Garden Of Eden

[GodOfPot]

Welcome All...To The Garden Of Eden!​

Introduction

First of all, I want to give a shout out to 2 members here.....Brightlight & Bobbrown!

These 2 members have spent an incredible amount of time answering questions I've had over the past 5+ months...when I started my first grow last August I knew NOTHING about growing and since then, they have both been HUGE 'catalysts' in my learning! Both of them are organic, though have very different styles....however both know exactly what they're doing...I wouldn't be near where I am today, I'd probably still be force feeding my babies with chems and synthetic nutes...So thank you both for having the patience to deal with my never ending ramblings!

So...this is something I've wanted to do for the better part of 25 years and last August was the first time I put seed to soil....I thought I knew what I was doing, but I realize now that I really knew nothing more than put seed in dirt and water.

My goal has always been the same and will never change.....to grow the most potent & best cannabis I possibly can...it was never a goal to become organic, I started soilless back in August and as I began to read and learn more, I quickly realized that style would not produce the 'best' IMO

Since my first grow finished I've been spending the time trying to get everything gathered together to make the change....so here I am! My ways aren't set in stone....still learning and adapting as I learn more!

Hop on and enjoy the ride! I like to learn and share what I learn, I also like to ramble a lot....but I enjoy discussion so feel free to ask or share anything you'd like!

 

[GodOfPot]

The Stage

Right now I'm running in a 4'x4'x6.5' tent.....I fully intend on expanding down the line, right now I'm still in a big learning curve so i don't wanna go too big and get overwhelmed. I truly enjoy what we do here, gives me great pleasure to finally be able to have a hobby I've been waiting a long ass time for, but I wanna get it right too!

I also modified my tent cutting 4 X's into the roof....my pulley ropes are mounted into the ceiling about 1.5'-2' above the outside of my tent....this will allow me to raise my light right up to the roof inside my tent....if it comes to it I will even cut out holes in my tent roof to raise the lights outside of my tent if need be!

The Stage lights are from one of our sponsors here, SunPlus. I currently run 2 x P6 models which draw a max 630w each, so a combined 1260w when COB & LED are turned on. I realize this is a bit overkill...however I do plan on expanding which was taken greatly into consideration when I grabbed a 2nd unit.

I assure you from corner to corner I'm more than covered....like I say, a bit overkill.

This is @ 36"

COB only

COB + LED

Didn't do LED only, it's just pinker and probably a mode in which I'll never use stand alone.

 

[GodOfPot]

The Soil

So there's 100's of different mixes or variations of mixes out there that utilize a wide array of various amendments.....deciding which was going to be the 'best' to use was tough.....Bob leaned me towards Clakamas Coots and what I liked about CC's mix was the amount of information available out there on it.

CC's mix as explained to me was a collective effort over the course of a couple years where members of the community tried and tested various amendments at various ratios and this was what they deemed the 'best'.....LOTS of people are running this mix, so there's LOTS of information available for it....making it easier to diagnose a problem and move beyond it.

The mix is as follows(though I'm sure most people here know);
1/3 Aeration(perlite)
1/3 Humus(compost/EWC)
1/3 CSPM

Amended with the following on a per cu.ft basis(may be off here just going off memory);
1/2 - 1 cup Neem/Karanja(50/50 mix)
1/2 cup kelp meal
1/2 cup Shrimp + Crab Meal(50/50 mix)
1 cup malted barley flour(grinded grains myself)

1 cup basalt
1 cup oyster shell flour
1 cup gypsum
1 cup glacial rock dust

CSPM

CSPM + Perlite

Added some EWC

Then a mix of Leaf, Cow & Horse composts(leaf being the majority)

Add in the meals/flours/dusts

Some more perlite on top

Mixed it all up, got it nice and moist and sprinkled some Bokashi on top

2 weeks later the bokashi's doing it's thing looking all fine & shit!

Mixed the bokashi in after it died back a bit and the soil had been sitting until today just waiting for something to be planted in it!

 

[Itibitiguy]

Subbed up . that soil looks amazing GOP. Can't wait to see what that garden can do.

 

[GodOfPot]

Vermiculture

This is still incredibly new to me(as is everything basically)....however I do have an experimental project going on to start me off with this, and in the coming months I will be expanding this.

Basically all I've done right now is take the remaining composts I had....mixed them all together added in some CSPM + aeration and amended it with all the CC soil mix amendments + bentonite clay(calcium type) & Gro-Sil(99.9% silica)....I think it worked out to be about 7-8 gal compost, 2 gal perlite, 1 gal CSPM, tossed in just under 1000 worms and will for the most part let them be.

I've since added a few banana peels and coffee grinds/filters and that's it....in the future it will be much more refined in terms of amendments....what I'm hoping for now is lots of worm reproduction so I don't need to buy anymore when I start my next bin.

What I will be doing is creating my Humus + Aeration portion of a soil mix, allowing the bacteria to hide in every nook and cranny they can find, I'll be using amendments that take longer to break down since they'll have a good 4 months with the worms prior to being added to a mix of any sort.....all the amendments should basically be broken down and readily available to a plant once it has been added to a soil, at least this will be the ultimate goal....I'm still a ways off and still learning quite a bit!

But for those who don't know the power of worms, I'd suggest looking into it, it doesn't have to be 'messy' one bit, you don't have to use house hold scraps that bring all sorts of wonderful smells and you still end up with a product that will be much much better than anything you can buy, and it's simple!

 

[GodOfPot]

Now onto the fun part!

I had really really really wanted to get Romulan Haze in on this grow....I began germinating seeds back on Jan 19th and so far to date I only had 1/8 seeds germinate and it hasn't grown a single mm since it popped through a week ago(you'll see the runt).....tired of waiting, just assume the pack of seeds was bad, so earlier this week I began germinating another strain to take it's place....I'll grab another pack and throw them in for the next grow for sure!

So here we go!!! This round I'll be running 4 strains, 1 of each(though 1 strain is Reg seeds so have 2 seeds going until they sex)

Cali Connection - Grape OG(Grape Romulan X Tahoe OG Kush)
karma Genetics - Headstash(Girl Scout Cookies X Cherry Pie X KarmaRado X Biker Kush)
Unnamed - Labyrinth(not sure)
Connoiseur Genetics - SSSDH(Super Silver Haze X Sour Diesel)

I am and will be a what you can consider a 'Strain Hunter'....it will not be very often you see the same strains in my garden! I love Romulan so you may see a lot of Romulan crosses, if I find strains that I absolutely love I will re-grow them from time to time, however a like variety....so I plan to grow as many different strains as I can!!!!

Labyrinth - Popped through Jan 19th, this week started to show signs of being root bound so she doesn't look the greatest today, however today her and Grape OG got transplanted from their 1gal pot to their final 7 gal pot!

Grape OG - Popped about a week after Labs, just started showing signs of being root bound or just lacking food

Headstash - popped a couple days after Grape, however has been slower to grow and looks a bit deformed lol

Will wait till next week before transplanting her

So, into the 7gal pots they went, the hole they get placed in gets hit with Bio AG VAM + Extreme Gardening Mycos, plus I sprinkle it all over the roots as I hold the plant

Filled them in with soil, then hit them with a diluted ACT and MBF watering to get them well on their way

SSSDH is the 4th strain...I just started to germ them so will have pics later...and here we are!

 

[GodOfPot]

Subbed up . that soil looks amazing GOP. Can't wait to see what that garden can do.

Welcome! And thank you! Hoping it performs as well as it looks

 

[brightlight]

Thanks for invitation GOP. Great step by step on your soil & worm bin. You won't be short on light that's for sure...lol. Excellent strains.

 

[GodOfPot]

Thanks BL! And welcome buddy glad to have you here .

 

[bobrown14]

And sub'd for the flower pics!

Looking good and off to a great start. All your work is done. Now just have to water.


In your worm bin - quality in = quality out... try not to feed the worms stuff you wouldn't eat. Paper and cardboard... meh! Greens from your kitchen scraps very good. Worms like fresh veggies..greens (no lemons), it won't smell as long as no fat is added. Can cover with paper... I think thats what you have there?? To keep the moisture in??

1000 worms... they are hungry!! I never added any to my bins.. they found their way in there. If they are red wigglers they live at the top of the soil line and eat what you throw in there. Keep em happy!! I love worms.

Did you add a drain at the btm of the bin?? You probably should then you can drain out some moisture and use that mixed with water and water in for a EWC tea!!! That's the benefit of using a closed system like you're doing.


Looking good there.. nice setup.

 

[Ling Zhi]

subbed!

Looking good, this style of growing is very similar to my own. i look forward to perhaps picking up a few pointers

I was you could say, raised on Romulan, being a strain that was around for years in my circle as a teenager. I hope you find your genetics. i wouldnt mind adding romulan to my garden in the future.

 

[GodOfPot]

And sub'd for the flower pics!

Looking good and off to a great start. All your work is done. Now just have to water.


In your worm bin - quality in = quality out... try not to feed the worms stuff you wouldn't eat. Paper and cardboard... meh! Greens from your kitchen scraps very good. Worms like fresh veggies..greens (no lemons), it won't smell as long as no fat is added. Can cover with paper... I think thats what you have there?? To keep the moisture in??

1000 worms... they are hungry!! I never added any to my bins.. they found their way in there. If they are red wigglers they live at the top of the soil line and eat what you throw in there. Keep em happy!! I love worms.

Did you add a drain at the btm of the bin?? You probably should then you can drain out some moisture and use that mixed with water and water in for a EWC tea!!! That's the benefit of using a closed system like you're doing.


Looking good there.. nice setup.

Welcome buddy glad to have you here as well!

With the worm bin the idea is the compost itself is the 'food' along with the amendments and they'll process that down even better....the only household items I've added are banana peels and coffee grinds/filters.....will add a pic later of what it looks like now .

Yes there's 100's of holes drilled in both bins actually, the outer bin has 0 holes on the bottom 3" but above that added plenty for aeration.....none have tried to escape yet through the top or bottom....I'll take it as a good sign! The 'bed' is only about 6-8" deep right now, I have more pre-mixed compost bedding I'll be layering on top eventually .

Also been adding the 'muck' left over from an ACT, and rice hulls as well....hopefully they'll thrive....no newspapers or cardboard and yes that sheet on top is to keep the moisture in and light out .

 

[GodOfPot]

subbed!

Looking good, this style of growing is very similar to my own. i look forward to perhaps picking up a few pointers

I was you could say, raised on Romulan, being a strain that was around for years in my circle as a teenager. I hope you find your genetics. i wouldnt mind adding romulan to my garden in the future.

Welcome Ling Zhi!! Glad to have you .

Living soil is a thing of wonders....I don't have experience growing in it yet, so still lots to learn but Brighlight & Bobbrown here have taught me tons....if you ever have time and are looking for good info scroll through their journals as well....you'd be amazed how much there's to learn .

I have a couple Romulan strains already in seeds, Romulan Diesel, Romulan Haze(Next Gen....there's 2 but I haven't been able to get Pisces Romulan Haze yet) and Grape OG which is growing now has Romulan Grape....looking forward to that very much...I've also recently been shown a Hawaii Breeder who has a Maui Wowie X Romulan that'll I'll be looking to pick up!

The thing about where I come from, is that we were never taught strains growing up....I've been smoking 25 years and it's only the past 1 - 2 years I've been learning about strains....prior to that everything was referred to as either Hydro or SES...hydro implied it'd be greener weed, where as SES would imply it's gonna be darker weed and generally filled with seeds(the irony lol)...so for all those years I was smoking, never had an idea what it was exactly I was smoking

I aim to grow some strains that have been around for a while(Chem '91 .) to see if I can come across some stuff I would have smoked as a teen lol

 

[GodOfPot]

Here we go!

Cali Con - Grape OG

Has really taken off since her transplant & mbf watering
Labyrinth

Also has taken off a ton, little light on the green side however she was root bound a while, but looking so much better!

Headstash bottom right got a transplant today, along with a mbf watering

Romulan Haze top right actually started to pick up! So we'll wait and see if it keeps it up, only took about 2 weeks to start growing from the day it popped lol

And here's the first SSSDH to pop through! Even if the other doesn't germ, hopefully I can get 1 fem between RH & SSSDH!

And here's the worm bin

Banana peels, trimmed leaves chopped up & coffee grinds/filters is all....was glad to see today when I lifted a peel there was plenty of worms gathered under them, so at least I know I'm not killing them lol

 

[Itibitiguy]

Loves the worm bin... Man I've gotta go organic soil soon. Nice girls GOP

 

[GodOfPot]

Hope you join us in organics Iti!

The worm bin is awesome....I’ll be getting a worm factory 360 eventually....but the beauty of it is that it’s so simple and yet so rich

 

[Itibitiguy]

My greenhouse got an awesome culture of baterica going last year... Almost like a big network of roots everywhere. I didn't till anything so I'm hoping got some nice soil to get into soon

 

[GodOfPot]

Here's the new goodies!

Coconut water & coconut water with aloe vera.....the one with aloe I can only get in the tin can for now, but the ingredients are pretty clean just coco water + aloe gel, no added sugars or preservatives

And this I should have realized yesterday....pretty clear this didn't happen over night lol

This is Labyrinth, he's only 4 weeks old(popped through Jan. 19)....should have noticed those yesterday haha

So started soaking some replacements today;
Brothers Grimm - Cindy XX(Princess X C99 female pollen donor)
G13 Labs - Blueberry Gum(Hashplant X Blueberry)

Cindy XX is the one I want, B. Gum is just a back up......whatever's popping now really won't get much veg time, might even just get to up pot then switch to flower because of how far ahead Grape OG & Headstash will be

 

[bobrown14]

Sorry about the male LAB! That sucks... like the Coconut water. Try some it's good for you.

I drink a bunch of that stuff before and after swim training. Helps me with recovery and also supplies me with a lot of energy ... I swim a shit ton of laps 70 -100 laps 4x a week. Coconut water FTW.

 

[Bonsaiweed]

And here's the worm bin

Banana peels, trimmed leaves chopped up & coffee grinds/filters is all....was glad to see today when I lifted a peel there was plenty of worms gathered under them, so at least I know I'm not killing them lol

Not that it will help, but you didn't say if you're going to use a "flow-through" type worm bin setup. If you do, you will be much happier. You can search "VermBin" on google. I would link, but that doesn't feel right in this forum. Read up on flow-through systems. I'm not affiliated with anyone. Just passing along info that makes life easier.