In The Lab

[SmokeyMcFly]

For true high brix, the earlier soil additions are no longer used.
The basic instructions will get you where you want to go. However, this is still a work in progress so foliar and drench techniques could be modifed. Some of the modifications are pure experiments. Others are strain dependant.
If you want to re-veg a plant after harvest, why not just leave it in the original pot?

When you reveg a root pruning is in order IMO. I like to let them grow a new root ball Along with regrowing the plant so it has nice fresh roots for flowering again. It might work fine without root pruning but I can say for sure it works great with it. My current flowering hurkel is a reveg and its a monster I did give it a couple weeks to recover from harvest before root pruning but I'm not sure if this was needed or helpful.

 

[Major PITA]

That's a beauty Smokey!!

 

[Rascio]

Hello all, I look forward to sharing and learning as much as I can. First time poster, soon to be first time brixer as well! I have been researching Doc's methods for about 2 or 3 months now and 2 questions still linger in my mind (despite the hours and hundreds of pages I have sifted through).

Earlier in Doc's grows, he spoke about using ProMix HP, while also referencing a dozen or so other additive materials, e.g. 1/2 oz of lime, 1/2 oz of molasses, etc, etc. Yet, when I look at newer grows, specifically his In the Lab thread and go to his "kit", it basically mentions only the ProMix Hp Myco, the EWC, and all the drenching and foliar feedings.

Now for my questions:
1) Given the strength and the consistency of the drenching and foliar feedings, are these other additive materials now unnecessary, or purposefully not mentioned to encourage homework?
2) The foliar feedings you recommend seem to change from journal to journal (yours and other brixers), is the method from the In the Lab thread the tried and true method, while yourself and others are merely experimenting with other strategies?

Lastly, a quick philosophical question regarding the whole process. So, I understand that Brixing is all about ROOTS ROOTS ROOTS!!! Just curious if there have been an serious attempts at re-planting a harvested plant with a seriously kick ass root system. The hi-brix method, along with the almost limitless use of Destress seems like it might be enough to stabilize a plant, and optimize a nice root ball for a couple different harvies.

Thank you all.

I will attempt to answer even though I am new. If my answer is wrong, someone will correct it, and we'll both learn something.

The kit includes amendment, which you add to the Promix HP and the EWC.
Ammendment includes calcitic limestone, soft rock phosphate, gypsum, a range of beneficial bacteria, some other biological materials, and trace minerals.

Molasses isn't used with the kit. The system is designed to strengthen the synergy between the whole plant and the soil food web. When microbes in the soil need sugars, they need to get them, directly or indirectly, from the plant. As I understand it, feeding the soil microbes directly with things such as molasses would weaken the connection.

The soil is deliberately kept lean. That way, a program of drenches (the water you give the plant plus one of three additives), and foliars (solution srrayed in a fine mist on the underside of the leaves), are used as tools to cultivate the plant, dependent on its stage of development. Careful attention was paid to the ionic environment of the soil. This makes the "cat drench" possible, with dramatic effectiveness.

Hope that helps. Three weeks til my soil is ready here.

 

[Rascio]

A previous question got lost in the shuffle, I think.

The soil that I have brewing now used last years bag of Promix HP Myco (packaged Jan/14).

I didn't notice the date til I got home, but I went ahead and mixed with it. I figured the only thing likely to be affected by the extra year is the myco part of the mix. Since the ammendment contains fresh myco, Im not concerned.

Did I figure right?

Does the kit formulatipn depend much on the contribution of the Promix myco? Do I need to add some Roots! and/or tea to my soil to make up for the stale Promix?

Cheers

 

[BrixKlinger]

erm....Super Drench?

Haven't heard of this one...it sounds.....super....wtb.....

Send now tell me what it do later.

 

[NematodeNate]

A previous question got lost in the shuffle, I think.

The soil that I have brewing now used last years bag of Promix HP Myco (packaged Jan/14).

I didn't notice the date til I got home, but I went ahead and mixed with it. I figured the only thing likely to be affected by the extra year is the myco part of the mix. Since the ammendment contains fresh myco, Im not concerned.

Did I figure right?

Does the kit formulatipn depend much on the contribution of the Promix myco? Do I need to add some Roots! and/or tea to my soil to make up for the stale Promix?

Cheers

I had same problem.....with older promix, I added quiet a bit of roots when I mixed it up, via docs instructions, and it's is running fine now.....

 

[Conradino23]

One question, Doc. My brix are going up on GA which is a great step forward in my conditions Once trichomes production got crazy, and plant goes from middle to late flowering I usually left it alone. Well, in general I never really fertilized much. Do you think that further drenching in calcium and magnesium still makes sense? I think I boosted CEC well enough and plants smell so sweet that I'm gonna puke very soon But I'm looking into building this soil for my bonsai grows basically, which will be continued, so higher calcium with slow sucking out of potassium by the plants might be a good thing, right? Brix were 14/15 as of today. Aaa, did you ever hear of sativa pheno of Grape Ape. Apparently that's what I got.

 

[Theroundtree]

I could attempt to quote every bit of helpful information just laid on me, but then I might as well take screenshots, and that is definitely too cumbersome.

SmokeyMcFly's journal is beautiful too say the least, I particularly like when he writes:

They usually all get the same thing minus fresh transplants / seedlings or CD time etc. Last feeding I mixed up 14ml GE 6ml Trans and 2ml tea in 2gal of water or so and gave it to everything but the freshly transplanted ace sativas, they got plain water. The littler plants get less of it naturally since they have smaller pots to water. Im to lazy be making a bunch of different mixes

Of course this is not a starting point, but it is where I see myself ending up.

Anyone know how quickly the fungi envelope the root system?
Also, can ANY soil used in the system go back into a trough, or something of the sort that has a consistently maintained medium ready to be potted and hi-brixed? Larger operations might really benefit from something like this.

 

[NematodeNate]

Oh yeah the soil can be reused.....I'm a newbie also so will let the old timers elaborate.......

 

[Graytail]

Fresh, maintained soil will be better, but you can recycle any of the old, amended Pro-Mix. Add some more amendment and some Roots and EWC (and water), and it'll recook just fine.

After a few cycles, we can't be sure of the mineral ratios anymore, so that does get a bit iffy.

 

[SmokeyMcFly]

Fresh, maintained soil will be better, but you can recycle any of the old, amended Pro-Mix. Add some more amendment and some Roots and EWC (and water), and it'll recook just fine.

After a few cycles, we can't be sure of the mineral ratios anymore, so that does get a bit iffy.

Note, some EWC does not mean the amount you used the first time you cooked the soil. I did this when I first started recycling soil and ended up with way to much EWC in my soil and had not as good of results as I am now that I only add a little more in each time if any at all

 

[Major PITA]

My ProMix HP was VERY old when I bought it - over a year. It is working great and I didn't do anything different than the instructions call for.

 

[Rascio]

My ProMix HP was VERY old when I bought it - over a year. It is working great and I didn't do anything different than the instructions call for.

Thank you, and thank you too NematodeNate!
My blend has already been brewing a week. I added a healthy sprinkle of roots to the top, and worked it in to the top few inches. There was a noticeable temperature gradient from the surface to deeper levels. There was quite a bit of condensation on the lid too so looks like I'll be good to go in three weeks.

 

[Theroundtree]

So, how do I go about purchasing, or at least discuss, purchasing these kits?

 

[Doc Bud]

So, how do I go about purchasing, or at least discuss, purchasing these kits?

Please check your Private Messages.

 

[Doc Bud]

erm....Super Drench?

Haven't heard of this one...it sounds.....super....wtb.....

Send now tell me what it do later.

OK......The Super Drench

First of all, not every plant needs this. Specifically, this drench is designed to be used after the Cat Drench in order to avoid the flat period that seems to follow the furious bloom response to the Cat Drench. You don't know if your plant needs this until you grow it out once or twice and get used to it's behavior.

If it goes flat, slightly yellow at the top, that sort of thing, this drench will help. It will also cause light feeders to curl up in a most twisted fashion so remember! It's not a Safety Drench.....It's a Super Drench. Not all plants need it!

5 gallons water
4-8 ounces Transplant
10 mils Tea.

I advise starting at 6 oz. the first time and adjusting up or down next time, based on the plant's response.

Transplant was recently reformulated with Calcium Nitrate instead of Chilean Nitrate, so there's no worry about sodium.

It's not like the yield and quality haven't been good.....and the plants that go flat always turn around and pack it on....but this drench will allow certain strains another week of early and mid-bloom growth that they wouldn't have otherwise.

Use it at your own risk! Be advised, not all strains need it.

 

[Aaron Quix]

This will be the year I try High Brix. I wonder if the boss (and Doc of course) would let me do a review on the kit...?
Pm me brother

 

[Doc Bud]

This will be the year I try High Brix. I wonder if the boss (and Doc of course) would let me do a review on the kit...?
Pm me brother

Of course you can!

 

[Duggan]

Of course you can!

We review the Kit every day....

 

[Dutty Panty]

Damn duggs I was gonna post the exact same thing no joke