Transition

P

przcvctm

Outer Circle Member
Growing 100% organic I've found is easy given quality soil and a large enough pot. Its water only bliss. What is not blissful, especially for the poor plants, is trying to scale down on pot size to increase seed plant numbers while trying to time organic supplementation to stay ahead of deficiencies. I have done this with relative success with some strains while others won't have it. I have 4 Mandala #1s (my favorite) at day 63 that may or may not still be alive. It's hard to tell :unsure:

Because my sizable seed collection is slowly decaying in the fridge (some I value the most are approaching 20 years old) I need to continue to germ larger numbers. I'm giving thought to switching from all organic to a hybrid like Sunshine #4 with castings as a medium and Floranova nutrients as an example. I've long resisted salts mainly because I bought into the organic only superiority mind set and because PPM and Ph meters sound like a pain in the ass.

Suggestions appreciated.
 
I just did the opposite. Had been running coco/perlite with canna nutes and some supplements and my curiosity got the best of me (because I also wanted to increase #s to run seeds) and I switched to an organic run. I ran into the problems you are describing and had a mostly sub par harvest. I am going running back to coco.

I was super intimidated by hydro and ph/ppm meters etc. IT IS NOTHING. Dont worry about it. Its like baking and following a recipe. You fill up your rez add the right amounts of this and that, make sure your ph is ~6.0and EC (i prefer ec over ppm, same idea though and any pen will do both) is where it should be and things run themselves. The growth rates are incredible compared to soil, and you can get much bigger plants in much less media. Just make sure to use an additive like athena cleanse in every watering and you wont get build up.
 
Just keep in mind that there are instances where using bat guano is a huge risk. Simply because it isn't regulated at all. Many bat virus' can cross species. Just be careful, and wear a mask and gloves when you apply.
 
I understand your reasoning on the pot size. Big pots of organic soil take up a lot of space. I like organics but can't afford to do them because the sheer volume of soil is incompatible with my grow, and the disposal of the soil afterward is a mega-PITA.

My compromise method: I grow in Pro-mix amended with 20% castings, about two gallons of medium per plant. The castings provide enough N to get me through veg without fertilization. When veg is over I start feeding lightly with a bloom fert (I use Botanicare Pure Bloom Soil Formula, which is designed for a medium with a some N already in it (worm castings)). I increase the strength of the feedings as flowering progresses, but i never use more than about half what Botanicare recommends. When flowering is well-established, I start hitting them with molasses weekly (not a lot; 1 TBSP per 5 gallons of water). Toward the end of flowering, I reduce/eliminate the fertilizer to allow the plants to consume what is already there.

I think the key with this method is light feeding; every commercial fertilizer I've seen seems to recommend feeding at a VERY high strength, and this is more than most plants need/want. :2c:
 
No suggestions, cuz i'm just a veggie gardener. But...just wondering what you plan on growing from Mandala, after the Mandala 1's?

I have liked the Mandala crosses that i've tried.
 
Hi mouse

In my fridge from Mandala I have White Satin, Sadhu, Satori, Speed Queen, Hashberry, Beyond the Brain, Ganesh, Krystallica, 8MH and a bunch of various Safari Mixes from them. I think I only have 5 or 6 M#1 beans left :sad2:

I think I might give Sadhu a go next round after I decide on a new method.
 
przcvctm said:
Growing 100% organic I've found is easy given quality soil and a large enough pot. Its water only bliss. What is not blissful, especially for the poor plants, is trying to scale down on pot size to increase seed plant numbers while trying to time organic supplementation to stay ahead of deficiencies. I have done this with relative success with some strains while others won't have it. I have 4 Mandala #1s (my favorite) at day 63 that may or may not still be alive. It's hard to tell :unsure:

Because my sizable seed collection is slowly decaying in the fridge (some I value the most are approaching 20 years old) I need to continue to germ larger numbers. I'm giving thought to switching from all organic to a hybrid like Sunshine #4 with castings as a medium and Floranova nutrients as an example. I've long resisted salts mainly because I bought into the organic only superiority mind set and because PPM and Ph meters sound like a pain in the ass.

Suggestions appreciated.
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Have you given any thought to going with smaller pots, but 12/12 straight out of the shoot? You're just doing a seed preservation, so the flower really isn't that much of a concern (I assume). From what I have been reading, most seed makers want a higher N going through a seed making run, and if you don't intend on using the flower for consumables, you don't have to worry about the "flush" or excess notes in the plant material.

What I would really consider myself in this situation is going with one big bed, 12/12 straight off (to keep the plants smaller, along with flowering time), one seed cultivar at a time (of course) and if you over do it on the nutes by a tad, it's no biggie. Lastly, because it is a seed run, I'd give thought to running each cultivar an extra 2 weeks just to ensure that the seeds are fully developed, healthy and viable.

I doubt this helps, but it might spark another more reasonable thought.
 
I was hoping to have my cake and eat it too since I still have a need for weed :dancer: You bring up several good strategies though.
 
Personally, I prefer partially seeded weed over sinsemilla buds... I have a hard time describing it, but I'll say that "I" find to makes the experience more rounded; that's the best I can do.

If all you are looking at is getting 50-100 seeds for safe keeping for the next ten years, I don't see a problem with just running a normal flower grow... but that's me (and I wouldn't run the extra N). However, if you wanted to do it in a more professional manner (like you alluded to), as in an open pollination; the more plants the better... in that case buster, you're gonna have to knock some interior walls down for more space using soil... just keep the demolition on the quiet side or your wife might notice and start thinking that something's up!
 
Interesting that you mention a difference between sinsemilla and seeded bud. There was a big discussion on that topic in the DJ Short forum at ICmag years ago led by MrAlkaline. I found the contention of seeded bud having a nicer high quality fascinating since in the early '70s everything I smoked was seeded and it was f**king great.
 
I've done a couple organic runs in 1 and 2 gallon pots. I just make sure to top dress with dry amendments, worm castings, and some calcium like lime and gypsum about every 2 to 4 weeks. For a quick PK boost I will use stuff like seabird guano and potassium sulfate. Molasses, too.

I treat them the same as my 5 gallon pots. The plants are just smaller and I've never been a water-only guy. I also re-amend and re-use my soil.
 
przcvctm said:
Interesting that you mention a difference between sinsemilla and seeded bud. There was a big discussion on that topic in the DJ Short forum at ICmag years ago led by MrAlkaline. I found the contention of seeded bud having a nicer high quality fascinating since in the early '70s everything I smoked was seeded and it was f**king great.
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Recently, I've begun to think that this is the reason what some of the old heads look back on the old stuff with "reverence" shall we call it... all of it was seeded to some degree.
 
I guess for clarification; I know this isn't "glorifying" the old cannabis on my part because at that time I was a drinker, not a smoker. A couple of puffs and I was down for the count, and being a bit of a brawler in my young days, there was always someone hunting a scrap with me. The only time that I would try a bit of smoke was if I knew that no one was coming to or leaving the property. (No house parties) I could fight drunk, but I couldn't fight when I was sleeping. ha ha

However, the smokers of the day kept me around their circle, because I didn't mind doing the threshing for them and I was pretty good at rolling joints... they would say, 2 fatties and 4 pinners and that's what they would get.

I don't think anyone in this area would think back and say "that Columbian Gold had great bag appeal (if that was really what it was)... of course some was better than others, but even poorly grown weed now, looks better than most of the old stuff did... so the only thing that would make it different (in a natural sense) would be the seeded aspect to it.(?)
 
WrinkledNugSack said:
so the only thing that would make it different (in a natural sense) would be the seeded aspect to it.(?)
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genetics and grown outdoors under SA sun..
WrinkledNugSack said:
look back on the old stuff with "reverence"
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the genetics..imported]out door sun]....thai stick had no seeds...

still some well seeded colombian/mex etc was good

ps..we’d have been much happier with sinsi back then..but did have 50% seed stuff that were scorcher..

,,many many[ many] mature seed brac’s..aren't great for buzz and don’t taste great..
 
dBMachine said:
I've done a couple organic runs in 1 and 2 gallon pots. I just make sure to top dress with dry amendments, worm castings, and some calcium like lime and gypsum about every 2 to 4 weeks. For a quick PK boost I will use stuff like seabird guano and potassium sulfate. Molasses, too.

I treat them the same as my 5 gallon pots. The plants are just smaller and I've never been a water-only guy. I also re-amend and re-use my soil.
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On my last failed run I top dressed with Roots Organic Uprising Grow, Bloom and Foundation according to directions :down: One of the reasons that I want to make a switch also is that I am paranoid of guano and mask up with an N95 before I use it. Losing that fear would be nice also.
 
przcvctm said:
On my last failed run I top dressed with Roots Organic Uprising Grow, Bloom and Foundation according to directions :down: One of the reasons that I want to make a switch also is that I am paranoid of guano and mask up with an N95 before I use it. Losing that fear would be nice also.
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Rock phosphate could be used instead of guano for the P. But you don't really need a PK boost.... I just try to sweeten things.

I use Down To Earth 4-8-4 blend as my general purpose fertilizer. Mid to late flower I switch to a 1-8-6 from a different brand. During veg I'll use stuff like insect frass as well alternating feeds with the 4-8-4.

I think the calcium is ultra important. I had mixed results until I started using the gypsum and lime.

Not saying my way is the best because I'm still figuring things out. But I'm all about the romanticism with the soil. Here's my Devil's Hashplant on day 51.

1712087349896.png
 
kushyman said:
genetics and grown outdoors under SA sun..

the genetics..imported]out door sun]....thai stick had no seeds...

still some well seeded colombian/mex etc was good

ps..we’d have been much happier with sinsi back then..but did have 50% seed stuff that were scorcher..

,,many many[ many] mature seed brac’s..aren't great for buzz and don’t taste great..
Click to expand...
@kushyman

Well, normally I couldn't argue with with your thoughts about sun grown weed kushyman, but "just speaking in my experience" I prefer the (lightly) seeded weed over the non-seeded because all I have smoked in the last 35 years or so is my own indoor, with the exception of two bowls of dispo cannabis, and that stuff I don't even count.

So in my case sun grown doesn't even play into it. However, I don't think a statistician would accept "an N of one" to be a relevant pool to base any findings on.

I don't think that I ever saw real Thai Stick... certainly lots of Columbian and Mexican, probably some BC grown bud as well... but like I say, I was not a fan of the flower. Oddly enough, hash was probably just as available as flower was in the late 70's early 80's around my circle.

As for the bracts, to me almost all cannabis is like taking a healthy lick of a blacksmith's arm pit at the end of a hot workday; it always did... and sure, some blacksmiths wash a little more often than others, but I still have to head for a tooth brush after I imbibe... but that's just me.

Here again, I've highjacked przcvctm's thread... I'll apologize and bow out of the forums for a while, thanks for the conversations folks... it's been fun!
 
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