Patient's Grows

[Pat Puffer]

Well, I should've known better. I started a season grow journal, though my growing never really stops. I should have just made an all encompassing journal to cover it all. Multiple threads are not as easy to take care of. This thread will chronicle what i do during the winter months when i test strains and make seeds. This will also document me rebuilding my Bonsai section after caterpillars from drying bud decimated my collection. (Sad but true) Rookie mistake and i never said I was a vet. So...here we are. I have some clones going to help replace my CBD's (Harely-Tsu & AC/DC). It may be a hodge podge of stoner stuff. Pillars killed an AC/DC and left me with only 1. So the lone AC/DC goes in to the Bonsai section and i am left with 3 Harleys, one goes in to the Bonsai and 2 go for breeding with my BluSkunk (BluWater×Skunk). So the 1st breeding project is my BluSkunk × Harley Tsu. The BluSkunk has great structure and bud, but it's aroma can be a bit strange. Hopefully outbreeding it will correct the odd bouquet. Over here we have some seedlings. These are BluLimeSkunk & SourSkunkMango. Odd names but it helps me keep track of the genetic inputs. Further breeding will result and letters and numbers. ROFL! Both have been autos i bred with. Why? Why not. It's what i like to do. These are the 2nd attempt. I had to abort the last attempt at seeds due to taking off out of town and roots weren't developed enough to transplant to bigger pots. While gone the solo cups would have dried up and killed them. Sooo...we plan on another trip and these plants have 1 month to get there for a transplant. I am sure they will make it this time.
Mean while...i am almost out of Coco Oil. Costco offers a larger container than other stores! Awesome. This is the lecithin i use. 1 Tbsp per 1 Cup of carrier/oil. 54 fl oz = 7 Tbsp. 84 fl oz = 10.5 Tbsp. This is enough to still allow the lecithin to dissolve in the oil. For the 84 fl oz. I used 3.8 oz of dried flower. I chop by hand to keep from pulverizing and turning to a dust. I decarb it @240° f for 45 mins. I cover with foil to keep it more covered (optional? ...probably) After that i add to my crock pot and maintain a temp of 150° to 180° for a period of 6 to 12 hours. This method is common. I got my initial info from Corrine Tobias at (wakeandbake) dot something something. She has a great page. She clued me in to lecithin as an emulsifier and an OTC to help battle any negative effects ingesting 95% saturated fat on a daily basis. After 5 yrs of daily ingestion and an okay diet, Kaiser says my cholesterol is great and no signs of high intraocular eye pressure. Pursuant to Jorge Cervantes' method, i allow my oil to sit around for a couple more days before straining. No cooking, just sitting. Then i strain and refrigerate.
*edit

 

[Pat Puffer]

whoa. I screwed that post up! Made half of it a link? Hahahahaha.

 

[johnnystackz]

You can edit it @Patient puffer! Im in

 

[Backlipslide]

I’m in!!

like Johnny said, you’re able to edit you’re post, but only for 420 minutes I think it is. Don’t quote me on that!

 

[Pat Puffer]

How do you think i screwed it up! ROFL

 

[Pat Puffer]

Fixed...i am a technologically challenged.

 

[johnnystackz]

Sometimes we all are a little stoned!

 

[Pat Puffer]

This is not just about the successes, but also about the learning process. I placed my buds in bags to finish off drying before we left out of state. I put the bags in my grow room. STUPID! The caterpillars got out and almost killed my Bonsai collection. I started the collection to see if i could do it. I can. Its weekly work. Bleh...when started i just grabbed any pheno i had. Most were mediocre. CBD was the reason to create the Bonsai's, coupled with the scarcity of CBD clones in Cali shops. So it's time to reinvent the collection. The pic is of the damage they did. Front left is the mighty BcM×Bw from this year's grow. Minty and a strong hybrid high. Very strong. Middle is the BlackWater. Funky Orange aroma and a euphoric high. (Sad) Front left is the Mango that produced 12"+ colas this year. Back left is SourSkunk. Back right is LimeSkunk. Both are important and saved for their HALF auto genes. I have regular seeds that are half auto and breeding 2 half autos will result in FULL auto seeds within them. Then the search for autos start and saving auto pollen and...you get the picture. Right now I need to focus on nursing these back to a point i can pull a cutting off them and start this process over again. The half auto seed run will take place early next year. It's possible...right? Or am i tripping. Any ways...what was I saying?

 

[Backlipslide]

nursing these back

You can do it!!

 

[Pat Puffer]

This season i had actually tried making a Leachate of sorts and after researching a bit more i find i need to brew some Lactobacillus first. So after checking here, i went to the web. I am after a fermented plant food. I found instructions and i will post them here. This info is taken from (dudegrows) dot something something. He also has a great thread about our municipal water and what our cities are using, either chlorines or chloramines. Anyways, here is the article. This is also a venture i am starting. I started a bucket of junk...without this bacteria that's needed. I am afraid to open that bucket. ROFL!

Brewing Lactobacillus (by "dudegrows")

Step 1: Gather wild bacteria-

Rinse a cup or so of rice in a few cups of water. The water will get cloudy as it picks up starches from the rice. Remove the rice and cook it for dinner or throw it into your compost pile. What we are after is the starchy water.

Take your dish of starchy water and find a safe place you can leave it for 3-7 days. I suggest somewhere warm and out of the way so it doesn’t get spilled or disturbed. I usually keep mine in the kitchen on top of the fridge, since its slightly warm and will stay undisturbed. Bacteria from the environment will be attracted to the starchy water and will colonize the liquid in your dish.

After a few days, the liquid will start to separate into three distinct layers:

Top- floating solids and maybe a little mold or funky stuff growing.
Middle- Cloudy liquid full of native bacteria, including Lactobacillus
Bottom- Sinking solids, rice bits, etc.
The middle layer is what we are after, so separate it from the rest and move it to a larger jar or container. The easiest way is to use your turkey baster to suck it up and transfer it to a jar. If you don’t have a baster, you can skim the top layer off and carefully pour the middle layer into a new container. However you do it, try to isolate the middle layer. It doesn’t have to be perfect, so just do your best to separate the middle layer without taking too much of the top or bottom layers.

Step 2: Add milk so the Lactobacillus takes over the culture-


So now that we have our culture containing a diverse group of native bacteria, its time to separate out the Lactobacillius. As you may have guessed, Lactobacillus LOVE milk, specifically the sugar lactose. By adding lots of milk to our collection of wild bacteria, we will encourage the Lactobacillus to take over and dominate the culture. Before long they will take it over completely, and we will be left with only the Lactobacillus we are after.

In a large jar or container, combine about 10 parts milk to 1 part of your native bacteria culture from step one.

So for every 100 mL of culture from step one, you will need about one liter of milk.

Measurements don’t need to be exact, but make sure to leave a few inches of room at the top of your container. Loosely cover it, but don’t seal it completely air tight. We are trying to keep outside air from getting in, but still want the container to be able to vent excess gas if it needs to. You could also use an airlock lid on your container like I am doing.

Leave it undisturbed for 5-10 days at room temperature.

After a few days, the bacteria + milk mixture will start to separate into layers.

At the top, a cheesy layer will form, and the bottom will be a cloudy liquid, usually cloudy white with a little yellow tint to it.

It will also start to smell like stinky cheese. Usually the smell stays mostly in the container, but be aware this process does create some cheesy odor that you may find unpleasant.

We are after the liquid layer, but the cheese layer is full of beneficial bacteria as well. It makes a great addition to your compost pile or soil. I’ve read you could also probably eat it or feed it to your animals, (its basically cheese and beneficial bacteria) but it smells pretty weird so I have yet to try it myself. It usually goes in my compost pile.

After about 5-10 days, the mix should be completely separated into a solid layer and a liquid layer. Use your turkey baster, strainer, or careful pouring to separate the liquid into a different jar or container. This liquid layer is full of the Lactobacillus we are after.

img_2330

Day 1- Milk and native bacteria culture combined. The purple and blue thingies are “Pickle Pipe” one way valves that allow the jars to vent air out but not in. They are nice tools to have when making this sort of thing, but not required.

Step 3: Add sugar to the lactobacillus culture to preserve and stabilize it. Mix your lacto culture with a roughly equal amount of sugar or molasses.

So if you have 1 liter of lacto culture, add about 1 liter of molasses or 1 kilogram (about 2.2lbs) of sugar.

In order to stay alive and happy in their jar, your Lactobacilli need a long term food source. Adding a bunch of sugar or molasses gives them something to snack on and will preserve your Lacto culture for a year or more. The type of sugar doesn’t seem to matter too much, but I prefer organic cane sugar as its not bleached or as heavily processed as other varieties. The type of sugar you use may effect the color of your final product, but I’ve made many batches with several different types of sugar and they all seemed to work fine. The finished liquid is ready to use and stable to store at room temp for at least a year, and probably much longer.


How to use your finished Lacto culture

In the garden-

Water it in- 15 to 30 mL per gal –Helps break down organic mater and fertilizers into plant available forms. Helps with nutrient uptake and availability. Its pretty much just beneficial bacteria and some residual sugar, so its compatible to mix in with whatever else you are watering.

Foliar- 15 mL per gal –Natural antifungal, Helps prevent powdery mildew. Populates plant surfaces with beneficial lactobacillus which outcompete other harmful microorganisms. Use it alone or as part of your regular IPM spray.

Make fertilizer with it- Lactobacillus will attempt to break down any organic composting material it comes into contact with. You can make “fermented plant extract” by mixing nutrient rich plant mater with lactobacillus and allowing it to break down and ferment for a few weeks. After the mix is fermented, the chunks are strained out and the remaining liquid is a very effective fertilizer containing lots of nutrients and beneficial lacto bacteria. This is a bigger topic I will cover in detail another time, but if you are interested in learning more, search the internet for “fermented plant extracts” and “dynamic accumulators” for tons more info.

Use to aid in composting or make bokashi– Water it into your compost pile. Helps break down organic matter and accelerate the composting process. Also helps reduce compost related odors. Can be used to make bokashi bran or used in anaerobic composting methods. Also seems to speed up the “cooking” process when preparing freshly mixed soil for use.

Around the house-

Drain digester/deodorizer- Helps break down organic sludge stuck in your plumbing. Works well to help unclog slow drains. Pour a little bit of undiluted lacto down your drain to help break up a clog or use it diluted to help deodorize a smelly drain. Works best when you pour a little in and let it sit over night before using the drain again.

Deodorizer/cleaner- Dilute to around 15 mL per liter of water to make a deodorizing spray. Use to get rid of bad odors around the house. Very useful if you have pets or other animal related odors to deal with. Very effective deodorizer, even when heavily diluted. Effective for use on animal bedding, livestock areas etc.

Its useful pretty much anytime you’ve got something organic you need to break down or deodorize!

 

[Pat Puffer]

oil has brewed for about 12 hours now i will let it sit for a couple days...maybe. I might just reheat it and strain it tomorrow.
I started the "starch water". 1 cup rice to 3 cups water and rinse it. Pour out the water. Place in a spot for 3-5 days while it seperates.

 

[013]

Subbed and page 1 at that. Thanks for the lacto write up, I’m looking forward to the slower, cold wet season where I can re-focus on the garden

 

[Pat Puffer]

Well the oil got reheated and strained. It soaked for a long time. I never brewed a batch this large. Trying to pour this in to funnel would be a mess. So i scooped it out to start. This method really contained the splatter i usually experience. I put down paper bags to catch the splatter. Here is a little pic of the bud draining. 84 fl oz of wholesome goodness.

 

[Pat Puffer]

Alright, so the starch water (rice rinse) has sat for 3 days and is separating as described. What we are going for is that middle layer. This is why i purchased a turkey baster. The post says you can skim the top and pour out the middle. So accuracy is not paramount. I am going to let it sit 2 more days and move to the next step of moving the "middle layer" to a mason jar and add the milk and let it seperate.

 

[Backlipslide]

 

[Bob Loblaw]

Interesting, I did not know any of this however...
When I was a tiny young man I used to love to drink this stuff. I do not know how it was made all I remember is the pail of milk would sit on the counter for days until it separated, my mother used to cover it with a towel and when it was ready I was more than happy to get my fill no sugar just a little bit of salt. Years later my father would tell his grand kids it was yogurt.

My cousin from Calgary still bugs me about it to this day.

I'm pretty sure you can make cheese with the top layer.

 

[Pat Puffer]

Yes...cheese is the product of this process. Its edible and supposed to be good curd or yogurt. What i am after is the by-product or the bacteria that created the cheese curd/yogurt/diary goodness. I don't think i will eat it though. Straight to the compost pile.

 

[Pat Puffer]

I have seen milk seperate in a lost baby bottle. Curd on top and yellowish liquid on the bottom. I could probably do this without this simple step. I am just following the directions from the post.

 

[Pat Puffer]

4th day, even cloudier. Waiting the full 5 days is probably best.

 

[Bob Loblaw]

Yes the top stuff is basically cottage cheese, which can be processed into cheddar.
I don't remember the rice rinse part but then again I wasn't paying any attention.

The compost pile part interests me a lot but I was led to believe no milk products into the compost...hmmm. I do not remember any foul smells from when I used to drink it, in fact I'm sure there were none.