Stonington soil vs my soil

[Guest]

As a test Im trying something I have seen a couple threads on but no followup. Im going to try my best to do that for the hell of it if anyone can offer up some similar testing.



Im running in a small tent in grow bags. This is a rerun of 2 grows ago of a glue from seed variant that has actually been one of my best grows and one of the two the best quality harvest for me.



Im also getting into the mom/clone side so I have cuts of these two for a quick turnaround and grow two more of the better of these two. One will be kept as a mom for now.



I didnt take pics in seedling or early veg for this. I dropped 3 beans (expensive seeds of female pack) and two of the three looked like twins same as last time. Put those two in bags at 2 plus weeks. Same as last grow the two proved to be different phenos but still strong and healthy. This grow is about health of plants more than the small diffs in phenos for this purpose.



Grow bags hold 8-9 gallons each. Bag on right has one full bag of Coast of Maine Stonington blend sold dumped right into the bag from the plastic bag.


Bag on left holds about 8-9 gallons of my soil which is pretty much on par with all of the soil recipes here. Little heavy on gypsum. And full of fish bone meal, steamed bone meal, Neem, Coop Poop, Worm Power EWC, Kelp meal, oyster shell flour, and probably something I forgot. I had this batch tested last round before a re-amend and it sat for a few months out back in a can with worms. Pretty much good stuff I think.


Anyway 2 pics one of them at about 4-5 days after transplant to yesterday which is day 8 of flower. Exactly 5 weeks and one day of veg from seed in cups plus the 8 days of flip. I have never had plants grow this much this fast. I figured 7ish weeks of veg. Plant on left was already in asymmetrical growth at top. Plant on right has short tight nodes but not asymmetrical yet. Chalk it up to phenotype like last run of this strain.



Stonington looks good. Little lighter tan color than my soil, little denser but its still good looking stuff.






My tent is 7' and Im going to run into lights with left one in a week or so and right plant is only a couple inches behind. After the flip haircut as well. pic angle is decieving as top of plant is about 5 1/2 ' tall from floor.

1 1/2' or less to light.

 

[Guest]

How many leaves is OK?

How many leaves is OK?

Day 14 of flip. Plant on right is a bit shorter and closer nodes but not much. I say its phenotype not overall health or soil.

 

[Guest]

Well just for info today is day 66 and chop day. The strain I ran I have ran before, female seeds, and a couple weeks into flower the one in my own soil decided to be a tranny. I mean overnight she had more balls than bowling ally. She looked good and I can only speculate that it was just my luck. First one of these seeds over a few grows. So into the compost.



So I went ahead and continued obviously with the remaining plant. My lack of faith got to me and I as a caveat have to inform that I did feed her very little. Used liquid Dr. Earth Flower Girl BUT I only fed at 25% strength at most once a week in week 4,5 and 6. So I dont think I affected it a lot. Anyway here is what she looks like day of chop.



I think the Stonington blend did a remarkable job. I may end up at some point just using this exclusively with some feeding.



I just started cloning so when I am finished this pheno hunt I just started Im going to redo this test with a fresh bag of Stonington vs my mix with clones to control the side by side better.

 

[Creeperpark]

very interesting

very interesting

Thanks for the info bro. This thread is very helpful. Plus those plants look super sweet! I hope you don't mind me asking? I was wondering when you said "Little heavy on gypsum", about how much did you mean?

 

[Guest]

Thanks for the info bro. This thread is very helpful. Plus those plants look super sweet! I hope you don't mind me asking? I was wondering when you said "Little heavy on gypsum", about how much did you mean?

For my home made mix I use about 2.5 cups per CF and when re amending I use at least one cup in addition to a half cup of other amendments.



The slownickle thread on gypsum convinced me that when it comes to gypsum to use about double or more of whats considered enough.



Im getting ready to do a pheno hunt hunt on headbanger and will only be using my soil for that. When Im done and have the clone of the winner Im going to do another side by side. I was bummed that in the middle of flower one in my soil went hermi and had to go but like I said earlier I just chalk it up to bad luck and not the grow environment.



I honestly think if I could just go to the store down the road Id just switch to the stonington blend and quit mixing my own. Maybe add some gypsum and feed in flower like normal but thats all. The stonington doesnt have as much perlite as my mix and I have read people say the same but Im pretty sure its fine. Im saving this bag full I just used for seedling starting mix.



Its sacrilegious to some of the folks who mentally masturbate over mixing soil, now if I needed soil by the yard no way, but at this point Id have no problem using it exclusively for a few CF a year which is about all I need for a personal closet growing.


Id give $10-$15 a bag all day and toss it when done or use it for outdoor decorative flowers. But its not sold locally. Im still trying to figure out where is the closest spot I can buy it and this time I bit the bullet and paid shipping. Thats not out of the real even now depending on if I want to just say fuck it and pay for shipping.



You folks in the east who dont take advantage of this are missing the boat in my humble opinion. I know out west there is some highly regarded bagged stuff but here in the mid west not so much. I bought some bales of ProMix for the wifes flowers last spring and a flower box I built for her. Not to impressed. Lots of twigs and wood chunks. OK for ornamental flowers outside but not for my grows.