After all the talk about organics I decided to try them myself. Things seem to be going well so far. I'm going to post this grow in three parts since I'm already 4-5 weeks into flowering.
Here are the specifics_
Grow Space_ 3.5’x6’
Seed Stock_
Exodus Rex_ feminized (Sour Seeds)_ Exodus Cheese & Purple Diesel.
Caesar_regular (Exotic Genetix)_ Gorilla Glue & Tripple OG.
Meltdown_regular (Exotic Genetix)_Orange Valley OG & The Cube.
Lights_ Two Fluence VYPRx LED lights.
Watts_680 (total)
PPFD_880 at 18” measured every 6” intervals over a 3x4’ area.
Also use a Dimmer to control PPFD as desired for specific mounting heights above canopy.
Growing medium_ coco based : 40% coco, 40% perlite, 10% pumice & 10% grow stones (I use a 2” deep layer in the bottoms of the planters to increase drainage, water retention and oxygen).This mix works so well I don’t ever have any problems with overwatering or excessive salt buildup. The downside is I need to water at least 5x a week with 25% runoff.
Nutrients_ All 100% OIM certified liquid organic base and supplemental nutrients from Vegamatrix_ Grow, Bloom & Boost.
Advanced Nutrients_Mother Earth, Big Bud, Bud Candy & CaL_Mag Xtra. One of my concerns with organics in coco was how I could avoid Cal/Mag deficiencies. I decided to try using the Cal_Mag Xtra once/week and the Boost every other watering.
Its seems to be working.
Germination_Paper towels in a dish set over a warming mat in a dark room.
Seedlings_ started the sprouted seeds in Rapid Rooters, then transplanted those into 1 gallon plastic planters lined with grow bags. When the plants in the 1 gallon pots were ready to transplant we just lifted the bags out of the pots_everything undisturbed, put it in its new home, cut the bag down the side, pull it out… and its done. Fast and no transplant shock at all.
Planters_ 4 five gallon and two 2.5 gallon plastic buckets with holes drilled in the bottoms for fast drainage. With this medium 2 liters drains completely in less than 10 minutes which saves time and prevents issues due to overwatering.
Four of the planters also have air injection systems that pump air up through the medium from the bottom to the surface.
Air exchange_Old School. Too dang cold to bring air in from outside so instead I open a window an inch or two or an inside door and use 3 fans to circulate air. Once the sweet smell of flowering cannabis begins to fill the house I add a carbon filtered fan to reduce the oder (doesn’t eliminate it though).
I use a humidifier and dehumidifier to keep humidity between 45-60% during grow period and flowering stretch and 30-45% last four weeks of flowering.
Air temperature_ 70-80 degrees F when the lights are on and 65-72 degrees F when they are off.
Calendar_
October 12th_ germinating seeds in wet paper towels on heat mat.
October 13th_ planted a few of the germinated seeds into Rapid Rooters.
Placed rooters in tray and lights at 10% power. Added small amount of water to bottom of tray, 1/8th strength nutrients. Barely covered bottom of tray.
October 14th_put the rest of the seeds into RR’s.
October 15th_ added weak nutrient water to bottom of tray. RR’s don’t need to be watered if they are in the trays designed for them. Instead they draw water up through the bottom which helps prevent overwatering. Barely covered bottom of tray with water. Set room temp at 74 F and 65% humidity, no dome.
October 17th_ transplanted seedlings in the RR’s directly into 1 gallon grow bags in 1 liter pots. I choose the 1 gallon pots because I hoped they would provide enough room for the root systems to develop and enough media to get the water and nutrients they’d need until I could determine the sex of the regular seeds (Caesar and Meltdown).
Turned lights up to 20% power.
(photos)
Began watering with with 1/4 strength nutrients, 3/4 cup every two days. watered only around the outside of the rapid rooters, about 2-4 inches from the stem to help prevent damping off and entice the roots to develop outwards in search of water.
October 21_ (photos) of plants now with 3 bladed leaves. Turned power up to 50% and raise lights to 32”
October 21-25th_ Began watering with 1/2 strength nutrients, w 3/4 cup every day. Using Nutrient schedule as suggested by manufacturers. Using the Ca/Mag Xtra once/week and the Boost every other day to help prevent Cal/Mag deficiencies.
October 25-30_ Began watering with 3/4 strength nutrients, 1 cup per plant every day. Turned lights up to 75% power.
October 30_( photos) plants now developing 4-5th node. 5 bladed leaves filling out nicely and growing noticeably larger every day.
Set photoperiod to 20/4.
Oct 31_ Transplanted 3 Exodus Rex, a Caesar and a Meltdown into 4.5 gallon planters.
Now have 12 seedlings_5 Exodus Rex, 5 Meltdown and 4 Caesar.
(photos)
Nov 2nd_ PH of runoff is 5.5-6.5. I was told that when using organics that PH didn’t need to be perfect, anything between 5.5-6.5 was fine.
PH in nutrient water and runoff are consistently within that range.
Nov 3rd_ transplanted another Meltdown and another Caesar to larger pots. Gave away the ones left in the 1 gallon planters.
Nov 5th_ noticed that a few leaves may be showing early signs of cal/mag deficiencies so I increased the Cal/Mag boost solution to full strength and the PH to 6.2 after mixing all nutrients. Calcium and magnesium are best absorbed in the PH 6.0-7.0 range so hopefully this will help balance the nutrient uptake if there is a problem.
Nov 10th_Signs of possible Cal/mag issues have disappeared. Plants are growing well, will start training within a week.
Set lights at 85% power.
Nov 12th_ Plants growing well. After 16 hrs of light at 85% power plants are looking a little tired_ leaves get a bit droopy but recover overnight. I think this is due to too much light_ makes them draw in a lot of water but the stems and leaves are not yet strong enough to support them when they get full of water. They recover overnight because process of photosynthesis stops and excess water drains back down and or evaporates so leaves aren’t near as heavy. To see if this could be the cause I raised the lights 4”.
Nov 14_ No signs of droopy leaves at end of day. Plants continuing to grow fast and strong.
Nov 17_ Plants continuing to develop well. Transplanted three of the largest Exodus Rex females into the 5 gallon planters. Prepared the medium by watering each planter with 2 gallons of full strength nutrients, drained overnight. Transplanted and then watered each with full strength nutrients.
Nov 18_ Set photoperiod to 16/12. Some plants may be starting to show signs of too much Nitrogen (“clawing’), but back on the supplements that contained nitrogen.
Nov 20_ topped the Exodus Rex and started LST.
Nov 22_set photoperiod to 12/12. Found two plants that look like females. Transplanted one Caesar and one Meltdown. Found one male Meltdown and discarded.
Flushed planters with PH 6.0 and Sensizym.
The last two Exodus Rex were given away to new parents, no room for them.
Observations_ overall it appears that in a porous coco medium using liquid organic nutrients and following the manufacturers nutrient schedule is working well. This is especially important when using an inert medium that has no nutritive value. Watering every day is basically flushing the medium a bit with every watering, keeping levels where they need to be.
The Calcium & Magnesium boosters used at full strength seem to be working. Calcium and magnesium deficiencies can result from a consistent PH lower than 5.8- even if present in adequate supply- because they are best absorbed by cannabis between 6.0-7.0. So I’m alternating the PH between 5.5-6.5 every other application.
Its suppose to be harder to burn plants with organics so I’m going to continue using nutrients at full strength and keep a close watch on them.
Here are the specifics_
Grow Space_ 3.5’x6’
Seed Stock_
Exodus Rex_ feminized (Sour Seeds)_ Exodus Cheese & Purple Diesel.
Caesar_regular (Exotic Genetix)_ Gorilla Glue & Tripple OG.
Meltdown_regular (Exotic Genetix)_Orange Valley OG & The Cube.
Lights_ Two Fluence VYPRx LED lights.
Watts_680 (total)
PPFD_880 at 18” measured every 6” intervals over a 3x4’ area.
Also use a Dimmer to control PPFD as desired for specific mounting heights above canopy.
Growing medium_ coco based : 40% coco, 40% perlite, 10% pumice & 10% grow stones (I use a 2” deep layer in the bottoms of the planters to increase drainage, water retention and oxygen).This mix works so well I don’t ever have any problems with overwatering or excessive salt buildup. The downside is I need to water at least 5x a week with 25% runoff.
Nutrients_ All 100% OIM certified liquid organic base and supplemental nutrients from Vegamatrix_ Grow, Bloom & Boost.
Advanced Nutrients_Mother Earth, Big Bud, Bud Candy & CaL_Mag Xtra. One of my concerns with organics in coco was how I could avoid Cal/Mag deficiencies. I decided to try using the Cal_Mag Xtra once/week and the Boost every other watering.
Its seems to be working.
Germination_Paper towels in a dish set over a warming mat in a dark room.
Seedlings_ started the sprouted seeds in Rapid Rooters, then transplanted those into 1 gallon plastic planters lined with grow bags. When the plants in the 1 gallon pots were ready to transplant we just lifted the bags out of the pots_everything undisturbed, put it in its new home, cut the bag down the side, pull it out… and its done. Fast and no transplant shock at all.
Planters_ 4 five gallon and two 2.5 gallon plastic buckets with holes drilled in the bottoms for fast drainage. With this medium 2 liters drains completely in less than 10 minutes which saves time and prevents issues due to overwatering.
Four of the planters also have air injection systems that pump air up through the medium from the bottom to the surface.
Air exchange_Old School. Too dang cold to bring air in from outside so instead I open a window an inch or two or an inside door and use 3 fans to circulate air. Once the sweet smell of flowering cannabis begins to fill the house I add a carbon filtered fan to reduce the oder (doesn’t eliminate it though).
I use a humidifier and dehumidifier to keep humidity between 45-60% during grow period and flowering stretch and 30-45% last four weeks of flowering.
Air temperature_ 70-80 degrees F when the lights are on and 65-72 degrees F when they are off.
Calendar_
October 12th_ germinating seeds in wet paper towels on heat mat.
October 13th_ planted a few of the germinated seeds into Rapid Rooters.
Placed rooters in tray and lights at 10% power. Added small amount of water to bottom of tray, 1/8th strength nutrients. Barely covered bottom of tray.
October 14th_put the rest of the seeds into RR’s.
October 15th_ added weak nutrient water to bottom of tray. RR’s don’t need to be watered if they are in the trays designed for them. Instead they draw water up through the bottom which helps prevent overwatering. Barely covered bottom of tray with water. Set room temp at 74 F and 65% humidity, no dome.
October 17th_ transplanted seedlings in the RR’s directly into 1 gallon grow bags in 1 liter pots. I choose the 1 gallon pots because I hoped they would provide enough room for the root systems to develop and enough media to get the water and nutrients they’d need until I could determine the sex of the regular seeds (Caesar and Meltdown).
Turned lights up to 20% power.
(photos)
Began watering with with 1/4 strength nutrients, 3/4 cup every two days. watered only around the outside of the rapid rooters, about 2-4 inches from the stem to help prevent damping off and entice the roots to develop outwards in search of water.
October 21_ (photos) of plants now with 3 bladed leaves. Turned power up to 50% and raise lights to 32”
October 21-25th_ Began watering with 1/2 strength nutrients, w 3/4 cup every day. Using Nutrient schedule as suggested by manufacturers. Using the Ca/Mag Xtra once/week and the Boost every other day to help prevent Cal/Mag deficiencies.
October 25-30_ Began watering with 3/4 strength nutrients, 1 cup per plant every day. Turned lights up to 75% power.
October 30_( photos) plants now developing 4-5th node. 5 bladed leaves filling out nicely and growing noticeably larger every day.
Set photoperiod to 20/4.
Oct 31_ Transplanted 3 Exodus Rex, a Caesar and a Meltdown into 4.5 gallon planters.
Now have 12 seedlings_5 Exodus Rex, 5 Meltdown and 4 Caesar.
(photos)
Nov 2nd_ PH of runoff is 5.5-6.5. I was told that when using organics that PH didn’t need to be perfect, anything between 5.5-6.5 was fine.
PH in nutrient water and runoff are consistently within that range.
Nov 3rd_ transplanted another Meltdown and another Caesar to larger pots. Gave away the ones left in the 1 gallon planters.
Nov 5th_ noticed that a few leaves may be showing early signs of cal/mag deficiencies so I increased the Cal/Mag boost solution to full strength and the PH to 6.2 after mixing all nutrients. Calcium and magnesium are best absorbed in the PH 6.0-7.0 range so hopefully this will help balance the nutrient uptake if there is a problem.
Nov 10th_Signs of possible Cal/mag issues have disappeared. Plants are growing well, will start training within a week.
Set lights at 85% power.
Nov 12th_ Plants growing well. After 16 hrs of light at 85% power plants are looking a little tired_ leaves get a bit droopy but recover overnight. I think this is due to too much light_ makes them draw in a lot of water but the stems and leaves are not yet strong enough to support them when they get full of water. They recover overnight because process of photosynthesis stops and excess water drains back down and or evaporates so leaves aren’t near as heavy. To see if this could be the cause I raised the lights 4”.
Nov 14_ No signs of droopy leaves at end of day. Plants continuing to grow fast and strong.
Nov 17_ Plants continuing to develop well. Transplanted three of the largest Exodus Rex females into the 5 gallon planters. Prepared the medium by watering each planter with 2 gallons of full strength nutrients, drained overnight. Transplanted and then watered each with full strength nutrients.
Nov 18_ Set photoperiod to 16/12. Some plants may be starting to show signs of too much Nitrogen (“clawing’), but back on the supplements that contained nitrogen.
Nov 20_ topped the Exodus Rex and started LST.
Nov 22_set photoperiod to 12/12. Found two plants that look like females. Transplanted one Caesar and one Meltdown. Found one male Meltdown and discarded.
Flushed planters with PH 6.0 and Sensizym.
The last two Exodus Rex were given away to new parents, no room for them.
Observations_ overall it appears that in a porous coco medium using liquid organic nutrients and following the manufacturers nutrient schedule is working well. This is especially important when using an inert medium that has no nutritive value. Watering every day is basically flushing the medium a bit with every watering, keeping levels where they need to be.
The Calcium & Magnesium boosters used at full strength seem to be working. Calcium and magnesium deficiencies can result from a consistent PH lower than 5.8- even if present in adequate supply- because they are best absorbed by cannabis between 6.0-7.0. So I’m alternating the PH between 5.5-6.5 every other application.
Its suppose to be harder to burn plants with organics so I’m going to continue using nutrients at full strength and keep a close watch on them.
