Mr. Bubbles Brix Journal

[Shrike]

I, also plan on having some HB raised bed gardens in my yard. Should be a blast learning to create the
best tasting vegetables I'm sure I've ever eaten.

And, I'd be glad to post up my grows with HB in the Fall. I'm learning so much from Doc Bud and the rest of you guys
that I'd be honored to help others learn in kind...

 

[FaTalPsYcHo]

That is the best damn read ever! The Doc Bud Instruction Manual has fantastic points and information.

 

[PakaloloHawaii]

High brix is going to be one of the most popular growing methods post prohibition imo. Personally I plan to work at integrating hb into all my gardening. I've always hated veggies but I've heard that high brix veggies taste amazing even to carnivores like myself lol.

Ironically I live in a very large farming community but still have limited access to labs and suppliers to create my own high brix. Ideally I'd use backyard soil with a specially formulated amendment.

I have a lot to learn yet. I'm only getting started but it's pretty smooth sailing so far.

I'll be looking for your hb in the fall

Doc can get your soil tested and amended! Shoot him a line I'm sure he'd love to help

 

[mrbubbles87]

I, also plan on having some HB raised bed gardens in my yard. Should be a blast learning to create the
best tasting vegetables I'm sure I've ever eaten.

And, I'd be glad to post up my grows with HB in the Fall. I'm learning so much from Doc Bud and the rest of you guys
that I'd be honored to help others learn in kind...

Growing is really a lifestyle versus a hobby imo. I used to think hippies in self sustaining communities were nuts. Now I'm starting to think I'm the crazy one for trying to be "normal" lol.
I really wish I would've known about guys like jack herer, Marc emery, and Howard marks when I was younger. It was hell living in the middle of a drug war as a kid. Seeing people arrested all the time and constantly being told what's right and wrong. I feel fortunate that I was able to open my eyes at a young age. Once you see the truth it's not confusing anymore. It's actually quite disturbing to read about all of the lies we've been told for so long.

Whoa sorry for the rant there. Late night dabs lol.... Where was I again?

Oh ya, vegetable garden... I hate vegetables dude. Can't stand any of them since I was a kid. Recently I saw a video that made me rethink my opinion tho. Basically they said that when food doesn't taste good it's because it's bad for you. They said many adults train themselves to eat food that really doesn't taste good because they think it's healthy but the truth is most grocery store vegetables have very low nutrients so they don't taste good and don't do much for us but if they were high brix they wouldtaste good because they are dense in nutrients and they would be good for us.

Doc and everyone on here are all amazing growers. I've learned a ton but one piece of advice from one rookie to another is to practice. You can read and read all day everyday until your eyes go numb. Trust me I have but 100 books won't equal 1 month of doing it. If anything it just confuses you more lol.

That is the best damn read ever! The Doc Bud Instruction Manual has fantastic points and information.

It seems a lot more confusing when you read it too. Once I started that's when I realized how simple this is. I really can't wait for his website though.

Doc can get your soil tested and amended! Shoot him a line I'm sure he'd love to help

Thanks!

I've read that as well That's where I found out how prevalent soil testing labs are.

I'm actually planning a pretty big move this summer so I won't be high brixing outdoors til next spring.

I'm really just getting my feet wet still. I can easily see the future behind this kind of gardening. I just can't wait to try my first one. Gonna be awhile. Will be putting the HB girls into flower within a week!

 

[NorCalRider]

I'm in for the ride. I just ordered a setup from Doc and should be cooking my soil next week. Thanks for sharing your experiences.

NCR

 

[mrbubbles87]

I'm in for the ride. I just ordered a setup from Doc and should be cooking my soil next week. Thanks for sharing your experiences.

NCR

Thanks! Should be pretty interesting. I'm already seeing some great side by side results. Looking forward to seeing your grow too!

 

[josh223]

Growing is really a lifestyle versus a hobby imo. I used to think hippies in self sustaining communities were nuts. Now I'm starting to think I'm the crazy one for trying to be "normal" lol.
I really wish I would've known about guys like jack herer, Marc emery, and Howard marks when I was younger.

Whoa sorry for the rant there. Late night dabs lol.... Where was I again?

No B.S, I've met Marc personally-i.e less than five people present, on three occasions. The first was, I believe, in '94 at his former business, Hemp B.C on East Hastings in Vancouver B.C. That guy is a personal idol of mine. He hooked us up with a quap of a strain I'd like to grow if I could find a femmed bean. It was a local Grapefruit that was around 85% Indica dominant. Most grapefruits are Sativa heavy. 20 years trying to find that specific strain.

Ahh...where did the time go?

 

[mrbubbles87]

No B.S, I've met Marc personally-i.e less than five people present, on three occasions. The first was, I believe, in '94 at his former business, Hemp B.C on East Hastings in Vancouver B.C. That guy is a personal idol of mine. He hooked us up with a quap of a strain I'd like to grow if I could find a femmed bean. It was a local Grapefruit that was around 85% Indica dominant. Most grapefruits are Sativa heavy. 20 years trying to find that specific strain.

Ahh...where did the time go?

So jealous! Marc is an idol of mine as well. Definitely going to be an exciting year with him getting out

Just harvested my blue blood and it's amazing!

 

[mrbubbles87]

Update Day 28

Hey guys,

Still smooth sailing. The 8 new girls are doing fantastic and the first 2 are going into 7gal for flower tonight. I am a little concerned doing foliar sprays in flower. Guessing the best time will be shortly before lights on but not positive. Might have to do some digging there.

Here's a few pics of the Kerala x Skunk and Northern lights x skunk that will be going into flower tonight. I also included a comparison of a critical mass that's in high brix and one in my normal soil.

 

[bigcooky]

Welcome Everyone!


After over half a year of learning and contemplation I'm finally ready to give Docs High Brix Kit a go. For those of you who don't know this is a mineralized soil with "brix" foliar sprays. If I recall correctly this is a method duplicating a wine vineyard. The goal is a high brix reading aka high sugar content. Not only is this supposed to provide superior organic produce but it's also supposed to increase overall plant health thus eliminating damage from pests. I say damage because as Docs says the plants will defend themselves.

I personally believe that the future of growing is organics. My experience in this area is very limited though. I have read multiple books and followed countless journals but I still feel like I haven't fully grasped the concept. Organics, specifically total living soil and mineralized soil, are like Alegebra to me. I read and read but it goes in one ear and out the other. I frequently find myself looking at various amendments like bone meal, blood meal, kelp meal, etc. I even know somewhat which ones to add and what brands are best but I don't understand how they work and I don't understand the proper ratios to add them.

I'm guessing a lot of you are like me. That's probably why docs kit is so popular on here lol. I'm hoping to use this kit as a stepping stone to not only learn how to grow the best medicine possible but also to get a better understanding of organic growing.

I'll be running this journal as a side project off of my regular perpetual journal. I want to try and document as much of the process as possible to not only help you guys but also to provide myself with a reference point for future grows.

OK so now that the huge intro is over let's get down to details. I'll be using half of my 4x8 grow tent. I plan to grow 4 plants in docs kit in 7 gal smart pots under a 600 watt hps. My plan is to go from my aerocloner to 1/2gal pot for approximately 2 weeks. Then I'll top and transplant to a 1 gal pot for another 2 weeks. To finish I'll go from the 1gal to the 7gal and go directly into flower. I may make adjustments to this plan based on Docs recommendations. For this run I plan to do everything exactly how he recommends and then future grows I can improvise.

I received my kit over the weekend. Less than 2 days shipping guys! At first I was concerned because my bottles were all frozen and the conditioner wasn't included. After corresponding with Doc I've found out the conditioner is now included in the amendment and the frozen product should still be fine.

In order to mix the soil I purchased 2 32 gallon garbage cans. Tubs or garbage cans were a huge dilemma for me. The garbage cans take less space but are difficult to mix in. Tubs take more room but are easier to mix in. Looking back I wish I would've gotten tubs because mixing the garbage can was tough. In the future I will get a compost tumbler instead. I highly recommend goggles and a respirator when mixing.

I was a little short on pro mix so I did a half batch by dividing the amendment bag in half. I also included about 10 lbs of wiggle worm castings. I will water the batch tonight with about 1.5 gal of water that's been sitting out for a few days. In the future I'll upgrade to an RO but Doc says I should be fine letting it sit out for now.

I just need to let this soil cook for 1 month and then away we go!

I haven't decided which strains to run yet. I have about 11 to choose from right now and might be ordering more soon.

There probably won't be another update on here until the soil is done. I just wanted to start right from the beginning.

Thanks for reading everyone!

go for biobizz organic,grow bloom topmax then any small extras be carefull and dont always go with the seellers description all the time,start of small and build up to your recommended doeses.bigcooky.

 

[bigcooky]

I, also plan on having some HB raised bed gardens in my yard. Should be a blast learning to create the
best tasting vegetables I'm sure I've ever eaten.

And, I'd be glad to post up my grows with HB in the Fall. I'm learning so much from Doc Bud and the rest of you guys
that I'd be honored to help others learn in kind...

so what do you recon on the nuits fr barneys critical kuh?

 

[mrbubbles87]

Here's the pics from the transplant yesterday. One concern I have is the root ball size. After vegging for almost 30 days the root system hasn't even come close to filling up the 1 gal pot. I'm sure I practiced correct watering techniques and the plants are well above 10 in tall. Any ideas of where I went wrong here? Sorry I didn't take pics of the roots. My next round are in 1/2 gal pots. I'm thinking these may work better.

 

[Graytail]

Your plants look really good - very healthy!

I'm not sure why you aren't seeing more root growth. I typically get mine into the big pots at about 40 days and the soil is firm but not bound. Transplant drench promotes root growth, as well as letting the pot get dry between waterings in veg. Other than that ... dunno.

But they look great! Have you tested for brix yet?

 

[PakaloloHawaii]

Ah I've vegged my last round 60 days in 1gals and they were not bound. Lots of micro feeders and the root mass held together perfect.

Plants look good? All good.

Also, foliar sprays till harvest. The bud wash takes care of any residue. Don't skip it!

 

[mrbubbles87]

Your plants look really good - very healthy!

I'm not sure why you aren't seeing more root growth. I typically get mine into the big pots at about 40 days and the soil is firm but not bound. Transplant drench promotes root growth, as well as letting the pot get dry between waterings in veg. Other than that ... dunno.

But they look great! Have you tested for brix yet?

I was a little stumped as well. Doc recommended I veg at 10 in tall with a single topping. Normally I veg to about 20 in tall and top 3-4 times.

In his tutorial pics his plant is near root bound which he states will cause explosive growth once transplanted.

My next batch is in 1/2 gal and thinking this pot size will work better for 30 day veg. Otherwise I'll veg in 1/2 gal for 30 days, then 1 gal for 3p more days and then flower in 7 gal.

I think I was confused on the shorter veg time because of docs size recommendation. The Kerala Skunk is perfect size but she's a sativa. The NL Skunk seems a little small. Thinking maybe veg indicas for at least 45 days and sativa for 30 days.

Either way the plants look very healthy. Can't really say if they look too much better than any of my other plants at this point but what I do like is no more guessing. I know what when and how much whereas with my own soil im guessing a lot. My method has worked well for me so far but I feel like I've been lucky. There's been a few times where I mixed up a tea or feeding and just added a little of this and that lol.

No refractometer yet. It's on the shopping list but a low priority right now. I'm looking for the visual clues that doc says to look for.

Ah I've vegged my last round 60 days in 1gals and they were not bound. Lots of micro feeders and the root mass held together perfect.

Plants look good? All good.

Also, foliar sprays till harvest. The bud wash takes care of any residue. Don't skip it!

Starting to realize a longer veg is necessary. I'm sure we'll be fine just lower yields.

I'm familiar with the bud wash. Just trying to remember my foliar feeding readings. Been a long time lol. I think I'm supposed to apply before lights on to prevent light burns but I'm not sure.

 

[Graytail]

These foliars are designed to be easily absorbed, so you don't have to gauge when the stomas might be open or closed. I almost always apply mine in the middle of the "day", for instance - no problems. You can get some spotting on the leaves from De-Stress - just dried matter, no damage - and Brix can burn in strong light if droplets form on the leaves. Again, it's never been much of an issue.

I can relate to what you say about not having to wonder/worry about your nute mix. I don't have any experience with other methods, but I see the sudden damage and confusion people run into. No worries with the kit!

 

[Calyx Hunter]

What may have happened is when you went from the Dixie cups to the 1 gallon pots the root balls were not agitated enough so that they kind of maintain their shape and not spread through the medium as they should. When transplanting try loosening the root balls a little bit around the outside so the roots are essentially loosened from the mass.

I would also use mycorrizhae when transplanting for optimum root health. The stuff is amazing. I use the brand Extreme Gardening Mykos. I notice no slow down in growth too. I will get the same amount of growth the day after a transplant just as if I never performed it.

Good luck Mr Bubbles

 

[mrbubbles87]

These foliars are designed to be easily absorbed, so you don't have to gauge when the stomas might be open or closed. I almost always apply mine in the middle of the "day", for instance - no problems. You can get some spotting on the leaves from De-Stress - just dried matter, no damage - and Brix can burn in strong light if droplets form on the leaves. Again, it's never been much of an issue.

I can relate to what you say about not having to wonder/worry about your nute mix. I don't have any experience with other methods, but I see the sudden damage and confusion people run into. No worries with the kit!

That's the info I was looking for My main concern would be leaf burns from light but I've seen subcool shake his plants to get all the droplets off.

I've tried a ton of different methods from Miracle grow to Hydro to Fox Farm. I remember my first attempt at growing as a kid was with tin foil in my closet and a heat lamp. Took me forever to figure out why nothing would grow. There wasnt Internet or smart phones back then tho lmao

I love the simplicity of docs kit and the low cost. I just hope the price still stays reasonable when he gets hug with a website and we start winning cups with his kit

What may have happened is when you went from the Dixie cups to the 1 gallon pots the root balls were not agitated enough so that they kind of maintain their shape and not spread through the medium as they should. When transplanting try loosening the root balls a little bit around the outside so the roots are essentially loosened from the mass.

I would also use mycorrizhae when transplanting for optimum root health. The stuff is amazing. I use the brand Extreme Gardening Mykos. I notice no slow down in growth too. I will get the same amount of growth the day after a transplant just as if I never performed it.

Good luck Mr Bubbles

Thanks for the info calyx! Normally per docs instructions I cut transplants at a 90 degree angle, so 4 cuts from top to bottom before I transplant. The roots powder in docs kit I believe is similar to mycos. I do know what your talking about though. I have Humboldt mycos maximum for my other plants and it makes a big difference in transplant. I also use it with compost teas and it gives a great foamy head.

I do like your idea of loosening the root ball versus cutting. I have accidentally done this on badly handled transplants. I thought it would stress the plant more but they don't miss a beat. Not much of a concern in veg but when going from veg to flower right after transplant I do worry about stressing the roots too much.

 

[Graytail]

I've tried a ton of different methods from Miracle grow to Hydro to Fox Farm. I remember my first attempt at growing as a kid was with tin foil in my closet and a heat lamp. Took me forever to figure out why nothing would grow. There wasnt Internet or smart phones back then tho lmao

I love the simplicity of docs kit and the low cost. I just hope the price still stays reasonable when he gets hug with a website and we start winning cups with his kit

My previous experience was 25 years ago in a barn. We grew 'em in topsoil and horse manure and fed 'em RapidGro in veg and MiracleGro in flower. 10 five foot plants under each 1000W MH in flower. We had all three books on the subject and that's all we knew.

This is better.

 

[mrbubbles87]

Update Day 39 ( Day 12 in Flower)

Hey guys,

Sorry updates have been few and far between. Ironically now that I do this fullltime i have even less time than before. Between the 3 tents im now watering daily. Thankfully the hb have been a breeze. Heres a few pics of the 2 7 gal girls. Ill try to post some of the 1/2 gal soon.

Northern Lights x Skunk #1

Kerala x Skunk #1 aka Kerala Krush or Indian Skunk