Girl Scout Cookies By Homer Simpson

[Homer Simpson]

Code: RED

The Ganja Gods just reminded me why one should always remain humble about the state of one’s plants because my pride and joy, plant number 1, just overnight has developed a leaf issue.

The double photo below shows plant number 1 yesterday on the left and less than 24 hours later on the right with a damaged leaf in the lower left of the photo. It is very rare for me to have this kind of deficiency in the vegetative state and especially this early in veg. I was afraid pushing it this quickly to 3 g per gallon MC would give me burn tips instead when I went to 3 g per gallon the plant perked up a fair bit and greened up but after the second watering yesterday at 3 g I get this. Surprising.

It is a little perplexing because I have all the classic symptoms of a plant that needs more feeding i.e., not overly greened, no significantly burned tips and middle leaf damage, but I’m already at 3 g per gallon which is pretty high for this stage of life.

I often take my plants several weeks into flower at 3 ½ g per gallon so it’s hard to believe this thing needs more but all signs are saying so, therefore next watering they will all be getting 3.5 g per gallon MC. This is the razor’s edge I was talking about with chemical fertilizers between too much and not enough and why I have wanted to try some organic fertilizers for a while.

I wonder if anybody else is finding this strain to be a heavy feeder?

Other than her minor leaf damage she's looking pretty good. Since I have been having some leaf issues I was thinking instead of just growing two plants indoors of this variety the same way maybe I will put one in plain old pro mix HP like I always do and maybe I will try a super soil concoction for the other one along with MC and see what difference it makes.

Edit: the last photo is not of plant number 1 like I stated in this post previously instead it is number three. D'oh!

 

[Kismet]

Bump up the cal mag and the N a bit.

 

[Kismet]

They look yellow dude.

 

[Homer Simpson]

Bump up the cal mag and the N a bit.

They look yellow dude.

I have been thinking the same thing for a while, that they seem yellow, but the thing is compared to previous grows I have been giving them pretty high dosages of nutrients for their age. Right now I have a Northern Lights about a week into flower that's about 5 feet tall which is nice and green and healthy on 3 1/2 g per gallon of MC and this young little thing is looking sickly on 3 g per gallon MC.

So what I am saying is I agree with your diagnosis so I'm going from 3 g per gallon to 3 1/2 g per gallon because they seem to need it but I don't usually have to give my little plants such high doses of nutrients this soon. After having a good look at the other plants this is the only one that has a leaf problem; the others may be a bit yellow but they look healthy otherwise.

They won't be dried out till late tomorrow probably so I'll see how they look then but I will probably bump them all up to 3 1/2 g per gallon. The one that is having the problem is the biggest so it is probably just a little more mature with higher demands so I figure the rest will soon follow so better up it now.

 

[Kismet]

Some plants feed harder thinking the GSC is one of them. Feed them Seymoure.

 

[Kismet]

My Chem 91 was one of them.

 

[Kismet]

When i fed my pure Sativas too much they would just drop every fan leaf overnight.

 

[Modest Grower]

Happy Sunday Homer! I too am looking to bump up the feed for my smaller one in soil again. Also, the ones in my tent needed calmag and once that was added it helped a lot. Mine were developing the brown spots though. The one in soil isn't showing that much sign but is also under a much weaker light.

Anyway, looks good. I think the upping of nutrients is a good idea and consider some cal mag as well or at least be prepared with it in the future. Looking good Homer!!

 

[Grand Daddy Black]

 

[Websissy]

I’m a new grower but with my GSC’s I noticed they were lighter green at the start than I was used to seeing. I’m growing in FFHF soil and using GeoFlora Veg. Haven’t had any nutrient issues - in my 5th week of grow. I’m afraid to over do it on nutrients as I burned my last grow flowering plant. Your’s do look like they need what Kismit said unless you are trying to feed only the MC. Good luck!

 

[MochaBud]

Looks good to me Homer

I have been thinking the same thing for a while, that they seem yellow, but the thing is compared to previous grows I have been giving them pretty high dosages of nutrients for their age. Right now I have a Northern Lights about a week into flower that's about 5 feet tall which is nice and green and healthy on 3 1/2 g per gallon of MC and this young little thing is looking sickly on 3 g per gallon MC.

So what I am saying is I agree with your diagnosis so I'm going from 3 g per gallon to 3 1/2 g per gallon because they seem to need it but I don't usually have to give my little plants such high doses of nutrients this soon. After having a good look at the other plants this is the only one that has a leaf problem; the others may be a bit yellow but they look healthy otherwise.

They won't be dried out till late tomorrow probably so I'll see how they look then but I will probably bump them all up to 3 1/2 g per gallon. The one that is having the problem is the biggest so it is probably just a little more mature with higher demands so I figure the rest will soon follow so better up it now.

With that MC ...some plants like it, and some plants hate it, or so I've found...been feeding my GSC, FF nutes with extra cal-mag because of the LEDs suck the shit right out of them

 

[Homer Simpson]

Some plants feed harder thinking the GSC is one of them.

It certainly looks that way to me that GSC is a heavy feeder. Here is a 9 week old Northern Lights I have one week into flower and I am still just giving it 3 1/2 g per gallon MC and I was probably at 3 g per gallon until pretty recently. And my little 19 day old GSC already wants 3 1/2 g per gallon.

Happy Sunday Homer! I too am looking to bump up the feed for my smaller one in soil again. Also, the ones in my tent needed calmag and once that was added it helped a lot. Mine were developing the brown spots though. The one in soil isn't showing that much sign but is also under a much weaker light.

Anyway, looks good. I think the upping of nutrients is a good idea and consider some cal mag as well or at least be prepared with it in the future. Looking good Homer!!

Happy Sunday to you too, Modest Grower. I went down the adding Cal mag road for quite a while and honestly, it didn't do my plants any good, but then again when I was using it I think I was using too much MC. I find different varieties have different demands for the amount of MC they need but I find just about every plant has had a sweet spot so it's just a matter of finding it more than adding Cal mag. I don't want to be changing more than one variable at a time either.

Besides, this morning when I checked the rest of my plants look fine so I think I will just bump them all up to 3.5 g per gallon MC and hold off on the Cal mag.

I’m a new grower but with my GSC’s I noticed they were lighter green at the start than I was used to seeing. I’m growing in FFHF soil and using GeoFlora Veg. Haven’t had any nutrient issues - in my 5th week of grow. I’m afraid to over do it on nutrients as I burned my last grow flowering plant. Your’s do look like they need what Kismit said unless you are trying to feed only the MC. Good luck!

Interesting, that you also think they were a lighter green as I have felt that throughout the whole grow. I would have gotten the GeoFlora but since it isn't available in Canada for purchase I didn't really see the point of trying something I can't get more of.

With that MC ...some plants like it, and some plants hate it, or so I've found...been feeding my GSC, FF nutes with extra cal-mag because of the LEDs suck the shit right out of them

I totally agree; some plants seem to just love the MC and others not so much but I'm not really sure if it's a matter of dosage or they just don't like it.

Thanks so much to everyone for your input; it is much appreciated. I actually feel fairly relieved this morning because the rest of the plants seem healthy and it doesn't look like they will need watering until tomorrow so I will make my final decision then but as it stands now I think I will take the sick one up to 3.5 g per gallon MC and decide about the others tomorrow.

 

[Emilya Green]

Looking good Homer! You seem to be reading the plants just right!

 

[Homer Simpson]

Looking good Homer! You seem to be reading the plants just right!

Thank you, Emilya.

I am getting better at reading my plants but I confess to growing a little weary of balancing on that razor's edge between deficiency and toxicity with chemical fertilizers. I didn’t use Geo-Flora with this grow because we can’t buy it in Canada so I didn’t really see the point of experimenting with something I can’t obtain but seeing your Journal and the spectacular job you are doing with organics has me re-evaluating my approach.

I am planning on taking 2 GSC plants to harvest indoors and giving three away to friends to grow outdoors and after seeing your spectacular super soil results I was thinking of growing one of the indoor plants with just MC and Pro-Mix HP as usual but the other one with MC and Pro-Mix HP with a bunch of super soil amendments.

But as usual, I am a little confused about a few points. I have read that super soils should be allowed to cook for a month or two otherwise they can burn one’s plants. Since I will be up potting within a week or two I figured I wouldn’t have time to make a super soil but then I noticed that you didn’t bother to cook yours so now I have no idea if I would be able to make a super soil in the next two weeks or not?

I have read that you consider your super soil as a plant holder letting Geoflora and its microbes use as much of it or as little of it as needed. So I assume that’s why you didn’t feel you had to cook your soil but I don’t understand why it still isn’t burning your plants. Does the Geo-Flora somehow protect the plants?

I even confused myself putting so much information and so what I am asking you is can I make a super soil with ProMix HP in a week and use it with MC without burning my plants from lack of cooking the soil?

 

[Emilya Green]

Thank you, Emilya.

I am getting better at reading my plants but I confess to growing a little weary of balancing on that razor's edge between deficiency and toxicity with chemical fertilizers. I didn’t use Geo-Flora with this grow because we can’t buy it in Canada so I didn’t really see the point of experimenting with something I can’t obtain but seeing your Journal and the spectacular job you are doing with organics has me re-evaluating my approach.

I am planning on taking 2 GSC plants to harvest indoors and giving three away to friends to grow outdoors and after seeing your spectacular super soil results I was thinking of growing one of the indoor plants with just MC and Pro-Mix HP as usual but the other one with MC and Pro-Mix HP with a bunch of super soil amendments.

But as usual, I am a little confused about a few points. I have read that super soils should be allowed to cook for a month or two otherwise they can burn one’s plants. Since I will be up potting within a week or two I figured I wouldn’t have time to make a super soil but then I noticed that you didn’t bother to cook yours so now I have no idea if I would be able to make a super soil in the next two weeks or not?

I have read that you consider your super soil as a plant holder letting Geoflora and its microbes use as much of it or as little of it as needed. So I assume that’s why you didn’t feel you had to cook your soil but I don’t understand why it still isn’t burning your plants. Does the Geo-Flora somehow protect the plants?

I even confused myself putting so much information and so what I am asking you is can I make a super soil with ProMix HP in a week and use it with MC without burning my plants from lack of cooking the soil?

That is why I put MC away too... that razor's edge thing. Also, I was looking for a system I could recommend to newbie and never to be an expert personal medical growers, who needed something that worked every time and didn't require reading the plants.

I will be glad to try to clear things up for you. The middle of my containers is a soon to be super soil mix of old soil, a few new raw nutrient boosters, and Vulx. The reason it doesn't burn my plants is because nothing in there that has been added yet is available to the plants. It has not yet "cooked" and these nutrients can not be seen by the plants because they are not yet in the correct form. The real secret ingredient in this middle layer is the Vulx. Over time, that layer will cook the nutrients into it, but for now it is mostly plant holder.

The actual supersoil in the bottom layer of each of my containers is a professionally pre-cooked supersoil, ready to go in the bag. I am using Purple Cow this time, but even Subcool's soil mix is available in pre-cooked bags these days, so the bottom third of my containers is good supersoil, not just a plant holder.

There are two reasons that this cooked supersoil, with the nutrients in a usable form, doesn't burn my plants either, even when combined with Geoflora. First, it is in a layer that the roots can choose whether or not to go into, and if they do go into it, they can specialize in what is found there so as to not be hurt. No hurt roots, no burning plants. The second reason that the plants don't get burned, even in this minerally rich supersoil is that the microbes are feeding the plants... the microbes process the nutrients from the cooked soil and feed it to the roots... the roots are not just sucking up whatever is in the neighborhood, because that is mostly just water. The roots tell the microbes what to bring and they tell the microbes when they have had enough. The organic feeding cycle does not burn the plants because the plants themselves control it.

And then, here is a point that is being missed. Cooking a soil takes the raw minerals and breaks them down to the point that they can combine with the soil. They become part of complex molecules that hold together into this thing we call soil or humus, and in that form, they can be broken down further and combined with other things. Until this happens, they are just pieces of raw nutrient that are no good to anyone. An uncooked soil may have all sorts of bone and oyster shell and other things containing calcium in them, but until they are cooked in and composted down by the bacteria and enzymes in the soil, they are just chunks of stuff. An uncooked soil might not necessarily burn a plant, but it also can not feed a plant. Hurrying a home made soil into service without cooking 2-3 months is taking a big risk that there will not be enough nutrient available in there that is processed down to the point that it can successfully feed the plant, and generally right after bloom starts, an under-cooked soil will start to show its weakness.

So, back to my containers. I don't expect my middle uncooked area to feed the plants this time. The vulx makes that area super slick, and super nutrient and water absorbent, and that will help my rootball to form there in the middle. The bottom supersoil area could technically feed my entire grow, if I fed proper microbe teas once a week and used good water. Instead, I am using tap water and Geoflora, which brings in new microbes every time you water as well as the nutrients needed for that round. Mostly, Geoflora is feeding my grow, but with the microbes and fungi working, some of the middle also becomes useful and all of the bottom supersoil is being used... My plants have all they need, and then some... but again, because it is the organic feeding cycle running things, no burning is happening.

can I make a super soil with ProMix HP in a week and use it with MC without burning my plants from lack of cooking the soil?

You could, because MC is totally taking over the feeding cycle and it doesn't matter what raw stuff is in the uncooked new supersoil mix. Microbes are not in use in a MC grow and can not thrive, because the plants get everything they need in with the water, and would never ask microbes for anything else via the organic feeding cycle. Your new supersoil mix would silently cook during the duration of this grow, just functioning as a plant holder for now. I wonder though about the utility of doing this, since it would be just as easy (and less risky) to compost the new soil separate from the grow, while letting the MC work in any cheap old soil, just to hold up the plants.

 

[Homer Simpson]

That is why I put MC away too... that razor's edge thing. Also, I was looking for a system I could recommend to newbie and never to be an expert personal medical growers, who needed something that worked every time and didn't require reading the plants.

I will be glad to try to clear things up for you. The middle of my containers is a soon to be super soil mix of old soil, a few new raw nutrient boosters, and Vulx. The reason it doesn't burn my plants is because nothing in there that has been added yet is available to the plants. It has not yet "cooked" and these nutrients can not be seen by the plants because they are not yet in the correct form. The real secret ingredient in this middle layer is the Vulx. Over time, that layer will cook the nutrients into it, but for now it is mostly plant holder.

The actual supersoil in the bottom layer of each of my containers is a professionally pre-cooked supersoil, ready to go in the bag. I am using Purple Cow this time, but even Subcool's soil mix is available in pre-cooked bags these days, so the bottom third of my containers is good supersoil, not just a plant holder.

There are two reasons that this cooked supersoil, with the nutrients in a usable form, doesn't burn my plants either, even when combined with Geoflora. First, it is in a layer that the roots can choose whether or not to go into, and if they do go into it, they can specialize in what is found there so as to not be hurt. No hurt roots, no burning plants. The second reason that the plants don't get burned, even in this minerally rich supersoil is that the microbes are feeding the plants... the microbes process the nutrients from the cooked soil and feed it to the roots... the roots are not just sucking up whatever is in the neighborhood, because that is mostly just water. The roots tell the microbes what to bring and they tell the microbes when they have had enough. The organic feeding cycle does not burn the plants because the plants themselves control it.

And then, here is a point that is being missed. Cooking a soil takes the raw minerals and breaks them down to the point that they can combine with the soil. They become part of complex molecules that hold together into this thing we call soil or humus, and in that form, they can be broken down further and combined with other things. Until this happens, they are just pieces of raw nutrient that are no good to anyone. An uncooked soil may have all sorts of bone and oyster shell and other things containing calcium in them, but until they are cooked in and composted down by the bacteria and enzymes in the soil, they are just chunks of stuff. An uncooked soil might not necessarily burn a plant, but it also can not feed a plant. Hurrying a home made soil into service without cooking 2-3 months is taking a big risk that there will not be enough nutrient available in there that is processed down to the point that it can successfully feed the plant, and generally right after bloom starts, an under-cooked soil will start to show its weakness.

So, back to my containers. I don't expect my middle uncooked area to feed the plants this time. The vulx makes that area super slick, and super nutrient and water absorbent, and that will help my rootball to form there in the middle. The bottom supersoil area could technically feed my entire grow, if I fed proper microbe teas once a week and used good water. Instead, I am using tap water and Geoflora, which brings in new microbes every time you water as well as the nutrients needed for that round. Mostly, Geoflora is feeding my grow, but with the microbes and fungi working, some of the middle also becomes useful and all of the bottom supersoil is being used... My plants have all they need, and then some... but again, because it is the organic feeding cycle running things, no burning is happening.

You could, because MC is totally taking over the feeding cycle and it doesn't matter what raw stuff is in the uncooked new supersoil mix. Microbes are not in use in a MC grow and can not thrive, because the plants get everything they need in with the water, and would never ask microbes for anything else via the organic feeding cycle. Your new supersoil mix would silently cook during the duration of this grow, just functioning as a plant holder for now. I wonder though about the utility of doing this, since it would be just as easy (and less risky) to compost the new soil separate from the grow, while letting the MC work in any cheap old soil, just to hold up the plants.

Thank you so very much for taking the time to reply with such an in-depth response; it is much appreciated.

I was unsure about the utility of combining MC with super soil also so after reading your expert analysis I don't see the point either. Since that doesn't make sense I guess I will just finish out the comparative grow with MC but after this, I will look into going organic more seriously. There has to be something available in Canada that can replace GeoFlora that I can use with a super soil.

Thanks again.

 

[Homer Simpson]

Since @Emilya doesn't believe my last-minute Hail Mary idea about using a super soil for my second GSC plant makes a lot of sense I shall concede to her superior knowledge and forgo that but in the intervening time, I have had an epiphany for my second plant.

I recently generously received the Remo seven-part nutrient system for winning the 420 photo contest and it struck me that it would be a rather interesting comparison grow between it and MC. I have always wonder if this razor-thin sweet spot between deficiency and toxicity is specific to MC or if all chemical fertilizers share the same shortcoming.

Besides, MC is the cheapest one-part nutrient system available for cannabis so it will be very interesting to see how a seven-part rather top-shelf nutrient compares. Within a week or two I will be up potting to 10-gallon pots so that's when I will start the second plant on the Remo system. Should be interesting because I have read pretty positive reviews about the Remo system.

This is the stuff I was sent along with a convenient little measuring cup. This should be fun because there's no point in growing my two plants exactly the same.

 

[420]

Since @Emilya doesn't believe my last-minute Hail Mary idea about using a super soil for my second GSC plant makes a lot of sense I shall concede to her superior knowledge and forgo that but in the intervening time, I have had an epiphany for my second plant.

I recently generously received the Remo seven-part nutrient system for winning the 420 photo contest and it struck me that it would be a rather interesting comparison grow between it and MC. I have always wonder if this razor-thin sweet spot between deficiency and toxicity is specific to MC or if all chemical fertilizers share the same shortcoming.

Besides, MC is the cheapest one-part nutrient system available for cannabis so it will be very interesting to see how a seven-part rather top-shelf nutrient compares. Within a week or two I will be up potting to 10-gallon pots so that's when I will start the second plant on the Remo system. Should be interesting because I have read pretty positive reviews about the Remo system.

This is the stuff I was sent along with a convenient little measuring cup. This should be fun because there's no point in growing my two plants exactly the same.

Trying to wrap my head around this. I thought we agreed to no comparisons in this GSC sponsored comparative grow, especially with the one you are using that has been overly promoted here in the past, against our sponsors who were gracious enough to donate all of these products for this sponsored grow journal.

We gotta draw the line somewhere man, fair is fair.

I don't see any issues with changing to Remo, that is actually encouraged.

What we don't want is you constantly talking about MC and comparing it to our sponsored products in this specific comparative grow. Maybe in another journal down the road, but this one has specific guidelines that we would appreciate you sticking with. Everyone is going by the same exact guidelines, and we must treat everyone equally.

 

[Homer Simpson]

I thought this comparative grow would be a lot of fun but everything I do I get it in shit over. I'm done.

Trying to wrap my head around this. I thought we agreed to no comparisons in this GSC sponsored comparative grow, especially with the one you are using that has been overly promoted here in the past, against our sponsors who were gracious enough to donate all of these products for this sponsored grow journal.

We gotta draw the line somewhere man, fair is fair.

I don't see any issues with changing to Remo, that is actually encouraged.

What we don't want is you constantly talking about MC and comparing it to our sponsored products in this specific comparative grow. Maybe in another journal down the road, but this one has specific guidelines that we would appreciate you sticking with. Everyone is going by the same exact guidelines, and we must treat everyone equally.

 

[420]

I thought this comparative grow would be a lot of fun but everything I do I get it in shit over. I'm done.

I'm very sorry to hear this and will move your journal to abandoned. It's a shame you had to tap out for something so insignificant.

I'm not sure about what else you're referring to that went wrong here. The only thing I know of was you trying to redesign our trademarked logo to place on your photos, which I explained we didn't want and provided you with a format of our logo you could use.

I really love your photography and was hoping to bring your skills on board as a product reviewer, however it appears that you're not interested in respecting us, our sponsors and/or our guidelines. Therefore I retract my offer and wish you well.

If you change your mind about the GSC comparative grow, you know where to find me.