Panop '09: Cool as a Fan (CH9 Mendocino and Mandala Kalichakra)

[hoosierdaddy]

Fems a poppin!
Lookin real nice, pan.
I find the PBP line real nice stuff too. I have been dosing heavy at first and then backing all the way off last half of flower. Flushes out well.
Another thing I have been doing is slightly increasing the amount of LK and backing off the amount of PBP bloom. I also like to use the calmag+ at least twice.
Ever time I get my mind in "less is better" mode, I find better results.

 

[r13f]

good luck on the kali/mendo grow,
just ordered some kali beans from the boo

 

[panopticist]

Day 12 flower

Day 12 flower

Soil's drying out, I'll probably give them a good watering tomorrow.

 

[panopticist]

Day 15 flower

Day 15 flower

Fed/watered today. I wasn't able to get around to it any sooner, but the plants were still looking great.

The buds seem to be knitting up nicely...

 

[FunkBomb]

Looking nice and strong

-Funk

 

[panopticist]

Day 19 Flower

Day 19 Flower

Mendocino 2 budshot

 

[FunkBomb]

Looking nice and healthy in that tent. Now you get to watch the magic of that PBP Bloom for soil........YAOW!

-Funk

 

[panopticist]

Day 22 Flower

Day 22 Flower

The group is looking good on the whole. The ladies look like they're in need of some food and water, so I'll take care of that tomorrow.

Mendocino 4 Budshot

 

[FunkBomb]

Those buds are really starting to get going.....very nice.

-Funk

 

[panopticist]

Day 27 Flower

Day 27 Flower

Light leaf burn

Moderate leaf burn

I've got some burning going on that's looking a little different than what I usually see. From what I've read so far, this 'burned around the edge' pattern is indicative of Phosphorous deficiency.

I had slacked off on the bloom fertilizer last week to accommodate a compost tea brewed up by the local grow store. They had suggested it instead of Hydroplex, which is why I went there in the first place. Since they didn't have any in stock, and the tea was free, I gave it go.

It looked ok, but I guess it wasn't anywhere near as strong as the liquid ferts, because with even half-strength PBP Bloom, my plants did not get a good feeding.

What do you guys think?

They can't be doing too poorly, though. Check out some of the buds...

 

[FunkBomb]

Bummer about those leaves burning up. I'd ditch the compost tea and get down to business with the tried and true Botanicare I would give the plants 2 tablespoons/gallon of the PBP Bloom until you begin flushing. If you have Hydroplex, supplement with that as well.

Those buds are looking good too.....soon to be a lot better....

-Funk

 

[FunkBomb]

Hey nice avatar you've got there.....if only those crazy wastelanders could grow some reefer instead of brewing super jet....

-Funk

 

[panopticist]

Hey nice avatar you've got there.....if only those crazy wastelanders could grow some reefer instead of brewing super jet....

Too true. I bet Oasis could produce some real top-notch bud if they got serious. Till then it's back to scavving for Sugar Bombs.

 

[panopticist]

Day 37 flower

Day 37 flower

From left to right: Kalichakra 1, Mendocino 1, Mendocino 2, Mendocino 3, Mendocino 4, Mendocino 5

Still burnt, but still growing. Some of the larger fan leaves have begun to yellow on the Mendocino plants. Since they are a 7-8 week strain, I'm guessing now is the right time for the final shed before the last few weeks of flower.

 

[FunkBomb]

Good looking buds you've got there. Have you noticed a bud size difference between the Flora Nova and the PBP Bloom?

-Funk

 

[panopticist]

Good looking buds you've got there. Have you noticed a bud size difference between the Flora Nova and the PBP Bloom?

I want to say yes, but I can't make a fair judgment considering my first run with PBP was under a 250, while I used FloraNova under a 400.

I may run PBP again for my next grow, but considering the kind of luck I'm having with liquid nutes as of lately, I'll probably just run dry organics. It'll be nice to only have to water with molasses and Liquid Karma.

 

[FunkBomb]

Dry fertilizers in the soil mix I've thought of doing before as well. The only issue is whether or not the strain is a heavy or light feeder. If I was to do it, I'd use the same mix BlazeOneUp uses with the Miracle Grow organic top soil. My only problem would be where to get all the ingredients. The entire grow was just watering which sounds great in of itself. Not to mention the plants looked super healthy.

Here is that thread:

http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=59380&highlight=Blazeoneup

-Funk

 

[panopticist]

Good suggestion.
Here's what I've been eyeballing...

Organics for Beginners
Here are some tried and true recipes for getting started in organic growing. Pick one of the first two soiless mix recipes for your grow medium. Then, choose a nute recipe that will work best for what you have available.

Enjoy...

Here are two very good organic soiless mixes...

LC's Mix is great for any stage of growth. You can germ seeds in it, grow mothers in it, root clones in it as well as veg and flower in it.

LC’s Soiless Mix #1:
5 parts Canadian Spaghnam Peat or Coir or Pro-Moss
3 parts perlite
2 parts wormcastings or mushroom compost or home made compost
Powdered (NOT PELLETIZED) dolomite lime @ 2 tablespoons per gallon or 1 cup per cubic foot of the soiless mix.
...Wal-Mart now sells worm castings.

Or, if you use Pro Mix or Sunshine Mix...
LC's Soiless Mix #2:
6 parts Pro Mix BX or HP / Sunshine Mix (any flavor from #1 up)
2 parts perlite
2 parts earthworm castings
Powdered (NOT PELLETIZED) dolomite lime @ 2 tablespoons per gallon or 1 cup per cubic foot of the soiless mix.
If you use a 3 qt. saucepan as “parts” in the amounts given above, it equals about 1 cu. ft. of soiless mix and you can just dump in a cup of powdered dolomite lime.
But, a "part" can be anything from a tablespoon to a five gallon bucket. Just use the same item for all of the "parts".

Now for the plants organic food source

Choose one of these organic plant food recipes to add to LC's Soiless Mix.

RECIPE #1
If you want to use organic nutes like blood, bone and kelp...
Dry Ferts:
1 tablespoon blood meal per gallon or 1/2 cup per cubic foot of soil mix
2 tablespoons bone meal per gallon or 1 cup per cubic foot of soil mix
1-tablespoon kelp meal per gallon or 1/2 cup per cubic foot of soil mix or Maxicrop 1-0-4 powdered kelp extract as directed
1 tablespoon per gallon or 1/2 cup per cubic foot of Jersey Greensand to supplement the K (potasium) in the Kelp Meal and seaweed extract.
Mix all the dry ferts into the soiless mix well and wet it, but don't soak it with Liquid Karma and water @ 1 tbs./gal. Stir and mix it a few times a week for a week or two so the bacteria can get oxygen and break down the bone meal and make it available. And don't let the mix dry out, keep it moist and add water as needed. It'll also have time to get the humic acids in the Liquid Karma going and the dolomite lime will be better able to adjust the pH of a peat based mixture too.
With this recipe, all you need to do is add plain water until harvest.
When I'm working with seeds, I punch a hole in the bottom of 16 ounce cups and fill them with plain LC's Mix. Lightly wet the mix in the cups and germ one seed in each cup. At the same time I mix enough LC's mix along with the blood/bone/kelp to fill all the 3 gallon flower pots I'm going to use for the grow. After about two weeks, the seedlings and the blood/bone/kelp mix are ready. I transplant the seedlings into the 3 gallon pots and just add water until harvest.
When you go to flower and pull up the males, save the mix in the pots. It is ready to be used again immediately. Just remove the root ball and transplant another seedling into it.

RECIPE #2
If you want to use guano in your soil mix...
Bongaloid's Guano Mix.
Use all these items combined with one gallon of soil mix.
1/3C hi N Guano (Mexican Bat Guano)
1/2C hi P Guano (Jamaican or Indonesian Bat Guano)
1TBS Jersey Greensand
1TBS Kelp Meal


RECIPE #3 (My favorite)
If you want to use guano tea and kelp...

Guano Tea and Kelp:

Seedlings less than 1 month old nute tea mix-
Mix 1 cup earthworm castings into 5 gallons of water to make the tea.
Add 5 tbs. Black Strap Molasses.
Use it to water your seedlings with every 3rd watering.

Veg mix-
1/3 cup Peruvian Seabird Guano (PSG)
1/3 cup High N Bat Guano (Mexican)
1/3 cup Earth Worm Castings (EWC)
5 tsp. Maxicrop 1-0-4 powdered kelp extract
(That makes the "dry mix". You can make all you want and save it to use later.)
Mix with water @ 1 cup of dry mix into 5 gallons of water to make the tea.
To that 5 gallons of tea add:
5 tbs. Liquid Karma
5 tbs. Black Strap Molasses
Use it to water with every 3rd watering.

Flowering nute tea mix:
2/3 cup Peruvian Seabird Guano
2/3 cup Earth Worm Castings
2/3 cup High P Guano (Indonesian or Jamaican)
5 tsp. Maxicrop 1-0-4 powdered kelp extract
(That makes the "dry mix". You can make all you want and save it to use later.)
Mix with water @ 2 cups of dry mix into 5 gallons of water to make the tea.
To that 5 gallons of tea add:
5 tbs. Liquid Karma
5 tbs. Black Strap Molasses
Use it to water with EVERY watering.

You can use queen size knee high nylon stockings for tea bags. 3 pair for a dollar at the dollar store. Tell 'em you use them for paint strainers. Put the recommended tea in the stocking, tie a loop knot in it and hang it in your tea bucket. The tea should look like a mud puddle. Agitate the bag in the water vigorously. An aquarium pump and air stone will dissolve oxygen into the solution and keep the good bacteria (microherd) alive and thriving. Let it bubble a day or two before you use it. If you find you are making too much tea and having to throw it out, use 2 1/2 gallons of water and cut the nute amount by half.


RECIPE #4
Three Little Birds Method
40 gallons used soil
4 cups alfalfa meal
4 cups bone meal
4 cups kelp meal
4 cups powdered dolomite lime
30 pound bag of earthworm castings . . .
That’s the basic recipe . . .
However we also like to use
4 cups of Greensand
4 cups of Rock Phosphate
4 cups of diatomaceous earth


RECIPE #5
Fish and Seaweed (This is sooo easy)

For veg growth…
1 capful 5-1-1 Fish Emulsion
1 capful Neptune's Harvest 0-0-1 Seaweed or Maxicrop liquid
1 gallon H2O

For early flowering…
1 tbs. Neptune’s Harvest 2-3-1 Fish/Seaweed
1 gallon H2O

For mid to late flowering…
1 tbs. Neptune’s Harvest 2-4-1 Fish
1 gallon H2O


And now for some more good tips...

Organic pH issues

I hear a lot of people asking or talking about the pH of their organic soil mix or organic nute solution and how they might correct or adjust it. pH in organics is not an issue like it is in synthetic growing.
The best place to settle the pH issues in organics is within the grow medium. A medium rich in humates (humus) is the place to start. Humates work to "buffer" the pH of organic mediums and the nutes you pour (or mix) into it.
Humates come from compost, worm castings and bottled humus. If you use a peat based medum, use dolomite lime to raise the pH of the acidic peat. Dolomite should be used in any soil or soiless medium to provide magnesium and calcium. But since we are talking about pH here, I'll mention dolomite lime's pH correction benefits.
A medium of coir has a pH near neutral (or 7.0). But humates are still neded to allow uptake of organic nutrients that are outside a near neutral pH range.
With an active medium rich in humates you can pour in nutes like Pure Blend Pro, Earth Juice and guano teas way outside the optimum pH range without worry. The humus will allow the nutes to be taken up through the roots, even at such an extreme pH reading.
So throw those pH meters away folks and enjoy the ease and safety of organic gardening.

Chlorine tap water

Just a word of caution for you organic heads out there...
If you are tapped onto a municipal water supply that uses chlorine to kill bacteria in the water, it'll do the same thing to the bacteria (microherd) in your organic food source.
Always bubble your municipal water in an open container (5 gallon bucket) for 24 hours before adding ANYTHING organic to it.

Flushing

There is absolutely no reason to "flush" organic nute solutions from your soil mix. In an organic grow, the plants don't take up the organic nutes (guano, bone, blood or kelp). The bacteria eat the organic nutes and excrete food that the plant can feed off of. So the organic nutes don't need to be flushed because they never enter the plant. And besides, meals like kelp, bone and blood along with worm castings and dolomite can't be flushed from your soil mix anyway. If you use guano and seaweed, try using plain water or worm casting tea for your last watering or two so the plant can use up what's left in the soil. But drowning your soil with water isn't necessary.

Burn1

The two soil mixes and nute mix #1 seem pretty similar to the link you posted. I imagine I can hit the ladies with a 1/4 strength dose of PBP if they look like they need a bit more. I don't care much about the organicness of organics, I just like the idea of not burning my plants as easily.

 

[FunkBomb]

I totally forgot about all those mixes BurnOne had listed. That is definitely a good place to start. That dolomite lime is such a key ingredient too.

-Funk

 

[hoosierdaddy]

I have went to a new mix myself, finding ffof so expensive. Metromix 510, which I am adding 20% coco, 10% perlite. The metromix has the goodies at way less than ff.
About 1/2 strength recommended PBP and LK feeds with occasional blacstrap. Seems to be doing great. I was worried about the mix maybe staying wetter in the larger bags I am using, but it dries well, and drains excellent.

I am betting in a few weeks you never think about that little bit of burn again.
Looking good as usual, pan.