New Experimental Organic Hydro Technique!

[xmobotx]

i edited my post above 2 show progress w/o hi-jacking

as anyone can see, there's plenty of vigor and color is good (the apparent yellowing at the tips in the day 16 pix is a lighting issue - all leaves are nice and green to the tip w/ no yellowing)

however, the grow is not w/o issue

while color and vigor are excellent, the plants lack thickness and are getting a little leggy - could be lighting (ambient sunlight supplemented w/ cfls)

here's my soil recipe:

base 2 parts coco coir 1 part EWC 1 part perlite

ammendments 2 tbs ea, greensand, kelp meal, bat guano all FF; and 2 tbs dried cooked ground eggshell 2 tbs epsom

nitrogen is provided w/ fish emulsion and recently supplemented w/ bat guano (hi N) compost. i run the fish emulsion and compost aerating as a tea in a bucket

Any suggestions as to the spindly nature of the plants?

 

[Nicol Bolas]

This system is so much fun to build, I can't wait to start growing in it. Since I can't grow herb, what kind of legal plants would do well? Peppers seem good, but I would like to do tomatoes and I was wondering if I could adjust this system's pH down by using Espoma Tomato-tone in place of Plant Tone (don't have Biotone starter plus, I hope that's not a problem).

 

[rrog]

DrunkenM had no luck changing pH for Tomatoes. Update on my grow here: https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=135017&page=12

 

[binaryfission]

just read the whole thing. this is promising. off to rrog's and LL's threads for more info. Did anyone ever get pics of a bigger OBBT system?

 

[Mt Toaker]

I see its been a long while since there has been much discussion on this thread. . . Are OBBT's still kickin out there 2 years after this conversation began? I'm thinking about putting an OBBT in my new setup just to check it out since I've been so interested in it for a while and have yet to see first hand what it will do next to my soil garden.

 

[SilverSurfer_OG]

Give it a go mate. I have seen good results with tomatoes and weed.

However i am now more interested in making all of my indoor grows no-till in beds. This way the organic microbes and fungi etc can really make themselves at home.

The obbt concept is a good one i think. Still might do a grow show between 2 equal size beds, one with air injection and one just no-till style with maybe a living mulch.

 

[Mt Toaker]

Ok in that notill soil do you just pull the plants out and leave the soil going? how exactly does that work?

 

[rrog]

No-till is what I'm headed toward also. Just no air pumping. When a plant is ready to be harvested, there is a complete super-highway network of fungi ready to go. So take advantage of this. Cut the old plant down at the base. Leave the roots. Cut a hole in the soil and insert your clone or seedling. It will immediately pick up where the old plant left off.

 

[SilverSurfer_OG]

No-till is what I'm headed toward also. Just no air pumping. When a plant is ready to be harvested, there is a complete super-highway network of fungi ready to go. So take advantage of this. Cut the old plant down at the base. Leave the roots. Cut a hole in the soil and insert your clone or seedling. It will immediately pick up where the old plant left off.

Yup thats the plan stan.

I did my first harvest and immediate transplant yesterday. Also sprinkled chamomile and a good bug blend (coriander, red clover, calendula, etc) seeds all over the top.

 

[rrog]

It's so cool you're doing that Surfer. Love the airpots you made also. I wish I could use them. Next house...

 

[shaggyballs]

bump for a good thread with cool info