2023 "Field of Dreams"

[FieldEffect]

I feel like @ColeLennon took the best name for his grow log “Gauntlet,” I realized while mixing soil today that I could make a pun with my username so here we are.

Background:
Last year was a stressful situation - 6 plants, they got bigger than planned and were difficult to manage given my new child, new job, new house, etc. Everything in my life changed last year, but it was a tremendous success, nonetheless. Last year they got a bit unmanageable in both size and number towards harvest season. Ran organic most of the time, but started with 2-part Mega Crop.

This season I’m telling myself 3 full-size plants. Of course, I can’t go down in pot size, so I’ll go to 3 50 gallon grow bags, rather than a collection of 15 and 30 gallons.

I particularly enjoyed the Hella Jelly, a fruity sativa-leaning hybrid. Also enjoy the Snow-G and SAD Fast (Sweet Seeds Black Domina Fast Version). You’ll see this influence my selections this year.

What am I going to Grow?
Like last season, I want the full spectrum. From narcotic to energetic. Indica to Sativa, if you use those terms. Organic only this go-around.

INDICA: 907 Blue Genes. I’ve been craving blueberry since I started consuming. I first had blueberry 2005-7, I want it again. I asked AKBB what’s the best pick for sleepy blueberry, since I have frequently been pointed his direction when asking for the BEST blueberry yum yum.

HYBRID: Indiana Bubblegum from FDM. Always wanted this when I was younger, still have never smoked it but convinced it’ll throuroughly jive with my desires. Flavor profile sounds great, balanced euphoria and relaxation, give me it! I’m going to attempt to reverse a FastBudz Original Bubblegum to selectively pollinate a branch of the FDM IBG. I really enjoyed the fast Black Domina last season, perfect opportunity to try some pollen chucking.

SATIVA: Little undecided here, but probably Ace Honduras x Panama. I don’t want something too crazy and anxiety-provoking. I’ve got a growing collection of landrace sativas, and some of Mahakala’s haze hybrids are sure tempting. Chocolate Funk in particular. Also have AKBB Chocolope, FDM African Queen, a few Purple Satellite crosses, Oaxacan, Panama. Really still vascilating on this selection.

It begins:
Today I got my soil cooking, adding compost and mixing in some new pumice with my old soil. I’ll be adding something like the BAS craft blend and some worm castings tomorrow. I’m going to go down to the river and get some local sand, and head into the mountains and get some life-laden forest floor to mix in too.

Blending old soil with new ammendments. You can spot one of my veggie beds that I tilled to get drainage pumice into. Didn’t know I needed that last year, live and learn. Shouldn’t have to till it again.

Mixed up, with a rake for scale. Need to fill 3x 50 gallon bags and a handful of 7 or 10s for a few autos.

Looking good so far. It’ll be mixed several more times before it goes into bags for planting (can’t do that until first weekend in May or so).

Tarped up to start cooking until time to mix it again and add some more goodies.

Questions/Help PLS:
Should I wait to add Mycrobe Complete and local soil? Or do it now and let it “steepe” into this?

[HumblePie420]

Nice my man. Good luck to ya. Gonna watch and see what others answers will be to your questions

[ColeLennon]

2023 “Field of Dreams” is an awesome name. “build it and they will come” This is going to be really nice. I can’t wait to follow your outdoor brother.

[mota]

Looks really great, especially to someone who grows in pots. Not having to move my plants on a daily basis would be so great! (Color me jealous! HA!)

Sadly, I cannot answer your question. You’re probably a more experienced grower than I am.

Great name for your thread!

I’ll definitely be following!

[Gpaw]

It looks like Mycrobe Complete is microbes…
I’m not seeing any Mycorrhizas listed so that restriction doesn’t apply.
I’d be inclined to mix it in a few days before potting.

Cheers
G

[FieldEffect]

Yes, it’s from Rootwise. I used it last season, have the remnants of the old bag I was going to mix in. Sounds good, I’ll hold off on that, appreciate the input

@mota Check your messages I sent you one yesterday about Autos.

@ColeLennon thanks man! Looking forward to watching the Gauntlet unfold as well

@HumblePie420 Thanks!

[Dirt_Wizard]

@FieldEffect unless you already have the craft blend, or if you just wanna try something different, this is a fantastic and cheap organic fertilizer that’s easy to find pretty much anywhere in a hardware or garden center, it’s loaded up on calcium and sulfur like we want for stanky buds and it smells like hell so you know it’s good! Just needs some Epsom waterings to balance out the 2:1 cal:mag ideal ratio I keep hearing people talk about.

Espoma Organic Tomato-tone Organic Fertilizer | Espoma

There’s also this starter fertilizer with a bunch of mycos and more soluble nitrogen and magnesium immediately available:

Espoma Organic Biotone Starter Plus Fertilizer | Espoma

I grabbed some of this stuff and an 8lb bag of Plant-Tone that was on sale at Walmart.com for like $1.10/lb. These two and the Tomato-Tone are my outdoor garden fertilizer plan for the summer, I’ll use them in the tent but only composted into dirt or brewed into compost teas, too stinky for indoor topdressing. I use Coast of Maine Stonington Blend and Fish Bone Meal for indoor topdressing. Can’t fault those folks at all, but it’s hard to match the breadth of the Espoma product line, they make a TON of things in that old South Jersey factory, from the legendary blends and then single ingredients and soils and now liquid nutes too! All for pennies compared to any cannabis-specific organic fertilizers. They were pushing mycos and bacillus before almost anyone knew what they were, and put them in almost every product as “Myco-Tone” or “Bio-Tone”, respectively.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Espoma-BTSP8-Organic-4-3-3-BioTone-Starter-Plus-Fertilizer-8-lb/46855929

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Espoma-Organic-Plant-Tone-All-Purpose-Plant-Food-5-3-3-Fertilizer-8-lb/33579009?athbdg=L1100

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Espoma-Organic-Tomato-Tone-Vegetable-Food-3-4-6-Fertilizer-8-lb/20850611

You could get all three shipped to you, 24# total, for about $70. Definitely a lot more fertilizer than an equivalent bag from BAS.

EDIT: actually the 25# Craft Blend bucket for $100 shipped isn’t a bad deal but it’a a fixed 3-5-2 vs 3.6-4-3.3 averaged of the Espoma. So fairly comparable but $30 more and less flexible. That said, sort of totally different inputs, and they’d probably play together really nicely with that wide variety. I really bank on diversity in my inputs and it seems to work pretty good.

[FieldEffect]

Thanks for the input, I’m checking that out. Definately have seen it before at Ace and Tractor Supply. Appreciate you spending the time to compile this.

I have a few pounds of the BAS Craft Blend already, it’s sold somewhat locally at the hydro shop. I do like the simplicity of the ingredients there, although there is a significant premium to use it as you point out. Similarly the Rootwise Mycrobe Complete has most of the same mycos, albeit in a slightly lower concentration. Really the reason I went this direction was to support businesses that I generally agree with, and whose products agreed with the fundamental reading I’ve done independently. Although that knowledge is definately tinged towards selling/buying cannabis products, because, well, I’m reading about growing cannabis.

I don’t know enough yet to really understand, especially the microbiological aspects. The diversity aspect seems to have done my plants well last season, and I certainly am not opposed to the Espona products.

Cost, while a factor, isn’t a concern here. Healthy garden is much more the concern. I’m not bound to any ideas, especially when better ones are offered up. I’ll do some more research!

Think next week the commute is going to be occupied listening to the Teaming with Microbes audiobook.

Any other good books/authors on this stuff? Thanks again!

[noknees]

here until the end for this one…

very keen to hear what you settle on for a sativa.

very best of luck this season!

[GMan]

@FieldEffect

I don’t know enough yet to really understand, especially the microbiological aspects. The diversity aspect seems to have done my plants well last season, and I certainly am not opposed to the Espona products.

The microbes are the mechanism that consumes the nutrients and makes them available to the plant’s roots. It’s a sort of symbiotic relationship.

When using raw organic nutrients, you need to maintain a steady, healthy microbial community. I feel like you get a healthier plant by letting the natural system do the work, rather than feeding liquid nutes (in soil). peace

[FieldEffect]

@GMan @Dirt_Wizard @Gpaw in particular because they have already provided input. @AzSeaindooin420 because he started me down this organic rabit hole.

I still need some help!

I’ve read True Living Organics by Rev, and a less-meaty book by Soma about organic gardening. Listened to a lot of podcasts with miscellaneous KNF/organic-centric folks.

Here’s what I understand:
Various beneficial microbes consume raw nutrients and create plant-digestable output. This is a complicated interaction, and very much an active system interacting with the plant and responding to its needs. If you use non-salt nutrients, you need microbes. There are numerous other benefits to having a healthy soil ecosystem.

Here’s what my plan was:
Mix in raw nutrients (the BAS Craft Blend I already have a small bucket of) and earthworm castings. Intuitively, I’d also mix in microbial innoculant as well as presumably active, locally-collected microbe sources (river sand/silt, as well as forest floor). The local material is primarily for native microbes, but the sand is also for drainage and mineral content. Let sit for a month before I distribute to containers (to allow the microbes to start work on the fertilizer). Once in containers and throughout the season, I’d be top-dressing as well as using compost/casting teas to ensure healthy microbial/plant life.

Here’s where I’m at:
I got the bulk soil mixed up, watered to dampness and sweating in a tarp. My end ratios are about 1:1:1 (substrate:aeration:compost). I did this before I added anything else so there is

• Time for the old (peat-moss based) soil to throughly wet (it has dried out and requires rehydration)
• A few days for everything to get comfortable so it’s easier to really thouroughly mix my other ingredients in

Here’s what I think the plan SHOULD be based on these inputs and some more reading:
Leave my soil to “cook” for a few more weeks. It is unclear to me whether or not I should add my raw nutrients now, or later. In the Rev’s TLO book it seems to indicate that this “cooking” or decomposing SHOULD involve those base nutrients. It is also unclear when is the best time to add my sand/forest floor. I’d collect this and mix it in same-day. A few days before planting I’ll innoculate with my chosen Myco product. I want to get this all sorted out in my head so I don’t screw anything up or neglect something.

In summary, when should I add my local soil ingredients? When should I add in my raw base nutrients? Is there any harm or benefit in innoculating twice, once with the base nutrients and later before planting? Does that last paragraph make sense?

Thanks guys! Really appreciate the guidance and suggestions.

[cannabissequoia]

Mix now, then LITFA

It’s a lot more forgiving than it may seem.

Keep a bag or 2 of unamended soil around if you can just for diluting if needed or for seeds/clones.

Nice choices on the herbs—no runtcookiecakecandycereal og

[GMan]

I would think you would mix everything now and let if cook for a couple three weeks. If you’re doing soil like that, you may want to get a more neutral soil to keep on hand to dilute the mix for the early small seedlings and small plants like @cannabissequoia says.

The soil will be a little hot (strong) and could burn young plants. Fox Farm Happy Frog is a good example of a good composted soil without the nutrients like Ocean Forest which has some mixed in. Just mix maybe a half and half for young plants.

Then down the road you can add more microbes to keep the community strong. peace

[Dirt_Wizard]

@GMan really summed it up well, I co-sign that 100%. For me, I usually knock my root balls apart a week or two after harvest, having kept them pretty moist with either Hygrozyme or LABS, or sometimes just Recharge if that’s what I had. They usually come apart with a soil knife or hand cultivator pretty easily, and I just put it all in one large bin and keep it at field moisture (can just squeeze a few drops out of a handful). I mix in my dry amendments at least two weeks and sometimes two months ahead of using the soil, then cut it down back to a good texture with Pro-Mix HP, pumice, and perlite or vermiculite. Definitely have a bag of seed starter mix or just use the Pro-Mix for seedlings with a little bit of dirt mixed in like 20% and some EWC then pot them up to the spicy dirt. I do mycos in the hole each repotting besides what’s already in my recycled soil from all the old roots. You sound like you’re on the right path to have a good season!

[Dirt_Wizard]

Sand and forest floor leaf mold are great things, decomposed pine bark is good too and can help balance out things with some acidity and aeration/structure. I’m also a big fan of using my dirt in my compost teas besides EWC and Oly fish compost and a few other things (Mr. Fulvic, SEA-90, some form of sugar, soluble kelp and humic acids), I always throw in a shovel full from the recycling dirt bin because I figure that’s my IMO, why not give them the AACT treatment and return them back home all Hulked out, right?

[FieldEffect]

Thank you all so much for all the input. @Dirt_Wizard @GMan @cannabissequoia

I’ve read in several places to always start seedlings in fresh seedling starter soil. That’s about a week out yet, and I’ll reserve some of the milder soil right now to mix around the transplants.

Good to know I’m off to a good start over here.

I’ll add the stuff (raw fert, sand, forest findings, some mycos) today/tomorrow and steel my stomach and mind for a heavy dose of LITFA over the next few weeks. LITFA is tough to swallow when excited, especially start-of-season

@Dirt_Wizard

I’m also a big fan of using my dirt in my compost teas besides EWC and Oly fish compost and a few other things (Mr. Fulvic, SEA-90, some form of sugar, soluble kelp and humic acids), I always throw in a shovel full from the recycling dirt bin because I figure that’s my IMO, why not give them the AACT treatment and return them back home all Hulked out, right?

AACT is Actively Aerated Compost Tea, correct? And EWC I presume is Earth Worm Castings. Roger that. Chuckled at “Hulked out”

[ColeLennon]

Yeah, you got this brother.

[GMan]

@FieldEffect

I’ll add the stuff (raw fert, sand, forest findings, some mycos) today/tomorrow and steel my stomach and mind for a heavy dose of LITFA over the next few weeks. LITFA is tough to swallow when excited, especially start-of-season

That part never seems to go away! At least for me. I always want to fiddle with the plants…

[Dirt_Wizard]

@FieldEffect

AACT is Actively Aerated Compost Tea, correct? And EWC I presume is Earth Worm Castings. Roger that. Chuckled at “Hulked out”

Correct and correct. We like big boys and girls in the OG gardens whether we’re growing Bruce Banner or that bammer. I was just posting in my own thread about how I read some old articles by Subcool and others about how Sucanat is the best cheap source of unrefined sugars for compost teas and other fermentations or such, you might want to check that out and grab a sack at your local food coop or health food store, it’s also very tasty in the kitchen if you like brown sugars.

You do generally want a pretty low nutrient and sterile medium for seed starting, I split the difference by starting with new clean media and then pre-inoculating it with things that are good for the babies. After a H202 solution soak for tails, I put the seeds into Jiffy 7 pucks (though I’m curious about the Jiffy XXL tomato pucks I just found) that were soaked for six hours in a weak Mr Fulvic and kelp solution, with a little aloe for surfectant, or even a tiny drop of free and clear eco-dish soap. I make a liter and soak a dozen plugs then let them sit fully soaked in a saucer covered with another saucer on my germination heat mat while I get the seeds soaking, so around 36 hours later the planting happens.

I unwrap the puck and bury it almost up to the top in a 3” tall square pot from the community garden dumpster, in whatever starter mix I got that time, usually Espoma or Sungro Black Gold, all moistened up the day before with the same mix the pucks got soaked in, but also some General Organics BioThrive Grow, and some micronized granite flour, you could also use something like Diamond K soluble gypsum for a similar effect of cal/mag/sulfur/micros. The mix is very light so I pack it in firmly to hold the puck, and then I correct the planting hole with a tweezer (they rehydrate wonky half the time so a few seconds with some tweezers will make it nice and open and not too deep, I like my seeds about 1/4” below the surface of the puck, tails down obviously. Then I take another few tablespoons of the potting mix and brush it gently over the puck to cover it and slightly mound it another 1/8” above the puck surface, don’t pack it, just spray it down well and it’ll settle nice but still let the sprout out easily. If you put the bits of Jiffy back over the hole, I find they sometimes sort of remold themselves with the water to the puck and hold the sprout down.

LITFA is the hardest part of all of it, but with your dirt you can console yourself by mixing it and checking the moisture and temperature and wetting it down carefully. If you’re going for hot composting, a grill thermometer or outdoor weather station with the probe on a wire is a good way to monitor the inside temp when it’s wrapped up.

[Dirt_Wizard]

Once the seedlings are planted, I wet down the tops heavily with a PureCrop1 solution to kill any mold spores that might be lurking, and do that every day for the first week, not as heavy but a good spray at least once a day. It fights off the botrytis that makes damp off happen and also keeps things nice and green and plump. I have also had luck at my dads house with using Serenade Garden Disease Control, and I need a bottle of it myself, it wiped out every trace of fungus/mold I applied it to including seedlings without any trace of harm:

https://www.planetnatural.com/product/serenade-garden-disease-control/

I soak the bottoms of the plastic pots for ten seconds on day 2 in a veg fertilizer or compost tea solution, then let them ride for a few days with just the top spraying until they get light then it’s more bottom watering with plain water for while. The peat puck and soil mix wick up plenty of water to the seedling but keep it breathing well when you bottom water and I’ve been finding my seedlings just root and take right off with this protocol.