Help: Prioritizing next focus areas for Crop 2

[Til_Valhalla]

@navy66

I think what you do in terms of building your mix, etc., is too much for me.

understandable, but, one small but very important point:

yes, building your soil is a bit of work, however, the up side to this is that you can recycle your soil. once your mix is built, you’re done. i have been recycling all my soil for the last 2yrs now. i haven’t had to buy dirt, perlite, vermiculite, peat moss, or coco choir. i already have it and keep re-using it.

once a plant is done growing and in harvest, i toss that used soil into a big tote, mix it around with the other (used) soil in there and let it “cook” for a minimum of 2 weeks. (2 months or more is preferred, but if in a pinch, you can get away with 2 weeks). occasionally i will toss in some defoliated leaves, potato peelings, banana peel, crushed egg shell to add some more organic components. the microbe eat it up.
to refresh the soil before using it again, all i have to do is add a handful of fresh compost, a scoop of worm castings and a couple scoops of dr.earth. mix it up, throw it in a pot and toss a seedling in it. good to go.

i am not blowing through bottled nutrient$ either. i essentially fertilize once a month. a couple scoops out of a big 12lb bag (the same bag i opened almost a year ago) and a cup of worm castings.

i’m not trying to convince you, but rather trying to dispell some myths about organics. i know it’s not for everyone. you will find what best suits your growing style… and that’s what you should concentrate on. ignore the external noise. find what works best for your space, budget and style. in my case, i don’t have a choice, organics HAS to suit my style for the time being, because i am growing for someone else who has very specific requirements and a weakened constitution. everything has got to be clean.

[Til_Valhalla]

@AppalachianBiscuits

I would like to armchair quarter back for you. I grow autos in DWC all day. BUSHES of plants. Except this current auto, he’s a tiny little buddy

I’m very interested in learning to be a better soil gardener, I’ll be sure to follow your grows!

yeah… that’s what i want to do. grow some monster autos in DWC. i have all the gear… welll except for the ph/nutrient ppm pen. too pricey right now to just spend the cash and have it sitting around collecting dust. (and here my hypocritical ass talks about spending cash and letting things collect dust… as i look over at my mountain of seeds… collecting dust waiting for their turns.)

soil has it’s ups and downs. what would be most interesting from you is to grow same strain. one in DWC and one in organic soil. tell me what you think has better flavor and overall effects after the harvest. we all know DWC will kick soils ass in the yield dept so that comparison is right out. however, the quality points between the two would be the question.

[AppalachianBiscuits]

@Til_Valhalla

what would be most interesting from you is to grow same strain. one in DWC and one in organic soil. tell me what you think has better flavor and overall effects

Well, I’ll kill the one in soil, so the winner is clear

I’m going to start a fight I’m sure, but I suspect there would be no difference. If I was a good soil gardener and put one clone in DWC and one in soil, even the fanciest living breathing dirt, I don’t think there would be a difference. I’ve grown other veggies in dirt and in hydro and I can’t tell a difference. I CAN tell a difference in outdoor/indoor. Something about the sunshine and getting shit on by birds makes everything tastier.

Like we’re all been harping, the best way to grow is the way you grow best.

[Til_Valhalla]

i’d be willing to try the battle out once… or twice.
might be fun.

@AppalachianBiscuits

Something about the sunshine and getting shit on by birds makes everything tastier.

and bugs. don’t forget the bug sh^t.
true that. sun = best lighting system of all.

@AppalachianBiscuits

Like we’re all been harping, the best way to grow is the way you grow best.

yep. so many different ways to grow.

you ever tried your DWC outdoors? i know “they” say it can’t be done (heat in summer) but curious if anyone did the mythbusters on that question?

[AppalachianBiscuits]

I do take my DWC outside. I have a solar pump for the air stone and usually grow tomatoes. I wrap the buckets in reflective insulation and when it gets really hot I put frozen water bottles in.
When I plant them this year I’ll tag you!

This was the first try last year

[Til_Valhalla]

cool!

pffft… “can’t be done”
push that envelope!

[StrongerthanDirt]

Very cool🍻need to research a solar pump as that’d be awesome. Thank you for sharing

[navy66]

@Til_Valhalla

the cool thing is, you’re in the right place now. you can ask questions and you’re going to have a bunch of helpful, experienced and knowledgeable people jumping in to offer some help.

I’m here thanks to YOU, brother. I appreciate all of your confidence and support and time, as always. I appreciate you.

@Til_Valhalla

your environment (indoors/outdoors) is different than mine and everyone else that’s answered your thread. my area is nuclear sun, hot and dry. your area might get more overcast, rain and humidity.

I “get” this. Remember how I told you I started in the tub. . .then tried outside. . .then in a tent in the garage. This tent in the garage thing? This is home now. I like that it’s indoors, but still in a garage that runs a little cooler and less humid than Portland. Rain? Not at issue, which for a sativa-lover, is pretty key. Course, I’m a NorCal native: I miss the sun. So I think I’m gonna utilize the hotter season by running my first autoflowers, starting soon. That was something else you’d mentioned, so I may try it. (I like growing photoperiods, and that’ll always be my focus – but I can grow my stash fast if I run 5 or 6 autos in pots near the tomatoes this spring and summer. I think most of my learning will probably happen on photoperiods, but I’ll learn wherever I can. (FYI, I avoided starting with autoflowers precisely because I wanted to learn what I am learning. Autos felt like cheating. lol)

But your point about learning the environment is key. My garage tent is literally RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE of the garage. Furthermore, the light is hung jankily and won’t easily raise/lower. This summer between my spring and fall runs, I’m going to install it more permanently in a corner, probably with a few vents going in and out through the upper garage wall. Finding more permanent place will “fix” a lot of variables for me.

@Til_Valhalla

me giving you advice to do the soil and grow the “texas way” is counterproductive to you.

This is what occurred to me right after I started this thread. I HAVE to find my own way here, cause it’s for ME. I started to see the flaw in my thinking immediately.

And what else? This summer, while I’m speed-running some autos outside, I have to do some serious self-study on Botany 101. If I am climbing aboard the “soil/pHd water/fertilizer” bus for this upcoming crop, well then. . .I’m staying on that bus forever, so I’d better learn my brass tacks if I’m going to find my own way.

So some of my goals will hold – I want to avoid RO machines and auto irrigation systems (I like hand-prep – much more zen for me, part of the whole weed process). I will consider, like you, building my own soil (because I think it’ll be a case of it being better AND cheaper for me, by a LONG shot), etc. I am sure that, as I study, I will want to run some soil-build ideas by you, but that won’t be for several weeks. I’ll likewise also look into real ferts that allow me some growth stage-specific flexibility for my own additions and supplements, instead of simply pouring juice.

I have ALWAYS had a natural aversion to math/science/biology, cause English was always way easier. But when I had to go back to college, I did okay in some pretty sciency courses. I had to double my focus, but I can do it. I just have to remind myself I can do it.

But now, I learn for the love of it. There is no way around me learning a LOT, if I’m going to make the next decisions correctly (soil, nutrition, water, etc.).

Appreciate this support, buddy. More to come.

[navy66]

This whole soil review was helpful. You convinced me. One of the reasons why I wanted to begin growing, aside from saving money and growing top shelf weed, was so I could have a reliable source of clean, natural, and organic weed. I’ve lost track of that “purity” thing and I need to grab back a hold of it.

So yes, I want to keep it clean (I won’t get all dogmatic about pure organic, but I’d prefer it be close). I like the idea of building a custom blend.

Plus, partner Kathy is a green thumb tree-hugger type: she keeps an incredible natural garden and maintains a very rich, active compost pile pretty much all the time. She doesn’t believe in fertilizers (she’s too cheap), but I’ll be damned if our yard doesn’t look great. I can (and will) claim a share of that organic love for just the stash.

Part of my Botany 101 cram session will require that I give you a few of my soil plans to review in a few weeks. Don’t die laughing. I’ll figure it out though! You kinda already gave me a great head start. . .

[Til_Valhalla]

i think you’re going to enjoy the autos.
the trick is to get the soil mix just right before you start. they grow so fast, there is no real warning when they decide to flip and go into flower. having the right flower nutrients already in the soil ready to go when they need them is key.
the other cool thing is that you can run autos right next to your veg plants. never have to mess with the light cycle. you can keep the lights on 18/6 or 20/4 (some do full 24, but i like to give the plants a break and some rest. i just stick with 18/6 and grow them among my clone moms) their entire life cycle can play out in your veg tent.

there is a dude on youtube “mr.canuck’s grow” i took a lot of inspiration from on how to grow autos. i base my soil mix off mr.canuck and build a soil’s recipe. works like a charm for autos.
https://www.youtube.com/@MrCanucksGrowGuide

i run autos outside as well. can get several grows and harvest in one entire grow season here. i start them top of each month from april to july. i’m harvesting the frst batch about the time i plant the last. some of the plants get pretty big and you’ll get a great harvest. some are pretty small and meh. regardless, i think they are fun and worth the effort.

[AppalachianBiscuits]

@navy66

Autos felt like cheating

Autos are different. They aren’t easier or really even harder, but they do what they want when they want. They don’t care about you or your feelings. Photos can cover a lot of sins with time.

I’m about to put in some @RainToday sent. If you want to see an excellent dirt garden for autos shes a great example.

[Topdecker]

@AppalachianBiscuits

Photos can cover a lot of sins with time.

Yes, yes they can. I have some 2-month old photos that barely survived my f-up and I imagine that they’ll finish off like my idiocy never afflicted them.

[navy66]

@Topdecker

they’ll finish off like my idiocy never afflicted them

This, my friend, is my daily prayer now. Probably going to be that way for a while. . .