Emilya's Outdoor GeoFlora Organic Auto Journal, 2020, Unknown Master's Mix

[Homer Simpson]

Well Homer... there will be lots of antennas.. not just one. There will be at least 2 sets of rotatable beam antennas, one set also doing a vertical rotation so that they can track the ham radio satellites and the space station and there will be a set of wire antennas stretched across the back yard that will provide me with a fixed 40 and 80 meter beam that I can direct either east or west. It doesn't sound like much to those not in the know, but this wire antenna system will be the envy of any ham who sees it, and having the space to do this was a prerequisite when looking for property... a single lot just wouldn't be able to cut it.

The solar project has run into a couple of snags that need to be worked out. First, the local power company doesn't want to sign off on rebates on the 11kw system we have been designing up, they say the maximum that I need is 3kw. We are still negotiating to determine what I really need and if the solar company was trying to take advantage of my exuberance. Also, there seems to be a rash of feedback problems with these types of systems, where at times appliances in the home are seeing unexpectedly high voltages... enough to blow out modern fridge and environmental control panels. Recommendations are to install a $75 power surge protector for each major appliance served on a system such as this. There are many hidden dangers and gotcha's in this solar energy game... we are presently being educated before we pull the trigger on a system.

Building up the grow room has been put off for a week since we are having a house warming party next weekend and I really don't want to advertise to everyone that will be attending, exactly what that room upstairs is going to be used for. After the party, the indoor grow room will be rapidly put into operation.

The well project has also been put on standby for a bit as moving in things took priority over our time and there has not been an urgent need for that water yet. The new fridge showed up yesterday and that was a project, but now we have an old large 2nd fridge in my radio room, that I will be able to dedicate to storing and low and slow drying of product without my housemate complaining since she has a new high tech side by side in the kitchen. The new guttering with leafguards was also installed yesterday... each day has been a project unto itself.

Now we get to the girls...
Veg, Day 8
Last night we had some thunderstorms with more expected today and tonight. The girls have been brought inside so as to not have to deal with all of that water. Katherine Tipburn has more to complain about... something has chopped the end of one of her first fan leaves off, and there it was, laying in the soil down below. She looked too sad to sit for a picture this morning, so I just apologized to her and told her I would make it right later. The indoor grow room is taking on more and more of a priority as the days go by and I find myself glad that I don't have to rely on the outdoors to grow my medicine.

I had no idea there were now ham radio satellites. Many years ago I was told that you can talk to someone beyond the horizon since the signal is reflected down off the top of the atmosphere which I'm not sure is true but I can see satellites doing a much more efficient job. I was reading on Wikipedia that they also bounce signals off the moon which is pretty astounding; surprised the signal doesn’t get absorbed but then again light bounces off it from the sun. Can’t believe how little wattage they can do that with because I think it said most countries restrict to less than 100 W. I wonder how far you could communicate with someone without using a satellite?

I’m definitely not in the know but I certainly can’t say the system you are planning doesn’t sound like much; it’s grand. I thought I heard years ago NASA changed their system so civilians cannot listen to the astronauts anymore or can you actually hear them? I can’t help wondering what your 40 and 80 m beam antennas will pick up that your rotating-beam antennas won’t. Are they up to 80 m in length because you are receiving low-frequency signals that are very long? In dystopian post-apocalyptic movies, novels and such often the characters communicate with ham radios so they seem smarter than ever today.

Unfortunately I can’t see a power company wanting to help you very earnestly with a solar system that replaces their service so I can understand them deviously wanting to underestimate your needs and 3 kW does seem pretty low. I was curious so I looked it up and central air conditioning is 3.5 kW alone. I’m sure the solar game is like the Wild West so you are smart to educate yourself; no doubt there’s lots of shifty characters out there.

10 or 15 years ago the electric company, which here is owned by the government, tried to get people to go solar so we had a bit of a spurt there where people were putting them up so I know it can be done it’s just a matter of finding the right system and a trustworthy company and I am sure you will eventually find your way. I hear they have really come down in price in the last few years also; the panels I mean.

My sympathies to Katherine Tipburn; she certainly is having a time of things. Hopefully, her star will be rising soon!

I find your projects interesting because I retired recently from being a construction millwright and I can just envision them digging your foundation, putting down stone and putting up the forms pouring the concrete anchoring your equipment and assembling it. That’s the kind of stuff (mechanical) I used to do for a living but usually on a much bigger scale. Now that I’m retired and in lockdown, I’m tinkering to keep myself entertained. I have a compulsion to make the perfect chef’s knife and this weekend I built a little still to recover the alcohol I use for my tinctures. I did a test run where I ran some alcohol through it and to clean up any flux left over. It worked pretty well so this week I am going to make another batch of tinctures. Best part of that project is everything I needed I already had!

 

[BooWho2]

I have a compulsion to make the perfect chef’s knife and this weekend

Hey Homer! A perfect chefs knife is a great thing. I have a nice one I bought back in ‘96 (believe it is a Wusthov) - full tang, nice and solid. Still like new, and will last many lifetimes! Being retired is great. I just hit the one year mark and haven’t looked back. I spent a full six months or so prepping our house to sell and getting us mostly settled into our farm and the last 6 months trying to learn how to grow weed... Back in the day (wayyyy back) I was a welder apprentice for 4 years. I have a little 3 in 1 machine that I’ve been tinkering with and am gonna start a project soon.

She looks to be more of a sativa than young Kat, and much less finicky.

What is it that you see that says Sativa to you? Leaf shape, node structure, etc.? On the bright side, whatever went after Miss Kate obviously didn’t like her since they didn’t finish her off. I have found that growing outside has its challenges, and learning about them has been interesting and frustrating at times. I am thankful for my little tent (even though I’ve had issues there too ) . Perhaps when you get your indoor grow spaces done then the outdoor grows will be more of a fun challenge. Lol. Kate and Twisty are looking good.

 

[Emilya Green]

Veg, Day 9

Not a lot of change for today. A heavy dew this morning removed the need to water, and although they used a good amount of water today, they did not drain the cups.

The growth of Katherine remains very slow, but she did make some progress ... she is just having a tantrum, and I really don't blame her. No new damage has appeared and I still have hopes that she is going to get over herself and get on with things very soon. Twisty on the other hand is standing proudly with a very respectable internode length... she knows what she is doing.

I say that Twisty looks to be more of a sativa because her leaves are longer and narrower than her cousin's so far. She is clearly a hybrid, but I think she leans in that headbuzz direction.

This morning:

This evening:

 

[Anthony Suszko]

Veg, Day 9

Not a lot of change for today. A heavy dew this morning removed the need to water, and although they used a good amount of water today, they did not drain the cups.

The growth of Katherine remains very slow, but she did make some progress ... she is just having a tantrum, and I really don't blame her. No new damage has appeared and I still have hopes that she is going to get over herself and get on with things very soon. Twisty on the other hand is standing proudly with a very respectable internode length... she knows what she is doing.

I say that Twisty looks to be more of a sativa because her leaves are longer and narrower than her cousin's so far. She is clearly a hybrid, but I think she leans in that headbuzz direction.

This morning:

This evening:

Twisty is showing off

 

[Botanical Bondage]

breeders look for these sorts of traits that they can track as they try to emphasize another positive trait of that strain. When you see these markers out here in the field it is usually a good indication that you are growing exactly the strain that you bought.

Please elaborate? People are breeding twisty genetics into their stuff why?

 

[Botanical Bondage]

........heaven help us if she ever takes up Drag Racing!

Guy I know started with a solar panel, just kinda gently, seemed to work so he bought a couple more.
And an Inverter something too. He's not a grower but he sleeps warm under a cotton sheet all winter.


Better put something in on topic:



Sorry about the outdoor photo....I keep nicking the odd leaf for a spliff.

The inverter is to convert 12VDC power, probably stored in batt3ries to 120VAC power, like comes out of the walls.

 

[Anthony Suszko]

Please elaborate? People are breeding twisty genetics into their stuff why?

I read some stuff here and there. Twisted leaf is like an artists signature .. breeders can more easily identify they're work and see who's growing it..

 

[Emilya Green]

I read some stuff here and there. Twisted leaf is like an artists signature .. breeders can more easily identify they're work and see who's growing it..

it's a matter of having something other than a DNA test to go by when trying to identify a particular trait. A breeder no doubt noticed that all of the plants that did that little twist thing, also exhibited another desirable trait, such as Twisty's ability to stretch out her nodes even under direct sunlight, as compared to her complaining cousin who is staying quite short. Whatever it was the breeder noticed, he/she was able to track those genes all through the breeding project by watching for this early twist. This twist probably came from one of the primary parents, and now is a prominent feature of this master's hybrid.

 

[Emilya Green]

Veg, Day 10

After a dry but humid night we can see that both girls have used a lot of water and will no doubt need a proper watering this evening after a long day in the hot bright sun. Both plants are definitely growing, they are just growing differently than each other. Twisty is tall and uncomplaining, while Kat is short and a total whiner, but they are both working on the third node... they are not that far apart from each other developmentally, although Twisty does have a 2 or 3 day advantage. If we compare the size of the 3rd node leaves, this is easy to see but looking at the overall size of the two plants, it is easy to assume that Ms. Tipburn is in trouble.

Last night showed a good deal of rapid development going on with Katherine now... she is going to be OK. She is indeed temperamental and hard to get started, and I doubt I could have gotten her to this point if I had planted her initially in her final container... I would not have had a clue what she was doing.

Barring any unforeseen outside influences, I now am confident that she is going to make it. Check out the vigor in this photo:

Here is Twisty from the side and top view so you can clearly see her twist.

 

[Emilya Green]

Going to be a quick update this morning because today is HamFest! Despite the raging virus, we are having a huge get together, a flea market for ham radio geeks. lol it is a thing.

I checked on the girls before leaving for the morning and find myself relieved and perplexed. It seems that outdoors, water appears from nowhere, even on a night when it doesn't rain. Maybe it was a very heavy dew or it is just from the humidity, but the girls were heavier this morning than when I checked on them last evening.

They don't seem to be any worse for the treatment... Ms. Tipburn has obviously developed further overnight and gotten a lot better color. Twisty is also doing her thing... working on those new leaves. All is good in the Missouri sun.

 

[BooWho2]

today is HamFest

LOL! When I read that I seriously thought you were roasting a pig.... I would love to go to a flea market right now, even a HamFest one. Enjoy your day!

 

[oldsmokey]

Yeah I thought it was some kind of pork festival as well I love a good ham.

 

[Fudo Myoo]

Another Interesting and educational journal, what a surprise.

 

[Emilya Green]

Veg, Day 11 (evening)

Today was a good day and while the club was doing well with the first Hamfest able to be pulled off since all this virus nonsense started up, the girls were growing.

I got home around 2pm and they were well on their way to becoming dry and they seemed very happy to have done so. I gave them a proper watering to runoff and left them out there in the sun for the rest of the day. This evening, they had grown some more, and most significantly, Kat is now showing good color on all of the new growth. She has been through a lot to get to this point, but she is clearly a fighter. I expect amazing things from this short attention seeker, and clearly she is just getting started.

Half of my composted soil has made it over here to the new house now, so tomorrow I will build up two 5 gallon smart pots with my good strong soil mix, made even stronger by now having decomposed all of the trim, branch, root and leaf matter left over from the last grow. Nothing is wasted around here, not even the nutrients left in the leaves of the dying plants. Males? No problem... my soil eats them for breakfast.

Here are the girls, and part of Buddy, after a good strong day in the sun:

 

[Anthony Suszko]

You are very welcome @BooWho2. When I journal, I am trying to figure some things out for myself, and I try very hard in my writing style to include my readers in my thoughts as we all learn together. I also learn from myself years later as I read my own words, reminding me of thoughts that I had earlier. Short of treating this like a laboratory operation by logging every move I make down to the smallest detail, I find this to be a very effective way to learn about this plant.

I was lounging out in the yard, getting some sun to fill in my tan, while I watched my little plants. I still feel water weight in the cups so I was determined not to water, but the more I watched, the more I noticed a little lack of vigor. I gave them just a couple of drabs of water... not much at all... just enough to wet the soil around the trunks. I didn't want to give them enough water to add to the water already sitting in the bottom, but I wanted to see if I could wake them up.

As I continued to rotate on my blanket I kept an eye on these plants, and over the next 45 minutes I watched all the leaves point up toward the sun; the vigor that I was looking for had returned. They are looking better than they did at 7:30 am, so I think we are well on the mend. I suspect that overnight will give us a growth spurt and that by morning, or late afternoon tomorrow, they will have finally drained the water.

What I think this has shown me is that while the tap and feeder roots are working as hard as they can to deal with the water at the bottom, the top half of the container has pretty much dried out in the hot sun. The problem is that the majority of the roots that have formed this early on are still very near the trunk root, and are trying to extend out laterally, but the bulk of them are still mostly in the top half of the container. It is these fine roots that are trying to extend off of the main trunk root that are suffering in the sun dried top half of the container, and they are waiting for the next rain to be able to get on with things. The plant is still getting enough water from the bottom to stand up and feed somewhat, but the vigor that I was looking for this early comes from ALL of the roots being active at the same time, and right now the roots are simply not developed enough to handle the extreme conditions they find themselves in out here, without showing us a few complaints.

They still have not gotten any of my well water (it was confirmed this is an old 40' groundwater well) since I do need to test the water first. There is an aluminum forging factory very close to this neighborhood and who knows what they may have dumped into the groundwater, so its best to check before I unknowingly put something bad in my medicine.

I chose to go with Miracle Grow as an easy peazy all in one Nute thinking this way I dont need to use my brain figuring out strength, PH and soil adjustment.. I could look like an expert hiding my lack of experience.. I was OK, until I got over confident filling up a spray bottle and misting full strength ontop of what the 7 day regiment called for.. I also noticed the big solar fan leaves although lush dark forest green were taking on a hard rough sand papery texture and saw these little rusty orange dots start appearing in the lower half of those leaves.. I had never used this product before so had no clue I was beyond the limit the plants were able to take in and started nitrogen poisoning them by giving them a little sumthin, sumthin ontop of a regular feeding feeling I was cheating the system or ahead of the game.. All of a sudden, after things are looking great.. I wake up to check on the plants and BOOM!.. Here came the deep sizzle and not just the tips. Those big fan leaves, every serrated point of each individual leaf segment was burned ... I was lucky as hell that the plants recovered nicely by flushing with strait water for a week but it taught me a lesson not to assume or have preconceived notions about it being a no fail blooming bonanza product. The conclusion is that these garden outdoor plants like geraniums and petunia's are genetically hearty grown in the nurseries and can take the outdoor formula recommendations, but i was-and should have been somewhere in the middle having no experience to fall back on or know better... I went to the computer and started researching hard, taking the MC-MegaCrop recommendations in the group seriously. What made me chose MC over other brands was that I could start slowly at 2.0 Grams letting the plants adjust to it incrementally raising the level to full bore watching out for slight tip burn knowing then i was pushing max.. Also, I dont want to deal with anymore uncontrollable surprises.. Having had this experience with Miracle grow it's telling me that Geoflora is a bad ass really strong veg-flo product, fresh on the market with not a lot of grower feedback and recommendations yet.. Probably not the best idea to go for a teaspoon amount as a top dressing not knowing how quickly a time release factor if there is one would effect a newly hatched seedling..or in this case getting the full dose instead of doing a gram progression.. The MC base line I wrote down in my note book was starting @ 2.0 grams by week 3 , 3.0 grams by week 5 of flower 4.0 grams and mentioned he doesn't know anyone who's needed to go over that... so pushing 5.0 may be just wasting product because at some point the plant stops feeding and only wants water.. You have to gauge this by yellowing bottom leaves, slowed metabolism very little uptake.. I noticed for myself having this big heavy bag of MC I get this feeling of power and throw a little caution to the wind.. but having that first miracle grow experience i have a little bit more respect for the power of nutes and tend to tread a little lighter now..

 

[Fudo Myoo]

I chose to go with Miracle Grow as an all in one easy peazy all in one Nute thinking this way I dont need to use my brain figuring out strength, PH and soil adjustment.. I was OK, until I got over confident filling up a spray bottle and misting full strength ontop of what the 7 day regiment called for.. I also noticed the big solar fan leaves although lush dark forest green were taking on a hard rough sand papery texture and saw these little rusty orange dots start appearing in the lower half of those leaves.. I had never used this product before so had no clue I was beyond the limit the plants were able to take in and started nitrogen poisoning them by giving them a little sumthin, sumthin ontop of a regular feeding feeling I was cheating the system or ahead of the game.. All of a sudden, after things are looking great.. I wake up to check on the plants and BOOM!.. Here came the deep sizzle and not just the tips. Those big fan leaves, every serrated point of each individual leaf segment was burned ... I was lucky as hell that the plants recovered nicely by flushing with strait water for a week but it taught me a lesson not to assume or have preconceived notions about it being a no fail blooming bonanza product. The conclusion is that these garden outdoor plants like geraniums and petunia's are genetically hearty grown in the nurseries and can take the outdoor formula recommendations, but i was-and should have been somewhere in the middle having no experience to fall back on or know better... I went to the computer and started research hard, taking the MC-MegaCrop recommendations in the group seriously. What made me chose MC over other brands was that I could start slowly at 2.0 Grams letting the plants adjust to it incrementally raising the level to full bore watching out for slight tip burn knowing then i was pushing max.. Also, I dont want to deal with anymore uncontrollable surprises.. Having had this experience with Miracle grow it's telling me that Geoflora is a bad ass really strong veg-flo product, fresh on the market with not a lot of grower feedback and recommendations yet.. Probably not the best idea to go for a teaspoon amount as a top dressing not knowing how quickly a time release factor if there is one would effect a newly hatched seedling..or in this case getting the full dose instead of doing a gram progression.. The MC base line I wrote down in my note book was starting @ 2.0 grams by week 3 , 3.0 grams by week 5 of flower 4.0 grams and mentioned he doesnt know anyone who's needed to go over that... so pushing 5.0 may be just wasting product because at some point the plant stops feeding and only wants water.. You have to gauge this by yellowing bottom leaves, slowed metabolism very little uptake..

My neighbors garden looks great in Miracle Grow but everything I’ve heard says it’s a no no for weed.

 

[Emilya Green]

I chose to go with Miracle Grow as an all in one easy peazy all in one Nute thinking this way I dont need to use my brain figuring out strength, PH and soil adjustment.. I was OK, until I got over confident filling up a spray bottle and misting full strength ontop of what the 7 day regiment called for.. I also noticed the big solar fan leaves although lush dark forest green were taking on a hard rough sand papery texture and saw these little rusty orange dots start appearing in the lower half of those leaves.. I had never used this product before so had no clue I was beyond the limit the plants were able to take in and started nitrogen poisoning them by giving them a little sumthin, sumthin ontop of a regular feeding feeling I was cheating the system or ahead of the game.. All of a sudden, after things are looking great.. I wake up to check on the plants and BOOM!.. Here came the deep sizzle and not just the tips. Those big fan leaves, every serrated point of each individual leaf segment was burned ... I was lucky as hell that the plants recovered nicely by flushing with strait water for a week but it taught me a lesson not to assume or have preconceived notions about it being a no fail blooming bonanza product. The conclusion is that these garden outdoor plants like geraniums and petunia's are genetically hearty grown in the nurseries and can take the outdoor formula recommendations, but i was-and should have been somewhere in the middle having no experience to fall back on or know better... I went to the computer and started research hard, taking the MC-MegaCrop recommendations in the group seriously. What made me chose MC over other brands was that I could start slowly at 2.0 Grams letting the plants adjust to it incrementally raising the level to full bore watching out for slight tip burn knowing then i was pushing max.. Also, I dont want to deal with anymore uncontrollable surprises.. Having had this experience with Miracle grow it's telling me that Geoflora is a bad ass really strong veg-flo product, fresh on the market with not a lot of grower feedback and recommendations yet.. Probably not the best idea to go for a teaspoon amount as a top dressing not knowing how quickly a time release factor if there is one would effect a newly hatched seedling..or in this case getting the full dose instead of doing a gram progression.. The MC base line I wrote down in my note book was starting @ 2.0 grams by week 3 , 3.0 grams by week 5 of flower 4.0 grams and mentioned he doesnt know anyone who's needed to go over that... so pushing 5.0 may be just wasting product because at some point the plant stops feeding and only wants water.. You have to gauge this by yellowing bottom leaves, slowed metabolism very little uptake..

Miracle Grow is not intended for weed, therefore it comes in strong in some areas and very light in needed elements towards the end of the grow. I can easily see how you could get in troubles with nitrogen toxicity by overloading that stuff. I think you have the right strategy when working with MC, but like any nutrient system, it has pitfalls in store for those who like to over fertilize.

The reason that I chose @GeoFlora Nutrients is because having an unknown soil, I don't want to take chances, and I yet I still want to my plants to have access to everything that they need throughout this grow. I know that between the veg and bloom products, this will happen, and at the correct times. I purposely chose this product because it IS organic growing... without having to add teas or amend and compost the soil. When I give a dosage of this stuff every two weeks, I am not feeding the plants. This is the difference between this and MC or any other nutrient line... Geoflora is adding the raw elements needed for the next two weeks, along with the microbes specialized in processing those minerals into food that is available to the plants, along with some added immediate food for the microbes.

So in my used soil, my plants were able to start out, and no big growth spurts were noted and the color wasn't where it should be, and one plant was struggling... until a few days ago. It is my belief that it is just now, that the microbes and raw nutrients brought in with that first top dressing are just now getting seriously to work. I maybe should have used more than the 1 tsp in these cups. The microbes have only now increased in number to the point that they are finally feeding the plants, and we see that the plants are now getting better nutrition.

On day 14 I will be top dressing these girls another time in the solo cups, and that application should take us to the transplant stage. This morning upon checking (Veg, Day 12) the girls still are not showing amazing amounts of water usage, so I know we still have a ways to go in developing the root ball that I desire before transplanting.

 

[Anthony Suszko]

Miracle Grow is not intended for weed, therefore it comes in strong in some areas and very light in needed elements towards the end of the grow. I can easily see how you could get in troubles with nitrogen toxicity by overloading that stuff. I think you have the right strategy when working with MC, but like any nutrient system, it has pitfalls in store for those who like to over fertilize.

The reason that I chose @GeoFlora Nutrients is because having an unknown soil, I don't want to take chances, and I yet I still want to my plants to have access to everything that they need throughout this grow. I know that between the veg and bloom products, this will happen, and at the correct times. I purposely chose this product because it IS organic growing... without having to add teas or amend and compost the soil. When I give a dosage of this stuff every two weeks, I am not feeding the plants. This is the difference between this and MC or any other nutrient line... Geoflora is adding the raw elements needed for the next two weeks, along with the microbes specialized in processing those minerals into food that is available to the plants, along with some added immediate food for the microbes.

So in my used soil, my plants were able to start out, and no big growth spurts were noted and the color wasn't where it should be, and one plant was struggling... until a few days ago. It is my belief that it is just now, that the microbes and raw nutrients brought in with that first top dressing are just now getting seriously to work. I maybe should have used more than the 1 tsp in these cups. The microbes have only now increased in number to the point that they are finally feeding the plants, and we see that the plants are now getting better nutrition.

On day 14 I will be top dressing these girls another time in the solo cups, and that application should take us to the transplant stage. This morning upon checking (Veg, Day 12) the girls still are not showing amazing amounts of water usage, so I know we still have a ways to go in developing the root ball that I desire before transplanting.

Where I felt safe trusting MG, because i basically grew up with those commercial for it, along with grower video's on youtube saying they've used it on several grows and nothing wrong with using it but now were stepping up their game.. It was just something easy i wanted to knock off my budget list and be done with.. thats where my head was at early on as i made up my supply list for this grow project... but when I got to this group all the plans started to change very quickly along with the education I am receiving along the way..

 

[Anthony Suszko]

Where I felt safe trusting (false sense of security) MG, because i basically grew up with those commercials for it, along with new grower video's on youtube saying they've used it on several grows and nothing wrong with using it but now were stepping up their game.. It was just something easy i wanted to knock off my budget list and be done with.. thats where my head was at early on as i made up my supply list for this grow project... but when I got to this group all the plans started to change very quickly along with the education I am receiving along the way..

BTW, here's another thing... when doing a key word google search: [All in one cannabis plant nutrient product]. Miracle Grow Gold and regular pop up in the #1 spot.. this also gave me a safety net feeling as a garb and go product i could just add to my cart and be done.. What it is is that companies pay top dollar to advertise their products in that #1 slot and the product may not be the best suited but be appealing because of low cost and slick advertise graphics.. Same thing goes with LED lights, or any other product.. Dont go with the top listing but do the research and compare several products and features..

 

[oldsmokey]

So true!