Aurora Indica by Nirvana, 100% organic grow with BioBizz nutes

[Cocho]

Time for a little update!

I watered her today. And it is 6 days since the flush.
So the top layer of the soil were starting to dry up real good.

I was thinking, during last week, that I might just water her with pure water this time, because I was afraid of nutrient burns, but I ended up giving her 2 liters (8,5 cups) of water mixed with 2ml of BioGrow.
Then I finished of with 0,5 liter (2 cups) of pure water. Hopefully she will love it, and there will be no nutrient burns.
She does look healthy, so my guess is that she will be fine.

I've also cut away a few of the larger fan leaves. I'm thinking about leaving her like she is for now, since I do want some fan leaves to catch the light. Plus, two of them are attached to what will become the main "colas", so I don't really have the guts to cut them off.

Anyways.. the airflow underneath her leaves should be much better now than before.
I've also placed my ScrOG screen in the tent, and the plan is to use that from now on, so no more topping or LST.
There's 10-15 tops on her now, and I think that will be enough. So I'll just focus on getting them even before she develops pre-flowers, which will be in a week or two.
The ScrOG screen had kind of large "squares", and I could not imaging this small plant growing through there efficiently. So what I did was to tie some cotton string all over and in between the net, making more uneven and smaller "squares". Hopefully they will suffice in the long run.

Here you can see how I've tried to "open up" the space underneath her, to prevent mold and shit.

And here she is again, a little closer, just so that you can see the color (sort of).

And here she is again, showing the current setup, with the ScrOG screen and all.

What do you guys think? Anything you'll want to add?

Peace!

 

[Cocho]

Hehe! Its all good bud!
You're not to far fetched thinking of Alaska. Kind of the same latitude.
I bet you've heard of 71°N (71 degrees North). So I can see the "confusion" there.
The world is a big place.

 

[Cocho]

I have a question.

When is the best time to measure pH value of your soil?
Normally I would just measure the runoff right then and there.
But when I flushed the soil a little while back, I first measured the runoff right away. But as the plant was relaxing in the dark, during the night, some more runoff came out and stayed there until the next morning.
When I measured the pH-level of that runoff the results where +2 in value.
The runoff I sampled right away came out at 4, but the runoff i got from the tray the next morning came out at 6.

The reason I'm asking is because a lot of people think that you'll get a better and more accurate result if you wait up till 24 hours.
So which test do you think was the more accurate when I did my measurements?
The one I did right away that came out at 4, or the one I did the next morning that came out at 6?
Because when I measure the runoff now, it still comes out too low (about 5). But the plant keeps on growing, and I don't want to mess with the soil for no reason.

The soil I'm using is organic and contains almost no peat, since they replaced it with Coco.
So I'm wondering if the runoff is low for a reason at first. Something to do with the nutrients in the soil, or the structure of the soil.
And that's why it came out with a higher level after a while?

I don't know.. I just wanted to ask you guys, and maybe I got a good answer. Because I really don't know what to think here.
She might look fine now, but I don't want her to get sick the minute she goes in to flower. And I definitely don't want her to get sick 1 week from harvest or something like that.
So it's better to deal with stuff like that now. Preferably without all sorts of chemicals (pH-Up & pH-DOWN), and it would be nice to avoid another flush.

So what do you think? Should I just relax, or is this something I should address?

 

[Cocho]

Time for an update folks!

It has been a few days since I last updated with some pictures.
Mostly because I've been busy with Christmas preparations and stuff like that.
But also because I wanted to see the changes before I posted here.

I'm still kind of worried about the pH-value. She seems to be happy and grow a little more very day. And she looks fine. Maybe a little light green, but hopefully she will turn darker after next feeding.
Planning on giving her 2ml per liter next time. Hopefully that will give her some kick.

I've also bought a bag of Dolomite granules, and I was wondering if I should try and add 1/2 tablespoon to the water next time I water her?
Grind the granules up into a "flour" and mix it with water and BioGrow? That way the runoff might correct it self?
To be honest.. I don't really know how to deal with the runoff. And I don't want to do something that might screw everything up for me.

So what do you guys think?

Here's some pictures of her after I tied her down some more today. I've also removed most of the big fan leaves to make room for new growth. Hopefully she will thank me for that.

The conditions inside the tent are about 27C/80F +- a few degrees, and about 60% RH.

Peace!

 

[D.A.A.S.69]

Hey Cocho, I can't remember what's been going on but your plant looks fine to me, you want to catch the first bit of run-off if you can ,least that's what I've always heard an done.
I don't think I'd use that dolomite that way, I'd use that at the start of my grow , you might can use it that way but I sure don't know anyone that has,
You sure want to keep track with your ph though. And good luck

 

[Cocho]

Hey!
It's just that.. the runoff came out a little to acidic last time, and since I want this grow to be 100% ecological and organic, I don't want to add chemicals like pH-Up or pH-Down. That's why I bought a bag of Dolomite. It's cheap and certified organic. But it wont work like that? Not even if I grind it up to powder and mix it good into the water before I pour it onto the soil?

 

[D.A.A.S.69]

We always threw a couple of hand fulls of pulverized dolomite in our pots -buckets before we even planted, an I'm sure it takes a little while before that even helps.
It might work quicker what your talking about ,but I don't know how you find out unless you know someone, or you try it.

 

[Cocho]

Yeah, that's the "normal" way. I remember when I was little and we were told by my grandfather to go and throw Dolomite on the field to counter act the effects of the acidic rain (I grew up on a farm). That method is meant to work in the long term. So that's why I thought the grounded up stuff, mixed with water would be a "quick" remedy. The Dolomite has a pH-value of 7, so technically I would not be able to ruin my soil with it. But the fact that my water comes out at 8 worries me quite a bit. Because in my head, the Dolomite together with some "hard water" could be harmful. So I guess I will just let her be for now. Give her double dosage of nutrients in a day or two, and see what the time brings.

 

[Cocho]

Watered her today.

Gave her 2 liters (8,5 cups) of water mixed with 2ml/L BioGrow (4ml in total) and 1ml/L TopMax (2ml in total). I measured the runoff the first time and it came out at 5 pH. Then I cleaned the tray and gave her another 10-15 mins before I measured again. This time it came out at 6 - 6,5 pH, which is perfect! So now I'm happier than a dung beetle on a horse show!

 

[Paracelsus]

Send in the clones

 

[Paracelsus]

Nice Grow WOW Polar Bears LOL I just got here but read the whole thread so I wanna drop a couple of ideas. If you want to bring up the temperature consider a second light, just a thought. You did a good job on the flush, most of those problems may have come from transplanting into such a large pot. You couldn't help but over water if you were ph testing runoff. You noticed it could of used some drainage help. Last is don't be afraid to snip snip snip and give those bud sites the light and air they need. If you started a little earlier with a considered trim you might of seen some greater horizontal growth. IF you haven't read this tutorial Nebula wrote give it a look. http://www.growweedeasy.com/defoliation

I'm a newbie but there is a wealth of good science here.

 

[Cocho]

Thanks for the feedback! I'm glad more people are finding this thread.

The temperature has been solved. I just brought in a larger heater, so now my office keeps an even temperature, and never goes lower than 20C/68F at night.

Yes, the large pot did affect the pH, I'm sure of it. But the reason I changed to such a large pot was because it was the only one I had, and I did not have time to drive all the way down to the garden center for a medium one. So I just went for it, and it almost messed stuff up. One lesson "richer" in life. Yes, I've been doing a little more "snip snip snip", and I might even do more over Christmas. Because I want to focus on the big branches, with the big buds.

I'm reading my way through the tutorials/guides on this site. Just been a little preoccupied the last couple of weeks due to all the preparations for Christmas and so on. But I promise I'll read it during the holidays. Most of the stuff on here are golden, and this whole growing thing would be a lot harder if I had to figure it out by myself.

Peace!

 

[Cocho]

Hello gang!

Today I gave this "defoliation" technique a try. I have no idea if what I did is even correct, or if I cut off something important or what.
But I did as the guide told me (Cannabis Defoliation Tutorial: How to Increase Yields by Removing Leaves), and cut away most of the fan leaves located lower on the plant.
The ones who did not get enough light, or didn't have anything important to do, or wasn't connected to any tops.
The goal was to make the plant a little more "airy" and make room for good growth.

I've never done anything like this before, so I hope I did good.

As you can see in the next photo, there's a lot of new growth "sprouts" growing on the branches. I did not remove these, only the leaves, since the guide told me not to if I didn't know what I was doing.
Does it look okay? You can see what I'm talking about in the next one.

And here..

I'm not going to go overboard with this at this point. This is my first grow in many years, and I will use this opportunity to "grind some rust of the old gears", and rather go all in the next round.
What I mean by that is; that you should give me as much feedback as possible, since then I can come back here later and read everything, put in to use on the next grow, and maybe get some killer yields.

I'm also going away for a few days. We're not celebrating Christmas her at our place, but we're visiting the in-laws, and will be staying there until the 26th of December (4 days without water).
Hopefully this will be fine. I'm planning on leaving the heather on medium, that way it wont get really hot during the day (max 25C/77F during the day and low 20C/68F during the night), that way I'll keep the soil from evaporating too fast. Does that sound like an idea?

Peace!

Edit: Round 2, did some alterations!

 

[Paracelsus]

Hi Cocho, Happy Holidays The winter solstice has passed, every day come forward there will be just a little more light.
Nice effort on the trim, conservative is best cause you can't put it back. That last picture is a beauty and shows you have a good solid foundation for your tree to grow on and for you to train. Here is another tutorial but this one is on training basics. Defoliation is one kind of training, LST is another Low Stress Training. This Tutorial gives an overview of LST in section five.
http://www.growweedeasy.com/simple-c...training-guide
and also explains other techniques like topping and manifolding/main-lining, FIMing, ScrOG, Sea of Green and Super Topping. Getting to know your plant and its structure, identifying the grow sites, colas, nodes, and learning how to combine these techniques in a way best for your grow is the way to go. The pictures and arrows really help. PS A small soda bottle filled with water with a pin hole in the bottom and in the top would allow a steady drip into plant while your gone.

 

[Cocho]

Paracelsus Thanks! I've already done some light LST. But it got harder as the plant grew bushier and bushier. So now, since I've cleared out some space, I will continue training her. I will "bookmark" that guide on my phone, and read during the holidays.

I gave her 1 liter (4 cups) of water, mixed with 2ml BioGrow and 1ml TopMax. Hopefully this will be good enough for a couple of days (I did just water her yesterday). It should not be a problem at all actually, because she usually goes 3-4 days without water. And now with the defoliation and stuff, she will need a few extra days before she starts growing again, I guess. So I think I'm good.

Nice picture btw! Those are nomads living in the US I guess? We have a similar people where I'm from (I'm actually 50% Sapmi, which is the name of the natives over here).

 

[Paracelsus]

I think they were a Lap Land Tribe, not sure if I remember right. I was looking for another picture I have of a medicine woman with the Reindeer inside her yurt. I put your picture on my FB page thanks

 

[Cocho]

Lapland is a part of Finland. Do you have a place/area called Lap Land over there too? The reason I thought the picture was of a native from the US was because they had the "Asian" look, which the natives over here don't. But they come from the same people. With Shamanism and mother earth as their religion. Merry Christmas anyways!

 

[Paracelsus]

Hello Cocho I miss spelt Lap Land but further research tells me that they are Mongolian Siberian Nomads from a reclusive tribe.
The photographer Hamid Sardar-Afkami also did a Documentary a few years back.
http://hamidsardarphoto.com

Peace on Earth, Good Will Towards Men.
P

 

[Cocho]

Hello everyone, and happy holidays!

I just got home from this years Christmas celebrations, and I noticed that the plant might have had it a little cold the last few days.
Not too cold, just colder than usual. The reason I believe that is because she is still kind of moist. Normally the soil would have dried up by now.
And some of the Perlite have a green color, it looks like algae (10 Perlite pellets tops). No worries, I turned up the heat and the circulation fan, so she'll be dryer by the time the light turns off.
And the algae won't be I problem I guess? She looks healthy and everything, so I guess she just needs to dry up a bit.

But there's another thing I noticed too. Some of the roots are showing in the surface, and i can clearly see the roots sticking out from the soil between the soil and the inner "wall" of the pot.
The roots down the side are normal, but I've never seen roots on the surface before. Should I get some more soil and cover them up, or just leave them?

Other than that the plant have grown some while I was away. I don't have any pictures, and I won't be taking any today either. Been a long drive home, so I'll try to take some pictures tomorrow instead.

But what do you think about the algae and the roots? Should I be concerned?

 

[Paracelsus]

http://www.growweedeasy.com/cannabis-root-problems
Cocho the roots may be seeking more oxygen because there is still standing water from the last watering you gave before you left for a few days, Algae may be a sign of over watering too. I remembered reading about it in this tutorial. The temperature drop may have slowed down your evaporation and there may not be enough oxygen.

Glad your back safe and sound