Soma Style Grow Bed in a "Bus Tub"?

[JackTheGrower]

Wooderson

If he doesn't then you should.

CC

I agree with you CC.. The roots use oxygen. Other microbes will too down low.

One possible way to go is a floor in the tub. With the box I made there is a floor which the earth rests on and several inches of perlite then the drain tube space.

If one made a floor in a tub and had drain holes on one end of the tub with a tube towards the other end that went down to the air space below the floor that would be good I am thinking..

Some folks write that their plants are not doing well in the tubs and all of then have poor drainage and poor air I find.

If anyone would like to see how a big box was constructed let me know.

It would give some ideas.



Ernst

 

[DARC MIND]

If anyone would like to see how a big box was constructed let me know.

It would give some ideas.



Ernst

i would like to know or see more

 

[JackTheGrower]

i would like to know or see more

Why I thought no one would ask...

Mind ya I see they require a membership to see pictures..

http://www.growkind.com/forum/showthread.php?&p=221930#post221930

9 pages of good work.

I see I also included some of the box before there about on page 8 I think.

Anyway I suggest a double liner just to be safe. Have a good look at the floor. That is one strong and sturdy ~ intelligent ir space.. The perlite actually supports microbial activity down low.

I compost in place in that box and I never have had a leak. The drain is to the sewer and all is well.

It takes a couple three years before the organic soil is mature but once it is I believe it's so little work it's a crime..

I forget to look for days when i am growing and it's never a problem.

Deep soil means the water is good for days even if the top is dryer than we like,

So anyway.. The Randy High is a name I used long ago. Man I was much younger then.. Geez that's 6 years ago I logged into that one.

So there is a grand box.. The air is outstanding and I also show my carbon unit i made there..


I am hoping the box will serve me at least 10 years. Not that I haven't upgraded and have eyes to re-do the air again but the soil box is the same as it was in 2006. The soil was started in 2001 from scratch .. pine shavings, alfalfa and the ilk Composted and has been re-composted several times. Actually for a few years I composted new materials in the old soil each year.

Any way.. I've been an Organic Soil guy long before i came here or even at Growkind...



Ernst

 

[Slangheat]

I grow in a simple bed made out of wood, based on Soma's idea.

I make my beds 2.5ft/5ft.
I line with black plastic, fill with about 2-3 inches of perlite.
Then I lay down some rootcloth over that layer of perlite.
I plant my pvc tubes in each corner (cutting holes in the rootcloth, and 'threading' the pvc tubes through the rootcloth so that the bottom of the tube is in direct contact with the perlite).
I go get my soil mix, and then I fill my bed.
Then I plant

I have planted anywhere from 18-45 plants in these beds at a time, SoG style with no veg. I love the results. When I first went with this type of bed, I was so lazy that I didn't even create a layer of perlite on the bottom - that hurt yields pretty significantly - but since adding the perlite layer on the bottom, I couldn't be more satisfied.

Use only one strain per bed, you'll thank yourself for it in the end. If it's not possible to do that, make sure the different strains going into the same bed, grow pretty similarly.

 

[Wooderson]

I think I found a better solution - 17" x 22" x 18" recycling bins

 

[stagehand099]

So i believe in "root brain"

Why would life only be intelligent in Man? That Man would think he is the King of it all because of religion is retarded.

So what if "they" get smart enough to figure out how to smoke us instead of the other way around............

Yikes, I'm paranoid now!

stagehand

 

[NUG-JUG]

They also fight.. I noticed competitive growth. That one will try and cover the other and hog the light..

Once I felt as if I had interrupted a chat, between the plants, session when i opened the door on the box. That was a strange moment.

We have more to learn.. Organic soil is a honest frame of reference for all cannabis folks..

LOL awkward..I've always thought that with multiple plants in one pot some will lose the fight and be runts. Hey Wooderson what about growing three plants in a 30 gallon smart pot and no drainage layer? They're $15

Also would it be better to have all the same strain in the bed? Maybe different strains will fight more (racist plants)??

 

[JackTheGrower]

LOL awkward..I've always thought that with multiple plants in one pot some will lose the fight and be runts. Hey Wooderson what about growing three plants in a 30 gallon smart pot and no drainage layer? They're $15

Also would it be better to have all the same strain in the bed? Maybe different strains will fight more (racist plants)??

It's more about the soil than the production issues for me in this forum. The box isn't about production it's about a natural system over time.

Sure I have to make room for the girls if the boys hog the light and the easy way is to make a top dressing of fresh cannabis plant out of them and I do often with a huge organic soil box like I have. De composition works fine because of all the room for biology.
This soil is about 9 years old now.

It gets confusing for folks to think between growing the plant and maintaining an organic soil.

So I will default to the soil when the line is questioned.

 

[stagehand099]

I grow in a simple bed made out of wood, based on Soma's idea.

I make my beds 2.5ft/5ft.

quote]

Hey Slangheat, How deep are your beds? I may try this next time.

 

[NUG-JUG]

It's more about the soil than the production issues for me in this forum. The box isn't about production it's about a natural system over time.

Aww yes so a smart pot is pretty much a terrible idea for a long term Soma grow.(especially 9 years WOW!) It's hard for me to picture a grow bed "floor" when explained so I'm going to search out some pics..

 

[JackTheGrower]

Aww yes so a smart pot is pretty much a terrible idea for a long term Soma grow.(especially 9 years WOW!) It's hard for me to picture a grow bed "floor" when explained so I'm going to search out some pics..

Please do.. I never push what style I do but so many won't take the time to go see the floor.. It's a great air gap and it also supports bio-stuff. I feel it's a better example of Soma style.. That was the goal for the three rebuilds of the soil box I did.. Better function each time. Now I am happy so the box needs nothing special except new organic materials and minerals.

I wish that site would let folks see for no membership but they have never spent the band width on that sort of thing there afaIk.

Once the box is built it functions as a universe for an organic soil. I mean once you make your soil it was a lot of effort why toss it out when it isn't made to be tossed out because it's a living system.

I regularly mulch with cannabis plant so there is no need to waste nutrients. They cycle back like they should..

 

[Wooderson]

This DIY Earthbox setup looks interesting:

http://ournhplace.com/diyearthboxes.html

 

[Zendo]

anyone have any good links to the original 'soma style' beds?

 

[Clackamas Coot]

anyone have any good links to the original 'soma style' beds?

Here's a link to Soma's original article that appeared in a cannabis magazine in Europe a few years back.

HTH

CC

 

[NUG-JUG]

CC- Excellent articles on that link thanks as usual.

I like this quote a lot;

"In my 37 years of cannabis cultivation and research, I again point out that the most common problem growers have is picking their plants to early.
Knowing how to judge ripeness in fruits, plants and people is an art worth cultivating."

Soma

 

[Clackamas Coot]

Zendo/Nug-Jug

I would change a couple of things which aren't much actually.

1. Pumice instead of perlite

2. Limit the tables to 4' x 4' under 1 ea. 1000w HPS or 3.5' x 3.5' under 1 ea. 600w HPS (that would be my preferred set-up)

3. Put a heavy-duty caster on each leg of the table for mobility

4. Do a modified SCROG and be selective on the specific strain to maximize your efforts, i.e. a strain with a fair amount of sativa will probably do better in this set-up than a indica-dominant strain that will tend/trend to go straight up with strong stalks making the weaving into the screen somewhat difficult and certainly more work.

5. Buy and install a Tropf Blumat watering system. They're out of Austria and well worth the money. It'll run about $90.00 US for each 4' x 4' table. Maybe slightly less.

6. Build a strong water-only potting soil to minimize feeding schedultes.

7. Maximize the amount of air moving in the grow room itself and particularly in and around the plant stalks. Fireplace blowers (the horizontal models) do a good job for this application. Mount them on the top rim of the table glowing across the top of the soil. Since they're horizontal and come in different lengths, it's pretty easy to get a good configuration to keep the air moving correctly to prevent PM issues and insect invaders.

I was able to watch a full cycle using this method at a friend's garden. It's almost idiot-proof if it's conceptualized and implemented correctly (soil mix). Very high yields regardless of how you measure your success, i.e. gram per watt, watt per s.f., ounces per plant, blah, blah, blah, blah...........................

CC

 

[NUG-JUG]

Ya pound per light lol It's almost like the sq. ft. gardening method. Good point about training indicas, the stalks like to stay put sometimes.. What if I were to make Lc's mix with a little extra amounts? I mean I like to eyeball stuff since I hate math, to me a cup is around a handful. It's one of the reason's I grow naturally.

 

[Clackamas Coot]

Nug-Jug

That's what I meant by using a good soil, i.e. the LC Mix. Getting a base mix that has a high profile of coir would be helpful in this method of growing for the aeration benefit it brings to the soil.

CC

 

[Greyskull]

Here's a link to Soma's original article that appeared in a cannabis magazine in Europe a few years back.

HTH

CC

great link

its off topic (sorry) but.....

i LOVE soma's dry&cure regimen for competion... its very similiar to the drying technique i was taught by a very commercial mentor. the results are wonderful and sooooooooooo easy to duplicate yourself.

When I harvest this crop, I surely do not want to dry it too fast, as this would make the taste and potency go downhill. I take all the large fan leaves off with my fingers then I hang it in a cool dark place upside down for about 10 days. I then check them to see if I can snap a stem. Once it is to the point where I can snap a stem, I start manicuring the fine leaf off the plants with my fingers using the scissors only to cut the stems. For a prizewinning crop, I must take all the unwanted leaf off, making it look as clean as possible. I then put it in a canning jar overnight to let it rehydrate before opening it once more for a few hours to make sure it is dry enough to put away. I am now ready to meet the competition, wish me luck.

he doesnt use any paperbags he doesnt burp any jars for 2 weeks(or 2 months for that matter LOL only ONCE for 8hrs) and his shit is HOLYFIRE.
he just keeps it simple - grow it right flush it right dry it right and its ready to smoke (and enter into competion!!!!) immediately.

now back to your regular scheduled programming

 

[Clackamas Coot]

Greyskull

There's a local guy who builds worm bins for city and county governments, schools, hospitals, etc. UC Berkeley was allowed to publish the plans one of his designs called the Vermitopia Worm Bin which is a very nice design.

Here's a photo of the actual device:

You'll notice that there are holes drilled on the front side that transverse the box and open on the back side.

You can take that part of his design and incorporate it to the Soma Table. You have to measure and spot the drill holes correctly and accurately, place the appropriate piece of PVC pipe which has holes drilled along it's length and these pipes with the holes drilled will assist in aerating the soil mass in the tables. They've proven to be very effective aerating worm bins from my experience.

Just another design idea perhaps.

CC