Old Grower Trying LED's & GSC Autos

[Reave]

They don’t look to shabby. I’m not sure if that’s mag def or just nitrogen deficiency. Do you do any teas or amendments to your soil? I just started organic but there are a couple organic growers in this form like @Emilya that might be able to answer a couple of questions.

one thing she told me was not to put a bottom layer of rocks or anything and there was a technical reason I forgot. Something about it just staying wet.

 

[Emilya Green]

I have the same question as Reave... I see most everything needed here except an effort to get the microherd active and working in that soil. I might have added a few more things into the soil mix for trace elements, but everyone has the soil mix they like, and the plants seem to adapt to what they are given. The lower leaves that have been touching soil are not a mystery as to why they are being cannibalized, but the gradual yellowing moving from the bottom up means that there are some macronutrient problems going on here. I wonder too if the soil has been cooked long enough to be able to support the grow all the way through but I am assuming from your narrative that you have used this mix and a short cook to good effect before so I move my attention to the microbes. Without them, all that built in goodness mixed into that soil is unavailable to the plant.
This is where compost teas can work miracles but being the modern world, there are now alternatives you can buy and you can rent for hire all the microbes you need by buying any of several modern microbial inoculation products.

 

[Mdlroad]

It would be great to get some opinions of these plants.
Anyone know how long these normally take as i see many going 10 weeks with them, that gives me some hope these might fill out in that time.

Last night i put 4 new seeds in water, 2 gorilla glue from barneys farm and 2 gorilla cookies from fast buds.

Good growing

The seed Co. Stats can be misleading autos are usually 8 to 10 weeks in flower.

 

[Don Smoke]

They don’t look to shabby. I’m not sure if that’s mag def or just nitrogen deficiency. Do you do any teas or amendments to your soil? I just started organic but there are a couple organic growers in this form like @Emilya that might be able to answer a couple of questions.

one thing she told me was not to put a bottom layer of rocks or anything and there was a technical reason I forgot. Something about it just staying wet.

As always Reave, thanks buddy for the input.
So far no teas on these girls......... i have stayed on the side of less is better as i am new to these girls, their life being so short i have been worried about harming them and then them not recovering.
Very interesting about the rocks in the bottom of the pot, i specifically put them in there to help drainage
dude...

 

[Don Smoke]

I have the same question as Reave... I see most everything needed here except an effort to get the microherd active and working in that soil. I might have added a few more things into the soil mix for trace elements, but everyone has the soil mix they like, and the plants seem to adapt to what they are given. The lower leaves that have been touching soil are not a mystery as to why they are being cannibalized, but the gradual yellowing moving from the bottom up means that there are some macronutrient problems going on here. I wonder too if the soil has been cooked long enough to be able to support the grow all the way through but I am assuming from your narrative that you have used this mix and a short cook to good effect before so I move my attention to the microbes. Without them, all that built in goodness mixed into that soil is unavailable to the plant.
This is where compost teas can work miracles but being the modern world, there are now alternatives you can buy and you can rent for hire all the microbes you need by buying any of several modern microbial inoculation products.

Hello Emilya and thanks so much for checking this out and your interesting reply, i was beginning to think i was stuck in a dark corner with so little replies

Going to try and give you all info i got.

Glad to have someone about that is into organic growing and seems to know a lot, I have grown with good dirt for years but outside and with phenos.
I normally had made my own mixes with very aged manures from the farm and loamy soils collected from under forest floor i have here.
Sadly just under 2 years ago most of my farm was wiped out in a huge fire, i lost many 100 year old plus olive trees, cork oak's and animal buildings, vegetable patches and my huge manure piles all dust on the floor
So this year i had to buy most of what i made the mix with, i did manage to add some loamy soil from under thick layers of pine needles on the ground with white mycorrhizal fungi growing in it.
The loamy soil i thought would give me a more balanced soil, giving what the bought potting soils might be lacking and the fungi.

i bought a general 'organic' potting soil.... tested at 6.5 ph
a bag of well rotted manure also tested about the same ph
my loamy soil at about 20%
some granite grit sand, biochar
and perlite @ 25-30%..... i am sure you saw my recipe mix in my first post.
For me it didn't cook for long enough but i just got all my tent,light etc delivered and wanted to start asap.
I was actually worried it might be a bit hot with all that manure, it was well rotted as 99% looked like dirt with only tiny parts looking a little like manure still.

So no, this is not my normal mix i have used before

Your point about micro nutrients is a very good point and thought of this as i was using bought general potting soil.

About 5 days ago i got some new seeds in the post, just popped actually and got a free gift i chose of bactomatick for autos...... i water my new pots with some of it before putting the new seeds and gave the rest to these girls but know it is late in the day for them.

I watered these growing girls with Epsom and molasses 10-12 days ago, twice in that time....... i am pretty good at not over watering them.......... can you tell me a little about having stones in the base of the pot.
i have noticed upper part of pot being damp, perfect for re watering but yet bottom of pot still holding a little extra moisture, not 'wet' but wetter than the upper part... pots have extra holes and are sat up off the drip tray so not to sit in any run off.

the bactomatik i got free is only a small bottle and have saved most for my second grow.

Could i make a tea from the manure and soil mix i have?

When i mixed this batch i mixed over double and the rest has been sitting in sacks.... last week i added another bag of a potting soil that has sphagnum moss in it....to the whole spare mix..... when mixing i noticed a few of those horrible little greeny/blue balls, fertilizer (i hate that stuff)... only a few and picked most out. it looked good soil, fluffy.
This bag i added is about 30% of the total soil mix i have now....... i hand rubbed the whole mix to fully break up any lumps, turned in a cement mixer, dampened and back in the bags...... 10 days later i took some of this for my new grow my girls have just popped in.

I have noticed when i check soil ph in the pots, sometimes i hit some tiny spots of 5PH and worried that could be causing me issues. i would say 90% of pot contents is 6.5-7ph

These autos really are so different in needs for feed and any mistakes causing big problems, i am just trying to get the basics covered in understanding their needs.

My ph meter is same make as one i have used for years and always had good grows, but was with phenos so not sure of this is lying to me, but i don't think so.... tried in different soils and it does show a difference. My new mix with the added new bag of soil which i bought as had lower PH.... new mix now reads a slightly better PH at closer to 6.5PH

Added pics of the bags of soils i used, pics speak a thousand words........ 1st pic is potting soil, blue sack is the manure..... pics 3-4 are same bag front and back only added to second mix.


Thanks so much for the reply

 

[Emilya Green]

Hello Emilya and thanks so much for checking this out and your interesting reply, i was beginning to think i was stuck in a dark corner with so little replies

Going to try and give you all info i got.

Glad to have someone about that is into organic growing and seems to know a lot, I have grown with good dirt for years but outside and with phenos.
I normally had made my own mixes with very aged manures from the farm and loamy soils collected from under forest floor i have here.
Sadly just under 2 years ago most of my farm was wiped out in a huge fire, i lost many 100 year old plus olive trees, cork oak's and animal buildings, vegetable patches and my huge manure piles all dust on the floor
So this year i had to buy most of what i made the mix with, i did manage to add some loamy soil from under thick layers of pine needles on the ground with white mycorrhizal fungi growing in it.
The loamy soil i thought would give me a more balanced soil, giving what the bought potting soils might be lacking and the fungi.

i bought a general 'organic' potting soil.... tested at 6.5 ph
a bag of well rotted manure also tested about the same ph
my loamy soil at about 20%
some granite grit sand, biochar
and perlite @ 25-30%..... i am sure you saw my recipe mix in my first post.
For me it didn't cook for long enough but i just got all my tent,light etc delivered and wanted to start asap.
I was actually worried it might be a bit hot with all that manure, it was well rotted as 99% looked like dirt with only tiny parts looking a little like manure still.

So no, this is not my normal mix i have used before

Your point about micro nutrients is a very good point and thought of this as i was using bought general potting soil.

About 5 days ago i got some new seeds in the post, just popped actually and got a free gift i chose of bactomatick for autos...... i water my new pots with some of it before putting the new seeds and gave the rest to these girls but know it is late in the day for them.

I watered these growing girls with Epsom and molasses 10-12 days ago, twice in that time....... i am pretty good at not over watering them.......... can you tell me a little about having stones in the base of the pot.
i have noticed upper part of pot being damp, perfect for re watering but yet bottom of pot still holding a little extra moisture, not 'wet' but wetter than the upper part... pots have extra holes and are sat up off the drip tray so not to sit in any run off.

the bactomatik i got free is only a small bottle and have saved most for my second grow.

Could i make a tea from the manure and soil mix i have?

When i mixed this batch i mixed over double and the rest has been sitting in sacks.... last week i added another bag of a potting soil that has sphagnum moss in it....to the whole spare mix..... when mixing i noticed a few of those horrible little greeny/blue balls, fertilizer (i hate that stuff)... only a few and picked most out. it looked good soil, fluffy.
This bag i added is about 30% of the total soil mix i have now....... i hand rubbed the whole mix to fully break up any lumps, turned in a cement mixer, dampened and back in the bags...... 10 days later i took some of this for my new grow my girls have just popped in.

I have noticed when i check soil ph in the pots, sometimes i hit some tiny spots of 5PH and worried that could be causing me issues. i would say 90% of pot contents is 6.5-7ph

These autos really are so different in needs for feed and any mistakes causing big problems, i am just trying to get the basics covered in understanding their needs.

My ph meter is same make as one i have used for years and always had good grows, but was with phenos so not sure of this is lying to me, but i don't think so.... tried in different soils and it does show a difference. My new mix with the added new bag of soil which i bought as had lower PH.... new mix now reads a slightly better PH at closer to 6.5PH

Added pics of the bags of soils i used, pics speak a thousand words........ 1st pic is potting soil, blue sack is the manure..... pics 3-4 are same bag front and back only added to second mix.


Thanks so much for the reply

Hi again... well sorry I didn't get right back to you, and your comment about whether it was worth it to join a forum like this did hurt a little bit, but it could not be helped. Sometimes a member will offer up such a complex problem or show a need for a complex answer, that there just isn't time to get resolved in the time left in one's day. This week has been one of those times for me, car troubles, aquarium troubles, lawnmower issues, work needing to be done in the yard... the list was daunting and seemingly endless. And, you were getting some help. But sorry, I should have at least said hi.
So first, the bottom rocks. I learned a term lately that describes what happens here... it is called a perched water table. The problem is that the area in the rocks never really dries out, even though people put them down there thinking that they are adding to the drainage ability of the container. In actuality, because of capillary action between all the surfaces, the rocks, the sides and bottom, they keep each other wet... it never really dries out down there. Because oxygen can't get down there anaerobic bacteria tend to grow down there... the smelly, ugly and harmful kind. So the roots don't go down there either and tend to gather above the rocks. But as the plant uses the water in the container, that stale bottom water is never used, or at least not at the rate that the water above the rocks is. The water table is then said to be "perched" above where the water actually is, and you will find you need to water before the container ever dries out. Soil all by itself is designed with what is called a flow-thru rate, and this provides for proper drainage of extra water out of the bottom holes, and the better drainage occurs when the most actual soil is at those gates, not rocks.

Next I want to talk about pH. You put a lot of stock in that meter and the pH of your soil. Let me blow your mind a bit. Did you know that different places in that container will be a different pH, depending on how much water saturation is at that point? A pH reading down below the top of the water table is going to be mostly the pH of the fluid found down there. The pH of the soil at the top of the container where the soil is mostly dried out, will be the base pH of the soil, typically set to 6.5-7. 6.5 soil is actually set a little low for our needs, since we know that our nutrients need to swing through a pH range in soil of 6.2-6.8 in order to be most effective. Adding a little dolomite lime to a 6.5 soil before the grow is a good way to adjust it upwards toward 6.8-7, so that it can provide more of an upward drift once you water. The soil pH is a tool, that allows you to use the entire suggested pH range for your nutrients. Organic growers really have no need to worry about pH as long as the soil is in this "normal" range.

The gift of instant microbes (for autos?) is definitely needed... and then when it's gone, you need some more. May I suggest URB, Voodoo Juice, or my favorite, RealGrower's Recharge to supply your microbes. If you want to make sure you have all the micronutrients and stuff that may be missing in your soil mix, I would like to suggest @GeoFlora Nutrients, one of our sponsors, who supply a very good organic nutrient/microbe feeding solution that would get your through this grow while letting your soil cook out a bit more. In a few months and with a few additions, your soil would be fine on its own, but I see troubles brewing on this grow. You can also try the tea method to bring in microbes and they will do what they can with your soil. Instead of making up a tea rich in as much bad as there is good that comes in with a manure tea, I would suggest brewing up a tea with that forest loam you have around you. Just that and some molasses and bubble it real good for a couple of days to keep out most of the bad microbes, and you will have a fine tea you can give to your soil to get it activated. Also use that supply of microbes you have in a box, but do that separately and follow their instructions to the letter... no compost. If you don't go with something like the geoflora or Dr. Earth type products to bring in the trace elements, I would suggest top dressing a bit of azomite in there.

Hope this helps!

You did a lot of good things with your soil mix and I love the biochar addition that most people forget. I would add some azomite for trace minerals and I could allow it to compost for at least 2-3 months before using it so as to activate all that good stuff you put in there. Wormcastings are also valuable for many reasons, including trace elements. I think the quick cook is the major culprit here though, enough of the nutrients are not yet bioavailable.

 

[Don Smoke]

Hi again... well sorry I didn't get right back to you, and your comment about whether it was worth it to join a forum like this did hurt a little bit, but it could not be helped. Sometimes a member will offer up such a complex problem or show a need for a complex answer, that there just isn't time to get resolved in the time left in one's day. This week has been one of those times for me, car troubles, aquarium troubles, lawnmower issues, work needing to be done in the yard... the list was daunting and seemingly endless. And, you were getting some help. But sorry, I should have at least said hi.
So first, the bottom rocks. I learned a term lately that describes what happens here... it is called a perched water table. The problem is that the area in the rocks never really dries out, even though people put them down there thinking that they are adding to the drainage ability of the container. In actuality, because of capillary action between all the surfaces, the rocks, the sides and bottom, they keep each other wet... it never really dries out down there. Because oxygen can't get down there anaerobic bacteria tend to grow down there... the smelly, ugly and harmful kind. So the roots don't go down there either and tend to gather above the rocks. But as the plant uses the water in the container, that stale bottom water is never used, or at least not at the rate that the water above the rocks is. The water table is then said to be "perched" above where the water actually is, and you will find you need to water before the container ever dries out. Soil all by itself is designed with what is called a flow-thru rate, and this provides for proper drainage of extra water out of the bottom holes, and the better drainage occurs when the most actual soil is at those gates, not rocks.

Next I want to talk about pH. You put a lot of stock in that meter and the pH of your soil. Let me blow your mind a bit. Did you know that different places in that container will be a different pH, depending on how much water saturation is at that point? A pH reading down below the top of the water table is going to be mostly the pH of the fluid found down there. The pH of the soil at the top of the container where the soil is mostly dried out, will be the base pH of the soil, typically set to 6.5-7. 6.5 soil is actually set a little low for our needs, since we know that our nutrients need to swing through a pH range in soil of 6.2-6.8 in order to be most effective. Adding a little dolomite lime to a 6.5 soil before the grow is a good way to adjust it upwards toward 6.8-7, so that it can provide more of an upward drift once you water. The soil pH is a tool, that allows you to use the entire suggested pH range for your nutrients. Organic growers really have no need to worry about pH as long as the soil is in this "normal" range.

The gift of instant microbes (for autos?) is definitely needed... and then when it's gone, you need some more. May I suggest URB, Voodoo Juice, or my favorite, RealGrower's Recharge to supply your microbes. If you want to make sure you have all the micronutrients and stuff that may be missing in your soil mix, I would like to suggest @GeoFlora Nutrients, one of our sponsors, who supply a very good organic nutrient/microbe feeding solution that would get your through this grow while letting your soil cook out a bit more. In a few months and with a few additions, your soil would be fine on its own, but I see troubles brewing on this grow. You can also try the tea method to bring in microbes and they will do what they can with your soil. Instead of making up a tea rich in as much bad as there is good that comes in with a manure tea, I would suggest brewing up a tea with that forest loam you have around you. Just that and some molasses and bubble it real good for a couple of days to keep out most of the bad microbes, and you will have a fine tea you can give to your soil to get it activated. Also use that supply of microbes you have in a box, but do that separately and follow their instructions to the letter... no compost. If you don't go with something like the geoflora or Dr. Earth type products to bring in the trace elements, I would suggest top dressing a bit of azomite in there.

Hope this helps!

You did a lot of good things with your soil mix and I love the biochar addition that most people forget. I would add some azomite for trace minerals and I could allow it to compost for at least 2-3 months before using it so as to activate all that good stuff you put in there. Wormcastings are also valuable for many reasons, including trace elements. I think the quick cook is the major culprit here though, enough of the nutrients are not yet bioavailable.

Hi Again Emilya,
Sorry if it offended you about my comment joining here, it wasn't aimed at anybody in particular and i had not had any replies at that point hence my comment, normally most forums welcome new members especially if they post a fair bit and start journals.... anyway no offence intended.

Sorry you are having a week of troubles! that's never good fun!, hoping you get all sorted and thank you for taking some time to reply to me, it is much appreciated!!

About the stones, i understand your very well explained point and have been lifting and checking the holes in the pots, all stones dry, no nasty smells and some roots poking out looking white and healthy, but yes i would say the bottom 2-3 inches are still registering wet with a moisture probe when the top is perfect for needing a water..... shame as i have done the same to my second lot of pots and the seeds have popped now so i wonder if i should lift them out, take stones out and put the seedlings back in, they are a days old so should have no 'roots' yet.... always worry about shocking these autos.

I don't put that much stock in my ph meter lol..... but is all i have to go by, i am just satisfied it is fairly accurate, the moisture meter i have is a 3 way, moisture, ph and light meter, i only bought it for the moisture part and the ph readings are way off, give readings of over 8ph in the bag soil... so would never trust that one.

Great explanation about the ph being different down below in the pot and had assumed that but you confirmed it brilliantly.
Normally i would not worry at all with pheno's i was just worried it might effect the more sensitive autos in a negative way, from now on so long as the overall soil reading is as my meter shows in pics above 6.5-7 i shall not worry, do you agree?

I will definitely check out those nutes you recommended, thanks!.. can i ask what you meant by " The gift of instant microbes (for autos?) is definitely needed... and then when it's gone, you need some more"
Do you mean that these bottle microbes, get used up or die off?
It was my understanding, and probably wrong after reading what you said, that so long as they are fed they should feed and grow?
I was going to recycle the soil and add more amendments to it, adding it back to my mix i have cooking and add my loamy soil and try and get my hands on some azomite online as i cant buy that sort of thing in shops where i live.

I have just made a quick cold tea, sat for 8 hours, 5ltrs water, 4 teaspoons epsom, 3 teaspoons of blackstrap molasses, and i added a light amount of a root booster i have... here is the root booster make up

Azoto (N) total: 2,4% (p/p)
Ferro (Fe): 4,5% (p/p)
Manganês (Mn): 1,0% (p/p)
Zinco (Zn): 0,1% (p/p)
Molibdénio (Mo): 0,05% (p/p)
Boro (B): 0,2% (p/p)
Densidade: 1,25
pH: 3,0
Says on the label-- BIO-ROOT is a fertilizer whose formulation contains a specific set of micronutrients chelated by water-soluble organic acids, intended to promote and stimulate the root development of plants.

Now i know it aint perfect! but is all i could get my hands on until i saw your reply, i mixed all at a low rate to be on the side of caution... i shall bubble up some of my loamy soil for the next feed.

When i watered with this i added some of what i made to my water so it looked like weak tea.

You said in a couple of months my soil mix should be ok, how long would you let this cook for Emilya?

I also have watered the plants with Epsom and molasses a couple weeks back, twice, in the hope to help and bacteria i might of had in the soil.

So you seem to think the same as me, my soils is not cooked enough and i am looking at making a worm bin, i also have a large pile of leaves rotting down nicely for future use.

Thanks so much for taking the time to reply with some awesome info!!

Hoping your problems get fixed and next week is better for you!

 

[Emilya Green]

I wasn't offended by your comment, it just hurt a little that I knew that I had not responded earlier and probably should have. I felt a little scolded if anything and I am sorry you were led to believe that about this special place even for a moment. Usually I do try to respond to problem posts as quickly as I can. I gave you all of my excuses, but in the end, I could have made time just as I did this morning.

I will definitely check out those nutes you recommended, thanks!.. can i ask what you meant by " The gift of instant microbes (for autos?) is definitely needed... and then when it's gone, you need some more"
Do you mean that these bottle microbes, get used up or die off?
It was my understanding, and probably wrong after reading what you said, that so long as they are fed they should feed and grow?

I was referring to the bactomatic product you were going to use later. You need some good microbe action going on in there now, not later. And yes, there are many things we can do to cause the needed microbes not to thrive... we can give them tap water with chlorine and sometimes some of our other inputs can be microbe killers too. Look at the pH on your root enhancement... that is some pretty strong acid... I can hear the screams now. You probably shouldn't add that to a tea you are brewing trying to cultivate microbes.

I also have watered the plants with Epsom and molasses a couple weeks back, twice, in the hope to help and bacteria i might of had in the soil.

you have to be very careful with epsom as it brings in a large amount of magnesium. Too much magnesium in the soil can lock out other needed elements and there is a reason we usually only allow it to come in with our water or as supplements if not included in our nutrient of choice. One tablespoon of epsom in the soil is enough for the entire grow. Molasses is a good food for the microbes, the perfect sugar for their consumption. It however does not add any new microbes to the mix.

Lastly, organic growing means that you are letting the plants and the microbes work things out between themselves. Everything needed is in the soil, and your only job is to keep active microbes coming in... not feeding the plants. A tea is not to feed the plant, a tea is to supply the microbes who will feed the plant for you.

 

[Don Smoke]

Emilya, Sorry I'm a bit late replying, thunderstorms and lightning here and kept losing internet.

Trying to get some bacteria growing in the soils from the start is part of the reason I added my loamy soil with the white strand mycorrhizal fungi growing in it plus anything else it would have in that soil.
Then after flowering started i fed with molasses.
The root enhancer yes it is super low but as only 5ml a litre it does not seem to bring the water PH down at all when checked before watering the plants.
Am i right in thinking that shouldn't change once watered or will it effect the soil ph once watered?

Ok with the magnesium and have tried to keep that to a minimum (1teaspoon to 5 litres water, i see 1 tablespoon recommended) in case my thoughts on the leaf colour was wrong, just enough to help if i was right and hopefully not over power if i was wrong........ they do seem a little slow growing right now so am wondering if a good flush might help them and remove anything i have added.

I could not agree more with your point about organic growing but after losing so many resources i had on the farm from the fire i had to rely on buying soil and worm castings Azomite just arent available here...... is why i added the granite grit sand i have as it is made from local crushed granite. i also added this to lighten the soil a bit.

Can I ask you opinion of the plants in my last photos?
To me it looked a little like Mag deficiency with the yellowing of the leaf sections. I also thought after checking out some good nutrient def/excess pics that it looked more like excess of P and K, slow growth and maybe locking out some other nutes.... I am not expecting to turn this grow around but would like to learn where i have gone wrong and i am listening to everything your telling me

So i am thinking to give a good flush to flush out my tea mix i did and then add a little of the bactomatik, what do you think?
...... could you also tell me why you said dont add this and molasses at the same time in your earlier post "Also use that supply of microbes you have in a box, but do that separately "

ive added the chart i was looking at (hope is ok to post it as from another site but found on google images)

P.S. dont feel scalded or anything like that as now i feel bad it has offended you in some way, was hoping y comment may have spurned some replies, nothing more.
Thanks very much Emilya

 

[Don Smoke]

I have just collected some of my loamy soil, i hope you can see the mycorrhiza fungi in it.
So my thought is to flush the plants to remove and of my epsom etc i added with my quick tea, top dress with this and then water in with some of the bactomatik i got in that little bottle.. the plants have lots of spreader roots close to the surface so the should reach this top dressing pretty quickly.... what do you think?

 

[Emilya Green]

I would not recommend flushing... you have not hurt things with that little bit of epsom. There is also nothing wrong with adding some molasses with the bacteria product, but my point was to not add this to another tea you are trying to brew, thinking that this will simply add more microbes. Sometimes what is in one brew will be in conflict with what is in another brew, and you end up with not as many microbes and maybe not the good ones you wanted.

Apply that microbe product asap and lets give it 48 hours for them to get to work. I expect to see immediate improvements just from that alone.

 

[Don Smoke]

I would not recommend flushing... you have not hurt things with that little bit of epsom. There is also nothing wrong with adding some molasses with the bacteria product, but my point was to not add this to another tea you are trying to brew, thinking that this will simply add more microbes. Sometimes what is in one brew will be in conflict with what is in another brew, and you end up with not as many microbes and maybe not the good ones you wanted.

Apply that microbe product asap and lets give it 48 hours for them to get to work. I expect to see immediate improvements just from that alone.

Thanks for clarifying Emilya...
I know i am asking lots of Questions but that is because i know a good amount about organic growing, outdoors, just feeling a little lost with these autos.
my first job in the UK was in an old country estate as a gardener running the place and Victorian vegetable garden with two old men,old school seasoned gardeners, those men knew their stuff and the place always looked amazing, they taught me lots about organic.
just these autos with their fast grow and being more sensitive i error on the side of less is more and just want to learn for my next grows which i have started will add a pic just for fun.

Just had a response on my post in the 'problems' section and it was that they look a little underfed and that my size pits, growing organically, the girls will have eaten all by now so are hungry... Light burn or mag deficient please help me out

O.K well i wont flush but will top dress with the soil i collected and posted above in the morning and then water them as per normal... i watered a few days ago with the bacteria in a bottle.

They do look a little light green all over but noticed a little more growth on the buds today but was little.

really appreciate your input

 

[Don Smoke]

HI all, Well i went to the city and after hours of looking i found some worm castings!!

So This morning on my current grow i had top dressed with my loamy soil and watered just enough to wet it down with some of the bacteria and a little molasses... 1/4litr and no run off.
After getting home with the worm castings i took out half of the loamy soil i top dressed with and added the castings and using a sprayer on fine mist i dampened this down just so it settle down after stirring this into the top of the container soil a little. i got about an inch deep of it in there.

I put 2 hand full's of castings in a sock (tennis ball size) in 5 litres of water and left for 4 hours, i took a tiny bit of this and added it to the mister bottle water..... the sock is still brewing but cant find my air pump.

My new grow i managed to scoop out 85% of the soil leaving a circle around the seedling and what was under it going to the bottom of the pot, then i took out 4 large double handed scoops and set to one side, i added 2 hand scoops of the loamy soil and 3 of the castings, a little more perlite to compensate, mixed well and returned to the pots, this soil was a good damp so have not watered but misted like i did the other pots... Lets hope this helps the current grow and works out better for the second.

@Emilya, can i ask you a bit more about PH, i have checked the pots and there is no bad smell at the base of the pots and the stones i can see look dry and can see white roots there, nothing looks 'stagnant'
BUT the ph is very low in the bottom of the pots, like 4-5 but from above this and above half depth seems good at just below 7ph.... Can i ask why is this, what have i done wrong or better still should i worry and can i do anything to fix this?

Thanks to you all for the help so far!

 

[Emilya Green]

I can't explain why the pH at the bottom has dived down into the acidic unless something is fermenting down there... the resulting alcohol could do that. Smell or not, what is happening down there is not healthy for the roots, or they would be down there... it is as simple to explain as that. Aside from the low pH down there, anything between 8-4 in the soil is not going to hurt anything in an organic grow. The microbes don't care what the pH is and neither does your soil or the plant. The ONLY reason we carefully adjust pH into the 6.2-6.8 range is because that is where the synthetic nutrient chelation is designed to break apart and allow the nutes to be available to the plant. If you are not running synthetic nutes and your pH is within the safe range, between 8-4pH, there is no need to worry about pH.

It sounds like you did a lot of good things with the loam and the worm castings. Find your air pump though... brewing straight wc or manure without actively aerating it is asking for a bad brew. Sending bad microbes into your soil can be a whole lot worse than doing nothing... be careful.

 

[Don Smoke]

Thanks for the rapid answer @Emilya ...... I dont seem to be getting notifications though.

Again a great explanation!, no i am not using anything synthetic at all, so i think i will drill some holes above the granite gravel i used, the gravel is only one stone deep at the base so will drill just above it as i have been reading up on what you say, been doing it for years in pot plants outdoors etc ... totally new to me but makes sense.

I noticed today a little leaf tip burn and some with brown tips have curled up, like a Turkish shoe lol.... I think the tea i gave with the rotted manure a few days ago may have done that but was very weak, will wait until needing a water and then water until a good amount of run off to help flush it out.

If i dont find my air pump by tomorrow i will throw it on my strawberry plants as i know it will go bad, i only did it to get some casting juice down to the root zone to hopefully add some micro nutes as fast as possible.
i have learnt a lot from you, so thank you very much

 

[Mdlroad]

The seed Co. Stats can be misleading autos are usually 8 to 10 weeks in flower.

I know these are 8 weeks old no flower. In the same tent is an auto planted at same time will harvest near end of July