UncleCannabis' Indoor Ganja Grove - Organic Soil - Sea of Green

[UncleCannabis]

Hello 420mag friends and first time visitors. Welcome to my new grow journal.


When I recently began my indoor growing endeavor I did not originally intend for my garden to be going at all times. To be honest, the agony of defeat that I experienced with my first indoor grow attempt was so disheartening that I didn’t even know for sure if I’d ever be able to get an indoor crop to harvest much less be capable of a perpetual grow. LOL!
Long story short, without really intending to do so, I’ve somehow ended up with a continual flow grow by accident.
How the hell did that happen...??

Instead of kicking off a new journal for every batch of girls that make their debut, this journal is intended to keep on flowing as long as my garden keeps on flowing.
The flow of the journal may slow to a snails pace at times but I’m hopeful that there will be enough activity to keep things interesting enough to prevent the admins from moving it over to the abandoned journals section.

Before going any further, I must warn everyone that life in the Ganja Grove gets quite bumpy at times. The agony of defeat is not a stranger here.
Those who nod off over in the corner will definitely be missing out on numerous opportunities for a good laugh at my expense.

The policy here is to expect the worse and hope for the best. As long as the successes outweigh the failures life will be good and I'll be a happy camper.


As this journal progresses I welcome any questions that anyone may have as well as any grow tips from those who have been around the block a time or two.

I’d also like to make it clear that I welcome constructive criticism and debate here.
If any of you notice that I’m doing something wrong, offering up bad advise, behaving badly, or just see opportunities for improvement, please don’t hesitate to speak up.

Every time I log in here at 420mag I hope to learn something new or run across discussions that will provoke me to search out information about a particular gardening subject.

I also find it very rewarding when discussions cause me to take a step back and evaluate what I'm doing.

For those who’d like to join along for the bumpy ride, there’s always room for one more on the couch along with a few bean bags laying around, so go ahead and take a seat, have yourself a bong hit or 2 or 3 or 4 (herbs are on the house here) and make yourself at home.


**Warnings & Disclaimers**
*READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.
*CANNA GARDENING HAS BEEN PROVEN TO BE ADDICTIVE. DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME.
*NOT INTENDED FOR VIEWERS UNDER 18 YEARS OF AGE.
*FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY.
*PERSONS OR PLACES DEPICTED IN THIS GROW JOURNAL ARE FICTITIOUS AND NOT REALLY REAL PERSONS OR PLACES.
*ANY SIMILARITIES TO REAL PERSONS OR PLACES WOULD BE COINCIDENTAL ONLY.

Now that the legal mumbo jumbo is out of the way, let’s go ahead and get this party started!!

 

[LEDBud]

I'll take the chair next to the fridge.

 

[UncleCannabis]

Welcome aboard LEDBud!! Glad to have you along for the ride.
Careful which chair you pick buddy. You may find yourself becoming the house bartender being so close to the fridge. LOL!

 

[UncleCannabis]

CannaGarden Specs

Veg / Clone Tent AKA “The Romper Room” –
• 3’6”x3’6”x6’5” GrowLab Tent
• 2 x 105 watt CFL Fluorescents
• 1 x Mars-Hydro 144x5 LED
• 1 x 12” 3-Speed Oscillating Fan
• 1 x 6” Inline Exhaust Fan w/ Carbon Filter using Passive Air Intake

Flowering Tent AKA “The Ganja Grove” –
• 4’x8’x6’5” GrowLab Tent
• 4 x Mars-Hydro Sun Series LED’s
• 1 x Mars-Hydro 144x5 Reflector Series LED
• 1 x 16” 3-Speed Oscillating Fan
• 1 x 6” Inline Exhaust Fan w/ Carbon Filter and Passive Air Intake (Early to Mid Bloom)
• 2 x 6” Inline Exhaust Fans w/ Carbon Filters and Passive Air Intake (Late Bloom)

Drying Tent AKA “The Smoke House” –
• 4’x4’x6’5” GrowLab Tent
• Primary use is for post harvest drying
• Can also be used for late veg after transplant to flowering pots

Environmental Control –
• 15,000 BTU Split Type Room Air Conditioner

Bubble Cloner –
• DIY Homemade Bubble Cloner

Watering System –
• Hand Watering (Preferred Watering Method)
• Tropf Blumats Auto Watering System with 125 Gallon Water Reservoir (Used when I am away from home)

 

[UncleCannabis]

Current Strains in Veg

Day 30
Planted on 9/11

Jack Herer (Regular) – Sensi Seeds
Genetics – Haze x (Northern Lights #5 x Shiva Skunk)
Flower Time - Long

Fruity Juice (Regular) – Sensi Seeds
Genetics – Thai x Afghani F1 Hybrid
Flower Time - Medium

Grape Ape (Regular) – Apothecary
Genetics – Mendo Purps x Skunk x Afghani
Flower Time – 7 to 8 Weeks

Grape Stomper OG (Regular) - Gage Green Group
Genetics – Grape Stomper x New York OG Kush
Flower Time – 8 to 9 Weeks

Emerald Jack (Regular) - Emerald Triangle
Genetics – Jack Herer x Lemon OG
Flower Time – 9 to 10 Weeks

Lemon Diesel (Feminized) - Emerald Triangle
Genetics – (Pakastani x Lemon Thai x Chemdawg #4) x California Sour
Flower Time - Long

Sour Lemon OG (Feminized) - Emerald Triangle
Genetics – California Sour x Lemon OG
Flower Time – 10 to 11 Weeks

Blueberry Headband (Feminized) - Emerald Triangle
Genetics – 76’ Blueberry x Emerald OG x Cali Sour D x Pre 98’ Bubba
Flower Time – 9 Weeks

Cherry OG (Feminized) - Emerald Triangle
Genetics – Cherry Thai x Lost Coast OG
Flower Time – 9 to 10 Weeks

Chocolate Mint OG (Feminized) - Humbolt Seed Co.
Genetics – Emerald OG x Grand Daddy Purple
Flower Time – 7 to 9 Weeks

Amherst Sour Diesel (Feminized) - Humbolt Seed Co.
Genetics – Diesel Strain
Flower Time – @ 65 Days

Blue Dream (Feminized) - Humbolt Seed Co.
Genetics – Blueberry x Haze
Flower Time – 9 Weeks

Strawberry Banana (Feminized) - DNA Reserva Privada
Genetics – Banana Kush x Bubblegum (Strawberry Pheno)
Flower Time – 9 Weeks

Tangie (Feminized) - DNA Reserva Privada
Genetics – Clone Only x Crocket’s Selection
Flower Time – 9 to 10 Weeks

24K Gold (Feminized) - DNA Genetics
Genetics – Kosher Kush x Tangie
Flower Time – 9 to 10 Weeks

DJ's Gold (Feminized) - DNA Genetics
Genetics – DJ Short’s Blueberry x Jew Gold Cut
Flower Time – 9 Weeks

Qleaner (Regular - 2 each) – TGA
Genetics – Jacks Cleaner F1 x Purple Urkle x Space Queen
Flower Time – 60 to 70 Days

Lighting Scheme -
18 On / 6 Off

Environmental Conditions -
Lights On -
Temps - @ 78 to 82 degrees F
RH - @ 55 to 80%

Lights Off -
Temps - @ 64 to 68 degrees F
RH - 50 to 60%

 

[LEDBud]

If the need arises..haha
I should be able to pass on some tips though ,
I have been at this for years , minus a hiatus..

I am doing a small 2 plant grow in a 2x4 cabinet next time a 3 plant grow.

ps
Nice , you have a lot of young ladies to grow up. Interesting.

Welcome aboard LEDBud!! Glad to have you along for the ride.
Careful which chair you pick buddy. You may find yourself becoming the house bartender being so close to the fridge. LOL!

 

[UncleCannabis]

Jack Herer, Fruity Juice, Grape Ape, Grape Stomper OG, and Emerald Jack were all topped on Wednesday October 7th.

Once topped the cuttings were placed in my bubble cloner.

That leaves only my 2 Qleaner girls left to take cuttings to determine sex.
The 2 Qleaner girls are slower growers than some of the others but should be ready for cuttings to be taken in a few more days.

 

[UncleCannabis]

If the need arises..haha
I should be able to pass on some tips though ,
I have been at this for years , minus a hiatus..

I am doing a small 2 plant grow in a 2x4 cabinet next time a 3 plant grow.

ps
Nice , you have a lot of young ladies to grow up. Interesting.

Tips are always most welcome.


2 plants this run, 3 plants next run, larger tent and more lights get purchased, 6 plants, 8 plants, ........... Ain't it fun? LOL!!

I'll be sure to drop by and check out your journal.
I've only grown 1 auto to date and at the time didn't think it would be as good as regular photoperiod herbs. But to my surprise the finished product turned out to be some really good smoke.

 

[UncleCannabis]

Grow Method –
As much as practical, I’ll be striving to mimic the ways of Mother Nature and use only organic ingredients and natural grow methods.

I am currently using the standard transplant up method with final pot size being dictated by plant count and available tent space.

My preferred growing style is the sea of green or SOG concept with plants being topped and trained for multiple colas and to maintain a low and even plant canopy.

My reasons for using sea of green instead of other popular methods such as SCROG are as follows:
1. Easy to move plants around as needed.
2. Easy to run different strains at the same time.
3. Easy to harvest different plants at different times.
4. Easy to replace plants that are harvested without disturbing plants that may still be in bloom.
5. Easy to remove plants from the tent as needed to allow for tent cleaning during bloom.
6. I really don’t feel like messing about with net frames and nets that would limit access in my tents.
7. I do not require high yields.

I may experiment with other methods at some point but for now I'm pleased with the results that I've been getting.

 

[UncleCannabis]

Grow Mediums –

Seedlings & Clones –
2 Part Coco Coir / 1 Part Perlite / 1 Part Earthworm Casting / Indo Bat Guano (Trace Amount – Less than 0.5%)

Veg –
Organic Soil Mix
Coco & Rice Hulls Added for Aeration and Water Retention

Bloom –
TBA

Composted Soil Mix
• Composted Soil Base
• Vermipost (Earth Worm Castings)
• Peat Moss
• Perlite
• Coco Coir
• Cow Manure
• Pumice Stone
• River Sand
• Bone Meal
• Indonesian Bat Guano
• Dolomite Lime
• Epsom Salts
• Granite Dust
• Neem Cake
• Egg Shells
• Coffee Grounds
• Dried Tree Leaves
• Crustacean Shells
• Recycled Cannabis (culled clones, stems, trimmed leaves, etc)
• Assorted Veggie Garden Scraps
• Assorted Kitchen Scraps
• Possibly a few other ingredients that escape me at the moment….

To date I have not been keeping a good record of ingredient amounts and ratios. In fact, I just recently purchased a measuring cup. LOL!
(I do not recommend that anyone do this as it is not good organic gardening practice)

One of my goals moving forward is to begin putting more focus and effort on grow medium nutrient balancing.
As many of you organic soil growers already know, attaining and maintaining ideal soil nutrient balancing along with ingredient selection is not a simple thing to do.

Soil testing will be coming to the Ganja Grove sometime soon but I’ll try to not let all of the math and chemistry turn my soil bins into over the top laboratory experiments and take the fun out of things.

Below is a list of the nutrient ranges that I’ll be striving to achieve.

Compost
Carbon to Nitrogen Ratio of 10:1

Phosphorus – 25 to 35 ppm
Calcium – 60 to 70%
Magnesium – 10 to 20%
Potassium – 2 to 5%
Sodium – 0.5 to 3%
Hydrogen – 10 to 15%
Sulfur – 20 to 30 ppm
Zinc – 6 to 8 ppm
Manganese – 30 ppm
Iron – 25 ppm
Copper – 2 to 3 ppm
Boron – 1.5 ppm

Soil PH range – 6.2 to 6.7

*Based on the Base Cation Saturation Ratio (BCSR) theory of soil interpretation and mineral balancing pioneered by William Albrecht.

If anyone has any comments, concerns, or recommendations regarding the optimum nutrient balances for cannabis please chime in.

 

[Weaselcracker]

Wow! It's customary to say nice encouraging things about people's journals, but even if you were my worst enemy I'd have to say that your whole operation looks beautiful from top to bottom, your equipment, your plants, your photos... Hard to see that 'agonizing defeat' that you mention in your future at the moment but....oh well... I'll stick around anyway.

 

[UncleCannabis]

Thanks for the kind words WC. That means a lot coming from a weaselcracker like yourself.

Don't worry pal, the agony of defeat is always lurking somewhere in the shadows just waiting for the right moment to strike. Stick around a while and you'll see what I mean.

Example -

Tent collapse

Dried on the vine cannabis

See what I mean? LOL!

 

[Weaselcracker]

Ok that made me laugh! Sorry. But thanks-! You're a man of your word.
I know all too well about defeat. I've gotten totally used to it. It's not even agonizing anymore.
Oops
Knocking frantically on wood!!
IN MODERATION I meant, O Truly Tremendous One- God of my Grow may your horns be ever sharp and wings never wilt and PleaSe don't read that last part, Sir, your lordship, Sir. It's just the right level of agonizing sir

 

[LEDBud]

I see the problem your god has horns ! that can't be good lol

I think that prick visited me last year ! ( throws stones at the bastard shhh)

The devil is in the details .. or so one finds out , like that tent detail UncleC or the water supply (ouch)


For me I added silicate without checking the waters PH only to later find it was at 15 and crippled / killed my seedlings.
I felt like a newbie but learned to never do that again but good. I tossed that ____ out.

 

[UncleCannabis]

The initial "aw shit!!" reaction is usually followed by a good laugh at myself. The root cause of any problems that I've had in the garden has always been my fault.

I don't let the little things in life get me down. At least not for very long anyways.
I usually just pick myself up off the ground, knock the dust and mud off, wipe up any blood, then try again.

 

[UncleCannabis]

I see the problem your god has horns ! that can't be good lol

I think that prick visited me last year ! ( throws stones at the bastard shhh)

The devil is in the details .. or so one finds out , like that tent detail UncleC or the water supply (ouch)


For me I added silicate without checking the waters PH only to later find it was at 15 and crippled / killed my seedlings.
I felt like a newbie but learned to never do that again but good. I tossed that ____ out.

Please don't send that horned devil god this way. I have a tough enough time keeping up with the havoc that my mischievous little garden gnomes cause.
The last thing I need is to have a horned devil god lurking around kicking up dust and probably starting fires all over the place. LOL!!

Back in the day before internet, Marijuan Grow Bibles, and the ease of MJ information gathering that is available today, I did so many idiotic things to some of my plants I feel ashamed of myself for being so cruel.
Any bad luck that comes to my garden is just karma paying me back. LOL!

 

[Robert Celt]

I didn't realize you started a new journal my friend if I hadn't seen you mention it on WC's thread I would have missed it. I guess that's what I get for being busier than a one armed paper hanger lately and skimming through posts LOL

Capt'n Morgan and Coke please LEDBud, then I'll pull up a seat

Grow Mediums —

To date I have not been keeping a good record of ingredient amounts and ratios. In fact, I just recently purchased a measuring cup. LOL!
(I do not recommend that anyone do this as it is not good organic gardening practice)

I thought measuring cups were for cooking not gardening, guess I was doing it wrong with a "handful of this" and a "bucketful of that", but then again, that's how I cook as well

The garden gnomes you speak of, I honestly think its impossible to get clear of them once they make themselves home. They take on so many forms they can be hard to recognize. Around here there are 6 that I can account for and take on a 4 legged form. The buggers can be quite big as well, the 6 here weigh 50 to 75 lbs LOL

Anyway, other people to visit briefly this morning before I go back to harvesting but will be following along my friend

 

[LEDBud]

Morgans it is , UncleCannabis we need supplies.

 

[UncleCannabis]

I didn't realize you started a new journal my friend if I hadn't seen you mention it on WC's thread I would have missed it. I guess that's what I get for being busier than a one armed paper hanger lately and skimming through posts LOL

Capt'n Morgan and Coke please LEDBud, then I'll pull up a seat




I thought measuring cups were for cooking not gardening, guess I was doing it wrong with a "handful of this" and a "bucketful of that", but then again, that's how I cook as well

The garden gnomes you speak of, I honestly think its impossible to get clear of them once they make themselves home. They take on so many forms they can be hard to recognize. Around here there are 6 that I can account for and take on a 4 legged form. The buggers can be quite big as well, the 6 here weigh 50 to 75 lbs LOL

Anyway, other people to visit briefly this morning before I go back to harvesting but will be following along my friend

Apologies for not sending an invite your way. I was planning to spill the beans soon on my other journal but you've beat me to it.

I think you've been hanging around long enough to know that I'm also a "2 shovel scoops of this, a quarter bucket of this, 1 zip-loc bag of this, a dash and half of that" kinda' guy at heart. I don't see that changing anytime soon and I won't be using the measuring cup all the time.

From a garden and grow perspective I don't plan to change anything for at least a few months or more.

From a soil bin maintenance perspective I'll take 2 of my used soil bins and set them aside for use as part of this little experiment.
I'll get some soil test done to get a baseline then attempt to make adjustments slowly over time in an attempt to get within the nutrient ranges that I mentioned earlier.

This will likely take several months time as I'll be doing multiple soil test and adjusting nutrient levels slowly.
If and when I'm able to get my nutrient content within the ranges that I want then I'll then do some side by side grows with clones from the same mothers. Doing this with a couple of runs with different strains should then give me a good idea of the difference in quality compared to my "some of this, some of that" soil mix. That's the game plan anyway.

There are WAY MORE garden gnomes to deal with when growing outdoors that's for sure. And they do come in many forms as you say. Ever thought of building a gnome kennel?

 

[UncleCannabis]

Morgans it is , UncleCannabis we need supplies.

The bar is already stocked my friend. There are a couple of bottles of Captain Morgan hidden behind the bottles of Gray Goose. There's also a cooler right next to the fridge packed with canna infused ice. Load him up!!

And make it a double!!