My first hybrid

[fallenmunk]

Last year I kept one of my feminized CBD Tonic plants in flower long enough to produce male flowers and I pollinated a White Widow Auto with it and harvested the seeds. This winter I started three plants from those seeds on the same day. I named it "Critical Widowtonic". I'm discovering that they are highly variable in gene expression. One of them autoflowered, and the other two are photoperiod. I left one natural, and I manifolded the other. I did a 12 cola manifold, just like last year. It's just like the 8 cola manifold, but I keep the upright node in the middle and then top it so it develops two colas.

The one I kept natural is getting huge, it's probably gonna be a six foot tall bush by the time it's finished.

[fallenmunk]

Probably should give some more details on my grow this year. I did something different than last year that is working well. I saved all my leaves from fall of 2018 in a pile and made a nice batch of leaf mold, then I screened it to only use the fine stuff, then I added compost, worm droppings, cockroach frass, crushed eggshells, screened pumice, graphite dust, and a bunch of perlite. So far I have not had to use any nutes, in fact the soil mix itself has given one of the plants just a touch of nute burn, nothing to freak out about though, just a couple of brown tips.

I'm pretty stoked about how it's coming along so far, and I didn't spend a dime on any of my soil this year. When I repotted up to the 5 gallon bags, the soil was full of earthworms in the rootzone. First time I've been able to achieve that.

[SoOrbudgal]

Very nicely done fallenmunk i'm into composting my garden beds that way. I also do a tea in a 30gal. bucket I let cook start it in spring. I got a feed sack full of Llama poo just waiting in my greenhouse.

[Ell]

had to read these slowly to understand. but this is kinda cool.

[JohnEmad]

LOS or living organic soil just like people used for thousands of years. Add the mulch, compost and some minerals and keep damp. Earthworm mainly, some bacteria, fungus and other bugs do the rest. Viola good soil. Definitely how I will eventually do my grows but have a move planned 1st. No sense going full into that unless you are staying put for a while.

[fallenmunk]

Thanks man. Last year I did everything sterile pretty much. This year my soil is full of life and the difference in growth is surprising.

[jimicloudstuff]

Very nice. I have a pile o leaves rotting away, might give that a try next season.

[Rwise]

I'm growing in chopped leaves, a bit of sand (for silica & iron) some perlite, blood and bone meal, dolomite, sulfur and a splash of roots organics uprising grow,. Add 2 dozen earthworms to each 7 gallon pot, it's alive,,,
I like making my own seeds and strains too, very nice!

[JohnEmad]

awesome Rwise. I have grown flowers and vegies all my life but keeping cannabis indoors for the most part until we are back on an acreage and in the country..

[fallenmunk]

Nice! I'm never going back to my old way after this grow. I can seen not wanting a bunch of living stuff in your soil if you are doing it in a bedroom or living room though. Mine's in a basement, so no worries about the occasional escapee worm.

[fallenmunk]

I looked at my notes from last year and pretty much the only difference was that I composted the leaf mold last year with the rest of the compost, and this year I just took it straight from the leaf pile and screened it. So last year, everything was sterilized in the composter. My compost gets really hot and kills off just about everything in it.

[SoOrbudgal]

yes I really love making compost teas and soils. I glad to see others use this form, it really brings the life back to soil.

[fallenmunk]

And it saves big bucks over buying bags of stuff of questionable origin where you have to screen out big chunks of bark and in some cases rocks.