Growing, Living and Loving...Peace

[farmerlion]

Zero potting and fungal repository...WTF is that?

Zero potting and fungal repository...WTF is that?

Hello all, so here we go with a soil preparation I studied for running Auto flowering genetics this season. I wanted to make sure the auto flowering strains had the best start I could prepare for them. Hmmm? If it's the best for auto's why wouldn't it be the best all the way around? So I'm slightly changing my growing style to improve my environment.


With the bag depth marked on this aluminium rod. I make a seperate hole throught the bottom of each original cup hole.
I use my trusty blender to mix up and puree my amendments. I used different fruits on top of a base of one Killians Irish Red beer one sliced banana with the peel on and five fluid ounces of Ocean Mineral Magic.
I used pineapple in one row. Strawberries and Blueberries in another and Apples and Potatoes in the last.

With this clean funnel I topped off the fungal repository hole multiple times to the bottom of the keg cup hole.


Then pack new seedling mix into the cup holes. I have the 35 gallon bags single planted. The 45 gallon bags are double planted this season. I'm within two weeks of actually germinating seeds.

By the time I place the sprouted seeds into the bags. The worms will have gone through the repository multiple times. leaving an environment for the fungus to thrive in. When the seedlings grow out of the seedling mix. There's no re-potting of young plants, they simply grow into the next medium. By the time the seedling is at the 3rd node it will have a vibrant fungal colony supporting it.

The young plants know more about growing than I ever will. So as a grower I get to just watch them grow. Ensure they have water and proper ventilation. Check for pests and take notes, while enjoying my morning coffee.
Have a great season my friends.
Peace farmerlion

 

[farmerlion]

Germination begins

Germination begins

Hello all, finally getting to feel productive. I opened up the top of the grow bags for better access for watering. Wrapping the air pruning bags has proven to hold moisture much better.

This is the right side of the greenhouse.

This is one of my amended outdoor holes I will have a Auto Malawi x Lebanese in.

This will have two early flowering plants in it. I'm trying one covered this season to see how it works. I hope you all have a great Memorial weekend. Please be safe and have fun!
Peace farmerlion

 

[deepwaterdude]

Nice, Farmerlion, very interested to watch with you this season Still cold up there i bet as my potatoes froze the last 2 nights... The zam x kcs were looking shiverish as well, but no actual freezing where they are. The carrots right next to them did have frost this AM, I thought it was mold

 

[MallardDuck]

Hey Mr Lion,

Exciting times all around. My Auto Zamadelica's just made it to me today from across the pond.

I ended up getting some Auto Malawi/NL from a local distributor as I was getting anxious about the wait... I guess I will be growing two of each this season! Yay for variety. Curious what the purpose of the bag that you buried in the dirt is? Do you add worms and use it to keep them contained from the rest of the outdoor dirt?

 

[Itsmychoice]

I will be over here taking notes, looks like you are readying for something special. Best of luck this season farmer.

 

[farmerlion]

Mallard Duck,
The bag in the soil is just over the top. To retain moisture and keep other seeds from sprouting. I dug a hole filled it with good soil and sheep manure. In an effort to provide for microbial development. Kind of like a petre dish. I have two holes left uncovered so I can observe any differences between the two versions.

The weather has been cooler and overcast. Stuff is getting green in a hurry. My rain barrels are full and cannabis is on the verge of exploding. I thank you all for your patience. Soil is the key to cannabis, it stays at the quality you start with. As long as you learn it's needs and pace.
No bottle of nuclear magic will compete with the price and performance of quality and sustained microbial colonies.
Peace farmerlion

 

[farmerlion]

I will be over here taking notes, looks like you are readying for something special. Best of luck this season farmer.

It's my choice,
So glad you stopped in.. I hope I can do some justice for the plants this season. I'm sure looking forward to this genetics lineup. A lot of testing and some small scale advanced selections of donor parents. At least getting to know a strain for moving forward in a breeding project.

I join a long list of people searching for the old RKS. Road Kill Skunk, with my isolated location it's perfect for RKS selecting.
Peace farmerlion

 

[deepwaterdude]

THAT'S what that means!? I was reading up on skunk #1 yesterday and Sam was talking about RKS, said it got a lot of people busted

 

[farmerlion]

Auto Zamaldelica

Auto Zamaldelica

Hello my friends,
Just a couple pictures of some seedlings. The three in the smaller containers are for my bosses wife. She wants to grow a few out. Besides some CBD genetics her and my wife will be sharing. I want her to be successful in her first grow. So some Ace Auto flowering genetics is just the right choice.
Auto Zamaldelica and I have some Auto Malawi x Lebanese I'm germinating right now. This will be a beautiful combination here in North Dakota. I went through the canyon next to me that has a little creek in it. I planted a couple packs of the Hokkaido hemp I bought from dubi. I also planted about ten ChokeCherry tree seeds with the hemp.

I hope they all do equally well. Here is some pictures of the Auto Zamaldelica seedlings.




I hope you all have a great week and growing season.
Peace farmerlion

 

[dubi]

Lovely friend! I feel you very confident and well focused this season

A pleasure to see the first seeds sprouting and the family united and enjoying the gardening work together

 

[farmerlion]

Some Seedlings

Some Seedlings

Hey all, I had all the pictures taken in a certain order. Then I screwed it all up somewhere along the way. So all I have is some pictures, so I will only post a few I recognize.

This is the Auto Zamaldelica, one was planted later as the first seedling. Pushed itself out of the soil a few days after coming up.


These are the Blood Rose

These are the Romulan's. The 45 gallon bags I double planted. The 35 gallon bags are single planted.
I had 6 Ancestral Skunk scheduled for this season as part of a two season reproduction. Out of 16 seeds only two germinated I had a total of 19 seeds. With giving them 2weeks to declare growth. I don't have the time for vegetative growth. I don't want them to be stressed trying to mature, enter flowering and be pollinated at the same time. I have two growing now. I will see how they mature. If I get the chance pollinate I certainly will. Then I will have plenty of mature newer seeds to work with next season.

I hope you all have a great weekend, be safe and healthy.
Peace farmerlion

 

[farmerlion]

Update time

Update time

Hello my friends
Happy to be updating these ladies. The seeds didn't immediately germinate or even split. I thought that they had been heavily x rayed during shipping. The seeds looked mature and mottled. While busy with other genetics hmmm, what's this?
My CBD#1 x Orient Express have popped up. I'm excited about this, I didn't feel I had enough time to have new seeds sent and germinated.

They're in very nice shape and healthy. The plants are gaining mass quickly. The sun has been bright and the soil is brimming with microbial life.

https://www.icmag.com/ic/picture.php?
albumid=82739&pictureid=2047629&thumb=1
These little beauties are two Romulan plants. They have found their contented rhythms. Even this early they have a unique aroma. Forcing one's mind to wander and wonder what the future holds in store?

I do have one other early aromatic plant. At 4" tall the largest Ancestral Skunk is already developing a funk. It doesn't smell like cannabis at all, which I find very encouraging and interesting. I hope you have a great weekend.
Peace farmerlion.

 

[farmerlion]

Mutant Zacatecas

Mutant Zacatecas

Hello my friends,
Here is a plant that was unsure what it wanted to be. It was a stunted deformed seedling. Now it's forming typical leaf shapes and starting to focus growth efforts.
I expect this seedling to mature normally now and flourish like the other plants in the greenhouse.

 

[Skatter Brayne]

Keeping an eye on this thread, as I too will be running a combination of Ace Gear and Autoflowers in the North next season.

I am very curious to see how the Autos handle that 35 gallon pot! I've never used more than 3 Gallons for an auto before.

Sorry to hear about your germination rates. My season this year died before it even began, thanks to my 5 year old seed stash failing to germinate. Next year I will be sure to prepare earlier like you did!

Soaking seeds in Gibberellic Acid, and Germinating in pure Earth Worm Casings looks to be a promising way to increase germination rates in older seed stock.

https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?threadid=334985

https://youtu.be/tehCb0Zbi1M

 

[farmerlion]

Hey scatter, with any auto flowering plants. You want to go as large as you can to start with. If you're using small cups for germination. Use manure cups with the bottoms cut out. You don't want anything restricting root growth.

Don't top auto's or nuke them. Start your soils early and get your microbial colonies going. The microbes feed your plants. Your plants get acclimated to being fed by one type of microbial life. Think of microbes like strains. There is many strains in your soil. The more consistent you are with your microbial life. The more consistent your plants will be.

I will do an in depth post on soils and how microbes effect and are effected by Ph and amendments.
Peace farmerlion

 

[Skatter Brayne]

I couldn't agree more! I should have prefaced that by saying I previously have only grown Autos indoors in 3 gallon (and with coco hydroponics at that). I thankfully abandoned hydroponics in favor of organic amended soils, and saw the light. look forward to my first outdoor run, and will be living vicariously through your garden this season.

Been a huge fan of Autos since 2012 or so. I have no doubts that they will thrive with all of that rich black soil! In your experience how much does that volume of soil delay flowering for Autos? I would have to imagine they take their time in veg with all that room!

Lion already understands this obviously, but for lurkers out there, a book called "Teaming with Microbes" is a great scientific resource for understanding the science behind the importance of soil microorganisms in a healthy soil.

You can also research 'Permaculture' to try to find some practical ways to incorporate organic farming techniques to suit your unique location & situation

 

[farmerlion]

Skatter Brayne, I only have my environment to compare it to. I have never run auto's in smaller bags. With the early onset of flowering I experience. I don't see any delays. I have exceptional growth and maturity between plants. There is certainly an upper limit to performance concerning bag size. A 200 gallon bag isn't going to give a grower 5lbd producing Auto flowering plants. I was getting 14 oz. off my Auto Malawi plants.

I no longer tear apart or remove the entire root ball . Due to the harm it does to the microbial colony. I just remove the main tap cluster. Leaving as much root system undisturbed as possible.

As far as root zone room capacities effecting flowering onset dates? I have never experienced this myself or ever read about it in literally hundreds of manuscripts I have studied.
It could certainly be a worthwhile study for you to pursue as a side study or project. I try to have one educational experiment each season. Some are replicated more than once to get an average. Keeping in mind that indoor and outdoor results will vary greatly and have to be performed separately.
Have a great upcoming week!
Peace farmerlion

 

[Skatter Brayne]

Wow that's quite the haul for an Auto Malawi! That's good to hear that despite the extra veg growth that they still can quickly transition to flower. Indoors I had noticed a noticably shorter veg period when using restrictive potting, but havent yet had the luxery of witnessing them in large pots under the HPS in the sky.

I'll be over here sitting on my bucket enjoying the show!

 

[farmerlion]

Microbial Essentials for Auto and Regular Cannabis Genetics.

Microbial Essentials for Auto and Regular Cannabis Genetics.

Hello all,
I'm going to cover several aspects of soil development, preparation and care. How microbial life relates to feeding your plants. This information is from several podcasts of Doctor studies I've listened to and taken notes. I'm not going to list each Doctor involved in the clinical studies.
Dr. Allison Justice,
This information is combined with my use of what I call a Fungal Repository for optimum results.
NPK Nitrogen, Potassium and Phosphorus.
Nitrogen, 50-200 ppm MAX per feeding 150 ppm is ideal.

Potassium, Pureed sliced bananas with the skin on and potatoes with the skin on are best. These will be blended with distilled or RO water and poured into your repository holes. See the first pages of this thread where I cover this step. There will be an increase in ant activity as they are searching for this food. Get some ant traps.

Phosphorus, 85% is washed out or leeched from the soil. 100 ppm max per feeding. Most nutrient applications recommend three times greater amount than is needed.(lockup) Low/medium of 0-5 ppm to a max of 80 ppm. 15 ppm is ideal for cannabis.
When phosphorus is denied it has the same effect as cold temperatures with plants getting a purple hue.

Cal/Mag = Epsom salts. One or the other is needed not both most often. Cal is used in greater quantities versus Mag. Poinsettas and Tomatoes have very similar nutritional needs to cannabis.

UNDERSTAND THIS ! understand this ! UNDERSTAND THIS !

FLUSHING* 1 and 2 week flushes.
* YOU CAN'T FLUSH NUTRIENTS OUT OF YOUR PLANTS !!!
* You can cause nutrient deficiencies.
*Flushing of excess nutrients from your soil didn't need to be there to begin with. You are wasting money and your plants are only risking nutrient lockup because of over feeding.

MICROBIAL BIO STIMULANTS Geographical influence's
Microbes become fewer as you get closer to the earths poles. N&S Microbial diversity is most dense at the equator.

Fungal communities prefer the no till system in organic soil. Minerals in the soil affect the Ph of the soil. ROOTS will travel to the best soil food source and PH levels.

* Microbes only grow at certain food sources, for that type of microbe. * Don't change up your nutrients throughout the season. Roots become acclimated to a certain type of microbe feeding them.

* If a Ph buffer is added to the soil substrate. The microbial life will move away from the ACIDIC and ALKYLINE buffers. This essentially stunts the growth of your plants. This correlates back to over feeding and mineral effecting PH balance. Stabilize and stay consistent throughout your grow cycle with amendments.

If you are going to experiment with nutrients. Do it from the start of the season, when you are preparing the microbial colonies. Keeping notes of that bag and keeping that particular microbial colony stabilized.
* What is the closest thing to a magical elixer? Mammoth P1 showed a 12% increase over untreated soils and a multitude of other soil amendments. (Per this study)

*Innoculants* Innoculants before planting are crucial for microbial life. When the soil does't have a plant.
Microbes will die off after harvest for seasonal growers . As the roots are no longer feeding the microbial colonies in return.

* The Rhizosphere* needs consistent Ph balanced microbial stimulants.
* 99% of microbes are good. The 1% that are bad are very bad.
* Microbes are a (cultivar, species)*. The sum of microbial species together are better. Than any single species of microbes on it's own.

* Colonies of microbes empower each other.*

*CARBON* Organic matter in your soils, Is the single best subsrate amendment.

*Humic Acids* Clod Buster Humate (Bio Pesticides Research)
Humates black or brown have a high molecular weight. Humis forms under the duft layer. Leaves, bark and twigs decomposed by fungi.(undisturbed decomposition)

*Fulvic Acid* Acid soluble fraction low molecular weight, yellow in color.

*Culation* (Q-lation) Is to bond with or buffer.
Humic and Fulvic Acids will stabilize the Ph of your soil as long as you don't introduce outside buffers, amendments that aren't natural to your microbial colonies. That you started before prior to spring outdoor or indoor planting.

I hope you found this information helpful. I spent a lot of time searching for verified scientifically tested and proven sources. You may have been informed differently. I know I certainly had been misinformed on several things. I can assure you these are very effective practices and procedures.

I tried to document the fungal repositories the best I could in the start of this thread. Even muted stunted seedlings are correcting growth patterns.
Peace farmerlion

*TEAS*, Teas need consistent inputs to work in the root zone properly. Don't change up your tea recipe throughout the season. *(Roots acclimate to a certain microbe for nutrient uptake).

The longer a tea sets a certain type of microbe will become dominant. Each food source is eaten by a different type of microbe. Think of microbes as species or strains of cannabis. Food sources continually change until all sources are consumed and the microbial life dies.
A new tea needs 18 to 24 hours to develop the first microbes. I have a large rain water collecting container. I continually feed fresh fruits and potatoes to in a pureed form. If I stop feeding the tea being produced. A secondary set of microbes will develop and start eating the next available food sources.

* LIGHTS* What is the most effective and efficient light source?
ROI Return on investment. PPFD 800 watts of LED per plant was and is the most efficient light source.

*FIM, LOLLI POPPING and DEFOLIATING*
Plants showed positive results from stressing. THERE WAS A LOSS IN HUMIDITY CONTROL. Especially pertaining to indoor LED grows. The temperature needs to be increased or added ventilation to offset RH.(relative humidity)

* Defoliation increases the salinity of that individual plant that was altered. *
* Reduce feeding and overall PPM in direct proportion to the amount of defoliating you have done.

*CURING* 40% to 60% is optimal for connoisseur quality buds.
Water activity meter's are very expensive. But for large scale operations are crucial. Microbial growth from .8 of less stops botrytis. (.6) is consumer preference for the highest quality bud to smoke.

so what did the studies find as far as curing techniques go? For large operations curing in 5 gallon plastic buckets. The buckets weren't air tight. Moisture content in large and small buds equalized and homogenized. No actual release of moisture by burping actually took place. The CO2 levels actually increased from the breath of the employees burping the buckets.

Glass jars were the most effective producing the best quality buds for smoking. Having a .6 moisture(twigs and limbs snap when bent) . Keeping the jars and harvested plants in a dark room reduced chlorophyll production and increased overall quality.

 

[farmerlion]

After Q-lation, I had two paragraphs that should have been moved to the bottom. I didn't know how to group and move them so it is what it is.
If you have a difference of opinion from what these Doctors have found. That's fine. I'm not a Doctor and I'm not going to argue with anyone about these findings. I have been refining these methods in my environment. I'm very satisfied with the results so far.

Are you giving your plants what they need, or what you want them to have?

Peace farmerlion, MedDakotabis