Team Microbes Living Soil Laboratory

Discussion in 'Growing Organic Marijuana' started by Team Microbe, Apr 3, 2015.

  1. #1 Team Microbe, Apr 3, 2015
    Last edited by a moderator: Apr 5, 2015
    Hey everyone,
     
    I'm a passionate indoor/outdoor grower and just recently made the switch to organic soil.  My goal as a grower is to grow the cleanest and healthiest meds for myself and my family here, while getting the most from my plants from a medicinal stand point.  Due to PTSD, I would not be able to sleep at night without cannabis.  So naturally - I've grown very close to this plant and it's become extremely sacred to me, and for so many different reasons.  
     
    All in all, I'm very grateful for everything that's been passed down to me up until this point, and I enjoy making threads that are productive and not the typical "all about me" show.  I've learned so much already from guys like BlueJay, Jeremy (BAS), Tim Wilson and Cootz - so much that I realize how little I actually know.  I'd like to continue this journey here at grasscity, and invite everyone to drop their knowledge and/or chime in if they have any insight or questions at all...
     
     
     
    "There are no mistakes in gardening, only experiments."
     ​
     ​
     
     
    [​IMG]
    The Lab - a 10'x11' bedroom I converted into a 3 stage grow room (seedling/cuttings, mother plants, veg/flowering plants)
     
     
     
    [​IMG]
    Week 2 of bloom for these girls
     
     
     
    [​IMG]
    One of my favorites - Central Valley Kush (TG Genetics) in her 10 gallon pot 
     
     
     
    [​IMG]
    (Cheesequake x Hollister Kush)
    Ever since I learned how many reserves are stored in these fan leaves, I've stopped defoliating all together - unless airflow is in jeopardy of course
     
     
    [​IMG]
    Silver Lotus (Super Silver Haze x Snow Lotus) - Day 10 
     
     
     
    [​IMG]
    Silver Lotus - Day 69
     
     
     
    [​IMG]
    Same Silver Lotus - Day 84 (minutes before the chop)
     
     
     
    [​IMG]I like to hang for as long as possible (depending on RH %), then dry trim before putting in jars.  I'll burp every 8 hours or so, until the hygrometers read 60% RH in which I'll seal for the cure (4-6 weeks).  
     
     
     
     
    A brief run down of the recipes I used here -
     
     
    Soil Mix: 
    1 pt. Peat Moss
    1 pt. Rice Hulls
    1 pt. Compost/EWC
     
     
    mixed with:
    Acadian Kelp Meal @ 1/2 Cup per cubic foot
    Neem Cake and Karanja Cake 50/50 Mix @ 1/2 cup per cubic foot
    Crustacean Meal @ 1/2 Cup per cubic foot
    Gypsum Dust @ 1 Cup Per Cubic Foot
    Brix Blend Basalt @ 1 Cup Per Cubic Foot
    Glacial Rock Dust @ 1 Cup Per Cubic Foot
    Oyster Flour @ 1 Cup Per Cubic Foot
    Fish Bone Meal @ 1/2 Cup Per Cubic Foot 

     
    • Like Like x 1
  2. #2 Team Microbe, Apr 3, 2015
    Last edited by a moderator: Apr 5, 2015
    Watering Regimen: (credit goes to BlueJay for this one)
     
     
    1st Watering
    -Pureed Sprouts (I use barley seed)
    -10 ml FulPower 
    -5 ml Agsil16H (potassium silicate)
     
    2nd & 4th Waterings
    -Water only
     
    3rd Watering
    -1/4 cup coconut water
    -1/4 tsp Aloe Vera powder/purée
    -5 ml Agsil16H
     
    *Biweekly I add 1/2 tsp per gal of TM-7 (humic acids)
    *I'll also brew a compost tea every 4 weeks or if I forget to water and pots dry out too much (for inoculation purposes only, not a "feeding" tea)
     
     
    [​IMG]
    A peek inside the tool box
     
     
     
    What I've Learned So Far:
     
    - Water retention increases as (no-till) cycles progress; the more cycles carried out in a single pot, the less water will be needed during the typically watering
    \n- Recycling soil isn't as hard as it seems! (www.loganlabs.com)
    \n- Preparation is absolutely everything in gardening 
    (esp. in soil); I've learned to make plans at least 1-2 months before carrying them out now
    \n- Quality inputs = quality outputs 
    \n- Always wear a mask when mixing soil 
    (peat moss/rice hull/perlite dust causes asthmatic symptoms when inhaled). It's not fun when you're stuck awake at night, wheezing for air... just because you thought it was too cold outside to build some soil 
    \n- Transplanting seedlings/cuttings into no-till containers ASAP after harvesting is important in order to re-establish mycorrhizae relationships within the root zone effectively and efficiently (as the previous plant's rhizosphere will fade over time)
    \n- Less is always more
    \n- Strain selection should be dependent on the intended use of the medicine come time to ingest (I've gotten into dry sifting lately and have noticed how poorly some strains sift compared to "hash strains")
    \n- It's best not to over-due it with the cover crops, sprinkling a circle around the transplant site is good enough
    \n- The significance of enzymes (found in Seed Sprout Teas) is huge
    \n- The recipe one decides on for their soil is literally the foundation of the entire grow; balance is everything and getting this part right is so crucial in avoiding headaches down the line
    \n- Too much of anything is bad
    \n- You can save a ton of money by switching to gieco, and sourcing materials locally. I spent so much money shipping compost from across the country because I simply had no idea a local nursery carried the same stuff for $8 a bag (I was paying $30 to get it shipped to my door before). You can go on any retailers website and find out if they have carriers within driving distance of you.
    \n- Being polite & friendly can open some big doors
    \n- The bigger the army (beneficial insects/microorganisms) you have, the less problems you'll run into as far as pests & diseases go
    \n- Every minute spent reading and learning is time well-spent
    \n\n\n\nWhat I've changed:
    \n[SIZE=12.8000001907349px]- The size of containers I use (I found the 7 & 10 gallon pots too small for my situation, so I'm building new 25 gallon pots this week in which I'll be no-tilling in for the next few years). Check this article out - it talks about the significance of container size[/SIZE]
    \n- Adding 2'' of lava rock in the bottom of my containers to provide additional drainage 
    \n- The addition of bio char (pre-charged) since it increases soil fertility, provides a great habitat for microbes to harbor in, and is a highly stable form of carbon
    \n- My IPM sprayer (every Foliar Friday). I went with the Chapin 1949 concrete sprayer that everyone's been raving about. This thing is a beast, I'm really impressed with the quality too. I use it to water plants in smaller pots as well, it's really versatile I've found.
    \n- The use of fish bone meal. I'm mixing the CC kit in this soil mix, and it's the exact same mix as I used before (which was once named "the complete nutrient kit" found at BAS) except without fish bone meal. Here's an interesting article concerning the use of high phosphate amendments.
    \n- I've started growing aloe vera to use for not only in the form of a purée cloning/root drenches, but to battle the contact dermatitis I get after brushing up against plants in the garden. I know I'm not the only one here to experience this... and I highly recommend rubbing aloe gel on any rashes because it literally works within minutes!
    \n- The addition of comfrey to use as mulch, in compost piles, and in tea (although I've heard this gets pretty stinky) since it's so rich in nutrients and a great dynamic accumulator. I haven't used it yet, but I'm about to transplant the Bocking 14 cuttings I got in the mail last week so that should be pretty interesting to grow out... does anyone have any experience with growing comfrey?
     
  3. #3 Team Microbe, Apr 3, 2015
    Last edited by a moderator: Apr 5, 2015
    Although my first run went well, I did not design the mix I should have for long-term no-tilling.  I only added rice hulls for my aeration, so now I'm left with the decision of replanting directly and hoping my biology isn't bumping hard enough to break them all down, or rebuild the containers correctly for the long haul.  
     
    After a week or so of debate, I decided to set these 10 gallon pots to the side for mother plants and begin building another batch of soil with additives like lava rock, pumice, or perlite that would not break down over time.  Perlite was my last resort since it's inert and doesn't harbor microbes, and I couldn't find pumice locally - so I went with Red Lava Rock as my choice.  I bumped the 10 gals up to 25 and began gathering supplies for the build...
     
    [​IMG]
    Here we go!  First thing I need is 9 cu ft. of peat moss... 
     
     
    This is the revised soil mix that I'll be building this week:
     
    1 pt. Peat Moss
     
    1 pt. Aeration (15% rice hulls, 85% red lava rock)
     
    1 pt. Compost
     
     
    Mixed with:
     
    Acadian Kelp Meal @ 1/2 Cup per cubic foot
    Neem Cake and Karanja Cake 50/50 Mix @ 1/2 cup per cubic foot
    Crustacean Meal @ 1/2 Cup per cubic foot
    Gypsum Dust @ 1 Cup Per Cubic Foot
    Brix Blend Basalt @ 1 Cup Per Cubic Foot
    Glacial Rock Dust @ 1 Cup Per Cubic Foot
    Oyster Flour @ 1 Cup Per Cubic Foot
    Pre-Charged Bio Char
    Red Wigglers/European Nightcrawlers 
    Clover Cover Crops
    \n\n\nIs anyone else here no-tilling?   
     
  4. Hi Team Microbe! ive definitely been reading your other thread over at the mag and have learned a ton from it! happy to see you've brought your stuff over here! I use sst's in my watering schedule and saw you used the bioag fulpower in the teas so I decided to pick some up. The plants really seemed to dig it! Muchas gracias on the knowledge man! Will be watchin along here for sure!
     
  5. First! Hi Team Microbe! Subbed and I don't want to miss this! Looks like we've been reading the same info. I'm on my third round in 15 gal no-till. Best round yet so far, so the soil does get better as it matures.
    Love your neat setup! Very anal just like I used to be, and still am when I have the energy ha ha. Drives me nuts now that I can't be all the time lol!
    One question...why no vermicompost? Or are you including that in your compost mix? Did I miss it?
    Love to see more pics of how you built your grow room.
    Great job friend!
    Have an awesome Friday! :wave:
     
  6. Nice job. You've done your homework and it shows.

    J
     
  7. Great bullet points and absolutely need more than those hulls. I was running 10 gallon but I found some 18 gallon that suit my space great at gardeners supply. Love pulling back the mulch and seeing all the life!
     
  8. GC has simply the best organic section on the web bar none and now we're one more. Welcome aboard TM and although your cleanliness and organizational skills embarrassed me, I'm still looking forward to your thread.
     
  9. Good deal, another one to add to the ranks. Welcome to GCO. [​IMG]
     
     
    "Is anyone else here no-tilling?   ....does anyone have any experience with growing comfrey? "
     
    There's the no till sticky and a thread on comfrey. (so yes to both questions) I highly recommend reading through them, if for nothing else than the discussions. 
     
  10. #10 Anatman, Apr 3, 2015
    Last edited: Apr 3, 2015
    Not to mention the PDFs [​IMG]
     
    edit: And I agree, welcome aboard. You'll find you're in the company of like-minded individuals. [​IMG]
     
  11. #11 GiMiK, Apr 3, 2015
    Last edited by a moderator: Apr 3, 2015
    While you're here TM, would you mind sharing your dry sifting process?
     
    Maybe start a thread here in the organics section? It is the cleanest extraction method available, if you can clear out the contaminate.
     
     
     
    I forgot to mention that, good catch guy. I should probably edit my sig to include that but I'm afraid if I do I'll be limited to less links, lol.
     
    http://forum.grasscity.com/organic-growing/1168520-gimiks-library-organic-gardening-pdf-files.html
     
    Check out this thread for a decent amount of literature on various aspects of gardening, ranging from Anthocyanins to Vermiculture. [​IMG]
     
  12. #12 Team Microbe, Apr 4, 2015
    Last edited by a moderator: Apr 5, 2015
    I didn't care for icmag to be honest, and I can tell there's a better vibe over here already.  Thanks for pullin up a chair!
     
     
    Thanks Jerry
     
    Mhmm, it's amazing how fast they break down.  I didn't think it would happen so quickly, lesson learned!  I'm a sucker for mulch shots, get ready lol
     
    Thanks for the hospitality, I wasn't sure how Grasscity would go compared to icmag but I think I like it so far.   HOORAH.
     
    Sounds good, I'll check it out tonight when I get back on.  Thanks!
     
    I can't wait, thanks for the friendly welcome brother.  It seems like GC is the place for me...
     
    I'm going to make a post/thread about sifting soon I think, but you can check out the thread over at (forgive me) icmag for now, it's called "Off with their heads!! (Dry sifting with Team Microbe)".  
     
    I'll make a post soon regarding Sifting in this thread, maybe I'll start a new one just for sifting too.  I'll be busy for the next few days so forgive me for not jumping into it at this moment!
     
  13. welcome to GC man..
     
    nice setup and plants and all that stuff :)
     
    definitely a better vibe here than IC.. i love IC and all, been there for years.. but nothing beats this place these days.
     
    happy weekend man..
     
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxUD2IX1UfM
     
  14. Hey Team Microbe!  WHat's SHakin'?
     
      Looks like you have some really sweet things going on in here.  In the second post the "Things i've learned so far" is really really bang on.  I agree with pretty much everything you've written.  You have a great philosophy and are headed down the same path that I've embarked on.  
      I really can Identify with you statement about how much you've learned and how much all that information and learning makes you realize how much you need to learn and how much you/I still don't know.  Seems like every question answered spawns 5 more questions.  The knowledge pool is so bloody deep it's a bit overwhelming.  But you keep plugging away and viola!  I've learned twice as much as I thought I'd be able to learn through the winter.  Now I have all spring and summer to apply that information!  
     
    Anyways, I'll be up in here for sure.  Subbed up, front and center.=)
     
     
    BTW-Check out my thread.  It's a great example of how much someone who's committed can learn in a few months.  My current run is at day 28 of flower today!!
     
     
    Take care,
     
    Plaid
     
  15. #15 kygiacomo, Apr 5, 2015
    Last edited by a moderator: Apr 5, 2015
    glad to see u started a thread here to bro. ive already scoped out the guerilla thread LOL subbed up to see how this one turns out which i know u will rock it [​IMG]if it hadnt been for u i would have never even thought about organic growing. also this place is alot more laid back & helpful to newbies in organics  then the know it all organic growers on Icmag that dont want to help no one and think their shit dont stink. 
     
    Edit: also guys if u dont mind check my journal my plants are 17 days old right now and im wondering when i can add a bit of aloe vera,protekt and liq sea weed to the water. i used a small pinch of each aloe and liq seaweed 2 days ago on a couple the runts and they have definalty picked up the pace since then. 
     
  16. It really does, doesn't it?  That's what's so addicting about it for me I think... mastery is so far away that it will never become boring (at least anytime soon it won't).  I'll check your thread out, we sound very much alike lol
     
    Thanks AugustWest... and what a fitting song for this thread.  Time to [​IMG] and do some work in the garden with that playing in the background!  Cheers!
     
  17. #17 Team Microbe, Apr 5, 2015
    Last edited by a moderator: Apr 5, 2015
    Good shit Mainah!  It just keeps gettin better and better, huh?!  I top dress with worm castings, I use compost and composted wood bark for the soil mix to keep it chunky since it's not going to be tilled... I feel like it keeps it aerated better than straight castings.  Plus I'm adding worms to the pots themselves so they'll provide castings as well.  Here are some shots I dug up from the build last year... I had a bad PM break out before this and almost stopped growing all together.  Then I read Teaming with Microbes, discovered that it was a health problem in my plants, and switched to soil after deciding to expand out of the 4x4 tent I had:
     
    [​IMG]
    I didn't have the money for a nice tent so I mimmicked Gorilla Tent's 4'x8' model and with a 5'x10' frame for half the price.  Warning.  Following pictures are extremely anal.
     
     
    [​IMG]
    I put insulation on the floor to keep pots warm and lined the walls with panda film before cutting vents for a passive intake.  You can see in the upper right where the air goes from growroom to out the window ^
     
     
     
    [​IMG]
    I have 8' ceilings so I decided to go with air cooled lights to allow the plants to get a little bigger and closer to the lights
     
     
    [​IMG]Since this picture I took out the drain to waste table in the veg area and bought a Chapin sprayer to save my back from bending over and into the closet it extends into (I highly recommend them for IPM spraying)
     
     
    This room was designed for perpetual cycles, starting from the seedling rack on the right to the veg in the center to the flowering tent on the left - but since I've moved to no-till it works in a slightly different manner.  I keep mothers in the veg tent, and clip cuttings from them to root out in the cloning station, where they'll go directly into the 25 gallon no-tills in the flowering tent.  If I wanted to keep buying beans and forget the mothers all together... I could flower out the entire room and go from seed to final home.  I'm not greedy though, so my connoisseur side takes over in this room lol
     
  18. #18 Team Microbe, Apr 5, 2015
    Last edited by a moderator: Apr 5, 2015
    Well, lately I've been taking lots of cuttings and getting ready for the next round.  I'll take you through my cloning routine - if you've heard of aloe vera and salicylic acid before then this may not be anything new; but if you haven't then check this out... it's a cheap and effective method I've picked up over the year (thanks Jeremy!) that gives me great results:
     
     
     
    <i>Cloning Solution:</i> (per gal)
    -1/8 tsp 200x Aloe Vera Powder
    -5 ml Agsil16H
    -20 ml FulPower
     
    [​IMG]
     
    [​IMG]
    $5 a piece at my local nursery - now that's cheap cloning gel lol
     
     
    [​IMG]
    I'll soak cuttings & cubes for at least 2 hours. Dunk into aloe gel, then place into cubes w/ heating mat underneath the tray. Fill tray with enough water to barely touch the bottom of the cubes, then wait 7-14 days for roots.  Remove dome twice a day for fresh air, and mist inside of dome to keep humidity levels up.  That's it!
     
    Click here for a detailed tutorial 
     
     
    Here are some clones after seeing the aloe treatment...
    [​IMG]
    These are the youngians I'm preparing for the new 25's next week
     
     
    [​IMG]
    Silver Lotus #1
     
     
    [​IMG]
    Cheese Candy gettin ready for her big day
     
     
    I kept a few phenos from the last run, including:
     
    Silver Lotus #1
    Silver Lotus #2 
    Sicilian Revenge
     
    Strains I'm introducing to the room are:
     
    Cheese Candy (an old favorite of mine)
    Jack Diesel (another old favorite)
    AG-13 Haze x Biker (thanks again Kozmo!)
    White Rhino
    Pineapple Chunk
    Holy Rhodi (an outdoor breeding project of mine)
     
  19. Looks sweet man, thanks for sharing! Great setup you have there...the best part is you did it your way. How did you attach the panda film? I'm about to put some of that up myself in a few days.
     
  20. Thanks, I used gorilla tape on the places I stapled it to the wood to prevent it from ripping the plastic
     

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