Footsteps In Becoming an Expert Grower

[Biosystem]

You are heading to the complete opposite end of commercial cannabis with those Event Horizon. They sound very much like the modern American West Coast cookies style. Should be quite the contrast to Zamaldelica.

Exactly! I am going to be pushing very hard into the more "heirloom/landraces" varieties for lack of a better term in the future - strains like original pure Thai, Congolese, Malawi Gold, afghans, hashplants, etc. But I do want to have something on hand to compare these things to the more "American poly-hybrid conglomerations of the same genes knocking around the west coast for the past 20 years." This strain is selected almost entirely for its aesthetic qualities from a "grower's enjoyment" perspective. I have always wanted to grow a cannabis strain so dark it was pitch black. This strain seems like the first one available in seed form that I could purchase and that didn't require additional prep work for full color expression.

If the yield, potency, effect and olfactory expressions are good as well, then I will be very very satisfied with this strain and keep it in my library - even if it isn't as unique as the more regional landraces strains I will be growing otherwise.

Strains like this may prove useful down in the coming years as I might want to make some crosses that feature more color or raw THC boost irrespective to unique effect. It will be another tool in the genetic toolbox. Maybe I'll like it and use it, maybe I'll like it and only keep it pure, maybe I'll dislike it and never cross it to anything again (even itself). Who knows?
But the plant in the ad was one of the most beautiful plants of ANY species I have ever seen, and as a plant nerd I think I would be a fool not to try to grow it if only to behold its beautiful flowers with my own two eyes - to say little of its psychoactive effects.

Man, one way or another we're about to find out what the deal is with this strain! It's gonna be a ton of fun!

 

[Biosystem]

EVENT HORIZON SEED SOW

I screwed up a little and germed these seeds on Tuesday, knowing I wouldn't have pucks for sprouting (a new method for me) until Friday. These gals were, uh, eager. I wasn't expecting that.

Check out these little trays though! PERFECT for 12 seeds, and they have the little humidity valve at the top.

 

[Biosystem]

POLLEN TENT

I'm so happy to finally have a little tent to flower pollen males in for breeding!

I have two plants currently on week 5 or so of flower with STS treatments once a week.
One is the Zamaldelica African Pheno and the other is a Zamaldelica Thai Pheno.

The next plant to go in here will be a reversed clone of my favorite Event Horizon pheno!

 

[Biosystem]

WEEK 2 OF FLOWER
Zamaldelica by ACE Seeds

Things are going okay. I am noticing some rust on the leaves of some of the ones of to the side, and some of the ones in the kiddie pool. I am unsure what it is, and I am worried. Perhaps it is a Cal or Mag deficiency? Any input welcome. No pests seen yet.

Also some photos of some clones going. They are weak, but they are coming along I suppose.

 

[gedLang]

WEEK 2 OF FLOWER
Zamaldelica by ACE Seeds

Things are going okay. I am noticing some rust on the leaves of some of the ones of to the side, and some of the ones in the kiddie pool. I am unsure what it is, and I am worried. Perhaps it is a Cal or Mag deficiency? Any input welcome. No pests seen yet.

Also some photos of some clones going. They are weak, but they are coming along I suppose.

Kinda looks like phosphorus/calcium deficiency to me. I would check pH of the soil.

 

[Biosystem]

I appreciate that. Unfortunately I trust my pH test kit about as much as I trust a shady man trying to sell me magic beans for my cow.

Perhaps I'll make a slurry, sample water, strain it and run a more accurate aquarium pH test.

I suspect this is a Cal/mag/phosphorus thing. I don't see pests, but boy am I going to be sad if I have to terminate this run due to buuugs.

 

[Biosystem]

Hey, @gedLang, I think we are right. I don't think the indicators for Cal deficiency are exclusive to the possibility phosphorus and/or Mg are deficient, but I'm definitely seeing leaf progression like this.
I'll need to find a quick fix for calcium in the meantime until I can get some more egg shell/ bone break down in the soil.

We have an identified enemy. We can make a plan. We can win.

 

[gedLang]

Hey, @gedLang, I think we are right. I don't think the indicators for Cal deficiency are exclusive to the possibility phosphorus and/or Mg are deficient, but I'm definitely seeing leaf progression like this.
I'll need to find a quick fix for calcium in the meantime until I can get some more egg shell/ bone break down in the soil.

We have an identified enemy. We can make a plan. We can win.

I'd say think about your inputs to determine whether an actual deficiency is likely. I use a lot of worm castings in my amended soil, which should cover basic calcium and magnesium needs. My water is around 8.4 pH coming out of the tap, and it is very stable, so I may have more pH issues than others. When I see signs that look like cal mag deficiencies, especially early in the grow when I think my soil should not yet be depleted, I'm looking at pH as a more likely culprit. Some folks say don't worry about pH in organic soil, but I do think it can cause problems if it gets too far out of range.

On the other hand, if your input pH is reasonable and you have not added new sources of P, cal, and mag since your previous grow, a plain deficiency seems more likely.

 

[Biosystem]

You're right on the money, gedLang. I have not added much in the way of amendments lately as I experienced a bit of nitrogen burn for a little bit last cycle - it's time to reammend, and in a hurry.
The soil with the worst of it has actually not been amended in a loooong time, and it is an "extra bin" with low priority. I guess it needs some love after all. The plants of most concern are in the kiddie pool, and those seem to be doing better overall.

pH is an important variable here and is worth checking even if I know the soil is probably running light on nutrients.

After a soil pH test (to determine how much to buffer), I intend to dissolve eggshells in vinegar and then rebuffer the acidity with potassium bicarbonate (adds useful potassium) instead of baking soda (adds unnecessary sodium). Adding that in combination with more blood, bones and perhaps a touch of inexpensive dissolvable phosphorus to bandaid them for a few weeks - at least to get them out of the danger zone of deficiency.

 

[Biosystem]

Okay, really sad I'm out on the money, but only 2 of the Event Horizon survived the germination process. I've decided I'm going to blame myself since 100% of the seeds germed, but 10 of them dampened off and just failed. Cool.

New seeds getting germed today, but with hopefully better luck. Seeds are old.
More photos of the plants coming soon.

 

[gedLang]

Okay, really sad I'm out on the money, but only 2 of the Event Horizon survived the germination process. I've decided I'm going to blame myself since 100% of the seeds germed, but 10 of them dampened off and just failed. Cool.

New seeds getting germed today, but with hopefully better luck. Seeds are old.
More photos of the plants coming soon.

At least you will still get to try it!

I've had to adjust how I germinate seeds due to damping off problems. Immediately after they appear out of the soil, I remove the humidity dome. I water from the bottom only, which I thinks helps keep the soil moisture from going too far. It's also more of an issue in cold conditions than warm; a heating pad can help for the vulnerable first week or so if ambient temps are low.

 

[Biosystem]

You're right on all fronts. I left the humidity dome on too long I believe, and the temps were lower than they could have been. High 60s perhaps.

I'm just looking at it as an expensive lesson that I won't make again. This is all part of the learning process for me unfortunately. The Zamaldelica herb I grew played a part in helping me take a deep breath and look at the silver lining. It'll be okay. If I really like the strain I will just buy more (savagely expensive) seeds and do better the next time.

 

[Travis Kelcee]

It's late, and not much to report for now. The spider mites are here, but they are weak. Crushing them with azamaxx before they have to go into flower.

Chopped the tomatoes since they weren't producing and we're taking up a lot of root space.

Things are actually looking great, and things are so much easier with the cover crop this time! I love this! I hope to see the smaller ones shoot up straight to catch up with the larger one before I top the big one. Or maybe I should just find a way to tie it down. . . . I should probably just tie it down. But I also don't want to many main branches off of the central stem. There are already probably 10-12 counting the tiny ones forming up top.

You there! Any input on that debate? What have you had success with?


Also, a shot of some flowers for one of the covercrop plants.

I see earlier you mentioned a "cut" of some strain.

Cuts/clones gifted, traded, purchased from others are the #1 source of mites for cannabis growers.

I'd dump the cover crop until you get completely dialed in. Nutrient, soil ph and watering requirements differ even among strains, never mind cover crops and veggie plants. It makes keeping everyone happy and healthy in the same pool a bit challenging.

Add in some small potted, Rosemary, Thyme and Peppermint plants in place of the cover crop. They will help repel spider mites and possibly mask the smell a little.

 

[Boo]

I don’t know if you use it or not, but I highly recommend a tablespoon of Epsom salts per gallon on your feedings. That can bring a lot of minerals to your roots and color to your leaves. I won’t grow without it… I didn’t see if you were paying attention to your pH, but that’s another critical thing. A lot of people overlook… good luck

 

[Biosystem]

I see earlier you mentioned a "cut" of some strain.

Cuts/clones gifted, traded, purchased from others are the #1 source of mites for cannabis growers.

I'd dump the cover crop until you get completely dialed in. Nutrient, soil ph and watering requirements differ even among strains, never mind cover crops and veggie plants. It makes keeping everyone happy and healthy in the same pool a bit challenging.

Add in some small potted, Rosemary, Thyme and Peppermint plants in place of the cover crop. They will help repel spider mites and possibly mask the smell a little.

Hey, man! 'ppreciate the advice. A few things to make sure we're on the same page:

Cut: I'm not entirely sure what you're referencing, but it was probably a cut of mine. It's just me over here which is sad but does reduce risk of mites. I suspect the mites came from outdoors since I was gardening more regularly outdoors that year. No problems this year thank GOD.

Covercrop+additionals: They are not prioritized, so if the cannabis is happy, everyone else can suffer for all I care. But they seem to work well in tandem though, I have considered using something a little less intrusive on the canopy like clovers only or something since they can be a little burdensome while the clones or seedlings are still on the smaller side. For this reason I have been deliberating on whether or not I should keep running them or if I ought to do a "rock-mulch" strategy to keep the soil moist on top by laying flat stones on the surface and then covering with river rock for aesthetics and even cover without adding sharp pointies to the bed that I can cut my precious phalanges on. Easy to move aside for planting, looks nice and would keep the soil moist without breaking down and needing to be replaced. Still debating myself on that since my keeping my soil biology active is very important to me, but I don't know how detrimental it would realistically be in this environment if it were to sit "baking" for a few weeks between harvest time and the new flowering plants coming in and growing big enough to make a halfway decent canopy.

Rosemary, thyme, mint: these seem very interesting for this purpose, and I've heard of their use, but are they really that strong of a repellant? Any personal experience with mint in a raised bed? It doesn't just take over like a plague? If not, that sounds AWESOME.

 

[Biosystem]

I don’t know if you use it or not, but I highly recommend a tablespoon of Epsom salts per gallon on your feedings. That can bring a lot of minerals to your roots and color to your leaves. I won’t grow without it… I didn’t see if you were paying attention to your pH, but that’s another critical thing. A lot of people overlook… good luck

I love Epsom salt for this stuff! I usually hit them with about 3tbsp of it for that whole bed every 2-4 times I water which is every 1-3 weeks depending on how big the plants in there are.

 

[Boo]

You grow out of a pool liner so yeah, I’m sure you can get away with watering as frequently as you do. I grow in 55 gallon containers in doors and I have to feed them every three days… I was gifted one of these beans over a year ago and this is what I’ve currently been growing. It’s called truffle treats.

 

[Biosystem]

WEEK 3 OF FLOWER (11/13)
Zamaldelica by ACE Seeds

Okay, so it's clear that the leaf discoloration is not pests but is rather a likely calcium deficiency in that one tub. That soil hasn't gotten the same love that the kiddie pool has gotten since it's been sitting idle while the pool has been active and fed. I'll be hitting the extra tub with some of the vinegar-dissolved eggshells after rebuffering with potassium bicarbonate. Errbody's getting Epsom salt for this next watering anyway, which is great since Boo just mentioned it by coincidence.
Adding some lactobacillus culture and some more organic phosphate sources to all soil beds soon to keep everything going. So far this cycle is looking great - even the little blue tub that has the calcium complaints (since they were just going to be euthanized anyway, but I decided to just let them flower it out as best they can on the sidelines).

The reversed females dried out a little, but I caught them in time before any lasting damage was done. Unsure if they are supposed to look like this when reversed - this is my first reversal. Just trying to get enough pollen to self the clones and stash a little for later.

The clone/veg tent has been struggling a little as I attempt to get these pruned clippings to root. It shouldn't be long now, but I really just want one good clone from this batch so I can be sure I have my favorite Zamaldelica mother plant held back in case anything goes wrong.

 

[Biosystem]

You grow out of a pool liner so yeah, I’m sure you can get away with watering as frequently as you do. I grow in 55 gallon containers in doors and I have to feed them every three days… I was gifted one of these beans over a year ago and this is what I’ve currently been growing. It’s called truffle treats. View attachment 19106145

Truffle Treats is an adorable strain name! That plant is gorgeous!

If you think this grow bed is big, just wait until you see what I have planned for the future! All this seems so baby-step right now, but once I get rolling, this thread is going to be a bonanza of flowers everywhere. Current plan is to top out at 84sqft of bed with 26" soil depth in a 32" bed depth, all one bed. Eventually it'll be rigged with auto-waterers, humidity control, CO2 supplementation, live feed video, remote-dimmable lights and a small colony of reptiles roaming the land under the canopy.

Just give me a year or two, y'all. This is going to be sick.

 

[Travis Kelcee]

Hey, man! 'ppreciate the advice. A few things to make sure we're on the same page:

Cut: I'm not entirely sure what you're referencing, but it was probably a cut of mine. It's just me over here which is sad but does reduce risk of mites. I suspect the mites came from outdoors since I was gardening more regularly outdoors that year. No problems this year thank GOD.

Covercrop+additionals: They are not prioritized, so if the cannabis is happy, everyone else can suffer for all I care. But they seem to work well in tandem though, I have considered using something a little less intrusive on the canopy like clovers only or something since they can be a little burdensome while the clones or seedlings are still on the smaller side. For this reason I have been deliberating on whether or not I should keep running them or if I ought to do a "rock-mulch" strategy to keep the soil moist on top by laying flat stones on the surface and then covering with river rock for aesthetics and even cover without adding sharp pointies to the bed that I can cut my precious phalanges on. Easy to move aside for planting, looks nice and would keep the soil moist without breaking down and needing to be replaced. Still debating myself on that since my keeping my soil biology active is very important to me, but I don't know how detrimental it would realistically be in this environment if it were to sit "baking" for a few weeks between harvest time and the new flowering plants coming in and growing big enough to make a halfway decent canopy.

Rosemary, thyme, mint: these seem very interesting for this purpose, and I've heard of their use, but are they really that strong of a repellant? Any personal experience with mint in a raised bed? It doesn't just take over like a plague? If not, that sounds AWESOME.

Micro clover is really nice for a cover crop but the seeds are a little pricey. I got mine from outsidepride dot com.

I did a couple soil growers with big totes but settled on pots, bags 5 gallon or smaller. I can't grow a tropical sativa in the same container as an indica dominant poly hybrid and keep both of them happy. Plus individual pots make much easier to keep from over watering using the pot weight method.

Seedlings and damp off: I never had a problem using this method. Start with Solo cups with drainage holes, use a seedling mix, moisten well with PH adjusted water, plant your seed and cover with a plastic sandwich bag. Put the Solo cups in a 5 gallon bucket. Get a clamp light with a reflector from home depot. The 5 gallon bucket narrow enough to keep the reflector from sitting on top of the cups. The light warms the top of the soil and plastic bag keep the soil moist enough until they break ground. Check daily and remove the plastic bags as they emerge.

Simple easy cloning: Warming mat, bowl of water larger than a paper plate, styrofoam plate, Aquarium air stone and air pump. Put a bowl of PH adjusted water on the warming mat, drop the air stone in the water, make holes in the plate for the cuttings, get at least 1/2" of the cutting through the bottom of the plate. Float the plate on the bubbling bowl of water. No humidity dome , no nutes or rooting hormones needed. keep the air temps above 70.