My Adventures with Ace Genetics & Living Soil Bed
- Thread starter tjmccoy
- Start date
Yes I’ve done it like that too, just never thought of purposely letting them just float till you get a tail.
Just kinda bummed with myself that I only got 50% up last time, can’t get back those Thai chi and killera5 in time. I think too wet at first then let them dry out too much, by the time I corrected it, it was too late. Weird that some strains were 100% and some 0% in the same environment
Got these going… I need more though! I want a good number to select from
This right here for 99% of my germination. Sometimes really old seeds will go from the h2o into a paper towel until they at least crack open.
The living soil cover crop of oats and clover, got chopped and incorporated back into the top 4 inches watered in good. I expect the worms and biology to make quick work of breaking all this down! I’m hoping to bring balance to the soil bed by doing this. I don’t need the bed for a few months yet so might as well keep doing this. I also added some more peat and lime. I might try a mix of flowers and herbs for a few weeks and feed it back 
This soil texture over time is becoming a bit strange, I’m using soil I dipped out of here for pots, It’s so solid black now, it’s kinda gritty and very light, it doesn’t even look dry when it’s dry just black! Realizing some of my germination problems were actually too dry in this soil. I also should have packed it down more in the little pots. Can’t believe I could make a mistake like that. When I transplanted I found out how light this soil is! The seedlings seem to be doing well in it and have only had water
NorCal Thai x Malawi
Grow your own fertilizer!
This soil texture over time is becoming a bit strange, I’m using soil I dipped out of here for pots, It’s so solid black now, it’s kinda gritty and very light, it doesn’t even look dry when it’s dry just black! Realizing some of my germination problems were actually too dry in this soil. I also should have packed it down more in the little pots. Can’t believe I could make a mistake like that. When I transplanted I found out how light this soil is! The seedlings seem to be doing well in it and have only had water
NorCal Thai x Malawi
Grow your own fertilizer!
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Only one seedling showing some freakyness coming from KC1 x Malawi - KC1 was the earliest finished KAli China and the best oriental spice taste of the bunch!
Another KC1 x M - Showing just a touch of twisted leaves, also showing some fairly wide leaves at this point!
I had a hard time narrowing down what KC was the best, still technically curing, they were all a little different but one hasn’t really stood out as best, so I popped seeds of each pheno x Malawi and will make selections later
Another KC1 x M - Showing just a touch of twisted leaves, also showing some fairly wide leaves at this point!
I had a hard time narrowing down what KC was the best, still technically curing, they were all a little different but one hasn’t really stood out as best, so I popped seeds of each pheno x Malawi and will make selections later
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Not much can be determined at this stage but it’s progress! 
All seeds were made using 2 Malawi males from frozen pollen
OG18 x Malawi
NorCal Thai x Malawi
Malawi F2’s from M1 -my most compact Malawi - I want to work these towards compact plants, anything that stretches will be terminated! I try to keep compact males!
Kali China x Malawi - From 4 different Kali China Phenos
Only 1 KA5 germed out of 3, my fault at least I got one!
Thi Chi - same story got 1 of 3
Group shot, some germed a few weeks apart
All seeds were made using 2 Malawi males from frozen pollenOG18 x Malawi
NorCal Thai x Malawi
Malawi F2’s from M1 -my most compact Malawi - I want to work these towards compact plants, anything that stretches will be terminated! I try to keep compact males!
Kali China x Malawi - From 4 different Kali China Phenos
Only 1 KA5 germed out of 3, my fault at least I got one!
Thi Chi - same story got 1 of 3
Group shot, some germed a few weeks apart
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One thing I’ve tinkered with is running an aquarium heater in the reservoir, raising soil temps. I decided to turn it back on while all this plant residue breaks down in the soil bed. My understanding is nitrogen breaks down in cool soil more into nitrates and in warm soil more into ammonium, my thinking is not trying to create a nitrate factory and will try to warm up the soil.
While I had plants growing they seemed to like it best with the heater tied into the light timer so they had a cool off at night. I feel like with the heater the moister maybe flows through the soil better. With out heat on a cold floor soil temps run low to mid 60’s, with heat I get it in the 70 - 75 area.
The oats and clover are breaking down fast and the worms and biology are feasting!
While I had plants growing they seemed to like it best with the heater tied into the light timer so they had a cool off at night. I feel like with the heater the moister maybe flows through the soil better. With out heat on a cold floor soil temps run low to mid 60’s, with heat I get it in the 70 - 75 area.
The oats and clover are breaking down fast and the worms and biology are feasting!
Made some ice water bubble with some Zamaldelica and HxP buds that I haven’t been smoking and weren’t my favorite phenos. They were in the jar for about a year now. I am enjoying this bubble way more than the buds, the 73u is full melt and kinda stony, the 25u the spicy carrot flavor from the Zamaldelica really comes through. I like it a lot even though it’s from my least favorite buds! Yield was kinda low as expected @ 10grams
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Herbidacious
Member
I'm enjoying watching your grow eager for an update, It's fun to see all the diffrent crosses growing together 
I'm enjoying watching your grow eager for an update, It's fun to see all the diffrent crosses growing together
Thanks so much! Yes things are moving along, I moved all the seedlings into the grow bed, unfortunately I’m going to cull them all as soon as I can get clones 2 clones of each and determine the sex. It feels wrong, they are gorgeous plants, but I feel it’s for the best. One set of clones are for flowering out, the other set to stay in veg and save the mothers that I want after testing the bud from each!
The sip watering and soil is really dialed in now and exploding with growth! It’s amazing to me how they just seem to have the perfect water all the time. As long as the big lamps on they are constantly praying!
This was about 10 days ago
Update on the project…
Here is the last pic I have of them in Veg about 2 months, bursting at the seam! I’ve used this time to sex them, let them mature and get clones. All of this growth was culled and fed back to the center of the soil bed!
It’s like a little mini grow for the purpose of harvesting clones and mothers. It was hard to do this chop but I think it will really set me up well for round 2 of flowering!
Here is the last pic I have of them in Veg about 2 months, bursting at the seam! I’ve used this time to sex them, let them mature and get clones. All of this growth was culled and fed back to the center of the soil bed!
It’s like a little mini grow for the purpose of harvesting clones and mothers. It was hard to do this chop but I think it will really set me up well for round 2 of flowering!
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Your plants look great, healthy vibrant green!
And that soil looks active and sweeeet!
Nice grow!
And that soil looks active and sweeeet!
Nice grow!
Thanks so cool that you could recognize this! You’re right the biology is super active I wish I could measure this! ! If you stare at the soil it moves! The fungal activity is high too! The oats cover crop really seemed to boost things and even things out like I’d hoped, the warmed moist soil from having the aquarium heater in the res and keeping temps optimal for biology it’s incredible! Best soil results yet and anxious to see it in flower! Thanks for following along!
… a couple pics of the Thai x Malawi
Not really sure of the Thai genetics but they are from Nor Cal seeds. The website say pure land race, Thai stick but I seriously have my doubts! Seems to be a 8-9 week strain with some purple. I’m wondering if it possible to be something like Oregon Purple Thai, that they got from a cut and selfed it for fem seeds?? What I can say is it’s beautiful smoke, sweet taste, and high on par with my best Malawi so I’m still really excited about this cross! I’m saving the males with this cross and definitely going to hit the Thai Chi with its pollen if the fems smoke good!
Not really sure of the Thai genetics but they are from Nor Cal seeds. The website say pure land race, Thai stick but I seriously have my doubts! Seems to be a 8-9 week strain with some purple. I’m wondering if it possible to be something like Oregon Purple Thai, that they got from a cut and selfed it for fem seeds?? What I can say is it’s beautiful smoke, sweet taste, and high on par with my best Malawi so I’m still really excited about this cross! I’m saving the males with this cross and definitely going to hit the Thai Chi with its pollen if the fems smoke good!
More updates… Currently…
I’ve narrowed things down to 17 best female clones and still in veg.
Prior to transplanting clones, I added another round of gypsum, lime, crab, chili powder, potassium sulfate, fish bone and vermiculite. I scratched this in to the top couple inches. I wanted to get some extra flowering nutes in there especially phosphorus. I’m going to start adding vermiculite to try to improve its water holding capacity. I drenched the bed with a mild dose of regerative biological booster, of liquid salmon crab, molasses, sea minerals, kelp, humic acid and spectrum soil inoculate. It sat for a week and now the clones are transplanted!
After seeing the success of the oats cover crop and what living roots can do for the soil I’m also planting a living mulch of Sweet Alyssum and nasturtiums! I’ll keep it in trim as not to ever compete for light with my clones!
Here is the back up clones for mothers, will try to keep a copy of each plant going until final smoke test to narrow down a favorite mother.
I also have 2 males backed up!
That’s all the updates for a while, thanks for following! Have a great week everyone! Cheers!
I’ve narrowed things down to 17 best female clones and still in veg.
Prior to transplanting clones, I added another round of gypsum, lime, crab, chili powder, potassium sulfate, fish bone and vermiculite. I scratched this in to the top couple inches. I wanted to get some extra flowering nutes in there especially phosphorus. I’m going to start adding vermiculite to try to improve its water holding capacity. I drenched the bed with a mild dose of regerative biological booster, of liquid salmon crab, molasses, sea minerals, kelp, humic acid and spectrum soil inoculate. It sat for a week and now the clones are transplanted!
After seeing the success of the oats cover crop and what living roots can do for the soil I’m also planting a living mulch of Sweet Alyssum and nasturtiums! I’ll keep it in trim as not to ever compete for light with my clones!
Here is the back up clones for mothers, will try to keep a copy of each plant going until final smoke test to narrow down a favorite mother.
I also have 2 males backed up! That’s all the updates for a while, thanks for following! Have a great week everyone! Cheers!
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Update: The clones are rooted and taking off and we switched to flowering cycle yesterday. I think I have some signs of overwatering due to how sluggish this bed is with clones that don’t have much roots, I also maybe added too much lime to me showing signs of too alkaline. However they are improving every day.
The nasturtiums came up good in the middle of the bed, the Alisum didn’t make it probably too warm but I planted a little bit of ancient wheat Kamut in there too.
OMG! (OG18 x Malawi)
The nasturtiums came up good in the middle of the bed, the Alisum didn’t make it probably too warm but I planted a little bit of ancient wheat Kamut in there too.
OMG! (OG18 x Malawi)
Hasch
learning and laughing
Love seeing your lil biotop thriving!
And some thin leaved cannabis in the mix
Am more intrigued every time I see your bed thriving.
Thinking about setting up my own..
During dormancy, no plants and lower temps (~16 - 19° C), how much would a living soil bed like yours raise the humidity in the room?
I have issues with mold during winter...
And some thin leaved cannabis in the mix
Am more intrigued every time I see your bed thriving.
Thinking about setting up my own..
During dormancy, no plants and lower temps (~16 - 19° C), how much would a living soil bed like yours raise the humidity in the room?
I have issues with mold during winter...
Love seeing your lil biotop thriving!
And some thin leaved cannabis in the mix
Am more intrigued every time I see your bed thriving.
Thinking about setting up my own..
During dormancy, no plants and lower temps (~16 - 19° C), how much would a living soil bed like yours raise the humidity in the room?
I have issues with mold during winter...
Hey Hasch! Thanks for following! I still have much to work out with this thing but as far as humidity goes I don’t think it’s much different than having pots. I struggle with low humidity in general. It’s when the plants get big and start drinking a lot, all the foliage makes humidity go way up but I suppose that’s the same for pots.
