Dark harvest grow challenge: RosettaStoned

[RosettaStoned]

DWC GC 6.32 down to 6.1 DGTH 6.1
resorted to frozen bottles of water to cool my buckets. 75.8 degrees, yikes! I guess the summer will be soil only. Now they are 68 degrees. Several roots reaching the water. Used 1.5 ml mammoth p for the good bacteria to hopefully keep off root rot.

Soil 3-4 oz water each, caressed them gently 😄 was at my local organic gardening store, found langbeinite and granulated humic acid. Also grabbed some mykos. Searched everywhere for plain Epsom salt, almost impossible to find without some kind of essential oil. Don't get me wrong, I like them for certain things; headaches, soar throats, stuffy nose, etc. After all they are terpenes....and if I didn't like terpenes........

Hybrid Mix 1/2 tsp buddha grow, trinity, bio root - 1/4 tsp calmag to 1/2 gallon. Was 5.1 pH, brought it up with baking soda, 5.6 pH. GC run off 6.32, DGTH run off 6.5, 3-4 oz in 1-2 out.
Not sure how dry the medium should be each watering? How much to water? Probably should read a coco tutorial

Moved all under 1 light, the four under the Mars look better than the vipar. Maybe the far red, we'll see....204 watt cree cobs and monos at 35k and 40k. 27" from the "canopy".

DGTH
GC

 

[Chefbjy]

Which ones are the hybrid mix again? They're taking off now 😉.

 

[RosettaStoned]

First pic each, black square plastic pots. I agree on the taking off!

 

[RosettaStoned]

Meant to give you the 😉 and a tag to the new amendments, langbeinite is a much better source than green sand. It takes forever to break down.

 

[oldjarhead100]

they are taking off wow

 

[Chefbjy]

Nice, yes langbeinite is 22% water soluble so it won't take long. The gc seems to really like that hybrid mix 😉.

 

[RosettaStoned]

Yes, I was surprised to see how well its doing

 

[RosettaStoned]

Hybrid- organic hydro....kinda 😄
running air through the solution to use as long as possible.
DGTH 5.3 pH in 6.52 out, tried again got 6.6ish...done 10 oz in 5 out
GC 5.3 pH in 6.52 out 4-5 oz in 2 out

Soil- just sitting pretty

DWC- GC 6.16 pH EC 1062 DGTH 6.06 pH EC 1080
EC is up from added pH down. Early change tomorrow night. These seem slow to get going.

☝️☝️DGTH soil GC hybrid 👉👉 the stars tonight, looking fabulous! Lots of leaf expansion.....beating the DWC.....hhhmmm🤔

 

[RosettaStoned]

Oh forgot, light Epsom salt spray mostly the DWC

 

[Chefbjy]

Must be that coco in the mix...lots of oxygen to promote root growth 😉. I was thinking of adding coco to one of my soil mixes...buffered of course.

 

[RosettaStoned]

The pH does not want to come down. There is a good amount of lime and other pH buffer amendments in there. Plus the old soil ingredients, hoping the microbes from it help out.
The all soil girls are not hating it. Maybe it needed a round through it to hit its stride. Been keeping the 17 gal no till moist and playing with the idea of just planting solos in them.

 

[Chefbjy]

Well I'm thinking lime will help keep the ph up for sure. Going to be hard to compete with that without making your water more acidic. I don't know how microbes work with a soil coco mix. I know molasses brings my solution way down. I would look for something to lower ph like for hydrangeas. I'm learning from your mix too so I'll be taking notes 😉.

 

[RosettaStoned]

Espoma makes a soil acidifier, has a picture of hydrangeas on it. Or DTE has acid mix with blueberries on it. I assume that's what you mean. Cotton seed meal is acidifying nitrogen. Sulfur or iron sulfate have some effect. Compost, gypsum, alfalfa meal also do a small part over time.

 

[Chefbjy]

Yeah the epsoma is what I saw but intresting that cottonseed meal and alphalpha meal also work. I will have to look into some of the dte products because I know they have a variety aside from the blueberry...there's a citrus mix i believe that may also lower ph. Keeping it stable with the lime it's my only concern. But I could avoid putting lime in my mix altogether with a higher coco ratio. Future reference 😉.

 

[RosettaStoned]

Soil- 2 oz water each. Waiting a few more days on the transplant

DWC- res change, 4 ml calmag, 2 ml silica, 20 ml rhizotonic, 5 ml A&B Vega, 1.5 ml Mammoth P.
GC pH 5.84 EC 1083. DGTH pH 5.92 EC 1066
been keeping the reservoirs below 70 for the most part. I was thinking of better ways to cool the water and my best so far are. Bottles ok pykrete for longer cooling or styrofoam coolers to set the buckets in with cooling packs.

"Organic Hydro"- 2 oz water each about the same amount of run off. Will not water for a day at least. 4.98 pH in GC 6.88 out DGTH 7.0 out. Mixed 1/2 gallon medium mix with 3/4 tbsp pelletized chicken manure, cottonseed meal, gypsum, then topped off containers. Still looking good, maybe a twinge of lighter green on new growth, not worrying yet.

 

[oldjarhead100]

Looking good

 

[RosettaStoned]

Soil- picked them up, set them down. Looking a little slow. Maybe I'll transplant sooner.

DWC- looking a little better, still disappointed at their performance.....although I would never tell them that
Instead I checked my water source. 653 EC 😳🤨 must go up in the summer. I guess I need to invest in the 1000 gallon/day R/O filter with a float valve.
changed again....mostly R/O, 15 ml calmag, 4 ml silica, 20 ml rhizotonic, 10 ml cannazym, 5 ml A&B Vega. 1100 EC both GC 6.02 pH DGTH 5.9 pH

"OH"- watered with 4 oz solution 4.20 pH DGTH had 2.5 oz run off 6.79 pH GC had 1.25 oz run off 6.47. GC is liking it so far DGTH not so much, real slow but I have faith.
best to worst growth
1.DGTH SS
2.GC "OH" even with 3, bigger set of 3rd leaves
3.GC SS
4.GC DWC
5.DGTH DWC bigger than GC but curled leaves
6.DGTH "OH" real slow touch of yellow

 

[oldjarhead100]

since we are playing the time game I would transplant them when there leafs reach the sides of the pot so the roots dont start curling around, at least thats when I'm going to transplant lol

 

[RosettaStoned]

DWC- GC 5.85 pH DGTH 5.95 pH both 1205 EC. Looking better
took water out so the bottles do not bang on the roots. One of the problems so far.

GC in front.................................DGTH.............GC

Soil- Transplant into 17 gallon no till. Added some compost, EWC, granular humic acid, langbeinite, bat guano, cotton seed meal, oyster shells, sulfur, kelp meal, rock phosphate, mykos, old soil. 32 oz water. Abundant roots, needed a transplant a few days ago.

GC in front................................DGTH..............GC

"OH"- Transplant into 1 gallon fabric pots. Will have to transplant sooner but want the drying out of the smaller pot. 1 gallon solution 1 tsp calmag, 3/4 tsp bio root, 1 1/2 tsp trinity, 1 tsp buddha grow. In pH 4.49 GC 5.98 out DGTH 6.09 out. 24 oz in 6 oz out on both. Maybe a fluke, maybe it worked but the pH is down. Roots are looking great as well. So far so good.

GC in front...............................DGTH...............GC

 

[Chefbjy]

17 gallons wow!! That was a big leap 😆. I think if your plants yell you the ph is good roll with it 😉.