Green Manotaur's Garden

Hello all,

This will be my third grow. The first two were not very successful. The first one I was still figuring out what it really meant to be organic - hint, it's not Roots Organic or Fox Farm. The second grow round was with some really vigorous Pit Bull, but I am pretty sure I chopped a little earlier and I'm not confident the genetics were great to begin with. Here's my current setup:

Genetics - Femaleseeds Cinderella 99

Grow Space

• GRN Elements 60" x 48" x 24" Tent - $90 off of eBay
• 2x 10 gallon Smart Pots
• Using the SCRoG method. My screen will be 8-10" from the top of the medium. It will take up the entire tent.

Grow Medium
Medicine Man Organics Soiless Growing Media - From Black Lake Organics in Olympia, WA. It's base is Sunshine #2 and is amended with: Premium Mineralized Worm Castings, Mycorrhizae, Archeobacteria, fish bone meal, fish meal, seabird guano, bat guano, rock phosphate, kelp meal, lime, dolomite, langbeinite, sulfate of potash, glacial rock dust, Azomite, volcanic rock dust, lignite, copper sulfate, zinc sulfate, and manganese sulfate.

Planned Feeding Schedule

• I have planted White Dutch Clover as a nitrogen affixing living mulch.
• I will also mulch with dead leaves.
• I have top-dressed with EWCs
• Every three waterings, I will create a botanical tea from comfrey, kelp, or alfalfa.
• Every four waterings, I will re-topdress with EWCs.
• For every watering, I will add 1/2tsp ProTekt per gallon.
• Before flowering I will apply an AACT.
• Once a week I will foliar feed with neem, silica, and aloe
• Once a week I will foliar feed with the alfalfa concentrate detailed in the "Botanicals" thread.

Lighting

• 600W Digilux Metal Halide
• 600W Ushio High Pressure Sodium
• 18/6 during vegetative growth
• 12/12 during flowering

Ventilation/Air Flow

• 6" Carbon Air Scrubber + 440 CFM Inline Fan (eBay)
• 6" Aluminum Ducting
• 2x 6" Desk Fans for circulation
• Air is being sucked through the carbon filter. The path goes: scrubber, Cool Tube, fan, window. The scrubber is directly attached to the light.
• Passive Intake through 6" duct.

Other Notes

On my last round, I used 8 3gal SmartPots. After harvest, I left the stocks in to keep the root system living.This logic was kinda pulled from various sources, it definitely may not be valid. Yesterday, I cut the stalks out and transferred the medium (rootball and all) to the 10 gallon pots. My original idea was to go no-till in the 3 gallons, but this was pretty much killed after I transferred the medium. I plan to keep it going from this point. While transferring I mixed in some fresh EWCs and some "Nutrient Charge" from Black Lake Organics. The "Nutrient Charge" is all the amendments I listed previously in the Grow Medium section. I did not measure out how much of the charge or EWCs I mixed in, but I went on the lighter side as everything was already in the medium to begin with. When the pots were full, I top dressed with more of the charge and fresh EWCs. I sowed the clover seeds in the top 1/8-1/4" of the medium. Additionally, I watered with an AACT brewed with EWCs, molasses, kelp, alfalfa, soft rock phosphate, and fish hydrolysate.

Now I need to germinate the C99. I am unsure whether to start in smaller containers or to sow directly into the pots. What would you guys recommend?

Edited by Green_Manotaur, 02 July 2012 - 02:02 AM.

I think I am going to start by germinating the seeds with moist paper towels then transfer into Rapid Rooters moistened with a mychorrhizae solution, covered by a humidity dome. I'll put this in my tent with the 600w MH far above the dome. After a week or so, I will transfer to the 10gal pots. Sound good?

Skip the rooters, I'd go straight into the smart pots once they sprout. Save the rapid rooters for when you take clones.

Hey Mr. Green,

Also, seedlings don't need a humidity dome. They prefer plenty of fresh air.

Humidity domes are useful for clones. Since they don't have a root system to draw moisture into the plant, the higher humidity helps keep moisture in the leaves by slowing down transpiration. You wouldn't want to slow down transpiration in your seedlings, would you?

Good luck with your grow! Keep it simple, stick to the basics, don't over-think it, and when in doubt...LITFA.

This advice is brought to you by your friendly neighborhood "Stop Doing Unnecessary Shit!" idiot.

See ya...

Thanks! Simple is good I didn't get to the seeds yet because I'm not going to have any time in the next two days. BUT, my clover is sprouting nicely!

I'd keep your seeds growing in lighter medium until they have a few sets of leaves on them, they don't like heavily amended soil right off. They don't need paper towels either, just get small containers and put some peatmoss, ewc's and perlite in a bowl and mix it, make it wet, then fill the small containers, and press a seed down into each about 3/4 inch down. Place under a light and wait.

I smoked this killer Thai and talked to my seeds once, and they told me that like real soil much more than paper towels...

Love it! Thanks Skunk...I will be doing that tomorrow. Happy 4th! Go 'Murrica!

If I don't have peat moss, would EWCs and perlite suffice?

Nevermind, just picked up 3 cu ft. of OMRI peat moss for $12.

Seeds went in the dirt yesterday! I took some pics too but sill me forgot to put the SD card back in the camera. Oh well, they weren't that exciting.

My seeding method was kind of a combination of a few things I read. Skunk said to start in a fairly neutral medium in small cups, then transfer to the more amended soil. I read from another trusted organic blade (forgetting who) that they start their seeds in a cup that has 2/3 neutral medium, and "hot" soil at the bottom. So here's what I did:

I mixed and wetted 40% peat moss, 40% EWCs, and 20% perlite. I dug out a hole out of the middle of my 10gal pots and filled it with the mix. I poked a small hole through the mix, sprinkled in some mychorrhizae, placed the seed, and covered with about a half inch of mix.

For the seeds, I chose the largest for one pot and the smallest for another. I have no idea if you can tell anything about phenotype from the seed but I figured it couldn't hurt to choose the two most visually diverse to see if I can get 2 of the 3 phenos for C99. One smells like grapefruit, the other is pineapple, and the last is rotten fruit. Funnily enough the rotten fruit pheno is supposedly the strongest. I'll be happy with anything but I'd love to get some of that pineapple.

This method is just "what felt right" for me to do. We'll see how it goes. If I have issues, I still have 8 more C99 seeds.

Cheers,
GM

Your seeds have a 4 inch tial on them in 48 after they open, and it doubles from there, it will hit that regular soil in a week and mostly likely not do well...unless your finished soil is weak or your strain is unbelievabley hardy.

Seedlings do better in small containers in mild soil.

I love that strain too. Kick ass high, unbelievable taste...

Well.....crap. lol. I'm gonna let it go and see how they do, I think. What should I look out for to show signs of failure? Also, this is probably a noobish question, but what is a typical window when I should see the sprout breaking soil?

Green

Whats up man nice, love the large Smart Pots! Where are you going to order your white clover from? I am going the cheap route and digging out sections of local assorted clovers, and transplanting them into my pots, you can see infection pretty clearly on Clover if I have it right.

Also, I would add maybe a tablespoon of Pro-Tekt with every watering, and do one kind of tea a week. I have burned some strains pretty quickly with just Nettle and Alfalfa, but never anything with Pro-Tekt, something I think LD wrote awhile ago.

Also, this is my opinion completely but why not soil drench at the beginning of the week, and foilar at the end? That's how I do it, and with pretty good results.

Anyways subbed and looking forward1

Thanks Haggard!

I am feeding ProTekt with every watering. As for teas, it will likely be one a week. I anticipate watering twice a week...my schedule will be:

1. Water with tea OR mulch with comfrey or kelp (probably switch off weeks and see how the ladies respond).
2. Water with topdress of EWC
3. Plain water

Do you think that much topdressing of EWC is excessive?

As for foliar, I like the idea of twice a week (on days I don't water) so I can get my pest prevention in once and have a growth stimulating alfalfa spray another.

GM

Thanks Haggard!

I am feeding ProTekt with every watering. As for teas, it will likely be one a week. I anticipate watering twice a week...my schedule will be:

1. Water with tea OR mulch with comfrey or kelp (probably switch off weeks and see how the ladies respond).
2. Water with topdress of EWC
3. Plain water

Do you think that much topdressing of EWC is excessive?

As for foliar, I like the idea of twice a week (on days I don't water) so I can get my pest prevention in once and have a growth stimulating alfalfa spray another.

GM

Honestly I drop dress once a grow with EWC. My soil mix is strong so as long as I keep my teas up I'm good.

Good to know, I'll probably cut it down a bit and save some money. I don't harvest my own EWCs but I do get them from the same nursery that provided my soil, so I know they are awesome...just not cheap.

Good to know, I'll probably cut it down a bit and save some money. I don't harvest my own EWCs but I do get them from the same nursery that provided my soil, so I know they are awesome...just not cheap.

Same here, I just Coast of Maine castings and they are awesome. I top dress right before the 12/12 switch and apply the Eggshell and vinegar elixir at about 2 tablespoons per gal, and one tablespoon for foilar.

My vegging girls have been agreeing with 100mL of Alfalfa tea mix with 700 mL of h20 (Half pint mason jars = 800 mL) twice a week.

Nice, thanks for the info. I got my White Dutch Clover from Amazon. I believe it was $4 for a 1/4lb or something like that.

The seeds come up in a few days, stragglers later than that, fast ones in 2 days, most 3-5. They actually push a tail down long before they poke upward with the leaf set, I think it must be a balancing act and they need the ballast in the dirt first, hard to stand without footing first.

Just watch them. I am a big believer in transplanting so they can adapt some before they hit finishing soil, but you might change my mind.

No tea, no foliar feeding for weeks and weeks. You will have to bear in mind that you are in your final container already. You have it available. They won't need 'extra' help.

If they hit the bottom dirt, they will show you.

It's all a learning experience anyway...and you have more seeds

I love that shit, think I need to shop this afternoon...

Damn, that's good to know. I will hold off on the teas and alfalfa spray. What about a neem, silica, aloe spray to keep mites at bay?