Plant Alchemy With KNF: Korean Natural Farming And Jadam

[Bode]

That's true, bugs won't eat on a healthy plant. JADAM program has a couple (actually a lot) of pest products, all natural. All of his advice was right on, so I'd trust his processes. Happy Smokin'

 

[StoneOtter]

Bugs! Bugs! Bugs!

Today I went in for a closer look at my plants to scope for bugs. I already knew I had a thrip issue on the 12/12 ACDC seedling, but then I discovered mites on another plant.

Usually I would then go to war with daily sprays of the sink sprayer and an every three day spray with Safer's Insect Killing Soap until I "won", but this time I'm going to treat it like an experiment and see if I can apply some Jadam knowledge to the task.

It will be great if it works since it will be a simple soil drench that could be even used as a preventative. I typically get an outbreak of one of the two bugs after each up-pot which is super annoying so having something in my tool kit to counteract it would be killer.

So, the bugs get a reprive for now. Hopefully I'm not setting up a bug overrun scenario, but ironically I want enough pest pressure to more easily gage the success of the experiment.

Git em Azi!

 

[Gee64]

Azi do you use mulch? A good layer of mulch to make moisture more even is the best start to pest deterrent.

 

[Gee64]

Also high levels of nitrogen attract bugs, so if your compost isn't fully composted, your soil has raw nitrogen in it, think rotting veggie scraps, which really attracts bugs.

 

[Gee64]

If you have some fully finished ewc that is very fresh, make it into a foliar and spray your plants. Ewc contains chitinase, which is a compound that destroys the innards of pests. It is a very powerful spray that won't harm the plant, soil, or beneficials.

Drench the soil too. To raise brix, you need to raise calcium, phosphorus, carbon, oxygen, and microbe populations.

Spraying ewc addresses calcium, phosphorus, and microbes. SIPS gives you enough O2. A molasses rinse of 1 tablespoon organic molasses mixed into a gallon of water, once a week, will raise carbon. Any stronger and you risk turning your microbes into sugar junkies.

Drenching the whole pot is the best way to apply it to soil, then add your mulch. I'm not sure of the best route in a SIP pot.

Probably thru the res I guess, but you would know that better than SIPless Gee.

Now you have a fighting chance for your potions and alchemy to do their job, but if you don't correct the basics of the grow, they will return.

Get your brix up so you can get thru this pot of soil and then get a better start next pot.

Ewc tea is a fantastic immunity booster as well. Strong immunities repel pests.

I'm betting on unfinished compost in your mix. Thats the usual suspect in organics.

Well finished compost usually ensures no mites or aphids, etc... only beneficials.

Unfinished compost contains the life that the pests hunt, and then they find your plant growing in the unfinished compost and know its easy prey.

 

[johnehazeharvester]

Lots of people survive quite well using molasses as a carbon source.

I personally don't like it as you get better smoke with coco, but it does work well and molasses has some good nutrients in it too.
.

Also remember that nitrogen used during the grow is not the same nitrogen you added at composting.

The greens added at composting have become plant food and are now proteins and aminos, not available nitrogen.

All aminos and proteins are nitrogen but all nitrogen is not protein and aminos.

Thats why the nitrogen cycle allows nitrogen from both the air and thru the soil.

The nitrogen required during the grow comes from the air. Nitrogen created thru the soil web is only to let the soil reclaim the aminos.

I thought the plants only get a small amount of nitrogen from air due to special microbes and get most from the soil. I think beans can actually convert nitrogen from air, but not our medicinal plants. Also how do you know if there is carbon deficiency when growing? I never saw an article on carbon deficiency and identifying and treating. Thanks Gee!

 

[Gee64]

I thought the plants only get a small amount of nitrogen from air due to special microbes and get most from the soil. I think beans can actually convert nitrogen from air, but not our medicinal plants. Also how do you know if there is carbon deficiency when growing? I never saw an article on carbon deficiency and identifying and treating. Thanks Gee!

The microbes in the soil convert atmospheric nitrogen into plant nitrogen, so nitrogen from atmosphere must run thru a microbe before a plant can use it.

Things like legumes can use it directly from the air, no microbes needed, as they convert it themselves, and store extra in the soil that other plants can use.

A carbon deficiency stops microbes from microbing, for the most part, and the plant gets really hungry and consumes itself from the bottom leaves up, very similar to how a seedling will slowly starve to death if you never uppot it from its solo cup.

That kind of look. Starving.

Then you need compost teas with molasses to bring microbes and carbon until the flower is done.

It works well.

Its just not as top-shelf on the finished product, but still fine smoke.

@Keffka did a stellar job of it in his 1st grow.

The carbon is for the microbes, not the plant.

If you get your brix up quick enough the plant will send carbon down to the microbes/fungii, so that helps soil carbon to go farther.

 

[Azimuth]

Azi do you use mulch? A good layer of mulch to make moisture more even is the best start to pest deterrent.

I do. I've been using my (mostly) finished leaf mold. I get lots or small feeder roots growing into it.

Also high levels of nitrogen attract bugs, so if your compost isn't fully composted, your soil has raw nitrogen in it, think rotting veggie scraps, which really attracts bugs.

Shouldn't be any of those. I add kitchen scraps to the worm bin for 2mo and then let it process for another 4mo so not much is recognizable. But it's possible they're not fully decomposed leading to the mites and thrips.

Ewc contains chitinase, which is a compound that destroys the innards of pests.

Outards, I think, but I didn't know worm castings contained chitinase. Interesting.

I'm betting on unfinished compost in your mix. Thats the usual suspect in organics.

Well finished compost usually ensures no mites or aphids, etc... only beneficials.

Unfinished compost contains the life that the pests hunt, and then they find your plant growing in the unfinished compost and know its easy prey.

The two organic bits in the mix are worm castings and my leaf mold as I don't have any finished compost, though though am planning a batch this spring/summer.

So, we're back to the castings. It seems pretty consistent that I get the pests when I add fresh castings to my mix which is why I started drying it well before use. And maybe they're not quite finished.

 

[Gee64]

I do. I've been using my (mostly) finished leaf mold. I get lots or small feeder roots growing into it.


Shouldn't be any of those. I add kitchen scraps to the worm bin for 2mo and then let it process for another 4mo so not much is recognizable. But it's possible they're not fully decomposed leading to the mites and thrips.


Outards, I think, but I didn't know worm castings contained chitinase. Interesting.


The two organic bits in the mix are worm castings and my leaf mold as I don't have any finished compost, though though am planning a batch this spring/summer.

So, we're back to the castings. It seems pretty consistent that I get the pests when I add fresh castings to my mix which is why I started drying it well before use. And maybe they're not quite finished.

Whats the temperature of your soil? Is it below 66? Are your worms inside or outside?

 

[Azimuth]

Don't know on the soil temps, I'll measure it and see. Worms are in the basement.

 

[Gee64]

Don't know on the soil temps, I'll measure it and see. Worms are in the basement.

Basement Outdoors is bugs for sure.

 

[johnehazeharvester]

The microbes in the soil convert atmospheric nitrogen into plant nitrogen, so nitrogen from atmosphere must run thru a microbe before a plant can use it.

Things like legumes can use it directly from the air, no microbes needed, as they convert it themselves, and store extra in the soil that other plants can use.

A carbon deficiency stops microbes from microbing, for the most part, and the plant gets really hungry and consumes itself from the bottom leaves up, very similar to how a seedling will slowly starve to death if you never uppot it from its solo cup.

That kind of look. Starving.

Then you need compost teas with molasses to bring microbes and carbon until the flower is done.

It works well.

Its just not as top-shelf on the finished product, but still fine smoke.

@Keffka did a stellar job of it in his 1st grow.

The carbon is for the microbes, not the plant.

If you get your brix up quick enough the plant will send carbon down to the microbes/fungii, so that helps soil carbon to go farther.

Thanks for detailed response Gee!

 

[Azimuth]

We have proof of life, AND it's a girl!

Let the Strawberry CBD games begin!

 

[Azimuth]

Whats the temperature of your soil?

68.5* F

 

[Gee64]

68.5* F

very nice

 

[Azimuth]

Whats the temperature of your soil? Is it below 66?

68.5* F

very nice

About 63*F at lights on, so about a 5* difference.

 

[Azimuth]

@Gee64 , I thought maybe you could help me puzzle out a decision for up-potting my little seedling.

The question is whether to go from 4oz to 1L and then on to the final 2G SIP bucket just before flip, or skip the 1L altogether.

I know you've said either way it's still a max of 2G of soil which I get, but here are what I think are the various pro's and cons of each.

If I do the intermediate step I get another opportunity to dust the root ball with a second round of myco, plus provide some fresh soil right before flip. My mix has seemed to run out of gas after 6 weeks in the past in my small 2G containers so I figured some fresh soil right before flip would give the plant the longest possible runway.

On the other hand, if the plant can use more nutrients in veg beyond those provided in the 1L container I suppose I'm holding the plant back from extra resources it could have had access to by going directly to the larger pot.

Also, given space constraints the 1L container would be easier to deal with, at least in early veg while the plant is small.

if I go directly to the larger pot I lose the second myco application, but don't disturb the roots from an up-pot (which shouldn't really be all that much of an issue), and sacrifice some of the flower resources in veg. Given my small containers I'll have to top dress anyway to bring it home, so maybe that doesn't matter all that much.

Also, I could cram a second 2G container in my veg space but it will be tight, so the smaller intermediate step would help with space until the current veg plant moves up to the flower box.

So, I guess the question is, does up-potting to the final container offer enough benefits to skip the intermediate step?

 

[Gee64]

@Gee64 , I thought maybe you could help me puzzle out a decision for up-potting my little seedling.

The question is whether to go from 4oz to 1L and then on to the final 2G SIP bucket just before flip, or skip the 1L altogether.

I know you've said either way it's still a max of 2G of soil which I get, but here are what I think are the various pro's and cons of each.

If I do the intermediate step I get another opportunity to dust the root ball with a second round of myco, plus provide some fresh soil right before flip. My mix has seemed to run out of gas after 6 weeks in the past in my small 2G containers so I figured some fresh soil right before flip would give the plant the longest possible runway.

On the other hand, if the plant can use more nutrients in veg beyond those provided in the 1L container I suppose I'm holding the plant back from extra resources it could have had access to by going directly to the larger pot.

Also, given space constraints the 1L container would be easier to deal with, at least in early veg while the plant is small.

if I go directly to the larger pot I lose the second myco application, but don't disturb the roots from an up-pot (which shouldn't really be all that much of an issue), and sacrifice some of the flower resources in veg. Given my small containers I'll have to top dress anyway to bring it home, so maybe that doesn't matter all that much.

Also, I could cram a second 2G container in my veg space but it will be tight, so the smaller intermediate step would help with space until the current veg plant moves up to the flower box.

So, I guess the question is, does up-potting to the final container offer enough benefits to skip the intermediate step?

All your pro's and con's are very valid. I think we got our wires crossed a bit though, I thought you were going to motherplant that one and flower clones.

I was meaning cut the clone directly into a final pot. Bubble-clone to final pot.

With seeds I found uppotting a wee bit tardy allowed me to slow the plant down so it wasn't too big at flower, thus leaving nutes for flower instead of using them up too fast on veg.

I have left them in solos for 30 days and thats hard on the seedling, but better in flower. If you went to a 1 liter pot that could buy you more time again.

8 weeks of veg will grow a huge plant, way too big for a 2gal pot to flower.

If you cut a clone directly into a 2gal pot, within 2 weeks of planting it, it is likely ready for flower, so you enter flower without using hardly any of the 2gals.

Then when the mother plant starts to starve, you just cut one last clone to replace her and her 2gal pot with.

I would do everything the same right now to observe, and reassess your planting path at clone time.

Is your plan to flower this seed?

 

[Gee64]

Also, if grow space is your main issue, using square pots instead of round, will allow for considerably more soil in the same footprint. Unless of course you are already in square pots.

 

[Azimuth]

I think we got our wires crossed a bit though, I thought you were going to motherplant that one and flower clones.

I was meaning cut the clone directly into a final pot. Bubble-clone to final pot.

Ah, OK. Yes, planning to take clones and then flower out the seedling. I've found seed plants to be much more robust with longer node spacing which is challenging in my space, so I'll take cuttings and use a clone for a mother plant for future cuts.

8 weeks of veg will grow a huge plant, way too big for a 2gal pot to flower.

Tru Dat. I'm thinking more like 4-5 weeks.

If you cut a clone directly into a 2gal pot, within 2 weeks of planting it, it is likely ready for flower, so you enter flower without using hardly any of the 2gals.

That hasn't been my experience, but haven't used a bubble mist clone yet either.

Is your plan to flower this seed?

Yes.

Also, if grow space is your main issue, using square pots instead of round, will allow for considerably more soil in the same footprint. Unless of course you are already in square pots.

I already have all my SIPs built in 2G buckets for my perpetual so I'm unlikely to invest in more infrastructure.