There are over 20 different species of kelp…I think its close to 30? All have different levels of stored nutrients gathered from the area its grown in as it supports close to shore habitats (defense, nutrient cycling, energy capture and release) so I think of it like any other dynamic accumulator…you know it may be there as we are told it is just not in what amounts…I think its species dependent but don’t hold me to that
That is a great way to look at the gibberellins role - Thank you
It is and very different than traditional grows Originally, it caught my attention reading some old books at the library (spent hours there soaking everything up) then it came up here and there in different discussions when we were learning how to garden in Ak from growers in Oregon and Washington state over the yrs…not being satisfied with just discussions, I read up more on it and starting using the protocols from this desk reference and had much more successful gardens with less effort and a lot less money.
The testing that IAG does that supports this style of grow started in 2005 and has been invaluable since
Sooooo here on day 10 since cutting, 3 of the 6 are showing better root formation and since their pods are almost completely dried out, its time to add more water to the reservoir to soak up from the felt…
<img src="/uploads/default/original/3X/e/0/e09840c8f86bdb465567c12bcd7b085a5c3b8f87.jpg"width=“375” height=“500”>
Once the cuttings from #3 (the only girl) are fully rooted, I will trim up boys #'s 1 and 2 for cloning which will also help tame their growth while #7 catches up
This morning all the plants received their mineral mix (+seed sprout, liquid fish, starch water and lab) foliar. Brix was taken just before and 2 hrs after…
It didn’t really have an impact on the girl in the original soil and #7 though he has only been in the new soil for a week and still transitioning back to veg so it makes sense there is little impact unlike #1 and #2 I will retake their brix readings tomorrow 2 hrs after their soil drench to see what the numbers are…a brix of 3 seems to be the sweet spot for sap production
Interesting. Calcuim Nitrate is Norwegian Saltpeter Major uses are tree stump removal, rocket propellants, fireworks and fertilizers… obtained by treating limestone with weak nitric acid. Another one that sticks out is Ammonium Sulphate. It is an inorganic water soluble salt that has 21% nitrogen and 24% sulphur. Ok so this soil will not be an organic grow and just to make sure CDFA Fertilizer product database
Ah well, for $98 kit + $26 Sunshine mix + $29 no p-k EWC = $153.00 its being run! The only bad thing really is this soil can only be run a number of times before its too salty but thats ok as we are already dealing that with my “organic” mix…back to it!
Uh Oh! I knew I should have went with the 2x3 square fabric pot…bigger is not always better oh well we’ll roll with it anyway! Got the other half mixed well and decided to do the soil ball test…
Not bad for some minerals, peat, a bit of perlite and ewc…a bit heavier than I like though that should change with the required 30 day cook time. Put the rest into the pot, mixed all of the substrate well and folded up one side so the air intake isn’t totally blocked
I was going to wait until the new soil test came in though its pushing a bit to close to when I want to flip her…expecting results by 10/30 and want to flip 11/3 so tomorrow the girl will get the same treatment just in my homemade soil mix soooo last look at her as is
Mine too until I break it down into more manageable bits I’ll have to work through the rest of the fertilizers in the kit though most of it looks to be more salt peter, epsom, seaweed, hydrolyzed fish and a few more big chemical names
I saw that Calcium Nitrate on the label too, it’s also one of the ingredients in most CalMag products. Actually nice to see it not loaded down with extra magnesium at least.
Just to be complete in this style of grow… from what I have seen it works well and could be a great alternative for those wanting to try it with less work involved plus who doesn’t like a comparison?
Yeah. Both Promix and Sunshine mix is said to work in the high brix grow journals on 420mag
So I kept waking up through the night debating whether I should put the girl in a 20 gallon pot or say screw it and put her in the new 3x3 square 60 gallon pot seeing how it fits a bit too snug in the “boys” 3x3 cabinet. In the end I decided to get all of the “extra” soil out of my kitchen and go with the 3x3 square fabric pot…to keep things on par for a scientific method comparison where all things are equal except for 1 variable = substrate and foliars…ok so 2 variables but I can’t help that or can I?
Anyhow, all set up using binder clips to cinch the side the air intake is on
You can see the dry gap - it was that way on all 4 sides so the drippers could have been placed a little closer together though it didn’t stop roots from forming there…lots of tiny feeders. Now plants this big do not like transplants though she REALLY did not like it
Much better though still a few days away from settling in. To help her out, in her next dark period she will get a plant starter (B1 and micronutrient) foliar