it used to show up with the Rabbit.
Or did he get hired on staff, at @BudsBuddy420 ?

Here's the right one @Buds Buddy

 

[Buds Buddy]

High @el gringuito , Sorry man, I really haven't been spending a lot of time on the site lately. Pop in briefly here & there is all. Got a lot going on. Wife is in pretty bad shape & in & out of the hospital every few days. She's a double lung transplant patient. It's been 6 years since she had hers & the meds have caused cirrhosis of the liver. They've also found a large mass in her stomach. She keeps getting fluid in her lungs & liver & has to have it drained. Today, her doctor told her she has lymphoma. She's pretty much dying a slow, miserable, painful death. So I'm spending a lot more of the time I left with her doing what I can.

 

[CBDMed]

High @el gringuito , Sorry man, I really haven't been spending a lot of time on the site lately. Pop in briefly here & there is all. Got a lot going on. Wife is in pretty bad shape & in & out of the hospital every few days. She's a double lung transplant patient. It's been 6 years since she had hers & the meds have caused cirrhosis of the liver. They've also found a large mass in her stomach. She keeps getting fluid in her lungs & liver & has to have it drained. Today, her doctor told her she has lymphoma. She's pretty much dying a slow, miserable, painful death. So I'm spending a lot more of the time I left with her doing what I can.

Hi @Buds Buddy ! I will keep you both in prayer. Thanks for letting me know.

 

[CBDMed]

Hi all. Just checking in. Getting home late. Tomorrow looks pretty busy, but I am hoping I can get some distilled water tomorrow, and run a soak test. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

 

[CBDMed]

@InTheShed , thank you a zillion!
I just got a break. We are hurrying before Shabbat, but I can make time to do this.

This is why mixing your own soil without knowing how the ingredients will interact makes the resulting grow a potential crapshoot! Properly made soil should have a pH in the mid 6s and not need pH adjusted water.

Here's how you do a slurry test. It requires distilled water and a calibrated pH meter to work, and this is how to do it:

I got three 550cc bottles of demineralized water.
I do in fact have a pH meter. I have never used it before, but it doesn't look too hard! And I have good coaches here, haha!
I do have a scale, which I have also never used! Lots of new vertical learning curves for me today! Haha!

• Take samples from a few different places where there are roots (dig down a bit rather than just use the top - I often stick a spoon down the outside edge of the pot to grab some from there as well)

Ok, I have a pot that was soaked the same as the others, but the seeds didn't take. It has been damp very similar to the others. Will that provide an accurate sample? Because I can take from that pot without bothering any of the other plants.
Are there any holes or problems with that theory / scientific technique?
(I can bother a live girl, but if I don't have to, I'd rather not....)

Oh, by the way, happy day!!
I should add, the girls are looking MUCH healthier with the new "dog water" (haha)!
I "topped them off" before Shabbat (haha), and we will see how they do! They all look greener, and happier.
I was almost shocked at how much some of them grew. I don't know if they are going into stretch, or what, but the Northern Light CBD Autos put on a few inches, or something! I had to break out the training stakes!

All the older girls showed massive growth since Fido dog watered the water!
All that from a free "fertilizer"?? Haha! I think I like this a lot!!

• Add an equivalent amount of distilled water as grams of soil (10 grams of soil, add 10ml water). If that doesn't make a slurry, use enough distilled water to make a stirrable-but-thick slurry.

Ohh... you want precise measurements...lol!!
Ok, but first, please let me show you where I dug.
I don't know if you can see this, but I filled the rez before I planted the seeds.
I filled the SIP with said aforementioned "George of the Jungle silica mix", but then I dug out about a Solo-cup's worth, and backfilled with a local organic VEG soil.
On this particular run I did not pre-wet the backfill soil, but I will be double-dog sure to do that on all future runs!
So, to wet the backfill, I poured some of our special creek water that they put in our pipes, that had set out for 24 hours + (because I have not got the water report back yet).
Then I added some liquid myco and Re-Charge to the water, to soak.
And I don't know if you can see that glisten, but is that the re-charge glistening? Or what formed crystals in that inner-cup-o-VEG-soil that had Re-Charge poured on it?

So I dug down to the OUTSIDE of that "Solo-cup-o-VEG" soil, in the "Jungle George Silica Mix", until it got good and moist.
I'm not sure, but it was moist about 2" down, and I dug maybe a good 3" down. (I dug AROUND the veg mix.)
The water level is down about an inch from evaporation (or whatever), but the soil is still moist.
If I should dig down deeper, I can, but this looked representative of moist soil.

Here's the sample.

Do you need deeper than that? I can easily dig down closer to the rez, if it makes a difference.
The soil is moist, but not wet.

I can try to measure out 10g, but that is high-tech for me! Haha! I will see if I can figure out how to use this new scale.
I have no idea how to calibrate the pH pen, but I am hoping the instructions will be clear.
It seems to have batteries, and sets to zero.
Is there any trick to it? Or is it just as simple as all that?

• Stir it up, wait 15 minutes, stir again. Do that for an hour and then put your calibrated pH stick in the water. That's the pH of your medium.

Ok, I will see if I can figure out 10g of soil, and 10g of water, haha!
My inclination is just to mix it up until I get a slurry. Is that good enough? Or do you need 10g-10g exactly?
And put the probe directly in the slurry, correct?
Any corrections or suggestions are greatly appreciated.

You can run it on the cooked stuff in the can to get an idea of what you're working with.

 

[CBDMed]

Haha! Okay, the demineralized water burbled out of the container, so I ended up with 20g water, so I doubled the soil! Haha!
Does this look about right? (Or more water? Or more soil?)
I keep wanting to add 2-3g of water to it, but you would be the expert there.
I will keep stirring it up for an hour.

Bon appétit! Haha!

 

[CBDMed]

Ok, and I ran an "early polling results" pH strip (after maybe 20 minutes, while we wait).
Survey sez:

I dunno, what do you think?
It doesn't look too green now...
Maybe Shed was right?? Maybe rez runoff means nothing??
Wow, am I glad for you guys!

 

[CBDMed]

I thought I should dig down deeper, since we are here.
The soil was moister.
I thought since we are already here, a data point could be in order.

I weighed out 10g and 10g demineralized water.
I will continue to mix them also.

 

[CBDMed]

This is the bucket from the top view (to give a perspective of the sample area, haha!).

 

[cbdhemp808]

I should add, the girls are looking MUCH healthier with the new "dog water" (haha)!
I "topped them off" before Shabbat (haha), and we will see how they do! They all look greener, and happier.
I was almost shocked at how much some of them grew. I don't know if they are going into stretch, or what, but the Northern Light CBD Autos put on a few inches, or something! I had to break out the training stakes!
All the older girls showed massive growth since Fido dog watered the water!
All that from a free "fertilizer"?? Haha! I think I like this a lot!!

And I don't know if you can see that glisten, but is that the re-charge glistening? Or what formed crystals in that inner-cup-o-VEG-soil that had Re-Charge poured on it?

I have no idea.

So I dug down to the OUTSIDE of that "Solo-cup-o-VEG" soil, in the "Jungle George Silica Mix", until it got good and moist.
I'm not sure, but it was moist about 2" down, and I dug maybe a good 3" down. (I dug AROUND the veg mix.)
The water level is down about an inch from evaporation (or whatever), but the soil is still moist.
If I should dig down deeper, I can, but this looked representative of moist soil.

So, is the water being wicked up from the reservoir? This is good.

I have no idea how to calibrate the pH pen, but I am hoping the instructions will be clear.
It seems to have batteries, and sets to zero.
Is there any trick to it? Or is it just as simple as all that?

I recently calibrated my pH pen, which involved using little packets of powder that came with the pen, which when mixed with distilled water give you specific pH values. It's a China pen, various branding...

 

[cbdhemp808]

With 7 being neutral and greenish, and 6 being yellow, your test is looking between 4 and 5... acidic. (Update: I don't know, it's hard to say... the tip of your test paper may actually be showing between 6 and 7.) So, more or less acidic, which may be consistent with rice hulls still breaking down. Have you tested just the demineralized water by itself?

 

[CBDMed]

With 7 being neutral and greenish, and 6 being yellow, your test is looking between 4 and 5... acidic. (Update: I don't know, it's hard to say... the tip of your test paper may actually be showing between 6 and 7.) So, more or less acidic, which may be consistent with rice hulls still breaking down. Have you tested just the demineralized water by itself?

Great questions, CBD!
Sorry, I am clueless with the pen, and am out of time for 24 hours!
And sorry! I should have specified! I am still way back on the Farmer Juan method down here!

I dabbed two pH test strips (left and low center, below) in the soil.
Far left is the deeper hole (after I dunno what, an hour + ??)
Second from left is the upper hole (after I dunno).
I scratched a pen line across the two where it is soil discoloration. (The soil normally discolors the strip, so I believe that is soil discoloration you are seeing, rather than mottling. I would disregard any mottling below the line, because it is soil.)
(And that drop is NOT dog water!! Haha! It is a drop that fell from one of the test strips.)

Then because of your good questions, I tested the de-mineralized water (second from right).
And I also tested the tap water (which is 'prolly creek water in a tube, on the far right).

OH NO!!!
Did I maybe I got the Golden Shower Girls?? (Oh noo!!!! Oy va voi!!!)
So maybe they just need some more dog water?? (dunno).
Hopefully I can figure out the pH meter after Shabbat.
Shabbat shalom!
See you all in 24 hours or so!
And thanks for all the help!

 

[cbdhemp808]

Then because of your good questions, I tested the de-mineralized water (second from right).
And I also tested the tap water (which is 'prolly creek water in a tube, on the far right).

All the strips look about the same, excluding the discoloration due contact w/ the soil.

So it seems, between 4 and 5 pH... acidic.

Note the color of the test paper before getting it wet... looks between 4 and 5 to me. When the test paper is wetted, it would go orange and red for high acidity, and greenish or solid green for alkaline. This test you did shows it didn't deviate... still between 4 and 5, I'd say.

Do you have any of the supersoil left before addition of the rice hulls, etc.? That would be an interesting test.