The active ingredients in Rootone are IBA, NAA, and NAD (naphthaleneacetomide). Like NAA, NAD is synthetic, and (also like NAA) is registered with the EPA as a pesticide under FIFRA... However, unlike NAA, NAM is actually listed as having "High Acute Toxcity" and has thus been placed on the Pesticide Action Network's "Bad Actors" list Kelp Meal contains IAA and IBA. IAA is actually a more common, active, and powerful rooting hormone than IBA.
Last night at pool league I took my dispensary grower friend a small bud from my organically grown and quite satisfactory OG Kush. I had it in a 2"x3" zip locked plastic bag and he put it in his pool case. The waitress walks by and announces, "I smell marijuana". We both just played dumb. So another attribute to the organically grown OG Kush - it really stinks.
Are you able to pull that off? Typically if anything related to weed happens around me, all eyes go to me lol. I guess I scream "hippie" lol Kinda figured you did too with the El Duderino avatar lol
She probably thought it was me because I've got the long hair hippie look. But now days in Washington marijuana is everywhere. Both of us are medically legal and recreational use is legal but not really implemented. I really haven't cared if people think I'm associated with marijuana. I just don't want them to think I'm growing it.
Very informative posting goin on in here, Pak! This will become a great resource for beginners in the organic paradigm. I'm diggin your mineral mix man it sounds like you've been doing your homework! I hope you can keep the bugs in check in future grows!
The main reason is I don't like perlite. I prefer pumice instead. I want to control my soil mixture and I just use sphagnum peat moss, EWC/compost and pumice in place of ProMix. I mixed these 3 with: sphagnum peat moss 50% EWC/compost 25% (this could be 30% or 20%) pumice 25% (this could be 30% or 20%) This I consider my base soil. I've been trying out some biochar with my soil and I add about 10% to how ever much I've mixed up. 4 cubic feet = 30 gallons. So I would add 3 gallons of biochar to that. The biochar I've been using was mixed with some EWC, kelp meal, alfalfa meal and moistened. I let that sit for 2-3 weeks before I mix it in. It's been sitting in the soil for about 4 - 6 weeks. So with my second run I've removed the ProMix and added some diversity to my soil. I'm just about ready to mix up some more soil. I've got my outdoor compost pile that seems more like a huge worm bin. It has 100's of worms eating away and the color is very dark and has an earthy smell. My real worm bin was set up in November so I've got a bit there. This is my no till soil that will get the minerals I mixed up along with the typical amendments. I was concerned about growing clones and seedlings in something other than ProMix. But the peat moss, EWC and pumice in equal amounts has been giving me good results. I was busy pruning my cherry trees this afternoon. It's almost like spring here but they say tomorrow may bring snow. So I didn't take any pictures. I'll post some tomorrow.
Right now I'm overrun with bugs, but the good kind. I've got soil mites running everywhere in the flower area. I've got 3 10 gallon pots sitting there with miniclover and timothy hay waiting for Chemdawg. Chocolope and Trainwreck. So the living soil is busy even though there are no plants participating in the action. I've been thinking about the minerals and how they are different from amendments like kelp or alfalfa. Probably no where in nature would you get this much diversity in those ratios. At the same time my cellar isn't nature and I'm trying to provide what the plant might need and use. Adding too much minerals to the soil won't be good but at 3 cups per cubic foot it will be okay. So far my teenagers are pest free. I'm going to hit the flower area with Mighty Wash and I've already vacuumed up any debris and some soil mites. This weekend I've got no grand kids so I'm going to wipe down the flower area. I may even hit it with a bug bomb. I'll keep up on my IPM until the 3rd week of flower. Then I'll use my lavender/rosemary tea that worked well on the first grow. I didn't do as good of a job on my first grow. The girls that hit the flower room first had PM and mites. Mildred and Trainwreck went in 3 weeks later and because I was on top of the problems both ladies made it through without mildew or mites. Anyway, prevention is the only defense you have.
Nice! I think I saw some mites in one of my worm bins the other day... tiny red crawlin guys... no idea lol. I'm kinda looking into buying a shop light to grow some living mulches on my future no-till pots. I tried before but didn't have sufficient light really. The minerals you added will really be slow release unlike those in kelp and alfalfa meal. I think you could have probably used 4 cups/cf and been fine honestly. The clay will enhance CEC as well. I'm looking for basalt too actually to do something similar. So good on ya! I just did an IPM spray last night and a bunch of other things.. i'm coming up on week 3 so I figure I better give em everything I had. I hope that your program works to eradicate the suckers.
Subbing up. Sounds interesting. As a newbie I love reading what everyone else is doing. Maybe in a couple of years I'll feel more confident in what I'm doing. (I'm just tickled I haven't killed anything yet. Yet.)
Here's a picture of a Trainwreck bud. The lighting isn't the best but you get the idea. View attachment 135005
ChefZiggy - I was a newbie to organic growing just last November. I did grow with bottled nutrients for over 30 years so I wasn't a newbie in that sense. You might want to check out my indoor grow journal (check out post #1 here for a link). I posted about my first grow experience and there was lots of good input from other organic growers. You might find it helpful. Ask questions, post pictures, post whatever. We're all learning here. Learning how to water is important for newbies and I posted about it here, http://forum.grasscity.com/indoor-grow-journals/1253906-pakalolo-does-way.html?p=19102293. The second most important lesson is to learn to LITFA.
Time for the weekend update on my seedlings and clones. I'll do the Sanctuary Gardens genetics first. Goblin Queen View attachment 135031 It looks like this plant has fully recovered from my over watering. I'm glad I learned that lesson with only the loss of Noctural. It could have been much worse. Halo 2X View attachment 135032 I've got 2 of these so I hope at least one is female. Overlord View attachment 135036 This one might be a candidate for outdoors. If it is female I will have to consider that. Neon Purp View attachment 135034 This is a clone so I know it is female. I'm still giddy about growing this one. She is looking good at this point.
Next up are the Swami genetics. Mazar x Guerrero View attachment 135033 This was the over watered seedling that was least effected by it. It is in a gallon pot and hopefully I will find out the sex in the next few weeks. Cascadian Frost View attachment 135037 I'm crossing my fingers on this one. I want this to be female because it is one that I will grow outside this summer.
Finally these last 2 are some seeds I'd purchased from a local dispensary and just put them into the soil without soaking or any of the SST treatment. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with these but I'll see how they grow. If I like the looks of them I'll probably grow them out. Original Diesel View attachment 135035
Those are my clones and seedlings. I've got some other clones but until I put them into 4" pots I'm going to leave them hidden. Anyway, cuttings aren't that interesting. Here are my 3 teenagers that I'll be moving into the flower area next weekend. Chocolope View attachment 135044 Chemdawg View attachment 135045 Trainwreck View attachment 135048 I lollipopped these and cut the top 1' off. So they look a little strange. I'm finishing these to see how tall they get. The first run I could have grown them another foot. So I'm trying to get a feel for how tall I should let my teenagers grow before turning them.
Here are my 2 40 year old seedlings all grown up. Eminem View attachment 135046 MTV View attachment 135047 There shapes are different but the leaves are similar. I got pollen frozen from Eminem but I haven't gotten any pollen from MTV.
I don't have anything in the flower area right now. I've been cleaning up the area by vacuuming the floor and washing the walls with soap, bleach and warm water. Later today I'll spray the floor with Mighty Wash. No till 20 gallon pots View attachment 135064 I'm reducing my 10 gallon pots to 3. I need to have room for the pheno hunt with the seedlings. So 1/2 my space will be devoted to seedlings and finding a great plant to keep. Pheno hunt space View attachment 135065
Okay, I've got some damage to my leaves and I've seen this before but I never knew what caused it. Anyone got any insight into what's going on? View attachment 135066
Hey Pakalolo, Very neat new journal you've got going on All the teens are looking great, I love Cascadian Frost structure, so stocky...I'll keep my fingers crossed for it being a girl so you can play with her outdoors Man those males got huge fast Can't say anything about the distorted growth Maybe you sprayed the plant heavily when that top was forming and it burned it slightly in the process of developing. Or a sucking insect tapped in the tender young tip...That's all I've got, sorry to be of not much help. Have a great stoney weekend my friend, by the look of things you totally deserve it! Oh, I too can not wait for that Neon Purple to start flowering...Gonna be super beautiful