Sweetsue's Tiny Closet - Second Grow - Sweet Dark Devil & Bomb Berry Bomb - CFL - LED

[Doc Bud]

Re: Sweetsue's Tiny Closet - Second Grow - Sweet Dark Devil & Bomb Berry Bomb - CFL -

I better start exploring options Doc. I was just thinking that myself. Had to reign it back in. There I was thinking "Tent! More Plants!" Before I go adding more than the three pots into that tent I had better get another light, and until I do I would be wise to let the second LOS sit in waiting.

We have some mad money coming in July that we were planning on using to build a grow space, so there's that. Next month is ventilation and filtration, but after that I can funnel all funds to a light. Hmmmm. Back to researching lights. Wasn't I just here recently?

I still have the CFLs to supplement this run, but at the very least I think another LED panel is called for before I start running wild. I have to run some numbers and look at the planning sheet.

Thanks for the reality check. You've saved me more than once. I appreciate it.

Nothing is more important than your growing environment. Not soil, not "nutes"....not even really cool gardening methods.

The environment trumps all. What do I mean by "environment?"

Temperatures, day and nite
relative humidity
air circulation/freshness/C02
Lighting

Get those 4 things right and everything becomes pretty easy. Get them wrong and nothing but trouble ensues!

I think that G8600 will ROCK 2-4 small plants. When you start talking 20 gallons I start talking 3 more LED's and a whole bunch of environmental upgrades.....

 

[SweetSue]

Re: Sweetsue's Tiny Closet - Second Grow - Sweet Dark Devil & Bomb Berry Bomb - CFL -

Excellent point. Back to reality. This grow, African Buzz in a 10 gallon and my Dark Devil in her 7. New ventilation into the new tent next month. Lighting upgrade this summer, just in time for a new journal.

How's that sound? It also gives me a better chance to learn the kit soil. I take the time to get the environment dialed over time, allowing it to become second nature. In other words, treat this transition with the respect and attention it deserves.

It's one of the challenges of my exuberance that I get really excited and start to overreach. Thankfully I am always surrounded by more level-headed companions who care enough about me to lay a gentle hand on my bouncing arm and say "Susan....."

Life is sweet.

 

[Subnoise]

Re: Sweetsue's Tiny Closet - Second Grow - Sweet Dark Devil & Bomb Berry Bomb - CFL -

Dang I missed the joint throw down. Better late than never? My pre chop joint for a little harvest Friday night. Rolled with my sm3 as organic as I have done so far. Feed only bat guanos. Very smooth and potent.

 

[SweetSue]

Re: Sweetsue's Tiny Closet - Second Grow - Sweet Dark Devil & Bomb Berry Bomb - CFL -

Sweet Subnoise. And a harvest coming up. WooHoo!!!

 

[daTenshi]

Re: Sweetsue's Tiny Closet - Second Grow - Sweet Dark Devil & Bomb Berry Bomb - CFL -

I forgot to hit post the other night!! I have a submission for the roll-out!

Here's my work

Learned how to roll from my dutch friend, that's what we call a joint in Europe .. Yes it has tobacco

 

[Major PITA]

Re: Sweetsue's Tiny Closet - Second Grow - Sweet Dark Devil & Bomb Berry Bomb - CFL -


Looks awesome, but you lost me at tobacco.

 

[GhettoGro]

Re: Sweetsue's Tiny Closet - Second Grow - Sweet Dark Devil & Bomb Berry Bomb - CFL -

I forgot to hit post the other night!! I have a submission for the roll-out!

Here's my work

Learned how to roll from my dutch friend, that's what we call a joint in Europe .. Yes it has tobacco

Great roll. Those nugs looks coma-licious, Sue.

Your soil is kicking! I love the mustard greens. My great aunt used to cook a mustard, kale and collard mix that was the epitome of "southern greens". Maybe you can get enough to cook? Is that clover that is running like a vine and throwing down splits? Watch for the four-leaf clover, it would have to be a sign of good things to come, right?

Thank you for inspiring and old dude that needed to feel the "new" excitement again.

Happy 4/20 eve!

~GG

 

[SweetSue]

Re: Sweetsue's Tiny Closet - Second Grow - Sweet Dark Devil & Bomb Berry Bomb - CFL -

GhettoGro, that was so sweet. You're welcome.

Yes that's clover growing in there. Growing nicely too. When the cannabis takes over the canopy it's supposed to die back a bit, but I have this thing for side lighting, so that didn't happen the way I expected. I like it myself.

I probably could harvest the mustard greens. Hadn't thought of it.

I've been watching the HB growers recycle the fan leaves into the soil. I'd been planning to make some other use of them, but thinking about it over time I'm beginning to see the wisdom behind getting those elements back into the mix again.

Is there some ratio you guys adhere to when doing this or do you just toss all the leaves picked off back in?

 

[Doc Bud]

Re: Sweetsue's Tiny Closet - Second Grow - Sweet Dark Devil & Bomb Berry Bomb - CFL -

GhettoGro, that was so sweet. You're welcome.

Yes that's clover growing in there. Growing nicely too. When the cannabis takes over the canopy it's supposed to die back a bit, but I have this thing for side lighting, so that didn't happen the way I expected. I like it myself.

I probably could harvest the mustard greens. Hadn't thought of it.

I've been watching the HB growers recycle the fan leaves into the soil. I'd been planning to make some other use of them, but thinking about it over time I'm beginning to see the wisdom behind getting those elements back into the mix again.

Is there some ratio you guys adhere to when doing this or do you just toss all the leaves picked off back in?

The beauty of getting the leaves from the HEALTHY crop just grown back into the soil it was grown in "tunes" the soil, according to Dr's Reams and Skow. They aren't metaphysicists or anything, and their explanation for what they're referring to has all to do with known science and the behavior of the microbial population.

Just don't use too much....4-6% organic material is tops....more than 10% is quite detrimental to the micro herd.

This soil hasn't had plants grown in it yet, so I just fed it an ounce of leaves because it seemed bored and rambunctious. This all happened quite fast, a matter of a few days.

 

[SweetSue]

Re: Sweetsue's Tiny Closet - Second Grow - Sweet Dark Devil & Bomb Berry Bomb - CFL -

The beauty of getting the leaves from the HEALTHY crop just grown back into the soil it was grown in "tunes" the soil, according to Dr's Reams and Skow. They aren't metaphysicists or anything, and their explanation for what they're referring to has all to do with known science and the behavior of the microbial population.

Just don't use too much....4-6% organic material is tops....more than 10% is quite detrimental to the micro herd.

This soil hasn't had plants grown in it yet, so I just fed it an ounce of leaves because it seemed bored and rambunctious. This all happened quite fast, a matter of a few days.

I still have a small quantity of leaves left over from my harvest. It would be less than 10%. They aren't fresh anymore, but they were healthy and they've been stored carefully. Should I toss them into the HB soil? If so, mix thoroughly or just into the top layer of the soil?

 

[Doc Bud]

Re: Sweetsue's Tiny Closet - Second Grow - Sweet Dark Devil & Bomb Berry Bomb - CFL -

I still have a small quantity of leaves left over from my harvest. It would be less than 10%. They aren't fresh anymore, but they were healthy and they've been stored carefully. Should I toss them into the HB soil? If so, mix thoroughly or just into the top layer of the soil?

Layer the leaves on top of the soil and give them a wee dusting of Roots! Gently moisten everything and then mix them into the top 3 inches or so...mostly just under the surface.

Recover and make sure it's nice and warm and you can see it go.

Here's what it looks like if you don't add any Roots!

Notice there are still visible hyphae here, just not as hyperactive. These hyphae find their way into the soil and make up but one part of a living soil.

Once the plants are added, the soil will wake up and feast on root exudates sweetened up with specially designed foliar sprays.

 

[SweetSue]

Re: Sweetsue's Tiny Closet - Second Grow - Sweet Dark Devil & Bomb Berry Bomb - CFL -

Will do when I get home tonight.

 

[SweetSue]

Re: Sweetsue's Tiny Closet - Second Grow - Sweet Dark Devil & Bomb Berry Bomb - CFL -

Integrated Pest Management (IPM)

If you're planning on running the same soil for years and the total volume of that soil is small enough to be kept indoors, it behooves you to assist the overall health of your soil community. There are numerous added components that come into play here - kelp, aloe vera, some of the botanicals known for immunity boosting, ie. chamomile. None comes close to neem in this capacity. You can be sure that next month neem meal, at the very least, will be on my shopping list. Karanja oil for the foliars (works better than neem) may have to wait another month.

It pays to be proactive. When you provide the building blocks necessary for plant immunity health they can protect themselves better. Using natural components like neem you grow healthier plants. It's what we do.


Neem/Kelp Meal Tea (IPM, once a month)
Per 1 gal of water add:
2 Tablespoons Neem Meal
1 Tablespoon Kelp Meal
1 Teaspoon AgSil Solution (silica)
10ml Ful-power Fulvic Acid
Brew 24-48hrs. Usually 48.


Foiler spray (every 7 days)
Per 1 gal of water add:
1 tablespoon Neem Oil
2 teaspoons AgSil solution (silica)
1/4 cup Aloe Vera juice

Stir Neem Oil and AgSil in a shot-glass with a bamboo kabob stick (the flat end) until the oil changes color and opacity.
Mix that in 1 gallon 80F water and stir thoroughly.
Spray immediately at the appropriate time relative to daylight or your Indoor light schedule. Use all of it, do not store.


My projected costs for this inclusion in my gardening plan (from my favorite soil building company):

Neem Cake (meal) - $ 13 / 5# bag
AgSil $ 14.20 / one pound (just because I should already have this - what was I thinking?)

I'm running two different living soil mixes, both maintained with the same types of weekly care, using similar yet distinctively different components to achieve similar results.

This is going to be interesting.

 

[Radogast]

Re: Sweetsue's Tiny Closet - Second Grow - Sweet Dark Devil & Bomb Berry Bomb - CFL -

Dang I missed the joint throw down. Better late than never? My pre chop joint for a little harvest Friday night. Rolled with my sm3 as organic as I have done so far. Feed only bat guanos. Very smooth and potent.

That nug looks like a four legged animal. A stem nose, a well placed eye, two- count 'em, two- well placed ears.
Armadillo ?
Fuzzy dog?

 

[Radogast]

Re: Sweetsue's Tiny Closet - Second Grow - Sweet Dark Devil & Bomb Berry Bomb - CFL -

The beauty of getting the leaves from the HEALTHY crop just grown back into the soil it was grown in "tunes" the soil, according to Dr's Reams and Skow. They aren't metaphysicists or anything, and their explanation for what they're referring to has all to do with known science and the behavior of the microbial population.

Just don't use too much....4-6% organic material is tops....more than 10% is quite detrimental to the micro herd.

This soil hasn't had plants grown in it yet, so I just fed it an ounce of leaves because it seemed bored and rambunctious. This all happened quite fast, a matter of a few days.

It's almost like The Blob is real!
Good thing you know those are friendly

 

[SweetSue]

Re: Sweetsue's Tiny Closet - Second Grow - Sweet Dark Devil & Bomb Berry Bomb - CFL -

'Tuning' The Soil

Doc Bud and I got into a conversation today about mixing a small amount of leaves into the soil, an action that serves to 'tune' the soil. I don't understand the science yet, but instinctively it struck a cord. With LOS we use the harvested leaves as a mulch, with the intention that the soil will break them down over time and return their components back into the community. This is a variation on that theme. It seemed a good thing to do, and I had some leaves left from my last harvest that hadn't been used for mulch, so let's give it a go.

Gather supplies: Roots!, a digger and the leaves left from my harvest.

Pop open the soil. Moist, but not wet. There was very little moisture on the lid, but there was moisture.

Sprinkle the leaves over the surface. Doc instructs no more than 4-6% of the soil volume. With HB soil you want to limit organic matter to around 10%. I'm nowhere near those limits with my tiny batch of leaves.

Sprinkle the leaves with a small amount of Roots!

Just a sprinkling.

Mix it into the top layer of the soil, just below the surface. I don't know what I was thinking with that digging tool. I couldn't keep my hands out of the soil.

There we are. Just below the surface.

Doc's instructions were to lightly wet down and then mix it into the soil. You notice I neglected that step, but I don't think that will matter at all. Gave it a nice spraying down to get everything moist, but not wet.

Close it up and put it back in storage.

Warmth (not heat - know the distinction) will get things going. In a couple days we'll open it up and see what we have.

You know this is just because I want to see the mycelium at work chewing up those leaves, right? So cool!

 

[Sorenna]

Re: Sweetsue's Tiny Closet - Second Grow - Sweet Dark Devil & Bomb Berry Bomb - CFL -

Your plant looks fantastic! And your prep work is, as ever, interesting to watch.

 

[SweetSue]

Re: Sweetsue's Tiny Closet - Second Grow - Sweet Dark Devil & Bomb Berry Bomb - CFL -

Daily Update: Dark Devil Auto - Day 28

With breathless anticipation I pull back the curtain every morning, hoping to find some dramatic increase in growth. Every morning I actually gasp at her beauty. She's starting her stretch!

There's a nice, healthy sheen to her leaves.

I haven't measured her yet. I figured give her a month and start tracking height on Day 30.

What have we here? Flowering getting a strong foothold.

While out in the neighborhood yesterday, pushing Dale so he could enjoy a joint and gain a little sanity, I rescued a small plant for my indoor forest floor, so let's make a small depression in this other pot. Am I the only one among us who's heart beats faster at this sight? The mulch, the soil, the decay and life all rolled together in this small plot in my tiny closet. A little slice of heaven for a woman who may not get back to the forest in her lifetime. It's nice to have a small piece of nature to tend.

This tiny Violet was at serious risk of being trampled. Considering where it had come up between the cracks of the pavement it was a miracle that it hadn't been already. All of its neighbors had, and it called out to me to be rescued. How could I ignore such a distress call? Of course I couldn't, so I snatched it up and wrapped it in a burdock leaf with some soil, securing it all with my hair tie. Sometimes you just need to be creative.

When I was a small girl I would always wander into the woods in springtime to find violets to bring home to Mother. I have always had a soft spot in my heart for these darling and delicate blossoms and their massive scalloped leaves. Now I have one planted in my own slice of forest floor. This pot will sit in waiting until I get another light, so the violets will have time to establish themselves. Then I can move some out onto the deck into a planter and see if I can make them thrive out there.

That looks good. I'm happy.

Back under the light.

One last glance before we go. The light sets off that healthy sheen on the leaves,, how cool!

She got the 1/4 turn. I'm brewing an enzyme tea to apply later, using a new method, which will be documented later as well. I know it's recommended that you apply these things before lights on. Does anyone know the science behind that? Is there some botanical alchemy I'm unaware of? The tea will be utilized by the soil, not the plant, so what difference would it make? I keep reading that the leaves will pray to the light. This always makes me smile because my plants have always had uplifted leaves. If this is a sign of health and vigor, than I have some powerful soil going here, but we already knew that.

I'll top off the reservoirs when I apply the enzyme tea drench.

That's all I have for the moment. I'm going to treat myself to some Callanetics time now, as my tea brews. Then maybe tackle a bit of the bedroom clean-up. My biggest challenge there is finding somewhere to stack everything that has to be moved out before furniture can be moved around. It's going to be hard not to begun purging. Most of this is Dale's hobby stuff, so I can't really do that.

In two weeks that space is going to be completely transformed. Maybe I can manage to make it less cluttered and more appropriate to sleeping quarters. Well, sleeping quarters with a 4x4 tent growing meds in the corner. LOL!

Have a wonderful day everyone. Get out there and make the world sing with joy just because you're there.

 

[xtrchessreal]

Re: Sweetsue's Tiny Closet - Second Grow - Sweet Dark Devil & Bomb Berry Bomb - CFL -

Happy 420 everyone! Wish I could go to the Cannabis cup downtown but I'll watch from here!

 

[SweetSue]

Re: Sweetsue's Tiny Closet - Second Grow - Sweet Dark Devil & Bomb Berry Bomb - CFL -

Happy 4/20 Everyone!